A wall of televisions occupies the stage. Each screen plays its own clip, from Hurricane Katrina news coverage to Survivor episode segments. Then, the screens synchronize to play a single video. George W. Bush, in his 2001 address to a joint session of Congress, steps up to the podium and proclaims, “Either you are with … Read more
Rachael Hanna interviews students in front of the Science Center about their high schools’ support of music education. This StreetTalk is related to the HPR’s Spring 2014 Covers topic, the politics of music. You can access additional content by subscribing to our YouTube channel and visiting our iTunes page. Interview by Rachael Hanna Filming and Editing by … Read more
The Psychology of Obesity and America’s Portion Problem The 21st century “obesity epidemic” has long been an issue conveyed in foreboding figures: The American Heart Association places the count of overweight and obese Americans at 23.9 million children and 154.2 million adults. A recent United Nations Food and Agricultural report ranks the U.S. behind only … Read more
In the 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the protagonist, R.P. McMurphy, enters a state asylum although his mind may be perfectly healthy. His first interaction with his supervising doctor reveals the complicated attitude the film takes towards mental illness: “Now they’re telling me I’m crazy over here ‘cause I don’t sit there … Read more
The healthcare industry boasts some of the highest prices in the service sector. Technology, however, is an inexpensive method of cutting costs, and the healthcare marketplace has taken note. Today, the healthcare mobile apps market is a booming field populated by start-ups and late M.D.-to-entrepreneur converts, with more than 10,000 apps currently available through outlets … Read more
If all the states were a giant family, Vermont would be the stereotypical Birkenstock-wearing, hippie cousin—just a little bit different and unafraid to reject the typical way of doing things. So perhaps it should not have been all that surprising when the Green Mountain State enacted a single-payer health care system, called “Green Mountain Care,” … Read more
Jimmy Kimmel isn’t considered a preeminent source on health policy and public opinion. But his television show’s trip to Hollywood Boulevard two months ago revealed more about the relationship the average American has with healthcare reform than our elected officials or the news media have ever managed to. Mr. Kimmel’s video crew took to the … Read more
Drug A and B are the same. They have the same ingredients, same pills, and the same purpose. But, one is a name brand and the other is a generic. So, the only difference between the two is the price. Every year, pharmaceutical companies pour billions of dollars into the research, development, and approval of … Read more
Of the collective ideas that define the United States, few are more prominent than the American Dream. Yet in the face of high economic inequality and disappointing intergenerational mobility, an important question is increasingly asked: is that dream still alive? The fact that inequality is rising is undisputed. But the causes and impacts of inequality, … Read more
Many Americans’ image of Brazil is colored by films like the Oscar-nominated City of God (2002), which described the tribulations of young people growing up in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. This favela image—crowded, gangland slums with little hope of escape—paints a picture of a nation that still seems to be suffering from enormous socioeconomic … Read more