This column originally appeared in the Oct. 14 Harvard Independent. Also see Adam’s post yesterday on this subject. This weekend I saw Davis Guggenheim’s documentary, Waiting for Superman, an arresting look at the American public education system and the lives of five precocious children whom it lets down. Guggenheim, whose previous works include An Inconvenient … Read more
Even if you’re not an education policy wonk, you’ve probably heard about Davis Guggenheim’s new documentary, Waiting for “Superman.” And, like many Americans, you may be planning to watch it. After all, Guggenheim’s last film, An Inconvenient Truth, changed the way many people think about global warming. What’s not to like about the fact that … Read more
I have a confession to make. I am in favor of embryonic stem cell research. I know I’m not supposed to be. I know, as a good Republican, I should have grave bioethical concerns about destroying a human embryo to generate a line of stem cells for study. I know I should subscribe to the … Read more
An end to one of the great tragedies of the last decade appears to be on the horizon. The government in the Sudan announced late last week that a referendum on partitioning the nation would be held in January of next year. Torn apart by ethnic and religious hatreds between the north and the south … Read more
Let me begin this by saying that I do not consider myself a member of this self-identified political movement that now claims 28% of the national public. However, I do believe they have unfairly gotten a bad rap from Democrats and even many Republicans, and I think everyone needs to know more of their story. … Read more
Author of “Active Liberty” and the newly released “Making Our Democracy Work: A Judge’s View,” Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer begins the new term as the second most senior member of the liberal bloc after Justice Ginsburg. President Clinton appointed Breyer to the High Court in 1994. Without any appointments until the death of Chief … Read more
Since its inception in 1978, China’s one-child policy has always been marked by controversy. While the government has claimed that the policy has prevented 400 million births, it’s an achievement paid for in blood. Over the years, the one-child policy has seen thousands and thousands of Chinese mothers undergo forced abortion, sterilization and numerous human rights … Read more
On the heels of this general report, CNN broke the story that: A teen blogger who had been held for nine months in Syria’s Duma women’s prison has been charged with espionage … Syrian Intelligence Services summoned Tal al-Mallouhi, 19, in December to interrogate her about her blog, which contains poetry and social commentary. To … Read more
On June 14th of this year, President Obama appointed a commission of seven men and women to evaluate the events that contributed to the Deepwater Horizon spill. The commission, organized less than two months after the spill began but a full month before the oil stopped flowing, released its initial reports this week. In one … Read more
Last week I wrote about Bob Woodward’s new book which shed light on the uncertainty of the US situation in Afghanistan. This week, there seems to be signs of hope in the form of Afghanistan-Taliban peace negotiations. It was announced on Monday that Taliban representatives are authorized to negotiate with the Afghanistan government on behalf … Read more