archive

January 26, 2013 Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is lifting the ban on women serving in combat. Gary Varvel isn't comfortable with all the roles women may come to fill, while Mike Keefe wonders if their combat experience will help women break through the military's glacis ceiling.

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January 25, 2013 The Senate has made changes to the filibuster rule, but not the major alterations many had hoped for. The action fits within Pat Bagley's view of the body, while Jeff Danziger provides a rationale for why sweeping changes weren't made.

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January 24, 2013 The habits of migrating whales, birds, and insects all yield key data for the science of animal navigation. But as commentator Barbara J. King explains, Holly the housecat's 200-mile journey back home has left scientists puzzled

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January 24, 2013 Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton testified on Capitol Hill about the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Steve Sack wasn't convinced by the secretary's explanations last fall, while David Fitzsimmons thinks Clinton gave a strong performance Wednesday.

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January 23, 2013 Reality is stranger than fiction; this is certainly the case within the quantum world, where objects can be in two places at the same time. Experiments confirm this can also be true for large molecules. The next step is to try it with living beings.

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January 23, 2013 In a 22-year career playing baseball, Stan "The Man" Musial (1920-2013) set an example as both a competitor and human being. Mike Peters notes that the Hall of Famer retired without a blemish on his reputation. In contrast, Mike Peters examines the careers of two players with records that aren't as spotless.

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January 22, 2013 The symbiosis between law and power is fractal in nature and can be found at all levels of hierarchy in the legal system. Laws enable new strategy spaces for actors within the system. Creative actors seek adjacent-possible actions within the prevailing legal environment to achieve their desired ends.

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January 22, 2013 Can intelligence be increased through upbringing? Commentator Tania Lombrozo discusses a new synthesis of research on how to raise young children's IQ. The findings suggest modest changes for most parents, but profound changes for access to early childhood education.

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January 22, 2013 As President Obama begins his second term, he has the opportunity to set the nation's priorities. Cam Cardow and Signe Wilkinson disagree on America's most important obligations.

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January 21, 2013 In the late 1950s, the civil rights leader wrote an advice column for Ebony magazine on issues of race, love and marriage.

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January 21, 2013 President Obama will be publicly sworn in for his second term today. Dave Granlund notes the historic backdrop for the inauguration, while Glenn Foden has a different vision of the event.

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January 21, 2013 Marco Polo sits in the garden of Kublai Khan and weaves tales of spider cities, gold cities and dream cities. Author Eric Weiner explains why the best travel book he has ever read isn't about a real place. What's your favorite book about an imaginary journey? Tell us in the comments.

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January 20, 2013 Leonard Michaels' Sylvia, an account of a violent and tumultuous love affair, began as an autobiographical essay and then grew into a novel. Author Sarah Manguso writes that despite all of its particularities, the story could really be about anyone. What are some novels that you can relate to?

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January 20, 2013 French troops are fighting Islamist militants who have taken control of Mali's vast north and are advancing toward the capital city. Patrick Chappatte decries the destruction of religious sites by militants, while Emad Hajjaj sees France's intervention as a proxy for U.S. interests.

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