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At Hanukkah, a celebration of eternal light − from the desert tabernacle to synagogues today

  • Written by Alan Avery-Peck, Kraft-Hiatt Professor in Judaic Studies, College of the Holy Cross
imageA celebration of eternal light − and hope.Alan Avery-Peck

My earliest religious memory is of our synagogue’s Ner Tamid: the decorative electric lamp that hangs in every sanctuary, above the ark holding the Torah scrolls.

This lamp, I learned from parents and teachers, was an eternal light – the literal meaning of the Hebrew term...

Read more: At Hanukkah, a celebration of eternal light − from the desert tabernacle to synagogues today

Trump’s 2017 tax cuts expire soon − study shows they made income inequality worse and especially hurt Black Americans

  • Written by Beverly Moran, Professor Emerita of Law, Vanderbilt University
imagePresident Donald Trump arrives at the White House after passing the Tax Cut and Jobs Act on Dec. 20, 2017.AP Photo/Evan Vucci

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a set of tax cuts Donald Trump signed into law during his first term as president, will expire on Dec. 31, 2024. As Trump and Republicans prepare to negotiate new tax cuts in 2025, it’s worth...

Read more: Trump’s 2017 tax cuts expire soon − study shows they made income inequality worse and especially...

How liberals lost comedy − and helped Trump win

  • Written by Nick Marx, Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies, Colorado State University
imageDonald Trump has long been fodder for late-night TV hosts − but he got the last laugh during the 2024 election.Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Throughout the 2024 election cycle, reproductive rights were an electoral vulnerability for Donald Trump. Though popular with the Republican base, his appointment of antiabortion judges gave serious pause...

Read more: How liberals lost comedy − and helped Trump win

Is news bias fueled by journalists supplying slanted views or readers’ demanding them? An economist weighs in

  • Written by Tin Cheuk Leung, Associate Professor of Economics, Wake Forest University

Late in December 2023, the former top editor of The New York Times’ editorial page, James Bennet, dropped a bombshell in an article for The Economist. “The leadership of the New York Times is losing control of its principles,” he wrote, saying slanted coverage at the institution is “pervasive.”

In the article, Bennet...

Read more: Is news bias fueled by journalists supplying slanted views or readers’ demanding them? An...

Colleges’ career success stats don’t tell the whole story about how their graduates are doing after they get their degree

  • Written by Kerry Shackett, Co-Director of the Career Collaborative and Career Coach, Champlain College
imageProspective college students should know what questions to ask during a campus tour.Peathegee Inc. via Getty Images

When high school students and their families investigate which college is the best fit, they will inevitably be inundated with various facts and figures. Brochures and websites might highlight the school’s dining halls or...

Read more: Colleges’ career success stats don’t tell the whole story about how their graduates are doing...

5 of the most frustrating health insurer tactics and why they exist

  • Written by Monica S. Aswani, Assistant Professor of Health Services Administration, University of Alabama at Birmingham
imageMany patients face significant upfront costs to getting health care.Peter Dazeley/The Image Bank via Getty Imagesw

The U.S. has made great progress in getting more people insured since the Affordable Care Act took effect in 2014. The share of uninsured Americans ages 18 to 64 fell from 18% before the ACA to 9.5% in 2022. And preexisting conditions...

Read more: 5 of the most frustrating health insurer tactics and why they exist

Cómo la canela, la nuez moscada y el jengibre se convirtieron en los aromas de las vacaciones de invierno, lejos de sus orígenes tropicales

  • Written by Serina DeSalvio, Ph.D. Candidate in Genetics and Genomics, Texas A&M University
imageNuez moscada, jengibre, canela y otras especias para pan de especias.Almaje/iStock via Getty Images

Independientemente de cómo celebre usted las fiestas de fin de año, la comida es probablemente el elemento central de sus celebraciones invernales. Y un trío de especias -canela, nuez moscada y jengibre- está presente en...

Read more: Cómo la canela, la nuez moscada y el jengibre se convirtieron en los aromas de las vacaciones de...

Cómo la Navidad se convirtió en una tradición navideña estadounidense, con un Papá Noel, regalos y un árbol

  • Written by Thomas Adam, Professor of Political Science, University of Arkansas
imageLa tradición pagana de celebrar el solsticio de invierno con hogueras el 21 de diciembre inspiró las primeras celebraciones cristianas de la Navidad.Gpointstudio/ Image Source via Getty Images

Cada temporada, la celebración de la Navidad hace que líderes religiosos y conservadores se quejen públicamente de la comer...

Read more: Cómo la Navidad se convirtió en una tradición navideña estadounidense, con un Papá Noel, regalos y...

How nostalgia led to the invention of the first Christmas card

  • Written by Christopher Ferguson, Associate Professor of History, Auburn University
imageThe first Christmas card with the words 'A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year to You." Artist John Callcott Horsley via Wikimedia Commons

It’s a common seasonal refrain: “Christmas just isn’t like it used to be.”

This is not a new complaint. History shows that Christmas traditions are just as subject to change as any...

Read more: How nostalgia led to the invention of the first Christmas card

Retailers that make it harder to return stuff face backlash from their customers

  • Written by Huseyn Abdulla, Assistant Professor of Supply Chain Management, University of Tennessee
imageShoppers line up with returns and exchanges at L.L. Bean in Freeport, Maine, on Dec. 26, 2010.Jill Brady/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

In 2018, L.L. Bean ended its century-old “lifetime” return policy, limiting returns to one year after purchase and requiring receipts. The demise of this popular policy sparked backlash, with...

Read more: Retailers that make it harder to return stuff face backlash from their customers

More Articles ...

  1. Why does red wine cause headaches? Our research points to a compound found in the grapes’ skin
  2. Supporting a grieving loved one on holidays and special occasions: Practical tips from a clinical psychologist
  3. After wildfires, ranchers face 2-year delay to graze cattle on federal land – is it doing more harm than good?
  4. How does the International Space Station orbit Earth without burning up?
  5. Twins were the norm for our ancient primate ancestors − one baby at a time had evolutionary advantages
  6. How cities are reinventing the public-private partnership − 4 lessons from around the globe
  7. Black adults with long COVID report higher levels of hopelessness and suicidal thoughts − new research
  8. Only 0.16% of all US charitable giving supports LGBTQ+ groups despite recent increases
  9. How humanities classes benefit students in the workplace and combat loneliness
  10. Marco Rubio is no friend of Havana − but does Trump’s pick for secretary of state mean Cuba policy is set?
  11. FBI director guides the agency in confronting complex international threats, investigating federal crimes and running 55 field offices
  12. Ferns’ ability to evolve ‘backward’ offers insights into the meandering path of evolution
  13. Response to CEO killing reveals antipathy toward health insurers − but entire patchwork system is to blame for ill feeling
  14. Why ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ almost didn’t air − and why it endures
  15. Brain inflammation may be the reason behind muscle fatigue after infection and injury
  16. We developed a way to use light to dismantle PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ – long-lasting environmental pollutants
  17. Stop and think: An undervalued approach in a world that short-circuits thoughtful political judgment
  18. Why Quincy Jones should be prominently featured in US music education − his absence reflects how racial segregation still shapes American classrooms
  19. Santa, maybe? Why we have different names for who ‘hurries down the chimney’ on Christmas
  20. South Korea shook a presidential power grab – failure to impeach now risks damaging democracy
  21. NASA’s crew capsule had heat shield issues during Artemis I − an aerospace expert on these critical spacecraft components
  22. Vaccines and values: When you’re having a tough conversation about medicine, don’t just pile on evidence − listen to someone’s ‘moral foundations’
  23. Why winter makes you more vulnerable to colds – a public health nurse explains the science behind the season
  24. 15% of global population lives within a few miles of a coast − and the number is growing rapidly
  25. ‘Administrative law’ sounds dry but likely will be key to success or failure of Trump’s plans for government reform
  26. Why the religious beliefs of Trump defense pick Pete Hegseth matter
  27. We interviewed 30 Black public school teachers in Philadelphia to understand why so many are leaving the profession
  28. US role in Syria is unclear in wake of Assad’s fall from power
  29. What the US Supreme Court will consider when it rules on gender-affirming care for trans children
  30. What’s next for Albertsons after calling off its $25B grocery merger with Kroger: More lawsuits
  31. Assad’s fall in Syria will further weaken Hezbollah and curtails Tehran’s ‘Iranization’ of region
  32. Blood tests are currently one-size-fits-all − machine learning can pinpoint what’s truly ‘normal’ for each patient
  33. High rises made out of wood? What matters in whether ‘mass timber’ buildings are sustainable
  34. Trump wants to use the Alien Enemies Act to deport immigrants – but the 18th-century law has been invoked only during times of war
  35. Why being forced to precisely follow a curriculum harms teachers and students
  36. US secretary of education helps set national priorities in a system primarily funded and guided by local governments
  37. Infectious diseases killed Victorian children at alarming rates — their novels highlight the fragility of public health today
  38. Hamas – hemmed in and isolated – finds itself with few options for the day after the Gaza war
  39. The chilling crime spree of The Order – and its lasting effect on today’s white supremacists
  40. Syrians rejoice in a new beginning, after 54 years of tyranny
  41. Syrians, in a triumph of hope, turn the page on the horrors of Assad
  42. Arctic has changed dramatically in just a couple of decades – 2024 report card shows worrying trends in snow, ice, wildfire and more
  43. Pearl Young, the first woman to work in a technical role at NASA, overcame barriers and ‘raised hell’ − her legacy continues today
  44. Stadiums don’t have to be a drain on taxpayer dollars − 4 lessons from St. Louis
  45. Polarization, brain rot and brat – the 2024 words of the year point to the power, perils and ephemeral nature of digital life
  46. New set of human rights principles aims to end displacement and abuse of Indigenous people through ‘fortress conservation’
  47. Hypnosis is not just a parlor trick or TV act − science shows it helps with anxiety, depression, pain, PTSD and sleep disorders
  48. I’m a scholar of white supremacy who’s visiting all 113 places where Confederate statues were removed in recent years − here’s why Richmond gets it right
  49. Links between gender stereotypes and American patriotism date from the Cold War − but weren’t true then either
  50. When AI goes shopping: AI agents promise to lighten your purchasing load − if they can earn your trust