Children in the U.S. foster care system can languish for yearsPixabyFirestorms regarding child-protective systems have become sadly commonplace, occurring recently in Massachusetts, Colorado and Florida. Elected officials and the general public often don’t pay much attention to child protection systems until a child dies in a family known to...
Where does self-esteem in children come from?Saulo Victor, CC BY-NC-NDA YouTube clip called “Jessica’s Daily Affirmation” recently went viral. The clip shows a four-year-old Jessica standing in front of the bathroom mirror saying what makes her happy about herself.
Jessica’s Daily Affirmation.
Many youngsters, like Jessica,...
Read more: When do children show evidence of self-esteem? Earlier than you might think
An all-white affair?ReutersIn 1964, Sidney Poitier became the first African American to win an Academy award for best actor in a leading role for “Lilies of the Field.”
It took another 38 years for another African American, Denzel Washington, to win the award for his role in “Training Day.” But only two years later, Jamie...
Oil's continuing slide so far isn't leading to lower U.S. production, but concerns are growing that it'll drive some out of business. ReutersGlobal stock markets have been in a tailspin this week. And the sinking price of oil received at least some of the blame.
Just this week, the cost of a barrel of crude reached a 12-year-low of US$27, down from...
Hurricane Pali churns over the eastern Pacific on January 11NASA Earth ObservatoryJanuary hurricanes are extremely rare events. But this year, two have already formed – Alex in the northeastern Atlantic last week, and Pali in the central Pacific, south of Hawaii, a few days earlier. The last hurricane to form in January in the Atlantic did...
Members of various militia groups met in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. One dressed as a Continental army officer.REUTERS/Jim UrquhartWhat’s motivating the armed protesters who occupied Oregon’s Malheur National Wildlife Refuge last week?
A local sheriff explained it this way: they came
claiming to be part of militia...
Civilian doctors might not know that their patients have served in the military. In this photo Marines march around the World Trade Center memorial after participating in a memorial run in 2012.MarineCorps NewYork/Flickr, CC BYEach year the military discharges over 240,000 veterans to reintegrate into civilian society. It’s a professional...
Woody Guthrie lived in Fred Trump's Beach Haven apartment complex for two years.In December 1950, Woody Guthrie signed his name to the lease of a new apartment in Brooklyn. Even now, over half a century later, that uninspiring document prompts a double-take.
Below all the legal jargon is the signature of the man who had composed “This Land Is...
Read more: Woody Guthrie, 'Old Man Trump' and a real estate empire's racist foundations
Could MOOCs transform higher ed?U.S. Army, CC BYWe have heard a lot of talk about MOOCs, or massive online open courses, over the last couple of years. On the plus side, MOOCs often draw enormous enrollments and are easy to sign up for and use; all you need, it seems, is an Internet connection and an interest to learn.
On the down side, they have...
Read more: Confessions of a MOOC professor: three things I learned and two things I worry about
Wildfires devastated large parts of California and the West, which has been suffering from a historic drought. Max Whittaker/ReutersThe year 2015 has proven to be another year of temperature records. Data released by NASA and NOAA (National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration) show that in 2015, the global mean surface temperature – the...
Read more: The hottest year on record signals that global warming is alive and well