The Conversation

Why increasing Arab-Israeli closeness matters

Written by David Mednicoff, Chair, Department of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies, and Associate Professor of Middle Eastern Studies and Public Policy, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Bahrain's Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa gave an interview to Israel's Channel 13 in June -- a first.Screenshot, Official Youtube of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Bahrain

While the connection of Jews to Israel is frequently in the news, the changing nature of Jewish and Israeli links to...

Why companies file for bankruptcy – and how it protects both debtors and creditors

Written by Lindsey Simon, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Georgia

Critics have worried Purdue might use bankruptcy to avoid accountability. AP Photo/Jessica Hill

Reports have emerged that Purdue Pharma is in settlement talks to resolve thousands of federal and state lawsuits over its role in fueling the opioid epidemic. As part of the reported settlement, the company would file for bankruptcy.

Earlier this year,...

Should parents help their kids with homework?

Written by Daniel Hamlin, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Oklahoma

When their kids get older, parents should try to phase out homework help.goodluz/Shutterstock.com

Schools across the country encourage parents to help their children with homework.

Parents are listening. Helping with homework is one of the most common things that parents say they do to support their children’s learning.

Many experts have found...

Should investors buy marijuana stocks?

Written by Sandra Woien, Lecturer of Philosophy, Arizona State University

Taking a whiff of the marijuana flower.AP Photo/Richard Vogel

Illinois recently became the 11th state to legalize marijuana for recreational use. As more states follow suit, legal cannabis spending is expected to grow over 200% from about US$9 billion in 2017 to $31 billion in 2022.

With these unparalleled increases in spending, marijuana stocks, in...

Worker-protection laws aren't ready for an automated future

Written by Jeffrey Hirsch, Geneva Yeargan Rand Distinguished Professor of Law, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Uber and Lyft drivers protest their working conditions in Los Angeles in May 2019.AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

Science fiction has long imagined a future in which humans constantly interact with robots and intelligent machines. This future is already happening in warehouses and manufacturing businesses. Other workers use virtual or augmented reality...

5 things to consider before taking out a student loan

Written by David J. Nguyen, Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs, Ohio University, Ohio University

About 1 in 10 student loan borrowers default on their student loans.pathdoc/Shutterstock.com

16.9 million.

That’s how many students are going to college at the undergraduate level this fall. Of that number, roughly half – 46% – will take out federal student loans. It’s a decision that could bring certain rewards – not...

4 reasons why social media election data can misread public opinion

Written by Joseph Cabosky, Assistant Professor of Public Relations, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Online discussion doesn’t always accurately reflect the real political landscape.Russ Vance/Shutterstock.com

I often encounter myths and misunderstandings about political data, whether it’s in the classes I teach or broader news coverage.

A common one is that polls these days are all wrong. But, as the news website FiveThirtyEight has...

You’d be better off lighting your money on fire than giving it to a politician to spend on TV ads

Written by Liberty Vittert, Professor of the Practice of Data Science, Washington University in St Louis

Hillary Clinton may have lost to Donald Trump because she bought the wrong kind of adsAP/David Goldman

Alright, you want to make this country a better place for yourself, your children and the many generations to come. So you make a donation to a political candidate you believe will fight for a better country.

But, in reality, you are wasting your...

Humanitarian forensic scientists trace the missing, identify the dead and comfort the living

Written by Ahmad Samarji, Associate Professor of Forensic Science Education & STEM Education and the Assistant Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Phoenicia University

Red Cross forensic specialist Stephen Fonseca, right, searches for bodies in a field of ruined maize in Magaru, Mozambique, after Cyclone Idai, April 4, 2019. AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi

The word “forensic” is typically associated with crimes and legal disputes. Forensic medicine, for example, applies medical knowledge to establish...

Why would anyone want to sit on a plane for over 18 hours? An economist takes the world's longest flight

Written by Jay L. Zagorsky, Senior Lecturer, Boston University

A customer waits for the world's longest flight from Singapore to Newark.AP Photo/Wong Maye-E

Recently Qantas announced plans to conduct test flights from New York and London to Sydney and two other Australian cities.

If commercialized, these routes would become the longest in the world at about 19 hours. Qantas said it will conduct test flights wit...