The Conversation

Even when it's sitting in storage, coal threatens human health

Written by Akshaya Jha, Assistant Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University

Coal stockpile at a Milwaukee, Wisconsin power plant, 2011.Michael Pereckas, CC BY

President Trump and his appointees have pledged to end what they call the “war on coal” – policies designed to reduce the health and environmental impacts from producing and burning coal, such as toxic air pollution and mine waste disposal in streams...

How Vietnam dramatically changed our views on honor and war

Written by Richard Lachmann, Professor of Sociology, University at Albany, State University of New York

Marines help the wounded man to an evacuation helicopter near Van Tuong,1965. AP Photo/Peter Arnett

When Americans think of being at war, they might think of images of their fellow citizens suffering.

We count the dead and wounded. We follow veterans on their difficult journey of recovery from physical injuries and post-traumatic stress. We watch...

Vietnam War: Who was right about what went wrong – and why it matters in Afghanistan

Written by David Skidmore, Professor of Political Science, Drake University

Secretary of State Dean Rusk, President Lyndon Johnson and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. Yoichi Robert Okamoto/Wikipedia

The ghosts of the Vietnam War no doubt hovered over a recently assembled conclave of President Donald Trump’s advisers as they deliberated over the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan.

In the Vietnam era, as...

During Vietnam, music spoke to both sides of a divided nation

Written by Lauren Rebecca Sklaroff, Associate Professor of History, University of South Carolina

Music fans gather for the Rolling Stones' 'Gimme Shelter' concert at California's Altamont Speedway in 1969.AP Photo

Music is central to Ken Burns’s new Vietnam War documentary, with an original score accompanied by samples of the era’s most popular musicians, from the Rolling Stones to Bob Dylan. According to USA Today, the people...

Can 'Game of Thrones' teach us about the meaning of life?

Written by Diane Winston, Associate Professor and Knight Center Chair in Media & Religion, University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

What makes 'Game of Thrones' so popular?Helen Sloan/HBO

When the popular television series “Game of Thrones” ended last month, fans bemoaned the long wait until the final season. Speculation pegs next summer as the earliest possibility. In the meantime, posts on the dragon Viserion’s blue flames, memes on the hookup of fictional...

During Vietnam War, music spoke to both sides of a divided nation

Written by Lauren Rebecca Sklaroff, Associate Professor of History, University of South Carolina

Music fans gather for the Rolling Stones' 'Gimme Shelter' concert at California's Altamont Speedway in 1969.AP Photo

Paris and Los Angeles bids to host Olympics expose deeper crisis at Olympic Games

Written by John Rennie Short, Professor, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach stands between Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garrett to announce winning bids for the upcoming games. AP Photo/Martin Mejia

It’s official: We now have hosts for the next two Summer Olympics. Paris will host in 2024 and Los Angeles in 2028.

It looks like a victory for...

Irma price gouging highlights sad truth: Consumer fleecing is the new normal

Written by Ramsi Woodcock, Professor of Legal Studies, Georgia State University

Many accused Delta, shown here over Tampa in 2014, and other carriers of price gouging ahead of Irma, but it's just business as normal.Drew Horne/Shutterstock.com

Since Hurricane Irma put Florida in its sights, there have been thousands of reports of price gouging on everything from water to gasoline.

The most notable complaint was not, however,...

5 things that have changed about FEMA since Katrina – and 5 that haven't

Written by Patrick Roberts, Associate Professor, Virginia Tech

FEMA's handling of Hurricane Katrina inspired resentment in the affected communities – but did it bring about real change in the organization?Dental Ben, CC BY-SA

Hurricanes, wildfires and earthquakes – is the Federal Emergency Management Agency ready for the new era of disasters?

I’m a professor of public administration and...

Sleepy teenage brains need school to start later in the morning

Written by Kyla Wahlstrom, Senior Research Fellow in Organizational Leadership, Policy and Development, University of Minnesota

Their hormones mean they still need zzz's even when they're already supposed to be in homeroom.Antonio Guillem/Shutterstock.com

Millions of high schoolers are fighting with their alarm clocks as they start another academic year. As they struggle to get up early, parents battle to get them out of bed and off to school – a stressful way for...