Archive
What’s Driving America’s Flagging Vital Signs?
Let's talk life expectancy. The stats first. They tell a shocking story: Americans now live shorter lives than men and women in most of the rest of the developed world. And that gap is growing. Back in 1990, shouts a new study just published in the Journal of the...
Eat Well, Walk More, Live Longer
We just got some bad news. Or maybe it's some good news. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that Americans don't live as long as citizens of most other rich countries. How is that good news? Because many of our top risk factors...
Exceptionally Mediocre on a Global Scale
America the Beautiful! America the Greatest! We're No. 1, right? Absolutely, naturally, and indisputably. At least that's the theocratic pronouncement of far-right-wing nativists who preach the dogma of American "exceptionalism." They use the concept as a...
The Roaring Twenties Are Back
Not much left Worth fighting for; The rich already Won the war. Many of us who have reached Social Security age had a pretty good run. We lived through those heady days that followed the Great Depression and World War II, a delightful — though brief — moment in U.S....
Zimmerman’s Smoking Gun
Watch Out for Those Helpful Bankers
The word "help" is so uplifting. It conveys our best humanitarian values. How odd, then, to see it used in this New York Times headline: "Banks' Lobbyists Help in Drafting Financial Bills." I'll bet they did! We all know how altruistic, beneficent, and kindhearted...
Anti-American Budget Cuts
Families across the country recently celebrated the Fourth of July like they always do: with annual beach trips, barbecues, baseball games, and fireworks. But one of my favorite local traditions was canceled, courtesy of Congress. Every year on the Fourth, without...
This Week in OtherWords: July 10, 2013
This week in OtherWords, we're highlighting the debate over the Obama administration's nuclear weapons policy, with op-eds by Peter Weiss and James C. Lewis and a cartoon by Khalil Bendib. If you haven't already subscribed to our weekly newsletter, please do. Obama...
Obama Sharpens His Nuclear Posture
Soon after President Barack Obama began his first term, he called for a world free of nuclear weapons. His address, which quickly became known as Obama's Prague Speech, helped him win the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. Then, he dropped the ball. The Pentagon finally followed...
It Can’t Happen Here
After paying a staggering $1,500 to a recruitment agency in her home country of Thailand, "Wen" was excited to come to the United States to be an au pair. Like all au pairs, she would live with a host family and provide childcare. This guest worker program is supposed...
