Berkeley Beats Big Soda

Berkeley Beats Big Soda

While the Republicans were busy wiping the floor with Democrats on Election Day, the citizens of Berkeley, California were making history. An overwhelming majority of Berkeley’s voters — 75 percent — passed the nation’s first soda tax. The penny-per-ounce tax on...
Your Server Isn’t on the Menu

Your Server Isn’t on the Menu

At a popular sit-down restaurant in Independence, Missouri, Allison waits tables for $3.60 an hour — the going rate for servers at her restaurant. Advocates of raising the federal hourly tipped minimum wage of $2.13 up to the standard minimum wage — currently pegged...
A Prescription for Better Health

A Prescription for Better Health

Here’s a typical scene in any American checkup: The doctor walks in to find the patient sitting on the table. “Well, your cholesterol is too high,” the doctor tells the patient. “I can prescribe something for it, but the real solution will be...
Afghanistan’s Poppy Output Hits New Highs

Afghanistan’s Poppy Output Hits New Highs

I have breaking news from the frontlines of the war. No, not the new war in Iraq. That really is Iraq War III for us — our nation’s third trip there in just 25 years. Maybe the third try will be the charm, though I really don’t think there’s anything...
The Unbearable Politeness of Being Gus Speth

The Unbearable Politeness of Being Gus Speth

James Gustave Speth garnishes reflections on his many accomplishments with self-deprecating humor. And the man who helped establish two influential environmental organizations, piloted a United Nations agency, and served in the Carter White House wants you to know he...