| Dec 10, 2014 | Peace / SecurityConfronted by a hostile Republican Congress, President Barack Obama has chosen to flex his political muscles on a range of pressing issues. He increased the minimum wage for employees of federal contractors. He struck a climate deal with China. He’s protected as...
| Nov 12, 2014 | Environment / HealthWhile 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...
| Oct 22, 2014 | Food / FarmingAs airlines, cruise ships, and hospitals cope with waves of Ebola jitters, I’m wondering whether the panic the deadly virus is inducing will distort Halloween traditions this year. No, I’m not talking about Ebola-related costumes. There are real...
| Sep 10, 2014 | Environment / HealthWhen new neighbors moved in next door, I didn’t hold off long before broaching the Big Question. Even though we live in Washington, D.C., this had nothing to do with politics. For me, neighborly harmony hinges on where folks stand on this divide: leaf blower vs....
| Jan 15, 2014 | Environment / HealthCan antibiotic medicines, long hailed as miracle drugs, be too much of a good thing? Yes. Two factors are at work here. First, bacteria (one of the earliest forms of life on Earth) are miracles in their own right, with a stunning ability to outsmart the antibiotic...
