News & Features

‘The First Step’ Explores Van Jones’s Efforts for Prison Reform

Ulises Duenas

Jones answers these criticisms by acknowledging that years of dealing with people staying within their own tight circles has resulted in little change. He sees the value in understanding the very people who would usually oppose the efforts of those he works with. It’s an interesting perspective and it’s easy to feel frustration the way Jones does when many people choose to oppose his efforts purely because of optics and stubbornness. 

On Ageism: ‘Old Age Did Not Make Me Shoplift the Vaseline’

Eric Green

I consider myself an honest person, almost to a fault. So the next morning, I went back to the store to pay for the jar, where I summoned the young associate manning customer service to explain what happened, probably ad nauseam, as his expression turned to bewilderment or stupefaction when I related how it was all a purely innocent mistake that I wanted to rectify. His face went blank when I asked if I could have the senior discount on the price, $3.80, especially since I thought it shouldn’t cost more than 50 cents.

Passive Income Is Not a Myth, but It May Be a Scam

Angelo Franco

In theory, it would stand to reason that generating passive income should be a one-man effort: rolling up your sleeves and getting down to business (but without putting in the elbow grease, because this is supposed to be passive after all). Taking risks upon yourself and likewise reaping the benefits on your own. But passive- income advice content is frequently marketed with byproducts to buy. In other words, there’s always a catch in order to move forward; a first step to take that involves some kind of purchase.

Impact of the U.S National Defense Authorization Act on Taiwan

Antonio Graceffo

Although the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for  fiscal 2003 designates Taiwan as a “major non-NATO Ally,” Washington maintains “strategic ambiguity” -- meaning that the U.S. takes no official position as to whether  Taiwan belongs to China. Taiwan’s fate is to be negotiated between China and Taiwan; however, that negotiation must be free and peaceful. To ensure that Taiwan is not invaded by China, the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 requires Washington to provide Taiwan weapons of a defensive nature.

Reflecting on the Holidays: A Friendship Forged by a Future Train Set

Eric Green

Even if I still felt ill at ease, I told myself to stop making such a big deal of crowded surroundings. I praise the giving and heroic families who take in refugees from war-torn countries even if it means overcrowded conditions in their homes. In my wife’s case, it was her family’s tradition to have them stay in her home and not a hotel. In my tradition, it was the reverse; I stay in hotels. But for my wife’s family, their hotel would be our small apartment.

Cyber Infrastructure: Who Are the Invisible Warlords?

Marc Gravely

The magazine referred to North Korea’s cybercrime program as “hydra-headed,” focusing on everything from hacking banks to stealing millions of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency from online exchanges. According to a United Nations report that made headlines in 2019, North Korea’s criminal cyberattacks have “generated an estimated $2 billion for its weapons of mass destruction programs.” Meanwhile, China has done its share of stealing patents, and Russia has been accused of attempting to influence elections in several countries, including the U.S.  

The War in Ukraine, Russia, and the Price of Gas

Antonio Graceffo

The value of a country’s currency is highly correlated with the GDP. Before the Ukraine invasion, oil and gas accounted for about 21.7 percent of Russia’s GDP. By December, it had dropped to 18 percent of GDP. Although the ruble plummeted, immediately after the invasion, by summer, it had rallied, because it seemed that Europe had not found a way to do without Russian energy. Meanwhile, Ukraine refused to surrender, dragging out the war, handing Russia defeat after defeat, and the sanctions became ever tighter, driving down the value of the ruble.

How a Small, but Growing Movement in Japan Is Reimagining Community

Tsuyoshi Sekihara and Richard McCarthy

The moment my feet touched the ground in Tsuyoshi Sekihara’s village of Nakanomata, I was struck by the proportionality of the place. Very quickly, I understood his passion for right-sized communities. You can walk the circumference of the village within an hour. Wooden farmhouses, hundreds of years old, cluster beneath the canopy of trees along the river that runs from the mountains to the Sea of Japan.

Healthcare in Crisis: Focusing on Primary Healthcare and Public Health in the U.S.

Stephen Bezruchka

The science of public health has evolved since the 18th century, when it focused on isolating the ill and quarantining those exposed to diseases to prevent transmission of infection. In the 19th century, the focus was on sanitation, especially separating fecal contamination from food and water. Living conditions improved tremendously as a result. With the understanding of infectious disease transmission in the early part of the 20th century, the focus shifted to immunizations and infection control.

Why Do So Many American Men (and Women) Lack Friends?

Eric Green

One of my oldest friends, divorced and living alone, explained to me that one reason I don’t see my friends as much is because I’m married, which satisfies my social obligations. In this friend’s case, he says it’s easy for him to stay home by himself and become morose and perhaps even morbid to the extent that he feels compelled, even against his own conflicting desire, that he’d rather not be bothered to leave the house, even if it doesn’t involve being with somebody else.

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