Analyses of today’s U.S. educational system are everywhere–from media articles and opinion pieces to academic research projects. In recent years, our country’s prescription for poor academic performance has focused on standardized tests and common curricula, coupled with a strict regimen of science- and tech-career preparation. Despite its best intentions, the …
For the past several decades the US has pursued policies that promote energy independence and both energy and national security. As part of this pursuit, high volume hydraulic fracturing (fracking) technologies were first developed in the late 1940s by Halliburton, and its technological advances after the 1970s have rapidly increased oil …
“A Forty-five-year love story with the poor, those making less than a dollar a day” More than 40 years ago, Bunker Roy, a young Indian fresh out of grad school, decided to work in one of India’s poorest states. There, in the village of Tilonia, Rajastan, he befriended Merghaj, …
Imagine the protein content in foods you eat every day decreasing. Foods that are staples around the world–wheat, corn, rice–all lower in protein and higher in carbohydrates. Science has already shown that global crop yields will decrease in coming years because they won’t be able to take the heat. But a …
Maple syrup is more than a sweet treat: to the sugarmakers of the Northeast, it’s a way of life. The tradition of maple sugaring has roots in indigenous culture and the sweet sap continues as a multi-million dollar industry today. But this year’s warm winter and early spring made Vermont’s …
The American ideal of the house with a white picket fence usually includes a nice green lawn. Now, that ideal has become a part of law in many communities; many zoning rules and homeowner codes mandate grass in front of our houses. Suburban environments are looking more and more the …
For about a decade, stories have been trickling down to the lower latitudes of indigenous Arctic peoples being forced to abandon whole villages because the sea rising up and washing them away. Stories of Inuit hunters falling through the thinning ice. Stories of once vital herds of caribou, a staple for …
When the Tesla Model 3 was released and started accepting pre-orders on April 1st, people in the US and Europe went crazy. Three weeks later, there were more than 400,000 pre-orders, according to the official statistics. There are many benefits of driving electric vehicles (EV) such as Tesla: Do not require …
Do you like to breathe? I hope so, because it’s an involuntary action that keeps us alive. Of the air I can breathe, clean air is my favorite. Polluted air is not clean air. Not only is it not fun to breathe (think of car exhaust), but it’s detrimental to your health. …
Did you know that climate change has a lethal “bite” that may cost thousands of women their health, their lives and their future? “I spent ages blaming myself, the government and constantly asking myself why this happened to me.” This is how Vanessa Oliveira expressed her feelings of guilt and remorse after …
