What's At Stake At the Debate About Health Care; How Consumers Could Be Affected
"The main effect of throwing out the mandate would be that the older population who does not get health insurance through their employer would be paying more to be insured. And an estimated 15 million people who would be insured under the law now would choose to go without insurance."
Stagebridge: A Performing Arts Camp for 50 and Over
Stagebridge uses the performing arts to change the way people view or experience aging. For the last 30 years, our innovative workshops and critically acclaimed performances have had a dramatic impact on a wide range of communities.
The Wage Gap Persists In Nearly All of the Most Common Occupations for Women and Men
“It is shocking that important occupations such as teaching assistants or nurses, psychiatric and home health aides — stressful and responsible jobs that are critical to the well-being of our society — are likely to leave a woman unable to support her family even when she works full time and year round,”
Politics and the Dancing Body: Haitian voodoo ritual and 'a guitar that kills Fascists'
Through the medium of dance, 20th-century American choreographers created dances that reflected the diverse spectrum of cultural expression. They were not afraid to craft political dances that protested injustices or advocated reform.
Shopping, Garden and Footwear: For the Love of an Astrantia
Tam Gray writes, '"The flowers bloom like tiny enchanting fireworks: a star burst of bracts surround the spray of small flowers and splashy groups of buds shoot out from branched stems like the finale on the Fourth of July". The flip flops? Wearing the astrantia blooms on my feet is quite another pleasure.' "
A Philadelphia Family's Titanic History and the Fate of the RMS Titanic Pets
J. Joseph Edgette’s research has primarily focused on Philadelphians who were on the cruise, such as the Widener family for whom Widener University is named. He said he was touched and intrigued by the dogs that were on the cruise; there were twelve dogs on the Titanic and only three survived
Life Expectancy and the Long Hot Summer
New research from Harvard School of Public Health suggests that seemingly small changes in summer temperature swings — as little as 1°C more than usual—may shorten life expectancy for elderly people with chronic medical conditions, and could result in thousands of additional deaths each year
The Mystery of Edwin Drood: "The loveliest girl in the world is yours by will and testament"
"An awkward interest (awkward because romantic) attaches to Miss Bud in the minds of the young ladies, on account of its being known to them that a husband has been chosen for her by will and bequest, and that her guardian is bound down to bestow her on that husband when he comes of age."
The Redbud Tree is All Heart(s)
Ferida Wolff wries, "The Redbud is an early blossoming tree and stands out against the slower developing trees. The fruit hangs in pods like peas and is edible. The flowers can be used in salads. Native peoples used the bark to make a medicinal tea to treat fevers and congestion like whooping cough. And all summer long its heart-shaped leaves will remind me to keep looking for the spirit in all life forms."
RMS Titanic Book Reviews: "It is impossible to stand. The music’s sounds are lost in an increasingly thunderous roar ... "
And the Band Played On truly takes up where the drama of Titanic’s loss leaves off. The excellent research tells the tale of a young girl’s love that could not wait for marriage; to a dishonest and avaricious father who might have graced the pages of Charles Dickens; of recognition pitifully sought and cruelly denied; of love and life triumphant over adversity
Field Work During a Mass Extinction: The curious Hawaiian happy face spider and others
Imagine that a “time machine” allowed you to go back in time — back exactly 64,999,995 years ago, just five years before the crash of the meteor that marked the end of the Age of the Dinosaurs. You have just enough time to do your field work, analyze your data, and write your Ph.D. dissertation.
Interfering with Bumble and Honeybees' Extraordinary Feats of Navigation
“Our study raises important issues regarding pesticide authorization procedures. So far, they mostly require manufacturers to ensure that doses encountered on the field do not kill bees, but they basically ignore the consequences of doses that do not kill them but may cause behavioral difficulties.”
The Multitasking Myth: You may think you’re being productive, but, get real, you're not
Rose Madeline Mula writes: "We see parents at dance recitals, soccer games, graduations — engrossed in texting, instead of focusing on their little darlings who are going to be grown and out of the nest almost before the next message pops up on mom’s or dad’s I-phone. Meanwhile, students in classrooms are surreptitiously texting, oblivious to the words of their professors ..."
1940 Census Questions: If unmarried, are you a virgin? Are you a blonde or brunette? Do you own a Bible?
The 1940 Census is a unique Census in our history — the first to include questions that were asked only of a subset of the population, chosen through a near-random scheme. In addition to the questions on age, sex, race, and relationship to the householder were questions about the value of the home, living on a farm, marital status, attending school, highest grade of school completed, place of birth, and citizenship. For persons 14 years and older, there were additionally seven different questions on working status, current occupation and industry, number of weeks worked, and income.
Birdsongs Keep Pace with City Life; Whistling the same tune and turning up the volume
Michele McDonald writes: “We’ve created this artificial world, although one could say it’s the real world now, with all this noise — traffic, leaf blowers, air conditioners,” David Luther says. “A lot of birds are living in these areas, and what, if anything, is this doing to their songs?”
Willem van Aelst, A Member of the Golden Age of Dutch Painting
Over two dozen of his detailed, vibrant paintings are on view, filled with sumptuous fabrics, elegant stone tables, ripe fruit, artfully arranged hunting trophies and brilliant platters, cups, watches, armor and more
Consumers Have a Right to Know What is in Their Products: House Panel Focuses on Cosmetics Industry Regulation
"Cosmetics firms are responsible for substantiating the safety of their products and ingredients before marketing. However, they are not required to submit safety substantiation data to the agency, nor make it available to the agency."
My Mother’s Cookbook, Strawberries: Shortcake, Two Pies, and a Dutch Baby with Fresh Strawberries
Early settlers wrote about berry pies in their diaries, journals, and other accounts of pioneer American life, but no recipes have been found. My husband, Rich, always notices when I've added fresh strawberries to our grocery cart. He smiles and says, "Oh good … Dutch Babies." When first out of the oven, a Dutch Baby looks impressive, making even a novice home cook feel accomplished.
CultureWatch: An Asperger's Puzzle, A Fine New Short Story Author and a Lady Spy Thrills
Nilla Childs has framed Puzzled: 100 pieces of Autism in what she terms the 8 steps to completing a jigsaw puzzle; and learning how to give up "what does not work." Megan Bergman’s fine, fine collection of short stories, Birds of a Lesser Paradise, have both moral profundity and light-hearted humor. If you're looking for the next big page-turner, you've found it in The Expats. Chris Pavone is a dab hand at both mayhem and domesticity, something unusual in the business of flash-and-dash spy novels.
House Committee Passes Interstate Abortion Bill
The Judiciary Committee defeated amendments to the Act that would: Exempt from the prohibition situations where the minor becomes pregnant as a result of incest or rape; where the minor received an abortion to protect her health; waive the parental notification requirement if informing the parent of the pregnancy or abortion would endanger the safety of the minor
New Deal Numerology: A Bad Prognosis
10 million ... is a pushy number. That’s how many people the ACA would add to Medicaid rolls, with the federal government covering most of the costs. But opponents claim offering all that money, even as a gift, would be “coercive” -- unless it went to a Super PAC, which would make it a triumph for democracy
“While These Visions Did Appear”: Shakespeare on Canvas
A campus-wide, term-long series of exhibitions, plays, concerts, film, and lectures will celebrate the university’s wealth of resources for the study and enjoyment of the works of William Shakespeare
The Gender Gap; Three Decades Old, as Wide as Ever
There are several clusters of issues on which men and women divide, including views of government and its role. Yet gender differences do not follow a predictable pattern. On social issues, for instance, there is a wide gender gap in views of gay marriage, but not abortion
Bank by Cellphone? Fed's Trends in Mobile Financial Services
More than two-thirds reported that they checked their account balance or available credit before making a large purchase. Moreover, among the consumers that reported doing this, nearly six out of ten reported that they had decided not to buy an item because of the amount of money available in their account.
American Masters: Margaret Mitchell and Harper Lee
Though their successes were nearly 30 years apart, Margaret Mitchell and Nelle Harper Lee share much in common: two Southern white women who each won the Pulitzer Prize for their debut novels — Gone With the Wind and To Kill a Mockingbird
