Culture Watch

Jo Freeman writes: A thousand people rallied outside the Supreme Court the morning of January 26 while the Justices heard oral argument on Janus v. AFSCME Council 31 inside. The decision in this case will have profound effects on public service unions. Currently 22 states require employees who do not choose to join a union representing their workforce to still pay agency fees to that union. These are supposed to cover the costs of representation since unions must represent all workers in a bargaining unit and not just their members. Agency fees are less than full union dues, but they aren't negligible. more »

Since Sandy Hook, states such as Colorado, Delaware, New York, Oregon and Washington have expanded background checks for gun purchases. During that same period, Alabama, Louisiana, Nevada, Tennessee, Utah and several other states enacted laws that prevent people convicted of domestic violence from possessing a gun. Nearly 30 states now have similar laws, and Oregon passed a similar bill last month. Unlike NRA-backed legislation that is passed mostly in red states, these measures are being passed in both blue and red states, said Allison Anderman, the managing attorney at the Giffords center. more »

I've seen these birds soaring overhead more frequently this year. Sometimes they come fairly close to rooftops and float over backyards. They usually come in groups, tilting their wings to catch the updrafts. Why are they here? These birds used to be seen mostly in the southern states but since our climate has been warming, they now have moved to the north and have even been spotted in Canada. The world of nature is shifting as we can see by the weather forecasts this season. I wonder what the birds will think of that. Perhaps we all need to be flexible as our world changes. more »

Girl with a Pearl Earring is a seventeenth-century painting that sparks the imagination. Her enigmatic gaze, Vermeer’s use of color, and the outstanding play of light in this work captivate everyone who sees it. Researchers are also fascinated by the painting, and have a number of unanswered questions about how Vermeer painted this iconic work of art and which materials he used. The project The Girl in the Spotlight aims to come closer to resolving these issues using the latest technologies to investigate the canvas, pigments, oil and other materials that Vermeer used to create his renowned painting. more »