-
When Tragedy Strikes, Come Together
The New York Times: Last week, as I was preparing a different column, I learned through e-mails about a tragedy very close to home — two children were murdered by their caretaker in the Manhattan neighborhood where I live with my wife and son. Lucia Krim, one of the children who was killed, was a first grader at P.S. 87, where my son is in the fourth grade. I found myself unable to return to the piece I had been writing. My mind, and heart, kept being pulled to the questions: How can parents possibly endure something like this? Is there anything a community can do to help?
-
Voters determined to have their say despite 1 in millions odds of casting decisive ballot
The Washington Post: There’s always grousing about the many people who don’t bother to vote. But look at it the other way: An estimated 133 million Americans will cast ballots in Tuesday’s election. Some will persevere despite long lines, pressing personal burdens or the devastation left by Superstorm Sandy. Why do they do it? It’s not because any one voter has much chance of deciding the super-tight contest between President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney. A one-vote win is rare even in local or state races, which attract smaller turnout. The largest numbers of voters — about 6 in 10 eligible adults — come out for presidential years.
-
Children’s Preexisting Symptoms Influence Their Reactions to Disaster Coverage on TV
While the amount of exposure to disaster coverage on TV can impact children’s well-being, their preexisting symptoms of posttraumatic stress also play an important role.
-
The Knowing Nose: Chemosignals Communicate Human Emotions
Many animal species transmit information via chemical signals — and humans may be among them, psychology researchers find.
-
Why do we vote? Not to pick the winner, probably
The Associated Press: There's always grousing about the many people who don't bother to vote. But look at it the other way: An estimated 133 million Americans will cast ballots in Tuesday's election. Some will persevere despite long lines, pressing personal burdens or the devastation left by Superstorm Sandy. Why do they do it? It's not because any one voter will decide the contest between President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney. A one-vote win is rare even in local or state races, which attract smaller turnout. The largest numbers of voters - about 6 in 10 eligible adults - come out for presidential years.
-
A Simple Way to Get Conservatives to Support Higher Taxes on the Rich
Pacific Standard: It is a fundamental fault line of contemporary American politics: Republicans adamantly oppose higher taxes on the wealthy, while Democrats consider such taxes a moral and fiscal imperative. This disagreement plays a central role in the election campaign, and it threatens to derail any deal to cut the deficit. But conservative opinion on this issue may be more malleable than anyone realizes. Newly published research suggests that, for those on the right, support for this specific form of wealth redistribution depends on how the issue is framed.
