Decade after Sandy Hook: Grief remains for Newtown’s lost generation as hope in a brighter future grows
They would have been 16 or 17 this year. High school juniors. The children killed at the Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012 should have spent this year thinking about college, taking their SATs and getting their driver’s licenses. Maybe attending...
From January 6 Committee to G7: Daily reminders that Democracy remains at risk both at home and abroad
Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) met virtually on December 12 and reiterated their staunch support for Ukraine in its war against Russian aggression. The G7 is a political organization of the world’s most advanced economies and liberal democracies: Canada, France,...
Fighting for the future: How Belarusian volunteers in Ukraine are staking their claim on democracy
By David Roger Marples, Distinguished University Professor of Russian and East European History, University of Alberta; and Katsiaryna Lozka, PhD Fellow in Political Science, Ghent University Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya recently visited...
Japan’s economic health stumbles from a shrinking birth rate and ballooning elderly population
The number of babies born in Japan this year is below last year’s record low in what the the top government spokesman described as a “critical situation.” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno promised comprehensive measures to encourage more...
Anthropocene Engine: How the growing population of 8 billion humans transforms the planet
By Manfred Laubichler, Global Futures Professor and President’s Professor of Theoretical Biology and History of Biology, Arizona State University At first glance, the connections between the world’s growing population and climate change seem obvious. The more people...
Report details rise of domestic violence in Wisconsin with women of color disproportionately harmed
Since the start of the pandemic, deaths by domestic violence in Wisconsin have surged to record levels. According to a new report from End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin, domestic violence claimed 80 lives last year, including victims and perpetrators. That is up from 72 in...
A Legacy of Racism: The environmental injustice that Black women must endure as homeowners
By Robin Bartram, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Tulane University Yolanda owns a home in the predominantly Black 7th Ward neighborhood in New Orleans at the age of 61. To fix her leaking roof in 2020, she had to borrow money. “It’s one of them credit card loans,”...
Reproductive Rights: After midterm election results battleground states weigh abortion protections
Democrats hope to use their newfound political control in some states to guarantee that women have access to abortion, while some GOP strongholds may temper their efforts to deepen restrictions after poorer-than-expected results in the midterms. Even after their gains...
Research explores how higher levels of air pollution can harm the brain and impact mental health
By Clara G. Zundel, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University People who breathe polluted air experience changes within the brain regions that control emotions, and as a result, they may be more likely to develop...
Public schools struggle to fill counselor staffing positions to meet growing youth mental health crisis
Mira Ugwuadu felt anxious and depressed when she returned to her high school in Cobb County, Georgia, last fall after months of remote learning, so she sought help. But her school counselor kept rescheduling their meetings because she had so many students to see....
Boosting mindfulness: Small things that anyone can do every day to cope with seasonal depression
By Jolanta Burke; Senior Lecturer, Centre for Positive Psychology and Health, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences; and Annie Curtis, Senior Lecturer, School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences (PBS), RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences Many...
Political storm clouds already forming ahead of new year as State prepares debate over 2023 biennial budget
Eyeing a state surplus topping $6 billion, Governor Tony Evers and the Republican-led Wisconsin Legislature are both already putting down markers ahead of deliberations in 2023 on the state’s next biennial budget. They are doing so in rare circumstances. “The state is...
