No matter what the political intent of this week’s leak of a Justice Department white paper that spells out the U.S. policy for killing Americans suspected of associations with al Qaeda, it was an important public service. The leak comes on the eve of confirmation hearings for John O. Brennan [...]

Vaccines are one of the most successful and cost-effective public health prevention methods. Discovered more than 200 years ago, vaccine use can be credited with the global eradication of smallpox and regional elimination of polio and measles. And vaccinations are second only to clean, safe, drinking water in reducing mortality [...]

Growing up in a Jewish household, when the Holocaust was discussed, the conversation would often end with the mighty promise, “never again.” However, the way I was raised, we weren’t confining the vow to just Jewish people – it was universally applied to mean protecting all people from intolerance, brutality, [...]

The alarm clock’s unwelcome bleats begin at 6:17 a.m. Five more minutes…  The snooze button is beaten with the strength of a thousand gladiators. Five minutes later, the process is repeated. For 25 minutes more, like clockwork, the annoying chirping, the punching, and the glorious five-minute dreams occur until suddenly: [...]

This week, we recognized the fourth anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act – the very first law that President Obama signed upon entering office in 2009. The law was inspired by Lilly Ledbetter, a manager at the Gadsden Alabama Goodyear Tire and Rubber Plant who worked the night [...]

President Obama has kicked off his second term with a bang, beginning with the highly inspirational Second Inaugural Address. He took the gloves off with that speech, announcing to the world that he is prepared to take the initiative and strike mighty blows for social and economic justice and the [...]

Responding to the Boy Scouts of America’s plan to ditch their ban on gay Scouts, Family Research Council President, Tony Perkins, said, “A departure from their long-held policies would be devastating to an organization that has prided itself on the development of character in boys.” The problem that Perkins and [...]

It’s winter. Snow is falling, streets are icing over, and there are flu and meningitis epidemics all around. Since the beginnings of winter, and the human race, there have been attempts to combat against freezing temperatures and to keep a watch of personal health. What strikes me as interesting is [...]

We are only a few weeks into the New Year and already the shape of the next 11 months is starting to form. To start, the U.S. Department of Energy sees two good years in front of us with increases in domestic tight oil production and falling demand in Europe [...]

Attending the non-military of the two official Presidential Inaugural Balls at the massive Washington Convention Center Monday night, along with about 25,000 others I suspect, being with my male companion and observing many other tuxedo-and-gown attired same-sex couples holding each other, hugging and having a fabulous time, I was particularly struck by this aspect of the truly historical nature of the day.