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Does the convenience of plastic containers, polystyrene packaging, disposable diapers, and other late-20th-century advancements outweigh the pollution they cause and their nonbiodegradability? A few years ago, the nation was convulsed [...]

Not too many years ago, most environmental education was called ecology and it was taught as a part of science. Children learned about the biomes (deserts, forests, rain forests, etc.), [...]

ALEXANDER COCKBURN--always the contrarian--is in hot water again, this time over global warming. Cockburn had the temerity to suggest that global warming is not caused by human activity. Adding fuel [...]

In the past few years, the American people have been assaulted by many apparent environmental crises. Scientists predicted heat waves, droughts and flooded seacoasts from global warming. Other scientists reported [...]

In the past few years, the American people have been assaulted by many apparent environmental crises. Scientists predicted heat waves, droughts and flooded seacoasts from global warming. Other scientists reported [...]

Professors and administrators at traditional colleges don't have much interest in, or knowledge of, their for-profit competitors. Operating in an insular academic world, most of them probably don't know anybody [...]

Issues concerning the National Park Service are discussed. In particular the problems of adequate funding are examined with respect to proposals for fee charging for park use.

BEGINNING LAST SUMMER, as a severe drought and record heat dried up fields and streams across the United States, a big story hit the headlines: the earth may be getting [...]

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to several articles published in previous issues, including "Profits are for rape and pillage" from the March 5, 1990 issue, "The $1.5 billion question" from the issue on February 5, 1990 and "Discover the fees" from the issue dated March 5, 1990.

Presents letters to the editor referencing articles and topics discussed in previous issues. "How Safe Are Your Breasts?," which examined the impact of medical cost cutting on women's health; "Mr. Clean Genes," which discussed cystic fibrosis; "Flack Attack," which focused on the transition of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from exile to governing.

The article addresses issues on U.S. government regulations toward accreditation, asset management and academic freedom in higher education. The author offers arguments on the power given by federal government officials to regional accrediting bodies over schools' access to government student aid. She discusses the problems that occurred with endowments in education. The author also comments on the issue of the infiltration of political views into the classroom.

Focuses on achieving the goal of sustainable development. Definition; Beliefs on meeting the needs of future generations Fear that development cannot be sustained because nonrenewable resources will be used up; Environmental problems; Market-based economies.

The authors reflect on the challenges being faced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. They argue that the agency is bothered by politics, economic constraints, as well as legal challenges. They describe how additional tasks hinder the agency in meeting its responsibilities for enforcing major environmental laws. The authors also call on the agency to establish priorities to avoid being sidetracked.

The article discusses how a case brought by former workers at Pittsburgh Corning Corp.'s asbestos plant in Tyler, Texas is the first example of the U.S. government accepting responsibility for failing to alert workers to workplace hazards. One charge that the employees made against the government was about the U.S. General Services Administration's failure to label asbestos bags at the plant as hazardous. Another issue was government officials' failure to inform workers about the plant's high asbestos levels due to a secrecy agreement with the company.

The article explains that personal savings remains stuck at six percent of disposable income in the nineteen eighties in spite of an economic expansion in the U.S. Policymakers and economists made the mistake of thinking that higher rates of return on saving would lead consumers to substitute thrift for consumption.

The article reports on the proposal for a lower minimum wage for teenagers to address the high unemployment rate among teenagers. Supporters of subminimum wage argue that teenagers are at the bottom of the career ladder and majority are disadvantaged youths in the country's inner cities who have not developed adequate skills or work habits. Economists points out that new jobs could be created by allowing employers to pay teenagers less than the minimum wage.

The article argues that the U.S. economy's outlook is not good, citing "The Wall Street Journal" in its August 28, 2010 issue that the Democrats are beginning to realize that the economy will not get better before the November 2010 elections and challenges U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke's August 2010 announcement that he still had weapons in his arsenal.

The author commends journalist Christopher Hitchens for expressing his opinion on the expression "jew us down," which was mentioned by General Electric chairman Reginald Jones in his press conference in 1981, in an article in the periodical "The Nation."

The author comments on the possible college loan crisis which is expected to be similar to the housing crisis. She points out the very high increase in the cost of college education at a time when people are doubting whether a college education is worth all the costs and troubles, considering the difficulty of graduates to get jobs and the rising debt load faced by students. She cites Charles Murray's book "Real Education," in which he suggested that only 10 to 15 percent of people have intellectual endeavor to pursue a college education.

The article highlights a report conducted by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) about women in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professions. In higher education, there are plans to institute programs like the federal law known as Title IX, which expanded college sports to include more women. The association's charts show that more women receive bachelor's degrees in biology and the biological sciences than do men.

The author looks at the life of author Rose Friedman, who died on August 18, 2009. Friedman was the wife of Nobel Prize in Economics winner Milton Friedman, with whom she has written books since 1962. She was a graduate student in economics at the University of Chicago, where she met Milton, whom she later married in 1938. In her memoir, Friedman wrote that she never had the desire to compete with her husband professionally, as Milton always made her feel that his achievement was her achievement.

The author cites the lessons she learned about academic freedom in a paper commissioned by the Pope Center from University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Donald Downs. She mentions her discovery that numerous people enjoy academic freedom. She points out the strength and weakness of the academic freedom of an individual compared with the normal freedom of speech under the First Amendment. She attributes the special rights of the elite to a historical development showing the power of the group.

The author gives her opinion about the case of professor Ward Churchill of the University of Colorado. She does not criticize the decision of the jury granting him a win without compensation. She believes that the trial showcases a dysfunctional higher education system. She wonders how many more tenured faculty are getting away with copying the work of others, making up information and failing to meet accepted academic standards without anybody noticing.

The author reflects on the cause of the U.S. economic crisis. She believes that the depression has been launched by too much liquidity. She argues that the country has too much money floating into questionable places. She cites the implications of decreasing commodity prices, consumer spending falling and the rise of unemployment rate.

The author comments on the sale of the Grandfather Mountain, owned by the late Hugh Morton, by his family to the state of North Carolina in September 2008, two years after his death. She notes that under Morton's management, the area was open to tourists but preserved under a deal with the Nature Conservancy. She argues that government ownership does not guarantee that the area will be protected.

The article discusses hearings held by the U.S. Senate on for-profit or proprietary colleges regarding their reliance on federal funds. According to "Inside Higher Education," for-profit colleges receive nearly a quarter of the funds dedicated to student aid under Title IV of the 1965 Higher Education Act. Some legislators such as Senator Tom Harkin are claiming bad examples among for-profit institutions and the author observes that some feel that providing funds to for-profit education is wrong. The growth and success of for-profit schools are assessed.

The author reflects on the attention received by libertarians in the U.S. in 2010, which includes a cartoon featured in the April 19, 2010 issue of "The New Yorker" wherein libertarians are portrayed as muddle-headed and goofy people who do not know what is good for them.

The author looks at the reemergence of free market advocates in the U.S. in relation to the new perspective by education professor Diane Ravitch on school choice and author David Frum's approval of subsidies.

The article suggests the need for a clear healthcare reform proposal in the U.S.

The author reflects on year 2009 in the U.S. She describes the year as rotten, politically and economically speaking. She further illustrates the latter's rottenness as conjoint and sees worse economic scenario if Washington will continue its stimulus, bailouts, card-check, healthcare revamps, and cap-and-trade. She is hoping that inflation will not materialize but notes the continuous hike of the price of gold.

The author comments on the flaws in the U.S. higher-education marketplace and the proposals to make the learning outcomes of universities transparent. She cites the arguments of University of Rochester economics instructor Michael Rizzo and Fund for American Studies president Roger Ream that the market is the appropriate monitor of learning outcomes. She also discusses the impact of flawed higher education on jobs and the emerging alternatives to college education.

The author comments on the demise of the emdash, the equivalent of the emphatic comma or parenthesis, in writing manuscripts. He explains the use of the emdash according to the "Chicago Manual of Style" and techniques of how to make an emdash in Microsoft Word. The author asserts that even published books are puzzled by emdashes now that publishers are inputting authors' Word manuscripts.

The author offers his views pertaining to financial issues in higher education in the U.S. He describes his experience of working at the John W. Pope Center for Higher Education Policy. He also cites the statements issued by Robert E. Martin, an economist at Centre College, in his work entitled "The Revenue-to-Cost Spiral," which emphasizes that higher education is a non-profit sector, despite its high revenues.

The author reflects on the decline of the newspaper industry in the U.S. She asserts that newspapers are up against a modern technology and the Internet is changing demand and supply. She expresses hope that the print version of "The News and Observer" newspaper continues to be delivered to her door. She cites that journalism may even get better.

The author shares her views about investing during the worst recession-downturn-crisis in thirty years. She observes the growing number of shoppers in their nearest upscale shopping center due to the difficulty of finding a parking area. While Raleigh, North Carolina is expecting a snowstorm, she noted the absence of a downturn in business in the Harris-Teeter grocery store. She opines that some shoppers may just be browsing rather than buying. She concluded that people would rather spend on consumption goods than invest their dollars on risky ventures.

The author deplores the major gender discrepancy that reveals the absence of black men in U.S. colleges. According to him, there are some initiatives by the government to address the problem but doubts if these programs tackle the bigger issues. African American boys are treated so badly by the public school system hence this sector is the most diagnosed for special education. The author fears that the missing black male problem will only be addressed if something untoward happens in the public school system.

The author reflects on North Carolina as an ideal business site largely because of its Research Triangle Park (RTP). She says that despite its political and social problems, North Carolina attracts the largest number of migrants like her at 61.6%. The author believes the 7,000-acre RTP is mainly responsible for this movement with its 160 firms and organizations giving the state the means to maintain its high quality of life. The presence of top-notch universities like Duke and North Carolina State only adds to its growing university-town reputation.

The author talks about endowments given to top-rated U.S. universities wherein higher education authorities have observed a breach in its usage. Republican Senator Charles Grassley from Iowa has warned the universities of penalty if they do not use the endowments properly. To this end, Harvard and Yale have agreed to spend more on the financial grants, the author says.

The author reflects on the war in Iraq and economist Don Boudreaux's 2005 commentary which suggests that people may be responsible for the kind of government they get. She offers an overview of Saddam Hussein's rule in Iraq. She feels that what is happening with Iraq and the U.S. is like the Vietnam War and she wants it to be over, but is afraid of the price it will take for it to end.

The author focuses on the separation anxiety among parents of college students in the U.S. The Washington Post reported that parents are having trouble leaving their children at college and the inclusion of parents in college orientations. Journalist Susan Kinzie asserted that college students consider their parents as their best friends. The author explains the contradiction between the report and the alleged negative effect on children of working mothers and their reliance on daycare.