Learning

Jill Norgren reviews three must read books about law and justice: In Philippa Strum’s On Account of Sex: Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the Making of Gender Equality Law we learn how Ginsburg did notorious work before she became “the notorious RBG.” Ginsburg was one of the many activist women lawyers in the U.S. who have worked on behalf of issues of justice. In Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America Dahlia Lithwick introduces readers to several more, women attorneys who, during and after the Trump years, have sought justice for immigrants, would-be voters, and anti-fascist protestors among others. Rounding out these must-reads is Justice on the Brink, journalist Linda Greenhouse’s account of the U.S. Supreme Court during its 2020-2021 term when three new conservative Trump nominees along with Justices Roberts, Thomas, and Alito took full control of SCOTUS. more »

The new harm reduction research network will include nine research projects and one coordinating center. Grantees will investigate harm reduction strategies for their effectiveness in preventing drug overdoses and other adverse outcomes, sustainability and level of individual and community engagement. All projects will have a community advisory board and/or people with lived experience will have paid positions to support the research. Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, New York University School of Medicine New York City, Oregon Health and Science University Portland, Research Triangle Institute NC, University of Chicago, University of Nevada-Reno, University of Pittsburgh, University of Wisconsin Madison, Weill Medical College of Cornell more »

"It’s customary that Treasury Secretaries provide their signature to be featured on our nation’s currency. You’d think this would be a straightforward process. But the founding fathers did not account for what seems to be a common attribute for Treasury Secretaries: terrible handwriting. My friend Tim Geithner famously had to change his signature in order to make it legible. In an interview back in 2012, he described that the change was made not for “elegance” but simply for “clarity.” President Obama joked during Jack Lew’s nomination as Secretary that he should try to make “at least one letter legible” in his signature. The good news is that President Biden did not make a similar request when he nominated me. But I’ll admit: I spent some quality time practicing my signature before submitting it to Director Olijar."    more »

"Enheduanna and Women of Mesopotamia, ca. 3400-2000 B.C. brings together for the first time a comprehensive selection of artworks that capture rich and shifting expressions of women’s lives in ancient Mesopotamia during the 3rd millennium B.C. These works bear testament to women’s roles in religious contexts as goddesses, priestesses, and worshippers as well as in social, economic and political spheres as mothers, workers, and rulers. Claude Gillot: Satire in the Age of Reason explores the artist’s inventive and highly original draftsmanship and places his work in the context of the artistic and intellectual activity in Paris at the dawn of a new century." more »