Articles

What these artists saw from 1861 to 2008 at Coney Island and how they chose to portray it varied widely in style and mood over time, mirroring the aspirations and disappointments of the era and of the country. Taken together, these tableaux of wonder and menace, hope and despair, dreams and nightmares, become metaphors for the collective soul of a nation.    more »

Julia Sneden wrote: It's summer, that season of family vacations and rich contact between grandparents and grandchildren. Herewith, a list of suggestions for those who find themselves racking their brains to remember the kinds of things children like to do. Having taught kindergarten for twenty-five years, I tend toward direct, interactive activities. These days, children get plenty of television, movies, and computer games at home! (But perhaps you should have a bit of technology on hand, just in case you need a break). more »

The US suffers a median rate of violent crime (all types, including homicides) similar to the rate in other western democracies, such as Britain, France and Germany, but the homicide rate is much greater in America than in these other countries, particularly with firearms. For instance, in 2010, the US, with a population around five times greater than Britain's population, experienced 244 times more murders by firearms than Britain, with only 41 murders by firearms. more »

Bill introduced to direct the secretary of VA to establish a pilot program to award grants to health care entities to lease, purchase, or build health care facilities for female patients to qualified female veterans; A bill to authorize spouses of servicemembers to elect to use the same residences as the servicemembers; A bill to require the secretary of Defense to provide expedited evaluation and treatment for prenatal surgery under the TRICARE program; A bill to prevent the abuse of opiates, to improve response and treatment for the abuse of opiates and related overdoses. more »