Disgrace

A history of scientific misconduct and the investigation of Harvard scientist Marc Hauser:

“Three years after the seizure of materials from Hauser’s lab, theBoston Globe leaked news of a secret investigating committee at Harvard that had found Hauser ‘solely responsible’ for ‘eight counts of scientific misconduct.’ Michael Smith, Harvard’s dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, confirmed the existence of the investigation on August 20, 2010. Hauser took a leave of absence, telling the New York Times, ‘I acknowledge that I made some significant mistakes,” and adding that he was “deeply sorry for the problems this case had caused to my students, my colleagues and my university.’ At the time he was working on a new book titled Evilicious: Why We Evolved a Taste for Being Bad. In February 2011 a large majority of the faculty of Harvard’s psychology department voted against allowing Hauser to teach in the coming academic year. On July 7 he resigned his professorship effective August 1. Hauser has neither publicly admitted to nor denied having engaged in scientific misconduct.”

Source: The Nation
Published: Dec 21, 2011
Length: 23 minutes (5,815 words)

What Makes Life Good?

All over the world people are struggling for lives that are worthy of their human dignity. Leaders of countries often focus on national economic growth alone, but their people, meanwhile, are striving for something different: meaningful lives for themselves. Increased GDP has not always made a difference in the quality of people’s lives, and reports of national prosperity are not likely to console those whose existence is marked by inequality and deprivation.

Source: The Nation
Published: Apr 13, 2011
Length: 13 minutes (3,355 words)

Bad Credit: How Payday Lenders Evade Regulation

The industry is moving fast to adapt to the changing regulatory climate—and watchdogs warn that state lawmakers and regulators may be surprised to see the same payday products under different names. “Pretty much any state that tries to get at the bottom line of payday lenders, we see some attempt at subterfuge,” says Sara Weed, co-author of a Center for Responsible Lending report on how payday firms evade state regulations. “Our approach is to continue to work with policymakers and grassroots organizations to provide a predictable and favorable legislative environment,” Advance America’s latest investor report explains.

Author: Kai Wright
Source: The Nation
Published: Apr 11, 2011
Length: 18 minutes (4,528 words)

The Decline and Fall of the American Empire

Viewed historically, the question is not whether the United States will lose its unchallenged global power, but just how precipitous and wrenching the decline will be. In place of Washington’s wishful thinking, let’s use the National Intelligence Council’s own futuristic methodology to suggest four realistic scenarios for how, whether with a bang or a whimper, US global power could reach its end in the 2020s (along with four accompanying assessments of just where we are today). The future scenarios include: economic decline, oil shock, military misadventure, and World War III.

Source: The Nation
Published: Dec 8, 2010
Length: 18 minutes (4,713 words)

System Failure

Source: The Nation
Published: Jan 14, 2010
Length: 5 minutes (1,352 words)

The Secret US War in Pakistan

Source: The Nation
Published: Nov 23, 2009
Length: 12 minutes (3,091 words)

Gorbachev on 1989

Source: The Nation
Published: Oct 28, 2009
Length: 18 minutes (4,638 words)

Blackwater: CIA Assassins?

The beginning of a long relationship between Blackwater, Erik Prince and the CIA.

Source: The Nation
Published: Aug 20, 2009
Length: 5 minutes (1,435 words)

What’s Right with Utah

Salt Lake City queer community’s coalition-building strategies could provide a model for gay activists across the country

Source: The Nation
Published: Jun 24, 2009
Length: 12 minutes (3,139 words)

The Most Important Financial Journalist of Her Generation

Profile of The New York Times’ Gretchen Morgenson

Source: The Nation
Published: Jun 17, 2009
Length: 16 minutes (4,131 words)