Author: Lance Garrison
But Columbia’s core curriculum, while very much a great-books program in its execution, has also carried, since its inception in 1919, a mandate to address “the insistent problems of the present.” So one can criticize the ideological narrowness of the contemporary readings while still recognizing that the syllabus is trying to fulfill its academic mandate, not betray it.Here, then, are four attempts at fulfilling that mandate but with a wider lens. I’m presenting these as potential modules, packaged similarly to the way the current Columbia curriculum packages its modern readings under “anticolonialism,” “race, gender and sexuality” and “climate and futures.”…
Financially speaking, the United States has been a Teflon nation. Bad things happen — near defaults, giant budget deficits, a Capitol invasion — but nothing sticks for long. The world’s investors keep pumping money into the country, which keeps interest rates low and stock prices high.That nonstick finish doesn’t have a lifetime guarantee, though. If the United States becomes dysfunctional enough, global investors will rationally conclude that the safe haven isn’t safe anymore.They will move some of their money elsewhere — to Canada, Germany, Japan, maybe China. Financing costs in the United States will rise, economic growth will slow, and…
Last week I wrote about the protests that had come to dominate my professional home, Columbia University, and make headlines across the country. I said that though I did not believe the participants were motivated by antisemitism, the volume, fury and duration of their protest left many Jewish students feeling under siege for their Jewishness. That assessment has turned out to be one of the more polarizing things I have ever written, in part because some readers interpreted my position as opposing student protest overall.I had no objection when the protests began last fall, but since that time, they escalated…
May 3, 2024 – There are plenty of reasons to exercise, but some are more motivating than others. Perhaps the sexiest motivator – and the one people tend to go with, especially with warm weather around the corner – is to build the “beach body.” The problem: Setting big expectations for weight loss can position you for disaster. More research is showing that exercise alone has a relatively small impact on weight loss, and if you don’t see the results you wanted, your motivation wanes. For many – maybe you – “exercise is only associated with trying to lose weight,” said David Creel, PhD,…
May 3, 2024 — Americans are dying of heart failure today at a higher rate than they did in 1999, reversing years of progress in reducing the death rate. That is the stark message of a new JAMA Cardiology study, which finds that the current mortality rate from heart failure is 3% higher than it was 25 years ago. Based on data from death certificates, the study says, the mortality rate fell significantly from 1999 to 2009, then plateaued for a few years before sharply increasing from 2012 to 2019. During the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, the latest year for…
During my time as E.P.A. administrator, I focused on developing sustainable solutions to protect our air, land and water. As my perspective on nuclear energy evolved, so did my understanding that we cannot take any clean energy sources off the table.It is our responsibility to live in the real world and pursue all climate solutions, including nuclear energy.Carol BrownerEast Wallingford, Vt.The writer is the former director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy in addition to being a former E.P.A. administrator and current member of the Nuclear Matters Advocacy Council.To the Editor:The enormous costs and lengthy…
The economic news continues to be pretty good, especially compared with the dire forecasts many were making in late 2022. But you might not have gotten that message if you watch financial TV: It’s hard to spend 24/7 talking about the economy while saying “not much happened this week.” So commentators — and partisan media — seize on every hint of bad news.And the public is reacting. Google searches for “stagflation” have spiked:So here’s what you need to know: There’s no stag out there, and not much flation.True, G.D.P. growth came in a bit low in the first quarter. But…
By Gabriel Zucman Gabriel Zucman is an economist at the Paris School of Economics and the University of California, Berkeley. May 3, 2024 Until recently, it was hard to know just how good the superrich are at avoiding taxes. Public statistics are oddly quiet about their contributions to government coffers, a topic of legitimate interest in democratic societies.Over the past few years, I and other scholars have published studies and books attempting to fix that problem. While we still have data for only a handful of countries, we’ve found that the ultrawealthy consistently avoid paying their fair share in taxes.…
Listen to and follow ‘Matter of Opinion’Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeOn this episode of “Matter of Opinion,” the hosts get heated about the political divisions and contradictions revealed by the recent campus protests and ask why some in Washington seem so invested in perpetuating the demonstrations.(A full transcript of this audio essay will be available within 24 hours of publication in the audio player above.)Thoughts? Email us at matterofopinion@nytimes.com.Follow our hosts on X: Michelle Cottle (@mcottle) and Ross Douthat (@DouthatNYT).“Matter of Opinion” is produced by Phoebe Lett, Derek Arthur and Sophia Alvarez Boyd. It is edited…
The forced withdrawal, announced last month, of more than 1,000 U.S. Special Operations troops and drone operators in Niger and Chad should raise the alarm for Washington. In Africa, our policy of strengthening security partnerships rather than supporting democracy has not worked. The United States needs a new approach.The troops had been dispatched there as a key part of America’s effort to confront terrorism, and the pullout follows the governments’ demands for new rules and regulations on U.S. military operations.Russia, and increasingly Iran and other countries, are already stepping in to exploit a growing power vacuum in the region. That…