Week of June 10, 2013

Up Front

Yes, PRISM Really is a Big Deal John Prados PRISM is the result of a lack of anything approaching the proper oversight of intelligence programs. Tags: National Intelligence Community, National Security Agency, PRISM scandal, surveillance state

HNN Teacher's Edition: For Grade School

HNN’s Teacher’s Edition is designed to help busy teachers build classes around topics in the news. With just a few minutes preparation, teachers will be able to teach a class on current events, even if they haven't been in a position to follow the news closely.

News at Home

What the Washington Post Gets Wrong About Boomer Suicides Leonard Steinhorn The boomers are no more prone to suicide than any other generation. Tags: Washington Post, baby boomers, suicide, Great Recession

How Democracy Enables Violence Allen C. Guelzo From the Civil War to the Tsarnaev brothers, those who feel that democracy doesn't work for them are the quickest to resort to carnage. Tags: Civil War, Boston Marathon bombing, democracy, violence

You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby? Stephanie Coontz and Virginia Rutter Fifty years since the Equal Pay Act of 1963. Tags: Equal Pay Act, gender, women's history, economic history

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire Steve Hochstadt Why are so many proven liars and plagiarists enjoying a revival of their public careers? Tags: liars, Jonah Lehrer, plagarism, Anthony Weiner

News Abroad

How Did Rob Ford Get Elected Mayor of Toronto, Anyway? Bert S. Hall The (allegedly) crack-smoking mayor of Toronto is a buffoon, but he managed to get elected anyway thanks to the power of the suburban lobby. Tags: political scandals, Rob Ford, Toronto, suburbs

MythicAmerica Returns to Meet the New News, Same as the Old News Ira Chernus's MythicAmerica From Taksim Square to the IRS scandal, everything old is news again. Or at least that's what the corporate media would have you believe. Tags: Taksim Square, IRS scandal, news media, news cycle

Historians & History

Digital Humanities in the Spotlight at PhillyDH@Penn Michelle Moravec The best part about a digital humanities conference? Everything is available online. Tags: conferences, digital humanities, historical conferences, PhillyDH

Just How Roaring Were the 1920s? Ian Reifowitz Amity Shlaes arges that the middle class did great in the '20s ... here's why she's wrong. Tags: economics, Great Depression, Ian Reifowitz, Roaring Twenties

FDR’s Alter Ego: Interview with Historian David L. Roll on Harry Hopkins Robin Lindley Harry Hopkins, despite having no official title, was FDR's foreign policy point man during World War II. Tags: diplomacy, FDR, Harry Hopkins, World War II

A New Way to Look at America's Wars Thomas Fleming Poor wartime decisions are often a product of the "disease of the public mind." Tags: Appomattox Court House, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Civil War

Why the Boston College Oral History Ruling Isn't a Victory Chris Bray The court decision maintained the right of foreign governments to take confidential research material from American universities. Tags: Boston College, IRA, Ireland, oral history

How Come We Don’t Call RFK’s Assassination Palestinian Terrorism? Gil Troy Sirhan Sirhan killed Bobby Kennedy because of his support for Israel. Tags: assassinations, Palestine, RFK, terrorism

Education

"Being a Professor Will No Longer Be a Viable Career." David Austin Walsh The intellectual property rights of professors are under siege, says former AAUP president Cary Nelson, and MOOCs are part of the problem. Tags: AAUP, Cary Nelson, intellectual property, MOOCs

Just How Many History MOOCs are Being Offered, Anyway? David Austin Walsh Only a handful of history MOOCs taught by history faculty are open for enrollment. For now. Tags: Coursera, edX, MOOCs, online education

UPenn's Stephanie McCurry to Lead First MOOC on History of Slavery David Austin Walsh The course will debut in the fall. Tags: MOOCs, slavery, Stephanie McCurry, University of Pennsylvania

Corporate Welfare or Education? Lawrence S. Wittner Andrew Cuomo plans to the throw the doors at SUNY open to tax-free businesses. Even conservatives think it's a bad idea. Tags: Andrew Cuomo, higher education, public education, SUNY

Culture Watch

Very Far from Heaven in 1957 Connecticut Bruce Chadwick The musical adaptation of the 2002 film just doesn't hold up. Tags: Far from Heaven, plays, suburbs, theater reviews

Playboy of the Western World Misses the Party Bruce Chadwick The staging of the Irish classic at Drew University in New Jersey gives yet another reason not to visit New Jersey. Tags: Drew University, Playboy of the Western World, plays, theater reviews

Books

Review of Kenneth T. MacLeish’s Making War at Fort Hood Murray Polner The fallout of the Iraq War within a military community. Tags: Kenneth T. MacLeish, Making War at Fort Hood, books, book reviews

Review of David L. Kirp’s Improbable Scholars Luther Spoehr There aren't any magic elixirs for improving our schools -- instead, it will take hard work and commitment. Tags: book reviews, David L. Kirp, education policy, Improbable Scholars