11 hours ago

A High School Diploma, Even For A Valedictorian, Will Never Be Enough

A high school diploma does not miraculously mitigate the challenges of living in poverty, writes Neema Avashia.

In this Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019 photo, Brianna Jesionowski, from far left to right, Brianna Fisher and Leni Steinhardt sit during an interview, as journalism teacher Sarah Lerner, right, makes a point regarding the new book called "Parkland Speaks: Survivors from Marjory Stoneman Douglas Share Their Stories." Students and teachers from the Florida school, where 17 died in Feb. 2018 mass shooting, wrote the raw, poignant book about living through the tragedy. (Brynn Anderson/AP)

The Kids Have Something To Say. We Should Listen

Feb 14, 2019

A commuter rail train and vehicles on the Mass. Turnpike make their way through light snow during the morning commute. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Boston Has The Worst Traffic In The Nation. Raising MBTA Fares Won't Help

Feb 14, 2019

A plow rolls down the street as people trudge forward through the snow on foot down Joy Street on Beacon Hill. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

The Joy And Despair Of Winter In New England

Feb 13, 2019

Support the news

Elizabeth Warren Doesn't Have A DNA Problem. She Has A Sexism Problem

The Joy And Despair Of Winter In New England

At UMass, We Need The Kind Of Leadership Money Can't Buy

The Green New Deal Could Change Everything

Boston Has The Worst Traffic In The Nation. Raising MBTA Fares Won't Help

A High School Diploma, Even For A Valedictorian, Will Never Be Enough

In Case You Missed It

An emergency physician on what happens when a patient's anguish exceeds his capacity to help. (Brandon Holmes/Unsplash)

When Loneliness Is An Emergency

Dec 28, 2018

The Pain Isn't In Your Head. And Other Truths Of The Female Experience

Jan 8, 2019

Our Most-Read Pieces Of 2018

Dec 31, 2018

Finding The 'Sunrise Moment' In A Day Of Parenting

Jan 16, 2019

Politics

Feb 13, 2019

The Flawed Strategy Of The Green New Deal

Sponsors of the Green New Deal should prioritize the ideas that are politically and economically doable and would directly save the planet.

Elizabeth Warren Doesn't Have A DNA Problem. She Has A Sexism Problem

Feb 12, 2019

In this Jan. 19, 2019 photo, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, (D-New York) waves to the crowd after speaking at Women's Unity Rally in Lower Manhattan in New York. Democrats including Ocasio-Cortez of New York and veteran Sen. Ed Markey of Mass. are calling for a Green New Deal intended to transform the U.S. economy to combat climate change and create jobs in renewable energy. (Kathy Willens/AP)

The Green New Deal Could Change Everything

Feb 11, 2019

Marty Meehan, pictured on May 1, 2015, in Boston. (Stephan Savoia/AP)

At UMass, We Need The Kind Of Leadership Money Can't Buy

Feb 11, 2019

People wait in line for legal assistance in Tijuana, Mexico (Jozef Staska)

There’s A Legal Crisis On Our Southern Border — And It Was Caused By Our Government

Feb 7, 2019

Support the news

More From Cog

In this Sept. 10, 2013 file photo, Nepalese Hindu women bathe in the Bagmati River on Rishi Panchami, a day when rituals are performed to wash away sins committed during menstruation period, a period considered impure, in Katmandu, Nepal. Many menstruating women are still forced to leave their homes and take shelter in unhygienic or insecure huts or cow sheds until their cycle ends, though the practice, called Chhaupadi, was actually outlawed a decade ago. (Niranjan Shrestha/AP)

It's Time To Free All Women From The Menstrual Tent

“The curse" is less an old-fashioned euphemism for menstruation than a clear-eyed description of the price of having a body that bleeds, writes Anita Diamant.

Feb 8, 2019

Chris Butler as Othello and Danforth Comins as Iago in "Othello" at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Mass. (Courtesy Natasha Moustache)

Amid A Reckoning With Toxic Masculinity, Seeing 'Othello' In A New Light

Shakespeare's "Othello" makes it clear that women have been vulnerable to sexual slander and revenge for centuries, writes Leigh Gilmore.

Feb 8, 2019

Parents Of Newborns Aren't The Only Caregivers Who Need Paid Family Leave

Paid leave must take into consideration eldercare as well as childcare, writes Liz O'Donnell.

Feb 7, 2019

President Trump delivers the State of the Union address, with Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi behind. (Doug Mills/AP)

Climate Change — What Climate Change? In SOTU, Trump Ignores The Global Emergency

The state of the union is indeed sad when the president believes socialism is a bigger threat than climate change, writes Frederick Hewett.

Feb 6, 2019

President Donald Trump arrives to deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

The State Of The Union Gilded The Troubled State Of The World

The thematic coherence came from his boast that the president has fulfilled his most sacred duty, writes Rich Barlow. He has Made America Safe Again.

Feb 6, 2019

New England Patriots' Tom Brady throws before the NFL Super Bowl 53 football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots, Sunday, Feb. 3, 2019, in Atlanta. (Morry Gash/AP)

Sorry, But Tom Brady Isn't The GOAT. Bill Russell Is

Brady has a strong case as the greatest professional football player of all time. But when it comes to the best of Boston, writes Peter May, no one surpasses Bill...

Feb 5, 2019

Brothers Damien Hanford, right, and Matthew Hanford, hold their copy of the mostly blank front page of the New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper, at Bergeron Boudin and Cajun Meats, in Harahan, La., Monday, Feb. 4, 2019. The newspaper's nearly blank front page summarized what those in the Big Easy think of the New England Patriots' win over the Rams on Sunday: "Super Bowl? What Super Bowl?" (Gerald Herbert/AP)

The Patriots Vs. The World

Yes, the Patriots are the are the new Yankees. So be it, writes Jim Sullivan.

Feb 5, 2019

In this Wednesday, Sept, 19, 2018 photo, the sun sets behind an apartment building occupied by farmworkers in Huron, Calif. California may be famous for its wealth, but there is a distinctly different part of the state where poverty prevails: places like this one halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The Central Valley has long been short on resources no matter which political party is in power. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)

Presidential Candidates Tiptoe Toward A Basic Income. They Should Take The Last Step

Poverty has emerged as a key issue in the Democratic presidential race, writes Rich Barlow, and thank goodness for that.

Feb 4, 2019

Donald Trump stands during a service at the International Church of Las Vegas, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2016, in Las Vegas. (Evan Vucci/AP)

Donald Trump In The Oval Office: Hey, It's All Part Of God's Plan

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders says she believes God "wanted" Trump to win the 2016 election. This changes everything, writes Peter Guthrie.

Feb 1, 2019

Read Books With Your Children. The More Diverse The Better

Diverse books give parents a way to shape the narrative we have with our children about racism and prejudice, and they give children a natural entry point into an existing...

Feb 1, 2019

3 Reasons Why We Should Build The North-South Rail Link

The North-South Rail Link will unite a divided Boston, writes Dan McNichol. It's clear, tunnels are our future -- again.

Jan 31, 2019

The Solution Hiding In Plain Sight: Tax The Rich

More and more Americans are waking up to the reality that income inequality is not an incurable disease, writes Steve Almond.

Jan 31, 2019

In this undated photo Christmas baubles bearing Nazi insignia are displayed. Denmark's largest online sale website DBA, has removed Nazi-themed items from its store, including 12 Christmas baubles, bought in Lithuania by Danish man Claus Dalsborg who wanted to sell them for 10,000 kroner (U.S. $1,520). (Claus Dalsborg/AP)

I Went To A Nazi Memorabilia Auction. Here's What I Saw

A couple on Boston's North Shore attended an auction where they were horrified to find dozens of people eager to buy souvenirs from the Holocaust.

Jan 30, 2019

An Amazon package sits on the porch of a Jersey City, N.J. residence after its delivery Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018. (Robert Bumsted/AP)

My Month Without Amazon

The experiment that started as a minor political statement, writes Cloe Axelson, turned into a campaign against the pressure to optimize every moment of my life.

Jan 30, 2019

Former Starbucks CEO and Chairman Howard Schultz looks out at the audience during a book promotion tour, Monday, Jan. 28, 2019, in New York. Democrats across the political spectrum lashed out at the billionaire businessman on Monday after he teased the prospect of an independent 2020 bid, a move Democrats fear would split their vote and all but ensure President Donald Trump's re-election. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Howard Schultz And The Myth Of The American Centrist

Americans do not have a collective definition of what it means to be reasonable, writes Alex Green. And there is no one prototype centrist voter.

Jan 29, 2019

Furloughed government workers affected by the shutdown wait in line for free food and supplies, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019, in Washington. An organization devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters set up a distribution center just blocks from the U.S. Capitol building to assist those affected by the government shutdown. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

The Shutdown Was Painful — But Not Nearly Painful Enough To Stop The Next One

More than half of the 800,000 furloughed government employees were compelled to work because they were supposedly providing “emergency” services. That’s not credible, writes Tom Keane.

Jan 29, 2019

The Passive Voice Has No Place In Conversations About Rape

We need more specific language to tell our stories, writes Doreen Arcus. When I say “He raped me,” instead of, “I was raped,” I help you form that more complete...

Jan 28, 2019

President Donald Trump pauses while speaking about the partial government shutdown, immigration and border security in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019.(Alex Brandon/AP)

Comedy In The Age Of A Humorless President

Donald Trump isn’t the first president to get roasted by comedians, he’s just the first to not play along, writes Kaila Kuban.

Jan 25, 2019

President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn upon arrival at the White House in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

It's Time To Impeach Donald Trump

Congress must fulfill its oath to the people, writes Steve Almond, even if the president won’t.

Jan 24, 2019

In this April 11, 2018, file photo, an unidentified 15-year-old high school student uses a vaping device near the school's campus in Cambridge, Mass. (Steven Senne/AP)

How To Talk To Your Kids About Vaping

Let's be really clear: Vape pens and e-cigarettes are not safe for anyone -- particularly not children and young adults.

Jan 24, 2019

All Things Considered

A High School Diploma, Even For A Valedictorian, Will Never Be Enough

The Kids Have Something To Say. We Should Listen

Boston Has The Worst Traffic In The Nation. Raising MBTA Fares Won't Help

The Joy And Despair Of Winter In New England

Elizabeth Warren Doesn't Have A DNA Problem. She Has A Sexism Problem

The Joy And Despair Of Winter In New England

At UMass, We Need The Kind Of Leadership Money Can't Buy

The Green New Deal Could Change Everything

Boston Has The Worst Traffic In The Nation. Raising MBTA Fares Won't Help

A High School Diploma, Even For A Valedictorian, Will Never Be Enough

When Loneliness Is An Emergency

The Pain Isn't In Your Head. And Other Truths Of The Female Experience

Our Most-Read Pieces Of 2018

Finding The 'Sunrise Moment' In A Day Of Parenting

The Flawed Strategy Of The Green New Deal

Elizabeth Warren Doesn't Have A DNA Problem. She Has A Sexism Problem

The Green New Deal Could Change Everything

At UMass, We Need The Kind Of Leadership Money Can't Buy

There’s A Legal Crisis On Our Southern Border — And It Was Caused By Our Government

It's Time To Free All Women From The Menstrual Tent

Amid A Reckoning With Toxic Masculinity, Seeing 'Othello' In A New Light

Parents Of Newborns Aren't The Only Caregivers Who Need Paid Family Leave

Climate Change — What Climate Change? In SOTU, Trump Ignores The Global Emergency

The State Of The Union Gilded The Troubled State Of The World

Sorry, But Tom Brady Isn't The GOAT. Bill Russell Is

The Patriots Vs. The World

Presidential Candidates Tiptoe Toward A Basic Income. They Should Take The Last Step

Donald Trump In The Oval Office: Hey, It's All Part Of God's Plan

Read Books With Your Children. The More Diverse The Better

3 Reasons Why We Should Build The North-South Rail Link

The Solution Hiding In Plain Sight: Tax The Rich

I Went To A Nazi Memorabilia Auction. Here's What I Saw

My Month Without Amazon

Howard Schultz And The Myth Of The American Centrist

The Shutdown Was Painful — But Not Nearly Painful Enough To Stop The Next One

The Passive Voice Has No Place In Conversations About Rape

Comedy In The Age Of A Humorless President

It's Time To Impeach Donald Trump

How To Talk To Your Kids About Vaping