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Warming Oceans Are Making the Climate Crisis Significantly Worse

Humans have locked in at least 20 feet of sea level rise, writes Harold R. Wanless. Will we have enough time to fix it?

A parent and child tell each other stories. (Getty)

My 6-Year-Old Became A Storyteller This Year. It Saved Us Both

Apr 16, 2021

U.S. soldiers from Viper Company (Bravo), 1-26 Infantry are seen during sunset as they conduct a patrol at Combat Outpost Sabari in Khost province in the east of Afghanistan on June 21, 2011. (Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images)

Ending The 'Forever War' In Afghanistan Is Only The First Step

Apr 16, 2021

The Pandemic Taught Me I Had A Drinking Problem

Apr 15, 2021

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The Pandemic Taught Me I Had A Drinking Problem

Black Parents Give Their Kids 'The Talk.' What If White Parents Did, Too?

How To Write A Sympathy Note In The Time Of Coronavirus

Heavy Meddle: Help! My Husband Can't Stand My Parents, And Now It's Affecting Our Marriage

I Have A Presumed Case Of COVID-19. This Is What The Past 10 Days Have Been Like

My 6-Year-Old Became A Storyteller This Year. It Saved Us Both

In Case You Missed It

Two women walking arm in arm and watching something on the other side of the road. Sankt Moritz, March 1969 (Getty Images)

In The Company Of Women: The Pandemic Void Only My Girlfriends Can Fill

Feb 11, 2021

Poet Amanda Gorman speaks at the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Amanda Gorman's Poetry Opened The Door, And 'Let Everyone In'

Jan 22, 2021

After so much hardship and loss, the psychological recovery from this trauma will be long, writes Dr. Molly Colvin. (Klaus Vedfelt/Getty)

Why You Can't Shake Pandemic Anxiety

03:26Mar 9, 2021

Rower and climate activist Frederick Hewett rows on the Charles River. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

When Climate Change Comes Home: Behind The Essay

Feb 28, 2019

On Air Commentaries

Joni Mitchell posed in Amsterdam, Netherlands in 1972 (Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns via Getty Images)

Why 'A Case Of You' Is The Best Love Song Of All Time

05:17Feb 12, 2021

What will life look like after the pandemic? (Dan Nott for WBUR)

We Asked 10 People To Imagine Life After The Pandemic. Here's What They Said

08:06Mar 17, 2021

Salman Wasti and his daughter Noreen Wasti, pictured at Noreen's wedding in Bristol, Rhode Island, in Sept. 2013. (Courtesy)

Singing Bollywood In The Sunroom: A Daughter Remembers Her Dad As He Was Before COVID

08:51Feb 19, 2021

A model attends a Black Lives Matter fashion show and protest by fashion designer Jason Christopher Peters at Washington Square Park on July 12, 2020 in New York City. (Noam Galai/Getty Images)

'It Doesn’t Matter If It’s Your Fault': I Warn My Daughter About Police As My Father Warned Me

02:57Jul 16, 2020

Politics

Apr 14, 2021

Biden Should Simplify The Tax Code. Trump's Taxes Are Just One More Reason Why

The wealthiest Americans will never pay their full and fair share unless Congress and the president burn down the bewildering forest of breaks in which tax-dodgers, legal and otherwise, hide, writes Rich Barlow.

Former President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower in Manhattan on March 09, 2021 in New York City. (James Devaney/GC Images)

The GOP's Long Con

Apr 13, 2021

R.N Natalie O'Connor greets her first patient of the day Rita Fuller, 83, at her home and goes over a COVID-19 pre-vaccine checklist before administering it in Manchester, Connecticut on February 12, 2021. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)

A 'Care' Agenda Is Essential Policy

Apr 8, 2021

Levi Benjamin-Brown, 5, helps him mother Kyala Brown unpack does of toys at their new home in El Cerrito, California on September 11, 2020. . (Brittany Hosea-Small/AFP via Getty Images)

The Quiet Revolution Underway To Pay Parents

Apr 5, 2021

The Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples can marry nationwide in 2015. (Michael Rowley/Ghetty)

The Equality Act Is 46 Years In The Making. The US Senate Should Pass It Now

Apr 2, 2021

More From Cog

The author's son during his Zoom bar mitzvah, in the family's living room. (Courtesy).

As My Son Came Of Age, He Taught Me: ‘Embrace What Is Possible’

Writer Linda K. Wertheimer had been imagining her son's bar mitzvah in their temple since he'd been a baby. Then the pandemic hit.

Apr 14, 2021

"For me, 'The Talk' was not a singular event, but a series of lectures that began when I was about 10," writes David Janey. (Getty Images)

Black Parents Give Their Kids 'The Talk.' What If White Parents Did, Too?

When writer David Janey's parents gave him "The Talk," he remembers becoming aware that the world was not as safe for him as it was for his white friends.

Apr 12, 2021

Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift, and Aaron Dessner perform onstage for the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards broadcast on March 14, 2021. (Photo by TAS Rights Management 2021 via Getty Images)

‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’ Is Finally Here. We’ve Both Come A Long Way In 13 Years

Taylor Swift is re-releasing her celebrated 2008 album. For me, "Fearless (Taylor’s Version)" is a rare and beautiful invitation to reflect, writes Kat Read.

Apr 9, 2021

Vanessa Nguyen holds a Stop Asian Hate sign while joining community leaders during a candlelight vigil mourning the victims of the Atlanta shootings, in Garden Grove, CA, on March 23, 2021. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

I Wasn’t Ready For This Kind Of Grief

In the aftermath of the mass shooting in Atlanta, Kathy N. Le writes, I am realizing that I have neither the emotional ‘muscle memory’ to express my frustration, sadness and...

Apr 8, 2021

A student of Carmen Rios’ kindergarten class raises her hand during an English lesson at Barbieri Elementary School in Framingham. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Kids Are Returning To School. But Let’s Avoid A Return To Academic Pressure

Suddenly, we’re in a race to pick up where we left off, to catch up to the pace we were at when school abruptly closed in March 2020, writes Ellen...

Apr 7, 2021

A photo of the author's mother in the 1960s wearing "Justin Beaver." (Courtesy)

My Life With 'Justin Beaver': Confessions Of A Closet Fur-Owner

PETA may have moved on from fur -- but I'm not ready, writes Anne Gardner.

Apr 6, 2021

Beverly Cleary at home in Carmel Valley, California in 2006. Cleary died on March 25, 2021. (Christina Koci Hernandez/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

How Beverly Cleary Changed Children’s Literature

Some have compared Cleary to authors of adult literature in her grasp of the human condition, her use of language and satire. But I think she was uniquely authentic at...

Apr 2, 2021

A worker spray-paints "Opening Day" behind home plate at Fenway Park in Boston on March 30, 2021. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

'The Inning Isn't Over': On Baseball And The Pandemic

The start of baseball season for me this year is more than a distraction, writes Jay Baruch. It’s an operating manual for getting through the seemingly never-ending pandemic.

Apr 1, 2021

Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks at an event on the steps of the U.S. Capitol for the "For The People Act of 2021" in Washington, DC, on March3, 2021. Th act is hailed as the most significant voting rights and democracy reform in more than half a century. (Photo by Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images)

Stop Billionaires From Buying Elections

Congressional Democrats have proposed a voting rights bill that is wildly popular across the political spectrum. That's a big problem for Republicans, writes Steve Almond.

Apr 1, 2021

"After a year of COVID, I was a spent force in a depleted department," writes Michael P.H. Stanley. (Getty Images)

Talking To Patients And Their Families, Even When There's Nothing To Say

Dr. Michael P.H. Stanley called the wife of his cancer patient every day with updates. Then he missed a day.

03:34Mar 31, 2021

Tulips are seen inside Asia's largest Tulip Garden after it opens for general public and tourists in Srinagar, Kashmir, India on March 25, 2021. (Faisal Khan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The Ancient Jews Carried Trauma And Joy Into Their New Lives. We Can, Too

I don’t believe in “back to normal” anymore, writes Jessica Ullian. I do believe in better, though, and these days I wake up knowing that some version of better lies...

Mar 30, 2021

Beverly Cleary, then 90, at home in Carmel Valley, Calif. in 2006. (Christina Koci Hernandez/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

‘How True It All Felt’: Beverly Cleary Helped Us Understand Ourselves

Beverly Cleary, the children's author who died last week, never forgot what it felt like to be a child, where so much of life is beyond your control, writes Laura...

Mar 29, 2021

Two friends maintain social distance by sitting on separate benches and wearing protective face masks. (Getty)

It's OK To Laugh. A Group Of Teenagers Showed Me The Way

In a year when we have lost so much, writes Courtney E. Cole, sometimes it’s the littlest things that hit the hardest. Connection looks different now, but it's there for...

Mar 26, 2021

U.S. President Joe Biden answers questions during the first news conference of his presidency in the East Room of the White House on March 25, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

No Yelling, No Insults. Joe Biden Answered Questions — And That Felt Remarkable

Joe Biden’s first press conference felt revelatory -- an almost disorienting return to the legacy of presidential dignity and honor, writes Steve Almond.

Mar 25, 2021

Former Boston City Council President Kim Janey, 55, speaks after being sworn in as Boston's new mayor at City Hall, Wednesday, March 24, 2021, in Boston. (Elise Amendola/AP)

Mayor Kim Janey Just Made History In Boston. This Is Our Chance For Real Change

New leadership doesn't guarantee meaningful change, writes Carol Rose. If we want a city that’s more open, more equitable and more strident in its defense of our civil liberties, we...

Mar 25, 2021

Alice Mao holds a sign during an anti-Asian hate vigil at Chinatown's Madison Park in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, March 23, 2021. (Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images)

Hate Won't Be My ‘Background Noise.’ Not Anymore

After a young boy shouted racist slurs at Jackie Hsieh and her family, she confronted the boy's father. In that conversation, she found an unexpected ally.

Mar 25, 2021

BOULDER, CO - MARCH 23: Sarah O'Keefe and Maura Kieft pay their respects to Officer Eric Talley, who was killed after a gunman opened fire at a King Sooper's grocery store on March 23, 2021 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Chet Strange/Getty Images)

'Wandering Between Fury And Despair': Mass Shootings Amidst A Deadly Pandemic

Atlanta and Boulder have me wandering between fury and despair, wanting to scream and cry, writes Anita Diamant. But pulling up the covers -- for anything more than a day...

Mar 24, 2021

A daycare center employee pushes a KinderVan filled with preschool children on an outing along the National Mall in Washington, D.C. (Robert Alexander/Getty Images)

Child Care Is A Public Good. Our Government Should Start Treating It That Way

A new bill recently introduced in the U.S. House marks a turning point, writes Rebecca Rewald, when we start recognizing the importance of child care as a fundamental part of...

Mar 24, 2021

A migrant girl from Central America waits with her mother for a bus after they are dropped off by the US Customs and Border Protection at a bus station near the Gateway International Bridge, between the cities of Brownsville, Texas, and Matamoros, Mexico, on March 15, 2021 in Brownsville, Texas. (Chandian Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)

The Misery At The Border Never Stopped. This Is Biden's Chance To End Family Separation

The orchestra of chaos and misery at the border never dissipated, writes pediatrician Fiona Danaher, we are just finally being permitted to hear it again.

Mar 23, 2021

The author at a rowing competition just before the pandemic shutdown began, March 1, 2020. (Scullingfool Photography/Courtesy)

My Physical Therapist Made Me Feel Like An Athlete. In The Pandemic, That Was A Gift

When an injury sidelined Bethany Ericson from rowing at home during the pandemic, she started physical therapy. To her surprise, when her shoulder healed, it was hard to say goodbye....

Mar 23, 2021