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May 18, 2022

A mass mobilization of democracy is the only way to stop white supremacy

Wild conspiracy theories and eugenic hysteria — once the views of the right-wing fringe — are increasingly vital features of the GOP, writes Steve Almond.

School busses lined up outside of New Mission High School in Hyde Park awaiting students prior to school release. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

A return to pre-pandemic 'normal' is not the way to fix Mass. schools

May 16, 2022

, I froze my eggs in a bid to buy a little more time to meet a future partner, and so that if I didn’t, I’d have a better chance of having a child on my own someday, writes Nicole Rodgers. (Getty Images)

Motherhood isn't contingent on a romantic relationship. So why do we still treat it that way?

May 13, 2022

Eighty-nine year-old pianist Arthur Rubinstein performs before a sold out audience at Carnegie Hall in New York City circa 1983. He performed the works of Beethoven, Schumann, and Chopin, plus three encore pieces to which he received a standing ovation. (Bettmann/Corbis/Getty Images)

Ambition after 80. Yes, that's a thing

May 12, 2022

Support the news

Why we should care about Herschel Walker

Motherhood isn't contingent on a romantic relationship. So why do we still treat it that way?

In Video Game Culture, It's Still 'No Girls Allowed'

A mass mobilization of democracy is the only way to stop white supremacy

Tipping Point: Since When Does Everyone Get A Tip?

Why I Changed My Mind On The Reparations Debate

In Case You Missed It

The author and her mother on June 18, 1978. (Courtesy Kate Peltz)

I wish my mom could tell me the story of her death

Apr 8, 2022

The cast of the film "The Godfather" pose for a family portrait during the wedding scene in a still from the film, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and based upon the novel by Mario Puzo. Left to right: Robert Duvall, Tere Livrano, John Cazale, Gianni Russo, Talia Shire, Morgana King, Marlon Brando and James Caan. (Paramount Pictures/Getty Images)

'The Godfather' made Mario Puzo famous. But his best work is about about a woman like my 'Ma'

Apr 1, 2022

A woman with two children and carrying bags walk on a street to leave Ukraine after crossing the Slovak-Ukrainian border in Ubla, eastern Slovakia, close to the Ukrainian city of Welykyj Beresnyj, on February 25, 2022, following Russia's invasion of the Ukraine. (Peter Lazar/AFP via Getty Images)

500,000 Ukrainians have fled so far. What does it mean to lose your home, your life?

Mar 2, 2022

Paul Farmer (R), co-founder of Partners in Health, testifies on the international response to the ebola crisis during a Senate Foreign Relations African Affairs Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, December 10, 2014. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

For Paul, 'everyone mattered': Colleagues and friends remember Paul Farmer, in their own words

Mar 2, 2022

On Air Commentaries

Sara Mae Berman, at her home in Cambridge, Mass., wears a medal she was presented for her Boston Marathon wins in 1969, 1970, and 1971. The Boston Athletic Association began recognizing women racers officially in 1972. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

When women weren't allowed, Sara Mae Berman ran Boston anyway

04:40Apr 15, 2022

Jeff Davis (front) front leads members of Black Men Run on a run in Boston. (Courtesy Jeff Davis)

Let Black men run

05:21Dec 3, 2021

We’ve all had quite enough of COVID, writes Dr. Molly Colvin. We’re understandably angry, but what do we do with that emotion? (Svetlana Voroshilova/Getty Images)

Understanding (and taming) your COVID anger

04:49Feb 18, 2022

Assistant Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Katherine Clark pictured at WBUR's studios in 2016. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

The politics of going gray

04:42Jan 13, 2022

Politics

May 11, 2022

Why people in my native Russia aren't protesting the attacks on Ukraine

Some of our friends and family in Russia say they don’t watch the news and that everything is fine, writes Anastasya Partan. Some sing Putin’s praises. Some admit that the situation is horrific — but what can they do?

Associate Justice Samuel Alito sits during a group photo of the Justices at the Supreme Court in Washington, DC on April 23, 2021. (Erin Schaff-Pool/Getty Images)

A basic and ugly view of women's rights

May 10, 2022

Supporters attend a primary election night event for J.D. Vance, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Ohio, at Duke Energy Convention Center on May 3, 2022 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Let's end horse race political coverage

May 9, 2022

Anti-abortion and abortion rights demonstrators during a protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. Abortion rights suddenly emerged as an issue that could reshape the battle between Democrats and Republicans for control of Congress, following a report that conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court were poised to strike down the half-century-old Roe v. Wade precedent. (Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

'This is the hill I will die on': Readers react to a potential ban on abortion

May 5, 2022

Firefighters extinguish a fire following a Russian bombardment at a park in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 3, 2022. (Felipe Dana/AP)

Russia is repeating its brutal history in Ukraine

May 4, 2022

More From Cog

A man swabs his nose at a rapid Covid-19 testing site in the international terminal at Los Angeles International Airport on December 3, 2021. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

COVID finally got me

Two-plus years into the pandemic, Jim Sullivan finally tested positive for COVID-19. Vaccinated and (twice) boosted, he knows how lucky he is that it's May 2022 and not May 2020...

May 11, 2022

"It’s easy to think of birth and death as opposites, but they are actually very similar. They are both sacred transitions from one state of being to another," writes Anita Hannig. (Getty)

On my first Mother's Day, I'm honoring the profound link between birth and death

As a cultural anthropologist, Anita Hannig has spent a lot of time thinking about death. It’s easy to think of birth and death as opposites, but they are actually very...

May 6, 2022

The author and her daughter. (Courtesy Alysia Abbott)

I'm longing to be the mother I never had

Are we mistaken to believe our kids continue to be ours as they grow? asks Alysia Abbott.

May 6, 2022

Pro-life and pro-choice protestors gather outside the Supreme Court as arguments begin about the Texas abortion law by the court on Capitol Hill on Monday, Nov. 01, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

We want to hear from you: Abortion in America

In a draft opinion obtained by Politico, at least five Supreme Court justices appear poised to strike down Roe vs. Wade. If the opinion becomes law, it would end legal...

May 3, 2022

Demonstrators gather outside of the U.S. Supreme Court on May 02, 2022 in Washington, DC. In an initial draft majority opinion obtained by Politico, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito allegedly wrote that the cases Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey should be overturned, which would end federal protection of abortion rights across the country. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The end of abortion rights is just the beginning

Brace yourself, the worst is yet to come, writes Jesse Mermell. Justice Alito's leaked draft highlights other rights conservatives are targeting, including marriage equality and birth control.

May 3, 2022

"All the Secrets of the World" is a new novel by Steve Almond. (Courtesy Zando)

'All the Secrets of the World': 5 questions with Steve Almond

I spent decades beating myself up for not being able to produce a novel, writes Steve Almond. But the truth is, I didn’t have a story worth sharing with the...

May 3, 2022

The author's sons getting lost in their books. (Courtesy of Sharon Brody)

Another local bookstore bites the dust. This time it's my favorite one on earth

The Children’s Book Shop didn’t just sell books, writes Sharon Brody. They guided us towards our own discoveries in ways that strike deep and resonant chords. For what is love...

Apr 29, 2022

A vegan diet seemed difficult and potentially expensive, but writer Barbara Moran wanted to try it out for herself. (Getty Images)

Eating less meat is better for the planet. Could my family go vegan for a month? Could I?

A vegan diet seemed difficult and potentially expensive, but writer Barbara Moran wanted to try it out for herself as part of a quest to eat more sustainably.

05:25Apr 28, 2022

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis addresses attendees on day one of the 2022 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando. (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

What Florida won't teach its kids

In Florida, education officials rejected 53 math textbooks, claiming they included "prohibited" topics such as Critical Race Theory, common core standards and social emotional learning. What they're really trying to...

Apr 27, 2022

People participate in a march to mark International Women's Day on March 08, 2022 in New York, New York. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Simultaneous attacks on abortion and LGBTQ rights are not coincidental

The same people fighting to limit abortion care are also working to deny transgender and LGBTQ+ people of their health care and identity, write Sen. Julian Cyr and Rebecca Hart...

Apr 26, 2022

Debra Stark, owner of "Debra's Natural Gourmet, on 98 Commonwealth Ave. in West Concord, MA on Oct. 7, 1997. (Bill Polo/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Eat well, be happy: What Debra Stark taught us

In a troubled world, Debra Stark left behind an oasis of whole grain compassion and humanity, writes Glenn Rifkin, about the proprietor of Debra's Natural Gourmet, who died last week...

Apr 26, 2022

In an aerial view from a drone, geothermal plants are seen near the receding shores of the Salton sea on February 13, 2021 near Calipatria, California. As the lake continues to evaporate,, its increasing salinity has made it unsustainable for the fish and great masses of white pelicans and other migratory birds that fed on them. As more lake bottom becomes exposed, fine particles of toxic dust are becoming a health hazard to local communities. (David McNew/Getty Images)

What voter suppression in places like Texas means for the climate

Voters who care about climate change are also most likely to be hurt by voter suppression laws, writes Nathaniel Stinnett.

Apr 25, 2022

The author and her family at Babcock State Mill Park in West Virginia, in 1981. (Courtesy Neema Avashia)

Growing up Indian in Appalachia: 5 questions with Neema Avashia

People have lots of opinions about Appalachia and the people who live there, writes Neema Avashia. Her goal was to write a book that made it impossible to see the...

Apr 25, 2022

An airline passenger rests while not wearing a face mask following the end of COVID-19 public transportation mask rules during a American Airlines flight operated by SkyWest Airlines from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in California to Denver, Colorado on April 19, 2022. Mask mandates on public transportation are no longer in effect following a ruling by federal judge on April 18, 2022. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

Masks are no longer mandated, but I hope you'll still wear one to protect people like me

A federal judge this week voided the mask mandate for public transportation. Laurie Edwards says the ruling — and reaction to it — underscore just how indifferent most people are...

Apr 22, 2022

A lone park visitor walked beneath the towering redwoods on the main trail at Muir Woods Tuesday, June 10, 2008. (Brant Ward/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

'The Earth is dying, and the people in power are looking on'

Josie Almond and her friends in the Boston Children's Chorus are using their roles as artists and performers to inspire action on climate change.

Apr 22, 2022

As part of Earth Week, Rise and Resist climate activists held a peaceful protest at JPMorgan Chase headquarters world headquarters in Manhattan to protest CEO Jamie Dimon's "Marshall Plan" which will aggressively increment fossil fuel production, and boost Chase profits, increasing carbon emissions worldwide. (Photo by Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images)

How cutting up your credit cards could help the climate

Big banks have the power to slow the expansion of fossil energy, writes Frederick Hewett.

Apr 21, 2022

A wind turbine is visible between two residences July 14, 2021 in Hull, Massachusetts. (Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)

If you care about the planet but resist solutions for selfish reasons, you might be a NIMBY

We do have the means at hand to ratchet down greenhouse gases, writes Rich Barlow. And NIMBY hypocrites — in Massachusetts and elsewhere — shouldn't be permitted to obstruct saving...

Apr 20, 2022

The author's Royals Little League team of Durham-Lee-Madbury, New Hampshire. (Courtesy Ethan Gilsdorf)

Watching the Red Sox. Looking for my mom

America’s favorite pastime is personal, and tinged with nostalgia. For me, writes Ethan Gilsdorf, baseball is inexorably linked to my late mother.

Apr 15, 2022

Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker and a woman take a selfie during former US President Donald J Trump's "Save America" rally with David Perdue, Burt Jones, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Vernon Jones in Commerce, GA, on March, 26, 2022. (Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Why we should care about Herschel Walker

There’s something fundamentally tragic about watching a major party enable a candidate who cannot dependably form a coherent sentence, writes Steve Almond.

Apr 14, 2022

People rally against vaccine mandates at Grand Park in Los Angeles, Calif. on April 10, 2022. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

As a doctor, I wonder: 'Can our waning empathy cause harm?'

We need to investigate whether doctors' negative feelings about vaccine hesitant patients influence the quality of care they provide, writes Sourik Beltrán.

Apr 13, 2022

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A mass mobilization of democracy is the only way to stop white supremacy

A return to pre-pandemic 'normal' is not the way to fix Mass. schools

Motherhood isn't contingent on a romantic relationship. So why do we still treat it that way?

Ambition after 80. Yes, that's a thing

Why we should care about Herschel Walker

Motherhood isn't contingent on a romantic relationship. So why do we still treat it that way?

In Video Game Culture, It's Still 'No Girls Allowed'

A mass mobilization of democracy is the only way to stop white supremacy

Tipping Point: Since When Does Everyone Get A Tip?

Why I Changed My Mind On The Reparations Debate

I wish my mom could tell me the story of her death

'The Godfather' made Mario Puzo famous. But his best work is about about a woman like my 'Ma'

500,000 Ukrainians have fled so far. What does it mean to lose your home, your life?

For Paul, 'everyone mattered': Colleagues and friends remember Paul Farmer, in their own words

When women weren't allowed, Sara Mae Berman ran Boston anyway

Let Black men run

Understanding (and taming) your COVID anger

The politics of going gray

Why people in my native Russia aren't protesting the attacks on Ukraine

A basic and ugly view of women's rights

Let's end horse race political coverage

'This is the hill I will die on': Readers react to a potential ban on abortion

Russia is repeating its brutal history in Ukraine

COVID finally got me

On my first Mother's Day, I'm honoring the profound link between birth and death

I'm longing to be the mother I never had

We want to hear from you: Abortion in America

The end of abortion rights is just the beginning

'All the Secrets of the World': 5 questions with Steve Almond

Another local bookstore bites the dust. This time it's my favorite one on earth

Eating less meat is better for the planet. Could my family go vegan for a month? Could I?

What Florida won't teach its kids

Simultaneous attacks on abortion and LGBTQ rights are not coincidental

Eat well, be happy: What Debra Stark taught us

What voter suppression in places like Texas means for the climate

Growing up Indian in Appalachia: 5 questions with Neema Avashia

Masks are no longer mandated, but I hope you'll still wear one to protect people like me

'The Earth is dying, and the people in power are looking on'

How cutting up your credit cards could help the climate

If you care about the planet but resist solutions for selfish reasons, you might be a NIMBY

Watching the Red Sox. Looking for my mom

Why we should care about Herschel Walker

As a doctor, I wonder: 'Can our waning empathy cause harm?'