April 2016

The Borrando la Frontera, or Erasing the Border, project took place on April 9 in Baja California, Sonora, and Ciudad Juarez, as members of the cultural organization Border/Arte “removed” parts of the U.S.-Mexico border fence in three places by painting large sections sky blue, allowing the fence to visually blend into the background. The artist Ana Teresa Fernández says the project is an effort to symbolically erase a long-standing physical barrier that separates families and causes...

“Geography is destiny.” Economists once used this theory to try to explain the difference between rich and poor countries. But in the last few years, something like it has become a grand theory for rich and poor within the United States. Researchers have shown that where a family lives dramatically shapes children’s education, income, and their potential to earn more than their parents. Geography’s most consequential legacy might be life itself. In a new study released Monday morning and...

Back in December, journalists were surprised when President Obama called exclusively on female reporters during a press conference . The president is not the only one explicitly focusing on getting women to have more of a say. Google’s technical employees recently found this message in their inbox : “I wanted to update everyone on our efforts to encourage women to self-nominate for promotion… We know that small biases—about ourselves and others—add up over time and overcoming them takes a...

Comments allow readers to respond to an article instantly, asking questions, pointing out errors, giving new leads. At their best, comment threads are thoughtful, enlightening, funny: online communities where readers interact with journalists and others in ways that enrich the Guardian’s journalism. But at their worst, they are something else entirely. The Guardian was not the only news site to turn comments on, nor has it been the only one to find that some of what is written “below the...

Violence in all of its manifestations is a part of the fabric of American history. One cannot address violence without addressing institutionalized racism, the legacy of colonialism and religious conquest. Often times, when we do discuss violence within poverty stricken communities, we forget these key factors. We forget the trauma of these various historical incidences have yet to be addressed. We forget that violence within these communities, are stemming from dysfunctional coping...

The leaders of the Attawapiskat First Nation, an isolated Cree community in northern Ontario, Canada, have declared a state of emergency over a series of suicide attempts. The CBC reports that about 2,000 people live in the community. On Saturday night, according to Chief Bruce Shisheesh, 11 people attempted suicide. That comes after 28 suicide attempts in March, the Canadian news service reports: "Including Saturday's spate of suicide attempts, a total of 101 people of all ages have tried...

One of Judge Mark A. Ingram’s proudest memories in a long and storied career occurred a few years ago when a couple in his rural Idaho town invited a teen to their backyard barbecue, the same teen who had broken into their home and was sent to a residential treatment facility by the judge. The couple, who Ingram referred to as Darrin and Sam, did not want the teen there for his company. Darrin had admitted to feeling emasculated by the burglary. But, Darrin said, his two young children had...

On Monday, Kansas became the latest state to overhaul its juvenile justice system, with a set of reforms projected to reduce the number of juveniles in custody by more than half and save tens of millions of dollars. Gov. Sam Brownback, a conservative Republican, signed the sweeping legislation, SB 367 , after it cleared the Republican-controlled legislature earlier this year with only a handful of dissenting votes during a tough budget season. [For more of this story, written by Sarah Barr,...

Here is a quote from psychcentral == Depressive disorders often cause acutely uncomfortable feelings such as overwhelming sadness, hopelessness, numbness, isolation... == Hang on? Does this say that depression causes sadness, hopelessnes, feeling alone? Or does extreme sadness, lots of loss, feeling powerless, hopeless and alone cause depression? In other words, which comes first? The chicken or the egg? In my experience, and in my observations, the painful feelings I listed above, along...

For years, women’s pay has slowly increased relative to men’s, but, strangely, in 2015 that trend seemed to stall (or even reverse course). This apparent stagnation is discouraging for lots of reasons: More women are working and many are the primary, if not sole, earners in their households. And young women are more likely than young men to hold a college degree. This is clearly bad for women. It’s also bad for men. And the economy as a whole. A new report from the McKinsey Global Institute...

Editor’s Note: MAPP, Mobilizing for Action through Planning & Partnerships, is a local coalition that aims to use and build upon our strengths to improve our individual, family and community health. Health is defined broadly to include cultural, economic, educational, environmental, mental, physical and spiritual health. Role models are truly vital to a healthy and resilient community. I’m not just saying that, that is science. Luckily, this community has so many wonderful people with...

Central Community Unit School District 301 teachers, principals, school board members and administrators met to watch and learn from the film "Paper Tigers." According to Dr. Kim Paulus, Central Education Association president and seventh grade science teacher at Prairie Knolls Middle School in Elgin , the Friday presentation in the Burlington Central High School auditorium was "a collaborative effort with the CEA, the District Leadership Team, the Illinois Education Association, and the...