Commentaries

When you were a kid, did you sneak candies and hide the wrappers so your parents wouldn't find the evidence? Commentator Corinna Nicolaou did too. As we head into the 4th of July weekend here's a story of rebellion, and the sweet land of liberty, as a child sees it.

You can read more of Corinna's commentary at her blog

Today is the first day of summer, and the weather is warm. NWPR commentator Corinna Nicolaou, she’s been waiting all winter long to taste summer, but she’s not craving BBQ!

In a 1789 letter, Benjamin Franklin wrote: "In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." Well, it should interest you to know that death is no longer a certainty, at least for one species. The Rock Doc, Dr. Kirsten Peters, has the details.

"The gene for death has been isolated –and reversed- by scientists. Not a bad day’s work, you might say.

Sorry, it’s not the death of human beings that’s at issue. But it is a gene for death that’s embedded in a plant on which we all directly depend each day. And that’s good enough to be plenty encouraging.

One of my habits in recent years has been studying climate history in my free time. What can I say; it keeps me out of bars.

Recently, I was startled to learn that the temperatures experienced by American wheat farms back in the 1830s were almost 7 degrees warmer than they now are.

Dr. Lawrence Pintak, Founding Dean of The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, responds to the recent This American Life controversy surrounding their story on Apple's manufacturing practices in China. This commentary appeared today in the Columbia Journalism Review.

In today's economy, many Americans have to get by on less.  That means learning new strategies for saving money and living without.  NWPR commentator Corinna Nicolaou talks about growing up poor, and the ways in which wealth may really be a state of mind.

You can read more of Corinna's commentary at her blog