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3 years after fall of Kabul, US Congress has still not acted to secure future of more than 70,000 Afghan evacuees in US

  • Written by Kelsey Norman, Fellow for the Middle East, Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University

Amid the chaos that followed the U.S. pullout of Afghanistan on Aug. 15, 2021, the Biden administration declared that evacuated Afghans would be allowed to enter the U.S. via humanitarian parole. The initiative would provide them with temporary access to American soil, but not with a pathway to permanent residency.

In the weeks that followed, approx...

Read more: 3 years after fall of Kabul, US Congress has still not acted to secure future of more than 70,000...

Ukraine’s cross-border incursion challenges Moscow’s war narrative – but will it shift Russian opinion?

  • Written by Peter Rutland, Professor of Government, Wesleyan University
imageA Ukrainian tank near the border with Russia, on Aug. 12, 2024.Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images

On Aug. 6, 2024, Ukrainian soldiers crossed the border into Kursk province, marking the first invasion of foreign troops into Russian territory since World War II. In the days since, Russian television viewers and social media users have been...

Read more: Ukraine’s cross-border incursion challenges Moscow’s war narrative – but will it shift Russian...

Historians diving for balloons and hoping for hot dish: What Smithsonian curators will be doing at the Democratic National Convention

  • Written by Claire Jerry, Political History Curator, Smithsonian Institution
imageCurators from the Smithsonian were at the GOP convention in July to bring back items for the museum, including balloons.Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Three political history curators from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History are heading to Chicago and the 2024 Democratic National Convention soon to collect stuff – or as the...

Read more: Historians diving for balloons and hoping for hot dish: What Smithsonian curators will be doing at...

Offensive names dot the American street map − a new app provides a way to track them

  • Written by Derek H. Alderman, Professor of Geography, University of Tennessee
imageClear County, Colo., had three roads using the word 'sq—' until May 2024, when officials renamed them.Tom Hellauer/Denver Gazette

The racially motivated tragedy in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015, when a white supremacist murdered nine Black worshippers, and the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, two years later...

Read more: Offensive names dot the American street map − a new app provides a way to track them

Americans love free speech, survey finds − until they realize everyone else has it, too

  • Written by John G. Geer, Senior Advisor to the Chancellor, Head of Vanderbilt's Project on Unity and American Democracy, and Co-Director of Vanderbilt Poll, Vanderbilt University
imageShould there be limits on free speech?Westend61/Westend61 via Getty Images

Americans’ views on free speech change directions every so often. One of those times was during the protests at U.S. universities about the Israel-Hamas war. As scholars of free speech and public opinion, we set out to find out what happened and why.

The Supreme Court...

Read more: Americans love free speech, survey finds − until they realize everyone else has it, too

Fluid keeps your brain from crushing itself and shields your spine from shock – a neurologist explains what happens when it stops working

  • Written by Danielle Wilhour, Assistant Professor of Neurology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
imageYour brain produces around a pint of cerebrospinal fluid each day.Archibald Church, Diseases of the nervous system (1908)/Internet Archive via Flickr

Cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF, is a clear, colorless liquid that plays a crucial role in maintaining the health and function of your central nervous system. It cushions the brain and spinal cord,...

Read more: Fluid keeps your brain from crushing itself and shields your spine from shock – a neurologist...

Future lawyers learn key lessons from studying poetry in parks in this course

  • Written by Patrick Barry, Clinical Assistant Professor of Law and Director of Digital Academic Initiatives, University of Michigan
imageMeeting outdoors can lower the burnout that college students may otherwise feel.Armand Burger / E+ via Getty Imagesimage

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

Title of course:

Poetry and Parks

What prompted the idea for the course?

I’ve often found poetry to be a good...

Read more: Future lawyers learn key lessons from studying poetry in parks in this course

Philly schools are in disrepair − the municipal bond market is 1 big reason

  • Written by David I. Backer, Associate Professor of Education Policy, West Chester University of Pennsylvania
imageMore than half the money meant for building and maintaining Philly schools never reaches them.Matt Rourke/APimageThe Conversation, CC BY

Many of Philadelphia’s schools are in terrible shape. The average public school building in the city is over 70 years old, and some are over 120 years old. The state of disrepair, including a lack of air...

Read more: Philly schools are in disrepair − the municipal bond market is 1 big reason

3 of Jane Austen’s 6 brothers engaged in antislavery activism − new research offers more clues about her own views

  • Written by Devoney Looser, Regents Professor of English, Arizona State University
imageMore than 200 years after her death, Jane Austen's views on slavery remain unclear.Jim Dyson/Getty Images

More than two centuries after Jane Austen died in 1817, many of the English novelist’s fans want to know her takes on her day’s big issues, including race, colonialism and slavery.

Vigorous debates continue about what she may have...

Read more: 3 of Jane Austen’s 6 brothers engaged in antislavery activism − new research offers more clues...

Kamala, a common name in India, is associated with several deities and is a symbol of wisdom

  • Written by Archana Venkatesan, Professor of Religious Studies and Comparative Literature, University of California, Davis
imageRelief of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi from a temple in India.Godong/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Ever since Vice President Kamala Harris became a presence on the national scene, her name – a common one for women in India – has attracted a lot of attention, most specifically for its pronunciation.

The three-syllable word should...

Read more: Kamala, a common name in India, is associated with several deities and is a symbol of wisdom

More Articles ...

  1. LGBTQ people have a troubled relationship with police − new survey shows high rates of harassment, abuse and distrust
  2. Even fictional presidents don’t look like Kamala Harris − although Black men and white women have been represented in the Oval Office
  3. SpaceX’s Elon Musk endorsed Donald Trump for president – what this could mean for US space policy
  4. Hotel guests are getting used to refillable shampoos and less housekeeping, study suggests
  5. International students will offer a big boost to the US economy this back-to-school season
  6. How Ohio schools reduced chronic absenteeism
  7. Wildfires don’t just burn farmland − they can contaminate the water farmers use to irrigate crops and support livestock
  8. JD Vance is no pauper − he’s a classic example of ‘poornography,’ in which the rich try to speak on behalf of the poor
  9. Mammary glands in a dish − what miniature organs reveal about evolution, lactation, regeneration and breast cancer
  10. FDA rejects MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD treatment – a drug researcher explains the challenges psychedelics face
  11. Dementia risk factors identified in new global report are all preventable – addressing them could reduce dementia rates by 45%
  12. 3 strategies to help college students pick the right major the first time around and avoid some big hassles
  13. A bipartisan data-privacy law could backfire on small businesses − 2 marketing professors explain why
  14. New storm is headed for the Caribbean: What meteorologists look for in early signs of a future hurricane
  15. Birth of a hurricane: What meteorologists look for as they hunt for early signs of a tropical cyclone forming
  16. At its core, life is all about play − just look at the animal kingdom
  17. Could dinosaurs still exist somewhere in the world? A paleontologist explains
  18. Why is an ultimate goal called a ‘Holy Grail?’
  19. If you want Americans to pay attention to climate change, just call it climate change
  20. Wagner Group setback in Mali challenges Moscow’s strategy in Africa and the region’s faith in Russian mercenaries
  21. A packed Baltimore trolley illustrates the ups and downs of US public transit
  22. Rat poison is moving up through food chains, threatening carnivores around the world
  23. No credit score? A grocery list could be the next best thing
  24. The problem with pronatalism: Pushing baby booms to boost economic growth amounts to a Ponzi scheme
  25. Despite Donald Trump’s claims, his gag order holds up against the Constitution
  26. How San Francisco’s Democratic political machine led to Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign
  27. The real ‘Big Bang’ of country music: How Vernon Dalhart’s 1924 breakthrough recordings launched a genre
  28. Infectious diseases spike when kids return to school − here’s what you can do about it
  29. Dealing with election anxiety? A psychiatrist explains how to channel your fears and break out of tribal thinking
  30. This anthropology course looks at building design from the standpoint of different species
  31. Paris Games herald a new anti-corruption era, but carrying the torch may pose an Olympic challenge for the US
  32. How do breakdancers avoid breaking their necks?
  33. Decades on, Delbert Africa’s surrender still provides powerful image of US racism and Black victimhood
  34. From Michael Brown to Sonya Massey, a decade of police antiblack violence causes grief, worry and coping for Black parents
  35. Good flooding? Scientists use rice cultivation to preserve soil in Florida’s Everglades Agricultural Area
  36. From a pig as political candidate to a breakout speech for Obama − Democratic National Convention often leaves its mark on history
  37. Members of Congress undermine the country – and their own legitimacy – with antidemocratic rhetoric
  38. How charities with thrift shops can get better stuff from their donors instead of junk
  39. Islamic State’s genocide was not limited to killing and enslaving Yazidis, Christians and other communities − it also erased their heritage
  40. How to get your kids ready to go back to school without stress − 5 tips from an experienced school counselor
  41. Qatari mediation was already producing diminishing returns – assassination of Hamas negotiator further erodes Gulf state’s role
  42. White men who have been mistreated at work are more likely to notice and report harassment − new research
  43. Remembering the longest journey to Auschwitz – the deportation of Rhodes’ Jews decimated a small but vibrant community with centuries of Mediterranean history
  44. Imane Khelif controversy at Paris Olympics shows how sex testing in women’s sports puts regulators in an impossible bind
  45. Imane Khelif’s gold medal run shows how sex testing in women’s sports puts regulators in an impossible bind
  46. Shortage of Black doctors is rooted in racist history − a $600M gift will help historically Black medical schools address the gap
  47. For Black Americans, higher police pay doesn’t always mean fewer violent confrontations as it does for other racial groups
  48. Ancient grains of dust from space can be found on Earth − and provide clues about the life cycle of stars
  49. Heat risk isn’t just about the highs: Large daily temperature swings can harm human health – maps show who is affected most
  50. Tropical Storm Debby stalls along the Carolinas, bringing days of heavy rain and flooding – a climate scientist explains why