Topic: Brandeis University

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10 influential authors who came to the US as immigrants

These 10 immigrant authors have all made significant contributions to US literature and culture.
Osama bin Laden dead: What jihadi websites are saying

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Robert Reich The invisible sequester

Americans are starting to feel the pain from the sequester's $85 billion in federal spending cuts between March and September 30, Reich writes. They just don’t know it yet.
10 influential authors who came to the US as immigrants

These 10 immigrant authors have all made significant contributions to US literature and culture.
Sundance 2013: Documentaries shine in Utah

At the Sundance Film Festival, docs like 'Twenty Feet From Stardom' and 'The Crash Reel' show some of the best the industry has to offer.
Modern Parenthood Choosing a college major: Parents have a balancing role

Choosing a college major is as tricky for students as it is for their parents who can provide an important balancing role between idealism and realism.
How exactly would a Higgs boson give a particle mass? (+video)

Scientists say that they are close to proving the existence of the elusive Higgs boson, a theoretical particle that imputes matter with the property of mass. How does that work anyway?
Focus Is Egypt's revolution over?

Tahrir Square is filling again today, but it no longer holds the symbolic power for Egyptians that it did in early 2011. Now it's more of a democracy ghetto.
Chapter & Verse Jackie Kennedy, Susan Sontag, and Angela Davis: their Paris years

Jackie Kennedy, Susan Sontag, and Angela Davis may not have much else in common. But they'll always have Paris.
Al Qaeda rocked by apparent cyberattack. But who did it?

Al Qaeda's core jihadi websites have all been hit by an apparent cyberattack. For a group in flux, it's a big blow, but the nature of the attack raises questions about who's responsible.
Chapter & Verse Adrienne Rich: a voice for the marginalized

Adrienne Rich shaped her verse and prose into a passionate cry for justice.
Change Agent Super Bowl puts spotlight on philanthropist's life

Myra Kraft's good works inspire Patriots football players and the New England region.
Wealth gap widens: Whites' net worth is 20 times that of blacks

All racial groups lost ground in the recession, but blacks and Hispanics lost a bigger share of their net worth, a new study finds. As a result, the wealth gap is at its widest in at least 25 years.
Rebecca Newberger Goldstein: secular humanist with a soul

Philosopher and novelist Rebecca Newberger Goldstein is a humanist whose life and work have been shaped by religion.
Tracy Kidder: can a writer be a social activist?

Prize-winning journalist Tracy Kidder wrote a popular book on social activist Paul Farmer. But how involved should he have become in promoting Farmer's work?
On jihadi websites, disbelief and vows of revenge over bin Laden's death

Supporters of Osama bin Laden began posting on jihadi websites – Al Qaeda's main public relations arm on the Internet – within minutes of the announcement bin Laden had been killed.
Osama bin Laden dead: What jihadi websites are saying

Online supporters of Osama bin Laden and his campaign of global jihad reacted with confusion, sadness, and often anger following the news that Osama bin Laden is dead, killed by US special forces in Pakistan Sunday. Here is a sampling of four ways commenters on pro-jihadi websites responded – translated by Aaron Zelin, a researcher at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., and operator of his own website that studies Islamic radicalism online, Jihadology.
Top Picks: 'Bill Moyers: The Language of Life,' a funny Bob Dylan album, Joe Bonamassa's 'Dust Bowl,' and more

Bill Moyers' DVD anthology on spoken poetry, live recordings of a Bob Dylan concert, Joe Bonamassa's latest album 'Dust Bowl', and more recommendations.
Why Bahrain is unlikely to turn into an Iran-Saudi battleground

The intervention of Saudi forces has escalated tensions between Bahrain's protesters and the country's Sunni rulers, leaving at least one dead and drawing criticism from Iran.
Yemen packages may signal Al Qaeda franchise is 'amateurish'

The Yemen packages found on UPS and FedEx flights yesterday came shortly after Al Qaeda in Yemen published a jihadist magazine emphasizing the importance of targeting Americans.
Justice Clarence Thomas' politically active wife calls Anita Hill

Justis Thomas' wife, Virginia Thomas, phoned Anita Hill on Oct. 9, to ask for an apology for accusations Hill made in 1991 that Justis Thomas sexually harassed her. Virginia Thomas is known as the most politically active Supreme Court spouse.
Anita Hill vs. Virginia Thomas: Is an apology due 19 years later?

Anita Hill accused Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment in 1991. Virginia Thomas, the justice's wife, has now asked Anita Hill to apologize. She's also in the spotlight for her political activism.
Anita Hill refuses to apologize to wife of Clarence Thomas

Anita Hill is refusing to apologize for accusing then-Supreme Court justice nominee Clarence Thomas of sexually harassing her. 'I have no intention of apologizing because I testified truthfully about my experience and I stand by that testimony,' Anita Hill said in a statement released Tuesday night.
Free speech: Westboro church Supreme Court case tests First Amendment

A Supreme Court case challenging the Westboro Baptist Church anti-gay protests will test the limits of free speech, with First Amendment implications for other forms of expression such as Quran burning and racist demonstrations.
Aafia Siddiqui, alleged Al Qaeda associate, gets 86-year sentence

Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neurosurgeon who the US says has ties to Al Qaeda members, was sentenced to 86 years in prison for attempted murder today.
Opinion: The West must engage, not demonize, Turkey

In Washington and European capitals, it will be tempting to conclude that Turkey is already “lost,” that it is fated to become a rising theocracy that will work against rather than for international order. This would be a grave mistake.
Cartoonist Lars Vilks attacked for showing Prophet Mohammed in gay film

Lars Vilks, the Swedish cartoon artist allegedly targeted by 'Jihad Jane' for portraying the Prophet Mohammed as a dog, was attacked Tuesday when he showed an Iranian film that depicts the Prophet in a gay bar. Are radical Muslims succeeding in muzzling free speech?