Summertime, and the College Reading Is Liberal RealClearInvestigations Remember Rigoberta Menchu? If not, you're hardly alone. But the campus trend represented by the Nobel Peace laureate's book a quarter century ago -- a trend favoring social justice, diversity, and immediate relevance -- is if anything more dominant now in the summer reading being assigned to college freshmen. Parents Vetoing Kids Going to Liberal Campuses Inside Higher Ed The parents were distraught. Their daughter, a top student, had her heart set on a college that was, in their view, dangerously liberal: Yale. College counselors say they are increasingly encountering such parents vetoing children's choices based on perceptions of the campus political climate. The situation has gotten worse since last year's election. Even liberal parents are down on campuses seen as opposing free speech. Death of Muslim Recruit Shows Marine Culture of Brutality New York Times Magazine Recruits at Parris Island in South Carolina have been subjected to severe hazing, far beyond that experienced in other U.S. military boot camps, an investigative journalist finds. And the gung-ho culture reflected by the hazing and death of Raheel Siddiqui might be the last thing the Marines need today to attract enlistment. Market research shows potential recruits across the spectrum prefer a do-gooder image -- a merging of "Rambo and Bono." Death by Opioids, Bought With Bitcoin Willamette Week Focusing on the death of Aisha Zughbieh-Collins, 18, in East Portland, Ore., a reporter's investigation unpacks perhaps the most alarming recent development in the opioid crisis: a transformed smuggling economy featuring synthetic Chinese drugs purchased in the deepest recesses of the internet with Bitcoin. In this case, the trail takes police cross-country to a condo in South Carolina, and to one of the Dark Web's most prolific synthetic opioid sellers. Dentists Try to Quash Mainly Female 'Dental Therapists' Washington Post What do dentists and the NRA have in common? Heavy political clout. The dental lobby's current policy goal is quashing "dental therapists," typically women, who provide routine service more cheaply than full-fledged dentists. Proponents of dental therapy say it could help poor and rural Americans get affordable dental treatment earlier and thereby avoid the E.R. But the American Dental Association is biting back. Israel's Secret Program to Remove African Refugees Foreign Policy For decades Israel welcomed refugees from outside the Jewish faith. But as the number of African migrants swelled, outright hostility eventually set in. It sealed off its border with Egypt and implemented policies aimed at making life more difficult for asylum-seekers already in Israel. Then, as a year-long investigation by Foreign Policy lays out in detail, it began secretly pressuring Eritreans and Sudanese to leave for unnamed third countries. FBI Informant Ran Wire Fraud Scam on the Side The Intercept Crime doesn't pay, unless you land a gig as an FBI informant. The FBI offered Mohammed Agbareia a chance to avoid deportation after his 2006 wire fraud conviction, but he couldn't help himself. He continued running Western Union scams all while working undercover on counterterrorism cases. Wisconsin Plants Are Barrels of Toxicity Milwaukee Journal Sentinel The first time federal inspectors went to check conditions at a chain of industrial barrel refurbishing plants in Wisconsin, suspect behavior and the limited access they got set off warning bells. Armed with search warrants, they returned to collect samples -- and two inspectors promptly fell ill. The chain has plants in multiple states, meaning a distinct possibility of wider human and environmental harm. The Accelerating Demise of the New York Diner New York Magazine Like most mass extinctions, New York City's massive diner, coffee shop and greasy spoon die-off has been unfolding slowly for decades, in plain sight. Blame rising rents, land values and food prices. Also, the aging of neighborhood "regulars," the challenges of passing on a family business and the tastes of a new generation. When arugula replaces iceberg, what results is -- yay! -- a "more curated dining experience." And a lot less money in your pocket. |