Edgar Pal
California’s Proposition 36: Changing the Drug Policy Landscape
Twelve years ago, California voters participated in a referendum on drug treatment policy. Laws in place at the time had required minimum prison sentences for many non-violent crimes such as drug abuse, resulting in a growing and aging population of non-violent prisoners. The initiative, known as Proposition 36, had two goals: to increase public safety [...]
Fighting Cancer by Inhibiting Telomerase
Finding new ways to improve cancer therapies has presented opportunities and challenges to biomedicine and biotechnology. After learning that telomere length might serve as an effective predictor of cancer risk and survival, scientists have looked to these chromosomal ends for purposes that go beyond their use as signals of cell deterioration. By inhibiting telomerase, a [...]
Harry Potter: Lost in Translation
Universal Studios announced in early December its plans to add a Harry Potter section to its Los Angeles theme park, in a move that further strengthens the position of J.K. Rowling’s franchise worldwide. The park will supplement and likely resemble the one in Orlando, which features a replica of Hogwarts Castle, roller coaster rides, and [...]
Harry Potter, Psychology and Scientific Inquiry
The Harry Potter series is more than a simple collection of books and films. It is an enterprise that has accrued an estimated $21 billion from book sales, box office tickets, and merchandise.1 With over 450 million copies in print,2 J.K. Rowling’s writings have had a significant cultural impact on fans spanning various age groups, [...]
Harry Potter: Why Do Muggles Hate Magic ?
“Knew! Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that — that school — and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only [...]
The Struggle between Science and Liberal Education
Since the nineteenth century, the value and compatibility of science in academia has been called into question. In an age that emphasizes industrialization and technological progress, the shift towards more vocational curricula has pushed liberal education to the back burner, giving rise to the notion that students cannot undergo both kinds of learning at the [...]
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