Life News (Law and Public Policy)

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University of Toronto has created a new guide to by-pass internet censorship called "Everyone's guide to by-passing Internet censorship for citizens worldwide."

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Although U.S. citizens can't vote on each individual issue or dilemma facing this nation, that's no excuse for Americans to refrain from participating in their own governance, declares Dr. Larry Burris, a First Amendment scholar and journalism professor, who adds that "the public's business should be conducted in public; not in smoke-filled rooms, restaurants or sports facilities."

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The Spelman College administration and faculty consists of some of the country's most well-versed experts in the areas of race relations, gender issues, and insight on the late Martin Luther King Jr.

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Issues related to social justice and civil liberties are at the forefront of many current-events discussions. Several Central Michigan University faculty experts are available to comment on these types of topics, including international social change, the current political climate for freedom of the press and freedom of speech, HIPAA and patient privacy, and U.S. international relations.

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University of Arkansas at Little Rock experts are available for interviews focused topics, including reparations for African American descendants, First Amendment issues, the rights of immigrants, criminal justice topics, and other inequalities present in the legal system and workplace.

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Why do racial equality and understanding elude our nation almost half a century after the civil rights movement was supposed to solve the problems? Leaders of the National Coalition Building Institute, Facing History and Ourselves and Rhodes College"” three national organizations dedicated to erasing prejudice"”believe that progress begins with bringing people together for meaningful conversations.

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Grinnell College faculty with expertise in civil liberties and social justice, including Martin Luther King, Jr., U.S. foreign policy and "despotic" regimes, immigration issues, the Darfur, and inequalities based on gender, race, and sexuality.

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Professors from Appalachian State University available for civil liberties/social injustice comments. Matthew Robinson, the author of "Death Nation," reports the opinions of scholarly death penalty experts as to whether the death penalty achieves its goals, is plagued by serious problems, and is an appropriate punishment for convicted murderers. Barbara Zaitzow researches women in prison, alternatives to incarceration, female criminality and social control techniques used with women in prison.

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With Oprah Winfrey's recent announcement that she will support Barack Obama, it would appear that it is open season for celebrity endorsements in the 2008 presidential election. But do celebrity campaigners make a difference for voters? New research suggests that while celebrity endorsements help a campaign earn visibility, their support yields little return in the voting booth.

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In Memphis, Rhodes College, a top private liberal arts college, has for years brought diverse peoople with different perspectives together for meaningful dialogues about race. Its latest effort, Crossroads to Freedom, is among the most ambitious efforts to help Memphis heal and move forward.

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How people respond to the U.S. government's attempts to censor some war-related images comes down to whether or not they are supporters of President Bush, a new study suggests.

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The University of Maryland will host a field hearing by the U.S. Helsinki Commission that asks: "Is it Torture Yet?" U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), co-chair of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, is convening the hearing to gather expert testimony on torture and other forms of banned treatment.

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Using an unusually extensive dataset, an international team of researchers has identified several factors that promote government innovation.

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A new book co-edited by an Indiana University professor marks the 60th anniversary of India's independence and subsequent transition to democracy and will receive major recognition when released there next week. The new book, The State of India's Democracy (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007), will be released in New Delhi next Tuesday (Dec. 11) in a ceremony at the official residence of Mohammed Hamid Ansari, vice president of India.

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Even with polls showing her running neck-and-neck with Barack Obama in the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses, Hillary Clinton is acting and sounding like the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination. And she is, says Rowan University's Larry Butler.

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The technical question presented to the Supreme Court on Wednesday is whether alien detainees held outside the sovereign United States in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba are entitled to the benefits of the Constitutional protection of habeas corpus access to federal trial courts under the so-called Suspension Clause within the U. S. Constitution.

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Former Senator Bob Graham, who chaired the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence during the 9/11 attacks and in the months leading up to the Iraq War, will discuss past and present national intelligence failures during a talk Tuesday, Dec. 4, at 3:30 p.m. in Bozorth Hall Auditorium at Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, N.J.

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Michele Dillon, professor of sociology at the University of New Hampshire, is available to discuss the significance of former Gov. Mitt Romney's upcoming speech about his Mormon faith, and the role of religion and religious voters in presidential elections.

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University of Arkansas political scientist Janine Parry has nine years of data from the statewide Arkansas Poll on the public perception of Mike Huckabee in his home state, and she's available to comment on his presidential candidacy.

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With exactly one month to go until the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses, a new Iowa State University Poll of 1,416 registered Iowa voters finds Hillary Clinton leading among likely Democratic caucus attendees, while Mitt Romney has a slim lead over Mike Huckabee among Republican caucus goers.

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Indiana University School of Law professors comment on Wednesday's Supreme Court hearing regarding whether federal judges have jurisdiction to hear cases brought by detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

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Serial killers may be responsible for up to 10 times as many U.S. deaths as previously estimated, according to an analysis by a criminologist at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

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A program to help the homeless that began in San Francisco is now serving as a role model for similar programs in more than 130 cities across the U.S. and even internationally.

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University of Arkansas political scientist Andrew Dowdle has looked at the similarities between Mike Huckabee's gubernatorial campaigns in Arkansas and his current campaign in Iowa.

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In January, Wake Forest University will present "Secrets vs. Security," an opportunity for people to examine the issues of government secrets, free speech and national security.

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Research shows parents value student satisfaction more than test scores when it comes to picking teachers. The gap widens in schools serving more affluent families. To the extent No Child Left Behind focuses resources on test scores, the study suggests the federal education law misses what parents value most.

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Saint John's University announces the creation of the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement. The McCarthy Center was named after the late Sen. Eugene J. McCarthy, a 1935 honors graduate of Saint John's and is being announced on the 40th anniversary of McCarthy's declared presidential candidacy.

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A government system that evaluates and rates the quality of child care providers can be a valuable tool in assisting low-income families in selecting desirable care for their children, according to a study by Temple University.

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The UB School of Law has signed a first-of-its-kind partnership agreement with the University of Tikrit School of Law in Iraq, promoting collaborative research, comparative law studies, and eventually, student and faculty exchange.

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Society's attitudes toward different drugs and its ways of regulating them are often "inconsistent," "incoherent" and ultimately unjust, says "Drugs and Justice," a new book by a team of University of Utah scholars.

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Looking ahead to the U.N. Climate Change Conference that begins next week, a diverse chorus of elected officials and citizens are speaking out to assure the international community that Americans are moving global warming solutions forward, despite the lack of White House leadership.

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The Gap Inc.'s recent discovery that some of its clothing manufactured in India was made by young children demonstrates a lack of understanding the pros and cons of international outsourcing. Through proper risk management, any firm can avoid damaging its reputation and losing market share.

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A new Canadian study reports that tobacco marketers have found a way around tobacco advertising restrictions, reaching teens by marketing in retail shops located near high schools. The findings, published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health, suggest the strategy is working.

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Second annual Personally Controlled Health Records Infrastructure meeting; Press invited to attend.

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The S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah announced today that Professors Amos Guiora, who served for 19 years in the Israel Defense Forces, and Chibli Mallat, a longtime peace activist and candidate for the presidency of Lebanon, are available to provide informed commentary and analysis on the Israeli-Palestinian summit, which begins Tuesday, Nov. 27 in Annapolis, Maryland.

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Jack D. Fleer, professor emeritus of political science at Wake Forest University and author of "Governors Speak," says that overall, governors rate fairly well when they win the presidency.

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Looking for an expert on holiday travel, shopping, diet and health issues? Tulane University faculty are available to comment.

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Countries around the world are embracing the jury system in a wave of judicial reform that is democratizing jurisprudence in nations as diverse as South Korea, Mexico, and Japan, according to UC Santa Cruz jury expert Hiroshi Fukurai.

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IU School of Law-Indianapolis will become the first and only U.S. law school to offer an American Bar Association approved, fully-accredited law degree program in the Middle East. The law school will offer a master's degree in international commercial law at Egyptian universities.

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Media experts from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) sound off on the 2008 presidential candidates. Topics include: women as serious presidential candidates; voters and affluent politicians; the role of exit polls; religion and the election; Mormonism and the presidency.

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Low levels of Internet use among minorities and the poor will limit their earning ability and participation in society if public policy does not promote technological access and skills, according to a new book co-authored by a researcher at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

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As record labels are dramatically increasing lawsuits over music piracy, a University of Arkansas law professor argues that the law's automatic punishment of illegal downloading violates the First Amendment.

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California Western School of Law Professor Jacquelyn Slotkin, a scholar of career issues among women lawyers, says today's female attorneys approach career advancement challenges differently than those of decades past. In many cases, she says, that means using their legal and professional experience when they hit the proverbial glass ceiling to "jump ship" from law firms to pursue other career opportunities.

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Civil rights leaders this week have called for a march on the U.S. Justice Department and for an economic boycott to influence the government to deal with the issue of hate crimes. This comes after several recent incidents around the nation in which nooses have been discovered hanging in workplaces, school campuses and other locations. UAB prof Horace Huntley says the incidents are evidence of the lingering residue of slavery and segregation.