Wikipedia changed the way we look up ideas. GPS revolutionized how we get from point A to point B.  Digital cameras transformed photography. What if new technology could do the same for tobacco? It could, if industry and government regulators were willing to reexamine their long held beliefs about tobacco harm reduction.

For too many years, tobacco policy has been mired in an all-or-nothing philosophy. Under this approach, smokers were presented with just one alternative: quit. This mindset, however, has led to a destructive debate that has prevented the implementation of a comprehensive public health strategy designed to reduce tobacco-related disease.

The current eroding security situation in Syria heightens concerns about the possibility of terrorists gaining access to chemical and biological weapons.  In March, Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper testified before Congress noting elements of Syria's biological weapons program "may have advanced beyond the research and development stage," and its conventional and chemical weapons systems "could be modified for biological agent delivery."

These new insights increase the real risks from Syria’s unconventional weapons and are in addition to the large stockpile of chemical agents it already has. While trying to prevent the Assad regime’s use of these weapons against its own people is the current focus of diplomacy and threats of military action; we should anticipate that these weapons will likely fall into the hands of terrorists who want to attack the U.S. and our interests. As part of a comprehensive approach, we should be prepared to protect ourselves from this threat.

The recently released 2012-2013 PayScale College Salary Report confirms that careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) offer the best opportunities and most rewarding salaries for young people seeking well-paying careers. STEM careers dominated PayScale’s list of 130 top-tier salaries for entry-level through mid-career professionals – filling every slot of the top 13 rankings, and 40 of the top 50 professions on the list. Starting annual salaries ranged from $50,000 to $100,000, with mid-career STEM profession salaries ranging from $100,000 to more than $160,000 per year. 



Public opinion on immigration is proof that “times change and people change with them,” as the saying goes. With each passing year, more Americans understand that our current immigration law is neither beneficial to society nor favorable to our economy. A majority of people are pushing for positive immigration reform — something that seemed impossible even 5 years ago.

This change in public opinion is now being matched by political will. New legislation — sponsored by a bipartisan “Gang of Eight” — offers a balanced approach to immigration reform, including a much sought-after temporary worker program by which immigrants can gain legal status and a more permanent remedy for “Dreamers,” those brought to the U.S. as undocumented children. The bill also prescribes an eventual path to citizenship for those who qualify, but only after federal officials achieve 100 percent surveillance and a 90 percent capture rate along the nation’s border areas.

This month’s leak of data on the use of offshore tax havens and anonymous shell companies from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists emphasizes how massive and truly global the tax haven menace really is.
 
The files released by the ICIJ, analyzed in collaboration with nearly forty news outlets around the globe, implicate the families of foreign dictators in Nigeria and the Philippines, embroil international arms dealers, entangle conduits of the Iranian nuclear program, incriminate close associates of the current French President, and expose scores of other tax evaders and swindlers in the U.S. and around the world.

In the midst of an economic downturn, the U.S. agricultural sector has been remarkably resilient because American farmers have been willing to diversify and innovate. The expansion of renewable energy and the emerging national bioeconomy have been vital components of that diversification. U.S. agriculture supports 16 million jobs, both in rural and urban areas, including equipment manufacturing, bio-based manufacturing (using agricultural products to replace petroleum in manufactured goods), food and fiber processing, bio-energy production, and retail. More importantly, agriculture supports jobs and economic growth for the future by supporting development of innovative technologies.

There has been a quiet revolution going around the world, as communities and nations retake control of their food systems. In the U.S., more people are taking a look at processed foods at the supermarket and opting instead for healthier choices, grown locally with fewer pesticides. People in Cambodia have taken a hard look at what’s happening to their climate, soil and seeds, and figured out a new, low-cost way to produce rice, increasing production and putting farmers in charge. Brazilians are favoring local farmers growing sustainable foods for school lunch programs, lowering hunger rates dramatically as a result.

The annual budget process in Washington is a critical opportunity for both parties to offer solutions to the most pressing challenges facing our nation: record poverty rates, high unemployment and a shrinking middle class. Unfortunately, the president's budget - much like the Senate’s budget - doubles down on failed policies that limit opportunities for advancement and trap millions of Americans in a life of poverty and dependency.

In addition to weak economic growth and a looming debt crisis, fiscally bankrupt and ineffective welfare programs are a fundamental threat to every American who aspires to make it to the middle class. Despite record-level spending increases over the last five to 10 years, poverty rates are the highest in a generation with one in six Americans living in poverty.

Anyone who has read or watched any news source over the past year knows President Obama, numerous Administration officials, and many leaders in Congress agree that addressing the threat of cyber attacks is a critical national priority. Based on this threat analysis, the administration and many members of Congress continue to push for passage of cybersecurity legislation that would clarify and expand the government’s powers to receive and process traffic from American computer networks.