... Almost three years ago, we were members of the Miller Center’s bipartisan National War Powers Commission, which proposed a pragmatic framework for consultation between the president and Congress. Co-chaired by one of us and the late Warren Christopher, the commission could not resolve the legal question of which branch has the ultimate authority. Only the court system can do that. Instead, the commission strove to foster interaction and consultation, and reduce unnecessary political friction. The commission — which represented a broad spectrum of views, from Abner Mikva on the ...
Nearly 10 percent of Virginia households have borrowed money from short-term, high-interest payday, pawnshop and auto-title loans to make ends meet. A University of Virginia study released today shows that more than 275,000 financially struggling families in Virginia have turned to alternative financial-service providers to pay for basic needs such as food, housing and transportation. They also are using the high-cost loans to pay for unexpected expenses stemming from job losses, car repairs and medical bills. The analysis of federal banking statistics also shows that black Virginia households...
By Julian Bond, professor of history at U.Va., chairman emeritus of the NAACP and a scholar in residence at American University Today we celebrate the 44th anniversary of Loving v. Virginia, the Supreme Court decision that struck down anti-miscegenation laws that forbade African Americans and whites from marrying. In the Loving case, a unanimous court held that marriage is "one of the basic civil rights of man ... fundamental to our very existence and survival." The court also held that "under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not to marry, a person of another race resi...
History prefers to wait to render a verdict, but sitting beneath Davenport Field Monday night, coach Brian O'Connor made a pronouncement that will not be called into question. "Absolutely the most thrilling and greatest win in U.Va. baseball history," he said. "And it happened to come on our own field." A few minutes later, he broke into a big smile as he saw the highlights from Virginia's game against UC Irvine on a nearby TV. It ended with a clip of the dramatic conclusion, then the score. Cavaliers 3, Anteaters 2. Virginia is headed to Omaha for the College World Series...
Logan Gray Burke College of Arts & Sciences undergraduate Forest Festival Maid Silvia Introduced to Randolph County Community WBOY-TV NBC / June 12 Makenzie Kirk Rising fourth-year College of Arts & Sciences student Makenzie Kirk proves that rugby is not just for men Swva.com / June 13 Tyler Pitt Incoming first-year student Forest Grove High valedictorian is scholar, furniture-maker and reluctant runner OregonLive.com / June 10
Dewey Cornell Education professor and forensic psychologist Kids who kill News of the World / June 12 Anne Coughlin Law professor Anthony Weiner: Morally Repugnant, But No Criminal The New Republic / June 10 R. Edward Freeman Darden professor Warren Watch: the Hollywood Pledge Omaha World Herald / June 12 Bob Gibson Director of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership Franklin County residents invoke little-known state law in their effort to oust Sheriff Ewell Hunt Roanoke Times / June 11 Thomas Hafemeister Law professor Stealing From Grandma and Grandpa Fox Business.com / June 13 ...
Valerie Ackerman 1981 alumna Hopewell's Ackerman still at head of class The Times of Trenton / June 13 Rick Carlisle Alumnus Think you know everything about the Mavs? foxsportssouthwest.com / June 12
By John Portmann, associate professor of religious studies, in response to New York Times' Room for Debate opinion page query: "What's Wrong With Adult Sexting?" ... Freud thought that word play could, if imaginative enough, qualify as sex. I disagree. I find it useful to think of adultery in old-fashioned terms. I am also old-fashioned enough to consider adultery a sin, something really, really bad. I do not think Anthony Weiner has committed adultery, unless there’s more going on than he has confessed to. ... Given all the harm one spouse can to do one another, is his Inter...
By Robert Pianta, dean, Curry School of Education, in response to New York Times' Room for Debate opinion page query: "Who's Ready for Kindergarten?" I receive more calls from reporters, parents, school board members and state officials about kindergarten entry than any other topic. Entry-age debates generate angst and opinions and too-often are not grounded in facts. If pre-school programs were more effective, maybe I wouldn't receive more calls about kindergarten entry than any other issue. Here’s the rub: children really differ from one another in skills and interests as t...
It may be one of the biggest medical advances since the scalpel: Doctors have discovered a way to treat non-cancerous tumors with sound waves instead of surgery. ... the procedure may one day be used to battle cancer and other diseases. ... The technology is called focused ultrasound. "It offers a treatment option that doesn't involve radiation or cutting. That is a huge breakthrough," said Dr. Alan Matsumoto, chair of the UVA Radiology Department. Around 7,000 fibroid patients have been treated with focused ultrasound. As many as 90 percent of women in clinical trials reported sympt...
Many economists and sociologists have warned of the social dangers of a wide gap between the richest and everyone else. Now, a new study, which will be published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, adds a psychological reason to narrow the disparity – it makes people unhappy. Over the last 40 years, “we’ve seen that people seem to be happier when there is more equality,” says University of Virginia psychologist Shigehiro Oishi, who conducted the study with Virginia colleague Selin Kesebir and Ed Diener o...
... Using data from 2006-07, [U.Va. researchers] found that characteristics such as the size of a school and the poverty rate among students are strongly associated with suspension rates. But they still couldn't explain nearly half the variance between schools. Dewey Cornell, a clinical psychologist and education professor who worked on the study, said much depends on the disciplinary philosophy of the school administration and the resources available for alternative approaches. He added that a related study found a strong correlation between suspension and dropout rates, suggesting that suspe...
... Healthy older adults, between age 50 and up don't have to lose independence and mobility from muscle atrophy. The drug MK-677 has been explored by University of Virginia researchers to help elders maintain muscles. A compound in apple peel has also shown promise for promoting muscle growth. ...
Though Great Britain was neutral during the American Civil War, there were “compelling reasons” for Britain to support the Confederacy, according to a University of Virginia historian. “The American Civil War posed an obvious dilemma to British politicians,” said Richard Floyd, an author and lecturer at UVa. “One immediate issue was that both sides — both the Union and the Confederacy — tried to secure a formal alliance with Great Britain.” Floyd said the British perspective of the Civil War was “very complex” during a lecture Sunday ...
Women's Health Virginia held their 14th annual Conference on Women's Health at the University of Virginia Friday, focusing on female athletes. This year, the group devoted the conference to the "gains and pains" of women who take the field and how they can avoid game-stopping injuries.
Nearly 89 percent of members of the General Assembly have earned at least a bachelor's degree, ranking Virginia second among the states in the educational achievement of its lawmakers. That's according to a report by The Chronicle of Higher Education, which undertook the study to examine whether college experiences have an impact on legislative priorities. ... About 53 percent of Virginia's 140 lawmakers — 40 senators and 100 delegates — went to colleges in the state, and most also attended public schools. The University of Virginia has the highest representation, with 24 alumni in...
A group of first year students at the University of Virginia's Medical School want to make sure you know whether or not you're at risk for diabetes. Volunteers offered free screenings and diabetes counseling at The Haven in downtown Charlottesville Saturday. The goal was to increase awareness about the disease and make sure people do their part to prevent the worst complications from happening.
The University of Virginia Board of Visitors has passed a $2.5 billion budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. In a historic decision, the board voted for the first year-to-year decrease in the budget for the academic division. But, there were some budget increases; the UVA Health System received a 10.3 percent increase raising their spending plan to $1.1 billion.
BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Answering today’s OFF-SET questions is Ken Hughes, a researcher with the Miller Center’s Presidential Recording Program. ... The federal government has now declassified the infamous Pentagon Papers. The Nixon Presidential Library & Museum will release the complete documents on June 13, 2011–forty years to the day that The New York Times published excerpts as a front-page story. ... In this interview, Hughes says: "Richard Nixon was gleeful and fearful when the Times started publishing the Pentagon Papers. ..." Hughes also says: "Why do we allow ...