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Black and white headshot of author Livia Gershon

Livia Gershon

Livia Gershon is a freelance writer in Nashua, New Hampshire. Her writing has appeared in publications including Salon, Aeon Magazine and the Good Men Project. Contact her on Twitter @liviagershon.

An office worker packing up the contents of their desk into a cardboard box

Should Smoking Pot Get You Fired?

The Supreme Court of Colorado, where marijuana use is now legal, is considering whether workers can be fired for smoking pot outside of working hours.
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Undocumented at College

The effects of allowing undocumented students to receive in-state tuition rates at their state colleges and universities.
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Why Growing More Food Won’t Stop Hunger

Hunger is still a major issue. At the same time, the world produces twice as much food as it needs.
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Homes of The River Gods: The History of American Mansions

Mansions hold a special place in the American imagination, and dates back to colonial days.
Virginia first lady Maureen McDonnell reads to children at the Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story Child Development Center.

The Public Wife: Is Maureen McDonnell to Blame for Her Husband’s Downfall?

Maureen McDonnell was found guilty, along with her husband, Gov. Bob McDonnell. What role do spouses have in political scandals?
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The Many Meanings of McDonalds

McDonalds means different things in different places.
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How will Apple Pay Change Our Lives? Ask a Kenyan.

Cell phones have transformed the economic lives of people in Africa in all sorts of ways.
MacArthur Fellow Jennifer L. Eberhardt poised to give an interview

MacArthur Fellow Jennifer L. Eberhardt Shines Light on Racism and Criminal Justice

Social psychologist Jennifer L. Eberhardt has won a MacArthur fellowship for her research in criminal justice reform.
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Economists Investigate Why We Tip

The economic research behind the history of tipping
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Tesla Motors and the ‘Great American Jobs Scam’

Electric car maker Tesla Motors announced it would build a huge battery factory in Nevada. What does research tell us about tax subsidies?
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Seven Ways Online Advertising May Change the World

Late last month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Amazon plans to roll out its own online advertising ...
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The Origins of Silicon Valley

Some scholarly sources behind the origins of Silicon Valley and the tech sector
A landscape of NYC's overlapping buildings and skyscrapers with the addition of even more new construction.

Can Mayor de Blasio Save Affordable Housing in NYC? Can Anyone?

de Blasio’s plan suggests just how overwhelming the housing issue is in New York: the most ambitious plan ever may address only a fraction of the problem.
wealth discrepancy in USA

Does the Rise of the 1% Signal the Fall of Democracy?

Americans have been thinking more about economic haves and have-nots than we have in a long time.
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Campus Hookup Culture: Myth vs. Reality

Hookup culture on American college campuses has become a predictable subject for magazine articles and op-eds. It might be time to shift the debate.