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How public celebrations quietly remake what it means to be American
From a synagogue’s 5K to Appalachia’s Hillbilly Days, shared celebrations pull strangers together.
OSI archive
English
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200 years after his birth, controversial composer Stephen Foster still sings to America’s contradictions
A late-19th century campaign spearheaded by Foster’s brother sought to elevate him into the pantheon of American cultural heroes, even as his sympathies tended to lie with the pro-slavery South.
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Why turning off screens is so hard for children – and four tips to make it easier
There are ways to help children better self-regulate their own digital activity and prepare for the digital demands in their future.
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Venezuela earthquakes highlight the limits of early warning systems
Why it’s still difficult to accurately predict earthquakes.
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What the World Cup hydration breaks reveal about who governs men’s football
FIFA can pause the match and sell the spectacle, but the 2026 World Cup shows the limits of its control over global football.
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In a rebuke to Trump, the Supreme Court rules that birthright citizenship is the law of the land
Pointing to the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment, the high court ruled that all babies born in the United States ‘are citizens by birth.’
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Supreme Court rules against trans girls participating in single-sex sports, but leaves open larger questions of trans rights
The Supreme Court’s rulings on Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J. focused on transgender students participating on sports teams, but likely has broader implications.
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The Montréal shooter’s manifesto isn’t left or right — it’s rooted in misogyny
The Montréal shooter was a lonely, furious young man who built an ideology to justify killing, and its bedrock was a hatred of women.
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As key trade talks start, the US-Mexico relationship will likely limp along – but at a cost
Even though Mexico is the US’s top trade partner, the fate of the pact underpinning that relationship is uncertain.
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Ammonia from wastewater: How we’re turning a pollutant into fertilizer and clean fuel
Scientific and engineering breakthroughs are allowing us to make ammonia from pollution rather than fossil fuels.