According to critics of welfare, the federal government's
overly generous payments have created a "culture of dependency"
among the poor—hence the need for "welfare reform." But a look
at the welfare systems of Western Europe can provide our society
with a much-needed lesson in civility.
Cover Story:
Sweatshop Barbie: Exploitation of
Third World Labor
by Anton Foek
In many Third World factories, women and children are
brutally exploited making toys for First World children. A
journalist travels to Thailand and reports first hand on the
suffering he finds there and what activists are trying to do about
it.
Caging the Crazy: "Supermax"
Confinement Under Attack
by Spencer P. M.
Harrington
The use of "supermax" prisons—lockdown units where
inmates spend years in solitary confinement—is an
increasingly popular "solution" in America's endless "war on
crime." But what are the effects of such punitive confinement—and do inmates emerge from these prisons even more dangerous than
when they went in?
An Image to Heal:
Women, Supermodels, and Body Acceptance
by Jill S.
Zimmerman
American women are under attack—by a
multi-billion-dollar- a-year beauty industry that encourages them
to hate themselves for failing to look like supermodels. What can
women do to overcome this media assault and lead physically and
mentally healthier lives?
Is
Science a Religion?
by Richard Dawkins
According to some religionists, the secular "belief" in
evolution and other bedrock principles of modern science is no
different from the Christian "belief" in miracles and the
resurrection. Needless to say, the eminent scientist and 1996
Humanist of the Year begs to differ with such comparisons. (Read Article)
The Struggle for Walden
by Joseph L. Andrews,
Jr.
Walden Pond and Walden Woods are authentic American
landmarks—whose natural beauty has nearly been destroyed by
tourists as well as developers. Now a number of groups have formed
to preserve Thoreau's wilderness for future generations—but
first they must settle the disputes among themselves.
