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The hidden link among burgers, drop-outs and tax reform

In Commentary

2:10 am on Thu, 05.23.13

You have to know your audience: McDonald's regulars don't need free-range chicken or a certain breed of beef; a second-chance high school needs personally motivated students as opposed to people ordered to attend and low-income Democrats by and large don't want a cigarette tax.

Letting perfect stand in the way of the good

In Commentary

6:12 am on Wed, 05.22.13

Our world sees rapid change in many ways -- how we view women, races, sexual minorities and other populations, for instance. While a daily delivery of new and different can be exhausting, it can force us to reflect and consider how to move forward, often incrementally, toward what is good and what bring value to our lives.

College costs - easy to attack, hard to solve

In Commentary

6:12 am on Tue, 05.21.13

Paying professors less, increasing online courses and raising class size might make the bill cheaper, but the value of the degree will be less, as well. It's not that there are no solutions, but the easy ones create their own problems.

U.S. Grant and the Battle of Vicksburg

In Commentary

12:22 am on Mon, 05.20.13

When the Civil War broke out, Grant rejoined the military. He may not have liked it, but it was what he was good at: fighting. The battle that cemented his reputation began 150 years ago yesterday.

Is political ethics an oxymoron?

In Commentary

12:22 am on Mon, 05.20.13

Democracy is our answer to perhaps our most difficult ethical problem: How do we ethically protect the social cooperation that makes our society strong, while respecting the rights of individuals to pursue vastly divergent visions of the good life and deeply conflicting moral and political beliefs?

Immigration reform: a dialectical paradox

In Commentary

12:10 am on Thu, 05.16.13

Hegel may explain the trajectory of politics: A thesis breeds its antithesis. The dissonance between these polar opposites results in a new state of affairs called a synthesis. That synthesis becomes the new thesis as the process repeats itself. Thus does history travel its tangled paths.

Racial Baggage Challenge: Week 7

In Commentary

6:31 am on Wed, 05.15.13

When you start with a group's music, food, dance, or value system, you are looking at surface-level aspects of a culture. The push this week is to lean into the deeper aspects of a racial or ethnic group’s culture so you can begin to understand the group more fully.

The Brothers Tsarnaev: tragic farce

In Commentary

12:20 am on Thu, 05.09.13

A weak sequel to Dostoyevsky’s original may be taking shape in the unfolding investigation into the bombings at the Boston Marathon. Evolving revelations there seem to validate the observation of Karl Marx that history repeats itself “the first time as tragedy, the second as farce.”

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Conference of American nuns will mull response to Vatican charges

In Nation

7:55 am on Fri, 08.03.12

Meeting in St. Louis next week, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious will have its first opportunity as an assembled group to consider what to do after the Vatican issued a mandate for change this spring. It calls on the conference to reorganize and more strictly observe church teachings.

The 'free' Zoo

In Commentary

7:51 am on Tue, 05.22.12

When a family of four goes to the St. Louis Zoo, they can be forgiven for not knowing it will cost them $60, $72 if they park. If they can't pay, the alternative is to tell the kids they can't do what kids do at the zoo.

Featured Articles

The pope's St. Louis connection: St. Philippine Duchesne

In Region

1:58 am on Fri, 05.24.13

The world seems eager to learn more about Pope Francis, so learning that he admires St. Philippine Duchesne and her spiritual daughters — Argentinean nuns who have been under Francis' spiritual direction as they live among the poor — adds to understanding.

Snapshots: All about the Benjamin

In Region

1:58 am on Fri, 05.24.13

The Newman Money Museum at Washington University has a quirky pseudo-robot Ben Franklin in the basement that is essentially a TV screen projected into a plastic shell head.

Featured Articles

Barbecue joins the blues at this year's festival

In Out & About

2:13 am on Thu, 05.23.13

Organizers aren't trying to replace the rib fest, but music lovers will be able to find tangy sustenance as they listen to such greats as Mavis Staples (pictured), Big George Brock, Trombone Shorty, Kim Massie and Marquise Knox take the stage.

Featured Articles

Save that dirt, Howard Buffett says

In Science

11:09 am on Wed, 05.15.13

Speaking to reporters at Monsanto, Howard Buffett warned that future generations would foot the bill for irresponsible soil use. He urged leaders to address thorny issues such as malnutrition and environmental destruction.

Arch Grants winners set for debut

In InnovationSTL

11:32 am on Tue, 05.14.13

Twenty winners will split a million dollars and a wide array of professional services after this year's Arch Grants competition. Victors will also see one-on-one business mentoring in their prize package. The diverse group includes everything from biotech concerns to fashion enterprises.

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Innovation and entrepreneurial activity are on the rise in St. Louis, especially in bioscience, technology and alternative energy. The Beacon's InnovationSTL section focuses on the people who are part of this wave, what they're doing and how this is shaping our future. To many St. Louisans, this wave is not yet visible. InnovationSTL aims to change that. We welcome you to share your knowledge, learn more about this vibrant trend and discuss its impact.

Featured Articles

Save that dirt, Howard Buffett says

In Science

11:09 am on Wed, 05.15.13

Speaking to reporters at Monsanto, Howard Buffett warned that future generations would foot the bill for irresponsible soil use. He urged leaders to address thorny issues such as malnutrition and environmental destruction.

Supreme Court rules unanimously for Monsanto in Roundup case

In Law Scoop

10:42 pm on Mon, 05.13.13

Vernon Bowman's challenge to Monsanto Co.'s patent on its Roundup Ready soybean seeds was billed as a David vs. Goliath contest. Goliath won and won big. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that an Indiana soybean farmer had violated Monsanto's patent on its genetically engineered soybean seeds.

Featured Articles

The hidden link among burgers, drop-outs and tax reform

In Commentary

2:10 am on Thu, 05.23.13

You have to know your audience: McDonald's regulars don't need free-range chicken or a certain breed of beef; a second-chance high school needs personally motivated students as opposed to people ordered to attend and low-income Democrats by and large don't want a cigarette tax.

The lambs of sacrifice in chess

In On Chess

6:13 am on Wed, 05.22.13

Last week, Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura sacrificed his crown as the King of America. He faced an individual decision to play against the best in the nation or the best on the planet. Find out what happened at that world-level tournament.

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