Who is behind the polls? Scientists

Fact Check by Heather Shayne Blakeslee As we approach an historic American election that is high on drama and high on anxiety, many of us have become addicted to watching the polls and devouring the accompanying analysis. Nate Silver’s servers at FiveThirtyEight have been working overtime for months, as have our nervous systems and bartenders. 

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2 mins read

October: To-Do List

Illustration by Kailey Whitman 1. Go for a walk in the woods It will be prime time this month for the colors to be ablaze in Philadelphia’s many acres of parks and woodlands. See the show up close and breathe in the fall. 2. Register to vote!It’s your last chance to make sure that your

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1 min read

Nonviolent action: The power of the polls is not our only power

Illustration by Chris Bernhardt A New Era of Civil Disobedience interview by Heather Shayne Blakeslee In the book “This is an Uprising: How Nonviolent Revolt is Shaping the Twenty-First Century,” brothers Mark and Paul Engler explore how the strategies and tactics of nonviolent action are actually more effective than armed conflict, and why they are

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6 mins read

Lay down your arms—but be prepared to fight

A Truly Civil War by Heather Shayne Blakeslee In 1849, in the run up to the Civil War, Henry David Thoreau wrote in his essay “Civil Disobedience” that “All men recognize the right of revolution; that is, the right to refuse allegiance to, and to resist, the government, when its tyranny or its inefficiency are

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2 mins read