Bob Berring profiled in China Daily, January 31, 2014
“The Chinese view of history, grounded in a polity that had endured for millennia, fascinated me. What perspective could the American experience bring when the nation had not even lasted as long as a single Chinese dynasty?”
Softening law on hard drugs creates unlikely bedfellows
Barry Krisberg quoted in San Francisco Chronicle, January 30, 2014
We have the political theorists on board. What about average, middle-class Americans? Barry Krisberg … who has been advising the supporters of the bill, says you might be surprised. “If they can get it to the ballot, it will pass,” Krisberg says. “There’s been polling on this, and 60 percent of Californians say just because someone uses drugs, they don’t want that person to be incarcerated.”
Fleeing abuse victim cleared of DUI charge
Nancy Lemon cited by KTVU, January 30, 2014
During the four day trial, Nancy Lemon, UC Berkeley Law lecturer and leading authority on domestic violence, testified that Paulo suffered from battered woman syndrome and had a clear history of being abused physically and emotionally by her boyfriend over several years.
Mirkarimi wants to sign up inmates for health coverage
Jeanne Woodford quoted in San Francisco Chronicle, January 29, 2014
Jeanne Woodford … agreed, saying health care for former inmates should be viewed as a public safety issue. “I think one only has to look at when AIDS became an issue. There were people leaving prison HIV-positive or with full-blown AIDS and there was no treatment in the community, so they would violate their parole on purpose to get medical care,” she said, adding that recidivism among those populations declined once cities started offering more treatment.
Training historians and the dual degree
Karen Tani co-authors article for The Chronicle of Higher Education, January 28, 2014
Some readers may instinctively recoil from any proposal that involves “more school,” but at their best, dual-degree programs can offer a solution to two key problems now confronting the history profession: relevancy and employment prospects.
Exploring the myth of the ‘welfare queen’
Ian Haney López interviewed by HuffPost Live, January 28, 2014
“Through terms like ‘welfare queen,’ Republicans have convinced the majority of whites that the biggest threat in their lives comes from poor minorities who are ripping them off, when, in fact, the biggest threat in the lives of almost all Americans comes from concentrated wealth: from very rich individuals and from corporations that have taken over government, have taken over the marketplace, and have rigged the rules in their favor.”
Rules, standards, and complexity in the cost benefit analysis of capital regulation
Prasad Krishnamurthy writes for CLS Blue Sky Blog, January 27, 2014
The regulation of banks by the federal banking agencies has traditionally been grounded in discretionary standards. Recent calls for cost-benefit analysis of agency regulations have arisen, in part, from a deep skepticism toward broad discretionary authority.
Inmate release proposal is seen as watershed
Barry Krisberg quoted in Daily Journal, January 27, 2014 (registration required)
“It looks like the state has come a way down the road in terms of embracing reforms that have been on the table before and they haven’t considered before,” said Barry Krisberg.
Rail alone can’t reinvent LA
Ethan Elkind writes for the Los Angeles Times, January 27, 2014
Finally, rail-accessible development can create convenient, walkable neighborhoods that meet the growing demand among millennials, childless professionals and empty nesters to move “back to the city” — as many recent urban success stories attest.
Jahi McMath: Could her case change how California determines death?
Marjorie Shultz quoted in San Jose Mercury News, January 25, 2014
Professor Emeritus Marjorie Shultz, who specializes in medical ethics, said the family’s personal religious beliefs cannot compel a hospital to abide. “The thing that might have weight is our knowledge of the brain is still quite limited, and we have a tendency to confuse what we can measure as a fact,” she said. However, Shultz said it would likely take the legislature to craft a similar law to those in New Jersey or New York to make any real change.