To the Point
Reading the US Constitution, Then and Now
Republicans now controlling the House claim the Constitution demands reductions in the size of government. Is America’s founding document all that clear? We get a variety of opinions reflecting how open it is to different interpretations. Also, Obama's economic team and unemployment, and "citizen scientists" outclass computers.
By Warren Olney • • 51m ListenRepublicans now controlling the House claim the Constitution demands reductions in the size of government. Is America's founding document all that clear? We get a variety of opinions reflecting how open it is to different interpretations. Also, Obama's economic team and unemployment, and astronomy is an arcane science, but thousands untrained citizens are doing important research.
Banner image: Page One of the (original) US Constitution, 1787
In this episode
3 storiesObama's Economic Team and Unemployment
Unemployment has dropped from 9.8 to 9.4 percent of the American workforce, and President Obama lost no time in seizing the moment, noting that for the first time since 2006, the US has experienced "twelve straight months of private sector job growth."
Read the story8 minReading the US Constitution, Then and Now
The new Republican majority in the House, especially those with Tea Party backing, revere the US Constitution as the last word on American government. But what was read yesterday on the House floor was actually a redacted version, one omission being the reference to a slave as three fifths of a human being.
Read the story36 minCitizen Scientists Get Involved in Deep Space Research
Powerful telescopes on Earth and in orbit are producing thousands of images of stars and galaxies, so many there aren’t enough professional astronomers to interpret them all. You would think they’d turn to computers, but it turns out that the human eye is actually better at detecting minute differences between one photo and the next.
Read the story7 min
