Word: lowdown
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...Lowdown: The Battle for America was written by two traditional reporters with heaps of inside-the-beltway experience, and it shows. The narrative stays tightly focused on candidates and political issues almost to a fault - glossing over the broader cultural momentum that helped propel Obama to a decisive win. There is no mention of Will.i.am's viral "Yes We Can" music video that galvanized youth support, or of Shepard Fairey's ubiquitous "Hope" graphic, which lent the candidate street cred and fed the perception that he hovered above conventional politics. The authors mention Tina Fey's Saturday Night Live impression...
...Lowdown: Nearly every positive trend the study highlights is offset by a warning bell. As the amount of money spent on direct-to-consumer antidepressant ads skyrockets, the stigma attached to the products appears to be dissipating - but more and more Americans are reporting symptoms of major depression. Access to drugs that can alleviate serious disorders is improving, but the doctors doling them out are working outside their areas of expertise - about 80% of antidepressant patients are receiving care from someone other than a psychiatrist. "These trends vividly illustrate the extent to which antidepressant treatment has gained acceptance...
...Lowdown: This research confirms what common sense already tells us - texting behind the wheel is a really bad idea. Two recent examples: two months ago a Boston trolley driver slammed into another trolley just after text-messaging his girlfriend, injuring 62 people. In September, 25 people were killed when a California train engineer struck a freight train after texting a friend. And a video of a Texas bus driver apparently striking a car while texting has been making the rounds on YouTube. It's hard to argue against banning the practice for drivers - 14 states already do - though it remains...
...Lowdown: This document is the Saw of state-budget reports: a sadistic statistical journey that gets uglier the deeper you delve. In persuasive, insistent language, the authors hoist one red flag after another. They also underline a worthwhile point: for all the grumbling about the deficiencies of the economic-stimulus package, it has have been the glue holding states' tattered budgets together. And the boost it has offered will inevitably wane. "Several revenue failures are generating a lengthy chain of acute budget gaps," the report notes. "Because the current state fiscal crisis began in FY 2008, many states are looking...
...Lowdown: For states with otherwise strong school systems, these striking findings should serve as a wake-up call that not all students are thriving in their classrooms. Tallying data on the achievement gap is crucial to diagnosing the problem, but making real progress will require understanding the source of such persistent disparities and discovering meaningful remedies. On those subjects, unfortunately, the report is silent...