In Practice

In today's New York Times, David Brooks celebrates a magazine piece that appears to show that private college undergrads can't write coherent prose. But with journalism, as with students' essays, it's buyer beware. Read More

It was one of those timely coincidences that lead to long rants. An old friend who's a college history professor came for coffee and dessert last night, and he started complaining about the way undergraduates write. "The admissions staff must all be incompetents!" Read More

In his Presidential campaign, Barack Obama repeatedly assured voters that under his reform plan, "if you like your current health insurance, nothing changes, except your costs will go down by as much as $2,500 per year." That position is probably untenable. In the long run, it is hard to expand coverage to the tens of millions of Americans who lack it without decreasing benefits for those already inside the tent. If you have a top-of-the-line package now, its name may stay the same, but the services you receive when you seek care will shrink. Read More

Is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) especially effective in the treatment of anxiety? A recent trial - it's the one I've been dissecting here in three postings - says yes, CBT works well for children and adolescents with substantial anxiety disorders. A fuller account might say, we don't know. Read More