1. Supreme Court: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2010/10/03/supreme_court_prepares_to_study_hot_button_issues/
This upcoming term will be interesting, not just because of the replacement of J.P. Stevens by E. Kagan. The protests at military funerals case may be as perplexing as any other: I have read the facts, and while the underlying cause of action arises from state law (intentional infliction of emotional distress, a tort), First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and freedom of religion are invoked (and) against each other. The cases regarding federal preemption of vaccine suits and car manufacturers liability will likely be determined by statutory interpretation and public policy.
2. Higher Education: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/10/03/the_test_has_been_canceled/
Final exams aren't endangered per se, but rather the skill sets and pedagogical approach they represented. Professors are realizing that students aren't learning the material, and more importantly, a closed book, all-or-nothing exam harms the students more than helps. In actual work, no sane client or customer will ask, "What are the elements of tort X?" or "What are the four structures of protein Y?" Rather, students need to learn to apply their knowledge to everyday facts, and in everyday work, they will have resources available to consult specialized knowledge. Final exams can be useful if they test students' ability, not in rote memorization, but in factual application. I like the Harvard professor's quotation, “Life is open book; it’s not closed book.”
3. Boston: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2010/10/03/101_things_every_bostonian_should_know/
All you pretend Bostonians, test your knowledge here (there's a link to a quiz). According to this article, I'm about 1/3 Bostonian. Not wicked good.
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