Political Science Professor Darrell West notes that the recent Senate debate about withdrawing from Iraq “has played to the base of both parties.”

Economics Professor Glenn Loury participates in a roundtable discussion about the pending auction of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s historic papers, middle-aged gang leaders moving to the suburbs, and the Pentagon's official attitude toward homosexuality.

Professor Darrell M. West, who conducted a survey of how well governments use the Internet, offers his perspective of municipal wireless networks. Numerous cities around the world are pursuing the creation of such networks. These cities hope to use their new networks to help less affluent people get online and to make their cities more business-friendly. Yet as Taipei has found out, just building a citywide network does not guarantee that people will use it. "Content is really key," said West.

Professor of Education Ken Wong says that the Detroit School Board, which unlike most urban school boards in the United States, is elected, needs to work as a team as it tackles budget issues. Outsiders are watching to see whether the new board members will have more success balancing the district's pocketbook than the state-appointed board they replaced. The state board, which served for five years, left the district $200 million in the red, and the new board members have yet to coalesce.

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry (Research) Suzanne Phelan and findings from research conducted by the Brown University-based National Weight Control Registry are included in this article about how to eat to stay slim.