L.A. Times - Commentary

McManus: The second-term scandal plague

Doyle McManus — Sat, 18 May 2013 06:52:00 PDT

What is it about presidents' second terms that makes them seem so scandal-ridden? Simple: The iron law of longevity.

What is it about presidents' second terms that makes them seem so scandal-ridden? Simple: The iron law of longevity. All governments make mistakes, and all governments try to hide those mistakes. But the longer an administration is in office, the more errors it makes, and the harder they are to conceal.

Cause for hope -- and fear -- in Pakistan

By Peter Tomsen — Sun, 19 May 2013 00:00:00 PDT

Can new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif succeed? That will depend largely on whether he has the strength of will to resist the military and to confront radical Islamists.

There is reason for hope in Nawaz Sharif's victory in the recent Pakistani elections. Sharif, who has twice served as Pakistan's prime minister, has said he wants to build a more robust democracy, revive the country's shattered economy and end the military's 40-year domination of its politics. He has also promised to improve relations with India and take on the radical Islamist terrorism that has tormented Pakistan. The United States should assist him in every way possible to achieve those goals.

Commencement speakers: Conservatives need not apply

By Kevin Hassett — Sun, 19 May 2013 00:00:00 PDT

A look at the data suggests that at graduation ceremonies on U.S. college and university campuses, it's liberals only.

We have once again entered the college commencement season, which means we'll soon be reading about uplifting graduation speeches delivered by prominent Americans. Or at least by prominent liberal Americans.

How to buy happiness

By Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton — Sun, 19 May 2013 00:00:00 PDT

The new science of spending points to a surprising conclusion: How we use our money may matter as much or more than how much of it we've got.

Imagine that you woke up tomorrow morning to discover $1 million under your mattress. Leaving aside the obvious lumpiness issue, take a moment to think: What would you do with that cash?

Superman, a hero with staying power

By Larry Tye — Sun, 19 May 2013 00:00:00 PDT

It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's a space alien in a full-body leotard and underpants.

My nomination for American hero of the 20th century is someone who lived half his life in disguise and the other half as the world's most recognizable man. He appeared on more radio broadcasts than Ellery Queen and in more movies than Marlon Brando, who once played his father. He helped give America the backbone to wage war against the Nazis, the Depression and the Red Menace. He remains an intimate to kids from Boston to Belgrade and has adult devotees who, like Talmudic scholars, parse his every utterance.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev: Not just any body

By Robert M. Sapolsky — Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 PDT

As the uproar over his burial shows, when it comes to corpses, people's feelings can be intense.

If you don't believe in souls or an afterlife, then a corpse is just a body — potentially a teaching tool, a source of life-saving organs, but little more.

Wal-Mart, Gap skirt the issue

By James Brudney and Catherine Fisk — Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 PDT

They have refused to sign a Bangladesh workers' safety accord, showing irrational fears of financial and moral commitments.

If the horrific garment factory collapse last month in Bangladesh has any silver lining, it is the response from more than 30 of the world's leading apparel companies — including Benetton, PVH, Abercrombie & Fitch, H&M, Inditex (Zara), Marks & Spencer and Tesco — to sign an agreement to protect the safety and lives of that nation's workers, who make the companies' products.

For the record

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 PDT

Scully : A May 14 Op-Ed about Vin Scully said he had quit traveling with the Dodgers. Although he has cut back on his out-of-state travel to away games, he still goes to those in California and Arizona.

For a dying patient, a prescription of silence

By Susan Partovi — Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 PDT

In medical school, doctors are taught not to withhold information or to be "paternal" in making decisions for patients. In the real world, it's not so simple.

His wife was a patient at the clinic where I worked in my early days as a doctor. I saw her regularly for hypertension. But on one visit, she was more concerned about her husband — let's call him Pedro. He was having stomach pains and difficulty swallowing. I told her to make an appointment for him with me.

Mayor's race: The real money problem in L.A.

By Maria Elena Durazo — Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 PDT

It's the working poor, not the union money backing Greuel.

The media coverage and much of the public perception of the Los Angeles mayor's race have relentlessly focused on the money Los Angeles' labor movement is spending to elect Wendy Greuel, and on the wages and benefits of city and other employees that could be affected by the outcome of the mayoral runoff.