Portside

There is no need for a chaos-engulfed finale to the Afghan War, no reason to continue the bloodshed

In an exclusive, written interview, jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti warns that the alternative to a two-state solution is a conflict "with no middle ground."

According to recent surveys by the Chronicle of Higher Education, thirty-five private university presidents and four public university presidents topped $1 million in total earnings during the 2011-2012 fiscal year. On university campuses, it seems, everyone is equal. But some are much more equal than others.

Public policy is best informed by science. The Portland vote against water flouridation was not. Also, you don't want to miss these bizarrely relevant clips from Dr. Strangelove.

When you talk to your dog, consider that the words you speak might not carry the same meaning for both of you. Instead, other aspects of communication might be more relevant. Maybe the real lesson is that context, prosody and tone — rather than dictionary definitions of words — are vitally important for human communication, too.

The people who speak now of the “one-state solution” for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are idealists. But they do a lot of harm. And not only because they remove themselves and others from the struggle for the only solution that is realistic. The two-state solution is not dead. It cannot die, because it is the only solution there is.

On this fiftieth anniversary of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, here are five songs from the album that have powerfully shaped both music and politics over these decades: Blowin' in the Wind; Masters of War; It's a Hard Rain That's A Gonna Fall; Don't Think Twice, It's Alright and Talking World War III Blues.