The New York Times published Temple psychologist Kathy Hirsh-Pasek's response to a recent Time's article on the decline of picture book reading. "Cuddling up for a bedtime story with Goodnight Moon or The Runaway Bunny sparks conversations that leap off the pages of a book. In these special moments, we build the foundation for literacy as children hear the rich vocabulary in stories and the language that fuels later reading," she wrote.

The major story in this year's midterm election campaign has been the sheer volume of cash that special-interest groups are pumping into House and Senate races across the country, much of it from anonymous donors. Robin Kolodny, a Temple political scientist, said a recent controlled experiment suggested that voters might trust an ad more that comes from a group with a "feel-good name," but at this point it might be too late: "Political science tells us that by now most of the voters have made up their minds."