Why Girls Mature Faster Than Boys

Researchers have found brain connectivity occurs earlier in female, which may account for a difference in maturity between the genders; Frank Capra’s classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” was considered communist propaganda; meanwhile, it’s time to heed President Truman’s warning and limit the CIA. These discoveries and more below.

On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that have found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies.

Girls’ Brain Connectivity Happens Sooner Than for Boys New brain research suggests one reason girls mature faster than boys during their teen years.

Boycott Threat Should Be a Wake-Up Call to Israelis The topic of a boycott on Israel is considered one of the most explosive and sensitive in Israeli society.

‘The People Who Had Money Were Mean and Despicable Characters’ Apparently, when Frank Capra’s film It’s a Wonderful Life was released (and for a decade thereafter), it was suspected of being communist propaganda. Why?

The Founders of Dogecoin See the Meme Currency’s Tipping Point By now, you’ve probably heard of Dogecoin, the confusingly popular cryptocurrency that uses a regal looking Shiba Inu as its mascot and has a strict style guide of Comic Sans MS for absolutely everything.

Cultivating the ‘Entrepreneurial Spirit’ at America’s Largest University The State University of New York (SUNY) – 64 higher education campuses with nearly half a million students – is the largest university system in the United States.

Same-Sex Marriage, The Legal Deluge When a federal judge ordered Utah to allow same-sex marriage on Friday, did you hear the outraged response?

Is MoveOn Less Progressive Than the New York Times Editorial Board? The New York Times is hardly a progressive newspaper — but when it comes to the surveillance state and ongoing militarism of the Obama White House, the establishment’s “paper of record” puts MoveOn.org to shame.

President Truman Was Right In 1963, Need To Limit CIA National security secrecy and a benighted sense of “what’s good for the country” can be a dangerous mix for democracy, empowering self-interested or misguided officials to supplant the people’s will, as President Truman warned and ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern explains.

New Vaccine to Protect Against Deadly Pneumonia Developed A team of researchers has developed a new vaccine that protects against lethal pneumonia caused by Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria, including drug-resistant strains like MRSA.