"He killed my son! What more can you do to me?"

These were the words that Constance Malcolm screamed across a crowded Bronx courtroom to Judge Steven L. Barrett on May 15 as court officers went to physically remove her and haul her off to be hospitalized--for what they claimed must have been a "panic attack."

Standing atop Mauna Loa in Hawaii, with this gorgeous view in front of me, it was hard to imagine that the air I was breathing carried a deadly message. Then again, as the largest volcano on Earth, Mauna Loa is not exactly home to the most welcoming of climates. Ancient Hawaiians only went there to make offerings. Tourists seldom visit. The only reason to drive away from the tropical beaches below, up a poorly maintained road that has potholes within potholes, through several climate zones each colder and less hospitable than the last, is to study, well, the climate.

Since last Wednesday, students at Cooper Union, a private free university in New York City, have staged a occupation of the president’s office in protest of the announcement that the school will begin charging tuition. As the occupation now goes into its second week, let me recall my eight-hour visit during its first full day: Thursday, May 9.

Will the U.S. join the rest of the world and guarantee workers paid sick leave?

A bill in Congress is stuck, but momentum is building. Four cities and Connecticut have passed sick leave provisions since 2007, with New York City passing a bill May 8. Active campaigns by unions and worker groups exist in 20 other jurisdictions, including Massachusetts and Illinois.