The National Rifle Association (NRA) released their long-awaited response to the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut that left 20 children and 6 school officials dead. As the nation's attention remains focused on the aftermath of this tragedy, many of us wondered how the NRA justified its silence. They said they were waiting for a full investigation of what happened.

In the days after the shootings, before the NRA broke its silence, here are just a few of the details that this ongoing investigation uncovered:

The Brown International Writers Project is currently seeking nominations and applications for its one-year fellowship with residency. The Fellowship is designed to provide sanctuary and support for established creative writers -- fiction writers, playwrights and poets -- who are persecuted in their home countries or are actively prevented from pursuing fee expression in their literary art. The Fellow will be a member of a supportive community that includes faculty members and students in Brown's Department of Literary Arts and the Watson Institute for International Studies.

This year marked their 90th year in print. Foreign Affairs has kicked it off with a special issue featuring selections from their archives, which is a treasure trove of material tracing the great modern debates of the 20th century.

Don’t worry if you missed ii, you can get full online access to all 90 years' worth of content.

www.foreignaffairs.com

"Oh, my aching back!" Even if you've never said it, odds are you have heard it and you will eventually say it. Back pain is one of the most common painful conditions men and women face. When it occurs, you want relief. You want the aches to stop and your life to start again.

The good news is that thanks to pioneering advances, treatment for low back pain has undergone changes — changes that get people back on their feet sooner and that help prevent back pain from returning.

Friday, January 18 will mark the deadline for all StudentCam entries. If you haven't assigned it as a project, perhaps mention it to any students that may be so inclined to participate. This year's theme is a "Message to the President." Students are asked to create a 5-8 minute documentary about the most important issue that they believe the President should address in 2013. With $50,000 in cash prizes and the chance to be interviewed and featured on national television, this is a rewarding, project-based learning experience for students. More information can be found here: www.studentcam.org