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The economist and former World Bank analyst explains how disastrous his former employer’s policies have been for the developing world, amounting to “a punch in the face” for the poor.
Seemingly every year there are new reports that something we consume or use on a daily basis is carcinogenic. But what exactly does that mean on a biological level?
I will talk about the work of each of the speakers below over the next few weeks. But it should be clear enough that this conference will explore most of […]
The new fissure eruption on Kilauea is going strong – the fissure has been erupting(video) over the last two days, sometimes producing fountains as high as 25 meters, but usually […]
Slovenian philosopher and cultural critic Slavoj Žižek argues that what Israel needs is not segregation, but unity and free contact between its peoples.
With governments toppling around the Middle East, what will this moment bring to bear on Iran? Its nuclear program continues while intervention is considered riskier than ever.
A combination of China’s centralized political power and its new building projects on a massive scale have given it an advantage in clean energy markets, says Shi Zhengrong.
North Korea is using a German intermediary to approach the United Nations in hopes of selling carbon credits from its hydro-power projects to more wealthy nations for hard currency.
Globalization has been both a force for good and ill in the world, argues Satheesan Kumaaran. Economies in conversion are often unable to exploit the benefits of liberal markets, the author says.
Revolutions’ final outcomes are seldom congruent with their prime movers’ intentions, says Shlomo Ben Ami. Will the relationship between Egyptian civilians and their military hold?
Desperate to avoid involvement in Libya in the event of prolonged civil unrest, the U.S. have asked Saudi Arabia to supply weapons to the rebels in Benghazi, reports Robert Fisk.
In a series of farewell speeches that recall President Eisenhower’s warnings against the military-industrial complex, Defense Secretary Gates says the military needs sizable reform.
After the euphoria of Tunisia and Egypt, Qaddafi’s defiance provides a reminder that revolutions are often bloody and uncertain for their duration, says Wendell Steavenson.
In the quest to being the first or fastest to get out of a free-falling share in the stock market, financial model formulas are programmed into computers by investors great […]
Economist and Nobel laureate Gary Becker predicts that the recent uprisings across the Middle East will make its economies more competitive and raise oil prices in the short and long run.
Performance art usually receives condescending smirks in the United States as the last kid picked for the cultural game of kickball. With Charlie Sheen’s big adventure, however, maybe performance art has finally come to the colonies.
I guess Scott Walker isn’t totally heartless. One of the few areas of Wisconsin state government where Governor Walker wants to increase funding are “payments to counties to cover the […]
Normally I don’t post over the weekend, but volcanoes are on no man’s schedule! After the collapses at Pu`u O`o (see below) and the draining of the lava lake at […]
Singer and social activist Annie Lennox gathered five “high-flying” women to discuss what feminism means to them and how the movement might inspire the next generation.
Animal smuggling has grown to a $9.8 billion-a-year criminal industry, and is exceeded only by the drugs and arms trades. Profits help to fund terrorism and civil wars, says The Independent.
In the brains of people blind from birth, structures used in sight are still put to work—but for a different purpose. Rather than processing visual information, they appear to handle language.
Though the revolution against Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi has no set leader, rebels in Benghazi have set up a provisional government in a courthouse which is now the center of the revolution.
Why do the simplest consumer choices, such as choosing a variety of toothpaste, cause us such a dilemma? A cluttered store shelf tricks us into thinking we are making an important decision.
While humans are social animals, does it follow that being alone is bad for us? An emerging body of research is suggesting that spending time alone, if done right, can be good for us.
Current laws do not require the systematic screening of chemicals for their ability to cause brain damage, says a concerned mother who finds her child awash in a chemical world.
A happy adolescence increases the odds of a happy adulthood, says new research. There’s a catch, of course: those who have enjoyable teenage years are more likely to get divorced as adults.
A new study published in Psychological Science suggests that parents create rosy pictures of parental joy as a way to justify the huge emotional and financial investment that kids require.
Neuroengineer and speaker at the TED2011 conference, Ed Boyden wants to use modern technology to understand the brain, treat neural conditions and uncover the basis of human existence.
The mainstream is beginning to accept the “post-rational view of the mind, but what next? How do we rethink our societal assumptions and institutions? Join the conversation here with the After Thought Project.