The bipartisan deficit commission has recommended cutting Medicare, Social Security and defense spending. It reads like a report from Mars, says economist Dean Baker.
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Forbes’ Katie Phillips sets some limits on political correctness and politeness even though obeying her conscience could cost her some Facebook friends.
George Soros killed JR. I couldn’t figure yesterday out why all of these statements like this one about George Soros were appearing on my Twitter timeline. So I added a […]
Each sport is governed by different sets of rules, and those that use balls each have different specifications for their equipment.
Big Think interviewed an array of luminaries in a variety of fields this week, including “The Office” star Rainn Wilson, famed novelist Salman Rushdie, and writer Walter Mosley. Rushdie came […]
“What are the fundamental roots of our behavior as human beings,” asks Harvard Business School professor Paul Lawrence. This is a huge question to be sure, but Lawrence has a […]
Earlier this week we talked about whether or not a brothel for women would be profitable. In that post, I argued that it is men’s willingness to engage in sex […]
It’s a sad fact of human history that the leadership regime most obsessed with art belonged to that of the Nazis. From Adolf Hitler the frustrated painter to obsessive collectors […]
Tomorrow is Remembrance Day, a occasion originally conceived for somber reflection on bitter and pointless trench warfare. It is fitting that the Republicans chose this week to announce their plans […]
Two volcanoes are headed into different directions this week – activity at Merapi appears to be down while explosions are continuing at Bulusan. This is not to say that the […]
At a recent press briefing, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs took his first question from Twitter. Ecuador’s president declared a state of emergency via Twitter. The first photo of […]
UK FOREIGN SECRETARY, WILLIAM HAGUE’S pledge to strengthen the role of human rights in British Foreign policy and set up an independent advisory body to do just that, has done […]
The gap between rich and poor in the U.S. is bigger than at any time since the 1920s. The L.A. Times asks: Is that really what most Americans want?
Behind the fiercely ambitious texts of the iconoclastic philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche was a kind man who was nice to children and terribly polite, writes Jonathan Rée.
Humanities professor Stanley Fish reviews a plethora of books recently written about the crisis in liberal arts education and finds hope in one innovative college.
Notions of time bound up with Christian conceptions of God changed with Einstein. Yet a consensus on the nature of time still seems out of reach.
The domestic technologies that have increased leisure hours in the West were virtually non-existent in the Soviet-planned economy, just ask its housewives.
Tens of millions of people live, work and play in virtual worlds where anything goes. Greg Lastowka thinks we need to police these lawless frontiers.
Airbus engineer Yelken Octuri has designed a spaceship especially for honeymooners. Once in orbit, the craft releases honeymoon pods with a view of space and big, round bed.
International institutions have been weakened by the economic crisis. Harvard’s Dani Rodik says individuals countries are once again competing economically.
What causes war? The cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead said it was merely the idea of war. Scientific American examines the evidence she offered.
The U.S. should work with China to develop a more sustainable method for burning coal because it is an inescapable energy source in the short term, says James Fallows.
In the wake of losing at least 60 seats in the House—their largest defeat in 70 years—there have been widespread calls for currrent Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) […]
As our lives become ever more virtual, retailers are betting there will be increasing demand for virtual goods as well. In the future, gaming and retail will be a fully integrated experience.
A couple of months ago, we featured the Plumen, a designer CFL light bulb. Now, a new breed of bulb presents more than an aesthetic upgrade. Safer than CFLs and […]
Economic researchers are uncovering the chemical triggers in our brains that spark feelings of trust—and using their findings to better understand how markets work.
For decades, holograms have been seen largely on the screen, in sci-fi movies and TV shows like “Star Wars” and “Star Trek.” The famed holodeck on “Star Trek” was used […]
A couple of updates on two of the volcanoes that have caught people’s attention right now! Oh yes, and sorry about the brevity of many of these updates lately – […]
Men who begin their online dating messages with “Howdy” have around a 40% better success rate than those who start with “Hey,” says Sam Yagan, CEO of dating site OkCupid, […]
The physicist explains why other universes in the mulitverse could have many more dimensions—and could comprise Einstein’s “Mind of God.”