Guest Thinkers — June 18, 2010

The Firing Squad, Please

With the Ronnie Lee Gardner execution making news, Margot Sanger-Katz finds the (limited) research suggesting that the firing squad is actually a pretty good way to go.

bigthinkeditor

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

With the Ronnie Lee Gardner execution making news, Margot Sanger-Katz finds the (limited) research on death penalty methods suggesting that the firing squad is actually a pretty good way to go. “Shooting is simple and deadly.” “According to a 1993 study of the relative pain associated with different execution methods, gunshot gets the highest rank when compared with lethal gas, electrocution, hanging, stoning, and other popular methods.” Though China, the country that executes more prisoners per year than any other, switched preferrence from shooting to lethal injection in 2008, to make capital punishment “more humane,” Sanger-Katz reports.

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Politics & Current Affairs

Should the US Return to Firing Squads?

Because states are increasingly given to using untested chemicals to carry out executions, some legislatures have passed secrecy laws that shield the chemical providers from public scrutiny.

Two people viewed from behind against a blue sky, one wearing a pink top and the other an orange top, share a moment of quiet solace as the person in pink rests their head on the other's shoulder. It’s a serene scene that hints at healing and support after trauma.

Neuropsych

3 emotional intelligence tips for helping a friend in a rough patch

Listen, set boundaries, and point them where to go.

Arms burdened with a large stack of papers, folders, and rolled-up documents, a person exemplifies toxic productivity. Their black bag hangs precariously from their arm as they navigate the weight of their workload.

The Learning Curve

How to break free from your “toxic productivity” cycle

Psychotherapist Israa Nasir explains how a “value-aligned life” can help us crush our goals — without being crushed by the need to accomplish more.

A golden-brown turkey being carefully lowered into a metal pot outdoors, ready for a deep fry amidst the grassy area and wooden fence.

Starts With A Bang

What happens if you deep fry a frozen turkey?

It’s the ultimate setup for a Thanksgiving Day disaster. The physics of water and its solid, liquid, and gas phases compels us not to do it.

A green and abstract background with connected molecular diagrams and labeled sections: "Building block" and "Assembly pool," with an "Assembly index: 8.

13.8

The pre-life puzzle: Tracing the rise of complexity in a lifeless world

We need a “theory that explains the evolution of evolution,” argues theoretical physicist Sara Imari Walker.

Up Next

Technology & Innovation

Risk in Icelandic Media Haven?

“Will Iceland get from bits what Switzerland gets from bank accounts?” the Economist’s Babbage blog asks as Iceland moves closer to being a digital media haven.