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The U.S. education system is based on the meritocratic principle that no matter what the circumstances of a child's birth, each should have a baseline level of education and the […]
Let's face it: The planet is heating up, Earth's population is expanding at an exponential rate, and the the natural resources vital to our survival are running out faster than […]
When, after thirty years of authoritarian rule, a young dissident and perennial thorn in the side of the Establishment, Mohammed Nasheed won the first free and fair election in the Maldives in […]
Whether or not there is a creativity crisis may be up for debate, but one thing is clear: Our current education system is failing to create an environment that truly fosters creativity . . . Now, a new application out of MIT Media Lab is aiming to address some of these issues.
In June 2009 the House of Representatives passed the Waxman-Markey bill to reduce carbon emissions through a series of cap-and-trade regulations. The news this week that the Senate version of […]
In 2008, journalist Jere Van Dyk crossed the border from Afghanistan into Pakistan. An expert on the history and culture of the region, Van Dyk had lived with the Mujahideen […]
It is no wonder that the Government of the Maldives has been talking about buying up a tract of land elsewhere in South Asia to evacuate its people to if global sea levels […]
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It's possible the U.S. will succeed in the long run in Afghanistan. But first it must prove that it is not the Soviet Union—and that it does not want to […]
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The U.S. should be wary of its "ally" Pakistan, says Van Dyk.
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Van Dyk’s captors insisted that bin Laden is no longer in the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and, for various reasons, he believes them.
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Jere Van Dyk, who was imprisoned by the Taliban for 45 days, explains the historical and cultural facts that are crucial for understanding the war-torn country—and why our goals there […]
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Using connections he'd made living with the Mujahideen in the 1980s, Van Dyk set out to discover the relationship between the Taliban and Al Qaeda, but ambition and deadlines pushed […]
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Several times during his 45 days in captivity, Van Dyk was sure his life was about to end. Exercise, studying, and prayer helped him keep his wits.
"New research from France finds restaurant patrons exposed to music with pro-social lyrics are more likely to leave tips." Miller-McCune on another delicious French sociology study.
"They sure buy a lot of cars for a society built on collective ownership." Slate says that while China's political party is highly centralized, most Maoist concepts have been abandoned.
What happens when you are on 'the same wavelength' as someone? New neurological data suggests physical traits are behind feeling a deep connection with someone.
"If we want to protect traditional marriage, we should be prepared to sacrifice our love affair with equal rights and sexual freedoms." An author at 3 Quarks reflects on the nature of tradition.
Nouns that have changed to verbs, such as 'login', 'text', and 'unlike' have some grammarians in a fuss, but one lexicographer celebrates the changes as evidence of language's dynamism.
"In many ways, WikiLeaks’ 92,000 Afghanistan documents are no Pentagon Papers." The Christian Science Monitor says the leaked documents confirm already-available information.