Politics & Current Affairs — December 20, 2010

Assange Decries Leak

Was it contradictory of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's lawyers to condemn the leaking of secret government documents pertaining to the rape charges against him?

bigthinkeditor

In a move that historians may record as among the most audacious and least self-aware complaint of all time, lawyers for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange have loudly condemned the leaking of secret government documents pertaining to the rape charges against Assange. The lawyers for Assange, who describes himself as an activist for “radical transparency,” complain that the leaked police files unfairly damage Assange and make his legal defense more difficult. Assange’s representatives are especially angered by what they call the political motivations behind the leak — the same charge many critics have leveled against WikiLeaks.

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Neuropsych

25 years since Columbine: We’re closer to decoding mass-shooter psychology

Public mass shooters almost always have worldviews shaped by the "3 Rs": rage, resentment, and revenge.

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Thinking

Everyday Philosophy: “Is there anything wrong with trauma dumping?”

When does "oversharing" become an issue?

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Leadership

Adam Grant on how to identify and develop high-potential leaders

The ability to toggle between abstract and concrete thinking is a key differentiator of high-potential leaders.

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Business

Want true success? Be more philosophical about “good” and “bad” failure.

Bob Dylan gave us the paradoxical gem "there's no success like failure, and failure's no success at all." He had a point.

Starts With A Bang

The idea that matter is mostly empty space is mostly wrong

Practically all of the matter we see and interact with is made of atoms, which are mostly empty space. Then why is reality so... solid?

Up Next

Culture & Religion

Marriage Next on LGBT Agenda

Repealing "don't ask, don't tell" was an important milestone. Achieving marriage equality should be one of the next steps, says Equality Matters president Richard Socarides.