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After a series of snubs, Europe is suddenly getting a bunch of positive attention from the US. What happened? Maybe Washington is impressed that, after a prolonged struggle to deal […]
Like Jerry Lewis, comic books seem to be an American institution best appreciated and understood by the French. Jean-Paul Gabilliet’s Of Comics and Men: A Cultural History of American Comic […]
Unhappy news to banish the lingering Earth Hour glow from your cheeks: New York State is hemorrhaging environmental conservation jobs, and funding. Governor Paterson’s “winter of reckoning” (not altogether a […]
Today is the first day of Passover. To most Jewish people, that means a seder, matzo, wine, recounting the story that’s in the Haggadah. To Rabbi Niles Goldstein, it’s more […]
In the classic Western film The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, James Stewart’s character confesses that he wasn’t a hero, only to hear the newspaper man he’s confessed to respond, […]
In his latest op/ed Nick Kristof is lamenting the fact that girls are outperforming boys at school. Kristof is as ardent a defender of women’s rights as anyone in the […]
Armageddon. Impeachment. Fascist. Communist. Muslim. Radical. Baby killer. The language of political discourse in America has been reduced to alarming idioms and dramatic phrases. It is the kind of overheated […]
Steve Chapman of the Chicago Tribune advocates legalizing marijuana as a solution to the spiraling violence of the Mexican-American drug trade.
The key to surviving global warming will be to develop an economy that empowers the impoverished to meet global clean-energy demands.
The Christian Science Monitor is as surprised as anyone at the emergence of many New Calvinists trying to bring Puritanism back to America.
Once an employee of the Secret Service, the computer hacker Albert Gonzalez has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for credit card fraud.
The Texas school board’s recent decisions to make the local curriculum more conservative is troublesome in light of the state’s disproportionate influence on national textbook sales.
The health care bill was a huge, and even historic, victory for Democrats. In fact, the Democrats are on something of a roll. Not only did they manage to pass […]
Or better yet, turn them off, full stop – at 8:30pm tonight, Saturday, March 27, 2010 – and let jah moon come shinning in, into our life again. Singing, ooh, […]
The Department of Justice has released counter-terrorism ideas sent to it by American civilians including parachuting bears into Afghanistan to hunt for Osama bin Laden.
Washington’s plans for a forward-thinking energy policy have been gutted due to the recession and name games that turned cap-and-trade into cap-and-tax.
China’s investment in the clean energy sector nearly doubles that of the U.S., but its fossil fuel use is rising fast as well.
A former Argentinian beauty queen is now one of South America’s most wanted, suspected of using other models to smuggle cocaine out of the country.
A new study conducted at Cornell University suggests that spending money on experiences (family vacation, massage, guitar lesson) rather than stuff (new flat screen TV, iPhone, set of china) actually […]
Cruising into the second weekend of the oft-intriguing NCAA basketball tournament known as March Madness, it’s been an interesting combination of traditional collegiate powerhouses (Kentucky, Duke) balanced by incredible performances […]
How in the name of God can the Roman Catholic Church put the wave upon wave of pedophilia scandals behind it? The Washington Post’s E.J Dionne Jr. investigates.
A select group of thought leaders from around the world has come together for a live-streamed discussion surrounding “Our Energy Future.” Tune in to watch the exclusive conversation NOW on Bigthink.com!After the […]
A select group of thought leaders from around the world will come together tomorrow, Friday March 26th, for a live-streamed discussion surrounding “Our Energy Future,” at 1:30 PM EST. You can […]
The mother of a young South Carolinian shared her daughter’s story earlier this week on a political blog I frequent. Her daughter was pretty upset about the “poor people” around […]
In light of a new tussle between Google and the Chinese government, it’s an interesting time to consider the role of the internet in political mobilization, particularly in countries where […]
Monday the 22nd, World Water Day, marked the launch of World Water Week 2010 – not a bad time to check in on the liquid state of things here on […]
The New Yorker’s David Remnick remarks that Israel seems to view Barack Obama rather suspiciously and says the President’s customary cool has not warmed the countries’ relations.
I have often been asked about my thoughts on the recently increased storm activity and global warming. The fact is, you cannot judge a book by its cover, so you […]
What kind of international political influence would the United States have if Barack Obama’s most notable characteristic were his love of haikus? Probably not very much. For the European Union, […]
Here’s a nice thought to start the day: the natural world operates through an endless exchange of life and death. The ecosystem, and all of the organisms it houses, squeezes […]