Politics & Current Affairs — June 1, 2010

Oil Spill Ends Free Market

Leonard Pitts takes the pulse of those affected by the Gulf Oil spill and finds that many who once opposed big government maneuvers are now begging for its assistance.

bigthinkeditor

Leonard Pitts takes the pulse of those affected by the Gulf Oil spill and finds that many who once opposed big government maneuvers are now begging for its assistance. “You know what they say: it’s all fun and games till somebody gets hurt. Well, the Gulf Coast is hurt, hurt in ways that may take years to fully assess, much less repair. And the sudden silence from the apostles of small government and free markets is telling,” says Pitts. “Yes, government is not perfect. Nor is it perfectible. As adults, we should understand that.”

a computer generated image of a human brain.

Thinking

The great free will debate featuring Michio Kaku and Steven Pinker

Who — or what — really controls your mind?

Building destroyed by the Halifax Explosion. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

The Past

The largest accidental explosion of all time

More than a century ago, Halifax suffered an accidental blast one-fifth the size of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

a collage of photos of a man with a hat and a book.

High Culture

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The Well

Signs you’re burned out — and how to bounce back

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7 min

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with

Laurie Santos

Starts With A Bang

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If you can identify a foreground star, the spike patterns are a dead giveaway as to whether it’s a JWST image or any other observatory.

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