Politics & Current Affairs — June 1, 2010

Pro-Choice Media

“When will our media reflect America on abortion?” asks William McGurn at The Wall Street Journal now that a Gallup poll has reported that half of America is pro-life.

bigthinkeditor

“When will our media reflect America on abortion?” asks William McGurn at The Wall Street Journal now that a Gallup poll has reported that half of America is pro-life. Aware of the difference between saying something is wrong and that it should be outlawed—according to Gallup, half of Americans say abortion is wrong, but that they do not necessarily support outlawing it—McGurn was surprised by media from NPR to Slate that gave speculative reasons as to why the Gallup poll doesn’t reflect the “true” outlook on abortion in America. “Overall, Gallup’s findings about Americans and abortion reflect less a political prescription than a sensibility,” says McGurn.

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

6 great books with wildly unreliable narrators

Dive into the twisted truths and concealed realities told by literature’s most unreliable narrators.

a group of five matches on a pink background.

The Well

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

If you don’t feel better after the weekend, the “burnout paradox” could explain why.

▸

7 min

—

with

Laurie Santos

Starts With A Bang

The trick to instantly identifying JWST images

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.

Up Next

Technology & Innovation

Stimulus Versus Austerity

Paul Krugman’s recommendation for more public spending is at odds with his own comparison of the U.S. to Japan where aggressive fiscal policy did not stimulate growth, says The New Republic.