Politics & Current Affairs — October 2, 2009

The Irish Eye on American Politics

European Ambassador to the US and former Irish Prime Minister John Bruton stopped by today for an engaging chat on climate change, the EU, the world economy, and his relative outsider’s perspective on American politics. The end of his term as ambassador is approaching, and Bruton told us he was very much looking forward to returning to his hometown near Dublin—but isn’t savoring being out of the job. Given his insight into world politics, we don’t doubt Bruton will find an employer in short order.

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.

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7 min

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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.

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