There's a new scarlet letter in town. Actually, it's the same letter -- "A" -- but it stands for a different word that's increasingly regarded as shameful: Austerity. The darling idea of 2010 and 2011 has become the pariah concept of 2012. And the evidence of profound change is all around, from France and Greece to Germany and -- gasp -- the Republican Party. The change, when it comes to the conventional wisdom on austerity, has come from a combination of public pressure and leadership: one pushing up from below, the other pressing down from above. None of this means that we should break out the Keynesian champagne any time soon. But it's clear the forces of austerity are in retreat. And that's a very good thing.
Edward Conard has gotten a lot of press lately for writing a book that praises income inequality. Indeed, it is hard to ignore the hasty and ill-informed arguments he makes.
What's the worst thing you've ever let your older child do to the younger one?
I recently returned to Pearl Harbor for a documentary film about that day of infamy and its many ripples through the subsequent 70 years of history. It was deeply personal work because I worry that the lessons of that day are in danger of being forgotten.
In an interview with People magazine, when asked if she could be anyone in the world, the first lady replied "Beyonce." While I thought it was a slightly odd response, I assumed that maybe I was simply being too square.
With New York City supporters like Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee has no need of enemies.
When it comes to military policy, the Obama administration's success in shutting down wars conducted in plain sight tells only half the story, and the lesser half at that.
There is no pretense that Hollywood aliens might accurately reflect actual inhabitants of the galaxy. But is it all just free-form imagination? Can contemporary science say much about whether these cinematic sentients might be ciphers for the real thing?
Chalk it up to progress that some celebrities are now embarrassed to be thought of as having been in the closet, which increasingly seems like a relic from the last century (even as it still endures mightily).
In honor of the June 12th publication of Not Taco Bell Material -- written by Adam Carolla and, as the cover notes, "As Shouted At Mike Lynch," I tweeted my 15,000 followers at @wildaboutmusic for their suggestions for some songs for this man called Ace.
Stephen rarely does public talks anymore. When he does, he draws an impressive crowd. And most of the people sitting in those seats are unaware of the effort that goes into composing the script he will follow over the course of the evening.
Two weeks ago the crackdown on peaceful protests at the university in Aleppo triggered a hemorrhage of support for the government. The international reaction to the Houla massacre seems set to accelerate that erosion.
Why is Guantanamo still open? Why has there been no public accounting for the use of torture? Why does President Obama successfully claim the right to assassinate American citizens living abroad? And why do civil libertarians lose arguments of this sort time and again?
Assuming we someday get back to making useful national policy, personal nutrition is an area where we could make a big positive difference both to people's lives and to society's balance sheet.
Opponents of marriage equality often appeal to the Bible to support their views. So what is this "biblical standard for marriage" we keep hearing about? Marriage in the Bible is not restricted to one man and one woman, or in fact to any one model.
The election cycle in 2008 cost more than $5 billion, including congressional races and the primaries. We spent, in other words, about $17 per capita for our last big elections.
What we have here is an opportunity to make a tangible difference in the battle against global hunger while restoring the health and bounty of the world's oceans. What a rare opportunity to benefit both man and ocean all at the same time.
When one thinks of a vegetarian or a vegan, I don't think they envision the Adonis that is Brooklyn-based actor/performer Zachary Koval. After reading his insights, it's clear he's not just a pretty face, either.
Pregnancy is like stand-up comedy. When you watch people do it on TV it looks easy, every now and again it looks painful, but there's always some part of you that's thinking: Psh! I could do that.
Will France do for Houla and Homs what she has done for Benghazi and Misrata?
I'm going to be fine with it when the current season of "Mad Men" ends. There's a grim, pervasively bleak quality to Season 5 that actually exceeds Season 4's descent into Don's private hell.
Facebook's much discussed IPO has generated a lot of discussion about the "real value" of the stock. Much of the information being disseminated is both inaccurate and harmful to investors.
The dread risk effect remains the best explanation for London's cyclists, and it raises the possibility that terrorism leads to other discretionary but harmful choices that are as yet unknown.
It's been written about countless times, but Kilimanjaro still holds some secrets.
If the Ron Paul actually wants to see President Obama defeated in November, he should bow out of the Republican nomination process quickly, accept whatever offer the Romney camp offers him for a speaking slot during the convention, and endorse the inevitable nominee.
Roughly 20 percent of those that have been exonerated confessed to the crimes with which they were charged. Most involved persons who had actually gone to trial, but we have no way of knowing how many entered guilty pleas through bargains and never appealed as a result.