Politics & Current Affairs

Do you want the government knowing how often you watch porn?

The mental mechanics of how emotions and logic relate aren’t widely understood. Our minds are built to mostly be “indirectly rational.”

Hotelling’s law, a principle from game theory explains the tendency for industries to set up shop right next door to their closest competitor.

American stuff is the stuff of American history, as recorded in still life painting.

If I were to say that “crocodiles sleep with their eyes closed,” and then a week later ask you if “crocodiles sleep with their eyes open,” what would you say? The answer might surprise you.

Breast-augmentation ads? Sure. But period panties? 

If you are caught with “soft” drugs in the UK, you are now more likely to be prosecuted than if you are caught with “hard” drugs.

Why the momentum for a sassy Manhattan billionaire and the upsurge in popularity for a no-nonsense Brooklynite?

Vancouverites are in full revolt over outrageous housing costs and the foreign investors behind North America’s biggest bubble.

Most Americans want reasonable gun safety laws, and in a democracy, the majority is supposed to win. Why isn’t it working that way with gun control?

A look at the techniques the show’s producers use to whip the contestants into a superstitious frenzy, and the host’s own bizarre beliefs.

Late night comedians are taking on The Man like it’s their job.

As Snowden’s public profile continues to grow, it will be interesting to see how governments navigate their criticisms of him.

The man with “the hardest job in Washington” abruptly announced his resignation the day after fulfilling his personal dream: hosting a sitting pope in Congress.

Over 700 pilgrims were killed by a stampede en route to Mecca. Why do some choose to celebrate such tragedies? 

Despite its many weaknesses, the U.N. has been successful in one of its main pursuits: linking the countries of the world in a way that promotes peace. Could a similar model work for religion?

America’s railway infrastructure brought to you by: China.

The latest in a string of lurid allegations about initiation ceremonies in elite British universities has shocked the British public. What causes otherwise intelligent individuals to engage in unspeakable acts?

Let’s change the market by controlling the market.

Prepare to watch Democrats and Republicans fight over ownership of the pope and his air of moral legitimacy: Let the Great American Papal Tug-of-War begin!

Carly Fiorina is rising in the polls and raising Donald Trump’s ire, likely resulting in a Rock-Em-Sock-Em Robot Edition of the GOP debates.

Stephen Colbert compared binging on Trump jokes to binging on Oreos — but are we the ones over-indulging in Trumpapolooza?

Twenty-one strangers with different values and views, thrown together on a Grand Canyon rafting trip, managed to set aside those differences and build community.

Europe is scrambling to find any solution besides accepting displaced people, but with 4 million refugees and growing, the problem is beyond containing it to Syria and the region.

So far, the White House has promised to allow 10,000 Syrians into the country, but that’s a far cry from Turkey’s already 2 million.

Hillary Clinton continually tweaks her public image, but there is a greater cost to not knowing who you are: We don’t know, either. 

Human population will rise to 9.7 billion by 2050 and further still to 11.2 billion by 2100. Not to mention global warming.

In Singapore, National Night is a night for baby-making. What happens when governments sponsor procreation?

Why Banksy’s dystopian vision of the future might be the kind of shock we need to realize the problems humanity faces.

Research has shown that drugs dogs routinely act based on the behavioral cues of their handlers, rather than acting on their sense of smell, raising important questions about the Fourth Amendment rights of anyone subject to search based on their actions.