The world celebrates sports, particularly team sports. Soccer matches are so contentious in Europe that it’s not uncommon for riots to break out over the game’s outcome. In the United States, football has arguably eclipsed baseball as America’s national pastime. Beyond the entertainment value itself, many
By preventing ordinary citizens from going about their business, Occupiers are in effect protesting the “injustice” of laws that allow for peaceful interaction and free economic exchange. By what right do the Occupiers disrupt the lives and freedom of others?
Writing in a recent New York Times Sunday review column, Neal Gabler takes note of the The Atlantic’s list of the “14 Biggest Ideas of the Year”: Take a deep breath. The ideas include “The Players Own the Game” (No. 12), “Wall Street: Same as it
Only by focusing on enriching his own life has Jobs benefitted the lives of others Steve Jobs has been described in many ways: brilliant, innovative, driven, visionary, even egomaniacal. One word rarely associated with Jobs is “philanthropic”—indeed, he eliminated all corporate charity programs when returning as
A piece in the The New York Times reviews a recent book by Lee Siegel, Are You Serious?: How to Be True and Get Real in the Age of Silly. Surveying a variety of examples from both high and popular culture, Siegel claims that in
This week marks the 40th Anniversary of the "War on Drugs," first declared by President Richard Nixon, who subsequently created the Drug Enforcement Agency. A piece on The Atlantic Wire reminds us about the drug war’s track record of failure, and ponders why it continues: Though
The Atlantic Wire carries a story about a recent poll by the National Journal showing that Obama's popularity ratings have returned to 2008 levels (likely because of the assassination of Osama bin Laden) but that his numbers have actually declined among young people (ages 18
In the wake of the release of the Atlas Shrugged movie, Ayn Rand's prominence in the culture has increased, and people who had previously not been aware of her are taking notice. Notably, Christian groups are now starting to point out the hypocrisy of Republicans
How the blind emphasis of higher education is undercutting its value “I almost feel I’ve been lied to.” That’s how recent college graduate Brittany Dalberg describes her frustration at not finding a desirable job more than a year after receiving her bachelor’s degree in world religion.
After the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, some left-leaning commentators were quick to suggest that the shooter must have been a right-wing Tea Partier. When this proved to be baseless, they retreated to the allegation that a vague “climate of hate” generated by right-wing political