An Iraqi Muslim man on U.A.E. television recently proclaimed that the moon is half the size of the sun, that the earth and the sun are flat, and that things that aren't mentioned in the Koran are not to be considered in the matter. The
Yesterday was Valentine’s Day in America. Weeks in advance, the shops were filled with red and white cards, teddy bears, chocolates, flowers, and all manner of light-hearted, lacy ways to say I love you. The day was an opportunity and a reminder to pause and
Almost everyone loves the Super Bowl. Super Bowl Sunday has been an unofficial holiday in the United States for decades, and the Monday following the Super Bowl is the one day of the year employees are most likely to call in sick. On the list
Children may be the next addition to the list of environmental threats. An astonishing article in a British newspaper reveals a new trend among young environmentalist couples: sterilizing themselves in an effort to save the planet. In their own words: "Every person who is born uses
In response to a drought of historic proportions in his state, Georgia governor Sonny Perdue gathered with 250 of his constituents on Nov. 13th to pray for rain. Yes, that’s right: a United States governor, in the most technologically advanced country in the world, where separation
The formula is painfully familiar— “According to a recent survey by X from the University of Y,” followed by a statement about married couples’ tendency to get bored with their sex lives (ABC News), or thin women’s tendency to think themselves fat (Psychology Today), or
“The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason.” Like many before and after him, Benjamin Franklin recognized that faith and reason are opposites. Men, he thought, can seek truth by using either reason or faith, but not both. Many people
Across the country, state and local governments are banning smoking on private property, including bars, restaurants, and office buildings. This is just the latest step in the government’s war on smoking—a coercive campaign that includes massive taxes on cigarettes, advertising bans, and endless multi-billion dollar
Colleges and universities are identified as institutions committed to the pursuit of knowledge and the promotion of free speech. A university trains its students to think critically and encourages active debate among them. It is a place where students can forge their own conclusions and
Religious conservatives are increasingly opposing birth control. The Bush administration has shifted funding from sex education endorsing condoms to programs preaching "abstinence only." And Bush F.D.A. appointees spent three years blocking nonprescription use of the "morning after" pill, despite overwhelming evidence of its safety. Shockingly,