One of my roommates way back when I was an undergraduate was an Emory Scholar. I can't remember exactly how many of them were in each class—either twelve or fourteen. […]

Despite their ideological differences, the personalities that drive the success of The Daily Show and Fox News apparently respect--even admire--each others ability to entertain and engage viewers. That's one of […]

"The intuitive view is that the only thing that really determines whether an act is brave is whether you think the right path is the treacherous one, and take it anyway."

"Mr. Allen, who has made most of his recent films overseas where it's easier for him to secure financing, says 'You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger' is a good title for the United States."

"Microsoft’s new web browser, IE9, is its most ambitious yet, as the company bids to take on Google Chrome and Firefox." The Telegraph reviews the browser's newest edition.

"What is happening in France today would most likely be referred to as 'ethnic cleansing' in less prestigious countries." Spiegel on President Sarkozy's campaign against Romanian gypsies.

"News that Ernest C. Withers, a photojournalist who documented the civil-rights movement, was also an F.B.I. informant has been met with mixed reactions from scholars."

"Aerospace and defense giant Boeing has tossed its hat into the space-tourism ring, announcing that it has agreed to market future rides into Earth orbit to paying customers."

"The People's Republic is becoming a technological superpower, but who's checking the facts?" The New Humanist seeks out the Chinese science cops who fight fabrication and plagiarism.

"Scientists have discovered that starting a romantic relationship typically costs two close friends from the inner circle of intimate contacts that most people rely on for support and advice."

"A survey of 71 nations placed the U.S. third in entrepreneurial performance, after Denmark and Canada." America's frail technology sector and lack of high-growth business is at fault.

"It is little wonder that boxing, more than any other sport, has functioned as a metaphor for life. Aside from the possibilities for self-fulfillment, boxing can also contribute to our moral lives."

Unhappy with his art, Richard Wright destroyed all of his paintings in the late 1980s and gave up painting altogether for two years. Returning to the art world from that […]

Your friends likely have more friends than you do. Please don't take that personally. As the sociologist Scott L. Feld was first to point out, this is simply a mathematical […]

The filmmaker liked how the GOP rioted after Congress passed the health care bill, even though he thinks it’s an "odd" thing to riot over. Why didn’t Democrats do the […]

The filmmaker thinks Little Levi is cute and loves the way he taunts Sarah Palin. But he advises Levi to show us the goods before he gets fat and bald.

Why does society treat coming out like some sort of solemn event? Film director John Waters riffs on sexuality and why he doesn't jive with many of our current cultural perspectives.

Waters tells about some of his favorite bars, including those rare gay bars that play rap music. "Rap music, for some reason, really alienates gay people, which makes me laugh."

Once you’re in your forties, it’s time to quit whining, says the filmmaker. "A 20-year-old that’s angry is sexy; a 64-year-old man that’s angry is an asshole."

The filmmaker misses seeing perverts having sex in public bathrooms—so he instructs us on the proper technique for inconspicuous bathroom hijinks.