It is no wonder that the Government of the Maldives has been talking about buying up a tract of land elsewhere in South Asia to evacuate its people to if global sea levels […]

It's possible the U.S. will succeed in the long run in Afghanistan. But first it must prove that it is not the Soviet Union—and that it does not want to […]

The U.S. should be wary of its "ally" Pakistan, says Van Dyk.

Van Dyk’s captors insisted that bin Laden is no longer in the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and, for various reasons, he believes them.

Jere Van Dyk, who was imprisoned by the Taliban for 45 days, explains the historical and cultural facts that are crucial for understanding the war-torn country—and why our goals there […]

Using connections he'd made living with the Mujahideen in the 1980s, Van Dyk set out to discover the relationship between the Taliban and Al Qaeda, but ambition and deadlines pushed […]

Several times during his 45 days in captivity, Van Dyk was sure his life was about to end. Exercise, studying, and prayer helped him keep his wits.

A conversation with the journalist.

"New research from France finds restaurant patrons exposed to music with pro-social lyrics are more likely to leave tips." Miller-McCune on another delicious French sociology study.

"They sure buy a lot of cars for a society built on collective ownership." Slate says that while China's political party is highly centralized, most Maoist concepts have been abandoned.

What happens when you are on 'the same wavelength' as someone? New neurological data suggests physical traits are behind feeling a deep connection with someone.

"If we want to protect traditional marriage, we should be prepared to sacrifice our love affair with equal rights and sexual freedoms." An author at 3 Quarks reflects on the nature of tradition.

Nouns that have changed to verbs, such as 'login', 'text', and 'unlike' have some grammarians in a fuss, but one lexicographer celebrates the changes as evidence of language's dynamism.

"In many ways, WikiLeaks’ 92,000 Afghanistan documents are no Pentagon Papers." The Christian Science Monitor says the leaked documents confirm already-available information.

"Before children even take their first breath, common air pollutants breathed by their mothers during pregnancy may reduce their intelligence." Scientific America reports on urban pollution.

An Illinois particle accelerator is helping to determine the range in which the Higgs boson, a.k.a. "God particle" exists. The special particle is thought to give mass to other elementary particles.

"Anti-luxury politics are often a hit with the public. But Ben Franklin argued that wealth accumulation is a positive, and that government should not interfere."

The knowledge-based economy is dead because its goals have been accomplished so well, says a British CEO. The new economy will be driven by ideas and value-added products.

I thought I had seen all there was to be seen about Shirley Sherrod, until I can across an article titled Sherrod Story False in American Spectator by Jeffrey Lord, […]

Suomi-Neito is a distant, but weirdly parallel echo of ‘Paula’, the personification of Brazil’s Sao Paulo state (discussed in #471). Female like most other anthropomorphic representations of geographic entities (1), […]