CATEGORIES
Under The Stars And Under The Radar
A handy guide to camping on forbidden turf
Young Men Are Playing Video Games Instead of Getting Jobs. That's OK. (For Now.)
VIDEO GAMES, LIKE work, are basically a series of quests comprised of mundane and repetitive tasks: Receive an assignment, travel to a location, overcome some obstacles, perform some sort of search, pick up an item, and then deliver it in exchange for a reward—and, usually, another quest, which starts the cycle all over again. You are not playing the game so much as following its orders. The game is your boss; to succeed, you have to do what it says.
We Could Have Had Cellphones Four Decades Earlier
Thanks for nothing, Federal Communications Commission.
God And Man At The FBI
Dissident and off beat religious groups have faced more than a century of surveillance.
Toward A Unified Theory Of Stalin, The Teamsters, Alcoholics Anonymous, And Facebook
Toward A Unified Theory Of Stalin, The Teamsters, Alcoholics Anonymous, And Facebook
Why The Wall Won't Work
The Legal, Practical, Economic, and Moral Case Against Trump’s Border Barrier
Drug Smugglers Have Already Beaten Trump's Wall
DURING A SPEECH announcing his intention to seek the presidency, Donald Trump stumbled on what would become a signature issue for his campaign: Mexico.
Why It's So Hard To Get Pervs Out Of Politics
POLITICS IS A high-stakes, winner-takes all game with irresistible appeal to a certain kind of low-quality human being. There are typically only two viable candidates in any national race, and voters have a lot invested in the idea that bad things will happen if their guy loses.
You're Not Going To Die In A Plane Crash
That has nothing to do with who is president.
The Applied Theory Of Bossing People Around
Richard Thaler’s prize isn’t noble.
When Playboy Made It Big
PLAYBOY MAGAZINE USED to be the contraband men of all ages hid in their sock drawers.
The Slants - The Band Who Must Not Be Named
Bassist Simon Tam talks about his band’s Supreme Court fight to trademark its controversial name.
Christians Started the Wedding Wars
Defenders of traditional marriage used the law to persecute polygamists. Now they’re the ones under attack.
What Politicians Must Do When Protesters Attack
Learning from Robert McNamara’s mistakes and magnanimity.
The Libertarian Party Future, Perennially Out Of Reach
Where does political libertarianism go after the midterms?
D.C. Vs. The Wide Open West
ONE OF THE great ironies of life in mountain and desert states is that many of the people you meet are either escapees or descendants of the East Coast—but they ended up in a place where Washington, D.C., has an enormous presence.
The New Socialists Didn't Win
But they’re still in charge for the next couple of years.
Whiplash And Backlash In The Republic Of Cuba
Starvation Won’t Turn Cubans Into Capitalists. Trade And Tourism Might.
The Rise Of Atomic Humanism
The Rise Of Atomic Humanism
When The Government Declared War On The First Amendment
When The Government Declared War On The First Amendment
Interview: Kennedy
The TV host and one-name celeb talks about cherry vodka, teenage rebellion, Frank Zappa, free-range parenting, and life as Fox’s token libertarian.
Education
Teachers Union Head Casts School Choice As Racism.
Democracy In Decline?
If its recent record is any indication, Winston Churchill might have been wrong about democracy.
Reason Once Tried To Predict The Future. How Did We Do?
IT WAS MAY 1993. Barely two years earlier, a failed coup attempt had marked the last gasp of Soviet Communism. The Cold War was over. Germany was reunified. The Baltic countries were independent. In the former Yugoslavia, Sarajevo was under siege.
The Next Big Fight Over Organized Labor May Already Be Here
JUNE’S SUPREME COURT ruling in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) freed public sector workers from being required to pay dues to unions to which
We Live In A World Of Reliable Miracles
When I’m having a bad day, I trawl the internet for videos of happy cyborgs.
Make School Hard Again
ON MARCH 12, news of a massive admission scandal broke in the world of higher education.
Meet The Teens Who Want To Get Vaccinated Against Their Parents' Wishes
What Happens When A Kid Raised By “all-natural” Parents Wants To Make A Different Choice?
When The Cops Come For You In The Target Parking Lot
A mom reflects on her experience parenting in the age of fear.
10 Colleges Where You Won't Have To Walk On Eggshells
These schools are seriously committed to civil and diverse debate.