The Glummest Generation
Pew finds that baby boomers are gloomier than Americans older and younger than they are.
Oprah and the Downfall of American Society
A journalism professor finds a straw woman on daytime TV and, in the name of scholarship, knocks her right down.
Solar Power: The Next Generation
Offline Diary: An old way of turning sunlight into electricity reinvents itself in California.
‘Wall-E:’ Critique That Transcends Ideology
Science fiction stories are often allegories, so it’s no surprise that political commentators have joined movie critics in…
Building Self-Esteem from the 16th Row
Celebrity worship might not be an unalloyed bad thing, says one researcher, although it's important to be a little finicky about who to emulate.
Study: Gun Laws Have Little Effect on Homicide Rate
A new study finds the highly publicized gun-crime laws of recent years have had little effect on the homicide rate. But a new bipartisan bill just signed into law by President Bush may do some good.
Morbid Thoughts Influence Food Choices
Thinking about our own deaths influences our eating patterns in both predictable and surprising ways, according to two…
Carlin: The Anti-Russert
When news broke of the death of George Carlin, my first reaction was to suggest to my colleagues…
Broadening ‘Diversity’ at Universities
Part III of a three-part series: The affirmative action of tomorrow might focus more on class and other proxies for hardship and less on race.