POLITICS

EPA Places Ban on Minor Greenhouse Gas

Wednesday June 8, 2011 brought temperatures to 94 F and a smog alert for central Ohio. The sun is reflected in the Scioto River looking east toward downtown Columbus, Ohio. (Dispatch photo by Craig Holman,  (ABOARD WBNS CHOPPER 10)    columbus skyline

The EPA finalized new requirements this week limiting the use of HFCs, a class of synthetic chemicals that contributes to climate change.

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The Vaccine that Rescued a Generation

The Vaccine that Rescued a Generation

Plagues like polio have brought civilizations to their knees throughout recorded history. This time, we fought back.

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The Examined Life—A Short Poem

The Examined Life—A Short Poem

A mercifully brief poem, of which there may be more.

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Are We More Peaceful? John Gray Says No

Are We More Peaceful? John Gray Says No

John Gray challenges the thesis of Steven Pinker’s book The Better Angels of Our Nature (2011).

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After Year Away From Religion, Pastor Loses Belief in God

After Year Away From Religion, Pastor Loses Belief in God

The pastor who tried atheism out for a year has announced his conclusion.

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Review: Saying Yes

Review: Saying Yes

Columnist Jacob Sullum’s data-centric treatise is requisite reading for informed discussion on drug use and, inevitably, the war on drugs — its basis, its value, its cultural implications.

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New Poll on Evolution Acceptance Finds Troubling Trend

New Poll on Evolution Acceptance Finds Troubling Trend

The latest Pew poll finds that more conservatives than ever reject evolution.

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A Congressman Proposes National Darwin Day

A Congressman Proposes National Darwin Day

An official resolution to commemorate the birth date of Charles Darwin has been proffered by Congressman Rush Holt in collaboration with the American Humanists Association.

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Bill Gates Gives a TED Talk

Bill Gates Gives a TED Talk

Bill Gates gave a TED talk in 2009 titled “Mosquitoes, malaria and education“. It’s a broad-sweeping talk, but here are a few points that stuck out for me.

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Hysteria and 7th Century Literature

Hysteria and 7th Century Literature

The recently uploaded anti-Muslim video is a squalid piece of amateurish videowork to be sure, but the reactionary measures proliferated throughout the Muslim states have shown just how dangerous certain beliefs can be.

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Math Class Needs a Makeover

Math Class Needs a Makeover

In this brief TED talk, Dan Meyer discusses the backwardness of math education in America and how to improve the situation.

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Schwartz’s Paradox of Choice

Schwartz’s Paradox of Choice

Barry Schwartz’s “The Paradox of Choice” remains one of the greatest talks in the TED catalog. Incisive and comprehensively applicable, the way he connects choice psychology to marketing, human welfare, and social policy is masterful.

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