A rather interesting article on the way a person's language shapes the way they think about things. Of particular note is author's discussion on languages which don't rely on relative directions (such as behind, to the left, etc.) but only on geographic directions and the uncanny knack people using these languages have to always know which direction is which.

It's certainly worth determing what affect technology has on our brains and how we can maximize that affect for the better. The analogy of technology being like food, in which you can consume the wrong thing or too much of something, seems perhaps very well-suited to the question of how to use technology in everyday life.

A very interesting article dealing with people's rights to privacy and the extent to which government can monitor citizens. This has major implications and will surely be hotly contested. One can hear the echoes of Orwell's 1984.

Studies show that wasps implement harsh sanctions upon each other for deception. If a wasp indicates a greater strength than they actually have before a physical confrontation, they will be beaten more savagely than if they hadn't misrepresented themselves.

It's a worthy endeavor our Americans to understand perspectives from people all over the world, particularly on the possibility of Iran becoming a nuclear power. This article discusses a studying indicating that much of the Arab world doesn't have many reservations about Iran's nuclear program and actually sees it positively. This is certainly noteworthy given the instability of the region.

This is incredibly worrisome. That such atrocious actions are occurring anywhere in the world is a strong indication of how much work remains to be done, of how much human rights are still in need of defense. The fact that family members participated in the stoning of this couple indicate how poisonous sharia law is and the need for it to be eliminated. The civilized international community needs to take a very very strong stand against this.

This is an excellent story and something of extreme importance to any democracy. Various studies show that when people beleive something that is demonstrably false and are shown such, instead of changing their mind, they actually become more entrenched in the belief that they were right. Given the premise on which democracy is based, that an intelligent society can steer the country in the right location, this seems to indicate a significant roadblock. As the article points out, you may have someone that's fairly well-educated and right on 90% of what they believe, but are so resistant to change that you can't get them to recognize they're wrong on the other 10%. The problem is it's not even clear how to combat this ... More »

Given the international community's pressure by its implementation of sanctions through the UN, and harsher sanctions by the US and the EU, on Iran to cease uranium enrichment, this certainly isn't pleasing to hear. It will be interesting to see what the international response is and how Iran's plans proceed. It seems that things may soon reach a head.