Academic Perspective

The recent heavy snowfall in the Washington D.C. area has given rise to some alarmingly naive comments from conservative pundits and Republican senators. America has come to expect the kind of shaky logic being used from Limbaugh, Hannity, and the rest of the conservative media cohort, but it is frankly distressing to hear Senators Jim [...]

Despite relatively mediocre reviews, Avatar has grossed slightly over $1.6 billion worldwide since its December 18th release. Less than a month later, virtually every major electronics company was showing off 3D televisions and Blu-Ray players at the yearly Consumer Electronics Show. Just as 2009 could be called the year of Twitter and the iPhone, 2010 [...]

With a new president, Barack Obama, Congress set out to tackle the president’s two biggest goals: to repair the economy and pass healthcare reform. A year later, new healthcare bills have been passed and the economy is on its way to recovery. But all these changes happened with no shortage of fanfare. 2009 was marked by raucous healthcare debate, media controversies, and economic turmoil. [...]

2009 was not exactly the most memorable year. If anything, it’s notable for being one of the gloomiest years of late. Bank accounts are drying up, foreclosures are through the roof, and unemployment is the highest its been in nearly three decades. In all parts of the world, there aren’t many who can look back [...]

Since it became clear that the U.S. was in the midst of an economic recession in 2008, the federal government has invested trillions to promote economic stability and, eventually, growth. These investments can be classified into two primary categories: bank bailouts and broader economic stimulus. [...]

Reconsidering Socialism as a Solution, not a System

“All socialist utopias come to grief with roast beef and apple pie”  - German sociologist Werner Sombart, 1905

Americans like getting what they want, when they want it. They like their roast beef and apple pie. They don’t like socialism.
Why not? Because when we have food on the table as a result of two centuries [...]

Organics. Chemical Free. Bio based products. Lately, it’s all about saving the world. We need to go green, to recycle, to make our carbon footprint smaller. And now- lucky us, it’s become the latest trend—you can buy eco-friendly almost anything. Clothes? Yep. Toys? You got it. Even water bottles have gone “green” with their new [...]

As a source of conspiracy theories, Google is easily one of the larger contributors when it comes to fears of digitally-based world domination. It isn’t very difficult to see the enormity of Google’s influence and in turn where such fears might take root. Take a look at the Google search bar that you undoubtedly [...]

The global economic recession has spared no one, not even one of the most consistently profitable industries in the world: sports. The US unemployment rate stands in double digits, its second highest since 1983. Credit is tight, making paying for housing, food and healthcare very difficult. Yet in such dire times, professional athletes always seem [...]

The United States of today bears little resemblance to the nation born in 1776. America made a conscious decision then that it would sacrifice peace, a reasonably stable economy, and a few years of prosperity to win its independence.  For a relatively conservative country, the U.S. has become remarkably attached to the freedoms it won. [...]