First Derivative [32]
When you call John McPhee on the phone, he is instantly John McPhee. McPhee is now 86 years old, and each of those years seems to be filed away inside of him, loaded with information, ready to access. I was calling to arrange a visit to Princeton…
h/t to my friend PK—TK
“Most descriptions of troubled marriages don't seem to fit my situation,” Priya insists. “Colin and I have a wonderful relationship. Great kids, no financial stresses, careers we love, great friends. He is a phenom at work…
Does Even Mark Zuckerberg Know What Facebook Is?
Mark Zuckerberg had just returned from paternity leave, and he wanted to talk about Facebook, democracy, and elections and to define what he felt his creation owed the world in exchange for its hegemony. A few weeks earlier, in early September, the…
When the National Bird Is a Burden
Harris was initially pleased by this development. Top predators have long played an important role in nature. Wolves and cougars once put pressure on bison to keep moving over long ranges of land, and he says, “There was never overgrazing…
thought this was a quirky piece. Veneration of symbols and the consequences it has in this particular case—TK
Carl Jung was done a disservice by the sanitized spirituality of the New Age movement. Jungian archetypes were shoved into the same bucket as the zodiac, astrology, and healing crystals, lost in the blur of wishful thinking that had captured the…
Camille Paglia on Hugh Hefner's Legacy, Trump's Masculinity and Feminism's Sex Phobia
With the death of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner on Sept. 27, cultural historian and contrarian feminist Camille Paglia spoke to The Hollywood Reporter in an exclusive interview on topics ranging from what Hef's choice of the bunny costume revealed…
May not be 100% but interesting and though-provoking. Right or wrong, definitely a more sophisticated discussion—TK
Saudi Arabia to Plan Russia Deals, Deepening Energy Ties
Saudi Arabia is looking at unprecedented deals to acquire oil and gas assets in Russia, deepening ties between the world's largest energy exporters as the Saudi king prepares to visit Moscow later this week. OPEC's biggest crude producer is…
Important to keep an eye on—TK
The Corrosion of High School Debate-And How It Mirrors American Politics
Debaters rattle off arguments at a blistering pace, sometimes more than 300 words per minute. (image by istock.) While high school football players burst out of locker rooms at halftime to vigorous cheers, their…
The article I wish I could have written about high school debate. Kudos to a fellow Regian—TK
I don't see what difference it can make now to reveal that I passed high-school math only because I cheated. I could add and subtract and multiply and divide, but I entered the wilderness when words became equations and x's and y's. On test days, I…
Chip Reprograms Cells to Regenerate Damaged Tissue
The ability to convert, or “reprogram,” cells into other types has raised hopes for regenerating damaged limbs and organs. But existing methods are risky or inefficient and have been tried only on laboratory animals. A new technology…