Over at Ben Smith’s new BuzzFeed Politics Bureau, McKay Coppins offers a straightforward and enlightening primer on the special Mormon undergarments that have elicited harsh, unthinking mockery from the likes of Bill Maher and Maureen Dowd. Writes Coppins: It’s true that Mormons are taught not to flaunt “garments” (as they’re called) for public view, which […]

According to Defense Secretary Panetta’s top policy aide, there’s a good chance that US forces could be heading back into Iraq sometime soon. That’s at least what the Associated Press is reporting today. The troops would not have a combat role, but would carry out training for Iraqi forces.It’s bad news that the Iraqis need […]

As city officials in one of America’s most left-wing municipal governments begged the “Occupy Oakland” movement to stop trashing the struggling, heavily minority city’s streets, public buildings and YMCA, delusional “Occupy” protesters spoke of establishment plots and evil police conspiracies.In the strange mental landscape where they dwell, some Occupiers seem to have convinced themselves that […]

[This post begins a series on how the United States can move beyond our current political, economic and social impasse to create a new kind of society. The series continues Via Meadia’s examination of the demise of the blue social model and its effects on American politics and culture.] The frustration and bitterness that fills […]

It’s been over three years since Obama’s promise to use the power of his administration to usher in a new era of green jobs, but green energy companies don’t seem pleased with what they’ve received.  The New York Times reported Thursday that “wind and solar companies are telling Congress that they cannot be truly competitive […]

Via Meadia‘s updates to the “Ten Trends to Watch” continued this week with trends six through ten: Hot Religion, The Age of the Apocolypse, Uneven Development and the “African Time Bomb,” The European Crack-up, and Hope and Change. We also published the first Turkish Press Roundup, courtesy of Via Meadia‘s secret spy in Istanbul.The EU announced its intention to […]

For the cover story of the current issue of The New Republic, Robert Kagan has penned a rousing intellectual assault on the narrative of American decline popular among certain elements of the punditry. His nuanced and wide-ranging argument encompasses everything from economic indicators to military spending to America’s image abroad, and should be read in […]

Rarely is there reason to care about Ivy League football, but the recent Yale football scandal adds fuel to the already-impassioned debate over the future American amateur athletics. Quarterback Patrick Witt faced the ultimate golden boy problem: either don his Yale uniform and play against Harvard in the annual game, or interview for the Rhodes […]

  This week, domestic press coverage in Turkey closely followed developments regarding the resolution eventually passed by the French Senate that criminalized the denial of genocide, including the 1915 conflict between Ottoman authorities and Armenians in that category. Various dailies highlighted French Judge Thierry Fragnoli’s opposition to the bill, and criticized the letter from French […]

The Economist obituary this week is for Gustav Leonhardt. the great harpsichordist who is credited as the father of the early music movement.Last night I was a beneficiary of Leonhardt’s life work: I attended a stunning performance of The Enchanted Island at the Metropolitan Opera. This exuberant pastiche of great early opera, with harpsichords, countertenors […]