Columns and Columnists

Worst Column Ever by Times Pundit David Brooks: "When the Good Do Bad"

21 May 2012

Evolutionary psychology, which traces what we do and think to instincts embedded into our ancestors by natural selection, is a dangerous meme. It can make even the smartest intellectuals say not-so-smart things. One is Steven Pinker, whose recent book The Better Angels of Our Nature (Viking Adult, 2011), while in many ways a monumental scholarly achievement, was marred by his commitment to the ...

The Freshman: Questions drive it all home as Year One ends

20 May 2012

A few weeks ago, I was hosting a couple of prospective freshmen, or "Prospies," for an overnight visit to Columbia's campus. It was a particularly exciting week for them to come, since a movie titled "Kill Your Darlings" was being filmed on campus.

Couch Slouch: Minnesota continues centuries old tradition of tax subsidies for stadiums

20 May 2012

In yet another snub to Couch Slouch’s “No More Stadiums, With or Without Tax Subsidies� Tour, the state of Minnesota — the premier serial subsidizer of the 21st century — is publicly funding much of an almost $1 billion football facility . Read full article >>