Gmail Smart Labels

Gmail has introduced another feature to help people deal with inbox overload: Smart Labels.

Education Reform: Lectures at Home, Homework at School

Salmon Khan argues that students should watch videos at night and practice during the day.

Illinois Abolishes Death Penalty

Illinois became the 16th state to abolish capital punishment today. That’s far too few.

Which Conservatives Are Worth Reading?

Paul Krugman admits that he doesn’t bother to read conservative commentary. Should he?

David Broder Dead at 81

The legendary columnist David Broder has died.

New Media Sucks; So Did Old Media

While there are doubtless flaws with the journalistic values and culture of the New Media, we too often contrast today with a Golden Age of Media that never existed.

In Defense of Bureaucracy

Yes, bureaucracies can be annoying, but they are also vital for modern society.

NPR CEO Out

Can Republicans Beat Obama?

All of the plausible Republican contenders for 2012 have significant downsides.

Charlie Sheen Symbolizes Western Decadance

An op-ed by a Hao Leifeng in China’s Global Times argues that “Actor Charlie Sheen is a classic example of the difference in Western and Eastern values and norms.”

Marizela Perez Still Missing

Marizela Perez, Michelle Malkin’s cousin, remains missing. She was last seen in Seattle’s University District Saturday afternoon.

Facebook For Scientists

Scientists have discovered that the Internet could be a useful collaborate tool.

The Negative State

William Easterly identifies the concept of the negative highway, inconvenient connections between Interstate highways seemingly created for the sole purpose of enticing people to shop at local businesses.

A Libyan No-Fly Zone Won’t Stop Gaddafi

Establishing a no-fly zone in Libya won’t stop the Civil War, and it’s likely to draw the United States further into a conflict that it needs to stay out of.

You Can’t Make the Government Perfect, But You Can Make It Better

It’s institutions of government – not its size – that matter when it comes to how good a job the government does.

US President Barack Obama, with US Vice President Joe Biden (L) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen (C), speaks alongside the Joint Chiefs of Staff and US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (R) after meetings at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, January 28, 2009. AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images US President Barack Obama, with US Vice President Joe Biden (L) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen (C), speaks alongside the Joint Chiefs of Staff and US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (R) after meetings at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, January 28, 2009. AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

Military Leadership Too White and Male?

The top ranks of the military are whiter and decidedly more male than the country as a whole. Should that change?

Obama High School Speaker Contest Gets Few Entrants

Would you like President Obama to speak at your graduation? You’re the only one.

OTB Caption Contest Winners

The Blue Man Dupe Edition OTB Caption ContestTM is now over.

Charlie Sheen Fired from ‘Two and a Half Men’

Charlie Sheen was the highest paid sitcom actor on the planet. Until a few minutes ago:

Mainstreaming Brutality

In just over a decade, America has gone from a bipartisan consensus that torture and brutality are bad to a bipartisan consensus that they’re necessary.

Quorum Busting v. Filibustering

The funny thing is that the quorum-busting in WI is more like a filibuster ought to be: a true delaying tactic that eventually has to give way to a democratic outcome.

Leave The Strategic Petroleum Reserve Alone

As gas and oil prices rise, the pressure is increasing to tap into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. It’s a dumb idea.

Facebook Comments and the Authenticity of Multiple Identities

The lines between our public and professional identities and our private and social ones continue to blur.

WI Standoff Poised to End (or, Maybe Not–UPDATED)

The Democrats appear ready to come home (or, as per the update, maybe not).

OTB Caption Contest

Time for the Monday OTB Caption ContestTM

OTB Site Issues

Jacques Chirac Corruption Trial

Former French president Jacques Chirac is being tried on corruption charges stemming from misconduct as mayor of Paris.

Mitt Romney at Daytona 500 Mitt Romney at Daytona 500

Mitt Romney, Republican Frontrunner, Cipher

Mitt Romney starts his 2012 run as the frontrunner for the Republican nomination. But, in reinventing himself yet again, the “authenticity” issue that troubled many of us in 2008 looms again.