The conventional view of marriage holds that its satisfaction levels are U-shaped. There’s a crazy hyped-up romantic part at the start, and then a decline as people come to terms with the fact that life with another person is only sometimes an escalator to the upper reaches of happiness and often more of an Iditarod … Read moreWhy Are So Many Notable Celebrity Couples Breaking Up?
On a snowy Christmas morning in 1932, the writer and poet Langston Hughes woke up to find a stocking hanging from the post of his bed. It was stuffed with halva, cashew, and pistachio nuts grown by his hosts, a group of African American agronomists who had been living in Yangiyul, Uzbekistan, at the invitation … Read moreThe Enduring Lesson of Langston Hughes’ Christmas in Uzbekistan
Just prior to Christmas in 1823, a poem called “A Visit from St. Nicholas” appeared in the Troy Sentinel, sans attribution. The author, perhaps viewing this particular literary excursion as slumming it, was Clement Clarke Moore, who had hit upon the idea of a Christmas poem for the American masses the year prior when out … Read moreWhy I Still Believe in Santa Claus
Seventy-six years ago, at the age of seven, my journey with the piano began—the start of a lifelong engagement with music that shaped my worldview. At 14, I became interested in Jazz and my career and life took a huge turn at 23 when I had the honor of joining The Miles Davis Quintet. [time-brightcove … Read moreProminent Jazz Musician Herbie Hancock Reflects on Buddhist Daisaku Ikeda’s Impact on His Life
Maybe it’s the bell-ringers and their kettles. Or a solicitation from a local food bank or a midnight mission. It’s the season when we’re reminded of the “less fortunate” whom, this year, include more than 44 million Americans who don’t have enough to eat. And despite donations, meal drop-offs, and stints at a soup kitchen, … Read moreThe Republican War on Food Programs
Between 1936 and 2012, 11 out of 14 presidents seeking a second White House term were re-elected. This success rate convinced many that, as with other elected offices, incumbency offers distinct advantages for the presidency. But what if this conventional wisdom is now wrong? What if, in an era of profound distrust and ingrained political … Read moreIncumbency Is No Longer an Advantage in Presidential Elections
Marching through somber streets, men in uniform confiscate items, entering houses for further looting, all legalized by a leader waving his fist and spewing anger. Germany in the 1930s? No, the classic Christmas movie Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, which aired originally in 1970. Written and directed by the men who brought Americans Rudolph … Read moreThe Classic Christmas Movie That Offers a Lesson About Antisemitism in America
After Iowa lawmakers passed a ban on gender-affirming care for minors in March, managers of an LGBTQ+ health clinic located just across the state line in Moline, Illinois, decided to start offering that care. The added services would provide care to patients who live in largely rural eastern Iowa, including some of the hundreds previously … Read moreMalpractice Insurance Prices Are Stopping Small Clinics From Offering Gender-Affirming Care to Minors
Humanity’s evolutionary superpower is our behavioral flexibility. As we go through life, we learn how to navigate the world, building a store of knowledge, habits, and policies that have served us well in the situations we’ve encountered. But there will always be new scenarios that may require new solutions—something we’ve never done before or even … Read moreThe One Thing Our Brains Rely on to Generate New Ideas
Editor’s Note: In an earlier post compiled from emails, Amal Murtaja wrote of her family’s experience in the war that began on Oct. 7, the day Hamas killed 1,200 people in Israel and abducted 240. Israel’s military response has killed more than 19,000 people in the Gaza Strip, including the wife and two children of … Read moreWhat We Left in the Burning City