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"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Ends Today...Will the Mutinies Begin?
In August, 2010, Paul Rieckhoff, Founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, told Big Think, "I will put all the money in my pocket right now on the fact that “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” will be repealed." Of course, Rieckhoff turned out to be right, and today marks the day that the military's ... -
Pirate Party Wins in Germany
The Pirate party, which ran an irreverent campaign initially focusing on filesharing, data protection and censorship drew 8.5% of Germany's parliamentary vote, exit polls indicate.
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Why Greece Should Default
The current European currency crisis is similar in ways to the subprime mortgage crash of 2008, says George Soros. But unfortunately, the Euro's troubles are even more intractable.
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China's Stealthy Military Buildup
While the U.S. can expect sustained efforts to slash the defense budget, it faces a growing strategic challenge: China has been engaged in a rapid and wide-ranging military buildup.
Topics
Politics & Policy
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Floating University
FU Asks: Should the Government Fund the Arts?
2 days ago
Welcome to a new feature on the Floating University blog, FU Asks, where we open up the academic debate on our e-learning platform to the Big Think community. This week we're featuring a discussion prompt from Leon Botstein, President of Bard College and conductor of the American Symphony ... Read More
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IdeaFeed
The Dark Side of Wind Power
4 days ago
What's the Latest Development? Wind energy is becoming big business, particularly in developing countries where traditional electricity infrastructure is lacking. Wind power also represents a kinder, greener version of economic development. But it is precisely this clean image which allows the ... Read More
Latest Ideas
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FU Asks: Should the Government Fund the Arts?
2 days ago
Welcome to a new feature on the Floating University blog, FU Asks, where we open up the academic debate on our e-learning platform to the Big Think community. This week we're featuring a discussion prompt from Leon Botstein, President of Bard College and conductor of the American Symphony ... Read More
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Paul Ryan, Individual Liberty, and the Fate of Medicare
5 days ago
Just as Mitt Romney appears to be wrapping up the Republican nomination for the presidency, congressional Republicans are taking steps to set up their own political framework for the 2012 election. In short, the future of Medicare is on the line and a Romney vs. Obama match-up will surely address ... Read More
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Standardized Testing: The Monster That Ate American Education
7 days ago
What's the Big Idea? As the Assistant Secretary of Education in the first Bush administration, Educational historian Diane Ravitch became known for her push to establish national standards for K-12 education. From 1997-2004, she served as a member of the National Assessment Governing Board ... Read More
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Standardized Testing: The Monster that Ate American Education
7 days ago
None of the characteristics that are important for thriving in the world of the twenty-first century are encouraged by standardized testing, argues Diane Ravitch, one of the most respected educational historians in the world. What we need is a generation of students who can think critically and creatively. Read More
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The New Higher Education Playbook
11 days ago
"We have a fundamental misallocation of resources in higher ed. We spend hundreds of billions of dollars; the vast bulk of it is going to people who already have advantages, who already have so much, and yet we’re leaving people out of the system," says Andrew Rosen, CEO of Kaplan. Read More
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Outsourcing Talent in the Land of the Free?
13 days ago
The biggest problem facing the tech industry right now, says Kevin Ryan, CEO of Gilt Groupe, is a shortage of trained workers. Read More
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Is the U.S. Still the "Land of the Free?"
13 days ago
What's the Big Idea? Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free... Immigration is an integral part of the story Americans tell themselves about who they are. A paper in the Journal of Politics found that more than 90% of Americans believe that just thinking of ... Read More
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Julian Assange To Host Talk Show On Russia Today
17 days ago
Julian Assange: Establishment outsider. Nobel Peace Prize nominee. Talk show host? Apparently so. The Australian founder of controversial website WikiLeaks will be at the helm of "The World Tomorrow," a series comprised of 10 interviews with "key political players, thinkers and revolutionaries," to ... Read More
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