The Republican Presidential Field: Why Are They All Running?

Underwhelmed by Tuesday’s formal announcement of candidacy by Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., some may ask why he’s running for president. Those asking might include people who had not heard of Huntsman heretofore, or who read a glowing magazine profile of him and expected more from his Statue of Liberty speech on Tuesday. Note to [...]

FDA Finds Silicone Breast Implants Safe, But Prone To Fail With Age

Today the Food and Drug Administration said that silicone breast implants are generally safe, when used as intended. And the devices don’t seem to cause autoimmune disease, breast cancer, or reproductive problems, as some previous reports had suggested. But the agency also said that women frequently have problems with the implants, so much so that [...]

The Value Of College, In 2 Graphs

PIMCO’s Bill Gross jumps on the college-bashing bandwagon in his latest note. A mind is a precious thing to waste, so why are millions of America’s students wasting theirs by going to college? … Students … can no longer assume that a four year degree will be the golden ticket to a good job in [...]

Chris Weitz: From ‘New Moon’ To ‘A Better Life’

In Chris Weitz’s new indie drama, A Better Life, an immigrant living illegally in Los Angeles desperately tries to evade immigration officials and keep his teenage son away from the pervasive gang violence on the streets. To make the film, Weitz — whose previous film credits include directing the not-so-indie films New Moon and The [...]

‘That’s How’ Christoph Niemann Explains It All

Even if you don’t know Christoph Niemann by name, you’ve probably seen his work. The graphic designer and illustrator’s work has appeared on the covers of The New Yorker, Newsweek and the New York Times Magazine. One of his recent covers for The New Yorker was a poignant commentary on the nuclear power plant meltdown [...]

Cholesterol Drugs May Raise Risk Of Diabetes A Little

Now there’s some more evidence that taking cholesterol-lowering drugs can raise the risk for diabetes. But doctors say the small increase seen doesn’t mean people at risk for serious heart trouble should stop taking the medicines. An analysis in the latest issue of JAMA took a look at five previously published studies that included more [...]

‘Bob And The Monster’: The Curious Question Of What You Leave Out

Bob And The Monster is an insightful, very interesting documentary about Bob Forrest, a musician turned unconventional drug counselor. At this point, you fall into one of three categories. Many of you are saying, “Bob who?” Some of you are saying, “Wait, Bob Forrest who was the lead singer of Thelonious Monster?” And some of [...]

A Weird, And Wonderful, Cartoon ‘Congress’

First a bit of background: For years, in works like The Frank Book and Weathercraft, cartoonist Jim Woodring has been producing wordless, surreal, darkly beautiful comic book fables about …. Well, here’s where things get tricky. Because Woodring’s singular talent lies in creating vast, painstakingly rendered grotesqueries that resist tidy classification. His pen-and-ink landscapes — [...]

‘Being Elmo’: Covering Raw Talent With Bright Red Fur

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey is a job documentary at heart. You take a person who has a really interesting job that he’s very good at — here, playing probably the most popular Muppet to hit Sesame Street since the show premiered — and you look at the road that got him there and what [...]

Rig Owner Blames BP For Gulf Oil Disaster

Saying that “as operator of the Macondo well, BP directed all aspects of its development,” the owner of the rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010 today made its case that the blame for the worst oil spill in U.S. history should be placed on the shoulders of the British company. [...]