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Why the label 'cult' gets in the way of understanding new religions

  • Written by Mathew Schmalz, Associate Professor of Religion, College of the Holy Cross
A 1979 image that shows disciples of Rajneesh lying on the ground, in meditation at the mystic's headquarters in Poona, India.AP Photo/Eddie Adams

“Cults” are back in the news.

The Netflix documentary “Wild Wild Country” has revived interest in the “free-lovecult” founded by Indian guru Rajneesh, or “Osho,&r...

Read more: Why the label 'cult' gets in the way of understanding new religions

Why can't Trump just take out Assad?

  • Written by David Alpher, Adjunct Professor at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University

Once again, Syrian President Bashir Al-Assad is accused of using chemical weapons against his own people. Reports from multiple sources detail the attack, which appears incontestable despite Russian denials.

The Trump administration has responded by whiplashing from their stated position that American troops would be withdrawn soon to promising...

Read more: Why can't Trump just take out Assad?

Trump national security staff merry-go-round reflects decades of policy competition and conflict

  • Written by Gordon Adams, Professor Emeritus, American University School of International Service
President Donald Trump with now-former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, right, and former National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster. AP /Andrew Harnik

Who is in charge of the national security policy of the United States?

That question is reasonable, given the turmoil in the Trump administration’s national security team. That core team is made...

Read more: Trump national security staff merry-go-round reflects decades of policy competition and conflict

The Trump administration, slanted science and the environment: 4 essential reads

  • Written by Jennifer Weeks, Environment + Energy Editor, The Conversation
March for Science in Portland, Oregon, April 22, 2017.Another Believer, CC BY-SA

Scientists and environmental advocates will be speaking out this month about the Trump administration and what they view as its abuses of science. This year’s March for Science on Saturday, April 14, has a goal of holding leaders accountable for “developing...

Read more: The Trump administration, slanted science and the environment: 4 essential reads

Fragmented US privacy rules leave large data loopholes for Facebook and others

  • Written by Florian Schaub, Assistant Professor of Information; Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan
What are the rules governing who's watching you online?Aleutie

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s Congressional testimonywill discuss ways to keep people’s online data private, which I’m interested in as a privacy scholar. Facebook and other U.S. companies already follow more comprehensive privacy laws in other countries. But without...

Read more: Fragmented US privacy rules leave large data loopholes for Facebook and others

From certain war to uncertain peace: Northern Ireland's Good Friday Agreement turns 20

  • Written by John W. Mackey, Chair and Senior Lecturer, Social Sciences, Boston University
After signing the Good Friday Agreement, Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, U.S. Sen. George Mitchell and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.AP Photo

In 1988, one of Northern Ireland’s most divisive Protestant politicians rose to his feet and shouted at Pope John Paul II, who was addressing the European Parliament, “I denounce you as the...

Read more: From certain war to uncertain peace: Northern Ireland's Good Friday Agreement turns 20

Remind us: What exactly is the National Guard?

  • Written by Frances Tilney Burke, PhD student, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University

President Donald Trump recently announced his plan to dispatch National Guard troops to the southern border to assist with security efforts.

The Army National Guard is the oldest defense force in the nation, formed in 1636 as three militia regiments in the Massachusetts Bay Colony armed to defend against the Pequot Indians.

The actual term...

Read more: Remind us: What exactly is the National Guard?

Brazil in political crisis over jailed president: 4 essential reads

  • Written by Catesby Holmes, Global Affairs Editor, The Conversation US

Former Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is in jail. His imprisonment follows a dramatic standoff that had Brazil teetering on the edge of violence for almost 24 hours after the leftist leader refused to surrender himself to police.

Lula da Silva, who goes by “Lula,” was the wildly popular president of this South...

Read more: Brazil in political crisis over jailed president: 4 essential reads

Porn 'disruption' makes Stormy Daniels a rare success in increasingly abusive industry

  • Written by Gail Dines, Professor of Sociology and Women's Studies, Wheelock College
Stormy Daniels is the rare 'porn star' to find success. She was even briefly a Senate contender in 2009.AP Photo/Bill Haber

Stephanie Clifford, better known as Stormy Daniels, rocketed to fame recently by challenging a non-disclosure agreement tied to the US$130,000 payoff she received to keep silent about her alleged sexual relationship with the...

Read more: Porn 'disruption' makes Stormy Daniels a rare success in increasingly abusive industry

Local media struggle to hold Sinclair accountable

  • Written by Andrea Hickerson, Director of the School of Communication and Associate Professor of Journalism, Rochester Institute of Technology
A screenshot from the Deadspin montage, which featured news anchors repeating the same script decrying 'fake news.'Deadspin

Sinclair Broadcast Group’s stations are under renewed scrutiny following Deadspin’s release of a montage of anchors reading the same script about fake news.

Since then, many of the anchors featured in the video have...

Read more: Local media struggle to hold Sinclair accountable

More Articles ...

  1. Mormonism's newest apostles reflect growing global reach
  2. Election security means much more than just new voting machines
  3. Why the extreme reaction to Obamacare could be the new normal in American politics
  4. Why nuclear fusion is gaining steam – again
  5. Goodbye Kepler, hello TESS: Passing the baton in the search for distant planets
  6. Why double-majors might beat you out of a job
  7. Why weather forecasters still struggle to get the big storms right
  8. Coral reefs are in crisis – but scientists are finding effective ways to restore them
  9. Why California gets to write its own auto emissions standards: 5 questions answered
  10. Paper trails and random audits could secure all elections – don't save them just for recounts in close races
  11. Rights of the dead and the living clash when scientists extract DNA from human remains
  12. Colombia's murder rate is at an all-time low but its activists keep getting killed
  13. For many US towns and cities, deciding which streets to name after MLK reflects his unfinished work
  14. How to deal with life's risks more rationally
  15. Government fuel economy standards for cars and trucks have worked
  16. Why is it so stressful to talk politics with the other side?
  17. American broadcasting has always been closely intertwined with American politics
  18. Understanding Facebook's data crisis: 5 essential reads
  19. Howard University student protest: 3 questions answered
  20. Stronger fuel standards make sense, even when gas prices are low
  21. Why China's soybean tariffs matter
  22. Sinclair-style employment contracts that require payment for quitting are very uncommon. Here's why
  23. Why the Christian right opposes pornography but still supports Trump
  24. Look up – it's a satellite!
  25. Why are fewer and fewer Americans fixing their noses?
  26. Behind the scenes of Venezuela's deadly prison fire
  27. Gaza's nonviolent protesters exploited by Hamas, but feared by Israel
  28. When police use force: 3 essential reads
  29. Sure, cancer mutates, but it has other ways to resist treatment
  30. Driverless cars are already here but the roads aren't ready for them
  31. Today's youth reject capitalism, but what do they want to replace it?
  32. I’m suing Scott Pruitt’s broken EPA - here’s how to fix it
  33. Why are Sinclair's scripted news segments such a big deal?
  34. What meeting your spouse online has in common with arranged marriage
  35. Resisting technology, Appalachian style
  36. Half of Earth's satellites restrict use of climate data
  37. Why a census question about citizenship should worry you, whether you're a citizen or not
  38. Genes and environment have equal influence in learning for rich and poor kids, study finds
  39. 5 things to know about the teacher strike in Oklahoma
  40. Why bodycam footage might not clear things up
  41. A chicken in every backyard: Urban poultry needs more regulation to protect human and animal health
  42. It's not my fault, my brain implant made me do it
  43. Costa Rica looks a little less exceptional after its heated election
  44. Statesman, strongman, philosopher, autocrat: China's Xi is a man who contains multitudes
  45. Trump's military policy overlooks data on why transgender troops are fit to serve
  46. Why prime numbers still fascinate mathematicians, 2,300 years later
  47. Fabiano Caruana is poised to do what no American has done since Bobby Fischer. Here's the path he took to get there
  48. Colleges must confront sexual assault and sexual harassment head on
  49. FDR's forest army: How the New Deal helped seed the modern environmental movement 85 years ago
  50. MLK's vision matters today for the 43 million Americans living in poverty