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Archive

Archives for September 2014

Movies
Strip away the color and music from Raiders of the Lost Ark, and it’s still greatStrip away the color and music from Raiders of the Lost Ark, and it’s still great
Movies

Strip away all the color and all the dialogue and you have a master class in staging.

By Alex Abad-Santos
Labor
Subprime loans are making a comeback, and it’s a disasterSubprime loans are making a comeback, and it’s a disaster
Labor

We’ve tried the whole “cheap credit instead of higher wages” thing before and it doesn’t have a happy ending. People need money, not loans.

By Matthew Yglesias
Syria
Did Obama screw up by telling ISIS that strikes were coming?Did Obama screw up by telling ISIS that strikes were coming?
Syria

Obama’s airstrikes in Syria aren’t much of a surprise: he said that they were coming in a September 10th speech. But did that give ISIS too much time to prepare?

By Zack Beauchamp
Marijuana Legalization
Alaska TV reporter says “Fuck it” and quits on air to support legal marijuana. Here’s why.Alaska TV reporter says “Fuck it” and quits on air to support legal marijuana. Here’s why.
Marijuana Legalization

The issue goes further than recreational marijuana use.

By German Lopez
Culture
Last night’s Sleepy Hollow premiere was dastardly ingenious televisionLast night’s Sleepy Hollow premiere was dastardly ingenious television
Culture

The show uses your own knowledge of how modern serialized television works against you.

By Emily St. James
archives
The sexual threats against Emma Watson are an attack on every womanThe sexual threats against Emma Watson are an attack on every woman
archives

A site was set up threatening to release private nude photos of Emma Watson, apparently because she stood up for gender equality. The threats against her are an attack on all of us, and we need to take it personally.

By Amanda Taub
archives
Manhattan is less dense today than it was in 1910Manhattan is less dense today than it was in 1910
archives

The decline of the maid’s room and the Lower East Side tenement are to blame.

By Matthew Yglesias
archives
This chart of skyrocketing refugee numbers shows how bad Syria’s war isThis chart of skyrocketing refugee numbers shows how bad Syria’s war is
archives

130,000 refugees flooded into Turkey in just three days.

By Amanda Taub
Syria
The US is bombing Syria: What we know and don’t knowThe US is bombing Syria: What we know and don’t know
Syria

The first-ever US air strikes against ISIS in Syria are shrouded in a degree of mystery.

By Max Fisher, Amanda Taub and 1 more
Climate
Past UN climate talks have failed. Will this next round be different?Past UN climate talks have failed. Will this next round be different?
Climate

The world’s leaders are hoping to get a new climate deal in place by 2015.

By Brad Plumer
archives
4 amazing charts about pumpkins4 amazing charts about pumpkins
archives

Its decorative gourd season — and demand for mini-pumpkins is just out of control.

By Sarah Kliff
Syria
17 things about ISIS you need to know17 things about ISIS you need to know
Video
The US is bombing Syria to destroy ISIS. It won’t work.The US is bombing Syria to destroy ISIS. It won’t work.
Play
Video

The new US bombing campaign in Syria is part of a broader strategy to root ISIS out of both Syria and Iraq. Too bad it’s likely to fail.

By Zack Beauchamp
Syria
This Syrian man is live-tweeting the first American air strikes in his countryThis Syrian man is live-tweeting the first American air strikes in his country
Syria

Abdulkader Hariri identified the American drones and warplanes filling the skies over Raqqa 30 minutes before they were officially announced.

By Max Fisher
archives
Here’s Obama’s plan to curb corporate tax inversionsHere’s Obama’s plan to curb corporate tax inversions
archives

Absent congressional action, the executive branch is striking out on its own to curb tax inversions

By Danielle Kurtzleben