Outside the Beltway

For years, I’ve used Loretta Lynn as an example of how fast societal mores have changed. It turns out that her marriage at age 13 may be a bit of myth making.

Another bizarre conservative rant about the President.

The outpouring from my Twitter stream yesterday on the news of the death of Adam Yauch, MCA of the Beastie Boys, surprised me.

The famous “double helix” article was published 59 years ago today. It’s worth a look.

The major you choose in college will have an impact on your future.

Legendary musician Levon Helm is dying.

Ted Nugent, whose music I really liked when I was in junior high school, said something vile and crazy.

Most of us with iPhone 4’s use Siri, the voice-activated digital assistant–but for a very limited range of tasks.

David C. Levy argues college professors at teaching universities are overpaid because they don’t put in enough hours.

Good Journalism?

Republicans continue to harp on the fact that the President uses a TelePrompter.

Was Return Of The Jedi the best of all the Star Wars films? One writer thinks so.

Davy Jones, the face of The Monkees, has died.

Rick Santorum is at the front of a brigade that wants to re-fight the sexual revolution. They’ll lose.

Whitney Houston, once one of the biggest stars in American popular culture, has died.

One wonders why any Republican politician would want to be associated with this image.

Members of Congress are responding to the protests against SOPA and PIPA by withdrawing their support for the bills.

Wikipedia’s English language site will be offline for 24 hours tomorrow to protest two controversial online piracy bills.

A new ruling from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals raises a host of questions.

Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” for 2011 is much different than their “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” for 2003.

Andy Rooney, best known to recent generations as the cranky old man at the end of “60 Minutes,” has died at 92.

It’s the 5% versus the 1% moreso than the 99% against the 1%.

Country music legend Hank Williams, Jr. is not a fan of the current administration.

If you haven’t experienced the joys of peddling around Germany with 15 of your closest friends while enjoying several liters of Munich’s finest, you’re too late.

Derek Thompson argues that “the real reason Americans fell so squeezed” is our obsession with productivity.

Matthew Yglesias resurrects an argument that should have died off when Napster disappeared.

Rick Perry placed his cowboy boots firmly on the third rail of American politics.

That a popular two-term governor of Utah is being rejected by likely Republican primary voters as insufficiently conservative shows just how extreme American politics has gotten.

Before achieving astounding success, Steve Jobs had to experience disappointment and failure.

Money isn’t the only benefit some receive for their work.

Is she in or is she out? And does it matter?

Rick Perry will need to get past Michele Bachmann before he takes on Mitt Romney. But, really, how hard could it be?

A political science-y response to the question of whether the system is broken.

I got your broken right here: the presidential nomination process.

Borders Books is closing, because the free market works.

A new Tim Pawlenty television ad is raising copyright issues rather than, as intended, bringing back memories of the 80s.