The National Spelling Bee , now underway — or it it weigh? — is a hilarious concept. What better way to announce to the world at large that you have a totally useless and unmarketable skill — besides, I guess, framing your sociology degree? You’re a world-champion speller, eh? Do you also play the mountain dulcimer? That might have more practical applications in the workforce. The Olympics will at least earn you sponsorship money. Yes, there are machines that do everything Michael Phelps does, but at least he looks sort of studly while doing it, and you will never find a compromising picture of a machine with a bong during the off-season. Read full article > >

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Scripps National Spelling Bee is a wast of tym

Social scientists have just published papers analyzing the “celebrity contagion” and “imitative magic” that lead collectors to bid high.

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Urge to Own That Clapton Guitar Is Contagious, Scientists Find

With the death last month of Daniel Bell, we lost a prescient big thinker on many subjects, including ideology and American politics.

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Essay: Daniel Bell, Master Builder

A social psychologist has argued that there is a hostile climate for non-liberals among his colleagues.

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Findings: Social Scientist Sees Bias Within

Decades after Daniel Patrick Moynihan, scholars are conceding culture and persistent poverty are enmeshed.

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‘Culture of Poverty’ Makes a Comeback