Why Religion May Be a Matter of Ideology, Not Theology

Oftentimes you hear people lament religion and how it is the cause of so much conflict and violence throughout the world. “If only religion were to disappear,” they say, “then we would all live ...
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Obama’s Gay Marriage Endorsement Raises Eyebrows and Campaign Funds

Last week, Barack Obama came out and publicly endorsed gay marriage, a move that many saw as a huge political gamble. Many on the left have worried that the announcement will help fire up socially con...
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UCSB Palestinian Awareness Week: Event Confronts Ongoing Conflict, Heightens Tensions But Fails to Shed Light on New Solutions

The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is arguably the most contentious in the world. On Thursday, the Arbor was converted into an ideological battleground between the two sides. A large wooden gate, bearin...
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Really Want to Stick it to the Man? Go Forth and Be Fruitful: Politically Strategic Baby-Makin’

Turns out, if you are a liberal, having a baby is one of the best ways you can fight for your cause. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, conservatives have 41 percent more offspring than liberal...
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Conservatives Are From Mars, Liberals Are From Venus

Earlier this month, science and politics journalist Chris Mooney came out with a new book entitled The Republican Brain, The Science of Why They Deny Science—and Reality, a book that is much more in...
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“If You Can’t Bribe a Politician, You Can Now Just Buy One”

Money is flooding into political elections at an unprecedented rate, giving an enormous amount of influence to wealthy interests in our country. For decades special interest groups have spent millions...
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How the Party of “No” Managed to Oppose Its Own Idea

Last week, the Supreme Court heard three days of oral arguments on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, with conservatives giddy and itching to see the presiden...
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Twilight Series Proves Vampires Are Effective Propaganda Ambassadors

The other day, I came home from an intramural soccer game and two of my roomies were watching “Twilight: Breaking Dawn.” I had never read any of the books nor seen any of the movies, but I knew th...
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What’s on your mind? The Power of Social Media in a Dynamic Age

Who would have thought when we all made our first MySpace pages back in high school, complete with the ridiculous personalized backgrounds and theme songs, that we were leading a worldwide revolution?...
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Why the iPhone Will Never Carry That ‘Made in the U.S.A.’ Stamp

Two weeks ago, the New York Times published a report entitled “How the U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work,” detailing how Apple went from manufacturing most of its products in the United States in 2002 ...
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Famed Fútbol Rivalry Reveals Historical Divide

Last Wednesday, FC Barcelona eliminated Real Madrid from the Copa del Rey tournament and here at UCSB, I saw plenty of kids repping their Barça and Madrid jerseys and at least a few others streaming ...
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Newt Gingrich: He’s Only Fooling Goldilocks

  At first they tried Papa Bear Cain’s porridge, but it was a little too strange with that weird pizza-flavored aftertaste. Then they tried Mama Bear Romney’s porridge, but it was a little to...
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How I Know Who You’ll Vote for in 2012

Welcome back Gauchoans, and Happy New Year!  2012 is destined to be a doozy. Not only will it be the final year of our lives, but in November we will decide who the final president of the United Stat...
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(w)Ron(g) Paul’s Free Market Fairytale

[media-credit name=”Erika Frost” align=”aligncenter” width=”250″][/media-credit]Gather round, all ye children, for I haveth a tale for thee on why Ron Paul is oh so...
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U.S. Repeal of UNESCO Funding Misses Big Picture

Last week, Palestine officially joined UNESCO, the UN’s educational, scientific and cultural organization, as its newest member. The vote approving Palestine’s membership was overwhelming; 107 mem...
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