Appreciating this issue’s cover illustration, I found myself wondering if supernaturalists would wonder why God wasn’t pictured up top. If God is the ultimate... Read More

My father, a volunteer police officer, kept a .44 Magnum under lock and key in the drawer beside his bed. This is the gun... Read More

This past January Aaron Swartz, a brilliant young computer programmer and activist, committed suicide after apparently being harassed for over a year by federal... Read More

My first job in Washington, DC, was editing a trade magazine for the men and women who worked in the corrections industry. This was... Read More

“These people bring it on themselves.” “Their hijinks should be held up as an example.” “We can’t be soft on these people.” These are... Read More

Until I met a young woman from Kabul, Afghanistan, named Tabasum, I’d nearly given up on finding my cause. My only child, Lili, had... Read More

Penn Jillette, the resonant half of the magic duo Penn & Teller, is the master of meander. A carny in love with the carnival,... Read More

Dear reader, this is your lucky day! I can teach you how to steal a watch, cheat at cards, read minds, and astonish friends... Read More

A long time ago I used to be a Roman Catholic, and in those days we talked a lot about tests of faith. They... Read More

In his study of the psychological damage wrought by World War II, historian Paul Fussell details a soldier’s view of death in combat as... Read More