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Geneticists are now estimating that the Spanish Inquisition led to large amounts of intermarriage between nominally converted Muslims and Jews with Catholics in Spain after 1492. From that date, the Spanish state forbade all religions but orthodox Catholicism in Spain, making Jews and Christians who chose to remain convert. A new study finds that 1 […]

Geneticists are now estimating that the Spanish Inquisition led to large amounts of intermarriage between nominally converted Muslims and Jews with Catholics in Spain after 1492. From that date, the Spanish state forbade all religions but orthodox Catholicism in Spain, making Jews and Christians who chose to remain convert. A new study finds that 1 […]

Persepolis was the magnificent capital of ancient Iran, when that country ruled most of the civilized world, from Egypt to Central Asia and from Greece to Northern India. (Yes, some of the later pharaohs were vassals of Iran!) Now comes exciting news that a joint Italian and Iranian archeological team has found Parsa, the gritty […]

Persepolis was the magnificent capital of ancient Iran, when that country ruled most of the civilized world, from Egypt to Central Asia and from Greece to Northern India. (Yes, some of the later pharaohs were vassals of Iran!) Now comes exciting news that a joint Italian and Iranian archeological team has found Parsa, the gritty […]

The Kurdish president of Iraq, Jalal Talabani, is more or less threatening to sue the Shiite prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki. Al-Maliki has been creating Arab tribal councils loyal to himself, including in some areas of mixed Arab and Kurdish populations. Talabani maintains that these “support councils” have a paramilitary dimension and so are essentially militias, […]

The Kurdish president of Iraq, Jalal Talabani, is more or less threatening to sue the Shiite prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki. Al-Maliki has been creating Arab tribal councils loyal to himself, including in some areas of mixed Arab and Kurdish populations. Talabani maintains that these “support councils” have a paramilitary dimension and so are essentially militias, […]

Why is tuition so high in state universities that the NYT is wondering if families will go on being able to afford it? As someone who has observed this rise in tuition over an academic career of 30 years, as graduate student and professor, I have some theories from an insider perspective. State universities have […]

Why is tuition so high in state universities that the NYT is wondering if families will go on being able to afford it? As someone who has observed this rise in tuition over an academic career of 30 years, as graduate student and professor, I have some theories from an insider perspective. State universities have […]

The stupidity of attacking Iran (again) And don’t forget about the Joint Experts’ Statement on Iran, which we are pressing on Congress and the Obama administration. You can get it to your congressional representatives here.