6:00PM
OCT 13 2008
Everything that’s great on the Web
From the new online magazine The Daily Beast, Christopher Buckley, son of William, has decided — shock! — to vote for Obama. Can Tina Brown, editor of note, perched online, show us everything that's great on the Web today? (and an interview). From Entertainment Weekly, an interview with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert: Mock the Vote. Here are 5 myths about those Tinseltown liberals. From TAP, for years liberals thought they could catch up in media by playing by conservatives' rules; Rachel Maddow's success proves it's better to just change the game. From CQ, an article on the fight by GOP conservatives for control of their party. End of an error: Jonathan Chait on the twilight of conservative rule. Terry Eastland on the faith journey of Sarah Palin, Bible-believing Christian. There's new footage from |http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2008-10-09/new-footage-from-inside-palins-church/#|inside Palin's church|; and more on Palin's pastor problem. From Salon, meet Sarah Palin’s radical right-wing pals, extremists Mark Chryson and Steve Stoll; and a look at the Palins’ un-American activities. Barracuda: Noam Scheiber on the resentments of Sarah Palin. A look at what America's smartest women say about Sarah Palin. Hockey Moms! You need a makeover. Toxic Paradise: How Sarah Palin made her state a dump. Palin vs. "Palin": When SNL parody becomes campaign reality.
3:00PM
OCT 13 2008
A death of a million stings
Brad DeLong (UC-Berkeley): Greenspanism and Its Discontents. Can a massive government intervention in the economy work if it is being run by people who don't believe in government? Government is not the problem: An article on thirty years of bad economic policy. From The Wall Street Journal, here's a short banking history of the United States: Why our system is prone to panics. A review of The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World by Niall Ferguson. From The Economist, a special section on the world economy. Nouriel Roubini on how the world is at severe risk of a global systemic financial meltdown and a severe global depression. From The Economist, 1929 and all that: How today’s crisis resembles the one that happened three-quarters of a century ago, and how it does not. Read all about the good news from the coming depression! From Reality Sandwich, an essay on money and the crisis of civilization. An interview with Muhammad Yunus: "Capitalism has degenerated into a casino". Too big to fail: If global capitalism is to die, it will be a death of a million stings. The end of American capitalism? Short takes on where the financial crisis might be headed. From NPQ, Kenichi Ohmae on the lessons from Japan's meltdown; and Carl Bildt on the lessons from the Swedish credit crunch. What can the US learn from the financial crises that have roiled emerging markets?
12:00PM
OCT 13 2008
The enduring power of literature
From Esquire, Chuck Klosterman issues his predictions for the coming century, featuring robot wars, near annihilation, and President Tom Brady. Is US literature too insular and media-crazed to merit notice by the Swedish Academy? The editor of TLS on why the Nobel selection was merely a minor insult to the Americans, after all. Will Le Clezio's Nobel prize cut America down to size? The Nobel prize for literature doesn't really have much to do with literary excellence — and that's not a bad thing. From Salvo, an article on The Death of Theory: The humanities have been in thrall to postmodern theory; now its empire seems to be breaking up. Ruth Wisse on the enduring power of literature: A cautionary tale about "change". From VQR, more on How Fiction Works by James Wood. History vs. Nature: For Yeats, the natural world is the symbol of his times. A look at why Dickens is so relevant today. An article on Emily Dickinson's secret lover: Why the big news is being ignored. Is it wrong to judge a book by its cover if it means more people might read it? Leon Wieseltier on why books matter: Defending Lionel Trilling from the vile attacks of The New Yorker. A review of Literary Essays and Reviews of the 1920s & 30s and Literary Essays and Reviews of the 1930s & 40s by Edmund Wilson. A review of Aesthetics and Literature by David Davies.
9:00AM
OCT 13 2008
Be logical, Captain!
From Common-place, a special issue on Politics 2008, including Reeve Huston (Duke): What We Talk about When We Talk about Democracy; Jonathan D. Sassi (CSI): “Great Questions of National Morality”; and Christian Fritz (UNM): America’s Unknown Constitutional World. From The Economist, a special section on the US presidential race. What effect would Obama's election have on race relations? How race can help Obama: Why an Obama win wouldn't be a victory over racial prejudice. Susan Jacoby on the power of unreason: Obama has been winning the debates and is striding ahead in the polls — which is why he now has more to fear than ever before (and more on The Age of American Unreason). Andrew Sullivan on Barack Obama’s strategy of calm is provoking his rival into fatal errors. From National Journal, how much does it matter whether Barack Obama or John McCain wins the election? The Economist asks professional economists about their views on the presidential candidates' economic plans. (and more on the candidates' economic gurus). From The New York Observer, be logical, Captain! It’s Kirk vs. Spock in the weirdest presidential race of 21st century; and a look at the frenzy for The Making of the President, 2008. The Ultimate Election: Will economic meltdown, race, or regional loyalty be the trump card in election 2008?
6:00PM
OCT 10 2008
Looking for the good guys
From New English Review, Theodore Dalrymple on Austria and evil; Rebecca Bynum on the myth of equality; and an essay on the philosophic principles and mechanisms of democracy (and part 2 and part 3). From Vanity Fair, a look at how Jacqueline Kennedy turned the unprecedented, perilous loan of the Mona Lisa into a powerful Cold War symbol; Christopher Hitchens on America the Banana Republic; James Wolcott has lived through a lot of hair-raising times, but now he’s sure the world is going to hell in a handbasket — and, God knows, the media are only making it worse; and now that David Levine, the greatest caricaturist of the late 20th century, is going blind, is he owed more than a fond farewell? From World Politics Review, there are no quick solutions to the Somali pirate crisis. Whenever word comes out that pirates have taken yet another ship in Puntland, extraordinary things start to happen. Pirates versus weapon dealers: Looking for the good guys off the Somali coast. The Coke Coast: An article on cocaine and failed states in Africa. More and more and more on Thomas Friedman's Hot, Flat and Crowded. Free World Colossus: In the new Cold War, the US is the revolutionary force. From The New Yorker, a review of Looking for Lincoln: The Making of an American Icon by Philip Kunhardt. More on Annette Gordon-Reed's The Hemingses of Monticello.
3:00PM
OCT 10 2008
Don’t just do something, talk
From LRB, don’t just do something, talk: Slavoj Zizek on the financial crisis. From Radical Notes, an article on how to think about the crisis. An interview with Charles Morris, author of The Trillion Dollar Meltdown. From The Spectator, why only Abba can save the world financial markets. The GOP peddles economic snake oil: Suddenly Republicans are against market values? Christopher Carroll on capitalism and skepticism: why does America’s economy perform so badly under Republican presidents? Faith, belief, trust: TINA economic orthodoxy was built on superstition. From Portfolio, a look at why failed CEO's get rehired. An article on taking a hard new look at Greenspan's legacy. Capitalism in crisis: An article on the broken pact with the people. As dire as the times may seem, history isn't about to repeat itself. No depression: This time, Uncle Sam has got our back. Gary Becker on why we're not headed for a depression: No, this isn't the crisis that kills global capitalism. Jagdish Bhagwati on why the critics of globalization are mistaken: Increased global trade has actually been good for the poor in rich countries. A review of New World Disorder: the United Nations After the Cold War — An Insider's View by David Hannay. YaleGlobal examines different responses to human crises (and part 2 and part 3). From Newsweek, can bloggers save the world?
12:00PM
OCT 10 2008
What’s wrong with American democracy?
From The Wilson Quarterly, what’s wrong with American democracy? Larry Bartels on the irrational electorate; Denis MacShane on an admirable folly; Gil Troy on burying the hatchet; and Scott Keeter on poll power. From NYRB, Colm Toibin on James Baldwin and Barack Obama. From TNR, David Samuels on how Ralph Ellison explains Barack Obama. From Time, a cover story on The Limits of Race: As the economy falters, race is receding. From The Root, it's racism: Hate-fueled campaigning cannot be covered as mere political hardball; and the MILFy Way: How the GOP is using this low-grade obscenity to sell Sarah Palin. Naomi Wolfe on the Palin charade. An article on Tina Fey and the ten funniest political impressions of all time. From The Village Voice, an article on The Book of Sarah (Palin): Strafing the Palin record. Michael Kinsley on how Senator McCain lost it at a Puerto Rican casino. Form Radar, an interview with pop maven John McCain. Why talk shows like “The View” are showcasing some of the most sophisticated (and mind-numbingly stupid) conversations about the presidential race. Major shock: Two NSA linguists disclose that hundreds of Americans had their private, intimate telephone calls recorded and transcribed by Bush's illegal spying program. Nat Hentoff on The Next American Revolution: When it becomes necessary to bring King George to justice.
9:00AM
OCT 10 2008
Better than life
The French writer Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio ("Jean-Marie who?") wins the Nobel Prize for literature, a surprise and a boon for three small houses. Though perhaps boring, who dares to argue that Le Clezio has not deserved it? French culture is alive and well, but contemporary literature is a "literature of despair". An article on how the best writers aren't all English. Why isn't there a Nobel Prize for the arts? An article on the future of reading: Using video games as bait to hook readers. From TED, will videogames become better than life? David Perry wants to know; and Steven Johnson on the Web as a city. From TLS, why Rowan Williams is the best man for the job — of appreciating the greatness of Dostoevsky; and an article on the genius of Machado de Assis, Rio de Janeiro's laureate of irony. Leading geneticist Steve Jones says human evolution is over. From Seed, a growing number of scientists argue that human culture itself has become the foremost agent of biological change; an article on the trouble with biodiversity: Life is more varied near the equator, but making sense of that has confounded biologists for 200 years; and in defense of difference: Scientists offer new insight into what to protect of the world's rapidly vanishing languages, cultures, and species. Studies suggest that efforts to appear race-blind can be counterproductive in some situations.
6:00PM
OCT 9 2008
Turning a blind eye
From Americana, John Ryder (SUNY): Prospects for a Thick Democracy; Ashis Sengupta (UNB): The Hyphenated Identity in Contemporary Multiethnic American Drama; and a review of Pragmatism as Post-Postmodernism: Lessons from Dewey by Larry A. Hickman. An article on Foucault on intellectuals. From The Nation, a review of The Wisdom of Whores: Bureaucrats, Brothels and the Business of AIDS by Elizabeth Pisani and Sizwe's Test: A Young Man's Journey Through Africa's AIDS Epidemic by Jonny Steinberg. An interview with John Cacioppo on how loneliness is a threat to your health. With high school newspapers disappearing, the future of journalism is at risk. From TED, Marvin Minsky on health, population and the human mind. From NYRB, more on The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker by Steven Greenhouse. Voters don’t know much about the European Union; what’s more, they don’t want to learn. Did Kosovo open up Pandora’s Box? If the international community intends to keep the floodgates to secessionist movements closed, it would do well to learn from Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Ian Buruma on the wrong lesson of Munich. From Earth First! Journal, here's a closer look at two snitches. Turning a blind eye: An image said to reveal an "unknown" tribe instead exposes a history of our ignorance and greed.
3:00PM
OCT 9 2008
The hip shall inherit the earth
From First Things, Avery Cardinal Dulles on The Freedom of Theology; an exchange on the ethics of immigration; a review of Creating a Class: College Admissions and the Education of Elites by Mitchell L. Stevens; a review of Arts of Darkness: American Noir and the Quest for Redemption by Thomas S. Hibbs; a review of Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis by Michael Ward; and more on Charles Taylor's A Secular Age. An interview with Adriano Prosperi, Professor of Reform and Counter-reform Era History at the Scuola Normale in Pisa, on immigration: “There was greater solidarity during the Middle Ages”. An excerpt from The Triumph of the Therapeutic: Uses of Faith after Freud by Philip Rieff. From Taki's Magazine, we will Berry you: An article on the flaky socialism of the Crunchy Cons. The Hip Shall Inherit the Earth: James Poulos on a post-apocalyptic vision of America’s future. A review of Ancient Board Games in Perspective. From Big Think, Muhammad Yunus on the ideal international regulatory body. Recent literary debates in Sweden have dwelled on authors' love lives and penchant for designer handbags, yet there is more edifying material out there. A review of American Earth: Environmental Writing Since Thoreau. From Cracked, a look at the stages of a human life: 408 years ago vs. today.
