online archive
5:00PM
JUN 24 2008
It’s mine, I tell you
From Social Theory and Practice, Eamonn Callan (Stanford): Love, Idolatry, and Patriotism. From Philosophy and Public Affairs, Samuel Scheffler (UC-Berkeley): Immigration and the Significance of Culture. The Second Vermont Republic is seeking to build a separatist movement, but many have been shocked by its ties to racist Southern secessionists. Samuel Bowles on the economics of nice folks. A new discovery proves "selfish gene" exists. It’s mine, I tell you: Mankind’s inner chimpanzee refuses to let go; this matters to everything from economics to law. What does it mean to be human, and can science illuminate the answers? A star-studded panel of scientists gathered to discuss those heady themes. From Utne, a series of articles on creativity. Face it, it's not about talent: In Hollywood, beauty has become its own reward. When did talking go out of style? Obama's professed willingness for diplomacy should be to his credit. Wii all you can be? Why the military needs the gaming industry. A review of John Stuart Mill: Victorian Firebrand by Richard Reeves. A review of Revolution! South America and the Rise of the New Left by Nikolas Kozloff. Are you married? Then do not read this column. An article on the Internet and its Discontents: "The unexamined online life is not worth living". From Cracked, here are 7 innocent gestures that can get you killed overseas.
1:00PM
JUN 24 2008
An inability to settle
From TAP, a bad Supreme Court decision overturning race-based integration programs in Louisville, KY, and Seattle, WA, has produced a positive result. How a progressive idea ended up reinforcing inequality: A review of School Lunch Politics: The Surprising History of America’s Favorite Welfare Program by Susan Levine. The Malthus blues: Cheering thoughts about population. From Psychology Today, your personality isn't necessarily set in stone; with a little experimentation, the ornery and bleak can reshape their temperaments and inject pluck and passion into their lives; and whether coincidences are meaningful is a mystery, but our talent for noticing and manipulating them is increasingly clear. A review of books on the politics of oil. An interview with Paul Roberts, author of The End of Oil. A review of Cecil B. DeMille: A Life in Art by Simon Louvish. The GOP's nursing home dilemma: How a prominent abortion foe has pushed his fellow Republicans into a corner, forcing them to choose "life" or profits. Does this new edition of A Death in the Family right an injustice done to James Agee’s masterpiece by a previous editor? The misfits: The genetic legacy of nomadism may be an inability to settle. Get shorty: A sly political gesture enlivens an awards ceremony dedicated to the celebration of English. More and more on Adam Thirlwell's The Delighted States.
9:00AM
JUN 24 2008
Life can be strange
From TED, artist Chris Jordan shows us an arresting view of what Western culture looks like; Robert Full on how engineers learn from evolution; and George Dyson tells stories from the birth of the modern computer — from its 16th-century origins to the hilarious notebooks of some early computer engineers. Who'll unplug Big Media? The media reform movement has made a few inroads, but there's still a long way to go. An interview with Kerwin Swint, author of Dark Genius: The Influential Career of Legendary Political Operative and Fox News Founder Roger Ailes. See? The Web is changing politics. From The Journal of Democracy, the paradox of East-Central Europe is that the rise of populism is an outcome not of the failures but of the successes of postcommunist liberalism. From National Journal, a cover story on how the market for food may not be the same as for other products (and an article on an Africa like Iowa). Color of an Awkward Conversation: Life can be strange for Africans discovering blackness in America. From Eurozine, a series of articles on renowned Hungarian-French intellectual Ferenc Fejto (1908-2008). How so America's super-rich get away with acting like "just folks"? The lion who didn't roar: Why hasn't Nelson Mandela spoken out against Robert Mugabe? Research finds older voters are not always wiser voters.
