online archive
5:00PM
AUG 15 2008
Bracing for Armageddon
From Education Review, a review of Against the Terror of Neoliberalism: Politics Beyond the Age of Greed and a review of The University in Chains: Confronting the Military Industrial Academic Complex, by Henry Giroux. From Forbes, special reports on America's best colleges and the business of college football. From Newsweek, herewith the top 12 rivalries at US colleges. What makes the largest military power on earth tremble in its boots? Language, that's what. A review of Bracing for Armageddon? The Science and Politics of Bioterrorism in America by William R. Clark. Cartoons of pitchers and catchers talking are a New Yorker staple — what is so funny about rubbers? Can great art spring from a lie? Two new books about forgers raise provocative questions about the links between authenticity and genius. A review of Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. An article on Mary Matalin, publisher: When political hacks edit books. From The Village Voice, an interview with Woody Allen. Don't know much about history: The Pentagon looks back to four great empires for tips on how to rule the world. An article on Blackwater and the real "Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy". It took a month to track down every one of the 205 national anthems that might be heard at this year's Olympic games, ad the winning anthem is.
1:00PM
AUG 15 2008
Feeling all alone in the world
From CJR, an article on the media’s role in covering the (wide) spectrum of skepticism about global warming: A response to Ron Rosenbaum. The ability to continually look up information is changing how and what we remember — but maybe that's not a bad thing. From VoxEU, an article on sovereign wealth funds: Debunking four popular myths. Anti-loneliness advice may be treacly, but it beats the circle of hell that is feeling all alone in the world. An excerpt from The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism by Ron Suskind (and a review). Do you need to be able to read music to study it? Not necessarily, no matter what Damon Albarn thinks. A review of Why The French Don't Like Headscarves: Islam, the State, and Public Space by John R. Bowen and The Politics of the Veil by Joan Scott (and more). Critiques of Barack Obama's suitability for the office of the presidency have been bookended by astonishingly contradictory stereotypes. Researchers have created a genetic map showing the relatedness between the populations of Europe. Why don't we protect the privacy of jurors? An article on the case for making jury duty anonymous. From Esquire, a slide show on The Evolution of Men's Style: 1933-2008. Catching the wrong John: Why are the media talking about John Edwards' infidelity if they aren't going to talk about John McCain's?
9:00AM
AUG 15 2008
Drifting in the dark
From TNR, Simon Blackburn reviews Beyond the Hoax: Science, Philosophy and Culture by Alan Sokal; and Sarah Williams Goldhagen on Jean Nouvel — finally, a deserving starchitect. From New Statesman, Slavoj Zizek reviews Damming the Flood: Haiti, Aristide and the Politics of Containment by Peter Hallward; a look at the tiny island states of the Caribbean are drifting in the dark; Thomas Frank on the plot against liberal America; and nearly forty years ago, an explosion of surreally subversive magazines brought sex, drugs, gay liberation and feminism into the public eye and the courtroom; what survived? From FT, a review of Enough: Breaking Free From the World of More by John Naish; Against Happiness by Eric G Wilson; and Complaint: From Minor Moans to Principled Protests by Julian Baggini. A review of Democracy Stretched Thin: How Complexity Challenges a Liberal Ideal by David J. Blacker. Leon Wieseltier on Google progressivism: No, everything is not changing for the better, and to believe otherwise is marketing propaganda. For the first time, scientists have proven that "beer goggles" are real — other people really do look more attractive to us if we have been drinking. From Rolling Stone, what do Obama and McCain have in common? The same big donors, who will expect to have their way no matter who wins.
