Gary Erickson (Washington): Advertising, Economic Development, and Global Warming. From Polity, a special section on Deepening Democracy. Scott Bridges on how Al Jazeera took on the (English-speaking) world. Which government is best? Daron Acemoglu, Georgy Egorov, and Konstantin Sonin on how democracies may not outlast dictatorships, but they adapt better. From Plus magazine, understanding uncertainty: Kevin McConway on ESP and the significance of significance and on ESP and Bayes. Northern Hospitality: Ever since the Revolution, Americans have had a longstanding tradition of heading for Canada when politics turn sour. How can anyone lie when the truth is just a Google search away? If only The New York Times could rise above principle. From Vice, Bhaskar Sunkara on how Paul Ryan is what stupid people think a smart guy sounds like; and Mike Abu on how making it a pain in the ass to vote is the American way. Louis Menand reviews Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1944-1956 by Anne Applebaum. Rapture of the nerds: Will the Singularity turn us into gods or end the human race?
