The inaugural issue of Fray: The Quarterly of True Stories is out. From NYRB, Thomas Powers writes on Iran: The Threat; and Michael Massing is embedded in Iraq. From Newsweek, how history informs our world: Jon Meacham on the stories we tell ourselves; and who was more important: Lincoln or Darwin? When noise pollution is not making us sick and anxious, it is literally killing us; how do we turn it off? A review of The Studs Terkel Interviews: Film and Theater. A review of The Prodigal Tongue by Mark Abley and By Hook or by Crook: A Journey In Search of English by David Crystal. From In These Times, Chris Lehmann on freedom of the press moguls. From Cracked, here are 6 famous songs that don't mean what you think; and the 5 creepiest advertising techniques of the (near) future. From Discover, here are 20 things you didn't know about oil. Can we recapture the excitement of science? A new study says gentrification isn't a bad word, and that on average, a changing neighborhood can be a boon for its residents. The American road trip is dead — Good riddance. Is queer history history with an agenda? What is a prostitute? In Egypt, the oldest profession isn't just a sex-for-cash exchange. Why do economists have to take the fun out of everything? An article on wine economics and economical wine. Which catchphrases should be "thrown under the bus"?
