From the Quarterly Journal of Political Science, rich state, poor state, red state, blue state: What’s the matter with Connecticut? An interview with Thomas Frank, author of The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule. Extreme appeal: A study finds voters trust extreme positions more than moderate ones. A special issue of The New York Times' "Play" is out, on the Olympics. Speed glue, robots and more: Learn why ping pong truly is the sport of champions. Taunting the Bear: Russia and Georgia were going to erupt — it was really just a question of when (offering a disturbing taste of what to expect from John McCain as Commander in Chief). Individual voices are brave, but Russia’s intelligentsia, which could be much freer than in the bad old days, is still mealy-mouthed. A review of Descent into Chaos: The United States and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia by Ahmed Rashid (and more and more and more). Dear World, writes Naomi Wolf, please confront America. A look at how the Internet is ruining America's movies and music. If fiction cannot cope with 9/11, the biggest event of our lifetimes, then its long-prophesied death is surely at hand. Videogames are becoming ever more realistic, lending a moral ambiguity to battle scenes and law enforcement — so why aren't they commenting on real-life situations yet?
