From Armed Forces Journal, an article on the counterterrorism paradox: Put the terrorist threat in perspective; carpet bombing in cyberspace: Why America needs a military botnet; and a look at why presidents no longer fire generals. From the new quarterly Dispatches, a multimedia essay on Godville: A Journey Across America; and Muzamil Jaleel is a Kashmiri in America: The lucky shade of brown. From Big Think, Jay Rosen on what the media could do better at the political conventions; and Michael Perelman on getting the right amount of sex. The Whole World Was Watching: 40 years ago this week, Chicago police battled protesters at the DNC; two ’60s radicals remember the madness, and look to Denver for change. Norman Mailer’s account of the 1968 conventions is a portrait of America, and Mailer, at a bad moment. From The Nation, more on Nixonland by Rick Perlstein (and an excerpt at Bookforum). Tim Harford on an amazing economics experiment and how it got field workers to pick a lot more strawberries. If our actions are determined by prior events, then do we have a choice about anything — or any responsibility for what we do? Good traces the most famous trips in history. From Global Journalist, a look at why spin doctors can be friends as well as foes. Picturing our thoughts: We're looking for too much in brain scans. A review of Charles Darwin by Michael Ruse.