From Skeptic Magazine's new blog, Michael Shermer on the welfare queens of Wall Street. The theory that gods are aliens is back in fiction — but why'd it fade as a religion in the first place? President Bling-Bling: French have a laugh at Sarkozy's expense. The American right’s obsession with Iran substitutes alarmist rhetoric for a serious policy towards Tehran. From Spiked, a review of books on Darfur. An article on the next Wall Street tsunami — of financial books. A review of The Language of Things by Deyan Sudjic and I'm With The Brand by Rob Walker. Can tending flowers prevent criminals from reoffending? Some advocates say yes. The secret of his succession: An excerpt from The Man Who Owns the News: Inside the Secret World of Rupert Murdoch by Michael Wolff. As chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Max Baucus could all but ensure the passage of a progressive social-policy agenda — or he could be its biggest roadblock. From Vox, research suggests poverty does not breed civil war. Innocents Abroad: Nine Americans recall their transformative experiences as students exploring foreign cultures. A review of Volunteers: A Social Profile by Marc A. Musick and John Wilson. A review of Targeting Civilians in War by Alexander B. Downes. From YaleGlobal, an article on underdevelopment and aid and the search for a right balance (and part 2).