From LiveScience, a look at the top ten disruptive technologies. Here are six ways that the Obama administration can improve the political appointment process (and more). From TNR, John McWhorter on how it wasn't just what Obama said — it's how he said it, like a black man; and a look at how Harvard beat Yale in the Democratic Party. Why are so many oligarchs, royal families, and special-interest groups giving money to the Clinton Foundation? A review of Bush v. Gore: Exposing the Hidden Crisis in American Democracy by Charles L. Zelden. A review of Sarah Palin: the Rise of a Political Star by Kaylene Johnson. Flying Over the Cuckoo’s Nest: How did Marxist class warriors end up fighting for the bosses’ right to fly? A review of The Case for Big Government by Jeff Madrick. People in Africa, India and China are beginning to die of the same things that kill westerners: heart disease, cancer, chronic respiratory illnesses and diabetes. Flat N All That: Matt Taibbi takes on porn-stached New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman’s greenish ways. From typewriter to bookstore: An inside expose of the publishing industry with all its gory secrets. A review of The Price We Pay: Economic and Social Consequences of Inadequate Education. Touring the Library of Congress: Jefferson’s Library and (almost) all the books fit to print. A review of On Criticism by Noel Carroll.
