From Vanity Fair, the baby-boomers — newly aware of their mortality — have turned death into a teaching moment (Tuesdays with Morrie), motivational tool ("The Last Lecture"), and sales pitch (all those bucket-list books of things to do before you go). Should we limit family size to save the Earth? Who's messing with Wikipedia? The back-and-forth behind controversial entries could help reveal their true value. Fulham virgins and other slang pleasures: The expressive possibilities of the English language with its sleeves rolled up. A review of We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land: A Plan That Will Work by Jimmy Carter (and an interview). The Opposite of Apocalypse: Conservationists are restoring a living tortoise fossil to its prehistoric range — can we recreate nature? A review of The Art and Politics of Science by Harold Varmus. Michael Dirda reviews Script and Scribble: The Rise and Fall of Handwriting by Kitty Burns Florey. The New Urbanists: In the last few decades, urban sprawl, once regarded as largely a U.S. phenomenon, has spread across Europe. A review of Europe Between the Oceans: 9000 BC-AD 1000 by Barry Cunliffe. Here's everything you ever wanted to know about Albert Einstein. So maybe the slackers had it right after all. A new day for intellectuals: The election has opened the door to education and expertise, but academics will have to earn respect.
