From Words Without Borders, a special issue on international reporting. The trend in dying: What should we make of all these celebrity deaths? How Starbucks lost its fidelity: An excerpt from Trade-Off: Why Some Things Catch On, and Others Don't by Kevin Maney. Minitruths and Maxiluv: Is there anything new to say about Orwell's 1984? An interview with Jesse Sheidlower, author of The F Word. How Iago explains the world: “Othello” speaks to one of the most salient confusions of our time — the conflict between transparency and secrecy. A review of Raven: The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People by Tim Reiterman. From n+1, Mark Greif on Repressive Sentimentalism: "Gay marriage is a preparation for institutions beyond marriage; abortion a means to life beyond patriarchy. So we want the beyond". Many, many ounces of prevention: Gary Becker on how the staggering cost of another great pandemic justifies a lot of expensive preparation now. A review of The Lie Detectors: The History of an American Obsession by Ken Alder. Dean Baker debunks the dumping-the-dollar conspiracy. If you really must offend someone, wait until they are lying down. Animal Instincts: Zoophiles love and have sex with animals — will the world ever accept them? From Popular Mechanics, eight experts weigh in on the future of human spaceflight. From Swans, an article on transhumance and the estive: A revival of pastoralism. A review of books on Bonnie and Clyde. To infinity and beyond: Fancy the matchless freedom of paragliding — but any time, any place, anywhere?
