From First Things, Mary Eberstadt on how pedophilia lost its cool. E.T. phones the Pope: Astrobiology has arrived, and religious and social institutions — even the Vatican — are taking note. Chris Lehmann on How Capitalism Will Save Us: Why Free People and Free Markets are the Best Answer in Today's Economy by Steve Forbes and Elizabeth Ames: "The whole point of being Steve Forbes is never having anything explained to you". Where are all the lady bloggers?: An interview with Marian Wang. From Failure, what happened to Joseph White, the last American soldier to defect to North Korea? Beef! is like Esquire, but with meat instead of suits. When a building collapses or a train wrecks, specialized rescue teams can extricate trapped people often in a matter of minutes. Scientific advice may suggest how dangerous things are — like smoking cannabis and horse riding — but risk is not all about numbers. The history of hello is long and mired in many vowels. Not just Hitler's fool: A mistress’s diary shows Benito Mussolini was a rabid anti-Semite. The Explorer: Caryl Phillips reviews American Writings by Lafcadio Hearn. Edward Skidelsky on Ernst Cassirer, the last philosopher of culture. Like the flu, a person's emotional state can be contagious; now a study suggests that we can also catch someone else's irrational thought processes. The dark side of volunteer tourism: Do-gooders on vacation call it voluntourism — but is it doing anyone any good? A look at the top 10 bad messages from good movies. Zen and the Art of Bicycle Riding: An interview with Philip Diprose, editor of The Ride Journal.
