From Tehran Bureau, Danny Postel on the specter haunting Iran — the specter of democracy. From The Smart Set, Jesse Smith on the national branding project better known as USPS stamps; and the post office is dying — the sooner the better. Going Postal: Georg Jensen on the imminent death of the United States Postal Service. For 400 years the delivery of letters has been integral to British life; as Royal Mail confronts an uncertain future, Susan Whyman charts the Post Office’s development and discovers, through the correspondence of ordinary people, just how much letter writing meant to them. Lisa Richmond on the dark side of online journals: Commercial publishers dominate online scholarly journal production. From New Geography, Steven Dale on the compelling case for the cable car. A day spent in Hell: Ethan Persoff gets motivated at Bush's first public appearance as motivational speaker. From TLS, a review essay on Arthur, Merlin and love magic; and a review of books on knitting. While international attention has been focused on earthquake-ravaged Haiti, a quiet, prolonged catastrophe is playing out in Mongolia. Wired profiles King of Cheez Ben Huh: The Internet’s meme maestro turns junk into gold. In the event of an emergency, please remain seated: It's time for a little more anarchy and a little less acquiescence. From Religion Dispatches, an article on Christopher Hitchens: Religious in spite of himself? From The Hindu, Sudha Umashanker on the fight for dignity in death. Teri Reynolds writes from an Oakland Emergency Department, testifying to the stark inequalities between public and private, insured and unprotected, that Democrat proposals will enshrine. What accounts for this urban legend that (fill in the blank) river and the Nile are the only two rivers that flow north?
Acclaimed authors Mary Gaitskill, Hari Kunzru, and Ed Park appear in a reading presented by Bookforum @ Housing Works' Bookstore Cafe, 126 Crosby Street, New York, NY 10012, this Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at 7:00 PM.
