From The New Yorker, John Seabrook on suffering souls and the search for the roots of psychopathy; and Malcolm Gladwell on the uses of adversity: Can underprivileged outsiders have an advantage? From New English Review, Theodore Dalyrmple on bibliophilia and biblioclasm and George Orwell's "Bookshop Memories". A review of Facing Unpleasant Facts: Narrative Essays and All Art Is Propaganda: Critical Essays by George Orwell. From Scientific American, a look at what scares us and why; and are you evil? Profiling that which is truly wicked. A review of The Science of Fear: Why We Fear the Things We Shouldn’t — and Put Ourselves in Greater Danger by Daniel Gardner. From Boston Review, William Hogeland on Constitutional Conventions: Public history should make us think; and a review of The Measure of America: American Human Development Report, 2008-2009. A review of Save the World on Your Own Time by Stanley Fish and Real Education: Four Simple Truths for Bringing America’s Schools Back to Reality by Charles Murray. Robert Solow reviews High Wire: The Precarious Financial Lives of American Families by Peter Gosselin. David Brooks on the behavioral revolution and the financial crisis. From Esprit, why has manga become a global cultural product? Researchers find male-to-female transsexualism gene.

From NYRB, David Bromwich reviews books on Bush/Cheney. From Reason, and what happens to federal spending when the Democrats control the Congress and the presidency? John Judis on divided government (and a response). Why getting your way as president isn’t just a numbers game. Why it's going to take a whole lot more than a Democratic majority to save us. Mark Danner on Obama & sweet potato pie. City of transformation: An article on Paul Virilio in Obama's America. A look at why Obama could be a great one-term president. The American Prospect is against the Great Man Theory of the Presidency. An article on the huge opportunities and huge risks of a possible Obama administration. Why Obama stock is overpriced, and a crash could really hurt. William Shawcross on why the world will be disappointed by Obama. Could Europe be a Democratic “blue state” and Asia a Republican “red state”? From WSJ, an article on the dangers of a diminished America: In the 1930s, isolationism and protectionism spurred the rise of fascism. From Der Spiegel, a special report on America, land of extremes: An enigmatic country elects a new president; an interview with Robert Kagan: "America remains Number One"; and an interview with Eric Foner: "Life is getting more difficult for Americans". Jurek Martin on America’s staggering capacity for change.

From The Nation, a special issue on Election 2008. From TNR, should McCain have been expelled from the Senate? Exclusive evidence reveals the Keating Five story you've never heard of (and more on his Bermuda Triangle). Nina Hachigian on John McCain's bizarre fantasy U.N. replacement. From Talking Points Memo, a special section on The Palin Effect. An interview with Sarah Palin: "I haven't always just toed the line". Christopher Hitchens on the GOP ticket's appalling contempt for science and learning. Just in time for the booboisie's vote, a reconsideration of Mencken's Notes on Democracy. How to Read Like a President: You can tell a lot about a presidential candidate by the books he reads, or says he reads. Peter Beinart on the last of the Culture Warriors. The culture wars may fail at the top of the ticket this year, but expect right-wing mayhem further down the ballot. They're still fighting the Civil War in Virginia. What if the between-the-lines Republican message (don’t be afraid, there will be no real change) is the true illusion? Slavoj Zizek wants to know. Mainstream media continue to frame election issues with discredited right-wing assumptions. From Writ, John Dean on how the evidence establishes, without question, that Republican rule is dangerous: Why it is high time to fix this situation, for the good of the nation. Why can't corporate America end its perverse love affair with the GOP?

Here's The American Prospect 2008 Election Night Guide. From New York, take a look at the 2008 Electopedia. From Esquire, here's everything you need to know about the 2008 presidential election. From Popular Science, here's what you need to know about voting machines (and more). If we can nationalize banks, why not our election process? Rick Hansen investigates. What is the probability your vote will make a difference? Vote! Why your ballot isn't as meaningless as you think. Your neighbors could find out, so you'd better vote. What would happen if we banned polling during election season? From The Hill, a look at how the campaign song loses its originality. From Nerve, a look at the 20 greatest political campaign ads of all time (and more from Radar). Here are the top 10 Web political moments. Designs for Democracy: At print-on-demand site CafePress.com, there's been a surge in the design and selling of items related to the Presidential election. These days, answering your phone often means listening to a recorded political message — but do robo-calls work? Why the October Surprise isn't what it used to be. Does it matter where candidates campaign? Not as much as you think. So, you want to be in the Cabinet: Seven strategies that will help you land a plum post in the next administration — and one that won't. A look at why those "other" federal courts are so important in this election.