From Mental Floss, an article on the secrets behind your favorite toys; and a look at the surprisingly cool history of ice. What girls want: Caitlin Flanagan on a series of vampire novels that illuminates the complexities of female adolescent desire. From New Internationalist, here are the nominees for Most Artful Tax Dodger (and the winner). Heil Comrade: Baader-Meinhof is flashy and violent, but the glamour hides Germany's odd history of leftist anti-semitism. From Prospect, exactly 50 years ago Michael Young published his famous dystopia The Rise of the Meritocracy; his son Toby argues that we never got the meritocratic educational elite predicted by his father, instead we got the celebrity class; and Britain has more upward social mobility than is often assumed — on some measures more than Germany; but there is least movement where it matters most for the idea of meritocracy, at the very top and the bottom. 20 best brains under 40: Young innovators are changing everything from theoretical mathematics to cancer therapy. The forgotten evolutionist: Alfred Russel Wallace charted a great dividing line in the living world. A review of Deciding the Next Decider: The 2008 Presidential Race in Rhyme by Calvin Trillin. Here are 27 popular websites that became books. Will the next Einstein come from Africa? If Neil Turok gets his wish the answer will be a resounding yes.

From TAP, how do we keep Obama's youth mobilized? Nine youth organizers, writers, and progressive-policy thinkers show us the way forward; and dozens of progressive institutions are clamoring to put their agendas on Obama's desk — will the incoming president actually read them? A review of Fighting Words: A Tale of How Liberals Created Neo-Conservatism by Ben Wattenberg. David Donadio on the death of neoconservatism. A look at the greatest conspiracy theories in history. From Jewcy, an article on the problem with Jewish bigots; and a series on Islamic Eschatology to annihilationist Muslim Jew hatred. Confirmation bias: From Jonestown to tribalism to presidential politics, individuals seek the like-minded. From Mental Floss, a look at 10 famous circus performers and  4 heartbreaking (or miraculous) moments in gambling history. Why a Cuban Democrat can't win in South Florida: It's the Communism, Stupid. From n+1, Andrew Seal never dreamed that his pride-filled defense of his native state would prove prophetic. A review of Regulatory Capitalism: How it Works, Ideas for Making it Work Better by John Braithwaite. Images of Satan: Norwegian Black Metal — apparently, Mother Nature makes vicious Vikings out of little boys. A review of Death from the Skies!: These Are the Ways the World Will End by Philip Plait.

From ARPA, a review of The Costello Memoirs by Peter Costello and Howard’s End: The Unravelling of a Government by Peter van Onselen and Philip Senior. Every fool knows it’s a job for government: With the market having failed to restrain managers, it is no surprise that people have turned to the one institution they think can. From Geist, an article on the art of doing nothing. Funny or what: Can any English-language book top Decline and Fall for laughs? Paul Kennedy on how "soft power" can always be outmuscled. From The Hill, an article on male bonding over politics. What Nehru owed to Tagore: Like the poet, the politician saw India as a melange of cultures, without any single dominating essence. Carl Zimmer on Walter Alvarez's catastrophic career. The cautionary tale of stressed-out bunnies: Could the seminal life cycle of snowshoe hares be explained by shell shock? Scott McLemee reviews The Writer as Migrant by Ha Jin. Overland travel is back on the map — the Man in Seat 61 chooses his favourite scenic train journeys around the world. A review of The Sun and the Moon: The Remarkable True Account of Hoaxers, Showmen, Dueling Journalists, and Lunar Man-Bats in Nineteenth-Century New York by Matthew Goodman. Did Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson love each other? Annette Gordon-Reed tackles one of American history’s thorniest questions.

From Transit, can democracies deal with climate change? Stanley Crouch on the end of "bad boy" thinking. From Big Think, Anne-Marie Slaughter on a plan for a networked world; and Michael Walzer on how a liberal promotes democracy around the world. What's so great about being a grown-up? Here are the 5 lamest forwarded emails (and why your mom loves them). If you think the Obama-Clinton union is a bit rocky, you should see the low-level power battles going on in Washington, D.C. A review of Athens Victorious: Democracy in Plato's Republic by Greg Recco. The long-forgotten magazine The Chicagoan epitomized the Jazz Age sound of Chicago, equal parts street tough and nightclub habitue. From FLYP, a look at the curious mind of Jeffrey Eugenides. From FP, a photo essay on Gaza’s (literal) underground economy; and it’s time for the West to realize that Mikheil Saakashvili is no saint and that Georgia is not quite an innocent victim. Brad DeLong on the Republic of the Central Banker. From Adbusters, Herman Daly zeroes in on the root cause of our financial meltdown. John Jackson on America's anthropological president. The sad demise of the dining car: Would you choose to travel long distances by train more often if you could enjoy a decent meal en route? Andrew Linklater discusses The Civilizing Process: Sociogenetic and Psychogenetic Investigations by Norbert Elias.