Luke Robinson (SMU): Moral Principles are not Moral Laws. From Doublethink, a collection of essays assessing the Gipper’s Legacy in the dawning Age of Obama. Small, green and good: Catherine Tumber on the role of neglected cities in a sustainable future. Slums of hope: For displaced peasants, the world’s vast urban ghettos are a gateway to a better future. What is wrong with guns in churches? Scott McPherson wants to know. A review of The Liberal Defence of Murder by Richard Seymour. Where is the bailout for book critics? In the context of the worldwide financial meltdown how relevant are Ayn Rand’s books and their ideology today? A review of “American Revolution: The Fall of Wall Street and the Rise of Barack Obama”. From Labor Notes, can unions win without the Employee Free Choice Act? Are labour unions a blessing or a curse? From Miller-McCune, history professor and blogger Juan Cole succeeds at debunking American myths about the Muslim world — it's the policy prescription that's trite; and our national pastime: A look at studies analyzing Major League Baseball's race relations, economics and pop-ups. From The Nation, a review of The Scientific Life: A Moral History of a Late Modern Vocation by Steven Shapin; and a review of Why Photography Matters as Art as Never Before by Michael Fried and After Photography by Fred Ritchin.

A new issue of OnEarth is out, including a cover story on Loving the West to Death. From Plenty, here are 10 global-warming policy recommendations for the Obama administration. Is anybody buying art these days? The Mugrabis are, Jose and his sons. A review of Common Reading: Critics, Historians, Publics by Stefan Collini. From Quarterly Conversation, an essay on the demise of publishing, reading, and everything else. From Radical Notes, an article on the evolution of knowledge production in capitalist society. For DIY brewers, Prohibition lasted until 1978 — but once unleashed, they revolutionized the industry. A review of Beyond the Revolution: A History of American Thought from Paine to Pragmatism by William H. Goetzmann. Is Obama a closet conservative? You've got to admire a man who regularly wore a cape, and this goes doubly if that man is an economist — but Joseph Schumpeter was no ordinary economist. From Utne, the revolution will not be funded: It’s time to liberate activists from the nonprofit industrial complex; here is a 10-step primer from a media expert on how to help get you or your cause noticed, on your terms; and a hint of BS: Can it be that wine snobs are even worse than art snobs? Is the "Two-State Solution" viable after Gaza? Michael Walzer investigates. Prospect profiles Michael Ignatieff, an intellectual in politics.

A new issue of Fray is out. From The New Yorker, D. T. Max on David Foster Wallace’s struggle to surpass Infinite Jest. Before John Updike and Richard Yates, there was John Cheever; will a new biography and the reissue of his fiction find him a place on America’s night stands — and in the canon? (and John Updike reviews Cheever: A Life by Blake Bailey; and more from The New Criterion). From New York, an article on sin taxes, nanny politics, and the illogic of trying to govern by what’s best for us. From TNR, a review of Verses and Versions: Three Centuries of Russian Poetry, translated by Vladimir Nabokov; a review of Stepping Stones: Interviews with Seamus Heaney by Dennis O'Driscoll; and Michelle Cottle on the Cool Presidency: An inquiry into Obama's hipness; The GOP’s new colors: Michael Steele and Bobby Jindal don’t look like the vast majority of Republicans, but do new faces mean new ideas? (and more) The Root on Alan Keyes, the GOP's nutty Negro. "Leader of the GOP" Rush Limbaugh on defining socialism (and more by George Packer). Defeated at the polls, divided over issues and outflanked by the Democrats, Republicans in Congress turn their lonely eyes to former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich? Saskia Sassen goes Beyond Party Politics: The new president and the growth of executive power.

From Air &Space Power Journal, Jennifer Henderson (USAF): Holy War: Millenarianism and Political Violence; a review of The Last Crusade: Americanism and the Islamic Reformation by Michael A. Palmer; a review of Beyond al-Qaeda: Part 1, The Global Jihadist Movement and Part 2, The Outer Rings of the Terrorist Universe by Angel Rabasa et al.; and a review essay on strategy making;   Nouriel Roubini says nationalizing the banks is the market-friendly solution. Jeffrey Toobin on the Supreme Court taking on a civil-rights landmark. A look at how bloggers and unions are joining forces to push Democrats to left (and Obama wants to move the center left — the president's liberal critics miss the bigger picture). A review of 7 Deadly Scenarios. A Military Futurist Explores War in the 21st Century by Andrew Krepinevich. From Dissent, Seyla Benhabib on Turkey's constitutional zigzags; Forrest D. Colburn on Latin America: Captive to commodities. From TNR, Michael Wahid Hanna on why a timeline for troop withdrawal is no longer only Washington's decision; and huge expectations, big egos, turf wars: Is Clinton's State Department just like her campaign? From The Monkey Cage, Matt Jarvis on improving scholarly journals (and part 2). "Liberal bias? Research finds network TV election coverage favors Republicans. Majikthise on Quiverfulls and the OctoMom.