From Prospect, the case for compulsory civic service: Most people think that young people should be asked to give something back — politicians agree, yet a compulsory scheme has seemed too ambitious — until now; attitudes to pay can change sharply from one era to the next; we are now entering a period of greater restraint at the top — but is it just a pause?; and bonus bashing is good politics, but is it also good economics? Peter Singer on capitalism’s new clothes. From Time, here's a list of the Internet's 99 Greatest Hits. An interview with Marginal Revolution's Tyler Cowen. A look at why there is a deep reason to reject the long run as a guide to future investment policy. The time has come to re-engineer the planet: Once written off as sci-fi fantasy, geoengineering now looks like the last best hope to avert harmful climate change. Bill Clinton had the Vince Foster "murder," George W. Bush had 9/11 Truth, and the new administration has brought with it a new culture of conspiracy: The Birthers. Do we want to be a moderately more equal country or not? E.J. Dionne, Jr. wants to know. Damon Linker on Carl Schmitt and the American Right. The Conservative Political Action Conference always produces a breakout star — this year’s winner: a hip-hop artist whose artistic inspirations include Nancy Pelosi. Lecturers who (used to) lunch: Is Jonathan Wolff working while he's in the shower? 

From the first issue of Public Diplomacy, Nicholas J. Cull (USC): Designing Out the Mess: A Historically Literate Approach to the Re-launch of U.S. Public Diplomacy; Kristin Lord (Brookings): The USA-World Trust: Bringing the Power of Networks to U.S. Public Diplomacy; Benjamin Barber on public diplomacy in the Obama Era; an interview with James K. Glassman on evaluating his tenure at State; an interview with USAID's Walid Maalouf on foreign aid as public diplomacy; and a review of American Idol after Iraq: Competing for Hearts and Minds in the Global Media Age by Nathan Gardels and Mike Medavoy. From American Diplomacy, here's a prescription for the renaissance of American diplomacy. Diplomacy from Defense: With his letter to Russia, it looks like President Obama has finally taken Robert Gates' advice. Will the Obama administration reaffirm the civic mandate of the Postal Service that was damaged during the Bush years? A review of James Waller's Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killing. The Sea is My Brother, the first novel Jack Kerouac ever wrote, when he was a merchant mariner in 1942, will be published in its entirety for the first time (and from Bookforum, David L. Ulin on the fiftieth anniversary of Kerouac's On the Road). A review of Mother of God: A History of the Virgin Mary by Miri Rubin (and more and more). 

From In Character, were the 9/11 terrorists cowards or courageous? Six views; is courage a masculine virtue? Harvey Mansfield and Ayaan Hirsi Ali debate; a look at why a good man is hard to find; an interview with James Grant on investing in a time of fear; and Joe Queenan on the "My Bad" syndrome: "This may get me into a world of trouble, but I find the French annoying. I just do." From Politico, a look at how media sucks up to White House. From TAP, Obama is looking more and more like a progressive Reagan with a dual mission: Can one president transform democracy and capitalism? From The Nation, America's transformation to a clean-energy economy could merge the aims of environmental protection and social justice; and a Global Green Deal: America must step up and lead an international campaign to curb emissions; done properly, it will green the planet and our wallets. America's love affair with really soft toilet paper is causing an environmental catastrophe. Is there a Higgs? In a very pure sense you build the accelerator you need when you know what the question is. An excerpt from Flannery: A Life of Flannery O'Connor by Brad Gooch (and more and more and more and more; and a review at Bookforum). From The Believer, an interview with Mike Leigh; and as moviegoers leave dank, smoke-filled basement theaters behind, how will contemporary cinema change? 

From Democratiya, a special issue on Israel/Palestine. More on The Bin Ladens by Steve Coll (and more from Bookforum). From Challenge, Edward Wolff and Ajit Zacharias (Bard): The Impact of Wealth Inequality on Economic Well-Being; Julie A. Nelson (Tufts): Economics for Humans: Conscience, Care, and Commerce?; and an interview with George Akerlof on the new case for Keynesianism. From Canadian Dimension, an article on the return of Mr. Keynes; and Canadian democracy is under threat, and the threat is the Harper government. From Maclean’s, interviews with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff, and Perez Hilton. From LRC, a review of Stampede! The Rise of the West and Canada’s New Power Elite by Gordon Pitts. NAFTA and the unmanning of America: A trade case with Canada highlights the evidence linking everyday products to the feminization and outright disappearance of males from every species — including ours. Opening the files on Bush's secrets: Freedom of Information wish list — What did Treasury do with the TARP money, and who authorized torture? Yoo complete me: Jeffrey Rosen on the civil libertarian defending the Bush torture theorist. From The American Scholar, John Lukacson on Putting Man Before Descartes: Human knowledge is personal and participant, placing us at the center of the universe.