From The University Bookman, a review of Education’s End: Why Our Colleges and Universities Have Given Up on the Meaning of Life by Anthony T. Kronman; a review of Beyond Capitalism and Socialism: A New Statement of an Old Idea; histories right and left: A review of Rightward Bound: Making America Conservative in the 1970s; and A Conservative History of the American Left by Daniel J. Flynn; and here's the conservative exiles’ reading list. From OJR, journalism is the business of building communities — so newsrooms must hire from within those communities; and here are ideas that get in the way of saving journalism. A review of Work Hard Be Nice: How Two Inspired Teachers Created the Most Promising Schools in America by Jay Mathews (and more). What if the September 11th attacks had coincided with the ravage of Hurricane Katrina? Weighing the connections between weather and terrorism in India during November’s monsoon and the Mumbai attacks. An interview with Julienne Stroeve on tracking the fallout of the Arctic's vanishing sea ice. Daniel Gross on dumb money: Are executives villains or morons? From American Sexuality, an article on Richard Burton's Kama Sutra quest. Tails of a curious submariner: A US Marine with a lot of time on his hands has noticed that a strange thing happens when you keep tossing a coin.

From the Web Journal of Current Legal Issues, a special issue on the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. From Human Rights & Human Welfare, Howard Adelman (York): Intent: Ius In Bello Norms in Just War Theory — The Case of the War in Gaza in 2009; and a review of Peacemakers in Action: Profiles of Religion in Conflict Resolution and Peace Out of Reach: Middle Eastern Travels and the Search for Reconciliation by Stephen Eric Bronner. From Utne, an essay on The Lonely American: Choosing to reconnect in the 21st century (and more on the art of lively conversation). Sandra Newman reviews A Fortunate Age by Joanna Smith Rakoff. You make me sick: Does maladaptive psychology cause autoimmunity? Mathematician answers Supreme Court plea: New, fair method for dividing states into congressional districts could reduce political squabbles. That voodoo that scientists do: When findings are debated online, as with a yet to be released paper that calls out the field of social neuroscience, who wins? Ecstasy is much less dangerous than we thought, say scientists, but politicians are ignoring this. Happy camper: Jesse Smith was skeptical of RVs. From TED, Charles Moore on sailing the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Though we've come to accept it as part of the economic cycle, the "layoff tactic" can trace its roots to the military discharge.

From The National Interest, Minxin Pei and Jonathan Anderson debate "the color of China"; and cranks or soothsayers: Why aren’t the right experts listened to at the right time? Maybe it’s a personality deficit disorder. Truth over happiness: First and foremost, Americans want honesty from the Oval Office. Jim Hightower on why America needs a Truth Commission. Ha-Joon Chang on how protectionism did not cause the depression — indeed, moderate protection is what we need. Is the School of Economic Science a cult? Jeremy Stangroom investigates. Countless towns and small cities across the U.S. have proven vulnerable to these tough times — and no one knows how to stop the bleeding. A look at how to build a better robot. An interview with Peter Feaver on evangelical public intellectuals.  A review of Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right from Wrong by Wendell Wallach and Colin Allen. An interview with Jacob Hacker, author of "The Case for Public Plan Choice in National Health Reform". A review of American Grit: What It Will Take To Survive in the 21st Century by Tony Blankley. If witches existed, John Demos would have found them. A review of Life and Action: Elementary Structures of Practice and Practical Thought by Michael Thompson. Ada Louise Huxtable is a formidable architecture critic, but her legacy may be too much of a good thing.

From Reviews in History, a review of Glamour: A History by Stephen Gundle; a review of Cars for Comrades: The Life of the Soviet Automobile by Lewis H. Siegelbaum; and a review of Unrespectable Radicals? Popular Politics in the Age of Reform. Noah Isenberg reviews Shadow and Light by Jonathan Rabb. Here are 10 reasons why we love making lists, and here are seven lies we tell ourselves about Facebook (and more). James Surowiecki on wages, productivity, and the unemployment crisis. Is the exclusive TED conference intellectual nirvana — or just a return to high school? Jaron Lanier wants to know. Father in Chief: Parenting — and governing — is messy business. Happy Medium: How an indie-crafts venture found mainstream expression. Roid Warriors: Ben McGrath goes in the newsroom with the Daily News’ steroid squad. From Ovi, an essay on ideological clashes, the most frequent conflict in 2008; and a review of two books on the widespread socio-pathology of the rape of nature. An interview with Woody Tasch, author of Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money: Investing as if Food, Farms, and Fertility Mattered. The case against thrift: The downturn is giving us new excuses for moral flagellation, but saving money won't save your soul. What are the salient evils of our time? Paul Johnson on what the temptations on the high mountain mean today.