From MR, an interview with Judith Butler, author of Precarious Life: The Powers of Mourning and Violence; and from sexual objectification to sexual subjectification: An article on the resexualisation of women's bodies in the media. In a looks-obsessed world, are blind people immune to appearances when they fall in love? English transcends culture or any other communication barrier, something few languages have achieved in history. An article on AIG's Joseph Cassano, the man with the trillion-dollar price on his head. Remembrance of tomes past: How to deal with used books. From The Smart Set, an article on the birth of the celebrity chef; and the elephant in the room: Zoos were once full of compelling architecture — what happened? A review of In Search of Time: Journeys Along a Curious Dimension by Dan Falk. How worried should you be about the robot takeover depicted in "Terminator: Salvation"? From the book to the movie: Do the Illuminati really exist? Breaking the chain: Barry Lynn on the antitrust case against Wal-Mart. A look at why ethnic jokes are not funny. Traditional view that fairy tales were handed down via folk traditions has no basis in verifiable fact. Does the editorial staff itself really believe it's possible to find all the answers to vexing issues in Psychology Today?

A new issue of M/C Journal is out, on the challenges of enthusiasm. Brain cells for socializing: Does an obscure nerve cell help explain what gorillas, elephants, whales — and people — have in common? An interview with Clive James: "I would have been an obvious first choice for cocaine death. I could use up a lifetime's supply of anything in two weeks". A review of An Edible History of Humanity by Tom Standage (and more and an excerpt). From The Hedgehog Review, a review of books on youth culture. Jacob Weisberg on what we've learned so far about Obama. Obama ruined my game: Being a black male intellectual used to make G'Ra Asim stand out — now, it's the norm. Why can’t black women and white women talk to each other? TV Time in Negroland: In the ’50s, on the rare occasions black performers appeared on TV, African-American families gathered to watch and to judge. A review of Mara Altman's Thanks for Coming: One Young Woman’s Quest for an Orgasm. Comrade Auden: Unpublished verses by W. H. Auden that show him learning his trade — as a documentary film-maker. More on The Thoreau You Don't Know by Robert Sullivan. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Businesswoman: The design economy has turned bohemian outsiders into a new marketplace elite.

A new issue of Sexual Intelligence is out. The fate of Detroit isn’t a matter of economics — it’s a tragic romance, whose magic was killed by bureaucrats, bad taste and busybodies. David de Rothschild will soon set sail on the Plastiki, a boat constructed out of re-purposed plastic bottles. From Splice Today, the Republican Party could conceivably turn this down-time into an advantage, but the odds don't look good; and Democrats have a history of ruining their most opportune moments in power, but Obama could be different if he focuses less on simply sidelining Republicans. Is Barack Obama a new Adolph Hitler or a new Neville Chamberlain? The Washington Times says both! The New Shape of the American Idea: Ideas work, they just take time. From The Nation, a review of Che's Afterlife: The Legacy of an Image by Michael Casey. The dubious shelter of grad school: Why going for another degree right now isn't as safe as it seems. Here are 8 new ways you might be insane according to the new DSM-V (and more). Clive Thompson on the future of reading in a digital world. A review of Reflections on the Revolution In Europe: Immigration, Islam, and the West by Christopher Caldwell. Why we drive like idiots: Playing the trumpet while roaring down the highway would be an obvious one.

From TNR, Richard Just on the return of idealism (and responses by John Judis and Peter Scoblic); BHL on our duty to Iran: Why we need to aid and strengthen, with all our might, the civil society in revolt; and from Kiev to Tehran: Can Ukraine' Orange Revolution teach us anything about the protests in Iran? Clash Warfare: John Esposito on how Samuel Huntington’s big idea got misapplied in the Middle East. From The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg on how Iran could save the Middle East; a look at how Moldova, Europe’s poorest country, escaped the economic crisis; new techniques can change the climate quickly and cheaply — why are scientists afraid to mention them?; a look at how humans have survived the centuries by evolving into quick-witted creatures, and now technology and pharmacology provide a new boost to intelligence; James Fallows profiles Nouriel Roubini, Dr. Doom with the good news; Gary Wills on how William F. Buckley was a man of impulse, big words, and reckless candor — but he wasn’t a snob (and more at WSJ); Christopher Hitchens reviews Abraham Lincoln: A Life by Michael Burlingame; Michael Hirschorn on why The Economist is thriving while Time and Newsweek fade; and here are 15 ways to fix the world. Barry Eichengreen on eight ways to radically remake the world.