3:00PM
OCT 6 2008
Let there be markets
From Fortune, why the bailout may not be enough: Cleaning up banks' balance sheets is a start, but the government may need to do more. From Business Week, what does Henry Paulson do now? A look at why the Paulson package is not the end of capitalism. We don't just need to recapitalize the banks — we need to reconceptualize capitalism. From Newsweek, Francis Fukuyama on The Fall of America, Inc.: Along with some of Wall Street's most storied firms, a certain vision of capitalism has collapsed. Capitalism to the Rescue: Can the venture capitalists at Kleiner Perkins reduce our dependence on oil, help stop global warming and make a lot of money at the same time? He foresaw the end of an era: A review of The New Paradigm for Financial Markets: The Credit Crisis of 2008 and What It Means by George Soros. Jeffrey Sachs on how to fix the US financial crisis. How free should a free market be? It appears that we still have not had enough central planning in finance. Tim Harford on why Americans should stop complaining about the "moral hazard" problem and enjoy the bailout. How today's debacle recalls James Madison's nightmare at the founding that none would have the virtue to lead. Alan Wolfe on why the economic crisis won't transform America. Let there be markets: An article on the evangelical roots of economics. A look at why your boss is white, middle-class and a show-off.
12:00PM
OCT 6 2008
Virtues associated with smallness
From Vanity Fair, Christopher Hitchens on The Eton Empire: A fresh look at the bastion of privilege, which may have rebranded itself just in time. Hangman, spare that word: The English purge their language. Horace Engdahl of the Nobel Prize committee doesn't think American authors are good enough for the world's top literary honor. The Nobel Committee has no clue about American literature (and more). The Ambition of the Short Story: There are virtues associated with smallness — it is the realm of elegance and grace, it’s also the realm of perfection. From Evolutionary Psychology, whence poetic fiction: A review of Comeuppance: Costly Signaling, Altruistic Punishment, and Other Biological Components of Fiction by William Flesch; and a review of The Rape of Troy: Evolution, Violence and the World of Homer by Jonathan Gottschall. Apply all the science to novels you want, Literary Darwinists — you'll still never quantify the human experience. Christian creationists have long railed against the theory of evolution, but you may not have heard anything yet. This years' Ig Nobels Awards honor studies of lap dancing, soft drink-based contraception. The U.S. News &World Report rankings of colleges and universities are largely arbitrary, according to a new mathematical analysis. Higher art: Universities should become society's great patrons of the arts.
9:00AM
OCT 6 2008
Are you an elitist?
From TAC, whose Palin? The old Buchanan Brigades now ride to the sound of the neocon guns; and here's an open letter to Sarah Palin by the editors. A look at why some women hate Sarah Palin, and a look at why Sarah's sex life matters. David Gargill travels to Anchorage to examine the roots of Sarah Palin’s spectacular and sudden ascent. The politics of the Last Frontier are a strange brew of libertarianism, moralism, privacy and a love of government handouts. An article on Palin's small-town snobbery: Why it's time to bury the myth of rural virtue. Alaska vs. Hawaii: Why is Seward's Folly the "real America" and the Aloha State not? Are you an elitist? 18 revealing ways to know for sure. Stephen Pinker on why voters should focus on Gov. Sarah Palin’s facile governing philosophy that is symbolized by her speech style, not the red herrings of accent or dialect. The next decider: The election isn't just a referendum on ideology — it's a contest between two modes of thinking. An interview with Philip Tetlock, author of Expert Political Judgment. This is your brain on politics: A look at the work of Drew Westen, author of The Political Brain. Is Sarah Palin a "muscular feminist" or simply a dumb jock? If something is too absurd for words, why not draw a cartoon? Voila: Palinworld. An article on Alaska's Little Diomede island: You CAN see Russia from here.
6:00PM
OCT 3 2008
Plans to live indefinitely
From Human Affairs, Sami Pihlstrom (Tampere): Mortality as a Philosophical-Anthropological Issue: Thanatology, Normativity, and "Human Nature"; and Alexander Kremer (Szeged): Rorty and Normativity. From The Bulletin, how can we reduce the risk of human extinction? An interview with Ray Kurzweil on plans to live indefinitely. From Discover, here are 10 everyday technologies that can change the world. From The Wilson Quarterly, even the most high-minded aid can sometimes do a lot of harm: John R. Miller on Slavery; Holly Yeager on The New Face of Global Giving; Matthew Connelly on Controlling Passions; and G. Pascal Zachary on Humanitarian Dilemmas. Michael Ignatieff reviews Freedom's Battle: The Origins of Humanitarian Intervention by Gary Bass (and more and more and more). From First Principles, an essay on the Americanization of conservatism; and a review of Reclaiming the American Right: The Lost Legacy of the Conservative Movement by Justin Raimondo. From Ovi, an article on the sad saga of American democracy. A review of Our Undemocratic Constitution: Where the Constitution Goes Wrong (and How We the People Can Correct It) by Sanford Levinson. A review of Memo to a New President: The Art and Science of Presidential Leadership by Michael Genovese. A look at how cereal transformed American culture.
3:00PM
OCT 3 2008
That won’t be easy
From re.press, you can download The Spirit of the Age: Hegel and the Fate of Thinking. Mein Leipzig: An interview with German publisher and bookstore owner Peter Hinke on his city’s distinguished literary legacy. A review of Raymond Williams: A Warrior's Tale by Dai Smith. An interview with Steven Shapin, author of The Scientific Life: A Moral History of a Late Modern Vocation. From Carnegie Council, a discussion on The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq by Bing West. Who was the first president of the United States? Wrong. An interview with Ronald Wright, author of What is America? An interview with Larry Schweikart, author of 48 Liberal Lies About American History. From TAP, a look at how the Dems lost on education; and only by relinquishing some autonomy will teachers finally be able to attain the true professional status they deserve. An interview with Abbie Smith, author of Can You Keep Your Faith in College? A review of Faculty Incivility: The Rise of the Academic Bully Culture and What to Do About It by Darla Twale and Barbara DeLuca. The first chapter from All Politics Is Global: Explaining International Regulatory Regimes by Daniel W. Drezner. That won't be easy: Without a foreign policy reset button, what's next? An interview with Bobby Maddex, editor of Salvo magazine.
12:00PM
OCT 3 2008
What makes our sense of time tick
From IHE, an interview with Elizabeth Aries, author of Race and Class Matters at an Elite College; and a look at the worst academic careers worldwide: Are things getting so bad that a new kind of ranking is called for? The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood wins a victory against Bratz. From the latest issue of Bookforum, a review of Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us) by Tom Vanderbilt (and more and more and more and more). But they mean well: A review of Have a Nice Day by Justin Webb and In Defence of America by Bronwen Maddox. From Cosmos, it can fly or it can crawl and it waits for no man; Erica Harrison looks at what makes our sense of time tick. An interview with steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal on politics, football, and philanthropy. The Numbers Guy on the most-common English words (and more on making every word count). A look at how the globalization of language will muzzle the nation-state. Contemporary populism and its discontents: A review of David Sirota's The Uprising: An Unauthorized Tour of the Populist Revolt Scaring Wall Street and Washington. From International Viewpoint, an interview with Gilbert Achcar on the decline of US imperialism. Irwin Redlener on how to survive a nuclear attack.
9:00AM
OCT 3 2008
The financial crisis is kind of cool
From Capitalism, an article on economic freedom in America: What is economic freedom? Here's an open letter to European leaders on Europe’s banking crisis. From Vanity Fair, Joseph Stiglitz puts forth a clear, commonsense plan to reverse the Bush-era follies and regain America’s economic sanity. From Writ, an article on the rationality of spite: Why the bailouts do, and should, make people angry. The GOP blames the victim: Capitalism sure is fragile if subprime borrowers can ruin it. This is a crisis, but it's also an extraordinary opportunity. Let's admit it, the financial crisis is kind of cool. From Mute, a look at the new and improved Wall Street Journal. A Billion Little Pieces: Get out the Ritalin! It’s the attention deficit democracy — it’s Wall Street to McCain to Letterman to Palin to Couric to Biden to Obama. A review of Obama's Challenge by Robert Kuttner. From Culture11, is Obama intelligent enough to be president? From Salon, who is the real John McCain? From David Foster Wallace to Paul Begala, four authors trace the politician's journey from the liberal's conservative to flip-flopping hack. Emily Bazelon on the un-Hillary: Why watching Sarah Palin is agony for women; and can Palin's sentences stand up to a grammarian? GOP, RIP? Nearly three decades of Republican dominance may be coming to an end. More on Slavoj Zizek's In Defense of Lost Causes.
6:00PM
OCT 2 2008
Completely off their rockers
From Intercollegiate Review, George Carey on how to read Willmoore Kendall. The Timbaland Era: Sasha Frere-Jones on how the most important producer of the decade changed the rules. From Jewcy, an article on how Rightist Jews make common cause with Nazis against Islam. While some of America's smartest and most civic-minded people are trying to save daily newspapers, the media moguls who can make a difference seem to be completely off their rockers. Christopher Sorrentino reviews The Development by John Barth. From Wired, an article on Weird Al, forefather of the YouTube spoof. Birth of an ocean: An articled on the evolution of Ethiopia's Afar Depression. From In These Times, Susan Douglas on what Bush has stolen from us. Here are five cities that stand in a class all their own when it comes to brutal, homicidal violence. From Cafe Babel, an article on Europe between pragmatism and utopia. From Business Week, here's a business plan for the Catholic Church. From Big Think, can Dan Gilbert make you happy? An interview with Jonathan Gershuny, an expert in how we spend our time and what it says about us. More on Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein. A review of Martin Gardner's Hexaflexagons, Probability Paradoxes, and the Tower of Hanoi. A review of The Case Against Barack Obama by David Freddoso.
3:00PM
OCT 2 2008
Taboo impulses can be titillating
A new issue of the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication is out. From Psychology Today, Seven Deadly Sentiments: Evolutionary psychology helps us understand why we are ashamed of having forbidden thoughts that make us feel like lousy people — strategies that led to success on the Pleistocene savanna; and taboo impulses can be titillating, but more often they're a source of concern for those who harbor secret wishes or unusual desires. A review of Freedom for the Thought That We Hate: A Biography of the First Amendment by Anthony Lewis and Liberty of Conscience: In Defense of America’s Tradition of Religious Equality by Martha Nussbaum. The censor's dark materials: Censorship is a terrible thing — so thank goodness it never works, says Philip Pullman. When publishers are too intimidated to print even novels that may offend, it shows how far we’ve lost our way on free speech. Quinn Latimer reviews The Virgin Formica by Sharon Mesmer. From Public Ethics Radio, Thomas Pogge on pharmaceutical innovation. From TNR, with America in flames, it's time to revisit the righteously pissed-off work of C. Wright Mills: Alan Wolfe reviews The Politics of Truth: Selected Writings of C. Wright Mills; and Todd Palin, The New Hillary: What Democrats should remember when running against a scandal-ridden, hatred-inspiring, outside-DC couple.
12:00PM
OCT 2 2008
Why loneliness feels cold
From Scientific American, an article on the search for intelligence in our genes; an article on the X chromosome and the case against monogamy; why loneliness feels cold and sins feel dirty: Social psychologist Chen-Bo Zhong explains how abstract concepts can create physical feelings; and why do we like to dance and move to the beat? A study suggests AIDS emerged 100 years ago, points to 19th century urbanization of Africa as a cause. More and more and more and more on Hot, Flat, and Crowded by Thomas Friedman. From Wired, a look at how voter database glitches could disenfranchise thousands. The Dixiecrats rise again: We may be seeing the resurgence of what was thought to be an endangered species, the Southern white conservative Democrat. Michael Walzer on Russia, Georgia and what we mean when we call ourselves "internationalists". What the 21st century will taste like: A preview of what you'll be eating for the rest of the century from Momofuku chef David Chang. Marion Nestle on the facts about corn sweetener. The original sex manual: A review of The New Joy of Sex by Alex Comfort and Susan Quilliam. A review of The American Future: A History by Simon Schama. From The Chronicle, a cartload of recent books suggests that it's time to reverse the customer-service mentality plaguing academe. More on Crowdsourcing by Jeff Howe.
