Social science, natural science and education
From The Economist, a review of Farewell to Alms: A Brief Economic History of the World by Gregory Clark. A review of The Industrial Revolutionaries: The Creation of the Modern World 1776-1914 by Brian Morton. The first chapter from Where Nation-States Come From: Institutional Change in the Age of Nationalism by Philip G. Roeder. The first chapter from Political Power and Corporate Control: The New Global Politics of Corporate Governance by Peter A. Gourevitch and James Shinn. A review of Knowledge Monopolies: The Academisation of Society by Marten Shipman. Science lovers have more fun - - it's a fact: A review of The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science by Natalie Angier. A review of What's Science Ever Done for Us? What the Simpsons Can Teach Us About Physics, Robots, Life and the Universe by Paul Halpern.
The Astronomy of Astrology: Astrology was first practiced in ancient Babylonia and was originally intertwined with astronomy. The Biggest Thing in Physics: Two teams of physicists compete to explain matter—and win a Nobel Prize. A review of The New Time Travelers: A Journey to the Frontiers of Physics by David Toomey. A review of Fly Me to the Moon: An Insider's Guide to the New Science of Space Travel by Edward Belbruno. Life in space discovered? On August 15, 1977, a radiotelescope at Ohio State known as “the Big Ear” heard something very unusual as it scanned the skies: "Wow". A look at why progressives should care about human destiny in space.
NOLA's Failed Education Experiment: Privatization runs amok in the post-Katrina New Orleans school system. Teachers who have master’s degrees are usually paid considerably more than their colleagues, but the additional degree doesn’t have much impact on student achievement. On Campus, Trying to Connect: Today's freshmen will have made e-contact with their roommates before they arrive on campus. But does so much connectivity make the transition harder? New College of Weirdness: The stories coming out of the New College of California point to a common S.F. malady — leaders expect everyone to drink the Kool-Aid. Who’s Afraid of Incestuous Gay Monkey Sex? Sociologists — especially those who study sexuality — have for years done controversial research. But some of their colleagues may feel enough heat right now that they are avoiding certain topics.
