online archive
10:58AM
MAY 2 2007
Gender, science, the Internet and the media
From The Atlantic Monthly, a review of It's in the Bag: What Purses Reveal—-And Conceal; Bags: A Lexicon of Style; and How to Be a Budget Fashionista: The Ultimate Guide to Looking Fabulous for Less. The Supergirl Syndrome: The marketing-driven message of the perfect girl—smart, skinny, pretty, athletic and loved by all—is a model of perfection that's hard to live up to. Can't girls just be free to be? Men, your armpit excretions affect women more than you might think.
From Metapsychology Book Reviews, a review of Don't Believe Everything You Think: The 6 Basic Mistakes We Make in Thinking. A review of Five Minds for the Future by Howard Gardner and Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Potential To Transform Ourselves. Thinking about why we think about thinking: Don't ask philosophers to talk shop, warns Jonathan Wolff. Are you book-clubbable? Far from providing easy access to literature, book clubs are about as exclusive as they come.
Internet threatens dictionary sales: Rise of online resources sees reference book sales fall. From USA Today, an article on things that changed the Internet over the last 25 years. Here are the latest Webby Awards nominees & winners.
From Media Matters, what does David Broder's exalted position atop the media food chain say about the state of political journalism? Oedipus & Podhoretz: His father fought Stalinists. But for Post edit-page chief John Podhoretz, sitcoms are the battleground of freedom. Why do right-wing pundits hate Rosie O'Donnell so much? Because she was the lone ardently progressive voice in corporate news programming. Eric Alterman & Matthew Yglesias defend the netroots against Jonathan Chait. Newspapers and blogs: Closer than we think? A content analysis of newspapers and blogs covering the Iraq War illuminates differences, and similarities, in sourcing. From PS: Political Science & Politics, a symposium on The State of the Editorial Cartoon.
10:53AM
MAY 2 2007
Philosophy, academia, ideology, art and science
From ReadySteadyBook, an interview with Mark Sinclair, author of Heidegger, Aristotle and the Work of Art: Poeisis in Being. A review of The Act of Being: The Philosophy of Revelation in Mulla Sadra.
From The Chronicle, school shooters are problem solvers, trying to convert their reputations as losers into something more glamorous. Being attuned to that might help thwart such attacks. As tenure drama comes down to the wire, Dershowitz v. Finkelstein: Who's right and who's wrong? For twenty-eight years, Marilee Jones excelled as admissions dean at MIT, until she was fired for falsifying her academic creds. But what good is a college degree, anyway? A review of David Horowitz's Indoctrination U: The Left’s War Against Academic Freedom. A review of The Decline of the Secular University by C. John Sommerville.
From HNN, what’s wrong with the New Conservative History? Donald T. Critchlow investigates. What's the difference between Wikipedia and Conservapedia? Neoliberalising the Cultural Institution: While talk of precariousness is rife in cultural and political forums, "progressive" institutions do not always practice what they preach. Anthony Davies looks behind the scenes of "radical reformism".
The Stalins of sound: The end of communism in the old Soviet Union, far from liberating artists, was a disaster for free expression. A handful of established and well-connected performers seized control of the arts. Art and terror: A review of Falling Man by Don DeLillo. A review of The Power of Art by Simon Schama.
Form Seed, an article on Truth and Science: A (1842-Word) consideration. A review of The Price of Truth: How Money Affects the Norms of Science. A review of Mathematics and Common Sense: A Case of Creative Tension. From The Chronicle, John Horgan on a unified theory of Einstein's life. More on I Am a Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter. How soon till we can get to the Goldilocks planet? Don’t cash in your frequent flier miles yet. It’s a mad old world: A review of Flat Earth: The History of an Infamous Idea. Simon Singh reviews An Ocean of Air: a Natural History of the Atmosphere by Gabrielle Walker. From Scientific American, strange but true: Whale waste is extremely valuable. Maybe you don’t have a problem with really hairy arms, but then again, you’re not the father of a Wookie.
10:51AM
MAY 2 2007
Liberalism, conservatism, atheism and religion, and global warming
From Monthly Review, Michael Lebowitz, author of Beyond Capital: Marx's Political Economy of the Working Class, on new wings for socialism, and from Radical Notes, a review of Lebowitz's Build it Now: Socialism for the Twenty-First Century. From Commentary, a review of Freedom's Power: The True Force of Liberalism by Paul Starr; a review of Milton Friedman: A Biography by Lanny Ebenstein.
From The New Criterion (make sure to read the print versions), Roger Kimball on Hayek & the intellectuals, Harvey Mansfield reviews Hugh Brogan’s Alexis de Tocqueville: A Life, and a review of Frederick Kagan’s The End of the Old Order: Napoleon & Europe, 1801-1805. A review of A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Since 1900 by Andrew Roberts. From The American Conservative, The War Party: Republicans’ traditional defense of life, families, and limited government takes a backseat to defending Bush; Llewellyn H. Rockwell Jr. on Sic Semper Tyrannis; and can Bush be trusted with the power to declare martial law? Can Hillary? Harvey Mansfield on The Case for the Strong Executive: Under some circumstances, the rule of law must yield to the need for energy. More and more on Rumsfeld: His Rise, Fall, and Catastrophic Legacy By Andrew Cockburn by Andrew Cockburn.
From Secular Web, a review of The Hidden Face of God: How Science Reveals The Ultimate Truth; an article on atheism in the Third Millennium, Sean M. Carroll on why (almost all) cosmologists are atheists. Christopher Orlet on a sectarian split among atheists. From Radar, an interview with Christopher Hitchens, Godless provocateur. From Christianity Today, a review of God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything; and fertility, faith, and the future of the West: A conversation with Phillip Longman.
From The Philosopher's Magazine, Stephen Law on optimism, reason and progress. Something earth-changing is afoot among civil society — a significant social movement is eluding the radar of mainstream culture. There’s an apocalyptic vibe in the zeitgeist, and it’s not hard to imagine how the technological sophistication that got us to the brink of global civilization could be our undoing.
A review of With Speed and Violence: Why Scientists Fear Tipping Points in Climate Change. From Seed, a look at how climate change is heating up Arctic geopolitics, as sea passage grows easier and natural gas resources beckon. Desertification is not unstoppable, but containing its spread will require massive international efforts and cost trillions of dollars. From Mother Jones, early girls, Dolly Partons, and the attack of the California tomatoes: On eating locally and debunking the Red-Blue divide. A review of Poop Culture: How America Is Shaped by Its Grossest National Product.
10:47AM
MAY 2 2007
Great Britain, the Middle East, the Bush Administration, and the 2008 election
From Comment is Free, ten bloggers assess Tony Blair's decade in Downing Street, and more by Julian Baggini. Ten years on, a new set of rules, by Philip Stephens. The trend toward Britain’s fragmentation leaves its majority nation in search of itself, finds Roger Scruton. A review of The Conservative Party and European Integration since 1945: At the Heart of Europe? A review of The Labour Governments, 1964–1970. The Royal Consigliere: Though much of Elizabeth II's role is symbolic, she also subtly wields a personal, but very real, power.
The power of thought: If the Scottish Nationalists win on Thursday, it could be an exciting time for those with new ideas; and here are ten questions on the thorny relationship between the thistle and the rose. Mr. Popularity: Earthy charm and a buoyant economy have endeared Ireland's leader, Bertie Ahern, to many voters. Can his winning streak continue as he bids for a third term?
From Slate, what Americans can learn from the Winogard Report: All wars are alike, and so are all investigations of failed wars. Sesame Street puppets to promote peace in the Middle East. From TNR, the other Guantánamo: Bagram Airbase in Kabul, where about 650 detainees are currently held, is rarely subject to outside scrutiny. An exclusive look inside the facility, including never before published photographs. The Right To Remain Silent: Silence is about the only right the Guantanamo prisoners have left. Last refuge of the scoundrel: Bush is trying to convince the American people that Iraq is the WWII of our time, and Democrats are craven defeatists. Both claims are absurd. Duck and Cover: The Bush Admininstration's “Complex 2030” plan is reviving the nuclear threat.
Form National Journal, Alberto Gonzales' Secret Order: The attorney general granted extraordinary powers over Justice Department personnel to two of his aides — both of whom have since resigned. A Case Against Cheney: What Dick Cheney has done is not impeachable. It is merely unforgivable. From Reason, millions of Americans have changed their minds on Iraq. Is Hillary Clinton one of them? From Vanity Fair, many New York political pros believe Rudy Giuliani—former mayor, hero of 9/11, and now presidential candidate—is, quite literally, nuts. The author asks whether Giuliani's lunatic behavior could be the ultimate campaign asset. Could Michael Bloomberg shake up the race?
