online archive
12:00PM
JUN 7 2007
The humanities, natural and social sciences and academia
From Daedalus, a special issue on the Humanities, including Patricia Meyer Spacks (Virginia): Revolution in the humanities; Steven Marcus (Columbia): Humanities from classics to cultural studies: notes toward the history of an idea; Andrew Delbanco (Columbia): American literature: a vanishing subject?; Pauline Yu (ACLS): Comparative literature in question; Anthony Grafton (Princeton): History's postmodern fates; Thomas Crow (USC): The practice of art history in America; Gerald Early (WUSL): The quest for a black humanism; Jack Balkin (Yale) and Sanford Levinson (UT-Austin): Law & the humanities: an uneasy relationship; Dagfinn Føllesdal and Michael Friedman (Stanford): American philosophy in the twentieth century.
From Cosmos, there's nothing quite like Einstein and his theories of relativity to bring out the doubters, the cranks and the outright crackpots. Do they have a point? Was Einstein a fake? Given what is happening in Babylon (Iraq) and biotechnology today, we may be witnessing the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. From Skeptic, who designed that? An article on Creationism v. Intelligent Design. A review of Darwin’s Gift: To Science and Religion by Francisco J. Ayala and The Creation-Evolution Debate by Edward J. Larson. Don't Know Much About Biology: Suppose we asked a group of Presidential candidates if they believed in the existence of atoms, and a third of them said "no"? Jerry Coyne wants to know. Tyrannosaurus sex: They dominated the Earth for 150 million years, but we know little about how they reproduced. Now, a band of brave scientists is trying to find out.
From Policy Review, Lawrence Chickering (Hoover) and P. Edward Haley (Claremont): Strong Society, Weak State; and Peter Berkowitz reviews Betraying Spinoza: The Renegade Jew who Gave us Modernity by Rebecca Goldstein. Stanley Rosen remembers Leo Strauss in Chicago.
From the International Social Science Review, a review of Herbert A. Simon: The Bounds of Reason in Modern America by Hunter Crowther-Heyck; and a review of Knowing Capitalism by Nigel Thrift. Learning with The Price Is Right: Thirty-five years of lessons on economics and class from retiring host Bob Barker.
From Academe, what does "Academic Freedom" mean? Michael Bérubé wants to know; and a review of The Making of Princeton University: From Woodrow Wilson to the Present. A consumer’s guide to the college of your choice: Thousands of American students are heading off to college for the first time in a few weeks. Have they made the right decision?
12:00PM
JUN 7 2007
American empire, religion and secular society and sex
From Arena, while it may be too early to bury neo-conservatism, the signs are that it is imploding as it eats away at its own foundations. A review of Are We Rome? by Cullen Murphy. Niall Ferguson reviews The Price of Liberty: Paying for America's Wars by Robert D. Hormats. Financing the Imperial Armed Forces: A trillion dollars and nowhere to go but up. A review of Freedom Next Time: Resisting the Empire by John Pilger. Anti-war crowd fires at the wrong target: Among turncoat Democratic Senators in the Bush era, there was Zell Miller first, and then Joe Lieberman. And now … Carl Levin?
From Ship of Fools, lost for a smart remark to see off your enemies? Unable to deliver that killer insult? Put an end to unscriptural restraint with the amazing Biblical Curse Generator, which is pre-loaded with blistering smackdowns as delivered by Elijah, Jeremiah and other monumentally angry saints. Is anti-Semitism good for the Jews? Eugene Volokh says yes, but only when expressed in moderation. From Jewcy, Who’s Afraid of Paul Berman? How the Terror and Liberalism author gets Islamism wrong — again.
From Arts & Opinion, is Islam the problem, or can it be part of the solution? Phyllis Chesler on secular Islam; and an interview with Rawi Hage on the long journey into secularism. From Policy Review, How the West Really Lost God: Mary Eberstadt on a new look at secularization. A review of The Cambridge Companion to Atheism.
From Truthdig, an interview with Christopher Hitchens on how religion poisons everything. Here's the video of the Hitchens vs. Hedges debate on religion. A review of The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason and Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris; The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins; and Atheist Manifesto: The Case Against Christianity, Judaism, and Islam by Michel Onfray.
From Touchstone, Simply Lewis: Reflections on a Master Apologist After 60 Years; Over the Counterculture: Wilfred M. McClay on Transgressive Bohemians as Regressive Bobos; and Distant Neighbors: Amanda Witt on Keeping Children Innocent When Lesbians Move In. Who says all gay men are stylish? The idea that all homosexuals are fashionable is bull—just look at all the friends of Dorothy who dress like they're still in Kansas.
From Cosmos, Sexual Chemistry 101: Looking for love? Use the power of science to give you the edge in the dating game, with the top 10 lab-tested tips for finding the perfect mate. A review of Virginity Lost: An Intimate Portrait of First Sexual Experiences by Laura M. Carpenter. Marriage Demystified: An interview with Stephanie Coontz, and a review of Marriage, A History: from Obedience to Intimacy or How Love Conquered Marriage. When Spinsters Attack! Older women can be the real danger when dating in New York. Healthy, my ass: Many blacks love big women, but having a rump the size of Buffie the Body's can put women at risk for disease.
12:00PM
JUN 7 2007
Latin America, American militarism and politics
From Prospect, with Fidel Castro apparently on the verge of death, Bella Thomas returned to Cuba to visit old friends. Little has changed over recent years and life for most Cubans remains harsh. Yet western visitors continue to romanticise the place. A review of Exposing the Real Che Guevara and the Useful Idiots Who Idolize Him by Humberto Fontova. A review of The Origins of the Cuban Revolution Reconsidered by Samuel Farber. A review of Unvanquished: Cuba's Resistance to Fidel Castro.
Ever since the time of Juan Perón corruption has permeated Argentine society. Fraud and bribes are part of everyday life, and anyone wishing to do business compromises. Sometimes corruption may be a shortcut through bureaucracy, but when the system is both inefficient and dirty, there are no justifications. The Venezuelan government recently took over the nation's most popular TV station. Was it a move to return the airwaves to the people — or political retribution for airing anti-Chavez programming? Latin America cannot remain indifferent to Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez’s threats to close media outlets. Troubling Roots: How did Islamic radicalism grow in Guyana? A terrorist hub? The Caribbean region comes under scrutiny.
A new issue of the United States Army's Soldiers is out. Seduced by War: An interview with Andrew J. Bacevich, author of The New American Militarism: How Americans Are Seduced by War. A review of Humanitarian Imperialism: Using Human Rights to Sell War by Jean Bricmont. Freedom's Just Another Word: Fred Kaplan on Bush's deluded speech to the world's oppressed. President Bush has delivered some of the most rhetorically unstable statements of this era — creating a world where power determines reality and words follow meekly behind. Who will be the last Bush loyalist? Whoever you are, don't forget to kill the lights.
There's one thing the US presidential contenders all have in common: God. The 2008 race is already well under way, and the first signs are of a resentful, defensive America. Ben Adler on how conservatives can't figure out why they hate TV. Beware the Bloggers' Bile: Liberal pundits are now as enraged as their foes. That may be a problem for the Democrats.
A review of No Excuses by Bob Shrum. When Barack Obama launched into his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, he was still an obscure state senator from Illinois. By the time he finished 17 minutes later, he had captured the nation's attention and opened the way for a run at the presidency. A behind-the-scenes look at the politicking, plotting, and preparation that went into Obama's breakthrough moment. A review of A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton by Carl Bernstein; and a review of Her Way: The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton by Jeff Gerth and Don Van Natta Jr. (and more).
12:00PM
JUN 7 2007
Books, reviews, poetry, art and food
From The New York Observer, Gillian Reagan on how his book deal ruined his life: Taxes, weight gain, depression, loneliness—book advances are like lottery payoffs; and for four days, booksellers, book lovers, book publishers and book grabbers descended on New York to... what? Meet God, check out wildlife, spy shrunken heads and otherwise distract themselves from their struggling industry. A look at how right-wing publishing struggles to find its political voice. Without credential except a high school diploma and courage, Cindy Brown Austin became a byline known to many readers. One of the the week's best invented words: "Foxymoron".
From PopMatters, a review of At the Same Time: Essays and Speeches by Susan Sontag. A review of The Gravedigger's Daughter by Joyce Carol Oates. Oprah Winfrey got Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Cormac McCarthy to do the one thing he hates most: talk about his work, but He's No Salinger.
From The Walrus, An American Type of Sadness: A review of Oblivion and Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace; The Discomfort Zone by Jonathan Franzen; The Diviners by Rick Moody; and The Disappointment Artist by Jonathan Lethem.
From Boston Review, a review of Peter Gizzi's The Outernationale; a review of Carol Frost's The Queen's Desertion; and a review of Tomas Tranströmer’s The Great Enigma Katie Peterson.
From Arts & Opinion, an article on the Art of Raka B. Saha: Her still life is more compelling than real life — in colours mixed with moon and monsoon; and an article on the Art of Purvis Young: He hails from the down but never out of Miami. "I work to support my habit and my habit is painting," says Urban Expressionism's powerful new truthsayer.
From Slate, a slide show essay on Richard Serra, the sculptor who reinvented space. Art to the rescue: The "Art goes Heiligendamm" G8 exhibition deals with irony, utopia and overcoming borders. A review of Hogarth, France and British Art by Robin Simon and Hogarth by Mark Hallett and Christine Riding. Bohemian Breaks: A set of "cultural economy" tax credits could help New Orleans realize a number of its development goals, from arts and architecture to entertainment and culinary delights.
From TLS, a review of Good Bread is Back: A contemporary history of French bread, the way it is made, and the people who make it by Steven Laurence Kaplan. An interview with Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma. Diet and Genetics: If protein, fat, and carbs are bad, what do you eat? When Teflon-coated pans were first introduced, they practically sold themselves. Two generations later, we are once again learning that better living through chemistry often carries a hidden price.
