5:00PM
MAY 9 2008
As smooth and lifeless as an iPhone
Martin O'Neill (Manchester): Liberty, Equality and Property-Owning Democracy; and Liberal Egalitarian Routes towards Economic Democracy. An interview with Catalan philosopher Xavier Rupert de Ventos: "The reactionary Celine is more interesting than the liberal Rawls". An interview with neoconservative Lawrence Kaplan: "I don't see anything good that has come from this war". The sexiest woman (barely) alive: The female ideal pushed by laddie magazines has become as smooth and lifeless as an iPhone. Here are 5 myths about the best (college) years of your life. An atheist goes undercover to join the flock of mad pastor John Hagee: An excerpt from Matt Taibbi's The Great Derangement. Meet Gus Puryear, Bush's latest villainous nominee for a lifetime judgeship. A review of Daniel J. Flynn’s A Conservative History of the American Left. Is Phyllis Schlafly worthy of an honorary doctorate by Washington U. in St. Louis? An interview with Denis Boyles, author Superior, Nebraska: The Common Sense Values of America’s Heartland. Will we ever get past the cultural wars of the 1960s? Ron Bailey wants to know. Is baseball a global sport? An article on America’s “national pastime” as global field and international sport. Fifty-four years after its publication, Ray Bradbury’s classic dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 transcends the framework within which it was placed.
1:00PM
MAY 9 2008
The sloppy engineering of evolution
From Psychology Today, encounters with the opposite sex skew our psyches in such a special way that reason and bias climb right into bed with each other — in this mode, it sometimes pays to deceive ourselves: Welcome to the paradoxical world of mating intelligence. Does your brain have a mind of its own, or why can't we stick to our goals? Blame the sloppy engineering of evolution. From Prospect, an interview with Duncan Fallowell on his writing strategies, how he met Warhol, and why he is the first travel writer who is not a wanker. Downloading democracy: Tara Brabazon takes a listophile’s delight in a celebration of musical progress. A review of books on how the centre of gravity of English has moved. Seven Pillars of Wisdom was hailed on its first appearance as a historical and literary masterpiece. But this memoir of the Arab revolt, and T E Lawrence's other writings, also offer prescient warnings about western policy in the Middle East. From Soundings, happiness in a society of individuals: Zygmunt Bauman looks at the ways in which ideologies of privatisation shape our desires, and at the reasons they are unlikely to be fulfilled; and Jonathan Rutherford looks at contemporary changes in the practices and cultures of capitalism. By turning NAFTA into a punching bag, Clinton and Obama are ignoring the real questions that free trade raises for America.
9:00AM
MAY 9 2008
Fairness, idealism and other atrocities
From Mute, an essay on the immaterial aristocracy of the Internet: A historical account of the all-too-human actors vying for power over the net. From Ctheory, an article on watching the Posthuman Bildungsroman. They're global citizens, they're hugely rich, and they pull the strings: Call them the superclass. In an extract from his book Global Movement, Magnus Wennerhag outlines how the global justice movement differs from the '68 protests: it is more political and aimed at international institutions and a globalized democracy. Marriage, passion, and the individual: An excerpt from Elizabeth Fox-Genovese's Marriage: The Dream That Refuses To Die (and more). You are not your bookcase: Online profiles and painfully constructed "faves lists" have turned us into a bunch of unwitting snobs. The Original Black Man's Guide to the Press: Ten easy rules for spinning the white man's media. Do "local currencies" really help the communities that use them? An excerpt from Gardens: An Essay on the Human Condition by Robert Pogue Harrison. More and more on Castles, Battles, and Bombs: How Economics Explains Military History by Jurgen Brauer and Hubert van Tuyll. PJ O'Rourke on fairness, idealism and other atrocities: Commencement advice you're unlikely to hear elsewhere. An excerpt from The Cost of Counterterrorism: Power, Politics, and Liberty by Laura K. Donohue.
5:00PM
MAY 8 2008
Smarter isn’t better
Mikel Burley (Leeds) Immortality and meaning: Reflections on the Makropoulos debate. A review of Death Benefits: How Losing a Parent Can Change an Adult's Life—For the Better by Jeanne Safer (and an interview). Lots of animals learn, but smarter isn’t better. From National Journal, the Bush administration's campaign to spread democracy in the Arab and Islamic world is in danger of imploding — the next administration will have to pick up the pieces. Obama and Orwell: What the master Brit can teach Democrats about elitism. The introduction to Political Hypocrisy: The Mask of Power, from Hobbes to Orwell and Beyond by David Runciman. Former Republican Congressman Bob Barr talks about his quest for the Libertarian Party's presidential nomination. From Reason, who's going to get your wasted vote? A guide to the wildest Libertarian Party nomination fight in decades; and from liberal hawks to "National Greatness" conservatives: More on They Knew They Were Right by Jacob Heilbrunn. Mommy, how did your bosom get so big? There are books to explain grief, jealousy, digestion — but there was one untapped niche. From Mute, is a rabble run media becoming a possibility? And are artists in the vanguard or blocking the way? Larry Gagosian is the man who changed the art world — and he doesn't want to talk about it. More on The Commission by Philip Shenon.
1:00PM
MAY 8 2008
Spot the digital manipulations
Scott McLemee interviews one of the “new sociologists of ideas", Neil Gross, author of Richard Rorty: The Making of an American Philosopher (and an excerpt). Research shows Socrates in the classroom develops students' thinking and changes the distribution of power. A look at how hoax anti-Obama e-mails still fool dumb white guys. A review of US Versus Them: How a Half-Century of Conservatism Has Undermined America's Security by J. Peter Scoblic. A review of The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria (and more and an excerpt). Despite its negative image, nuclear energy may be the most efficient and realistic means of meeting the rapidly-growing demand for power in the United States. From Der Spiegel, a special report on A Day in the Life of Germans. Why are the presidential candidates—and so many counterterrorism experts—afraid to say that the Al Qaeda threat is overrated? The good news in a dreary scenario is that venues for book reviewing seem to be increasing exponentially on the Web. Fred Barnes writes in praise of the "long" campaign. From Nerve, here is a list of the 50 greatest commercial parodies of all time. Not Black and White: William Saletan rethinks race and genes. Airbrushing celebrity and model photos has become so common that it's a popular pastime for magazine readers to spot the digital manipulations; have photo editors gone too far?
9:00AM
MAY 8 2008
Family history really is bunk
The first chapter from Democracy Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism by Sheldon S. Wolin. From TLS, Edward Said still dominates debate: Robert Irwin reviews Daniel Martin Varisco's Reading Orientalism: Said and the unsaid and Ibn Warraq's Defending the West: A critique of Edward Said’s Orientalism; and a review essay on Dante, Primo Levi and the intertextualists: Language makes us capable of talking about ourselves and itself, and does one only by doing the other. How we know global warming is real: An article on the science behind human-induced climate change. The introduction to Saving the Constitution from Lawyers: How Legal Training and Law Reviews Distort Constitutional Meaning by Robert J. Spitzer. Tongue tied: Lynn Harris on the romantic, bumpy road to learning a new language. Sorry, but family history really is bunk: The current craze for genealogy reflects an unhealthy combination of snobbery and inverse snobbery, and is a poor replacement for national history. A review of Susan Neiman's Moral Clarity. From the Mises Institute, Robert Higgs on the dangers of Samuelson's economic method. If there's anything wrong with the modern male, the answer is in his wallet, not his pants. Forget Paris: Why is the capital of French snobbery starting to look like a mini-America?
5:00PM
MAY 7 2008
Can the universe die?
The end of time: We used to think the universe was never-ending in both age and extent, but recent research is challenging this idea — can the universe die? The first chapter from Split Decisions: How and Why to Take a Break from Feminism by Janet Halley. A look at how Herodotus' use of oracles clashes with our modern sense of divinity and rationality. Hey kid, why are you such a moron? Professor Ted Gup says his students are ignoramuses, and he has evidence to prove it. A review of All the Sad Young Literary Men by Keith Gessen (and an interview, and more and more and more and more and more and more). Endangered stuntmen: Computer graphics imagery has supplanted stunt work in many movies, and that's destroying one of the oldest pleasures of the silver screen. The introduction to What is Analytic Philosophy? by Hans-Johann Glock. The introduction to Extinction: How Life on Earth Nearly Ended 250 Million Years Ago by Douglas H. Erwin. More on Founding Faith by Steven Waldman. A review of Understanding America: The Anatomy of an Exceptional Nation. Intellectual sneering is no joke: The low opinion academics have of the public will not change until scholars open themselves up to debate. The introduction to International Law on the Left: Re-examining Marxist Legacies. A look at how Karl Marx predicted Hannah Montana would go nude.
1:00PM
MAY 7 2008
Events and their time
From City Journal, is the criminal-justice system racist? No: the high percentage of blacks behind bars reflects crime rates, not bigotry; and a look at how Jeremiah Wright draws on a long line of Afrocentric charlatans. From Taki's Top Drawer, an article on what’s going right in Europe: How localism might save the continent. Teaching Imperialism 101: Without RAND, our military-industrial complex, as well as our democracy, would look quite different. The Canadian pop star who shocked a billion people: How a 27-year-old rapper from Richmond, B.C., sparked the biggest celebrity sex scandal in China's history. From Left Business Observer, a review of Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine (and more); and with Obama, never did the possibility of disappointment offer so much hope. From The Progressive, yes ("can bring ground-breaking change") and no (a "vacuous opportunist") on Obama. A review of Badiou and Derrida: Politics, Events and their Time by Antonio Calcagno. More on Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely. A review of Fatal Misconception: the Struggle to Control World Population by Matthew Connelly. A review of Education's End: Why Our Colleges and Universities Have Given Up on the Meaning of Life by Anthony T. Kronman. Josef Joffe on how America looks to the world.
9:00AM
MAY 7 2008
From abattoir to disco
From CQ Politics, which is better: the No. 2 spot... or going back to the Hill? Francisco Ayala is a roving defender of evolution, and of room for God. From Seed, counting down to the election, America's science community is asking itself some deep questions about the interplay between science and politics. From Secular Web, an essay on Charles Darwin and the evolution of the human mind. From CUP, the introduction to Darwinism and its Discontents by Michael Ruse; and the first chapter from Evidence and Evolution: The Logic Behind the Science by Elliott Sober. Do white right-wing preachers have it easier than black left-wing preachers? EJ Dionne wants to know. Niall Ferguson reviews Reappraisals: Reflections on the Forgotten Twentieth Century by Tony Judt (and more and more). Why does going to a Rush show still feel almost like sneaking into a NAMBLA convention? The Southerner as historian (and vice versa): A review of Clyde N. Wilson's Defending Dixie: Essays in Southern History and Culture. From Good, at Somalia’s largest privately run refugee camp, they don’t wait for peacekeepers and aid workers; and invest in international news: There’s money to be made for commercial media in the business of global news. From abattoir to disco: Gregor Dotzauer travels through Croatia, a small land of great poets, all writing their way of the wreckage.
5:00PM
MAY 6 2008
Tracking urban eccentrics
From Foreign Policy, human rights groups are rightly outraged about China’s abysmal record, but it is foolhardy to treat a rising superpower like a tin-pot dictatorship — sometimes, a little pragmatism goes a long way; and you’ve heard the frightening statistics, seen the riots, and watched the food lines grow across the world: Have we entered some kind of permanent Malthusian trap? From LiveScience, here are 10 things you didn't know about you; and a look at the top 10 worst hereditary conditions. Anyone who dreams of a "classless society" may be disheartened by the results of a brain-scanning study. When does kinky porn become illegal? Jonathan Franzen says Michiko Kakutani is "the stupidest person in New York City". The introduction to Impossible? Surprising Solutions to Counterintuitive Conundrums by Julian Havil. From The Washington Monthly, an idea whose time has gone: Conservatives abandon their support for school vouchers; a look at why a resurgent labor movement is closer than you think; and how to dump the Electoral College without changing the Constitution. In her new book Wild Nights!, Joyce Carol Oates takes on the (largely male) Western literary canon. From Wired, a look at how websites go crazy tracking urban eccentrics. Hurdles on J Street: America's new liberal Israel lobby could change the middle east debate in Washington, but it faces major obstacles.
