online archive
5:00PM
MAY 14 2008
Why do New Yorkers seem rude?
From CT, a review of Aimee Semple McPherson and the Resurrection of Christian America by Matthew Avery Sutton; and a review essay on the art of biblical interpretation. A look at how Second Life affects real life. Taking your own life is a mortal sin, says the Catholic Church — unless you happen to be a bishop. Making a dictionary of Wapisiana – an indigenous language spoken in South America – was time-consuming, but not as dull as Samuel Johnson declared. From Literary Review, Michael Burleigh reviews The Return of History and the End of Dreams by Robert Kagan; a review of For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond by Ben Macintyre; and a review of The 60s Unplugged: A Kaleidoscopic History of a Disorderly Decade by Gerard DeGroot. A review of Why Truth Matters by Ophelia Benson and Jeremy Stangroom. From City Journal, Saul Bellow’s prophetic 1970 novel Mr. Sammler’s Planet captured New York’s unraveling and remains a cautionary tale. Why do New Yorkers seem rude? Joan Acocella has a few ideas. Resurrecting Leslie Fiedler, a high priest of pop culture: The legacy of the literature critic is born again in a new collection of his essays. A review of The Magical Chorus: A History of Russian Culture from Tolstoy to Solzhenitsyn by Solomon Volkov. Can the Bill James approach to numbers work in basketball?
1:00PM
MAY 14 2008
Things both goofy and grand
From Slate, a series of articles on procrastination. Pictionary: Why people are paying $2,600 for a dictionary with no definitions. The introduction to The China Diary of George H. W. Bush: The Making of a Global President (and an interview). Money doesn’t buy happiness, but success does — capitalism, moored in values of hard work, honesty, and fairness, is key. A review of Cuba: How the Workers & Peasants Made the Revolution by Chris Slee. Is time travel possible? Not all scientists agree but according to Einstein and quantum theory, time travel could be possible. This, from that: A new breed of tinkerers mix science and craft to make things both goofy and grand. A review of The Revolution: A Manifesto by Ron Paul. Silver lining for Obama: A bruising primary season has had the unintended side effect of laying general-election groundwork. Will whites vote for him? John Judis on the political psychology of race. Google announces a free service that allow any Web site to become a social site (and more). Sean Wilentz on why Ronald Reagan didn't completely suck. From Le Monde diplomatique, a review of The Holocaust Is Over: We Must Rise from Its Ashes by Avraham Burg; and an article on the "ethnic cleansing" of Palestine: Are the Jews an invented people? Carlin Romano on Israeli history at 60: A history of contention over a contentious history.
9:00AM
MAY 14 2008
Humans, the strangest species
From LiveScience, a series of articles on humans, the strangest species. From Freezerbox, is legislation the answer to ending anorexia in the fashion industry?; and what is it with men and torture? Behind closed doors: An article on the secret consumption of sex. What will some of today's most well-known hip-hop artists be doing in 2035? Lil Wayne and Baby sitting in a tree: A gay hip-hop insider brings to light a hidden subculture of sex parties and closeted stars. Why is everyone so obsessed with Miley Cyrus, ''The Hills,'' ''Gossip Girl, and the like? It's a new teen age in entertainment. OMG: Teens are letting emoticons and other forms of chat-speak slip into their essays and homework. A review of The Dumbest Generation by Mark Bauerlein. From IHE, is the bachelor’s degree obsolete? Lefty Colorado University bid to endow a "conservative" chair leaves both sides uneasy. Steven Pinker on the stupidity of dignity: Conservative bioethics' latest, most dangerous ploy. Ronald Bailey on the genetics of ensoulment: What's an embryo and what's not? The Neural Buddhists: The cognitive revolution is not going to undermine faith in God but faith in the Bible. The human brain is a less-than-perfect device; Kludge explains how our minds work and sometimes don't (and more). The less you know, the more wisely you seem to choose: An article on the mental toolbox you use when the facts are scarce.
