online archive
5:00PM
AUG 7 2008
Not so lazy, after all
From TAP, Spencer Ackerman on a glossary of Iraq euphemisms. From FP, why Bob Gates’s new plan to fund academic research is just what the doctorate ordered. Not so lazy, after all: Is it possible that Europeans — famed for their endless vacations - - work as much as we do? The Russian futurist: Aleksander Solzhenitsyn killed off leftist attachment to the Soviet ideal in Europe, but his own attitude towards the motherland was complex (and more from Christopher Hitchens). From In These Times, the American Left: Does a nationwide "progressive movement" actually exist? A review of Grover Norquist's Leave Us Alone. From Alternet, here's a guide to the sleaziest (and most contradictory) smears on the Dem nominee — a good formula for selling books. Is Obama the end of black politics? The resistance of the civil rights generation to Barack Obama’s candidacy reveals a generational divide in African-American politics. From Boston Review, an interview with Vivian Gornick, author of The Men in My Life. From Discover, could pandas be an evolutionary mistake—or proof of an Intelligent Designer? A review of Fertilizers, Pills, and Magnetic Strips: The Fate of Public Education in America by Gene Glass. In the first of a weekly series, Michael Blastland, co-author of The Tiger That Isn't: Seeing Through a World of Numbers, gives some hints at getting to grips with surveys.
1:00PM
AUG 7 2008
Just two clicks
From Good, an article on the ethics of travel writing: A seasoned travel writer makes sense of the Lonely Planet scandal. From Slate, an article on the 10 oddest travel guides ever published; and a look at the best (and worst) travel gear for parents. From LRB, just two clicks: An article on the virtual life of Neil Entwistle. Is the anthrax case solved but unresolved? Why we need a new think tank for the War on Terror. A review of Islam and the Political Theory: Governance and International Relations by Amr G.E. Sabet. The Obama campaign's DNA is changing as it adds political insiders and Clintonites — will it still function? An interview with David Freddoso, author of The Case Against Barack Obama. Dead Right: McCain's problem isn't his tactics — it's GOP ideas. Don't let students' howlers drive you mad — accept their most common mistakes as variant spellings and relax. From Vanity Fair, a profile of Nicky Haslam. Why do we capitalize the word “I”? The majuscule “I” appears only in English. A review of Up For Renewal: What Magazines Taught Me About Love, Sex and Starting Over by Cathy Alter (and more). A review of Global Justice: The Politics of War Crimes Trials by Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu. American music is enjoying a golden moment; literary bands, with songs that revel in intricate language, complex narratives and cinematic plot twists, are on the rise.
9:00AM
AUG 7 2008
Who owns the cloud?
From Foreign Affairs, Stephen Biddle (CFR) and Michael E. O'Hanlon, and Kenneth M. Pollack (Brookings): Standing Down as Iraq Stands Up: Building on Progress. Cracked imagines if websites came with warning labels. From Business Week, it's 2018: Who owns the cloud? (and more) Judicial Partisanship Awards: Cass Sunstein on a study of over 20,000 decisions that reveals how politics shapes ruling. A review of The President Shall Nominate: How Congress Trumps Executive Power by Mitchel A. Sollenberger. A review of Why You Should Read Kafka Before You Waste Your Life by James Hawes. From Modern Age, an article on Dostoevsky vs. Marquis de Sade; and an excerpt from Eliot and His Age: T. S. Eliot’s Moral Imagination in the Twentieth Century by Russell Kirk. In Defense of the ‘60s: The pursuit of happiness is a dream for all generations. A new issue of Words Without Borders is out. From Literary Review, John Gray reviews Between the Monster and the Saint: Reflections on the Human Condition by Richard Holloway; and Kathryn Hughes on e-readers: should we Kindle our books? Ninety per cent of the planet’s living space and biodiversity is under water; and there are only five manned craft on Earth that can get to the bottom of it. Take this theory, please: Alastair Clarke suggests humor played a key role in our development as a species.
