online archive
5:00PM
AUG 12 2008
An age-old delusion
Living on the ice shelf: Mike Davis on humanity's meltdown. From The Hindu, the American dream is all about the freedom to choose; in a supermarket setting, that can be paralysing to those used to the simpler sabzi mandis. An article on Islamic superheroes going global. Homosexuality may persist because the associated genes convey surprising advantages on homosexuals' family members (and Muslim men are affectionate in ways that would make an American male blush). From Time, an article on the global ambition of Rick Warren. From The Politico, an interview with Dennis Miller. Here's a concept you've probably never heard of: "viral sovereignty". More than 40 years after being named a Westinghouse finalist, futurist Raymond Kurzweil is still inventing. From The Guardian, an interview with Slavoj Zizek. Is the just-christened Morgellons disease an age-old delusion or a disturbing new disease? From Poor, Leroy Moore on the struggle to become a superstar: An Illin n Chillin international report from Uganda. America's fight against poverty has a growing hole; some say it's time to pay attention to the people falling through it: men. PENPals: A correspondence with Markus Zusak & Susan Campell Bartoletti. Crusading with a pen: An interview with Doris Lessing; and more and more on Alfred & Emily (and more from Bookforum).
1:00PM
AUG 12 2008
The world’s biggest boondoggles
From TNR, here's what you need to know about the Georgia crisis (and more). Fred Kaplan on the Bush administration's feckless response to the Russian invasion of Georgia. The United States of cheap beer: Salon brings you an incomplete, biased guide to this great piss-beer nation (and more on PBR). Wikipedians meet in Alexandria for its largest gathering ever in meatspace; James Gleick discusses its vast and growing army of ever-clashing editors. Word War III: How a 17-year-old negotiated an Iranian truce (on Wikipedia). Why do we have such a hard time hearing good news from Baghdad? Christopher Hitchens wants to know. The world's biggest boondoggles: A look at some infamous public works projects and what went wrong. A review of Fleeced by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann. Sex and the semicolon: An article on the punctuation mark that makes men tremble. Here are surprising insights from the social sciences. In contrast to the right, Joseph Stiglitz says, the left has a coherent agenda, and it’s one that offers not only higher growth, but also social justice. From Scientific American, a special section on the science of Star Wars. Heather Mac Donald on the NYPD diaspora: Former New York cops bring cutting-edge, effective policing to beleaguered communities. The death of planned obsolescence: Why today's gadgets keep getting better (at least until the battery dies).
9:00AM
AUG 12 2008
PR scum are human, too
From New York, Black & Blacker: A look at the racial politics of the Obama marriage; an article on the well-meaning origins of our national stalemate on race; and why isn't Obama doing better in the polls? The answer no one wants to hear. An article on how Obama won the nomination, and an interactive timeline on the lives of Barack Obama. From Slate, ads we hate: The most annoying commercials in the universe. Competitive poetry might seem like an oxymoron, but this cathartic, performative form has a wide following. Why did Neanderthal man become extinct — was it interbreeding with humans, or did our ancestors wipe them out? From The Monkey Cage, a review of "Sovereignty and the UFO" by Alexander Wendt and Raymond Duvall (and a response and a reply). From Esquire, here's John Yoo in his own words. A review of Habits of Empire: A History of American Expansion by Walter Nugent (and more and more). From New Statesman, PR scum are human, too: A review of The Fame Formula: How Hollywood's Fixers, Fakers and Star Makers Created the Celebrity Industry by Mark Borkowski; and a review of books on capitalism's woes. One great brain v many small ones: Doughty free-marketeer Milton Friedman sparks controversy from the grave. Economists predict whether China will win the most Olympic medals.
