When groups don’t think
From Vanity Fair, at a lavish conference in Monaco, the game was guessing which big private-equity firm will be first to go bust, but the smoke and mirrors that wrecked the global economy might actually save the likes of K.K.R. and Blackstone. A review of Globalization: The Irrational Fear That Someone in China Will Take Your Job by Bruce C. Greenwald and Judd Kahn. An article on Somalia as symbol of the decaying world order. An interview with Daniel Levy, director of the Middle East Initiative at the New America Foundation, on Israel and Gaza. When groups don’t think: Collaboration, done right, produces dazzling results — so why is it often disastrous? A review of Gorbachev: Man of the Twentieth Century? by Mark Sandle. A review of Damming the Flood: Haiti, Aristide and the Politics of Containment by Peter Hallward. Puttin’ Off the Ritz: An article on the new austerity in publishing. A narrative in crayon and collage: How a troubled outcast folk artist found posthumous redemption. A review of Buckminster Fuller: Starting with the Universe. A review of Hugo Slim's Killing Civilians: Method, Madness, and Morality in War. The Era of Big Government is starting over: Will the Obama administration transform American constitutionalism in the way that FDR did? The first chapter from Thucydides: An Introduction for the Common Reader by Perez Zagorin.
A heyday more glorious than we knew
From The Wilson Quarterly, an essay on The New Kindergarten: The case for universal pre-kindergarten isn’t as strong as it seems; a review of Einstein's Mistakes: The Human Failings of Genius by Hans C. Ohanian; and in the digital age, will the OED remain a cultural cornerstone? A look at the top five issues facing the United Nations in 2009. The Obama tide lifted some clear winners: James Wolcott on The Good, the Bad, and Joe Lieberman. Michael Kinsley on the Bush Presidency, eight years later. From THES, a review of The Social Impact of the Arts: An Intellectual History by Eleonora Belfiore and Oliver Bennett; and a review of Try to Remember: Psychiatry's Clash over Meaning, Memory and Mind by Paul R. McHugh. From Mental Floss, an article on 6 cases of shamelessly false advertising; here are 3 maps that get people worked up; and the stories behind 20 Muppet favorites. On second thought: Why being wrong can be a good thing. A review of Hollywood Under Siege: Martin Scorsese, the Religious Right, and the Culture Wars by Thomas R. Lindlof. For scholars, a combustible question: Was Christ real? Conservatives are getting down and dirty to spread their social agenda. Playboy, like its founder, is getting rickety — a lament for a heyday more glorious than we knew. An American at Cambridge: Hot Victorian Sex!
Up with the potato!
From The American Journal of Economics and Sociology, a special issue on The Vanity of the Philosopher: From Equality to Hierarchy in Post-Classical Economics by Sandra Peart and David M. Levy. Here are tips for budding politicians on how to avoid embarrassment on Facebook. Iceland after the Fall: Down with the man, up with the potato! Out of sight, out of mind: Why the president should come face to face with public criticism. A review of Scared to Death: From BSE to Global Warming — Why Scares are Costing Us the Earth by Christopher Booker and Richard North. Deep Throat meets data mining: In the nick of time, the digital revolution comes to democracy's rescue — and, perhaps, journalism's. How the split between creation care's leaders and its grassroots activists is dictating the future of the green evangelical movement. A study finds that not all self-help books are created equal — some are actually pretty good. Is this "the end of neoliberalism"? Sorry, not yet. Small, patriotic pieces of cardboard are common coin for US military airmen. Jan Freeman on the language dustbin: Some advice doesn't age well. A review of How To Live: A Search for Wisdom From Old People (While They Are Still on This Earth) by Henry Alford. Boring, web encyclopaedia management stuff — everyone keeps their cool, except for on one topic: Garfield.
Pseudo-concrete ideals
From Human Affairs, a special issue on The Ideals of the Good Life, including Richard Shusterman (FAU): The Good Life, The Examined Life, and the Embodied Life; Erich Mistrík (Comenius): Pseudo-Concrete Ideals of a Good Life; Blanka Sulavíkova (SAS): The Good Life and the Ideal of Flexibility; and L'Uboslava Sejcova (Comenius): Body Dissatisfaction. A review of books on human rights and humanitarian intervention. After Bush: E.J. Dionne, Jr. on why 2009 finally marks the beginning of the 21st century. The sentimentality of crowds: Charities wonder if giving donors control over their donations makes for wise policy. Online v. print reading: which one makes us smarter? Not-So-Lonely Planet: A photograph of the earthrise taken on Christmas Eve 1968 provided a new perspective on the thing that all humanity shares. More on The Choice of Hercules by AC Grayling. A review of Sneaker Wars: The Enemy Brothers Who Founded Adidas and Puma and the Family Feud That Forever Changed the Business of Sport by Barbara Smit. More on Reborn: Early Diaries 1947-1964 by Susan Sontag (and more and more; and more from Bookforum). An interview with Russ Roberts, author of The Price of Everything: A Parable of Possibility and Prosperity. Welcome to the coldest town on earth: Oymyakon, Siberia, is bracing for temps as low as -90 degrees Fahrenheit.
