The inaugural issue of In Brief, the newsletter of South Sudan Law Society, is out. John Yoo (UC-Berkeley): The Legality of the National Security Agency's Bulk Data Surveillance Programs. Haochen Sun (Hong Kong): The Distinctiveness of a Fashion Monopoly. From Resistance Studies, Tova Crossler Ernstrom on fat activism. Machiavelli with malaprops: Jon Ralston on a quarter-century of covering Harry Reid. The modern economy depends on dozens of obscure metals — what happens if we run out? The philosophy of death: Miguel de Unamuno was a man of contradictions — he saw tragedy and death in life, and that was why he loved it. 2013 was the year the grand bargain died — good riddance. Steven Melendez on the soft science of male enhancement pills. Look back with angst: A century on, there are uncomfortable parallels with the era that led to the outbreak of the first world war. The welfare queen: In the 1970s, Ronald Reagan villainized a Chicago woman for bilking the government; her other sins — including possible kidnappings and murders — were far worse. Why are people protesting in Ukraine? Leonid Peisakhin provides historical context. I got it wrong: Seven writers on why they changed their minds. Irit Dekel on laughter and remembering in Berlin. Richard Florida, Mr. Creative Class, is now Mr. Rust Belt — but he's not sorry about Brooklynizing your neighborhood. Sarah Kliff on why Obamacare won’t spiral into fiery, actuarial doom.
