From The Public Sphere, Luke Perry on U.S. exceptionalism and opposition to healthcare reform. David Warsh on the hidden history of the health care bill. Secret Krav Maga Moves: Defend yourself, family, and minyan with these ancient Semitic martial arts techniques. Muscle Man: How the original 97-pound weakling transformed himself into Charles Atlas and brought the physical fitness movement to the masses. For 150 years, bodybuilders have gone from circus sideshows to national celebrities, imparting fitness lessons along the way. Steven Pearlstein on big business vs. big government, an age-old balancing act. More and more and more and more and more on Scroogenomics by Joel Waldfogel. Political power in the auto industry: Why did Congress protect car dealers? Here is some useful information for holiday festivities: The darker the liquor, the more painful the hangover. From Swans, Michael Barker on the Russell Sage Foundation and the manufacture of reform. A review of On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears by Stephen T. Asma. Send us your tired, your poor, but only if they're "culturally unique": Immigration caseworker AA0089 has some thoughts about what is art. The psychology of social status: How the pursuit of status can lead to aggressive and self-defeating behavior (and more on testosterone). From FP, a look at ten stories that appear in the papers again and again, but never seem to actually happen. From This Modern World, a look at The Year in Crazy (and part 2). A culture war cease-fire: It is 2009's quiet story — quiet because it's about what didn't happen, which can be as important as what did.
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