archive

Another way of being

A review of The King of Vodka: The Story of Pyotr Smirnov and the Upheaval of an Empire by Linda Himelstein. An interview with David Stipp, author of The Youth Pill: Scientists at the Brink of an Anti-Aging Revolution (and more and more and more). As ethnic and sectarian solidarities and conflicts sharpen in this part of the world, it may be worth reminding ourselves of another way of being — "new Ottoman" cosmopolitanism, with its complex relationship to colonialism. Arab photographers' view of the "Orient": Frequently criticized as they are, images that "orientalize" Middle Eastern subjects are widespread and well known — the Arab Image Foundation, however, presents other views of this part of the world. Enlightened Views: The Book That Changed Europe: Picart and Bernard's Religious Ceremonies of the World by Lynn Hunt, Margaret C. Jacob, and Wijnand Mijnhardt shows how a set of 18th-century etchings helped change the way Europe thought about religion. A review of Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water by Peter H. Gleick. How prepared are we for the next great flu breakout? Why we’re losing the War Against Influenza. David Johnson on the difference between winning and losing: Baudrillardian reversibility and chance versus the world as stake. A review of A Mosque in Munich: Nazis, the CIA, and the Rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in the West by Ian Johnson (and more).