online archive
2:00PM
JUL 29 2007
Miscellaneous
A review of Perfect Spy: The Incredible Double Life of Pham Xuan An, Time Magazine Reporter and Vietnamese Communist Agent by Larry Berman. A review of Women's Roles in Nineteenth-Century America by Tiffany K. Wayne. A review of Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA by Tim Weiner ( and more and more and more). Democracy has never been an idyll: Thomas Jefferson, principal author of the Declaration of Independence, had never actually read any of the works of Plato he so airily cited. A review of No Retreat, No Surrender by Tom DeLay (and more).
From TNR, a review of Robert Moses and the Modern City: The Transformation of New York by Hilary Ballon. A review of The Fabric of America: How Our Borders and Boundaries Shaped the Country and Forged Our National Identity by Andro Linklater. A review of MacArthur by Richard B. Frank. Who was this "Great Liberator"? A review of Lincoln Unmasked: What You're Not Supposed to Know About Dishonest Abe by Thomas J. DiLorenzo. Alger Hiss Rides Again: Spy case erupts; defenders turn to Nixonian tactics. A review of LeMay: A Biography by Barrett Tillman. How Slavery Destroyed Virginia: A review of Dominion of Memories: Jefferson, Madison, and the Decline of Virginia by Susan Dunn.
A review of The Second Gilded Age: The Great Reaction in the United States, 1973-2001 by Michael McHugh. In our era of legalistic nitpicking over dull charters of rights, the (re)publication of Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence and Thomas Jefferson: Author of America by Christopher Hitchens should make your heart beat faster. A review of The Limits of Sovereignty: Property Confiscation in the Union and the Confederacy During the Civil War by Daniel W. Hamilton. A review of Cheney: The Untold Story of America's Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President by Stephen Hayes (and more and more). A review of Age of Betrayal: The Triumph of Money in America, 1865-1900 by Jack Beatty and West form Appomattox: The Reconstruction of America After the Civil War by Heather Cox Richardson.
From National Review, an interview with Stephen F. Hayes, author of Cheney: The Untold Story of America's Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President. A review of Nixon and Kissinger by Robert Dallek. David Gordon reviews The Ruses for War: American Interventionism Since World War II by John B. Quigley. A review of Savage Peace: Hope and Fear in America, 1919 by Ann Hagedorn. Edward Luttwak reviews The Reagan Diaries, ed. by Douglas Brinkley. A review of Henry Kissinger and the American Century by Jeremi Suri. BBC's Document uncovers details of a planned coup in the USA in 1933 against FDR which included George W. Bush’s grandfather, Prescott. The Great Triumvirate: A review of The President, the Pope, and the Prime Minister: Three Who Changed the World by John O’Sullivan.
2:00PM
JUL 29 2007
Miscellaneous
From FrontPage, a symposium on criminalizing Holocaust denial, with Alan Dershowitz, Deborah Lipstadt, Roger Kimball, and Gregory Glazov. As we’ve all learned in school, 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, only 30% is solid ground. What if everything was reversed? What if every land mass was a body of water, and vice versa? From The Wilson Quarterly, Soldiering Ahead: For three decades, women have been moving up in the world. They run corporations, colleges, even countries. So what has changed? What's different about female leaders? Compensating the Wrongly Convicted: With an increasing number of exonerated inmates being released, states vary widely on the reparations they make to innocent people they have imprisoned. The behavior of the bald eagle falls under the rubric of kleptoparasitism, which makes the bird a fitting symbol of the U.S. government, especially as regards foreign policy.
Robert Baden-Powell's scouting movement is 100 years old, but how has his advice to young people — written up a year after the first Scout camp — stood up over the years? Profits vs. Partners: Are the country’s top law firms going the way of the dinosaur? From New York, Disaster Relief: Why did we feel oddly liberated thinking that the terrorists had struck again, finally? Balancing the wheel of life: In seeking good health, be mindful of the lessons of the moose, experience of native people suggests. Orthodox Paradox: The 12 years Noah Feldman spent at a yeshiva day school made him who he is. Now the school doesn’t acknowledge who he has become. A reflection on religion, identity and belonging (and an interview). Key aspects of national security, including intelligence and analysis used to create the President's Daily Brief, have been turned over to private corporations.
From The Nation, a cover story on Purple America: Democrats are poised to seize a historic opportunity to win back voters in the South and West they started losing four decades ago. Max Blumenthal is Rapture Ready: The Unauthorized Christians United for Israel Tour. Consumers of counterfeit branded products may be dupes or they may be shrewd shoppers, but they are also communicators; people who demonstrate literacy in the meanings attached to certain symbols in the marketplace both of goods and ideas. A review of An Acceptable Sacrifice? Homosexuality and the Church. Accounting for good people: Surprising as it might seem, the Big Four accountancy firms have lots to teach other companies about managing talented people. The Optimism Revolution: Optimism as you know it isn't always the best medicine. In the new view, behavior trumps positive outlook. Why a healthy mentality paints the world in light and shadow.
From America, Behind (and Beyond) the Walls: A review of Nuns by Silvia Evangelisti. The joys of partial recall: If you can't remember the name of your favourite movie, don't worry: You're not alone. The Myth About Boys: We've been fretting about them for a decade. But young men are better off, socially and academically, than ever. From Adbusters, an essay on Jazz and Jihad: The Discourse on Solidarity. No objections here: Supply-and-demand has top law firms' "summer associates" hitting pay dirt without breaking much of a sweat. Thirty years after feminists made key advances, Italian teenagers are coveting jobs as showgirls, dancers and quiz show hostesses. How have Italian women been held back by rules and customs? How has the image of the house-confined mamma, with daughters dreaming of fame and success through beauty, endured? Are you kidding? Tubal ligation procedures denied to young women who don’t want children.
2:00PM
JUL 29 2007
Miscellaneous
From The Globalist, corruption plagues all walks of society today, including governance and education. But is corruption necessarily bad for developing countries? An article on why the US should ratify the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Team colours: Can sport really unite a multiracial nation? What used to be forged on battlefields are now being attempted on sports fields. God's ambassadors: The Vatican has one of the world's busiest but least-known diplomatic services. Does it deserve its special status? A review of Doomsday Men by PD Smith and The Atomic Bazaar by William Langewiesche (and more and more). Brain Drain II: Immigrants let glass ceiling gather dust: Reports shine the light on a global labour market in which talented newcomers aren't sticking around for a breakthrough job.
The meaning of Europe is reconciliation: An interview with Ferdinando Riccardi, columnist for Agence Europe. Preparing for tougher times: Belarus's president Alyaksandr Lukashenka is worried about the future. Sven Lindqvist's Terra Nullius recounts Europe's disastrous collision with the peoples of Australia. A review of The Boys From Dolores: Fidel Castro's Classmates From Revolution to Exile by Patrick Symmes. Since last year's historic elections, political and economic progress in Congo has stalled, while war drums are rumbling in the country's east. In an interview with Der Spiegel, prominent Russian writer and Nobel laureate Alexander Solzhenitsyn discusses Russia's turbulent history, Putin's version of democracy and his attitude to life and death. A review of Planet India by Misa Kamdar. The Bored Whore of Kyoto: A look at how European johns line up to tap Russia's carbon reduction potential.
The truth about the Arab media: Arab liberalism flourishes in London. From Forward, Martin van Creveld on how Israel is training for the wrong war. What if I'm kidnapped by terrorists? A how-to guide for hostages overseas. The least useful reaction to terrorism is to dismiss it as an inscrutable evil: A blind faith in the moral superiority of our own way of life will only hinder efforts to tackle violent extremism. An excerpt from Security First: For A Muscular, Moral Foreign Policy by Amitai Etzioni (and part 2). "I won't be an Uncle Tom": Prominent German-Iranian author Navid Kermani speaks to Ali Fathollah-Nejad about Islam and Iran, European values, and why he won't have anything to do with the Islam industry. Peter Beinart on how to deal with dictators. Michael Crowley on how K Street cashes in on the Armenian Genocide.
Alan Dershowitz says being a pro-Israel liberal doesn’t mean being lonely. Howard Kurtz on A Blog That Made It Big: The Huffington Post, trending up and Left. George H. Rosen on the American leap of faith — and ignorance. Time was that the g-word was unpronounceable by critics on the right or left. It is a measure of how much the world has changed since September 11, 2001, that the prospect of genocide shocks neither. An article on Greg Palast, progressives and investigative journalism. An interview with Columbia University's Glenn Hubbard, co-chair of Governor Mitt Romney’s Economic Advisory Committee. Crafting a Better Political Apology: Why politicians apologize badly, and how they could improve. (Are you paying attention, David Vitter?) On Stage Left An interview with Kate Clinton, political humorist. A review of Bill Clinton: Mastering the Presidency by Nigel Hamilton. An article on blue-state G.O.P. Senators: Who will survive?
2:00PM
JUL 29 2007
Miscellaneous
From The New Yorker, an article on The Magical Grasp of Antiques. The E Decade: Was David Shenk right about the dangers of the Internet in 1997? From n+1, Dispatches from the Jewish Imagination: A review of Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union and Nathan Englander's The Ministry of Special Cases (and more and more from Bookforum). A review of Femininity in Flight: A History of Flight Attendants by Kathleen M. Barry. An article on Reason's Peter Bagge, a cartoonist who's quick on the draw. The spies who never left us: The bad guys are back, and the new cold-war thriller cannot be far behind. Why We Color Butter Yellow: An excerpt from Moveable Feasts: The History, Science, and Lore of Food by Gregory McNamee. The rise and rise of the Brutalists: Curious about who and what exactly the Brutalists are? Look no further: here's a definitive guide. An article on the first name in English dictionaries. It isn't Johnson.
A review of Queuing for Beginners: The Story of Daily Life from Breakfast to Bedtime by Joe Moran. Green Unseen: Environmentally friendly buildings don't need to look like cheese wedges. From Wired, bird, plane or SuperMensch? Jews and superheroes share a rich history. Thirty years after Umberto Eco’s brilliant essay titled “Travels through Hyper-reality” (now a paper-back book), hyper-fakery has gone global: Mickey Mouse has taken up residence in both Paris and Shanghai (and part 2). They Aren’t Sluts—Just Missbehavin’: Bad-girl mag Missbehave celebrates its first anniversary—and hot dads, sex toys, sneakers, Lily Allen. From AJR, Norman Pearlstine, Company Man: An editor revisits his role in Plamegate. From TAP, Harry Potter and the Complicated Identity Politics: J.K. Rowling subtly critiques, yet ultimately hews to, a fantasy script dependent on stereotypes culled from real-life racism.
A review of Playing America's Game: Baseball, Latinos and the Color Line by Adrian Burgos Jr. Athletes of the sky: A review of A Very British Coop: Pigeon Racing from Blackpool to Sun City by Mark Collings. There's a huge market in the US for books of the political analysis and investigative journalism sidelined by the mainstream press. But are enough Americans picking up copies to make a difference at the polls? Vintage Classics may have had TS Eliot's theory on tradition in mind when it launched its latest wheeze, which involves the pairing of past and modern masters. A dream life of parties, glamour - and lavatories: A review of Wicked Whispers: Confessions of a 3am Gossip Queen by Jessica Callan. Like Florida without the humidity: A review of Tommy's Honor: The Story of Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, Golf's Founding Father and Son by Kevin Cook.
A review of Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul by Karen Abbott (and more). From Asia Times, Burmese literature has yet to acquire an international reputation, even though it is rich with a sense of the oppression in the military-run country. It's hard for a literary agent to contact a client hiding in the jungle. Though the U.S. capital is home to scores of memorials, just a handful of them command the attention of most visitors. Clay Risen takes a tour of Washington’s other monuments. Andrew Keen says the internet is populated by second-rate amateurs - and that it is swiftly destroying our culture. A review of Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean by Douglas Wolk (and more). Jan Herman is still pondering why Noam Chomsky's recent article, "Imminent Crises: Threats and Opportunities" was listed on the right wing cultural site Arts & Letters Daily, which delivers best ideas at high speeds (As if!)
