online archive
12:00PM
AUG 12 2007
Miscellaneous
Stefano DellaVigna and Ethan Kaplan (UC-Berkley): The Political Impact of Media Bias. The Next Nobel? How upstart philanthropist Fred Kavli found a way to rev up tomorrow's hottest fields of inquiry. The first chapter from Mothers and Children: Jewish Family Life in Medieval Europe by Elisheva Baumgarten. Single-sex classes may come soon to a school near you: Experiments are worthy approach for many students, particularly boys. Earth Speaks in an Inaudible Voice: You can’t hear it, but our planet’s ultradeep hum could save your life. The introduction to American Machiavelli: Alexander Hamilton and the Origins of U.S. Foreign Policy by John Lamberton Harper.
Prime Vertebrae: PZ Myers discusses the critical difference between having six or seven cervical vertebrae. In dusty archives, a theory of affluence: Gregory Clark believes that the Industrial Revolution occurred because of a change in the nature of the human population. The first chapter from War, Wine, and Taxes: The Political Economy of Anglo-French Trade, 1689-1900 by John V. C. Nye. A look at why guilt doesn't keep some of us from making the same mistakes twice. A review of History of Madness by Michel Foucault. The introduction to Postal Systems in the Pre-Modern Islamic World by Adam J. Silverstein. A Brief History of Infinity: The paradoxical twists and turns of infinity have baffled many great thinkers.
Is anybody out there? Calling all aliens, we want to hear from you … or do we? With plans afoot to transmit new interstellar messages, some say it's foolhardy to broadcast our presence. What if ET wants to eat us? Good Old Cal? A review of The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression by Amity Shlaes. Medical sleuth reveals what killed Poe, Columbus: Mysteries solved by combining detailed histories and modern knowledge. David Warsh reads Bound Together: How Traders, Preachers, Adventurers and Warriors Shaped Globalization and, side-by-side, the June issue of the American Economic Review. The introduction to Chases and Escapes: The Mathematics of Pursuit and Evasion by Paul J. Nahin.
12:00PM
AUG 12 2007
Miscellaneous
We should be adult enough to say something as juvenile as, "Wow, your god used to think if you eat meat on Fridays you’d go to hell? Interesting, but I don’t understand that at all. Tell me more". The law of the bus stop: Adolescent behaviour isn't getting any worse, but our media-fuelled obsession with it is. You Don't Say: The celebrity interview is an exercise in ersatz intimacy. Let's talk about reinventing it. From the Freakonomics Quorum, a look at the economics of street charity. A review of Cracks in the Constitution by Ferdinand Lundberg. The eyes have it: What do we see when we look at ads? First Prize for Weird: A bizarre substance, like "frozen smoke", may clean up rivers, run cell phones and power spaceships. The Numbers Guy on The Mystery of the Median.
A review of When The Press Fails by W. Lance Bennett, Regina G. Lawrence and Steven Livingston and Dark Days in the Newsroom: McCarthyism Aimed at the Press by Edward Alwood. A look at how more black women consider "dating out". Left Out: "Gay recovering leftist" explores why the dating life of a political minority can be lonely. The introduction to Services and Employment: Explaining the U.S.-European Gap. A review of Factory of Dreams: A History of Meccano Ltd, 1901-1979 by Kenneth D. Brown. From American History, an article on the curious history of the Purple Heart. Where black and brown collide: The struggle for political dominance pits natural allies against each other. From Forward, an article on the death of genuine dissent in Judaism.
From National Geographic, How to Survive (Almost) Anything: When it comes to surviving a crisis situation, we tend to rely on what we think we know. But sometimes second-guessing yourself is the key to getting out alive. The introduction to Freedom's Orphans: Contemporary Liberalism and the Fate of American Children by David L. Tubbs. So what would it mean to take seriously Jesus' injunction to love our neighbours? How could we recover a sense of the proximity of love? And how could we take seriously the geography of this ethical vision? A review of Plain Secrets: An Outsider Among the Amish by Joe Mackall. The pay phone, 100 or so, served us well in another era: Fewer and fewer people use public pay phones. As prices rise, experts wonder if they have a future. User’s guide: Some habits are rational to acquire but addicts should quit when the need arises.
12:00PM
AUG 12 2007
Miscellaneous
From Moldova's The Tiraspol Times, what on earth is this? Pridnestrovie claims it is a state. But opponents of independence say it isn't. Democracy in action: The gloriously Greek, freedom-loving attitude of Athenians to smoking fits perfectly with the city’s history. Tale of ruling class privilege touches a nerve in Italians: A review of The Caste: How Italian Politicians Became Untouchable. The other Europeans: An integrated 'Romanian' Asia and Middle East, a Swedish safe-haven-no-more for Iraqi refugees, and Africans voyagers dying in Mediterranean waters. How the migration tide has crashed and burned over Europe's east, north and south. The introduction to Democratic Breakdown and the Decline of the Russian Military by Zoltan Barany.
How the West was won over: The sprawling new Taoist temple north of Toronto is a reflection of the growing popularity of China's ancient faiths. A review of The Khat Controversy: Stimulating the Debate on Drugs by David Anderson. The first cut: Practised for religious, cultural and health reasons, circumcision has not been required by mainstream medicine. But will studies suggesting it protects against HIV sway those who consider it barbaric? Building big, starting small: A radical new way for poor countries to get the phones, power, and roads they need. A review of Merchant of Death by Douglas Farah and Stephen Braun. To Russia, with dub: Want to fight racism in Russia? Send in Lily Allen, some reggae bands and an outspoken Muslim rapper. The Romance of Ruin: The wrecking ball can be an uncannily honest artist, laying bare the hidden truth – and beauty – of a structure. A tour of Toronto the Broken.
From the Center for American Progress, here's a an Iraq Timeline: The Broken Record on "the Next Few Months". From Forward, a review of Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Iran, Israel and the United States by Trita Parsi (and more). Henry Siegman on the Middle East Peace Process Scam: There is no peace process. A crucial test case for Arab democracy: Can Morocco’s Islamists check al-Qaida? The first chapter from Reaching for Power: The Shi'a in the Modern Arab World by Yitzhak Nakash (and an interview). Split in anti-war left: Congress’s failure to secure a timetable for withdrawing American troops from Iraq has split anti-war activists on the tactical question of whether to attack Democrats.
12:00PM
AUG 12 2007
Miscellaneous
From Cultural Survival, a special issue on rescuing critically endangered Native American languages. A tiny part of the brain appears to play an important role in how well adults can learn another language, a new study finds. A space of her own: Internet guru Danah Boyd has rare insights into the workings of online communities and the net's failings. Let's hear it for Stumpy, Keano and the zorse: Animals are the unsung heroes of the news agenda. What explains toddlers' linguistic leap? Math: Simple math may explain why toddlers experience a sudden burst of words—and why some talk earlier and more than others. Why do certain things charm us so? A review of Taking Things Seriously by Joshua Glenn and Carol Hayes. A review of Marooned: The Next Generation Of Desert Island Discs.
From Utne Reader, The Wide World of Online Literary Journals: A guide to literature on the web. Let's Get Killed: Arthur magazine is back from the ashes but still looking for a lifeline. Open Library: Imagine if world’s most complete card catalog were just a mouse-click away. Scott McLemee chats with a young programmer who is making it happen. YouTube vigilantes: Will Internet shaming turn Average Joes into Big Brother? A review of Wrestling Babylon: Piledriving Tales of Drugs, Sex, Death, and Scandal by Irvin Muchnick. An article on curbing homophobia in Reggae. Don't Drink the Balloon Juice: Michael Weiss on good, bad, and ugly things to name your blog. Wars of ideas: An article on the ten greatest legal battles in technology.
From The Atlantic Monthly, a review of Frank Sinatra: The Man, the Music, the Legend by Jeanne Fuchs. O’Malley to Murdoch to Chance: A story about how the media mogul was no Midas on the diamond. A genetic string band: A computer programme that turns DNA into music helps to bring the arts and sciences closer. Nope, Yup, Nope, Yup: An ontological treatise on flipping coinage. A review of Cake or Death: The excruciating choices of everyday life by Heather Mallick. The Gospel according to Edward De Bono: Blair to Branson, Gorbachev to Gerry Adams, many and varied are those who have sat at the feet of the lord of lateral thinking and pope of H+. If nothing is what it seems, are you sure this column is real?
