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[Weekend] Sex and
gender:
Amy M. Adler (NYU): Girls!
Girls! Girls!: The Supreme Court Confronts the G-String. A
review of Striptease.
Martha Nussbaum reviews
Are Women Human? A
review of Rebel Girls. From
India, kissing has become
quick social currency, can we be a bit thrifty with it? A
review of Kissing Christians. The way of all flesh:
On Christian sex sites, anything goes , so long as you are married. Has the Religious Right
really changed its mind about preventing HPV? "Thank you
for hating my book": An interview with
Katha Pollitt on Virginity or Death! and
review. A
review of Straight to Jesus: Sexual and Christian Conversions in the
Ex-Gay Movement. The Anglican Archbishop calls for a schism in his own Church
over gays. The case for
same-sex marriage is
so much clearer and easier to make than abortion rights. Why
same-sex marriage setbacks may not be all bad news for gay rights. After those worthy mid-West cowboys,
it’s almost a relief to see bitchy homos back on the big screen.
An essay on
the decline of straight sex and the rise of gay entertainment.
An essay on the
situational evolving morality of God (and the
implications for Adam and Steve). An article on
sticks & stones and dykes.
Roger Scruton on the state of
prostitution. The word slut is losing its potency. Or is it?
A
review of A Woman of Uncertain Character: The Amorous and Radical
Adventures of My Mother Jennie (Who Always Wanted to Be a Respectable Jewish
Mom), by Her Bastard Son. An interview with
Peaches, sexed-up songstress. JC Nouveaux thinks all sex is prostitution,
and she's pimping her pay-to-lay theology. Now if
she could just find a good man to settle down with. A
review of Something Old, Something Bold: Bridal Showers and Bachelorette
Parties. When the wedding night isn't so great: "Does
the fact that I was utterly uninterested in sex mean that God had not
kept His promise to me?" A
review of Boys Will Put You on a Pedestal (So They Can Look Up Your
Skirt). An
interview with
James Twitchell, author of Where Men Hide. A
review of The Alphabet of Manliness, and A
Guy's Guide to Being a Man's Man.
In honor of National Underwear Day,
Campus Men offers a Male Underwear Packaging Contest. The Devil Wears Trojan:
What’s really at stake in the Sex-Ed Wars.
Transexual professor Ben
Barres begs to differ with what he calls "the
Larry Summers Hypothesis". And research finds
women's brains respond to erotic images as quickly and strongly as
men's [Jul 14] News from around the world: From Sri Lanka, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) make the first public --and regretful -- acknowledgement of responsibility for Rajiv Gandhi's assassination. From Australia, living the clash of civilisations: A new exhibition offers a rare view of precontact Pacific Island societies. From Fiji, the Labor Party is in crisis. The British think-tank New Economics Foundation finds Vanuatu is the happiest country, but beside the palm trees and beaches, why is life so good there? A look at why Timor was never the success story it appeared to be. From African Studies Quarterly, an article on The Political Economy of Oil in Equatorial Guinea. In Africa, as everywhere else, simple generosity goes only so far. In a single decade Mali has launched one of the most successful democracies in Africa. Is Chad the new Darfur? From TNR, Israel's next war has begun: And neither Hamas nor Hezbollah is the ultimate target. A review of The Second Palestinian Intifada. A review of Hamas: Politics, Charity, and Terrorism in the Service of Jihad. An article on a brief flowering of cinéma vérité from the most dangerous of film locations In Iraq. From Newsweek, an interview with Harvard political scientist Merilee Grindle: "Mexico’s troubled presidential race may be good for the country". Argentina launches a new offensive to dispute the Falkland Islands' sovereignty. From BBC, is Britain segregated? Do people live in ghettos defined by their race or religion - and is this something to fear? Rod Liddle on the trouble with David Aaronvitch. A review of Geoff Mulgan's Good and Bad Power. From Cafe Babel, is Kaliningrad taking its first steps towards the EU? An op-ed on Europe's leisure trap. Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica on justice for Serbia: First Montenegro voted to secede and now Kosovo wants independence. The World Cup catastrophe added insult to injury. Zinedine Zidane's Mom: "I want Materazzi's balls on a platter". From NPQ, an interview with Paul Wolfowitz. Joseph Nye on the fragility of a flat world. In the US and Europe alike, immigration policy isn't working – and the failure is most evident at the crossing-points of the rich and poor worlds, from the Mexican border to the Canary Islands, says Saskia Sassen. And the last great age of globalization gave America some pecular characteristics and very bad habits. A century later, we're repeating our mistakes [Jul 13] From Venezuela, an essay on learning from the Frankfurt School: Critical theory and revolutionary praxis. From Nicaragua, presidential candidate and Sandinista leader Herty Lewites dies, and a nation's misery endures. Deadly homeboys make a new home in El Salvador, as the country once again becomes a killing field thanks to US deportees. The US military descends on Paraguay. From FT, a review of Atomic Sushi. Three decades after the Khmer Rouge killed a quarter of Cambodia’s seven million people, a court to try the most responsible surviving leaders is set to open its doors, and why the Khmer Rouge war crimes tribunal could end in catastrophe. From Slate, the Dalai Lama is turning 71. Where will Buddhism be without him? A review of Political Ideas in Modern India. An op-ed on the myth of the New India. but how much will India endure? An article on how India and Pakistan play out their conflict on Afghanistan's soil. In Afghanistan, some daughters sent off to be married are just children. An op-ed on Western geopolitics as an infantile disorder. As the former superpower rises again, a look at how Putin has remade the media to suit his needs; his political project can be understood as the creation of a new kind of postmodern state. The Odd Couple: Once, he saw into Putin's soul. Now, Bush just wants to see if they can get along. An OPEC with nukes? The Shanghai Cooperation Organization may join some of the world's leading energy and military powers. Neighborly Love: Are China and Russia getting too friendly? An interview with Mikhail Gorbachev: "Americans have a severe disease". The Bush administration's late embrace of the Geneva Conventions comes too late for hundreds of prisoners who've spent years of their lives in US detention—like Muhibullo Abdulkarim Umarov. An interview with Rod Barton, Iraq weapons inspector. Iraqis are changing their identities to survive--just having the wrong name can get you killed. Christopher Hitchens, Fred Kaplan, Kevin Drum, and Marc Lynch respond to the Foreign Affairs roundtable on "What to do in Iraq?". Toying with terror alerts? In the Bush era, the timing and quality of "arrests" and "warnings" have a suspicious ring. And from Foreign Policy, is the US winning the war on terror? Not according to more than 100 of America’s top foreign-policy hands [Jul 12] From Russia, Moscow is hailing the death of Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev, but Putin can't claim victory in his war on terror. From Great Britain, heaven knows I'm an Islamist now: The nihilistic posturing of some radical Muslim youth echoes the teenage angst of British popular culture, from Quadrophenia to The Smiths; and so you think 7/7 has brought Britain and America together? Think again. Canada shares the values of Europe, and its characteristic weaknesses. Pity it's on the wrong side of the Atlantic and can't join the EU. A review of The Constitution for Europe. With the smallest turnout since independence, Macedonians vote for the conservative opposition. From Eurozine, an article on global inequality and the predicament of Africa. A review of House Of Stone: Trading Places In Divided Zimbabwe. Alvaro Uribe's re-election in Colombia may have begun the process of reversing the leftist tide and shown conservative parties a way forward. In the end, who wins the election in Mexico may not be nearly as important as who lost. Would the Left be better for Mexico? Americans should be skeptical of their politicians' hostility to the political changes sweeping Latin America. Robert Pastor on Mexico's election lessons for the US, and but what next for a fractured Mexico? A look at why North Americans are more like their neighbors to the south than their ancestors to the east. From TAP, an interview with Grover Norquist on Iraq, gay marriage, and more. EJ Dionne on the GOP's looming battle. An interview with MoveOn's Eli Pariser on virtual campaigning and winning back the House. A review of Mary Cheney's Now It's My Turn. Here a list of women who probably follow the daily routine prescribed by Dorothy Parker: "I wake up in the morning and brush my teeth, and then I sharpen my tongue." An interview with Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks. A review of Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete. We should consider banning authoritarian regimes from hosting the World Cup and the Olympic games. BHL on Zinédine Zidane, the French hero who was, ultimately, just a Man. And the suggestion that Materazzi might have insulted Zidane's mother seems justification enough for the head-butt. But why is it that the worst insults in the world are always about your mum? [Jun 11] From Mauritius, an essay on Diaspora, nation and identity. From Canada, the country's largest retail bookseller Indigo Books bans Free Inquiry from sale in its stores, but counters it was an accident. From Russia, Garry Kasparov on why what's bad for Putin is best for Russians, since his success at maintaining his autocratic regime proves that the spread of democracy can't be put on autopilot; since the Iron Curtain fell, Moscow has gone from zero nightlife to the wildest club scene on the planet; and want to buy a fake vacation, medical degree or Siberian purebred alley cat? Anything's possible, as long as you don't care if it's real. The European Immortals: It is important to have a European presence that is more than simply ceremonial. We need a European Council of Elders. A review of The Rift Between America and Old Europe: The Distracted Eagle. In spite of itself, the Bush administration is reshaping and revitalizing international law as a governing concept and a force in world politics. Joseph Nye on why W should learn from WW: "Strength of character is no substitute for organizational competence". An interview with Rod Nordland on covering Iraq, where lives differ in value -- and so do deaths. In this disparity lies an important reason why the US has botched this war. More on The President's Counselor: The Rise to Power of Alberto Gonzales. An interview with Judge Alex Kozinski of the 9th Circuit. From Vanity Fair, Duke Cunningham is now in jail, but his case exposed a world of bribery, booze, and broads. Washington is wondering: Who's next? Wake up, Democrats: Ideas and vision do matter, waiting for Republicans to self-destruct is a losing strategy. Liberal blogs like Daily Kos have made Joe Lieberman their first domino. But without a bigger vision, they may be the ones who fall. A review of Crashing the Gate and An Army of Davids. Howard Kurtz on how YouTube is shifting the political ground. As Netflix and on-demand change the way we rent movies, the corner video store is fading out. It's a greater loss than you might think. Advertisers are realizing the popularity of emailed jokes can be a conduit for "viral" marketing campaigns. And on the dreams of a truly mobile Web: The internet needs to escape its computer cage, but best of luck freeing it in the US [Jul 6-10] No updates [Jul 5] News from around the world: From Turkey, the government will prosecute the local publishers of Noam Chomsky's Manufacturing Consent. From France, media under fire: Journalists are demoralized and muzzled. From Le Monde diplomatique, the current crisis in the West Bank and Gaza shows that Israel, the United States, and elements within Fatah mean to provoke the collapse of the Hamas government. A look at how power has proved a trap for Hamas, accentuating its divisions and fractures. Nobel Peace Prize winner Jose Ramos Horta on a UN role in Timor Leste. From Znet, progressives say that we need to "learn from the South", but what does that mean? Should we really? Jeffrey Sachs on Citizens versus Extreme Poverty. A look at how globalization encourages policies that improve the lives of many. From American Diplomacy, an article on lifting the ban on assassinations; and a review of books for the summer. Sebastian Mallaby on what energy security really means. An interview with Chris Paine, director of Who Killed the Electric Car? The change of leadership doesn't herald an end to the crisis at aircraft manufacturer Airbus. Turbo-consumerism is the driving force behind crime: Failed consumers will lie, cheat and steal to gain the trappings of success. Your church or mine?: A look at the pros and cons of Anglican schism. An article on challenging Peter Singer's views on Holocaust deniers. Larouchite Overlord on the key to history: Discover a principle. And Wikipedia is Satan: Wikipedia doesn't like Sam Vaknin, and the feelings are mutual. Look up this narcissism aficionado on Wikipedia and you'll find he's been dutifully erased [Jul 4] From East Timor, after Alkatiri: nation or protectorate? From Guam, an interview with Gov. Felix P. Camacho. From Mexico, the country faces political deadlock chaos as both presidential candidates declare victory (and more), and a look at the red-blue split south of the border, as the elite loses its clout. From the Netherlands, an interview with author Leon de Winter, on the government's collapse and Ayaan Hirsi Ali. From Canada, Stephen Harper has ventured into a territory where few men dare to tread: the mommy wars. The hostage crisis pushes Israelis and Palestinians to the brink, and a look at why Gaza is a time bomb primed to explode again and again. The ICTY's conviction of a Bosniak for crimes against Serbs will do little to bridge the gap between two contending overall narratives of the Bosnian war. National Journal reports that Bush told prosecutors he directed Cheney to disclose classified information that would not only defend his administration but also discredit Joseph Wilson. The president believes our government should work like this: President breaks law, Court says President broke law, Congress vows to pass law to make President's actions legal, President attaches signing statement indicating he will not follow law. A look at how Bush breaks the Ten Commandments. President wanted, MBA not required: Claremont's Charles Kessler on how the government isn't a business. This week, the conservatives declared war on the very idea of an independent press. David Remnick on the White House vs. the Times. Is the press endangering the nation? The White House attacks newspapers, but no one gets a blank check. Frank Rich: "Can't win the war? Bomb the press!" Jimmy Carter on why we need fewer secrets. Bruce Ackerman on putting reason back into emergency powers. Jeffery Rosen on the Guantánamo decision and the deep passion Justice Roberts hoped for. From TNR, an article on Max Baucus, the Senate's most dangerous Democrat. Rob Stutzman has changed my mind: Term limits haven't delivered what he hoped for. They have, in fact, harmed the public interest. And an article on tolerance in the Age of Ann Coulter, who now has been accused of plagiarism [Jul 3] From Nigeria, a look at why Nigerian intellectuals fail in government. From Russia, an article on the recognition of unrecognized states. From China, the first train from Beijing to Tibet zips by, but in the car-buying and road-building boom, what happens when hundreds of millions of people all discover the joys and agonies of car culture at the same time? A review of quartet of books that will add to the west's understanding of China. Whither enlightened moderation? President Musharraf's idea of re-fashioning Pakistan is caught between pleasing the international community and the religious right at home. From Carnegie Council, Jim Traub, Shashi Tharoor, and Ruth Wedgwood debate the United Nations: Still relevant after all these years? Robert Cooper reviews The Parliament of Man: The United Nations and the Quest for World Government by Paul Kennedy (and more). The Axis of Altruism: William Easterly on 4 ways to spend $60 billion wisely. So how is the effectiveness of philanthropic aid actually measured? Goodbye global village, hello global city: For the first time in history, more than half the world's population now lives in urban centres, but we have yet to understand what that means. On Lake Michigan, a global village emerges. Since 9/11, liberalism has become a dirty word, and liberal values have come under attack in Western countries. A review of The President's Counselor: The Rise to Power of Alberto Gonzales. James Carville and Mark J. Penn on the power of Hillary. Chris Matthews on "The Washington Read". In the debate over the publication of government secrets, history offers evidence for both sides. The Blah, Blah, Blahgosphere: It takes a village to write commentary. The journey to total lunacy begins with a single step: Embrace the cliche. Be the cliche. And check out Up the Bureaucracy: A true and faultless guide to organizational success and the further adventures of Knute and Thor, a satirical look at the world of public administration, serialized online at Governing.com with a new chapter every Monday [Weekend 2e] From Australia, are you a Howard hugger or a Howard hater? A review of The Longest Decade. From Great Britain, Shazad Tanweer wrote a statement on his university application form. Five years later this optimistic young man blew himself up with seven others. What changed him? From Eurozine, an essay on the increasing tendency for governments to create a legal "meta-level" where spatial and physical humiliation becomes everyday practice. From AEI, an article on the United States and Russia: Ideologies, Policies, and Relations. What difference will it make who wins? Fred Rosen on democracy and polyarchy in Mexico. From The Economist, unlike GM and Delphi, most of America's manufacturers are thriving. When do The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times publish a secret? Editors Dean Baquet and Bill Keller respond. The Supreme Court sends a mixed message about race, redistricting, and the Voting Rights Act; and vicious battles are ahead after it approves partisan gerrymandering. An article on the tug of war for the mind of Anthony Kennedy. A review of The Rehnquist Legacy. Should politicians be fined for lying in their campaigns? The Washington State Supreme Court will soon decide that question. Despite the obstacles, Rudy Giuliani has a better shot at the 2008 Republican nomination than is commonly assumed pdf. An interview with John Podhoretz, author of Can She Be Stopped? Hillary Clinton Will Be the Next President of the United States Unless... (and more pdf) Republicans who minimize the CIA leak case resemble Democrats who trivialized the Monica Lewinsky case. And the city of Berkeley wants to oust the President and Vice President with an impeachment resolution. Pointless political gesture, or the sign of a trend? [Weekend] From the Netherlands, the political fallout from the Ayaan Hirsi Ali crisis causes the government to collapse. From Bhutan, the exotic, benign image of the Himalayan kingdom cannot conceal the battle between authoritarian politics and democratic dissent that is shaping its future. From China, tuangou, or team buying, aims to drive unprecedented bargains by combining the reach of the internet with the power of the mob. North Korea offers a textbook case on how to become a nuclear-weapon state. Fighting rebellion the wrong way: The Philippines and Thailand are getting increasingly keen on waging “war” on domestic unrest. Anna Neistat of Human Rights Watch: "The West should stop pretending it knows nothing of the daily reality of the Chechen war". A look at what Muammar Qaddafi owes his neighbors. Immanuel Wallerstein on the worries of the US Ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad. From TNR, Cass Sunstein on the Court's stunning Hamdan decision. Deborah Pearlstein on the extraordinary reach of the decision. Michael Dorf on the hidden--and obvious--lessons in the divided ruling. John Yoo on the 5 wrong justices. The Court just checked White House power. Now it's up to the other two branches to follow its lead. A symposium on National Review, and from Slate, Walter Dellinger and Dahlia Lithwick debate the decision. A slap in the face that resounds around the world. Did Bush commit war crimes? The decision could expose officials to prosecution. An analysis: Governing philosophy rebuffed as ruling emphasizes constitutional boundaries. The administration's protests that the press revelations about a financial monitoring program may tip off the terrorists are overblown. The GOP's media bashing is a response to journalists' attempts to hold the administration accountable, a job Congress won't do. Why is The New York Times so wicked? Rabbi Aryeh Spero wants to know. Michael Tomasky on how conservatives don’t want The New York Times to be "fairer". They want it to cease to exist. From Cafe Babel, a series of articles on the ugly face of modern football: business. Should progressives support America in international sports? An article on the NBA Draft: Prom night gets political. And on a pass and a prayer: Why we no longer believe in sports but should |
[Weekend] Religion:
From the Journal of Philosophy and Scripture,
James Wetzel (Villanova): The Shrewdness of Abraham: Violence and Sexual Difference in a Paradigm of Monotheistic Faith;
and Lieven Boeve (CUL): Negative Theology and Theological Hermeneutics: The Particularity of Naming God
(and an interview).
From the Journal of Religion and Society, Khaldoun Samman
( Macalester): The Social Origins of Universalistic Monotheism A Comparative Analysis of Paul and Muhammad.
From Christianity Today, an essay on how
consumerism undermines faith and community; and on the lure of theocracy:
will we turn
toward our own version of the harsh fundamentalism sweeping Islam
today? An
excerpt from The Cultural Roots of American Islamicism,
and an
excerpt from Tolerance and Coercion in Islam: Interfaith Relations in
the Muslim Tradition. Karen Armstrong on how
violent Islamic radicals know they are heretical, and are proud of
their deviance. A look at the work of
Karen Armstrong as Islam's hagiographer. An
excerpt from Religion in an Expanding Europe.
There's an enigmatic new celeb on the cultural radar.
Can you guess His name? From Human
Life Review, Senator Sam Brownback on Ronald
Reagan's "Abortion and the Conscience of the
Nation," Revisited. From Christian Worldview
Network, Ralph Baker can assure you that
a very strong, obvious, and evil connection does exist between UFOs and
the Gospel of Jesus Christ; Tim Wildmon is sick
and tired of political correctness.; and
crazy Kim Jong II and Rick Warren are working together, but for
what purpose? Could it be...? The introduction
to Evil Incarnate: Rumors of Demonic Conspiracy and Satanic Abuse in History.
From The Wittenburg Door, an essay on Macaroni and the Latter Saints Days;
and a look at The
Gospel According to Napoleon Dynamite. An
article on secular
versus religious fans: Are they different? An
essay on the Bible,
culture and Nick Cave. How high are the
standards of American television when "The Simpsons" is a
beacon of moral rectitude for channel surfers? A review
of The Right To Be Wrong: Ending the Culture War over Religion in America. A
review of The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief.
Here's a history of the Atheist
Law Center and a statement disavowing atheism.
From Secular Web, Joseph Gerteis of the University of Minnesota on atheism,
morality and belonging in American life; and trying to understand smug clergy:
Why do believers fail to hear the true message of atheists?
And an interview with
Sam Harris, author of The End of Faith
|
[Weekend] Science,
technology and policy:
Christian Starck (Göttingen):
Embryonic Stem Cell Research According to German and European Law (and
part 2). Michael Kinsley on what
pro-lifers are missing in the stem-cell debate. An
excerpt from From Passions to Emotions: The Creation of a Secular
Psychological Category. From Technology Review, no one has won Technology
Review's $20,000 Challenge to disprove Aubrey de Grey's anti-aging
proposals. Cathy Young on
the debate on "transhumanism" that has been going on for the past few
years. An article on
merging man and machine, and a look at
the quest for proactive evolution. A review of Human
Identity and Bioethics. A
review of Bioethics Beyond the Headlines: Who Lives? Who Dies? Who
Decides? A
review of The Moral Mind. A
review of Peter Singer and Jim Mason’s The Way We Eat: Why Our Food
Choices Matter. A
review of The Hundred-Year Lie: How Food and Medicine are Destroying
Your Health. Flesh Trade:
Why not let people sell their organs? An
excerpt from Medical Malpractice and the U.S. Health Care
System. The Medical Malpractice Myth:
Forget tort reform. The Democrats have a better diagnosis. Single Payer
isn't the only way:
The debate over how to insure all Americans can be expanded with
examples from abroad.
From Edge, a talk with
Lawrence Krauss on the energy of empty space that isn't zero.
An
interview with
Seth Lloyd, author of Programming the Universe. The
introduction to Einstein's Jury: The Race to Test Relativity.
An interview with
Marvin Minsky on common sense and computers that emote. For
answers to the latest big question,
Stephen Hawking has gone to the internet. Knowledge and its price: A look at
some of the detours and barred routes in our information network. Multi-million-dollar
philanthropic prizes are
fast becoming a significant force in spurring scientific breakthroughs.
An article on the metaphysical elegance of
using Lego to illuminate a 19th century invention: The Difference
Engine. A new theory suggests that
creativity comes in two distinct types: quick and dramatic, or careful
and quiet. A new brain
computer interface technology
could turn our brains into automatic image-identifying machines that
operate faster than human consciousness. A
review of Made to Break: Technology and Obsolescence in America. And
a
review of The Science of Sherlock Holmes: From Baskerville Hall to the
Valley of Fear, The Real Forensics Behind the Great Detective's Greatest Cases
[Jul 14] From CUP, an excerpt from Insurmountable Simplicities: Thirty-nine Philosophical Conundrums. A review of Why Truth Matters by Ophelia Benson and Jeremy Stangroom. From Seed, a review of Fearless Symmetry and Symmetry and the Monster. From The Economist, we cannot live without big and ambitious economic models. But neither can we entirely trust them. As competition gets more fierce and pressure more intense, many schools are phasing out class ranking systems. Not everyone thinks that's a good idea. Frank Furedi on why schools have no business teaching children how to be "happy". Is compassion the new black? Teaching kindness could be all the rage in your child’s school. The International Baccalaureate is now firmly entrenched in the UK school system, but what exactly is it? An op-ed on the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education's boycott against reason. Professor Frank Ellis, who insisted that black people and women were genetically inferior, takes early retirement from Leeds. Why progressives have nothing to mourn over the departure of Ward Churchill. Campus activism is stronger and more sophisticated than ever, says Tom Matzzie, Washington director of MoveOn.org. A new UCLA imaging study finds political party allegiance affects the brain activity of partisans viewing the faces of candidates. From Inside Higher Ed, here's the story of a blog war that involved Deborah Frisch, an adjunct at the University of Arizona; The Life and Times of T-Shirts: Terry Caesar considers the real meanings behind clothing with college and university names; and the academic blogosphere has no home base. Scott McLemee has a vision of the not too distant future. Rice University is resurrecting its defunct academic press online -- a move that adds a new wrinkle to the debate over who will profit from Web publishing. The World eBook Fair tops 1.5m free downloads in first few days. Everyone complains that student writing skills have declined, but the evidence doesn’t back up that view. Readers overwhelmingly prefer happy endings to sad ones, and yet characters die all the time, for all kinds of reasons. With this story, journalist Kathrin Passig won one of the most prestigious literary awards in German letters, the Ingeborg Bachman Prize. Why does every book these days have the same formulaic, possessive title? And an article on the truth about language [Jul 13] John A. Ferejohn (Stanford) and Barry Friedman (NYU): Toward a Political Theory of Constitutional Default Rules. From the Journal of Democracy, Francis Fukuyama (JHU): Identity, Immigration, and Liberal Democracy; Carl Gershman and Michael Allen (NED): The Assault on Democracy Assistance; and M. Steven Fish (UC-Berkeley): Stronger Legislatures, Stronger Democracies pdf. The introduction to Deepak Lal's Reviving the Invisible Hand: The Case for Classical Liberalism in the Twenty-first Century. From TNR, Sean Wilentz reviews Richard Hofstadter: An Intellectual Biography. A review of Active Liberty by Justice Stephen Breyer, and Radicals in Robes by Cass Sunstein. A review of Bruce Ackerman's The Failure of the Founding Fathers: Jefferson, Marshall, and the Rise of Presidential Democracy. The Wilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and Emancipation opens at Hull University. A review of Arming Slaves: From Classical Times to the Modern Age. Frederick Kagan on why military history matters. A review of Amartya Sen's Identity and Violence: The Illusion of Destiny. An interview with Raymond Martin and John Barresi, authors of The Rise and Fall of Soul and Self: An Intellectual History of Personal Identity. From TLS, an overhyped Harvard: Martha Nussbaum reviews Excellence Without a Soul: How a Great University Forgot Education. Greek, Latin and astronomy were the sex, drugs and rock'n'roll of the 16th century: A look at the work of Scottish humanist George Buchanan. A review of Conversation: A History of a Declining Art. An excerpt from The Bourgeois Virtues: Ethics for an Age of Commerce by Deirdre McCloskey. The introduction to Bodily Citations: Religion and Judith Butler. An excerpt from Walter Benjamin’s Grave. A review of Why People Die by Suicide. Why happiness is overrated: A look at why the pursuit of contentment is hopelessly self-defeating. From BBC, hear UCLA's Joshua Foa Dienstag discuss his book Pessimism: Philosophy, Ethic, Spirit. The University of Notre Dame will host a Workshop on Cicero's Practical Philosophy on October 27-28, 2006. And check out Continental Philosophy: A Bulletin Board for Continental Philosophy, History of Philosophy and More, edited by Farhang Erfani of American University [Jul 12] Gregory Mitchell (Virginia) and Philip Tetlock (UC-Berkeley): Experimental Political Philosophy: Justice Judgments in the Hypothetical Society Paradigm. The International Political Theory website now has a blog, "IPT Viewpoints". A review of The Blackwell Guide to Plato's Republic. A review of The Household as the Foundation of Aristotle's Polis. A review of The Roman Stoics: Self, Responsibility, and Affection (and more). A review of Strangers Nowhere in the World: The Rise of Cosmopolitanism in Early Modern Europe. A review of Friedrich Schleiermacher: Between Enlightenment and Romanticism. From H-Net, a review of The Southern Past: A Clash of Race and Memory, a review of The Confederate Battle Flag: America's Most Embattled Emblem, and a review of Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys!: South Carolina and the Confederate Flag. A review of American Taxation, American Slavery. A review of John Lewis Gaddis' The Cold War: A New History. A review of My Dear Mr. Stalin: The Complete Correspondence Between Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph V. Stalin. A review of Engineering Communism: How Two Americans Spied for Stalin and Founded the Soviet Silicon Valley. A review of books on what drove the Nazis. A review of The Lost Orwell. What is the appeal of the outsider? The laureate of the cool teenager, Albert Camus, is having all his novels republished this week. From Time, who's the voice of this generation? Why can't today's young novelists express the essence of their era? A review of In Search of Willie Morris: The Mercurial Life of a Legendary Writer and Editor. A review of Victor Navasky's A Matter of Opinion. Book packagers, drunken exaggerations, hoaxes: Why do we still expect authenticity from bestsellers? A review of Use This Book! The Only Book You'll Ever Need. The Bookstore at the Corner of the World: Editorial El Mundo closes a chapter but it's not the end of the story. The Great Obituary Writers' Conference draws practitioners of the craft to ponder the strange allure of the obit. The past is enjoying a surge in popularity. But museums, libraries and archives aren't seeing the funding boosts sport is enjoying. And university presses now have a chance for their books to reach larger audiences. Scott McLemee wonders when they’ll start taking it [Jun 11] From Bookforum, a review of Comrade Rockstar: The Life and Mystery of Dean Reed, the All-American Boy Who Brought Rock 'N' Roll to the Soviet Union. Karl Marx's Das Kapital is a ground breaking work of economic analysis. But it is also an unfinished literary masterpiece which, with its multi-layered structure, can be read as a Gothic novel, a Victorian melodrama, a Greek tragedy or a Swiftian satire. Terry Eagleton reviews Suicide of the West. Robert Boyton reviews The Disappearing Liberal Intellectual and Richard Hofstadter: An Intellectual Biography (and more). Of Kafka, Bach, Lou Reed: More on the work of Philip Rieff. Was Leo Strauss democracy's best friend or an antidemocratic elitist? Edward Rothstein investigates. An interview with Robert George on the culture wars and "The Phone Book Test". From Yale, Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi can continue to take courses as an untraditional student in a non-degree program, but future is murky. James Q. Wilson on "Junket Science" and university-based training programs for judges. Don't know much about strategy: Is the military shortchanging its war colleges -- and its future? From The Chronicle, the military market: As more colleges pursue service members as students, concerns grow about overly aggressive tactics; and the university as economic savior: As higher education replaces industry in some cities, colleges face both support and unrealistic expectations. Scholars who forced society to look for the real meanings in language need to apply that approach to language used in academe today, writes Mark Bauerlein. On the creation of EurekaUK: Universities must maintain a record of scientific discovery. A review of Matt Ridley's Francis Crick, Discoverer of the Genetic Code. We like to think it’s our choice to help an old lady across the road or push her into the traffic. But an increasing number of scientists say we’re fooling ourselves. Are some of us just hard-wired to be bad? From The Weekly Standard, PJ O'Rourke on The Theory of Moral Sentiments, the companion to The Wealth of Nations. A review of Benjamin Friedman's The Moral Consequence of Growth. And more on Knowledge and the Wealth of Nations: A Story of Economic Discovery [Jul 6-10] No updates [Jul 5] From the latest issue of Post-Autistic Economics Review, Christian Arnsperger (Louvain) and Yanis Varoufakis (Athens): What Is Neoclassical Economics?; and Kevin Quinn (BGSU): Game Theory, Freedom and Indeterminacy. From Economic Sociology, Fran Tonkiss (LSE): Is economic sociology "ready" for globalization?; Donald W. Light (Princeton): Globalizing restricted and segmented markets: Challenges to theory and values in economic sociology; and a review of Status Signals: A Sociological Study of Market Competition pdf. From Christianity Today, the Prophet and the Evangelist: An article on the public "conversation" of Reinhold Niebuhr and Billy Graham; and a review of Believing Scholars: Ten Catholic Intellectuals. From Socialist Worker, an essay on Walter Benjamin's legacy and commodity capitalism, and a review of his On Hashish. From The Hindu, a review of Postmodern Gandhi and Other Essays by Lloyd and Susanne Rudolph. Asia Times columnist Spengler on the fraud of primitive authenticity. A review of Ethics Expertise. Is altruism encoded in our genes? New studies suggest chimpanzees may also be altruistic, while mice show evidence of sympathy. A review of Subjectivity and Selfhood: Investigating the First-Person Perspective. A review of Perspectives on Imitation: From Neuroscience to Social Science. A study of the "miraculous" recovery of a man who spent 19 years in a minimally conscious state has revealed the likely cause of his regained consciousness. An obituary: Philip Rieff. And historian Robert Skidelsky reviews his career as he slips from academia into big business [Jul 4] Form the Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, a review of Philip Ball's Critical Mass: How One Thing Leads to Another; and a review of Social Emergence: Societies as Complex Systems. In the new "long tail" marketplace, has the blockbuster met its match?: A review of The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More. A review of The Secret Language of Competitive Intelligence: How to See Through & Stay Ahead of Business Disruptions, Distortions, Rumors & Smoke Screens. A review of Law and Social Justice. A review of Ending the Gauntlet: Removing Barriers to Women's Success in the Law. After scholars’ group uses Google to portray colleges as politically correct, others produce interesting results of their own. Over the past few months, a group of young staffers who call themselves the UAAASHH -- Unofficial American Academy of Arts & Sciences Happy Hour -- have been meeting at watering holes. When bad things happen to good postdocs: His manuscripts held hostage by a bullying supervisor, a Ph.D. tells the story of his escape. Like butterflies in suburbia, excuses have shown a dramatic decline in variety and numbers. Here's the reason. A review of The Secrets of Happiness. What is cognitive behavioural therapy? And does it really work? A look at how science can learn much about the brain without learning anything about the mind. An article on addressing the public about science and religion. A review of The Devil's Doctor: Paracelsus and the World of Renaissance. The discovery of an ancient epic poem caused a storm in the 1760s, until it was dismissed as a fake. What’s the real story? A look at the truth about Scotland's Homer, Ossian. More on Caroline Elkins' Imperial Reckoning: the Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya. A review of Rulers and Victims: The Russians in the Soviet Union. A review of Weimar in Exile. From Engage, the text of That's Funny You Don't Look Anti-Semitic. An interview with gay German comic star Ralf König on the Muhammed cartoon conflict. And Samuel Beckett, who would have been 100 this year, had no use for celebrity--but that, and his rejection of literary style, only made him more famous [Jul 3] From Evolutionary Psychology, evolutionary constraints on democratic nation building: A review of The Failure of Democratic Nation Building: Ideology Meets Evolution; and can the social scientists be saved? Should they?: A review of Missing the Revolution: Darwinism for Social Scientists. From The Hudson Review, Harold Fromm (Arizona): Daniel Dennett and the Brick Wall of Consciousness pdf. From The Independent Review, Colin P.A. Jones (Doshisha): A Marriage Proposal: Privatize It; Daniel B. Klein (GMU) and Charlotta Stern (Stockholm): Sociology and Classical Liberalism; a review of The Limits of Market Organization, edited by Richard Nelson; a review of Digital Phoenix: Why the Information Economy Collapsed and How It Will Rise Again; a review of Digital Crossroads: American Telecommunications Policy in the Internet Age; and a review of Constructing Civil Liberties: Discontinuities in the Development of American Constitutional Law. Two reviews of The Unknown American Revolution by Gary B. Nash. Eric Foner reviews The Senator and the Socialite: The True Story of America's First Black Dynasty (and more). A review of Our Town: A Heartland Lynching, a Haunted Town, and the Hidden History of White America. A review of books on John F. Kennedy. Get me revision! Carlin Romano on remembering Richard Hofstadter. A review of Gertrude Himmelfarb's The Moral Imagination: From Edmund Burke to Lionel Trilling. More on David Warsh's Knowledge and the Wealth of Nations. The ivory tower gets more flexible: Universities alter policies to keep from losing PhDs, especially women, to industry. More on Excellence Without a Soul: How a Great University Forgot Education. An interview with John Taylor Gatto, author of The Underground History of American Education. Have we forgotten civic education? Two centuries after Jefferson, social studies are lacking at public schools. And school's out, the learning begins: Slurs, a shotgun and a life lesson [Weekend 2e] From Evolutionary Psychology, Alex Walter (Rutgers): The Anti-naturalistic Fallacy: Evolutionary Moral Psychology and the Insistence of Brute Facts; and a review of Reflections On and Around The Origin and Evolution of Cultures. A review of The Egg and Sperm Race: The Seventeenth-Century Scientists Who Unlocked the Secrets of Sex and Growth, and Choosing Children: The Ethical Dilemmas of Genetic Intervention. A review of After Dolly: The Uses and Misuses of Human Cloning by Ian Wilmut and Roger Highfield. More on Broken Genius: The Rise and Fall of William Shockley, Creator of the Electronic Age. An interview with Brian Clegg, author of The God Effect : Quantum Entanglement, Science's Strangest Phenomenon. A review of The Gift of Science: Leibniz and the Modern Legal Tradition by Roger Berkowitz. From Literary Review, a review of An Imperial Possession: Britain in the Roman Empire, 54BC - AD409. A review of The Bloodless Revolution: Radical Vegetarians and the Discovery of India. A review of The Empire Strikes Back? The Impact of Imperialism on Britain from the Mid-Nineteenth Century. From Kritikos, Shane Weller (Kent): When the Other Comes Too Close: Derrida and the Threat of Affinity; and an interview with Brian McHale on literature and the postmodern. And from Axess, a special issue of The End of Biography, including an editorial on the stories of a life; an essay on Plotless Individualism; Resuscitating the author: A look at how biography keeps the idea of the author alive, and does do with a mixture of history and fiction; and the individual against theory: Today people do not believe in objectivity but in a variety of perspectives. Post-modernism has provided biography with scholarly legitimacy [Weekend] From Croatia's Prolegomena, a look at the work of Mathias Flacius Illyricus (1520-1575) pdf. A review of The Politics of Pleasure: a portrait of Benjamin Disraeli. A review of Linda Martín Alcoff, Visible Identities: Race, Gender and the Self. A review of Mapping Paradise: A History of Heaven on Earth; and Paradise: A History of the Idea that Rules the World. From the Canadian Journal of Sociology, a review of Carefair: Rethinking the Responsibilities and Rights of Citizenship; a review of Logics of History: Social Theory and Social Transformation; a review of The New Politics of Surveillance and Visibility; and a review of The Human Genome Diversity Project: An Ethnography of Scientific Practice. From Mother Jones, Souls on Ice: An article on America's human embryo glut and the unbearable lightness of almost being. Down with the techno-utopians! Up with the techno-realists!: An article on the future of futurism. A review of Broken Genius: the rise and fall of William Shockley, creator of the electronic age. The nation's top climate scientists are giving An Inconvenient Truth five stars for accuracy. An interview with Jay Zwally, head of NASA's ICESat (Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite) on Greenland and global warming. NASA wants private partners to launch cargo and crews into orbits. But is the private sector up to the challenge? A look at how free access to research is proving more expensive than hoped. But it is spreading, nevertheless. Harold Varmus on why it's time for a Global Science Corps; and is African science, long plagued by a lack of equipment and resources, poised for a comeback? Conservative hypocrisy puts college out of the reach of working-class Americans. A review of To Hate Like This Is to Be Happy Forever: A Thoroughly Obsessive, Intermittently Uplifting, and Occasionally Unbiased Account of the Duke-North Carolina Basketball Rivalry. From New Statesman, a review of Jack Welch's Winning: the ultimate business how-to book; You Can't Win a Fight With Your Boss and 55 Other Rules for Success; The Servant Leader: unleashing the power of your people; and Bonjour Laziness: why hard work doesn't pay. And Finland plays host to the 11th annual World Championship of Wife-Carrying: "I want you, she's so heavy" |
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http://www.politicaltheory.info/2006/july2.htm |