[Nov 30] From The Claremont Review of Books, an essay on why the Era of Big Ideas is over. Twilight of the Republic? Andrew Bacevich on seeds of decline, path to renewal. From Open Democracy, science, economics and morality make a compelling case for global action on climate change, but the Nairobi conference suggests that the politics is still missing (and more). A look at how climate change sceptics have lost a vital argument. In an unprecedented action, representatives for more than 10,000 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency scientists are calling on Congress to take immediate action against global warming. Benchwarming: The Supreme Court melts down over greenhouse gasses, and a look at what’s at stake in Massachusetts v. EPA. From The New York Times, a section on Executive Pay: A Special Report. A review of The Money Men: Capitalism, Democracy, and the Hundred Years' War Over the American Dollar. A review of All Rise: Somebodies, Nobodies, and the Politics of Dignity (and more). Success is relative, and height isn’t everything. Scientists have now found that when it comes to love, or rather attraction, size really does matter. Of sex and marriage: A review of Mating in Captivity: Reconciling the Erotic + the Domestic. An interview with Milton Diamond, the scientist who exposed the greatest sex hoax of the 70s. From Sirens, two articles on porn: I'm not your porn star, but c'mon, you know you like it. The Logic of Lechery: Why older men want younger women. Five orphaned gorillas are about to feel the pain of countless Catholic school-bound teenage boys. From Freezerbox, conquistadors of the senses: Throwing homosexuals to the hounds; and forget the gay hooker; was Pastor Ted a full-on tweaker? Going for Brokeback: Exploring Fox News anchor Sean Hannity's online dating service, which includes an option for gay men. There is a gay agenda -- winning elections: Gay millionaires and their allies poured unprecedented sums into the 2006 election -- and it worked. A review of Straight to Jesus: Sexual and Christian Conversions in the Ex-Gay Movement. A review of Righteous: Dispatches From the Evangelical Youth Movement. From Jewcy, a debate between Sam Harris and Dennis Prager on atheism. And a review of The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity

[Nov 29] From The Wilson Quarterly, articles on the case for and the case against nuclear power (and more). From The Economist, a shift in Australia's stance is a sign of the times: all over the world governments are rethinking the politics and economics of nuclear power; a white-hot elephant: A costly project brings countries together, but not many nuclei; and the more there is, the bigger the risk: Why proliferation gets harder to stop. Despite the vast common sense and analytical clarity of its business and political analysis, The Economist wears the ideological blinkers of a Victorian free-thinker. It racks moral arguments on the Procrustean bed of Mill's libertarianism. What is wrong with utilitarianism? Michael Walzer on emergency ethics. An article on utilitarianism as the new evil. The Situational Ethicist contends: Ethics may complicate, but absolute ethics complicate absolutely. Mildred, is it fun to be a cripple?: The first chapter from Between Heaven and Earth: The Religious Worlds People Make and the Scholars Who Study Them. An interview with Damon Linker, author of Theocons: Secular America Under Siege. The current counterattack on religion cloaks a renewed and intense anxiety within secular society that the story of the Enlightenment may be more illusory than real. Religious belief is not just a philosophical issue - it divides families and societies. That is why theatre is uniquely placed to explore it. Buddha on the brain: An interview with B. Alan Wallace, author of Contemplative Science: Where Buddhism and Neuroscience Converge. Can't Get No Satisfaction: In a culture where work can be a religion, burnout is its crisis of faith. A review of All Together Now: Common Sense for a Fair Economy and The American Dream vs. The Gospel of Wealth: The Fight for a Productive Middle-Class Economy. An article on Lou Dobbs and the dead-end of white anti-corporate populism. To understand the shifting tectonics of American politics, look no further than cable's high priest of populism. The End of Ingenuity: The debate about environmental limits to economic growth is coming back with a vengeance. And misery becomes personal in the pursuit of global happiness: Individuals are likely to have increasingly diverse economic experiences

[Nov 28] From New York, the Lou Dobbs factor: Fox is shrinking, while CNN has found a new way to lure viewers—by Foxifying itself. And Dobbs's America won't be ignored. What happened to Lou Dobbs? An article on the CNN anchor’s populist crusade. Immigrants at Home: You won’t find Minutemen guarding New York’s borders. A review of Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor. Milton Friedman's influence on economics was profound, but the emergence of a richer, more complex view of human behaviour in the last generation renders his political philosophy irrelevant. From The Economist, an American's home is still her castle: Last year's Supreme Court ruling weakening property rights may end up strengthening them; and fanfare for the common man: Is economic populism on the rise in the Democratic Party? Here come the economic populists: Rubinomics has dominated Democratic Party doctrine for many years. That may change. In class warfare, guess which class is winning? Ben Stein on everybody's business. Putting Parents First: A new approach to domestic policy for conservatives. Nontraditional couples may be seen as weird, discomfiting or even sinful by others, but if they survive the crucible of social censure and self-doubt they can forge powerful bonds—and teach others about enduring love. A review of Why Smart Men Marry Smart Women and Single by Chance, Mothers by Choice: How Women Are Choosing Parenthood Without Marriage and Creating the New American Family. A review of Why Size Matters: From Bacteria to Blue Whales and Size Matters: How Height Affects the Health, Happiness, and Success of Boys -- and the Men They Become. Don't misunderestimate yourself: Why people think that rivals are better looking than they really are. Explicit sex in films and books used to be shocking but there are signs of a new liberalism gaining ground. Are we growing up at last? Obsessed scientist finally throttles ’em! Dr. Cheun-yan Cheng turns sperm to blanks! Next: Viagra cocktail? I want it now! Tim Harford on the curious economics of temptation. Keep the fun and lose the consequences: We invented birth control; why not girth control? And from Time, a cover story on why we worry about the things we shouldn't... and ignore the things we should

[Nov 27] War, terror, Iraq and Republicans: A review of Dreams of Peace and Freedom: Utopian Moments in the 20th Century. How good was the Good War, really? A review of Choices Under Fire: Moral Dimensions of World War II. Howard Zinn on the uses of history and the War on Terrorism. A review of The Secret History of Al-Qaeda and What Terrorists Want: Understanding the Enemy, Containing the Threat. A review of Class 11: Inside the CIA's First Post-9/11 Spy Class. An article on military corporatism by Amos Perlmutter, author of The Military and Politics in Modern Times. A review of Circle in the Sand: Why We Went Back to Iraq. A review of The Way to Win a Guerrilla War. Some civil wars never end: Lebanon and Iraq show that some long-fought civil wars only have cease-fires. In search of the fixers: Before troops can leave Iraq, the U.S. must learn who, if anyone, is in control of the gunmen; and there is no dearth of strategies for Iraq, in officialdom and beyond, but will any of them work? Long after we withdraw: David Rieff on the many lessons from Vietnam for Iraq. The Next Step? Think Vietnam: There is much moaning in Washington about the return of the realists. But what we need is a Kissingerian effort to extricate America. The Once and Future Kissinger: As another failed war threatens to tarnish his legacy, Henry Kissinger attempts to clarify his record—by evading, skirting, stretching, hedging, and stonewalling like the diplomatic master he is. Why try to topple unfriendly regimes with invasions when we can divide and conquer their people with ethnic jokes? A new issue of Hoover's Digest is out. From The New Yorker, killing habeas corpus: Jeffrey Toobin on Arlen Specter’s about-face. Scalia the civil libertarian? As it conducts the war on terror, the Bush administration may find the conservative justice a bigger obstacle than the Democratic Party. Over the course of his career, Vice President Dick Cheney has embraced a belief that presidents have vast 'inherent' powers, not spelled out in the Constitution, that allow them to defy Congress. Lyndon LaDouche: Followers of crackpot felon accuse OC Weekly of being Cheney’s tool. And do we need another TR? If John McCain gets his way, you'll have your faith in the country restored ... or else!

[Weekend 2e] From the Princeton Center for Globalization and Governance's "International Political Economy Society Inaugural Conference", Chad Rector (GWU): Federations and International Organizations; David Leblang (Colorado) and Barry Eichengreen (UC- Berkeley): Democracy and Globalization; Carles Boix (Princeton): War, Wealth and the Formation of States; Nita Rudra (Pittsburgh): Welfare States in Developing Countries: Unique or Universal?; and Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alistair Smith (NYU): Pernicious Foreign Aid?: A Political Economy of Political Institutions and the Effect of Foreign Aid pdf. An excerpt from Charging Ahead: The Growth and Regulation of Payment Card Markets around the World. Milton Friedman was a highly original economic thinker. But even in the one area he was proved correct, his work is likely to be outshone by that of another economist. An excerpt from Seeds of Disaster, Roots of Response: How Private Action Can Reduce Public Vulnerability. A review of Capitalism 3.0: A Guide to Reclaiming the Commons. And an excerpt from Political Theory and the Ecological Challenge

[Weekend] Potpourri-esque: From The Boston Globe's "Ideas", allied powers: An article on the rise of the global airline alliance, the fall of the national carrier, and the fate of sovereignty in the skies. From Der Spiegel, are streets without traffic signs conceivable? Seven cities and regions in Europe are giving it a try -- with good results. Congestion pricing, the idea of charging drivers for bringing vehicles into the busiest parts of Manhattan, has become a kind of holy grail for transportation advocates and urban planners in New York. Beyond Insurance: An article on weighing the benefits of driving vs. the total costs of driving. Americans love their cars—as chariots, mobile offices, and teenage make-out spots. But when did they become dining tables? A disturbing trend in the heartland. The flip side of America's obesity epidemic is its fitness obsession. And exercise is not restricted to the young, or even middle-aged. The average American home contains many things. Here is an accounting of some of the things in Rick Moranis's. Being near a huge celebrity is like experiencing an accelerated degenerative disorder of the brain that passes through its entire cycle in about one minute. A review of Cracking Up: American Humor in a Time of Conflict. Cocaine use is probably much greater than previously assumed -- and New Yorkers are the biggest coke-heads of all. Like a fish needs a bicycle: For some people, intimacy is toxic. To Accent or No: How we sound says a lot of wonderful things about us -- or some perfectly awful things. Without prejudice: An article on a new way of making personality tests useful. And the e-mail invitation service Evite has created a whole new set of manners and conflicts over a simple RSVP

[Nov 24] Catholicism, Judaism and Europe: From Time, a look at the roots of the Pope's views--and how they may define his place in history. From Der Spiegel, the Vatican could soon bestow sainthood upon Pope John Paul II. The late pontiff is believed to have had a hand in two divine interventions that led to the miraculous recoveries of terminally ill patients; and the Israeli government has lost its direction, faith in the military is fast-waning and the country is plagued by self-doubt. From Forward, an essay on redefining what makes a Jewish story, an article on James Bond's Semitic Villains, and a look at the Jews' answer to Bond. What does it mean to be a Jew in the 21st century? An interview with Julie Sandorf of Nextbook. A review of The Great Escape: Nine Jews Who Fled Hitler and Changed the World. A review of Being Jewish in the New Germany and Turning the Kaleidoscope: Perspectives on European Jewry. A review of Germany and Israel in the 1990s and Beyond: Still a "Special Relationship". George Soros on Europe's global mission (and more on Israel). Angela Merkel wants to play a bigger role on the world stage. But are Germans ready? From Breslau to Morningside Heights: A review of Five Germanys I Have Known by Fritz Stern. Anti-minority noises are pervasive throughout Europe, although admittedly incidents where racist mobs impose their will on governments remain rare. George Schöpflin, a senior member of Hungary's opposition explains why, 50 years after the anti-Soviet uprising, Hungarians are back on the streets. Pocket president: Slovenia eyes a rare moment of glory. Who is responsible for the mess in Italy? An interview with Romano Prodi. Which way the Netherlands? A powerful nation? Or a powerful voice in a community of nations? From The New Federalist, here's a critical view of federalism in Europe; and an article on Europe and its languages: Babylonian chaos or expression of cultural diversity? In Europe, it’s East vs. West on the death penalty: Millions of the Continent’s citizens resent its ban on capital punishment. A review of Law and Governance in Postnational Europe: Compliance Beyond the Nation-State. And with so much still to be done to underpin the euro, boosting the currency as a rival to the dollar cannot be a top priority

[Nov 23] From NYRB, Mark Danner reviews State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III; The One Percent Doctrine; and State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration; William H. McNeill reviews War Made New: Technology, Warfare, and the Course of History, 1500 to Today by Max Boot; and a review of Reporting: Writings from The New Yorker by David Remnick. From Writ, here are four good reasons why Guantanamo should be closed. From The Nation, William Greider on Milton Friedman's cruel legacy: A free-market faith that produced a bastardized system of interest-group politics that favors sectors of citizens at the expense of many others. Milton Friedman, Archliberal: Why the great free market economist was no conservative. The conservative era is over. What will replace it? Jacob Weisberg investigates. From Wired, a series of articles on Rebooting the Ecosystem: Global warming is real. We did it. Now it's time to talk about repairs. It ain't easy being Green: Are green magazine covers really "death on newsstands"? From New York, unseasonably warm, with freakish snowfalls and chance of cyclone. This winter will be weird, and the weather will keep getting weirder. Naysayers who argue that climate change is unsolvable because of "human nature" ignore how past crises were averted. And from Monthly Review, who is threatening our dinner table? An article on the power of transnational agribusiness

[Nov 22] From Commentary, Norman Podhoretz debates The Bush Doctrine with critics. Ken Adelman: A rat abandons a ship of fools. An interview with Michael Isikoff on Hubris: the Inside Story of Spin, Scandal and the Selling of t he Iraq War. From India's Frontline, a look at how globalisation adds urgency to the debate whether market economy is better than a completely planned economy. From Counterpunch, a look at how multinational corporations avoid paying their taxes. Claremont's Paul Zak on capitalism's moral bastards. Money is an incentive to work hard, but it also promotes selfish behavior: Research finds that merely thinking of money makes people less likely to give help to others. Not one of life's little hoarders: Memo to successor: look after your nuts. Is corporate responsibility a friend of the people or an unwitting puppet helping to undermine a free society? Is a "Friedmanist" really against social activism? A review of On Your Own Without a Net: The Transition to Adulthood for Vulnerable Populations. The first issue of the new online magazine American, is out, including an introduction from James K. Glassman, the young economist: Ulrike Malmendier is making sense of our irrationality; the economics of football: The performance gap between the Washington Redskins and the New England Patriots illustrates basic economic principles; and a review of Yes You Can!: Behind the Hype and Hustle of the Motivation Biz. Positions of Power: J.D. Nordell on how female ambition is shaped. The introduction to Selling Women Short: Gender and Money on Wall Street (and a review). Women increasingly earn more than their husbands. What happens when the wife wears the financial trousers? Trophy husbands. The Family Un-Planner: A profile of Eric Keroack, the Bush administration's crazy new HHS appointment. A visit to Utah and a closed world of "sisterwives", underage marriages and banished teenagers. Dinesh D'Souza on why atheism, not religion, is the real force behind the mass murders of history. An excerpt from A Republic of Mind and Spirit: A Cultural History of American Metaphysical Religion. And from The Washington Post Magazine, a band of idealists in the mountains of North Carolina is trying to build a low-energy lifestyle. But must we all live like hippies in the woods to make a difference?

[Nov 21] From Slate, the Free Market Free-for-All: Michael Kinsley on proof that the stock market is irrational; and Daniel Gross on a bizarre explanation for the stock market rally. From The Mises Institute, George Reisman on globalization: The long-run big picture; and Hans-Hermann Hoppe on the paradox of imperialism. A review of A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954-1962. A review of Max Boot's War Made New. From The New Yorker, is a damaged administration less likely to attack Iran, or more? Seymour M. Hersh investigates; and George Packer on how the argument that Iraq would be better off without American troops is a self-serving illusion. From Boston Review, anatomy of a civil war: Nir Rosen on Iraq's descent into chaos; rules of engagement: Elaine Scarry on why military honor matters; the 33-day war: Helena Cobban on Hizbullah's victory, Israel's choice; and the lesser evil: Anatol Lieven on using American force wisely. A review of Operation Homecoming: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Home Front, in the Words of U.S. Troops and Their Families. Terrorist turned spy Omar Nasiri has written the first personal account of life as an al-Qaida operative: An excerpt from Inside the Jihad (and a review). An interview of Nonie Darwish, author of Now They Call Me Infidel: Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel, and the War on Terror. An interview with Bill Gertz, author of Enemies: How America's Foes Steal Our Vital Secrets--and How We Let It Happen. From Monthly Review, the twilight of personal liberty: The introduction to and the text of an essay by Jean-Claude Paye on " A Permanent State of Emergency". From Forward, reinventing politics, with language: A review of Rituals of Truce and the Other Israeli and Vigilance by Benjamin Hollander. A review of Gary Wills' What Paul Meant. Richard Dawkins has noticed five variants of "I'm-an-atheist-buttery". From Reason, a review of In Defense of the Religious Right: Why Conservative Christians Are the Lifeblood of the Republican Party and Why That Terrifies the Democrats and The Theocons: Secular America Under Siege. Why the Supreme Court's looming decision on partial-birth abortion bans actually matters. And it's time to ditch the spin and tell the truth about why women have abortions, and what would happen if they were denied them

[Nov 20] Brad DeLong on a man who hated government: Conservative economic guru and liberal nemesis Milton Friedman disliked intervention of any sort, whether in the market or in recreational drug use. No contemporary economist anywhere on the political spectrum combined Milton Friedman’s commitment to clarity of thought and argument; and he had provocative prescriptions for areas other than economics. Here's a sampler of some of them; more on his mixed legacy by William Keegan and more by Thomas Sowell. A New Class War: The Haves vs. the Have Mores: The income gap widens yet again, and the dream of being superrich slips, ever so slightly, further from the grasp of the rich. The Conservative Reach: An article on state think tanks preaching the gospel of small government in the US and to a skeptical Africa. At the moment, it seems, we love philanthropists and we loathe politicians. Are the new philanthropists making a bid for power and immortality? Is it simply a wise use of wealth for the greater good? Seeing the downside of "cause celebs": At least they're doing something, right? Not necessarily. Buyer Be Aware: An article on products that are meant to make you think — about your purchase. Managing change: Is the penny worth saving? Can Christmas savings schemes ever make economic sense? Tim Harford investigates. The real marriage penalty: Husbands and wives are increasingly likely to have similar incomes. Is a more divided society the result? Gay donor or gay dad? Gay men and lesbians are having babies — and redefining fatherhood, commitment and what a family can be. Formula for forgiving: Dahlia Lithwick on how Americans measure how long it takes to forgive racist comments. And reunited and it feels so good: African Americans search for their roots

[Weekend 2e] Europe: From German Law Journal, an essay on the constitutional success of ratification failure. Single market blues: Attitudes to the single market are changing, perhaps for the worse. From Prospect, devolution was meant to give Scotland the ability to solve its own problems. But since getting its own parliament, Scotland's dependency on England seems to have increased. A former Scots Tory explains why he has come to see independence as the solution—and why it would benefit England too. Are British Christians, weary of turning the other cheek to the twin challenges of secularism and rival faiths, learning to fight back? Colour me green: Thirty years on, it looks like the Green party was right. A look at why Ireland is rich in things that make life worth living. From Salon, the French Hillary: In this political power couple, it's the woman who gets the first shot at being president. Only in France, a scandal for policy wonks: Segolene Royal believes teachers should be on the job for 35 hours a week. Could this sway an election? More on Why the French Don’t Like Headscarves. Beset with financial woes, a labor-management power struggle and an aging leftist readership, the legendary French newspaper Libération is on the brink of extinction. From PINR, a look at the uneasy Russia-EU energy relationship. First it was Poland which came out against the planned Baltic Sea pipeline from Russia to Germany. Now, though, Sweden says it is worried that the Russians will use the installation for spying. The Russian governing elite is adapting conservative European intellectual models of political hegemony to justify its rule and consolidate its power. An article on ethnic cleansing in Russia: Putin stokes the flames of xenophobia. An article on the sorrows of Belarus: A government in exile, a country in a mess. Alexandr Lukashenka's administration is still seeing red over the changed climate in neighboring Ukraine. And the art of levitation: A look at how Armenia copes with its isolation in the combustible Caucasus

[Weekend] From Comment, living with liberalism: Living Christian faith in a liberal age. An interview with Jimmy Carter on his new book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid. A review of Law, Politics, and Morality in Judaism, edited by Michael Walzer. The introduction to Jews and the American Soul: Human Nature in the Twentieth Century. From Forward, it is a puzzlement: How can a community so smart and sophisticated as ours so frequently overreact, under-react, be so off course? Three examples. From Nextbook, why are so many sex experts Jewish? A review of Sexuality in the Arab World. I sing the body articulate: Amira El-Noshokaty learns a truly universal tongue. A review of Flesh Wounds: The Culture of Cosmetic Surgery. Where do the Hiltons come from? A review of House of Hilton. Ladies who power breakfast: For the new breed of female philanthropist charity is serious stuff. From Ny Tid, is the female pornographic eye dangerous? Or is it just another male fantasy? Anna Friman about what happens when women write about sex. An award-winning and winding essay on posh porn. In Was She Pretty?, Leanne Shapton plumbs the anxiety provoked by seeing lovers' ex-lovers in her quirky meditation on the ugly green monster inside us. For women, it's shopping; for men, it's competition: A review of Sperm Wars. Missionary Position: William Saletan on birth control, responsibility, and the Democrats. In praise of chastity: An article on "purity balls" and staving off the evils of sex before marriage. The wave of marriage amendments, at least those that go beyond removing the issue from judicial resolution, should stop. A look at how radical queer folks bring an alternative message to the marriage equality debate. More on Gay Life and Culture: A World History. The choice for gay icons is about more than just high camp and melodrama; it's about who they are in a fundamental way. And the sexiest man living! Forget that other list. Salon picks the men who really set our hearts aflame -- and there's nary a pretty-boy actor among them

[Nov 17] America's anti-environmentalists: As an American, Kenneth Rogoff is appalled, ashamed, and embarrassed by his country’s lack of leadership in dealing with global warming. EU climate policy is gearing up to confront the US. Imports from countries that refuse to ratify the Kyoto Protocol could be subject to punitive tariff duties -- a new measure intended to pressure the Bush Administration. The Trillion-Dollar Question: What's the real cost of climate change, and where do all those numbers come from? The clean-energy business is turning into the next big investment boom, in which risks are lightly brushed aside. From Mother Jones, the Thirteenth Tipping Point: Dolphins, cockroaches, and vampire bats understand that cooperation is the key to survival. Why don't we? The Flintstone Effect: Tracing wealth back to the Stone Age. A review of The Middle Class: A History. From The Economist, third thoughts on foreign capital: If it doesn't kill you, financial globalisation will make you stronger. Who's ripping off whom?: Rich foreigners keep buying lousy American companies. Who's winning? Amity Shlaes on watching what Rubin does, not what he says, on taxes. More on Philanthropy's New Prototype by James Surowiecki. Senator-elect Jim Webb on class struggle: American workers have a chance to be heard. A review of Self-Employed Workers Organize: Law, Policy, and Unions. The Service Industry as Adolescent Purgatory: Serving fast food isn't much healthier than eating it. Burger King is renouncing television ads targeting kids. The decision comes at a time when British kids are making headlines for sporting extra pounds. A look at how chronic diseases of rich countries begin to plague developing nations. The anarchist movement will become much stronger when it fully embraces the Darwinian theory of human nature. From Political Affairs, a look at why Marx’s theory of revolution remains a beacon. An excerpt from The Meaning of Marxism. From People's Democracy, an article on the centrality of Leninism. From Socialist Review, an interview with Tariq Ali. From Global Research, an essay on Capitalism and War. And the value of life has little to do with the value accorded to death and the latter is determined as much by who did the killing as by the identity of the victim

[Nov 16] Potpourri: Has Bush been smart all along? James Fallows marvels at a side of President Bush we haven't previously seen. How the hell did David Frum get on your morning coffee cup? Conor Clarke wants to know. The key point about the economics of climate change, as the Stern review shows, is how little it costs to cut emissions sharply. Despite attacks from Bjørn Lomborg and others, Kyoto remains a good place to start. Not since Nixon—Friedman in China, sells Tom’s World: Times columnist exports adage, aphorism, metaphor: Hold the Mao! Sun in the curtain: A look at what's behind the eco-fashion phenomenon of Green Glamour. The Return of Trent Lott: Why his colleagues brought him back from the dead. Pro-Lifers for Choice: The elections revealed hidden diversity on both sides of the abortion issue. Generation $$$: Gen X plus 15 is like, rich, but reality still bites. An interview with Chris Hedges, author of War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning and What Every Person Should Know About War. The Crucial Phone Call: How Richard Nixon nailed Alger Hiss and launched his rise to the presidency. The new Masons: The centuries-old fraternity, in an effort to remain relevant, is shedding its secrecy in order to attract young members. John Judis on the Democratic ascendancy's local roots. Rolling the Dice: The United States' big legal gamble with Internet gaming. From The Christian Post, an article on natural law and the Protestant moral tradition. A review of Worst Cases: Terror and Catastrophe in the Popular Imagination. Model Ford: Lessons of presidential longevity from Gerald Ford. From Demographic Research, an article on population and housing: A two-sided relationship. Return to Rubinomics: Sebastian Mallaby on reviving the pro-market centrism of the Clinton era.  From Gore Vidal to former Black Panther Flores Forbes, we rely on our golden-age dissidents to write the most stinging critiques of American society. Roderick Long on what empire does to culture. Go ahead, blame the libertarians: Third parties play spoilers for Democrats and Republicans. The Devil's Dictionary: Grant Barrett collects sex slang, one dirty word at a time. Do people like Madonna achieve anything more than helping the individual children adopted? Peter Singer investigates. More on Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope. And switching a large fraction of US energy to renewable sources by 2025 could involve no increase in cost as long as current price trends hold firm

http://www.politicaltheory.info/2006/november.htm