The world in a window

Sheikh Tantawi, 1928-2010 | Issandr El Amrani | Arabist | 10 March 2010

the browser — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:17:46 +0000

Obituary of Egypt's top Muslim cleric, head of al-Azhar university and mosque. Allowed mortgages, game shows. Tried to compromise between fundamentalists and modernisers, angered both.

Credit Default Swaps | Gary Gensler | Conference Speech | 9 March 2010

the browser — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:43:04 +0000

http://bit.ly/dABlhh

Regulator explains history and mechanics of CDS market, and its part in recent banking crisis. Argues for tighter regulation. Long, sometimes heavy going, but clear and not overly technical

At The Tea Party | Jonathan Raban | NYRB | 10 March 2010

the browser — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:19:00 +0000

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Sympathetic, funny account of Tea Party convention in Nashville. Sprinkling of truthers, birthers, racists, religious fundamentalists. But mostly decent old people. Great unifier: love of Palin

Bloomberg Does Baseball | Sean Gregory | Time | 10 March 2010

the browser — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:52:33 +0000

http://bit.ly/drMKKc

Financial information giant diversifies into sports statistics. First product targets big consumer market of fantasy baseball players. Later, advanced and expensive analytics for major-league clubs

Germany's Eurozone Crisis Nightmare | Martin Wolf | FT | 9 March 2010

the browser — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:36:03 +0000

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Germany's twin post-war objectives, sound money and European integration, now in conflict. Germany wants all EU to adopt German economic model, but that is logically impossible

Man Versus Afghanistan | Robert Kaplan | Atlantic | April 2010

the browser — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:41:58 +0000

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Big think-piece. Enemy in Afghanistan is not just the Taliban, it is history, geography, economics. Can the US army change the fundamentals of a country? And at what cost to itself?

Regrets? Everyone Should Have A Few | John Kay | FT | 9 March 2010

the browser — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:24:36 +0000

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To learn from your own mistakes, you must first acknowledge them. People who do that: Warren Buffett and George Soros. People who don't: Dick Fuld and Gordon Brown

Whales: We Owe Them An Apology | Philip Hoare | Slate | 5 March 2010

the browser — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:41:00 +0000

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Once we hunted them for consumption: whale oil lit and lubricated the industrial revolution. Now we demand to be entertained by them. What they want, most probably, is to be left alone

Italian Towns Face Financial Ruin | Rachel Sanderson et al | FT | 8 March 2010

the browser — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:46:34 +0000

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Excellent, shocking report. Investment banks sold derivatives contracts to unsophisticated Italian local authorities that wanted cash up front. Now the bill comes due, and it may hit $10bn

Philosophers Rip Darwin | Michael Ruse | Chronicle Review | 7 March 2010

the browser — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:32:55 +0000

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Scientists have got used to to dismissing religious and lay criticisms of Darwinism. It's more of a problem when eminent philosophers such as Thomas Nagel and Jerry Fodor lead the attack

They Saved Banks, Lost The Economy | Simon Johnson | Baseline Scenario | 8 March 2010

the browser — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:23:27 +0000

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US dealt with symptoms of banking crisis, not causes. Banks get bigger, regulation stays weak. Problem no longer "too big to fail". Banks will be too big to save when next crisis comes

Health Reform Passes the Cost Test | David Cutler | WSJ | 9 March 2010

the browser — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:15:09 +0000

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Public seems to worry that proposed health care reform will increase entitlements without cutting costs. Wrong. President's plan attacks costs in six ways, could do more with Republican help

Our Man in Kabul | Michael Crowley | New Republic | 9 March 2010

the browser — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:12:26 +0000

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Profile of brutal Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, radical Islamist who fought the Red Army with US support, then led the anti-US insurgency after 2001. US needs him as a friend again

Limits Of Rahmism | Peter Baker | NYT Magazine | 8 March 2010

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Latest of many features on divisive White House chief of staff. Still well worth reading as a fine profile of Rahm—he wants to be mayor of Chicago—and a take on why presidency is struggling

The Man Who'll Welcome Aliens | Jon Ronson | Guardian | 6 March 2010

the browser — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:52:20 +0000

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Very funny, gently mocking interview with Paul Davies, head of US-funded scientists' group advising how to respond if aliens contact Earth. He thinks Einstein will travel well, but not Picasso

Time To Take The Internet Seriously | David Gelernter | Edge | 4 March 2010

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Computer scientist argues that the internet is evolving, not as a tool nor as a universe of answers, but as a giant thought process. Soon, everything will be structured as part of a lifestream

Wrong Kind Of Green | Johann Hari | Nation | 4 March 2010

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http://bit.ly/aJdJRL

Overwrought, but amazing if true. Much of America's conservation lobby has been captured by funding from private industry, secretly opposes serious action against climate change

No Credit For Geithner | John Cassidy | New Yorker | 7 March 2010

the browser — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:51:47 +0000

http://bit.ly/9bGa9G

Treasury Secretary defends financial stability plan. Right not to nationalise banks. Economic recovery vindicates strategy. But politically costly. Obama was blindsided by health care

Defectors Denounce Scientology | Laurie Goodstein | NYT | 6 March 2010

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Defectors turn on church, say they were beaten, pressured to have abortions, had passports taken, were forced to work without sleep on little pay—and billed thousands of dollars when they left

Stop Your Spaniel Eating The Milkman | Jeremy Clarkson | London Times | 7 March 2010

the browser — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:04:50 +0000

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Tirade against British nanny state, sparked by new plan to regulate dog ownership more tightly. Dog-owners to be tested for competence, dogs required to carry GPS monitoring and insurance

Gendercide | Anonymous | Economist | 4 March 2010

the browser — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:53:22 +0000

http://bit.ly/bBieEG

Ultrasound, abortion, small families mean more boys, fewer girls in developing world. Socially dangerous. Instead, increase women's economic value with more education, less discrimination

Challenger To London’s Black Cabs | Adam Jones | FT | 5 March 2010

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http://bit.ly/cPmFnc

That rare thing, an interesting company profile, full of surprising detail. Addison Lee, London hire car company, takes on licensed black cabs by offering lowering fares, better service

Street Fightin' Man | Detroitblogger John | Metro Times | 17 February 2010

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Superb local reporting from fringe Detroit neighbourhood struggling to keep drug dealers, thieves at bay. Police don't respond, houses fall vacant, dogs are poisoned

Our Microbial Overlords | Carl Zimmer | Loom | 4 March 2010

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http://bit.ly/aPetf8

"Can the bacteria in our bodies control our behavior in the same way a puppetmaster pulls the strings of a marionette? This wonderfully creepy possibility may be true"

Interview: Dambisa Moyo | Sophie Elmhirst | New Statesman | 5 March 2010

the browser — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:02:17 +0000

http://bit.ly/akuT57

"Dead Aid" author says foreign-aid industry has not helped, may have retarded growth in Africa. Working on a new book about standard models of economic development

Iraq’s Elections Give Sliver Of hope | David Gardner | FT | 4 March 2010

the browser — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:38:06 +0000

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Sunday’s election a milestone for Iraq, and for Mid-East democracy. Likely to produce Shia-led coalition. Main thing is to keep institutions working until newer, better leaders emerge

Challenges Of The Two-Bill Strategy | Keith Hennessy | 1 March 2010

the browser — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:47:59 +0000

http://bit.ly/abim44

Detailed guide to procedures for getting healthcare reform bill passed. Very wonkish. But if you want to understand the politics—as opposed to the policy—this is the piece

The New Commandments | Christopher Hitchens | Vanity Fair | April 2010

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Good idea, unevenly realised. Biblical commandments commented and rebalanced. First three can go, making room for plenty of newer man-made horrors that demand to be outlawed

Building A Better Teacher | Elizabeth Green | NYT Magazine | 2 March 2010

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http://nyti.ms/a27GxJ

Gripping treatment of seemingly dull-but-important subject: teacher training. Centres on researcher who spent five years studying great teachers, compiled taxonomy of their tradecraft

Jonathan Safran Foer's Vegetarianism | Mark Rowlands | TLS | 3 March 2010

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Philosopher applauds "Eating Animals", Foer's latest book, as "brilliant synthesis of argument, science and storytelling ... original and breathtaking in its vivacity"

Don’t Tell the Kids | Kim Severson | NYT | 2 March 2010

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http://nyti.ms/camvly

Report from rabbit-killing seminar in Brooklyn. Rabbits "the new chicken". Easy for urban farmers to raise, breed. Increased restaurant demand for meat. But you do have to kill them

Rahm Emanuel: The Chief | Noam Scheiber | New Republic | 3 March 2010

the browser — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:41:49 +0000

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Best piece yet in spin-war over Emanuel's outsize role in underperforming White House. Obama chose Rahm to do machine politics, curb president's own idealism. Tension guaranteed

Goverment's Role In The Market | Eliot Spitzer | Boston Review | March 2010

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Government's job: enforce integrity and transparency, overcome market failures, bust monopolies, uphold social values. Instead it has let self-regulation fail, picked up the bill

Just-As-Good Medicine | David Kent | American Scientist | Mach 2010

the browser — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 07:22:30 +0000

http://bit.ly/c7Ffcm

There's usually a market for goods that are much cheaper than the best, yet still fit for purpose. That's why we go to Ikea, Walmart. Why doesn't healthcare work the same way?

African Poverty Is Falling, Faster Than You Think | Maxim Pinkovskiy and Xavier Sala‐i‐Martin | 17 January 2010

the browser — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 07:05:45 +0000

http://bit.ly/9XhyIk

Academic paper rebuts conventional wisdom on Africa, says poverty has been falling rapidly across continent, inequality decreasing, thanks to growth spurt beginning in 1995 (PDF)

Bombs For Beginners | Michael Rühle | IP Global | March 2010

the browser — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 04:55:02 +0000

http://bit.ly/cJobqo

Step-by-step guide for going nuclear. You need a civilian nuclear programme to cover enrichment, a space programme to cover missile acquisition. North Korea and Russia will help

Betting On The Blind Side | Michael Lewis | Vanity Fair | April 2010

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http://bit.ly/ctyTEh

Excerpt from Lewis's new book, "The Big Short". Profile of Michael Burry, doctor-turned-investor who diagnosed subprime crisis early, bet that loans would default, made $825m

Arrest Of Agathe Habyarimana | Philip Gourevitch | News Desk | 2 March 2010

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France arrests ex-first lady of Rwanda on genocide charges, after sheltering her since 1994. France now accepting it was wrong on genocide, restoring relations with Kagame government

Your Reality Is Out Of Date | Samuel Arbesman | Boston.com | 28 February 2010

the browser — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:58:55 +0000

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Introducing the mesofact: basic information that is slow to change. Periodic table adds 12 elements since 1970. 400 new planets since 1995. Half world's population uses cellphones

Predators Over Pakistan | Kenneth Anderson | SSRN | 28 February 2010

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Targeted killing by unmanned aerial vehicle is good anti-terrorist policy, legitimate self-defense. Obama is right to step up programme, needs to assert its legality more aggressively (PDF)

Britain’s Lack Of Credibility Hurts Sterling | Willem Buiter | Financial Times | 1 March 2010

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Economic fundamentals awful. Fiscal problems as bad as Greece’s. Tough action could rescue situation. Terrible time for hung parliament. Get coalition agreement in place well before

Money In North Korea | Ruediger Frank | Asia-Pacific Journal | 22 February 2010

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http://bit.ly/bpdGLV

Scholarly backgrounder on North Korean currency reform. Government wants to turn back clock, reverse partial monetisation of national economy in 2002-03, which eroded state control

Larry Fink’s $12 Trillion Shadow | Suzanna Andrews | Vanity Fair | April 2010

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Despite clichés and gush, an admirably detailed profile of low-profile financier who built world's biggest asset-management firm, oversees $130bn of bailed-out assets for US government

Man Who Blew Up The Welfare State | Ian McDougall | n+1 | 27 February 2010

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http://bit.ly/9Splou

Essay on Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy. The Sweden you didn't know about: corrupt state, misogyny, crime, violence. With remarkable background on Larsson's own life and death

Don't Care | Bill Gross | Pimco | March 2010

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Strangely bilious column from bond guru, asking: can you get out of a debt crisis by piling on another layer of debt? Governments are trying that now. It may work, but only for the strongest

Blame Yesterday’s Reforms for Today’s Congress | David Frum | Frum Forum | 1 March 2010

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Golden era for US reform was 1950-1980, when a few senior figures ran Congress, working in secret. Now we have more openness, less discipline—and an unmanageable legislature

Buried Treasure In Your TV Dial | Richard Thaler | NYT | 27 February 2010

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http://nyti.ms/91DaAl

Auctioning off 49 channels of broadcasting spectrum currently reserved for over-the-air television could raise $100bn for US budget and give huge stimulus to internet, smartphones

Love Among the Ruins | Matt Labash | Weekly Standard | 1 March 2010

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http://bit.ly/cmqLXj

Report from post-earthquake Haiti centering on Father Rick Frechette, an American pastor helping with the clear-up. Starts shakily, but picks up speed when action reaches Port-au-Prince

How Iraq Broke Tony Blair's Spirit | Andrew Rawnsley | Observer | 28 February 2010

the browser — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:57:18 +0000

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Book extract. Inside story of Blair's much-delayed resignation, exhausted and demoralised by Iraq, counterpointed by Gordon Brown's furious impatience to take over. Much swearing.

America, Fragile Empire | Niall Ferguson | LA Times | 28 February 2010

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Empires are complex systems, thus unpredictable. Small event can trigger switch from benign equilibrium to crisis. Fiscal weakness makes America vulnerable to such events

Martha Nussbaum: Politics Of Disgust | Christine Smallwood | Nation | 25 February 2010

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Disgust underpins racism, anti-Semitism, misogyny, homophobia. But it's an unreliable emotion, often a form of self-hatred, certainly not an acceptable basis for law or public behaviour

Rupert Murdoch, Raging Septuagenarian | Gabriel Sherman | New York | 28 February 2010

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Big, gossipy profile of News Corp boss, combative in old age. Main elements: WSJ prepares to take on NYT, spat with Google, paid content, James Murdoch's struggle to succeed

Big Pharma Might Not Be Lying | Amy Tuteur | Salon | 23 February 2010

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http://bit.ly/azwYLS

Surge in childhood mental illness commonly blamed on over-diagnosis, encouraged by drug companies. But 100 years ago we didn't diagnose much cancer in children, either

Earthquake In Chile | Big Picture | Boston.com | 27 February 2010

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35 photographs from the earthquake zone: a couple of them grisly, all of them stunning. And a thread of 1200 comments

What China Cannot Do With Its Reserves | Michael Pettis | China Financial Markets | 22 February 2010

the browser — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:37:08 +0000

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Technical but lucid post explaining how China manages its exchange rate, why the central bank probably hasn't been selling US$ assets, and why China would gain from revaluation

Perfectly Framed Assassination | Robert Baer | WSJ | 27 February 2010

the browser — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 11:37:19 +0000

http://bit.ly/bcZ5IX

Ex-CIA agent concludes that high-level assassinations are pretty much finished as a political tool. Thanks to CCTV you just can't get away with it any more, as Israel has found in Dubai

It's George Wallace's GOP Now | Jonathan Rauch | National Journal | 27 February 2010

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Sarah Palin brings back Wallace's brand of right-wing anti-intellectualism—though without the racism. It's nasty to watch, and bad for the GOP. Incoherent anger isn't an election-winner

Like Rome Before the Fall? Not Yet | Piers Brendon | NYT | 24 February 2010

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British historian considers whether America doomed to imperial decline, like Rome and Britain. Not necessarily: America stronger than either. But it does need to husband resources

Reply To All | Nathan Yau | Flowing Data | 8 February 2010

the browser — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 10:53:38 +0000

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A lesson for site administrators on how not to structure an email list, unless you want to drive all of its members mad. Courtesy of Caltrans, which did just that. Excellent visualisation

Annual Letter To Shareholders 2009 | Warren Buffett | Berkshire Hathaway | 27 February 2010

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Wise and funny as ever. On Burlington Northern acquisition, paid partly with stock: "Charlie and I enjoy issuing Berkshire stock about as much as we relish prepping for a colonoscopy" (PDF)

Slave Whale That Fought Back | Alexander Cockburn | First Post | 26 February 2010

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In defence of Tillikum, whale that killed its trainer last week. Captive whales have a history of mutiny. Only to be expected. They are wild animals, imprisoned and exploited like slaves

Good Poems About Ugly Things | Molly Young | Poetry Foundation | 24 February 2010

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Frederick Seidel's rakish poetry evokes Bukowski and Kerouac in its lust, crudeness, cynicism. An "accurate X-ray" of modern American male concerns, honest and incriminating

Information Transforms Traditional Business | Kenneth Cukier | Economist | 25 February 2010

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Computing power and online analytics give firms access to much new market intelligence. An airline passenger who orders a vegetarian meal is not going to change his reservation

Romantic Side Of Familiar Words | Geoff Nunberg | Language Log | 26 February 2010

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Why does literary opinion hold "cellar door" to be the most beautiful phrase in English? It's partly anti-snobbery, to fix on the prosaic, partly the feminity of the phonetics

Department Of Mad Scientists | Paul Waldman | American Prospect | 26 February 2010

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Interview with author Michael Belfiore about Darpa, US military research agency which first strung together the internet, and quietly goes on bringing visionary projects to verge of viability

Climate Change's OJ Simpson Moment | Bill McKibben | Mother Jones | 25 February 2010

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The more evidence of climate change accumulates, the easier it is for skeptics to find procedural errors. They are winning battle for public opinion, by saying what public wants to hear

Cancer Drug Gives Sudden Reprieve | Amy Harmon | NYT | 22 February 2010

the browser — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:46:10 +0000

http://nyti.ms/a4CAyX

Clinical trials of miracle anti-melanoma drug showed tumours disappearing within a fortnight, even when cancer had penetrated bone. Two-part series. Outstanding story

America And Post-Election Iraq | Tom Ricks | CNAS | 24 February 2010

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Iraq relatively stable for past year. Not clear if this will last, or if factions merely keeping powder dry until Americans gone. Extending US presence beyond 2011 would be helpful (PDF)

Beyond Ideology | Ezra Klein | Barnes & Noble Review | 26 February 2010

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Current polarisation of politics dismays America, but generally, that's how political parties behave. We talk about "ideological" divides, but they're better analysed in terms of party interest

An Exceptional Debate | Richard Lowry and Ramesh Ponnuru | National Review | 25 February 2010

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Manifesto for new Right: Obama embarrassed by American exceptionalism—its toughness, pride, patriotism. Wants to re-engineer country as an ineffectual, European-style social democracy

Searching For Saddam | Chris Wilson | Slate | 22 February 2010

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Five-part series on how US used social-networking theory to uncover true power structure in Iraq and thus track down Saddam Hussein after fall of Baghdad. Long, but never a dull moment

Oath Keepers And The Age of Treason | Justine Sharrock | Mother Jones | March 2010

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Inside a right-wing US paramilitary group, whose members arm themselves to fight back, as and when Obama abolishes republic, democracy. Colourful, crazy, worrying in equal measure

DNA's Dirty Little Secret | Michael Bobelian | Washington Monthly | March 2010

the browser — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:38:04 +0000

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DNA tests can exonerate the innocent. They can also lead to wrongful convictions. The larger the database against which you match a DNA sample, the more likely a false positive becomes

Return Of Macho Politics | Alma Guillermoprieto | News Desk | 24 February 2010

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War between Colombia and Venezuela a long shot, but confrontational rivalry between Uribe and Chavez could get out of hand. So far, they're just swearing at each other. It's a guy thing

China Global Investment Tracker | Derek Scissors | Heritage Foundation | 22 February 2010

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Mainly-graphic note showing where China's outward direct investment is going. Largest regional recipient: sub-Saharan Africa. Greece also much favoured

Meet The Sims — And Shoot Them | P.W. Singer | Foreign Policy | March 2010

the browser — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:34:23 +0000

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Distinctions blur between commercial war video-games, professional training simulations, and real electronic warfare. Best-selling combat video-game, "America's Army", is a US army product

Saddam’s Scorecard From Desert Storm | Mark Stout | On War And Words | 25 February 2010

the browser — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:15:09 +0000

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Saddam saw first Gulf War as his victory. He kept power, Americans retreated, most Iraqi weaponry was intact. He dismissed danger from US, focused on regional, domestic threats

Britel: Lebanon's Forgotten Town | Mitchell Prothero | National | 19 February 2010

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Report from most lawless town in generally lawless Beqaa Valley. Main career choices: carjacking, drug smuggling, suicide bombing. No police station or hospital. One Hizbollah school

Africa's Forever Wars | Jeffrey Gettleman | Foreign Policy | March 2010

the browser — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:43:02 +0000

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Brutal fighting goes on across Africa, but these aren't really wars, with causes and outcomes. They are rampages by bandit chefs who enjoy guns, money, violence

Just Like Mombot Used to Make | Ian Daly | New York Times | 23 February 2010

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http://nyti.ms/d4L4xc

Fun report on use of robots to cook restaurant food and wait tables. They can also cadge drinks, smoke cigarettes, spar with knives, and stamp their feet while mixing mojitos

Goodness And Freedom | Alain de Botton | Guardian | 24 February 2010

the browser — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:20:59 +0000

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Peculiar high-flown philosophical essay, with some fine moments, arguing that the goodness has lost its meaning, religion has lost its grip, we need new social values

Pantomime Life Of Joseph Grimaldi | Patrick O'Conner | TLS | 24 February 2010

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Book review. Beautiful sketch of great clown, star comic turn at Covent Garden, Drury Lane in early 19th century. Friend of Byron. Humour laced with violence and cruelty

Prime Ministers And Superheroes | Jonathan Freedland | Guardian | 23 February 2010

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Job of British PM is impossibly demanding. Gordon Brown latest to be overwhelmed. Some coping strategies: delegate more, send deputy to EU councils, do less media

290 Bills Before The Senate | The Hill | 22 February 2010

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Simple list of bill passed by the House, awaiting Senate vote. No commentary. Jaw-dropping short course on the workings of the American legislature

India's Green Revolution Wilts | Geeta Anand | WSJ | 22 February 2010

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Subsidies for fertiliser helped boost food production in 1960s, but has since encouraged massive overuse. Now soil degraded, crop yields falling, food imports rising

Avoiding A Digital Dark Age | Kurt Bollacker | American Scientist | March 2010

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Detailed, pessimistic account of problems in making data secure, legible for centuries to come. Do the obvious things—back up, print out—but they won't be enough

Iceland Should Stand Up To Bullying | John Kay | Financial Times | 23 February 2010

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Icelandic taxpayers have little legal or moral obligation to repay Britain and Netherlands for cost of bank bailouts. It's just bullying. Brits and Dutch should be ashamed

Germany's Problem Is Greek Pensions | Charlemagne | Economist | 23 February 2010

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Germans work until 67 to get a state pension. Why should they pay for Greeks to retire at 61, often on absurdly generous pensions handed out as political bribes?

How Google’s Algorithm Rules The Web | Steven Levy | Wired | 22 February 2010

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Magnificent piece of tech journalism. Old subject made fresh. Wonky but still compelling account of how search giant has taken a great product and kept on improving it

Bringing It All Back Home | John Gravois | National |18 February 2010

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Feature on remittance flows from expat workers, nicely blending local reporting from Dubai with bigger moral and economic thoughts on poverty, free movement of labour

Presidential Debate | Jimmy Carter | Foreign Policy | 22 February 2010

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After Foreign Policy used Carter's presidency as an awful warning to Obama, Carter defends his record, seconded by his former National Security Advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski

Quest For Innocence In Political Journalism | Jay Rosen | Press Think | 21 February 2010

the browser — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:50:06 +0000

http://bit.ly/aLYPfK

American journalists go too far in their wish to appear impartial. They give equal time to the wise and the foolish, report absurd propositions without comment, especially in political reporting

Adventures Of A Foreclosure Attorney | Wajahat Ali | McSweeney's | February 2010

the browser — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:06:49 +0000

http://bit.ly/azueo3

Self-taught lawyer recounts struggle to save California family's home. Main obstacle: getting the right phone numbers for the right people at the lending bank

Banking's Doomsday Cycle | Peter Boone and Simon Johnson | Vox | 22 February 2010

the browser — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 11:16:12 +0000

http://bit.ly/aBrno7

Complicated regulation doomed to failure, regulators too easily captured. Best way to stabilise financial system is to triple core capital requirements for major banks to 15-25%

Euro Will Face Bigger Tests Than Greece | George Soros | Financial Times | 21 February 2010

the browser — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:59:55 +0000

http://bit.ly/b7EJNi

"A fully fledged currency requires both a central bank and a Treasury. This is a well-known fact that should have been clear to everyone involved in the creation of the euro"

How Paul Krugman Found Politics | Larissa MacFarquhar | New Yorker | 21 February 2010

the browser — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:56:50 +0000

http://bit.ly/c2MI86

Profile of Nobel-laureate economist, NYT columnist. Emphasis on mid-life shift from academic economist to political obsessive, provoked by Enron, George W. Bush

China: No One Home | Geoff Dyer | Financial Times | 21 February 2010

the browser — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 07:52:20 +0000

http://bit.ly/bBoF0u

China's growth driven by state-directed, loan-financed investment in infrastructure. Newly-built towns stand almost empty. Is this prudent planning, or another kind of bubble?

Head Case | Louis Menand | New Yorker | 21 February 2010

the browser — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 07:43:23 +0000

http://bit.ly/9QE7Pw

New doubts over effectiveness of anti-depressants over placebos revive doubt as to whether psychiatry really science at all, or mixture of profiteering, mumbo-jumbo

Afghan Army Lags in Battle | C.J. Chivers | New York Times | 20 February 2010

the browser — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 10:41:47 +0000

http://nyti.ms/db3hCN

Marja assault shows up painful shortcomings of Afghan soldiers. Many can't read a map or shoot a rifle. Hard to imagine them taking over responsibility for national security

Master Of Spin Boldak | Matthieu Aikins | Harper's | December 2009

the browser — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 10:40:35 +0000

http://bit.ly/cDGSTP

Magnificent feat of undercover reporting. Writer befriends Pakistani drug smugglers in Quetta, who introduce him to the regional druglord, a colonel in Afghan border police