From The Believer, an essay on fear, racism and the historically-troubling attitude of American pioneers; and what's the difference between a road movie and a movie that just happens to have roads in it? France is the world’s most sophisticated practitioner of counterterrorism, and the U.S. can learn from her experience. A review of The Globalization of Ethics: Religious and Secular Perspectives, ed. William M. Sullivan and Will Kymlicka. A review of Victor Hugo's Conversations with the Spirit World: A Literary Genius's Hidden Life by John Chambers. It’s not you, it’s your books: Among the bookish, even casual literary references can turn into romantic deal breakers. A review of Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. A review of Polarized America: The Dance of Ideology and Unequal Riches by Nolan McCarty, Keith T. Poole, and Howard Rosenthal. From Scientific American, an article on the doping dilemma: Game theory helps to explain the pervasive abuse of drugs in cycling, baseball and other sports. Cass Sunstein on why Clarence Thomas is not "Mr. Constitution". Zbigniew Brzezinski on the smart way out of a foolish war. From Briarpatch, an article on The Boy Code & the modern man; a look at how feminism and porn get it on at the Feminist Porn Awards, and a review of Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity by Robert Jensen.
