From Europe's World, an essay on capitalism’s uncertain future; and a look at why EU and US geopolitical interests are no longer the same and why the US is destined to remain a “European power”. From FT, Francis Fukuyama on how the past two US administrations could assume hegemony in economics and security, but the next administration cannot; and Martin Wolf on how this presidential election might well determine the character of the next, possibly final, epoch of Anglo-American global hegemony. Gregory Rodriguez on America's "identity" blind spot. John McCain's list of ancestors is a bit ho-hum, with nearly monolithic Scotch Irish dominance and none of the links to famous statesmen Obama counts as kin, part of the great melting pot. Dalton Conley, an NYU sociologist claims, preposterously, that it's more stressful to be rich than poor. No manufacturing, no new ideas — what's our economy based on? Joseph Stiglitz wants to know. Bring back tug-of-war! Why more Olympic sports should be added before 2012. Here's the perfect example of how frustrating the Olympics were for genuine sports lovers. A review of Athlete First: A History of the Paralympic Movement by Steve Bailey. From Standpoint, an article on the depth of English music. A steady eye: David Levine has captured the artistic and political greats of his era with nothing but a pencil.
