From Newsweek, luxury shame: Why even the very rich are cutting back on conspicuous consumption. From Vanity Fair, with Wall Street hemorrhaging jobs and assets, even many of the wealthiest players are retrenching; and behind the debate over remaking financial policy will be a debate over who’s to blame — it’s crucial to get the history right. From Policy Review, an article on the 2008 Democratic Shift: How voters have changed and why; progressive dreams: A review of When the White House Was Ours by Porter Shreve; and a review of Ending Poverty by Joseph V. Kennedy. Will Obama continue to build the Democratic Party organization? Should liberals be disappointed in Obama so far? Absurd, they should be thrilled. Peter Daou on the Revolution of the Online Commentariat. Newspapers are done for: Andrew Sullivan on how print media are in dire trouble, but blogs are no substitute. Content and Its Discontents: Why new forms of media must evolve along with new technologies. How blogs give non-fiction books happy endings. Judge a book by its cover: Publishers should think artistically when packaging novels. How do we track trends in amorphous quantities, such as the usage rate of a certain literary device or sensibility? In a final bizarre twist in the story of the supreme Gonzo journalist, his widow offers new insights into his life, death and legacy.
