From Business Week, a cover story on what good are economists anyway? Why they failed to predict the global economic crisis—and why their help is still crucial to a recovery. If Introduction to Macroeconomics proved challenging for any members of Congress while in school, the current economic crisis surely evokes bad memories. From The Nation, a review of Soul of the Age: A Biography of the Mind of William Shakespeare by Jonathan Bates. A review of Shakespeare and Modern Culture by Marjorie Garber. Spring Cleaning Special: Washington Post contributors on Ten Things to Toss Out, including academic tenure, the Nobel Prize in Literature, the prom, the White House press corps, and West Point. From TNR, a review of Alain Locke: The Biography of a Philosopher by Leonard Harris and Charles Molesworth; Jonathan Cohn on why he's thrilled that his taxes are so high; turd blossom in the mirror: Jonathan Chait on why when Karl Rove and Mike Gerson hate on Obama, they're hating on themselves; and too much information: Leon Wieseltier on the case against transparency (and Facebook). Fred Kaplan on how to beat the pirates: Let's start by treating them like the criminals they are. Lock up your daughters: Is the world ready for Taki Jr.? (and a response by Taki Theodoracopulos).
