From The Atlantic Monthly, how an early gaffe and an excruciatingly long primary season helped Barack Obama find a distinctive voice on foreign affairs; how Silicon Valley made Barack Obama this year’s hottest start-up; and how would Obama’s success in online campaigning translate into governing? Why aren't there more women in science and engineering? Controversial new research suggests: They just aren't interested. More on The Sexual Paradox by Susan Pinker. David Rieff on why he had to lie to his dying mother, Susan Sontag. From New Humanist, as "Sex and the City" totters on to the big screen, Sally Feldman celebrates the agony and the ecstasy of the stiletto; and as festival season begins Andrew Mueller counts off the reasons to avoid them. From IHE, just because China and the Middle East are increasingly important is no reason to drop study of French and German; and looking for an affordable word processor that will also help you stay focused? Scott McLemee goes low-tech. Is our obsession with sincerity in politics a good thing?: David Runciman on why politicians shouldn't always strive to be sincere. Negotiating isn't appeasement: Bush, McCain and other conservatives are on the wrong side of history when they dismiss Obama's foreign policy. The McCain Doctrines: Senator John McCain’s support for the war in Iraq, informed by his experience, is lonely but unwavering.
