From Cogito, an article on Coriolanus' Oedipal curse and the question of tragic redemption. From Alternet, an article on the science of happiness: Is it all bullshit? Modern angst: The new guise of a word we love to fret over. Partying with Pablo: He was a genius in painting, less so in party planning. A review of In Search of the Black Fantastic: Politics & Popular Culture in the Post-Civil Rights Era by Richard Iton. An interview with Lauri Lebo, author of The Devil in Dover: An Insider’s Story of Dogma v. Darwin in Small-town America (and a review). From Mao to Wow! Just as many of New York City’s most iconic landmarks rose in breathtakingly brief succession a century ago, Beijing has been re-inventing itself since 2001 with a rush of showstopping buildings by internationally renowned architects. A review of The Age of Oprah: Cultural Icon for the Neoliberal Era by Janice Peck. An excerpt from Red State Rebels: Tales of Grassroots Resistance in the Heartland by Jeffrey St. Clair and Joshua Frank. More and more on Richard Sennett's The Craftsman. A review of This Is Our Music: Free Jazz, the Sixties, and American Culture by Iain Anderson. Why is the flag so important? Rick Shenkman wants to know. Can TV shows tackle sex without being blandly moralizing or porno-lite? Julian Baggini on how on why the art of having a moan is essential to public life.
