A new issue of Arts & Opinion is out. From Yale Alumni magazine, National Book Award winner Andrew Solomon pays tribute to his Yale roommate Terry Kirk, who killed himself last year; Professor of Mambo: Robert Farris Thompson — Master T — teaches “the black aesthetic of the cool”; and is Tom Perriello a new kind of congressman or just the kind who doesn’t get reelected? From The Futurist, Pavlina Ilieva and Kuo Pao Lian on learning from informal cities, building for communities; and life dollars: Douglas Rushkoff on finding currency in community. An article on the limits of reason: Why evolution may favor irrationality. Laurie Santos looks for the roots of human irrationality by watching the way our primate relatives make decisions. A Master's Mission: Michael Coles used tae kwon do to escape a difficult childhood — now he's helping others do the same. Christian Reconstructionism is no secret conspiracy — in fact, it's such an ordinary component of our political culture that a lot of people, including those whose views have been shaped by it, don't even take note of it. The original Mad Man: A review of The Man Who Sold America: The Amazing (but True!) Story of Albert D. Lasker and the Creation of the Advertising Century by Jeffrey L. Cruikshank and Arthur W. Schultz. How much transparency is too much? Peter Singer wants to know. How do you get insurers to behave? Job No. 1: Write new rules for health insurers and make sure they follow them.
