Martha Nussbaum (Chicago): Teaching Patriotism: Love and Critical Freedom. Joseph Isenbergh (Chicago): Last Chance, America ("The most urgent step to be taken is to raise federal taxes, despite the possible dampening effect on short-term growth") (and more on taxes). Can Obama extend the debt ceiling on his own? Ronald Dworkin investigates (and more by Jeffrey Rosen). The U.S. won't "default" after Aug. 2 — something much weirder will happen. Welcome to the normalization of extortion politics: Steve Benen on a new form of governing. From NYRB, Michael Massing on why it’s time to scrutinize Fox. Ooga Booga: Rightbloggers warn America of a non-existent black crime wave. The crisis of legitimacy: Anne Applebaum on what the Norwegian murderer and American "birthers" have in common. Andrew Potter on justice, vengeance, and the exculpation of Anders Breivik. Does contemporary capitalism tend toward fascism? Bitch magazine presents Feminism for Real: Deconstructing the Academic Industrial Complex of Feminism. In the paradise of too many books: An interview with Sean Dockray — if the appetite to read comes with reading, then open text archive Aaaaarg.org is a great place to stimulate and sate your hunger. Heaven for Atheists: Behind the urge to cryopreserve — one’s body or just the head. From NBER, do differences in management practices cause differences in firm performance? From First Principles, Paul Crawford on four myths about the Crusades. Everyone’s a freak: A look at what fetishes can teach us about male sexuality. From New Scientist, a special section on Existence: Cosmic mysteries, human questions. Shankar Vedantam on the key to disaster survival: Friends and neighbors. (From Forbes's Tradigital blog, a short Q&A with Alfredo Perez, editor of Bookforum's Omnivore blog.)
