Moral Hazards
Where’s the morality in imprisoning inner city citizens for political gain, or over-medicating university students over liability worries? Is compassion a virtue or a trend? What’s the upside to being good?
The Guardian
The Escalating Breakdown of Urban Society Across the US: The Wire imagines a stunning example of a parallel economy working within a national economy that has abandoned an entire subculture. Writer David Simon explores a similar disconnect with the legal system in Baltimore, and how its citizens are fighting back.
The American Interest Online
Medicate U.: Over-medicating college students with psychiatric drugs may be a university’s defense against malpractice suits, risk-management masking real problems.
in character
How an Emotion Became a Virtue–it took some help from Rousseau and Montesquieu: It’s only a recent historical phenomenon that we see compassion as a virtue. Will we eventually return to dispassion?
The New Yorker
“Good People” by David Foster Wallace: It is through being good that we learn how to love–a short story.
Feisty Librarians
Today’s librarian: She may shush you, but she will stand up for your right to read anything. Anything.
GOOD Magazine
Stop Teaching Catcher in the Rye! Has that old sandby of teen angst lost its relevance? Is it time to make changes to the high school literature canon? You decide. (Be sure to read the comments, too.)
FactCheck
Sliming Palin: Did Sarah Palin drag Catcher in the Rye and Harry Potter tomes off the Wasilla library shelves? No, she didn’t. Did she try to intimidate the librarian? They’re a tough bunch, those librarians, not so easily ruffled.
Discover
Whales Had Legs Until 40 Million Years Ago, Fossils Show: Is this the sort of article that offends creationist mayors?
American Library Association
Banned Books Week: It’s that time of year, once again, to support your favorite banned books by such venerable authors as Mark Twain, Judy Blume, J. D. Salinger, J. K. Rowling, Maurice Sendak, and Toni Morrison.
The Virginia Quarterly Review
Young Reviewers Contest: If you’re under 30, submit a book review to compete for publication.
In Memoriam
Resurrections and remembrance.
TechCrunch
Footnote, A Social Netword To Help Us Remember the Dead: TechCrunch reviews Footnote, where we can build a memorial to loved ones in the cloud.
The Wall Street Journal
Channeling Mark Twain, Steve Jobs Affirms His Good Health: The reports of Steve Jobs’s death are greatly exaggerated. But his health in general? Not bad, considering past surgery for non-aggressive pancreatic cancer.
The Wired Campus
At One University, Computer Science Appears Poised for a Comeback: The reports of the death of Computer Science Majors is somewhat exaggerated. Read about the surge to resurrect the nerds.
Truthdig
Remembering 9/11 and Moving Forward: Former presidential candidate, Rep. Dennis Kucinich writes a moving memorial to the 9/11 dead, discussing how we move ahead now.
