Saturday, June 9, 2012

The Browser daily newsletter [9 June 2012]

9 June 2012

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Best of the Moment

Tails Of The Unexpected

Andrew Haldane | Bank Of England | 8 June 2012

It used to be accepted wisdom that economic and financial systems behave "normally". But they don't. We know that now. The risk of catastrophe is higher than we thought, and increasing. Here's why, and what we must do about it (PDF) Comments

Bringing The Battlefield To The Border

Todd Miller | Huffington Post/TomDispatch | 7 June 2012

Setting up lines of control over human movement is a more recent phenomenon than we might suppose. US-Mexico border has changed unimaginably in past 20 years. This piece gives a sense of where militarisation of borders is leading Comments

Putin Between Assad And Mubarak

Alexander Golts | Moscow Times | 6 June 2012

Why does Putin support Assad? Yes, there are arms sales, port facilities, other economic links, as well as a wish for Russian influence in the region to counter US. But there may be a deeper reason too Comments

The Accidental Empire

George Soros | Project Syndicate | 7 June 2012

Germany will do enough to hold eurozone together, but no more. Division between debtor and creditor countries will become permanent, with Germany dominating a depressed hinterland. "It is a tragedy of policy errors" Comments

Interview With Greek Writer Nikos Dimou

Julia Amalia Heyer and Britta Sandberg | Spiegel | 7 June 2012

"Modern Greeks suffer from knowing what the ancient Greeks accomplished. Being caught somewhere between east and west, ancient glory and present poverty, orthodoxy and enlightenment, has left the Greeks with an identity problem" Comments

Who Will Get PTSD?

Paul Kix | Boston Globe | 3 June 2012

On recent PTSD research, and ethical issues raised: "If it becomes possible to screen enlistees for their vulnerability to PTSD, is it fair to keep some out of combat and send in others, especially in an all-volunteer military" Comments

FiveBooks Interview

John Dickie on the Italian Mafia

The three biggest Italian mafias remain a powerful presence, with tentacles reaching deep inside Italian business and politics. The author of Mafia Brotherhoods busts the myth that it’s all in the family

Featured Special Report

Mitt Romney

He has clawed his way to the finishing line for the Republican party nomination. But what makes the man who would be president tick?

Reader Recommendations

@damienjoyce Interesting interview with David Graeber in ArtForum t.co/hvzKf8ew #browsings #longreads

Book of the Day

Damascus by Brigid Keenan

Nikolaos van Dam says: “This book about Damascus lifts the tip of the veil of the many, many beauties that Syria has”

Video of the Day

Putin's Watch Collection

Vladimir Putin. Declared income: $112,000. Reported value of wristwatches: $680,000

Quote of the Day

Kevin Kelly, on paid content

"You can get anything you want free if you wait long enough. You pay for immediacy"