Sunday, August 26, 2012

The Browser daily newsletter [26 Aug 2012]

26 August 2012

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Best of the Moment

His Grief, And Ours

Leon Wieseltier | New Republic | 24 August 2012

Against Paul Ryan, a "morally insolvent", mendacious, mean-spirited, narrow-minded man led astray by Ayn Rand. "The ideal of self-reliance in America has always been attended by a corollary of indifference to others, of nastiness" Comments

Riddled With Irregularity

Philip Ball | Prospect | 22 August 2012

"Recent scientific studies propose that language 'universals' aren’t simply prescribed by genes but arise from the interaction between the biology of human perception and the bustle, exchange and negotiation of human culture" Comments

David Foster Wallace On The Brink of 'Infinite Jest'

DT Max | Daily Beast | 19 August 2012

Portrait of a troubled genius. “I am a pathetic and very confused young man, a failed writer at 28, who is so jealous, so sickly searingly envious of any young man producing pages that I consider suicide a reasonable option" Comments

Are You A Hero Or A Bystander?

Sue Shellenbarger | WSJ | 21 August 2012

What makes one person risk their life to save another from an impending train crash? Or to catch a baby falling from a building? Psychologists believe that specific character traits reveal a propensity for bravery Comments

The Lancashire Witches 1612-2012

Robert Poole | Public Domain Review | 22 August 2012

Revisiting Pendle witch trials of 1612. It all began when John Law had a stroke, while arguing with a young lady. He later accused her of being a witch. The evidence of two children led to arrest of 19 others. And a mass execution Comments

Lunch With The FT: Ian McEwan

Caroline Daniel | FT | 24 August 2012

Amusing, touching, surprisingly intimate conversation digging deep into novelist's childhood and youth. Parents gave his brother away for adoption. Arrived in London as a literary mouse. “How did I become a lion? By roaring!" Comments

FiveBooks Interview

Dominic Lawson on Chess

You don’t have to be a genius to play chess, but it helps. The journalist tells us about the logical beauty of the game, its history and political context, and the lives and minds of its greatest masters

Featured Special Report

Putin's Russia

A disputed election, protests, accusations of being a mafia state. As Vladimir Putin takes back the presidency, what kind of country does he lead?

Reader Recommendations

rszbt Take Ethiopia: MT @owenbarder: Worth reading: "Our image of Africa is hopelessly obsolete" by @ianbirrell t.co/aAPLksFZ" #browsings

Book of the Day

Galveston by Nic Pizzolatto

Attica Locke says: “It’s a great piece of fiction, and a lot of the action takes place on the eve of Hurricane Ike, which devastated Galveston in 2008”

Video of the Day

Trotsky's Assassination

Remembered by his grandson, Esteban Volkov, 86

Quote of the Day

Wendell Berry, on marriage

Marriage has now taken the form of divorce: a prolonged and impassioned negotiation as to how things shall be divided