Contents
January-February 2010
Get Rich Now
The economy will never be the same. It’s time to rethink our definition of “the good life.”
by Amitai Etzioni, from
The New RepublicEmpire of the Stunned
Social critic James Howard Kunstler believes that what killed America’s economy could make society stronger
interview by Leslee Goodman, from The Sun
Work Plan
Maytag’s departure left a small Iowa town reeling. Today, a revitalized workforce is fulfilling the potential of green-collar jobs.
by Barry Yeoman, from Audubon
We Are All Madoffs
Our relationship to the natural world is a Ponzi scheme
by David P. Barash, from The Chronicle of Higher Education
A Conspiracy of Hate
The extreme right is armed, dangerous, and coming to a town near you
by Larry Keller, from Intelligence Report
The Paranoid Center
Exaggerating the threat of right-wing violence stifles legitimate dissent
by Jesse Walker, from Reason
Crafting a New World
Sociologist Richard Sennett explains how working with our hands enhances critical thinking, radicalizes labor, and makes us proud
interview by Suzanne Ramljak, from American Craft
The Most Trusted Name in News?
Al Jazeera English comes to North America with a reputation—for excellent journalism
by Deborah Campbell, from The Walrus
Emerging Ideas:
Inventing a Better World
José Gómez-Márquez’s low-tech devices save lives
by Emily Singer, from Technology Review
The Latino Crescent
The changing face of Muslim America
by Lyndsey Matthews, from The Brooklyn Rail
China’s Car-Free Oasis
High-speed urban development goes green in Guangzhou
by Karl Fjellstrom, from Carbusters
The Encyclopedia of Life
Open-source biology could save a vital sector of science
by Alan Burdick, from OnEarth
Gleanings:
Living Waters
What it takes to immerse yourself in faith
by Leslie What, from Calyx
A Test of Patience
The world’s longest, most elusive science experiment
by Mats Bigert, from Cabinet
Not Having a Blast in Appalachia
How to explore a mountaintop removal site
by Ned Ludd, from Earth First! Journal
Twittering Fools
Nobody is interested in what the public thinks
by Edward Docx, from Prospect
Mindful Living:
Why Do I Get So Lost?
One man’s quest for a sense of direction
by Bruce Grierson, from Explore
When Humor Humiliates
Gelotophobes dread being the butt of a joke
by Susan Gaidos, from Science News
Power to the Plumbers
Inciting a wastewater revolution
interview by Jessica Kellner, from Natural Home
Color Me Nontoxic
Health problems at nail salons spur ecofriendly shops
by Momo Chang, from Hyphen
Mixed Media
The Songs We Don’t Sing
Why we all need to make music, at any age
by Toner Quinn, from the Journal of Music
Famous Novels No One Has Ever Read
At the Invisible Library, the fiction is really fictitious
by Alex Dimitrov, from Poets & Writers
Plus: Music, film, and book reviews
Misc:
Editor’s Note
Hate, Ink.
by David Schimke
Shelf Life
The City That Reads
by Danielle Maestretti
Forward
Think Globally, Bank Locally
by Eric Utne
Dispatches from:
NACLA Report on the Americas, New Internationalist, IEEE Spectrum, Developments, New Mobility, The American Prospect, The New Republic, Yes!, Peace Review, New Humanist, Technology Review, Earth Island Journal, Multinational Monitor, Science News, Search, World Literature Today, Prospect, Film Comment