Table of Contents: January-February 2012

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Contents
January-February 2012

Human Rights

Tortured
Bush’s crimes, Obama’s blind eye, and the death of accountability by Kathryn Sikkink,
from The Justice Cascade

The CIA in Somalia
Renditions, an underground prison, and the administration’s intensifying war by Jeremy Scahill, from The Nation

Jihad Against Islam
America’s right wing is on a witch hunt, and they’re tying Muslims to the stake by Robert Steinback, from Intelligence Report



The New Land Rush

Fears of violence and a hunger for profit are sparking a worldwide run on farmland by Terry J. Allen, from In These Times


Letters

Body-Checked by a Beep
We are chained to our love of “being in touch”
by Aaron Lake Smith, from Biopsy

A Hero’s Heart
Love letters reveal the inner spirit of Norway’s greatest humanitarian edited by Eric Utne, from Brenda, My Darling

Post Secret
When it comes to modern-day correspondence, the mystery is gone by Jo McGowan, from Commonweal

Uptown Is Upside Down
Remembering Harlem, when a sense of community trumped corporate greed by Rodney Robinson, from The Brooklyn Rail



Dr. Yang’s Fight Club

On a secluded mountaintop, young men sacrifice everything to emulate their kung fu master by Oliver Broudy, from Tin House



When the Last Guest Leaves

Dying with dignity is one thing. Helping your mom do it is another.by Ben Orion, from Eugene Weekly


EMERGING IDEAS


Lean, Green Fighting Machine

The U.S. military no longer wants to trade blood for oil by Edward Humes, from Sierra

Reading, Writing, and Self-Esteem
Simple exercises close the achievement gap by Lea Winerman, from Monitor on Psychology

Faith Goes Viral
Religion can affect where and why diseases spread by Elizabeth Pennisi, from ScienceNOW


GLEANINGS


On the Benghazi Express

A veteran reporter goes back to Egypt and his naive younger self by Marc Cooper, from Slake

Death by Byline
An open letter from a Guatemalan reporter on living life under the gun by Claudia Méndez Arriaza, from Sampsonia Way

Rust Belt Dharma
Boyhood memories and Burmese monks by Richard Eskow, from The Best Buddhist Writing


MINDFUL LIVING


Meditation, Not Meds

The science of stress relief interview by Daniel Redwood, from NEXUS Magazine

Balancing Act
Work-life balance for low-wage workers by David Villano, from Miller-McCune

How to Write a Love Poem
A not-so-serious tutorial on the art of seductive verse by Jim Behrle, from The Awl


MIXED MEDIA


Bollywood’s Soft Power

India‘s popular films wage a cultural war on extremism by Shikha Dalmia, from Reason

Blues for Beginners
An arts program preserves Chicago’s music by Brian Bienkowski, from Mindful Metropolis

Reviews:
Film
Twisting and Turning: A review of A Separation
Dream Cities: A review of Urbanized
Trapped: A review of The Shaft

Music
The Sound of Desire: A review of Aam Zameen: Common Ground by Kiran Ahluwalia
Sublime Swirl: A review of Blue Hour by the Drift
Musical Ammunition: A review of Will the Guns Come Out? by Hanni El Khatib

Books
Quench Wisely: A review of Blue Revolution: Unmaking America’s Water Crisis by Cynthia Barnett
Gray Days: A review of Losing It by William Ian Miller
The Real Arab Woman: A review of I Killed Scheherazade by Joumana Haddad


Editor’s Note
by David Schimke

Forward
by Eric Utne


Dispatches from:
The Indypendent (Criminalizing HIV)
Contexts (Racism Moves Out)
Ars Technica (Rated M, for Mature)
Conservation (Digesting Diapers)
YES! Magazine (Homegrown Loans)
IEEE Spectrum (Big Fish, No Limit)
Mother Jones, Grist (LEED, Not So Clear-Cut)
The Texas Observer (Texas-Sized Nepotism)
Buddhadharma (Bad Buddhist Vibes)
Endogenous Development (Farming for Life)
Portland Mercury, Scientific American (Quiet: Salmon Spawning)
New Mobility (Hailing Accessibility)
World Affairs (Obama’s Soft, Soft Power)
Hi-Fructose (Brutal Truth Toys)
American Craft (A Bushelful of Art)
Gilt Taste (My Sommelier Is a Comic)

  • Published on Sep 11, 2013
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