In This Issue
January-February 2009
FEATURE: Fear
Fear ItselfOn the eve of a new presidency, we are singularly poised to challenge those things that scare us silly
by Julie Hanus
What Are You Afraid Of?Great writing from Utne Reader‘s library on how fear shapes our lives
FEATURE: Education
Putting the Public Back in Public EducationWhat it would take to ensure that nobody’s child is left behind
by Hannah Lobel
The People’s ProfessorAn Ivy League scholar breaks the rules, waives the fees, and welcomes the workaday residents of Harlem into his politically charged classroom
by Courtney E. Martin
America 101Most Americans would fail a citizenship exam. That has to change.
by Eric Lane, from Democracy
Online Exclusive: Innovative Educational Reform Efforts
FEATURE: Two Spirits
Sacred RightsGay and transgender Native Americans find acceptance in tradition
by John Rosengren, photos by Mike Dvorak
Online Exclusive: Photos from the Two Spirit Gathering
FEATURE: Rest
Get Radical. Get Some Rest.Ditching our hyperproductive lifestyles won’t just benefit us–it will help save the earth
by Matt Carmichael, from Resurgence
Give Us a BreakStarved for time off, American workers keep getting sicker, sadder, and less productive
by Silja J.A. Talvi, from In These Times
Want to Get Away? Stay Home.by Keith Goetzman
The No Wake ZoneCan’t sleep through the night? You’re not supposed to.
by Mary Sykes Wylie, from Psychotherapy Networker
EMERGING IDEAS
Sexing Up the Religious RightConservatives are getting down and dirty to spread their social agenda
by Dagmar Herzog, from New Humanist
On Our WatchThe world is inundated with stories about the genocide in Darfur. So why haven’t we stopped it?
by Richard Just, from the New Republic
Online Exclusive: Darfur Reading List
Corporate SpooksSpies might miss the Cold War, but they’re getting plenty of work tracking activists
by Paul Demko
Plus: Muslim R.E.S.P.E.C.T., Iraq on the Couch, Word Watch: Transitivity, Now That’s Fresh Fish, Freedom Ride Over the Rainbow, Blaming the Victim. Again., Survival of the Diverse, Native Airwaves
MIXED MEDIA
Funky HarpsA DJ’s turntables flip experimental music on its head
by Khalid Halhoul
Online Exclusive: Video of Walter Kitundu
From Pop Charts to PoliticsIs hip-hop’s mainstream success hindering its political future?
by Adam Serwer, from the American Prospect
Plus:Film Reviews, Book Reviews, Music Reviews
MINDFUL LIVING
Green Renting RevolutionEcofriendly options emerge for tenants who band together
by Kari Volkmann-Carlsen
Online Exclusive: Guide to Green Greening Your Apartment
Not So Pretty in PinkCompanies market makeup to girls as young as 3, exposing them to toxic chemicals and early puberty
by Stacy Malkan, from Natural Solutions
Online Exclusive: Guide to Non-Toxic Body Care
When Groups Don’t ThinkCollaboration, done right, produces dazzling results. So why is it often disastrous?
by Jake Mohan
Ageless ArousalDespite what they say in those Viagra ads, sex is not a win-lose game
by Michael Metz and Barry McCarthy, from Psychotherapy Networker
GLEANINGS
The BoilStuck in Senegal with a beautiful woman and a festering wound
by John O’Connor, from Open City
If Books Could KillOil baron publishers, ink-stained bioweapons, and a readers’ revolution in the year 2025
by Heidi Julavits, from Creative Nonfiction
Afghanistan Is One Lonely PlanetTravel tips for touring a war zone–on a budget
by Gregory Warner, from Paper Monument
COLUMNS AND LETTERS
Editor’s Note: The Morning Ever
LettersShelf Life: Immorally Detained
Forward: It’s the Population, Kids
