Missouri Politics, Hair, Christianity, Titian, Population

How I Helped Todd Akin Win

Claire McCaskill | Politico | 11th August 2015

Dynamite. How politics works. "I was standing in my hotel room in Kansas City about to shotgun a beer for the first time in my life. I had just made the biggest gamble of my political career—a $1.7 million gamble—and it had paid off. Running for reelection to the Senate as a Democrat from Missouri, I had successfully manipulated the Republican primary so that I would face the candidate I was most likely to beat" (2,900 words)

Her Hair

Rachel Wilkinson | Vela | 11th August 2015

Reflections on the cultural and social factors which dispose many women to spend relatively large amounts of time and money on the management of their hair. "Womanhood to me is the feeling of always striving. To be a good woman — a strong woman — means scheduling, doing, achieving. You survive by showing up, pretty and prepared and perfect, hopefully more articulate than anyone else in the room — and always with done hair" (3,200 words)

The Freakishness Of Christianity

Emma Green | Atlantic | 4th August 2015

An American theologian has a novel suggestion for American Christians: live as Christians. Americans talk as though Jesus himself preached free enterprise, a strong military and monogamous marriage. He didn't. He preached humility, poverty, love. “Our message will be seen as increasingly freakish to American culture. Let’s embrace the freakishness, knowing that such freakishness is the power of God unto salvation” (1,580 words)

How I Discovered A Masterpiece

Alastair Sooke | BBC | 22nd July 2015

A British art restorer cleans layers of varnish from an "unremarkable painting" and gets a happy surprise. “Suddenly, I saw a yellow brushstroke. That looked a bit unusual, so I carried on with even smaller swabs in that area – and slowly the letter ‘A’ started to appear. It was really, really exciting, but there was nobody else in the studio to tell, so immediately I phoned up my husband”. It was a signature: TITIANVS (1,100 words)

Population: End Of The Malthusian Nightmare

Robin Harding | Financial Times | 12th August 2015 | | Read with 1Pass

Global population growth is slowing, and may stop around 2100. "Falling fertility is sometimes seen as evidence of decline - a sign our most dynamic days are past. But it opens the prospect of a new stage in human existence, one with a limit on our numbers and greater control of our own destiny. The goal should be simple: to let every human on this planet choose how many children they can love and care for" (920 words)

Video of the day: Richard Burton, On Alcoholism

What to expect: Dick Cavett asks Richard Burton to talk about drinking; Burton more than obliges (5'12")

Thought for the day

Problems are sometimes made easier by adding complications
Daniel Dennett