Newsletter 313

[1]Secret Desert Force Set Up by Blackwater’s Founder
Links:
1. http://b.rw/iLXxyi

Mark Mazetti & Emily Hager | NYT | 14 May 2011

After the scandal of Iraq, notorious American mercenary is hired by the
United Arab Emirates. His task: To establish covert force of foreign
fighters to conduct special operations, defend oil installations, put down
internal revolts [2]Comments
Links:
2. http://thebrowser.com/articles/secret-desert-force-set-blackwater’s-founder

[3]Gossip, Privacy And Censorship
Links:
3. http://b.rw/jdyvOH

Kenan Malik | Pandaemonium | 13 May 2011

Outstanding essay on privacy, tabloid journalism and the law. "The current
debate about privacy confuses the recognition that something is odious or
distasteful with the belief that therefore it should be censored"
[4]Comments
Links:
4. http://thebrowser.com/articles/gossip-privacy-and-censorship

[5]America's Army Of Non-Citizens
Links:
5. http://b.rw/k07qGT

Doug Saunders | dougsaunders | 14 May 2011

Succinct, important piece on the destructiveness to a nation of having a
large population needed by the economy but denied a pathway to citizenship.
What starts as an economic or political issue could yet become a security
threat [6]Comments
Links:
6. http://thebrowser.com/articles/americas-army-non-citizens

[7]The Information Sage
Links:
7. http://b.rw/myyB4G

Joshua Yaffa | Washington Monthly | 11 May 2011

Profile of Edward Tufte, infographics guru. "A philosopher king who reigns
over his field largely because he invented it." Now he's working with the
White House, trying to make government statistics easier to manage and
understand [8]Comments
Links:
8. http://thebrowser.com/articles/information-sage

[9]Grand Delusions: Why We’re Determined To Be Free
Links:
9. http://b.rw/kjqdIN

Dan Jones | Empress Of The Global Universe / New Scientist | 9 May 2011

Does determinism pose a threat to free will? Possibly but it's overstated.
What matters is whether we have "a sense of our conscious selves being in
control of what we do. And that can depend on how our behaviour is
described" [10]Comments
Links:
10. http://thebrowser.com/articles/grand-delusions-why-we’re-determined-be-free

[11]The Day I (Nearly) Met Bob Dylan
Links:
11. http://b.rw/lcsoe2

John Harris | Guardian | 14 May 2011

The author, a huge fan, never quite managed it. But he speaks to some of
those who did. A lovely, personal, unpretentious appreciation, none the
worse for leaving questions about the man unanswered [12]Comments
Links:
12. http://thebrowser.com/articles/day-i-nearly-met-bob-dylan

FiveBooks Interview

[13]Joe Posnanski on Baseball
Links:
13. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/joe-posnanski-on-baseball

The Sports Illustrated columnist says the best sports books tell human
stories – and tells us why nostalgia is intrinsic to baseball