Newsletter 866
Best of the Moment
Aleppo: How Syria Is Being Destroyed
Charles Glass | NYRB | 4 December 2012
Excellent despatch from Syria's biggest city. Earlier this year, the rebels burned the souks. Now they're looting factories, kidnapping for ransom, and imposing themselves on residents who've come to fear and loathe both sides Comments (https://thebrowser.com/articles/aleppo-how-syria-being-destroyed)
America's Hope Against Hope
Joseph Stiglitz | Project Syndicate | 6 December 2012
Stiglitz sizes up US economic position post-election, and suggests policy programme for next four years. He's not hopeful much of it will materialise though; more likely will be a muddling through with no major policy initiatives Comments (https://thebrowser.com/articles/americas-hope-against-hope)
Sick Man Of Africa
Richard Dowden | Spectator | 7 December 2012
Pity the Democratic Republic of Congo. While the rest of Africa steams ahead, Congo stays mired in problems of decades gone by. Corruption, brutality, incompetence. Kabila better than Mobutu was, but not nearly good enough Comments (https://thebrowser.com/articles/sick-man-africa)
Greatest Hoodie Ever Made
Farhad Manjoo | Slate | 4 December 2012
That thing about jobs coming back to America. It isn't just Apple computers. Here's a man who's making great clothes in America, including a hoodie that lasts a lifetime. But, there again, his chief designer comes from Apple Comments (https://thebrowser.com/articles/greatest-hoodie-ever-made)
Crockford's Club: How A Fishmonger Built A Gambling Hall And Bankrupted The British Aristocracy
Mike Dash | Smithsonian | 29 November 2012
Probably the London casino of choice for the 0.1%. Oozes wealth. Who knew it was founded by a cunning fishmonger, who specialised in relieving the aristocracy of their fortunes? He died the richest self-made man in England Comments (https://thebrowser.com/articles/crockfords-club-how-fishmonger-built-gambling-hall-and-bankrupted-british-aristocracy)
Solving The Broken Crossword Puzzle Economy
Ben Tausig | The Awl | 7 December 2012
Crosswords are a big reason people still buy newspapers. But crossword constructors get a miserable deal. Typical rate: $100 per daily puzzle, $200 if it's the NYT. And no bylines, so no personal fame. How can they do better? Comments (https://thebrowser.com/articles/solving-broken-crossword-puzzle-economy)
(http://www.amazon.com/Best-of-FiveBooks-2011-ebook/dp/B007GAM6RC?tag=thebro-21)
FiveBooks Interview
(https://thebrowser.com/interviews/david-spiegelhalter-on-statistics-and-risk)
David Spiegelhalter on Statistics and Risk
Every statistic is the result of someone’s work, and we’d do well to ask ourselves why it was created. That way, says the statistician, we have a better chance of working out when dangers are being overstated and data misused Read on (https://thebrowser.com/interviews/david-spiegelhalter-on-statistics-and-risk)
Featured Special Report
(https://thebrowser.com/reports/sports-violence-problem)
Sport's Violence Problem
Nobody wants to take away the thrill and drama of the NFL or NHL, but is middle age dementia an acceptable price for ex-players to pay? Read on (https://thebrowser.com/reports/sports-violence-problem)
Reader Recommendations
polit2k (http://twitter.com/polit2k) RT @msgbi (http://twitter.com/msgbi) : Technology giants at war: Another game of thrones | The Economist t.co/EsxGCaXr @rszbt (http://twitter.com/rszbt) @polit2k (http://twitter.com/polit2k) @TeraEuro (http://twitter.com/TeraEuro) #browsings (http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=#browsings)
More like this (http://thebrowser.com/browsings)
Book of the Day
Book of the Day (https://thebrowser.com/recommended/bad-seed-by-william-march)
The Bad Seed by William March
Susan Gelman says (http://thebrowser.com/interviews/susan-gelman-on-essentialism) : “This girl, who outwardly seems very sweet and innocent, in actuality is bad to the core. The idea is that your moral character can be in-born”
FiveBooks Archive (http://thebrowser.com/fivebooks/archive)
Quote of the Day
Nicholas Kristof, on aid (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/23/opinion/23kristof.html)
Schools have a better record of fighting terrorism than missiles do
More quotes (http://thebrowser.com/quotations)