Grading Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's second year Mark Leon Goldberg & Matthew Lee Can science journalism survive in the digital age? John Horgan & George Johnson The “Barack the Magic Negro” kerfuffle Bill Scher & Conn Carroll Striking the Right Tone   Play Eve Fairbanks & Robert Farley January 5 + show topics The proper tone for Obama’s inauguration Obama’s mastery of the vague statement Will Obama by necessity continue the Bush foreign policy? Recently returned, Eve reports on post-war Georgia Is Rob insufficiently pro-freedom? Who’s more like Henry V, Bush or Obama? Free Will: Children and the Scientific Worldview   Play Joshua Knobe & Alison Gopnik January 4 + show topics How kids know the monster under the bed isn’t real Experiments probe causal thinking in children Do scientists have more in common with kids than other adults? Are morality and causality intertwined for ordinary people? 4-year-olds’ value-laden perspective on others’ intentions Are Pinker and Chomsky dead-wrong about child development? UN Plaza: Top Ten UN Stories of 2008   Play Mark Leon Goldberg & Matthew Lee January 3 + show topics #1. Cyclone Nargis, #2. Kosovo’s independence #3. Russia/Georgia conflict #4. Sudan, #5. International Criminal Court #6. Somali pirates, #7. Congo #8. Cholera and elections in Zimbabwe, #9. Food crisis #10. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon: Year Two Science Saturday: The More Things Change…   Play John Horgan & George Johnson January 3 + show topics George’s beef with (some) science bloggers (cont’d) Can science journalism survive in the digital age? The death of privacy and the end of war Will our mental hardware soon get an upgrade? Is it time to abandon scientific materialism? Human nature persists in face of iPods and other gadgetry The Week in Blog: Bill and Conn the Magic Diavloggers   Play Bill Scher & Conn Carroll January 2 + show topics How bloggers have opened up the Mideast debate The “Barack the Magic Negro” kerfuffle GOP strategies for thwarting the stimulus Bill slams Michelle Malkin on high-speed rail Are unions bad for the economy? Why conservatives are embracing a carbon tax Religion and Politics in 2009   Play Amy Sullivan & Steven Waldman January 1 + show topics Why Steve likes Rick Warren at the inauguration Is Obama converting Warren into a moderate? Evangelicals defy pundits by sticking with GOP Sorry, lefties—Obama really does like faith-based initiatives Memo to Obama: Ignore pro-life voters at your peril Why Christians no longer go to church on Christmas New Year’s Bloggin’ Eve   Play Robert Wright & Mickey Kaus December 31 + show topics Mickey flips and flops on the auto bailout Trying to discern Israel’s strategic vision Obama’s rightward drift The smartest and dumbest things Bob and Mickey said in 2008 The best and worst of 2008 Shocking predictions for 2009! Speaking of Less Happy Topics   Play Megan McArdle & Daniel Drezner December 30 + show topics Another political victory for Israel’s foes Will the global recession provoke more wars? The incredible shrinking economy How fewer jobs will affect higher education Megan thinks the stimulus package is unstimulating 2009 predictions (brought to you by the fine makers of Diet Coke) Civilized Clashes   Play Heather Hurlburt & Eli Lake December 29 + show topics Eli’s got a new job What is Israel’s attack on Gaza supposed to accomplish? Can Obama bring hope and change to Palestine? What “The Clash of Civilizations” got right and wrong Heather thinks Bush inflamed the clash of civilizations Predicting how Hillary will run the State Department Free Will: The Circus Act   Play Kerry Howley & Richard Rodriguez December 28 + show topics Richard says Obama isn’t black—he’s brown Prop 8’s real purpose: denying the possibility of homosexual love Why are Americans so sad? Why are Mexicans so happy? The angry young men who could destroy the world How the Catholic view of sin engenders sympathy for immigrants Will the Internet ruin or rescue American letters? UN Plaza: 24 Hour Party People   Play Mark Leon Goldberg & Matthew Lee December 27 + show topics Matthew’s UN budget battle all-nighter Was Russia right to block an anti-corruption task force? Scandal alert! UN envoy goes missing while on non-UN business Rwanda’s role in Congo’s violence Gay-rights vote finally brings America, Islamic nations together Special UN pornography update

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osmium: Reihan Salam fires a shot across Rush Limbaugh's large bow 

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Whatfur: Take a bow, gentlemen! 

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nikkibong: How to begin your Obama impersonation 

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Joel_Cairo: Phones are for wimps; these guys listen through the wall 

BeachFrontView: Christopher Hitchens unleashes his fabled grandiloquence 

uncle ebeneezer: Blink and you'll miss it... 

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uncle ebeneezer: We hope you're watching, Obama 

Mr. Mayhem: Don't fret, Bob. We're impressed too. 

osmium: An oldie but a goodie (and still relevant!) 

Simon Willard: An insidious prejudice that's harming Obama