The Art of Dissent

If you go to New York, look for The Art of Dissent at the Met.  This review describes the art and artists who lived through the conquest of the Ming Empire by the Manchus in 1644, and who expressed their political philosophy through their art:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/09/arts/design/the-art-of-dissent-in-17th-century-china-at-the-met-museum-review.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=%22Art%20of%20Dissent%22&st=cse

Boserup v. Malthus!

You know about the Malthusian trap, but what about the Boseruppian theory that has kept mankind (and womankind) from getting caught in that trap?  You saw Boserup's name in the Economist article "The plough and the now,"  and in Fukuyama's discussion of the transition "from band to tribe."  (p. 55)  So who is Boserup and what is the theory?  The blog Human Landscapes of the Laboratory for the Anthropogenic Landscape Ecology has the story.

http://ecotope.org/blogs/post/2011/01/11/Saved!-by-Ester-Boserup.aspx

Comparative Study Habits?
Compare what you think you know with experts at the New York Times!
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/07/health/views/07mind.html?scp=1&sq=forget%20what%20you%20know%20about%20study%20habits&st=cse

The New York Times on India and China:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/01/business/global/india-looks-to-china-as-an-economic-model.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=India%20China&st=cse

I recommend the 4 minute video that accompanies the article.

The Economist Compares China and India

This week's Economist (Aug. 21-27) features a comparison of China and India, and it is a very good description of the current state of each nation, in general terms. Unfortunately, the Economist, like Newsweek, presents comparison as a contest: "Contest of the Century" and "The Best Country in the World."


http://www.economist.com/node/16846256