Must Mention:
25 June 2010
Matins
¶ What kind of a nation is Pakistan? Islamabad professor Pervez Hoodbhoy professes to be hopeful, but he’s honest about foundational tensions that make it difficult for Pakistan to behave like a nation. (Himal; via 3 Quarks Daily)
Meanwhile, Arnaud de Borchegrave takes a look at Turkey’s rapidly-reconfiguring alignments, and goes so far as to assert that the Turkish government sees its American counterpart as “in decline.” (Washington Post; via RealClearWorld)
Vespers
¶ At The Survival of the Book, Brian considers the possibility that the iPad is a great resource for mid-list books.
While We’re Away
¶ From You Are Not So Smart, a word of caution about Confirmation Bias to Internauts and other consumers of I-Know-What-I-Like.
¶ So, you wish you could have gone to Shakespeare and Company’s fourth biannual literary festival? What with all the World Cup metaphors, not to mention the usual floods of high-minded eyewash, we don’t. But this passage from Lauren Elkin’s account (at The Millions) gave us a pang:
Saturday night, we headed to the very exclusive private party at an hotel particulier in the 7th. Kristin Scott Thomas is there, in sky-high Louboutins. Jeanette Winterson wears a dress. All the big writers and big sponsors are here. We underlings are thrilled to be at this kind of event: everyone is nervous; everyone is on their best behavior. Some of us congregate outside in spite of the unseasonable chill.
Have a Look
¶ Another great Volkswagen romp. (via Joe.My.God)