Max Rodenbeck | Economist | 11 February 2012 The Economist is an excellent one-stop shop. Their chief Middle East correspondent, Max Rodenbeck, speaks Arabic fluently and is always thoughtful and poised – like this piece on Syria that gives a great overview of the situation Comments Evan Davis | BBC | 10 February 2012 Simple, lucid discussion of debate over government spending. Ideal for anyone who finds macroeconomics bewildering. Two economists from opposing camps share views of austerity, stimulus. Suprisingly there's much they agree on Comments James Fallows | Atlantic | 9 February 2012 Monumental retrospective of US president's first term. Should we think of him as the "chess master", able to think 10 moves ahead of his opponents? Or as a mere pawn? Fallows considers in this 12,000-word essay Comments Charlie Jane Anders | io9 | 8 February 2012 Ever wondered what it is that makes a theme tune especially heroic and uplifting? Whether you listen to Star Wars, Superman or 2001: A Space Odyssey, you'll hear the "perfect fifth". Why? Well, to answer that requires some physics Comments Jesse Prinz | Experiments In Philosophy | 3 February 2012 Are men warriors by nature? Or does history, rather than evolution, explain male violence? Prinz thinks the latter: "Violence is a complex problem, which no simple biological approach can diagnose or remedy." Here's why Comments Jan Swafford | Slate | 8 February 2012 American composer and biographer of Brahms runs rule over Leonard Cohen and finds much to admire. Especially in the lyrics, rich in meaning. Compares well on that score with much of Dylan, Ira Gershwin Comments | 
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