Culture & Religion — March 13, 2009

Roubini Fiddles While America Burns

Does everyone need to suffer? Should an image of Nouriel Roubini as standard-level modelizer trouble us? Probably not. As much as we might like the idea of him holed up in his—economics laboratory?—minding the meltdown and writing his Roubini Global Monitor posts, Wise Men have proved through the ages that there’s no direct correlation between interest in women and effectiveness as global leaders.

Rather, au contraire examples are too myriad and obvious to mention.

Yet the image described here (thanks, Gawker) of Slim, Paulson, Ferguson and Roubini having such fun, avec femmes, is a provocative ideological set piece. The imagined combination of mathematical genius and cocktails would make Tom Stoppard smile. Et in Arcadia ego, indeed.

Collage of classical art suggesting a theme related to somatic markers.

Business

How “somatic markers” can transform your decision-making

Ditch the old brain vs. heart assumptions, and instead think about a heart-led brain.

A black and white image of a bunch of spheres, symbolizing the multiverse concept discussed by scientists.

Starts With A Bang

How logic and reasoning can fail as scientific tools

In logic, 'reductio ad absurdum' shows how flawed arguments fall apart. Our absurd Universe, however, often defies our intuitive reasoning.

A wooden sign indicating "assisted migration rep 2" in a pine forest under a clear blue sky.

Life

Moving trees north to save the forests

As the world warms, trees in forests such as those in Minnesota will no longer be adapted to their local climates. That’s where assisted migration comes in.

Historical map illustration depicting a planned city layout with a circular central area and radiating streets.

Strange Maps

Ohio’s Circleville ditched the grid system. Then it got squared.

A small Ohio town tried to escape America’s addiction to rectangular grids. It didn’t last long.

Bullet Cluster separation mass gravity x-ray lensing

Starts With A Bang

Flagship NASA space telescope faces a penny-pinching death

NASA's only flagship X-ray telescope ever, Chandra, still works and has no planned successor. So why does the President want to kill it?

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