Harper's Magazine: March 2009

Archive > 2009 > Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec

March 2009

CONTENTS
THUMBNAILS
WEB ONLY

	Art/illustration [Cover art] By Michael C. Witte SEE ALSO: Book industries and trade; Exhibitions; Frankfurt am Main; Frankfurter Buchmesse; Publishers and publishing PDF IMAGES
4-6	Letters/Department Letters On Standoff in Columbus, from October 2008: Letter By Rachel Henne On Unknown bards, from November 2008: Letter By John Cushing Letter By Joh Jeremiah Sullivan On Always another word, from January 2009: Letter By Duncam Merrell On Man of no nation, from January 2009: Letter By Paul Reitter PDF TEXT IMAGES
9-11	Notebook/Article Achievetrons By Lewis H. Lapham SEE ALSO: Academic achievement; Obama, Barack; Career as U.S. president; Elite (Social sciences); 2009-; Selection and appointment; Staff PDF FREE TEXT IMAGES
13	Harper's index/Department Harper’s Index PDF TEXT IMAGES
15-20	Readings/Article Obamandela By Breyten Breytenbach SEE ALSO: Obama, Barack; Career as South African president; Career as U.S. president; 2009-; Mandela, Nelson; Political leadership; South Africa PDF FREE TEXT IMAGES
16	Readings/Article That empty sleeve SEE ALSO: Career as U.S. president; Career in politics; Inouye, Daniel K.; Humphrey, Hubert H. (Hubert Horatio); Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines); 1963-1969; 1968; Nominations for office; Vice-Presidential candidates PDF TEXT IMAGES
17	Readings/Art/illustration Merkwürden By Thoralf Knobloch SEE ALSO: Camping; Recreation areas PDF IMAGES
18	Readings/Article Shirts and skins SEE ALSO: Basketball; Casting; Television advertising; Television programs PDF TEXT IMAGES
19	Readings/Art/illustration Condemned #2 By Simon Gunning SEE ALSO: Docks; Harbors; New Orleans; New Orleans (La.) PDF IMAGES
20-22	Readings/Article Helter skelter SEE ALSO: Bombay; Hostages; Pakistan; Terrorism; Terrorists; Victims of terrorism PDF TEXT IMAGES
22	Readings/Art/illustration Landschaft (Landscape) By Stefan Thiel SEE ALSO: Landscape PDF IMAGES
23-24	Readings/Article Evil has ruined my life By Linda Coverdale (Trans.) SEE ALSO: Crimes against; Ethnic relations; Forgiveness; Genocide; Hutu (African people); Pardon; Rwanda; Tutsi (African people) PDF TEXT IMAGES
25	Readings/Article Om land security SEE ALSO: Ginsberg, Allen; Career as national security adviser; Kissinger, Henry; Peace movements; Protest movements; Views on Vietnamese Conflict PDF IMAGES Readings/Article The taste of concrete SEE ALSO: Biological warfare; Chemical warfare; Human experimentation in medicine; Veterans PDF TEXT IMAGES
26	Readings/Article Welcome to parasite SEE ALSO: Alternative treatment PDF TEXT IMAGES
27	Readings/Art/illustration Praça do Comércio (A Terra e a Gente) By Vik Muniz SEE ALSO: Lisbon; Plazas; Portugal PDF IMAGES Readings/Article Flash Gordon By Vernon Chatman and John Lee SEE ALSO: Lish, Gordon; Interviews PDF TEXT IMAGES
29	Readings/Collection Readings By Phyllis Galembo (Photog.) PDF IMAGES Readings/Photography Akata dance masquerade, Cross River, Nigeria By Phyllis Galembo (Photog.) SEE ALSO: Masquerades; Nigeria PDF IMAGES Readings/Photography Gwarama masquerade, Yegueresso Village, Burkina Faso By Phyllis Galembo (Photog.) SEE ALSO: Burkina Faso; Masquerades PDF IMAGES Readings/Photography Akata dance masqueraders, Ogoja, Nigeria By Phyllis Galembo (Photog.) SEE ALSO: Masquerades; Nigeria PDF IMAGES Readings/Photography Okpo masquerade, Calabar South, Nigeria By Phyllis Galembo (Photog.) SEE ALSO: Masquerades; Nigeria PDF IMAGES
31-40	Article Curtain calls: The fever called “living” is conquered at last By Edward Hoagland SEE ALSO: Aged men; Aging; Dreams; Family relationships; Global warming PDF TEXT IMAGES
41-51	Article The last book party: Publishing drinks to a life after death By Gideon Lewis-Kraus SEE ALSO: Wylie, Andrew; Book industries and trade; Booker Prize; Booksellers and bookselling; Career in publishing; Colportage, subscription trade, etc.; Horowitz, Eli; Exhibitions; Frankfurt am Main; Frankfurt am Main (Germany); Frankfurter Buchmesse; Lewis-Kraus, Gideon; Byng, Jamie; Journeys—Germany—Frankfurt am Main; Entrekin, Morgan; Janson-Smith, Patrick; Publishers and publishing PDF FREE TEXT IMAGES
52-61	Article Invisible hands: The secret world of the oil fixer By Ken Silverstein SEE ALSO: Gulbenkian, Calouste Sarkis; Career as oil fixer; Calil, Ely; Foreign trade promotion; Eronat, Friedhelm; Giffen, Jim; Petroleum industry and trade PDF FREE TEXT IMAGES
62-69	Article Raiders of the lost R2: Excavating a galaxy far, far away By Jon Mooallem SEE ALSO: Collectibles; Collectors and collecting; Mooallem, Jon; Journeys—California—Imperial Sand Dunes; Motion picture locations PDF FREE TEXT IMAGES
71-72	Collection Seven Stories By Diane Williams PDF TEXT IMAGES Fiction Woman in rose dress By Diane Williams PDF IMAGES Fiction If you ever get three or four laughing you weren't soon to forget it By Diane Williams PDF IMAGES Fiction As the world turned out By Diane Williams PDF IMAGES Fiction Protection, prevention, gazing, gratified desire By Diane Williams PDF IMAGES
72	Fiction One of the great drawbacks By Diane Williams PDF IMAGES Fiction Stand By Diane Williams PDF IMAGES Fiction Glee By Diane Williams PDF IMAGES
73-76	Review School for scandal: The larger meaning of the sordid little tale By Laura Kipnis SEE ALSO: Adut, Ari; On scandal: moral disturbances in society, politics, and art (Book); Scandals; Bauer, Susan Wise; The art of the public grovel: sexual sin and public confession in America (Book) PDF TEXT IMAGES
77-82	Review Unhappy together: The Wittgenstein family feud By Evelyn Toynton SEE ALSO: Waugh, Alexander; Biography; Wittgenstein, Paul; Pictorial works; The house of Wittgenstein: a family at war (Book) PDF TEXT IMAGES
83	Puzzle/Department Diametricode By Richard Maltby PDF IMAGES
84	Findings/Article Findings By Rafil Kroll-Zaidi PDF TEXT IMAGES

WEEKLY REVIEW
WASHINGTON BABYLON
SENTENCES
REPLIES
NO COMMENT
MR. FISH
PUBLISHER'S NOTE

Weekly Review By Theodore Ross	Mar 31
Weekly Review By Claire Gutierrez	Mar 10
Weekly Review By Moira Weigel	Mar 24
Weekly Review By Paul Ford	Mar 3
Weekly Review By Christopher R. Beha	Mar 17

By Ken Silverstein

Bush as Dark Knight: National Review’s list of top conservative movies	3:40 PM Mar 3
Dick Gephardt, Labor and Lobbying	8:44 AM Mar 10
Jeffrey Goldberg and Israeli War Crimes	11:31 AM Mar 20
AIG and Congress: Washington on $53,000 a Day	5:59 PM Mar 17
Pharmaceutical Lobby Pays Back Senator Hatch for Years of Service	10:38 PM Mar 1
Doddering in the Polls	1:21 PM Mar 21
Senator Schumer and AIG: A short timeline	7:02 PM Mar 17
Coming Soon: Colonel Qaddafi, Libya’s George Washington	8:31 AM Mar 16
Citigroup: Sell Wal-Mart for fear of union	12:02 PM Mar 10
Tortured Confession: Waterboarding and Abu Zubaida	7:31 AM Mar 29
This Sounds Vaguely Familiar: Where was Larry Summers in 1999?	8:45 AM Mar 26
Guess Who’s Profiting from Housing Meltdown?	6:19 PM Mar 3
Rahm Emmanuel: Sleeping at wheel pays well	10:36 AM Mar 26
The (Gated) Fourth Estate	8:29 AM Mar 29
The Post and Charles Freeman	7:33 AM Mar 12
More on Countrywide’s VIPs	7:11 AM Mar 19
Pearls of Wisdom from Geithner’s New Adviser	7:49 PM Mar 17
Pork Gallery	8:39 AM Mar 16
Freeman Withdraws	3:36 PM Mar 10
News from Absurdistan	7:36 AM Mar 19
The Incredible Santelli: Watch and learn with CNBC	8:26 AM Mar 5
Congressman Murtha’s Friends Team Up on Big Biodefense project	12:16 PM Mar 19
Romney 2012: Not an auspicious start in wooing conservatives	7:19 AM Mar 9
Citibank Does Baghdad: Iraqis beware, you might just want to put your cash under the bed	8:57 PM Mar 10
Citigroup: Penny stock firm still spends millions on lobbying	11:48 AM Mar 5
Can Those AIG Contracts Be Broken?	7:28 AM Mar 18
Hedge Fund Socialism	8:00 AM Mar 23
Eric Cantor: Still on UBS’s dole	10:06 AM Mar 19
International Bankers and Corruption: How Citigroup does business abroad	7:29 AM Mar 11
Senator Sanders Blocking Key Obama Nomination	8:15 AM Mar 23
He Said, She Said	10:57 AM Mar 12
New Depo from Case Linked to Norm Coleman: Senators “don’t make shit”	9:05 AM Mar 27
Dick Gephardt: From NAFTA foe to the U.S. Chamber	1:09 PM Mar 5
Report: Israeli Appointee Barred from U.S. as “Intelligence Risk”	6:52 AM Mar 17
Lobby Firm’s Libya Strategy Leaks	9:46 AM Mar 27
YouTube from Iraq	11:55 AM Mar 1
Obama’s War	11:57 AM Mar 12
Obama vs. Bush on National Security Cases	12:59 PM Mar 4
Wall Street Math	9:46 AM Mar 23
Stiglitz: “This amounts to robbery of the American people”	6:35 PM Mar 24
Chas Freeman and Saudi Money	6:02 PM Mar 12
McMeltdown: Cops respond to emergency McNuggets call	10:14 AM Mar 3
Senator Grassley to AIG Execs: Consider suicide	7:55 AM Mar 17
Senator Vitter Turns Tail	8:25 AM Mar 11
Senator Dodd and the AIG Bonuses (Updated)	10:30 AM Mar 18
Democrats Vote Against Cutting Earmarks for Clients of PMA Group	8:42 PM Mar 4
The Freeman “Purge Trial”	12:03 PM Mar 12
A Dissent on that Porn Study	1:12 PM Mar 1
Media Fuels Tale of Obama-Limbaugh “Feud”	9:24 AM Mar 6
A Personal Bailout	12:25 PM Mar 12
Reply on Iraq Video	9:48 AM Mar 6
It’s Deja Vu All Over Again: Wall Street and Bill Clinton	9:16 AM Mar 24
Geithner in the Polls: Darling of the “Political Class”	3:08 PM Mar 23
David Frum on Rush: “A walking stereotype of self-indulgence”	9:34 PM Mar 4
Who is Blocking Amendment to Ban Earmarks From Raided Lobby Shop?	8:27 AM Mar 3

By Wyatt Mason

Hinged Mostly on Dedications	2:50 PM Mar 11
Weekend Read: Three Kings	1:06 PM Mar 6
Weekend Read: “Whatever hole contains forever”	12:08 PM Mar 13
“Grammar and Style!”	4:09 PM Mar 23
Weekend Read: “Frenzy finds its weapons”	1:54 PM Mar 20
The Forces of Conservatism and Obstruction	2:29 PM Mar 16
Another Sensibility	5:16 PM Mar 30
Similar Incapacities	3:16 PM Mar 25
The Voice of Days of Old and Days to Be	11:03 AM Mar 4
Odd Bits of Wire That Came to Hand	3:26 PM Mar 9
Remote in Time, or Alien in Language	4:33 PM Mar 18
Weekend Read: “What went wrong in Germany”	3:41 PM Mar 27
See also: SIAMESE TWINS	4:44 PM Mar 2

Replies

2:44 PM

Mar 10

By Scott Horton

Economic Illiteracy	8:38 AM Mar 26
Yoo’s Boundless Powers of War… and Imagination	11:45 PM Mar 7
Will the Dollar’s Days of Glory End?	12:08 PM Mar 22
The Indelible Stain of the Black Sites	9:51 AM Mar 16
Standing Firm for Injustice	9:32 AM Mar 13
Accountability Debate: Less Amnesty, More Prosecution	8:19 AM Mar 5
Six Questions for Ian Bremmer, Author of Fat Tail	10:12 AM Mar 25
The Accountability Imperative	10:21 AM Mar 29
The Parallel Regime	8:07 AM Mar 5
The Rovian Judiciary	9:25 PM Mar 8
Propping Up a House of Cards?	8:29 AM Mar 2
Did Cheney Run a Murder-on-demand Program?	9:42 AM Mar 12
The Steele-Colbert Rap Battle	1:49 PM Mar 20
RIP, GWOT	7:59 AM Mar 25
Bush’s Authoritarian Presidency	10:40 AM Mar 19
John Yoo Hearts Orange County	7:52 AM Mar 4
Siegelman Convictions Upheld	3:50 PM Mar 6
Döblin’s Urban Awakening	7:40 AM Mar 7
Machaut—Douce dame jolie	7:46 AM Mar 1
Fair and Balanced, Fox Style	8:32 AM Mar 2
Augustine on the Illusion and Reality of Time	7:45 AM Mar 21
Nietzsche on Curiosity	12:36 AM Mar 28
When Torture is “Torture”	12:54 PM Mar 18
Information Secured Through Torture Proved Unreliable, CIA Concluded	10:23 AM Mar 29
CIA in Mass Destruction of Torture Evidence	1:24 PM Mar 2
Another Political Prosecution Fails	8:20 AM Mar 23
Five Steps to Fix the U.S. Department of Justice	11:39 AM Mar 30
Justice After Bush: Forum at Princeton	9:25 PM Mar 8
AIG’s Bonuses	9:52 AM Mar 16
Among Experts, Consensus Builds for a Commission	10:39 AM Mar 4
Cervantes—on Wealth	4:04 AM Mar 14
The Blogosphere Thriller: Six Questions for Barry Eisler, Author of Fault Line	7:12 AM Mar 31
Who Is the Real Charles Krauthammer?	10:39 AM Mar 4
Presentation at Stanford on April 1	10:01 AM Mar 29
Browning’s Paracelsus	6:41 AM Mar 29
Does Fred Hiatt Read His Own Paper?	9:12 AM Mar 12
The Single-Payer Solution	3:51 PM Mar 6
Gitmo: Colonel Wilkerson Tells It All	12:56 PM Mar 18
Keeping Bush’s Secrets	11:19 AM Mar 9
Enemy Combatant, Rest in Peace?	12:31 PM Mar 14
Cheney’s Snuff Squad	7:21 AM Mar 31
All the President’s Lawyers	11:26 AM Mar 9
Bring in the Feds	12:59 PM Mar 18
A Freeman Post Mortem: This round to AIPAC?	8:43 AM Mar 11
Dereliction of Duty	9:42 AM Mar 20
The Parallel Regime II	7:25 AM Mar 6
Bush Torture Lawyers Targeted in Criminal Probe	1:07 AM Mar 28
The Hip-hop G.O.P.	7:45 PM Mar 1
The Woes of a Torture Lawyer	9:50 AM Mar 21
Six Questions for Juan Cole, Author of Engaging the Muslim World	2:48 PM Mar 10
South of the Border	6:30 AM Mar 26
Krugman’s AIG Verdict	9:44 AM Mar 20
Lie About How We Treated You and You Can Go Free	10:44 AM Mar 23
Donne’s Flea	6:18 AM Mar 22
Behind the Curve	1:18 PM Mar 9
Dead-Eye Dick Cheney (Mis)fires Again	7:46 AM Mar 24
George W. Bush’s Disposable Constitution	7:16 AM Mar 3
The Heirs of Father Coughlin	7:30 AM Mar 17
The Fallout from Gaza	9:43 AM Mar 20
Dryden/Purcell–”Music for a While”	8:40 AM Mar 8
Giving Cheney Just a Bit More Rope	8:56 AM Mar 30
More Prosecutorial Misconduct in the Al-Arian Case	9:33 AM Mar 11
Sor Juana’s Rose	12:41 PM Mar 15
The Prisoner	11:30 AM Mar 22
Global Collapse in Manufacturing	9:40 AM Mar 20

By Mr. Fish

A Cartoon	12:58 PM Mar 6
A Cartoon	11:52 AM Mar 20
A Cartoon	11:56 AM Mar 13
A Cartoon	8:17 AM Mar 27

Obama is Far From a Radical Reformer

By John R. MacArthur

4:39 PM

Mar 18

USERNAME
PASSWORD
Subscriber? · Lost password? Lost username? · More help