Hezbollah’s Latest Suicide Mission

By THANASSIS CAMBANIS,  OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR, The New York Times

"THE collapse of Lebanon’s government on Tuesday signaled the final stage in Hezbollah’s rise from resistance group to ruling power. While Hezbollah technically remains the head of the political opposition in Beirut, make no mistake: the Party of God has fully consolidated its control in Lebanon, and will stop at nothing — including civil war — to protect its position. 

The crisis was precipitated by Hezbollah’s opposition to a United Nations-backed tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of a former prime minister, Rafik Hariri. Some analysts speculate that the current Lebanese government — led by Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the assassinated man’s son — could stabilize the political situation by rejecting the legitimacy of the tribunal.

Mr...

Talk to terrorists

How negotiating will make us stronger

By Thanassis Cambanis, December 12, 2010

"Ronald Reagan framed the debate over whether to talk to terrorists in terms that still dominate the debate today. “America will never make concessions to terrorists. To do so would only invite more terrorism,” Reagan said in 1985. “Once we head down that path there would be no end to it, no end to the suffering of innocent people, no end to the bloody ransom all civilized nations must pay.”

America, officially at least, doesn’t negotiate with terrorists: a blanket ban driven by moral outrage and enshrined in United States policy. Most government officials are prohibited from meeting with members of groups on the State Departmentrsquo...

On January 1st, 2011 The Strothman Agency will begin only accepting electronic submissions. Physical query letters will be recycled or returned unopened.

Please visit http://strothmanagency.com/submission-guidelines for more submission information.

For more information and other ways to win, click here!

From http://www.heleneboudreau.com:

TWITTER:

Tweet using the hashtag #realmermaids for a chance to win one of the FIVE twitter copies. For example:

#realmermaids don’t wear toe rings (but that one’s taken ) or I brake for #realmermaids

Funniest tweets win! Winners are totally up to the discretion of my judges @bostonbookgirl, @authoressanon, @jodimeadows, @kathleenpeacock and @elissacruz. Thank you, lovelies!

Please keep it PG, though, people! Think of the children!! img src="http://www.heleneboudreau.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif" alt=":-)" class="wp-...

Dispatches and Details From a Life in Literature

By MICHIKO KAKUTANI, New York Times, Published: November 8, 2010

"Herzog, the title character of Saul Bellow’s 1964 novel, is famously a writer of letters he never sends, letters to friends, rivals, relatives and strangers; letters that satisfy his craving “to explain, to have it out, to justify, to put in perspective, to clarify, to make amends.” The letters are, by turns, cranky, coruscating, clever and cerebral: the outpourings of a man overflowing with ideas and grievances, and reeling from the complications of his life and the stubborn mystifications of the world around him.

The real-life letters of Herzog’s creator...

Review: REAL MERMAIDS DON'T WEAR TOE RINGS by Hélène Boudreau

By E. Kristin Anderson, The YA-5

"... It's not often that I pick up a middle grade that makes me think of Margaret. I'm talking about Margaret of ARE YOU THERE GOD? fame, of course. I mean, there have been many books over the years that deal with coming of age and first periods and first crushes and all the hormonal insanity that is growing into your teen self. And many of these books are awesome in their own right. But none of them touched my heart the way Hélène Boudreau's REAL MERMAIDS DON'T WEAR TOE RINGS did. ...

... REAL MERMAIDS DON'T WEAR TOE RINGS is an unputdownable adventure, part Judy Blume, part Hans Christian Anderson, and 100% delightful, this fun, fresh tale (tail?) will have girls begging...

Choke!

A psychologist’s new look at why we choke under pressure, and what we can do about it

By Chris Berdik, Boston Globe, October 10, 2010

" ... In her new book, ”Choke” (Free Press, September 2010), Beilock argues that doing well under pressure begins with understanding the demands that different types of performance make on the brain. For example, success on a math exam or a business presentation requires sustained focus, and worries can distract us. By contrast, athletes and musicians do better when they let their well-practiced skills run on autopilot. Too much focus can trip them up. In that case, when the stakes are high, a little distraction could be helpful.

Beilock sees choking at work beyond...

This isn't one of ours, but this book trailer for IT'S A BOOK by Lane Smith is not to be missed.

Download James K. Galbraith's  paper, The Future of the American Economy,  for the Scholars' Strategy Network by clicking here.

Event information:

THE NEXT AMERICAN ECONOMY
Debating How to Spur Innovation, Growth, and Jobs

September 30, 2010 4:00pm-6:00pm
Harvard University
Tsai Auditorium, CGIS South Bldg.
Room S-010, Concourse Level
1730 Cambridge St., Cambridge, MA

What do the best projections tell us about growth, employment, and sources of economic innovation over the next one to two decades—and what public policies can spur improved outcomes for all Americans? The Network has commissioned four scholars and policy experts to present findings...