Israel Turns 60
A thorough overview of Israeli politics and the current intellectual climate on the state's 60th birthday ("12 years younger than John McCain" as the author reminds us). Makes the salient point that dissent and criticism of Israel is far more widespread and tolerated in Israel than in the US.

Slate Magazine - Stress and Class
It's easy to imagine that "It is now the rich who are the most stressed out" is what readers of the New York Times op-ed page want to hear. But that doesn't make it true.

Israeli cinema embraces new identities - International Herald Tribune
Another interesting look at the new Israeli cinema and its influences.

A couple of weeks back on Irish Left Review I wrote a piece on good and bad left-wing cinema, noting how many films whose political views one might share tend to be atrocious and embarrassing to watch. There are, however, some good ones and many in recent times have been coming out of Israel, ironically [...]

Human Nature : Condoms, Needles, and Iranian Moderates
An interesting blog piece about contraception and drug treatment initiatives in Iran. Remarkably liberal compared to many Western countries.

Violence on the Left: Nandigram and the Communists of West Bengal
A lengthy piece by Martha Nussbaum on the violent corruption of the Communist government of West Bengal and the shameful attempts of people like Noam Chomsky to excuse them in the name of ‘leftist solidarity’. Sounds like the 1930s all over again.

42-day detention: the threat to our liberty | John Major - Times Online
An admirable opinion piece from none other than John Major decrying the New Labour government’s intended introduction of 42-day pre-charge detention (six times as long as that enjoyed by the Turkish police, one might add)

Dear me, the Guardian, like a dear but cantankerous old friend, continues to exasperate much as one loves it. It remains, along with the FT, the best of the English newspapers (my relative unfamiliarity with Scottish and Welsh papers prevents me from saying ‘British’) but it can also madden with its one-note, one-dimensional coverage of [...]

A surprise from Cannes, the host country got its first Palme d’Or since Maurice Pialat’s Sous le soleil de Satan in 1987. The winner was Laurent Cantet for Entre les murs (known in English as The Class) an adaptation of Parisian teacher and Cahiers du Cinéma critic François Bégaudeau’s novel of two years ago. The [...]

The Stupidity of Dignity
Stephen Pinker on the publication of Human Dignity and Bioethics, a seemingly dubious report by President Bush’s Council on Bioethics. Let’s say it’s heavily influenced by the Bible…