In This Issue:
May-June 2008
FEATURE: American Dream
Reimagining the American Dream
What the good life really means and why we can still grab it
by Nan Mooney, from the book (Not) Keeping Up with Our Parents
A New National Narrative
Former U.S. senator David Boren tells us how America’s youth could save the day
interview by David Schimke
Dreaming Across Class Lines
Work-life balance is a must, especially for the poor
by Steve Thorngate
Tear Down the White Picket Fence
Instead of segregating ourselves into “communities,” we need to reengage
by Hannah Lobel
The Pursuit of Square Footage
Why buying that dream house won’t make you whole
by Charles Montgomery, from the Walrus
FEATURE: War Stories
Kindness Amid Carnage
The Iraq we don’t see
by George Packer, from World Affairs
FEATURE: Retail Revolution
Big Box Panic
Why retail giants like Wal-Mart won’t take over the world
by Michael C. Moynihan, from Reason
EMERGING IDEAS
Hey, Candidates: Debate This
Ten questions you (or Wolf Blitzer) should ask the candidates about national security
by Michael Stebbins, from Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
The Power of Kindness
Real clout comes from being empathetic, cooperative, and communicative
by Dacher Keltner, from Greater Good
Plus: Military Brain Drain; Putting the "Home" in Homeland Security; Newt Who?; Must All Alcoholics Abstain?; Guilt-Free Take Out; Hard Science, Soft Power; Reporters Under the Microscope
MIXED MEDIA
The X Styles
Pentagon patches betray otherwise secret missions
by Keith Goetzman
Bound to Be Classics
Collectors of “hypermodern” literature bank on books
by Anne Trubek, from Good
Through Their Eyes
Victims of gender-based violence fight back with video
by J. Trout Lowen
Plus: Music Reviews, Books Reviews, Film Reviews
MINDFUL LIVING
Reconnecting with Mother Earth
13 ways to help heal the land
by Chris Dodge
Embracing the Blues
The single-minded pursuit of happiness is blocking true bliss
by Julie Hanus
Save the Sunset for Postcards
How to shoot photos as culturally vivid as your vacation
by Stephanie Glaros
From the Beaker to the Bottle
Genetically modified vino won’t give you a headache—but is it worth it?
by Morgan Winters
Time to Cut Class
Ditch habits left over from school and free your mind
by Charles Eisenstein, from Education Revolution
GLEANINGS
The Fierce Wind Is Wearing Me Down
Inside a bipolar mind, there’s no calm, only chaos
by Ryan M. Christman, from Notre Dame
I Want to Be Left Behind
Tending to seal pups, one woman sees rapture on earth
by Brenda Peterson, from Orion
Not One of Those Mothers
Think special-needs kids are only given to special parents? Think again.|
by Kate Trump O’Connor, from Brain, Child
The Voice Within
A Guantánamo detainee’s seasonal lament
from the book Poems from Guantánamo
COLUMNS & LETTERS
Editor’s Note: Beyond Obama
by David Schimke
Letters
Shelf Life: The Other War We're Not Winning
by Danielle Maestretti
Heartland: The Future: A Perfect Fit
by Nina Utne