WHAT'S THE TROUBLE?
by JEROME GROOPMAN
How doctors think.
http://www.newyorker.com
Q. Dr. Croskerry says "The implicit assumption in medicine is that we know how to think. But we don't." Do you agree with him? What other professions make that assumption? Aren't most jobs white collar jobs about problem solving, i.e. thinking?
SHOUTS & MURMURS
SEVENTY-TWO VIRGINS
by STEVE MARTIN
http://www.newyorker.com
Q. Which one of the 72 jokes is the funniest? Or are they all misogynistic? Is there an age or gender factor to this humor? Will Martin endure a fatwa Ala Rushdie?
THE BIRDS
by DAVID SEDARIS
Why did they want to come in?
http://www.newyorker.com
Q. Is Sedaris back in form? What makes this piece funny to you? Is it profound also, or just clever?
KREMLIN, INC.
by MICHAEL SPECTER
Why are Vladimir Putin's opponents dying?
http://www.newyorker.com
Q. Politkovskaya writes "... I want you to know the truth. Then you'll be free of cynicism.'' Does truth overcome cynicism? This journalist was a crusader, but many of her claims (in this article) are argumentative and dubious. Where are the facts and observations? Are there similarities between her work and say Molly Ivins?
Issue of 2007-02-05, published 2007-01-29
THE FINANCIAL PAGE
OVER THERE
by James Surowiecki
http://www.newyorker.com
Q. Is there a "wolf at the door"? Is it the same wolf that Wall Street claims? What's the irony in this aspect of global economy? What are the dangers?
GOOGLE'S MOON SHOT
by JEFFREY TOOBIN
The quest for the universal library.
http://www.newyorker.com
Q. It's clear that Google's motives aren't altruistic. But who is being harmed? Authors? Publishing? Ordinary people? What's the danger?
HOSTILE ACTS
by TAD FRIEND
"The Sarah Silverman Program" puts the mean back in funny.
http://www.newyorker.com
QUIET DEPRAVITY
by DANA GOODYEAR
The demure outrages of a standup comic.
http://www.newyorker.com
Q. Do Tad Friend and Dana Goodyear concur about Silverman's humor? What's her modus operandi for provoking a laugh? What other sitcoms or comedians mine these veins?
SOUND EFFECTS
by ANTHONY LANE
"The Situation" and a season of Ennio Morricone.
http://www.newyorker.com
Q. Forget Kevin Bacon and Burgess Meredith, Ennio Morricone is the most prolific professional in the production of film! Quality aside, strictly on quantity, is this truly astounding or just akin to a movie reviewer?
