The Nation, 4 May 2009

Originally published on Los Thunderlads, 16 April 2009:

Never let it be said that The Nation‘s editors don’t have a sense of humor. They assigned Michelle Orange to review a new collection of letters by Graham Greene. It reminds me of an idea I had once of assembling a panel consisting of classical scholars Peter Green, Peter White, and Peter Brown.

Katha Pollitt asks why women stay with abusive men, and finds that in many cases it’s because they feel sorry for their abusers.

In the online edition, Dave Zirin complains that too much of the publicity that the University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team has received for its awe-inspiring season and national championship has focused on its male head coach.

Also in the online edition, an army officer outlines military options for responding to piracy. I don’t care much about piracy, but this little piece is a handy primer on some of the most basic terms of military science.