* For the first time since 1965, last year homicide was not one of the nation's top 15 causes of death. * A new survey shows income inequality—more than racial friction—is now the greatest source of tension in the U.S. * Israel believed to be behind the covert
* "Each day, hundreds of schoolchildren appear before courts in Texas," and other repercussions of having police in schools. * Fukuyama on Europeans dealing with immigration. * New volcanic island appears in the Red Sea almost overnight and continues growing. * Bauhaus school "forged new boundaries in the art and design
It is time to announce the contestants, judges, and brackets for the original, one-and-only, full-combat, oddly-predictive-of-the-Pulitzer-Prize, eighth annual TMN Tournament of Books, coming March 2012, presented by Field Notes.
* Beyond closing Gitmo, it's time to return Guantánamo to Cuba, where imperialism has reigned since 1901. * Gitmo's most controversial prisoners. * Rampant nuclear proliferation and trigger-happy hotspots push the Doomsday Clock ahead another minute. * The design evolution of Google Maps. * The current rush to build skyscrapers
* Violence escalates in Syria; Al-Assad blames foreign powers, Arab critics, and "60 televisions stations." * Wonkette on our new "Consumer Chief." * Switzerland's Libyan nightmare is over; Hannibal Gadhafi, terrorizer of hotels, is believed to be in Algeria. * Krugman reconsiders Japan—responding to our own
The most irritating thing cyclists do? Wear their helmets indoors, of course.
* Western sanctions are ravaging Iran's currency and economy, though the next step—limiting oil exports—may backfire. * Ahmadinejad's Latin American excursion appears fruitless—few allies remain, Chávez's usefulness has waned. * Ahead of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, Rio tries to wrangle control
On a quest to find the person who speaks the most languages on Earth, our correspondent encountered Emil Krebs, a German diplomat who knew, by some accounts, 65 of them—and happily swore in dozens.
* Round-up of Michele Bachmann's foreign-policy greatest hits. * Trillin has Romney introducing himself to foreign leaders. * Tiny explanations of politics to watch in Zimbabwe, Angola, Madagascar, South Africa. * Haitians struggle to reach Brazil; Brazil struggles to accomodate Haitians. * Italy's high-end accordion industry thrives despite
A live webcomic from Sam Brown of Explodingdog
