Maud points to this interesting essay in Harper’s from Ben Metcalf on what one is permitted to say in public. I was greatly relieved that someone pointed this article out, as my Harper’s is currently lodged somewhere beneath a vertiginous stack of periodicals on the west side of my room. This particular situation, much less my magazine backlog, does not detract from what Metcalf has to say.

Also of note: Laila has an essay on what it means to be a Muslim woman today in the June 19, 2006 issue of The Nation.

Finally, if you pick up this week’s Penny Saver, you’ll find an essay penned by me detailing the disadvantages of sunglasses in a foggy urban environment. The essay is polemical and I even tie this into game theory. Really, it’s a must read.