The New Republic Magazine

I just finished reading the April 29, 2013 issue of The New Republic magazine.  This is one of half dozen magazines I subscribe to and read religiously. Some people call me St. Bud since I read religously. .  Anyway, back to The New Republic, I learned a lot of interesting information in this issue.  Consider the following:

             There is a glut of empty big box store buildings in the US.  These large one level buildings were previously used for Walmarts, Kmarts, and various supermarkets.  These huge empty buildings are eyesores.  This article is about the reuse of these empty, ugly buildinds.  In McAllen, Texas, a 124,500 square foot former Walmart building has been converted into a public space that includes a library and art gallery.  A new outside circular fountain has been added. I further learned there are several websites where people post information about big box reuse and a woman named Julia Christensen has written a book about big box reuse.  One former Kmart big box is a Spam (yes Spam the mystery meat) museum. It would be lovely if all of the empty big box stores could find new uses.  Julia Christensen book is:

 

 

 

            There is an article about places where right wing people can hang out, assemble or live together. Some real estate promoters who are Congressman Ron Paul devotees, are developing a gated community called “Paulville” where the home owners will be limited to followers of Ron Paul. There is a community in Idaho called “The Citadel” where all the homes are made of poured concrete to survive and prevail in the face of natural disasters. These places remind me of Jonestown and other communes.  I find them scary.  The diversity of America is one of things that makes us great.

            There is an article about how a bunch of former Obama administration staffers are make a financial killing as consultants.  Big surprise, former government employees selling access to the government. see

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/112906/where-obama-staff-veterans-are-working-2013

             There is a really good article about the saving of ancient manuscripts from Islamist destruction in Timbuktu.  The article si called The Brazen Bibliophiles of Timbuktu - How a team of sneaky librarians duped Al Qaeda. People of the Islam faith hiding and saving historic manuscripts from radical Islamists.  Here is the first paragraph of the article:

 

"One afternoon in March, I walked through Timbuktu’s Ahmed Baba Institute of Higher Studies and Islamic Research, stepping around shards of broken glass. Until last year, the modern concrete building with its Moorish-inspired screens and light-filled courtyard was a haven for scholars drawn by the city’s unparalleled collection of medieval manuscripts. Timbuktu was once the center of a vibrant trans-Saharan network, where traders swapped not only slaves, salt, gold, and silk, but also manuscripts—scientific, artistic, and religious masterworks written in striking calligraphy on crinkly linen-based paper. Passed down through generations of Timbuktu’s ancient families, they offer a tantalizing history of a moderate Islam, in which scholars argued for women’s rights and welcomed Christians and Jews. Ahmed Baba owned a number of Korans and prayer books decorated with intricate blue and gold-leaf geometric designs, but its collections also included secular works of astronomy, medicine, and poetry."

   It is an article worth reading.      http://www.newrepublic.com/article/112898

 

            There is also a reference to a book entitled The Bankers’ New Clothes by two economists which discusses the banking system.  I want to read that book

 

Check out The New Republic magazine.  Each month has interesting articles and book references.