“In Defense of Philanthrocapitalism,” The New Yorker
Are you in the cynical camp on Mark Zuckerberg’s pledge to donate 99 percent of his Facebook stock to philanthropic efforts? In this story, James Surowiecki offers a persuasive argument for the role of billionaires in solving global problems. “In an ideal world, big foundations might be superfluous,” he writes. “But in the real world they are vital, because they are adept at targeting problems that both the private sector and the government often neglect.” — Susan Albright, managing editor
“Trudeau’s Canada, Again,” The New York Times Magazine
This is the first good, long piece I’ve read on the political shift that just happened with our neighbors to the north. In October, Canadians voted overwhelmingly to oust Conservative PM Stephen Harper. They replaced him with Justin Trudeau, the 43-year-old leader of the Liberal Party and son of legendary PM Pierre Trudeau. In the New York Times Magazine, Guy Lawson profiles Trudeau and writes about how his rise is not just reflective of a liberal moment in Canadian politics, but a moment to reconsider what it means to be Canadian. If Harper was the scion of white, Anglo, “traditional” Canada, Trudeau is the pluralist who greets new Syrian refugees at the airport and calls his country a “post-national” state. You’d think Trudeau, a former snowboard instructor with movie-star looks and a dynastic last name, might not be the guy to make that moment happen. But after reading Lawson’s piece, you get it. There’s a reason Trudeau and Barack Obama appear to get along. — Sam Brodey, Washington correspondent
“Donald Trump is Helping the Terrorists Win,” Politico
In this Politico story, two diplomat-scholars at Dartmouth, Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon, argue in forceful language that Donald Trump and other Republican candidates for President are undermining one of America’s strongest defenses against terrorism — the moderation and cooperation of the vast majority of our country’s Muslim population. — Joel Kramer, editor & CEO
“Portland Streetcars to try limiting stops to speed service,” The Oregonian
What’s the sweet spot for street cars between the number of stops and the fastest-possible run times? Sure, adding stops serves more people, but it also slows down service. In Portland, the streetcar line that seems to have started the national streetcar mania still hasn’t gotten it right. In this Oregonian piece, Eliott Njus writes about how the city is imposing temporary closures of some Portland Streetcar stops to speed up service. — Peter Callaghan, local government reporter
“The Secret History of ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude,’ ” Vanity Fair
In general, I’m too dumb to really appreciate lit-ra-ture, but I can identify with the feeling expressed by Gabriel García Márquez’s agent, Carmen Balcells: “Every reader says in his mind, of certain books, ‘This is one of the best books I have ever read.’ ” I remember, after reading the final sentence of One Hundred Years of Solitude, sitting slack-jawed for several minutes, overcome by the magnitude of the work. Anybody who has enjoyed this book will find plenty of interesting tidbits in Paul Elie’s extensive retelling of the novel’s inception and impact, including the fact that, after García Márquez read Gregory Rabassa’s English translation of the novel, he “pronounced it better than his Spanish original.” — Tom Nehil, news editor
