top 50: post-election special!!

without further ado, part 1!

The Financial Crisis
1. The End - Unquestionably, the best article I've read in the last month, and no surprise that it comes from the amazing Michael Lewis. Captures the sordid spirit of Wall Street and its collapse perfectly.
2. Why Wall Street Always Blows It - But this piece by the Atlantic is a close second. Are speculative bubbles part of human nature?
3. Pop Psychology - This next piece by the Atlantic investigates the aforementioned premise even further, and throws in a killer economics experime
4. Anatomy of a Meltdown - My favorite New Yorker piece since the Chuck Hagel profile is this killer profile of Ben Bernanke and a pretty serious critique on his, and consequently the government's, failure of foresight.
5. Deficits and the Future - Why shouldn't we be afraid of running a deficit to rescue the economy? Because Paul Krugman is an economic Batman, and he says so.
6. Too Big Not to Fail - On the other hand, Eliot Spitzer disagrees, and he used government money to sleep with prostitutes. So.
7. A Bankruptcy to Save GM - I'll be honest. I'm not that economically savvy. And apparently the Booth School of Business is renowned for its conservatism. And yet, with this elegant study, they convince me that a controlled bankruptcy is far superior to an auto bailout. Sorry, Democrats. Call me a turncoat.
8. Medicine for the Job Market - But I'll redeem myself! Jonathan Gruber tells us why expanding federal spending on health care is not only fiscally sound, but beneficial for the greater economy! Holla!

The Obama Cabinet
9. What's So Special About a Team of Rivals?: James Oakes wonders just how helpful it is to surround yourself with smart people who don't share your opinions.
10. Calm Before and During a Storm: Jenny Anderson's illuminating profile Tim Geithner last February, as he tackled the emerging credit derivative crisis highlights his pragmatism.
11. Inside Obama's Idea Factory in Washington - Michael Scherer with a phenomenal piece on the birth of the Center for American Progress, the most powerful liberal think tank in Washington.
12. The Return of Larry Summers - David Leonhardt describes the value of Larry Summers to the new Obamanomics team, with particular emphasis on his shift away from his Clinton-era beliefs.
13. Economists Infiltrate the White House; Now What? - My main man Stephen Dubner tries to figure out what all these economists are actually going to do in the new administration.
14. Staying On - Fred Kaplan tells us why Robert Gates staying on at defense is such a good idea.
15. Preliminary Facts and Thoughts About Eric Holder - Well, um, basically what the title says, but good if you don't know anything about Eric Holder.
16. Conflict Zone - Eli Lake wonders whether Jim Jones and Hillary Clinton can just get along when it comes to foreign policy.

Congress Shmongress
17. Bailout - Kick-ASS piece by Michelle Cottle that got me so stoked about Barney Frank that I became his friend on Facebook.
18. Ron Paul Answers Your Questions, Part 1 and Part 2 - Oh Ron Paul. You're so silly and almost an anarchist. Do you pull out another fistful of hair every time someone says "nationalize"?
19. The Last Recount - As if I'd let a top 50 happen without Matt Taibbi on it. Here he tackles the last outstanding Congressional election in Minnesota.

Edumacation
20. The Lightning Rod - Michelle Rhee is fascinating. I think I like her, but she might also be an unsympathetic social darwinist. It's a fine line. (Between what and what? I don't know. But the article is great.)
21. Public School Parents, Unite! - An impassioned piece by Sandra Tsing Loh encouraging community activism among public school parents. See? Community organizers get shit done.
22. Change Our Public Schools Need - Terry Moe of the WSJ on education policy. Unsurprisingly he is not a big fan of teachers' unions (calling it a "faustian bargain" between unions and democrats) and favors accountability, etc.

and finally...

Science!!!!
23. Now, the Rest of the Genome - Carl Zimmer takes us beyond genes, to epigenetics, viral genes, and beeeyyooooonnnndddd. (It's getting late.)
24. The Promise and Power of RNA - RNA interference is so many cool things. It's a legitimately paradigm shifting technology, its something that will make you sound savvy at parties, and ... well, I do it. I interfere, RNA-ly.

Aaand, I'm tired. Part 2, tomorrow.