Guest Thinkers — September 16, 2010

France vs. Romanian Gypsies

“What is happening in France today would most likely be referred to as ‘ethnic cleansing’ in less prestigious countries.” Spiegel on President Sarkozy’s campaign against Romanian gypsies.

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“The new attitudes toward the Roma in France began on July 30, when President Nicolas Sarkozy decided that it was time to make life even more difficult for the ethnic group. On that Friday, Sarkozy gave a 33-minute speech in the Grenoble Prefecture, and after that the Republic was a changed place—or, as Sarkozy’s sharpest critics said afterwards, the Republic ceased to exist. Sarkozy hadn’t come to Grenoble to talk about a major pension reform that will make things very difficult for the president and his administration this autumn…”

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

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3 clues that Stoicism is a religion in disguise

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Why our “weak-tie” connections are actually super-strong

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“News that Ernest C. Withers, a photojournalist who documented the civil-rights movement, was also an F.B.I. informant has been met with mixed reactions from scholars.”