Richard Florida's academic clients like to call Creative Class a "think tank." But his company, Creative Class, actually calls itself a "global advisory services firm," which is correct. Apart from the corporate clients—Goldman Sachs, Citi Group, IBM—for whom they advise on how to reach the "creative class," there's work geared to developers and real estate folks, corporate services and "talent management." And then there's his other clients: cities and city-states, and their business-development corporations.

Now Florida is the "anchor" for the Atlantic's handsome new Atlantic Cities site, (as well as a senior editor for the Atlantic). So the publication—which looks good! Love that Atlantic!—doesn't have to bother [...]

I have no idea why they're covering it now, more than six months after it was released, and it goes completely off the rails about halfway through, as is the case with pretty much everything the reviewer writes, but Caitlin Flanagan's take on the Alec Baldwin divorce memoir in the current issue of the Atlantic does deserve points for this lead: Alec Baldwin's A Promise to Ourselves proceeds from a double-pronged thesis: that American divorce laws are deeply flawed, and that Kim Basinger is a crazy bitch.

While you're over there, check out "The Quiet Coup," a former IMF economist's scary-as-shit assessment of the current economic crisis and [...]

If you're like me, one of your favorite ways to unwind in the evening is to get super-high and watch Nickelodeon cartoons. (I think "Fairly OddParents" is nothing short of genius, but I am generally stoned out of my gourd when I watch it, so who knows.) A friend of mine is a gigantic fan of SpongeBob SquarePants, the absorbent and porous fast-food employee whose booty was so recently admired by Sir Mix-a-Lot. "He's just so happy," she says, and it's true. The sheer joy contained within that iconic yellow frame is indeed infectious, especially if you are baked to oblivion. Anyway, James Parker offers an appreciation in [...]

Signs of the recession:

While their website may be offering ten issues for $24.50, in yesterday's mail came a two year subscription offer to The Atlantic for twenty dollars. Disturbing! The magazine adjusted its rate base to 450,000 in January, and would presumably desire to keep selling ads based on that number.