Things Noted Here and There

Stephen Brookes,"At the Sackler, Art that Meant the World to Portugal," Washington Post, 24 June, reviews"Encompassing the Globe: Portugal and the World in the 16th and 17th Centuries," a new exhibit at DC's Sackler Gallery.

Arthur Lubow,"The Possessed," NYTM, 24 June, examines the struggle between Peru and Yale University over the University's possession of artifacts from Machu Picchu.

"Did Psychologists Help the U.S. Torture," Salon, 23 June."In a series of open letters, psychologists spar over the question of what role their profession played in abuses at Guantánamo and elsewhere." Thanks to Manan Ahmed for the tip.

Both the Times and the Post have begun major series that seem to be essential reading.
The Times'"Border Crossings," with helpful graphics about current international migration, begins with Jason DeParle's"In a World on the Move, a Tiny Land Strains to Cope," 24 June, which focuses on Cape Verde.
The Post's"Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency" by Barton Gellman and Jo Becker, begins with"A Different Understanding with the President," 24 June, and continues in"Pushing the Envelope on Presidential Power," 25 June.
Interesting"Fact" of the Day: According to Glenn Reynolds, if the Vice President were impeached in the House of Representatives, Cheney would apparently preside over his own trial in the Senate because the Constitution provides that the VP is replaced by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court as the Senate's presiding officer only in an impeachment trial of the President. The VP apparently floats somewhere beyond the Constitution, above the"unitary executive" and beyond legislative oversight.

Finally, Actionable Offenses is"a collection of indecent and illegal phonograph recordings from the 1890s, recovered from the Edison Archives and now available on CD." Thanks to Rob MacDougall for the tip.