the august 28 new yorker

Each week that a new New Yorker arrives is a good week. However, the latest issue (August 28, 2006) has two noteworthy articles.

The first discusses the economic impact of shifts in demographics of countries' populations and is authored by Malcolm Gladwell.

The second, and even more interesting of the pair, documents the controversy surrounding recent proofs of the Poincaré Conjecture and the Fields Medal. It contains a rare interview with the reclusive Grigory Perelman, and it is co-authored by Sylvia Nasar. Nasar wrote A Beautiful Mind.

DEPT. OF HUMAN RESOURCES: THE RISK POOL
What’s behind Ireland’s economic miracle—and G.M.’s financial crisis?
by MALCOLM GLADWELL

ANNALS OF MATHEMATICS: MANIFOLD DESTINY
A legendary problem and the battle over who solved it.
by SYLVIA NASAR AND DAVID GRUBER

Bonus link: an article from July you may have missed:

MEDICAL DISPATCH: THE PREECLAMPSIA PUZZLE
Making sense of a mysterious pregnancy disorder.
by JEROME GROOPMAN
Issue of 2006-07-24 (Posted 2006-07-17)