Can a book teach you how to be a man? DiPiero Poem, Johann Hari

Drama in a theater of despair Pakistan's decision to grant Gilgit-Baltistan a higher level of autonomy has been dismissed by many as a sleight of hand that changes nothing for the remote area that borders Afghanistan, China and both sides of divided Kashmir, even as the region emerges as a new haven for militants. - Ajai Sahni

Can a book teach you how to be a man? By Matthew Schneier on shopping
I knew, I reasoned, how to be a man. I had been one for quite some time—about a quarter-century, give or take. I tied ties, mixed drinks, held doors, said "please" and "thank you" when the situation warranted. I watched Mad Men for extra credit. Case closed—right?

"Their Old Knives" By W.S. Di Piero on poem
Click the arrow on the audio player to hear W.S. Di Piero read this poem. You can also download the recording or subscribe to Slate's Poetry Podcast on iTunes.

Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's Half the Sky. By Johann Hari on books
As soon as I started reading this cry against the global wasting of women's lives, I could smell Shahnaz's face—what was left of it—again. By the time I met her in a hospital in Bangladesh, Shahnaz's face flesh was a mess of charred meat: Her skin, the soft tissue of her cheeks, and the bones beneath had been burned away. Her nose was gone, replaced by two flared holes. Her lips hung down over her chin like melted wax. Her left eyelid couldn't close, so a trail of tears was forever slowly tracking down over the wounds. Shahnaz was 21 years old, and her husband had just thrown acid in her face.

Crucial Iran nuclear evidence 'covered up'Iran has submitted serious evidence that documents purportedly showing a covert Iranian nuclear weapons program are fraudulent - but the International Atomic Energy Agency has so far refused to acknowledge it. The nuclear watchdog's apparent lack of concern contrasts sharply with its 2002-2003 probe that exposed as fabricated evidence cited by Washington as justification for invading Iraq. - Gareth Porter