Category Archives: Politics

Science Non-Fiction

Posted on June 1, 2012 by

“Then the terrible teens hit, with a global recession followed by a stuttering shock wave of corporate scandals as rock-ribbed enterprises were exposed as hollow husks run by conscience-free predators who were even less community-minded and altruistic than gangsters.  The … Continue reading →

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“Model Behavior”

Posted on May 31, 2012 by

Laurie Penny on feminism in the 21st century: “Drag queens of all genders know that performing femininity is always contingent, always within the context of a world where beauty means disguise, means conformity and misogyny and racism and self-erasure — but that one can … Continue reading →

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American College Kids — Lazy, Misunderstood, Or Possibly Exceptional?

Posted on May 22, 2012 by

WaPo on how American colleges and universities are becoming “too easy”: “Declining study time is a discomfiting truth about the vaunted U.S. higher-education system. The trend is generating debate over how much students really learn, even as colleges raise tuition … Continue reading →

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Straight White Male = Easysauce

Posted on May 16, 2012 by

Novelist John Scalzi employs a brilliant gaming metaphor to explain white male privilege without the p-word: “Dudes. Imagine life here in the US — or indeed, pretty much anywhere in the Western world — is a massive role playing game, … Continue reading →

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Tis The Season

Posted on May 11, 2012 by

Yet again, Digby nails it.

Posted in America, Politics | Leave a comment

Education = Democracy

Posted on May 10, 2012 by

I usually roll my eyes at the latest “Whither the American University?” navel-gazing, but this one, a review of a recent book by Andrew Delbanco, is very good: “Delbanco performs an invaluable public service by deftly dissecting the notion of … Continue reading →

Posted in Kultur, Politics, Teaching | Leave a comment

Corporate Music Still Sucks

Posted on May 2, 2012 by

Pitchfork interviews My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields on the re-issues of his catalog: “KS: Ownership and control is important, because if you don’t own what you do, all sorts of stupid stuff happens to it, and people spend good money … Continue reading →

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Gaming The Odds

Posted on May 1, 2012 by

A surprisingly lucid examination of using video games to predict the outcome of a North-South Korean war: “Yet the caveat here is that while wargaming does best at covering the kinetic side of war—how far can a cannon shoot, how … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Korea, North Korea, Politics | Leave a comment

Here’s Your Future

Posted on April 30, 2012 by

Laurie Penny reviews William Gibson’s latest book a collection of essays: “In essays here on Tokyo, on Singapore, on London, Gibson opens the skin of cities like old watches and looks for the peculiar synergy of metal and emotion that … Continue reading →

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Fun While It Lasted

Posted on April 25, 2012 by

Gin and Tacos is always good, but today he’s sublime: “Now the goalposts have moved, and the part of the older generation that does understand the new reality has done what it does best: vote Republican and blame us for … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Politics | Leave a comment