August 2010
2 posts
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The Clang Bird →
I don’t know why, but I’m really intrigued by this book.
July 2010
1 post
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Dinaw Mengestu: An Honest Exit →
I felt guilty for the lack of posts, but there’s really nothing interesting in the news.
*enter “new yorker” prose*
June 2010
7 posts
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Alex Spillius: Rahm Emanuel expected to quit White... →
…and there was much rejoicing.
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J. Robert Lennon: The Impossible Man →
trying to keep my mind off of brazil. :/
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James Risen: US Identifies Vast Mineral Wealth in... →
We are never leaving Afghanistan.
It has recently come to light that there are massive deposits of just about every thinkable mineral necessary to support modern technology. Lithium. Iron, Copper, you name it. The value of the resources is nearly 1 trillion dollars (over 83 times the value of the entire Afghan economy).
Risen makes note of two major concerns that come along with this massive...
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Eric Puncher: Children of God →
Zoetrope: All-Story is an excellent publication. In it you can find samplings of some of the best modern writers. Please give Eric Puncher a read.
p/s- I apologize for the last link. Not sure how a random youtube video got thrown in in place of David Foster Wallace. It’s been fixed.
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David Foster Wallace: Good People →
an excerpt from The Pale King a posthumous novel by Wallace coming out next spring.
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Peter Maass: To BP or Not to BP →
Maass presents an excellent global perspective on the BP oil spill, highlighting the unnoticed environmental atrocities on the hands of other oil congolomerates and calling for a move away from oil-dependence. This seems a common refrain from those with an interest in seeing an energy independent America sooner rather than later.
But do not forget that a BP boycott has local ramifications as...
December 2009
8 posts
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Naomi Klein: The Courage to Say No →
In the wake of COP15, I think it’s important to draw a little attention away from the political ramifications for Obama and the stubbornness of China. The real issue, as Klein frames the argument, is the results for the least developed and most vulnerable countries: namely the countries of Africa.
A global increase in temperature of 2 degrees Celsius equates to a 3-3.5 degree increase...
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“Rockbiter: They look like big, good, strong hands. Don’t they? I always...”
– The Neverending Story (1984)
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Mitt Romney's Op-Ed: The Cost of On-the-Job... →
I’m a little late to this story. I’ve been away from Politico for about a month now, and it appears that was not the best decision. In Mitt Romney’s latest opinion piece, he lays down some very heavy criticism of President Obama. And, no, we’re not talking about charges of socialism or a secret religious history. Romney sets out a couple of key points that I’ve been...
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“My wife, my colleagues, my students, my books, my observatory, my, my world...”
– Howard Koch
from Orson Welles’ adaptation of War of the Worlds.
Hoax aside, this is a masterfully written radio play worth listening to in its own right. Full download available here.
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“People hate America, and the Islamist movements feel their hatred and their...”
– Sayyid Imam al-Sharif, Rationalizing Jihad.
November 2009
19 posts
22 tags
Rembrandt Clarke Bootleg Poetry →
“This is one long mix of poetry designed to guide you through all the different perspectives and ideas behind a poetic theme. I thought it would be apt then to chose the most famous, biggest and often contrived theme of them all; Love.”
This is how a friend of mine, Rembrandt Clarke, describes his new assembly of modern love poetry. It features a good many of my favorite writers and a...
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India's 9/11 →
I’m not going to pretend to have any extensive knowledge of Lashkar, but this article helped to fill me in on the details of the tragedy that befell India just over a year ago. It’s definitely worth the read.
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the party of lincoln
This isn’t meant to be a full censure on the current Republican Party or any current legislation, but the Republicans hold up on their mantle the prize of producing Abraham Lincoln. After Lincoln died, an age completely dominated by bearded men of the Republican Party dawned. I thought it’s be interesting to take a closer look at the one Democrat elected among all of those Republicans,...
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“There is the deep and appealing notion that the universe is but the dream of the...”
– Carl Sagan
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top 50 albums →
I spent about half an hour throwing together a list of my 50 favorite albums to date. Take a look if you’d like. It’s not great, but I put in enough effort to justify doing little else today. lol
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Little Palaces by Elvis Costello. It’s not...
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a south american conflict in the making
There’s a pretty good bit of information involved in this particular political squabble. The short of it is that today Venezuela blew up a couple of walking bridges that lead over the Colombian border. They claim it was in the name of stopping drug trafficking, but it’s pretty obvious that they are trying to act out of aggression without drawing much consequence. They want to make sure...
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Google Chrome OS Event →
Here’s a midnight special link for you courtesy of Kiersten. I’m switching as soon as this gets on the line.
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Obama in Nixon's Footsteps at the Great Wall →
I felt it apt to do a little reflecting on an article this evening since my brain hasn’t been stirred into anything particularly fresh. Attached to this article is also a 3 minute audio interview with Edward Luce about the significance of Obama’s China visit.
The real point to draw from the article (and the China visit itself) is the nature of the relationship between what are...
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Grizzly Bear- Foreground.
It’s good...
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travel
I tend to daydream about travel a little too often. I’m sure everyone finds some appeal in the foreign, and because I don’t feel like talking substantively about foreign affairs or domestic policy today, I’m going to offer up to you a list of the 15 places I’d like to visit. Whether because of historical fancy or cultural appeal, this list isn’t quite as static as it...
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world view
US and Canada
The US is still the preeminent military power in the world and the lynch-pin for most major projects of world reform. Being of great size, shorter history, and greater physical distance from the rest of the world players, US policy tends to progress much more slowly. Politics are divisive and designed to keep real change from happening without significant majorities and a real moral...
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iran discussion link →
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very brief intro
I make blogs. They tend to die.
That really sums it up. If I can find the free time to post political commentary or miscellaneous lists and evaluations, I will most certainly do so. If you’re reading this blog, please feel free to comment or start squabbles (gtalk: zoibac@gmail.com). I appreciate the interaction.