Years ago, I once had a conversation with an economist who freely admitted that there was no unified macroeconomic theory. What works versus what doesn’t work in a particular sociopolitical context is really just so much spitballing. This never surprised me given the complex realities of global capitalism. I’ve been genuinely perplexed by Barac […]
Just in case you’ve ever wanted evidence that people do more online searches for porn on weekends (especially Friday nights!): Thanks to Larry. UPDATE: Reader Dangger sent us a comparison of searches for porn and news: (Via.) (View original at http://contexts.org/socimages)
Perry H. sent in this cartoon: The cartoon, of course, reminds us of the power of words. Calling something “terrorism” is a way to make it seem illegitimate. And, often, what makes violence illegitimate is not something inherent in the violence itself, but your perspective on it. The cartoon also reminds us of Max Weber’s insight that th […]
Last week Barbara Ehrenreich wrote a scorching critique of the uproar over pushing regular mammography back till 50-years-old, in light of the muted response to the Stupak amendment excluding abortion from both state and public health insurance programs. “So welcome to the Women’s Movement 2.0,” she writes “pink-ribbon culture has replaced […]
In yesterday’s news, CNN reporter Saeed Ahmed asks “Why is Uganda attacking homosexuality?” As Ahmed reports, the Anti-Homosexuality Bil in this Eastern African nation (introduced in October, and expected to pass by the end of December) “features several provisions that human rights groups say would spur a witch hunt of homosexuals in […]
The key Number of Adults in Each Prose Literacy Level Prose Literacy * Below Basic: o no more than the most simple and concrete literacy skills * Basic: o can perform simple and [...]
Benno K. sent in a link to some ads he saw in the Netherlands for the Discovery Channel, which Benno describes as “the channel that used to be for science, but is now mostly explosions and motor bikes.” In both posters the men have “women’s” eyes–that is, they appear wide-eyed and long-lashed, with mascara: The caption say […]
Work in progress Regular readers will recognize this as a slightly modified version of a bathroom design I posted a couple weeks ago. I took some time to incorporate readers’ comments and hope you’ll continue to make recommendations. Here are the major changes: + all the plumbing is routed through exterior walls + sight lines are [...]
This cartoon illustrates how a work-free year is interpreted as lazy and irresponsible if you’re a working class person and a well-deserved treat if you’re middle class or better. Found at The Ongoing Adventures of ASBO Genuis, via Missives from Marx. (View original at http://contexts.org/socimages)
I spent a day in Salzburg this September with a man from Dubai. We had a wonderful time comparing perspectives. Dubai, he explained, was a wildly modern, multicultural city. The default language in public was English due to the international population. He was a stockbroker who had gone to college in London and gone part way through an MBA. He interacted […]