Books To Jump Up and Down Over
Magic Hours by Tom Bissell: This marvelous collection of essays chronicles everything from film shoots to novelists rescued from oblivion. (The essay on the Underground Literary Alliance, with its portrait of raucous factions, unexpectedly reveals how soft today's literary world has become.) But if you peer between the cracks of these smart pieces, you may very well see how cultural lives are formed from the most unexpected life choices. And as we follow Bissell's development as a writer over the years, that goes for Bissell as well. (Bat Segundo interview with Bissell)
Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway: Harkaway's latest novel greatly improves on his previous book, The Gone-Away World, which I'm already on record as praising. Angelmaker adopts genre elements without ever feeling like a genre book, and it leads me to believe that Harkaway is well on his way to a narrative grace close to China Miéville's. Yet inexplicably this very fun book, which includes an eightysomething badass named Edie Banister, a mysterious mechanical object that may destroy the world, farcical scenarios involving lawyers and the police, and some unexpectedly moving moments about fatherhood, doesn't appear to be getting much attention in American newspapers. Nothing from the snobs at The New York Times Book Review, nothing from The Washington Post. And since I can't get Harkaway on Bat Segundo, I hope this Jump Up and Down mention gets you hopping as well.
The Age of Insight by Eric Kandel: Unless you're really pressed for time, forget Jonah Lehrer. If you want to understand creativity and its relationship to neuroscience, then the bowtie-wearing Nobel laureate is your man. In addition to being a physically beautiful book (you will drool over many of the paintings), there are helpful overviews on optical illusions, science, biographical backgrounds, and many vital figures from the Vienna Secession. Kandel's enthusiasm (and his call for greater unity between the humanities and science) is contagious.
Politics Archive
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Is Hillary Finished?
Posted on May 7, 2008 | 3 CommentsLiveblogging the elections. 12:18 AM: Listening to WIBC-FM feed. Indiana remains close, with Hillary ahead by only two percentage points. Gary, Indiana remains the big mystery. Hillary has just announced... -
The Politics of Boasting
Posted on February 15, 2008 | 3 CommentsWe don’t often look to electoral politics for sublime life lessons, yet sometimes the lessons are there. Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney, two popular Republican politicians, have dropped out of... -
Hillary’s Tears, Our Tears
Posted on January 16, 2008 | 4 CommentsLorrie Moore’s naive essay on Hillary Clinton not only demonstrates the unspoken precept that skilled fiction writers are sometimes remarkably simplistic when they write about politics, but deploys the same... -
Rep. Randy Forbes: Revisionist Historian
Posted on January 9, 2008 | 9 CommentsHouse Resolution 888 (presumably 666 was unavailable) aims to celebrate and glorify a little bit of that ol’ time religion in a very big way. The resolution, introduced by Rep.... -
Because a Hindenburg Tribute Really Pounds the Point Home
Posted on November 28, 2007 | 1 CommentRon Paul Blimp: “Two of the three airship companies we contacted had 3-12 month minimum contracts at a range of $225-$350K a month for various different features and blimps. Many... -
Rudy Runs Away Too
Posted on November 9, 2007 | No Comments -
Duck Hunting on Capitol Hill
Posted on November 6, 2007 | 2 CommentsNow here’s some absolute strangeness. Kucinich’s bill to impeach Cheney still has a chance. There was an effort to table the bill, but the bill survived the tabling vote and... -
American Health Care: Grin and Bear It
Posted on October 18, 2007 | 6 CommentsFreelancers do indeed need health care. Shame on the spineless Democratic presidential candidates for failing to bring this up or call for universal health care, proper. I admit that I... -
New Secret Surveillance at Rallies?
Posted on October 11, 2007 | No CommentsWashington Post: “That is just one of the questions hovering over a handful of similar sightings at political events in Washington and New York. Some suspect the insectlike drones are... -
Why I Will Never Endorse Ron Paul
Posted on October 10, 2007 | 7 CommentsSponsored by Ron Paul: HR 300: “Prohibits the Supreme Court and each federal court from adjudicating any claim or relying on judicial decisions involving: (1) state or local laws, regulations,... -
But Petty Opportunism is the Bedrock of Politics!
Posted on September 26, 2007 | 1 CommentBBC: “Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani has been criticised over a fundraising party at which participants are being urged to donate $9.11. The International Association of Fire Fighters accuses him... -
How the Senate is Spending Its Time
Posted on September 22, 2007 | No CommentsAP: “The Senate voted 72-25 to pass a resolution condemning a MoveOn.org ad that referred to Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, as ‘Gen. Betray Us.’... -
In Cases of Rebellion or Invasion
Posted on September 19, 2007 | 3 CommentsFuck you, Washington. Fuck you very much. “The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion, the public safety... -
John Kerry, Students Do Nothing as Student is Tazered for Asking Question
Posted on September 18, 2007 | 16 CommentsCBS 4: “A Weston student at the University of Florida was shocked with a stun-gun and arrested Monday when he tried to continue speaking at a forum with U.S. Senator... -
Confessions of a Political Fraud
Posted on August 30, 2007 | 5 CommentsMore and more, I’m finding myself to be a political fraud. Here I am, ostensibly progressive, and yet silently buffeting a nation in which the invasion of civil liberties and... -
Daily Kos to Sheehan: How Dare You Talk About Impeachment?
Posted on July 14, 2007 | 5 CommentsCindy Sheehan on Daily Kos: “I can’t post here anymore because my potential run for Congress is not on the Democratic ticket.” How dare Sheehan protest the failures of Democrats!... -
The First 10,000 Are Always the Hardest
Posted on May 13, 2007 | No CommentsMy name is Tania Derveaux. I am the leading NEE party senate candidate in Belgium. And due to popular demand, I will give 40,000 blowjobs to anyone who requests one... -
Kevin Smith Now Writing Dialogue for Rep. David Wu
Posted on January 18, 2007 | No Comments -
Lieberman: Truly a Lone Wolf?
Posted on November 20, 2006 | No CommentsStamford Advocate: “Orman seized control of the Connecticut for Lieberman Party this week after registering as its sole member and electing himself as chairman. Orman has triggered a process that... -
An Open Note to All American Citizens
Posted on November 6, 2006 | 8 CommentsI do not care what your political persuasion is. But I’ll just say this. If you do not vote tomorrow, you are not entitled to complain. You are not entitled... -
Can the Demos Take the Senate? (Part One)
Posted on November 2, 2006 | 4 CommentsAs next week’s election approaches with an uncertain focus, the question that every progressive is asking right now is whether the Democrats have a shot at securing a majority in... -
This Week on Olbermann
Posted on October 31, 2006 | No CommentsOlbermann& Co. on Limbaugh. -
Civil Discourse? If So, the End is Nigh
Posted on October 29, 2006 | 6 CommentsFuck you, Morgan Spurlock. If you genuinely believe that a war fought on flimsy pretext, the erosion of our civil liberties, the wholesale inability of the assclown posse at 1600... -
Move Over Foley…
Posted on October 19, 2006 | No Comments…here’s something seedier. -
A Keep Away From Runaround Sue
Posted on October 19, 2006 | No CommentsEven more absurd, she was replaced by an empty chair at her own request. -
Ugly Kid Joe, “Everything About Ned”
Posted on August 9, 2006 | 1 CommentAre you the guys on the Hill who mock everything? Ewww. Is this some sort of hip voting that I don’t understand? I, hate the man’s sunny demeanor, And I,... -
RIP Sue Bierman
Posted on August 8, 2006 | 2 CommentsFormer San Francisco Sue Bierman died today. She apparently crashed her car into a dumpster in Cole Valley. Bierman was always one of my favorite supervisors and I certainly missed... -
Current Political Mudslinging Now Reduced to “You Hacked My Website!”
Posted on August 8, 2006 | 1 CommentStanford Advocate: “Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman, locked in a battle with an anti-war challenger in the nation’s most closely watched primary race Tuesday, accused his opponent’s supporters of hacking his... -
Self-Delusion: Couldn’t Have Happened to a Sleazier Guy
Posted on August 3, 2006 | No CommentsNew York Observer: “The question is less how Mr. Lieberman lost The Times than whether he ever had the paper at all. Throughout Mr. Lieberman’s Senate career, the establishment-minded Senator... -
An Open Letter to the ACLU
Posted on July 2, 2006 | 3 CommentsLook, I know you need money and I know you’re busy fighting the good fight. This has been very evident from the ten phone calls I’ve received from your organization...