It is conservatives who are notorious for their vicious and malicious opposition to social welfare programs, which they insist are “hand-outs.” But in my humble opinion, those who legislate into existence a permanent underclass are the real “babykillers.” If I were a conspiracy theorist, I’d almost think our well-meaning conservative brethren were invested in perpetuating [...] [Posted: 23 Mar 2010]
On self-help books: They have self-design down, but somehow convince themselves that with enough self design, they can be happy in any situation. Ignore the fact that they have no passion for their job, they don’t communicate well with their spouse, and they live in a city where they hate the weather and the local [...] [Posted: 22 Mar 2010]
In today’s brave New World, the new economics of digital distribution mean that we no longer need to shape our copyright law in ways that disadvantage creators vis-é-vis distributors unless we want to, writes Litman. That’s Jessica Litman, a law professor at the University of Michigan. She would like existing copyright law be simplified by [...] [Posted: 22 Mar 2010]
Then I began comparing the least religious U.S. states with the most religious states. The result of this ongoing analysis has been the overall finding that godless people and godless societies fare better on almost every sociological measure than religious people or religious societies. From a speech by Phil Zuckerman titled “The Top Ten Things [...] [Posted: 20 Mar 2010]
In short, both the conservative and liberal positions are based on the same underlying assertion: “I’m white, and I’m special.” Conservatives are more likely to say it openly, while liberals tend to offer platitudes about racial justice while avoiding the risks required to make good on anti-racist principles. From Robert Jensen’s essay What White People [...] [Posted: 20 Mar 2010]
[My] critique is about the tone of unnecessary pictures and videos that show pieces of bodies, dying people, the nudity of people, or the misery/tragedy of people in line for food and water. Seriously, is this cruelty really necessary to mobilize massive humanitarian action? That’s Valérie Payen-Jean Baptiste, a Haitian elementary school principal discussing the [...] [Posted: 20 Mar 2010]
The art world is not reflective of any entire society. It represents the tolerant and pluralistic factions that encourage—and even celebrate—difference and dissent. On one hand, as Davis points out, this can be a symbolic release valve for class differences, but it is also reflective of the moral and ethical differences that fracture the societal [...] [Posted: 19 Mar 2010]
For the record: I now want to be besties with Krista Thompson, the 2009 winner of the David C. Driskell Prize and Associate Professor of Art History at Northwestern University. Her recent High Museum lecture, “Of Shine, Bling and Bixels: Toward a Post-Soul Art History,” blew me away with its analysis of contemporary artist Kehinde [...] [Posted: 13 Mar 2010]
Gina Trapani in her Fast Company column Work Smart suggests blocking out time as a way to tackle big tasks. Video below. I often do this when my work plate approaches full and I need blocks of time to focus. I think developers need those time blocks in ways that aren’t always clear to managers [...] [Posted: 10 Mar 2010]
A funny thing happens when people find out you are engaged: that’s the first thing anyone wants to talk about. The old Monday morning small talk question “How was your weekend?” has been replaced by “So, have you set a date yet?” People — women especially — beam and bounce, and in some cases, squeal [...] [Posted: 8 Mar 2010]