FastCompany points to a study by the UK’s New Economics Foundation that proposes a 21-hour work week. The report reflects the organization’s British roots, but what if here in the U.S. we shifted to a shorter, perhaps a 24 hour, full-time work week? Last fall, media critic and writer Douglas Rushkoff asked Are jobs obsolete?. [...]
[12 Jan 2012]
Since the 1980s, the main driver of Finnish education policy has been the idea that every child should have exactly the same opportunity to learn, regardless of family background, income, or geographic location. Education has been seen first and foremost not as a way to produce star performers, but as an instrument to even out [...]
[1 Jan 2012]
Remember the fake boarding pass that was in Schneier’s hand? Actually, it was mine. I had flown to meet Schneier at Reagan National Airport because I wanted to view the security there through his eyes. He landed on a Delta flight in the next terminal over. To reach him, I would have to pass through [...]
[22 Dec 2011]
What we’ve been dealing with ever since is a painful process of “deleveraging”: highly indebted Americans not only can’t spend the way they used to, they’re having to pay down the debts they ran up in the bubble years. This would be fine if someone else were taking up the slack. But what’s actually happening [...]
[13 Dec 2010]
The ellipse is the Frisbee of art, the circle freed from its flatness that sails out into imagined space tilting this way and that and ending up on the top of the soup bowl and silver cup in Jean-Baptiste Chardin’s still life or, imagine this, on the wheels of the speeding Batmobile. From James Mc [...]
[24 Sep 2010]
I started this thing months ago after buying the bead on a lark while strolling through downtown Decatur. I finally finished it tonight. Coral and silver center bead. Strung with brown Druk glass, carnelian and silver spacers. Silver clasp. Strung on Beadalon. About 16″ (choker length). Coral bead from Mingei World Imports. Other beads from [...]
[21 Jan 2008]
UPDATE: You may also be interested in The Boston Globe’s editorial Islamofascism’s ill political wind. From the piece: The pairing of “Islam” and “fascism” has no parallel in characterizations of extremisms tied to other religions, although the defining movements of fascism were linked to Catholicism – indirectly under Benito Mussolini in Italy, explicitly under Francisco [...]
[16 Jan 2008]
Tonight’s dinner experiment, originally uploaded by tiffanybbrown. Ingredients (amounts approximate): Shucked Pacific oysters. I used small ones, about half of an 8 oz jar. 2 cups crushed tomatoes 1/2 an onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup frozen peas 1 tsp. lemon zest 2 tsp. dried parsley flakes A splash of marsala cooking wine [...]
[3 Jan 2008]
I heard the hum before I saw it. I knew it was nearby, but I couldn’t see it. I swung. I spun around. The hum grew distant. Then before I could react, I saw a black spot in the corner of my eye. I swatted with one hand and snatched off my glasses with the [...]
[23 Sep 2007]
After about a week’s worth of researching recipes, I decided to take a crack at making Indian curry Sunday. And then I realized I was missing yogurt. No matter, I tried it anyway loosely following a few recipes, but paying no attention to amounts. The result? Spicy, but yummy. A rough recipe follows the photo. [...]
[28 Nov 2006]