I was deeply saddened to hear of the death of David Carr. Here is the syllabus from the Press Play course he was teaching. If you are not familiar with his work, here are five stories of his well worth reading.
Deca is a journalist cooperative. They produce deeply reported stories with an international focus. On February 26, Sonia Faleiro’s 13 Men will be released. In this title, Faleiro reconstructs a brutal rape in an Indian village.
At the heart of the story is Baby, a 20 -year-old girl returning to her village in West Bengal from Delhi to care for her ailing mother. Upon arrival, the villagers shun her. Her accent is cosmopolitan, her clothes are too revealing, and “she behaves like she has money now,” whisper her fellow Santhals, members of one of India’s most insular and historically persecuted tribes. When Baby falls in love with Khaleque, an outsider and a Muslim, rural gossip explodes into shocking violence, and Baby faces a moment beyond anyone’s worst fears. Brutally gang-raped by 13 villagers as punishment for loving the wrong man, Baby has nowhere to turn. Her neighbors deny that the crime happened, and Santhal activists rush to her attackers’ defense. With her story suddenly on front pages across the world, Baby’s search for justice comes into terrible conflict with the fate of her people.
A group has put together a media guide for survivors. You might find it useful.
Naomi Alderman writes about loving her fat body and developing a fitness app. Such a good read, this one.
On liberal and conservative humor.
Soon after Jon Stewart arrived at The Daily Show in 1999, the world around him began to change. First, George W. Bush moved into the White House. Then came 9/11, and YouTube, and the advent of viral videos. Over the years, Stewart and his cohort mastered the very difficult task of sorting through all the news quickly and turning it around into biting, relevant satire that worked both for television and the Internet.
Now, as Stewart prepares to leave the show, the brand of comedy he helped invent is stronger than ever. Stephen Colbert is getting ready to bring his deadpan smirk to The Late Show. Bill Maher is continuing to provoke pundits and politicians with his blunt punch lines. John Oliver’sLast Week Tonight is about to celebrate the end of a wildly popular first year. Stewart has yet to announce his post-Daily Show plans, but even if he retires, the genre seems more than capable of carrying on without him.
LOL!
On long distance love.
We don’t choose who we fall in love with. And in the first flight of connection, when the mere idea of a cooler head is often an unwelcome concept, logic takes a back seat to passion.
When Athena and I first got together, we floated blithely past any warnings, barely registering the red flags in our path. But the fact that we were both just out of our respective marriages was a relatively minor concern when compared to the largest looming obstacle: distance – more than 3,000 kilometres, as the crow flies.
Aminatta Forna has wise words on writing and identity.
When I was a child I did not want to be a writer. Instead, I wanted to be many things. When I was seven I wanted to be an inventor. A few years later, and several career changes on, my new determination was to become a wildlife biologist. At my British school the opportunities to study wildlife were limited and so I settled for trying to collect butterflies, which I chased with a net and bottle, but which I rarely caught. Then I discovered there existed gatherings where enthusiasts could buy and swap specimens, and this seemed an altogether easier way to acquire a collection. I remember the first time I went to a fair, held in a town hall, rows and rows of glass display cases, the collectors and visitors bent over them. And inside, the butterflies, pinned down with open wings, labelled with both their Latin and common names. Each case held a single species. Cynthia cardui or Painted Lady. Papilio machaon britannicus Seitz or Swallowtail. Nymphalis antiopa or Camberwell Beauty. I only had enough money to buy one specimen, and so I chose a Swallowtail. I loved the trailing shape of the wings, the royal purple border and what looked like an eye on each wing. Over time I added to my collection, but I did not bother with labels, I couldn’t remember the Latin names anyway; I just arranged them any way I liked and I spent hours looking at them.
Stacia Brown also speaks to writing and identity for Fusion.
A wife lives in constant fear that her husband will discover she’s not who she claims to be. A black aspiring architect is mistaken for an ethnicity other than his own and is offered a job he never would’ve accessed had he corrected the error. A pregnant mother prays nightly that her baby’s skin won’t betray a bit of brownness. Such are the predicaments of characters in the early 20th century “passing narratives” I’ve loved since my days as an undergraduate English major.
To “pass,” as African American writers in the early 1900s defined it, was to choose to escape from the violence and discrimination attendant to blackness — a privilege possible only for those whose skin was light enough to pull it off. Peaking in popularity by the 1930s, passing narratives were often melodramatic and cautionary, detailing the myriad dangers of abandoning one’s black identity in order to take cover amid the white communities that systemically oppressed black citizens.
Annie Easley, modern space travel pioneer.
Few people are brilliant enough to be a computer programmer or a mathematician. Even fewer can add “rocket scientist for NASA” to their resume. Annie Easley, however, was all three. During her 34-year career, she worked not only on technologies that led to hybrid vehicles, but also on software that enabled great strides in spaceflight and exploration. And if that wasn’t notable enough, Easley also did all of this as one of the first few African-Americans in her field.
Love Hotels in Japan are where you can get down.
Though there are many ways to have a sexual rendezvous, there are few so varied, convenient, and strange as the love hotels of Japan. From a high school classroom to a Hello Kitty-themed dungeon to the inevitable, and cliched, sexy nurse, the options are endless and often creepy. Misty Keasler captured this surreal underworld in Love Hotels: The Hidden Fantasy Rooms of Japan.
Keasler discovered the establishments while teaching English in Japan. She was captivated by the unusual way they facilitated sex, offering everything you need to make the most of your time—there are vending machines with vibrators, sex swings, and handcuffs affixed to the walls. It’s a strange blend of kitsch and fantasy, and their locations are numerous.
A woman invented Monopoly. Recognize.
Average life expectancies.
What Our Paranoia About Drones Says About Us from Jelani Cobb.
A lazy drift of mist obscured an already gray November morning as I stared skeptically skyward in Morningside Park. It was not, I told myself, technically raining; still, moisture had begun to collect in the folds of my jacket as I surveyed the weather conditions. Driven more by impatience than by prudence, I decided to go ahead with the plan. Carefully following the precise sequence prescribed by the instructions, I switched on my remote controller and then the Wi-Fi transmitter, and finally double-pressed the power button on the back of the DJI Phantom 2 Vision quadcopter I purchased the night before. The copter trilled, then emitted four consecutive beeps. The GPS system began searching for satellites to map its launch coordinates, and a moment later the rotors whirred to life, sending ripples across a nearby puddle. And then the drone was airborne, rising to a hover six feet above me, conducting an aerial choreography to maintain its position despite the wind pushing it toward Manhattan Avenue. The copter streamed an image to my iPhone — me with my cap pulled low against the November drizzle, head tilted to meet the camera’s gaze. A drone selfie. Portrait of a man under self-surveillance.
Tags: holiday, link roundup, the internet
Related Posts
Long-distance relationships are so, so, so hard and now that the Internet is here, in a lot of ways it’s easier but in a lot of ways it’s more difficult–I think. It can be really tempting to rely totally on your internet-communicating partner instead of developing a new social circle (if you are the one who has moved away) and forging new connections. Beecause that partner is so important to you, as it should be, it’s easy to make them your entire life and use them as a crutch (and of course the desire to romanticize your partner and say “if I was there right now, we’d be having breakfast in bed and sharing the paper and having leisurely morning sex” on a Saturday morning, instead of “if I was there right now, we would be arguing over who was going to clean up the cat puke on the carpet and who was going to get the last bagel because we haven’t been grocery shopping in a week and have only vinegar and jam in the fridge” and so on and so forth.
Also, TOAST! It’s a holiday here and I have the DAY OFF and it’s AMAZING. And I’m going to bake three loaves of banana bread, two batches of brownies, a batch of rolls, and make beef stew for dinner and also paint my nails! Universe, give me more days off, I use them so well!
It’s not a federal holiday so I have to work but my husband gets the day off (even though he works for a Crown corporation so you’d think they’d be on the same holiday schedule as us). I hate this time of year because not only is it brutally cold but there are no holidays from New Year’s Day until Easter. 🙁
Aravis, that cooking schedule is pretty ambitious! Care to share a brownie recipe? 🙂
Loved the Naomi Alderman piece.
We are snowed and frozen in again up here in lovely coastal Mass, so I am listening to Samantha Irby’s Valentine “mixtape” on Spotify, doing some leftover ironing, and planning my pork vindaloo strategy for tonight. I made Bon Appetit’s classic chocolate mousse last night without a full complement of proper equipment. After a few meltdowns and victory snatched from the jaws of defeat at least twice, the end result is pretty damn good.
I use the Smitten Kitchen cocoa brownie recipe. http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/01/best-cocoa… I adore chocolate, but these are AMAZING for only using cocoa. They are almost an exact dupe for those two-bite brownies from wherever. I plan on making one batch with bittersweet chocolate chips mixed in, and one maybe with peanut butter chips if I have enough. (One loaf of my banana bread has peanut butter chips in it so we’ll have to see what’s left.)
After a lifetime of trying brownie recipes, I have concluded that brownies made with so much cocoa powder it’s like a flour replacement, instead of melted chocolate; brown sugar instead of white sugar; and butter instead of oil, are the best brownies. I was not familiar with the Smitten Kitchen argument but it makes so much sense! This is my go-to recipe, it is not hugely different from yours but it does feature brown sugar: http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/5919/ultimate-brow….
Also! Banana bread with peanut butter chips! You have just rocked my world, must try. Butterscotch chips might also be amazing!
I’ve made that brownie recipe, or actually the recipe that one’s based on, twice now. It is good: rich and fudgy and chocolatey (especially made with half Dutch cocoa and half black cocoa, which I will always keep on hand now that I’ve tried it).
But it isn’t quiiiiiiite the brownie recipe I’m dreaming of, despite the descriptions (some at the King Arthur blog, some form the many, many cooking blogs making versions of Alic Medrich’s brownies) that made me think it could be. These brownies are almost like fudge: very flavorful, tender, dense.
I want to get brownies a little chewier and with a flaky, shiny top. I keep reading that letting the butter and sugar bubble together, or mixing them vigorously, or both, will let some of the sugar migrate to the surface, but that’s not the result I’m getting, and it isn’t what the photo at Smitten Kitchen shows, either.
I guess — SIGH — I guess I’ll just have to keeeeeeeeeep making brownies until I get what I want. Poor me.
I have JUST THE RECIPE for you!!! Fudgy, but with that shiny flaky top. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/11/dining/111brex….
Only downside: as the recipe says, these really are better the next day. So it tests your patience. I usually make them at night so I’m not conscious for most of the wait.
I keep going back to the Brownies Cockaigne recipe from The Joy of Cooking. Beat together 4 eggs, a teaspoon vanilla, and a quarter teaspoon salt until foamy, beat in 2C sugar until it’s thick and juuuust starting to show peaks (you’re almost making a meringue up to this point), then fold in 4 oz baker’s chocolate and 1/2C butter melted together and allowed to cool, then fold in a cup of flour. Bake at 350 in a greased 9×13 pan for 25 minutes for chewy brownies or in a 8×8 pan for 50 minutes for fudgy brownies with a flaky top. It sounds to me like you’re looking for something in between, so you might experiment with the pan size and cooking time.
I know a lot of people find long distance relationships really hard, it is the dominant narrative after all. What I find hard to relate to is that the narrative is usually “aah this is horrible” or “this makes for a more intense relationship, LDRs have great benefits.” When First Mate and I were long distance, it was just… fine. That’s just how it was, it wasn’t amazing, but it wasn’t shitty either. There were a number of factors that I suspect lead to our this-is-fine-ness, which other couples may or may not have (not trying to claim that we were special snowflakes or anything). I just notice that I haven’t come across a narrative about LDRs that I can relate to.
Not sure where I’m going with this, it’s just something I think about.
Hooray for baking on days off! I’m making cupcakes. And tonight I’m doing the prep for this bean stew, which, even though I’m not always a big fan of beans, sounded so good I had to try it.
My Tiny Nephew is still in the NICU, but he’s been taken off the respirator!
Now I will go and actually read these articles.
Congratulations for your tiny nephew! My cousin had a baby born five weeks early earlier this winter, and he also had to spend some time on a respirator and in the NICU, but he was able to go home after a week or so and is now just as happy and healthy as you would expect of any baby his age. All will be well!
Yay Tiny Nephew! May things continue onward and upward for him.
really glad to hear it, continued good thoughts for Tiny Nephew!
That Naomi Alderman article was great. I think a lot of people do think exercise has a moral component, and I agree that this is absolutely wrong-headed, and does a lot to discourage people from exercising, and enjoying it. I do think the feeling of being comfortable in your body, and in being connected to it as you move through the world, is a fantastic feeling, and one that I wish more people felt. And of course the satisfaction from setting goals (fitness-related, making a to-do list and crossing things off, or whatever) and achieving them is pretty great. I wonder if the latter, coupled with a very goal-oriented society (at least, here in America, where I live) might have something to do with the aforementioned assumption that exercise has a moral component? I don’t know, maybe.
I really loved that Naomi Alderman piece too. It resonated with me too, because people often tell me that I’m exercising “wrong”: I do cardio 2-3 times a week in my garage on my elliptical machine, while watching The Good Wife or Arrow, and occasionally I’ll do some sit-ups or push-ups but mostly I don’t. I have a minimum number to hit on the elliptical, but I’m mostly stable achievement-wise, and improving isn’t necessarily a goal: it’s just about moving, getting a sweat-on, enjoying my body for what it can do.
Basically, I think exercise-wise, the main thing is to find something that you actually enjoy doing, whether it’s weights or cardio or running away from zombies or whatever. People are, as you say, too goal-oriented and too in love with doing things “the way they should be done”, and that often just sets them up for failure. After all, if you start exercising to lose weight, and two months later you still weigh the same, why the fuck would you continue? Or if you hit a plateau, the temptation to just throw in the towel is big. Whereas if moving itself is the goal, it’s much easier to stay motivated.
That’s a really good point. I know a lot of people who lift weights who just do it because they like feeling stronk like bull when they pick things up.
(Props for the phonetic spelling of what is essentially my grandmother’s accent.)
My exercise philosophy is very similar to yours! There’s a little gym in my office, so I’ll go read a book on the elliptical for 25 minutes during my lunch break and it’s great. I feel so much more comfortable after moving for a bit. It’s just one of those things I do, like eating or sleeping. I don’t have any goals–that I’ve done it is enough.
Conservative humor is never funny because it cruelly makes fun of vulnerable members of society.
Yeah, it punches down. It’s horrible that way. While Jon Stewart is principled about only punching up (as John Oliver said in an interview, while he was hosting).
The Atlantic story about why there’s no conservative Jon Stewart reminds me of one of my favorite work incidents ever:
I was working at an undergrad student group and was talking one day about how I had liked Jon Stewart’s show the previous night. the group’s president, a straight-A college sophomore, told me, “you like Jon Stewart? You’re such a typical liberal. I like Stephen Colbert, he’s the real conservative voice.”
I think I just stared blankly for a few moments before trying to explain that the Colbert Report was a satire, and the actual Stephen Colbert was also a liberal. It took a while for him to understand that just because Colbert said he was a conservative, he wasn’t actually a conservative.
…Wow.
I loved that Atlantic article, it was so interesting about the psychological differences between conservatives and liberals and why there are so few successful conservative comedians. Especially how conservatives really *are* unable to detect irony, it seems, and instead prefer exaggeration (but I wonder if they often take the exaggeration as truth…I mean, the author cited Limbaugh calling Sandra Fluke a “slut” as an example, though I don’t think that was intended as a joke, and I certainly suspect most of his audience accepted it as truth).
Also, how horrible was that one quote “You know when people call you a racist, you’re getting close to the truth”? I’d never heard that before, and it dropped my jaw. I had never imagined a single sentiment could be the king of all racism, but…that’s a contender.
If you’re interested in the psychological differences between liberals and conservatives, I recommend Jonathan Haidt’s “The Righteous Mind” for a really in-depth look at why liberals and conservatives really are talking past each other. I spend a lot of time reading libertarian/conservative blogs/comments for my work (which is not pretty), and what it comes down to for me is not that people who are conservative are less intelligent (though there is a pretty vibrant strain of anti-intellectualism in there!), but that they really highly value things that I don’t prize, and vice versa.
I also think people have a tendency to project, so this guy would only say “that’s racist!” when he didn’t have a good response otherwise, and so he thinks that’s why all people say “that’s racist!” There genuinely is a thought that calling something racist (to some people) is a trump card and a conversation-ender, as opposed to a “no, what you said is really wrong, and this is why, let’s fix this,” that I would be more inclined to. But then again, there are people who really think being called racist is a worse crime than actually being racist…
That’s insightful! I get that these are cultural differences more than anything, and I agree with the article’s sources that preferring irony over exaggeration is not a sign that you’re smarter. And yeah, it really is a matter of some things being prized over others. The latest instigator of strife on FB between me and my loved ones was that picture of an “Army mom” holding an AK-47 in one hand and a Bible in the other, with an American flag behind her, and the question was “Is this patriotic or offensive?” And I know for some of the people I love, they think freedom to own as many guns of any type has NO BEARING AT ALL on the number of homicides every day in this country, let alone the number of children who die, and OF COURSE they don’t find that at all contradictory to their position of being “pro-life.”
(I kind of loved the lone voice that suggested the picture was pretty similar to what we see of ISIS terrorists, except for the religious book in question and how much skin was showing.)
Anyway, I get that some people do have that kneejerk reaction to accusations of racism, and they think it’s being used manipulatively to shut them up — it’s just, when someone makes an assertion like “you’re getting close to the truth” when someone calls you racist — I think of all the oldest racist stereotypes, like “black people are lazy” and “Chinese people are sneaky,” because ALL of those assertions are being endorsed by such a statement. ALL OF THEM. You’ve just endorsed all the racism.
I usually read comments quickly without responding (because work…) but I wanted to say that even the lurkers appreciate hearing updates about your nephew. I’ve been thinking about him a lot. This is such good news, hurray!!
This was meant to be in response to winterbymorning
Thank you, I appreciate the good vibes and I’m sure Tiny Nephew does as well 🙂
Yes. Yes yes yes. I’m one of those “hated gym classes” people, and I think those classes have a lot to answer for in making exercise feel like something that is inflicted on you, rather than something you choose.
I recently downloaded an app that makes my phone buzz insistently every hour on the hour and give me a different short exercise challenge, everything from “downward dog for 90 seconds” to “reverse flyes with reams of office paper” to “40 crunches.” I slip away from my desk as if I’m getting away with something, and I come back refreshed as if I’d had a cup of really good coffee. It’s such a little thing, but it feels like a treat instead of a burden. I feel my muscles getting stronger, my capacity to do the more challenging exercises improving.
That sounds amazing! What is this app called?
Move. It’s free but there are in-app purchases for various “exercise packs” to add to your repertoire. I think I dropped a grand total of 99 cents on the office pack.
Thank you!
That’s pretty great! I exercise… a great deal (I’m a competitive powerlifter), but I would like something that reminds me to stretch and do some mobility work throughout the office day. Imma download it! Thanks!
Toasties, do we know how our beloved leader Nicole is coping with the news that Buttermilk Chickenbiscuit got married on Saturday? My thoughts are with her during this difficult time.
This is the best version of that name I have heard in a long time.
If there’s anyone in the world who ought to be poly for the greater good, it’s Boilerplate Cul-de-sac.
Now I can’t decide among Boilerplate Cul-de-sac, Buttermilk Chickenbiscuit, or Benadryl Computerglitch as my favorite. SO MANY CHOICES.
I still like Wimbledon Tennismatch (from the excellent linguist’s article here on the site a while back).
Stewart and Colbert notwithstanding, I think the claim that American comedy is dominated by liberals is a little exaggerated. It’s no coincidence that a conservative like Dennis Miller fit in so well at SNL, an environment that’s been toxic to women and terrified of POC for most of its history. We are only just starting to see straight white dudes share the stage with everyone else.
It’s interesting — I was visiting some friends of my parents last night, and the husband is conservative (unlike my parents, his son, and me). I brought up this article, as I read it earlier this weekend, and the lack of conservative comedians.
“Well,” he said, “there is Dennis Miller. But the problem with Dennis Miller is that he’s not funny.”
I’m glad some conservatives see the issue.
I don’t think political satire of the kind discussed by the linked article is really SNL’s strong suit. They’re sometimes good and occasionally great at poking fun of politicians as individuals, but that’s usually about their mannerisms (Tina Fey as Palin is the most infamous example, but I’m particularly fond of Kristen Wiig’s thousand-yard stare in the wrong direction as Michele Bachmann). Just the nature of having a comedian impersonate a public figure means you’re writing a different kind of humor from the Stewart-esque commentator.
But that’s just it, Stewart and Colbert are still rather exceptional in the kind of satire that they offer, which is why I don’t think they should be offered up as the only foil to the terrible conservative shows cited in that article. SNL is arguably the most popular/enduring mainstream American comedy show and doesn’t really have much of a liberal bias.
Well, the article isn’t a diagnosis of the entire American comedy scene; it’s about one kind of comedy that has become a voice for liberalism, pretty unilaterally. It’s true that TV & Hollywood aren’t particularly progressive in general, but that’s what makes it noteworthy that liberalism does have such one-sided success in the particular case of political satire. The number of comedians who have spun off from The Daily Show is pretty remarkable, and the adoration Stephen Colbert commands from his fans is astonishing. Conservative satirical commentary hasn’t come close to those levels of success.
Kristen Wiig as Michele Bachmann explaining that she “plans to a establish a ‘Fatal Attraction’ type situation with America” that ends with her challenging the nation to a staring contest is one of the most underrated Wiig bits.
Zadie Smith in the New Yorker on Key and Peele!!!!!!!!!
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/02/23/brot…
Thanks for this!
According to this article Peele (the one who plays Obama) is partnered up with Chelsea Peretti. Oh my goodness, to be a fly on their wall.
Well Peretti is a frequent Instagram user, so you kind of can be 🙂
That life expectancy link is to Lapham’s Quarterly, which apparently has an entire series of charts and graphs about death. I am reading every single one and it is a rather morbid way to spend this morning!
Monopoly’s inventor is also the star of Shaenon Garrity’s comic Perils of the Lady Gamer, though the specific incidents depicted are based on more recent events.
Also here’s a link to a post about Perils of the Lady Gamer, which is useful mostly because someone has commented below it with a link to the source of one of the incidents shown.
You guys, Australia’s oldest man likes to knit mini sweaters for injured penguins! http://mashable.com/2015/02/10/australias-oldest-…
Drones are both physically and philosphically so creepy though! LIke, the way they are designed is CREEPY. GET THEM AWAY FROM ME.
I have JUST THE RECIPE for you!!! Fudgy, but with that shiny flaky top. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/11/dining/111brex….
Only downside: as the recipe says, these really are better the next day. So it tests your patience. I usually make them at night so I'm not conscious for most of the wait.
My exercise philosophy is very similar to yours! There's a little gym in my office, so I'll go read a book on the elliptical for 25 minutes during my lunch break and it's great. I feel so much more comfortable after moving for a bit. It's just one of those things I do, like eating or sleeping. I don't have any goals–that I've done it is enough.
Stewart and Colbert notwithstanding, I think the claim that American comedy is dominated by liberals is a little exaggerated. I think. It can be really tempting to rely totally on your internet-communicating partner instead of developing a new social circle (if you are the one who has moved away) and forging new connections.