I hope so. (via Reddit)
Uncategorized
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Sensible Talk About Nuclear Power
Cambria & Friends
On a whim last night, I went out on the town in Cambridge, Massachusetts to see if i could find a concert to photograph. I succeeded when I stumbled into the Cantab Lounge in Central Square. Andy Cambria and a bunch of his bluegrass colleagues put on a hell of a show. Who would have thought that Boston was a thriving community for fans of bluegrass? Here is a photoset of the concert that I threw together:
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
The Villifcation of Teachers
You can say what you want about teacher’s unions. We can probably have totally civil disagreements as to their efficacy and to their place in the U.S. education system. But can we all agree that villifying teachers, as the GOP have been relentlessly doing, is deplorable? Teachers are among the hardest working people in the world. There are a crapton of bad apples, but for every lazy teacher who coasts, there are a dozen that bust their ass to try and give some time and attention to students who the system has often forgotten.
The real sting, though, is that suddenly, teachers are characterized by politicians and pundits alike as greedy money-grubbers with powerful unions and bloated benefits, who work a few hours a day with summers off, and can’t even get a kid to pass an exam. There have always been people who say this, and normally we can laugh it off — you need to have a good sense of humor, after all, to be a teacher. But now, it’s not just anyone saying these things — it’s our leaders, the ones we voted for and listen to. And people, from school boards to parents, are listening to them as well.
The Inhumane Treatment of Bradley Manning
David House’s recounting of his visits with friend Bradley Manning is a must-read for those concerned with how the U.S. is upholding its own rule of law. The entire piece is tragic but this excerpt stuck out to me:
Riding the overnight train, one of the things House says he tries to put out of his mind is the hate mail resulting from his part in the campaign to support the solitary young man accused of being the “hacktivist” behind all the notorious recent publications of Wiki-Leaks. “I receive probably 10-15 pieces a day. It’s quite a lot, but only one or two a week are actual death threats.”
When the best part of the hate mail you receive is that “only one or two a week are actual death threats,” then you know the odds are skewed against you.
The New Gatsby
Eric Puchner has written a story about his father that’s quite reminiscent (in storyline and style) of Fitzgerald’s classic tale of a man trying to overcome his station in life. But while Gatsby was a tragic figure who we could all relate to, Puchner’s father seems like kind of like a monster. This piece is so rich in its descriptions and in its vivid evocations of hope and promise that I didn’t want it to end. Beautiful.
The Disco Stick Problem
A fascinating piece on how sign language interpreters translate Lady Gaga and Bon Jovi into ASL:
Lady Gaga’s “Love Game” is metaphorical, but exactly how metaphorical is it? Is the tone coy? Callous? Flirty? Dirty? . . . She has asked her interpreter friends how they would handle what shall now be referred to as the Disco Stick Problem. “One suggested I do this,” Ison says – mimicking an aggressive hip thrust. But that solution seemed more vulgar than the playful lyrics implied. All of this would be easier if she knew more about her audience – how well they spoke American Sign Language, how well they spoke Gaga – but interpreters at performing arts gigs rarely know their audiences until they arrive at the show.
It Wasn’t Meant To Be
Denise Grollmus’ essay on the disintegration of her marriage to Black Keys frontman Patrick Carney is so achingly beautiful that it’s undoubtedly going to become one of my favorite longreads of 2011. The framing device she uses — that of various objects from their relationship — is so appropriate and painful, a reminder of how much emotion we can attach to things during our ill-fated relationships.
One of the few pieces I’ve read that can bring tears to my eyes. Read it.