The Wuhan Lab Leak conspiracy theory has gotten recent boosting thanks to the publication of a sensationalized piece in the New York Times. (Donald Trump and I agree about one thing, which is that the NYT is a failing wreck) [nyt]
A few years ago, I played an audiobook version of LeGuin’s The Wave of The Mind [wc] – basically, short essays on writing and thinking about writing – and, as usual, I was impressed by her clarity and thoughtfulness. She ranges widely, including a fascinating meta-analysis of gender in book awards (depressing!) and a piece on genetic determinism.
This is from Jeffrey St Clair’s “Roaming Charges” column over at Counterpunch [cp]
We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.
I recently listened to the audiobook version of a series of lectures and Q&A with Noam Chomsky. If you have problems with being depressed into immobility by world politics and economics, I don’t recommend it. This is a sort-of review of the audiobook, with some comments by me and some quotes, and I plan to, over time, post a few passages from it.
Look This is a bit from a recent episode of Reveal podcast. [reveal]@50:00You have to hear it in your mind as coming through tears of sadness and deep frustration, with a great deal of passion. Or go listen to her, in audio.
It would be embarrassing to try to comment on James Baldwin; he’s so brilliant, so articulate, so absolutely ruthless, and so fucking right.
Hanna Arendt’s The Origins of Totalitarianism has been widely quoted, lately. To say it’s interesting is an understatement, but I have long felt that she’s over-generalizing the commonalities between Stalinism and Hitlerism.
The US is in the process of reviewing its statuary. [pharyngula]