The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
    Danny Cardwell's picture

    Why Are Modern Populist Movements So Ineffective?

    Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek once said that Ghandi was more violent than Hitler. His thesis centered on Ghandi's successful use of civil disobedience as a way of breaking British colonialism in India, and Hitler's failed attempt to shape the world through violence in Europe.

    Using Zizek's model, a case can be made that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was more violent than the rioters who hijacked the peaceful demonstrations in Ferguson, Missouri. 2014 was a year that saw populist movements take their grievances to the streets (or the ranch in the case of  Cliven Bundy's supporters). What's become obvious to me over the last few years is that many of these left wing and right wing populist movements, dating back to Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party, aren't as far apart ideologically as they are thought to be. The sadder connection they share is that they have been ineffective in using the momentum and spotlight they've garnered to cause a fundamental shift in the status quo.

    Danny Cardwell's picture

    What If Jesus Was Just A Teacher and Philosopher?

    "Christ, not Christianity, is the power that has soothed and satisfied the spirit of the great multitude which no man can number." --CANON AINGER

    ​Why do we need religion in our post modern condition? This type of question turns off many believers, yet it's a question any person of faith will deal with--whether we want to or not. Our doubts and insecurities are real. The manner in which we deal with these doubts is what will build or crumble our faith. Christians around the world are preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus, yet our influence on the world is lessening. We aren't as effective as many of us would like to be, and some of us won't even try to make a difference. How have we (Christians) become so impotent?

    Richard Day's picture

    A SEASON OF HOPE

    COLLEGE PARK, MD—Saying the money would help further researchers’ understanding of the awesome scientific phenomenon, representatives for the American Institute of Physics announced Tuesday that they had received a $10 million grant to melt stuff. “This funding will provide our researchers with the resources they need to put some junk over a really hot flame until it starts liquefying and gets all stretched out and stuff,” said AIP director James Griffith, adding that a portion of the grant would be allocated to making sure the flames were “real big” so that the research team could melt large items, such as desk chairs and lamps. “We already have a number of experiments lined up that will answer such questions as whether laboratory goggles or a digital thermometer melts first, and we’ve scheduled several trials to determine how fast we can melt a whole cafeteria tray. Pending our findings, my colleagues and I will then wait to see if all the melted stuff hardens up, at which point we intend to hold it over the flame and melt it again.” This research follows a $6 million study last year in which scientists were reportedly able to determine that dropping an electron microscope into a huge vat of acid is really fun.

    http://www.theonion.com/articles/scientists-receive-10-million-grant-to-melt-stuff,37476/

    danielfaris's picture

    America's Drug Trade: Harm in Unexpected Places

    If you’ve been paying even a small amount of attention to current events lately, you know that drugs have entered the national conversation in a big way. Marijuana legalization has become a rallying cry for many of us, though even the states where it’s already legal may have a complicated battle ahead of them to keep that privilege.

    The Take Back queen of echo park

    I can't let the doom and gloom get to me, after all it's the holidays. People out shopping, the Salvation army collecting and---some people just don't get it, they're ripping off corporations returning clothes they've purchased and worn for three months, or junk they bought somewhere else. If these scams continue, the economy will tank faster than North Korea hacking the entire Fortune 500! But retailers today should stop complaining because they don't know how lucky they are never to have encountered the Take Back Queen of Echo Park.

    NYC Cop Shootings: What We Won't Hear

    Two NYC cops, and their killer, joined an average of 82 Americans killed today, and every day, by guns. Brinsley apparently also shot his girlfriend before departing Baltimore for NYC. She survived. If you have seen some web comments you have probably seen the wingnuts of the right are out in force. In interviews on TV they are implying and/or blaming this tragic crime on, Obama, Al Sharpton, Democrat Mayor deBlasio, blacks in general, and of course 'liberals'.

    Richard Day's picture

    DOGS II

    I WAS THINKIN

    I do not even know why I must write this drivel at the end of this strange year.

    I live in this governmental Eden

    I was so lucky after eventually failing at everything I ever attempted.

    I have a kitchen and a bathroom and a living room and a bedroom.

    Fracking bans widen, N.Y. joins Denton, Texas.

    New York joins a small but growing conglomeration of states and cities which have instituted bans on fracking, including an astounding decision by the city of Denton, in North Texas, about fifty miles from where I live. The bans are highly significant and give me a shot of optimism here at year end especially because citizen activism has played such a huge roll in these bans. I can remember watching Mark Ruffalo on T.V. a few years back elucidating the health dangers of fracking in his native upstate New York, and truthfully, I thought he was a voice in the wilderness---but his involvement changed things.

    Contrarian's picture

    Women in STEM + Men in Nursing & Teaching?

    There's been a ton of ink spilled recently about the dearth of women in STEM fields and there's no shortage of people advocating strategies for significantly increasing the number of women who enter these fields. I was thinking about this yesterday while reading Jeff Guo's Washington Post article about the expanding gender gap in the attainment of college degrees and the theory that it's due to career choice. He mentions the speculation (from Goldin, Katz, and Kuziemko) that this is just a result of natural differences making themselves evident. However, like those who discount the idea that the STEM gap is attributable just to 'boys are better at math,' I've always considered it highly doubtful that this is what is really driving the disparity.

    Richard Day's picture

    THE JOURNEY

    GIRALDO RIVERA

    This guy who once WAS Good Morning America, decided to film his own wondrous search for Al Capone's safe.

    MrSmith1's picture

    BREAKING NEWS!! Peter Pan DEAD! Christopher Walken chokehold to blame!


    Breaking News!!  Peter Pan DEAD!
     

    Grand Jury decides NOT to indict Christopher Walken.

    Evidently, there is even a video ...

    Head of Pirate Union blames orphan thugs.

    Tinkerbell arrested at protest for throwing fairy dust at Police Officer.

    Rep. Peter King at the pearly gates.

    Rep. King has appeared at the pearly gates and stands gaping up at Saint Peter who is about seven feet tall, weighs in at about 450 lbs and is reading notes from a legal pad.

    "I'm a peter too", says King.

    "No doubt", said Saint Peter, " ...it says here that you choked to death on a piece of red meat. How did that make you feel?"

    OK,guys let's put the turkey on the table

    Everything that we've written here about Ferguson missed the point. Including my "contributions"  of course. In fact them especially...A million years ago,or to be more precise,  yesterday, Erica and I had an exchange about whether  Wilson shot at Brown  while he was going away, or only after Brown turned and started back.

    Somehow I'm reminded of a comment by the ceo of my company about a suggestion of mine " Who the hell cares about (what I'd just recommended).?"

    2014 Report: Banned Chokehold Routine with NYC Cops

    From the report by the NY Civilian Complaint Review Board, pdf link. You make conduct rules for the cops, and the cops just keep doing what they do, with no accountability if they break policy (and none if doing so kills). The choke hold on the late Mr. Garner was the rule for use by NYC cops, not the exception. From the Report:

    There's at least one thing Ferguson,Cleveland and Staten Island

    have in common.

    We're looking at them in the rear view mirror.

    Getting convicted for murder through the court system is a very long, carefully choreographed affair.12 citizens are chosen carefully to participate, two teams of smart people who have passed difficult bar exams make the case for and against conviction and then those jurors are sequestered and argue with one another until they reach a conclusion.

    Where I disagree about Ferguson

    and where I don't

    I disagreed with  trashing  Florissant street. That wasn't protesting, it was rioting.

    "        "          with a woman on the web today shouting that the police were killing  "our babies" Michael Brown was not a baby.But

    I agree that the  police who shot the 12 year old  Tamir Rice in Cleveland were killing a baby. 

    I disagree with the criticism of  Darren Wilson for telling Michael Brown to move on to the side walk

    I  agree  Wilson should not have shot -and wounded- Brown when he was running away

    coatesd's picture

    Taking the Imperial out of the Role of America Abroad

    “You can do many things with a bayonet, except sit on it.” (Talleyrand)

                    There is never a good or easy time to argue that the United States should begin to completely reset the character of its foreign policy, especially when the argument being made – as here – is that a key element in that resetting must be a reduction in the scale and role of American arms abroad. Anyone making that kind of case invariably touches a deep American nerve, so that any resulting rebuttal often moves quickly from an argument about facts to one about patriotism.

    barefooted's picture

    THIS IS ONLY A TEST

    This is a test of the Emergency Blogging System. This is only a test.

    If there were an actual emergency in the barefooted blogging area, you would not be reading this message.

    This concludes this test of the Emergency Blogging System.

    Richard Day's picture

    Perspective

    THE PARDONER

    Geoffrey Chaucer (17th century).jpg

    He must report, as nearly as he can

    Every last word, if he remember it

    However rude it be, or how unfit

    Or else he might be telling what's untrue

    Embellishment and fictionalizating too

    Scared police are bad police: why aren't the police more brave?

    Background: watch the Sean Groubert video for insight into the Wilson/Brown confrontation. [Groubert is the officer who shot the guy reaching into his van for his licence/registration.]  In Groubert, you see it in front of your eyes: action driven by fear. (And maybe some institutionalized racism as well, but others have covered that so I won’t go into it here.)

    Open Thread Miami Book Fair.

    The Miami Book Fair will be streamed by PBS again today, www.bookviewnow.org. The reason I keep repeating myself is that I am beside myself, because I don't have cable, C-span, and book T.V. I can access the content of these interviews.

    Today's schedule 12-6 EST.

    If you click on "Schedule" on the website, you'll get a list of interviews from Friday and Saturday plus what's coming up today. The past ones are supposed to be available on "Video on Demand" but I don't think they are archived yet.

    One vote

    for Obama's immigration plan. Krugmann in his  column today get's it right, as he usually does.

    Surprising lack of comment here. 

    Jim Webb throws hat in.

    I'm happy to report sending a hundred bucks to Jim Webb's exploratory committee for 2016. He is the breath of fresh air I have been waiting for.

    All nonsense aside, Webb has great credentials, in addition to which he is a new cut of cloth, a person of experience and substance, and all important and rare in today's celebrity culture--a person worthy of narrative. 

    I supported Webb in his Senatorial election in Virginia, an investment of which I am proud.

    Well, what are his policies? I suggest googling his announcement video.  

     

    Personas eat policy wonks for breakfast.

    I go a little nuts when I hear Democrats talk about the recent election in terms of programs and policies---that we simply didn't blow our own horns loudly enough. We exist in a society so dominated by a media focus on celebrity that no subject with even a smidgen of factual information has a chance of taking more than one breath in a public forum. Last week a space ship landed on a comet---breathtaking. Unfortunately the comet landing was easily upstaged with a camera lens which landed on Kim Kardashian's bare backside. Personally, I did not go looking for Kim's buttocks. But every time I turned on my computer, there was the picture again and again. Kim has reached the lunar landing level of celebrity status---her latest quip being, "One large cheek for man, the other cheek for mankind".  Democrats will win when they master the art of manufactured personas and studied quips, not when they can explain policies better.

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