tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51889692024-03-07T02:34:01.939-05:00HradcanyCombine Kafka, Umberto Eco, Garrison Keillor, and gibberish base into a warm, dry bowl.
Beat until smooth.
Season to the occasion.Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.comBlogger407125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188969.post-72598622217254532352016-01-19T15:14:00.000-05:002016-01-19T15:14:33.191-05:00Chinese PsychoanalysisRandom note scribbled on a sheet of paper. How convenient a categorization!
To capture contemporary China’s specific combination of stresses, the analyst Huo Datong separates problems into two categories: jiating xiaoshi, or household issues—the private dynamics of couples and families—and guojia dashi, national issues, the things, as Huo puts it, that “are handled by the ruling Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188969.post-54213001138051290442015-09-24T08:11:00.000-04:002015-09-24T08:11:44.303-04:00Psychological Context of Russian Political Control
Those following Russia won't find this entirely surprising in general but I've not found it more succinctly stated:
The creation of a virtually omniscient Kremlin may be less about enforcing active control of the social, political and economic space in Russia than it is about encouraging Russians in all walks of life to control and censor themselves.
It is not simply that there is Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188969.post-2945293530494174662015-08-24T21:37:00.003-04:002015-08-24T21:37:40.279-04:00Trollope TrendingReading a very good article about the modern relevance of Anthony Trollope:
Trollope Trending: Why He's Still the Novelist of the Way We Live Now
by Adam Gopnik
The New Yorker (4 May 2015) pp 28-32
One of several notable quotes:
<!--[if gte mso 9]>
<![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]>
Normal
0
false
false
false
EN-US
JA
X-NONE
Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188969.post-66667310889315758662015-08-04T14:08:00.002-04:002015-08-04T15:57:08.134-04:00Where the F**k Was I?
Just came across this interesting melding of new and traditional cartography:
Where the F**k Was I by James Bridle, based on his iPhone geodata, self-published in 2011.
"....digital memory sits somewhere between experience and non-experience; it is also an approximation; it is also a lie. These location records do not show where I was, but an approximation based on the device’sJustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188969.post-432143075940315862015-05-05T10:00:00.000-04:002015-05-05T10:00:57.323-04:00Manna from Heaven
For all of you with a baby and a dog… for those with only babies, for that matter….
(from Washington Post, 19 April 2015)Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188969.post-68150076991059806282015-01-04T03:38:00.003-05:002015-01-04T03:38:57.379-05:00A Mile in Her CorsetIt has been a while since I have read such an entertaining book review! I'm not sure if I'm more curious about the book reviewed or those written by the reviewer…. Enjoy!
A Mile in Her Corset
Review by Judith Newman (published in The New York Times, 28 December 2014)
of How to Be a Victorian by Ruth Goodman
What’s
the sexiest era? The Roaring Twenties? Hardly. The Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188969.post-40705929530913362672014-12-03T11:08:00.002-05:002014-12-03T11:09:50.054-05:00Missing HamsterThis was posted on our neighborhood listserv and I just had to share it:
If anyone sees a hamster outside on the --- block of --- street, near --- avenue, please let me know.
This photo was taken a few years ago.
He answers to the name Benny. Kind of.
My son left him out of the cage and he scooted out of the door as quick as his little legs would carry him.
Thanks,&Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188969.post-10663563541121668782013-05-19T15:00:00.002-04:002013-05-19T15:00:42.254-04:00New blog?Thinking of starting a blog called "sepia futures"Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188969.post-14142962305498149792013-05-14T13:18:00.001-04:002013-05-14T13:18:35.304-04:00Designer ThreadsInteresting!
New High-Tech Thread Can Help Customs Officials Detect Knockoff Designer Goods
Published by Jason Bittel on May 8, 2013 on Slate
They didn't say where they would manufacture the thread... perhaps China?Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188969.post-60702444752519399162013-04-14T02:54:00.001-04:002013-04-14T02:54:46.802-04:00
I love this time of year in DC-- the cherry trees are blooming and the summer heat and humidity haven't kicked up yet:
There are a few hazards, though. A few days ago, a thunderstorm swept through the area, with residents waking up to a light drizzle and a heavy, gray sky. At around 7AM, there was an almighty crash and bright flash, virtually knocking anyone who Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188969.post-4138221376938263752013-04-12T21:02:00.001-04:002013-04-12T23:14:45.767-04:00This is what happens when your city infrastructure isn't updated!
Steam Pipe explodes under parking lot in Smolensk, Russia
Reminds me of the steam pipe that exploded in Manhattan during rush hour on a summer afternoon in 2007.
Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188969.post-60276769284816727972013-02-01T00:31:00.001-05:002013-02-01T00:31:10.215-05:00Globalization of the Psyche
There has been quite a bit of research into the homogenization of the world through globalization, often in a tangible sense but I'm intrigued by a relatively new strand of research into the convergence of intangible patterns of thought and expectation.
An interesting case in point was mentioned in the New York Times Magazine last Sunday:
What Does it Mean to Be Comfortable? The New Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188969.post-21027071838337528082013-02-01T00:17:00.003-05:002013-02-01T00:17:45.212-05:00Spring has come early to Washington, DC
It's January but it seems Spring is coming early to Washington, DC. This is what I saw under a bush on my walk home from the Metro.
Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188969.post-15462479848289406982013-01-30T04:00:00.000-05:002013-01-30T04:00:24.299-05:00The Rhetoric of Climate ChangeRandom thought for the day:
Climate change skeptics have a peculiar refrain every time the weather is unseasonably warm for the time of year. "So much for global warming!" they say. It goes without saying that this is pretty silly, since climate change is an aggregate phenomenon and any individual instance of weather doesn't make a real difference in such a vast pool of data. The problem, Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188969.post-39071962836410228122012-12-12T11:01:00.000-05:002012-12-12T11:01:15.235-05:00A shout out to all of my conservative friends!
Reagan’s Personal Spying Machine
by Seth Rosenfeld
September 1, 2012
The New York TimesJustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188969.post-40631068213896857652012-12-10T19:12:00.001-05:002012-12-10T19:22:54.078-05:00A True Balkan ThrillerI'm really tempted to start writing a mystery/thriller novel in the face of the real-life story of the Serbian envoy to NATO, Branislav Milinkovic, killing himself a few days ago by leaping off a Brussels parking garage. The way of suicide is dramatic enough but now there are vague statements that Milinkovic had been just days before diagnosed "with a sudden and grave illness," the fact of whichJustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188969.post-67375127583543491452012-12-04T02:32:00.000-05:002012-12-04T02:32:26.427-05:00New band/blog name: Bruised male ego
Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188969.post-58643005384118026712012-09-07T02:08:00.001-04:002012-09-07T02:08:44.635-04:00I was really surprised to discover that nearly 700 handguns were seized by the Transportation Security Administration in just the first half of 2012.
Really? That many in just six months?!? Amazing.... And that's only a count of handguns specifically.... they've also confiscated countless hunting knives, stun guns, throwing stars, even a bazooka round.... Wow- the next time I fly, I'm going toJustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188969.post-19185235962266352212012-05-13T12:56:00.001-04:002012-05-13T12:56:21.913-04:00Freedom of the Russian Press: a Story of Lost TrustI've been going through my papers in preparation for our move. In doing so, I came across this piece; a rare multifaceted piece on the Russian media/political scene. It's highly recommended.
Freedom of the Russian Press: a Story of Lost Trust
Eurasia Daily Monitor
Volume 7 Issue: 209
November 17, 2010
By: Elena Chinyaeva
The recent attack on the Russian journalist and blogger Oleg Kashin Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188969.post-30905070722198834612012-05-05T15:45:00.002-04:002012-05-05T16:15:04.018-04:00Customer Review of History and Education policyBeen going through a bunch of papers and came across this, that I thought others would appreciate:
History: The Customer Reviews
The New Yorker October 17, 2011
The Tsar Falls in Russia
I do not recommend the Russian Revolution. At first, I fell for the hype and was kind of excited to set fire to my landlord. But now it seems like it’s just getting to be a lot of yakkety-yak. What we need is Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188969.post-63840065130303025042012-05-04T02:10:00.001-04:002012-05-04T02:16:32.468-04:00Lonely Hearts, and lots more besides....I came across the most recent copy of the London Review of Books and couldn't resist taking a look to see for myself the famously witty personal ads in the back. Sadly, there was only one worth any note this time:
Woman, 35: Large, untapped reserves of buttock and frontal lobe. Contact me at (email given).
There was also an interesting letter, in response to an article about a geographical Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188969.post-16172654247594686882012-05-02T02:06:00.000-04:002012-05-02T02:06:03.985-04:00The Metaphorical Avocado and Other Deep-Sea ButterfliesHaving a good time daydreaming about what a blog entitled "The Metaphorical Avocado and Other Deep-Sea Butterflies" might contain/discuss.Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188969.post-83234014394344785122012-03-05T01:07:00.002-05:002012-03-05T01:32:04.112-05:00A very eventful Presidential election in Russia-- despite the major protests throughout the country against electoral fraud the last time, questionable practices abound:Map of reported election violations (courtesy, GOLOS Foundation)Bracing myself for the avalanche of repetitive news stories in the Western media about the election. Putin's Russia is not an updated version of the Soviet Union, Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188969.post-34600972172253409432012-02-10T15:45:00.002-05:002012-02-10T15:56:55.796-05:00This is great-- a funny and innovative take on the Russian protests.Russian City Bans Toy DemonstrationsRFE/RL Russian Service February 10, 2012BARNAUL, Russia -- Authorities in the Siberian city of Barnaul have declared it is now illegal to organize antigovernment demonstrations using toy collections -- unless such protests have received permission from officials in advance. Activists in Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188969.post-21141669202946934102012-02-04T18:04:00.002-05:002012-02-04T18:12:39.939-05:00Really interesting development in the North Caucasus: from Eurasia Daily MonitorFebruary 3, 2012 -- Volume 9, Issue 24Leader Of The Caucasus Emirate Vows To Stop Attacks Against Russian Civilians On February 2, the leader of the North Caucasus rebels Doku Umarov made an astonishing statement in support of the growing movement in Russia against Vladimir Putin. In a dramatic departure from the Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719075978975075619noreply@blogger.com0