Books & Poetry

Orwell, blinding tribalism, selective Terrorism, and Israel/Gaza

polymeme — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:41:27 -0500

SALON :Former McCain-Palin campaign spokesman and current Weekly Standard editor Michael Goldfarb notes that Israel... READ MORE

'What happens in war happens'

polymeme — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:41:27 -0500

GUARDIAN :In 2004, photographs of abuses at Abu Ghraib shocked the world. Seven people were charged, but the face of the scandal will always be Lynndie England... READ MORE

Top 10 Most Literate U.S. Cities

polymeme — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 17:00:31 -0500

LIVESCIENCE : Once again, bookworms in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest have beaten out Yankee types to reach the very top of a researcher’s list of the most literate American cities... READ MORE

12 Elegant Examples of Evolution

polymeme — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 15:33:36 -0500

WIRED SCIENCE :In preparation for Charles Darwin's upcoming 200th birthday, the editors of Nature compiled a selection of especially elegant and enlightening examples of evolution...READ MORE

Profile: Terry Pratchett

polymeme — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 09:24:56 -0500

BBC NEWS :The author Terry Pratchett - whose novels have sold millions of copies worldwide - has been made a knight in the New Year Honours list... READ MORE

If Gaza falls . . .

polymeme — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 18:47:53 -0500

LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS :Israel’s siege of Gaza began on 5 November, the day after an Israeli attack inside the strip, no doubt designed finally to undermine the truce between Israel and Hamas established last June... READ MORE

Wartime Lies

polymeme — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:53:00 -0500

THE NEW REPUBLIC :On February 2, 2007, Herman Rosenblat's older brother Sam died. When he was on his deathbed, Herman went to visit him in the hospital in Florida... READ MORE

Wondrous Communications

polymeme — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 11:53:00 -0500

AJBLOGCENTRAL :There are various consequence to being around academics so much, even when not at MLA. Here is one of them: regular exposure to commentary on journalism in which the vigor of perfect self-assurance is never dampened by a complete lack of knowledge... READ MORE

Poetry, Politics, and Leanings-Left

polymeme — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 10:53:00 -0500

POEM OF THE DAY :That's what ran through my mind when I read David Orr's reflections on poetry and politics in the July/August issue of this magazine. Why, asks Orr, are we so endlessly fascinated with the connection between poetry and politics...READ MORE

Drug Companies And Doctors: A Story of Corruption

polymeme — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:53:43 -0500

THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS : Recently Senator Charles Grassley, ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, has been looking into financial ties between the pharmaceutical industry and the academic physicians who largely determine the market value of prescription drugs. He hasn't had to look very hard... READ MORE