LongReads Round-Up Volume Twenty-Three

"The Robots that Saved Pittsburgh," by Glenn Thrush for Politico. I don't know a ton about robotics (other than that we should fear them and their inevitable takeover of society), but this long piece on how the robotics industry revitalized Pittsburgh while other industrial cities watched their economies crash is layman friendly. While I'd selfishly love for Pittsburgh to go unnoticed by the rest of the country so I can keep its low rents and post industrial culture to myself, this well researched article highlights the city's powerhouse-primed position in the national economy. "Improbably for a blue-collar town that seemed headed for the scrap heap when its steel industry collapsed, Pittsburgh has developed into one of the country’s most vibrant tech centers, a hotbed of innovation that can no longer be ignored by the industry’s titans."

This is relatively old news in the media world, but its worth a visit if you hadn't followed the story when it was published last month. "Dr. V's Magical Putter," by Caleb Hannan, released on Grantland, quickly gained notoriety and criticism for outing a trans woman who, prior to the publication, committed suicide. The article traces the journalist's fascination with a golf putter invented by an MIT physicist name Dr. Essay Anne Vanderbilt. As he researches her past, it comes to light that she is in fact lying about her credentials (though her putter still works as it claims). Along with discoveries about her education and work background, Hannan uncovers that Vanderbilt is in fact a transgender woman, and goes on to reveal this information to both her peers and the public at large with his article. This article is a sad reminder that mainstream media often mistreats and mis-reports on trans issues, and that society at large has minimal understanding of trans issues. After being met with vehement criticism, Grantland editor Bill Simmons published an apologetic "A Letter from the Editor," that addressed his own uninformed knowledge of trans men and women. Even better, ESPN writer Christina Kahrl, herself a trans woman, wrote an op-ed titled "What Grantland Got Wrong," that did an excellent summation of the problematic treatment of trans men and women in media.     "[Caleb Hannan's] essay on “Dr. V and the magical putter” figures to be a permanent exhibit of what not to do, and how not to treat a fellow human being."

"From Harvard to Webcam Girl," by Anna Katzen for Salon. A lackluster job and general malaise regarding the future sent Katzen in front of the webcam, where she stripped, masturbated, and discussed literature for strangers (and money). Katzen writes about her experience in a market driven by novelty ("pervs love new girls") and her worries that this choice in self employment will wind up being a regret later in life. Just enough voyeuristic details into the weirdness of camsex, but Katzen delivers with a sense of humor and self awareness, not titillation. "...some of my most popular performances entail me reading erotica, perhaps Anais Nin or the Marquis de Sade, in the buff...I have unwittingly created a powerful “brand” for myself: the wild intellectual, the bluestocking in garters."

"The Science and the Scam of the Séance" by Katie Heaney for Pacific Standard Magazine. The spooky spiritualism during the turn of the nineteenth century has been revealed to be mostly hoaxes and frauds (despite all the horror films that milk the séance trope). Heaney discusses one of the leading spiritualists of the day, who never let being exposed as a faker stop her from scaring the money out of curious folks' pockets. Heaney illuminates the tools for faking communication with the dead, and shares how even us twenty first century skeptics get the willies sometimes. "As much as I typically resent hoaxers for “ruining” many of the paranormal phenomena I hold dear, I am also impressed by anyone who can pull it off."
"The Academic Feminist: Melanie Klein on Yoga and Feminism," interview by Gwendolyn Beatham for Feministing. Klein discusses how she found yoga shortly after feminism, and the two practices have intertwined in her life ever since. This interview focuses on an upcoming book Klein edited with Anna Guest-Jelly, one of my favorite yogis who confronts body image issues in modern yoga practices. Their upcoming collection of body image centric essays tackles appropriation, racism, ageism, basically all the -isms with which popular Western yoga culture is fraught. Beatham includes a great round up of links and resources for those interested in the melding of feminist and yogic thought. "Feminism gave me my intellectual grounding and yoga provided the practice to embody and live these teachings."

"Himalayan Bath Salts Will Not Save Your Life," by Brian Palmer for Slate. Facebook is full of bad science, in the form of iStock photos overlaid with text that erroneously educates the masses that yes, the male brain hears music differently than a woman's, and blueberries cure cancer! Its not just science posts-misinformation gets spread around Facebook with the quickness of a "click share." A "science" website called Natural News is wildly popular, and wildly efficient at disseminating false information that feeds people's paranoia. Palmer reveals the misreporting and manipulation of information that happens in Natural News articles. Worse than instructing readers to eat lemon peels is the fearmongering it wages against the government, preying on fears of restricted liberties and conspiracies. "Natural News has an uncanny ability to move unsophisticated readers from harmless dietary balderdash to medical quackery to anti-government zealotry."

"Sexual Assault at Patrick Henry College, God's Harvard," by Kiera Feldman for The New Republic.  Oh, MAN. I have so many feelings about this piece and how it ties to fundamentalism's obsession with purity, conservatism's forced, unquestioning belief in authority, and my fears about how schools like PHC are feeders for politics. I attended one of those private schools with no federal funding (and no federal laws), and while I never witnessed the school administration cover up an assault case, I attended lectures that taught homosexuality could be "caught," like an illness, chapels that preached that women were meant to be wives and mothers, not leaders or careerists, and met several young women who blamed themselves for being assaulted. The culture at work in schools like PHC and Grove City College foster victim blaming and rape apology, placing responsibility on women's sexual, tempting bodies and not on the men who apparently can't control their raging testosterone. "'The entire line of questioning was basically like, ‘Did you make it up? Or did you deserve it in some way? Or was it consensual and now you’re just lying about it to make him look bad?’"

"Once Upon a Time," by Nicole Pasulka for Buzzfeed. I find this article incredibly stressful because, as a future hoarder, I could never throw away possessions with Pasulka's cavalier attitude. I even found myself thinking, as she bemoans losing a set of childhood books from her parents' home, 'you got what you deserved, lady.' This is a beautifully written, wistful essay on the memories she has of her most beloved books as a child. Buzzfeed isn't just for gif posts and "44 Things" lists. "The characters I remember the most show that bad can be good, that love isn’t reserved for those who do the right thing."

"How to Survive a Ten Hour Flight Like a Lady," by Hilary Fischer-Groban for The Hairpin. I've made the 'other side of the world' flight a few times now, and let me tell you, I looked HELLA ROUGH when I landed in America last summer. I had zero shame and wore my Peace Corps shirt and told myself people would let me slide for looking so beat/wolfing down a footlong Subway sandwich in a matter of minutes. Also, arriving home to the fanfare of friends and family also meant photos, photos of me looking exhausted, splotchy, and probably visible stink lines. If you're going to be picked up by loved ones at your next transpacific flight and don't want them to run screaming in the other direction, check out these tips, and the comments section too! "If this isn’t working for you, try thinking about how glad you are that you aren’t doing this journey by sea or worse, not at all, you spoiled brat."

The Best-Of Round-Up

I'm currently on a bus trip with my students to Bali, so I can't bring the best of the LongReads for the week. But here are some "Best of 2012" Lists to keep you busy.

#Comedy

The best stand up specials of 2012 from Vulture.

#Feminism

Huffington Post brings the Best "Women's Interest" Articles of 2012... I wish \we would stop divyying up lifestyle interests by gender. If you're of the male persuasion, these articles are very pertinent to you too.

#Film

International Business Times has five of the best movies nobody watched.

Entertainment Weekly rounds up the best young adult/child performances of 2012.

Best film moments of 2012 from The Guardian, and over all the Critics Picks of 2012.

Media source Vulture published film critic David Edelstein's favorite films of 2012, and some bonus round ups at the bottom of the article.

From BFI , the top eleven films of 2012.

Zero Dark Thirty has been named Best Film of 2012 by both the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Board Review.

#Literature

NPR has several Best of Lists going around the site... my favorites are Best Historical Fiction and "Finders Keepers: Books to Hang On To."

New York Times has its annual big fat list of 100 Notable Books of 2012. (May induce overwhelming so many books, so little time anxiety). Also, there is a much more succinct list of the Top Ten Books of 2012, and the Notable Children's Fiction of 2012.

A list with some fresh titles from The Atlantic: Top Five Books and Ten Runner Ups.

#Music

From Flavorwire, "The Year in Controversial Album Covers." [NSFW]

Salon brings the best musical numbers in 2012 Television.

For the audiophiles, Spin ranks the 50 Best Albums of 2012.

LongReads Round-Up Volume Eleven

#Economy

Evaluating welfare programs in Britain that have now lasted an entire lifetime http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/politics/2012/11/cradle-grave

Into the holiday shopping subconscious http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-27/why-holiday-gifts-receive-more-ughs-than-oohs-.html

#Family

Essay http://therumpus.net/2012/11/osiris/

Community surrounding a woman who embarks on single motherhood http://therumpus.net/2012/11/the-we-of-single-motherhood/

#Feminism

Suzanne Venker’s job is telling other women they shouldn’t have jobs: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/11/24/war-on-men/

Excellent response article from Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/post/the-war-on-men--straw-feminism-101/2012/11/26/0ae5c158-37da-11e2-b01f-5f55b193f58f_blog.html

Another response from CNN http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/29/living/war-on-men/

Devious straw feminists will burn your bras http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=341 #comics

Mary Miller has a hard time getting along with women http://therumpus.net/2012/11/i-am-sorry-women/

The panic of women’s issue think pieces, and sexism in journalism  http://nplusonemag.com/the-intellectual-situation-issue-15

#Film

Review of Rust and Bone  about an affair between a kickboxer and a legless orca trainer http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/movies/2012/11/rust_and_bone_starring_marion_cotillard_reviewed.html

New Vinterberg film on small town hysteria and false accusations http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2012/11/hunt-film-about-society-thrall-its-children

El Médico won the New York International Latino Film Festival award for best documentary, about a Cuban doctor who also wants to be a reggae star http://therumpus.net/2012/11/the-rumpus-review-of-el-medico-the-cubaton-story/

Attica Locke on writing for Hollywood vs writing fiction and post racial America  http://www.themorningnews.org/article/attica-locke

The karmic outlook of Bill Murray http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/movies/bill-murray-star-of-hyde-park-on-hudson.html

#Health

A company in Denmark has developed programs to employ autistic adults for specialized tasks http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/magazine/the-autism-advantage.html?pagewanted=all&_r=2&

Forget diamonds. Jellyfish are forever. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/magazine/can-a-jellyfish-unlock-the-secret-of-immortality.html?ref=magazine&pagewanted=all

#History

Essay on the Oracle of Delphi http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/voices-in-time/deconstructing-the-oracle.php?page=all

#Humour

Ideas for the “traditional bride” to honor her “traditional background” http://therumpus.net/2012/11/funny-women-91-shower-gifts-for-the-traditional-bride/

Who needs a fictional apocalypse when we're living it? http://www.themorningnews.org/article/a-funny-thing-happened-on-the-way-to-the-apocalypse

#Literature

Publishing off the grid of the mainstream cultural hotspot (is Brooklyn mainstream hip now?) http://www.themillions.com/2012/11/dispatch-from-the-edge-of-literary-culture.html

The cultural retreat of Catholic writers http://www.themillions.com/2011/11/where-have-all-the-catholic-writers-gone.html

On Evelyn Waugh's conversion to Catholicism in life and literature http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2012/11/evelyn_waugh_as_catholic_novelist_brideshead_revisited_and_helena.single.html

The “scandal” at the center of Percy’s National Book Award boils down to a misinformed article http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2012/11/_1962_national_book_awards_scandal_the_story_behind_the_moviegoer.single.html

I love Kate Zambreno, I love Kate Zambreno, I love Kate Zambreno http://therumpus.net/2012/11/the-sunday-rumpus-interview-kate-zambreno/

The history of queer literature http://www.themillions.com/2012/11/the-march-of-progress-is-never-neat-merle-miller-and-on-being-different.html

Bonus: 50 Queer Writers of Color http://zahrawithaz.livejournal.com/12471.html

Tracking the effects of university literary theory classes in literature http://nplusonemag.com/the-theory-generation

The Post Catastrophe novel http://nplusonemag.com/the-end-the-end-the-end

Review of Edmund Love’s 1958 memoir on living on the streets and the eccentric transients of the NYC subway system http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2012/11/29/twilight-people-subways-are-for-sleeping/

The Millions rounds up some of the NYTimes top 100 books and reviews http://www.themillions.com/2012/11/the-notables-2012.html

#Music

When Kathleen Hanna mentions Kathy Acker calling her an idiot for being a one dimensional feminist and Hanna owning up and I totally fangirl over it all http://www.avclub.com/articles/kathleen-hanna-on-bikini-kill-being-feminist-icon,88912/

Discovering an extensive collection of recorded performances of the Grateful Dead http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/11/26/121126fa_fact_paumgarten?currentPage=all

Sufjan loves Christmas, has feelings about commercialization, made a GIANT boxed cd set about it http://stereogum.com/1201912/deconstructing-sufjan-stevens-and-christian-music/top-stories/lead-story/

Eighteenth century essay on the transcendence of harpsichord music http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/voices-in-time/synesthesia.php?page=all

Who is the greatest rapper of all time? http://www.theawl.com/2012/11/andre-3000-vs-biggie

Best of Lists are the Best http://www.spin.com/articles/best-albums-2012 

#Politics

The Hillary Dynasty http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2012/11/hillary-clinton-2016.html

What does American democracy really mean?http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/preamble/feast-of-fools.php?page=all

#Religion

Statement from the Archbishop of Canterbury regarding sexual violence against women and the Church's responsibility http://www.newstatesman.com/lifestyle/2012/11/more-prayer-faith-communities-response-sexual-violence

Explaining the big step back for progressive religious leadership http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2012/11/the-fear-of-women-as-bishops.html

What's the queer student at a Christian college to do? Also, underground LGBTQ support groups. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-southwick/is-there-hope-for-queer-s_b_1829246.html (can speak from experience as an ally of the fledgling group at Grove City College, its a rough, less than Christian loving road to inclusion and support)

Church leadership is patriarchal because the Godhead trinity is patriarchal http://diannaeanderson.net/?p=1255 #sexism 

http://killingthebuddha.com/mag/confession/reading-the-st-louis-edicts/

Moderate Muslims are not an exception to the rule http://killingthebuddha.com/mag/dispatch/dear-america-moderate-muslims-exist/

#Sexuality

A frequenter of Australian brothels assembles the most memorable exchanges http://therumpus.net/2012/11/things-women-have-said-to-me-in-brothels/

Roxanne Gay writes about the complicated world of oversexualized children, especially girls http://therumpus.net/2012/11/eleven/

#Technology

“The iron Phone” and other battlegrounds in the kingdoms of Wester-net http://www.economist.com/news/21567361-google-apple-facebook-and-amazon-are-each-others-throats-all-sorts-ways-another-game

Hacking the cyberwar between Syrian government and revolutionists http://www.businessweek.com/printer/articles/82480-the-hackers-of-damascus

#Television

“[The Bachelor] is this generation’s Stanford Prison Experiment.” http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/magazine/the-life-lessons-hidden-in-reality-tv.html?ref=magazine&pagewanted=all

#Travel

Underground supper clubs hosted out of Los Angeles apartments are another evolution of the aging restaurant model http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/12/03/121203fa_fact_goodyear?currentPage=all

Partaking in the 685 mile dog sled race across Russia’s tundra http://www.themorningnews.org/article/twilight-on-the-tundra

The Omni Retailer Warehouse Workers Conditions Round-Up

Three articles by human rights journalist Mac McClelland for Mother Jones. In the first, she observed a warehouse in Ohio that contracts shipping and handling for an internet omni-retailer. Next, an essay from last Christmas season about the conditions of the workers behind internet shopping. Then in her third article, she worked as a "picker" in a similar factory. She faced physically grueling labor at a meager, though legal wage, with inflexible time management demands and impossible goal targets. She packed a (possibly un-)surprising amount of dildos.

http://www.motherjones.com/rights-stuff/2011/07/ohio-warehouse-temps-unemployment

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/12/slave-elves-online-shipping

http://www.motherjones.com/print/161491

Many of these omni-retailers such as Amazon or Walmart Online contract a third party logistics company to staff and manage the shipping and handling aspect of online shopping. These logistics companies hire on a temp basis, where reaching full hire is a Sisyphean task. Companies can afford to fire temp employees easily and frequently, without even requiring to give a reason, because of the overabundance of unemployed people who are willing to step into the role of exploited worker.

Lehigh Valley, PA's newspaper The Morning Call investigated conditions in Amazon's warehouse, where employees frequently faint in 100 degree heat and are called to mandatory overtime regularly.

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-allentown-amazon-complaints-20110917,0,7937001,full.story 

Huffington Post wrote about warehouses in the Midwest, and how temporary work perpetuates poverty and job instability.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/20/new-blue-collar-temp-warehouses_n_1158490.html?view=print&comm_ref=false

This holiday season, as many of us begin navigating the frenzied waters of sales and markdowns in the name of gift giving, keep in mind the workers you affect from start to finish in your purchases. I'd like to admonish to shop small, local, or independent whenever you can, but I understand the economic privilege that comes from. When you can buy a novel for full sticker price at an independent bookstore, or get a 42% discount and free shipping from an online omni-retailer, I see and feel the financial pressure to be as thrifty as possible. At all times, remember to be an ally and support of workers who are underpaid and overworked and treated as inhuman cogs in the capitalist machine, both in America and around the world.

The Wal-Mart Black Friday strike is just one effort to bring more attention to workers' rights.

http://prospect.org/article/wal-mart-always-low-wages 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/22/walmart-strike-dallas_n_2175697.html
http://www.thenation.com/blog/171425/black-friday-strike-will-test-power-high-stakes-online-organizing
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/11/201211227838361804.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/nov/20/walmart-unrest-black-friday-strike
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/wal-marts-looming-black-friday-strike-could-make-for-an-unexpectedly-painful-holiday-season/2012/11/19/70d5eba4-3209-11e2-92f0-496af208bf23_story.html

LongReads Round-Up Volume Nine

#Environment

Calling President Obama to end the magical denial of climate change on Capitol Hill http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2012/11/19/121119taco_talk_remnick

#Essay

This article ended a year-long column chronicling life after the author’s young son died of cancer. http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/epilogue-deadkidistan

#Fashion

Zara and fast fashion, the ultimate unsustainable economic model http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/magazine/how-zara-grew-into-the-worlds-largest-fashion-retailer.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Ex-Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka are now employed in the garment factory industry http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/3173c7e8-21be-11e2-b5d2-00144feabdc0.html

#Female Genital Mutilation

A recent article in The Guardian discussed the oft-secret practices of FGM in Indonesia. As a Peace Corps volunteer in the country, I've been shocked at the revelation. Female circumcision has never been mentioned to me, and was not mentioned in our volunteer training. These are a few articles and studies on FGM in Indonesia:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/nov/18/female-genital-mutilation-circumcision-indonesia

2011 article by activist Julia Lalla-Marharajh in HuffPo http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julia-lallamaharajh/indonesias-new-guidelines_b_1030330.html 

Historical survey and modern study of FGM, connecting it to practicioners of Islam (instead of cultural practice pre-conversion) http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/arch_0044-8613_1998_num_56_1_3495 

2003 study completed by Population Council Jakarta in partnership with USAID: http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNACU138.pdf 

#Feminism

The push and pull of women’s economic progress: improvement does not mean the battle is finished http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2012/11/why-do-some-feminists-get-uneasy-when-women-make-progress/265171/ #feminismaintdeadyet

How “girl” centric TV is giving more complex representations of women http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2012/11/the-upside-to-girly-tv-shows-they-understand-that-women-struggle/265151/

#Film

“Pulp Fiction” seems to mark a change in film culture… for an older generation, the end of great film and for the younger, just the beginning http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/10/film-culture-isnt-dead-its-just-more-fun/263264/

Comparison of the original “Prometheus” script and the final product, a few plot holes tied up http://io9.com/5960275/what-did-damon-lindelof-add-to-prometheus-the-biggest-differences-with-the-original-draft

#Food

Essay on food as the gateway to acculturating in the American South http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2012/11/08/smoke-lingers/

#Health

Children who feel no pain. Waiting for this to be adapted into a gritty graphic novel and then subsequently a slightly less gritty film http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/18/magazine/ashlyn-blocker-feels-no-pain.html?pagewanted=all

Sexual health practices in the porn industry, and the law that wants to make all actos wear condoms: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/06/health/unlikely-model-for-hiv-prevention-porn-industry.html?pagewanted=all

Adult actress Stoya makes the case for refuting the condom law:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/nov/16/stoya-measureb-porn-condoms-la

#International

On the new presidency in China: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/11/07/xi_jinpings_challenge?page=full

#Literature

A few articles on experimental literature:

http://htmlgiant.com/random/what-is-experimental-literature-five-questions-bhanu-kapil/

 http://htmlgiant.com/author-spotlight/unfold-is-the-wrong-word-an-interview-with-bhanu-kapil/

http://www.bostonreview.net/BR31.4/welish.php

A prose poem by experimental writer Bhanu Kapil http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/239154

His Dark Materials author Phillip Pullman has a new retelling of the Grimm Fairytales http://www.npr.org/2012/11/11/164432853/philip-pullman-rewriting-the-brothers-grimm

Mapping European crime novels across the continent: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/oct/26/crimes-grand-tour-european-detective-fiction

#Political

Appreciating this flowchart of the David Petraeus scandal by Gawker http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18571gytxfkj7jpg/original.jpg

What the generation that is coming of age in America will expect from their government: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2012/11/the-malia-generation.html

Election season can tear apart friendships over party loyalties: http://www.salon.com/2012/11/17/game_over_conservative_friend/ #essay

#Photography

Beautiful collection of celebrations and preparations for Diwali http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/11/diwali-the-festival-of-lights/100404/

#Poverty

Using direct deposits for poverty level families, India sees a marked upswing in improved nutrition and quality of living, and a downturn in corruption http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21565966-debate-growing-about-how-get-welfare-needy-money-where-your-mouth

Fifteen percent of Americans live below the poverty line, and even more live in a daily struggle to meet monthly needs. http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21565956-americas-poor-were-little-mentioned-barack-obamas-re-election-campaign-they-deserve

#Workforce

Walmart workers are gearing up for Black Friday strikes http://www.thenation.com/blog/171299/walmart-strike-spreads-texas-organizers-promise-massive-black-friday-protest

LongReads Round-Up Volume Four

#Anarchy  

Portland based activists have responded to grand jury subpoenas for testifying with silence:  http://truth-out.org/news/item/11181-facing-grand-jury-intimidation-fear-silence-and-solidarity

A third Northwest activist jailed for refusing to testify: http://www.salon.com/2012/10/11/third_northwest_activist_jailed_for_staying_silent/

#Art

A Rothko painting was defaced at Tate by a “rebel” artist: http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2012/oct/08/defaced-tate-modern-rothko

#Biography

Looking for Kim Philby: http://www.lrb.co.uk/v34/n19/tom-carver/diary

Nazi resisters Bonhoeffor and von Dohanyi: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/oct/25/tragedy-dietrich-bonhoeffer-and-hans-von-dohnanyi/?pagination=false 

#Current Events

Deported American veteran now keeps a home for other veterans in Mexico: http://prospect.org/article/farewell-arms-and-united-states #Immigration

Politicians are ignoring climate change: http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/10/why-arent-politicians-listening-joe-romm-climate-change #Environment

What will Mitt Romney do to America? http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/magazine/is-there-life-after-mitt.html?_r=1 #Politics

Lance Armstrong and the Doping Case: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/11/sports/cycling/agency-details-doping-case-against-lance-armstrong.html?_r=1&hp #Sports

#Feminism

This author believes she was discounted because she is a woman writing about religion: http://www.hds.harvard.edu/news-events/harvard-divinity-bulletin/articles/the-pen-is-mightier

#Humor

Cute animals take cute baths: http://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/the-greatest-moments-in-the-history-of-bathtime

Top Ten Fictional Hangover: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/gallery/2010/dec/26/tom-waits-pgwodehouse#/?picture=370029069&index=0

#International

Where is the Pakistani condemnation of the Malala shooting? http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/10/10/We_Are_All_Malala

China's dissemination of public information to flame certain individuals: http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/10/what-is-a-human-flesh-search-and-how-is-it-changing-china/263258/

The Nobel Peace Prize might be a joke: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/10/12/worst_prize_ever

#Literature

The Art of Translating Literature: http://www.guernicamag.com/daily/marilyn-hacker-the-paradox-of-translation/

2012 Nobel Prize for Literature goes to Mo Yan: http://www.themillions.com/2012/10/chinese-novelist-mo-yan-wins-the-nobel-prize-for-literature.html

Short fiction by Mo Yan: http://www.granta.com/New-Writing/Frogs

Short piece by http://readthebestwriting.com/?p=1097

In memory of the late Kingsley Amis: http://maudnewton.com/blog/?p=18815

Essay by Walker Percy on the joys of Bourbon: http://www.claremont.org/publications/crb/id.764/article_detail.asp

Thinking about poems: http://therumpus.net/2012/10/the-last-poem-i-loved-oh-karma-dharma-pudding-and-pie-by-philip-appleman/ #poetry

Writing a Booker Prize Winner: http://moreintelligentlife.com/content/ideas/hilary-mantel/eyes-prize?page=full

Short fiction by Chris Drangle: http://www.granta.com/New-Writing/Exit-Music

Literary titans writing about censorship: http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/10/01/literary-icons-on-censorship/

#Religion

Fundamentalist support for Mitt Romney: http://www.salon.com/2012/10/11/fundamentalists_for_mitt/

Is it impossible to criticize Islam? http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2012/oct/11/can-islam-be-criticized/

Chinese Muslims face cultural difficulties: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/10/201210493210185606.html

Druid biker and Arthur Pendragon Reincarnate: http://www.vice.com/read/all-hail-king-arthur-uther-pendragon

#Science #Technology

Its the best time to be a physicist http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/blog/quantum-optics-physics-nobel/

Revealing the identity of an internet troll: http://gawker.com/5950981/unmasking-reddits-violentacrez-the-biggest-troll-on-the-web

"The Mindy Project" Round-Up

Last week, Mindy Kaling's new show, "The Mindy Project," premiered on Fox. This is a Big Deal for Women in the Media, as Kaling is creator, star, and head writer of the tongue in cheek rom-com lampoon of  a show. 2011 had a surge in female-led comedies ("New Girl," "Whitney," "Two Broke Girls") but "The Mindy Project" is different right out of the gate: our heroine is a thirty-something OB-GYN woman of color, while last years shows centered on aimlessly drifting white girls.

Here are some articles on "The Mindy Project," also a #LongListen from NPR, and a piece Kaling wrote for The New Yorker last year about rom-com tropes:

from Salon: http://www.salon.com/2012/09/24/mindy_kalings_entitlement_project/

from The New Republic: http://www.tnr.com/article/books-and-arts/107812/mindy-kaling-tvs-smartest-airhead

#LongListen from NPR: http://www.npr.org/2012/09/25/161745528/mindy-kaling-loves-rom-coms-and-being-the-boss

The New Republic asking, where are the female writers? http://www.tnr.com/blog/plank/107818/the-woman-project

By Kaling for The New Yorker: http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2011/10/03/111003sh_shouts_kaling?currentPage=all