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Category Archives: Politics
On Thomas Friedman's "Hot, Flat, and Crowded 2.0": A Disturbing Vision of the Future
So I must first confess that I am NOT a Thomas Friedman fan, which I think makes my enthusiasm more authentic for his nonfiction book Hot, Flat, and Crowded 2.0: Why We Need a Green Revolution—And How It Can Renew … Continue reading
Posted in books, Climate Change, Politics
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On Werner Herzog's New Film, "Into the Abyss," and the One Currently Opening Wide Its Maw at Penn State
So I teach at Penn State, a position which will be uncomfortable to admit for some time. Suffice to say it’s been one bizarre, disheartening week. I’ll let others shout bromides about the charges and the conduct of officials, but … Continue reading
Posted in books/film, Education, Politics
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On the Illegal Immigration Debate, Tim Egan's Savvy Op-Ed, and How It Appears in Novels
So Tim Egan has a blistering attack on the scapegoating of Latinos in the latest Republican presidential debates, and the whole issue of illegal immigration and migrant workers, here: I grew up in a predominantly Latino area of South Texas … Continue reading
Posted in books, Politics, The West
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On Prophecies in "The Bird Saviors": Dust Storms in Texas
So my forthcoming novel, The Bird Saviors—due out in (what’s left of) bookstores in May/June—opens with a dust storm in southern Colorado, and when I began writing it some five years ago, I imagined it set in a fuzzy ‘near … Continue reading
Posted in books, Climate Change, Politics, The West
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Warren Brussee's "The Second Great Depression" & Herman Cain's Nutty Economics
So one of the truisms that is sometimes voiced about our current Great Recession is that “Nobody saw it coming.” Which is nonsense, a myth propagated by dimwit media types who would like to believe this fiction, or who actually … Continue reading
Posted in books, Politics
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The Know Nothing Party Defies Gravity, Wins Elections?
So it’s driving me (slightly) crazy to read the idiocy coming out of Rick Perry’s mouth, echoed by a chorus of other Republican presidential contenders. Paul Krugman in the NY Times sums up their anti-science idiocy well here: What strikes … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change, Politics, The West
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On the Rise of the Fabulous Nothing Class, or As Some Have Phrased It, "Our Royal Wedding"
So I see this Kim Kardashian person mentioned (too often) in the news and do my best to ignore her, and see her best as the butt (pun intended) of jokes from the wry Larry David on Curb Your Enthusiasm … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
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No Fence-Sitting Here: Republicans Are Anti-Environment, and That's a Major Difference
So Paul Krugman had a good piece recently about the issue of media fence-sitting, decrying those b.s. ‘journalists’ who repeatedly say, “Washington is broken! Both parties are to blame!” He then details just exactly how wrong the Republican and Tea … Continue reading
Posted in books, Climate Change, Politics, The West
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HBO's Film of "Too Big to Fail" a Great Cast
So last year I was trying to read Andrew Ross Sorkin’s Too Big to Fail, which I admire much, although I did find it ‘too long to read,’ essentially because my schedule is too busy. It’s all about the financial … Continue reading
Posted in books/film, Politics
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The End of the World, Yawn—Or a Stupidity Gauge
So last night I’m watching ABC News (which I do just to keep an eye on what idiocy is in the mainstream media—answer: plenty) and they actually interviewed some craggy old nutcase who is apparently the “prophet” behind today’s Rapture … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
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