Tag Archives: Politics

O Gulag, My Gulag: On Daniel Beer's "The House of the Dead: Siberian Exile Under the Tsars"

Posted on February 20, 2017 by williamjcobb

So I’m a sucker for Russian literature, and while I was recently reading a biography of Leo Tolstoy written by his daughter—Alexandra Tolstoy’s The Life of My Father (1953)—I had to set it down when I heard about this just-out … Continue reading →

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"The Americans": A New Reality TV Show Starring Melania and Donald

Posted on February 11, 2017 by williamjcobb

So FX has a series titled The Americans, now in Season Five, in which a pair of Soviet spies are masquerading as a married American couple. I’ve always liked the female lead, Keri Russell, who was in the charming indie … Continue reading →

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On the National Embarrassment of President Trump: "The Manchurian Candidate" Meets "The Bad Seed"

Posted on November 9, 2016 by williamjcobb

So waking up to the nightmare of a Trump presidency (who really wants to look at this guy for four more years?), I’m reminded of two great classic films: the original Manchurian Candidate (1962) and a quirky predecessor, The Bad Seed … Continue reading →

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Melting Ice Caps v. The In-Laws, With a Derisive Sneer at Marco Rubio

Posted on May 13, 2014 by williamjcobb

So I haven’t written much about Climate Change in a while (and in fact haven’t blogged, due to the hectic rush at the end of the term, but that’s over with, thank god) and here comes a batch of bad … Continue reading →

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Three Ideas for "Real" Change: Support States' Rights on Marijuana, Mandate Solar Panels of New Home Roofs, Ban All Assault Weapons

Posted on December 16, 2012 by williamjcobb

So the Obama administration has one chance for real change right now, with a couple more that are much needed. I live in Colorado, which has legalized marijuana, but the Obama administration has yet to respond on exactly what they’ll … Continue reading →

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The End of Growth, Or to Quote Bette Davis, "Fasten Your Seatbelts, It's Going to Be a Rocky Ride."

Posted on October 15, 2012 by williamjcobb

So there’s a fascinating, if decidedly gloomy, piece in the NY Times today, about one economist’s challenging paper that argues the U.S. (and other industrialized nations) are in store for a dramatic decline in growth, here. The most interesting part … Continue reading →

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