Sunday Morning Reading Material: Second Sunday in January 2011
Sunday. Sunday never changes. Sundays are for waking up next to your Girlfriend and then waking up the friend on your couch after a day of epic board gaming. Alternately: Sundays are for going to work during crunch time and hating your job.
This week, Tunisia exploded into revolution– it seems Wikileaks mentioned exactly how awful their government is. Also this week: the French “National Front” (neo-NAZI) party leader turned control of said party over to his daughter. Points for not being sexist, but negative points for being aristocratic.
Mumbles is bringing the (Cansei de Ser) Sexy back. Great remixes of songs that will make you smile.
Batman doesn’t use guns. Instead, he has a sweet ride.
The American government is harassing citizens for engaging in civic involvement. My experience is that the legislative branch tends to act as an extension of the will of the citizens, but the executive branch tends to act as a separate entity. Someday I hope the legislative branch reins in the executive.
My first thought when reading this is “smash the system”. As a graduate of a UC, I sort of hate Stanford. But the idea that it’s not automatically first tier? Ridiculous. If America wants to claim that it is a meritocracy, then there can be no such thing as “the right schools”, and personal connections should never help one land a job.
Long time readers know how much I hate car culture. If this is your first time reading: I hate car culture quite a bit. One gentleman decides to take pictures of just how awful it can be in the suburbs. These are design decisions made by our culture– we can make other choices. We should make other choices. Come the days of US$200/barrel oil, we will have to make other choices.
Speaking of design choices: food could be cheaper. That last sentence is among the most depressing I will ever read.
The rich are very different from you and me. We could make the decision to design a tax code with more tax brackets, and higher tax rates in those brackets. It would help fix this problem. Not to mention solve the budget deficit.
Feminism helped change the world. Want pictorial proof? here you go. Imagine being a little girl in the world as described by picture 1, and then being a girl in the world as described in picture 2. Picture 2 girls can do anything. They’re American girls.
How is it possible that the most effective speaker of the House since Cannon was never featured on the cover of Time? Seems Time is a “picture 1″ sort of organization.
In the wake of the Giffords shooting last weekend, some secret service members have suggestions about how Congress members can protect themselves. Helping implement some of this stuff at a townhall is how I will be spending my next Saturday.
This Gigantic Robot Puns: robot plays Jeopardy, bests humans. I have been replaced by a machine…
Not much to say here about how the Antebellum South was founded on the idea of a landed aristocracy. It’s fascinating to read that an contrast it with the American ideal of social mobility.
In all of game’s journalism, Troy Goodfellow is probably the person most capable of talking about balance of power theory in International Relations. So when he talks about the English National Character, and how it has implications for game designers, that’s going to be interesting.
A while back I made a pact with a London-based friend. He would root for the San Jose Earthquakes, and I would become an Arsenal Fan. Based on this map of soccer fandom, I have a good idea where in London he lives.
This week’s theme: Eating the rich. What’s the best thing you’ve eaten? Leave a comment!
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Sock as a handy tea filter? (Gag)! Oh, and I think while many would agree that social mobility should be based on ability and not on who you know, unfortunately, the old maxim of “it’s not what you know but who you know” is all too prevalent.