Americans spent the 1990s in a fantasy world, where technological change supposedly would transform the human condition, taking as their intellectual guide science-fiction writers like William Gibson. There was nothing wrong with the market mechanism as such; what went haywire was the childish imaginings of the American public.
Underlying the crisis is the Western world's repudiation of life, through a hedonism that puts consumption or "self-realization" ahead of child-rearing. The developed world is shifting from a demographic profile in which the very young (children four years and under) outnumbered the elderly (65 and older), to a profile with 10 times as many retirees as children aged four or younger. Economics simply never has had to confront a situation in which the next generation simply failed turn up. - Spengler @ Asia Times Online
The more interesting question is why the Left dominates the social sciences and humanities. To answer that question might produce the reason there are so few conservatives in the academy. (Could it possbily be that the Leftists in charge of hiring decisions won’t hire them?)Do ya think?
"A Picture Versus Thousands of Words" VIA What's Next? Innovations in Newspapers.
Sirloin Steak and Onions? A Quarter. Soup and Bread? A nickel. Bernice Abbott: Blossom Restaurant, 103 Bowery, Manhattan. (October 03, 1935) See more than 300 photographs by Abbott @ Changing New York: Photographs by Berenice Abbott, 1935-1938
"Our community leaders who are running book stores, newspapers, flower shops, coffee houses, bars and many, many other things are hurting right now, so paying attention to their needs during this hard time is an effective form of activism," he said. -Calling in 'gay' to work is latest form of protest[Where is the Solidarity? In other news, the media was shocked to learn that Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich did not call in gay this morning, but went straight to work. It was his birthday.]
"Barack Obama’s first book, the memoir of a mixed-race man, is terrific. Outside of a few speeches, he will probably not write anything memorable until he’s out of office, but I look forward to that presidential memoir. Of course, I don't mean that by that that I'm looking forward to him being out of office! I just mean that, as a professional writer, I expect this yet-to-be-written memorable memoir is really going to be excellent, as well as superbly extraordinary, with many very good mixed-race wordsmithings." - iowahawk: Silly Plumber, Lit Is For Crits
Qin Shi Huang, is one of the most notorious and prolific book burners in history. During his reign from 221 BC - 210 BC, Qin Shi Huang outlawed Confucianism and ordered the burning of pretty much all the books that came before him including the classic works of the Hundred Schools of Thought. It is also believed that he buried alive many of the scholars of the day.
Incidentally, where do all the Muslim fundamentalists stand on this? The way I see it, Dickie Dawkins is cocking a snook at the concept of existence of GOD him/her/itself. I take it he's including Allah in all this? If so, are they going to throw a spack attack again, like they did with the Danish cartoons? And if not, why not? Bloody hypocrites. What do the Wiccans feel about this? That's your Earth Mother told, right enough. What about the Hindus? They've got shitloads of gods. Is Ganesha pure fiction? 'Yes'? OK, but what about Manasa, will she still be manning the celestial hotline on Thursday mornings? 'Oh...probably'... BEYOND THE iMPLODE: YOU'RE MORE THAN A NUMBER ON MAH LITTLE RED BUS
