Category: issues

“The apocalypse is surely near when Ramzan Kadyrov emerges as the voice of reason. The ruthless leader of Chechnya is among dozens of Russians officials, priests, doctors and psychiatrists aiming to calm an anxious populace frantically preparing for the end of the world later this week.”

“The NRA’s Google+ and YouTube pages remain intact, but the NRA “locked” its most recent Google+ post, decrying a surge in federal background checks, preventing the post from being shared with others or commented upon. On YouTube, the NRA appears to have similarly disabled comments on its most recent upload.”

“True, there are not yet any dedicated journals or conferences. But in history, anthropology, literature and media studies departments and beyond, a group of loosely connected scholars are taking a fresh look at office memos, government documents and corporate records, not just for what they say but also for how they circulate and the sometimes unpredictable things they do.”

“Personal comfort, however, is something that concerns us all.” The Australian arts editor Matthew Westwood, who is 6’9″ tall, has been taking a tape measure with him on his rounds of the nation’s theatres and concert halls, and he’s now sharing the results of his extensive research.

“In a critique of English ­immigration north of the Border, the writer says the largest influx of new residents into Scotland can be split into ­either long-term settlers, whom he approves of, or short-term colonists who come north to advance their career.”

Sting, Mark Knopfler, and others from northeast England: “The ‘blanket and pre-emptory’ cuts could result in ‘generations of young people denied access to the opportunities we were given and, without the council’s support, the arts will simply become a pursuit for the most wealthy.'”

“Competing visions for the renovation of the history exhibits at Canada’s most visited museum pit conservatives who favour political history of the kings-and-battles variety against liberals who prefer the museum’s past emphasis on social and multicultural history, but want a lot more of it.”

“Laws that govern how we sell our stuff aren’t very compatible with digital content. As awareness of these issues builds, a war is brewing – with retailers and publishers on one side, and libraries, consumers, and startups on the other.”

“Zero Dark Thirty appears to make a case for the Bush administration’s use of ‘enhanced interrogation tactics’ to extract vital information from terrorists.”

“It was arresting. It was heartbreaking. And it was rash, unnecessary and wrong. There is no good journalistic reason to put a child at a mass-murder scene on live TV, permission of the parents or not. There’s not even a bad-but-practical reason to do it.”