Who needs faux-reality television shows when one can spend a spellbinding week watching real reality unfold on the streets of Cairo, complete with tension, suspense, hopes, disappointments, and finally, euphoria? Of course, what comes next will be the subject of a long-running series and, as always, there's more to the plot than the mainstream media reveals. Gilles d'Aymery digs beneath the surface, and you'll be surprised at what he deems are the biggest challenges Egyptians will face in the foreseeable future. Also digging beneath the surface, Michael Barker reveals the faux reality of Spirit of America, an aid organization packaged as spreading "freedom and democracy" while working in collaboration with the US war machine in Iraq and Afghanistan to improve the efficiency of their counterinsurgency operations. "Only in America," as they say...and with all due respect to its sports fans, Jan Baughman illustrates her secret hope: that a snowed-out Super Bowl or drought-canceled World Series will wake Americans from their climate-change slumber and they'll get off the couch and do something. And returning to Africa, Femi Akomolafe takes on the Nigerian National Assembly's shady financial practices and obscene salaries.
Turning to cultural content, Roy Blount Jr.'s new book on the Marx Brothers' Duck Soup challenges critic Charles Marowitz's objectivity over what he considers a sentimental comedic masterpiece. Peter Byrne reviews Granta's 2010 edition, The Best of Young Spanish Language Novelists -- twenty-two gifted writers in a veritable bumper-car session with no end to changes of pace. In the academic corner, Marie Rennard shares her teaching methods, which may be unconventional, but they work for the young students she tutors in English; Francesca Saieva describes her vision on the archetypal meanings of the literary journey to the beyond in the search of truths in relation to common demands of social life; and Maxwell Clark presents four theses on Marx's method of political economy. We close with another poetic work of art by Guido Monte, along with your letters and our assurances that Swans has not become a mouthpiece for Murdoch.
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Gilles d'Aymery: Blips #104
A few selected issues that landed on the Editor's desk, from euphoria in Egypt when a military man is replaced by a phalanx of military men; what really needs to change in order for socioeconomic reform to happen; whether democracy even equates to income equality; to the little-discussed yet serious challenges Egyptians (and Tunisians) face in the foreseeable future. More...
Michael Barker: Promoting The Real Spirit of America
A critical examination of the role that Spirit of America and their board member Peter Ackerman fufill in supporting the US war machine. More...
Jan Baughman: Score One For Climate Change
Editorial cartoon: Will it take a canceled Super Bowl for people to wake up to the reality of climate change? More...
Femi Akomolafe: Nigeria National Assembly: Jumbo Pay For Little Work
The author and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria take on the Nigerian National Assembly's shady financial practices. More...
Charles Marowitz: Roy Blount Jr.'s Hail, Hail, Euphoria!
Roy Blount Jr.'s new book on the Marx Brothers' Duck Soup challenges the author's objectivity over what he views a sentimental comedic masterpiece. More...
Peter Byrne: Young, Spanish Speaking, And Following The Crowd
A review of Granta 2010 edition, The Best of Young Spanish Language Novelists, twenty-two gifted writers in a veritable bumper-car session with no end of changes of pace. More...
Marie Rennard: Dirty Teaching
Marie Rennard's teaching methods may be unconventional -- in fact, have gottern her fired -- but they work! More...
Francesca Saieva: The Journey "Beyond": Archetypal Meanings for Today's Men
Francesca Saieva describes her vision on the archetypal meanings of the literary journey to the "beyond," the "elsewhere," in the search of truths in relation to common demands of social life. More...
Maxwell Clark: Four Theses On Marx's "Method Of Political Economy"
The author presents four theses on Marx's method of political economy. More...
Guido Monte: bible alphabet
A free version of poetical images by Guido Monte, on symbolical meanings of the old Aramaic alphabetical letters. More...
On corn's Malthusian transformation to ethanol, and a loyal reader misreads Jan Baughman's cartoon on the RNC and Reince Priebus -- the editors reassure him that Swans has not become a mouthpiece for Murdoch. More...
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