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It's a disgraceful era for journalism; the latest transgression being Rupert Murdoch's phone hacking and bribery scandal, whose tentacles appear to have reached from the U.K. to the U.S. No amount of full-page mea culpa ads and resignations can keep this story off the front page, except for that of the News of the World, of course. Will The Wall Street Journal and Fox News escape untarnished? Enquiring minds want to know; meantime, The New York Times, itself not scandal-free, has been working to reinvent, reimagine, and reorganize itself. Gilles d'Aymery wishes they would reinvent themselves back to their previous iteration when the line between journalism and opinion was clear. He critiques the changes, as well as the bad treatment he received from its public editor, Arthur Brisbane, in an exchange related to The Times Web site scrubbing, an issue that Swans Editor takes quite seriously -- so seriously that he wrote a letter to Mr. Brisbane that was to be published. But was it? Find out that and more on the end of America's space program and the beginning of the no-can-do society, the corruption from Greece to the US Congress, and the high cost of energy conservation. Also taking exception with the paper of record is Harvey Whitney, Jr., who challenges Stanley Fish's column "The Triumph of the Humanities," arguing that humanistic disciplines that have science as an object exist only to demythologize the sciences by questioning the cultural importance that they have largely earned.
When the space program was in its infancy and America's can-do spirit was soaring, French president Georges Pompidou delivered a prescient speech at the Chicago French Alliance during a 1970 trip, warning of the consequences of "progress" on the environment and urging that we protect our planet. Not only have we ignored his pleas, we've handed those protections to the corporations that profit at the planet's expense. Perhaps the findings of the Stanford Prison Experiment can help us understand why we so easily forfeit our well being and succumb to power. Michael Barker continues his analysis of this troubling experiment, presenting Part II on undermining prisoner solidarity.
Turning to another Frenchman, Peter Byrne continues his read of Michel Houellebecq, who claims his feckless mother threw him away as a baby, and like many others before him is convinced that it would have been better not to have been born. In a more deeply disturbing mother/son story, William Hathaway offers an excerpt from his latest book in which a returning soldier, traumatized from the Iraq War, finds comfort in his mother's bosom. Next we hear from Femi Akomolafe on Africa's sad history of black people doing all the forgiving and forgetting while white people continue their rape of its resources.
On a lighter and a musical note, Isidor Saslav examines the mystery of Bach's Chaconne and recounts his attendance of first violinist Arnold Steinhardt's performance at the Indianapolis Historical Society, while Raju Peddada explores the mystic poet and saint of India, Kabir. Guido Monte translates into English a fragment of Victor Hugo in old Cantabri and not-so-correct Spanish, and we close with your letters.
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Gilles d'Aymery: Blips #113
A few selected issues that landed on the Editor's desk, from the reinvented, reimagined, and reorganized New York Times and the advent of 'opinion journalism'; the paper of record's scrubbing of content and this Editor's response; the end of America's space program and the beginning of the no-can-do society; the travails of Greece and the Euro Zone and the widespread corruption among the global elites; to the high cost of energy conservation, and more. More...
Harvey E. Whitney, Jr.: A Response to Stanley Fish's "Triumph of the Humanities"
The author challenges Stanley Fish's New York Times column "The Triumph of the Humanities," arguing that humanistic disciplines that have science as an object exist only to demythologize the sciences by questioning the cultural importance that they have largely earned. More...
Georges Pompidou: Speech On The Environment
A prophetic speech on the environment by former French president Georges Pompidou, delivered on February 28, 1970, in Chicago, USA. More...
Michael Barker: Challenging The Stanford Prison Experiment (Part II of III)
Part II of a three-part series on the 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment, one of the best known psychology experiments ever undertaken. More...
Peter Byrne: A Novel Of Atoms And Small Minds
Author Michel Houellebecq, like many others before him, is convinced that it would have been better not to have been born -- it will be up to those future historians to determine how much the mother bugaboo furnished a cover-story for flaws too pervasive in our liberal societies to have a name. More...
William T. Hathaway: Coming Home
Book excerpt from RADICAL PEACE, a collection of reports from antiwar activists, the true stories of their efforts to change our warrior culture. In this chapter a mother tells of her son's return from combat. She wishes to remain anonymous. More...
Femi Akomolafe: Who Owns Papa's Land?
Throughout all of Africa, the history of the world is a sad story of black people doing all the forgiving and forgetting whilst white people continue to believe that they are entitled to their rape of other people's resources. More...
Isidor Saslav: "Chaconne, Anyone?" Arnold Steinhardt Performs In Indianapolis
The author examines the history of chaconne and recounts his attendance of first violinist Arnold Steinhardt's performance as part of the Laureate Series of the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis (IVCI) at the Indianapolis Historical Society on June 7, 2011. Chaconne à son goût. More...
Raju Peddada: The Mystical Genius Of Kabir
A review of Songs of Kabir by Arvin Krishna Mehrotra, a 106-page time-travel capsule that is an earthy, spicy, and aromatic compilation that evokes the sights, sounds, and smells of the dusty rural villages of India, half a millennia ago, where these devotional songs reverberated. More...
Translation by Guido Monte: fragment of hugo (from l'homme qui rit)
Guido Monte translates into English a fragment of Victor Hugo in old Cantabri (Basque, but only the first two words) and in not so correct Spanish, fragment where it's possible to analyze the linguistic blending on an existential dialogue. More...
Jana Hill's essay on soulless Miami finally gave Peter Byrne a good reason to visit; and a note to Gilles d'Aymery from a kindred soul in Haifa who also does not share one iota of the reasoning, justification, logic, and behavior of those people who are destroying the planet. More...
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