I never thought of Baudrillard as an outlaw, despite his fascination with perfect crimes. He may have stood somewhat outside the academic establishment, but in many ways that can only be considered a compliment. The reality that we have created has overtaken us… and is creating us. To challenge how that happens, to describe it, even to play against it, is not the same thing as being an outlaw. He refused to be pressured into a mindset that had ceased…
“The need to speak, even if one has nothing to say, becomes more pressing when one has nothing to say, just as the will to live becomes more urgent when life has lost its meaning.” – Jean Baudrillard I remember a lecture given by Baudrillard at Emory. The crowd had transcripts of Baudrillard’s lecture, in case his accent was too overwhelming for them. People flipped pages like it was the Bible. I just looked and listened. I had no trouble…
I am a serious fan of Joe Frank. He is the radio noir guru of my soul. I have been listening to him since the eighties. He was the joy of my Friday nights, and did much to get me through a difficult graduate program in philosophical theology and ethics. From 1986 until 2002, Joe produced four Series: “Work in Progress,” “In the Dark,” “Somewhere Out There,” and “The Other Side.” Late Friday night, “Work in Progress” (from KCRW Santa…
This morning, I read a great article at Salon by Lindsay Beyerstein (Majikthise) on why she refused the Edwards campaign blogging job the others accepted. I think her analysis of the issues was dead-on, and she figured it out in advance. I also thought she was perceptive about the issue of off-the-campaign surrogates: Unfortunately, as the Edwards campaign learned the hard way, the right wing has a large network of surrogates, like Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh and Bill Donohue, who…
Coincidence? Uh-huh. Right. Dear Heidi: We regret to inform you that McAfee, Inc has removed you from their Affiliate Program. Merchants may remove affiliates from their programs for many different reasons, including violation of legal terms, inactivity, changes in site content, etc.
My longtime hero Molly Ivins is dead at 62 after a long, long battle with breast cancer. I knew it. I knew it when I posted a few days ago that she was in the hospital. Ivins died at home in hospice care, so at least she left the hospital. Oh, we’ve lost a good one. My eyes are brimming. Share an anecdote or quotation in the comments if you like. From her last column: We are the people who…