Новости за 18.11.2015

Just a year a so ago, the phrase “identity politics” had a musty and arcane air to it, redolent as it was of early 1990s campus battles over issues of gender and racial representation. Yet very quickly and unexpectedly, identity politics has gained a new urgency—not just because of the renewal of campus activism at places like Yale and Mizzou, but even more importantly because national politics has become infused with issues of group definition. In a time when the economy is still struggling to... Читать дальше...

Because Americans are conditioned to relate any piece of news to whatever part of the permanent campaign we’re enmeshed in, there’s been a lot of loose talk about how the deplorable attacks in Paris will upend the 2016 presidential race. As Dartmouth political science professor Brendan Nyhan points out, that’s overblown, especially so far from Election Day. Even “game-changers” right before an election—like the ever-present promise of an “October surprise”—rarely move the needle.

During my first year at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, I made the acquaintance of a cam-girl. Rebecca worked out of a cubicle, mechanically fucking a motorized dildo that the guy on the other side of the monitor thought he controlled. She soon figured out more lucrative arrangements. She introduced me to her clients over a luxurious dinner, but sugar baby-hood wasn’t for me. Filet mignon didn’t taste like much in that company.

Can a life—or even a moment—be represented by data? A single moment can contain an infinite amount of information. And when we think about these moments, it’s not necessarily information that characterizes our experience. Often the futility of our attempts to create the fullest possible record of a life is a source of comedy: In Laurence Sterne’s novel, Tristram Shandy spends a year writing down the events of a single day. When the data actually misrepresent reality, it is a source of tragedy. Читать дальше...

In August 1971, a prominent corporate lawyer from Richmond, Virginia, named Lewis F. Powell Jr. authored a “Confidential Memorandum” to the United States Chamber of Commerce. Powell observed that “with an activist-minded Supreme Court, the judiciary may be the most important instrument for social, economic, and political change.” He urged the Chamber to replicate game-changing litigation victories by “[l]abor unions, civil rights groups,” and “public interest law firms,” which often came “at business’s expense.” Six years later... Читать дальше...

I met U Ba Myo Thein at 3:45 pm on election day, 15 minutes before polls closed in Myanmar’s first relatively free and fair election in over two decades. He was distracted. Gulping coffee, Thein answered questions posed through a translator, while checking one of his cell phones for updates from his campaign manager and using another phone to gab enthusiastically to a stream of well-wishers. At that moment, Thein seemed like any other well-practiced politician. It was hard to imagine that only... Читать дальше...

1. Ben Carson; 2. Ted Cruz; 3. Carly Fiorina; 4. Donald Trump; 5. Chris Christie; 6. Jeb Bush; 7. Marco Rubio