Daily Archives: January 3, 2009

Senator Al Franken of Minnesota?

FiveThirtyEight.com gives the details of today’s absentee ballot counting here. Money quote: Minnesota took until 5 PM today to begin actually counting rejected absentee ballots, as the Canvassing Board sorted through various legal objections, underwent the arduous task of physically … Continue reading

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“LET’S HOPE THE MAGIC NEGRO DOES A GOOD JOB”: Fox News Does Racist Scrolling in the Form of a “New Year’s Wish”

Are Rush Limbaugh and Fox News trying to get Republicans and conservatives to revive the word “negro” in everyday public conversation among them? Is this what it means to be a person “on the right” in the 21st century—someone who looks … Continue reading

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Voltaire’s Passionate and Intellectual Mistress, Emilie, Marquise du Chatelet (1706-1749), on Life and Happiness

An essay at AlterNet.com includes within it a great introduction to a feminist mistress of Voltaire’s, Emilie, Marquise du Chatelet, as well as some choice pieces of wisdom: Exactly what does it take to make a woman happy? One of the first to … Continue reading

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Goofing on Simon Schama

The famously jittery, enthusiastic, and ever gesticulating British historian, Simon Schama, is held up for amusing parody in the clip below: And here’s the real Simon Schama, in an actually rather subdued clip, here: And I’ve linked to my favorite book of … Continue reading

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