Microlog
21 Microlog entries tagged with ‘america’
The wrong Carlos: how Texas sent an innocent man to his death
If this story doesn’t enrage you, nothing will. Permalink ·
What are some of the most interesting or shocking things Americans believe about themselves or their country?
American exceptionalism is the big one. It’s just so, well, selfish. The rest of us like ourselves and our countries just fine without needing to fee we’re the best in the world, y’know. And from the other side: What are the most unexpected/shocking/baffling things people encounter when visiting the USA for the first time? Permalink ·
Food’s Biggest Scam: The Great Kobe Beef Lie
It’s protectionism taken to a ridiculous degree, at the expense of those who put in all the hard work. And most in America don’t have the foggiest. Permalink ·
One Town’s War on Gay Teens
Here’s my alternative standfirst: Why wretched people like Michelle Bachman and her supporters are dangerous and evil and must be stopped. Permalink ·
Barack Obama’s presidency, three years on - is it time to give up hope?
The Guardian’s Jonathan Freedland on the diminishing expectations for change. I’m reserving judgement till next year, if/when Obama gets re-elected; then we’ll know if he can forgo political expediency and show his ‘stomach for a fight’. Permalink ·
The US schools with their own police
Why is the state criminalising normal childhood behaviour?’ Indeed, Is this not a prime example of a police state in practice? Permalink ·
My Guantánamo Nightmare
The shocking story of one man’s abuse at the hands of a system (and a society) determined that ‘someone’ should pay for evil deeds done, whether they’re guilty or not. Utterly shameful. Permalink ·
Marco Ament on ‘the next SOPA’
The web censorship bills might be shelved for now, but will no doubt return in this or some other form — unless there is an aggressive push for campaign finance reform, and a recognition that unless we stop giving money to the MPAA et al, they will keep coming back. Permalink ·
Giving the FBI What It Wants
A digital media academic takes the extreme approach when he learns he’s being watched by the Feds. I understand what he’s doing, but he’s very much missing the point, and doing a disservice to those who don’t have his technical nouse. Permalink ·
‘Even Harvard couldn’t protect me’
At last a commentator who eschews the typical oh-woe-is-me nonsense and really understands the “endless anxiety” of jobhunting. Permalink ·
Remembering Why Americans Loathe Dick Cheney
Who does Chaney remind you of, if not a post-colonial African dictator? His name should be as maligned as Hitler’s. Yes, I went there. Permalink ·
Paul Krugman: The President Surrenders
Indeed. Obama has messed up in trying to keep the moral high ground; if everyone else is cheating, you don’t get anywhere trying to stick to the rules. Permalink ·
Nachos, anyone?
The OED dips into the history of the ubiquitous Tex-Mex snack. What a great story. Permalink ·
All Programs Considered
The New York Review of Books on the state of American public radio, an institution that much of America doesn’t even deserve. Permalink ·
No limits to the law in NoLa
“Something terrible lies at the heart of New Orleans - a rampant, widespread and apparently uncontrollable brutality on the part of its police force and its prison service.” Surely New Orleans isn’t the only example of this, even within the US. Permalink ·
Howard Zinn obituary
It’s been a year since he died; too few have learned his lessons. Permalink ·
Howard Zinn: America’s Blinders
The radical historial tells it like it is. Permalink ·
The State of the News Media 2006
An exhaustive report covering the state of journalism in America, but much of it would apply to most Western nations [c/o kottke.org]. Permalink ·
“Little Red Book prompts DHS visit” was Big Fat Lie
I had a funny feeling about the story from the beginning. If it was true then surely the guy would’ve been arrested and interned, no? Scary to think that the truth could be more shocking than the fiction, but that’s the world we live in today. Permalink ·
Reflections in the Evening Land
“The celebrated critic Harold Bloom, despairing of contemporary America, turns to his bookshelves to understand the trajectory of his country.” Permalink ·
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This page lists all Microlog entries by MacDara Conroy tagged with ‘america’. You will find many more entries sorted by month and by category in the Archives.
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