Berfrois

November 2010

‘When Maoists put a grass mohican on the Churchill statue, British conservatism seemed to go mad for a few days’

‘When Maoists put a grass mohican on the Churchill statue, British conservatism seemed to go mad for a few days’

From 3am Magazine: Police are the historic enemy of the protestor and Bloom reminds us that at the Met’s formation most people were anti-cop. The idea of putting random civilians in uniform and giving them power over the rest seemed insane, a recipe for mayhem. Critics had a point....

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How can it be that a tree blooms in winter?

How can it be that a tree blooms in winter?

Strip Show: In defense of bare trees | by Miriam N. Kotzin

The Smart Set

Driving alone on a highway through the desert of the Southwest, I passed a sign announcing the “Last Services for 100 Miles.” I asked myself, “How...

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‘Obama knew little economics, however, and he took the word of the orthodox…’

‘Obama knew little economics, however, and he took the word of the orthodox…’

From London Review of Books: Of all Obama’s appointments, the most damaging to his credibility with liberal supporters were Lawrence Summers and Timothy Geithner, the chief economic adviser and the secretary of the treasury. Geithner has the air of a perpetual young man looking out for the interests of...

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Playing the News: Berfrois Interviews Simon Ferrari

Playing the News: Berfrois Interviews Simon Ferrari

by Russell Bennetts Simon Ferrari is a doctoral student in digital media at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He recently co-authored Newsgames: Journalism at Play with Ian Bogost and Bobby Schweizer. Simon blogs about gaming at Chungking Expresso. Berfrois            What are Newsgames? Are they closer in nature to...

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Ballet Lives!

Ballet Lives!

Is Ballet Really Dying?  | by Claudia La Rocco

Slate

Ballet is dying. Maybe already dead. Impossible, you say, I've got tickets to a show!

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Discount him 30% for embroidery

Discount him 30% for embroidery

From Barnes and Noble Review: Autobiography of Mark Twain, reviewed by Ward Sutton, Barnes and Noble Review 

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Gyan Prakash: Myths of the Island City

Gyan Prakash: Myths of the Island City

Photo by Stephane Le Gal  by Gyan Prakash Mumbai Fables, the latest book from historian Gyan Prakash, has been praised by Salman Rushdie as “a fascinating exploration of my favourite city, full of insider knowledge and sharp insights.” Here Prakash explains the genesis of the book and the upcoming film...

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How could someone as smart as Freeman Dyson be so wrong about the environment?

How could someone as smart as Freeman Dyson be so wrong about the environment?

  Kenneth Brower has a number of theories: 1.       Contrariness 2.       He doesn’t really mean it 3.       Educated fool 4.       Old age 5.      Collision of faiths From The Atlantic: In August 2009, Dyson appeared on the Charlie Rose show. His inimitable voice—somehow both diffident and firm, its original British...

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Walden’s Finest

Walden’s Finest

From The New York Review of Books: There have been other comic strips that dealt with politics, but they did so sporadically, and as one-trick diversions—Al Capp satirizing the welfare state with his schmoos, Walt Kelly turning Senator Joseph McCarthy into Simple J. Malarkey—but Trudeau has reflected on politics...

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