House Republicans and the Betrayal of Democracy | Geoffrey R. Stone Get Politics Newsletters: A threat is an expression of intention to inflict harm on others unless the target of the threat agrees to do what the person making the threat demands. A threat uses coercion rather than persuasion to effect change. As a general rule, democratic governments do not negotiate with those who threaten their people with harm. What makes the House Republicans' decision to shut down the federal government an immoral and unconscionable "threat" rather than an ordinary political disagreement? Of course, as the House Republicans glibly say on the talk shows, the Senate and the President can "solve" the problem any time they want by giving in to those who are inflicting ongoing harm to the nation. Of course, the House Republicans have every right to try to get their preferred policies enacted into law through the democratic process. The behavior of the House Republicans is nothing short of reprehensible.
Venice Is the Best Neighborhood in Los Angeles, But I'm Leaving Venice has always been too good to be true. From its not-so-humble beginnings, when a tobacco magnate named Abbot Kinney dredged a bunch of unnecessary canals to build Venice of America, to The Doors, man, and Ed Moses and Dennis Hopper, to the sliding and flying Z-Boys, to the warring V13 and Shoreline Crips -- the chapters of Venice history are written before the era is even finished. Venice is "where art meets crime," but the art has not been good for years and the crime not as bad for almost as long. I love it. Venice is the best neighborhood in Los Angeles. Forget Echo Park. The Venice Boardwalk is full of crap, but even locals don't stay away. Venice is incredibly walkable. See also: Top 10 Bars in Venice And once you hop on a bike, you're in Santa Monica, home of chain stores and tall condos. The water quality in Venice is among the best in the county. Venice is the best neighborhood in Los Angeles, but I'm leaving. The rents have gone up. See also:
Everything you need to know about life under Obamacare What is Obamacare? It's more than just a bumper sticker. (Reuters/Jessica Rinaldi) “Obamacare” is what we’ve all apparently decided to call the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a set of health reforms passed by the Congress and signed into law by President Obama in March 2010. The law itself touches on everything from how hospitals are reimbursed for care to whether chain restaurants post calorie counts on their menus. When is Obamacare? Soon! Are you sure it will really start then? Pretty sure. Will Obamacare be available in every state? Some of it will, some of it won’t. What makes this particularly troublesome for the law (and, more to the point, for the uninsured) is that there are no subsidies for private insurance for people making less than the poverty line. This is a lot to read. Er, no. Ack, sorry, I meant "graphic novel" form. Sure. Actually, I like reading stuff. Here's the biggest thing to know about Obamacare: Most people will never notice it. Probably not. No. Sorry.
A People's History of the United States The Note: This great book should really be read by everyone. It is difficult to describe why it so great because it both teaches and inspires. You really just have to read it. The disclaimer: This version is made from OCR. The Soapbox: On #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen; Feminism Is Not Black And White The Internet exploded in feminist calamity yesterday over the racist, sexist, patriarchal, abuse-laden behavior of Hugo Schwyzer, an allegedly a self-described* mentally ill (former) professor of women’s studies at Pasadena City College. Schwyzer divulged information that is classically tucked away behind the buttressed walls of systemic white privilege. Anecdotally, it’s akin to the ENRON scandal, the ACORN scandal and the unprecedented shit show that was the financial collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008. Thematically each of these exposed, in an exceptional way, the clandestine systemic privileges that sustain long-term oppression: economic, racial, civic or otherwise. Schwyzer, a self-identified male feminist made his claim to Internet fame by reworking and packaging up modern male feminism and selling it to online publications like The Atlantic and Jezebel, for whom he was a paid contributor, and Feministe, which featured an interview with him.
Ibi Zoboi, Mom Of The Month, Embraces 'The Weirdness Of Life Under Remarkable Circumstances' Written by Judith Ohikuare Ibi Zoboi wants to recreate the world through writing. Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and raised in New York City in the 1980s, the storyteller learned the art of crafting new narratives from other Haitian immigrants and members of the emerging spoken word movement. She began writing in high school but “wasn’t consciously aware of [writing] being something you can pursue” until her early college years, which she filled with fashion, poetry readings, and literature from the Black Arts Movement. Zoboi eventually changed her name (Pascale to “Ibi”, Yoruba for “rebirth”) and embraced speculative fiction, a genre that highlights the weirdness of life under remarkable circumstances. Now married with three kids, Zoboi is putting the finishing touches on a new novel. “For black children, there’s a narrative that anyone in the world who looks like them is in a dire situation—that’s why I love science fiction and fantasy. How has being a mother changed your life?
Surviving Whole Foods | Kelly MacLean Whole Foods is like Vegas. You go there to feel good but you leave broke, disoriented, and with the newfound knowledge that you have a vaginal disease. Unlike Vegas, Whole Foods’ clientele are all about mindfulness and compassion... until they get to the parking lot. Then it’s war. As the great, sliding glass doors part I am immediately smacked in the face by a wall of cool, moist air that smells of strawberries and orchids. The first thing I see is the great wall of kombucha — 42 different kinds of rotten tea. Next I see the gluten-free section filled with crackers and bread made from various wheat-substitutes such as cardboard and sawdust. Next I approach the beauty aisle. I grab a handful of peanut butter pretzels on my way out of this stupid aisle. Next I come to the vitamin aisle which is a danger zone for any broke hypochondriac. I move on to the next aisle and ask the nearest Whole Foods clerk for help. I grab a couple of loaves of poison, and head to checkout.
African-American Film Isn’t Having a Renaissance: Harvey Weinstein and the Myth of the “Obama Effect” Earlier this week, while on record with the entertainment blog The Wrap, Hollywood producer and power-player Harvey Weinstein blithely declared, “It’s a great moment [for black films]… Hopefully it signals, with President Obama, a renaissance. He’s erasing racial lines. It is the Obama effect. It’s a better country. Let’s get one thing straight: this fall’s slate of mainstream films starring black actors and directed by black filmmakers does not signal a renaissance of African-American film. Between January and August of 2011, The Weinstein Company began production on three films: 12 Years a Slave, Django Unchained, and The Butler. By focusing on historical narratives, Hollywood actually hinders, rather than advances, its ability to present new black narratives. It’s also striking that Weinstein portrays himself and the movie industry as the passive benefactors of an “Obama effect.” But maybe I’m being too critical.
ANALYSIS: Is Anyone Black Enough for Cornel West? Is anyone black enough for Cornel West? Not only is West criticizing President Barack Obama at every turn, but now, for reasons that are unclear, West has taken aim at MSNBC, calling it a “Rent-A-Negro” network and then criticizing Rev. Al Sharpton for being on the “Obama plantation.” “I think that it’s been decrepit though, brother. I mean, you get a focus on some of the upper middle class folk. I mean, what I call the ‘rent-a-negro’ phenomenon on MSNBC…’” West told his sidekick, Tavis Smiley, this week on Smiley’s radio program. So every black person who appears on MSNBC is not a legitimate African American? West, a former Princeton University professor, also complained that Sharpton is on “the Obama plantation”, which keeps Sharpton from criticizing Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder. And why is West so obsessed with references to slavery? Why can’t a black person who disagrees with West offer a different opinion without being called a sell out?
Book World: Edwidge Danticat’s eagerly awaited new novel, ‘Claire of the Sea Light’ Two of the chapters in this trim novel were previously published in the New Yorker, and along with the other six they resemble the exquisite short stories that earned Danticat the Story Prize in 2004. But even though these chapters often reach in different directions and sometimes concern different groups of characters, “Claire of the Sea Light” remains a novel, a carefully integrated collection of episodes that build on one another, enriching our understanding of a small Haitian town and the complicated community of poor and wealthy, young and old, who call it home. Time is a slippery surface in this book. Danticat is no magical realist — the peculiarities of this gorgeous, gruesome place are magic enough — but she builds her novel around the uncanny tragedies that accumulate on the anniversary of Claire’s birth. In the opening paragraph, “a freak wave, measuring between ten and twelve feet high, was seen in the ocean outside of Ville Rose.”
The Coolest Black Family in America, No. 20: The Marcelin-McCallas - Photos For many couples, flirting, touching, caressing and kissing are central ingredients to build a dynamic relationship. But when it comes to couples of a certain age, public displays of affection can be deemed unbecoming (even taboo) by society. For renowned poet, writer, artist and actress Michèle Voltaire Marcelin—whose fans include Maya Angelou and Edwidge Dandicat—and her human rights activist husband Jocelyn McCalla, being over 50 hasn’t put a halt to their desire for intimacy. “It may be rather uncomfortable to see at our age, but we are extremely affectionate,” Michèle says about expressing their love through non-verbal communication. “Physical displays of affection are important, and I don’t mean in a lustful way. We hold hands constantly, we walk closely, and it’s painful when we are at a dinner party and they sit us apart. The Haitian pair unapologetically captures their tender moments in photographs taken on their many travels from Istanbul, Italy to Haiti.