The Christian and political activist David Barton has had a rough week. His most recent book, The Jefferson Lies: Exposing the Myths You’ve Always Believed About Thomas Jefferson was pulled from distribution by its publisher Thomas Nelson. A plethora of critics from the Christian Right have denounced his work, and NPR broadcasted a stinging profile [...]
All posts in category Cultural Ramblings
Twilight of the Elites
Chris Hayes – Washington editor of The Nation magazine and host of MSNBC’s Up with Chris Hayes – has just completed his first book on the dysfunction of United States’ élite and prescriptions for social change. Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy asserts that our society’s obsession with the notion of meritocracy has led [...]
Posted by admin on June 21, 2012
http://www.born2synthesize.com/2012/06/twilight-of-the-elites/
Summer Reading
Summer is upon me, and that prompted a reading list discussion while sailing last night with friends. Here are a few books that I am planning to enjoy, and a few that will be used for research in the fall. The links will take you to Amazon.com. Desert Hell: The British Invasion of Mesopotamia (Charles [...]
Posted by admin on June 14, 2012
http://www.born2synthesize.com/2012/06/summer-reading-2/
Summer Reading
School is nearly out, and my Kindle is exploding with material that dates back nearly a year. I thought I’d list a few books that are a high priority for this summer. If you have any suggestions, feel free to drop them in the comments. The Meaning of Marxism (Paul D’Amato) – The truth is [...]
Posted by admin on May 25, 2011
http://www.born2synthesize.com/2011/05/summer-reading/
Louisiana 1927
The Mississippi River just crested in Memphis at levels not seen since the flood of 1927. Last week, the Army Corps of Engineers destroyed a levee in Missouri to relieve pressure along the Illinois shoreline. This is really a bad one. Today’s interlude is “Louisiana 1927″ by Randy Newman. A number of great covers have [...]
Posted by admin on May 11, 2011
http://www.born2synthesize.com/2011/05/louisiana-1927/
The Great Depression as a Dialectic Force
[Editor's Note: I'm posting another history paper for you, not only because I happen to be spending time writing these things, but also because this particular topic informs our contemporary policy debate. There is a significant faction that wants to "go back" to the days before the welfare state, when everyone lived or died by [...]
Posted by admin on March 31, 2011
http://www.born2synthesize.com/2011/03/the-great-depression-as-a-dialectic-force/
Are Teachers Really the Problem?
Lately, I’ve been fascinated by the amount of vitriol and invective hurled at public employees, specifically teachers. It is almost analogous to a shark feed-frenzy, as monied interests throw chum in the water and watch the working class tear each other to shreds. The situation raises a number of questions. Why are we so quick [...]
Posted by admin on March 21, 2011
http://www.born2synthesize.com/2011/03/are-teachers-really-the-problem/
The Great Cat Massacre
There are many reasons to enjoy studying history. Mostly I love to find parallels between contemporary society and past societies that we perceive as primitive. It requires considerable hubris to devalue the past; something that many of us have in abundance. While reading The Great Cat Massacre the other day, I came across a description [...]
Posted by admin on January 20, 2011
http://www.born2synthesize.com/2011/01/the-great-cat-massacre/