Does Political Debate Descend into Dalliance on the Twentieth Faceoff?

I reject and denounce, as well as renounce, condemn, decry, deride, and whatever other verb one can conjure to express, that I will not be subjected to any more debates between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

As a usual proponent of debates, I guess this means I… tergiversate.

Category: The Gnovis Blog

So Long, Comandante

Unlike the usual buzz concerning Fidel Castro, today’s widespread news reports indicate the iconic leader remains among us, but has stepped down from his position as Cuban head of state, which he occupied for almost fifty years.

The announcement of Fidel’s resignation comes — of course — after having secured one last election to parliament… I use the term election loosely.

Category: The Gnovis Blog

Beyond the Kitchen-Goddess Domestic Paragon: Food Box Narratives

Food is a wonderful distraction and a locus of cathected emotion for so many of us. As Mahvish Khan’s recent article on the shifting kitchen-goddess paragon indicates, cooking plays a similar role, though perhaps less broadly for most of us than for the talented few (or many, depending) who cook on a regular basis and enjoy it.

Category: The Gnovis Blog

Confronting Cultural Conventions through the Elections Process

On the Superest of Tuesdays, millions of voters across the U.S. trudged through inclement weather and dealt with logistical voting fiascoes in their states to support their candidate of choice in record-breaking numbers.
Meanwhile, Mardi Gras goers in southern Louisianna gorged themselves
on all things celebratory– as the tradition goes, before the next forty
days of Lenten abstinence.

Right.

Category: The Gnovis Blog

The Power of Facebook to Mobilize a Mob

Howard Rheingold has been writing about the impact of computer-mediated
communication on interaction for the last three decades. I am currently
reading his 1993 book, "The Virtual Community,"
on the rise of web-based communities and namely the influence of the
WELL (Whole Earth ‘Lectronic Link) on the way people interact online.

However, one of Rheingold’s more recent books, "Smart Mobs,"
holds special relevance in light of recent global events.

Category: The Gnovis Blog

A Flicker of Hope for the Commons: Library of Congress Makes Images Available on Flickr

The Library of Congress recently joined the photo sharing website Flickr. So far, "The Commons" pilot program has added 3,100 photos available free of charge and have tagged them as without any "known copyright restrictions." The goal, according to the program’s Flickr page, is to provide a "… a model that other cultural institutions
would pick up, to share and redistribute the myriad collections held by

Category: The Gnovis Blog