Thirty-two year-old Scott Kleeb, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate from Nebraska, has been called a “moderate liberal populist.” But Kleeb told Big Think that most political labels are outdated and need to be thrown out. Here’s what he says he and a lot of other modern Democrats stand for.
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As a writer of Irish heritage, I found the article from the New York Times yesterday, “Some Britons Too Unruly for Resorts in Europe” rather offensive. Since when do lads from London usurp the drunk and unruly reputation of the Irish? Who is really more astute at “carousing, brawling and getting violently sick?” Truth be told, the Irish are! They just may not have enough money to take it to the Greek islands. Most Irish do, however, have a connection to the United States. Here’s Irish poet Paul Muldoon explaining the legacy of the Irish diaspora.
In the spirit of the Democratic National Convention, Big Think wants you to dig deep inside yourself and ask the question: Am I actually a conservative? Sam Gosling, pop psychologist from the University of Texas at Austin and author of the book Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You, will tell you how to tell.
If you’ve never heard of the Incredible Tree-Climbing Goats of Morocco, you’re in for a treat. This week, WebEcoist profiles these curious creatures, who have developed the ability to scale native Argan trees and maneuver through branches in search of food. But wait! That’s not all. They also leave behind droppings that can be ground into oil to be used for culinary and cosmetic purposes. I know. It’s incredible!
But like a lot of species in this messed up world, these kids are increasingly threatened as Argan trees continue to be over-harvested. And what is a Moroccan goat without a tree to climb? A very sad goat indeed.
Surely there is a way for humans and tree-climbing goats to coexist peacefully. Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA, spoke to BigThink about her notion of basic animal rights. It’s about “respecting them as individuals or other nations… with their own language, with their own culture, with their own way of doing things.” And if a goat wants to climb a tree, it darn sure ought to be able to.
New York blog Gothamist writes about how Republicans in the New York State Senate are making a discreet attempt to protect gay and transgender kids from bullying. But as the New York Times reports, the bill was introduced without a sponsor, which could leave it languishing indefinitely. The Democrat-controlled State Assembly has already passed similar bills.
It appears that Republicans in the liberal state of New York are so afraid of looking like they, gasp, support basic human rights for gays that not one of them will attach their name to a bill aimed at making it easier for LGBT teens to go to school without getting beat up. Here’s Neil Giuliano, the President of gay rights organization GLAAD, on how the two political parties stack up on LGBT issues.
“I like fire hydrants.” “I want a bone.” I enjoy petting.” I can only assume that the conversations taking place on Doggyspace—quite simply, Myspace for dogs—consist predominantly of pet owners adopting what they assume to be their pet’s “voice” and, with more than a little tongue in cheek, posting comments or status updates like the ones above. Doggyspace, which launched in mid-July, provides an online forum for dog lovers to connect and revel in their obsession with a highly specific niche. People can set up an account for their dog on the site for free, as they can for their own person with Myspace, but the site will start offering “premium” accounts for a small fee later this year, according to the AP.
Jimmy Wales, the co-founder of Wikipedia, thinks the business appeal of social networking sites derives from their ability to provide advertisers with “valuable demographic data.” I wonder if the chew toy companies are already banging down Doggyspace’s ad headquarters. Here are more of Wales’s thoughts on social networking sites…for human beings.
In case you weren’t aware, weddings are expensive—for everyone involved. With the economy in its current state, you might want to hold off on any impending nuptials. But if you must get married now, Consumerist has a few tips on how you can cut costs. Strategy number one involves cutting the number of guests using a systematic approach to deciding who your real friends are—as opposed to who’s faking it. Those who can list your exes make the cut; those who have no idea who you’re marrying, don’t.
For additional cost-cutting advice, the Style Me Pretty blog profiles DIY weddings that look anything but. But let’s face it, folks. The wedding is the easy part. Once the party’s over, the real work begins. And if all goes according to plan, lasts a lifetime. Big Think expert Kay Warren, author of Dangerous Surrender, discusses her 33-year marriage to her husband, who she describes as her polar opposite.
Azar Nafisi, a professor at the Foreign Policy Institute of Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, says that although she herself refuses to wear a veil, she feels that it is a matter of choice. She believes that the state should not tell people how to dress or how to relate to their religion.
This issue is playing out dramatically in France. Salon.com’s Broadsheet blog expounds story from the International Herald Tribune about Faiza Silmi, a Muslim woman who immigrated to France with her husband and has had 4 children there. Her application for citizenship was denied because she wears a niqab, the head to toe veil that some Muslim women choose to wear. In a country as adamantly secular as France, wearing any religious item is controversial. Her niqab, which Silmi wears by choice and not her husband’s insistence, has caused French immigration officials to declare that she hasn’t assimilated enough into their society. Strange that she’s assimilated enough to know that under French law she has a right to be an orthodox Muslim if she chooses to be.
Apparently sex does not always sell. At least that is the sentiment expressed by the LA Times in a review of Showtime’s controversial series, “The Secret Diary of a Call Girl.” The show spotlights the escapades of Belle Piper, a high-class prostitute in London who works as a secretary by day and hooker at night.
It’s like Sex and the City (for Money). And what could leave a viewer dissatisfied with a sex infused, exploitative, R18 rated show drenched in controversy? “It fails to provide any kind of meaningful insight into the world’s oldest profession,” says the New Zealand Blog Snuff.
Are prostitute’s loosing their societal import? Karen Abbott author of “Sin in the Second City,” chronicles the history of the nation’s first red light district. Ironically, “prostitutes were conduits for virtue,” she says. A segregated red light district was surreptitious outlet for men to liberate bad habits, thereby upholding moral conduct in public society.
The author of “Story of a Marriage” tells Big Think why he uses three names, how he responds to gushy reviews from people like John Updike, and how his childhood shaped him—”My mom poisoned frogs in the backyard!”
