We gather together some of the more provocative papers of recent years, which are guaranteed to enliven the dinner table by providing fresh fodder for family squabbles. Genocide, With Stuffing and Gravy Anthropologist Janet Siskind of Rutgers University views the Thanksgiving holiday in sociopolitical terms in her 1992 paper “The Invention of Thanksgiving.” The traditional gathering, she writes, “subtly expresses and reaffirms values and assumptions about cultural and social unity, about identity and history, about inclusion and exclusion.” She views the holiday, which ritually ... Read More
Inventing for Peanuts
November 4, 2008 • By • Leave a Comment
Surrounded by odd-looking contraptions in varying stages of assembly, his hands and clothes spotted by oil and grime and his thinning hair shooting skyward, undeterred by gravity, Jock Brandis looks every bit the mad scientist. After pouring a pound or two of unshelled peanuts into a cone-shaped concrete hopper, he climbs aboard a bicycle seat and puts his feet to work on pedals attached with belts to the hopper and a fan. As the hopper rotates, the shells are separated and blown aside by the fan, and peanuts fall through an opening at its base. "It's quite simple, really," he says. The ... Read More
The Environmental Pyramid
November 4, 2008 • By • Leave a Comment
Oh, people generally consider me slightly crazy," admits geochemical engineering pioneer R.D. Schuiling over the phone from his home in Utrecht, Netherlands, as his deliberate, Dutch-tinged baritone breaks into a gruff chuckle. "But they also have to say I have some intriguing ideas." His latest idea, spelled out earlier this year in the International Journal of Global Environmental Issues, certainly falls into the "intriguing" category. The 76-year-old Schuiling, now working as a private researcher after more than 25 years as a professor of geochemistry at Utrecht University, argues ... Read More
Juvenile Justice and the Theater of the Absurd
November 4, 2008 • By • Leave a Comment
In the diner where my working life began hung a photocopied epigram, splattered with coffee and grease: "The beatings will continue until morale improves." We all get the joke: The supervisor is committed to doing the absolute wrong thing until his charges cheer up and give him the right result. The premise is absurd, a Samuel Beckett play in a single sentence. It's quite a funny play, too — unless you happen to be the one getting beaten. The executive personnel of this establishment changed frequently; most had never managed employees before, and some reacted to their insecurity by ... Read More
ROCK STAR! (Brought to You by HUGE ADVERTISER!)
November 4, 2008 • By • Leave a Comment
This summer, Kohl’s department stores launched a massive back-to-school advertising and clothing campaign, unveiling several brand-new apparel lines inspired — and pitched — by famous musicians, including Lenny Kravitz, Avril Lavigne and Vanessa Carlton. Grammy-winning superstar Kravitz, in particular, seemed inspired by his partnership with Levi’s to design a denim and T-shirt collection for Kohl’s; his new song “Love Revolution,” from his aptly titled recent album It Is Time for a Love Revolution, is a centerpiece of the ad campaign. Related: Watch the Top 10 Songs in ... Read More
Songs and Ads: Ten Infamous Examples
November 3, 2008 • By • Leave a Comment
Related interview: Bethany Klein on pop music and Madison Avenue 1. In January 1984, during the sixth take of an ad that would become infamous, pop superstar Michael Jackson's hair caught fire when a fireworks display malfunctioned, showering him in sparks. Jackson was rushed to a hospital, where he was treated for second degree burns to his head. "He is in discomfort," his plastic surgeon told the press. "It will take a few weeks to determine the hair loss." The ad itself would be remembered for turning the hit song "Billie Jean" into a Pepsi pitch. Watch it here: 2. In 1987, Nike ... Read More
First, Reduce Harm
October 27, 2008 • By • 3 Comments
On a chilly, overcast morning in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, a steady trickle of sallow-faced drug addicts shambles up to a storefront painted with flowers and the words “Welcome to Insite.” One by one, they ring the doorbell and are buzzed into a tidy reception area staffed by smiling volunteers. The junkies come here almost around the clock, seven days a week. Some just grab a fistful of clean syringes from one of the buckets by the door and head out again. But about 600 times a day, others walk in with pocketfuls of heroin, cocaine or speed that they’ve scored out on the ... Read More
