101 Escapes from Idiocracy

This is a provocative piece from the English site of the German magazine Der Spiegel. At the bottom of the article, there is a link to a response which takes the opposite point of view.

This is a heartfelt plea to readers to cherish and keep books in pristine condition –particularly, to never break their backs. The author seems to be a bit oversensitive – but perhaps this is what it takes to be a real reader.

I hope this isn’t too good to be true. Though, if this is to be believed, you have to be careful what you wish for...

See if you can take with a smile this provocation from Carlin Romano, professor of philosophy and humanities, who laments the waning of reading among American college students.

Our pet bunny, Zhuzhi, died the other day. She was very, very old (close to 10 years and 5 months), and had become weaker and weaker over the previous couple of weeks. We were all very attached to her, and took good care of her until the very end, when she finally stopped breathing. I am also thinking, even if this is a bit narcissistic, that Zhuzhi probably loved us back. And this may have helped her hang in for so long – if this wonderful, at times heart-breaking article, is to be believed.

Mark Edmundson, English professor at the University of Virginia, asked this question of the incoming class of 2015 a few years back. In his article, he gave advice to students on how to acquire a real education, even if the stakes were stacked against them.

This is a review of the movie which gave the name of this blog. It did not achieve Oscar glory, but can definitely make you think – particularly in the context of Donald Trump’s political (or post-political?) triumph.