Political Stuff 5

As much as I root for an American Revolution, I don’t think it’s going to happen, and Shahid Bolsen does a good job explaining why: In short, Americans lack imagination. To quote Shahid Bolsen: “America’s entire society is engineered for distraction. People who can’t think for themselves…are never going to revolt.” This video is worthContinue reading “Political Stuff 5”

Divided We Stand

Here’s another installment from my Tucson Festival of Books series. This lecture explored political party affiliation, ideological beliefs, and the exercise of First Amendment freedoms. Highlighting significant divisions within American society, the authors approached these topics from diverse perspectives.  This event was recorded if you’re interested in watching the panel discussion. The lecture began with JonathanContinue reading “Divided We Stand”

Political Stuff 4

I recently finished reading the book “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This” by Omar El Akkad. This book delves into what it means to live in the West and examines the moral hypocrisy and apathy toward Palestinians in politics, journalism, and literary circles. I found it to be a compelling read, andContinue reading “Political Stuff 4”

Our New Status Quo

Here’s another installment from my Tucson Festival of Books series. I arrived early to get a good spot in line for this talk because I feared it would fill up quickly and I would be turned away, just like I was for a previous lecture by Ryan Mac about Elon Musk. I wasn’t alone in myContinue reading “Our New Status Quo”

Political Stuff 3

Shit’s getting a little dystopian around here, and no one seems to really care. No one I know is discussing one of Trump’s recent executive orders instructing the Justice Department to investigate Chris Krebs and Miles Taylor. These two public servants committed no crime other than speaking the truth. Trump isn’t just abusing his office;Continue reading “Political Stuff 3”

The Dangerous Manipulators

Here’s another installment from my Tucson Festival of Books series. This lecture was about how misinformation and disinformation are hardly new tools for American politicians. These three authors (Clay Risen, David Rohde, and Michael Tackett) shared tales about three master manipulators: Joseph McCarthy, Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell. Overall, this was a very insightful discussion. InsteadContinue reading “The Dangerous Manipulators”

Political Stuff 2

So, this first video is not really political per se, but it touches on all kinds of aspects of Capitalism. Brett Christophers is an economic geographer and professor at the Institute for Housing and Urban Research at Uppsala University. He has written extensively on the modern financial sector, the financial management of real economic assets,Continue reading “Political Stuff 2”

Arizona Stories

Here’s another installment from my Tucson Festival of Books series. This lecture focused entirely on Arizona and featured a panel of three authors. One of the panelists was the great-great-granddaughter of Sedona Schnebly, the person after whom Sedona, Arizona, is named. This connection inspired me to attend the lecture because I enjoy hiking in Sedona andContinue reading “Arizona Stories”