Club Kids: The Social Life of Artists on Facebook
Facebook is the platform on which our generation negotiates its artists’ respective brands and the tenuous connections between them. Facebook is tactically governed by a kind of silent populism– the subtle linking of identities through ‘Likes’, ‘Shares’, and brief but favorable commentary. Silence, in this case, is fitting because the formation of social ties is a gradual process on the part of the Facebook viewer, who accumulates an understanding of which artists are in lockstep with whoever else through incremental calculations based on memory, viewership, and discussion. The murky edges of who is in what clique form over time and are highly permeable. This is unlike the directly communicative methods of OWS, for instance, where the decisions and allegiances of a group are established directly and necessitate the simultaneous participation of all in a single moment. But what is it that we call “work?” Is this to say that interactions on Facebook are now artists’ work?
Why the Christian Right Becomes More Extreme As America Grows More Tolerant | Belief
July 25, 2011 | Like this article? Join our email list: Stay up to date with the latest headlines via email. The rigidity of Christian Right politics has been a complicating factor in governing the United States for the past several decades, stripping away flexibility needed to negotiate on issues as diverse as policies in the Middle East, abortion, health care and the federal budget. Gone is the more practical approach of assessing government actions based on what might help the country the most – and compromising with those who have differing opinions. Adding to this religious style of politics has been a deep sense of victimhood among right-wing Evangelicals, as if Christians were some persecuted minority in the United States, threatened by all-powerful Muslims imposing Sharia law or secular humanists banning Christmas. Repeated endlessly on right-wing talk radio, these paranoid messages have become real to millions of these religiously inspired voters.
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The 10 Worst Things About Rick Perry (And Why It Would Be Really Bad If He Runs for President)
August 1, 2011 | Like this article? Join our email list: Stay up to date with the latest headlines via email. "Next time I tell you someone from Texas should not be president of the United States, please pay attention." - Molly Ivins Texas Governor Rick Perry has been flirting with the idea of running for president for months now. The governor Molly Ivins called “the Coiffure” has claimed he's brought jobs to Texas, passed a laundry list of conservative dream legislation, and managed to become the longest-serving governor in the history of the state. As Perry oozes toward an announcement—he says he's waiting til after Labor Day—under the pretense that he's fixed Texas' economy and is a more moderate option than Michele Bachmann but a better evangelical base-pleaser than Mormon Mitt Romney, we thought it was a good time to take a look at the Texan. 1. Perry's message on the event's website reads: Allan E. So much for religious tolerance. 2.
Bill would encourage foreigners to buy U.S. homes
Reporting from Washington and Los Angeles — American consumers and the federal government haven't been able to bail out the sinking U.S. real estate market. Now wealthy Chinese, Canadians and other foreign buyers could get their chance. Two U.S. senators have introduced a bill that would allow foreigners who spend at least $500,000 on residential property to obtain visas allowing them to live in the United States. The plan could be a boon to California, which has become a popular real estate market for foreigners, particularly those from China. Nationwide, residential sales to foreigners and recent immigrants totaled $82 billion in the 12-month period ended March 31, up from $66 billion the previous year, according to the National Assn. of Realtors. California accounted for 12% of those sales, second only to Florida. "California, Florida, New York, Colorado, Hawaii and Texas — those states will see a huge increase in demand," she said. The program would come with several restrictions.
United States Debt Clock May 2013
An Overview of the United States National Debt The Current Outstanding Public Debt of the United States is: Last Updated: Monday, April 21st, 2014 Every man, woman and child in the United States currently owes $57,640 for their share of the U.S. public debt Public Debt: $12,535,406,416,493.30Intragovernmental Holdings: $4,977,014,717,402.82 Total U.S. Question: Who owns the public debt? Answer: Mutual funds, pension funds, foreign governments, foreign investors, American investors, etc. Which Foreign governments own the most U.S. debt? Answer: Here is the Top 10 (as of Feb/2014) 1. *Includes oil exporting countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran **includes countries such as Bermuda and the Cayman Islands Of the $5.1 trillion dollars of US debt that is owned by foreign governments, China and Japan own nearly half, as evidenced by this chart: Growth of US Debt Over Past 50 Years Commonly Asked Questions: How much Money does the United States Owe China? A: $1.27 Trillion (Feb/2014) By: Dave Manuel
SACSIS.org.za » News » The World » Why Iceland Should Be in the News, But Is Not
Picture credit: may15internationalorganization.blogspot An Italian radio program's story about Iceland’s on-going revolution is a stunning example of how little our media tells us about the rest of the world. Americans may remember that at the start of the 2008 financial crisis, Iceland literally went bankrupt. The reasons were mentioned only in passing, and since then, this little-known member of the European Union fell back into oblivion. As one European country after another fails or risks failing, imperiling the Euro, with repercussions for the entire world, the last thing the powers that be want is for Iceland to become an example. Five years of a pure neo-liberal regime had made Iceland, (population 320 thousand, no army), one of the richest countries in the world. Contrary to what could be expected, the crisis resulted in Icelanders recovering their sovereign rights, through a process of direct participatory democracy that eventually led to a new Constitution.
US National Debt Clock, News, and Resources
Our national debt is growing at an alarming rate. These figures are updated daily based on info received from the US Government. The numbers used by this national debt clock are retrieved from the US Treasury and the US Census daily. (To place this debt clock on your Google homepage please go here. You can also display this widget on your website or blog by clicking the "Get Widget" button.) Get the <a href=" Debt Clock</a> widget and many other <a href=" free widgets</a> at <a href=" While the number may seem surprising at first, you also should consider that the United States has the largest economy in the world with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of nearly 14 trillion dollars. What is the National Debt? The national debt is money owed by the United States federal government to creditors. Why Do We Have a National Debt? Where Does the Money Go? History
China’s Top 15 Social Networks
China’s social networking landscape is diverse and thriving. No single player is nearly as dominant as Facebook in the U.S. and there’s a long tail of networks for different users (urban and rural) and different purposes (social, dating, and games). Here is China’s SNS universe for the top 7 sites. And here is a table of the top 15 social networks in China. The Top 15 (in words) Qzone - China’s largest social network is built on the back of the 637 million active accounts for Tencent’s QQ Messenger.
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
