Shikarpur’s Balconies and Brackets
by Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro at Youlin Magazine: I have been documenting Shikarpur’s cultural heritage since 1998, and the city’s maaris (mansions) and havelis have always fascinated me. The ornamentation on
Further Thoughts on the Dawning Era of Right-Populist Politics
Damon Linker at Notes From the Middleground: My previous post was an attempt to make analytical sense of our new political normal, in which right-wing populism is a consistent competitor
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Tomiwa Owolade: My New York Intellectuals
Leonard Benardo‘s note at Ideas Letter: The New York Intellectuals were a hallowed group of writers and critics who were convinced of the power and art of disputation. Writer and
“Silence for Gaza” by Mahmoud Darwish
Khaled Beydoun at Pen > Sword: These are the words of Mahmoud Darwish, the Palestinian poet and literary icon. I share them as homage, and to highlight the timelessness of
Friday Poem: I under stand!
Legs locked,shoulders set,eyes ahead straight, mouth firmly wavering,range bound, betweena back n’ forth,from grimaceto smile resolute, my support promised,here beneath,is where I am,you, set uponmy frame,capable~able,you, for,to surmount,overcome,rise above,see farther,vision clearer,any
Israel’s Descent
Adam Shatz at the London Review of Books: When Ariel Sharon withdrew more than eight thousand Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip in 2005, his principal aim was to consolidate
How AI is Going to Transform Civilization Over the Next 5-10 Years
Scott Aaronson at Shtetl-Optimized: My friend Leopold Aschenbrenner, who I got to know and respect on OpenAI’s now-disbanded Superalignment team before he left the company under disputed circumstances, just released “Situational
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The New-Old Authoritarianism
From Project Syndicate: Over the past decade, Ruth Ben-Ghiat has emerged as one of the English-speaking world’s leading experts on, and chroniclers of, authoritarian leaders in the twenty-first century. A
A Deep Dive Into New York’s Subways With Ed Hotchkiss
Lawrence Weschler at Wondercabinet: Ed Hotchkiss was born in Denver in 1956 and remained thereabouts in the middle of the country through college at the University of Colorado, which is
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Thursday Poem: Do You Know Why Men Cry in the Bathroom?
Why Men Cry in the Bathroom For so many reasons.I will tell you the why.I think you know,Or perhaps, you think you know. Men are always O.K.,Even when not. We
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Can Democracy and Billionaires Coexist? Not on This Planet.
by Sam Pizzigati at Inequality: One person, one vote. The classic essence of democracy. But what if that one person happens to be a fabulously rich? Does that one person
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Do Less. It’s Good for You.
Jamie Ducharmie in Time Magazine: You take a vacation day, but get distracted by the thought of your work inbox filling up. Or you sit down to watch a movie and immediately feel