Resources for January 17, 2014

"My own concern is primarily the terror and violence carried out by my own state, for two reasons. For one thing, because it happens to be the larger component of international violence. But also for a much more important reason than that; namely, I can do something about it. So even if the U.S. was responsible for 2 percent of the violence in the world instead of the majority of it, it would be that 2 percent I would be primarily responsible for. And that is a simple ethical judgment. That is, the ethical value of one’s actions depends on their anticipated and predictable consequences. It is very easy to denounce the atrocities of someone else. That has about as much ethical value as denouncing atrocities that took place in the 18th century." -- Noam Chomsky (2012)

Errol Morris: Believing is Seeing: Mysteries of Photography

Rebecca Schuman for Slate: "Even Ph.D.s Who Got “Full Funding” Have Huge Amounts of Debt"

King, Danny. "Clint, Caught in the Act: On The Beguiled, and Don Siegel's Leading Man." Bright Lights Film Journal #82 (November 2013)

Doctorow, Cory. "Judge rules TSA no-fly procedures unconstitutional". Boing Boing (January 15, 2014)

Brooks, Brian. "86th Oscars: The Full List of Nominees." Film Society Lincoln Center (January 16, 2014)








Merriam-Webster Word-of-the-Day: ostentatious \ah-stun-TAY-shus\

adjective: marked by or fond of conspicuous or vainglorious and sometimes pretentious display

Now that he has money, Edwin wears expensive designer clothes, drives an ostentatious car, and frequents the trendiest upscale nightclubs.

"'Washingtonians are more understated in their style,' says Pamela Sorensen, founder of the website Pamela's Punch, where she covers the local social scene. 'Being flashy or ostentatious is frowned upon.'" — From an article by Kimberly Palmer in the Washingtonian, January 2014

"Showy," "pretentious," and "ostentatious" all mean given to outward display, but there are subtle differences in the meaning of these show-off words. "Showy" implies an imposing or striking appearance, but usually also implies cheapness or bad taste. "Pretentious" suggests an appearance of importance not justified by a thing's value or a person's standing. "Ostentatious" is the most peacockish of all, stressing the vanity of the display.


Cory Doctorow for Boing Boing: "Dirty secrets of America's most notorious patent troll"