Ken
@bludrone.bsky.social
Liberal and egalitarian values - Art - Music - Literature - Philosophy - Film - Politics - “ life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards “ ( Kierkegaard )
Miami Beach , Florida
Miami Beach , Florida
“Arendt argues inThe Origins of Totalitarianism the racism that fueled European imperialism’s outrages logic an precedes enormities of the Holocaust. First deploy pseudo category of races to divide people;justifying inequality and oppression;then go for the kill.”
www.publicbooks.org/arendts-refu...
www.publicbooks.org/arendts-refu...
Arendt’s Refugee Politics - Public Books
One of Arendt’s most surprising insights is that professing “love for the X people” may be a way to foreclose on freedom and on humanity just as effectively as professing “hatred for the Y people.”
www.publicbooks.org
November 11, 2025 at 1:30 PM
“Arendt argues inThe Origins of Totalitarianism the racism that fueled European imperialism’s outrages logic an precedes enormities of the Holocaust. First deploy pseudo category of races to divide people;justifying inequality and oppression;then go for the kill.”
www.publicbooks.org/arendts-refu...
www.publicbooks.org/arendts-refu...
“Her radical feminist argument—that rape is “a conscious process of intimidation by which all men keep all women in a state of fear”—was electrifying; it remains one of the best-remembered phrases to emerge from second-wave feminism.”
yalereview.org/article/clai...
yalereview.org/article/clai...
Claire Bond Potter: “The Book That Changed How We Think About Rape”
Claire Bond Potter on Susan Brownmiller’s landmark 1975 book, Against Our Will , fifty years later.
yalereview.org
November 11, 2025 at 1:09 PM
“Her radical feminist argument—that rape is “a conscious process of intimidation by which all men keep all women in a state of fear”—was electrifying; it remains one of the best-remembered phrases to emerge from second-wave feminism.”
yalereview.org/article/clai...
yalereview.org/article/clai...
“The Trump denarius is clearly anathema to our republican values and democratic principles, but its aesthetics, from the coins to the memes, also tell us more about this administration’s fascist politics.”
hyperallergic.com/1050277/the-...
hyperallergic.com/1050277/the-...
The Algorithmic Presidency
Just as 20th-century fascists deployed radio and film, today’s ideological descendants use memes, social media, and above all, artificial intelligence.
hyperallergic.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:08 PM
“The Trump denarius is clearly anathema to our republican values and democratic principles, but its aesthetics, from the coins to the memes, also tell us more about this administration’s fascist politics.”
hyperallergic.com/1050277/the-...
hyperallergic.com/1050277/the-...
“But the wall texts’ slippery wording constantly evades confirming her agency, despite extolling her “considerable influence as a patron of the arts” and describing her as a “style icon.”
hyperallergic.com/1056237/mari...
hyperallergic.com/1056237/mari...
Who Was Marie Antoinette Beneath All That Silk and Spectacle?
History has never really known her as a person, and that isn’t about to change here.
hyperallergic.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:06 PM
“But the wall texts’ slippery wording constantly evades confirming her agency, despite extolling her “considerable influence as a patron of the arts” and describing her as a “style icon.”
hyperallergic.com/1056237/mari...
hyperallergic.com/1056237/mari...
“But the measure, which resulted from days of talks between a handful of Democratic and Republican senators, leaves out the healthcare subsidies that Democrats had demanded for weeks. Most Democratic senators rejected it”
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Senate advances funding bill to end longest US government shutdown in history
The amended package will still have to be passed by the House and sent to Trump for his signature, a process that could take days
www.theguardian.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:31 PM
“But the measure, which resulted from days of talks between a handful of Democratic and Republican senators, leaves out the healthcare subsidies that Democrats had demanded for weeks. Most Democratic senators rejected it”
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
“We can see that Shakespeare really was an upstart compared to the Oxford and Cambridge wits, but also how he cobbled together a practical, hands-on education in Shoreditch.”
www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
‘The Dream Factory’ Review: A Building and Its Bard
In 1576 a theater rose in a rough-and-tumble London neighborhood. William Shakespeare would get his professional start among its players.
www.wsj.com
November 10, 2025 at 12:59 PM
“We can see that Shakespeare really was an upstart compared to the Oxford and Cambridge wits, but also how he cobbled together a practical, hands-on education in Shoreditch.”
www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
“ Hildegard is a polymath who has attracted devotees among both Catholic clergy and New Age gurus, Christian traditionalists and radical feminists.”
hyperallergic.com/920924/hilde...
hyperallergic.com/920924/hilde...
Hildegard von Bingen’s Eternal Garden
The 12th-century mystic continues to attract devotees among both Catholic clergy and New Age gurus, Christian traditionalists and radical feminists.
hyperallergic.com
November 10, 2025 at 12:56 PM
“ Hildegard is a polymath who has attracted devotees among both Catholic clergy and New Age gurus, Christian traditionalists and radical feminists.”
hyperallergic.com/920924/hilde...
hyperallergic.com/920924/hilde...
“Last week, workers placed the first part of a cross atop the still-unfinished Sagrada Familia. The new addition brings the church’s height to just over 534 feet, surpassing the 530-foot-tall Ulm Minster in Germany, which had held the title since 1890.”
www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/s...
www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/s...
Still Unfinished After 143 Years, Barcelona's Dazzling Sagrada Familia Is Now the Tallest Church in the World
Last week, a new addition to the basilica—designed by architect Antoni Gaudí—brought its height to 534 feet, breaking a record set by Germany’s 530-foot-tall Ulm Minster
www.smithsonianmag.com
November 9, 2025 at 4:15 PM
“Last week, workers placed the first part of a cross atop the still-unfinished Sagrada Familia. The new addition brings the church’s height to just over 534 feet, surpassing the 530-foot-tall Ulm Minster in Germany, which had held the title since 1890.”
www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/s...
www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/s...
“LeMay was the quintessential bomber-engineer. His reputation was as someone who demanded efficiency above all else, and the subject that he put his efforts towards was mass destruction.”
doomsdaymachines.net/p/i-have-sou...
doomsdaymachines.net/p/i-have-sou...
"I have sought to slaughter as few civilians as possible."
The rabid, apocalyptic Beat poetry that is "Mission with LeMay"
doomsdaymachines.net
November 9, 2025 at 2:30 PM
“LeMay was the quintessential bomber-engineer. His reputation was as someone who demanded efficiency above all else, and the subject that he put his efforts towards was mass destruction.”
doomsdaymachines.net/p/i-have-sou...
doomsdaymachines.net/p/i-have-sou...
“Not addressed in the US Constitution,role of the first lady has evolved over time from being more domestic – "in the early years of the republic (presidents Washington, Madison),the first lady was basically a hostess and companion" – to more professional, and political.”
www.bbc.com/culture/arti...
www.bbc.com/culture/arti...
Martha Washington to Melania Trump: How US first ladies through history have harnessed the power of fashion
As Michelle Obama's The Look is published, we dissect first-lady fashion through the decades. From "mother of the nation" to Flotus fashionistas, what have their styles signalled?
www.bbc.com
November 9, 2025 at 2:26 PM
“Not addressed in the US Constitution,role of the first lady has evolved over time from being more domestic – "in the early years of the republic (presidents Washington, Madison),the first lady was basically a hostess and companion" – to more professional, and political.”
www.bbc.com/culture/arti...
www.bbc.com/culture/arti...
“The championing of generative AI devalues our ability to read and to think and to comprehend, to be moved by art, and to interact with and criticize it. “
lithub.com/when-we-deva...
lithub.com/when-we-deva...
When We Devalue Art (Books!) We Devalue the Future
When you’ve spent your whole adult life working in and around book publishing you get used to hearing that people don’t read anymore and that the industry is on its last legs. There is always a cri…
lithub.com
November 9, 2025 at 2:21 PM
“The championing of generative AI devalues our ability to read and to think and to comprehend, to be moved by art, and to interact with and criticize it. “
lithub.com/when-we-deva...
lithub.com/when-we-deva...
“The librarian is a seeker and keeper of truth, and that makes her a dangerous figure in the eyes of those who fear the fullest, most comprehensive, and most uncomfortable truths emerging.”
lithub.com/in-praise-of...
lithub.com/in-praise-of...
In Praise of Librarians in Dangerous Times
Librarians are on the front lines of history and current events, when news and change arrive at a furious clip that only quickens every day. And without libraries, my work would simply not exist. I…
lithub.com
November 9, 2025 at 2:16 PM
“The librarian is a seeker and keeper of truth, and that makes her a dangerous figure in the eyes of those who fear the fullest, most comprehensive, and most uncomfortable truths emerging.”
lithub.com/in-praise-of...
lithub.com/in-praise-of...
“Kelley found the defendants had average or above average IQs. Overall, he described them as workaholics and opportunists “who would not hesitate to climb over the backs of half the people in their country to subjugate the other half,”
time.com/7331917/nure...
time.com/7331917/nure...
The Real Psychiatrist Who Inspired the Nuremberg Movie
All about Douglas Kelley, the psychiatrist who made sure Nazis were fit to stand trial at Nuremberg—the subject of the 2025 movie Nuremberg.
time.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:18 PM
“Kelley found the defendants had average or above average IQs. Overall, he described them as workaholics and opportunists “who would not hesitate to climb over the backs of half the people in their country to subjugate the other half,”
time.com/7331917/nure...
time.com/7331917/nure...
“The GOP’s response to the losses should be rigging the 2026 midterms. Indeed, he also declared that if he gets his way, Democrats will “never obtain power.” newrepublic.com/article/2028...
Unraveling Trump Accidentally Blurts Out Secret Plan to Rig 2026
As Trump’s excuses for GOP losses worsen and he calls for rigging the midterms in response, a Democratic operative explains why his schemes could still be a problem—and how Democrats should respond.
newrepublic.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:16 PM
“The GOP’s response to the losses should be rigging the 2026 midterms. Indeed, he also declared that if he gets his way, Democrats will “never obtain power.” newrepublic.com/article/2028...
“Most of the postcards written from England are invitations for tea or dinner. In this postcard to Strachey, Woolf cheekily refers to herself and Leonard as “the Wolves” and,at the end, almost as a postscript, dashes off, “And what about Florence Nightingale?”
www.theparisreview.org/blog/2025/11...
www.theparisreview.org/blog/2025/11...
Postcards from Virginia Woolf by Sarah Bochicchio
November 7, 2025 – "Woolf likely imagined these cards would end up in a garbage can or, at best, someone’s attic."
www.theparisreview.org
November 8, 2025 at 1:14 PM
“Most of the postcards written from England are invitations for tea or dinner. In this postcard to Strachey, Woolf cheekily refers to herself and Leonard as “the Wolves” and,at the end, almost as a postscript, dashes off, “And what about Florence Nightingale?”
www.theparisreview.org/blog/2025/11...
www.theparisreview.org/blog/2025/11...
“We’ve got a term for it: the God Gap. Simply put, religion in the United States (particularly white religion) is now Republican-coded. The Democrats, on the other hand, are the party of the “nones”—those with no religion.”
arcmag.org/white-republ...
arcmag.org/white-republ...
White Republicans, Democratic “Nones” | ARC: Religion, Politics, Et Cetera
The political parties in the United States are incredibly different from each other. I think we all know that. There are many vectors to explain this divergence. Certainly race plays a role. Republica...
arcmag.org
November 8, 2025 at 1:11 PM
“We’ve got a term for it: the God Gap. Simply put, religion in the United States (particularly white religion) is now Republican-coded. The Democrats, on the other hand, are the party of the “nones”—those with no religion.”
arcmag.org/white-republ...
arcmag.org/white-republ...
“Our age of the eye underrates the ear, yet soundwaves may move us more deeply than the most striking sights. Even ‘silence’ is a sound that we fill with private meanings.”
engelsbergideas.com/reviews/musi...
engelsbergideas.com/reviews/musi...
Musica universalis
The eye did not always have primacy over the ear. Humanity once valued spiritual hearing over spiritual seeing.
engelsbergideas.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:11 PM
“Our age of the eye underrates the ear, yet soundwaves may move us more deeply than the most striking sights. Even ‘silence’ is a sound that we fill with private meanings.”
engelsbergideas.com/reviews/musi...
engelsbergideas.com/reviews/musi...
“Patients are increasingly experiencing what’s known as administrative harm – those unintended but very real consequences arising from administrative decisions, made far upstream, that directly influence how doctors practice.”
theconversation.com/why-does-you...
theconversation.com/why-does-you...
Why does your doctor seem so rushed and dismissive? That bedside manner may be the result of the health care system
The current US health care system burdens doctors with heavy patient loads, more administrative work and additional off-hour demands. Doctor-patient interactions suffer as a result.
theconversation.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:20 PM
“Patients are increasingly experiencing what’s known as administrative harm – those unintended but very real consequences arising from administrative decisions, made far upstream, that directly influence how doctors practice.”
theconversation.com/why-does-you...
theconversation.com/why-does-you...
“Trump’s tariffs, his killing of the tunnel project, his potentially illegal federal-worker firings, his DOGE bloodbath, and more show that the economic carnage he’s unleashed is inseparable from his consolidation of autocratic power.”
newrepublic.com/article/2027...
newrepublic.com/article/2027...
Trump Humiliation Worsens as Fresh Info Reveals Scale of GOP Losses
The results showed that Democrats don’t have to choose between attacking Trump and highlighting the economy. In fact, they are often inseparable.
newrepublic.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:19 PM
“Trump’s tariffs, his killing of the tunnel project, his potentially illegal federal-worker firings, his DOGE bloodbath, and more show that the economic carnage he’s unleashed is inseparable from his consolidation of autocratic power.”
newrepublic.com/article/2027...
newrepublic.com/article/2027...
“Titled Buste de femme au chapeau à fleurs (Dora Maar), the painting is one of many featuring the eponymous Dora Maar, a French-Croatian photographer, painter, and Picasso’s lover of nine years.”
mymodernmet.com/rediscovered...
mymodernmet.com/rediscovered...
Picasso Painting Hidden for Over 80 years Sells for Nearly $40M at Auction
The public hadn’t seen this painting in nearly a century. It finally came out of hiding…for a hefty price.
mymodernmet.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:15 PM
“Titled Buste de femme au chapeau à fleurs (Dora Maar), the painting is one of many featuring the eponymous Dora Maar, a French-Croatian photographer, painter, and Picasso’s lover of nine years.”
mymodernmet.com/rediscovered...
mymodernmet.com/rediscovered...
“Warhol typically enjoyed, instead mining how transgender people, drag performers, and other queer individuals express gender and its various points of artifice and authenticity. The series remains just as evocative as it did 50 years ago”
mymodernmet.com/andy-warhol-...
mymodernmet.com/andy-warhol-...
Andy Warhol’s Provocative Yet Intimate Polaroids Live Again in Downtown New York
If you’re in New York, you can see about 150 of Andy Warhol’s Polaroids at this exhibition.
mymodernmet.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:13 PM
“Warhol typically enjoyed, instead mining how transgender people, drag performers, and other queer individuals express gender and its various points of artifice and authenticity. The series remains just as evocative as it did 50 years ago”
mymodernmet.com/andy-warhol-...
mymodernmet.com/andy-warhol-...
“A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration on Thursday to find money to fully fund food stamps for 42 million low-income Americans in November by Friday,in a rebuke to the government’s plan to only provide reduced aid during the shutdown”
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
US judge orders Trump administration to fully fund Snap benefits in November
Ruling comes in response to a challenge to administration’s offer to only partly fund US food benefits amid shutdown
www.theguardian.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:09 PM
“A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration on Thursday to find money to fully fund food stamps for 42 million low-income Americans in November by Friday,in a rebuke to the government’s plan to only provide reduced aid during the shutdown”
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
“Even in the deep Southern state of Mississippi, Democrats were able to break the supermajority in the state Senate by flipping three seats after 13 years, taking away Republicans’ ability to override the governor’s veto and easily propose constitutional amendments.”
newrepublic.com/post/202712/...
newrepublic.com/post/202712/...
Democrats Flip Reddest Districts Nationwide—in Major Warning to Trump
Tuesday’s election wasn’t just about Zohran Mamdani. Take a closer look at what happened across the country.
newrepublic.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:01 PM
“Even in the deep Southern state of Mississippi, Democrats were able to break the supermajority in the state Senate by flipping three seats after 13 years, taking away Republicans’ ability to override the governor’s veto and easily propose constitutional amendments.”
newrepublic.com/post/202712/...
newrepublic.com/post/202712/...
“She treats them with great sympathy and imagination: it was important, she wrote, to engage with historical people as living individuals, not ‘stuffed specimens exhibited against a flat tapestried background, more or less picturesque “
www.historytoday.com/archive/out-...
www.historytoday.com/archive/out-...
The Practical Mysticism of Evelyn Underhill
www.historytoday.com
November 6, 2025 at 12:59 PM
“She treats them with great sympathy and imagination: it was important, she wrote, to engage with historical people as living individuals, not ‘stuffed specimens exhibited against a flat tapestried background, more or less picturesque “
www.historytoday.com/archive/out-...
www.historytoday.com/archive/out-...
“Vermeer’s best paintings have a meditative quality exceeding the genres to which they belong.The devotional attentiveness of The Milkmaid slowly dispensing her milk in a thin trickle from jug ; the rapt fixation of the gaze of the Woman with a Pearl Necklace”
literaryreview.co.uk/a-devotion-t...
literaryreview.co.uk/a-devotion-t...
Kathryn Murphy - A Devotion to Art
Kathryn Murphy: A Devotion to Art - Vermeer: A Life Lost and Found by Andrew Graham-Dixon
literaryreview.co.uk
November 5, 2025 at 1:18 PM
“Vermeer’s best paintings have a meditative quality exceeding the genres to which they belong.The devotional attentiveness of The Milkmaid slowly dispensing her milk in a thin trickle from jug ; the rapt fixation of the gaze of the Woman with a Pearl Necklace”
literaryreview.co.uk/a-devotion-t...
literaryreview.co.uk/a-devotion-t...