Milo Behr's Blog, page 2
July 5, 2014
Second Anglosphere Civil War
Every now and again I find some bit of history that highlights the subjectivity of everything I think I know—at once engrossing on its own merits, but discouraging in its implications to my (and most people's) education. You know the feeling, I'm sure.
This is a brilliant essay, from a Telegraph writer:
A highlight:
"The men who raised that standard believed that they were fighting for...
June 17, 2014
... they cannot speak for themselves
From The Inimitable Jay Nordlinger:
The best bit:
People in free countries have an obligation to people in unfree countries. Most often, they cannot speak for themselves.
... and:
[Antúnez ] has spearheaded a petition urging the United States not to drop sanctions against the Cuban dictatorship. It has been signed by more than 800 of his fellow Cuban democrats. This is remarkable in light of the fact that an expression of support for sanctions is punishable by up to 15 years...
June 5, 2014
Production subsidies: enough to matter, and are we willing?
For those of you in (or interested in) the film industry:
I was in a meeting this morning in Salt Lake City (good meeting, lovely people) where Utah's relative lack of incentives, subsides and tax credits for film production was mentioned. This is often a passion-inducing topic: in the industry, the migration of production work from California to Canada is often explained by Canada's high subsidies (and in California there are wide-reaching campaigns to "keep Hollywood in Hollywood"). Utah's i...
May 27, 2014
Out of the mouth of babes...
My 6-year-old, Max, tells me: you're the best dad I can afford.
May 25, 2014
Half a King—it's coming!
http://www.joeabercrombie.com/2014/05/20/half-a-king-signed/
It's a little disconcerting to see nearly all of my favorite "gritty" genre writers dive into YA. But the results, in most cases, have been quite good. I'm looking forward to Half a King.
(I heard Paolo Bacigalupi talking about his inspirations for Zombie Baseball Beatdown at WorldCon last year. "Fk kid, I'll write you a zomebie book.")
May 19, 2014
It ain’t about you, Sunshine
Slavery in Nigeria, the occupation of Ukraine, whatever: It ain’t about you, Sunshine.
This Kevin Williamson piece is worth reading. Twice. Yes, it's written from a political point-of-view. Set that aside and consider it on a cultural level. It resonates with misgivings many of us, I think, have about the rise of "social media culture". It's a theme I explore in some detail in my upcoming project with Mechanical Muse/East India Press.
Some highlights:
Our politics, particula...
April 26, 2014
Piketty, Ted Turner, Wealth and Guilt
Plenty of commentary floating around about Piketty’s book (more than it deserves?) This bit caught my eye (Andrew Stuttaford commenting on David Brooks, commenting on Piketty):
“The richest of the rich (a Warren Buffett, say, or a George Soros) also have a vested interest in making sure that their position at the top of the heap is not challenged by wannabe magnates. Higher taxes (which they can easily afford) would be a small price to pay for keeping the not quite so wealthy riffraff out. An...
