I will say, by way of introduction, that Barcelona is one of the most thoroughly mobilized cities I have ever seen. Catalonia is glorified as the only place in modern history anarchism has been tried on a large scale—during the Spanish Civil War, an experiment so successful both the fascists and the communists united against… Continue reading Message in a Spray Can
In general, I try to make sure that most of the posts I write for my blog have at least least some “value-added” behind them. That is, if I’m not reporting on things I’ve done in my life, I at least try to provide my own original spin on things happening elsewhere. Tonight, though, I’m… Continue reading PIRATES; or, irrational enthusiasm about ongoing tragedy in Somalia
My twelve-hour standing train ride to Den Chai afforded me the chance to read Martin Meredith’s most excellent “The State of Africa,” which provides an eminently readable and engaging account of the last fifty years in Africa. Aside from the overwhelming tragedy of it all, Martin’s account strikes me for the way it pins Africa’s… Continue reading No Heroes
Great Britain’s National Health Service is (choose one): A shining example of the power of government to provide health care for everyone. A bloated and sclerotic bureaucracy which demonstrates the impossibility of effective socialized medicine. Both As the debate over health care reaches new heights of absurdity—with the label “socialized medicine” continuing to be the… Continue reading A wholly unsatisfying (for the reader, that is) treatise on the NHS
So, here are some research findings with interesting implications for contemporary policy debates in the U.S.: Kenyans—despite living in a country with nine times the infant mortality rate of the United States and living twenty-two fewer years—report being as satisfied with their health care system as Americans are. Afghanis, for their part, are part of… Continue reading Smile! At least you’re poor!
England, it seems to me, is a land of rules. Before I arrived here, one of the first things I told people about my impending trip to Oxford was that students aren’t allowed to walk on the grass. Coming from Princeton, where as soon as the temperature gets above sixty-two it seems like the entire… Continue reading Rule Britannia
Alex V. Barnard - Sociology 