I just finished this one, my first Tolstoy, chosen because it's the shortest novel he wrote. The story is about a nobleman in 1880, Nekhlyudov, who finds himself on a jury. One of the accused is a woman he knew in is past, and who he wronged when he was young. While watching the trial he …
how ‘the customer is always right’ culture is ruining our society
Happy May Day! Workers' rights are important, and are ignored quite a bit in this capitalistic country (one of the few countries that doesn't have May Day as a day off for workers... quite ironic.) Here, it seems, even workers treat other workers like crap. And I don't think it's necessarily because they are bad …
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digging ditches: the ultimate human achievement?
How many Potential Einsteins, Hawkings, or Nabokovs or Woolfs or Monets or O'Keeffes are out there stuck digging ditches or scrubbing floors in order to survive? How much art and literature and scientific discoveries are the rest of us missing out on in favor of that floor being cleaned by a person rather than a …
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Why do we hate the poor?
The plight of the Joads in this story makes me think of how we treat refugees, homeless people, and any other needy people in this country. The family in this story has been kicked off their farm by the corporation that owns it, and along with thousands of other families is fleeing across the country …
bye bye net neutrality
All you 'free market!' folks in America right now who think this is no big deal, why don't you take a few minutes to go check how many ISP options are available in your area, and think about who you'll switch to if yours starts screwing you. Not many (or any) options, are there? What …
Jonas David 