The Granta controversy surrounding a Commonwealth Prize-winning story tells us less about AI than about the enduring metropolitan expectation that writing from the South should sound opaque, excessive, and primitive. africasacountry.com/2026/05/how-...

Leute reden drüber, was an den Unis gestrichen wird, wenn die AfD an die Macht kommt, aber dass jetzt schon seit einiger Zeit Studiengänge gestrichen und Institute aufgelöst werden, darüber können wir ruhig auch sprechen.

With very ominous language, Justice Elena Kagan says that today’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais ends the Supreme Court’s “now-completed demolition of the Voting Rights Act.” 6-to-3 vote in favor of white voters who challenged a Black-majority district in La. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...

The Roberts Court finally achieved its years-long goal of killing the Voting Rights Act Wednesday, publishing a ruling that, the liberal justices say, will make proving racial discrimination in redistricting virtually impossible.

Second (and last) #SCOTUS ruling is the big one, Louisiana v. Callais. For a 6-3 majority (Rs v. Ds), Justice Alito purports to narrow the ability of states to draw majority-minority districts as a remedy for race-based vote dilution, but, per Kagan's dissent, comes pretty close to gutting the VRA:

LANDMARK DECISION — The Supreme Court has narrowed Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act with their decision in Louisiana v. Callais, opening the door to sweeping redistricting changes across the South that could erase up to 10 majority-Black seats and flip them from blue to red.

More Kagan: "[Callais] will effectively insulate any practice, including any districting scheme, said by a State to have any race-neutral justification.... Section 2 will play no role. “Whatever”—whatever—results from the State’s asserted justification is all its minority citizens are entitled to."

So I saw atmosphere in concert and Slug looks like Mark Maron now?

Jeder öffentliche Buchschrank hat mindestens ein Exemplar von Gut gegen Nordwind, das ist das Gesetz.

Taking a walk without headphones like a fucking animal

March movies

Meiner Meinung ist das hier der mit Abstand allerbeste Nachruf auf Habermas. Leseempfehlung!

Die jüdische Wochenmagazin Tachles berichtet über den National Jewish Book award für Menschen ohne Geschichte sind Staub. Die Preisverleihung ist morgen abend und die deutsche Ausgabe seit letzter Woche wieder im Handel erhältlich. www.tachles.ch/artikel/kult...

Incredible, sharp, critical reflection on Habermas’ legacy from Nancy Fraser. This is the postmortem I’ve been hoping would come and also sums up so much of my relationship to his work

If you want to very quickly learn who Jesse Jackson was, Abby Phillip's new biography of the man is really good for a very readable overview of Jackson and his place in American history www.instagram.com/p/DVEmwwNCpk...

Pretty crazy how important the blockade of a trade route is right now

Ich bin ein großer Fan von allem, was Daniel Stähr zum Thema Ökonomie schreibt - und sehr excited dass es ein neues Buch gibt.

❤️

We profiled Palmer Luckey, who is at the forefront of new defense tech companies selling autonomous weapons to the U.S. military. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/02/t...

February movies

Leben als Autor früher

If you want to very quickly learn who Jesse Jackson was, Abby Phillip's new biography of the man is really good for a very readable overview of Jackson and his place in American history www.instagram.com/p/DVEmwwNCpk...

Ah and there we go

It's Elizabeth Bishop's birthday. 🎉 I've written a couple things on her. Here's one of my favorite ones: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Für mich schon die Sieger:innen der Olympischen Spiele: die Designer:innen der mongolischen Outfits.

IDLES are Nickelback for the Indie crowd

January movies

Since I've been seeing a lot of "switch to Ecosia for search they are sustainable and European" hints lately your evaluation might soon change: Their boss explicitly wants not just to add "AI" to search but go all in on more "AI" tools. (German article linked)

Not great www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

Anyway what’s amazing is that it’s a vampire movie but the real monster is the inescapable labyrinth of the Jim Crow economy. www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

"Find another title. 'Sentimental education' is terrible." (Turgenev in a letter to Flaubert)

THE SAD MILLENNIALS goes Newsletter! Ab sofort schreiben @robspierre90.bsky.social und ich u.a. über gesellschaftliche & popkulturelle Themen. In der ersten Ausgabe geht es um die Freundschaft von Rose McGowan und Marilyn Manson, das "perfekte Opfer" und das Ende von MeToo. Morgen im Posteingang!

December movies

Wie "oh das neue Buch von Wodin ist interessant" dann im Buchschnitt aussieht

Das neue Buch von Natascha Wodin ist interessant

Wie kann man sich nur so zum Gespött machen.

i was especially struck by these paragraphs, which rang very true to me. libs who grew up around conservatives aren't embarrassed to be liberals--or confused about what conservatives want. there's a certain kind of elite media man, on the other hand--

those who predicted authoritarianism were both dismissed, & deeply misunderstood, by the media my latest for @newrepublic.com newrepublic.com/article/2042...

How did I not know of the word FANTODS before now?

Sad to hear of Joanna Trollope's passing. I have a lot of thoughts about her works. Maybe I should find a place to write them down. www.instagram.com/p/DSM4tDzinh...

I feel like maybe I just don't "get" Denis Johnson?

Sad about Stoppard's passing I spent this morning rereading his best play: www.instagram.com/p/DRrZ_LGCmC... #tomstoppard

Heute klauen wir hier

If you have a Nazi tattoo that you only remove when expedient for your career, you are a Nazi.

Springsteen: how the literalism in current biopics reflects critical reading habits in contemporary cultural journalism. In this essay I will

Hé, ça vous dit, un petit #concours ? On vous offre un exemplaire poche de La Bedondaine des Tanukis ! Les règles sont simples : nous suivre sur Bluesky et re-partager ce post. Vous avez jusqu'au 20 pour tenter votre chance !

in the actual real world secret police are disappearing americans on behalf of an openly white nationalist government but george packer’s latest is a novel about a world beset by woke totalitarianism