Bland Bloodsuckers

I’m no maestra of the avant-garde, and consequently, my interest here is in offering neither definitions nor death knells. To mourn the loss of the avant-garde — or to seek the shock of transgressive aesthetics in increasingly arcane crannies — is an evergreen endeavor. As Roland Barthes wrote, “être d’avant-garde, c’est savoir ce qui est…

Read More

‘Barbie’ Was Born Out Of The Anxiety Of Modern Filmmaking | Defector

Movie studios favoring familiarity and profitability over artistry is nothing new or particularly innovative. At the moment, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) are on strike against Hollywood’s profit-driven and margin-squeezing madness, throwing the craven greed of the executive class into even sharper…

Read More

Stanford President Resigns After Report Finds Flaws in his Research – The New York Times

Marc Tessier-Lavigne was cleared of accusations of scientific fraud and misconduct. But the review said his work had “multiple problems” and “fell below customary standards of scientific rigor.” Marc Tessier-Lavigne, a noted scientist, announced he would resign as president of Stanford University.Credit…Carolyn Fong for The New York Times July 19, 2023Updated 6:18 p.m. ET Following…

Read More

Ad-Fraud Claims Could Force Google to Pay Billions. But Don’t Hold Your Breath.

The world of digital ads is reeling after a bombshell report that found Google’s video advertising system may be defrauding customers 80% of the time, violating the promises the company makes to advertisers about where and how those ads are shown. Some advertisers are demanding refunds, which, theoretically, would cost Google millions if not billions…

Read More

Can Colleges Be Racially Diverse Without Affirmative Action? Experience Suggests No – WSJ

The Supreme Court says American colleges can no longer consider race in their admissions decisions. Instead, they can try to build racially diverse campuses through less-direct means. Experience suggests that is going to be a hard slog. Nine states, including California, Oklahoma, Michigan, Texas, Florida and New Hampshire, have already banned race-conscious admissions, mainly as…

Read More

The Mysterious Case of the Fake Gay Marriage Website, the Real Straight Man, and the Supreme Court

  Long before the Supreme Court took up one of the last remaining cases it will decide this session—the 303 Creative v. Elenis case, concerning a Colorado web designer named Lorie Smith who refuses to make websites for same-sex weddings and seeks an exemption from anti-discrimination laws—there was a couple named Stewart and Mike. According…

Read More

Supreme Court Rules Against Affirmative Action in College Admissions – WSJ

WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court found it unconstitutional to consider race in university admissions, eliminating the principal tool the nation’s most exclusive schools have used to diversify their campuses. Thursday’s decision will force a reworking of admissions criteria throughout American higher education, where for decades the pursuit of diversity has been an article of faith. University officials…

Read More

Women Interviewing for Bill Gates’s Private Office Were Asked Sexually Explicit Questions – WSJ

Some people who sought jobs at billionaire Bill Gates’s private office described going through an extensive screening process that included being questioned by a security firm about their sexual histories, past drug use and other parts of their private lives that might indicate they were vulnerable to blackmail. Some female job candidates were asked whether…

Read More