Gang Leader for a Day

Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I'll admit, I love the History Channel series "Gangland," and that interest is what drew me to this book. While the tv series can tend toward the melodramatic and at times glamorizes the gang life, this book shows the grim underside to the money, cars, and status: the harsh realities of life in Chicago public housing. Venkatesh's entry into this world is remarkable--he simply showed up one day bearing surveys and was eventually invited back by one of the local gang leaders. Over the course of nearly a decade, he forms a relationship with the people of the Robert Taylor Homes (gang members and non-members) and gains information on gangs and urban poverty from the inside, a rare feat in sociology. Over the years, he is forced to confront his own assumptions about poverty, gang life, the drug trade, the role of law enforcement, and so on. He also has to wrestle with serious moral issues as he moves from observer to participant in the life of the community. This is a great read that will likely make you reconsider how you think about impoverished communities.


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Hypercolor Shirts Are Back..Am I Really That Old?

I discovered yesterday that American Apparel has brought back the Hypercolor shirts that so many of us wore as kids when no one told us how lame they were. That's one fashion statement I NEVER expected to see again, but here it is. I guess if jelly shoes and tapered jeans can come in and out of style several times despite how stupid they are, then why not Hypercolor?

I cringe at the thought of this trend coming to UGA--I can just see girls pairing the shirts with leggings (which, by the way, are NOT substitutes for pants) and gladiator sandals as they strut proudly around campus. May as well throw in those plastic doo-hickies that you threaded one end of your t-shirt through. Do those things have a name? Why did we ever think those were cool? I think I had one shaped like a tropical parrot.

Surpassing Partisanship through Cute Babies

If there's one thing we can all agree on, Democrats/ Republicans/ Independents/ Greens/ Libertarians/ Undecideds/ Apathetics, it's that cute babies and children (and the occasional dinosaur) can unite us. Awwwwwwwwwwwwww babies! Who can focus on partisanship, negative campaign ads, and endless bickering when there's a picture of a baby with "Baby 4 Obama" written across her head? Uniting the voters of the nation through the ultimate cheesefactor: politicians holding babies in funny poses and adorable facial expressions.

Thanks to La Kate for the link.

Colbert Teen Talk: Voter Abstinence

The only surefire way to a safe, clean, and secure election is, of course, to encourage young voter abstinence. Learn more about this pivotal campaign in this promotional video, approved by John McCain.

Remember: when you vote for a candidate, you're voting for every stance they've ever had.

Also, Obama wants to change the language of the Pledge of Allegiance to state "One nation under gay baby."

Love, Stephen Colbert.

Political Puppetry

Several months back, there were a series of Harry Potter puppet videos (here's one example) on YouTube that blew up and got something like 10 to 50 million hits apiece. The puppeteers, or some fans of theirs, adapted one of the most popular Potter Pals videos to star the presidential and vice presidential candidates with a hilarious result, of course. I love Bush's outfit in particular...he looks like Wild West HeMan trying to reclaim his glory days.

Al Groh on Facebook

Great phony Al Groh Facebook ("Coachbook") page, complete with posts from Pete Carroll, Steve Carrell, Lane Kiffin, Kim Jong Il, etc. The mini feed items are awesome, including my favorite: Al added the "I Can Has Viktery?" LOLCats Piece of Flair.

Oh Al Groh. Glad I have another team to cheer for, even though there was more crying than cheering last weekend in their case.

Your Brain on Multi-Tasking

I heard this story on NPR this morning as I drove to work and thought it was pretty cool. The gist is that while we collectively think we're great at multi-tasking and treat it as an inevitable part of modern (post-modern?) life, our brain synapses say otherwise. We aren't actually focusing on many things at once but rather switching from task to task to task in a rapid manner. The lab experiments described demonstrate that the brain effectively goes on pause before a shift from task to task.

This is why I refuse to buy a Crackberry, iPhone, or any device that promises to streamline my life but actually complicates it by rendering me unable to focus on any one task for more than a few seconds!