Category Archives: america

Protected: Review of Peter Hessler’s River Town

Posted on March 27, 2013 by hnbjr

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Posted in america, Balkans, Chinese, education, international development, macedonia | Enter your password to view comments.

On the Unremarkable Processes of Life

Posted on March 9, 2013 by hnbjr

I had a relatively minor surgery last week and thus had more than the usual amount of time to sit around reading, especially about healthcare, medicine, and most of all its incredible rising cost. From Craig Bowron’s most recent article … Continue reading →

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il Kentucky

Posted on August 17, 2011 by hnbjr

We’re often curious as to how others see us. To that end, today’s offering is composed of translations from an Italian guidebook to the USA on my home state and city. Factually, it’s largely accurate, with a couple of exceptions … Continue reading →

Posted in america, italy, kentucky | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Thoughts on Militarism on Italy’s Day of the Republic

Posted on June 2, 2011 by hnbjr

Italy rarely has national holidays that anyone cares about. Milan My building is pleasantly empty at the moment, with most denizens having gone away for a long weekend. Militarism is rarely on display for secular holidays here, although this year … Continue reading →

Posted in afghanistan, america, Balkans, the italian right, the right in europe, war | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Body Language and symbolism, part 2

Posted on March 18, 2011 by hnbjr

In the era of the image, media and spin presentation is ever-important. Avid followers of Premesso will recall a post offering interpretations of an old photo of Berlusconi with a sidearm a few weeks back. This time we turn our … Continue reading →

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Sowing the Seeds of Mutual Distrust

Posted on February 26, 2011 by hnbjr

My take on the Raymond Davis situation is this: Pakistan is not a stable country, and whereas it’s not undergoing a full-scale civil war, the situation there cannot be termed “normal” by any stretch of the imagination.  Cultural differences aside, … Continue reading →

Posted in america, Bossi, immigration, lega nord, mafia, pakistan, Wikileaks | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Friday PM Briefs

Posted on February 25, 2011 by hnbjr

Four people you should think about over the weekend and the situations they find themselves in. Raymond Davis.  Soldier.  Pakistan. Not a normal country.  Not considered as such by the US government.  To paraphrase Gunnery Sergeant Hartmann, I am fully … Continue reading →

Posted in america, borsa, eu, france, germany, immigration, italy, libya, maroni, music, the italian left, the italian right | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Getting Clowned

Posted on February 19, 2011 by hnbjr

This week’s l’Espresso features Berlusconi getting ‘clowned’ (as old school hip hop might have it) by the US, via the leaked Embassy cables.  Coverage is running in English as well, and the magazine promises to publish more than 4,000 cables … Continue reading →

Posted in america, il cav, italy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I thought it was the USA…

Posted on February 19, 2011 by hnbjr

…or just another country? I’m not sure what’s more depressing — the amount of ‘worst’ categories that my adopted country is in, or the amount of ‘worst of the worst’ categories that my native country is in. But something about … Continue reading →

Posted in america, decline of empire, italy | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

It Felt Like a Kiss

Posted on January 24, 2011 by hnbjr

As I said last weekend, I’ve been on a heavy Adam Curtis kick recently.  Century of the Self is quite a worthwhile flick, but his latest, It Felt Like a Kiss, really pushes the boundaries.  An experimental film commissioned initially … Continue reading →

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