zadie smith a talk given in Berlin on November 10 on receiving the 2016 Welt Literature Prize. I did not understand that I was “championing” multiculturalism by simply depicting it, or by describing it as anything other than incipient tragedy. … Racial homogeneity is no guarantor of peace, any more than racial heterogeneity is fated to fail. … I find these days that a wistful form of time travel has become a persistent political theme, both on the right and on the left....

misc. notes a man, a plan, a turban and a B3 organ. featured on the blue note podcast. he’s not actually a doctor; he is apparently referred to as “the doctor” by other jazz musicians given his tendency to “doctor” up his work. the origin of the turban is unclear since it seems to have appeared later in his career. wikipedia was surprisingly unhelpful on this front. impressive discography. the latest album (evolution) appears to be only available on CD and/or streaming....

if the DFL’s really being honest … this is dark, but pretty much nails it. ...

ouch. the truth hurts. “Affluent and well-educated Americans, by which I mean roughly the upper 20 percent of the socioeconomic strata, are instead narrowly concentrating on ensuring that their children retain their privileges. I think this tendency first became apparent to me in the 1990s, when “soccer moms” began to drive around in huge SUVs that were more like tanks than cars. The message that could have been on a bumper sticker was, “No matter what happens, my kids will be safe, even while yours might be toast....