Best Vacation Ever

Posted on Jun 27, 2010

Secret FCC meetings, what it’s like to be a Canadian doctor, why modern art is in your head, and what science has to say about the best vacation ever—all after the jump.

On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies.

The links below open in a new window. Newer ones are on top.

Stanford University Professors Protest Arizona’s English Fluency Law
A statement drafted by Stanford University professors in protest of Arizona’s English Fluency Law is an effort to show how the law is flawed and to add support to similar statements from the University of Arizona and the National Council of Teachers of English.

‘Transparent’ FCC Continues Secret Internet Meetings
The Federal Communications Commission “f*cked up” by holding closed-door meetings with industry giants aimed at striking a deal over Internet regulation, a government source told DailyFinance on Tuesday, even as the agency’s chief of staff defended a process that has effectively shut out the public.

The Stealth Attack on America’s Best-Loved Program
As Obama’s Fiscal Commission prepares for its June 30 hearing, the Roosevelt Institute’s New Deal 2.0 blog invited me to participate in its Social Security’s Fiscal Fitness series, which examines the soundness of the program, its relationship to the federal deficit, and the vital role it plays in America’s economic future.

Police Your Own Damn Copyrights
I changed my mind: The court was right to side with YouTube over Viacom.

Why modern art is all in the mind
New book argues that taste is driven by psychological patterns and way we want world to see us.

The push to make broadband access a civil right
If you’re one of the millions of Americans who use broadband Internet at home, you probably take for granted how deeply it’s woven into your life. It has transformed the way we pay our bills, seek romance, procrastinate, and keep abreast of politics and the lives of friends. The pre-Google era has become a distant, hazy memory.

The Best Vacation Ever
How should you spend your time off? Believe it or not, science has some answers.

Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age
Internet enthusiasts come in two flavors: utopians and populists. The rhetoric of both camps is revolutionary, but the revolutions are different.

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