Conchita Wurst, the Bearded Transvestite That’s Pissing Off Russia

The unlikely Eurovision Song Contest winner from Austria has caused anti-gay fury in Russia; Google is investing in key components for making solar energy; meanwhile, The Washington Post has inconspicuously hired 50 people these past few months. These discoveries and more below.

On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that have 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.

Conchita Wurst’s Eurovision Victory Sparks Anger In Russia Victory for Austria’s bearded transvestite Conchita Wurst at the Eurovision Song Contest prompted an outpouring of anti-gay anger from Russian politicians and stars on Sunday.

Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Neoclassical Economics Gary Becker’s recent death has provoked widespread praise (for example, from Peter Lewin through Justin Wolfers to Amita Etzioni) for his role in initially creating and then extending “economics imperialism.”

What Can You Do With a Degree in Watching TV? An interview with Anne Helen Petersen, a media-studies professor who is leaving academia to write for the Internet.

What’s Your Major? 4 Decades Of College Degrees, In 1 Graph What is the mix of bachelor’s degrees awarded today, and how has the mix changed over the past several decades?

Why Google is Making a Big Deal Over a Little Solar Device Gadgets called inverters are key to making usable solar energy, and Google wants them super small and cheap.

The Solution to the F.C.C.’s Net-Neutrality Problems Tom Wheeler, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, probably hoped he could avoid spending too much of his tenure dealing with net neutrality.

Mapping a New Economy Geographer David Harvey says fixing inequality will take more than tinkering.

Fascism Returns to the Continent It Once Destroyed We easily forget how fascism works: as a bright and shining alternative to the mundane duties of everyday life, as a celebration of the obviously and totally irrational against good sense and experience.

Culture Change Is Hard: What Nikki Usher Learned in Five Months Embedded in The New York Times newsroom In the early afternoon of January 27, 2010, The New York Times’ tech team was ready for breaking news: Apple was set to unveil its long-anticipated tablet computer.

Tom Wheeler Scrambles to Salvage Net Neutrality Plan Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler is on the clock and scrambling to salvage his controversial net neutrality plan as the commission counts down to a crucial vote on Thursday.

Washington Post Hires 50 in Five Months While you were sleeping, The Washington Post went on a hiring spree.

How Not to ‘Bring Back our Girls’ “The last thing Nigeria needs is a foreign military presence to prop up its corrupt government.”

Digital Monopoly Capitalism This week it was revealed that Amazon has been bullying the publishing house of Hachette to give it better terms.