Day: October 22, 2020

This week: Deceptive influencers / Nude celebs for voters / Five myths of the 25th / The military’s role in election chaos / Dress code for biking

Most of these great items come from my social media networks. Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, LinkedIn, and Facebook for more fascinating videos, photos, articles, essays, and criticism. Learn more about my academic background here.

1. ‘Fake Private Plane Girls’: The Deceptive Genius of the Influencer Backdrop Economy
By Hazel Cills | Jezebel | September 2020
“[O]n social media — where living and documenting a life of luxurious travel can become a lucrative way to make a living — fake private jets, apartments, and mesmerizing photoshoot locations are almost as common as the real deal.”

2. More penises are appearing on TV and in film – but why are nearly all of them prosthetic?
By Peter Lehman | The Conversation | October 2020
“To me, this says something about the unusual significance we continue to grant the penis, along with our cultural need to carefully regulate its representation. In a way, the use of prosthetic penises maintains a certain mystique about masculinity, preserving the power of the phallus.”

3. Celebs getting naked to beg for votes is yet another downfall of 2020
By Kirsten Fleming | The New York Post | October 2020
“But if voting isn’t a joke, who the hell gave the OK to the actors and comedians like Tiffany Haddish, Sarah Silverman and Chris Rock (why, Chris Rock? Why?!) to get naked in the most cringeworthy celeb mashup since that black-and-white anti-racism video.”

4. How to Build a Latrine
By Malia Wollan | Tip :: The New York Times Magazine | September 2019
“To construct a basic pit latrine, you don’t need engineers, special equipment or much money.”

5. Specter of election chaos raises questions on military role
By Robert Burns and Lolita C. Baldor | Associated Press | October 2020
“Gen. Mark Milley, who as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the nation’s top military officer, has told Congress the military is committed to staying apolitical and steering clear of any election role.”

6. Five myths about the 25th Amendment
By Joel K. Goldstein | Five Myths :: The Washington Post | October 2020
“It’s not just about physical incapacity, and it doesn’t provide for removal of a president.”

7. The Age of Innocence: How a U.S. classic defined its era
By Cameron Laux | The American Century :: BBC Culture | September 2020
“Wharton was no friend of change. She didn’t like feminism, and she saw the worship of status in Old New York being swept away and replaced by the worship of money — hardly a forward step. But the story of Newland Archer and his tribe (also her own tribe, let’s not forget) is expressed with an elegant and complex ambivalence.”

8. Girl meets bike: but what should she wear?
By Pamela Druckerman | 1843 :: The Economist | September 2020
“A Parisian guide to dressing for two wheels”

9. How artificial salt marshes can help in the fight against rising seas
By Patrick Greenfield | The Guardian | September 2020
“Made from Crossrail clay, Europe’s biggest coastal habitat restoration project is a valuable flood defence but is itself threatened by climate change”

10. Can I get COVID-19 through my eyes or ears?
Viral Questions :: Associated Press | June 2020
“As with the nose and mouth, doctors say the eyes may be a route of infection if someone with the virus coughs or sneezes nearby.”