digital emunction

The McNamaras to Come

Robert P. Baird — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:31:45 +0000

Like many my age, my most vivid memory of Robert McNamara comes from The Fog of War, the astoundingly good 2003 Errol Morris documentary. (Lots of the movie is available on YouTube, including Italian versions, but it’s really worth sitting down and seeing the whole…

No Good News from Honduras

Robert P. Baird — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 02:22:43 +0000

From The Guardian: Honduras was in turmoil last night as President Manuel Zelaya attempted to return and topple coup leaders who ousted him, prompting deadly clashes between his supporters and security forces. The president flew from Washington towards home in a high-stakes…

State of the Art

Robert P. Baird — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:19:44 +0000

From the flyer for a gallery we stumbled into last night as part of Seattle’s First Thursdays Artwalk: We prefer to create meaningful relationships by engaging in dialogue with those interested in our work. We can explore ways to assist you…

On Zelaya

Robert P. Baird — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:38:00 +0000

Conscience compels me to add that in focusing so directly on the coup I don’t mean to imply that Mel Zelaya, the ousted president, is some kind of exiled saint. As Kevin Casas-Zamora of the Brookings Institution notes, he had…

Honduras by Day, Guantánamo by Night: Roberto Micheletti’s State of Exception

Robert P. Baird — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:37:49 +0000

Yesterday the Honduran Congress, working almost certainly at the behest of Roberto Micheletti (who was Speaker of the Congress until the coup), suspended the following constitutional rights for its citizens between the hours of 9pm and 5am: habeas corpus, freedom of…

How to Pronounce C-O-U-P in Rightwing

Robert P. Baird — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:33:19 +0000

From Ray Walser at, naturally, The Corner: Congress, the courts, and the military joined forces to send [Honduran President] “Mad” Mel [Zelaya] packing. In a deliberate, bipartisan manner, they selected a new president to serve until regular elections in November. And for the…

Two Views: On Revolutionary Vegetarianism

Robert P. Baird — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:16:41 +0000

1/ From “Near-Extinct Birds of the Central Cordillera,” a short story in Ben Fountain’s Brief Encounters with Che Guevara: Some evenings Alberto joined them, usually when one of his interviews was being broadcast; he’d settle onto the steps with a mug…

Apologia Pro Absentia Sua

Robert P. Baird — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:28:54 +0000

After a couple of weeks of bicoastal back-and-forthing, I’ve finally landed in my new home in Seattle, and while I can’t speak for the rest of the digital emunctorate, with a little luck and a lot of goodwill from Qwest…

Dispatch from the Bottom Shelf

Michael Hansen — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:36:38 +0000

Though I am no expert, I am an enthusiast of bourbon. And I like to sample. So when I go to the giant Binny’s in the West Loop, I always make a point of getting the opinion of one or…

New Issue of Chicago Review: 54:4

Joshua Adams — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:56:05 +0000

CHICAGO REVIEW is pleased to announce the publication of issue 54:4, featuring: POETRY by Anne Carson, Saskia Hamilton, Tomaž Šalamun, Peter Streckfus, Jee Young Lee, Rusty Morrison, and Elizabeth Willis FICTION by Michael Martone, Madeline ffitch, and Juan Filloy ESSAYS by Susan Howe...