Through Other Lenses: American Robotnik Readings for April 2013

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Apr 212013
 
Through Other Lenses: American Robotnik Readings for April 2013

From the RSS Feed “The Rise of Gay Marriage and the Decline of Straight Marriage: Where’s the Link?” by Derek Thompson, The Atlantic, April 4, 2013 “A ‘Whom Do You Hang With?’ Map of America” by Robert Krulwich, NPR Blogs, April 17, 2013 – “These are the first maps that are trying to paint us the way we actually are.” The Book Stack Andre Aciman, False Papers: Essays on Exile and Memory, New York: Picador, 2001 – BUY NOW Salman Akhtar, Immigration and Acculturation: Mourning, Adaptation, and the Next [...] Continue reading >

Central European Events in Portland, Oregon, in April 2013

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Apr 012013
 
Central European Events in Portland, Oregon, in April 2013

When it comes to Central/Eastern European events here in Portland, Oregon, April’s looking a bit slow. I will update the list as I discover new events. Updated 4/19/2013 Czech/Slovak Republics: Hospoda, 4/2 Tuesday, April 2, 6:00 p.m.–close McTarnahans Taproom, 2730 NW 31st, Portland Free The monthly gathering of Portland’s Czech and Slovak community. Guests welcome. The Balkans: Kafana Klub, 4/2 Tuesday, April 2, 7:00 p.m. dance lesson, 8:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m. live music Al Forno Ferruzza, 2738 NE Alberta St., Portland, Oregon $3-$5 cover Join us for the unbeatable combination of [...] Continue reading >

Through Other Lenses: American Robotnik Readings for March 2013

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Mar 172013
 
Through Other Lenses: American Robotnik Readings for March 2013

From the RSS Feed “De Nimes: The Long Journey of Blue Jeans” by Jenni Avins, Vice, 3/11/2013 – A history of one of America’s most potent symbols. “We Aren’t the World” by Ethan Watters, Pacific Standard, February 25, 2013 – Americans are outliers in more ways than you imagine. “The Decline of Marriage and the Rise of Unwed Mothers: An Economic Mystery” by Derek Thompson, The Atlantic, 3/18/2013 The Book Stack Andre Aciman, Letters of Transit: Reflections on Exile, Identity, Language and Loss, New York: The New Press, 2000 [...] Continue reading >

Central European Events in Portland, Oregon, in March 2013

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Mar 012013
 
Central European Events in Portland, Oregon, in March 2013

Don’t believe everything you hear about March being dominated by St. Patrick’s Day. These Central/Eastern European events in March will delight just as well, if not better, even sans green beer and whiskey. All information comes from event websites or organizers. The list will be updated, if needed. Update: 3/21/2013 Eclectic: March Fourth Marching Band, 3/3 and 3/4 Sunday, March 3 at 4:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.; Monday March 4, 9:00 p.m. Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W. Burnside, Portland March 3 all ages, March 4 only 21 and over 3/3 [...] Continue reading >

Through Other Lenses: American Robotnik Readings for January & February 2013

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Feb 092013
 
Through Other Lenses: American Robotnik Readings for January & February 2013

From the RSS Feed “Are Immigrants Taking Your Job? A Primer,” by Catherine Rampell, New York Times/Economix, February 5, 2013 – Your being here as an immigrant raises the wages of native-born workers, albeit only very slightly… & “No, More Immigration Won’t Make You Poorer (Unless You’re an Immigrant),” by Jordan Weissman, The Atlantic, January 30, 2013 – …but it lowers the wages of your fellow immigrants who preceded you. & “The Easy Problem,” by David Brooks New York Times, January 31, 2013 – And other benefits. “For Amusement [...] Continue reading >

Central European Events in Portland, Oregon, in January 2013

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Jan 092013
 
Central European Events in Portland, Oregon, in January 2013

With a bit of a delay but by popular demand, here’s a list of upcoming Central European events this month and February 1. All information comes from event websites or organizers. Bulgaria: Dancing with the Bulgarians, 1/10 & 1/24 Thursday, January 10 and 24, 7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m. Podkrepa Hall, 2116 North Killingsworth St, Portland Free [American Robotnik note: bring something to share for the potluck] Come and join us for a fun night of dancing and learning.

Through Other Lenses: American Robotnik Readings for December 2012

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Dec 152012
 
Through Other Lenses: American Robotnik Readings for December 2012

From the RSS Feed “How to Live Without Irony” by Christy Wampole, Opinionator – A New York Times Blog, November 17, 2012, VS. “Sincerity, Not Irony, Is Our Age’s Ethos” by Jonathan D. Fitzgerald, The Atlantic, November 20, 2012 – Irony and sincerity in mortal combat. The Book Stack Elena Gorokhova, A Mountain of Crumbs: A Memoir, New York, Simon & Schuster, 2010 – A heartfelt, detailed memoir of growing up in the 1960′s Soviet Union. Milan Kundera, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, New York: Harper Perennial Modern [...] Continue reading >

Through Other Lenses: American Robotnik Readings for November 2012

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Nov 172012
 
Through Other Lenses: American Robotnik Readings for November 2012

From the RSS Feed “My American Lemonade,” kottke.org, November 15, 2012 – A Bulgarian writes about his immigration struggles. “Last Call” by Tim Heffernan, Washington Monthly, November/December 2012 – America is about to start drinking more. “Can’t a guy just make some friends around here? Maybe.” by Matt Pearce, Kansas City Pitch, November 6, 2012 – If you’ve had a hard time finding and making friends in your new homeland, be comforted in knowing the natives have the same problem, Craigslist notwithstanding. “How Millennials Leaving Their Parents’ Basements Could [...] Continue reading >

Central European Events in Portland, Oregon, in November 2012

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Nov 012012
 
Central European Events in Portland, Oregon, in November 2012

Enjoy these Central European events. Czech/Slovak Republics: Hospoda, 11/6 Tuesday, November 6, 6:00 p.m.–close McTarnahans Taproom, 2730 NW 31st, Portland Free The monthly gathering of Portland’s Czech and Slovak community. Guests welcome. The Balkans and Beyond: Krebsic Orkestar with Moh Alileche and MWE, 11/15 Thursday, November 15, 9:00 p.m. Mississippi Pizza,  3552 N. Mississippi Ave., Portland, OR $10; 21+ only Event page A Very Special evening of Eastern Music: the big Balkan brass of Krebsic Orkestar with Moh Alileche and very special guests from the Bay Area, MWE, supplying “a [...] Continue reading >

Packaged Apple Slices Confound, Tittilate

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Oct 252012
 
Packaged Apple Slices Confound, Tittilate

The day after the second presidential debate I started a post discussing Mitt Romney’s now-infamous binders full of women when, halfway through the first paragraph, I discovered in the snacks basket at my work a package of apple slices (see photo; there are 6 in there). I’ve been in the U.S. for almost ten years now but every now and then a product comes along that manages to elicit the same amount of surprise and befuddlement as when I first visited in 1996. This is how new blog categories are born! [...] Continue reading >

Great Difficulty in Translating Observations

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Oct 172012
 
Great Difficulty in Translating Observations

What he refers to as the “stupidity” of the American masses, who are satisfied by the purely material advantages of this new civilization, is exceptionally irritating to the Eastern intellectual. Raised in a country where there was a definite distinction between the “intelligentsia” and the “people,” he looks, above all, for ideas created by the “intelligentsia,” the traditional fermenting element in revolutionary changes. When he meets with a society in which the “intelligentsia,” as it was known in Central or Eastern Europe, does not exist, he has great difficulty [...] Continue reading >

Through Other Lenses: American Robotnik Readings for October 2012

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Oct 132012
 
Through Other Lenses: American Robotnik Readings for October 2012

From the RSS Feed “If You Want More Jobs, You Should Want More Immigrants” by Steve Case, The Atlantic, September 11, 2012 – Read my lips. “How Income Divides Democrats, Republicans, And Independents” by Lam Thuy Vo, NPR Planet Money, October 1, 2012 and “How The Poor, The Middle Class And The Rich Spend Their Money” by Jacob Goldstein and Lam Vo, NPR Planet Money, August 1, 2012 Plus a series of articles at The Atlantic about the Millenial generation: “The Cheapest Generation” by Derek Thompson and Jordan Weissman [...] Continue reading >

It’s “Banned Books Week” in America. Let’s read!

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Oct 032012
 
It's "Banned Books Week" in America. Let's read!

It’s middle of the Banned Books Week, “the national book community’s annual celebration of the freedom to read.” Throughout the country, “[h]undreds of libraries and bookstores draw attention to the problem of censorship by mounting displays of challenged books and hosting a variety of events.” Banned Books Week highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community—librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types—in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those [...] Continue reading >

Through Other Lenses: American Robotnik Readings for September 2012

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Sep 152012
 
Through Other Lenses: American Robotnik Readings for September 2012

From the RSS Feed “How Books Shaped The American National Identity,” by NPR Staff, NPR, August 14, 2012 – The Library of Congress has published a list of 88 books “that have influenced [American] national identity.” “I, Nephi,” by Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, August 13, 2012 – “Mormonism and its meanings.” Topical. The Book Stack Carmen Bugan, “Burying the Typewriter: A Memoir,” New York: Graywolf Press, 2012 – Recollections of a life in the 1980′s Romania | BUY NOW Tyler Cowen, “An Economist Gets Lunch: New Rules for [...] Continue reading >

Through Other Lenses: American Robotnik Readings for July and August 2012

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Aug 192012
 
Through Other Lenses: American Robotnik Readings for July and August 2012

From the RSS Feed “Books Increasingly Show It’s All About Me” by Tom Jacobs, Pacific Standard, July 11, 2012 - ”Researchers who have scanned books published over the past 50 years report an increasing use of words and phrases that reflect an ethos of self-absorption and self-satisfaction.” “Immigrant Number One” by Jesse Green, New York Magazine, May 9, 2010 – Tracking down the first foreigner to go through Ellis Island. “Move over,” The Economist, July 7th, 2012 – Americans move for work less because the market is working. “Why Isn’t [...] Continue reading >

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