There’s an interview out this week with Rachel Dolezal, which you don’t need to read, at least the Rachel Dolezal part. The interviewer herself, however, has some very acute observations and insights about her subject and broader context, which are definitely worth your time, if you’re so inclined.

Dolezal herself isn’t quite letting go of her past as an ersatz Black woman, but she’s recasting herself as transracial — emphasis on “trans”, because Caitlyn Jenner. Not biracial, not someone who grew up immersed in two cultures, but transracial — a White person who identifies as Black.

Blame National Geographic. No, really. Dolezal does.

Read more »

Snorri Haraldson goes cod fishing.

In a move certain to provoke derision the Icelandic government is now considering a proposal to block all internet porn.

Reached for comment in Grndrfjordur, Stinque correspondent for all things viking Snorri Haraldson commented, ‘Dude, Þú þarft að draga það frá kulda, minn dauður hönd.’

“The brother of Kerry Bentivolio says the Michigan [GOP] congressional candidate, who’s favored to win on Tuesday, is ‘mentally unbalanced’ and could end up in jail. ‘I’ve never met anyone in my life who is conniving and dishonest as this guy,’ Phillip Bentivolio said… ‘He’s my brother so it’s hard to talk about this, but I believe that if he gets elected, he’ll eventually serve time in prison.'” [Politico]

[The Hill’s 50 Most Beautiful People]

HT for story and headline – Mellbell

You need to go check this out at Buzzfeed. S’rsly. I’m only posting here in case y’all been under a rock, y’alls.

One thing to bear in mind is that Donohue makes $400,000 for pulling this crap.

It’s one thing to piss on the gays – we all expect that – but the Jews??? The motherfucking Jews?????

Our guest columnist is New York Times Public Editor Arthur S. Brisbane, who asks New York Times readers whether the New York Times should get into the journalism business.

I’m looking for reader input on whether and when New York Times news reporters should challenge “facts” that are asserted by newsmakers they write about.

One example mentioned recently by a reader: As cited in an Adam Liptak article on the Supreme Court, a court spokeswoman said Clarence Thomas had “misunderstood” a financial disclosure form when he failed to report his wife’s earnings from the Heritage Foundation. The reader thought it not likely that Mr. Thomas “misunderstood,” and instead that he simply chose not to report the information.

Another example: on the campaign trail, Mitt Romney often says President Obama has made speeches “apologizing for America,” a phrase to which Paul Krugman objected in a December 23 column arguing that politics has advanced to the “post-truth” stage.

As an Op-Ed columnist, Mr. Krugman clearly has the freedom to call out what he thinks is a lie. My question for readers is: should news reporters do the same?

Read more »

“Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer skewers President Barack Obama in a new book, saying the president was ‘patronizing’ and ‘condescending’ when she met him at the White House last summer… [She] also says the president ‘lectured me’”. [Politico]