DCentric

Good morning, DCentric readers! Who’s ready for some links?

NYT: Hey, this professor makes a good point when he compares global warming skeptics to defenders of slavery! “Just as few people saw a moral problem with slavery in the 18th century, few people in the 21st century see a moral problem with the burning of fossil fuels,” Professor [Andrew] Hoffman [of the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and School of Natural Resources] said. “Will people in 100 years look at us with the same incomprehension we feel toward 18th-century defenders of slavery?” (Washington Examiner )

In Which We Express More Indignation Over D.C. Voting Rights “The Founders were pretty bright people. They chose, for reasons that they had, to not have voting rights in Washington, D.C. The folks who live there know that. They can live there or they can not, and it’s their choice to live there. I’m not in favor of tampering with the Constitution unless it absolutely must be done. It’s unfortunate that they don’t have the right to vote. … The fact is that the part of Washington, D.C. that is in Virginia is now part of Virginia. Why don’t we make the part of Washington, D.C. that’s in Maryland part of Maryland?” said Fimian. (DCist)

Census Violence: Redistricting Ward Boundaries Could Fracture D.C. Council “Barry frequently decries the income gap between white households and black households in the city, and he says he plans to mount a campaign to draw new lines that make wards more economically diverse. He says the wards, including his own, need to get more racially diverse, too. Redistricting, Barry says, is a good way to do both.” (Washington City Paper)

When did Halloween get so tawdry? “The popularity of “ultra sexy” wear does not merely reflect the 1970s drag-queen spirit but the more general skimpification of America. As Halloween historian Lesley Bannatyne told the Explainer, Halloween is a “rogue” holiday not connected to a historical person or a historical event, so celebrants are free to express whatever’s in the air at that particular moment—with bed intruder costumes and the like—as well as more general trends. Our culture is more into revealed-cleavage than it once was, so it makes sense that Halloween has kept apace…” (Slate)

“Politics and Prose’s Social Network: How Much is a Beloved D.C. Bookstore Really Worth?” “Bookselling is a smaller part of this mix. The bookstores in Shallal’s establishments are run by a non-profit, Teaching for Change. The book part of the business has been constant, but not growing, he says. Where Cohen used to speak reverentially about reading, Shallal thinks most of his customers don’t actually read what they buy. “They put them on a shelf. They just want a reminder of the experience,” he says.” All the same, Busboys and Poets may represent a vision of bookselling’s future. (Washington City Paper)

Things that are more important than a college degree in getting a retail job “Managers mostly agree that they are seeing an increase in college-educated applicants – the manager at Guess says she has seen plenty of master’s degrees walk in and ask for an application. But be warned, college-educated job seekers: your bachelor’s in biology makes you no more likely to get a job at French Connection than the 17-year-old who failed sophomore chemistry.” (tbd.com)