Wednesday 29 April 2009

News: Obama's First 100 days

We've reached a moment that has been anticipated since the inauguration back in January - the first 100 days are up. Wading through the piles of analysis can be daunting. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:
  • The Huffington Post seems to be leading the coverage, devoting a whole section of their site to picking over the first 100 days. Their bloggers examine the period from almost every conceivable angle - then break things down into bite-sized pieces that form the Obama report card. Two highlights: Robert L. Borosage grades America's first 100 days, and Harry Shearer reports on the first 100 days in New Orleans.
  • The Washington Post gives a historical perspective to the 100 days debate - and offers up a 100 days quiz.
  • The Wall Street Journal also thinks about things historically...
  • ...whilst Time pushes that perspective further, arguing that the hundred days benchmark started with Napoleon.
  • The Guardian breaks things down numerically.
  • Fox commentator Tammy Bruce judges the first 100 days to be: "rife with broken promises, crippling debt and bizarre and dangerous domestic and foreign policy."
  • And finally: Esquire imagines what John McCain's 100 days might have looked like.

Monday 20 April 2009

200th Post: BAAS 2010

We've been holding back on this post - our 200th - in order to make an announcement. The School of American Studies at the University of East Anglia is going to be hosting the 2010 British Association for American Studies Conference, taking place 8-11 April 2010. You'll be hearing more about this as plans develop. For now, you can find out more information about the conference on the official site: http://www.uea.ac.uk/ams/baas2010. Whilst there, you can take a look at the call for papers - the deadline for paper proposals is October 16, 2009. You can also download a copy of the already-iconic conference poster - thanks to Jawa and Midwich for the amazing design. Display it proudly and help publicise BAAS 2010. See you all there.