i second dr. strangelove's recommendation of the kotkin book - probably the best analysis out there on how the USSR collapsed under itself. really had little to do with any speech by reagan. the book is brief enough and was enormously helpful in a class i took not long ago.

can we agree that this "it's like hitler" bullshit has to die, just like "hipster d-bag" and "i see what you did there?"
seriously - it's getting harder and harder to hear someone simply say he or she doesn't like something without inevitably comparing it to hitler. it can be regarding music, tax legislation, you…

honestly, what's to dislike about travis? they're a solid pop band with some excellent hooks. nothing extraordinary but consistently better than most of their contemporaries. i'd certainly take their music over that of keane.
plus, glasgow is a fantastic, magical place and that really translates well into their music.…

yep
i too was at the previously mentioned seattle show and it was without a doubt the loudest i've ever been to. the combination of all the pot smoke in the small room, the frantically dancing hipsters who reeked of pbr and body odor, and the pink floyd-inspired video footage the whole time, it was a bit insufferable.
t…