Comedian, author - 3 books published by @penguinrandom and @harpercollins - Bylines: @nytimes, @washingtonpost, @dailybeast
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Articles by Michael Ellsberg
The Supreme Court’s Ruling Practically Wipes Out Free Speech for Sex Writing Online
Just in time for the Fourth of July, last week the Supreme Court effectively nullified the First Amendment for any writers, like me, who include sex scenes in their writing, intended for other adults.
Bạn muốn chạy theo bằng cấp hay thành công?
Trong thời đại công nghiệp hóa ngày nay, những người có kinh tế ở mức khá trở lên cho rằng điều quan trọng nhất mà những đứa trẻ từ 6 đến 22 tuổi cần theo đuổi chính là điểm số. Điều đáng quan tâm thứ hai là những hoạt động ngoại khóa như các môn thể thao, âm nhạc, các hoạt động tình nguyện để tô điểm cho hồ sơ và bản CV đầu vào đại học.
Vì sao trường đời quan trọng hơn sách vở?
Tại sao trí tuệ thực tiễn luôn đánh bại trí tuệ hàn lâm? (Trường đời quan trọng hơn sách vở?) Người ta thường rót vào tai bạn rằng nếu học hành chăm chỉ ở trung học, đạt điểm số cao, vào một trường đại học danh tiếng, có tấm bằng trong tay thì chắc chắn bạn sẽ thành công trong suốt cuộc đời. Điều này có thể đúng nếu chúng ta sống cách đây 50 năm. Còn ngày nay, mọi chuyện đã khác. Giờ đây, nếu muốn thành công, bạn phải tự trau dồi thêm cho mình các kỹ năng và tư duy thực tế.
Người đàn ông không có bằng đại học tuyển dụng sinh viên Harvard
Để đạt tới mục tiêu tối đa hóa cơ hội thành công về chuyên môn trong bất kỳ điều kiện kinh tế nào, bạn cần phải bắt đầu học hỏi những gì? Đây chính là câu hỏi trọng tâm mà cuốn sách này sẽ trả lời. Tôi sẽ đưa ra lời giải đáp cụ thể, chi tiết cho câu hỏi này trong hàng trăm trang sách tiếp theo. Nhưng trước tiên, bạn hãy tìm lời giải cho câu hỏi: Tại sao ngày hôm đó Bryan không có bằng đại học lại ngồi ở vị trí nhà tuyển dụng và tại sao người đàn ông có bằng MBA của Harvard lại là người tìm việc?
The Joy of Platonic Love
[This is a chapter from The Divine Absurdity of Love: A Memoir and a Novella] The party was called Éphémère, a Belle Epoque-themed party, in October 2013. It was hosted by my friend Philippe Lewis, one of the most experienced organizers of play parties in the Bay Area. Ladies in feather hats and bodices filled the mansion in Sausalito, and men in three-piece suits wore ascot ties.
The Obscene King James Bible
The Bible is one of the freakiest books ever written. Prompt: "Provide a plot summary of Genesis 19:30-34 as if you were narrating an NC-17 movie.” GPT-4: In the aftermath of Sodom and Gomorrah's destruction, a father and his two daughters seek refuge in a desolate mountain cave. The world they knew is gone, and they believe they are the last survivors on Earth.
Humble, Humiliated, Human
“Even on the highest throne in the world, we are still sitting on our own ass.” —Michel de Montaigne Many of us humans like to think of ourselves as “higher” animals. Yet approximately once a day, we are forced to remember an inescapable, smelly, and dirty commonality with “lower” animals, via an urgent urge that emanates from our lower half.
A Planet of Parasites and the Problem With God
The first time I realized that “No, I’m not just crazy”—and that there might in fact be something deeply and irredeemably fucked up about the process of life itself (not my own life in particular, but the existence of self-replicators competing for scarce resources) came when I read a letter Charles Darwin wrote to a friend. In 1860, Darwin was corresponding with a friend on the topic of theodicy.
A Planet of Parasites and the Problem With God
The first time I realized that “No, I’m not just crazy”—and that there might in fact be something deeply and irredeemably fucked up about the process of life itself (not my own life in particular, but the existence of self-replicators competing for scarce resources) came when I read a letter Charles Darwin wrote to a friend. In 1860, Darwin was corresponding with a friend on the topic of theodicy.
A Planet of Parasites and the Problem With God
The first time I realized that “No, I’m not just crazy”—and that there might in fact be something deeply and irredeemably fucked up about the process of life itself (not my own life in particular, but the existence of self-replicators competing for scarce resources) came when I read a letter Charles Darwin wrote to a friend. In 1860, Darwin was corresponding with a friend on the topic of theodicy.
The Glass is Half Full (of Piss)
[A note on mental health—please read before reading the rest…. When you know or suspect that the emperor (of life itself) wears no clothes, but have felt alone and isolated in this viewpoint, and scared to express it for fear of being misunderstood or ostracized, hearing someone else proclaim “The emperor is stark raving naked!” can feel joyful, refreshing, and freeing; it can make you feel less alone and crazy, and more sane (in an insane world).
The Disruption of Work and Education in an AI World
[The video version of the podcast episode is above. Here are the audio versions on Apple Podcast and on Spotify.] Within a year or two, the office job market will look radically different than it ever has, as AI washes over most workplaces. How should young people change their plans for education as this AI tsunami crashes over the workplace?
A Letter to My Father
I was fortunate to be able to read this letter to my father on his deathbed before he died. He said he felt deeply seen and understood by it, which was extremely meaningful to me.
Daniel Ellsberg Died Peacefully Today
A Letter from Daniel Ellsberg’s Family, 6/16/23: Early this morning, Daniel Ellsberg died peacefully in his home in Kensington, CA. His cause of death was pancreatic cancer, which was diagnosed February 17th. He was not in pain, and was surrounded by loving family. In the months since his diagnosis, he continued to speak out urgently to the media about nuclear dangers, especially the danger of nuclear war posed by the Ukraine war and Taiwan.
Daniel Ellsberg’s Interviews After His Cancer Diagnosis
The Man Who Leaked the Pentagon Papers Is Scared, by Alex Kingsbury – a Q & A with Daniel Ellsberg, New York Times, 3/24/23 Nuclear Secrets, a Compost Heap and the Lost Documents Daniel Ellsberg Never Leaked, New York Times podcast, 4/20/23 Speaking Truth to Power: Ellsberg’s Legacy of Courage and Conscience, interview with Christiane Amanpour, CNN, 3/27/23 Daniel Ellsberg interviewed by Andrea Mitchell, MSNBC, 4/18/23 Daniel Ellsberg on the Mehdi Hassan Show, MSNBC, 5/7/23 A Dying Daniel...
The Horny Ecofeminist
[This is Chapter 1 of Joyful Pessimism: A Memoir of Sex, Mental Illness, and Philosophy. Read more chapters here.] In the fall of my freshman year at college, in 1995, Playboy magazine sent a glimmering tour bus to our New England liberal arts campus to promote its recently-published “Women of the Ivy League” issue. The only time in my life that I have been possessed by an all-encompassing, rigid, demagogic ideology coincided with Playboy’s visit to my school.
A Memoir of Sex, Mental Illness, and Philosophy"
My memoir Joyful Pessimism has plenty of real-life sex and philosophical pessimism in it, but I’ve decided to spice it up with even more sex and philosophical pessimism—which hasn’t even occurred yet—via a dystopian erotic novella. The novella is entitled Ishtar’s Angel, and takes place in 2033 after an economic collapse due to AI takeover. It is narrated by one Daemon Derriere.
A Memoir of Sex, Mental Illness, and Philosophy"
My memoir Joyful Pessimism has plenty of real-life sex and philosophical pessimism in it, but I’ve decided to spice it up with even more sex and philosophical pessimism—which hasn’t even occurred yet—via a dystopian erotic novella. The novella is entitled Ishtar’s Angel, and takes place in 2033 after an economic collapse due to AI takeover. It is narrated by one Daemon Derriere.
Daniel Ellsberg
Daniel Ellsberg is an American economist, political activist, and former United States military analyst. He was put on trial in 1971 for leaking the Pentagon Papers, but the case was dismissed in 1973 because of government misconduct. He is the author of "Papers on the War," "Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers" and "The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner."
A Planet of Parasites and the Problem With God
This is Chapter 1 my book-in-progress, Joyful Pessimism: Laughing and Crying at the Cruel Joke of Life. To receive new chapters as I write them, please join my low-volume private email list via the box towards the right (desktop) or at the bottom of this post (mobile and tablet). Important: If you have not read my “Author’s Note” and “Note on Mental Health” at the top of the Introduction to this book, please do so before reading further. Thank you.
What’s the Point When There is No Point?
This is a chapter from my book Joyful Pessimism, forthcoming from El León Literary Arts (Spring 2023). I am periodically releasing chapters before publication to advance readers. To receive these advance chapters, please join my low-volume private email list via the box towards the right (desktop) or at the bottom of this post (mobile and tablet).
Sex, Cash & Privacy: A Case for Allowing People to Profit From Their own Sexuality in Peace
Sex, Cash & Privacy: A Case for Allowing People to Profit From Their own Sexuality in Peace An argument for the full decriminalization of consensual, adult sex work, from a privacy perspective. A new book-in-progress by Michael Ellsberg. See below the form for currently-released chapters. Sign up to receive new chapters as they’re released: Current Chapters Interviews with Sex Worker Activists Additional Writing (Not yet incorporated into chapters…)
StartupU Podcast with Chris Michael Harris
Click Here to Subscribe to the Show: iTunes | Stitcher | Google Play Anthony Young, President of Personal Spaceflight Advisors and Author/Design Engineer, hops ion the show to talk about the rise of Boomer entrepreneurs and why it's never too late in life to launch your own successful endeavor. The Education of Millionaires: By Michael Ellsberg
Manhattan DA Candidate Eliza Orlins Has a Plan to Make New York City Safer for Sex Workers
Today, Manhattan District Attorney candidate Eliza Orlins is unveiling a comprehensive policy platform calling for the full decriminalization of sex work between consenting adults, The Daily Beast is reporting exclusively. Formulated in consultation with many sex workers and sex worker-advocacy organizations, it is one of the most detailed policy positions on the full decriminalization of sex work ever put forward by a major candidate at any level of U.S. politics.
Manhattan DA Candidate Eliza Orlins Has a Plan to Make New York City Safer for Sex Workers
Mikiodo Today, Manhattan District Attorney candidate Eliza Orlins is unveiling a comprehensive policy platform calling for the full decriminalization of sex work between consenting adults, The Daily Beast is reporting exclusively. Formulated in consultation with many sex workers and sex worker-advocacy organizations, it is one of the most detailed policy positions on the full decriminalization of sex work ever put forward by a major candidate at any level of U.S. politics.
The Pro-Nudity Social Network Sex Workers Are Flocking To
What if there was a social media platform with an extremely high tolerance for sexual self-expression, and an extremely low tolerance for mean comments, body-shaming, sexism, or harassment?
Daniel Ellsberg’s Relations with Neil Sheehan, as Told in “Secrets”
From Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers, Chapter 26: To the New York Times [Here’s a link directly to the most relevant section below] On February 28, 1971, I was in Washington on a Sunday night to take part in a panel the next day at the National War College. I had dinner with Dick Barnet, Mark Raskin, and Ralph Stavins of the Institute for Policy Studies, a left-wing think tank. They were working on a book analyzing U.S. involvement in Vietnam in relation to war crimes.
Meet the Therapist to the Porn Stars Who’s Also a Porn Star
Name a profession, and most likely someone has been kicked out of that job (or not hired) after being outed as a current or former sex worker, even though they’ve taken pains to keep their jobs entirely separate. Teachers. Nurses. Professors. Lawyers. Bankers. Typically, such firings are legal under company “off-duty activity” policies; only four states—California, Colorado, New York, and North Dakota—have laws prohibiting employers from firing workers for legal off-duty activity.
A Sex Worker, Her Christian Mother, and Adult Son in Conversation
If you assume, as I do, that sex work is legitimate work that should be decriminalized and destigmatized, then ideally it would be something that adults in the worker’s family can discuss openly, honestly, and respectfully. Unfortunately, due to criminalization and stigmatization, that is far from standard in most sex workers’ families.
Meet the College Professor Who Moonlights as a Dominatrix
When you think of a college professor, you don’t usually think of a dominatrix. And, you also don’t usually think of someone who is so underpaid that they don’t know how they’re going to afford rent or groceries. However, due to college administrators’ relentless drive to cut labor costs via outsourcing college instruction to freelance “contingent faculty,” the latter is increasingly common. And for that reason, at least one professor—whom we’ll meet soon—has taken up BDSM as a side job.
Dr. Dungeon: Professor By Day, Dominatrix By Night
Due to college labor practices, many adjunct professors now need side hustles; Dr. Mistress Snow’s involves beating up men in a sex dungeon. [This is the full version of the Daily Beast interview I did with Mistress Snow, Ph.D. Due to their length guidelines, they did not include large parts of my introduction, and some parts of Mistress Snow’s answers.
Do Wearable Stress-Reduction Devices Work?
It’s 4 PM, and I’m about to interview Dr. Dave Rabin, co-creator of the Apollo Neuro device, a small wearable designed to “improve your body’s resilience to stress, so you can focus, get to sleep, and stay energized,” as their site says. I’ve just opened the box for the loaner device he sent me, strapped it on my wrist–it’s about the size of an Apple Watch. Through its iPhone app, I set the device to the “Energy and Wake-Up” setting.
is fundamentalist Christianity sublimated sexual submission?
Empress Delfina, the dominatrix who de-radicalizes MAGAs and got them to vote Biden–whom I interviewed for the Daily Beast–gave me answers that happen to explain this bizarre tweet from Roosh V perfectly. Roosh was the king of the red pill manosphere, then literally had a “come to Jesus” moment and converted to a fundamentalist member of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Dear fellow progressives: The lesson of history is clear - vote for Joe Biden
COMMENTARY Will third-party voting help build the progressive movement? Over the past 20 years, that's been proven false Joe Biden and Donald Trump (Getty Images/Salon) 'Tis the season for some progressives to argue that the best way to build a progressive political movement in America is to stick it to the centrist Democrats — who have rejected progressive nominees and platforms — by voting for a third party, even in swing states.
Meet the Dominatrix Forcing Trump Supporters to Vote Biden
This election season, many people who wouldn’t be natural allies of centrist Democrats under normal circumstances are pulling out all the stops to rally their particular audience to vote against Trump’s re-election, via voting for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Groups such as the Lincoln Project and Republican Voters Against Trump are organizing their fellow disaffected Republicans.
The Glorious End of Higher Education’s Monopoly on Credibility | TIME.com
Getty Images The times they are a changin’, and in this essay, I’d like to suggest they are changing in a way that has massive implications for education: sources of credibility—once the domain of expensive degrees–are becoming democratized, decentralized, and diversified. In the past, there was pretty much one way to gain credibility: get some letters after your name, from as fancy an institution as possible.
Is the American Dietetic Association Attempting to Limit Market Competition in Nutrition Counseling?
[Disclosure: My wife is a weight loss consultant whose work could conceivably be seen as competition to Registered Dietitians.
Life Lessons From a Fire-Breathing, Stilt-Walking Billionaire
What is the number one piece of advice parents give young people for being successful later in life? “Go to college!” So---though I don't know for certain---my guess is that the parents of a young man named Guy were not all that thrilled when he informed them that his career and educational plans after his high school graduation consisted of hitchhiking around Europe, playing the accordion for tips, hanging around jugglers and stilt-walkers, and learning the art of fire-breathing.
Chelsea Manning - Daniel Ellsberg's Website
Browsing Category Edited excerpts of transcript from Keith Olbermann’s interview of Daniel Ellsberg on Current: ELLSBERG: The commander-in-chief, President Obama, gave Manning ‘verdict first, trial later.’ He said Manning had broken the law, before even the prosecution case had been heard, let alone the defense case. He said he was guilty, That alone is virtually a directed verdict.
Look 'Em in the Eye: Part I - The Importance of Eye Contact
How often have you talked with another guy who never looked you in the eye during the entire length of the conversation? Or perhaps he did meet your gaze a few times, but then his eyes shifted back to his shoes or to some point off in the distance.
Look 'Em in the Eye: Part I - The Importance of Eye Contact
How often have you talked with another guy who never looked you in the eye during the entire length of the conversation? Or perhaps he did meet your gaze a few times, but then his eyes shifted back to his shoes or to some point off in the distance.
The Key to Fool-Proof Investing
The key to fool-proof investing is truly internalizing the implications of the following unsettling fact. Most people are fools when it comes to evaluating their own talent in many of their own skills. (Including, as we’ll see in a moment, investing.) Unfortunately, chances are, that includes us. Studies show that 95% of people believe they are “above-average” drivers.
What Socrates Knows About Investing That You Don't Know...
There’s a strong case to be made that the two sentences I’m about to share with you are the most influential in the entire history of Western philosophy. They were uttered during the trial of Socrates for “corrupting the youth” in Athens, 399 BC–according to the version recounted by his disciple Plato.
The Importance of Eye Contact
How often have you talked with another guy who never looked you in the eye during the entire length of the conversation? Or perhaps he did meet your gaze a few times, but then his eyes shifted back to his shoes or to some point off in the distance.
Ellsberg: “EVERY attack now made on WikiLeaks and Julian Assange was made against me and the release of the Pentagon Papers at the time.”
Ellsberg: “EVERY attack now made on WikiLeaks and Julian Assange was made against me and the release of the Pentagon Papers at the time.” [Below is a news release put out by the Institute for Public Accuracy, co-signed by Daniel Ellsberg] Ex-Intelligence Officers, Others See Plusses in WikiLeaks Disclosures WASHINGTON – December 7 – The following statement was released today, signed by Daniel Ellsberg, Frank Grevil, Katharine Gun, David MacMichael, Ray McGovern, Craig Murray, Coleen Rowley...
No-BS Advice For Men About Drugs, Alcohol, and Sexual Consent
Home / Featured Content / No-BS Advice For Men About Drugs, Alcohol, and Sexual Consent — The following is a continuation of my answers to many questions men have about the “Consent Pledge” I created (for men who have sex with women). This is part five of a series on consent. Part one is here. Part two is here. Part three is here. Part four is here.
This guy turned a piece of trash into $100,000...
In 2005, Kyle MacDonald was a 25-year-old unemployed guy in Montreal, being supported by his girlfriend, a dietician. She was close to ending things with him, because she was so tired of him mooching off her for rent and other expenses. He had to think of something fast. He applied for a few more jobs (again), and heard nothing (again.) What he really wanted was to own a home, free and clear, so that he and his girlfriend could live there, without worrying about paying rent or getting kicked out.
Real-World Advice for Men on Putting Affirmative Consent into Action
Home / Featured Content / Real-World Advice for Men on Putting Affirmative Consent into Action — The following is a continuation of my answers to many questions men have about the “Consent Pledge” I created (for men who have sex with women). This is part four of a series on consent. Part one is here. Part two is here. Part three is here. By signing the Consent Pledge, we are committing to actively checking in with our partners, non-verbally and/or verbally (as needed) before and during sex.
Guys, It’s Time for Us to Stop Hard-Selling Ourselves in Dating and Sex
Home / Featured Content / Guys, It’s Time for Us to Stop Hard-Selling Ourselves in Dating and Sex — This is part two of a series on consent. Part one is here. The following is a continuation of my answers to many questions men have about the “Consent Pledge” I created (for men who have sex with women.) ◊♦◊ I’ve never pressured a woman for sex, violated a woman’s sexual boundaries, or committed any kind of sexual misconduct. Not all men are predators.
Why I Created 'The Consent Pledge' for Men
— #MeToo has shown us–with a breadth and depth we men can no longer deny–just how unsafe many women feel around us men, collectively. In the #MeToo movement, women have spoken up loudly and courageously about what behavior by men is not OK with them, and just how widespread this behavior is. They have told us how they want us to change, and what behavior needs to stop. The ball is in our court now.
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