Homer Simpson Marches on Washington: Dissent through American Popular Culture

The Simpsons consistently questions what is culturally acceptable, going against the grain of popular culture by showcasing controversial issues like homosexuality, animal rights, the war on terror, and religion. This subtle form of political analysis is entertaining and great for television ratings, but it also can be an effective means of changing opinions and attitudes on a large scale. To consider another example, what does Star Trek teach viewers about feminist politics? Do comedy programs like The Daily Show and Saturday Night Live advance democracy in ways the mainstream news media cannot? Can horror films contribute to a contemporary understanding of environmentalism? Homer Simpson Marches on Washington: Dissent through American Popular Culture explores how popular culture influences political agendas, frames audience perceptions, and changes values and ideals on both the individual and collective level. Editors Timothy M. Dale and Joseph J. Foy have assembled a top-notch team of scholars from the fields of political science, history, women’s and minority studies, film and media studies, communication, music, and philosophy to investigate the full spectrum of popular culture in a democratic society. Homer Simpson Marches on Washington examines television shows such as Star Trek: The Next Generation, The X-Files, All in the Family, The View, and The Colbert Report, as well as movies and popular music, demonstrating how covert political and social messages affect the cultural conversation in America. The contributing authors investigate a wide range of controversial topics, including gender, race, religion, class, the environment, and sexual orientation. Kate Mulgrew, who played Captain Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager, offers her own story in the book’s foreword, describing the societal pressures of being the first female captain in the Star Trek franchise. In today’s fragmented society, audiences are met daily with thousands of messages competing for their attention. Homer Simpson Marches on Washington offers an entertaining and insightful look at how popular culture can break through the clutter and bring about profound changes. Timothy M. Dale, assistant professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, is coauthor of Political Thinking, Political Theory, and Civil Society. Joseph J. Foy, assistant professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin–Waukesha, is the editor of Homer Simpson Goes to Washington: American Politics through Popular Culture. Popular culture is a growing area of interest, especially given its status as a major U.S. export in this rapidly globalizing world. Homer Simpson Marches on Washington is a useful and interesting work. --Margaret Ferguson, Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis Homer Simpson Marches on Washington is essential reading for anyone who believes that mass media can be effective in exposing the oppressive powers the be and inspiring people to resist them. --catapult magazine Both Homer Simpson Goes to Washington and Homer Simpson Marches on Washington look at popular culture as not simply entertainment of the masses. Instead, pop culture can emphasize contemporary societal norms, or introduce new ideas and social constructs....Pop culture reaches a national audience, and as such, is inspiring nationwide conversations about politics, race, marriage, religion, etc. If you want to learn more about the basis for these conversations, these two books are excellent resources. --Annette Aguayo, Voices From the Earthhttps://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_american_popular_culture/1009/thumbnail.jp

Homer Simpson Ponders Politics: Popular Culture as Political Theory

It is often said that the poet Homer “educated” ancient Greece. Joseph J. Foy and Timothy M. Dale have assembled a team of notable scholars who argue, quite persuasively, that Homer Simpson and his ilk are educating America and offering insights into the social order and the human condition. Following Homer Simpson Goes to Washington (winner of the John G. Cawelti Award for Best Textbook or Primer on American and Popular Culture) and Homer Simpson Marches on Washington, this exceptional volume reveals how books like J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter, movies like Avatar and Star Wars, and television shows like The Office and Firefly define Americans’ perceptions of society. The authors expand the discussion to explore the ways in which political theories play out in popular culture. Homer Simpson Ponders Politics includes a foreword by fantasy author Margaret Weis (coauthor/creator of the Dragonlance novels and game world) and is divided according to eras and themes in political thought: The first section explores civic virtue, applying the work of Plato and Aristotle to modern media. Part 2 draws on the philosophy of Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and Smith as a framework for understanding the role of the state. Part 3 explores the work of theorists such as Kant and Marx, and the final section investigates the ways in which movies and newer forms of electronic media either support or challenge the underlying assumptions of the democratic order. The result is an engaging read for undergraduate students as well as anyone interested in popular culture. Joseph J. Foy, associate campus dean and associate professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin–Waukesha, is the editor of Homer Simpson Goes to Washington: American Politics through Popular Culture and coeditor of Homer Simpson Marches on Washington: Dissent through American Popular Culture. Timothy M. Dale, assistant professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, is coeditor of Homer Simpson Marches on Washington: Dissent through American Popular Culture. “Today, film, fiction, and television reflect our notions of civic virtue, morality, and the human condition—or at least help us to struggle with understanding and defining these. The ubiquitous nature of popular culture means that it will have an effect upon us, whether one likes that or not. The authors argue that, given this fact, even those who doubt the ‘seriousness’ of popular culture would do well to pay attention to it.”—Margaret Ferguson, Assistant Vice President for Statewide Academic Relations at Indiana University Since ancient times myths and stories have been used to convey our deepest thoughts about how to live together in community. With this book we now have a fun and engaging way to learn and think about political theory through the myths and stories of our time, popular culture. -- William Irwin, author of Black Sabbath and Philosophy: Mastering Reality Foy and Dale have done it again, this time with political theory! Political theory is one of the most difficult subjects that political science undergraduates encounter and Homer Simpson Ponders Politics opens up an avenue for students to engage many of the broad theories through some of the cultural artifacts with which they are most familiar: popular culture. These important theories bubble up through all areas of popular culture from Machiavelli and The Godfather to Plato and Star Wars— there is much to learn from this compendium. This is a useful book for students of political theory of any age or training and for those who are intrigued by the many political concepts popular culture teaches us. --Lilly J. Goren, coeditor of Women and the White House: Gender, Popular Culture, and Presidential Politics Most essays in this collection employ their philosophical guides in ways that can...disabuse undergraduates of the notion that political theory can better address the sterile and obsolete concerns of forgotten eras than fundamental questions about contemporary political life. -- Choicehttps://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_american_popular_culture/1013/thumbnail.jp

West African Anopheles Gambiae Mosquitoes Harbor a Taxonomically Diverse Virome Including New Insect-Specific Flaviviruses, Mononegaviruses, and Totiviruses

Anopheles gambiae are a major vector of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. Viruses that naturally infect these mosquitoes may impact their physiology and ability to transmit pathogens. We therefore used metagenomics sequencing to search for viruses in adult Anopheles mosquitoes collected from Liberia, Senegal, and Burkina Faso. We identified a number of virus and virus-like sequences from mosquito midgut contents, including 14 coding-complete genome segments and 26 partial sequences. The coding-complete sequences define new viruses in the order Mononegavirales, and the families Flaviviridae, and Totiviridae. The identification of a flavivirus infecting Anopheles mosquitoes broadens our understanding of the evolution and host range of this virus family. This study increases our understanding of virus diversity in general, begins to define the virome of a medically important vector in its natural setting, and lays groundwork for future studies examining the potential impact of these viruses on anopheles biology and disease transmission

Laxative activities of Mareya micrantha (Benth.) Müll. Arg. (Euphorbiaceae) leaf aqueous extract in rats

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Mareya micrantha </it>(Benth.) Müll. Arg. (Euphorbiaceae) is a shrub that is commonly used in Côte d'Ivoire (West Africa) for the treatment of constipation and as an ocytocic drug. The present study was carried out to investigate the laxative activity of <it>Mareya micrantha </it>in albino's Wistar rats.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Rats were divided in 5 groups of 5 animals each, first group as control, second group served as standard (sodium picosulfate) while group 3, 4 and 5 were treated with leaf aqueous extract of <it>Mareya micrantha </it>at doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight (b.w.), <it>per os </it>respectively. The laxative activity was determined based on the weight of the faeces matter. The effects of the leaves aqueous extract of <it>Mareya micrantha </it>and castor oil were also evaluated on intestinal transit, intestinal fluid accumulation and ions secretion.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Phytochemicals screening of the extract revealed the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, polyphenols, sterols and polyterpenes. The aqueous extract of <it>Mareya micrantha </it>applied orally (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg; <it>p.o</it>.), produced significant laxative activity and reduced loperamide induced constipation in dose dependant manner. The effect of the extract at 200 and 400 mg/kg (<it>p.o</it>.) was similar to that of reference drug sodium picosulfate (5 mg/kg, <it>p.o</it>). The same doses of the extract (200 and 400 mg/kg, <it>p.o</it>.) produced a significant increase (p < 0.01) of intestinal transit in comparison with castor oil (2 mL) (p < 0.01). Moreover, the extract induced a significant enteropooling and excretion of Cl^-, Na⁺, K⁺and Ca²⁺in the intestinal fluid (p < 0.01).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results showed that the aqueous extract of <it>Mareya micrantha </it>has a significant laxative activity and supports its traditional use in herbal medicine.</p

CDK4/6 inhibitor-mediated cell overgrowth triggers osmotic and replication stress to promote senescence

Summary. Abnormal increases in cell size are associated with senescence and cell cycle exit. The mechanisms by which overgrowth primes cells to withdraw from the cell cycle remain unknown. We address this question using CDK4/6 inhibitors, which arrest cells in G0/G1 and are licensed to treat advanced HR+/HER2− breast cancer. We demonstrate that CDK4/6-inhibited cells overgrow during G0/G1, causing p38/p53/p21-dependent cell cycle withdrawal. Cell cycle withdrawal is triggered by biphasic p21 induction. The first p21 wave is caused by osmotic stress, leading to p38- and size-dependent accumulation of p21. CDK4/6 inhibitor washout results in some cells entering S-phase. Overgrown cells experience replication stress, resulting in a second p21 wave that promotes cell cycle withdrawal from G2 or the subsequent G1. We propose that the levels of p21 integrate signals from overgrowth-triggered stresses to determine cell fate. This model explains how hypertrophy can drive senescence and why CDK4/6 inhibitors have long-lasting effects in patients

Homer Simpson Goes to Washington: American Politics through Popular Culture

The modern landscape of American entertainment is filled with commentary on the state of the union. Viewers turn to The Daily Show instead of Fox or CNN, satirical films such as Wag the Dog, cartoons like The Simpsons, or controversial action dramas similar to 24 in order to learn more about current events in the United States. Popular culture is educating America more than the nightly news, aiding viewers in their quest to understand the American political system. In Homer Simpson Goes to Washington: American Politics through Popular Culture, Joseph J. Foy and other contributing scholars offer diverse political perspectives through the framework of popular culture. From the classic film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington to the cutting-edge television program Chappelle’s Show, a wide spectrum of entertainment media is used to explain the complexities of U.S. politics and how audiences engage with them. Popular culture and politics have never been so intertwined in the American consciousness as they are today. As political knowledge becomes increasingly fragmented, Homer Simpson Goes to Washington explains how popular culture can actually help connect people to their government. Joseph J. Foy is assistant professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha.https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_american_popular_culture/1003/thumbnail.jp