Category Archives: Uncategorized

The ‘agile dolphin’ plan: Boris Johnson’s meta-narrative vision for Britain

Posted on 11 June 2021 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

Say what you will about British Prime Minister Boris Johnson – the man clearly grasps the political power of meta-narratives. Tom McTague profiled Johnson in the latest issue of The Atlantic, and concluded that to Johnson, “the point of politics … Continue reading →

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“Bright Eyes” and La Dolce Vita

Posted on 1 April 2021 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

Although I finished my PhD years ago, I have the good fortune to continue to be welcome at the weekly lab meetings for my advisor, Gerard Saucier, where he talks with his grad students about the many interesting things he’s … Continue reading →

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The remarkable story of Little and Little (2021)

Posted on 30 March 2021 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

This morning I read a delightful academic paper, with an even more delightful backstory. The lead author, Sabine Little, is a professor at the University of Sheffield, specializing in “Languages Education,” especially multilingualism. Her native language is German. So when … Continue reading →

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Postcards from my Istrian “stay-cation”

Posted on 31 December 2020 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

If I were to step outside here in Eugene, in the final days of 2020, I’d find rainy, windy, winter. Thankfully, I’ve had an alternative – I’ve spent much of the past week or two in sunny, cheery, Trieste and … Continue reading →

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The secret to social change

Posted on 3 December 2020 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

We all have a lot of ideas about what people should be doing differently. What am I talking about? Well, pretty much everything – every topic of laws and norms and morality that affect other people’s decisions. It could be … Continue reading →

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The burden of George R.R. Martin – and what suspense and its resolution mean for us in the real world

Posted on 22 November 2020 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

I can still picture the display in our local university bookstore, sometime around 1999 – a major new fantasy series, with at least two books in print: A Game of Thrones, and A Clash of Kings. It looked medieval, and … Continue reading →

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The story of Dido, Aeneas, a gender-queer Sorceress, and the fate of… England?

Posted on 17 November 2020 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

This past weekend I had the good fortune to see a most unusual opera. I confess, I’m not actually an opera fan, not in the conventional sense – as of yet I have no interest in Verdi, Puccini, et al. … Continue reading →

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Choosing your battleground: Joe Brewer’s story

Posted on 2 November 2020 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

Today is my friend and colleague Joe Brewer’s birthday. In honor of Joe’s special day – and tomorrow’s U.S. election – I’m sharing part of my in-progress book’s chapter 11, “Transcending Loss,” where I write about Joe and the importance … Continue reading →

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The Axis of Awesomeness

Posted on 22 October 2020 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

Our collective stories about who we are and where we’re headed are potent elements of our culture, especially during election season, as you may have seen in my recent Scientific American essay and my earlier posts in this blog.  My … Continue reading →

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The greatest honor

Posted on 10 October 2020 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

This week, when I saw that the Nobel Peace Prize had been won by the World Food Program, I confess my first reaction was, “Huh. That’s not as interesting as when an individual wins it,” and I scrolled on to … Continue reading →

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