How to Recover Reality. Neo-Romantic Irony in Post-Postmodern American Fiction

Even though transcendentalism never ceased to be present in American culture, during the first decade of the twenty-first century, the gaze of artists and theorists turned to the ideas of the American Renaissance with a hope that had no place during the reign of postmodern irony. With this in mind, the purpose of this article is to discern the adequacy of Emerson’s philosophy for the recovery of realism through the transcendence of language and a new use of Romantic irony. The previous analysis will take us to the New Sincerity movement. The writers of the generation that followed in the wake of David Foster Wallace’s acted as a bridge between the postmodern and the post-postmodern narrative of the beginning of the new millennium. These young writers based their fiction on a critique of institutionalized irony in order to pave the way for the new post 9/11 novel.

Agile Project Management

This chapter presents the notion of agile project management and identifies the existing challenges in agile project management in the new millennium. It sets the scene for discussions presented by various authors too. In particular, the chapter identifies the experience and the related problems with agile project management. It also identifies the importance of adoption of agile project management and debates about the measure of agility.

O Píer Mauá como Terrain Vague Planejamento urbano, mídia e arquitetura

A adesão ao planejamento estratégico e a realização de mega eventos esportivos no Rio de Janeiro contribuíram para a reconstrução da imagem global da cidade no século XXI, configurando novas formas de ocupação do território. Este artigo pretende refletir sobre o conceito de terrain vague, ou terreno vago (SOLÀ-MORALES, 2002), a partir da análise do Píer Mauá, atracadouro originalmente construído em 1948, na região portuária, e que se tornou objeto de disputas urbanas desde os anos 1990 até a construção do Museu do Amanhã, inaugurado em 2015. O presente estudo levanta a hipótese de que planejamento urbano e mídia se tornam fatores essenciais para nortear o pensamento arquitetônico. Investigaremos as principais propostas realizadas para o local (projetos dos anos 1990, Guggenheim Rio e Museu do Amanhã) em conexão com os respectivos planos urbanísticos (Rio Sempre Rio, Porto do Rio e Porto Maravilha) e com as imagens dominantes veiculadas pela mídia (Brasil + 500, Novo Milênio e Sustentabilidade). Palavras-chave: Terreno vago; Píer Mauá; Guggenheim Rio; Museu do Amanhã. ABSTRACT Strategic urban planning and mega sporting events in Rio de Janeiro have contributed to the reconstruction of the city’s global image in the 21st century, configuring new ways of occupying the territory. This article aims to reflect on the concept of terrain vague (SOLÀ-MORALES, 2002) by analyzing the Mauá Pier, a wharf originally built in 1948 at the Rio Port area, and which had become a target of territorial disputes since the 1990s until the construction of the Museum of Tomorrow, inaugurated in 2015. This study will raise the hypothesis that both urban planning and media become fundamental factors for the architectural design thinking for the Maua Pier. Therefore, we will investigate the main architectural designs (including the proposals of the 1990s, Guggenheim Rio, and Museum of Tomorrow) connected to the respective urban plans (Rio Sempre Rio, Porto do Rio, and Porto Maravilha) and to the dominant images broadcasted by media (Brazil + 500, New Millennium and Sustainability). Keywords: Terrain vague; Píer Mauá; Guggenheim Rio; Museu do Amanhã.

Liberal Prepping as Apocalyptic Eco-Religion

The term “prepper” or “survivalist” has long been associated with more conservative or politically right-leaning communities who have operated at the fringe of society for decades. Since the new millennium, this hobby of preparedness has increased and, most recently, shown a rise among liberal or left-leaning communities. This essay addresses the rise in liberal prepper culture not only as a political response to right-wing politics, but as a fear heightened by the realities of climate change and its impact on humanity, thus creating an eco-religion centred on ethical and moral responsibilities, with an overall apocalyptic hue.