The social books website Goodreads has an incredibly handy user-generated list of The New York Times’s best-selling fiction and nonfiction books of 2013. Most notable was just how many of 2013’s nonfiction bestsellers were written by conservative television and radio personalities. Bill O’Reilly was most prolific: three books of his, Killing Kennedy, Killing Lincoln, and Killing … Read more
The social books website Goodreads has an incredibly handy user-generated list of The New York Times’s best-selling fiction and nonfiction books of 2013. Most notable was just how many of 2013’s nonfiction bestsellers were written by conservative television and radio personalities. Bill O’Reilly was most prolific: three books of his, Killing Kennedy, Killing Lincoln, and Killing … Read more
“Boeing 777 will struggle to maintain altitude when fuel tanks are empty” ran a CNN headline on March 31, 2014. Across America, millions of eyes were glued to the television set. “This is the most outstanding and life-changing story that I’ve ever had the privilege of watching,” said no one. “What trailblazing, groundbreaking journalism!” said … Read more
[ZUNYI, CHINA] It was the start to another sweltering day in the little Chinese town of Zunyi. I ambled to a nearby food stall for breakfast, where a vintage TV buzzed lazily in the background. A reporter was reciting updates from the Korean Asiana Airlines crash at San Francisco. Suddenly, the clink of chopsticks and … Read more
I am just a freshman here at Harvard, and one of those poor inductivist freshmen that have nothing but a few months of college experience to look back to when they attempt to make sense of what is going on around them. Nevertheless, it is no overstatement to say that a lot has happened just … Read more
For five decades, David Bowie has been a cultural chameleon in musical history: “Space Oddity” played in the background as BBC broadcast the first footage from the moon. The deep V-necks and laced-up red boots of Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane could drive crowds insane. Few aren’t lured by Bowie’s lyricism in “Let’s Dance.” Bowie … Read more
In a recent installment of Black Girl Dangerous, a popular blog of the post-new left, Mia McKenzie questions the willingness of people of color to defend The Colbert Report against Suey Park’s #CancelColbert Twitter campaign. “What is white racial satire doing for us that is so important?” McKenzie asks, wondering why people of color would put themselves on the line in defense of a … Read more
Due to decades of lobbying and a diversity of influence group pressures, the United States federal tax code has become a minefield of deductions and loopholes. Leaders on both sides of the aisle have publicly called for reform. One important thing stands in the way of comprehensive reform: the enormous power of groups who wants … Read more
It’s November 5, 2012 in Columbus, Ohio. Jay Z stands on a constructed stage with an enormous American flag behind him; the beat for “99 Problems” drops as the lights start to flash. Some people in the crowd dance, many scream the lyrics, others whip out their phones to record the moment—just another Jay-Z show. … Read more
It could not be in Jesus’ name, Beneath the bedroom floor, On Christmas night the killers Hid the bomb for Harry Moore. It could not be in Jesus’ name The killers took his life, Blew his home to pieces And killed his faithful wife. Langston Hughes, “Ballad of Harry T. Moore” When It All Began … Read more