The debate over affirmative action and race preferences in university admissions is among the most bitter and intractable in American politics. In principle, affirmative action is a straightforward case of compensatory justice. Black and Hispanic students, supporters claim, suffer from structural injustices that may cause them to perform worse than they would if they were … Read more
The debate over affirmative action and race preferences in university admissions is among the most bitter and intractable in American politics. In principle, affirmative action is a straightforward case of compensatory justice. Black and Hispanic students, supporters claim, suffer from structural injustices that may cause them to perform worse than they would if they were … Read more
This week is one of my favorite of the year, and not just because of Memorial Day barbeques. It’s “Bee Week” 2015, the week of the National Spelling Bee, and the championship finals will be broadcast on ESPN tonight, May 28, at 8:00 PM (ET). As a former speller, I like to keep up with … Read more
Update (6/1/15): an earlier version of this article misattributed testimonies about Church of Scientology practices to the film Going Clear. These errors have been either removed or corrected. Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney’s latest picture Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief has stirred controversy within the Scientologist community and beyond. The film … Read more
In the opening moments of Ang Lee’s film Eat Drink Man Woman, Chef Chu (Sihung Lung) slits a fish, scales it, slices the fatty pink filets into strips, coats them with flour, and drops them into a sizzling pan of oil, all with the exquisite control of a master musician. Crisp chopping sounds intersperse the upbeat … Read more
Antiguan-American novelist Jamaica Kincaid is often described as “angry.” Kincaid is best known for her candid and overtly critical approach to themes such as colonialism, racism, and gender. In her 1988 novel A Small Place, Kincaid condemns the colonial legacy of Antigua, extends her criticism to the modern tourist industry, and even criticizes her reader. … Read more
In the corner of a dusty wooden building sits a lightly-battered baby grand, glossy from afar and slightly worn when viewed up close. During the waking hours it remains largely unnoticed by the crowds of excited visitors, the hurried staff, and certainly, the children who are deemed old and competent enough to be leaping around … Read more
In the corner of a dusty wooden building sits a lightly-battered baby grand, glossy from afar and slightly worn when viewed up close. During the waking hours it remains largely unnoticed by the crowds of excited visitors, the hurried staff, and certainly, the children who are deemed old and competent enough to be leaping around … Read more
In a glass petri dish, a roundworm no bigger than a human hair squirms away from a droplet of acid. In a white coat above it, a researcher watches patiently, documenting the worm’s every move. And in a series of labs around the world, Dr. Stephen Larson and the OpenWorm team are trying to figure … Read more
On April 10, Elizabeth Warren joined Jon Stewart on The Daily Show and declared, “Powerful corporations [and] rich people have figured out that if you can bend the government to help you just a little bit, it’s a tremendous payoff, and if you can bend it to help you just a little bit more and … Read more