The CNBC Republican debate brought its fair share of controversy. HPR writers analyze the night’s happenings, from the strained relationship between moderators and candidates to the policies they discussed. Image credits: Flickr/Peter Stevens
I have nothing new to contribute on Anthony Weiner’s Twitter debacle. And, whether or not I consider it important enough to cover (read: not), we can count on Sarah Palin to ‘refudiate’ herself at least every few months. But thanks to the pervasive, horizontal nature of social media, you no longer need to be a politician to have … Read more
Any sympathy I could have had for Anthony Weiner largely evaporated when I read this article in the Times a few days ago. The article describes how Weiner “sought to transform informal online conversations about politics and partisanship into sexually charged exchanges.” One woman shared his “concern over his conservative critics,” and another “praise[d] him … Read more
An Activist’s Year in Review Last week, reporter Monica Dodge wrote the Crimson’s update on student activism in 2010-2011. Her article, “The Evolution of Activism,” argued that students have now put “classes before causes” and more frequently rely on internet messaging instead of inter-personal organizing; student activists at Harvard “are less eager to leave behind … Read more
This summer, I’ve resolved to punctuate my routine of weekdays at Council on Foreign Relations and bacchanalian weekends at the shore with a few learning experiences. Last week, I watched Tommy Wiseau’s cult classic, The Room. A few days ago, I attempted to camp on the beach. And yesterday morning, I attended the synagogue of … Read more
In the aftermath of Osama bin Laden’s death, the merits of enhanced interrogation are at issue again. Required reading on the topic is Senator John McCain’s (R-AZ) op-ed in the Washington Post on Thursday. For anyone who distinguishes between “new McCain” and “old McCain,” this is old McCain at his finest: principled, independent, and convincing. … Read more
For the past ten weeks, writers from the Harvard Political Review have been meeting with 6th graders from the Clarence R Edwards Middle School in Charlestown, MA to talk about politics and the fundamentals of journalism. Together, we’ve taken on some of the biggest issues facing our country — from health care reform, to education policy, … Read more
Cross-posted from The Filter Bubble Tech Crunch is reporting today that the “Search Group” at Google is no more. From now on, it will be a part of a team called the “Knowledge Group.” Engineering lead Udi Manber describes the mission of the new group: “The challenge posed to us by Larry, Sergey and Eric … Read more
James Fallows’ awesomely-titled article on the future of journalism – “Learning to Love the (Shallow, Divisive, Unreliable) New Media” – is well worth reading in full, like almost everything he writes. It’s one of those articles that validates its central thesis by virtue of its existence: Fallows is a perfect example of what the future of … Read more
Smoking has long been a source of contention among many Americans, but lately anti-smoking campaigns have made serious progress throughout the country. By one count, 3,270 municipalities have some ban against smoking, and cities like Cambridge have recently investigated banning smoking in public places. More than 365 colleges nationwide have joined this trend by banning … Read more