Why Is Othello Black?

To us today, the word “black” carries with it a specific cluster of associations informed by history, culture, stereotypes, and literature. Othello may have started in conversation with Shakespeare’s definition of blackness, but today, he speaks with ours. A much more interesting question, really, is: Why is Othello black? Why did Shakespeare write a domestic…

One of my students is demonstrating the perceived value of brand-name vs no-name products. The Oreos are gone. She can't give away all the off- brand.

  Similar:I asked my geekling whether she was ready for bed…I asked my #geekling whether she was rea…AmusingDate a girl who reads.I earned a +8 or +9 spousal bonus when I…AmusingFrozen opens tonight. (All shows have been sold out for over a month.)DramaKirk's manly, sensitive advice to young CharlieIn popular culture, Captain Kirk from th…CultureLighting…

Celebration of Writing — a big presentation day for freshman writing classes.

Similar:Ideal Homeschool Summer Day: Studying Latin, Justifying Nilla Wafers, and Making a Duct Ta…Today, I managed to get in a couple of h…AestheticsLooking forward to this! @thepublicpghLooking forward to this! @thepublicpghDramaOne strategic twist-tie, and my bedside cable-tangles are a distant memory.PersonalAngry 10yo Edits the Paper Heart She Gave Her MotherAestheticsNo more braces!PersonalMask up.Personal

Audisee Presents: The War of the Worlds

As new age synthesizer music, a rich baritone narrates: “Audisee presents: The War of the Worlds. The year is 2015 A.D. From the first launching into space, in 1961, to the establishment of a base on Jupiter this year, man has not encountered extraterrestrial life forms.” When I was about 10 or 11, I loved…

Amazing show. Young lovers, a witty (but often stupid) servant, speeches, rants, exaggerated "takes," and no villain at all, just misunderstanding upon misunderstanding.

  Similar:Hacking the Attention EconomyThe techniques that are unfolding are ha…CultureRehearsing for Little Women Tuesday (Carolyn plays Amy)Personal11 Tips H.P. Lovecraft Had for Novice Writers”Avoid reading so as not to taint your c…CultureHappy Easter 2019 Current_EventsWatching a National Guard helicopter lift off after an EMS displayJust spending an August evening with the…PersonalFacebook is predicting the…

Where is the tipping point?

What if universities stopped buying academic journals, and put the money towards hiring editors who helped their faculty publish their scholarship in their own free, open-source journals? I don’t know how much labour goes into running a prestigious journal, but let’s say all the universities that really need those specialised mathematics journals sat down and…

Most Christians don’t actually care about Starbucks cups. Here’s what we do know.

No Christians in my social media feed care about the design of that cup. Lots of people in my social media feed have reposted stories critical of the silly Christians who get all worked up about the design of the cup. Full disclosure: I don’t drink coffee. [C]ontrary to a few breathless media reports, most Christians…

Reading should not carry a health warning

Similar:Babylon 5 redefined TV science fiction, so why isn’t it better known?The article doesn’t actually answer the …CultureBen Franklin Sings about Your Rights as a PhotographerIf you’re legally present on a public st…AmusingMariah Carey meets William Carlos Williams AmusingJournalism: Muzzle your biases. Seek out diverse but credible sources. You’ll be criticize…AcademiaGo Forth and Conquer, but…

Hanging with the rude mechanicals @setonhilluniversity

A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Similar:Students whom I haven't met yet… Students whom I haven’t met yet, I’l…AcademiaSights, Sounds, and Smells of Elizabethan TheaterSomewhere during my education I picked u…AcademiaWhat Happens When Digital Cities Are Abandoned?“The great paradox about these digital c…CultureCelebration of Writing Fall 2025. Students present their research for their upcoming term …PersonalBrand new…

Surprise: Humanities Degrees Provide Great Return On Investment

The conventional wisdom is that humanities majors are wasting all that tuition money and dooming themselves to lives of underemployment. The conventional wisdom is wrong. Humanities degrees are actually worth well more than the cost of college. […] The present value of the extra earnings that graduates in humanities majors can expect over their lifetime…

Seton Hill takes on Shakespeare’s ‘Dream’

Students in my Shakespeare class will be attending this play. Student actors at Seton Hill University are off on a journey through one of William Shakespeare’s most popular romantic comedies, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Not even the writing style of the Bard — sometimes difficult to master for those new to the playwright’s poetic verse…

Editors and editorial board quit top linguistics journal to protest subscription fees

When I publish as a scholar, my goal is not to make money, but to share my intellectual creation. That’s part of my job description, so my university writes my paycheck with the expectation that I will publish. My publications will have more impact if more people read them. Hiding them behind subscription paywalls will…