Smith College Protesters Bar Journalists From Covering Sit-In Unless They Support the Cause

Reporters planning to cover the sit-in arrived at the Massachusetts college’s student center on Wednesday only to find that the protesters intended to keep them out. Alyssa Mata-Flores, a Smith senior and a sit-in organizer, elaborated on the decision to The Republican: “We are asking that any journalists or press that cover our story participate and articulate…

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…

Sparkle unicorn "Winston" lends ethos to a presentation on moral agency on animals.

Similar:Still shot from a flyover video that's been taking about 3 minutes to render each fra…AestheticsBrass desk lamp, with translucent green shade and glowing light bulb filament. #blender3dPersonalSeeing Lyle Kessler's "Orphans" with the girl.PersonalFriday night board game therapy. #startrek #monopolyPersonalHe checkmates me in two moves. I lasted about a half hour, and went down fighting.PersonalThe…

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:A former student contacted me to share her thoughts.A few years ago, I told myself I would s…AcademiaMisSpelled: Premiering Oct 1In this podcast series, I voice a mage w…AmusingEnjoying some sibling nerdtime with Lego The Hobbit.GamesAnother sold-out Midsummer Thursday night. PersonalJustice (TNG Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 7) When Wes trips on a fence, joggers' god…

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:Twitter has blocked President Trump’s account, citing policy violations.PersonalVincent Connare, Inventor Of 'The Most Hated Font,' Defends HimselfA typographic engineer, Connare was work…AestheticsPesky journalists, always showing up to document atrocities.No Democratic president should send in t…CultureMasked, vaxxed, and settling in to watch live theaterBarebones is a little black box theater,…BooksThey both reached for 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:Disability advocates: Don't drop COVID-19 safety measuresWith the lethal threat of COVID-19 on th…AcademiaThe focus on misinformation leads to a profound misunderstanding of why people believe and…I’m consciously fighting confirmation bi…Current_EventsIn a literature class, the author's words matter more than the author's life and times, or… Updating the graphic for a resource …AcademiaJaz Parkinson "Colour…

Hanging with the rude mechanicals @setonhilluniversity

A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Similar:Today's students aren't growing up reading "man" for "mankind" — and they notice when the… I’m about 1/4 through teachi…AcademiaI've missed doing this! Another 10 sq cm of #steampunk control panel goodness. #blender3d …AestheticsMy undergraduate connects the Leontes/Polixenes conflict in The Winter's Tale to a pro wre…Today’s class on The Winter’s…

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…