Tag: American

How Observing American Tourists Taught Me a Brutal Lesson in Hyper-Individualism

A few weeks ago, I saw a lady bawling her eyes out in an Italian airport security queue. At first, I thought perhaps she had just said goodbye to someone she won’t be able to see again for a long time. Or she was really sad to leave the country where you can buy a bottle of decent...

Why The Real Test of American Exceptionalism is Now

These strange, unmoored days, the economist in me says something that the human in me — laughing at him like he’s a simpleton — challenges. I’ve come to call it the test of American exceptionalism. It’s a little hypothesis, if you like, or just a series of thoughts, whi...

The Great Gatsby and the American Dream

The American Dream is the belief that anyone, regardless of race, class, gender, or nationality, can attain their own version of success in America through hard work. In the book, the American Dream is a fantasy. the author tries to prove the two key principles of the American Dream: attainable t...

Is American Democracy Failing?

I addressed concerns about democracy in my weekly column published September 6 in the Spy Newspapers of the Eastern Shore. I write that Americans need to work harder at being good voters. I am sharing the column here. Should We Worry About Democracy? What does the rest of the world think of Am...

It’s Hard To Be Both American and Black

There’s an essay in my drafts folder that’s eight years old. Currently, it’s about an 11-min read with one page of citations. It’s one of the pieces I return to, every few months or so, to jot down a few observations. Stray thoughts. When I started it, I told myself I...

‘American Psycho’ (2000)

I have seen American Psycho 3 or 4 times and the last time was last night. I have always found the film a difficult and dangerous ride of horror and black comedy but balanced by its acknowledged attempt at a critical demolition of the splicing of American aspiration — the “Amer...

Why The Real Test of American Exceptionalism is Now

Is “American Dirt” Cultural Appropriation or a Great Read?

A friend from my book club recommended American Dirt, but she added this caveat. “It’s not right for our book club because there’s too much blood and gore.” I bought the book on her recommendation, despite the blood and gore comment, and was hooked from the first...

Why The Real Test of American Exceptionalism is Now

The Battle for American Democracy and the Indictment of Donald Trump

Over the last couple of days, we’ve been talking about the indictment of Donald Trump. I want to offer a few closing thoughts — for now, anyways. How much does this matter? A great, great deal. To understand why, really, though, consider the context, which goes like this. ...

It’s Hard To Be Both American and Black

What is the Most Common Subject Studied by American Billionaires?

My guess would have been computing, as studied by Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, but it isn’t. Both these bright sparks dropped out to launch their startups. It’s not physics, accounting, or engineering either. The answer is economics. Elon Musk graduated with a Bachelor o...

The American Dream Is A Nightmare

“They call it the American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it.” George Carlin Does the phrase ‘American Dream’ mean anything to you? Having changed many times since first used about 100 years ago, the American Dream now refers to an orgy of consum...

Dreaming Big: A Historical Dive into the American Dream’s Masculine Facet

Are You Living “The Dream?” The American Dream is a concept deeply ingrained in the cultural and historical narrative of the United States. It represents the promise of prosperity, success, and a better life achieved through hard work and determination. While the American Dream has...

Why The Collapse of The American Empire Might Be The Best Thing Ever

The American empire is a morally bankrupt and degenerate enterprise. And one which is on the cusp of irreversible collapse. Contrary to the thinking that its unravelling has been brought about by external factors, America’s problems are all of its own doing. Ditto Europe. Richard N...

It’s Hard To Be Both American and Black

How Observing American Tourists Taught Me a Brutal Lesson in Hyper-Individualism

The American “Ligne Claire”

One of the most well known lineages of American cartooning is traceable from the seminal artist, Bernard Krigstein to Daniel Clowes, and then to the “Wonder Boy of Comics” Adriane Tomine (at the time of writing, a middle-aged dad). Today, Bernard Krigstein’s most referenced work...

2023 AMERICAN ART AWARDS Submissions (Part 23): Celebrities, Merman, Kamala, Black Panther, Meerkat, Impressionism, Vegan, More

If you chase beauty like I do, you’ll love these articles showing you the beautiful and diverse art entered so far from around the globe in the 2023 American Art Awards, scored soon by 20 of the best galleries in the USA, seen here: the 20 best galleries museums in America 2023 — Worl...

2023 AMERICAN ART AWARDS Submissions (Part 22): Sculpture, Photo, Digital, Paint, Animal, Figure, Bold, Mystical, Minimal, More

Online art images will be placed in the category where they have the best chance to win: oil, acrylic, watercolor, charcoal, pastel, various photography, sculpture, digital, realism, impressionism, naïve, abstract, expressionism, human figure, animal, landscape, fantasy, surrealism, pop, portra...

Hispanic American Heritage & Chicano Park Street Art

I recently read the story by  Annelise Lords  when she wrote about the beautiful Jamaican Street Art. Both her story and incredible pictures caught my imagination. Street Art From Jamaica Part I Jamaicans are creative people who show their creativity in music, dance, and art. ...

The Riddle of C.L.R. James, Classical Athens, and American Civilization

Many are troubled or have difficulty understanding the meanings of CLR James’s meditations on Classical Athens and his study of American civilization. Far more important than whether antiquity and modern societies consistently embody profound philosophical values is what are our own democrati...

American foreign professional compares living in Bangkok to Taipei

I travel a lot, lived in many places in the US, Middle East & Asia. People always like to ask me what my favorite city is. I wish I had a simple answer since each city has its own charm and appeal. Recently I lived in Bangkok for an extended period of time again before coming back to Taipei w...

20 Things I Love About Living in Berlin— From an American Expat

Moving abroad, no matter which country, is no small accomplishment. When facing a language barrier, a culture much different from your own, and the daunting task of making friends in the new country you’ve chosen to call home, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But, even with the headache...

An American in Berlin

As we settled into our benches at eastern Berlin’s Prater Biergarten, two food stand huts sent bratwursts and drinks flying out as a line of customers grew. We huddled under red and white umbrellas at long, wooden tables as random drizzles of rain fell before the sun miraculously started gleam...

American Outlaws wins 5 awards at The 39th Boston Film Festival 2023

Some films can not only access the faucet of your lacrimal gland but also, trigger many in-depth questions in our lives. I was extremely fortunate to have witnessed one of those moments in life where you just forget your perfectly painted eyeliners were gone by tears when taking a selfie with an ...

How the Boston Tea Party Became a Symbol of American Independence

The Boston Tea Party is one of the most famous events in American history, but do you know how it got its name and what it really meant for the colonists who rebelled against British rule? In this article, we will explore some of the surprising facts and quotes about the Boston Tea Party that you ma...

History of the Games from 1951 to the present : The origins of the Pan American Games

In the summer of 1932, while the Olympic Games were being celebrated in Los Angeles, some members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) advanced the idea that a competition in which all the countries of the Americas would participate should be created. Eight years later, the idea having ga...

The American Shock: From Atrocity to Beauty and Back Again

I am hardly even European. My country is one of those poor Eastern European ones, trapped between the old continent and big monstrous Russia, hardly part of Europe’s culture. A gate between heaven and hell. But far-far away, across a continent and an ocean, America is the land of my soul. ...

American Digital Nomads Keep Getting Trashed by Top Media Outlets

Four years ago, I started writing a screenplay about young Americans migrating to Mexico City. The concept was that if or as the U.S empire crumbles, Americans with will and vision would use the two assets they still have that make them the most privileged collective citizenry in the world (the Amer...

Rio de Janeiro: The Ultimate South American Destination

Do you long to escape to a tropical paradise that dazzles with its exotic wildlife, vibrant nightlife, and historical sites? If you’re looking for a lively and fascinating city, go no further than Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Rio de Janeiro, on the southeastern coast of Brazil, is well-known for...

Is the American Republic is falling like the Roman Republic?

History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme — Mark Twain Doomsayers have always compared our current chaotic political trajectory in America with the fall of the Roman Empire. However, the more correct comparison is the fall of the Roman Republic. The more correct comparis...

When SF Shows Me The American Dream

Growing up as a Taiwanese, I always dreamed of the American dream: the American English accent, baseball, McDonald’s, Silicon Valley, and wealthy white people. However, the first time I arrived in San Francisco, our school placed us in Tenderloin, the poorest district in San Francisco, which c...

American Flamingos in Pennsylvania

This is how birding works. Just before my wife and I left to visit our 16-month-old grandson and his parents in Rochester, NY, a friend in Florida posted on social media about American Flamingos being spotted in a farm pond in south-central Pennsylvania. I knew we couldn’t stop on the way u...

The Little American Redstart

American redstarts offer challenges for birdwatchers and photographers. They flit about from branch to branch as they look for food. Sometimes, they catch insects in midair. Redstarts feed on various insects. When they catch a moth or caterpillar, they rap it on a branch before gulping it down. ...

American Woodcock in Roeliff Jansen Park, Hillsdale, Columbia County

I joined New York Breeding Bird Atlas this year. New York Breeding Bird Atlas is a citizens’ science project that aims to build an inventory of all the birds breeding in New York State. Participating birders submit data using the eBird app. (You can learn more about it by listening t...

The American Avocet

I never tire of watching birds and wildlife near home in Minnesota. But exploring new places offers benefits, including meeting new people, hiking new terrain, and watching unfamiliar birds and other animals. A few years ago, I brought my camera and super-telephoto lens to a conference in Burling...

W Trek or Inka Trail — which iconic South American hiking trip is best for you?

The Treks The Inka trail is done in 4 days, 3 nights and has to be done with a tour group. There are a couple of major companies that run this trek (I went with Alpaca Expeditions). Only 500 people are allowed on the Inka trail each day so if you’re going during high season (June — Augu...

The Rise of the 401k as a Retirement Vehicle Foreshadows a Decline in the American Standard of Living

Another day and another popular press article about Millennials and Gen Z not saving enough for retirement. This one is based on a recent report from Vanguard, a well-known behemoth in the investing world. It’s completely depressing: median 401k account values peak in the 55–64 age ...

What is the Most Common Subject Studied by American Billionaires?

Striving for $1 Million: Understanding the Success Rate of American Retirees

It is typically diagnosed that saving for retirement is extraordinarily essential for a huge quantity of Americans. Nevertheless, a sizable part of people stumble upon demanding situations in reaching their favored financial savings objective. As of 2023, the common retirement financial savings f...

What Israel Means to American Jews

Commentators often cite the irony of Israel’s image as a “safe haven” for Jews being, in reality, not particularly safe. After all, it remains technically at war with Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen. Then there’s Iran, periodic Intifadas, and Hamas…. An otherwise med...

The stress of being a Jewish American, and what we can do about it.

I was in the park last week with my wife, our twin five month old boys, and our black and white Havanese puppy, Kugel. It was a gorgeous, unseasonably warm day, and we were enjoying taking a break from our phones, from the never ending cycle of horrific news stories about Israel, harrowing personal ...

Disadvantages In Japan As An Asian American

One of the struggles of an Asian American living in Japan is the fact that he/she is assumed to be Japanese the exact opposite of a Caucasian living in Japan. While some people find that this is a good thing, others find it to be negative. Of course there’s the fact that you can speak Japanese...

Childcare is Impacting the Future of American Businesses

The first article by the Wall Street Journal, Why America Has a Long-Term Labor Crisis, in Six Charts, details why the US is facing a long-term labour shortage. This shortage is already hurting the economy, as businesses are struggling to find workers to fill open positions. The number of jo...

American Men are Angry Men

My brother spent some time at my house over the holidays, and it was… interesting. I love him, and he would be the family member I am closest to in other circumstances. We’re within two years of each other in age. Our personalities mesh well. We like a lot of the same things. By a...

Why I Won’t Call Myself “Indigenous” Instead of “Native American”

Unfortunately, the issues with “BIPOC” don’t end at the false equivalencies of struggles. I have always identified as Native American instead of “Indian” or “indigenous”, with “tribe” instead of “nation”. These are the names I grew up...

The History of Black African American Education and Scholarship — Alamy Blog

When reading through the narrative of intellectual development, the ongoing struggles and triumphs of marginalised communities stand out. Persistent issues such as inequality in educational resources, discrimination and bias, cultural insensitivity, underrepresentation in leadership, access to advan...

Two Front-page Headlines, Two Opposing American Realities

For the past several years I’ve been writing about the ‘Twilight Zone’ reality spreading across the U.S. : a creepy, inhumane ‘reality’ that’s usurping and undermining everything we hold dear. It’s destroying crucial, irreplaceable things like trust, honor, ...

How The White American Dream Has Become a Black Nightmare

The American Dream of white picket fences, apple pies cooling on window sills, and communities so safe you could leave your front door unlocked is not something everyone has access to. This is not by accident but by design, as the founding fathers initially excluded Black people and women of any rac...

The Difference Between Afro-American, Black People, And That Other Word

Around the world, the Afro-American is loved-and he/she is hated. Afro-Americans are exactly what the terminology is: “Americanized Black People”. Ever seen a Black person born with straight hair? Of course not, you will never see a Black person BORN with straight hair. But you see Afro-...

Let’s Rename Some Birds

On November 1, 2023, the American Ornithological Society (AOS) announced that all bird species within AOS jurisdiction that are named after people will be renamed. The AOS is an organization of ornithologists (bird experts) responsible for naming and classifying North American birds. After checki...

Why the Removal of African American Hairstyles is a Form of Control

When I began dating my wife in 1995, she had locks. Long and beautiful coils ran like the Nile down her back. They ended at her bottom. An invitation to learn more about who she was—a New Orleans girl with a red bean and rice swagger and skin as brown as gumbo rue. Her hair intrigued me. Ea...

Are American Women Really the Worst Type of Mate?

Lenny Kravitz came under fire for those lyrics(again, they were not written by him), and for the risqué images of women in his music video. Some say, the lyrics are about war and America. Perhaps America is a woman metaphorically speaking. Others say, it is the denigration of the American ...

Native American Casinos Are on Stolen Land —Indians owe reparations to black folks, but a land acknowledgement is a good start.

It may seem that way on first glance, but sometimes the talking stick is passed to us and we have a responsibility to speak up, even when it’s uncomfortable. Sometimes we need to feel uncomfortable and face the sins of our past. That includes Native Americans. This article isn’t ...

A Dark Day in American History

By now, we have all read the reports about the draft SCOTUS decision that was leaked to Politico that effectively overturns Roe v. Wade. If you’re anything like me, today, you’re cycling through feelings of existential dread, anxiety, heartbreak, and rage. This is a moment t...

The American Constitution is Working Exactly as It Should

. . . Mr. Trump’s victory in 2016 came from the Electoral College, but not the popular vote. That makes the EC not democratic. I say: “But the election rules have the EC as the process to elect the president. Until that is changed, them’s the rules.” I also say: “...

Death of the American Trucker

When Donald Trump sidles up to a semi truck, he’s usually selling policy only a plutocrat could love. Campaigning to repeal the Affordable Care Act in March, Trump pinned an iTrucks button to his lapel and honked the horn of a Mack truck outside the White House. “Obamacare,” he sai...

This Game Is Sponsored By American Lawmakers.

My daughter learned a new game this year. It’s kind of like hide and seek with a twist. In this game, my daughter and her classmates get to hide, and their teacher gets to help. They shut off all the lights to make the room as dark as possible. They close the blinds so nobody can see ins...

America Is a Country In Love With Guns. That Makes Gun Control More Important, Not Less.

“The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted.” I’ve been thinking about that quote, which is from D.H. Lawrence’s Studies in Classic American Literature, a lot in the weeks since the Buffalo and, then, Uvalde shootings, part...

Guns, Lead, and the Fall of American Empire

Unfortunately, lead is also very useful to key aspects of industrial civilization, as evidenced by this lengthy Wikipedia list: in plumbing, batteries, bullets and shot, weights, solders, pewters, fusible alloys, white paints, leaded gasoline, and radiation shielding. Tha...

Guns are the leading cause of death for American children

There was a small rise in gun deaths from 2013 to 2017 and then a big uptick in 2020. Perhaps someone will talk about school shootings, then post the graph to suggest these are the leading cause of death. Most recently, I saw the graph posted on a Covid epidemiologist’s substack, discu...

Turning this American nightmare back into a dream.

Nearly 250 years ago, George Washington took control of the Continental Army — right here in Cambridge, just a minute’s walk away in Cambridge Common. For 8 long years, Washington led over 200 thousand men on a campaign against the British and led the American people on a campaign agains...

An Updated (Yet Again) Top 10 Worst Mass Shooting In American History (October, 2023)

1. Las Vegas Harvest Music Festival, October 2017: White male Stephen Paddock opens fire from a hotel high rise sniper position, using weapons legally modified to fire as fully automatic, killing 58 and wounding over 500. Also legally acquired were magazines capable of firing 100 rounds without relo...

Another Step Toward the American Slaughterhouse

Comes now Christian Nationalist, Trump-worshipping Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-Looney Tunes] to denounce President Biden for letting “military-aged males” immigrate illegally into the U.S. This is an escalation of the “invasion” rhetoric that Trump, Tucker ...

THE AMERICAN IMMIGRATION “CRISIS”

Oh dear me, the doing’ south of the border. It seems Texas Governor Abbott, and Felon General Paxton are out to prove they’re the worst people in America. No small challenge given Republicans these days. You’d think that they’d learn from past disasters and fix the Electri...

American History Says it’s Okay to Say Goodbye to a Political Party

The Federalist Party was conservative, urban/banking/corporate, oddly religious, with ties to the Congregational church in New England, the first political party in the USA, and dominant until Jefferson defeated the divisive John Adams in the election of 1800. The Federalists failed to attract ne...

Political Parties are Destroying American Democracy

What is the last big problem America solved? I mean, other than Facebook not being a Metaverse. That was clearly a big one! Thanks God! No, I mean, what was the last big problem that we came together as a nation and, using our political system, addressed in a serious way. Some might argue ObamaCare ...

Eat The Political Parties

Our first American President knew what would happen when political parties took control. Are you aware elections controlled by political parties are not sanctioned or even addressed by the United States Constitution or Bill of Rights? None of the 22 amendments to the Constitution...

Top Twenty American Indian chiefs

There were many great and influential Native American chiefs throughout history, and it’s difficult to definitively rank them in any order. However, here are twenty American Indian chiefs who are widely recognized and respected for their leadership and contributions to their respective tribes ...

What I Didn’t Know About American Indians

Thanksgiving is over, but I thought about the Native American Indians more than the Pilgrims this year. National Native American Heritage Month is celebrated each November. I started reading a new book titled “Continental Reckoning, The American West in the Age of Expansion.” ...

Some Things I Can Say About Native American Medicine Wheel Teachings

I was born and raised in Minnesota. I am an enrolled member of the White Earth Nation, my enrollment is removal Fond du Lac. My people on my mother’s side came from there, the land of the Gitchigummi (Lake Superior) I adore. Our language is called Ojibwe and the people are referred to as th...

American Indians And Racism

I went up to Wisconsin for a job in a town near the Menominee reservation. My Supervisor, who was white, told me I may have problems because I looked like an Indian. I did have problems but I didn’t realize it until years later. The Crew We were a crew of about ten people. Most were whit...

American Holocaust & Genocide Remembered

The American Indian Reservation inspired Hitler as the model for Auschwitz and other Nazi Germany concentration camps during WW2 for the “Final Solution” of his “Jewish Problem”. Predating the Jewish Holocaust, American Indian Reservations were first established as prison cam...

American Indigenous Communities: Diabetes and Food Insecurity

As the sun sets over the seemingly endless expanse of the reservation, the picturesque vista hides a bitter truth. A silent epidemic is brewing in the heartland of America’s indigenous communities — a juxtaposition of food insecurity and rising diabetes rates. This cocktail ...

Defend American Indian Youth — Support California Indian Education Act (AB 1703)

Assemblymember Ramos’ California Indian Education Act adds urgency to what has been a decades-long crisis created by the almost two centuries of American colonization of this state. Beginning with a call for genocide by the state’s first American governor after the wholesale us...

NATIVE AMERICAN WRITING TODAY

I want to carry on that idea and add to it the notion that too much of ALL our thinking is “boxes” — that is, boundaries around a concept that force things to be either “in” or “out,” requiring a dyadic system of debate and conflict. Now I am more interested...

American racialism and anti-racism

Diane Abbott is a member of parliament in the UK. She was suspended because she stated that Jews and the Travellers aren’t victims of racism. Of course, both Jewish people and Travellers have been victims of horrific racism. Which is why she rightfully got into trouble. It is not just her, the...

NoThe Forgotten American White Workng Class: MAGA Mania Justified?

The American white working class, a segment of society that was once at the forefront of economic and political discussions, now is fading into the background. As our nation grapples with a multitude of challenges, ranging from political polarization to a transforming economy, it is imperative that ...

10 Asian American Christmas Rom-Coms That Redefine Holiday Cheer

Let’s face it, the holiday season is a whirlwind of emotions. Amid the twinkling lights and festive cheer, there’s a profound craving for stories that mirror our diverse realities. That’s why today, I’m beyond excited to talk about something that blends holiday spirit with th...

The Asian American Myth: Effort Leads to Outcomes

Growing up as a child of Asian immigrants, I was raised to believe that if you work hard in America, you can succeed. That this country is all about “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” and “keeping your nose to the grindstone” because anything is possible. Our parents ca...

Five Asian-American Movies That Exist

In an ideal world, I wouldn’t give a shit about Crazy Rich Asians. I’d be hazily drifting through post-collegiate underemployment, rereading Murakami novels and halfheartedly attempting to quit drinking coffee, until around noon when I get a headache and make myself three cups and s...

How to plan a Vietnamese-American wedding

It seems odd that what motivated me to write about weddings was actually a funeral. More specifically, the passing of my mother, an amazingly kind and loving Vietnamese woman. Grief operates in strange ways… Maybe this is one way I fill the emptiness inside, to reach out to those who share my...

Asian American Gender Politics in Media

This past August, murder charges were dropped against Martunovich, as the judge in charge of the case found him mentally unstable. At the height of tensions over anti-Asian racism, this ruling seemed to be a slap in the face to the Asian American community. Only curiously enough, Asian Americans jou...

Moving Back to South Korea as a Korean American

Almost three years ago, I made the decision to move back to South Korea, my motherland, the place that I was born. Months before I left, my parents and I argued a lot about my decision to move there. “We came to America so that you can live a better life,” they said. “Why would ...

Here’s Why Kwanzaa is SO Important

I’m a university professor at a small HWCU (Historically White College/University). We’re much more familiar with the HBCU (Historically Black College/University) title than the HWCU title, but why do we identify specific colleges and universities as HBCUs and not other colleges as HWCUs...

American Holocaust & Genocide Remembered

Languages:|“Indigenous Languages Must Be Reactivated in the American Schools”

The abstract for “Indigenous Languages Must Be Reactivated in the American Schools” discusses the importance of revitalizing indigenous languages in American educational institutions. It highlights the historical context of language loss among indigenous communities due to colonization a...

Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month recap

Each May, our employee resource group, Asians@, leads a month-long series of celebrations of culture, traditions, and history for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. This year’s theme was, “I AM _____,“ which showcased the vibrant diversity and unique experie...

Sorry, 1619 Project—The first legal slaveowner in the American colonies was black

Why isn’t everyone who is obsessed with race and slavery in the US talking about Anthony Johnson? Why isn’t the 1619 Project called the 1655 Project? Before 1655, African slaves and European indentured servants in the English colonies shared the same working and living conditions, t...

The Difference Between Afro-American, Black People, And That Other Word

Impedance of the American Constitution

Americans take pride in how their 1787 constitution has shaped their country and the world. The various freedoms — speech, association, religion, and others — enshrined in the document provided a new and beneficial relationship between the citizen and its state. The capability of the cit...

Forging a Nation of Whiteness on the American Frontier

As the American Revolution reached its conclusion, many of my American ancestors found themselves drawn to the bleeding edge of a brand new empire. They were part of a steadily growing flood of White migrants, Anglo-American and Euro-American settler colonials impoverished by the war, who moved into...

Three Pillars of White Supremacy & Chinese Americans

I feel empowered when I can clearly situate myself and what I’m feeling within systems greater than myself. Understanding how I am oriented within the greater logics of our world is a tool that helps me build up my agency. It helps me understand the mundane as well as the normalized violence a...

White Accountability.

In this entire journey, it has been one population who has believed, seen, and responded to us; It has been the Asian American community, particularly the women. Almost exclusively the women! In our journey to escape. Who called the advocates to come for us? Who told us they would refrain from...

Coyotes are here to stay in North American cities — here’s how to appreciate them from a distance

Coyotes have become practically ubiquitous across the lower 48 United States, and they’re increasingly turning up in cities. The draws are abundant food and green space in urban areas. At first these appearances were novelties, like the hot summer day in 2007 when a coyo...

Time-machine to Past: 19th-Century American Pharmacies!

Only if I were a scientist or a richest billionaire, I’d get my time-machine to roam not in the present world but from present to past and past to future! But though I’m not, let me use my enigmatic power of imagination and take a nostalgic trip back in time to the 19th-century Americ...

The American Opioid Epidemic: A Crisis We Condone

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), about 2.1 million people in the United States were addicted to opioid pain relievers in 2012. Deaths due to opioid overdose have tripled since 1999, and many of the most devastating consequences that stem from opioid abuse end up sp...

When Your Mother Knows More Than Your Doctor

We all have stories about when the doctor was wrong. As a parent, I firmly believed that we knew our kids better than anyone else, and if we thought there was something wrong, there was something wrong. I’ve met hundreds of such parents in my time as a physician. I’ve heard countless tim...

A Tale Of Two American Men And American Justice

In April 2004, Russell pled guilty to two separate charges of burglary of a dwelling and received two concurrent fifteen-year sentences in Mississippi State Prison. In February 2014, Mr. Russell was released from prison in Mississippi after serving eight years, seven months, and three days. By Oc...

Big Pharma’s Responsibility to American Healthcare: Striking a Balance Between Profit and Public Health

The pharma industry is a cornerstone of modern medicine, responsible for developing and distributing life-saving medications that improve countless lives. However, the industry’s practices and priorities have come under scrutiny, raising questions about its responsibility to the American publi...

Architect of American Democracy

Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, holds a significant place in American history as one of the Founding Fathers and architects of American democracy. His contributions to the nation extend beyond his presidency, encompassing his role as a statesman, philosopher, writer,...

American Evangelical Christians Don’t Really Agree with the Declaration of Independence

Many American Christians, especially the Evangelicals, believe that the United States is a Christian nation, built on Christian values. This belief motivates them to push for laws and actions that support Christianity in public areas. For example, they often support the idea of putting the Ten Comma...

Logic Lens™ Analysis: “On American Independence” By Warren G. Harding

When one surveys the world about him after the great storm, noting the marks of destruction and yet rejoicing in the ruggedness of the things which withstood it, if he is an American he breathes the clarified atmosphere with a strange mingling of regret and new hope. We have seen a world passion ...

An American “Translation” of Bourdieu’s ‘The Forms of Capital’

What follows isn’t really a translation. It’s merely my attempt to make Pierre Bourdieu’s ‘The Forms of Capital’ accessible to American readers. I think this essay is incredibly important and insightful, but, like so many essays by French thinkers, it can be very diffic...

Eoljjang: The Difference Between American and Korean Makeup Styles

Written by: Nathalie Esteban Even if someone isn’t a celebrity, when you scan through Instagram you will definitely come across a good-looking, normal Korean citizen with thousands of likes. And although we’ve all adored the “on-fleek” look of Western beauty, there’s...

African American Vernacular English is rule-bound, complex, and legitimate

If we think about African American history in this country, it’s easy to see how a group of people can develop their own language. For centuries, white people enslaved African Americans and denied them access to education and literacy lessons, forcing them to learn how to communicate with e...

The Future of Black Ownership in North American Sports

With the exit of Michael Jordan, there are no sports franchises with majority Black owners. But change may finally be on the horizon. I recently finished reading Jason Reid’s book, “The Rise of the Black Quarterback: What It Means For America”. Reid does a great job of telli...