Christianity: An Email Dialogue Part One
An email exchange between Miranda Hassett and Philip Jenkins.
Arthur Schlesinger Jr: William W. Freehling Remembers
For me, Arthur will always stand for a finer way to be a scholarly citizen.
Surveillance and Spying in Film: II–The Good Shepherd
A closer look at The Departed.
Scooter Libby: A Guilty Verdict in Perspective
A historical look at Scooter Libby’s conviction.
The Oscar nominations: Philip Glass
Along with Reich, Riley and Young, Glass was a principal figure in the establishment of minimalism in the 1960s. He has since become one of the most successful composers of his generation. He studied the violin at six, then at eight the flute with Britton Johnson at the Peabody Conservatory.
Madison Square Park Sculpture: von Rydingsvard
A closer look at the art of Von Rydingsvard.
Gun Rights or Gun Wrongs
Cornell takes a closer look at the Parker v. District of Columbia case.
Journalism Past and Present
Until the age of 50, Mencken was called “America’s Foremost Bachelor,” praised for being the patron saint of single men. When H. L. Mencken married Sara Powell Haardt in 1930, the press concluded that the author of “In Defense of Women” was probably in the most embarassing position of any fiancee in recent years. They were bent in trotting out the old quotes. How, reporters insisted with glee, will Mencken explain that he had once said “A man may be a fool and not know it –but not if he’s married.” Long before, he had defined love as “the delusion that one woman differs from another.” To these queries Mencken replied; “I formerly was not as wise as I am now….the wise man frequently revises his opinions. The fool, never.”
Journalism Past and Present
An Email Dialogue Between Marion Rodgers and Donald Ritchie
Day One
Marion Rodgers and Donald Ritchie discuss their books, journalist Henry Louis Mencken, and the state of journalism today.
An Excerpt from The New American Militarism
An excerpt from The New American Militarism.
Women and Literature:
In this article from Black Women in America, Second Edition, Jacquelyn Y. McLendon profiles the new generation of fiction writers.
The Murder of Polly Nichols
We interrupt this academic blog for a tale of murder, murder most foul. On 31 August in 1888 Mr. Charles Cross was walking to work through Buck’s Row, a dingy and poorly-lit alleyway in the heart of London’s East End. It was around 3:40 in the morning when he spied what looked like a bundle […]
In the beginning: hip hop’s early influences
In the mid-1970s the cultural shockwave known as hip hop emerged from the economic paralysis of New York City, especially the neglected neighborhoods in the Bronx. However, while hip hop music was born in New York, it speaks to a long line of black American and African diasporic cultural traditions.
The New American Militarism
The left must fight imperialism in the name of patriotism. Barring a revolutionary and highly unlikely transformation of American mass culture, any political party that wishes to win majority support will have to demonstrate its commitment to the defence of the country. The Bush administration has used the accusation of weakness in security policy to undermine its opponents, and then used this advantage to pursue reckless strategies that have themselves drastically weakened the US. The left needs to heed Bacevich and draw up a tough, realistic and convincing alternative. It will also have to demonstrate its identification with the respectable aspects of military culture. The Bush administration and the US establishment in general may have grossly mismanaged the threats facing us, but the threats are real, and some at least may well need at some stage to be addressed by military force. And any effective military force also requires the backing of a distinctive military ethic embracing loyalty, discipline and a capacity for both sacrifice and ruthlessness.