Human Rights
2012 in Review: Southern Africa’s Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area
The Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area encompasses some 36 protected regions, including more than a dozen national parks, as well as a variety of other reserves and wildlife-management areas. Check out Britannica's Book of the Year coverage after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
The Restless Country: The United States, a Land Without Vacations
The United States is the only member nation of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development that does not require employers to offer employees time off—not a single day of it. We ponder that oddment in this post-Labor Day meditation. Read the rest of this entry »
Paul Revere and the Case of the Major General’s Teeth
Best remembered today for his midnight ride, Paul Revere performed a variety of roles in Boston, such as gold and silversmith, engraver, and dentist. In 1776, he added pioneer in the field of forensic science to his multi-feathered cap. Read the rest of this entry »
Haitian Eyes
For many people, a place like Haiti is so difficult to see. There is just so much hardship, poverty and general strife in the country. However, there is also something very powerful about it. Read the rest of this entry »
Getting Over “Scarlett Fever”: 5 Questions for Civil War Historian Nina Silber
"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." Those words were, famously, spoken by Rhett Butler to the [infamously] selfish Scarlett O'Hara in the film adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind (1939). They might as easily encapsulate contemporary cultural attitudes toward the role of women in the Civil War. Read the rest of this entry »
Blind Willie Johnson, “If I Had My Way I’d Tear the Building Down” (Great Moments in Pop Music History)
Born on Born on January 22, 1897, Blind Willie Johnson sang on the streets for his supper, and he died on the streets at the age of 48. In between, he wrote classics of the blues and gospel repertory, including "If I Had My Way I'd Tear the Building Down," "John the Revelator," and "Lord I Just Can't Keep from Cryin'." Step inside for more about the man and his music.
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Read the rest of this entry »
The Realities of Homelessness
A family isn’t what we typically picture when we think about homelessness. Most of us tend to think of a single adult pushing a shopping cart, begging for spare change, and sleeping on the streets. But the reality is that many American families are just a few strokes of bad luck away from homelessness. Read the rest of this entry »
The View from Above: The Satellite Sentinel Project and the Sudans
When the world welcomed the new country of South Sudan, which split from Sudan on July 9, 2011, all eyes that day were on Juba, the capital of the nascent country and the centre of celebrations. But for several months prior, and continuing to this day, many sets of eyes have been on Sudan and South Sudan in the form of the Satellite Sentinel Project (SSP). Read the rest of this entry »
Booker T. and the MG’s, “Green Onions” (Great Moments in Pop Music History)
Today is Booker T. Jones's birthday—his 67th, to be precise. To celebrate the event, we serve up a healthy portion of his steamy Southern soul music, including the hit he recorded when he was just 18, "Green Onions."
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Read the rest of this entry »
Thank You For Not Breeding
A popular dismissal of our population increase goes something like this: wealthy regions' fertility rates are at or below replacement level, so our breeding is not a problem. In regions where fertility rates are high, poverty prevents them from generating much carbon, so their excessive breeding isn't a problem either. Read the rest of this entry »
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