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The World’s First Influencers Were French and They Emerged After the Revolution
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The World’s First Influencers Were French and They Emerged After the Revolution

In 1806, the Parisian gastronome Grimod de la Reynière launched a new periodical, the Journal des Gourmands et des Belles in post-revolutionary France. From the first issue, it set out to provide readers with advice on food, fashion, and theatrical life, all in one publication. Almost entirely forgotten today, the journal was perhaps the first...

Russia’s Kinetic Destruction of Ukraine’s Cultural Memory
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Russia’s Kinetic Destruction of Ukraine’s Cultural Memory

Russia’s strike on Kyiv’s Chornobyl Museum was more than an attack on a civilian or cultural site; it targeted historical memory itself. On the night of May 23-24, a Russian aerial attack involving 600 drones and 90 missiles bombarded Kyiv, Ukraine. Cultural institutions and architectural landmarks were damaged, some severely, including the Hinaus gallery, the...

¡ÁNdale! ¡Arriba! Speedy Gonzales Set to Make His Triumphant Return to the Silver Screen
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¡ÁNdale! ¡Arriba! Speedy Gonzales Set to Make His Triumphant Return to the Silver Screen

“¡Ándale! ¡Ándale! ¡Arriba! ¡Arriba!” Meaning “hurry up, let’s go,” the trademark slogan of Speedy Gonzales was, for generations of children, the first Spanish words they learned. But by the 1980s, ABC had pulled his cartoons due to concerns that his dress, accent and characters like his cousin, Slowpoke Rodriguez, were insensitive toward Mexicans and Mexican...

I Was Teaching Virtue and Knowledge While Lying on the Side
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I Was Teaching Virtue and Knowledge While Lying on the Side

I had been with my boyfriend, Tyler, for almost 10 years when we finally agreed that we should get engaged and married. Up until then, our respective jobs – mine as an academic, his as a fisherman – had forced us to endure long stretches apart. But I had been offered a permanent academic job...

Indie Coffee Shops Are Meant to Counter Corporate Behemoths Like Starbucks – So Why Do They All Look the Same?
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Indie Coffee Shops Are Meant to Counter Corporate Behemoths Like Starbucks – So Why Do They All Look the Same?

Like many young, urban professionals, we run on coffee. We especially enjoy frequenting independently owned cafes that pride themselves on ethically sourced beverages, strong local ties and a hip aesthetic. They’re the kinds of places that sneer at the homogenization and predictability of Tim Hortons, Second Cup, Dunkin and Starbucks. But as public space and...