When videotape surfaced of two men being arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks for loitering, some criticized the store manager, questioning whether she wrongly evaluated the men as criminal because of both their race and the way they were dressed. While Starbucks managers may be called upon sometimes to evaluate their customers’ appearance, bouncers at urban...
Are Americans becoming lonelier? On May 1, NPR reported on a survey about loneliness conducted by Cigna, a large health insurance company. Cigna asked over 20,000 American adults if they agreed with statements like “People are around me but not with me” and “No one really knows me well.” The survey found that younger Americans...
Mad Magazine is still hanging on. In April, it launched a reboot, jokingly calling it its “first issue.” But in terms of cultural resonance and mass popularity, it’s largely lost its clout. At its apex in the early 1970s, Mad’s circulation surpassed 2 million. As of 2017, it was 140,000. As strange as it sounds,...
On Friday, May 4th, China Institute and the Yue-Sai Kan China Beauty Charity Fund will co-present the third annual China Fashion Gala at The Plaza Hotel in New York City. The China Fashion Gala is a platform to promote and support emerging Chinese talent on the international stage and to recognize individuals whose outstanding contributions have helped...
You can tell a lot about our culture by the way we talk about marriage. Take the upcoming exchange of vows between Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. Press coverage will focus on aspects like the cost of the festivities, the size of the crowds and the fashion choices of the wedding party. But since marriage...
3 vital ways to measure how much a university education is worth Editor’s note: Today we begin a new series in which we ask the leaders of our country’s colleges and universities to address some of the most pressing issues in higher education. The past several years have seen increased calls for colleges and universities...
The American dream is built on the notion that the U.S. is a meritocracy. Americans believe success in life and business can be earned by anyone willing to put in the hard work necessary to achieve it, or so they say. Thus, Americans commonly believe that those who are successful deserve to be so and...
Many commentators have pointed out the hypocrisy of Christian leaders who claim a moral high ground while supporting President Donald Trump. The latest scandal involving an alleged extramarital affair with pornographic film star Stormy Daniels proves no exception. The Christian right that supports Trump has found ways to justify their support of the president, for...
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Earl Simmons, known professionally as “DMX” and “X,” was sentenced today in Manhattan federal court to one year in prison for tax fraud in connection with evading the payment of income taxes in the period from 2010 through 2016. ...
When we first visited the school that is the focus of our forthcoming book, “Navigating Conflict: How Youth Handle Trouble in a High-Poverty School,” back in 1995, students were free to move about campus during lunch and other free periods and a culture of trust prevailed. All that changed during the 1999-2000 school year. That’s...