From Boys to Men: How Mentoring Is Smoothing the Road to Adulthood
Source: The Guardian
A Band of Brothers is an organization in England that pairs troubled male teenagers with older men living in the same community to provide positive role models.
Culture & Society
A Conversation with Sir Patrick Stewart
Source: PBS
In 2010, a modern version of The Tragedy of Macbeth appeared on PBS’s Great Performances. The star of that groundbreaking production, Sir Patrick Stewart, discusses the choices he and director Rupert Goold made to bring Shakespeare’s work to life on the small screen.
Muckraking Journalist Jacob Riis and Gilded Age New York City
Source: C-SPAN
This lecture by Professor Daniel Czitrom from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts gives an overview of Jacob Riis. Watch the clips at the following marks for a look at some of Riis’s work and to get a sense of his purpose and relevance today: 20:38–25:10, 36:35–38:40, 45:02–47:35, and 50:56–52:16.
New Study Analyzes Heavy Metal Dancing
Source: National Geographic
What is the relationship between mosh pits and nature? The answers to that question might surprise you! Two graduate students (who just so happen to be heavy-metal fans) are studying mosh pits to learn about particulate patterns and animal flocking behavior.
Play Me, I’m Yours
Source: Street Pianos
How can a piano, left in a public place for anyone to use, bring a community together? Read about this unexpected movement to find out.
‘Herd Mentality: Are we programmed to make bad decisions?
Source: (e)Science News
Most people want to be part of the popular crowd, but that desire could lead to bad decisions. Copying what our friends do or buy can result in relying too much on others. Find out why people should rely on their own instincts more than herd mentality.
Social Change
Source: TED
Review this collection of TED talks on social change; covering topics like justice, freedom, and the collective good.
Archaeologists Discover Temple in Egypt Inspired by Greek God Zeus
Source: Smithsonian Magazine
How far did the stories of ancient gods and heroes spread? New evidence suggests that many ancient cultures may have overlapped even more than we realized.
How Conformity Can Be Good and Bad for Society
Source: Greater Good Magazine
Is it best to conform to the rules and expectations of a society, or should people do what they think is best, even it it makes them stick out from the herd? Click here to dig deeper into this question.
The Holocaust survivor who fell in love with her American liberator
Source: The Washington Post
Read about the incredible story of a Holocaust survivor and an American soldier who found love in the midst of War.