Casual Perfection
Source: Slate
Critic Meghan O’Rourke argues that publishing drafts of Elizabeth Bishop’s work reveals more of the American poet’s brilliance.
Opinion
The Challenges and Opportunites of 21st Century Muckracking
Source: Nieman Reports
In part of its 21st Century Muckrakers series, Nieman Reports, a foundation that seeks to advance the standards of journalism, outlines the obstacles and advantages of contemporary investigative reporting.
Why Street Protests Don’t Work
Source: The Atlantic
In this column, Moisés Naím argues that in order to effect change, a movement needs more than a large crowd inspired to gather by social media.
Our privacy is for sale, we have to accept that. But what’s the price tag?
Source: The Guardian
Computer programs gather information about people based on every web site, news article, or item that they view or buy online. Using algorithms, computers can form a picture of each person’s personality better than a friend or family member. Read what you should know about protecting yourself and your privacy.
The 12 cognitive biases that prevent you from being rational
Source: io9
We may think we make our decisions in a rational way, based on the facts, but it turns out that our brains have other ideas.
Flag Burning and Free Speech
Source: The Wall Street Journal
The First Amendment protects, among other rights, the freedom of speech. In this opinion piece, UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh delves into what the Founders meant by the term “speech.”
John Dickinson during the Continental and Confederation periods
Source: The Washington Post
Read about this lesser-known contemporary of the founding fathers.
Wheat People vs. Rice People
Source: The New York Times
Anthropologist T.M. Luhrmann analyzes the independence and interdependence displayed in different cultures.
How Jonathan Swift Attacked Fake News
Source: The Daily Beast
In the 1720s and 1730s, author Jonathan Swift used satire to protest social injustices, balancing facts with absurdity.
What Animals Taught Me About Being Human
Source: The New York Times
Helen Macdonald, author of the best-selling memoir H is for Hawk, wonders about the desires and needs of animals. She suggests we can only imagine what they can be through our own lens of human experience.