High Fashion and "Class Appropriation": How Much is Too Much?

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While shopping in Boston over fall break, I stepped into The Frye Company and wandered around the high-end footwear store looking at various men’s boots. Stopping at a pair labeled “Prison Boot,” I could not help noticing the price. They were $378.00. I put them back and continued browsing. The next pair I found was called “The Union Worker Boot”—priced at $298.00. The irony was not lost on me. There is little chance that Frye sells these boots to their namesakes. It markets them to a wealthy clientele.

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Why So Many Brazilians Support the Far-Right Candidate

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I neither support nor condone many of Jair Bolsonaro’s views, especially those related to homosexuals, people of color, minorities, and women. I believe that Brazil’s ethnic diversity and national pride in its rich cultural heritage define us as a nation. I also believe, however,  that over the past few years it has become a completely different country. After moving to Rio de Janeiro in 2013, I witnessed first-hand the rapid decline in Brazil’s economy. Facing its longest recession in history, the economy suffered eight consecutive quarters of shrinkage. The combination of economic decline, a fearful spike in crime -- with a record-high homicide count of 63,880 people in 2017 -- and corrupt politicians makes it safe to say that Brazil is in a crisis. For these reasons, Brazilian citizens are looking for a last resort, someone to change the country’s course. Many, including myself, believe that right-wing populist candidate Jair Bolsonaro is our only hope.

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Henry Ossawa Tanner and Gateway, Tangier

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As the age-old adage goes, “Every painter paints himself.” Countless artists including Michelangelo, Raphael, Artemisia Gentileschi, Rembrandt, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Vincent van Gogh, Marc Chagall, Frida Kahlo, Jackson Pollock, Georgia O’Keeffe, Andy Warhol, and even Lucien Freud have revealed as much. If painters paint themselves, then paintings say something of real consequence about their biographies.

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Nikita Khrushchev’s Failed Corn Crusade: A Maize Love Affair

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Nikita Khrushchev, the peasant-born Soviet leader who rose to succeed Stalin, is well known for instigating the Cuban Missile Crisis. People might not know, however, that he loved corn. His infatuation with corn forced the Soviet Union on an agricultural crusade that would disappoint him almost as much as the missile crisis humiliated him. Khrushchev, desperately needing to increase the Soviet food supply and facing competition with the United States, implemented reforms to elevate corn as the new crown jewel of the masses that would fulfill their demand for meat and dairy products. At the end of the day, his efforts showcased political ineptitude and short-sightedness more than they fostered progressive, beneficial change.

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What’s Your Venmo?

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Venmo is every college student’s best friend. The mobile payment application offers users a convenient and safe method of exchanging money -- especially helpful for young adults who are constantly on the go. The influence of technology has undeniably changed overall perceptions of mobile payments. A decade ago, there is no doubt, people would have scratched their heads at the idea of paying someone back with their phones. The ease and consistency of Venmo makes it appealing to the younger generation, ensuring the continued dominance of mobile payment systems.

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What Is the Current Science on Intelligent Aliens?

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It has been an exciting month in the world of exobiology, the scientific study of possible life on other planets. A few weeks ago, scientists at Harvard University presented findings indicating that as much as 35 percent of all known planets larger than Earth may be water-rich. Following closely in their wake, researchers at the University of Chicago came out with a study last week in The Astrophysical Journal showing that the amount of water needed for life to develop comes in a much broader range than previously thought. The news has stirred up a lot of hype lately, and many are wondering if we have now reached a point at which it is no longer scientifically acceptable to think that humans are alone in the cosmos.

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