America’s Nutritional Inequality

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Just a week ago, I was in a van for roughly thirteen hours, driving from New York to South Carolina. My job entailed helping with navigation via Google Maps. Although we stayed mainly on highways and freeways, I couldn’t help but look at the rural, seemingly poor towns we passed. As I zoomed in closer on the map, I noticed the recurring presence of McDonald’s, Burger King, Hardee’s (once we reached Virginia), and other fast-food establishments. I thought about Whole Foods and a local health food store back home called Down to Earth, and the variety of fruits, vegetables, and health products one can choose from. Whole Foods and Down to Earth would be anomalies in most rural areas, where fast-food establishments dominate. Often we find ourselves so invested in the outcomes of major domestic and international events that we fail to think about issues like nutritional inequality, an issue that even one road trip can raise.

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Theresa May and the Aftermath of Brexit

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On June 23, 2016 Britain voted to leave the European Union. This set off a populist wave across the Western world that resulted in, or encouraged, the election of Donald Trump and the success of a variety of right-wing and far-right European parties. After the vote, Britain embarked on a long process of negotiation that was supposed to end by March 29 of this year. Although that allowed Prime Minister Theresa May nearly three years to work with the EU on the terms of a deal, it proved to be not enough time to settle their differences.

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Charles Ives, an American Composer

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Inspired by German Romanticism, transcendentalism had its roots in the writings of Immanuel Kant. Hoping to see beyond the surface of things, transcendentalists ultimately rejected all things European, shed the stilted confines of the 19th-century Unitarian Church, and eschewed the cold, calculating gaze of the Enlightenment. It was a refreshing way of moving forward intellectually, spiritually, and artistically in the New World.

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The Place of Confederate Memorials in America

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The Civil War ended in 1865, but the United States has struggled to cope with its legacy ever since. Who is to be honored, and how should we remember those who fought and led troops on both sides? Recently the conversation over the place of monuments commemorating Confederate generals and soldiers has been prevalent in the news. To truly understand the issue, we must look to the origin of the monuments. Considering the time and place in which they were erected can help determine what to do with them.

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Should Women Have to Register for the Draft?

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In a recent court case, National Coalition for Men v. Selective Service System (NCFM v. SSS), Judge Gray H. Miller ruled that a male-only military draft is unconstitutional, finding it violates the Due Process clause of the Fifth Amendment. Although such a ruling will not produce immediate change in the draft system − Congress is currently writing a report on it, and the Supreme Court will likely take up the case – the ruling is a high-profile instance of a “legacy” system conflicting with modern notions of equality and perhaps with political popularity.

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The Pedophile Problem Circulating YouTube

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YouTube has allegedly been facilitating child exploitation through a wormhole in its censorship algorithm. YouTuber MattsWhatItIs uploaded a video titled “Youtube is Facilitating the Sexual Exploitation of Children, and it's Being Monetized,” noting that once one of these videos depicting children in compromising positions is accessed, several others are then recommended through the suggested section. Many of these videos simply depict young girls and boys doing gymnastics or stretching, but at times they show sexually suggestive content that users time-stamp in the comments section. Many of these videos have millions of views and are being monetized through advertisements.

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