century

9Sep

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Queen Elizabeth II: A Moderniser Who Steered The British Monarchy Into The 21st Century

When the late historian Sir Ben Pimlott embarked on his 1996 biography, his colleagues expressed surprise that he should consider Queen Elizabeth II worthy of serious study at all. Yet Pimlott’s judgement proved sound and, if few academics have followed his lead, the political role of the monarchy has received thoughtful treatment in the creative arts. Stephen Frears’s 2006 film, The Queen, showed her dilemma after the death of Princess Diana; Peter Morgan’s stage play The Audience showed the monarch’s weekly meetings with her prime ministers. And she has been shown in a generally positive and sympathetic light by both Netflix’s acclaimed drama series The Crown and even in Mike Bartlett’s speculative play King Charles III, about the difficulty her heir would have in filling her shoes. El...

Half A Century Of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ Best Easter Pageant Ever

9Nov

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MOVIES

Half A Century Of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ Best Easter Pageant Ever

In the days leading up to Easter Sunday, Christians around the world will participate in retellings of the story of the last days of Jesus’ life, from his entry into Jerusalem to the Last Supper and to his trial, crucifixion and resurrection. They may walk the Stations of the Cross – a processional ritual marking key points in the biblical narrative – attend a pageant or simply gather in church for religious services. And some people will view or listen to “Jesus Christ Superstar,” the 1971 rock musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. NBC’s “Jesus Christ Superstar: Live in Concert,” featuring R&B star John Legend in the title role, was first broadcast on Easter Sunday 2018 and re-aired for Easter 2020. This year, if you find yourself in Dallas during Holy Week, you might even sco...

In 19th-century America A Black Writer Used Humor To Combat White Supremacy

4Apr

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IN OTHER NEWS

In 19th-century America A Black Writer Used Humor To Combat White Supremacy

Any writer has to struggle with the dilemma of staying true to their vision or giving editors and readers what they want. A number of factors might influence the latter: the market, trends and sensibilities. But in the decades after the Civil War, Black writers looking to faithfully depict the horrors of slavery had to contend with readers whose worldviews were colored by racism, as well as an entire swath of the country eager to paper over the past. Charles Chesnutt was one of those writers. Forced to work with skeptical editors and within the confines of popular forms, Chesnutt nonetheless worked to shine a light on the legacy of slavery. His 1899 collection of stories, “The Conjure Woman,” took place on a Southern plantation and sold well. At first glance, the stories seemed to mimic...

The Century Long Search For The Elusive Answer To The Question “Does Raising The Minimum Wage Kill Jobs?” Shows Why Economics Is So Difficult – But Data Sure Helps

18Oct

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Journalism

The Century Long Search For The Elusive Answer To The Question “Does Raising The Minimum Wage Kill Jobs?” Shows Why Economics Is So Difficult – But Data Sure Helps

Veronika Dolar, SUNY Old Westbury For decades it was conventional wisdom in the field of economics that a higher minimum wage results in fewer jobs. In part, that’s because it’s based on the law of supply and demand, one of the most well-known ideas in economics. Despite it being called a “law,” it’s actually two theories that suggest if the price of something goes up – wages, for example – demand will fall – in this case, for workers. Meanwhile, their supply will rise. Thus an introduction of a high minimum wage would cause the supply of labor to exceed demand, resulting in unemployment. But this is just a theory with many built-in assumptions. Then, in 1994, David Card, an economist at the University of California, Berkeley, and one of this year’s Nobel winners, and the late Alan Kru...

A New Approach Breaks A Barrier That’s Stood For Nearly Half A Century – Planning The Best Route With Multiple Destinations Is Hard Even For Supercomputers

3Apr

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TECHNOLOGY

A New Approach Breaks A Barrier That’s Stood For Nearly Half A Century – Planning The Best Route With Multiple Destinations Is Hard Even For Supercomputers

Computers are good at answering questions. What’s the shortest route from my house to Area 51? Is 8,675,309 a prime number? How many teaspoons in a tablespoon? For questions like these, they’ve got you covered. There are certain innocent-sounding questions, though, that computer scientists believe computers will never be able to answer – at least not within our lifetimes. These problems are the subject of the P versus NP question, which asks whether problems whose solutions can be checked quickly can also be solved quickly. P versus NP is such a fundamental question that either designing a fast algorithm for one of these hard problems or proving you can’t would net you a cool million dollars in prize money. My favorite hard problem is the traveling salesperson problem. Given a collection...

A First-Century Roman Tyrant Is Probably Linked To The Mark Of The Beast – But No, The COVID-19 Vaccine Is Not

7Apr

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IMPACT

A First-Century Roman Tyrant Is Probably Linked To The Mark Of The Beast – But No, The COVID-19 Vaccine Is Not

The mass rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has led to concerns from some people that can be described as rational: What are the side effects? How effective will the shot be? And then there are those who are worried that the vaccine will brand people with the “mark of the beast” as described in the New Testament’s Book of Revelation. A medieval tapestry, which shows John, the Dragon and the Beast of the Sea. Kimon Berlin, user:Gribeco, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA The mark of the beast – a cryptic mark in Revelation which indicates allegiance to Satan – has been invoked by fringe Christian figures throughout the pandemic in reference to what they deem to be the evil of masks and vaccines. It ranges from the seemingly metaphorical likening of vaccine passports by a Republican House representa...

In The 19th Century Black People Used Photography As A Tool For Social Change

1Mar

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SOCIAL JUSTICE

In The 19th Century Black People Used Photography As A Tool For Social Change

Frederick Douglass is perhaps best known as an abolitionist and intellectual. But he was also the most photographed American of the 19th century. And he encouraged the use of photography to promote social change for Black equality. In that spirit, this article – using images from the David V. Tinder Collection of Michigan Photography at the William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan – examines different ways Black Americans from the 19th century used photography as a tool for self-empowerment and social change. Black studio portraits Speaking about how accessible photography had become during his time, Douglass once stated: “What was once the special and exclusive luxury of the rich and great is now the privilege of all. The humblest servant girl may now possess a picture o...

At The Forefront Of Black Achievement For More Than A Century Have Stood Black Sororities

2Apr

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VIDEO REELS

At The Forefront Of Black Achievement For More Than A Century Have Stood Black Sororities

In her speech at the 2020 Democratic National Convention Kamala Harris saluted seven women who “inspired us to pick up the torch and fight on.” All but two of them, one of whom was her mother, belonged to Black sororities. Harris also mentioned her own Black sorority, saying: “Family is my beloved Alpha Kappa Alpha.” Many Americans may have wondered why Harris would invoke sororities on such an occasion. But not me. Like her, I am a proud member of a Black sorority: Delta Sigma Theta, which I joined as a student at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. If I were in Harris’ shoes, accepting such an unprecedented leadership role, I, too, would have paid homage to my sorority as a way to thank those on whose shoulders I stand. This shoutout also resonated with me because I have resea...

The First Black Person To Head The NAACP A Century Ago, James Weldon Johnson

2Apr

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SOCIAL JUSTICE, VIDEO REELS

The First Black Person To Head The NAACP A Century Ago, James Weldon Johnson

In this moment of national racial reckoning, many Americans are taking time to learn about chapters in U.S. history left out of their school texbooks. The early years of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a civil rights group that initially coalesced around a commitment to end the brutal practice of lynching in the United States, is worth remembering now. An interracial group of women and men founded the group that would soon become known as the NAACP in 1909. A coalition of white journalists, lawyers and progressive reformers led the effort. It would take another 11 years until, in 1920, James Weldon Johnson became the first Black person to formally serve as its top official. As I explain in my forthcoming book “Nonviolence Before King: The Politics of Being...

In Early 20th Century Segregation Policies In Federal Government Harmed Blacks For Decades To Come

13Nov

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SOCIAL JUSTICE

In Early 20th Century Segregation Policies In Federal Government Harmed Blacks For Decades To Come

Economic disparities in earnings, health and wealth between Black and white Americans are staggeringly large. Historical government practices and institutions – such as segregated schools, redlined neighborhoods and discrimination in medical care – have contributed to these wide disparities. While these causes may not always be overt, they can have lasting negative effects on the prosperity of minority communities. Abhay Aneja and I are researchers at University of California, Berkeley, who specialize in examining the causes of social inequality. Our new research examines the U.S. federal government’s role in creating conditions of racial inequality more than a century ago. Specifically, we researched the harmful impact of government discrimination against Black civil service employees. W...