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Stop comparing the Ferguson riots to the O. J. case

Published: Daily Dot (November 26, 2014) The Internet has the potential to communicate empathy unlike any other form of media in history. Unfortunately, as much of the online response to the Michael Brown shooting and Ferguson riots makes clear, it can also push us in the opposite direction. In a recent article on the role of online activism in mobilizing African-Americans against racial...

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3 Reasons I’m Not #ReadyForHillary Just Yet

Published: Daily Dot (November 20, 2014) As a progressive millennial who actively volunteered for and supported Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries, I am ready to make public an opinion I’ve only expressed in private until now: In retrospect, I wish we’d nominated Hillary Clinton. This statement isn’t intended as a slight against Obama (who I actually ranked pretty highly...

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5 Things Our Education System Needs To Start Teaching… For The Sake of America

Published: Good Men Project (November 6, 2014) Matthew Rozsa wonders if the American education system is producing good citizens. As Americans wind down from the 2014 midterm elections (and, inevitably, begin preparing for the presidential contest two years hence), this question deserves special attention. In any society even ostensibly structured according to democratic principles, the...

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The Crazy Things David Brat Believe Will Make You Wonder How He Earned His Ph.D.

Published: mic (June 12, 2014) The man who beat Eric Cantor may have a Ph.D., but he sure doesn't act like it. I'm not saying this because I disagree with his political views. There are plenty of conservatives and libertarians in academia (hoary claims of ivory tower "liberal bias" notwithstanding), and while I don't share their opinions on a multitude of subjects, we have always stressed...

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Which Famous President Is Just Like You? Take the Quiz

Published: mic (March 24, 2014) We all probably have a favorite president or two, but which of them is most like you in their beliefs? Not every president is included (sorry Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt), but this quick quiz should help you discover which of our many leaders is a kindred spirit. The points have nothing to do with whether one is "winning" or "losing," just add them up...

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11 Quirky Things You Never Knew About America’s Presidents

Published: mic (March 18, 2014) It's easy to recite well-known presidential trivia — Washington was our first president, Cleveland was the only president to serve nonconsecutive terms, etc. — but do you know the quirkier facts? As an American history aficionado, it was hard for me to pick favorites from among the countless "quirky" presidential factoids. But ... 1. Only one president had to...

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The Creator of Westboro Baptist Used to Be a Die-Hard Civil Rights Fighter – What Happened?

Published: mic (March 16, 2014) Reverend Fred Phelps, the founder of the notorious Westboro Baptist Church, is reportedly "on the edge of death" at a hospice in Kansas. In case your memory needs refreshing, Phelps is best known for organizing protests at the funerals of anti-LGBT hate crime victims, soldiers, and celebrities under the slogan "God Hates Fags." He also used to be a champion of...

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How Well Do You Know U.S. History? Take the Quiz

Published: mic (March 3, 2014) The philosopher George Santayana famously wrote, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Put another way, some moments in American history are just too seminal not to have stored upstairs. Here are 10 trivia questions covering major moments in American history. How well do you know our fabled past? Hint: copy and paste your answers into a...

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