It’s a sandwich that replaces the bread with two pieces of fried chicken. It’s “hand-breaded and cooked in store!” It’s available for a limited time only. It’s KFC’s Double Down, and it appalls New Yorker business writer Ian Crouch. He explains why in this article from April 2014. Read it here: Crouch, "Fast Food Doubles Down" …
Continue reading Doubling down on KFC: Ian Crouch on fast food trends
Everything must change, so why should the American Dream be any different? Still, Time Magazine financial writer Dan Kadlec suggests some cause for alarm in the aspirations of young adults today, as he describes in this February 2014 article from the magazine. Read it here: Kadlec, "Millennials put their surprising stamp on the American Dream” The …
Continue reading Not your father’s American Dream: Dan Kadlec on the aspirations of Millennials
With 95% of its surface area devoted to the cultivation of crops, the state of Iowa is often called “the breadbasket of the world.” Amidst all this bounty, one might think that Iowa residents would have easy access to excellent food. Mark S. Edwards, retired conservationist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, presents a …
Continue reading The breadbasket is hungry: Mark Edwards on food choices in Iowa
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is not an arm of any government or nation, yet it wields tremendous power and global influence. Philosophy student Walker Edwards argues about the role the IOC should play in matters of diplomacy in this February 2014 column from the Daily Nebraskan, student newspaper of the University of Nebraska. Read …
Continue reading More than just a game: Daily Nebraskan on the role of the IOC
As we spend more and more time with our noses pressed to a screen, we may be more engaged with one another, but we’re not having real conversations. In this December 2013 article, Atlantic staff writer and media expert Megan Garber relates a recent conversation on the subject of conversation with tech author Sherry Turkle. …
Continue reading Not boring, not at all: Megan Garber converses with Sherry Turkle
On the eve of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, U.S. athletes are preparing for an aspect of the competition even more often overlooked than the hours of sweat that no one sees: how to pay their training and travel expenses. Los Angeles Times sportswriter and 1988 Olympic medalist David Wharton published this report …
Continue reading Paying Their Way: David Wharton on financing Olympic athletes
Should the things we tweet always be true? Or can Twitter be an appropriate medium for writing fictional dramas? For Elan Gale, of Thanksgiving 2013 tweeting fame, the medium is perfect for “reality” programming. Los Angeles Times journalist Meghan Daum takes a critical approach in this December 2013 column. Read it here: Daum, “Elan Gale’s inglorious Twitter …
Continue reading “Reality tweets”: Meghan Daum on Elan Gale’s Twitter drama
Now that cursive writing has been eliminated from the curriculum of many schools, only those with the means to learn it can write a love note in script or sign their names in style. Has cursive become a status symbol? Writer and high-school English teacher Abigail Walthausen argues that it has in this December 2013 …
Continue reading The Right to Write: Abigail Walthausen on Learning Cursive
Are print media becoming obsolete? Many people think so, with tablets and phones and e-readers all vying for our attention nowadays. Best-selling technology writer Nicholas Carr weighs in on the topic in this August 2013 article from Nautilus. Read it here: Carr, "Paper versus Pixel" With his title, Carr frames a two-sided conflict: paper vs. …
Continue reading Paper versus Pixel: Nicholas Carr on the Technologies of Reading
Among the many controversies generated by the Common Core Standards, few generate more emotional debate than the decision to eliminate cursive writing instruction. Montessori educators Bobby George and June George enter the fray armed with the testimony of a famous 19th century scribbler. Their essay was published in Quartz in Sept. 2013. Read it here: George …
Continue reading The Stroke of his Pen: George and George on Cursive Writing
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