Selected Readings

Selected Readings

by Vigen Guroian

"Lilies and hyacinths signify the resurrection, and I can understand why. But I have a pair of turtles that plant themselves in my garden each fall like two gigantic seeds and rise on Easter with earthen crowns upon their humbled heads."

Read The New Yorker article on brainstorming that Rex Jung and Krista discussed in the show, which includes discussion of MIT's Building 20.

Cover of Physics World June 2010

Physicists have long sought to describe the universe in terms of equations. In this article, S. James Gates explains how research on a class of geometric symbols known as adinkras could lead to fresh insights into the theory of supersymmetry — and perhaps even the very nature of reality.

S. James Gates wrote this essay in response to a gathering at Westmont College exploring not only the role of science in liberal arts education, but also how the sciences help us understand the value and meaning of our lives.

We've pulled together some of our favorite columns by Nicholas Kristoff - columns on subjects ranging from evangelicals to oppression of women to philosophy to sweat shops and sex trafficking.

by Tiya Miles

"Obama is a bad, bad mammajamma," my uncle said, "and a brother that bad can't help but do some good." My cousin, a twenty-two-year-old college student with a football player's physique, said that on November 5th for the first time in his life, he could look anyone in the eye and know he was their equal.

by Tiya Miles

"The Chief Vann House State Historic Site, operated by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, offers a rare opportunity for the exploration of African American life among American Indians. James Vann and his heir possessed over 100 of the 583 black slaves owned by Cherokees in the first four decades of the 19th century."

by Grace Lee Boggs

"At this point in time it is not about the left or right, it is about creating something entirely new. It is about a solution-based {r}evolution made up of millions of voices and neighborhoods, hands and feet and breath and dust, people old and young. The face of this {r}evolution has no color, no name, and no form but that of a people and a world crying out to survive during a time when this is no longer an outcome that can be taken for granted."

by Grace Lee Boggs

Instead of preparing students for upward mobility within the system, this new paradigm uses the community as the curriculum, challenging students not only to identify issues that need solving, but also to analyze the causes and come up with solutions.

by Grace Lee Boggs
Instead of looking to politicians for programs that will provide millions of jobs, we need to encourage the creation of work that not only produces goods and services but develops our skills, protects our environment and lifts our spirits.

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