-
![]()
Religious Minorities in Some of America’s Largest Cities
Despite the First Amendment’s role in the separation of church and state, the United States is far from a secular nation. God is invoked in our Pledge of Allegiance, dollar bills, and in nearly every inaugural address since James Monroe’s in 1817. Biblical references in these inaugural speeches, during elections, and following national tragedies suggest…
-
![]()
The Cultural Dimension of Syrian Conflict
From the American Revolution to the color revolutions, intellectuals have played a significant role in creating grand narratives and mobilizing the public. They constructed social theories that facilitated collective action, and their visions continued to serve the new regime after the revolutions succeeded. In the Arab Spring, however, intellectuals are marginalized and the ideological aspect…
-
![]()
Food Deserts: Where Nutrition Meets Inequality
What is a food desert? The 2008 Farm Bill defines a food desert as an “area in the United States with limited access to affordable and nutritious food, particularly such an area composed of predominantly lower income neighborhoods and communities.” According to the USDA, to qualify as a “low-access community,” at least 500 people and/or…
-
![]()
Is a Hot Dog a Sandwich
Pro: I have radical sandwich opinions. I see lasagna as a pasta Big Mac and fried chicken as a fried, totally enclosed chicken sandwich. But, however much you may disagree with these positions, a hot dog clearly fits any commonly accepted definition of a sandwich, namely that it is some type of food between some…
-
![]()
Table Talk
Watching the sunrise through the window, I remain in the same spot I first sat down in eighteen hours prior. The diner had cleared out except for my best friend and me in a booth, and the people working the early shift. The sound of the coffee brewing and our stomachs grumbling from a sugar…
-
![]()
On Food, Body, and Self-Love
Content Warning: Mention of weight and disordered eating. 5 YEARS OLD I stand on tiptoes so that I can reach the big silver bowl in front of me, leveraging my tiny body over the counter to mix the thin batter. My mother patiently oversees my slow, unsteady contribution until she takes over, whisking quickly. I…
-
![]()
Aching on the Periphery of Pain
You and I are alive and thus we have not died. But have you ever been in pain? ♦ I was chatting with a friend by the bleachers when the shooting began at the high school athletic field where I recently found myself during a dream. The concrete area was spacious, but it was fenced…
