Stream of Reading (Prepare to be Forwarded) – An Archive of What I'm Reading
Ray Smock is director of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. He served as Historian of the U. S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 1995 and was a planner of the bicentennial commemoration of Congress in 1989. The beating of Senator Charles…
“If we are victorious in one more battle … we shall be utterly ruined.” Like the good intellectual that he’s vigorously pretended not to be of late, Boris Johnson will probably know that line. It’s from the Greek historian Plutarch’s account of the battle that gave us the phrase “pyrrhic victory”, the kind of victory…
The football was predictable. Nil-nil at half time, little drama. The politics were a different story, shock still reverberating from the Brexit vote among fans of all stripes at an ex-pat pub in New York on Saturday. Related: Gareth McAuley’s own goal takes Wales past Northern Ireland at Euro 2016 Many had voted against type….
On Friday, presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump tweeted something—stop me if you’ve heard this before—truly stupid: Just arrived in Scotland. Place is going wild over the vote. They took their country back, just like we will take America back. No games! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 24, 2016 Trump’s tweet is even more ignorant…
Every week throughout season six, a handful of Vox’s writers will discuss the latest episode of Game of Thrones. Before you dig in, check out our recap of Sunday’s episode, as well the archive of our entire discussion to date. Next up this week is energy writer David Roberts. David Roberts: The “Battle of the…
Today is the 20th anniversary of the Nintendo 64, which is an excuse to play one of the console’s better games, Goldeneye. Which means I must remember the brilliant meme that game inspired: Geddan. Unfortunately, remembering is the best I can do. Geddan, my favorite meme, has been all but erased from the internet. Geddan…
Your Twitter handle may soon be part of the US visa process. Yesterday, US Customs and Border Patrol entered a new proposal into the federal register, suggesting a new field in which persons entering the country can declare their various social media accounts and screen names. The information wouldn’t be mandatory, but the proposed field would…
(Mike Steele via Flickr) This story has been updated Following web backlash Thursday, the pharmaceutical giant Bayer told a Brazilian advertising agency to “discontinue” an aspirin campaign that won awards in Cannes, France this week — and outraged people who thought it made light of a sex crime. The advertisement, created by AlmapBBDO in Sao Paulo, appeared…
In Kuwait, the penalty for blasphemy can be as severe as death. That’s why a new campaign to dox young Kuwaiti women with independent minds is so dangerous. A band of Twitter trolls alleging to be from the Middle East spent Sunday and Monday repeatedly reporting “atheist” and pro-LGBT girls and women to the local…
Twitter is blowing up with criticism toward an ad that won a Bronze Lion at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on Thursday. “Don’t worry babe, I’m not filming this,” is the tagline for an ad created by Brazilian agency AlmapBBDO for Bayer aspirin. The type is in all caps in the middle of the…