Earlier this summer, Ryan O’Callaghan, a former offensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots, came out as gay. O’Callaghan said he knew he was gay for much of his life, but after his retirement in 2011, he knew he would have nowhere to hide his sexuality. He had plans to end his…
Activists protest against Presidential order to eliminate the Deferred Action for Children Arrivals (DACA) immigration policy. New York, September 2017. Photo: Albin Lohr-Jones/SIPA USA/PA Images. All rights reserved Salvadorans with TPS will lose their status in 18 months, on September 9, 2019. The abrupt act adds another easily identifiable and locatable 200.000 persons who have…
Obscure words are par for the course at the Scripps National Spelling Bee—and this year’s national competition, taking place this week just outside Washington, D.C., is no different. Nearly 300 students aged 6 to 15 will somehow manage not to freeze on stage while being asked to spell words that the average American doesn’t even…
A street in Diyarbakır. Author's photo collection. The situation of the Kurds in a drastically changing Middle East has received little attention in academia and less in the media despite their growing impact on regional and international politics. The biggest stateless people living in the Middle East are on the verge of a new status, not only…
The internet is filled with pockets of loveliness and brief totems to the wondrous bounty of the human spirit, plus a few good dogs — largely corgis. There are also dark corners of nastiness such as the thread on Reddit called “r/race_realism,” a place where racists once could sling debunked Charles Murray junk science, post thudding and unfunny…
Oil-well fires burn near the town of Qayyarah, Iraq, 2016. Photo: Planet Labs.This essay was originally published in e-flux journal no. 84 (September 2017) under the title ‘What We Are Fighting For’ On the campaign trail in 2015, Trump stood triumphantly at the podium in Fort Dodge, Iowa, describing how he would deal with ISIS in Iraq:…
If you’ve ever felt a little crazy after battling the morning rush hour or losing a night’s sleep to the sound of helicopters buzzing overhead, you’re definitely not alone. According to a study published in the Schizophrenia Bulletin last Monday, growing up in an urban environment could make you more likely to develop—you guessed it—schizophrenia….
A woman reacts during the broadcast of the handing over of weapons of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) at the municipality of Mesetas, in Bogota, capital of Colombia, on 27 June 2017. Jhon Paz/Xinhua News Agency/PA Images. All rights reserved. In spite of the advances in the implementation of the peace agreement with…
On Thursday, surrounded by several religious leaders, President Donald Trump signed the highly controversial “religious freedom” order. “Faith is deeply embedded into the history of our country, the spirit of our founding, and the soul of our nation,” Trump said in the Rose Garden at a National Day of Prayer event, according to NBC. “We…
Screenshot: Héctor Casique Fernández accuses his torturers, March 2017.Mainstream media apparently continues to ignore the true reality of Mexico, a country where massive human rights violations and torture are common everyday practice. A country of violence fuelled by impunity and a land where those in power organise crime and disappear those who dare to challenge…