Movies you might have missed: “On the Bowery”
"On the Bowery," a unique film from 1956 uses a creative technique to get the viewer behind the scenes of what was then a notorious skid row in America's largest city.
Semiotic Weapons: Advertising is the focus of two recent films.
Two very different foreign films focus on the advertising industry. They intersect at the idea that advertising feeds upon our innate desire for happiness.
Review: "A Slave in the White House, Paul Jennings and the Madisons"
Paul Jennings was born a slave on President Madison's estate in Montpelier, Virginia, in 1799. In 2009, Paul Jennings' descendants arrived at the White House for a private tour.
Jon Fromer: A political life in song
In 1965, Fromer marched from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. with civil rights marchers, kick-starting his life-long devotion to fighting for justice through song.
Kurt Cobain fans celebrate rocker's birthday
The Nirvana frontman was born this day in 1967, and went on to become the voice of a generation and pave the way for heavy music's entry into the mainstream, despite his aversion to such popularity
Love and revolution: Marx family biography has lessons
A frequently heard quote from Argentine-Cuban revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara is: "Let me say, at the risk of seeming ridiculous, that the true revolutionary is guided by great feelings of love."
Lincoln: principles and politics
In this 150th anniversary year of the Emancipation Proclamation, we are fortunate to have Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals to help us understand Abraham Lincoln.
Movies you might have missed: “Destiny of a Man”
This all consuming experience in the Soviet psyche resulted in many films that portrayed the incredible heroism of the Soviet people.
Left on the bookshelf: "My Discovery of America"
American audiences may find the travel narrative of the three months Vladimir Mayakovsky spent in the Western hemisphere in 1925 to be a more accessible literary contribution.
Spielberg’s “Lincoln” is for the ages
I doubted Spielberg's ability to pull off the dynamics and nuances of our 16th president and the times he lived in, yet, he did. "Lincoln" is his masterpiece
