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Identification, Bureaucracy, and The Self

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Identification, Bureaucracy, and The Self

Vice News, 2018, 6:19… Police departments in Dallas and surrounding counties have agreed to allow their officers to accept ID cards issued by Dallas Area Interfaith, the Diocese of Dallas and several local parishes. These interfaith IDs have no legal bearing - it still remains up to an officer’s discretion whether to accept the identification (which includes a photo, name, DOB, address and the name of the parish that issued them the ID), but the desired outcome would be to quell some of the concerns present in the immigrant community, and help officers police more efficiently.

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Universal Basic Income

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Universal Basic Income

The Atlantic, 2018, 3:20… America is the richest civilization in history. Why, then, are our living standards so low compared to those of other wealthy democracies? “There’s a big idea out there that could help solve this,” says The Atlantic writer Annie Lowrey. “It’s called a universal basic income.” In a new animated video, Lowrey argues that UBI—a concept that has existed for more than 500 years—would help close the income inequality gap, eliminating poverty and increasing mobility and opportunity for all American citizens.

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Cultural Identity & The Nameplate Necklace

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Cultural Identity & The Nameplate Necklace

The Guardian, 2018, 6:58… If you don't already own a 'Carrie necklace', chances are you've seen them in music videos, films, fashion shoots – and, of course, in Sex in the City. But the origins and cultural significance of the jewellery goes much deeper than Carrie Bradshaw. Grace Shutti explores the origins of the nameplate necklace, which emerged from black and Hispanic communities in 1970s New York and draws on graffiti and hip-hop culture.

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The Identity of Hong Kong

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The Identity of Hong Kong

Vox, 2018, 14:24… When Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997, Chinese leaders agreed that Hong Kong would be able to keep its economic and political systems, including some of the civil freedoms denied to China’s citizens on the mainland, for the next 50 years. Although Hong Kong still has nearly 30 years of semi-autonomy left, China has started tightening its grip, and many believe it is chipping away at Hong Kong’s freedoms.

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Hobo Graffiti

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Hobo Graffiti

Vox, 2018, 5:36… Hobos used graffiti, or tramp writing, as a messaging system to tell their fellow travelers where they were and where they were headed next. Hobos would scratch or draw their road persona, or moniker, onto stationary objects near railroad tracks like water towers and bridges. News stories at the time, largely informed by hobos themselves, spread tales of a different kind of graffiti though.

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The Concerted Cultivation of Spelling

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The Concerted Cultivation of Spelling

Vice News, 2018, 7:12… If you keep up with the world of competitive spelling, you've noticed the 10 year winning streak of South Asian-Americans. Kids from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh have simply dominated the competition, and the South Asian Spelling Bee circuit has a lot to do with that. Launched in 2008, the South Asian Spelling Bee is an elite circuit whose alumni account for a decade of spelling dominance in the nation's most competitive spelling competition.