September 2nd, 1945. Japan surrenders to the allied forces after the second atomic bombing of Nagasaki, marking the end of World War II and the axis powers, and, some would say, fascism. With Mussolini, the founder of fascism, hanged in the streets of Italy and Hitler gone months before Japan’s surrender, it would seem reasonable […]

In the childhood game of “Duck, Duck, Goose,” a circle of players sits on the ground as one person, known as the “it,” moves around the circle, tapping each person’s head and calling out either “duck” or “goose.” When “goose” is called, the chosen person must chase the “it” before he/she can sit in the […]

Ethical evaluations of progress simplify into a cyclical process which emerged long before the discipline of ethics formally surfaced; a progressive development is made, the said development challenges any number of long-standing values, and schools of thought relevant to the situation are applied to evaluate contradictory opinions in the conflict. Using Kant’s categorical imperatives, Gilligan’s […]

I grew up in what I believed was a clear example of a nuclear family: two parents and three children settled in a suburban neighborhood of Pennsylvania. I never assumed the term meant “cookie cutter”, perfect, condensed, or idyllic; my limited understanding presented the simple definition as two partners and their children. With an incomplete […]

My friend and I were in the backseat of the car, humming to whatever catchy pop song was on the radio. We looked up and saw that we had arrived at our destination. The arcade reflected along the Hudson River beautifully, with its bold lettering and four-story rope course hovering by. It was part of […]

The United States of America does not traditionally evoke the label of ‘Empire.’ However, its domain over world affairs may warrant a modern review. An empire is defined as ‘an extensive group of states or countries under a single supreme authority.’ While the United States has only technically declared war 11 times over 10 different […]

Squat brown brick exterior, flat roof, small parking lot filled with teacher’s cars, a flagpole with a waving American flag grounded outside large, and a mid-sized marquee sign announcing that Jana Elementary School is hosting parent teacher conferences in October. It looks like every other suburban elementary school across the nation. Except for one thing […]

On December 3, 1953, President Dwight Eisenhower issued a memo installing a “blank wall” between J. Robert Oppenheimer and any government operations, cutting him off from any future classified research and his atomic project. This communique was the conclusion of a months-long audit filled with anti-communist fear-mongering rhetoric. Led by Lewis Strauss, commissioner of the […]

Human innovation often smolders gradually in the embers of advancement. Sometimes, though, we ignite in a sudden blaze of progress and development.  It is said that Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gifted it to humankind. In doing so, he sparked the conception of civilization as we know it. Fire brought people, but it […]