FONTANA: To whom it may concern
In the words of Usher Raymond IV, “these are my confessions.” Yes dear readers, I do in fact, have a confession to make: In an earlier column I told you that I could sympathize with the forgotten middles names because I was a middle child. Well, unfortunately, I am not technically speaking, exactly, how do [...]
GUEST PERSPECTIVE: Re-electing a pope
Today Catholics wonder, “Who will lead Christ’s Church?” Cardinals assemble in Rome to elect Benedict XVI’s successor. Pilgrims gather in St. Peter’s Square to await word of a new pope. The faithful offer prayers for Mother Church in this strange time. Although this appears procedural, the interregnum offers the world a period of both excitement and anxiety. This [...]
MARK: Don’t mupload my manboobs
From a philosophical standpoint, social media is a fascinating phenomenon — and I say that knowing how pretentious it sounds. Social media is a great way to stroke our already overindulged egos, but it also reveals something innate about ourselves: Our desire to control how others see us and how we carefully construct our identities. [...]
SMITH: Here’s to 28
There’s nothing in the world riper for fictional portrayal, for fictional adulation, than the American college experience. Whether it’s the classic National Lampoon comedy Animal House, a more serious portrayal like The Social Network or one of the countless modern day “reality” shows professing to accurately portray a quasi-college lifestyle, it seems there’s nothing that holds our wistful [...]
MAHDI: It’s a small world after all
I think I’m going to preface this latest episode of my Washingtonian experience by saying that I’m actually writing this from a New Orleans-themed café in a neighborhood called Kalorama. The ceiling is a deep maroon tile; masks hang above the army of glasses attached to the walls. Old jazz floats through the small space, [...]
