The Downs File: Comments on IHOP’s Celebration of National Pancake Day

February 24, 2009
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Today, IHOP was nice enough to give away free stacks of pancakes in celebration of National Pancake Day. Those individuals who visited IHOP between 7AM and 10PM could receive three free buttermilk pancakes topped with a dollop of butter. IHOP was also hosting a fundraising drive for the Children’s Miracle Network, which raises money...

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The State of the Fourth Estate

February 22, 2009
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The American media has decomposed into a delivery system for "news", commentary, talking points, jargon, and spin.

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You must never say the N-word!

February 20, 2009
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It was with incredible shock that I heard Senator Dodd casually mention the n-word while appearing as a guest on “Political Capital with Al Hunt,” a Bloomberg Television talk show that airs on Friday afternoon and Sunday morning. That a man could so audaciously use such a powerful, aggressive word in seemingly polite discourse...

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All The News That’s Fit To Print (Except What’s Actually Important)

February 19, 2009
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I did not trust the New York Times, as I believe that it is generally better suited for use lining my family's dear cat's litter box or sopping up grease from the floor when my mother fries veal on the stove. In this case, as in many others, I was proven correct.

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A New Age, But For Whom?

February 1, 2009
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The trip was extremely enjoyable, though not without tension. My experiences in Pakistan revolve around my family and two hectic weddings, so I apologize if you were expecting a thrilling story of me traveling to Waziristan, recounting an experience with members of the Taliban, because that did not happen.

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How many Slavs does it take to solve an energy crisis?

January 12, 2009
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Most of you EM loyalists, that is to say, the six of us who regularly visit the site, know about my Slavic heritage, and to that effect, my extreme aversion to many things Russian. For the most part, this is a consequence of my amazing satirical skills, however, sometimes I?m just not kidding.

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A Tale of Two Ideals

November 6, 2008
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A Tale of Two Ideals

Don't fret conservatives, tomorrow is a new day.

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Vote Early and Vote Often: The Genius of the Obama Campaign’s use of Text Messaging and Other Forms of Mass Communication

August 31, 2008
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The origin of the phrase “Vote Early and Vote Often” is usually attributed to Chicago mayor William Hale Thompson, a highly corrupt Republican politician who ruled the city from 1915 to 1923 and again from 1931 to 1935. The phrase itself described how political partisans could easily game the democratic voting process. As verifying...

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Dennis Kucinich wants America to ‘Wake Up’

August 27, 2008
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How small acts get the crowd excited.

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Irony, Double Standard, or Both?

August 20, 2008
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Does the White House just have short term memory, or is Russo-Georgian conflict truly different than the war in Iraq?

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Collectivism: The Root of all Prejudice

June 5, 2008
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I remember the exact moment I realized, with some mild bemusement, just how prevalent collectivist attitudes are in modern-day society. It was an average Perspectives meeting. This week?s topic of discussion was about the then-current crop of frontrunners in the race for the White House. The meeting started spectacularly, with a group of female...

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Invisible Man: A treasure of the American literary tradition

May 23, 2008
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People always find it strange when I verbally espouse my love for Invisible Man. After all, I am not a black American. How, many ask, could I possibly relate to the central character of this story? Ralph Ellison?s masterpiece, first published in 1952, is the story of a well-educated and ideological young black man...

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