July 30, 2008

New Project Aims to “Publish the Long Civil Rights Movement”

Cool activist-esque things to do through the years: early 1960s: register African American voters in the South; late 1960s: protest Vietnam War/attend large-scale concert in upstate New York; 1970s: burn bra while reading Erica Jong; 1990s: wear a red ribbon on an expensive tuxedo; 2008: get involved in the electoral process. Considering the upcoming election season, significant change seems possible,… Continue Reading New Project Aims to “Publish the Long Civil Rights Movement”

Categories African American History/African American Studies/American History/Civil Rights/Education/Environmental Studies/Gay / Lesbian Studies/Gender Studies/Health / Medicine/History/UNC Press News/Women's Studies
July 29, 2008

Exploring Torpedo Junction

Yesterday’s All Things Considered on NPR aired a story about recent efforts by marine preservationists to survey and document sunken German U-boats off Cape Hatteras, NC. Adam Hochberg talks to both a former German sailor and a local Hatteras resident who recalls hearing the torpedoes from the u-boats attacking American vessels. This is the history in which UNCP’s Taffy of… Continue Reading Exploring Torpedo Junction

Categories American History/History/North Carolina/Podcasts
July 28, 2008

Today in history: the 14th Amendment takes effect

On July 28, 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was declared in effect, after the required 28 states had ratified the bill that was propsed in 1866. The amendment guaranteed due process and the equal protection of the laws to former slaves. This was one of three “Reconstruction Amendments” meant to restructure the U.S. from a land divided… Continue Reading Today in history: the 14th Amendment takes effect

Categories African American History/African American Studies/American History/History
July 25, 2008

Another one bites the dust

The Los Angeles Times Book Review will appear for the last time in a standalone section this Sunday, July 27. Book coverage will continue in the Calendar section of the paper, but 2 of the 5 full-time book review employees will be laid off. Some former editors are justifiably upset about this move. This latest cut is just another blow… Continue Reading Another one bites the dust

Categories Reviews/The Book Biz
July 23, 2008

Hear Spencie Love on today’s State of Things

Last week, the American Medical Association issued a formal apology for its history of discrimination against black doctors. Today on The State of Things, Frank Stasio and guests will discuss race and health care – particularly, this history of racial discrimination and its ongoing effects, including under-representation of black doctors in the health care profession and the widening of health… Continue Reading Hear Spencie Love on today’s State of Things

Categories African American History/African American Studies/Civil Rights/Health / Medicine/History/North Carolina/Podcasts
July 21, 2008

Today in History: John Scopes found guilty

On July 21, 1925, John Thomas Scopes was found guilty of violating Tennessee’s Butler Act, which prohibited the teaching of evolution. Generations later, the teaching of evolution is standard and creationism (in the form of Intelligent Design) is the new challenger. Michael Lienesch, author of In the Beginning: Fundamentalism, the Scopes Trial, and the Making of the Antievolution Movement, examines… Continue Reading Today in History: John Scopes found guilty

Categories American History/History/Religion
July 17, 2008

Weekend Roadtrip #5: The Outer Banks

As I was driving to work this morning and listening to NPR, WUNC‘s Leoneda Inge was reporting from the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where locals are eager to draw more visitors now. (Forget what I said before about it being too late to plan a trip! It’s not too late!) The economies of beach communities depend on a thriving… Continue Reading Weekend Roadtrip #5: The Outer Banks

Categories Environmental Studies/Juvenile/Nature/North Carolina/Travel
July 14, 2008

Wall Street fiction(?)

With the real-life dramas unfolding on Wall Street these days, it’s only a matter of time before we witness a bumper crop of novels and thrillers set in the high-stakes financial world. David Zimmerman has written about the connections between novels and markets in an earlier period of American history

Categories American History/Business/Current Events/Economics/History/Literature
July 8, 2008

Repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

Maybe hearing it from retired officers in the armed services will push Congress to reconsider the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy toward gays in the military: “Evidence shows that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly is unlikely to pose any significant risk to morale, good order, discipline or cohesion.” A new study points to the British and Israeli armies… Continue Reading Repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

Categories Current Events/Gay / Lesbian Studies/Military Studies/Politics
July 3, 2008

Weekend Roadtrip #3: Pirates and shipwrecks and ghosts! Oh my!

Continuing the Beach Book Grab Bag series that began last week, this week’s picks are all about things that go splash in the night. North Carolina’s coastline slips into some treacherous waters — making them a perfect hunting spot for the pirates of yore who preyed on stranded ships. Six books with some spine-tingling tales of coastal haunts after the… Continue Reading Weekend Roadtrip #3: Pirates and shipwrecks and ghosts! Oh my!

Categories American History/History/North Carolina/Travel
July 2, 2008

As we consider the founding fathers

With all the talk this week about the First Amendment, I can’t neglect to mention the award-winning George Mason, Forgotten Founder, by Jeff Broadwater. Mason was one of the country’s earliest champions of civil liberties as the author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights. In fact, at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Mason pushed for such a bill of rights… Continue Reading As we consider the founding fathers

Categories American History/Biography / Autobiography/Politics
June 30, 2008

Happy Birthday, America! Now about that First Amendment…

This week we celebrate our nation’s independence, and I’m kicking things off a little early. I’m delighted to see our bookselling neighbors over at The Regulator Bookshop in Durham are joining the blogosphere. The Regulator has long been active in promoting the local economic benefits of indie stores (they’ve done the numbers) and has been a great champion of free… Continue Reading Happy Birthday, America! Now about that First Amendment…

Categories North Carolina