Former Prime Minister of the U.K., Margaret Thatcher, turns 84 today, and though we by no means espouse her political stances on, well, just about anything, we can’t deny that she was instrumental in establishing the terms of modern politics in Europe and around the world. Of course, now that she’s a frail old British [...]

In case you didn’t know it (or hear about it over at our big brother The L Magazine) we’re currently celebrating Banned Book Week here in the U.S., which means reading up on the rich tradition of literary censorship in America. One way you might familiarize yourself with popular targets is by reading Banned Book [...]

Among the many things that the United Nations Security Council worked on yesterday during their dealings in New York was the decision to move forward on measures to stem the proliferation of nuclear weapons. We applaud the move (and urge the French president to stop being a wuss and show his support), and hope that [...]

Yesterday, we read in the New York Times that China has imposed a new Visa system on Tibet that makes it impossible for foreigners to visit the occupied mountain nation. This is worrisome for many reasons, none more so than the fact that whatever political and religious oppression takes place there will now be even [...]

Many things tend to deter us from participating in political rallies. There’s the risk of violence, of course, though we rarely really have to worry about that. There’s the general sense that mass movements of people down city streets can’t achieve much anymore – signing online petitions, that’s where it’s at. Additionally, we’re just not [...]

Today is September 11 – in case you’d forgotten, in which event you must not be a Patriot (today is also Patriot Day) – the 8th anniversary of a certain event that changed the course of modern history. Of course, no horrifying act of death and destruction is beyond the purview of advertisers constantly looking [...]

Recently, while recounting some of the greatest old school screen exploits of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, we’ve come across some pretty questionable cartoons. Between Daffy fighting Nazis and Japanese army pilots and Bugs Bunny being chased by a blackface Elmer Fudd, well, we thought we’d seen it all. Apparently not, though, as mental_floss’s listicle [...]

President Obama is planning to make a speech especially to public school students around the nation on Tuesday and, per the Times, some Republican parents don’t want their kids brainwashed by the socialist propaganda of their elected leader. All parents are notoriously evil and unjust, as we all well know, so this should come as [...]

Whenever we go to a protest we plan on bringing a sign then chicken out at the last minute. You know, they’re awkward and heavy, and sometimes the people behind you get mad because you’re blocking the view. Plus, if it’s a really big and smart protest you have to worry about how your sign [...]

The 42nd President of the United States of America celebrates his 63rd birthday today, perhaps you’ve heard of him? William Jefferson Clinton managed to remain one of the most popular Presidents during his time in office despite certain unmentionable scandals, and has only become more beloved since. After leaving office he single-handedly gentrified Harlem, and [...]