Get To Know Chaz Rorick’s “Presidential Selfies”

Either incredibly popular or ostracized in class, high schooler Chaz Rorick has taken to Instagram to demonstrate his love of history, presidents, and himself in his “Presidential Selfie” series. Inspiration struck Rorick while watching a documentary on Harry Truman (we know; happens all the time) as he realized how similar his outfit was to our lil’ A-bomb dropper. You can find all of Rorick’s presidential mugs on his Instagram account, but in the meantime we’ve whittled ’em down for your viewing pleasure.

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Why Secularism Is Good For Everyone–Especially Christians

The Article: Secularism Is Good for America—Especially Christians by Isaac Chotiner in The New Republic.

The Text: The rise of a secular culture, combined with an increasing number of self-identified atheists and agnostics in western societies, has led to a certain amount of handwringing among religious believers. Secularists, the argument goes, are starting to become mean and nasty: as the culture war’s victors, they are acting vindictive and cruel. It’s only a matter of time before religious believers are tarred, feathered, and sent to re-education camps.

You might think I am exaggerating, but only slightly. The New Statesman recently ran a cover story about atheist intolerance; the piece claimed that religious believers were under sustained attack. And now Damon Linker, in The Week, has written an article about the secular arrogance that supposedly characterizes our current era. Of this arrogance, he writes, “When liberals act that way, they run the risk of turning themselves into latter-day Jacobins, the anti-religious zealots who dominated the French Revolution during its most radical phase.” Given the stakes, it’s worth stepping back a bit and examining this moment, at least before Linker and Billy Graham are decapitated by Richard Dawkins and Jerry Coyne.

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Rob Ford’s Facebook Look Back

In honor of the social media platform’s 10th anniversary, the crack smoking Canadian king offers you his Facebook look back.

Thoughtless Valentines For Your Not-So Loved One

Everyone has that certain someone–or series of someones–who they don’t date because they actually like them, but because they dislike being alone more. For that not-so special someone, Matt Bors has the thoughtless valentines just for you. Half-assed Valentine’s Day dilemmas solved!

The Relationship Between Pop Culture And Class

The Article: Too poor for pop culture by D. Watkins in Salon.

The Text: Miss Sheryl, Dontay, Bucket-Head and I compiled our loose change for a fifth of vodka. I’m the only driver, so I went to get it. On the way back I laughed at the local radio stations going on and on and on, still buzzing about Obama taking a selfie at Nelson Mandela’s funeral. Who cares?

No really, who? Especially since the funeral was weeks ago.

* * *

I arrived, fifth of Black Watch clenched close to me like a newborn with three red cold-cups covering the top. We play spades over at Miss Sheryl’s place in Douglass Housing Projects every few weeks. (Actually, Miss Sheryl’s name isn’t really Miss Sheryl. But I changed some names here, because I’m not into embarrassing my friends.) Her court is semi-boarded up, third world and looks like an ad for “The Wire.” Even though her complex is disgustingly unfit, it’s still overpopulated with tilting dope fiends, barefoot children, pregnant smokers, grandmas with diabetes, tattoo-faced tenants and a diverse collection of Zimmermans made up of street dudes and housing police, looking itchy to shoot anyone young and black and in Nike.

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