All posts tagged: roots

Lawsuit targets whites-only Arkansas community after applicant claims she was rejected for Jewish roots, Black husband

Lawsuit targets whites-only Arkansas community after applicant claims she was rejected for Jewish roots, Black husband

Published by Sam Flores

Orwoll characterized the policy as “free association,” not segregation. On its website, Return to the Land describes itself a “private membership association (PMA) for individuals and families with traditional views and common continental ancestry.” Walker’s attorney, Reed Colfax, argued Return to the Land is a racist organization in violation of federal anti-discrimination laws dating to 1866. “Return to the Land’s actions constitute blatant and brazen violations of long-standing federal and state fair housing laws,” Reed Colfax said in a statement posted on the Legal Defense Fund website. “Ms. Walker has been deprived of her housing and civil rights, including the right to purchase land and build housing.” Walker, a real estate broker in and around St. Louis, Missouri, said in the complaint that she learned last summer that the group was selling land in the Ozarks, “an area where she occasionally vacationed.” She was drawn to the listing partly because the asking price was unusually low, and she decided to apply, citing both the investment potential and other possibilities the land offered. During the application …

Alex Haley’s ROOTS Banned by Tennessee School District

Alex Haley’s ROOTS Banned by Tennessee School District

Published by Jenni Sidey

Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more. James Patterson Pledges $10 million to Early Adolescent Literacy Institute The mega-bestselling James Patterson has promised $10 million to his alma mater, Vanderbilt University. The institute will “work to address the increasingly urgent need for literacy training for students in grades four through eight.” It sounds like the institute plans to attack literacy issues from different angles. It will conduct research through partnerships with elementary and middle schools, run outreach programs that get parents and caregivers involved, instruct current and future literacy teachers, create “a living laboratory in Middle Tennessee schools,” and more. While private citizens—no matter how rich they are—shouldn’t bear the brunt of fixing our literacy crisis, this current administration sure won’t. And while we wait for them to leave office, we get further in the hole. Hopefully, this pledge brings more attention to this mounting problem. Alex Haley’s ROOTS Banned by Tennessee School District On the opposite end of the book news …

Christian nationalists pray for a return to America’s “Christian roots”

Christian nationalists pray for a return to America’s “Christian roots”

Published by Sam Flores

Thousands gathered on the National Mall in Washington on Sunday for “Rededicate 250,” a massive 8-hour prayer rally blending worship music, patriotic imagery, political figures and prominent Christian leaders in an event supporters described as spiritual renewal and critics viewed as another step toward the normalization of Christian nationalism in American politics. This included a conservative author who believes that God “raised up” President Trump to “build the ballroom.” checking in for a brief moment on the Rededicate 250 blasphemy fest and yep, it’s beyond parody pic.twitter.com/4peT5WPnUL — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 17, 2026 The event, tied to upcoming celebrations marking the nation’s 250th anniversary, featured speakers repeatedly invoking themes about restoring America’s “Christian roots” and reaffirming the United States as “One Nation Under God.” Organizers, called Freedom 250, framed the gathering as a national rededication of the country to God through prayer, worship and public faith. The lineup included Trump allies and administration figures alongside influential evangelical and Catholic leaders, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, former HHS Secretary Dr. Ben Carson, pastor Paula …

You Can Usually Tell A Lot About A Man’s Character By The Sports Teams He Roots For

You Can Usually Tell A Lot About A Man’s Character By The Sports Teams He Roots For

Published by Jenni Sidey

Choosing a sports team to root for is a deeply personal decision for most men. Whether its origin is in loyalty to a family legacy or a favorite player, the choice of team can be a reflection of his character. For many men, watching sports plays a crucial role in their adult lives. It’s something they can always look forward to and enjoy, watching their team go up against the opposition, hoping they’ll catch a win this time around. Interestingly, the loyalty to a team goes much deeper than just celebrating a winning season. Every season, there are those sports teams that are objectively terrible. Yet, there are men who will root for their self-ascribed team no matter the cost of their pride. Similarly, there are just as many fans who jump on the bandwagon of whoever is the best that season. The real question is, what does a man’s choice in favorite teams say about who he is as a person? Men who are loyal to a sports team regardless of their record are …

Reopened Malay Heritage Centre captures community’s evolution from diverse roots to ‘shared sense of home’: PM Wong

Reopened Malay Heritage Centre captures community’s evolution from diverse roots to ‘shared sense of home’: PM Wong

Published by Sam Flores

And it is not just about new artefacts and exhibits, even though there are plenty of these, as it goes beyond static displays to offer a wider range of experiences.  Through the centre, visitors can better understand how Singapore’s past shaped who it is today, and how it can guide the country forward. The Malay Heritage Centre is also part of the wider Kampong Glam precinct, one of Singapore’s most historic districts, Mr Wong pointed out, as he encouraged it to continue to work closely with the partners there to keep the area alive and vibrant. The government will support these efforts by working with stakeholders and supporting heritage businesses and cultural activities, he added. He also called on the centre to deepen collaborations across communities, including through cross-cultural programmes and performances that foster greater dialogue and exchange. “Make this a space where culture is not preserved but lived and shared; where more Singaporeans can experience our Malay culture for ourselves, and gain a deeper understanding of our roots and shared identity,” said Mr Wong. …

DJ-priestess Sara Landry proudly reps the roots beneath her rhythms

DJ-priestess Sara Landry proudly reps the roots beneath her rhythms

Published by Sam Flores

On the final night of this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, performing before hundreds of revelers at the center of a glowing pyramid, DJ Sara Landry reached a Zen state. With eyebrows furrowed, she leaned into the decks, spinning an operatic techno mashup from the turntables and orchestrating the ebb and flow of fans’ bodies. The 32-year-old Mexican American DJ, also known as “The High Priestess of Techno,” performed with Blood Oath: a collective of female DJs that includes DJ Jenna Shaw, LP Giobbi, Tokimonsta and Mary Droppinz, all of whom Landry assembled as her personal Avengers. As she handed over the decks to DJ Shaw, Landry’s stern visage eased into a blissful smile. Known for her witchy black wardrobe and heavy industrial production, Landry has emerged as a power player in the dance music scene — catalyzed by a viral 2023 Boiler Room set that now counts 10 million views. In it, Landry played her original song “Legacy,” a heavenly vocal track banging her head as she unraveled a soundscape that called …

The surprising roots of 4 features that superglue us to screens : NPR

The surprising roots of 4 features that superglue us to screens : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

What makes a person keep playing a video slot machine? Some of the same features that make children stay on social media apps or video games for too long. Paige Stampatori for NPR hide caption toggle caption Paige Stampatori for NPR In two landmark cases, social media companies have been found liable for endangering and harming children. Meta and Google are appealing the verdicts and disputing the idea that their products are addictive. But over the course of more than a decade, scientists have identified key features of social media and other apps meant to hold children’s attention for as long as possible. These features create a kind of superglue on the apps, says cultural anthropologist Natasha Dow Schüll at New York University, who has pioneered research in this field. “They keep us spending more time on these apps and spending more money. They drain us of our energy and ourselves.” Understanding these features offers parents a rubric for evaluating how harmful an app or device may be for kids, Schüll says. During the trial …

The Medieval Roots of Modern Self-Help

The Medieval Roots of Modern Self-Help

Published by Daniella Wilson

Sometimes, staring brainlessly into my laptop in the trough of a weekday afternoon, experiencing myself as a kind of online shadow, a thing of fidgets, a half-being hollowed out by roaming spectral appetites—for destruction, for gratification, for the email that never comes—it occurs to me to ask: Now, which of the seven deadly sins is this ? Explore the May 2026 Issue Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read. View More Anger’s in there somewhere, sure, a kind of generalized psychic road rage, but not enough of it to qualify. Same with envy, pride, gluttony, lust—just floating shards. Avarice? Nah. Of the seven, sloth probably comes closest, that enigmatic void state known to the early Christians as “acedia.” But not even acedia, bottomless as it is, can quite comprehend this plugged-in groundlessness, this ether-sweeping emptiness, this interstellar elongation of the spirit. Sin, the theologians tell us, is whatever separates us from God. Whatever blocks the beams of divine love. And at 3:23 p.m. in Caffè Nero, I am all but …

Can homegrown brands like Yeo’s and Tiger keep their Singapore roots even if they are no longer made here?

Can homegrown brands like Yeo’s and Tiger keep their Singapore roots even if they are no longer made here?

Published by Sam Flores

Barely a week later, Yeo Hiap Seng, the maker of Yeo’s beverages, said that it would consolidate its can manufacturing to Malaysia, laying off 25 employees in the process.  Established in Singapore in 1938, Yeo’s first made its name in the domestic market through its soy sauce, and in the 1950s, it diversified into other products such as canned curry chicken, bottled soy milk and other Asian drinks.  The announcements by two Singapore icons made back-to-back led some people to wonder: “Which Singapore brand is next?”  Dr Samer Elhajjar, senior lecturer from the department of marketing at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School, said that this discomfort is a rational response. “Brands are part of national memory and industrial identity. When an iconic brand stops producing locally, people are not only mourning a beverage or a can line.  “They are reacting to the sense that another piece of everyday nationhood has become more abstract,” he added. “In small states especially, brands often carry outsized symbolic weight because they are among the few globally …

Chimpanzee group’s violent rupture hints at evolutionary roots of war

Chimpanzee group’s violent rupture hints at evolutionary roots of war

Published by skeptic

A violent encounter between the two factions of Ngogo chimpanzees Aaron Sandel A once harmonious group of wild chimpanzees has split into two, leading to intractable conflict and escalating violence. Researchers say the rift suggests that human wars are a deeply rooted part of our nature, rather than something that emerged recently as our culture became more complex. Aaron Sandel at the University of Texas at Austin and his colleagues analysed 24 years of social networks, 10 years of GPS-based ranging and 30 years of demographic data on the chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in Kibale National Park, Uganda. “We want to be especially cautious with the words we use,” says Sandel. “These are chimps. War and civil war are terms that have a special significance for humans. What we saw isn’t civil war. But it does have important parallels. Notably, the shifting group identities that are underlying the lethal conflict.” Chimpanzees are well known for perpetrating horrific violence on each other, but typically this is reserved for outsiders or infants born of rival males. The Ngogo …