Stromae, a world-famous Belgian musician, left the spotlight after the release of his second album in 2013 and has since remained dormant. But he emerged from his occupational slumber in April 2017 to release a single—”Défiler,” meaning “to parade.” The song is just under ten minutes long and comments on two primary themes: the movement … Continue reading Défiler by Stromae: A commentary on upward mobility
Despite having been named for the legendary Elvish forest in the works of J.R.R Tolkien, my interests in silvology and arboriculture are inexcusably limited. It’s high (elven) time I write about what I know. What I lack in these realms of science I make up for in amateur linguistics. For almost six years now, I … Continue reading A star shines on the hour of our Elvish lesson: An introduction to Tolkien’s languages
Among the more inflammatory historical comments made by British authorities lies the Balfour Declaration, a 67-word statement published in the heat of the first World War that many historians argue ignited an already well-kindled Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Balfour Declaration reads: His Majesty’s government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for … Continue reading The Balfour Declaration: A Past and Contemporary Public Relations Analysis
Among my more interdisciplinary endeavors at Drake consisted of an editorship of the Department of Physics and Astronomy semesterly newsletter. I’ve decided to post these on my blog, as they showcase not only some of my best physics writing, but also my best graphics and design work. Continue reading The State of Physics at Drake, Fall 2018
WEST DES MOINES—Janet Belluchi isn’t afraid of truth. Death, old-age, decay, spirituality, intimacy, AIDS, love, marriage, emotion—these are the topics she addresses unflinchingly. Methodically. As she would the weather or sports. The contents of her mind are naked. Delivered in blunt, sentence fragments. Whittled with nothing but a chuckle. The only extravagance she bore was … Continue reading “There’s men and there’s women and there’s me:” LGBTQ individual describes a life of subtle advocacy
How Drake’s foreign distance runners networked their way to Des Moines DES MOINES—The Drake cross-country team has 25 runners, only four of which are long-distance. Of course, this phrase only makes sense when you realize that ‘long-distance’ also means ‘from far away.’ Drake has four distance runners from countries outside the United States—one from Australia, … Continue reading Who you know, not how fast you run
Hereby the Maverick 