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Big Bird Died for Your Sins

Martín Espada Virginia Quarterly Review
The poet Martín Espada recounts a childhood encounter of death, mourning the loss of baseball’s Puerto Rican star, Roberto Clemente.

The Problem of Democracy

Jonathan Freedland The Guardian
In this book, author Hamid writes about what he calls a "democratic dilemma" facing U.S. policymakers, who, he says, "want democracy in theory but do not necessarily want its outcomes in practice.”

“Argentina, 1985”: Oscar-Shortlisted Film Depicts Historic War Crimes Trial of U.S.-Backed Generals

Democracy Now Democracy Now
Democracy Now interviews director Santiago Mitre about “Argentina, 1985,” his dramatization of the Trial of the Juntas, when a civilian court prosecuted Argentina’s former military leaders for brutal crimes committed during the U.S.-backed right-wing military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983. The film just won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture in a Non-English Language and is also shortlisted for an Oscar for best international film.

Why We Can’t Turn Off the NFL

Dylan Scott Vox
America’s unbreakable fixation with football will only lead to more injuries like Damar Hamlin’s. A uniquely American concoction of capitalism and culture has allowed football to continue to thrive, even as the dangers it presents to players, both professional and amateur, have become clearer. Football remains the biggest hit on TV.

Hanging Mohsen on the Gallows

Majid Naficy
The Persian poet Majid Naficy still awakens at night, mourning friends and family, victims of the Iranian regime.

Will Smith Isn’t the Main Reason To Avoid Emancipation

Shirley Li The Atlantic
If only Emancipation actually had a memorable message. Despite a committed cast and stunning cinematography, the film’s script is too blunt and the direction too ham-fisted to make it anything more than another rote entry in the slavery-movie genre.

Recipes from the Survivors of Auschwitz

Hannah Goldfield The New Yorker
“Honey Cake and Latkes: Recipes from the Old World by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Survivors” was organized by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation. More than one survivor remembers sustaining fellow-prisoners with vivid descriptions of the foods they’d eaten in their earlier lives.