Category: Uncategorized
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I Did Not Want to Be Here Anymore, So I Opened TikTok
Inside the addictive unreality of TikTok WORDS BY MIKAYLA EMERSONEDITED BY VISMITHA MANJUNATH YAJI Bryan Sanchez calls it a click, snapping his fingers for effect. The sound reverbs through the air like the whistle before a race. In and out. When Bryan is out, he is a third-year student at Queens College committed to the
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The Rare Beauty of Folkstyle Wrestling
Has the American wrestling community made a Faustian bargain for Olympic gold—at the expense of its own heritage? WORDS BY JUSTIN MUCHNIcKREPUBLISHED FROM PUBLIC SEMINAR To an outsider, the sport of wrestling might seem like a monolith—a muscular clump of writhing barbarity. But on January 17, when the members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association
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What Are We Reaching For?
Other than our phones, of course WORDS BY ELLIE LAWTONPHOTOGRAPHY BY TATIANA COOPER We are constantly in the presence of our phones. They are with us at our best—when we are on a night out with friends, drunk texting exes, or at concerts, experiencing the chaos and calm through our screens. Our phones are also
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A Respectable Lunch
WORDS BY MALAIKA ALILAWART BY ANDREW OLCOTT A glass of straight whiskey with a square block of ice.Pinot grigio in a tall stemmed glass. Sprite and grenadine, a large cluster of maraschino cherries fill half the glass. He’ll have the steak: bright pink and dripping in garlic. A side of green beans and mashed potatoes.
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Stanning The Stars
Who’s your diva according to your Venus sign? WORDS BY ARMANDO-GABRIEL CHAVEZEDITED BY NATALIA GEVARAPHOTOGRAPHY BY TATIANA COOPER The term diva evokes a woman of opulence—an artist, primadonna, or business mogul whose self-centered interests are outmatched only by her confidence and talent. It’s no secret that “diva” is really just a dissimulating synonym for “bitch,” aimed
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Market Noise
Listening to HBO’s prestige television scores can reveal hidden depths of these shows’ commentary—or spawn dance floor hits and viral excitement WORDS BY AMELIA NONEMACHEREDITED BY IMAN SULTAN I love Succession, and I especially love its score. It perfectly encapsulates the grandeur, delusion, and dysfunction of the Roy family as they battle over the future
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California’s Ellis Island
In New York City, I see my hometown everywhere I go WORDS BY NATALIA GEVARAEDITED BY BRE GEORGES I get off at 14th Street–Union Square almost every single day. It’s the station closest to my school and my place of work. Street vendors selling churros and cups of fruit are abundant, like in most stations
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Why Did Gen Z Choose Trump?
The reason lies within social media influences, reinforcement of gender roles, and men’s desire to get away with violence. WORDS BY DIAMOND AGYEIEDITED BY ELLIE LAWTONPHOTOGRAPHY BY DARYN PAINTER As I pushed open the heavy blue doors of my Virginia high school on November 9, 2016, I was greeted by a huddle of rowdy white
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A City Holding Its Breath
Lahore’s smog crisis deepens as authorities fail to act WORDS BY USWA SHAMAILEDITED BY IMAN SULTANPHOTOGRAPHY BY MAHIN AZAM KHAN Every morning, my son and I take a trip to the street outside our home. As soon as he wakes up, he starts to chant “baahir baahir” (outside in Urdu) and claps his hands on
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In Search of the Sublime… Underground
How far can art carry us through New York City’s broken subway system? WORDS BY MARY KARMELEKREPUBLISHED FROM PUBLIC SEMINAR Weekday mornings, as I walk to the 36th Street subway stop in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, I quicken my pace, anxious that if I miss the train, I’ll be late for work; worried that if it’s
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Take a Seat: We Found the Best of the Boroughs’ Eateries
WORDS BY IMAN SULTANEDITED BY NATALIA GEVARA Cafés and restaurants have always been touchstones of community, places to gather, making memories and forging close bonds all while enjoying a delicious meal or sipping from a cup of strong coffee. New York City remains one of the food capitals of the world, a melting pot of
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Forever Your Baby Girl
The labor of a smile WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY KANISHKA PURIEDITED BY VISMITHA MANJUNATH YAJI I am obsessed with my mother, and she is obsessed with her daughter in America. One day, she asked me to send a photograph of an American papaya to compare it with an Indian one. I wonder why that interests
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American Companies Fall in Line with Trump’s Dismantling of DEI
WORDS BY DIAMOND AGYEI AND ARMANDO-GABRIEL CHAVEZEDITED BY NATALIA GEVARAPHOTOGRAPHY BY BARBARA BURGESS On the night of his second inauguration, President Trump signed an executive order declaring Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives “illegal and immoral,” setting off the rapid elimination of DEI, accessibility for people with disabilities, and environmental justice programs from federal agencies.
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The Pulse of Palestinian Identity in New Jersey
How Palestinians in diaspora are finding resilience through pain by honoring their cultural heritage WORDS BY AnonymousEDITED BY BRE GEORGES As a genocide survivor who recently relocated to New York from Gaza—the open-air prison—last August, I was wondering what it means to be Palestinian from the perspective of Palestinian-Americans. Is there a space that connects
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Creating Paradise In Loisaida
Should one search for heaven in this city? words by Megan Robinsonedited by Ellie Lawtonphotography by Paul Rochford El Jardín del Paraíso is the largest community garden in the Lower East Side of New York City. The garden spans three-quarters of an acre—about the size of a football field—tucked between the quiet residential streets of
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From Photoshop to Spray Paint and Back Again
How revolutionary street art tells the ongoing story of Bangladesh’s July Uprising Words by Rayna SalamEdited by Armando-Gabriel Chavez Photography by Ayesha Humayra ChoudhurY and Debashish Chakrabarty In response to the bloody student-led demonstrations against Bangladesh’s ruling party last summer, U.S.-based artist Debashish Chakrabarty disseminated more than 100 posters illustrating the symbols, martyrs, and demands
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Descent
WORDS BY CELIA ROSEART BY PACIFICO SILIANO I rake my hands down the hill.clumps of wet grass cling to the webs between my claws.Stomach burning on mud, leaf, and clover.I inch toward the gold rectangle below my head.Suck world into my lungs, exhale it onto dewy ground;slide my breasts over the slimy, dark curds.Downward, I
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The Conservative Playbook: Global War on Public Institutions
Examining the intersection of global conservative movements and Argentina’s struggle for education and democracy amidst Milei’s austerity measures WORDS BY ELENA SALAEDITED BY VISMITHA MANJUNATH YAJIPHOTOGRAPHY BY AGUSTIN MARCARIAN In October 2024, Argentina experienced a new wave of massive student uprisings against President Javier Milei’s neoliberal policies that threatened to cut the budget established for
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Breaking News: First Human Survives Without a Phone
Shock, confusion, and scientific inquiry have ensued around survival without a phone WORDS BY VISMITHA MANJUNATH YAJIEDITED BY TSERING DOLKA GURUNGPHOTOGRAPHY BY MADDIE LANIER In a shocking turn of events, twenty-eight-year-old Jamie Harbor has accomplished what many believed impossible—surviving an entire week without a smartphone. This unprecedented event has sent shockwaves throughout the community, leaving
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