On this day in 1933, Cormac McCarthy was born. The great American novelist moved around a lot, and served in the Air Force for four years. After returning to the University of Tennessee in 1957, he was awarded an Ingram-Merrill Award for …
Category: Infographics

In Memory of Jane: Our Favorite Austen Quotes
Today, we honor Jane Austen‘s death. As one of the greatest English novelists, her works live on and continue to be some of the most influential literary works in history.
Infographic: Death in The Odyssey
Sure, everyone sympathizes with Odysseus, the man who got dragged off to fight a ten-year war and then had to face a journey home so filled with obstacles it took another ten years to make it back. That’s rough. Except …
How to Pick the Right College for You
Congratulations high schoolers! Another school year is over and summer has just begun! While we’re certain that you’re all out to have a good time and unwind, the summer is also an opportune time to start thinking about next steps, …
Zeroes and Ones and Your Odds of Writing a Best-Seller
Did you ever suspect the runaway best-seller Fifty Shades of Grey was written by robots? Well, somebody check E.L. James for vital signs because she might actually be an algorithm. Check this out: Surely a human being would die of …
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Happy Birthday, PBS!
On Sunday, November 3, PBS turned forty-four years old. Wow. That’s a lot of numbers. I’d have to count with this vintage piece from Sesame Street a bunch of times to count THAT high! PBS’s mission, from the beginning, has …
Should Everyone Go to College? New Studies Suggest the Answer is… Probably Not
I was listening to The Diane Rehm Show on my commute to go teach my classes this morning. Diane’s guests were Isabel Sawhill of the Brookings Institue, Nina Marks of Collegiate Directions Inc, and Robert Lerman, professor of economics at American University. I wasn’t surprised …
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That’ll Be a Gazillion Dollars, Plus Tax: The High Cost of Textbooks
I remember the first time I had to buy books as an undergraduate. I took my schedule and dutifully pulled book after book off the shelves for my courses and tried not to hyperventilate as I mentally tallied the increasing …
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