Up For Discussion

Are Cars Driving Into the Sunset?

How Our Love Affair with Automobiles Is Changing in the Face of Climate Change and Denser Urban Living

On a typical Saturday night in the 1970s, Whittier Boulevard in East L.A. would have been thumping with lowriders–those lacquered, richly colored sedans with chassis that could bounce up and down with the flip of a switch. Slow cruising in a Chevy Impala was perfect for people watching and showing off your glorious Frankenstein handiwork.

Cars have long defined who Americans are, how we socialize, where we live, and where we work. They still have a hold over us–just look at how many Fast and Furious movies keep coming at …

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Will Cuba Go From Enemy to Frenemy?

What the Resumption of Diplomatic Relations Means for the U.S. and Our Island Neighbor

Just this past week, historic talks were held in Washington with the goal of inching closer to a goal that, for decades, has been unimaginable: restored diplomatic relations between the …

Hollywood UFD statues

Why Can’t Hollywood Tell America’s Stories?

Our Onscreen Heroes Are White Men. But Most of Us Aren’t.

The 2015 Oscars broadcast will reflect the demographics of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voters—who are overwhelmingly older Anglo men—but it won’t reflect the demographics of the …

How to Make Every Offender an Ex-Offender

Keeping Parolees Out of Prison Takes Jobs, Housing, and Cold, Hard Cash

Immediately after Californians voted in favor of Proposition 47—which redefined nonviolent felonies—last November, lawyers’ phones started ringing. The goal of this legislation—called the “The Safe Neighborhood and Schools Act” by …

Was Rock ’n’ Roll America’s Greatest Revolution?

How Rock Music Has Been Raising Hell Since It Was Born

At the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, Bob Dylan plugged in his electric guitar live for the first time—and an audience expecting acoustic folk songs booed through “Like a Rolling Stone.” …

A New Anthem for Bakersfield

The Town’s Next Iconic Song Will Be About Working Hard, Making Lifelong Friends, and Surviving Years Without Rain

The “Bakersfield Sound”—inland California’s answer to Nashville country music—traces its roots to the dusty streets of the Great Depression, when Okies headed West to find work in the oil fields. …


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