Opinion writer at The Week and co-host of the history podcast Past Present

Feature

Franco Columbu, Kamala Harris, and NYC’s Gifted and Talented Program

Past Present Episode 195

September 10, 2019 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Italian bodybuilding icon Franco Columbu has died. Niki referred to the film Pumping Iron, in which he appeared with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Natalia cited the importance of physician Kenneth Cooper’s 1968 book Aerobics in both mainstreaming the idea of working out and challenging the pre-eminence of weightlifting ...

Feature

David Koch, Bedbugs, and Breaking Up

Past Present Episode 194

September 3, 2019 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Billionaire libertarian and David Koch has died. Natalia referred to Jane Mayer’s New Yorker article that first brought major attention to the political influence of the Koch brothers.Bedbugs are in the news these days with outbreaks at the Trump Doral Resort and the New York Times. ...

Feature

Twins, the Equinox Boycott, and “The Hunt”

Past Present Episode 193

August 20, 2019 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Some of the most popular social media content features identical twins. Natalia referred to this Smithsonian article on twin research, and to Yunte Huang’s book Inseparable.When Stephen Ross, CEO of Related Properties, held a lavish fundraiser for President Trump, members of portfolio properties Equinox and SoulCycle were enraged. Natalia referred ...

Feature

Anti-Latino Nativism, Ronald Reagan, and Sound Baths

Past Present Episode 192

August 13, 2019 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: The mass shooter in El Paso deliberately targeted Latinos who he believed were “invading” Texas. Niki referred to Peter Brimelow’s 1996 book, Alien Nation: Common Sense About America’s Immigration Disaster. Natalia cited Samuel Huntington’s Foreign Policy essay, “The Hispanic Challenge,” and historian Ruben Donato’s book, The Other ...

Feature

Baltimore, Marianne Williamson, and a National Service Requirement

Past Present Episode 191

August 6, 2019 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Last week, President Trump unleashed a barrage of insults against Baltimore and its member of Congress, Elijah Cummings. Natalia referred to this POLITICO article about how New York City gave us Trump. Niki referred to journalist Jonathan Weisman’s tweets about the “real” nature of regions.Self-help guru Marianne Williamson is ...

Podcast

Boris Johnson, Purity Culture, and Spaying and Neutering Dogs

Episode 190

July 29, 2019 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Boris Johnson is the new prime minister of Britain. Niki recommended historian Jesse Tumblin’s Washington Post article, “ How the Failure of Popular Politics Triggered the Rise of Boris Johnson.”Evangelical author Josh Harris has separated from his wife and disavowed his influential book I Kissed Dating Goodbye. Natalia ...

Multi Media

The Moon Landing’s 50th Anniversary, “Go Back to Where You Came From,” and Air Conditioning

Past Present Episode 189

July 23, 2019 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Fifty years ago, the world watched as Americans walked on the moon. Natalia recommended this New Yorker republication of the 1969 “Talk of the Town” covering how New Yorkers watched the moon landing. Niki referred to this Scientific American interview with Nikita Khrushchev’s son about how the event was ...

Past Present

Women’s World Cup, Ross Perot, and Jeffrey Epstein

Past Present Episode 188

July 22, 2019 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Women’s soccer is getting more attention than ever in the United States, thanks in part to star player Megan Rapinoe. Niki referred to Lindsay Parks Pieper and Tate Royer’s Washington Post article about the fight for pay equity waged by women’s soccer players, and ...

Multi Media

School Busing, Girlboss, and Lil Nas X

Past Present Episode 187

July 9, 2019 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: After Senators Joe Biden and Kamala Harris clashed at the Democratic debate, school busing is back in the news. Niki referred to historian Matt Delmont’s book on busing and to her own column at Australia’s The Age about the intergenerational dynamics of the Democratic debates. Natalia recommended Ansley ...

Multi Media

Iran, E. Jean Carroll, and Knitting

July 2, 2019 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Tensions between Iran and the United States are escalating. Niki recommended Robert D. Kaplan’s article at the New York Times on the connection between U.S. concerns in Asia and the Middle East.Advice columnist E. Jean Carroll is the latest woman to accuse Donald Trump of sexual ...

Podcast

Iran, E. Jean Carroll, and Knitting

Episode 186

July 2, 2019 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Tensions between Iran and the United States are escalating. Niki recommended Robert D. Kaplan’s article at the New York Times on the connection between U.S. concerns in Asia and the Middle East.Advice columnist E. Jean Carroll is the latest woman to accuse Donald Trump of sexual ...

Multi Media

Alan Brinkley, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Lesbian Cruises

Past Present Episode 185

June 25, 2019 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Neil J. Young and Nicole Hemmer

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Columbia political historian Alan Brinkley -- a Ph.D. advisor to Neil and Niki and favorite undergraduate professor of Natalia – has died. Niki recommended Alan Brinkley: A Life in History, a collection of essays by some of his students, including Niki. Neil discussed Brinkley’s ...