Byline: Alex Costin

An Interview with Princeton’s Resident Dylanologist

Talking about the Nobel Laureate with Professor Sean Wilentz

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Ball for Show

Gregg Popovich doesn’t care what you think about him. The head coach of the San Antonio Spurs is famous for his stony demeanor, relentlessly curt interviews, and impeccable coaching record.

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The Nose

I feel victorious over the Nazis. I feel ashamed.

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The New Garden Theatre

Once a small-town movie house that navigated the local market with bumbling charm, the Garden Theatre has grown into an exhibit of Old Princeton nostalgia under its new management. This is all well and good for Princeton’s polished and intellectual reputation, but I’ll miss the old Garden’s cozy modesty.

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A Book Review of Ted Cruz’s Thesis

I was also intrigued by what a 21-year-old Cruz had to say about the Ninth and Tenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, the focus of his thesis and, to his credit, a rarely discussed topic in the academic literature. Because it’s clear that Ted Cruz is — and always has been — a pretty smart guy.

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Collection As Art

Included among the objects displayed in “Myself, I Think We Should Keep Collecting Titles,” the Lewis Center for the Arts’ sharp new exhibition of work by Dean of the Faculty and professor of computer science David Dobkin, are: snow globes, popsicle sticks, water bottle caps, Snapple lids, compact discs, keyboards, mother boards, paper tubes, credit cards, safety rings, fasteners, postcards, and pennies.

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November 13

That’s the first day. You just stay indoors and hope the terrorists don’t make house calls.

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A Prince at Princeton

In September 1940, Japan’s prime minister, Konoe Fumimaro, concluded the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy, committing the three countries to support each other against the United States in the event of American entry into World War II.

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Jackson Browne

I first got into Jackson Browne in that awkward phase of adolescence where nothing seems to really make sense and you’re caught between the comforts of youth and promise of adulthood.

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Reconciling Art and Artist

When I visited the Woody Allen papers before winter break, the allegations against Mr. Allen of sexual abuse had not yet resurfaced. Those accusations, presented by his daughter Dylan Farrow in the New York Times on February 1, have reignited an age-old debate about the relationship between an artist’s personal life and the content of his artwork.

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Obituary for a Lost Boy

When I called Rachel, she answered the phone cheerfully. I should have listened more carefully to that tone, should have let it linger longer before I brought the sky crashing down over her. Last year, around this time, just as the weather was starting to turn and leaves began popping up on all the trees, our uncle died in his sleep; our grandparents were visiting for the week and found him the next morning.

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12 Years a Slave

Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave is tense and unflinching. Its relentless intensity and graphic brutality has been the defining feature in the media, but it is also an essential part of the film and the primary reason it could become the most important portrait of American slavery yet on camera.

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