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

Podcast

American Grocery Stores and the “Ethnic Food Aisle”

Past Present Podcast, Episode 290

August 17, 2021 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: The New York Times published an article about the debate over the ethnic food aisle, which is both undeniably ethnocentric and an important sales channel for purveyors of such products. Natalia referenced chef David Chang’s opposition to the phenomenon and ...

Podcast

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Past Present Podcast, Episode 289

August 3, 2021 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: The Tokyo 2020 Olympics, postponed for a year, are in full swing despite the ongoing pandemic. Natalia mentioned this NPR piece about the unfair treatment of Paralympics competitor Becca Meyers, and Neil referred to the ambiguity over whether breastfeeding mothers ...

Podcast

The Protests in Cuba

Past Present Podcast, Episode 288

July 20, 2021 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: The streets of Cuba are filled with protestors enraged by the poor handling of the pandemic and the excesses of the police state. Natalia mentioned Cuba scholar Rebecca Bodenheimer’s Twitter account and this POLITICO piece. Niki drew on this NPR ...

Podcast

The Miami Condo Collapse

Past Present Podcast, Episode 287

July 6, 2021 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: On June 24, a security camera captured the collapse of much of the Surfside condominium complex, killing a still untallied list of residents. Natalia cited this Slate article on the death of the Florida dream. Niki contextualized the collapse in ...

Podcast

The Debate over Paying College Athletes

Past Present Podcast, Episode 286

June 29, 2021 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: The Supreme Court ruled against the NCAA’s restrictions on providing “education-related perks” to college athletes. Natalia referred to historian Taylor Branch’s 2011 piece in The Atlantic, “The Shame of College Sports.” Neil referred to this CNN piece on the ruling, ...

Podcast

Income Taxes and the History of the IRS

Past Present Podcast, Episode 285

June 22, 2021 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: ProPublica released a searing report revealing how little the richest Americans pay in taxes – and that they do so legally. Neil referred to this San Diego Union Tribune op-ed about racial discrimination at the IRS, and Niki and Natalia ...

Podcast

The History of LGBTQ+ Pride

Past Present Podcast, Episode 284

June 15, 2021 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Controversy has flared over the presence of police at this year’s New York Pride March. Neil drew on this Time retrospective on the more than 50 years of Pride protests and parades. In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History: Natalia discussed ...

Podcast

Naomi Osaka, Athletes, and Mental Health

Past Present Podcast, Episode 283

June 8, 2021 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Citing mental health concerns, tennis champion Naomi Osaka decided not to participate in post-match press conferences at the French Open. Natalia referred to this history at Forbesof how the press conference supplanted locker room interviews. Neil drew on this three-part ...

Podcast

Cicadas!

Past Present Podcast, Episode 282

June 1, 2021 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: After seventeen years underground, billions of cicadas are emerging on the east coast of the United States. Niki referred to this History article about Benjamin Banneker, who first classified the cicada in the eighteenth century. Natalia recommended historian Catherine McNeur’s ...

Past Present

Critical Race Theory

Past Present Podcast, Episode 281

May 25, 2021 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: A series of legislative bills seek to ban the teaching of critical race theory in K-12 public institutions. At CNN, Niki looked at how the controversy over journalist Nikole Hannah-Smith’s appointment at the University of North Carolina is part of ...

Past Present

Gas Panics and the Colonial Pipeline Cybersecurity Breach

Past Present Podcast, Episode 280

May 18, 2021 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: A cybersecurity breach at Colonial Pipeline caused panic, prompting motorists to line up atservice stations up and down the East Coast. Natalia, Niki, and Neil all drew on historian Meg Jacobs’ work, and Natalia referred to Dan Taberski’s podcast Surviving ...

Past Present

Peloton and the History of Product Recalls

Past Present Podcast, Episode 279

May 12, 2021 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Peloton, the digital fitness company made famous by its internet-connected stationary bike, is complying with a federal voluntary recall of its Tread+, which has killed one child and injured many other children and pets. Natalia referred to historian Richard Bushman’s ...