No Homework, Morgan Freeman, Kendrick Lamar, and more
What we're reading...Heather Shumaker's diatribe on bringing classwork back from elementary school presents a simple argument: "Homework has no place in a young child’s life." Based on research over a wide range of ages, it's evident that giving homework to students just starting school has no perceivable benefit on furthering learning, instead actually detracting from students' educational experiences.In the New York Times, your most awkward qualms are exposed in It's My Birthday! Is That O.K.? This quasi op-ed is an open letter to the friends who we don't want to burden with an ill-timed birthday party. (So, Tom, can you make it?)In "She Wanted to Do Her Research. He Wanted to Talk 'Feelings.'" A. Hope Jahren discusses her and colleagues' experiences, expectations, and difficulties as women in STEM fields, provoked by an e-mail forwarded to her by a former student who received an out-of-the-blue confession of "love."Monica Davey's piece on Flint, Michigan discusses the state of the town as media coverage begins to die down surrounding its water crisis. Despite last week's #JUSTICEFORFLINT event, support from celebrities like Stevie Wonder, Cher, and Mark Wahlberg, and thousands of donations, the long-term fate of Flint is still very unclear, with little speculation on how far away a solution may be.What we're listening to...The Spring Weekend lineup, of course! Whether you're into just one performer or prefer a sexy mix of all our performers, there's no better time than the present to start getting ready for the sets ahead.Kendrick Lamar's surprise new album, untitled unmastered, is a collection of raw demos from the creation of To Pimp A Butterfly. We could spend thousands of words talking about the album, but we'll let the music speak for itself.[embed]https://open.spotify.com/album/0kL3TYRsSXnu0iJvFO3rud[/embed]Joining Kendrick with album drops this week are 2Chainz with COLLEGROVE, Miike Snow with iii, and Ray Lamontagne with Ouroboros. If singles are more your style, check out M83's "Do It, Try It." Perhaps the song's lyrics, "A dance/on repeat/a trance/on a hard beat," best explain its aesthetic.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryh9rkIRGUs[/embed]Azealia Banks also appeared on a new dance track, "Used to Being Alone," in which the diss-throwing songstress opted to show off her range more than her rhymes.[embed]https://soundcloud.com/confusedadmirers/used-to-being-alone-azealia-banks[/embed]What we're watching...In a series of videos for Vanity Fair, celebrities dramatically read pop songs (usually Justin Bieber's). Check out Morgan Freeman's interpretation of "Love Yourself" below, or click here for Kristen Wiig's rendition of "Hotline Bling."[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRKZh-2j4PY[/embed]In their most recent video, Bad Lip Reading takes on Ted Cruz. Find out whether or not the presidential candidate eats hair below. No update yet on a Trump-only version.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v75wCTMZoSY&list=PLbpi6ZahtOH6Blw3RGYpWkSByi_T7Rygb&index=1[/embed]
And, of course, there are presidential debates this week! With two left on the schedule, you can watch the Democratic primary debate on Wednesday and the Republican primary debate on Thursday. As primary season winds down, these last few are sure to bring great substance sound bytes to the races.