Posts by Tyler Smith

In Praise of Unconventional Travel

 by Tyler Smith, Library Manager, Tompkins Square Library
March 20, 2014
I once heard it said that no one ever got drunk by reading the label on a bottle of wine. This is an apt metaphor for the difference between studying another region of the world versus experiencing it firsthand. What does it mean to become drunk on another culture, to internalize the experience of a different place to such an extent that it alters you?
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Is Fitness for Everyone?

 by Tyler Smith, Library Manager, Tompkins Square Library
July 17, 2013

Common perceptions of what it means to be a "fit person" contribute to the idea that gyms and exercise are suited only for the outgoing and the genetically gifted, but it is possible to thrive within fitness culture without being terminally optimistic or a natural athlete.

The Dubious Focus on Physical Appearance

The fitness industry's persistent focus on attractiveness and social acceptance has created an image of vain or even anti-intellectual athletes. In much of popular culture, muscle-bound motivational speakers and infomercial aerobics instructors 

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