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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Monday, December 11, 2023

Column

The Setonian
Opinion

Looking Out: Education beyond employment

Does education pay? The doubtless answer from decades of research says yes. Holding a high school degree leads to higher earnings, and a college degree even more so. Even with the oscillating trends of unemployment among the college-educated, the education premium is unmistakably real. The more puzzling ...


The Setonian
Opinion

Anita's Angle: The case for idealism

During a time that has been called the “most peaceful era in human history,” millions of people continue to suffer throughout the world from what I believe to be preventable afflictions. We already produce enough food to feed the world’s approximately 795 million malnourished individuals. Wars ...


The Setonian
Opinion

Looking Out: The Teflon prime minister

Benjamin Netanyahu, or Bibi for short, is not going anywhere. This week, Israeli police chiefs recommended an indictment for corruption charges. While this may sound like good news for the weakened Israeli left and to Bibi-haters everywhere, don’t hold your breath. There will be neither breaking ...


The Setonian
Column

Thoughts from Places: TL;DR

As this column is printed, I will be finishing up the first eighth of my college journey. Now there is a semester’s worth of thoughts from places to comb through and consider:It was in the ASEAN Auditorium where my first college class took place, and where this column was born. I was sitting in a ...


The Setonian
Column

Thoughts From Places: Tisch Library

It could be argued that an hour-and-a-half-long wait is not worth it for five minutes of laser tag. But that argument would be both misguided and erroneous. Although the blaring music, the flashing lights and the occasional sniper attacks were riveting aspects of the night, there were more factors ...


The Setonian
Column

Is This Thing On?: The woman behind the curtain

What does it take to make a pop sensation today? It doesn’t hurt to coin an iconic hairstyle, date high profile celebrities, have an Ariana-octave range or score a hit song or two. See, a lot of people can sing — just ask our eight a cappella groups on campus. But the real magic of songwriting doesn’t come as easily. Many of these chart-topping pop stars today receive help in this department, working with a team of creative writers and producers to engineer their perfect, infectious hits. One woman's work has been going viral over the past few years, whether you've known it or not.



The Setonian
Column

Thoughts from Places: Jersey City

Tufts has become a de facto home for more than a thousand fresh faces over the past few months. Despite the occasional, instantaneous zeal to remain a renegade while on campus, every so often it is time to pay a visit to family. This break was the perfect opportunity to take an eight-hour journey (which ...


Mina-Ghobrial
Column

Thoughts from Places: Pearson Hall

With another midterm season approaching its end (because somehow a semester has multiple middles here at Tufts), I found myself in a familiar place: room 106 of Pearson Hall. Flipping through the pages of a 10-question chemistry exam and realizing that questions nine and 10 are, in that moment, incomprehensible, ...


Matthew-Soderberg
Column

Citizen Shame: The planet without a Santa Claus

Spoiler alert: This column contains plot information from the 1964 film “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.”It’s the day after Halloween, which is known in enlightened circles as the start of the holiday season. Christmas carols, flashing lights and probably, like, one half-exciting flurry ...


The Setonian
Column

Thoughts from places: Carmichael Hall

Content warning: This column mentions blood/needles and HIV.The line that usually wraps around Carmichael Dining Center in the early hours of the afternoon was missing. Last Friday, the particular buzz of a hungry crowd of college students, freshly starved by lecture halls and study sessions, was absent. ...



Matthew-Soderberg
Column

Citizen Shame: The 'Cat' that won't leave your head

My seventh grade French class is memorable for two things: that time I spilled my entire water bottle on the girl sitting next to me and the relentless screenings of French-dubbed movies.Maybe it was our class’ fascination with cinema, but it more likely had to do with our teacher’s lack of belief ...


The Setonian
Column

Is This Thing On? Music on the brain

With the advent of the internet, we are living a huge portion of our lives online. As a result, our personal information is being tracked and recorded everywhere, all the time. If you subscribe to a music streaming service, this is especially true. Now, you might choose not to publish what you’re playing to your friends (private session for those guilty pleasures), but you are always providing this information to the streaming platform. That’s a crazy amount of data! It’s not only what you listen to, but how you listen to it. Do you find a new song and listen to it on repeat for three hours? Which songs do you skip over on shuffle, and which will you stop and rewind? Are you more likely to leave your playlist untouched, or do you obsessively curate the queue? 


The Setonian
Column

Thoughts From Places: Distler Hall

Last Wednesday, for the first time since arriving at Tufts, I made my way over to Distler Hall to see an actual performance and not an orientation program. Despite my overall lack of understanding of the Spanish language, I was talked into going to Argentinean multi-instrumentalist and singer Clara ...


The Setonian
Column

Majors and Minors: Punta to Candu from Honduras with Yanelle

This is Yanelle Cruz Bonilla, a junior from Tegucigalpa, Honduras. She’s thinking of studying sociology and political science. She loves singing and musical theater, and she has worked backstage. Through selecting songs as a part of her artistic expression, dance is another way Yanelle engages with ...


The Setonian
Column

Citizen Shame: It's John Green's Fault (in Our Stars)

With the recent release of the latest book from young adult author and icon John Green, it seems fitting to revisit another disturbing chapter of my childhood: my sister’s obsession with "The Fault in Our Stars" (2012).My sister might be the smartest person I know, and in high school she ...


700_charlixcxboys_joejonas
Music

Is This Thing On? Thinkin’ bout boys

Hello world! Today’s column requires some homework before you proceed, and that is watching Charli XCX’s music video “Boys” (2017). Get a cozy bathrobe and all your friends, ‘cause this one’s syrupy. If you need to watch it more than once, that’s totally fine. Same.


Mina-Ghobrial
Column

Thoughts From Places: The North Reservoir in Winchester

Venturing off campus is a natural phenomenon for the new college student, and this week’s column reflects that.New England is known for its mark on U.S. history, its ‘chowdah’ and its brief stint with beautiful fall foliage before devastating winters. With the viewing window for this sight being ...


Nikki-Marg
Column

Is This Thing On? Spotify vs. Apple

Anyone who knows me could tell you that I am very passionate about one argument: Spotify vs. Apple Music. In economics, we often talk about substitutes, or completely interchangeable products. At face value, that's what they are. Spotify and Apple offer almost identical music-streaming services. The pricing tiers, the music available, the features... so why do people choose one over the other? I am a die-hard Spotify fan, but I wanted to find out if Apple Music had any redeeming qualities. So, I swallowed my pride and signed up for the free trial, for science of course. To compare the two, I had to dig deeper.


Ben
Column

Eat Your Heart Out: Peanut butter squares

This week, I chose a recipe that doesn’t originate from my family. When my mother was in grade school, there was a woman by the name of Rose Doak who worked in the cafeteria and was beloved by the children for the baked goods that she would make. One of her recipes for peanut butter squares had specifically ...