Columns

Almaty: The city of lovers

By Max Turnacioglu | December 4

As my homesickness began to reach its peak in conjunction with the start of the holiday season, I found myself recalling even the most inconsequential details of my life back home in the U.S. with some sympathy. Even Washington, D.C.’s infamous Beltway called out to me with its siren song of car horns and exhaust, and I was instantly brought back to the iconic “Welcome to Virginia” sign underlined by the state’s travel slogan: “Virginia is for Lovers.”

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Column

Forgotten Fronts: How you can support mine action in Burma

By Alexander Degterev | December 3

Reading my rants about humanitarian crises around the world, the philanthropically minded among you may have thought to yourselves: How can I lend a helping hand to people thousands of miles away?

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Columns

The Full Court Press: Kevin Durant is a trumpeter, Miles Davis is a small forward

By Noah Goldstein | November 25

Making an appearance on the “Hot Ones” YouTube series back in October 2024, Jaylen Brown elucidated one of the best insights on the game of basketball I’ve ever heard. “I look at basketball as like poetry in motion, which is music, and everybody is playing their own song,” Brown commented to host Sean Evans. “Everybody samples from different artists, and they’re playing their own song and if you wanna stop them you gotta study their rhythm.”

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Column

Through Indigenous Eyes: Side by side

By Sorsha Khitikian | November 24

As my mom and I crossed out of the Southwest into Arkansas, we came face-to-face with Fort Smith. For those who don’t know, Fort Smith is widely considered the last stop on the Trail of Tears, a genocidal displacement of southeastern Indigenous people. At Fort Smith, Indigenous people were sent into what is now known as Oklahoma, which the U.S. government deemed “Indian” territory at the time. While I was nervous to explore this site, my Mom and I thought it was important to sit with the pain of this place.

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Columns

The Intangibles: Selling the Integrity of the Sport

By Jonah Cowan | November 21

In 2014, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver advocated for the legalization of sports betting in a New York Times op-ed. His main argument was one similar to one made for cannabis legalization: “Sports betting should be brought out of the underground and into the sunlight where it can be appropriately monitored and regulated.” In that same op-ed, Silver stated, “one of my biggest responsibilities [as commissioner] is to protect the integrity of professional basketball.” It is clear Silver views his role as juggling the ideals of maximum profit and total sporting integrity.  

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Columns

Almaty: The city of believers

By Max Turnacioglu | November 21

To be blessed just once is a rarity, a singular act of divine deliverance. And yet, as I sat hunched over my laptop stewing over this very column, I set to counting my blessings and discovered that they numbered a staggering two over just this last week.

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Columns

Munching with Max: The midnight ride

By Max Druckman | November 20

Once the clocks “fall back” during the first weekend in November, there are very few things that can get me out of the house at night. Darkness descends at 4 p.m., and a dreary, frigid air engulfs Medford, greatly diminishing my aptitude for external munching.

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Columns

Road to the World Cup: FIFA, US politics distract from the game

By Antonia Toro | November 20

Welcome back to the “Road to the World Cup.” We’re now just 203 days away from the inaugural match at the Estadio Azteca. Recent developments have been coming fast, so let’s get straight to them.

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Columns

High Fidelity: Geese takes on Boston

By Kasra Salehi | November 20

Something is happening here. The crowd knows it too. Many of them paid exorbitant ticket prices to be at the venue of just over 900 people, packed wall to wall. It seemed everyone felt as if they were early to the party for something special. Take the guy next to me, who turned to his friend and said “this must be what it was like to see the Pixies in the ’80s.”

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Columns

Evanescence and the Beautiful Foolishness of Things: ‘The Great Wave’ beyond the print

By Bella Jin | November 18

In the last column, we explored how Hokusai’s “The Great Wave” incorporated Western techniques and came to symbolize artistic exchange between East and West. In this article, we will examine how the print evolved into a global phenomenon, becoming the foremost cultural motif of Japan and East Asia.

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Columns

Love to Hate: Kai Havertz

By Brian Becker | November 17

It is quite a rare occurrence for a player to be hated by their own club for so long. The tale of Kai Havertz is certainly interesting, but it just makes sense. When you score a club defining goal, you become a club defining player, regardless of what happened before the moment. Havertz turned contenders into champions and anxious fans into content ones.

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Columns

A Jumbo’s Journey: All of this, and here we are

By Ben Rachel | November 13

If you have been keeping up to date with my column publications, you would know (based on my last column) that I was recently in the trenches and in the midst of midterms. As of this past Wednesday, I finished all my midterms for the fall 2025 season — just in time for finals!

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Columns

Moments ‘til Madness: New faces, early surprises mark Week 1

By Owen Short | November 12

Officially a week into the college hoops season, the storylines are already rolling in. As usual, there weren’t many ranked matchups, but the ones we did have offered good insight into the year ahead. Let’s take a look at three early storylines.

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Column

The Bigger Picture: Beauty doesn’t always age like fine wine, but beauty standards sure do

By Linda Huang | November 12

“MEN WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND!” screamed my housemate, after we finished watching “The Substance” (2024) — the exact same reaction I had after seeing “Sunset Boulevard” (1950) for the first time last Saturday at the Brattle Theatre in Harvard Square.

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Columns

An everyday art tour: An edible art form

By Sophie Herron | November 12

For pastry chefs Richard Akers-Barrows and Maura Kilpatrick, baking is about imagination.

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Columns

Worth Going Broke?: Butter chicken for breakfast? Yes, please!

By Eloise Bernstein | November 12

When I was making my Parents’ Weekend restaurant lineup, one task felt particularly daunting: finding the perfect brunch spot. I wanted something cozy and classic but still interesting, somewhere that I could force someone to share a sweet and a savory dish with me so I could get the best of both worlds. After scrolling through enough Google reviews to qualify as research, I landed on Rosebud Bar & Kitchen, a Davis Square classic that was reborn in recent years to have a new twist.

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Column

Through Indigenous Eyes: Our American responsibility

By Sorsha Khitikian | November 10

My mom and I share a love of Indigenous history and a good hike. Thus, when my grandmother recommended Bandelier National Monument as a stop on our road trip, we both jumped at the chance. Located near Los Alamos, N.M., Bandelier is home to ancient Pueblo ruins. When we arrived, we were both ready to get our hiking boots on. However, the second we got to the park, I knew something was wrong.

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