Columns

Columns

Minutia Matters: The beauty of the impersonal sentence

By Leo Deener | October 10

While hanging out with a friend the other day, I was on one of my long rants about something I was frustrated with. I don’t remember what we were talking about, but I do remember complaining about someone and saying something like, “You can’t just do that!” I was, of course, referring to whoever was bothering me, but my friend seemed insulted. His facial expression changed, and I could see an eye roll beginning to form. Before I could correct the semantic misunderstanding that had occurred, I realized I had stumbled upon an interesting linguistic phenomenon that I wanted to talk about in this week’s column.

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Columns

The Oxford Comma: Welcome to the UK

By Grace Nelson | October 9

Hello there from the United Kingdom! My name is Grace Nelson, and I am happy to welcome you to my new column, “The Oxford Comma!” This column will follow my journey as a visiting student at the University of Oxford for the 2024–25 academic year, touching upon everything ranging from my English literature studies to future adventures across Europe.

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Columns

A Jumbo's Journey: Wow, what a semester (it’s only been a month)

By Ben Rachel | October 9

This Sunday, my friend and I sat silently at Picante eating our $11 quesadillas (a great deal btw). We sat there with a long weekend of *redacted* activities weighing on our heads, hearts and stomachs. My head lay up against the wall behind me, staring at the blank ceiling; my friend solemnly drank his diet coke, shaking his leg in anticipation of the work ahead of him. The freshmen who sat next to us filled the restaurant with laughter and novelty. A familiar fire burned in their eyes, the same fire that had once burned in ours.

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Columns

Hey Wait Just One Second: Code switching

By Grayton Goldsmith | October 8

Language is powerful. It’s personal. It’s the first and most important gift we receive from our parents, and we carry it with us for the rest of our lives. As we grow older, we add new words to our vocabulary. Our ever-expanding bank of slang reflects the environment and circumstances in which we live and our accents serve as hyper-specific markers of the places we were raised, for better or for worse.

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Columns

Read, Write and Be Merry: ‘Babel’

By Merry Jiao | October 8

I was recently informed by the streets that we have had a dearth of scathing reviews. Everyone, including myself, has been too positive in their critiques, and apparently, insults are what make the editing process entertaining. So here we go.

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Columns

Munching with Max: Buttermilk & Bourbon

By Max Druckman | October 7

It’s said that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Though I cannot confirm nor deny that, I know that good food makes the heart grow fonder. So, whether you missed me and my lovely insights or just missed the food talk, you’re in luck. After a summer sabbatical, I am taking my talents back to the Daily for another year of munching to the max.

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Columns

Wanderlust: Breaking the wall of expectations

By Carmen Smoak | October 7

Wanderlust: of German origin meaning “a strong desire to travel”Synonyms: restlessness, unsettlednessEtymology: German, “wander” to hike, “lust” pleasure or delight

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Columns

Weekly Wellness: Find or fad?

By Katie Pflieger | October 4

With its rapid rise to fame on TikTok and other social media platforms, sea moss has gained a reputation for solving all of one’s wellness woes. Proponents cite clearer skin, better digestion and immune function. However, according to registered dietitian and TikToker Abbey Sharp, while the alleged superfood may contain high levels of vitamin B, it also contains a high amount of iodine, which can cause problems with thyroid function in excess.

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Columns

Adventures of an A-Lister: Going to the movies by myself

By Odessa Gaines | October 4

On Oct. 11, 1975, almost exactly 49 years ago to this day, “ NBC’s Saturday Night” premiered. Half a century later, the live sketch comedy show still somehow graces our screens. And to celebrate such a long, perhaps overstayed, tenure on the network came “Saturday Night,” directed by Jason Reitman. The film follows the first cast of “Saturday Night Live” as they geared up to debut the not yet finished show — 90 minutes of anxiety-inducing scores, witty comebacks and sheer hope and passion holding it all together. 

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Columns

Essentially Tufts: Melvin Calderón

By Molly Sullivan | October 3

Melvin Calderón — who works for C&W Services, a cleaning company contracted by Tufts for the Medford/Somerville campus — sat in Room 313 of the Olin Center for Language and Cultural Studies during his dinner break. Next to him sat two used paper plates, a navy blue lunch box and Colleen Hoover’s 2016 novel, “It Ends With Us.” As he recounted the story of how he learned to speak English, YouTube elevator music played from his iPad.

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Columns

The Final Whistle: Karim Adeyemi, Dortmund’s latest wunderkind

By Bharat Singh | October 3

A combination of neat triangle passes deep into the Dortmund half was broken by the Celtic press, as Gregor Kobel launched a long ball forward. Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy was the first to react, steadying himself before gently caressing the soccer ball towards Julian Brandt with a deft touch. With runners on each side and a scrambling Celtic backline, Brandt threaded a pass into the path of Karim Adeyemi. Signal Iduna Park roared their star on as Adeyemi buried the ball beyond veteran goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. 2–1.

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Columns

The Daily Drip: Lucy in the Chai

By Dylan Fee | October 3

Ever thought it would be nice to have a review of every signature drink at The Sink by a girl you’ve never met? No? Well, I’m giving it to you anyway. You’re welcome.

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Column

Rooted Reflections: Not all conservation is equal

By Justin Solis | October 3

In a previous Tufts Daily article, I advocated for summer jobs that are intrinsically linked to the local community and ecosystem. This was not merely out of a desire to create a generation of fishermen and farmers. In isolation, it is too easy to believe idealistic rhetoric that disregards practical solutions to tackling environmental issues. I believe that those emotionally removed from the land around them place undue value on preservation rather than conservation.

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Column

The Death of Education: In defense of the humanities

By Evan Wang | October 2

When I first began to apply to college, one seemingly easy question haunted me for many nights: What do you intend to major in? Even from a young age, I was drawn to the allure of history. From the tales of knights in shining armor to the details of gruesome diseases that ravaged the land hundreds of years before me, history was my passion. But when it came time to pick a major, I was hesitant.

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Columns

Hey Wait Just One Second: Desire paths

By Max Turnacioglu | October 1

“Step outside but not to brawl,” Anthony Kiedis croons in my ear, and I oblige. The midnight wind is cold, not chilling, drifting across the Wren bridge. Light orange, brown leaves pepper the sidewalk, still soft underfoot — “Autumn’s sweet, we call it fall.” I wander in the general direction of Haskell Hall, dodging construction zones — “I’ll make it to the moon if I have to crawl” — with only a gentle glow to guide me. Past Fletcher, I round an arcing stretch of well-trodden grass, fading yellows drowned out by freshly exposed dirt, down the hill towards the Courts. I diverge from the pavement, freeing myself from its rigid hold as I follow in the footsteps of my peers. My path, imprinted in gentle footfalls, overlays hundreds and thousands of others before it, constructing a collective path of passion — otherwise known as a desire path.

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Columns

Minutia Matters: Symbolic connections.

By Leo Deener | September 26

My friend Owen cannot stop talking about “Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid” (2019), a book about logician Kurt Godel, artist M.C. Escher and composer Johann Sebastian Bach. But really, Owen says the book is about the construction of significant context — like a written piece of music built from seemingly meaningless notation marks on paper. 

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Columns

Adventures of an A-Lister: How it all started

By Odessa Gaines | September 26

When I first mentioned to my fellow film peers that I do not catch enough new releases because of the outrageous prices of movie tickets these days (not to mention the sheer number of movies that come out every week), they quickly bullied me into joining the AMC Stubs A-List. 

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Columns

A Jumbo’s Journey: How to jaywalk across the Cummings intersection

By Ben Rachel | September 25

I’m from Chicago — and that is real Chicago. I’m not one of those fools who say they are from Chicago and end up actually being from Glencoe or Evanston. (Just for clarification for all those who just recently left the college application process, Northwestern and UChicago are both NOT in the ‘real’ Chicago.) Also, I know that it’s surprising, but I am not from O-Block; I have not met Chief Keef nor King Von, and I have neither ‘colors’ nor a ‘sign.’With that being said, having lived in the best big city in the United States — voted on by Condé Nast Traveler and many other outlets — I thought I had the necessary knowledge to cross a busy intersection. In fact, Chicago holds the accolade of housing some of the most dangerous intersections. However, I was in no way prepared for the intersection located between the Joyce Cummings Center and the Science and Engineering Complex. The continuous flow of cars, semi-trucks and buses and an overabundance of depressed and anxious students who are looking for any way to not do their next computer science assignment do not make a good combination.

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Columns

Hey Wait Just One Second: Dreams

By Max Turnacioglu | September 24

Every night I dream of Jumbo. The “Everything Dreams Book” tells me that these lurid, pachydermic visions portend “wealth, honor, and a steadfast character.” However, when I bring my good fortunes up in conversation, people seem to look at me strangely. Dreams are uniquely “intimate and decidedly singular,” yet we all inevitably succumb to them. They are an intensely personal experience but simultaneously universal, a form of a sleeping contradiction.

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Columns

Shut Up and Play the Noise: Yo La Tengo’s ‘And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out’

By Ethan Essner | September 24

Rarely does a band manage to write a collection of songs that cohesively exemplify the entire thesis of an album. Hoboken trio Yo La Tengo gracefully accomplished such a feat on a plethora of occasions. But the tangible gloom of the 2000 album “And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out”is perhaps the greatest display within the band’s catalog.

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