Columns

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K-Weekly: The Big Three

By Odessa Gaines | March 9

One thing many people fail to remember about the K-pop industry is that it is different from Western music industries. There are definitely some overlaps, like how both industries may put together groups via music competition shows (i.e., X-Factor and I-Land), but there are clear differences between both industries. One of these is the foundation and transformation of the ‘Big Three’ in the K-pop industry, whose monopoly on the industry was more extreme than any American music label has been able to achieve.

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The Final Whistle: The recent rise of Real Betis

By Bharat Singh | March 9

La Liga is often characterized by the big three: Real Madrid, F.C. Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. In recent years, Sevilla, Real Sociedad and Villarreal have cemented themselves as the chasing pack with impressive campaigns both domestically and in Europe. None would’ve foreseen Real Betis’ ascent over the last two years. In the 2019–20 season, Betis finished 15th with a points tally of just 41, five points off the drop zone. In July 2020, veteran Chilean manager Manuel Pellegrini was appointed head coach. His debut season saw Betis finish sixth, securing Europa League football and appearing in the quarterfinals of the Copa Del Rey. Today, Los Verdiblancos sit fifth, two points adrift of Barcelona and defending champions Atletico Madrid. But how has Pellegrini turned the fortunes of this fringe midtable side into dark horses challenging for Champions League status? 

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Sports and Society: Owning up to history

By Oliver Fox | March 8

Ideally, history leaves nobody out.

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A Compendium of Actors: Riz Ahmed and emotional range

By Henry Chandonnet | March 8

Riz Ahmed may seem to have an acting ‘type,’ specifically, as musicians with major health conditions which impair their ability to perform. This is most obvious in Ahmed’s recent hit “Sound of Metal” (2019), which chronicles the life of a drummer who loses his hearing abilities. This is also true of his more recent project, “Mogul Mowgli” (2020), a self-written and produced tale of a rapper who suddenly comes down with a chronic illness. This singular character arc may lead one to believe that Ahmed is a one-trick pony, but this assumption would be false. In fact, his stories are harrowing, nuanced and bring dramatized life to the most painful events one can experience.

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Ethics of the Environment: Country clubs, golf and the climate crisis

By Ethan Jaskowiak | March 7

Country clubs have long been criticized for their elitism and exclusivity; in light of our planet’s environmental crisis, I would argue that they are also damningly wasteful, both in terms of resources consumed and environmental impact.

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The Art of Good Soup: Pho on the flo'

By Sadie Leite and Ellie Lester | March 7

This week, we gorgeous, gorgeous girls had a dilemma. We had a lot of balls to juggle: a midterm, two meetings, three bottles of liquid, shackles, a formal to attend and some soup to slurp. We were overwhelmed. We spend a lot of our time overwhelmed.

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In Pursuit of Eggcellence: Trial Two — The Great Poaching

By Julia Appel | March 7

The soft-boiled egg is a master of suspense. You’ve boiled your water, you’ve followed the demanding beeps of your phone’s alarm to perfection and finally you simply hold the egg in your hands (not really, because 'ouch,' 'hot,' etc.) and wonder. There is no way of knowing what lies beneath the surface, what lurks below the inscrutable face of the eggshell. To crack the shell is a leap of faith. But every faith can be tested, and even the most devoted have their breaking point. Today, I’m skipping the suspense.

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The Intangibles: Fixing Major League Baseball

By Aiden Herrod | March 4

As the MLB owners and players association have repeatedly clashed over the past several months, going back and forth hashing out a new collective bargaining agreement, a painful truth has become increasingly clear: baseball is in deep trouble.

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The Wraparound: A two-horse race for Hart Trophy?

By Timothy Valk | March 3

In Ontario, Canada, Toronto Maple Leafs fans don blue and white jerseys with the number “34” on their backs. Auston Matthews is their hero — their superstar — and he’s playing like one this season. With a sneaky release and lethal shot accuracy, Matthews is tied for the league-lead with 37 goals and can easily hit 50 with the pace that he's on.

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Managing Multipolarity: Ascension of the elephant

By Daniel Chung | March 2

To many within the Washington foreign policy establishment and even the public at large, the idea of India as a future great power has been accepted as a foregone conclusion since the days of BRICS. However, much of the thinking behind why this is the case has been obscured, as have the substantial challenges that India will face in the process of rising to regional hegemony.

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Over the Top Football: The role of performative acts in the Premier League

By Michael Wallace-Bruce | March 2

While the game is played with a ball on a field and two goal posts, soccer transcends the events within the pitch. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the demand for peace throughout Europe's top five leagues illustrated the binding effect of soccer. In the Premier League, fans and players stood behind banners calling for anti-war. Manchester City and Everton donned Ukrainian flags to show solidarity.

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Sports and Society: Prayers for Ukraine

By Oliver Fox | March 1

We are told as children to do what we love, to pursue our dreams and eventually happiness and money will follow. Blaze your own trail, and you will be fulfilled.

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The Art of Good Soup: French onion underwater

By Sadie Leite and Ellie Lester | February 28

A delinquent, an anti-nut guest columnist and a Cabbage Patch Kid walked into Foundry On Elm in Somerville. It was a Thursday evening. The air was frigid and the weather daunting, but they had one goal in mind — French onion soup. And they were prepared to trek in any conditions, be it snow or hail or Sharknado, to fulfill their deepest desires of warming their frosty souls with a steaming bowl of salty, cheesy, gluten-filled goodness (except for the ginger girl … she doesn’t have a soul).

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Public Cinemy No. 1: Sexualization in 'Euphoria'

By Sacha Waters | February 25

Every teen drama criticized for graphic portrayals of sex is met with arguments that many teenagers do have sex lives, and that these shows’ portrayals are realistic and refreshing. Although many high schoolers are indeed sexually active, the casting of adult actors by shows like "Euphoria" (2019–) and "Riverdale" (2017–) can quickly become distasteful. While I don’t believe in pearl-clutching over teenage sexuality nor in not portraying it at all, I am disturbed by Hollywood’s tendency to cast adult actors to play minors. The fine line between a realistic portrayal of teenagers and oversexualization is found in how teenage sex is portrayed, and the current, popular teen drama "Euphoria" fails on many counts.

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The Intangibles: The impact of NBA player mobility on the fan experience

By Aiden Herrod | February 25

Ever since LeBron James aired “The Decision” live on ESPN in 2010, the NBA’s structure has been radically changed. The past decade has been defined by a new wave of player empowerment and mobility, whether it’s through strategically timing free agency, mutually working through trades with team general managers or dramatically forcing themselves out of their organizations.

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Micro-Trend of the Week: Mushroom leather and water bottle leggings

By RaiAnn Bu | February 24

In the past few years, sustainability and ethics in fashion have been frequently brought into the public eye. With the rise of brands marketing sustainable alternatives, clothing brands — including fast-fashion labels — have scrambled to acclimate to new standards of transparency. Consequently, the phenomenon of “greenwashing” has brands such as H&M marketing its fabrics and practices as environmentally friendly, but with little evidence. Green innovations in fashion now include using recycled fabrics and turning to new fabric alternatives such as recycled plastic bottles and mushroom leather. But how easily can these sustainability trends be integrated?

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The Wraparound: Beijing a building ground for women's hockey?

By Timothy Valk | February 24

There’s no mistake. The Olympics are the time to shine for women’s hockey. Beijing 2022 furthered this trend with another classic final between the United States and Canada. After an upsetting American victory in Pyeongchang in 2018, Canada brought back the gold with a 3–2 win on Feb. 16. Superstar forward Marie-Philip Poulin scored two goals and one assist, and 27-year-old netminder Ann-Renée Desbiens backstopped the Canadians with 38 saves. But as fans only get treated to this display once every four years, it prompts the question, should the women’s hockey spectacle be limited to an Olympic sport?

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Sports and Society: Moral bureaucratic bankruptcy

By Oliver Fox | February 22

As of my writing this column, the Beijing Winter Olympics have just officially concluded, and China is still committing crimes against humanity.

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A Compendium of Actors: Steven Yeun, indie darling

By Henry Chandonnet | February 22

Steven Yeun is a rising force within the film industry. He gained his initial fame on the television hit series “The Walking Dead” (2010–2022) but soon segued that television fame into bigger film roles. “Burning” (2018) brought Yeun a big hit, gaining popularity in indie circles and expanding into some modest Oscar buzz.It wasn’t until 2021, however, that Yeun would get his Oscar nomination with his leading role in the dazzling “Minari” (2020). Yeun now continues this strong career trajectory with a recent role in the film adaptation of Stephen Karam’s “The Humans” (2021) and is soon to star in Jordan Peele’s newest project, “Nope” (2022). In sum, Yeun has successfully used his acting prowess and cult following to carve a role for himself within the industry.

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The Wraparound: Des Richesses en Haillons

By Timothy Valk | February 17

A quick pass through the neutral zone lands on the stick of Artturi Lehkonen, and he buries it! The Montreal Canadiens are headed to the Stanley Cup Final. That moment was just eight months ago but it seems like a lifetime. Today, the Habs are projected to finish the year with 39 points, a total that would eclipse the 2016–17 Colorado Avalanche for worst in the salary cap era.

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