Columns

Columns

Sharp from the Sofa: A used mattress, pasta and the NCAA

By Alex Sharp | October 19

No players or coaches did anything wrong and nobody affiliated with the program or working at UMass knew anything incorrect had occurred, yet the NCAA cracked down and forced the team to vacate three years of wins. If a teacher, parent, boss, or any other authority figure acted this way it would leave us scratching our heads in disbelief. But this is the way the NCAA has governed for years.

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Columns

Maeve's Music Mondays: In defense of the viola

By Maeve Hagerty | October 19

As someone who spent a rather large amount of their Starbucks barista savings on a nicer viola, I find myself rather defensive whenever my instrument is subject to the popular jokes and scorn cast on violas and violists. Ever since the 18th century, violas have been the butt of endless jokes and mockery. As it was often unaccomplished violinists who were made to take up the viola for the sake of the orchestra, the viola became an instrument associated with inferior musicians. 

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Columns

The Countdown: Stop waiting for another Jim Jeffords

By Matt Rice | October 19

Jim Jeffords left the Senate in 2007. How could Democrats be so naïve to even consider there might be another like him lurking somewhere in the Republican cloakroom? With today's political climate, there is no more room for another Jim Jeffords in the Republican party.

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Columns

Little Bit of History Repeating: Salmon sushi

By Lena Leavitt | October 19

Salmon sushi did not exist before the 1990s, and no one told me. I have been taking its “authenticity” (whatever that means) as a Japanese dish for granted, when really we have Norway’s ridiculous persistence to thank for its creation.

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Columns

Live-streamed and Quarantined: Marc Rebillet and Erykah Badu

By Florence Almeda | October 16

While you can always count on Marc Rebillet to cook up something original, what made his drive-in livestream this summer particularly special was his collaboration with a surprise guest: Erykah Badu, the "Queen of Neo Soul."

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Columns

Hoops Traveler: FC Barcelona, the basketball team?

By Arnav Sacheti | October 16

This week, my travels take me to Spain — provided that I successfully cross the language barrier. My lack of soccer knowledge is compensated by my fascination with international basketball. Lucky for me, I quickly discovered that behind the iconic soccer franchise logos of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid rests an unexpected — yet powerful — non-soccer legacy.

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Columns

The Weekly Rewind: Let's Marvin Gaye and get it on (top)!

By Jack Clohisy | October 15

If 2020 has taught the music industry anything, it is that historically excluded groups should have an equal opportunity to a lasting legacy. The Beatles should be respected and idolized in their own right, but with a larger, more diverse playlist of artists to listen to today, more icons can emerge into the mainstream.

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Columns

The Turf Monster: The 14 NBA teams that can win a title in 2021

By Aiden Herrod | October 15

To fill some of that basketball void that’s been lingering since the finals wrapped up, I’ve decided to look ahead and evaluate what the basketball landscape will look like in 2021. There are some exciting narratives and teams to explore, as well as several key players coming back from prolonged absences.

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Columns

Philosophy in Focus: On the importance of Fat Bear Week

By Caroline Depalma | October 14

18th century philosopher Immanuel Kant didn’t give us much warning about what an internalized duty to know everything about every tragedy would mean for our mental states, but what he did offer was a distinct source of all good in the world: good intentions.

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Column

Keep the Cameras Rolling: The vanishing stigma around direct-to-video movies

By Julian Levy | October 14

Against all odds, 2020 has forced The Academy to, what I assume to be begrudgingly, remove their theatrical release requirement for the first time in history. For possibly the first time in history, releasing direct-to-video is being viewed as an alternative rather than necessarily a downgrade for the studio releasing it.

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Columns

Since You Last Saw Me: Antisocial media

By Owen Bonk | October 14

Although I’ve been wary of social media for a while, the decision to actively regulate my usage was precipitated by “The Social Dilemma” (2020), a Netflix documentary centered around Tristan Harris, a former Google employee and cofounder of the Center for Humane Technology. He uses the ominous phrase “human downgrading” to describe the effect social media has on our minds, and has spent much of his career pushing tech companies like Facebook and Apple to adopt more ethical guidelines to govern their interfaces.

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Columns

Wonder Women: Breanna Stewart

By Nicole Setow | October 14

In honor of the Seattle Storm’s thrilling Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) Finals win on Oct. 6, this week’s spotlight is on two-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) Breanna “Stewie” Stewart. The forward brought home the hardware this season after a dominating run against the Las Vegas Aces.

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Columns

Sobremesa: Fighting food deserts in the United States

By Elizabeth Buehl | October 13

On a campus where fresh fruit and warm sandwiches are just a click away, it can be hard to remember that there are areas of our developed nation where proper nutrition is hard to come by.

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Columns

Tuff Talks: Finding friends

By Jenny Lu | October 13

Dear J: How do I meet new people/make new friends if I am an introvert and have a hard time just going up to people and talking to them?

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Columns

On the big screen: 'Ava'

By Iverson Eliopoulos | October 13

Ava was the most popular movie on Apple TV in its opening weekend, but you should save yourself the seven dollars. Cliché after cliché leads you through a story that only gets more absurd, leaving you unsatisfied and frankly wondering how filmmakers can mess up movies so badly. I watched this movie so that you didn’t have to.

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Columns

Keeping up with the 617: Why the Bruins are destined to fail

By Matt Goguen | October 13

For the past decade, the Boston Bruins have fallen short of high expectations and continue to disappoint their loyal Boston fanbase. Even if their core players continue to play at a high offensive rate, a regression for the Boston Bruins seems inevitable next season.

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Columns

Sharp from the Sofa: Bean the Astros, what about the Patriots?

By Alex Sharp | October 12

It is often said that the Tufts community is a political echo chamber, but it also happens to be a sports echo chamber. Boston sports fans dominate the Medford Somerville campus like Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin dominate the Patriots in the Superbowl. This column is for the silent majority at Tufts, those who would rather go to class shirtless than in a Patriots jersey. 

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Columns

Maeve’s Music Mondays: Nigerian Afrobeats hits different

By Maeve Hagerty | October 12

But what is the Afrobeats genre, specifically to Nigeria? As an extension of the earlier Afrobeat style (yes, the presence of the “s” is a distinction), it features lots of the same influences of jazz, funk, highlife and traditional Nigerian Fuji music. However, it has also drawn from more current pop music and techno, reaching a larger dance club audience and rising in popularity. 

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Columns

The Countdown: How will Biden handle a more left-leaning House caucus?

By Matt Rice | October 12

With just three weeks until Election Day, it’s a near-sure thing Biden will be elected President. But even if he can defeat Trump, take back the Senate and hold the House, Biden will have to navigate an environment no Democratic president since Carter has dealt with: a House caucus with more high-profile, left-wing members.

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Columns

The Weekly Rewind: The 35-year-old musical lifespan of female artists

By Jack Clohisy | October 9

Sexism and ageism in the music industry favor men and prevent them from needing to demonstrate artistic growth in order to be successful. As artists age, their music matures; so the belief that a female musician has to be at her peak before 35 is frustrating.

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