Columns

Columns

The Oxford Comma: An ode to the classics

By Grace Nelson | April 17

Hi everyone! It’s me again, coming to you live from the comfort of my bed. I’ve missed it desperately (in particular, my mattress topper) during my recent adventures abroad — the main subject of today’s edition. As an English major, a lot of what I study is rooted in ancient Western literary traditions. Just think of all the mythological references in Shakespeare, or the use of epic form in “Paradise Lost”; almost every work in the English canon can be traced back to the OGs of Ancient Greece and Rome, if you will.

---

Columns

QB Q&A: Journeyman quarterbacks

By Max Sharf | April 17

Every free-agent cycle, there always seems to be the same free-agent quarterbacks on the market. Quarterbacks who just can’t seem to hold on to their jobs at their subpar organizations and end up like a seed in a hurricane, passed from one city to another. These so-called journeyman quarterbacks are about as ubiquitous as the attention-dominating superstar quarterbacks, yet they don’t share the same spotlight.  

---

Columns

Perú Publicado: The Amazon

By Chrystal Coleman | April 16

¡Hola! Sí, hoy cambié el saludo ¡porque estoy escribiendo desde la Amazonia! Aquí no se habla quechua; hay muchas otras lenguas nativas chéveres, como Ese Ejja, pero desafortunadamente no entiendo ni un palabra. Advertencia de antemano: No encontré a Tia Lucy, ni a el hogar para osos jubilados. Pero yo no estoy decepcionada y tú tampoco deberías estarlo porque encontré a Paddington de nuevo — esta vez en forma de un peluche enorme en un armario en mi hotel. Además, vi a Pedro, el pajarito rojo de la película “Rio” doblada por will.i.am mientras estaba parada al lado de un río. Esa experiencia es realmente uno de mis mejores recuerdos de este viaje, pero ocurrieron muchos más, así que empecemos.

---

Column

Coffee Table Socioeconomics: The rich should want to save the legal system

By Linda Huang | April 16

One of the seven core principles of conservatism is the commitment to the rule of law. It’s a principle that ensures stability, predictability and fairness — the very conditions under which societies flourish and individuals thrive. Hand in hand with this is another value conservatives proudly uphold: the pursuit of economic growth and wealth accumulation through a free market economy. These principles intertwine because without a robust legal system that regulates the market, the ultimate goal of profit cannot be achieved.

---

Columns

Hey Wait Just One Second: First words

By Max Turnacioglu | April 16

Parsnip. Magnanimous. Sepulcher. This could be the beginning of a particularly esoteric New York TimesConnections puzzle, but it is also how I chose to begin this week’s column. By selecting and recording arbitrary words that popped into my mind, I demarcated this piece of writing as a piece of writing; I began a series of words that followed from this obscure beginning and, taking this series in sum, I thus constructed a unified column upon the parsnip-laden ground. This is the raw power possessed by my first words.

---

Columns

The Intangibles: Disaster in Denver

By Jonah Cowan | April 15

Last Tuesday, the Denver Nuggets informed their championship coach Mike Malone and general manager Calvin Booth that they were both fired. Let me repeat that again, the Nuggets gutted the two most important decision-makers in their organization — the week before the playoffs. What is going on in Denver?

---

---

Column

Ukraine at War: A reflection on the deadly attacks in Kryvyi Rih and Sumy

By Mariia Kudina | April 15

On April 4, I was co-moderating a discussion on risks and art at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University for the event “Arts and Society: Dialogues.” I was looking at my phone and going over the sample questions to ask the participants when I received a text from my mom saying, “We were outside with your brother and our dog, the explosion felt far but the ground was shaking.” Momentarily, I tracked back my thoughts to before the event. Right before the discussion, I saw a notification that there was an air raid alert in Kryvyi Rih, possibly due to the missile carriers being launched in Russia. I had a feeling that this was not a precautionary alert, yet never in a million years would I assume that the attack would be that deadly.

---

Columns

Adventures of an A-Lister: ‘The Amateur’ is for the underdogs

By Odessa Gaines | April 15

When I walked into the theaters this past weekend for nighttime showing of “The Amateur” (2025), I was not expecting for my eyes to be glued to the screen for every single minute.

---

Columns

Confessions of a College Shopaholic: Let’s talk retail therapy

By Ryan Fairfield | April 14

We’ve all been there: Finals begin approaching, you’re drowning in essays and readings and suddenly, a notification pops up for a 20% off sale, or you see a really tempting Instagram ad. Or maybe you’re one of those students who scroll through online shops in the middle of class (I always sit in the back of class and — trust me — there’s always at least three people online shopping). Retail therapy, right? For many college students, shopping provides a momentary escape from the grind of student life, giving us a chance to feel better, even if it’s just for a few minutes.

---

Columns

Hearts on the Hill: Small schools, big hearts

By Julia Carpi | April 11

It’s another Friday morning on the hill. I say that partly because it has a nice ring to it and partly because it helps me process the little time we have left together.

---

Columns

Video essayists you should watch: Lola Sebastian

By Basil Hand | April 11

God has dealt me a cruel hand: I am a biology major who yearns for the arts and humanities. Unfortunately, my course schedule has really limited the amount of arts classes I’ve been able to take in my four years at Tufts. Instead of taking classes on classical literature or contemporary plays, I’ve been burdened with biological knowledge, such as the organization of the fly’s nervous system or the way cells repair DNA damage. Fortunately, I’ve found a YouTuber who delivers content worthy of a college English class and with the humor and aesthetic taste of the contemporary world. Enter Lola Sebastian.

---

Columns

Trunks Full of Treasures: Revive your wardrobe at Vivant Vintage

By Fiona Hinrichsen | April 10

As you embark on your journey at Tufts, be sure to stop by Vivant Vintage at its new location on Newbury Street. From operating a unique mobile boutique — a tricycle-pulled cart named “Le Pants King and The Traveling Spectacular” — Justin Pomerleau and his wife, Emmy Sawich, transformed their vision into reality with the opening of Vivant Vintage on Newbury Street on March 1. After spending several years preparing for this high-profile second location, their hard work has finally paid off.

---

Columns

Boston Book Crawl: Tufts Bookstore

By Emily Sullivan | April 10

Sat next to the Mayer Campus Center is the Tufts University Barnes & Noble College branch. It may be frequently ignored by students in the months between the very start and end of the semester, but it is still technically a bookstore. Inside the building, you can find a range of items, including sweatshirts, snacks, cold medicine, textbooks, branded mugs and a few regular books.

---

Column

The Conversation: Are Democrats standing up to Trump?

By Evan Wang and Sadie Roraback-Meagher | April 9

Sadie Roraback-Meagher: Heya, Evan. Evan Wang: Hey, Sadie. How’s your week been? Sadie: Oh, you know, the usual. This week has been too long, and this weekend has been too short. Evan: Speaking of short things, Cory Booker’s speech certainly wasn’t. Sadie: Somehow, I just know you have something ...

---

Columns

The 90-Minute Breakdown: Retirements, upsets, and the road to European glory

By Antonia Toro | April 9

We start the week with the sad news that Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City’s longtime golden boy, is set to leave the team at the end of the season. “In 10 seasons at the Etihad Stadium, De Bruyne has won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five EFL Cups, and a UEFA Champions League, and he could add another FA Cup to that before he goes,” journalist David Segar wrote on the Premier League website.

---

Columns

Adventures of an A-Lister: ‘Hell of a Summer’ is full of laughs

By Odessa Gaines | April 8

It may only be April, but summer is here with Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk’s directorial debut “Hell of a Summer.” After premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 10, 2023, the film is finally showing in theaters across the United States. Shockingly fun, “Hell of a Summer” follows a group of camp counselors returning to Camp Pineway led by 24-year-old Jason (Fred Hechinger). Jason, whom everyone is shocked to see return, struggles to connect with his team of teen counselors but plans to impress the camp owners enough to become the new “camp leader.” However, things quickly go downhill when a masked killer begins to murder the counselors one by one. Without cell phones, driveable vehicles and more than a single brain cell within the camp, the race for survival is on.

---

Columns

Extra Innings: Extensions for everyone!

By Henry Blickenstaff | April 8

We’re just two weeks into the baseball season, and there have already been several big contract extensions handed out. These are my thoughts on the most notable extensions signed since the start of the year.

---

Columns

Escape the Library: Boston Athenaeum

By Olivia Bye | April 7

It’s often all too difficult to convince myself to go off campus for the sole purpose of doing work. It is, undeniably, far easier to head over to Tisch or Edwin Ginn Library rather than take the time to explore something new. But the Boston Athenaeum — a unique combination of library and museum — provides me with just the excuse I need, containing both spaces to study and art exhibits to admire all on the same floor.

---

Columns

Confessions of a College Shopaholic: Why the ‘perfect’ anything doesn’t exist

By Ryan Fairfield | April 7

You’ve probably heard it before — innewsletters, ads, Instagram captions — it’s“The Perfect Tee,” “The Only Pair of Jeans You’ll Ever Need”or“We Finally Found the Perfect Pants.” And every time I read something like that, I roll my eyes. Not because I hate a staple — I love a good staple. But because there’s no such thing as a universal “perfect” anything in fashion. Not the perfect tee, not the perfect jeans, not even the perfect white sneaker.

---

Columns

Full Court Press: In praise of losers

By Noah Goldstein | April 4

Sixty-eight teams made it to March Madness this year. After the championship game on Monday, there will only be one left standing. That team will not be Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans, and maybe that’s okay.

---