The right, so the thesis goes, lies and if we can show that they lie, then we can embarrass them. But this analysis and the prescription for infinite fact checks fail to grasp the purpose of a lie.Lies create narrative fantasy out of politics. For privileged voters, this fantasy plays out through symbols ...
The particularly observant and ornithologically biased eye will have noticed recently that our neighborhood blue jays are busy. Doing what, you ask? Winter is coming, and blue jays across the Northeast have begun preparing for it. As humans, we worry about the colder temperatures and dangerous storms associated with winter. While these factors certainly pose a threat to blue jays as well, the main threat for them is a reliable source of food during the winter months. What if there was a food source of generally high abundance now that could be stored and eaten later when no other food sources exist? Turns out, there is — acorns!
If you did not know, America is not the center of the universe. It is tough these days not to focus on the United States and the United States alone, but there is plenty more going on out there. This is an attitude that extends from pop culture and politics to sports.America has the four major sports: football, ...
Recently, I’ve been experimenting with background movies. The idea is fairly self-explanatory — a movie played in the background of a party, social gathering or just when sitting around alone, crying. The movie isn’t intended to be watched; in fact, the point is to not watch it. Of course, the ...
Elon Musk, Milton Friedman and Bernie Sanders walk into a bar. They’d argue all night, but there is one idea they’d likely agree upon: universal basic income (UBI). It has been widely touted as a preemptive solution to the looming threat of automation and a means to fight poverty. It sounds like ...
Boston has a large contingent of Italian immigrants dating back to the late 1800s, and the cultural footprint of Italians in Boston is still quite strong. In the North End, Italian restaurants line the narrow streets, with city-dwellers and tourists alike looking for their favorite eats. It is only ...
Lately, while procrastinating on convoluted assignments, I ask myself why I chose college over the variety of options I could have gone with after high school, each leading me down a complex and unpredictable path. But then I look at the clock, fret about grades and go back to studying. The real questions that keep me up at night or some mornings while staring at my cereal in Dewick are: What was the decisive factor that made me who I am? What does it mean to exist? Where do I go from here?
The past year in the NBA was highlighted by a variety of compelling stories, from Kawhi Leonard's sudden rift with the Spurs to Bryan Colangelo’s burner Twitter accounts. Yet one story that didn’t gain the most news coverage but may end up leaving the most important legacy for the league is ...
I sat on a brown, wooden floor sprinkled by sunlight, drawing a cautious half-circle around my folded legs. I was four. I was on the second floor of my preschool building where we had after-school programs, first-year homerooms, and an upstairs dance studio. I was at my after-school gymnastics program, ...
Welcome to The Coin Toss, where I make bold predictions about your favorite professional sports.Last week’s predictions went one-for-three, thanks to the Vikings beating the Eagles in Philadelphia. Josh Rosen didn’t break out with three-plus touchdowns (only one), and the Titans lost to the Bills ...
Content warning: This column mentions sexual assault.With Kavanaugh confirmed, the left faces two choices: court packing as soon as the Democrats have the numbers or long-term abolition. The Republicans have put a far-right judge, who is an enemy of workers, women and minorities, on this unelected ...
Amazon’s Kindle debuted in 2007. It was expensive and pretty ugly. Today, after more than a decade of development, the Kindle is an affordable and high-quality product, but I’ve always had a lingering question: Is the Kindle an environmentally sound option? In this week’s piece, I will investigate ...
Georgia’s 6th Congressional District vaulted into the national spotlight early last year. Its sitting representative, Tom Price, had been confirmed as President Trump’s secretary of Health and Human Services, triggering a special election in the suburban district just north of Atlanta. The runoff between Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel and former congressional aide Jon Ossoff, a first-time political candidate, was seen as a referendum on the young presidency. Handel barely edged out a win in the district formerly held by House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and she is facing a substantial reelection fight this fall. Last year, Ossoff was painted as an out-of-touch, Washington-based political operative who cared more for his own ambition than he did for the district where he had grown up. This fall, Representative Handel must overcome a well-funded, inspiring opponent.
For my money, the most compelling part about the Boston Celtics is their eclectic cast of characters.From all walks of life and all corners of the globe (considering it may not be round in this instance), the Celtics present a crew that almost mirrors the city itself. Hard, working-class strongmen ...
Zachary Hertz (ZH): Given recent political events, we’ve chosen Paramore’s “RIOT!” (2007) this week, starring Evgeni Dobranov, a serial tennis player with a mild interest in computer science whose love for “Misery Business” constantly prevents other people from using the shower. We have ...
Among certain segments of the hipster community, there has arisen a consensus that the world actually ended sometime in the '60s, and that the three subsequent generations have just been milling about the wreckage waiting for the other shoe to drop. In 1967, the undulating protoplasm of capitalism ...
It’s always fun to examine the beautiful, crazy, wild, extravagant species of birds from around the world online, but at the end of the day, there’s nothing better than going outside and actually seeing birds yourself — even if they don’t happen to be pretty and decorated like a bird-of-paradise. Turns out, our campus attracts all sorts of cool birds annually. In just four years of data collected by a handful of bird nerds, we’ve collectively recorded 136 species of bird! On the right day during spring migration in May, you could walk from Dewick to Dowling and find over 20 species in 10 minutes. Hard to believe, right? At first it doesn’t seem possible, but if you consider where we are located geographically, it starts to make some sense.
The issue of the Chinese government’s repression of Uyghurs became a subject of international attention after a U.N. report released toward the end of the summer laid bare the severity of the situation.However, the world was already aware of the mistreatment of these people. It is no secret that China ...
To the pain. Westley from "The Princess Bride" (1987) demands a duel not to the death, but to the pain. I do not plan on ever getting into a duel, certainly not one that ends in the gruesome way he describes. But sports may be described as “to the pain.” We cheer and give our hearts to ...
Welcome to The Coin Toss, where I make bold predictions about your favorite professional sports.First a recap of last week. I had the Browns over the Raiders, but Oakland took that game by three in overtime. I correctly picked the Texans over the Colts in Indianapolis. I also predicted a bounce-back ...
