Columns

Columns

The Tide: Sharice Davids

By Matt Rice | November 14

Tuesday’s election was historic for many reasons. The Democrats picked up the highest number of seats in the House of Representatives since the post-Watergate election in 1974, and Republicans gained crucial seats in the Senate. But the real story of last week’s election is that of a changing America. On Jan. 3, 2019, there will be more women, more people of color and more LGBTQ people sworn into Congress than ever before. In districts from New Jersey to Maine, Florida to South Carolina and California to Oklahoma, Democrats rode a wave of enthusiasm to repudiate President Trump. That excitement on the left rippled through the least likely of states: Kansas.

---

Columns

Takeaways: Not bad at all

By Nesi Altaras | November 14

The midterms were good. The defeatist rhetoric from Democrats needs to end because, at least this year, it isn’t true. Democrats did really well, flipping Senate seats in Nevada and Arizona.Florida’s Senate race is so unbelievably close that it has gone to an automatic recount.It is true that losses ...

---

Columns

The Anti-Bostonian: Brees over Brady

By Jeremy Goldstein | November 14

The illustrious careers of Drew Brees and Tom Brady are similar in many elements. Both make up for a lack of intrinsic athleticism with an eye for an open receiver, where they both nestle in dainty spirals in the smallest of windows against airtight coverage. They’ve both received individual accolades, ...

---

Columns

Red Star: Democracy at Tufts

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne | November 13

We’re running up against the hard limits of student activism in the fights over affordable housing and tuition. The administration -- despite not releasing revenue estimates or a university development plan, and without consulting students -- routinely raises the cost of attendance by thousands of ...

---

Columns

The Starving Aesthete: Music for gray days

By James Ray | November 13

I've got no good music for gray days. Maybe this is the product of some idiosyncrasy in my tastes; maybe there's some combination of timbre and tempo that would suit these sorts of afternoons, which seem to be continuously gathering themselves up to fall on our heads and never quite getting ...

---

Columns

Postgame Press: Hot takes

By David Meyer | November 13

Hot takes in sports are a reflection of hot takes in the world around us. We live in a polarized society. These days, foreign policy opinion leaders say that political polarization is the number one threat to the United States. More than nuclear programs and trade wars, it is our own polarization that ...

---

---

Columns

The Weekly Chirp: Finch forecast

By Henry Stevens | November 13

In 21st century science, we love to use advanced technology and complex models to predict what will happen in the future -- in other words, we like forecasting stuff. Perhaps the most common example of this is the daily weather. After considering a set of variables -- such as time of year, barometric ...

---

Columns

Pretty Lawns and Gardens: A case for charismatic megafauna

By Tys Sweeney | November 8

The case against the charismatic megafauna model for conservation is strong: Publicizing species such as elephants, lions and whales skews efforts to protect lesser-known or less attractive species, including many at-risk insects, plants and crustaceans. And this, in many ways, is very true. It’s ...

---

Columns

The Coin Toss: NFL Week 10

By Bradley Schussel | November 8

Welcome to The Coin Toss, where I make bold predictions about your favorite professional sports.Let's recap last week's NFL predictions: PredictionOutcomeDid I get it right?Saints over RamsSaints 45–35 RamsYes!Chiefs beat Browns by 17+ pointsChiefs 37–21 BrownsNoSteelers over RavensSteelers ...

---

Columns

El Centro: Over tea, not fire

By Haruka Noishiki | November 8

At Tufts, we call ourselves quirky. We say that we're striving for equality and for inclusion. We say we want diversity. But who really is this "we"? Who is included in this narrative? In one of my seminar courses, I sit in the same seat every class. I won’t say that there is no shuffling, ...

---

Columns

Takeaways: Disarm Tufts

By Nesi Altaras | November 7

In defense of the new protest policy that tries to muffle student activism by creating obstacles like prior registration, Director of Community Standards Kevin Kraft said that the policy was created for “safety concerns” and that it would “assist the university in coordinating police presence ...

---

Columns

The Anti-Bostonian: The case for a taste of humble pie

By Jeremy Goldstein | November 7

It’s an odd sensation, sitting quietly in a room full of animated and passionate friends and wanting them to walk away with their hearts broken. It’s even odder when it’s the 12th inning. Odder still is during the 15th. Unquantifiable is the 18th. Ignoring the shenanigans from last week’s ...

---

Columns

Cheeses of Suburbia: Dear Mozzarella, count me in

By Zachary Hertz and Brady Shea | November 7

Zachary Hertz (ZH): This week, we’re with senior and senior citizen Mary Carroll, whose most pop punk moment came when she tried to burn her Catholic school skirt after graduation. Mary Carroll (MC): I’d like to reiterate my disappointment that Trader Joe’s did not have mozzarella sticks because ...

---

Columns

Red Star: The death of democracy

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne | November 6

The United States is not a democracy. The Senate, the Electoral College, the courts, the unaccountable security state and the concentration of power in regulatory agencies staffed by the people they’re supposed to regulate means the political process and the state are resistant to popular pressure. ...

---

Columns

The Weekly Chirp: Female power

By Henry Stevens | November 6

Human history owes its success to women. While historically not occupying traditionally powerful roles, women have always held the true power in families and social groups, which are ultimately the major factors leading to the perseverance of our species. With the rise of the feminist movement and younger, more progressive generations, this power is finally becoming recognized publicly. My mom is the bread-winner in my family. Female senators are no longer a surprise to the public. Women in science are revolutionizing the field. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in the presidential election but unjustly suffered from the outdated rules of old white men. I can’t wait to see where women take our world once all the sexist, racist, idiotic baby boomers finally die out -- why is it taking so long?

---

Columns

Postgame Press: Ultimate question: GOAT or BOAT?

By David Meyer | November 6

This is it. Today is the day. To all my avid readers: I know you have always wondered how I feel about the Jordan-LeBron debate. You must wait no longer.Who is the GOAT? It is one of the most highly-debated topics in sports. It seems inevitable that this will come up when a conversation brings up both ...

---

Columns

Human: The brain

By Quinn Pham | November 5

Last Thursday, I attended a talk on the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) by Matthias Scheutz, professor of computer science and director of the Human-Robot Interaction Lab at Tufts. Towards the end of the talk, someone asked Professor Scheutz whether he thought there would ever be a point at which AI can replicate human thinking, to which he gave a resounding “No.” He believes that at some point, AI will be able to replicate human behavior quite well, but to replicate thinking -- the actual underlying processes of the brain -- is another thing completely.

---

Columns

Weidner's Words: Free rein of college coaches

By Sam Weidner | November 5

The chairman of the Maryland University Board of Regents, James T. Brady, stepped down early on Thursday, following immense criticism from students, fans, politicians and players regarding the board’s original decision to retain head football coach DJ Durkin. Durkin came under scrutiny following the ...

---

Columns

Out on the Town: The Adams National Historical Park

By Evan Zigmond | November 5

Boston has very close ties to colonial and revolutionary history, as well as a host of institutions dedicated to its preservation. For a notable example, the various homes where former presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams lived are still standing in Quincy, Mass. The Adams National Historical ...

---

Columns

Anita's Angle: Climate activism, collective action

By Anita Ramaswamy | November 5

After the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on Oct. 8 -- the fifth of its kind -- we may be finally realizing the gravity of climate change. We have 12 years to limit devastating global warming, and as Vox explains, “we either invest now to clamp down on greenhouse ...

---