Opinion

Opinion

Plastic surgery: The cosmetics of water bottles

December 8

Scene: Hodgdon Good−to−Go Take−Out. Cast: the ladies and you. Action: peer pressure. We've all been there, a dollar or two under our meal limit, and have had every item in Hodgdon slowly listed to us, sometimes two or three times, until we reach the difficult decision of what else to get. You feel you can't refuse more food from the Hodgdon ladies. You have to choose something. And so you snatch up Poland Spring bottles like they're going out of style because hey, it's water, the spice of life! You use those dollars to your full advantage, and you walk home smiling a little smile for being just that extra bit more penny−wise today. Here's looking at you, kid.

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Opinion

Obama's tax compromise

December 8

President Barack Obama in recent days seems to have adopted a new word to sum up his presidency in place of his previous favorite, "change." Compromise seems to be the name of the game now, at least when it comes to dealing with the incoming Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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Opinion

Disarming the Western canon

December 8

What makes great literature? Are the most "important" books those taught perennially in high schools and universities nationwide — those canonical texts constantly revisited and analyzed by scholars? Perhaps this question should be rephrased: Who makes literature great?

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Opinion

From the Editor-in-Chief

December 8

Dear Readers,

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Opinion

Truly global World Cups

December 7

"We go to new lands," FIFA President Sepp Blatter said on Thursday after announcing that Qatar would host the 2022 World Cup. Qatar, originally thought to be a long shot to get the Cup, outbid Australia, Japan and the United States for the right to be host. FIFA, the world's soccer governing body, announced that Russia would receive the 2018 Cup; the country beat out Spain/Portugal, Belgium/Netherlands and England.

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Opinion

Bhopal: 26 years of injustice

December 7

For many of the survivors of the dark early morning hours of Dec. 3, 1984, in Bhopal, dawn has yet to break 26 years later. Bhopal, a city in central India once famous for its lakes and old mosques, has since become infamous for being the site of the world's worst industrial disaster.

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Opinion

The shape of things: New START and partisan politics in foreign policy

December 7

The balance of national politics has only grown more uncertain since the Republicans retook the House of Representatives last month, and it has become evident that every item on President Barack Obama's agenda will prove to be a strenuous battle of its own. However, this is rarely expected in foreign policy, where politics is said to end at the water's edge. For that reason, the White House had eagerly anticipated that one of the President's greatest achievements, the arms reduction treaty known as the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), would finally earn the necessary support from the U.S. Senate this year.

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Opinion

Consistency needed in sexual assault statutes

December 7

Although Tufts administrators and students have worked hard to create a revised sexual assault policy and adjudication process that better addresses the needs of the community, certain aspects of the new policy possibly conflict with federal statutes. Sexual assault is shockingly prevalent on college campuses and, unfortunately, Tufts is no exception. It is therefore vital that the university takes steps to protect victims and appropriately discipline perpetrators.

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Opinion

Wrenchgate

December 6

I rarely comment on campus issues but today, I feel so inclined. For those who aren't aware, Tufts sent out a community e-mail on Thursday, Dec. 2 stating that "a male with a handgun" was sighted on campus. The e-mail described the suspect as African-American and stated that town and campus police were notified of the incident. Shortly after, a correction to this report was released. Apparently, it had all been a false alarm. What had been perceived to be a gun was actually a ratchet wrench. I assumed that this would have been the end of it. I was wrong.

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Opinion

Letter to the Editor

December 6

Dear Editor,

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Opinion

Please think before you get on that airplane

December 6

It is common for Tufts students to participate in programs that aim to help people in other countries. While I think that it is important to be aware of different people, cultures and events outside the United States, it seems that we are neglecting current problems in our country and even in our own community here at Tufts.

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Opinion

Elisha Sum | Our Genderation

December 6

Tori Amos once sang, "It's not a question if I can fight by your side and withstand anything."

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Opinion

Letter to the Editor

December 5

Dear Editor,

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Opinion

Beyond the posters

December 5

You've probably seen the "wrench/gun" images that were plastered all over campus starting Thursday night. They depict a white hand holding a wrench juxtaposed with a black hand holding the same wrench. The word "wrench" is printed below the white hand, and the word "gun" is printed below the black hand.

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Opinion

The race card: Maybe we jumped the gun

December 5

On Thursday, I was getting some last−minute homework done in my dorm room when I saw that an e−mail had arrived. "Safety Alert: suspicious person reported with a handgun" was the subject line. Thinking that was kind of a scary thing on a college campus, I opened it immediately, only to learn that the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) had received a report about a man with a gun and that a TUPD search turned up nothing. I figured it wasn't so bad, and I went back to my homework.

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Opinion

When a wrench looks like a gun

December 5

Students on Thursday afternoon became aware of a false alarm when a person reported seeing an African-American man carrying a gun that turned out to be a ratchet wrench. Following the incident, a group of students put up posters across campus suggesting that racial discrimination had led to the false alert.

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Opinion

Joshua Youner | Conscientious and Contentious

December 1

In a spectacle of bold defiance, WikiLeaks has begun publishing yet another groundbreaking series of secret documents. On Sunday, Nov. 28, the website dedicated to global transparency began publishing over 250,000 U.S. embassy cables. Though the cables will give people around the world an unprecedented look into the inner workings of U.S. foreign policy, there has been international backlash against their publication.

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Opinion

Decision to cancel IM sports was wrong

December 1

Director of Intramural Sports Cheryl Milligan on Monday announced that the Athletics Department has cancelled the winter intramural sports season due to space considerations and other concerns. Intramural sports will resume in March at the earliest, while relatively unorganized "open gym" sessions will fill the void until that time.

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Opinion

From the Public Editor | Stranded on the moral high ground

December 1

Over the last month, there have been no fewer than six op−ed articles and letters to the editor dealing in some way with the Israeli−Palestinian conflict, and as public editor, I felt it appropriate to voice my concern about the discourse.

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Opinion

Plaid is the new black

November 30

Last week, communities across Boston and New England were introduced to a new concept for the day after Thanksgiving. Presenting an alternative to the big box retail-driven "Black Friday," locally owned and independent businesses joined 14 local business networks, including Somerville Local First (SLF), in promoting Plaid Friday on Nov. 26.

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