Opinion

Truth in comedy

"Rumors of Extramarital Affair End Campaign of Presidential Candidate Who Didn't Know China Has Nuclear Weapons," the Onion recently "reported." While the Onion is a satirical news organization, this comedic headline perfectly puts Herman Cain's presidential campaign into perspective. The former CEO of Godfather's Pizza ran his race to the White House as a Washington outsider, a fact that became explicitly clear after a multitude of televised political blunders.

A lukewarm WinterFest

When former University President Lawrence Bacow announced last March that the Naked Quad Run (NQR) would not continue, a committee of Programming Board members and Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senators set to work selecting an event to celebrate the end of fall semester classes. The event decided upon, WinterFest, was to feature a tubing course, a snow sculpture competition, a smores station and a heated tent featuring a DJ.

A good allocation

The upcoming Spring Fling stands to be a more star-studded affair than in years past. The Tufts Community Union ( TCU) Senate Allocations Board allocated $65,000 in buffer funds to Programming Board for the Spring Fling budget last Sunday. The amount is up from the $25,000 the Programming Board requested and is an addition to the annual $85,000 reserved for Spring Fling. Therefore, the budget for Spring Fling this year has jumped to $150,000, up from the usual $110,000.

Transgender rights bill should have gone further

Earlier this month, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick signed into law the Transgender Equal Rights Bill, which outlaws discrimination against transgender individuals in education, housing, employment and credit. The law also updates the language of the state's hate crime laws to protect transgender individuals.

Prashanth Parameswaran | The Asianist

During the Cuban Missile Crisis in the heat of the Cold War, U.S. President John F. Kennedy was reportedly convinced that an air strike and invasion to remove Soviet missiles from Cuba would be "one hell of a gamble." Though the circumstances are notably different, that about sums up the level of risk U.S. President Barack Obama and others are now taking on Burma.

Hannah Furgang | The Tim Tam Slam

Welcome back, railroad track! I hope you all had a restful, guestful, turkey−breastful Thanksgiving. Whether you went home, stayed on campus or told your parents you were staying on campus only to tear it up at Billy's suburban Massachusetts crib, at least you got a break from the world of academia. Except for Saturday morning when you still had to complete MasteringBiology. What's that all about?

UC Davis police acted improperly

Responses to the Occupy movement have varied from community to community, with some protesters facing harsher crackdowns than others. One college campus that witnessed one such crackdown is the University of California (UC), Davis.

Our first president, an unintentional literary pirate?

Proposed newsletter should be opt-in

The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate has recently discussed publishing an electronic newsletter and sending it out to students via email. One purpose of the newsletter is to keep students informed about the Senate's current projects, thereby allowing the Senate to get student feedback more easily. A regular newsletter informing students of Senate projects as well as other campus happenings is certainly a sound concept, but there is currently controversy about whether students should opt in to the newsletter or whether it should be sent to all students automatically with recipients having the option to opt out.

Empathy - A false hope for integration!

The oppression of women throughout both history and current societies is an utter disgrace to us all. I, however, will not express empathy for your cause. I believe empathy to be weak and instead attempt to not only educate myself, but also abstain from discourse that is both unproductive and touches on issues that I am more or less ignorant of. While Ms. Cox was both witty and inflammatory, her Nov. 17 op−ed "With empathy and perspective for us all" attacks me specifically. As a result I shall conclude that my main topic of racial inequality was just a bit too much for her to handle. She in fact says, "Why is it, exactly, that his oppression as a man of color is somehow more valid and worthy of a voice than my oppression as a woman?"

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

Prashanth Parameswaran | The Asianist

W hen Hawaii−bornU.S. President Barack Obama famously declared himself America's first "Pacific President" in a speech in Tokyo two years ago, the audience was charmed by his references to green−tea ice cream, childhood visits to Japan and boyhood years in Indonesia.

You don't know what you've got till it's gone'

I had been dreading the approach of my brother's birthday because it meant I should send him a package. I had not yet figured out how to send mail at Tufts University or where this was done, and so I tried not to worry about it while I assembled his present. Finally, though, the day came when I had to go out and find the post office. I looked it up and then began my walk to the post office conveniently located in Curtis Hall by Brown and Brew. Now, I am one of those people who is not very knowledgeable about mailing things, and I was a little nervous. I walked into the cozy little room and approached the available counter. I clumsily muttered that I had to mail something and the woman behind the counter beamed at me, asking me what it was. I set my brother's present on the counter, and I noticed that part of the card I had made was falling apart, and so the woman provided me with tape. While I fixed the card she weighed the gift, explaining the fastest, cheapest and safest ways to ship it.

Angad Bagai | Whole New World

Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl. Boy loses girl. Boy comes up with a way to get girl back. They get married in a huge, lavish ceremony. In between, there's a trip to Europe or South America and about five or six songs with dance numbers, which often involve going round and round a tree. This is the cliched description of what a Bollywood film is comprised of, and it certainly is the case for a number of movies. Regardless of this, Bollywood is the main cinema watched in India, and the love and the worship the actors receive is unparalleled. If one were to ask a random person on the street to name a person from India, I can assure you that the name you'd be most likely to hear (aside from maybe Gandhi) is Shah Rukh Khan.

Poorly written prohibition

Administrators have done everything they can to show they're serious about enforcing the ban on the Naked Quad Run (NQR). Dean of Student Affairs Bruce Reitman yesterday sent out an email to the student body — and, to our chagrin, parents and guardians — informing them that anyone who attempted to run NQR in violation of the ban would face a one−semester suspension from the university.

Corrections |

The Nov. 9 article "Holocaust survivor shares story of escaping concentration camps" incorrectly stated that John Saunders was liberated from Auschwitz. He was actually liberated by the U.S. Army on May 5, 1945 from Mauthausen−Gusen I concentration camp. His liberation by the 11th Armored Division of the U.S. Army prompted him to join the U.S. Air Force and fight during the Korean War.

Opinions | With empathy and perspective for us all

When I first read the Nov. 1 op−ed entitled "What happens when integration and assimilation fail?" I was upset and puzzled by some of the questions and intense statements, but I decided that it was a legitimate attempt to stir up campus debate on the subject of race. However, after the second Nov. 8 op−ed, "Empathy + assimilation = fail!", I cannot help feeling that Samuel Murray has started to take things to an unproductive place. I would like to start out by asking Samuel, genuinely, about his "cordial" invitation to the next meeting of the Association of Latin American Students. I am truly curious as to what kind of reception I, as a member of the so−called "majority," would receive should I choose to accept this invitation, because, to be frank, the language in Samuel's articles has been neither cordial nor inviting. Why is it that he wishes ostracism upon me because of the color of my skin? Interestingly Samuel chose to close his first article with Martin Luther King, Jr. saying he dreamed of a land "where men no longer argue that the color of a man's skin determines the content of his character," yet Samuel has passed judgment on the majority of the individuals on this campus based on the color of their skin.

Parental email reflects lack of trust

Many students' cell phones were abuzz yesterday afternoon with calls from their parents or guardians. Other Jumbos checked their inboxes and were greeted by not just an email from Dean of Student Affairs Bruce Reitman but also one sent by a concerned — or in some cases, amused — parent or guardian.

Amanda Johnson | Senior Moments

When I visited The Tufts Daily website yesterday, a headline instantly caught my eye: "Tufts admissions revamps outreach, website" My imagination galloped. Had the university decided to adjust its policy to rein in students from the forgotten stretches of America? Had we chosen to terminate legacy considerations, actively seek students of need and increase our yearly quota of Nebraskans? Was Tufts forgoing another trip to Exeter in order to sprinkle in some visits to meetings of Future Farmers of America and pro-life rallies?

Evaluate this: in print or online?

Sitting in the office of the Department of Drama and Dance, I couldn't help but smile as I stuffed course evaluation form after course evaluation form into old, crumbling manila envelopes. This Thanksgiving season, I couldn't be more grateful that our university continues to stand up for the time−honored tradition of hard−copy course evaluations. After all, I enjoy stuffing envelopes. And what better use of department time and resources than coordinating the complex process of organizing, distributing and collecting thousands of pieces of scribbled−upon paper. If there is one Tufts tradition our new president should strive to protect from the modern age of technology, it is paper course evaluations.