Opinion

The polarization of Occupy Boston

Some perspective, please

Campus Comment | Tufts reacts to Occupy Boston

Plenty of Jumbos are among the hundreds of frustrated protesters who have descended on Boston's Financial District in the past weeks to express their discontent with the country's economic and social status quo. As Boston police arrested scores of occupiers −− including at least one Tufts student, according to reports −− debate over the legitimacy of actions on all sides has flared. Here's what Tufts had to say.

Letter to the Editor

Angad Bagai | A Whole New World

Making a scene

There is the case of police abruptly cracking down on a protest to silence it, as happens in many parts of the world less free than the United States. Then there is the case of a group intentionally provoking law enforcement officers into making arrests in order to make a newsworthy scene. What happened during the early hours of Tuesday morning was the latter.

Thriving on cancer

"It can't happen here." The title of the Sinclair Lewis novel (1935) resonates for a reason: It is difficult to imagine "it" — whatever the crisis might be — happening in our own backyard, or in our own bodies.

Letter to the Editor

Welcome to the school of hard knocks

Among some of its more notable alumni, Tufts can claim former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (LA '70), J.P. Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon (LA '78), eBay founder Pierre Omidyar (LA '88), and "Wicked" (1995) author Gregory Maguire (GSAS '90). Senator Scott Brown (R-Mass., LA '81) is also on that list.

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

Waging war on the free press

Less than a week after the high−profile acquittal of Amanda Knox, Italy is once again making international headlines.

Occupying the American psyche

In this newspaper and in countless others, "Occupy Wall Street" and its offshoots have received much criticism — we hear constantly that the Occupiers are too unclear in their goals, that there's no leadership. Where are their specific demands? Why don't they have concrete solutions? Surrounded by the ineffectual world of American politics, it's easy to nod in agreement with the barrage of cynicism, but I urge you to take a look at the truly magnificent social movement that's growing in front of us.

Amanda Johnson | Senior Moments

In the weeks before returning to Tufts, the town neighboring my rural Illinois hometown became swarmed with commotion. As the home of a university with nearly 25,000 kids, I've grown up accustomed to the chaos accompanying the return of college students mid-August: sudden lines at Target, the abrupt influx of North Face-clad youth carrying MacBooks and our own meager version of "traffic."

Lessons from the Amanda Knox trial

After serving four years in prison for allegedly murdering her British roommate, Meredith Kercher, while studying abroad in Perugia, Italy in 2007, American Amanda Knox was acquitted yesterday by an Italian court. Her ex-boyfriend and co-defendant, Italian Raffaele Sollecito, was also acquitted. The pair was convicted in 2009 with questionable evidence and prosecutorial claims that Kercher was killed during a satanic sex ritual.

Occupy movement needs to grow up

This past week, hundreds of Occupy Boston protesters have been gathering in the financial district of Boston. Inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protesters, they are people who think this country is in need of some serious changes.

Chris Poldoian | Extra Butter

In defense of the defense of Troy Davis

I felt a great deal of dismay as I read David Eder'sop-ed, "In defense of the state of Georgia," published on Wednesday in the Daily. I'm certainly not naive enough to think that all Tufts students share the progressive political outlook often ascribed to our university. And diverse points of view are essential to encouraging robust discourse on campus. I was very surprised, however, to see such a piece written by a peer, and I felt the need to respond.

Prashanth Parameswaran | The Asianist

It's been a busy week of reform for King Abdullah, Saudi Arabia's octogenarian and progressive monarch. Over the past few days alone, he has granted Saudi women the right to vote and stand for office in municipal elections, and overturned a sentence of 10 lashes handed down to an activist who defied a female driving ban.

Zach Drucker | The Loser

Red Sox fans, I feel your pain. I know what it's like to see your team hit cruise control with a month left to play and forfeit a seemingly insurmountable lead. I know what it's like to watch your entire season slip away like a feather in the breeze. And I know what it's like to lose it all on the final game of the season. Yet, don't feel too miserable, because only I know what it's like to see that same fate become my team two years in a row.

Occupy movement needs to grow up

This past week, hundreds of Occupy Boston protesters have been gathering in the financial district of Boston. Inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protesters, they are people who think this country is in need of some serious changes.