Yesterday, President Bush vetoed a $606-billion spending bill that would have funded education, health and labor programs for the current fiscal year because it contained what he saw as wasteful spending.
This Monday, 12,000 movie and television writers, members of the Writers Guild of America, went on strike to demand a bigger share of the revenue generated by the distribution of their work on the Internet and from DVD sales.
Davis Square is a haven for diverse dining options, both in terms of kind of food and price range. But for the average Tufts student on a limited budget, shelling out cash to eat at one of the many Davis restaurants can be a financial burden that forces many to forego that option.
A new test for would-be American citizens was released last month, and its reviews are mixed. Although the exam will not be administered until 2008, scholars and critics are already throwing their diverse judgments into the ring of public opinion.
Earlier this past semester, the Daily ran an editorial about the importance of scientific literacy in the general population. The conflagrations ravaging California during the past week couldn't have provided a more perfect example of what goes catastrophically wrong when policy is made in ignorance of scientific fact.
Imagine a simple program local governments could undertake to reduce the rate of HIV and hepatitis transmission in their jurisdictions. The program would be inexpensive and have little negative side effects, and it has been proven to cut the number of sick citizens. The problem? This program also represents a tacit endorsement of illegal activity.
When it comes to money, it seems that a moral mess is never very far away. The current hubbub surrounding the transparency (or lack thereof) of Tufts' endowment is a clear example of what happens when practical financial affairs meet ethical concerns.
Last month, the Daily published an editorial that wrote "the downloading issue is not one which will go away any time soon." Indeed, the issue is back, as last week the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) sent a letter to Tufts that listed 15 IP addresses of Tufts students who had illegally shared music on peer-to-peer networks. Tufts now has to notify these students of their legal options - accept lawsuits from the RIAA or pay pre-lawsuit settlements.
In the months after Sept. 11, the Bush administration actively reminded Americans to continue their normal routines and to remain strong in the face of terror. We were famously told to go shopping in an attempt to keep the economy strong; we knew that to do otherwise would be "to let the terrorists win."
Fletcher Professor of International Environmental Policy William Moomaw made a key observation in his interview published in today's Daily. The Tufts professor shared a slice of this year's Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his service on the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Moomaw noted the distinction between the science and policy analysis carried out by this panel and the corresponding publicity work done by fellow Nobel recipient Al Gore.
On Oct. 6, The New York Times reported that President Bush reacted to a Congressional uproar over the disclosure of secret Justice Department legal opinions. These documents endorse the harsh interrogation of terrorism suspects by defending the methods and declaring that the "government does not torture people" (we outsource!). It is a sad testament to the sheer bald-faced dishonesty of this administration that the debate has shifted from "Do we torture?" to "Is it okay that we torture?"
The Tufts Community Union Senate's recent focus on the problems associated with excessive student drinking has highlighted another dilemma on campus: our Health Service's limited hours. We applaud the Senate's efforts to expand the hours of Health Service and recognize that our student representatives have long been fighting this battle.
Most students involved in campus organizations have at least been peripherally involved in the process of drafting a budget for approval by the Tufts Community Union Senate. It's no secret that student groups sometimes scrounge for money and put a considerable amount of time and energy into fundraising.
Cooperation and teamwork, as most of us are taught at a tender age, are desirable behaviors because they are stepping stones to prosperity and happiness. At the national level, this social theory is no less true. No nation in particular would be better served by heeding such advice than North Korea.
Today is Tufts' Coming Out Day. The day is an important one, not only for Tufts' LGBTQ community, but also for straight students and faculty.
Development of a male contraceptive analogous to the oral contraceptives familiar to American women should be welcome news for the large numbers of sexually active college students. If researchers are able to produce an effective and safe pill or patch for men, responsibility for birth control can be shared in a much more equitable way between two partners in a relationship.
In 1773, the American colonists in Boston had had enough of the imperial zeal of their British oppressors, and on Dec. 16, 1773, a small band of Patriots set in motion the wheels of revolution against King George III. That was one of the greatest moments in the history of our nation, and generations of Americans have yearned wistfully for the opportunity to be a part of a similarly powerful movement.
We can't all be elected prime minister of a European country, but we can still look up to one illustrious Tufts alumnus who has set such an example. The re-election two weeks ago of Fletcher graduate Costas Karamanlis as prime minister of Greece marks a high point this fall for the extended Tufts community. It can be inspiring to think that one student who sat in lecture on the Hill took his education so far afield.
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