In the wake of the attacks in Paris, the political climate of the world is at the most tense it has been in recent history. Militaries are arming for war, families are burying loved ones and Muslims everywhere are learning the sting of persecution. Meanwhile, politicians in America are using cheap politics to contort an…
Upon arriving back to campus after Thanksgiving break, my friends and I sat around, whining and joking about radically conservative family members who had said some questionable things over creamed corn and Jell-O salad. We complained about grandmothers who support Ben Carson because they “heard that he prays twice a day” and great uncles who…
Should we model such a policy on Germany? Among the most poignant changes the United States could make for the world’s environmental future is adopting a renewable energy policy modeled on Germany’s renewable energy policy. The United States does not currently have a renewable energy policy — something I was quite surprised and disappointed to…
Rest in peace, Coffee Stop espresso machine This week the espresso machine in the Coffee Stop, perhaps over-burdened by the increasing late-semester demands of the student population it serves, stopped working. I first heard the news when I attempted to order a medium mocha Tuesday afternoon. The barista sheepishly told me that fulfilling such an…
Jennifer Lawrence fell on her way down the red carpet again and the fact that her stumble was considered newsworthy enough to be featured on Time Magazine’s social media outlets worries me. America’s sweetheart is known for her work as Katniss Everdeen, a strong female lead in a seriously successful movie franchise, as well…
Starbucks recently released its annual holiday cup, and it has thousands of people upset for one reason — they believe it wages a “War on Christmas.” Starbucks began using iconic holiday cups in 1997. These cups were decorated with designs of snowflakes, tree ornaments and reindeer — fun, festive symbols often associated with Christmas. This…
The recent news reports about race and college campuses, especially at the University of Missouri, have been absolutely unreal to read. I never thought I would read about people making swastikas out of human feces or hanging nooses around trees in 2015. It would be even more unreal for something like that to happen on…
Earlier this year, the University of New Hampshire released a “Bias-Free Language Guide” that denounces the use of many potentially offensive terms. Some of these politically incorrect terms include “elders,” “poor people,” “homeless people,” “obese people,” “able-bodied people,” and “blind people.” Instead, “people of advanced age,” “people who lack the advantages held by others,” “people…
Always intersecting An aspect of environmental sustainability that people often overlook is the link between environmental sustainability and issues relating to basic human rights. A general set of basic human rights can be found in the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), a document that has served as a fundamental guide to international…
Issue must be handled with respect Concordia’s “It’s on Us” campaign had a booth up in the Atrium for Civic Engagement Week and today my roommate, Katie Beedy, came back to our dorm seething. “But I love getting sexually assaulted” she said through gritted teeth. According to Beedy, as she and a friend were signing…