Columns
Who's in Charge Here?
If you have a well-reasoned position on the optimal length of a sheriff’s term, well, then you are probably the sheriff. There is little reason to believe that the electorate, which the mainstream media perceives to be intellectually inferior enough to be susceptible to scurrilously depthless campaign ads, have the wherewithal to make critical decisions on issues that they cannot fully understand.
Wherefore the UC?
Achieving student goals may require working with university administrations, but it may also require standing up to the administration when it doesn’t acquiesce to student demands.
Powering the Future with Microbes
Providing abundant, cheap, renewable, and easily transportable energy will be one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century.
Milo's Missionaries
Today’s the big day! Citizens will participate in our greatest civic duty—and be accessories to the most excessive and expensive campaigns in history. So here’s my prediction for the evening: a loss for the common man.
What’s the Point?
The Cuban Revolution has had a lasting influence on Latin America. The Cuban regime in the present day has very little.
Affirmative Dissatisfaction
The libertarian in me gags at the thought of infringing a private institution’s selection criteria, but the aspiring lawyer in me points to the Fourteenth Amendment, which prohibits race-based discrimination.
For Gary Johnson
For me, there will be no post-electoral bliss. I am voting for Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate for president—a former governor of New Mexico who is just as accomplished as he is unassuming. More, he is absolutely certain to lose.
The Utility of Race Jokes
We need a practical solution to racism, and race-based humor and embracing stereotypes is a great way to conquer racism.
BLAME IT ON THE AL-KOE-HOL: Students Should Use Athletic Events as Social Spaces
Students continuously lament the lack of common centralized social spaces that are open to everyone in the student body. While these complaints are legitimate, there is an un-tapped social space sitting right across the Charles River.
History Resurfaced
“Empiricism is the lifeblood of history, but what do we do when the evidence is gone? How do we piece it back together?”
Two Distinct(ly Similar) Choices
Romney would be quicker than Obama to praise Israel, but on actual policy, their positions would necessarily be remarkably similar.
In GOP We Trust
That Catholics are now primarily divided between the two main political parties demonstrates an end to the Democrats’ monopoly on one of America’s largest religious denominations.
Careers with Chinese Characteristics
China’s continued development and the growing interconnection between the United States and China are allowing Harvard students to consider new, high-impact career paths involving China.
Welcome to East Point?
President Faust and the Harvard Gazette seem intent on introducing Harvard’s undergraduates to the military by framing ROTC—and the military—in a uniformly positive light.
American Pastimes
Even if no presidential or congressional candidate suits your tastes, voting for someone (vote for Big Bird if you must; he’s had a rough year) sends the message that your demographic is engaged with the government.
Bitter Pills
FDA inefficacy is but a particular instance of an endemic culture of corruption that has infected nearly every governmental agency inside the Beltway.
Nobel, Noble No More
The Nobel Peace Prize increasingly seems like less of a clearly defined concept and more of a random lottery, and that’s truly a shame.
Preeminent Domain
If you were unaware that Harvard is legally exempt from eminent domain, you are not alone. Few know about Harvard’s special status in the Massachusetts Constitution, and fewer remember the times when Harvard has invoked it.
The Insensibility of Early Voting
Voting used to be an act of community. Neighbors came together in unity to elect their leaders. Now, as citizens treat their ballots as unfortunate pieces of mail on their to-do lists, it is increasingly becoming an act of insouciance.
Homeless in Harvard Square
It is easy to scoff at the excuses that some homeless use to wring some money out of you. However, there may be more to their claims than most of us give them credit for.
Pills Over Progress
ADD doesn’t go away, although it can sometimes become less severe if the patient spends years practicing organizational skills and strengthening their mental capabilities. This is extremely taxing, but it also teaches larger lessons.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Two Unlikely Case Studies
The organization sent a team of trained mental health practitioners and social workers to the new country to begin training for organizations and the government on how to cope with PTSD and GBV.
God Bless Drones
These strikes are not only wiping out threats, but they are also preventing present insurgent forces from organizing themselves effectively.
Literary Agency
Each year, many Harvard students with literary interests come up against this cultural type. It’s the purest form of the “passion versus paycheck” dilemma: Do I do what I love for no money, or do I go after a more lucrative but so-called “soulless” career path?