Occupy Boston: Is This What Democracy Looks Like?
“We are the 99%. And so are you!” “Show me what democracy looks like. This is what democracy looks like!” Across the street from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, protesters hold signs and recite chants denouncing Wall Street tycoons and the American political ruling class. Many call for an end to the war in […]
Film Review: We Are Egypt
Three months ago, the political conflict in Egypt appeared on people’s radars. The social and political turmoil that erupted in January 2011 was unexpected to say the least, and took its rightful place on the front page of every major media outlet around the world. Hearts went out to the struggling nation. Every outcry was […]
The Myth of the Muslim Women: The False Narrative of Salvation
On November 17, 2001, Laura Bush made an appeal to the American people to support the war in Afghanistan. In her speech, no link was made between the military operation in Afghanistan and the September 11th attacks. Instead, she called upon the American people to support an operation that would encompass the salvation of Afghan […]
The Syrian ‘Day of Rage’: A Revolution That Wasn’t
In a recent exclusive interview with the Wall Street Journal, President Bashar Al-Assad of Syria stated, “When there is divergence between your policy and the people’s beliefs and interests, you will have this vacuum that creates disturbance.” He also said that despite the similarities between Syria, Egypt, and Tunisia, Syrians were different because they had […]
Cricket: An Innovative Approach to Combat Terrorism
The comparison between sports and violence is far from a novel association. For hundreds of years under the Roman Empire violence was sport and sport was violence. Further, George Orwell wrote in a 1945 essay that sport is little more than “war minus the shooting.”[i] These comparisons can yield modern-day benefits for law enforcement and […]
Creative Commons: The GNU, and You
Over the centuries content producers have searched for ways of protecting their wares. From engraving names on sculpture, to scribing them on art, to the 21st-century development of Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology, these methods have only gotten more complex. The overarching idea behind all of the aforementioned methods, however, is a legal term known […]
Sarah Palin’s Alaska: More than a Campaign Ad
The Kardashians. The Duggars. The Gosselins. I had always wondered why anyone would want to watch the day-to-day lives of these families on their respective television shows. Even more puzzling to me is how viewers actually enjoy the experience. However, over the course of two months last winter, I had to take my foot out […]
Point-Counterpoint: Wikileaks, The Importance of Information Asymmetry: In Defense of Secrecy
Secrecy is a necessary part of government in the modern information age where an event can happen one moment and be reported to the whole world the next. According to former Assistant Director of Central Intelligence for Analysis Mark M. Lowenthal, secrecy is a essential for successful intelligence operations. Classified information collected and retained by […]
Point-Counterpoint: Wikileaks, Open the Vault: Against Government Secrecy
We are fashioned to accept truths, to conform to the narrative of our leaders. To question the authority or legitimacy of the powers that be can be dangerous. Most people accept the rules set out for them by government, even if they do not fully understand or see the supposed benefits of the social contract. […]
Big Girls Don’t Cry
Big Girls Don’t Cry: The Election That Changed Everything for American Women by Rebecca Traister is a thorough analysis of the roles women played in the groundbreaking election cycle of 2008. Traister examines the actions and impact of all the obvious participants, including Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and Michelle Obama, as well as those whose […]