Even the Environment is Racist: How Pollution Affects People of Color

After World War II, the United States began conducting nuclear tests in the Pacific Ocean. The second test resulted in the radioactive contamination of hundreds of Navy ships. In an attempt to decontaminate these ships, the Navy moved them to a lab in the Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco, where the military would deep […]

Episode 4: “Trouble in the East China Sea” with Rintaro Nishimura

Listen and subscribe to our podcast: Via Spotify | Via Apple Podcasts This week, Max talks with Rintaro Nishimura, one of the co-managing editors at NUPR, about the tensions between China and Japan over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. They explore the history of these islands as well as recent actions taken by Japan and […]

Good versus Equal: An Analysis of the Globalization Paradox

Success in the era of globalization is often presented as requiring total economic liberalization, or the lessening of government regulations to promote private entities. Dr. Thomas Friedman argues that for countries to develop rapidly, governments must adopt the “golden straitjacket,” where states make free-market reforms to join the broader economic system. Countries are at the […]

Israel’s Cat-astrophe and Its Impact on Wildlife

This started out as an inside joke.  As I packed for my spring break trip to Israel, I asked my closest friends and family what they wanted as souvenirs. One said, “a cat that speaks Hebrew.”  When I reached my first tourist spot—an ancient grave—I spotted a stray. “Do you speak?” I joked as I […]

What Global Principled Disobedience Means

In The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen represents a covert rebel alliance attempting to topple a repressive regime. When the series was adapted for the big screen, it became a pop culture phenomenon and helped catapult its leading actress, Jennifer Lawrence, to stardom. It also became a symbol of massive anti-government resistance in Thailand. After General […]

Saying Goodbye to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

It was probably not the way he imagined it would go down.  On August 28, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced he would step down due to health reasons. This came as a shock to many, considering it was just days after he broke the record for the longest uninterrupted tenure as the nation’s leader.  […]

Episode 3: “Death by Overwork” with Beza Zenebe

Listen and subscribe to our podcast: Via Spotify | Via Apple Podcasts This week, Max talks with Beza Zenebe, one of the co-managing editors at NUPR, about confounding problem of overwork in Japan and the rest of the world. We discuss why western media often fixates on overwork in Japan and discuss some potential solutions. […]

Senate Republicans’ Misguided, Last-Ditch China Strategy

In April, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) distributed a fifty-seven page memo titled, “Corona Big Book.” Its message was simple. “China caused this pandemic by covering it up, lying, and hoarding the world’s supply of medical equipment,” the memo reads. “China is an adversary that has stolen millions of American jobs, sent fentanyl to […]

Live Art in a Pandemic: The Federal Government’s Responsibility to Theatre

For as long as we have existed, humans have created theatre. There is no universal definition, but the word “theatre” comes from the Greek verb “theasthai,” meaning to behold. It’s a place where an audience comes together to watch a live performance. This storytelling tool has been present in every country and culture throughout history.  […]

Bust or Bust: The Future of Boston’s Christopher Columbus Statue

Who deserves to be a statue? Recently, activists around the world have answered this question with “not a murderer”—a statue of slave owner Edward Colston was thrown into a river in Bristol, UK; a confederate statue was hung in Raleigh, North Carolina; and Boston’s very own Christopher Columbus statue was beheaded. Columbus’s statue was until […]