The Basics On October 8, 2019, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for three cases that will impact the lives of LGBT people across the United States. The cases will determine whether the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans employment discrimination on the basis of sex, also extends to […]
Humanity’s propensity for unbridled technological advancement has pushed us ever closer to the edge of a cliff. The industrial revolution riddled us with greenhouse gas emissions, and the Manhattan Project brought us to the brink of nuclear devastation more than once. Our powerful painkillers—once touted as a cure for debilitating chronic pain—are now one of […]
Originally published March 2017 As the confirmation hearings for President Trump’s cabinet nominees continue, so does Democratic opposition to his candidates. During the debate on whether to confirm Jeff Sessions as Attorney General on Tuesday, February 7th, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren attempted to read a letter written in 1986 by Coretta Scott King, wife of […]
Originally published January 2017 It would seem that American government officials have never been more accessible to the public than they are today. With the invention of Twitter, Facebook, email, and various other avenues of online connection, reaching out to your representatives has never been easier. The convenience of social media constructs the appearance that […]
On November 2, 1972, Monty Python aired their seminal sketch “Argument Clinic,” in which a man enters said clinic seeking, as hard as it may be to believe, an argument. The receptionist directs him to a room where the inexplicably named Mr. Vibrating awaits him. The man asks whether he’s in the right room; Mr. […]
Within the next few decades, rising sea levels will displace millions of people. Extreme weather events, including increased flooding and drought, will kill millions; already, climate change causes more than 400,000 deaths per year. Government policies and social change are necessary to limit the worst effects of climate change. However, especially given the anti-climate policies […]
In 1988, Victor Salva, the director of Clownhouse, was convicted of sexual assault. His victim was Nathan Forrest Winters, a 12-year-old actor. After 15 months in prison, Salva returned to the director’s chair, working with Disney on the movie Powder.[1] This garnered serious backlash, as parents were outraged that Disney, a children’s entertainment company, would […]
Northeastern University is now home to the “single most beautiful building” in Boston.[1] In February, the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex (ISEC) received the 2018 Harleston Parker Medal, the highest honor from the Boston Society of Architects.[2] The $225 million “innovation ecosystem” opened in 2017 and has been described by Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun […]
While the prevailing perception of pigs among most urban white-collar workers may revolve around a cute, fun-loving ball of fur, the same animal represents pollution, environmental harm, and food injustice for many rural communities of color. In North Carolina, for example, the hog population has more than doubled in recent decades—from 2.8 million in 1990 […]
On January 1, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled plans for the “Select Committee on Climate Crisis.”[1] Chaired by Rep. Kathy Castor of Florida, the committee will research and develop recommendations on strategies and policies to make permanent reductions in pollution and other contributors to the climate crisis. Yet arguably the most vocal politician on climate […]
