Ramadan is about righteousness. Ramadan is about learning to empathize with the suffering of others. Ramadan is about stripping down the material parts of yourself to bring forth kindness and devotion. Ramadan is about family.
As a person who prides herself on having a strong vocabulary, I have always had a particular interest in unusual adjectives. Some of my favorites include pompous, effervescent and volatile. In the past three years of my college career, the term interdisciplinary has loomed large, particularly since my studies combine two very different disciplines: Biology and communications.
Last week’s Brexit vote was sharply divided: 52 percent of U.K. residents voted to leave the European Union, while 48 percent voted to remain. It’s worth noting the demographic discrepancies. More young people voted to remain; older citizens voted to leave. More educated people voted to remain; those with lower levels of education voted to leave.
There is no way this column could be focused on anything but the tragedy in Orlando.
When 49 people are murdered and 53 more are injured at an LGBTQA+ club for nothing more than existing at the wrong place at the wrong time, all other topics and problems and discussions fall to the wayside. This was the deadliest shooting in United States history, and not writing about it would be almost disrespectful.
But what is there to say?
Last Saturday saw thousands celebrating LGBTQA+ pride at City Hall Plaza, despite spitting rain and a handful of wildly outnumbered protesters ordering the celebrators to repent and give up their sinful lifestyles. Rainbow balloon arches and colorful outfits outshined the gray day.
About two months ago, when I was getting ready to register for fall classes and face the fact that my co-op couldn’t last forever, I stumbled upon a journalism elective titled “Climate Change Communication, Energy Politics and Journalism.” As an aspiring scientific communicator, I was immediately intrigued and emailed the professor, Matthew Nisbet, asking for a class description. Nisbet, who is the editor-in-chief of the Oxford Encyclopedia of Climate Change Communication and therefore an established climate communication expert, described how the class, if it ran, would use a combination of writing and discussion to address controversies like nuclear power and climate change denial.
On April 28 of this year, President Barack Obama proclaimed May to be Mental Health Awareness Month in the US. As it was established in 1949 by the National Mental Health Association, May 2016 saw the 67th annual spotlight on mental illness.
When I was in elementary school, I had a wonderful friend named Lucy, who was and is a prolific jokester. We were hanging out in Lucy’s room one day, probably reading Seventeen magazine or watching “America’s Next Top Model,” when I noticed some wooden block letters on Lucy’s dresser that read “LUC.” I inquired about where the Y in her name was and why there wasn’t a block for that letter.
While Trump’s stance on immigration absolutely deserves questioning and scrutiny, an executive-mandated increase in deportations would be nothing new for this country: Under the Obama administration, the number of people ejected from this country through legal proceedings, collectively known as “removals,” has drastically increased.
