Capital punishment: not a topic most people tend to dwell on. We do not like to think of the infamous cocktail that ends inmates’ lives, the drugs that have the ability to stop a pulse in minutes.
But what happens when we try to alter this cocktail? Do we worry about the inmates or is this a topic we do not touch?
The recent column by Chris Benevento, “The Cold War is Over” [Jan. 16], is dismaying in its dizzying level of irresponsible journalism. The column maintains that the general criticism in regards to the Winter Olympics being held in Russia is due to the Cold War mentality of baby boomers, as it suggests that these individuals are “stuck between Stalin and the Cold War.”
In the last part of 2013, Northeastern’s adjunct professors began a push to unionize, citing low pay and lack of job security and benefits among other grievances. The part-time faculty’s complaints are valid, but their effort to join Service Employees International Union (SEIU) could ultimately prove detrimental to the university and its students.
As the hype surrounding the Winter Olympics rises to a fever pitch, so too does the criticism of the location of the games this year – Russia. It seems as though American baby boomers are still stuck somewhere between Stalin and the Cold War on the country’s timeline.
In the coming weeks, Boston’s new mayor Martin J. Walsh, who took over the helm at City Hall Monday from Boston’s long-time patriarch Thomas M. Menino, is sure to present plenty of ideas to address the city’s most pressing problems. How the Walsh administration addresses Boston’s overburdened housing stock could have a very direct effect on Boston college students.
Cannabis, marijuana, weed, pot. Give it any name you would like. It is a drug talked about every day with the everlasting debate over whether it should be legalized. Across the country, it has created tension between federal and state laws as some jurisdictions are loosening up to its use.
While final exams address the degree to which students remember the information taught to them in the course, they don’t ensure long-term effectiveness.
We see planes, trains and automobiles as constant means of travel – safe bets that are just a part of the modern world. But recent events begs the question: Is it possible that we have begun to take for granted the danger that still comes with traveling?
The Senior Gift Drive is a way for Northeastern’s graduating classes to give back to the university. I see it as a way to inspire someone to come to this incredible institution and pursue his or her dreams. Dreams that, for me, have been made possible by Northeastern University.
Blame it on the recession, blame it on global warming, blame it on the war – whatever you choose to blame it on, we have become a nation obsessed with practicality and precision. Everything needs to be 100 percent efficient and necessary all the time. Anything but is simply an inconvenience.
