Column

The Academy Awards reflected this year’s culture in a typical political fashion Following the results of the presidential election, this year’s awards season saw many celebrities taking advantage of the spotlight to speak out against America’s divided political climate and its leader, President Trump. In early January, Meryl Streep made headlines when she used her […]

The environmental movement can take advantage of its lost political power Environmentalists have good reason to be sullen these days. This dear planet is tumbling unimpeded towards phosphorous depletion, ocean acidification, warmer climate and mass extinction. Developing countries are unable to tackle high birth rates and inefficient resource use. Our country, with the world’s largest […]

New HIV, AIDS treatment has broad implications for health care A research team at the University of Nebraska Medical Center recently discovered a new pathway to open cell storage areas in the body to store antiviral drugs. The breakthrough, which uses LASER ART technology (long-acting slow effective release antiretroviral therapy), could revolutionize the way we […]

How companies are staking out a political stance in their ads You only need to watch this year’s Super Bowl commercials to see that product ads have become increasingly political, particularly to speak out against President Trump. Corporations seized one of sport’s biggest stages to let their political preference be known. Considering that CBS charges […]

A new lawsuit aims to strip crucial funds from teachers unions Teachers unions are threatened once again thanks to a new lawsuit that aims to eliminate “agency fees,” a crucial source of funding that unions often make mandatory for non-members they represent. If the lawsuit were to succeed, teachers unions would lose a significant amount […]

The current administration poses a unique threat to American public education Betsy DeVos’s narrow confirmation as Secretary of Education, in which Vice President Mike Pence had to step in to break a tie, has stirred up unexpected controversy for a position that has historically been confirmed without much opposition. As a department considered less important […]

Orwell’s vision of a dystopian regime has become a bestseller after Trump’s election Kellyanne Conway, one of President Donald Trump’s chief advisors, went on NBC’s “Meet the Press” just two days after the inauguration to give an interview. When reporter Chuck Todd asked about White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s false claim about Trump attracting […]

A discussion impossible to ignore in a racially-minded society Police shootings, ethno-nationalism and political correctness have pushed the ugly issue of race back into the national limelight. 61 percent of Americans in 2016 acknowledged widespread racism against African Americans, and 41 percent perceived the same against whites. Observation has come with an ugly side effect […]

Bringing back conscription would restrain social inequality and military recklessness In today’s political climate, there are few opinions that 85 percent of Americans share. Revulsion towards a military draft is a rare consensus. Conscription is branded in the American conscience as an unfair, unwise and undemocratic practice, largely due to the events of the 1960s, […]

The traditionally secular nation is facing new challenges from fundamentalists Early in the morning on Jan. 22, the Islamic Center of Davis was vandalized. Windows were smashed and strips of bacon were left on door handles with the intent of intimidating the Muslim community, seeing as pork is a forbidden meat in Islam. This incident […]

How Saturday Night Live is changing the face of political commentary It all started with a beauty pageant. In 1966, billionaire Donald Trump bought the Miss Universe Organization, which includes the Miss USA, Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants. Since 1960, these all aired on CBS; that is, until Trump decided that he was […]

Short tales of love and loss from Aggie editors Scott Dresser — Editor-in-Chief Today is the worst I had dinner with my cat At least there’s Netflix   Ellie Dierking — Managing Editor Valentine’s? Who cares. It’s girl scout cookie season. Thin mints: here I come.   Alyssa Vandenberg — Campus News Editor Nothing better […]