Less than a day after Kim Jong-un made his New Year’s Day address, in which he suggested the possibility of North Korea’s participation in the Pyeongchang Winter Games, President Moon Jae-in of South Korea accepted the offer with seeming alacrity. At the Opening Ceremonies, the world watched—marvelled, perhaps—as the two Koreas marched together under one […]
Archives for April 2018
CRISPR, Scientific Discovery, and Women Rewriting History
What if we had the power to rewrite precise portions of DNA, the universal language of biology? The implications would be far-reaching; editing this code would change how we think about crops, disease, and bioethics among a multitude of other fields. Thanks to a scientific tool developed by Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier, this power […]
South China Sea Series: Vietnam
One of the most important regions of the world, the South China Sea is a site of conflict between six competing nations: China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Brunei. Recent years witnessed a steady increase in tension, as China began its expansionist agenda, building military bases in many of the disputed islands. Numerous policy […]
Jane the Virgin Knows How to Talk About Sex
Note: This article contains spoilers for all four seasons of Jane the Virgin. In season four, episode ten of Jane the Virgin, protagonist Jane and her grandmother walk into a sex shop. As Alba (Jane’s grandmother, played by Puerto Rican actress Ivonne Coll) glances from the handcuffs to the edible underwear on display, the look […]
The College Cultural Allowance
This past fall, 12.6 million full-time students, approximately 1.9 percent of the population, were expected to attend colleges and universities across the United States. This group is comprised of the most curious and intellectually engaged individuals in the United States; college-aged students are interested in the surrounding world and are actively seeking out new knowledge. […]
Brockhampton and Kevin Abstract Address Homophobia in Rap Head-On
In December 2017, YFN Lucci dropped “Boss Life” featuring Offset, a member of the Atlanta-based rap trio known as Migos. Many fans criticized Offset’s verse for being inappropriate, referring to one particular line: “Pinky ring crystal clear, 40k spent on a private Lear / 60k solitaire / I cannot vibe with queers,” he raps. In […]
North and South Korea: An Olympic Truce?
The tension between the United States and North Korea, which has left the world on edge over the past few months, seems to have taken a shocking yet welcome turn toward a potential resolution. On March 23rd, South Korean officials confirmed that North Korea agreed to hold high-level talks in the coming weeks. Moreover, President […]
Why I Marched
On Saturday, March 24, I was honored to participate in Brunswick, Maine’s March For Our Lives. Hundreds of peaceful protestors of all ages gathered on the town commons, demanding reform of gun control laws. We marched with colorful signs and chants such as “Hey hey, ho ho! The NRA has got to go!” My personal […]
Conservation in Patagonia
“The word ‘Patagonia’, like Mandalay or Timbuctoo, has lodged itself in our imagination as a metaphor for The Ultimate, the point beyond which one could not go” ~ Bruce Chatwin The Story In January of 2018, Kristine Tompkins and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet officially declared the creation of two new national parks in Chilean Patagonia. […]