In the past few days, I have read headline after headline detailing the damaging effects of Hurricane Sandy on the New York metropolitan area. Millions are still without power and dozens have been killed; countless homes and businesses have been destroyed. In scanning through the headlines, however, ...
I came into Peter Beinart’s lecture last Thursday night feeling very nervous. Mr. Beinart, a modern Orthodox Jew and author of The Crisis of Zionism, has received ample criticism from both the left and right on his view of the Middle East peace process, and is a controversial figure in the Jewish ...
The potential for an Israeli-Iranian conflict has been boiling for some time, notably escalating in recent days. A military factory in Sudan (one of Iran’s allies) was “mysteriously” bombed this month, and Israel was immediately blamed. Israel, in turn, suspiciously made no comment — this would ...
The past three months of travel on the Watson Foundation’s ticket has been the most phenomenally humbling, addictive, complicated, joyful experience of my life. I pause my travels to write you now only to do my part to ensure that you appreciate what is at stake here, which is nothing less than truth. From ...
I met my two best friends at a three week summer program about four years ago. Twenty-one days is all it took to develop close connections with them. I’ve seen my best friends fewer than 21 days since that summer. One of them lives in Virginia, the other in Taiwan. We have to communicate across state ...
Divestment is a tool that is best used as part of a broader movement towards a real-world goal. My goal is to keep the global temperature from rising two degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial temperature, an increment that was about the only thing global leaders could agree upon at the Copenhagen ...
“I can be fair and impartial.” Every member of the judicial board — academic or community — must say those words before each hearing commences. If last week’s Community Judicial Board hearing involving the Dalai Lama Welcoming Committee (DLWC) is any indication, however, certain members of ...
It’s hard to believe that it’s been three weeks since His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama graced us with his presence and dropped enlightenment bombs like it was his job for two glorious days. With that said, this column may seem a bit dated, but hey, I needed to get that election column out the other ...
I recently watched a film (pronounced “filum” in Ireland. I think the technical term for such an elaboration between two consonants is called a schwa, and if that doesn’t do something for you … ) titled The Guard; it comes with my highest recommendation and also a sufficient and heartening dose ...
The Community Judicial Board’s (CJB) recent decision to reprimand those students who were part of the Dalai Lama Welcoming Committee has undoubtedly sparked conversation within the College community. It seems as though much of the chatter surrounding the public hearing that took place last Thursday, ...
The Middlebury “bubble.” This phrase evokes an image of a fragile environment, easily popped by contact with other objects — from the inside or out. The “ivory tower.” Another metaphor used for the traditional liberal education that believes these four years of advanced study should take place ...
On Friday, Oct. 26 the Dalai Lama Welcoming Committee led a general assembly in the Warner Hemicycle. The above video presents parts of this discussion, as well as interviews with various participants.
Listen to the Campus' Will Henriques discuss JusTalks' with organizers Josh Swartz, Kate McCreary and Hudson Cavanagh. Alternatively, a video explanation from the group can be viewed above.
Within the next week, Americans will take to the polls and cast their votes for the country’s next president. Anticipation has been high across the country, and the atmosphere at Middlebury is no exception. One need only stop by Crossroads Café during one of the recent debates to appreciate the fact ...
Humans have a natural attraction to disaster. Often traffic gets bad after a car accident not because the accident didn’t get moved to the side quickly enough, but because we can’t look away. We often stare at dead animals in the road not because we want to, but because there’s a certain fascination ...
I am a proud Republican. But last week, I filled out my absentee ballot and voted for Gary Johnson, the Libertarian presidential candidate. When I first announced that I planned to vote for a third-party candidate, many of my friends were a little angry. “This may be the most important election of ...
President of the United States Barack Obama’s first term has not been the uninterrupted tale of disappointment and broken promises that the media, his opponents and even pessimistic liberals might have you believe. Obama promised to reform health care and subsequently passed a bill that will allow ...
Most people in the world who look at Middlebury College see a bastion of decency, fairness and social justice. Most people see Middlebury’s continued commitment to carbon neutrality amidst difficult economic conditions as evidence of an exceptional dedication to the future of our planet. Most people ...
With so much focus on the economy in this election cycle, much of the electorate has been paying little attention to foreign policy. However, with our College’s reputation as an internationally diverse institution, its strong international studies, foreign language programs and global activism on ...
This summer, I went a little Bible-crazy. It’s fine, you guys. I’m fine. I had no conversion experiences, no brush-with-death leaps of faith, no immaculate conceptions. I was neither saved nor born-again. The last time I went to church was once this summer, and I spent most of the time like ...