In November 2004, a 26 year-old Dutch-Moroccan man named Mohammed Bouyeri ambushed filmmaker Theo Van Gogh as he rode his bike to work. Bouyeri shot the filmmaker eight times with a handgun and attempted to decapitate him with a large knife. Death was the sentence Van Gogh earned for directing a movie ...
Each election year, an overenthusiastic media tries to convince us that a single verbal slip-up can destroy a Presidential campaign. Gaffes are reported endlessly, featured in attack ads, defended and debated, only to retreat from the limelight and be forgotten come Election Day. This year has featured ...
Although cheating at Middlebury sometimes feels like a non-issue — or at least, a non-discussed issue — last month’s events at Harvard have sparked an important conversation. In its biggest case of cheating in recent memory, Harvard announced in late August that it was investigating over 100 ...
I am proud to say that I have discovered the best kept secret on campus. A new panini to be made at Proctor? No. An uncovered secret society? No. Give up? Some people in this situation would say “I would tell you, but I would have to kill you.” But, don’t worry, I will be generous. Drum roll ...
Time in general and, more specifically, here at Middlebury, is valuable. Never was this more apparent than as I sat in the news office in the early hours of Tuesday morning, contemplating the multitude of tasks in the coming day, Campus-related and otherwise. Everywhere you look people are running toward ...
The day that Barack Obama became the nation’s first African American President is one that will forever live in our history books. Many Americans felt a sense of pride due to our ugly history filled with slavery, discrimination and hatred towards African Americans and many other minority groups. Even ...
When endorsing a candidate for Student Co-Chair of Community Council (SCOCC), it is essential to define the position within the context of the college community. What does this student, a representative elected by peers, actually have the power to do? At first glance, the answer appears somewhat discouraging. ...
Before I begin, remember that I write this with the utmost love for the College and its athletics programs. We need a new mascot. There is nothing about the panther that's specific to Middlebury or to Vermont. There is nothing about the panther that's specific to anything, really. According to Wikipedia, ...
In a routine conversation with my grandmother last year, I mentioned that I was considering adding a women's and gender studies (WAGS) major to my already-declared history major. I thought – given my grandmother's thoroughly feminist background as an astronomy professor who sued her university ...
It was 1987. After a 14-2 regular season, the New York Giants advanced to the Super Bowl. After a hard-fought game, they finally won their first-ever Super Bowl, defeating the Broncos in a 39-20 victory. After the game, Phil Simms of the Giants coined a phrase that is now common currency in the land ...
In just 50 days, millions of Americans will head to the polls to choose the nation's next president. They will line up to exercise the right that is theirs by virtue of citizenship. In doing so, they will fulfill that fundamental civic duty so vital to the health of our democracy. For many of us, this ...
As I made my way down Route 7 last week, I couldn't help letting my eyes wander occasionally. At first, the seemingly endless fields of corn caught my attention. However, my gaze quickly advanced towards the thin line separating the crest of the Green Mountains from the sky. On my way to campus, each ...
Last fall, a few classmates and I spent a lot of time on a project that tried to identify why Vermonters seem particularly predisposed towards involvement in environmentalism. It was a continuation of a series of studies by [Professor of Economics] Jon Isham and [Stafford Professor of Public Policy] ...
In last week's "The Elephant in the Room" column, Ben Kinney '15 offered a litany of what he perceived to be the failures of the Obama presidency. He claimed that the President's re-election campaign "no longer [inspires] hope" and that the man "lacks the foresight necessary to properly lead this ...
What's so bad about feminism? Feminism. Does this word scare you? Is it off-putting to you when others identify as feminists? Let's talk about it. Shouldn't it be a problem that feminism has turned into a dirty word, particularly among our 18-24 year-old age group? Well, I think it's a shame and I'm ...
Last semester, prior to final exams, a professor of mine surprised the class by providing each student with two mix CDs. A sweet gesture – we now all had new jams to carry us through our ten-page research paper and gut-wrenching three-hour final exam. But, really, why had he taken the time? Although ...
In the beginning of August, I found myself with no job, no place to live and, somewhat unexpectedly, no boyfriend. Was this my welcome into this mystifying time period known as the "Super Senior Feb semester?" Having one class a week while my graduated friends observed Ramadan in Tunisia and started ...
During the health and wellness presentation of my freshmen orientation three years ago, 500 other first-year students and I were given two memorable pieces of advice to get us through our first few weeks at Middlebury. First, we were encouraged to aim for a seven on a ten-point scale of appetite. That ...
Just a few months ago, when I was still a senior at Middlebury, I felt pretty cool. I had a really loud best friend. Sophomores re-tweeted me a lot. I ate with intimidating people in Atwater, and we pretty much monopolized off-campus parties (at least for anyone who'd heard the word "Alpenglow"). ...
Like those Hollywood sequels that never live up to the originals, President Obama's re-election vision outlined at the Democratic National Convention appeared flat compared to the optimistic, inspiring and defined rallying cries of 2008. The goals of last week's speeches were, firstly, to unite Democrats ...