It’s a given that presidential primary seasons are rarely interesting. They’re like an ignored younger sibling compared to the November presidential elections.
I would like to tell you a true story. It’s about a failed democracy where the winner takes all and politics are reduced to fights between two opposite parties. Its people come to think the two parties represent something universal — transcending time and space, somehow existing in every democracy at every time.
If you have followed my columns in this newspaper during the past year, chances are you’ve caught one of several written in support of embryonic stem cell research. This passion of mine is the result of another cause I have supported for 15 years — diabetes research.
There’s been a lot of talk recently about “change” in government. It seems that every presidential candidate — whether a Democrat or Republican — has incorporated the word into his or her campaign in some way.
Picking a candidate is kind of like buying a used car. If the prices were the same, what would you buy: The attractive-looking sports car with transmission trouble or the beat-up clunker that runs great?
February is Black History Month. It is important to honor the contributions that blacks have made to this country. It also is important that we take time to reflect on how far this nation has come since the time of slavery and the Civil Rights Movement. I think it’s wonderful that we have a month dedicated to black history, but it bothers me that there is a need for it.
When I read about the death of Hollywood star Heath Ledger on the cover of Tuesday’s New York Times, I was shocked. Ledger’s death was not only a tragedy to his family, but also devastating to all of his fans who, like myself, are no doubt incredibly hurt by the loss of a man who made such amazing contributions to society.
I like my heart. We’ve been together for more than two decades now and have become quite close. Inseparable, really.
There they were. The most adorable shoes I’d ever seen for only $5 — regular price: $25. I had to have them. Then the guilt set in because I had promised myself I wasn’t going to buy anything, but I did anyway.
“Untraceable,” a film that comes out Friday, has an interesting premise — a serial killer uses www.killwithme.com to stream a live video of his victims being killed. Every visitor to the Web site triggers a reaction that gradually kills the victim — the more people watching, the faster he or she dies.
Let’s crawl into the conspiracy cave. Here the enforcers double as the enablers, two problems are solved with a single solution and the city of East Lansing is encouraging drunken driving.
Tucker Max is dirty. He’s sexually explicit, he engages in an extreme amount of premarital sex, and he exploits it all on his Web site, TuckerMax.com.
Who wouldn’t like a candidate who preaches from the heart and refuses to pander to special interest groups? Someone who takes ideologically consistent positions that defy political convention? Someone who is supported by a loyal cadre of grassroots followers?
Come on. Don’t be shy. You might have noticed our almost nonexistent letters to the editor section that’s only sputtered out a few readers’ opinions so far this semester.
Solve for X. For some students, this phrase is a glimpse into the past. Maybe they fulfilled their mathematics requirement for their major and never looked back.
My greatest fear is rape. In light of last semester’s progression of attacks on campus, the topic is worth addressing — not only for its relevance but also for its complex connection to what dictates our everyday choices and behaviors.
The Republican Party’s favorite buzzword is “terrorism,” and during the Republican debates and Iowa caucus nothing changed. It’s a hollow political tool to score votes, but in recent weeks, even I realized terrorism is a real problem. That’s right, I finally came around. However, unlike President George W. Bush and most of the presidential nominees, I believe Americans can fight terrorism individually, as both citizens and consumers.
2007 may be remembered as the year religious criticism went mainstream. Books highly critical of faith and credulity enjoyed startling sales, with many becoming bestsellers. These books sparked a national conversation on the danger of irrational beliefs and further undermined an already eroding level of religious conviction.
There’s nothing like politics to ruin a pleasant New Year’s Eve party. I suppose it might have had more to do with the tipsy and drunk friends of a friend who were suddenly stricken with “the greatest political epitome” ever.
Unfortunately, the disaster that has become the Michigan primary is emblematic of the larger problems in the process of how Americans elect their presidents. Michigan Democrats will be able to choose from only Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., former Sen. Mike Gravel, D-Alaska, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, or “uncommitted” in the meaningless Jan. 15 Michigan Democratic primary.