Opinion

---

Free speech threatened worldwide

The recent attack of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo at the hands of religious fanatics has sent many into a frenzy extolling the merits of a free press. That so many of us regard the right to an open press as a fundamental tenet of society has been laid bare in our incredulity at those who would extinguish the torch of free expression and dictate the parameters of permissible thought. In their march through Paris in the wake of the attack, a myriad of the world’s leaders affirmed that those who value liberty over tyranny would not submit to the demands of terrorists. 

Super Bowl ads stray from the norm, tackle social issues

Has anyone used JUBLIA toe fungus remover? If you watched Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday night, you might have seen the corny cartoon commercial for the JUBLIA toe fungus remover among other commercials. Along with half the population of the world, I watch the Super Bowl purely for the commercials. I love the ones that make me laugh and I love the ones that make me cry.

ISIS's number one export: fear

Transnational terrorism has haunted us for many years, yet the current crisis with ISIS is quickly becoming one of the most unique cases we have witnessed so far. ISIS is one of the most dangerous and powerful terrorist groups in the globe, but how does it continue to exist and to trap us in fear? The political theorist Hannah Arendt once said, “Fear is an emotion indispensable for survival.” We should be able to use fear for the purpose of survival. In order to do so, we need to dig deeper.

Letter to the Editor: Walker falls short on teacher training

Dear Governor Walker,

Take a break from winter break and think about school

The transition from a relaxing winter break back into the seemingly indefinite schedule of constant work and exhaustion is never a simple task. As I am a naïve freshman this year, I originally predicted the four weeks spanning from Christmas through mid-January to be far too short of a break. After all, I had been in college for an entire semester, dragging myself out of bed to my 9:55 a.m. classes, always worried if my schedule would overlap with that of the custodians who cleaned my bathroom for me every day in my residence hall, having to pick out what vegetables would go in my omelet at Gordon’s, so on and so on. In my mind, one month would simply not be enough time to recover from all of these stressful freshmen woes.

Stay warm with human connection

People living in Wisconsin get used to the chilly weather, but we still feel cold no matter how many times we experience harsh winters. According to a 2008 report, “Cold and Lonely” by Chen-Bo Zhong and Geoffrey J. Leonardelli from the University of Toronto, It might be true, though, that feeling cold is enhanced by social exclusion, not the winter chill itself. The report mainly focuses on two experiments; one is about social exclusion makeing people feel colder than they really are. Participants who felt socially excluded gave lower estimates of the room temperature by a median of 2.58 points. 

College is difficult, chorus of complaints unneccesary

In middle school and high school, the state and your parents forced you to attend school and do your homework. Completing the basic 12 years of schooling has become a norm and whether you liked it or not, you were expected to maintain fairly good grades and graduate with a high school diploma. Along with taking classes, you were a part of many extracurricular activities and had to deal with countless instances of petty drama. So, it’s safe to say that this was an extremely stressful time and there were enough things to complain about. I think it was justifiable to complain that you had a lab report, three papers and a research report all due Monday, as well as not having first hour open like you really wanted. You were trying to deal with your situation and venting was, and is, an appropriate way to deal with this.

Walker's higher office hope has grounds

Well, it’s official. I mean, maybe it’s kind of official. Scott Walker is running for President. This should come as a surprise to no one who has been paying attention to the Governor over the past few months, whose rhetoric and travel schedule has been littered with higher office hopes. Today’s news begs a question, though: can he do it? Does he have the political power to become the Republican nominee? Short answer: absolutely he does.

Liberals: Go back to the drawing boards

The recent murders of satirists in France have awakened the world to how seriously religious extremism threatens the principle of free speech. Now, liberals need to capitalize on this awakening with messages that reflect the critical need to preserve this basic human right in pressing times. Sure, the word “capitalize” may initially come across as hypocritical, particularly when many liberals favor a system of socialism (for legitimate reasons, in my opinion), but these ideologies are not motivated by any profit, nor any prophet. Don’t get me wrong—my heart bleeds as much as Jane Fonda’s circa 1972, however, I have come to terms that as liberals, we often find ourselves in a community with too many soapboxes and not enough…soap consumers? (I would say “too many Chiefs and not enough Indians,” but I wouldn’t want to be on the same level as the Washington Redskins). 

Dump the second semester slump

There is no set definition to describe the difference between first semester and second semester. When trying to craft my own definition I searched the very trustworthy site of Urban Dictionary only to find this definition: “Pertaining to the students in their second semester of the school year, it is the act of doing poorly on one’s assignment, paper and or tests. This does not just go for schoolwork, can be done in all facets of life also.”

More money more health care problems

Everything in the world has some consequences. Today, our world is moving fast; the speed of economic boom in many developing nations is amazing. Unfortunately, there are some negative consequences of this economic progress. One of those is the increase of chronic illness in those countries.

Je suis Charlie, je suis free speech

News reports over winter break provided a flurry of headlines worth talking about, from the CIA torture report, gasoline prices falling to the lowest they’ve been in six years and President Obama restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba. All of these events possess a high level of significance, but none more-so than the terror attack in Paris Jan. 7 when two gunmen wearing masks and wielding assault weapons killed 12 people. Their target? A cartoon newspaper named Charlie Hebdo that prints satirical cartoons depicting the Muslim prophet Muhammad. 

Students should not overlook well-being during finals

For those Badgers who feel that the stress caused by their workloads is akin not to that of the typical college student but the most beleaguered, overworked airplane pilots, any break from studying may be perceived as an impediment to ensuring readiness for a final test or essay. However, even though stress is an implicit part of most college students’ academic experiences, knowing when to take a break from studying is an important part of maintaining mental and physical health. In hearing and observing people’s attitudes toward studying, I’ve realized that many students are wont to follow an academic orthodoxy that holds hunkering down for hours on end as the optimal way to guarantee success in the classroom. To be honest, many workloads do require hours of focus and dedication if one wishes to do well. Nevertheless, work habits that consistently forgo exercise and relaxation breaks in favor of uninterrupted studying run the risk of intensifying the stress caused by coursework and increasing the likelihood of illness. 

Rockets to riots: A look back at 2014

As 2014 draws to a close, we should take time to remember the important events that shook us, scared us and filled us with wonder. 

Travel to discover yourself and the world

Ernesto Campos is an organic farmer living in Camarones, Ecuador. There, he and his wife, Carmen, manage over 60 acres of cropland, harvesting varieties of limes, sugar cane, jackfruit, yucca, cacao, bananas and countless other sorts of tropical produce. A section of the Camarones River, run thick with algae and polluted by neighbors’ pesticide and manure runoff from nearby pastures, runs on the north side of Ernesto’s property. Ernesto gets his water daily from this source and refuses to treat it—by boiling, filtering or with iodine—before drinking it. He says that treating the water makes it “dead.” It’s drinking “living” water that has made him strong—and keeps him an able-bodied farmer at the age of 78.

Supreme Court to drop fresh verse on First Ammendment track

Put on your party hats because oral arguments are in full swing at the Supreme Court. I love this time of year. It’s an all out jurisprudential bash filled with judicial supremacy, strict scrutiny and a delicious side of the sweet and sassy Ruth Bader Ginsburg. This term should be an interesting one, with the court taking on a host of different issues, despite their avoidance of the same-sex marriage question. One case that particularly caught my eye, however, is that of Elonis v. United States. 

U.S. military problems outline pressing global issues

Police killings show social disconnect

Japanese job hunt exhausts graduates

Starting a new job is an exciting and anxious moment. Even though there are a lot of things to learn and remember, people are filled with the feeling that they are able to create their own future when they start their jobs. This is particularly true at your first postgraduate job because that job has influence on all your later jobs as well.

Pampered homecoming does not meet expectations

After watching the Nov. 22 episode of “Saturday Night Live,” I was curious to see if the hilarious and catchy skit “Back Home Baller” was true to Thanksgiving break (pause reading here if you have not seen the video and watch it). As a freshman, I had always watched my older sister come back from college with stories and leave with leftovers. In the SNL skit the lyrics say, “I’m a back home baller, if I want something I just holler. I do what I want and I get what I want cause my parents miss their daughter!” I wondered if the situation would be the same for my Thanksgiving break.