One evening in November 1989, Western families sat in their living rooms to watch the Berlin Wall crumble. Twenty-six years later, the nations of Eastern Europe are still experiencing political evolution, though not as publicly as during the Cold War era. As a Romanian at Brown, I find myself watching ...
This is not the first column written about Donald Trump’s ascension in the polls, nor will it be the last. Despite his popularity most pollsters and pundits expect that Trump will fade once we get past the early primary states. But that argument has been over-analyzed, granted more than its fair share ...
About a week before I returned to Brown, I found myself driving while listening to FM radio for the first time since arriving home. I was really enjoying the song the station was playing until the chorus hit: “I’m so sick of that same old love, that shit, it tears me up / I’m so sick of that same ...
The sky gradually grew darker as we uncurled our chilled fingers to ring the doorbell of each house. The people of New Hampshire expected visitors on the days leading up to the primary, so most of the walkways were shoveled. The unshoveled walkways might have posed an unwelcoming message, but damp feet ...
This January, the Providence Student Union launched the #OurHistoryMatters campaign, with the primary goal of adding an ethnic studies course for all high school students in Providence to make the curriculum more culturally relevant. According to the school district, over 60 percent of Providence’s ...
I tried to stop caring about the Academy Awards when I began noticing that they often picked winners with which I didn’t agree at all. I decided that it didn’t matter whom the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided to honor and that the brilliant artists and beautiful works I admire ...
A doctor of mine once posed to me the following hypothetical: If you told an accountant, he posited, that continuing to serve in her line of work would, over the course of her career, lead to long-term health issues, would you expect the accountant to stop doing her job? The answer, of course, is unclear. ...
My phone cover is currently a quote that says, “Nothing will ruin your 20s more than thinking you should have your life together already.” Over the last couple months, I have constantly googled, “What should I do with my life?” and taken countless quizzes trying to figure out what the next move ...
It’s been two years since I struggled through college applications, but the phrase “Common App” still sends shivers down my spine. I am transported back to the horrors of the university search: the competition, crippling self-doubt and overwhelming uncertainty about the future. It seems melodramatic ...
You’re only a few days into shopping period, and you’re already tired. Your bag is overflowing with crumpled syllabi, your Banner course scheduler is an unnerving shade of red for almost every day of the week, and you can’t keep track of how many override codes you’ve requested. Clearly, you ...
While working for a political campaign over winter break, I was asked to research the young innovators that make up this year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 winners. The selection lists 600 of “the brightest young entrepreneurs, breakout talents and change agents” in 20 fields, from finance to Hollywood. ...
Toto, I don’t think we’re in Providence anymore. There’s no Dunkin’ Donuts to greet me in the Paris airport. As I step outside, I can’t help but wonder whether oddly shaped pastries will be the only difference that my newly developed American eye will pick up. Am I still the die-hard European ...
On a foggy day in Providence, I am running in a cloud along the East Bay Bike Path. The wind turbines to the west and Veterans Parkway to the east are obscured by the veil draped over the Providence River. Facing north, our downtown skyline has vaporized. A subtle combination of low temperature and ...
I feel guilty admitting this now, but last semester, when I learned that my parents were planning a trip during the first two weeks of winter break to visit relatives, I had mixed feelings. Yes, I really wanted to see my aunts, uncles and cousins, especially because I feel close to them but don’t ...
Words carry weight and have impact. Our generation’s vocabulary is a significant part of our culture, and everyone contributes. Words have history and baggage that are too often ignored. Meanings of words change, often incredibly slowly, so using a word now can mean that you are implicitly using all ...
Perhaps the quintessential image of a generation lost in technology is a crowd of concert-goers filming the performance on smartphones instead of experiencing the event. Indeed, it is frequently argued that technology distances us from the ever-glorified notion of “living in the moment,” and social ...
I have been feeling emotional pain for the past few days. It has gotten better, and I am confident that everything will be okay soon. But pain has been on my mind, and I will take this opportunity to discuss certain ideas that I have encountered that have helped me cope. Before I begin, I would like ...
On Nov. 19, the University released a draft document entitled “Pathways to Diversity and Inclusion: An Action Plan for Brown University.” Though the plan’s merits have been highly disputed, I give the University my most resounding plaudits for its unparalleled efforts to address every social injustice ...
On Sunday, Nov. 29, Kobe Bryant announced that he would retire from the NBA at the end of this season. Now in his 20th season, Bryant has multiple Finals MVP awards, five championship rings, 17 All-Star selections and a place in the record books as the third-most prolific scorer in the history of the ...
I still have strong feelings about the atrocities that took place in Paris on Nov. 13. To say that I feel deep sadness for the innocent people who have suffered, that I am disgusted and angry because people who claim to share my religion have committed such heinous acts of violence, that I am scared ...
Solutions by The State News
