Brandeis University's Community Newspaper — Waltham, Mass.
For years I had dreamed of going to India, the birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. My interest in world religions drew me to India. I had studied Gandhi and Mother Theresa, and I yearned for its rumored mysticism. I used to think of India as a medley of ashrams, Gandhi, yoga, ornate Hindu temples, […]
It was Friday night when I recalled the successful interview I had with one of the community health workers in Bhopal. That was five days and two cities ago. I was in Bangalore at this point and I still had two more cities to which I needed to travel. Somehow by the end of that […]
The re-opening of the Linsey Pool this week, after much fanfare, complete with Saturday’s planned pool party, represents a great success not only for Brandeis’ student activists but for intelligent and effective budgetary decision-making as well. The board of trustees announced the donation of the money to renovate the pool last spring, a decision that […]
While I was home in northern New Jersey for break, I was disturbed to see a few articles in The Star Ledger about anti-Semitic attacks on local synagogues. On Dec. 11, swastikas, white supremacy symbols and the graffiti saying “Jews did 9/11” were painted on Reconstructionist Temple Beth Israel in Maywood, N.J. On Dec. 20, […]
At the end of last year, a group of Ivy League-affiliated economists published a study discussing the relationship between “good” teachers, higher test scores and the future success of elementary and middle school students, titled “The Long Term Impact of Teachers: Teacher Value-Added and Student Outcomes in Adulthood.” Education is an undeniably important and complicated […]
Despite the joy of the holiday season, I cannot help but notice the burdening stress of holiday shopping. For some, it seems the entire season has been transformed from a time meant to be spent with family and friends to an insane frenzy of market-driven spending. Our holidays have been utterly commercialized, and many of […]
Most people would say a fish is not a satisfactory pet. They are not furry, nor can you pet them. They will not play fetch with you or sit on your lap. And while my friends have always made fun of me for being a “fish lady,” I argue that they make the perfect pet […]
Romney is inevitable. This was obvious months before the former Massachusetts governor narrowly clinched the Iowa caucuses and no less decisively defeated his competitors in New Hampshire. Largely, this was due to the fact that serious potential rivals, as opposed to the second-tier candidates that constitute everyone else in the running, abstained, including Indiana Governor […]
In modern times, we are bombarded by subtle reminders of the dominance of religion in our world. For example, our pledge of allegiance states: “and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” It is somewhat eerie to witness the mass of monotheistic beliefs in […]
Legalizing prostitution is one of those ideas that sounds ridiculous to people and at first it sounded that way to me too. It’s one of those things that immediately evokes a visceral reaction in people. It’s gross and therefore should not be allowed. It’s subjugation and is therefore bad. It’s shameful exploitation. A recent experience, […]
