COLUMNS

11/23/2014, 12:14pm

Examining agnosticism

By C.A. Joseph Peters

If one was unsure whether fall or winter was the more beautiful season or whether Chopin or Mozart was the more masterful composer, the disagreement which would ensue would be purely academic.

11/19/2014, 2:36pm

What do we have to be thankful for?

By Jane Elizabeth

Growing up, my parents were very instrumental in making sure that Thanksgiving was a day on which we made time to pause and think about the past year and all the things we were thankful for.

11/16/2014, 4:13pm

Smell the roses

By John G. Fike

When I first joined the workforce in the late sixties, a popular expression was “don’t work so hard -- take time to smell the roses.” The implication was that we’re in this life to enjoy ourselves and the world around us, not just to work and “get ahead.” Balance was a watchword. Those among us with “Type A” personalities--the strivers and over-achievers--were admonished to slow down, take the time to relieve our stress by valuing enjoyment of nature or time to reflect and evaluate who we were and what we were doing. Sadly, those days are over.

11/16/2014, 4:11pm

Lame duck, lame voters

By David Konarske

Recently, the Michigan State Senate’s bill to raise fuel taxes to improve the roads passed by a 23 to 14 vote, in the lame duck session. For those who do not know, a lame duck session is the time between the election and the beginning of the new state senate term.

11/12/2014, 1:54pm

Democrats and Republicans

By Jennifer Kirby

As I am sure you know, Election Day has just passed. I have to admit I am very glad. Politics are almost impossible to get away from, as are conversations about them.

11/12/2014, 1:52pm

Democrats lack a defining message

By Andrew Kocis

Elections were last week and many predictions over their outcome came true. The Democrats lost seven contested Senate races against Republican challengers and incumbents, which cost the Democrats control of the Senate.

11/9/2014, 1:52pm

Retribution for the masses, not the criminals

By John G. Fike

Americans like to punish people. Despite research in fields like sociology and psychology advising that its effects are mostly harmful, retribution, for real or imagined sins, is a tradition we embrace fondly. Since colonial times, we’ve meted out punishment for whatever powerful people thought was “bad” behavior.

11/9/2014, 1:50pm

Obama's surveillance state

By Alison Basely

Silencing political opponents, spying on enemies of the U.S., quarantining the diseased or suspected, and executing traitors without trial is nothing new for the United States government.  Americans were subject to the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 under President John Adams which increased the residency requirement for American citizenship from five to fourteen years, authorized the president to imprison or deport aliens considered "dangerous to the peace and safety of the United States" and restricted speech critical of the government.

11/9/2014, 1:47pm

Old GM and New GM

By James Tatum

This past week, General Motors Co. was in court over a lawsuit filed by owners of vehicles that have been found to have an ignition switch defect. A defect that has been linked to 29 deaths. And the company’s opening argument to defend itself was essentially, “Oh, no, that wasn’t us that produced those defective vehicles. That was Old G.M. We’re New G.M.”

11/5/2014, 2:22pm

Aquaman deserves more respect

By Andrew Kocis

When you mention Aquaman most people will probably snicker and laugh. People will probably tell okes about him only being able to talk to fish. Someone will say he has all the powers of Spongebob Squarepants, and everyone will laugh about how worthless Aquaman is compared to Superman and Batman. This is mostly because of his comical appearance on the 1973 cartoon “Super Friends” and the Cartoon Network shorts we probably grew up watching. But Aquaman is anything but a joke.

11/5/2014, 2:20pm

Common Core math a terrible idea

By Lamaria Reed

The new standard of math has taken the teacher out of the classroom and instead made them into facilitators and aids of Common Core math, the new math of self-discovery.

11/5/2014, 2:17pm

Don't let traditional letter writing die

By David Konarske

Last week, I wrote a friend of mine a letter. This is not a normal practice for me, but he had done the same for me upon his graduation from this university. While it was a little late, I still felt the need to reciprocate.

11/2/2014, 1:55pm

EMU support of EAA shameful

By Keith Kindred

I’ve never been very good at handling shame. As a young child, I felt ashamed that my parents were divorced while all of my friend’s parents seemed happily married.

11/2/2014, 1:52pm

Colorado experiment

By James Tatum

If Gov. John Hickenlooper of Colorado loses his race for reelection, it may well be because he didn’t tout his chief accomplishment: the legalization of marijuana. On Nov.