Opinion

“I am Charlie Hebdo.” That became the world’s slogan after two Islamic gunmen forced their way into the Paris headquarters of Charlie Hebdo and killed 12 people to avenge the magazine’s publication of controversial cartoons.The United States is a democratic society, and we’ve always been able to express ourselves. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech. It wasn’t until 9-11 that Americans realized how many people in the world hated democracy. […]

I stepped off the bus, curious and excited to see what would happen on my college campus. It was the first day of classes after the Michael Brown grand jury decision. I typically keep to myself, but I tapped a young woman on the shoulder as we waited to cross the street. “There may be a walk-out today,” I said. “What’s that?” she asked. “People all over the country are walking out of their jobs and classes to support Ferguson,” I explained. […]

“Dear White People” is a satirical drama that will cause viewers to discuss and think more deeply about racism in 2014. Director Justin Simien’s debut film is set on an Ivy League campus, where racial tensions are running high. The administration decides to diversify housing, leading black students to take action to preserve their culturally centered residential hall. Conflict comes to a head when white students throw a thug-themed blackface party. […]

Corporal punishment made the news in September, when Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson pleaded “no contest” to a reduced charge of misdemeanor reckless assault. This allowed the 29-year-old to avoid jail time and ended a saga that began Sept. 12, when he was indicted in Texas on a felony for injuring his 4-year-old son while hitting him with a “tree branch.” […]

In the past year, I have found myself getting more excited about new episodes of podcasts – shows consisting of audio only – than I get about new episodes of television shows. Originally, I listened to podcasts only when I had trouble sleeping. Now I listen to them while doing homework, commuting to school and working on chores. I think the reason I have become such a big fan of the handful of podcasts I enjoy is the intimacy they offer. […]

I was commuting to Forest Park and noticed that my bus passes several yoga studios. Like Starbucks coffee houses, they seem to have popped up all over the place. It’s believed that yoga has been commonly practiced for more than 2,500 years. That’s right, 25 centuries! I’ve come to think that if it has been around for that long, there may be something to it. […]

When you get your driver’s license, a state employee will ask you a very important question: “Would you like to be an organ donor?” A simple request, right? Wrong. A surprising number of people say “no” for all kinds of reasons. Some cite religious beliefs or moral concerns. Others just don’t like the thought of giving away what God gave them, even when they’re dead. One widely held belief is that if you are critically injured, physicians will let you die if you are an organ donor. This is simply not true. […]

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about creativity. Some people seem to have this magical ability to come up with unique ideas. Others, not so much. I began to contemplate the creative process after my composition teacher last semester encouraged us to use other people’s ideas, with proper credit, for our research papers. After an hour of class discussion and a little research, I realized I was looking at the whole process wrong. […]

Every once in a while, I find myself fascinated with a famous person. This fascination was reserved for rock stars when I was younger, but it has extended to comedians, economists and authors as I have gotten older.Physicist and Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman is my latest person of interest. I’ve learned a little bit about a few brilliant physicists, but it was Feynman’s combination of humor, practicality and courage that attracted me to him. Feynman has changed how I think about balancing work and life. Here are some lessons I have picked up: […]

Everyone over a certain age can remember where they were when they first heard about the 9-11 terrorist attacks. But if you’re a student in 2014, the events of 13 years ago may not be so clear. Where were you on September 11, 2001? Most Forest Park students were in kindergarten or elementary school. I was working on the railroad. My employer was the consulting firm Transystems Corporation, which inspected the installation of fiber-optic cable along CSX railroad right-of-way in Pennsylvania. […]