Toys “R” Us unfairly targeted Breaking Bad


On Oct. 21, Toys “R” Us decided to pull Breaking Bad merchandise indefinitely from their shelves amid complaints regarding their appropriateness for children. The toy figures reflect characters from the acclaimed AMC show that revolves around a meth-cooking chemistry teacher, Walter White, and his sidekick, Jesse Pinkman. The decidedly kid-unfriendly nature surrounding these figurines incited […]

Midterm election results won’t matter much for Democrats


If the gods of election outcomes came down from the clouds, appeared to the Democrats in their dreams and told them they were going to lose a midterm election in the next decade but could pick which one it would be, every single Democrat should cheer for an absolute face-crushing in the midterm election that […]

Rocket explosion should spark dialogue on role of space exploration


On Tuesday, the unmanned Antares rocket, built by private firm Orbital Sciences, exploded after lift-off in Virginia. The explosion is the first NASA-contracted accident since the agency cancelled its Space Shuttle Program and turned to the private sector for missions that include ferrying cargo to space stations. It launches into the public discourse the stability […]

Ebola hype fosters the dangers of both panic and desensitization


For anyone who likes science fiction stories, Hollywood films such as Contagion are always riveting. In such films, the world panics as a deadly virus begins killing millions of people, slowly bringing devastation to the world. The outbreak of Ebola within the United States has drawn quite a parallel to storylines like this. Though the […]

Hong Kong student protesters should retreat from the streets


Today marks one month since the pro-democracy protests erupted on the crowded streets of Hong Kong. Though Sunday’s cancellation of a referendum for protesters underscores the caution put into each step going forward, it also draws attention to cracks of division  forming within the pro-democracy forces. Without a clear leader, the movement has a spontaneous, […]

Pro-democracy movement needs to first regroup, then fight on


For the past month, thousands of demonstrators have gathered in the streets of Hong Kong in protest of China’s decision to have an appointed committee screen candidates for the semiautonomous city’s elections in lieu of transparent universal suffrage. The leaders of the movement — dubbed the Umbrella Revolution by some — announced Sunday that they […]