Columns

Columns

Winkler's Weekly Symphony Guide: Love letter to Mahler

By Matthew Winkler | October 24

Last week the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s program consisted entirely of Mahler’s “Symphony No. 6” (1906), a monumental work that literally ends with three massive hammer hits, which, for Mahler, were meant to represent three blows of fate. For newcomers to classical music, no, a hammer is not normally an instrument, but in Mahler’s world of course it is. And we’re not talking about a tiny hammer that might hit a chime. We’re talking about a hammer that could break a door down crashing into a wooden block the size of a table. And whoever said classical music was boring?!?!

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Columns

Extra Innings: What happened to the Dodgers?

By Henry Blickenstaff | October 24

While the top two seeds advanced to the championship series in the American League, the National League side of the bracket was full of upsets. All three teams that won 100 games were eliminated before the championship series. The Mets’ 101-win season came to an end in the wild card round at the hands of the Padres, while the Braves, also winners of 101 games, were stunned by the Phillies in the division series. 

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Columns

Sports and Society: How to protect fencing

By Oliver Fox | October 20

The plaintiff of two Supreme Court cases against elite universities has very little interest in the politics of college athletics. Their eyes are on a bigger prize: the end of affirmative action in college admissions altogether. Yet, in their efforts to torpedo an era of campus diversity, they might accidentally destroy fencing.

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Columns

The Book Nook: 'Six Times We Almost Kissed' explores romance and trauma

By Layla Noor Landrum | October 20

Tess Sharpe’s “Six Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did)” (2023) is a poignant and expertly-plotted young adult contemporary romance novel releasing next year from publisher Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 

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Columns

Liz in London: On food and art

By Elizabeth Foster | October 20

While living in Medford this summer, my friends and I excitedly discussed studying and traveling abroad: who knew who in which countries, what airlines were the cheapest to fly across the pond and, most importantly, the food.

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Columns

The Art of Good Soup: Lester v. Reese, 2022

By Ellie Lester and Cole Reese | October 19

Good morning, Your Honor. We’re now calling the case of Lester v. Reese. Today we’ll be having a hearing on the matter of chowder; are both parties present and ready to proceed? 

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Columns

K-Weekly: Black appropriation in K-pop (Part 2) 

By Odessa Gaines | October 19

Let’s talk about CocaNButter.

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Columns

Sustainability at Tufts: The Eco Reps program

By Becca Pinto | October 19

When I first visited Tufts as a senior in high school, I remember running into a group of students who were selling some of their old clothes on the President's Lawn. Not only were the clothes super cool, the prices were also very low. As they explained, this was because all they wanted was to make sure the clothes were going to get reused. They didn’t care about making money or anything. As we walked away, my mother whispered to me that the students here are really weird, and I shouldn’t apply. Obviously, I ignored her and applied anyway.

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Columns

Looking Through the Met: Camp

By Ryan Fairfield | October 19

Inspired by Susan Sontag’s 1964 essay “Notes on ‘Camp,’” the 2019 Met Gala theme was “Camp: Notes on Fashion,” with a dress code of “studied triviality.” The night was defined by eccentric, extravagant clothes featuring bold, bright colors and often highlighted by sparkling jewels or fabrics. Definitely one of the most memorable Met Galas of recent years, “Camp: Notes on Fashion” was a fabulous night of striking outfits. 

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Local

Keeping Up With the 617: Champions

By Matt Goguen | October 19

We’ve reached the point of the NBA season where overreactions are more common than pessimism amongst fanbases; some are drooling over a newly-drafted rookie, and others are looking ahead towards a Larry O’Brien trophy presentation in June. In the Celtics’ case, the Garden Faithful are anticipating another NBA Finals appearance after a tumultuous offseason. And why wouldn’t they? The starting lineup from the 2022 playoffs is still intact, new free agent addition Malcolm Brogdon adds depth to an already solid bench, and Jayson Tatum had another offseason of development. Nonetheless, this offseason contained more drama than a Shakespearean play; with a now suspended head coach and injuries to Robert Williams III and Danilo Gallinari, a once promising season has turned dire quickly.

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Columns

Queeries: Showcasing queer visibility on the silver screen through 'Rocky Horror'

By Saba S. | October 18

Many of us would say that nothing necessarily good came out of the ‘70s. Yet it was the peak of the gay liberation movement and the cultural changes that took place following the 1969 Stonewall Riots prevailed nationwide. This period — though dominated by homophobia, violence and death — was the conception of queer pop culture. Although transformative, the new cultural emergence during this decade remained primarily underground. It remained frowned upon to embrace queerness and queer expression, so how did “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (1975) teach entire generations to celebrate queer culture and drag history?

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Columns

The Final Whistle: Can Arsenal go all the way?

By Bharat Singh | October 18

The Invincibles. This was the title given to the Arsenal team that finished the 2003–2004 Premier League season undefeated; a  feat that had only been achieved once over a 100 years ago by Preston North End. Led by the French tactician ArsèneWenger, the North London club went 49 games unbeaten in an era that included Sir Alex Ferguson’s great Manchester United side and the growing power of London rival Chelsea. Etched into history, players like Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry turned into global icons as they lifted the coveted trophy. Few would have guessed that this would be the Gunners’ last title in the modern era as the club entered a difficult decade of transition, both on and off the field. For almost two decades, Arsenal fans have dreamt of winning the Premier League. Today, after years of heartbreak, they find themselves closer than ever. 

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Columns

Community Table: Working with Kids

By Gwendolyn Brown | October 18

Zach Woods and I had been planning to have this cheese date for weeks. Little did I know that his hometown has a surplus of it. When I brought two pieces of goat cheese, he exclaimed, “I love goat cheese! I’m from the middle of nowhere Texas, but it’s like lots of goat farms and stuff.” 

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Local

Winkler's Weekly Symphony Guide: It’s okay to like Mozart too

By Matthew Winkler | October 18

In my column, I’ve talked about the importance of performing non-canonical classical works and including modern and contemporary voices. While I stand by that position, I also acknowledge my bias towards non-diatonic modernist tonalities. After all, my favorite composers to listen to are John Adams and Gustav Mahler, not Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven. And while I’ve argued for orchestras to move beyond the meritocracy, I want to also stress that this should not be achieved with destruction. There is beauty that must be preserved within the canon. It would be a disservice to let Mozart fall into obscurity in the interest of progressive sounds, which I was made acutely aware of at the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Oct. 14 Casual Friday performance.  

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Columns

Extra Innings: MLB postseason storylines

By Henry Blickenstaff | October 17

MLB postseason storylines

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Columns

Roster Rundown: Week 6

By Timothy Valk | October 14

It’s not every day that a player lined up at quarterback scores three rushing touchdowns — while being labeled as a fantasy eligible tight end! 

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Column

Looking Through the Met: A Lexicon of Fashion

By Ryan Fairfield | October 14

The last time the Met Gala was not held on the first Monday of May was in 2004. Since Anna Wintour took charge of the event, it has been held on that day of the week for years, so much so that “the first Monday in May” has become synonymous with the gala. Due to the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Met Gala was held on the second Monday of September with the theme “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” and a dress code of “American Independence.” The 2021 and 2022 galas were part of a two-part exhibition, which is why the 2022 theme was also “In America.” 

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Column

K-Weekly: What are the Bangtan Boys up to?

By Odessa Gaines | October 14

On June 14, just four days after dropping their anthology album “Proof,” BTS (방탄소년단) announced that they would be taking a break from group activities. 

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Local

Keeping up with the 617: Confidence

By Matt Goguen | October 14

After a month of middling performances and untimely injuries, the New England Patriots enter Week 6 with a rookie quarterback at the helm and a young defense that is impressing the league. Sound familiar?

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Local

Tales from the T: What’s in a name?

By Kevin Zhang | October 14

Today, we’ll be looking at some of the more interesting station names on the T. While most stations are named for streets, local landmarks or influential figures (i.e. dead white men), many stations have rather unique names that reveal some history of the city around us. 

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