Columns

Columns

Lay of the Leagues: NBA edition

By Brian Becker | February 3

It is such a shame to see a league that was so focused on ball movement and masterful isolation in an effort to drive to the rim become diluted into a no-defense 5-out three-point contest. The NBA has reached a ratings cliff, where chic association edition jerseys and haute-culture-inspired parquets have become the focal point rather than the avant-garde ball mastery that many children around the world would spend countless hours mastering. Nowadays, you’ll be lucky to even turn on the TV and see a player even seriously attempt a one-legged fadeaway (Cam Thomas vs. Orlando Magic circa 2024).

---

Columns

The Intangibles: The NBA trade of the century

By Jonah Cowan | February 3

Late last night, ESPN reporter Shams Charania broke the news that the Dallas Mavericks had traded Luka Dončić (along with two other players) to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick.

---

Columns

Escape the Library: Revival Cafe + Kitchen

By Olivia Bye | February 3

“I’m starting a column,” I said, turning to face my friend as we rode the Tufts shuttle to Davis Square. “It’s about the best places to go off-campus to study, the lesser-known ones, and I need ideas.” Her eyes immediately brightened as she said, “Oh, I know! Revival Cafe. It’s in Davis, just a little further down Elm Street.”

---

Columns

Confessions of a College Shopaholic: An introduction

By Ryan Fairfield | February 3

Despite priding myself on having seen every popular early 2000s rom-com, I only got around to watching “Confessions of a Shopaholic” (2009) for the first time last October. For those who have not seen the film, the movie follows the “shopaholic” Rebecca Bloomwood who finds herself writing ...

---

Columns

Read, Write and Be Merry: ‘The Crazed’ by Ha Jin

By Merry Jiao | January 30

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for “The Crazed” by Ha Jin. Sometimes, I read books that I just don’t get. Something about the prose or the author’s voice, maybe, makes me feel disconnected from the plot and the characters. This book was one of those instances. When I initially picked ...

---

Columns

QB Q&A: Sorrow of the Browns

By Max Sharf | January 30

Since the revival of the Cleveland Browns franchise in 1999, their quarterback play has been extraordinarily horrible. It’s been almost 20 years since any quarterback started for the Browns for more than four seasons. Since 1999,40 quarterbacks have started for the Browns, many of whom were career journeymen.

---

---

Column

Coffee Table Socioeconomics: Love your delivery person as yourself

By Linda Huang | January 28

Over winter break, I was back home in Beijing, China, where I was once again struck by the stark income inequality that defines so much of our society. This inequality does not hit me as hard when I’m in Medford, where the visual uniformity of the suburbs– where differences in wealth are more subdued – allows me to often overlook it. But in Beijing, the contrasts are impossible to ignore. The sight of Bentley cars just about everywhere I go, coupled with delivery workers who are sprinting tirelessly to their destinations just to make a living, leaves me grappling with difficult questions: how should I view income inequality, not just as an abstract economic concept, but as something more personal? What kind of lifestyle should I strive for in a world where privilege and deprivation coexist so seamlessly?

---

Columns

Trunks Full of Treasures: Discover the vintage wonderland at Select Markets

By Fiona Hinrichsen | January 24

If you’re searching for fur hats, leather jackets or cashmere knit sweaters, Select has it all, with vintage clothing pop-up events across Boston. Founded in 2023 by Northeastern students Joshua Maizes and Joaquin Crosby-Lizarde, Select has become the heart of thrifting in Boston. Maizes and Crosby-Lizarde plan to continue running the organization full-time after they graduate in May.

---

Columns

Hey Wait Just One Second: Snowmen

By Max Turnacioglu | January 22

My Crocs lost purchase on the vestal slurry carpeting the sidewalk. One foot slid forward while the other slid back, and I felt the entirety of my life with functioning hip abductors flash before my eyes. I was too young to strain a muscle walking in the snow and way too old to successfully hit the splits. Snow had descended upon Tufts and I was not prepared.

---

Columns

Center Stage: The Ladies of Essence

By Nate Hall | January 22

Established in 1994, the Ladies of Essence describe themselves asTufts’ only all-female a cappella group specializing in music of the African diaspora. Offstage, theLadies are a tight-knit community of music lovers, and onstage, they will wow you with their renditions of R&B, soul, gospel and hip-hop songs.At the inauguralRiff-Off hosted by TUSC in November 2023, the Ladiestriumphed over eight other campus a cappella groups. This past fall, for good measure, they won the competition again.

---

Columns

The Round-off Roundup: Yul Moldauer’s suspension for whereabouts violations

By Sarah Firth | January 22

The biggest news of this week is certainly that 2020 Olympian Yul Moldauer has been suspended for 16 months due to three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period. As one of the top gymnasts in the United States, Moldauer is part of the USADA’s Registered Testing Pool. Athletes in this pool are required to declare their location for one hour each day between 5 a.m. and 11 p.m., ensuring they are available for random out-of-competition drug testing without prior notice. Over the course of the year, testing officers attempted to conduct a test three times at the location Moldauer had designated, but he was not there on any of those occasions and missed the tests.

---

Columns

Read, Write and Be Merry: ‘Someone Else’s Shoes’ by Jojo Moyes

By Merry Jiao | January 17

Every time I walk into a bookstore, there are basically four authors I always zero in on: Kate Quinn, Kristin Hannah, Jodi Picoult and Jojo Moyes. They each occupy a different niche in my brain, and for our first week of the new semester, we’ll tackle one of my most recent favorite books: “Someone Else’s Shoes” by Jojo Moyes.

---

Columns

Full Court Press: The fanship conundrum

By Noah Goldstein | January 17

Have you ever yelled at a professional athlete through the TV, fully knowing they can’t hear you? Have you ever punched a wall, thrown a remote, or shed a tear after a particularly disastrous performance? Or, like a friend of mine — a Steelers fan, unfortunately — have you experienced what was described as a “depressive tailspin” after yet another playoff loss?

---

Columns

The Round-off Roundup: Ana Bǎrbosu and international gymnasts in the NCAA

By Sarah Firth | January 15

Ana Bǎrbosu of Romania recently stunned the gymnastics world with her announcement that she had committed to Stanford University for gymnastics. Bǎrbosu is notable because she was the Romanian gymnast involved in the dispute with American gymnast Jordan Chiles over the floor bronze medal at last year’s Olympics. In case you missed it: Bǎrbosu and her teammate Sabrina Maneca-Voinea were tied in third place with a score of 13.700. 

---

Column

Coffee Table Socioeconomics: I hate American suburbia

By Linda Huang | December 10

This past Thanksgiving break, I stayed at my uncle’s suburban home just outside Nashville, Tenn., where I saw life in American suburbia firsthand. The whole time I felt like I was in an “American Beauty” fever dream. To put it simply, I absolutely hated it.

---

Columns

Hey Wait Just One Second: Wonder

By Max Turnacioglu | December 10

This column is sponsored by wonder. Use promo code “HWJOS” at checkout to get 10% more annoying every time you start telling your friends about something random and beautiful you noticed the other day.

---

Columns

Read, Write and Be Merry: ‘The Most Fun We Ever Had’ by Claire Lombardo

By Merry Jiao | December 10

How does our parents’ relationship define what we look for in a partner? How does being the youngest child of four impact our self-perception? Who gets to define a home and a family? These are some of the questions this book attempts to illustrate and answer.

---

Columns

A Jumbo’s Journey: I’ll lasso the moon for you

By Ben Rachel | December 10

I am writing this column in the middle of a packed Tisch, surrounded by stressed students and working off of three Yerba Mates (I’m shaking). Even the reading room is full; I had to share a cubicle with a Fletcher student. It feels like finals season brings everyone out of their dorms to shotgun energy drinks and complain about their workloads.

---

Columns

The Round-off Roundup: Ellie Black — the people’s gymnast

By Sarah Firth | December 10

Ellie Black sometimes gets overlooked by casual fans because she is from Canada, but she is one of my favorite gymnasts of all time. To be fair, I’m partial to any gymnast who does front handspring vaults, and she has an excellent handspring front full (and even a rudi at one point). I also have to give props to anyone who can rock a maple-leaf-themed leotard — I appreciate Canada’s commitment to a theme.

---

Column

Ukraine at War: Music as an act of resistance

By Mariia Kudina | December 10

This year, a famous Ukrainian rock band, Okean Elzy, celebrated its 30-year anniversary. The group has become a symbol of resistance for all generations of independent Ukraine. For my parents, Okean Elzy became an integral part of the Orange Revolution in 2004 and 2005, when Ukrainians protested against election fraud, and Euromaidan in 2013 and 2014, when the citizens objected to pro-Russian governmental policies. I strongly link the band’s music with those events as well, but mainly with Ukraine’s counteroffensive and defense during Russia’s full-scale invasion. This October, Okean Elzy performed in Boston as part of its global tour. The day after the concert, I had a chance to listen to a talk by the lead singer Svyatoslav Vakarchuk at Harvard.

---