After hearing all my friends’ Spring Break stories, I feel it is time that I make some public blanket statements about my trip to Moorish Spain. I’ve been appropriately humble when breaking down my itinerary to my friends, but now is my chance to drown everyone in rave reviews of southern Iberia. I want to…
Of beards and burqas: Cultural norms in- and outside the United States
Returning to the United States from Winter Break in Pakistan was tough. The freezing temperatures coupled with rigorous border control procedures made the task a harrowing affair. However, the reason for the unusual treatment at O’Hare International Airport was not lost on me. I had extended my No-shave-November facial hair well beyond the penultimate month,…
After 67 years, is the UN a success or failure?
In October of 1945, one of the most influential and, perhaps, controversial, organizations in human history came into being. Last Wednesday, this organization— the United Nations—celebrated its 67th anniversary. At such a point, it seems relevant to discuss the performance of this institution over the past seven decades. So, let us all ask ourselves the…