The opinions presented below are solely the views of the author and do not represent the views of The News-Letter. If you are a member of the Hopkins community looking to submit a piece or a letter to the editor, please email opinions@jhunewsletter.com.
Opioids are among the world’s oldest drugs and are still used today to manage pain. Classified as narcotic analgesics, they are legally available by prescription. They work by binding to specific receptors in the nervous system and altering the way that the brain identifies and interprets pain sensations.
Hurricane Sandy has finally come and gone, but she has left a trail of devastation in her wake. And environmental catastrophes like her are becoming more common and are a direct result of climate change. Unfortunately, in our modern society, climate change is one of the least publicized yet one of the most important issues that faces the next generation.
A year ago, an article ran in The News-Letter which discussed the topic of covered grades. The article indicated that the Academic Affairs subcommittee of the Academic Council had recently approved a motion to eliminate the first semester grading policy, which indicates only a satisfactory or unsatisfactory performance in the course and does not calculate grades received in first semester classes into cumulative grade point average (GPA). This recommendation, if approved by President Ron Daniels, would take effect in the fall of 2014.
With Hurricane Sandy now gone, the recovery process has begun. The University and its surroundings, however, have emerged relatively unscathed. This is largely due to the people who worked through the storm to insure Hopkins was prepared
In the midst of a heated race for the U.S. presidency, many in the foreign policy arena are concerned about the implications of a new Egyptian government. How will Egyptian-American relations fare under recently elected President Mohammed Morsi? Will the 1979 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel remain intact? Although these are important questions, they are self-interested. The most fundamental question must be: is Morsi good for the Egyptian people?
With the U.S. elections approaching and the world market still recovering from the 2008 financial crisis, the economy has rarely been such an important factor in the political arena. In their second debate, Governer Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama mainly focused on their two different approaches to solve this situation. Obama is mainly proposing to increase government spending, while Romney wants to cut taxes in order to improve the prospects of small businesses. Both these solutions reflects their parties historical beliefs: big government and aid to the low-income sectors of society for the Democrats and small government and greater liberty to entrepreneurs for the Republicans.
Last week, I was very excited to see an article about sexual violence in The News-Letter. I believe sexual violence is an issue that is too often ignored or unrecognizably distorted at Hopkins. Someone was finally acknowledging the fact that, yes, sexual assault does occur at this school. However, I was dismayed after reading the article “70 Sex Offenders Registered in Area,” which was published on Oct. 11. This article only served to perpetuate the false and dangerous sentiment that sexual violence only comes from perpetrators outside of our school.
It’s probably a bit premature to be getting excited about next year’s awards season, but the recent announcement that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are going to be hosting the upcoming Golden Globe Awards in January merits discussion. These are two of Hollywood’s best comediennes who happen to have undeniable chemistry. If this does not boost ratings for the Awards, then I don’t know what will.
Yesterday, the Sustainable Hopkins Infrastructure Program (SHIP) held the first annual Future of Hopkins Symposium. The event allows students and faculty to present ideas to create a better and more sustainable Hopkins. Some of the ideas presented included the creation of a University-wide donation bank which would accept used items from students, an art gallery at MSE focused on science and the planting of gardens on buildings to increase the amount of local produce on campus.
Tuesday morning, the pro-life demonstrations conducted by the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform were met with demonstrations by pro-choice groups and other students on campus. These students stood up to the demonstrators and held up signs pronouncing their right to choose.
Next week, President Obama and Mitt Romney will debate our nation’s foreign policy and clarify their visions for America’s role in the world over the next four years. One of the foremost issues is the evolving Middle East. Amidst change and turmoil, it is often easy to kick the can down the road when it comes to that region. However, one issue the candidates cannot lose sight of is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Solving the conflict is necessary for a secure future — without fixed borders for Israelis and full political and human rights for Palestinians, there will be no peace and the regional situation will continue to deteriorate.
The Homewood campus is aesthetically pleasing in many ways: the continuity of red brick, white marble and aged copper intermingled with ample green spaces creates a classical and inspiring educational environment.
The position of the natural sciences in Western society today is something of a paradox. By many standards, science in the U.S. and Europe has been enjoying a renaissance since World War II that has only accelerated in recent years. Governments have been devoting millions of dollars annually to basic research. Additionally, many firms in science or sectors of the economy related to science have maintained robust Research and Development divisions. These organizations have helped to set and pursue national priorities. As a result of this funding and direction, researchers have achieved major advances in a great diversity of fields and continue to publish new results at an astonishing pace.
In countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan, the sight of a sudden explosion that seems to come from nowhere has become an increasingly common sight. The use of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or drone technology has been in the headlines more frequently in the last few years as the Obama administration has increased its dependence on UAVs to attack and kill suspected terrorists. This has raised some complex questions about the morality of this technology and the effects it has on the way we both wage and view warfare.
On Oct. 10, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments about the future of affirmative action in the admissions process of the nation’s public universities. If the court rules in favor of the petitioner, it will no longer be legal for public and private universities to use the various personal characteristics of applicants — including race, religion, gender and sexual orientation — as factors in the admissions process.
About a year ago, the University introduced the Hopkins Community Partners Initiative (HCPI), which involves a plan to significantly improve 10 surrounding Hopkins neighborhoods between Penn Station and Wyman Park. The establishment of this initiative is praiseworthy and a necessary progression towards improving the area and the student body’s well-being.
This past Wednesday evening, Americans were ceremoniously presented with the preferred platitudes of this election season. In the first presidential debate, Mitt Romney and Barack Obama predictably talked past one another, evaded the moderator’s questions and stuck to tired campaign catchphrases in search of the ever-elusive “zinger.” The debate capped off a long summer of productive discussion on the issues that matter most to America’s future – issues like Romney’s tax returns, the pleasure of firing people, why airplane windows don’t open, whether you really “built that” and the morality of various canine transportation methods.
One can always count on humans to be fascinated by technology. Always curious, and sometimes cautious, the public is reliably eager to see how great developments will invariably alter the context of the world in which it lives. However, this evolution is not always so benevolent and often comes at a tremendous price. The military has been at the forefront of technological innovation and revolution since the beginnings of civilization, striving to make the defense of the state as formidable as possible. The problem arises when the reciprocation of production makes the international system far less stable. Many times when this occurs, the gruesome aftermath vehemently persuades the global community to prohibit the use and dissemination of these weapons out of a mutual understanding that the world is safer without them. This begs the question, should we only consider the implications of these technologies after they have been used? I think any rational person would say no.
During this election season, one of the issues weighing most heavily in the minds of voters will be the state of the economy. For all that has been said of the economic plans of the two candidates, it is easy to forget that the most important actor in the financial recovery will not be on the ballot this November, and is already in the midst of executing a large-scale and unconventional policy known as quantitative easing.
Fall Fest ended Sunday, leaving some students relaxed amidst an impending cascade of midterm exams. It also served as a taster of what is to come in the spring with the activity-saturated Spring Fair. Over the past few years, Spring Fair has consistently attracted larger crowds and offered a greater diversity of sights and events to Hopkins students than most other campus programs, including Fall Fest.
