As I write these words, not paying attention to the class I’m in – where many of my best columns have been written – my eyes are welling up with tears.
Opinion, Vantage Point
I took a month off of social media and it changed my perspective on being connected
I have always tried to fight against the neediness of social media.
Columnists, Cover, Opinion, Vantage Point
6 things you find when you go speed dating the night before Valentine’s Day
I wasn’t expecting to get much out of it, except maybe a free beer or two, but I ended up learning a lot from my first time speed dating.
Hurricane, Opinion, Vantage Point
Focus on resiliency, community strength after Irma
Working on post-hurricane coverage in the newsroom last week, I heard a staffer yell, “We should be out of rain by now,” as Miami’s daily rainy-season storm beat down on the windows. This idea that we deserve a moment of relief after a disaster is fundamentally human but unfortunately not how the world works. We…
Opinion, Vantage Point
Netflix’s ‘13 Reasons Why’ portrays dangerous glorification of suicide
Warning: This column discusses the premise of the new Netflix series “13 Reasons Why” and contains mild spoilers. I suggest you continue reading despite spoilers to save the time, self-loathing and hopelessness that come from watching this series. I absolutely loathe “13 Reasons Why.” Based on Jay Asher’s young adult novel of the same name,…
Columnists, Vantage Point
Internet authoritarianism threatens shift away from democracy
The last degree of privacy enjoyed by internet users will soon be stripped in favor of communication corporations ability to track activity and slow or block service accordingly. Congress passed this bill last week, and President Trump is expected to sign it into law. Congressional Republicans and Donald Trump are doing this under the auspices…
Columnists, Opinion, Vantage Point
Trumpcare enabled by inattention, laughing off extreme campaign promises
It’s been an eventful couple of weeks in Trumpland. We’ve been introduced to a healthcare plan to repeal and replace Obamacare, a budget that cuts 30 percent of funds for the EPA and after-school meals for kids and another judicial hold on President Trump’s revised immigration bans. People voted for Trump because they didn’t like…
Columnists, Opinion, Vantage Point
‘Steak-gate’ concerns have some meat to them
So Donald Trump says and does a lot of ridiculous things. Well, “ridiculous” may not be the appropriate word for everything – “racist,” “aggressive” and “destructive” are better suited for a lot of his actions that concern the American people. But “ridiculous” is definitely apt for one story that popped up in the news across…
Columnists, Opinion, Vantage Point
Trump’s co-opts ‘fake news’ to wage war on real journalism
This is an opinion column. Although any factual evidence used to support my arguments are verified, the views expressed here are not purely factual news reports. This is not an “article.” I contribute opinions to The Miami Hurricane, but they are not representative of the editorial board, of the newspaper, nor of the university. They’re…
Columnists, Opinion, Vantage Point
Betsy DeVos poses danger to public education
In eight years of being vice president, Joe Biden never cast a tie-breaking vote. Mike Pence has done so in his first month. The vote confirmed the nomination of incoming Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. DeVos is, in short, a disaster. You may have noticed this from the viral clip of Sen. Bernie Sanders asking…
Columnists, Opinion, Vantage Point
Liberal ‘identity politics’ seeks to call out, not advance, hatred
President Donald Trump stated in his inaugural address, “So to all Americans … hear these words: You will never be ignored again.” However, to the many Americans who are part of marginalized groups, the rhetoric Trump has been using during the election, and for years preceding, does not reflect this inclusive intent. The number of…
Columnists, Election 2016, Opinion, Vantage Point
A final love letter to Hillary Clinton
I loved Hillary Clinton. I still love Hillary Clinton, but in a way that you still love an ex, but say you don’t because that love is now just irrelevant and painful. I campaigned for her, I wrote about her, I voted for her in the primary and the general election. I believed in her….