By Madison Roper “You’ve been blessed by God for seeing that,” said Megumi Yoshihisa, after witnessing a monk bang a drum at a temple. Megumi and her husband Yasushi are part of my family, and a huge reason I was able to see so much of Japan. Out of everything…
Category: OPINION
L’editor: Financial insecurity
By Apple Parry Growing up chronically poor and having money insecurity…man, let me tell you how much of a soul-crushing combo that is. Money insecurity does not always call for someone to be “poor” to have it. In fact any one can have money insecurity, including children. Money insecurity is…
US government in time-out until Trump says so
By Apple Parry This story initially ran in Issue 6, published January 22, 2019. Today marks the 32nd day of the longest government shutdown yet, and there is no end in sight. Federal employees will not be paid until after appropriation bills, which allow government spending, are passed into…
The #relatable factor
By Apple Parry The mass production of relatable content is discouraging genuine opinion. A few years back, the term “relatable” became a popular saying. People involved in social media started to become more and more “relatable.” But like all things that start out good, the mass locals with follower mentality…
Unwrapping the gift of Christmas cinema
By Apple Parry This holiday season is upon us, folks. So grab your cocoa, sit back, and get critical. I picked five different movies that don’t have anything in common except for the time of year they were set in, and I rated them. ‘Elf’ Will Ferrell gave his most…
L’Editor: Give me education or give me debt!
By Ken Johnson Community college helps to bridge the chasm between the American dream and the American reality. The United States, more than most other countries, prescribes a narrative over the lives of its citizens: grade school, university, career, retirement, and then an uncomfortable death at an unfamiliar hospital, doped…
L’Editor: Matthew Whitaker: tall tales of toilets and time travel
By Ken Johnson Matthew Whitaker is the acting U.S. attorney general. He is a criminal, equal parts boner-pill hawker and H. H. Holmes. His antics are entertaining and stupid, but fundamentally Midwest horrible, like Chick-fil-A pumping legions of children to obesity. He is the personification of the land of all-American…
“The Kissing Booth”: Creepy and condescending
By Apple Parry “The Kissing Booth” is truly the worst movie I’ve ever seen. Without analyzing the entire script, the side plot inconsistencies, or the incredibly overdone romantic plot, let’s talk about how sexist the film is. The opening scene shows Elle’s childhood and longtime friendship with Lee Flynn. It…
L’Editor: Climate Change: Endgame
By Ken Johnson I want to point out something that might not be obvious: Climate change is going to screw up the world — irreparably. There are three, not four, horsemen of the apocalypse: climate change, immigration, and nationalism. These harbingers of the end times are compounding each other, building…
L’Editor: The U.S. Supreme Court is jammed with villains
By Ken Johnson The Supreme Court is supposed to be the Super Friends: wise, fair, and moral. That’s the impression my American Government class left with me. The executive branch might be brutal. The legislative branch might be corrupt. But not the judicial branch, not the Supreme Court, they weather…