Is it constitutional to prohibit evidence that may prove that a juror is racist? The Supreme Court of the United States is set to hear Peña-Rodriguez v. Colorado, which is about whether a no-impeachment rule constitutionally may bar evidence of racial bias offered to prove a violation of the Sixth Amendment right to an impartial jury. […]
Category: Column
Lessons on Conservatism in Cambridge
On Friday, November 11, Armistice Day was commemorated in the United Kingdom to mark the armistice signed in 1918 between the Allied Powers and Germany for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I. In the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, Armistice Day has come to be known as Poppy Day due […]
Queen Elizabeth II, R.I.P.
God Save the Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Reign of Elizabeth II This fall semester, I am blessed to be able to study abroad at Pembroke College, Cambridge. As a lifelong Anglophile, I was enchanted by the idea of studying at one of England’s iconic ancient universities. My wish has come true at a surprisingly […]
A-Maize-ing Space
How The Michigan Astronomy Department Contributed to the Greatest Development in Space Technology of the 21st Century It’s no surprise that as the number one public research university, the University of Michigan has been a dominant force in space science development throughout the 21st century. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), launched at the end […]
Papa, Bana, & The Meaning of Loss
I lost two grandparents in the span of ten days. My grandpa Morris “Marty” Garfinkel, known to me as Papa, died on January 30th. My grandma Eleanore Garfinkel, known to me as Bana, died on February 9th. I had been very fortunate up until these past few weeks, as I had no major deaths within […]
Disabled Americans Fight for Justice in Vending Machine Court Case
Disabled Americans are fighting for justice in Magee v. Coca-Cola Refreshments USA, Inc., a Fifth Circuit decision that has been appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1990, Congress, in the name of justice, passed the “Americans with Disabilities Act” (ADA), a labor law that prohibits unjustified discrimination based on an individual’s disability. Twenty-five years […]
“Sex Offenders” and the 1st Amendment: Can Legislation Keep Sex Offenders Off Social Media?
Sex offenders are arguing that the First Amendment shields them from being blocked from social media websites that children utilize. The Supreme Court will soon rule on whether the First Amendment, in fact, does this.
Election 2016 by the Numbers: Hillary’s Loss Was Largely Self-Inflicted
Are there racist, sexist, and xenophobic parts of the Trump movement? Yes, and it DISGUSTS me.
Cavaliers, Cubs, and Trump … Oh My!
2016 has been the year of upsets. First the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the seemingly unstoppable Golden State Warriors; then the Cubs overcame a 100-year losing streak; and now Trump “trumped” the Clinton machine.
Taiwan: Passing Through the Crossroads (II)
The Growing DPP & The Rising Fresh Bloods Along with other controversies and scandals, like Kuomintang’s “party assets” inherited from the authoritarian era, corrupt officials, bribery elections, Vice Presidential nominee Wang Ju-hsuan’s improper properties, Kuomintang’s betrayal of Taiwan cost them another landslide failure in January 2016. Under the leadership of Tsai Ing-wen, DPP grew gradually […]
Taiwan: Passing Through the Crossroads (I)
The first piece of Tour Series 2016 comes to Taiwan, an eastern Asian nation on the crossroads of her fate. With China’s increasing aggressiveness, Taiwan’s economy, defense, and the whole way of life with democracy and de facto independence, is under huge threat. The good news is, the national identity as Taiwanese rather than Chinese […]