Bitter tempers and biting boycotts: Sochi 2014

Jessica Gude
Staff Writer

In the midst of layers of snow and negative wind chill values, it is hard to deny that it is indeed winter. While this

Activists in Russia protesting the Sochi Olympic games (Photo: Google Images)

usually means months of hibernation in an attempt to ignore the cold and hide from the many hours of darkness, this year we have something to look forward to: the 2014 Winter Olympics. Despite the snow and the nippy air, we watch hockey games with shouts of approval and dismay, we are captivated by the figure skaters, and we are enthralled by games many don’t understand (curling, anyone?).

Bad Faith: Religion in crisis?

Isaiah Zukowski
Staff Writer

Is religion in crisis? “Yes, thank God,” said the Right Reverend Sutton, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of

Right Reverend Sutton was one of the religious leaders at the event (Photo: Google Images)

Maryland, at Goucher’s October 11 event “Bad Faith: When Religion Goes Wrong and How We Can Make It Right.” Study after study suggests that religion in America is on a rapid decline, but the Right Reverend Sutton proposed that these studies merely provide the church with impetus to change.
At the event, six religious leaders of various Christian denominations met to discuss current problems with organized religion and possible solutions to remedy those issues. Confronting issues of inequality, interfaith dialogue, modern science, and the general pitfalls of organized religion, these leaders discussed the current state of American Christianity. The anecdotes shared and strategies offered differed greatly between the structurally and philosophically varied denominations, but every leader stressed inclusivity, outreach to youth, and practical modernization as essential tactics to the preservation of modern faith.

Election Winners And Losers

Gabriel Stuart-Sikowitz
Contributor

Winners:

Democrats: Obama was reelected, the Democrats made gains in the House and Senate. The Democrats won with huge margins among Asians, Hispanics, youth and single women. The future of the party looks to be one of inclusivity.

Women: Women will be represented in the Senate with a total of twenty female senators, the most ever, representing almost forty percent of the country’s population.

Richard Mourdock of Indiana and Todd Akin of Missouri both lost their seats in Congress, as did their ‘definitions’ of rape.

Hawaii elected the first Asian-American women to the Senate with Mazie Hirono, who is also the first Buddhist, as well as the first person of Japanese decent elected to the Senate. Hawaii also elected another woman, Tulsi Gabbard, who will be the first Hindu in Congress.

LGBT Community: Wisconsin elected the first openly gay person to the Senate with Tammy Baldwin. Arizona elected Kyrsten Simena, the first bisexual person in Congress.

Gay Rights: More Than Marriage

Zack Kohn
Staff Writer

Same sex marriage has become the ultimate concern of gay political and social advocates; the goal of the gay rights movement. All over the country campaigns are waged, votes cast, and appeals lodged both in support and in opposition to same sex marriage.
As a gay man, my entire out life, I have been told, by EVERYONE (straight and gay alike) that marriage equality is the holy grail. Without it, gay people, gay families, and the gay community can never be equal to that of the rest of society.