The Bowdoin Orient

As you may have read in my previous columns, I dislike the poor state of the railways in this country and I dislike the endless mischaracterizations of Europe by politicians on this side of the Atlantic. I think the laws on alcohol over here are out-dated and that the USPS shouldn’t be left to die. 

The emotion I may reserve for those topics—while great—is nothing compared to my unbridled hatred for something that many of you might not even consider deserving of attention: the penny. 

Now, I should make it clear that there isn’t anything intrinsic to pennies as objects that make them worthy of anyone’s ire—after all, they are little more than discs made out of an alloy that is a trifling 2.5 percent copper (the rest is zinc). But the relatively low price of zinc cannot compensate for the fact that it costs 2.4 cents to make a single penny. 

In a week marked by an ongoing Bowdoin divestment debate, a papal resignation, the State of the Union address and a surprise nuclear test, it’s no small wonder that the situation in war-torn Mali isn’t getting much coverage. After the sudden spike in interest last month following the launch of France’s intervention in the North African nation­—“Opération Serval”—foreign news coverage of Malian affairs has largely returned to the way it has been over the last decade: essentially non-existent. Only reports of kidnappings and the occasional piece about the increasing influence of Islamist groups are enough to pique the interest of the media on both sides of the Atlantic. Mali is seen, wrongly, as being no different from any other failed African state, when in fact the repercussions of its collapse would have a significant impact far beyond its borders. In Mali, like in many former colonies, the borders were drawn without any regards to geographical, ethnic or political considerations. This partly explains why the some of the Tuareg—a people known for their nomadic lifestyle and stunning blue robes—have rebelled against the governing power in Mali five times in the last century. Until last year, each effort of the Tuareg people to create an independent nation, Azawad, resulted in a stalemate or was successfully suppressed by Mali’s army. Yet something changed in January 2012, when the most recent rebellion was launched.

Recently, it seems that not a week goes by without some news outlet trumpeting the imminent demise of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The USPS—along with the likes of Kodak and Hewlett-Packard—has been accused of failing to deal with the realities of the 21st century: the world is becoming increasingly dependent on modes of communication that exist beyond the physical realm. Some commentators argue that the USPS has had its day and should be allowed to die. These assessments base themselves upon the cold, hard mathematics of the marketplace while wholly failing to consider the disastrous consequences should the USPS collapse. I wouldn’t dispute that the postal service is hemorrhaging money: every day the USPS loses up to $36 million and annually it loses billions (last year alone, it reported a net loss of nearly $16 billion).

Tomorrow is World AIDS Day, an opportunity to unite against the pandemic. It’s a chance to show our support for the 35 million people currently living with HIV, and to remember the nearly 30 million people killed by AIDS since the day it was first recognized in 1981.

This week, in spite of the pouring rain and the howling wind, Bowdoin students headed into town to participate, often for the first time, in the most important element of any democracy: they went to vote.

Friday marks the 83rd week since the Syrian Civil War began, and neither side is anywhere close to victory. In spite of overwhelming odds, the Free Syrian Army (FSA) now operates in all but one of Syria’s provinces. It has gained power through a series of bloody attacks; FSA forces are assumed to be behind the murders of captives and unarmed loyalists. And the Syrian armed forces continue to relentlessly attack rebel positions. Every day, new reports and videos are released of airforce strikes against villages and towns that support the rebels, although both sides are responsible for many civilian deaths. Since it began, the conflict has made refugees of over 300,000 people, and has claimed the lives of nearly 26,000.

Following the official launch of the hotly-anticipated iPhone 5 last week, Apple Inc. released iOS 6, the latest iteration of its operating system for mobile devices. The update includes many useful new features, and improved older ones. The most talked-about changes are those that transpired after Apple’s recent divorce from Google.

As a fresh arrival to Bowdoin a year ago, I was struck by the passion exhibited for the case of Troy Davis, a man convicted of killing a police officer in Savannah, Ga. Davis was held on death row for 15 years and maintained his innocence throughout. Countless people across this country and around the world protested on his behalf, but all of these voices did not stop his execution, which went ahead on September 21, 2011.

A few weeks ago, acclaimed film director James Cameron descended to the deepest known point in the ocean, making him only the third person in history to do so. In an interview after the record-breaking dive, Cameron reminded us that our oceans are truly the last frontier.

Lately, the Republican presidential candidates have taken it upon themselves to collectively portray Europe as a nightmarish fantasy world. Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich have all made allegations that Europe is in the chokehold of socialism, burdened by large welfare systems and high taxes, an anathema to their vision for America.

A few years ago, I took the night train between two cities 1,038 miles apart. It was meant to be a fairly quick journey, but the train arrived late at our departure point and left nearly an hour behind schedule. Its delay then added up through the night and we arrived at our destination almost three hours later than we had expected. There were no mechanical issues, and on paper, this was nothing more than a simple journey from Denver to Chicago, delayed even before the train entered the station.

Yesterday was World AIDS Day, a yearly event intended to unite people from all around the world in the difficult fight against this disease. It's an opportunity to show support for those living with HIV and to remember those who have died of AIDS. Yet beyond this yearly day of remembrance, it seems that AIDS is mostly forgotten by the world.

On November 8, Maine voters, including many Bowdoin students, chose to reject a blatant affront to democracy: a ballot initiative that aimed to prohibit same-day voter registration.

After being on the run for nearly two months, Muammar el-Qaddafi was found in a sewer outlet in his hometown of Sirte.

I've been getting sick these past few weeks. Not from a virus, fungus or flu. Instead, my illness is verbal and it has only one symptom: "like."

The other day, I was reading through the Office of Safety and Security's crime log when I came across a report that an underage student had used a fake ID, bought alcohol, and provided it to other minors in Osher Hall.

As I flew south over the Appalachian mountains toward Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport this past July, I looked upon a familiar sight. I have visited this nation more times than I can count; I have been to 22 of the 50 states and I have lived in two. I have travelled across half the country by Amtrak and I have taken road trips through the arid southwest.