Boston investigation marked by cooperation

On Monday, April 15, two bombs exploded near the finish line at the historic Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring over 170 more. The moment the bombs went off, police from across the state along with the FBI rushed to lock down the area and begin their extensive investigation ...

Obama's budget fails to form consensus

Last week, President Barack Obama released his proposed budget for next year. With this budget, he has the opportunity to change and replace many of the automatic cuts that took place with the ridiculous sequester ordeal from earlier this year, which included $1.2 trillion in indiscriminate cuts to public ...

Worker-owned cooperatives benefit economy

It is no secret that today in the United States the richest people in the nation are better off than they have ever been in our history. The richest 1 percent in our nation owns 40 percent of our nation's wealth, while the bottom 80 percent has about 7 ...

Rejecting Medicare expansion creates gap

The Affordable Care Act of 2010 was the most significant expansion of government regulation of our health care system since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. Not only does it make insurance less discriminatory toward people with pre-existing conditions, but it attempts to guarantee that every single person ...

SaVE Act reforms rape law

When an updated version of the Violence Against Women Act was finally signed into law a couple of weeks ago it included a number of provisions not previously part of the law originally drafted in 1994 by then Senator Joe Biden. Each time VAWA was updated in 2000 and 2005 ...

Misunderstanding surrounds immigration

In our national discussion about immigration, there are a number of common talking points used in order to encourage the public to fear the people who come to our country and the consequences of their residence here. Many of these talking points are definitively false. Let's clear up some ...

Big Fatty's food soothes soul

In Knoxville, there are tons of diverse restaurants with amazing southern, feel-good food, but for me one sticks out above all the rest: Big Fatty's on Kingston Pike.

Big Fatty's from the outside doesn't look that special. It is in an inconspicuous building without much color, and ...

Zipcar innovates transportation style

Last Wednesday, the City of Knoxville announced the beginning of a new partnership with the company Zipcar, Inc., a car sharing network with thousands of vehicles in cities around the country.

Here’s how it works: you fill out an application and pay a one-time application fee. They do a ...

'Harlem Shake' videos corrupt original

So there's this new viral sensation called the Harlem Shake. It involves someone dancing around by him or herself for 15 seconds, sometimes in a crazy costume, followed by 15 seconds of a whole crowd dancing like crazy to the tune of Baauer's electronic dance song, "Harlem Shake ...

Campfield disgraces reputation of South

Native Southerners certainly know that there are very pervasive and harmful stereotypes directed toward them on a regular basis. Southerners are often depicted in the media as backward, uneducated, racist, sexist, homophobic lunatics. Southern stereotypes are entrenched in American history, but they are made worse by the tiny minority of ...

Newark's mayor directly helps citizens

The word "serve" is usually a vast overstatement when people state that a politician is "serving" in a political office. But luckily there are a few shining stars out there who really do believe in serving their constituencies. One of the most famous examples we have today is Cory Booker ...

Math brings excitement, seriously

I have a confession to make: I love math. I have loved math since the day I first learned what math was. I wish I could celebrate the day I learned distributive property as if it were my birthday and it not be weird. I always save my math homework ...

Obama still standing for hope

Over our long holiday weekend, I ventured with some friends up to D.C. to see the second inauguration of Barack Obama. We piled into two Megabuses with about a hundred other people at 10 p.m. on Saturday. Many passengers became instant friends as they compared their tickets for ...

Obesity epidemic often exaggerated

We are amidst that time of year again when New Year's resolutions create a bombardment of weight loss commercials. The media promises that the New Year can bring a "new you" if only you try hard enough (and "buy this product!").

Our obsession with weight loss and our fear ...

Gun laws in need of reform

On Friday, December 14 I was waiting in my room to be picked up by my parents and taken home for the holiday when I saw the news of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. I couldn't help but watch the news unfold the rest of the day. It ...