Global configuration of power

By Sener Akturk / October 29, 2002

Where do we stand in the broader trajectory of world history? By “we” I don’t only mean the people of the United States but all of humanity. What is going to happen with all of the world’s 215 or so states as political units? Will we have the U.S. continue as the sole hegemonic power...

College expansion traps

By James Liu / October 29, 2002

While the controversy over the Core may have engaged all of our attention last spring, after the College announced the virtual canceling of the Western Civilization sequence, what will have a more dramatic effect on the character of the College—its continuing expansion—has largely flown under the radar. The University of Chicago has always prided itself...

Activists can criticize Singapore’s gov’t.

By Stephanie Ye / October 29, 2002

When I read in last Tuesday’s Maroon that several campus student organizations intend to protest the Singapore government’s imprisonment of political dissenter Chee Soon Juan, my response as a Singaporean was to roll my eyes. I could just imagine the activists: a bunch of Americans, most of whom had never been to Singapore. “These Americans...

On understanding tragedy

By Maroon Editorial Staff / October 24, 2002

With yesterday’s arrests of John Allen Muhammad and his stepson John Lee Malvo, the sniper attacks seem to have come to an end after three weeks. While there is obviously more to be said on the matter, the attacks are conceivably over. Now begins the difficult task of understanding, reacting to, and overcoming the unthinkable...

What Would Phoebe Do?

By Phoebe Maltz / October 24, 2002

In French class, we are currently discussing how, in 16th-century literature, pure love, involving only the heart (coeur) is contrasted with sinful, impure love involving the body (corps). So, you’ve got coeur and corps, but here at the U of C we have something else, a different kind of devotion—the Core. The love involving the...

The true core conservatives

By Danny Choi / October 24, 2002

The Conservative’s Identity Crisis Nowadays, conservatives are too nice and too busy cooing at the filthiest variations of human life (i.e., liberals). They are consumed by the notions of being accepted, being liked, being popular, or, at the very least, being appreciated. Quite oddly, conservatives have forgotten their conservative roots, their ideals. They have gone...

Johnny Knoxville tells the world how he made a movie

By Ben Adams / October 24, 2002

The whole thing got started with an article Johnny Knoxville pitched to Big Brother Magazine. He was going to wound himself with a tazer, a stun gun, and pepper spray in order to determine which was the most effective weapon. Knoxville’s contact at the magazine, editor Jeff Tremaine, convinced him to film what he was...

Right As Usual

By John Lovejoy / October 24, 2002

I want to set Iraq aside for now and address the inaccurate theorizing about postwar American history found in the responses of Joshua Nachowitz and James Liu to my column on Iraq. If my position on the Cold War is propaganda, why have Mikhail Gorbachev and his former foreign ministry officials given Ronald Reagan much...

Before a Palestinian state

By George Anesi / October 24, 2002

Many, including members of the Bush Administration, are favoring what has been called a “two-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This implies that the end goal should be two states, one Israeli and one Palestinian, living side-by-side in peace. I am a strong advocate of this solution. It is important to remember, however, that the...

Gun issues in the sniper

By Tim Miller / October 24, 2002

The recent series of sniper shootings around the nation’s capital has triggered a renewed gun control debate. There is now a suspect in custody and we are currently learning more details about how these crimes were allegedly committed. The frightening thing is that it does not seem like any specialized equipment was needed to carry...

Staff Editorial

By The Maroon Staff / October 21, 2002

Upon superficial examination, it seems that the University of Chicago has been plagued with computer problems for the past six months. Beginning with last spring’s e-mail crashes, the problems have been mounting: non-secure Telnet access, the webmail breakdown earlier this quarter, and the struggling Chalk system all indicate prolonged and unresolved difficulties. To hear some...

Dialogue from the ivory tower

By Sener Akturk / October 21, 2002

Descartes: Cogito ergo sum. Kant: Wissen macht frei! Plato: Know thyself! (No one replies) Plato: The only thing I know is that I don’t know anything. (Pause) Speak to me! I want attention. I’m a spoiled and pretentious philosopher, whose ideas don’t make any sense. Schopenhauer: Plato, we all know that you’re totally ignorant. Shut...