Obama and McCain’s stances on health care and tax cuts should be pretty familiar to people following the debates.  Even if the candidates have not been clear, the topics have been brought up enough times that Americans are familiar with their arguments.
But there is a huge lack of debate and conversation over issues that are [...]

I would say that apathy has become the defining characteristic of the young people today but I’m not sure that’s the case.  I think people are kind of energized by this election and that’s precisely what upsets me.  I do indeed see Obama as a change of direction for this country, but not necessarily in [...]

It’s Sunday night and it is time to write a paper and study for multiple tests before class starts again, but first comes Facebook, football practice and Frisbee. Procrastination: a college student’s dream and nightmare at the same time.
“The avoidance reflex is very strong in humans. We all naturally avoid pain. That’s what you’re doing [...]

Recently, Barack Obama received a very rousing endorsement from none other than Colin Powell himself—Republican golden boy and soldier extraordinaire.  Likewise, Obama has received the endorsement of other defectors from the Bush administration, including former Secretary of the Treasury Paul O’Neill and former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan (both are ardent critics of the [...]

If there is no breaking news like that Senator Barack Obama when he was 8 helped Bill Ayers build bombs or something else, then he will be the 44th president of the United States.  Hence, the McCain campaign is relentlessly pushing news stories aimed at de-legitimatizing a potential Obama presidency, and undermining democracy itself.
The McCain [...]

Amondson, Baldwin, Barr, Calero, Jay, Keyes, LaRiva, McKinney, Moore, Nader: Those of you who are voting by mail may already have experienced the surprising reminder that the presidential choice extends beyond Obama and McCain.
No one, of course, thinks any of them stand a chance of winning. But some voters, nonetheless, will cast their ballots for [...]

Aloha Sushi $-$$
With a trendy interior and fresh sushi made in front of you, who said Walla Walla can’t have good sushi? The lunch special with a salad, soup and sushi roll for under $7 is a great deal not to mention tasty. If you want to take the family bonding up a notch, take [...]

Every newspaper faces the same questions on a regular basis: how do we decide what to print? What is newsworthy?
At a school like Whitman, that is small and generally happy, sometimes we don’t have urgent, breaking news. Sometimes, although we try to avoid it, we must use filler, “fluff,” material. But inevitably, we face sensitive [...]

It’s pretty obvious to most people following our candidates, Senators McCain and Obama, that they have drastically different stances on virtually every issue they approach. From taxes to abortion, health care to education, it can hardly be denied that they have little in common in terms of their political stances. It should hardly be [...]

A few weeks ago, a ghastly error was committed by the upper echelons of our college administration, as the library was prematurely shut down on the night of October 9. A number of students felt betrayed and disrespected, certainly a reasonable response, given that it was unannounced, and in the midst of the rash [...]

The human ego is notorious for not admitting its mistakes. I don’t know why, but it just is.
As you grow older, you begin to admit the petty ones because of a subconscious desire to make yourself look powerful and confident… or something.
“When you’re more mature, you begin to start telling the truth in odd [...]

When Salman Rushdie visited Whitman last year, he spoke of an alternative to censorship; “if a book offends you,” he said, “close it. Stop reading.” A few weeks ago, during banned books week, I thought back to this, and wondered why some people are so adamant about censorship.
Citizens for Academic Responsibility, a pro-censorship group, cites [...]

In an article entitled “Gotta have Faith,” last week’s Pio looked at religion at Whitman. I write this week to amplify, clarify and correct certain elements of that article.
Let me begin by addressing the pie graph which appeared with the piece. The question: Is spirituality important to you? The accurate response among Whitties: [...]

An ignorant bystander might consider a soccer goalie just a lazy field-player. He hangs out in the goal box while the other players sprint furiously around the field. He can use his hands. In some games, he might not even touch the ball.
In fact, the job of goalie is every bit as challenging as the [...]