Shalom & Salaam

I just came back from a lecture and discussion with David Keyes regarding "The Arab Spring: Human Rights and Revolution in the Middle East." The event was part of Israel Peace Week, the second annual Friends of Israel event promoting the peace process in the Middle East. This week followed so-called "Israeli Apartheid Week," a protest by the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) against the state of Israel.

Jumbos focused on the Israeli/Palestinian peace process

Having listened to, and spoken with, SJP members railing about Jewish supremacy and Israeli rights violations, I was at first appalled. But during the Keyes lecture, one Palestinian Tufts student raised her hand and (unlike her more disruptive peers at the previous day's speaker) agreed with much of what Keyes had said. She then asked where her place was as a Palestinian who does not support Hamas, does not idolize suicide bombers, and does not teach hatred of Jews and Christians. Keyes' answer: "You have a role to play. Support moderation in Gaza...convince people that Hamas is not the answer." And now, for the first time since the anger and frustration began on this campus, I am beginning to see what we all have in common.

Of Hearts and Tarts and Liberal Arts

At this time last year, it seemed as though all of my classes were alterations on the same concept; it's funny how many times "prisoner's dilemma" or "determinism" come up in academia. But this semester, it's happening again (and I wasn't even trying to theme my classes this time around!). In Literature of Chaos, we've been reading Lewis Carroll* (Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass), while Discrete Mathematics has been discussing Carroll as a logician, drawing on his amusing logic puzzles as examples. And so, I present to the world a problem I've invented (for extra credit), inspired by the Carroll's universe.

*Funny phrasing, no? Reading Carroll? I'm reading books...

Bring on the Socks

It's midnight, February 1st, 2012. You give a frantic glance to the left, to the right. Are you safe, down here? Not really, no. Darn it! Why is your computer upstairs? You knew the game was starting...but somehow that wasn't on your mind. Wait, what's that sound? Someone's coming, down the stairs! He's asking about your whereabouts; you can hear him! You quickly gather your belongings and bolt for the bathroom, fumbling with the lock. Assassins has begun, and everyone's a target.

Comics featuring their RAs explain the rules of the game to residents