Opinion Analysis by Albert Geokgeuzian, Staff Writer

On Aug 26, in the heart of the NBA playoffs, when the stakes were at their highest, the Milwaukee Bucks refused to play their pivotal Game 5 in the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting at the hands of police officers that happened not 65 kms from their team arena. They used their platform to get in contact with the Milwaukee governor to talk about what changes that were going to take place to make sure something like that doesn’t happen again. Athletes using their platform to force change. The moral of the story is that when you have a platform, you can have an impact. This brings us to Lebanon, what do racial protests by athletes in a dystopian country have to do with lebanon?

Opinion Piece by Roa Daher, Staff Writer

At the end of the day, Bezos did not work almost 200 billion times harder than anyone else to “earn” his money. Even if that were true, it disregards the innate debt that one has to humanity; if one could eliminate global malnutrition and medical debt without as much as a dent in their net worth, then why not? The least you can do is give people their stolen wages back, in one way or another. It is a shame to have such a pronounced wealth gap in the twenty-first century, and it is an even greater shame when people defend this profound inequality. One can only have more if another has less, and it is our duty as humans to strive for a more egalitarian society in which basic human necessities like housing, education, and food are provided for all.

Opinion Analysis by Hala Al Taher, Staff Writer

Recently, circa 1,072 displaced Syrians were sailed off at the Greek border and left at sea with nothing but inflatable rafts. The act was characterized as a vital breach of Article 33 of the 1951 Refugee Convention. The term ‘refugee’ is academically defined as a person who had to flee their country due to safety hazards such as war, persecution, or natural disaster. Nonetheless, the meaning of a refugee extends beyond this definition. A refugee is an entrepreneur, a teacher, an engineer, a doctor, a child, a lawyer, and so much more. Yet we never fail to hear the phrase “refugees have ruined our countries”. It is not refugees who have negatively impacted host countries, it is the demeaning treatment of refugees that did so.

Opinion News Analysis by Rhea Haddad, Staff Writer

Records floods. Raging storms. Deadly heats. Climate change manifests itself in numerous ways and is the ultimate equalizer: a challenge faced by any living creature. Over the last few decades, rising temperatures, shifting cycles of rain and snow, changes in plant communities, and other climate-related changes have significantly increased the likelihood that fires will occur more frequently and spread more intensely and widely than they did in the past.

Opinion Piece by Tala Otaibi, Staff Writer

As a result of the ongoing war, the healthcare system of the Palestinian people has been left in a chronic state of chaos. In the late 90s, the health system was “given” to the Palestinian Authority (PA). However, that proved to be only for show. The health system was still under the control of israel. The israeli state possessed control over budgeting, permits, and pharmaceutical procedures. Due to the ongoing occupation and control, healthcare became very inaccessible to those who needed it the most in Palestine. Under COVID-19 as the top healthcare of the world failed, eyes must turn to the worst healthcare systems of the world; those of palestine.

Analysis by Francesco Pitzalis, Staff Writer

Recent sociocultural activism in the Middle East has been awash with revelations of sexual abuse and various forms of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Notably, a notorious Egyptian sexual predator, to be known as ABZ; was exposed by virtue of persistent online activism. The question remains, what is such activism confronting? A tyrannical patriarchy? A patriarchy of naturalistic dimensions? Or simply against male psychopathology? The following article entails a dissection of the alleged crimes of the aforementioned predator, followed by postulations as to its root causes.

Opinion News Analysis by Serene Itani, Contributor

Thinking back to the years pre-2020, we had a fairly different idea about what makes for a year of turmoil. The last few months have proved that chaos and devastation are the contributing elements that depict the nightmare that has been 2020. With COVID-19 making the first and special appearance to our year, it’s undeniable that the world has thereafter witnesses an extensive series of downhill developments in an exponential manner like never before seen. With heavy rainfall taking over the country since July 2020, this has triggered significant river swells and floods which have hit 16 out of the 18 states that make up Sudan - resulting in the destruction of over 100,000 homes and the tragic deaths of roughly 100 people.

Opinion Analysis by Elie El Hajj, contributor and Tala Karkanawi, Staff Writer

UAE and israel have signed a peace deal fully normalizing diplomatic relations between the two countries. This has caused a grand dilemma between political and ethical thoughts that condemns the entire deal. What is behind the deal that Trump has conducted and how did other countries react to it? What may this bring to the Middle East and how could countries such as Iran react to the situation? It is more than just normalizing relations between two ‘peaceful’ ‘countries', it inevitably attacks the rights of the Palestinians and their fight for Jerusalem and their land.

News Analysis by Cherly Abou Chabke, Staff Writer

Even in death, Epstein kept the controversy alive. His story, ripe for conspiracy theories, is gaining momentous notoriety today due to the ongoing events related to his literal partner crime, Ghislaine Maxwell. Who is she? What is her connection with Epstein’s international sex trafficking ring? Why is she under arrest? Can we see today a glimpse of the possibility of justice being served for the victims who have endured for almost 20 years? Is this the end of the obscene travesty of justice?

Analysis by Hala Al Taher, Staff Writer

The Palestinian Israeli conflict, like many struggles around the world, is of a multi-layered nature. However, it is distinct from most wars. The Palestinian Israeli war is the only conflict where one witnesses an assault rifle against a fist, a rock against a tank, and an innocent child against an armed man. Here is what the media and Instagram reposts are not telling you; consecutive days of bombing are not the greatest problem for people in Gaza! The unfortunate reality is that Gaza has become completely inhabitable.