It has happened to you before, it will happen again, and if it does not, stop stalking people. I’m talking about that irritating feeling you get when, in your attempts to become a social butterfly, you send a group of your friends a blitz about anything — meeting up for lunch, say, or asking about a homework assignment — and much to your chagrin, you get no responses. Any responses you do get are the very Microsoft-esque ones which say something technically correct, but practically useless. You know, when people respond two days after the window of relevance with something like, “Oh hey, I’m sorry, I didn’t check my blitz. It’s too late now though, try me again some other time.” Based on conversations with friends, the class of ‘09 seems to have difficulty making the best of blitz, at least in the way previous classes have.
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While the first three and last two paragraphs of Paul Heintz’s op-ed (“Mohammed & Fellow,” Jan. 6) exhibited some careful thought and historical rumination, much of his 1,200-word essay was little more than a self-aggrandizing diatribe — what Heintz would label a “self-call.” Given the opportunity to publish such a voluminous riposte to the recent political and social uprisings across the Middle East, Heintz failed to address the most essential issues at stake. “A free, vibrant and uncensored press” is undeniably “one of the most important components of a democratic society.” But in the 21st century, citizens no longer participate in just one nation, but rather in a global community. It is in every democratically-minded and socially-conscious person’s best interest not to add fuel to the flames of cultural sensitivity when the opportunity can be avoided. Such an approach, without a doubt, should also be the responsibility of the press.
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With all the focus on the fury in the streets, it seems as though the major points of the cartoon controversy have been lost. I am, of course, referring to the caricatures of Mohammed printed in a Danish newspaper. While these drawings were clearly offensive, they must be put into perspective by looking at the messages behind them and the conduct of the protesters.
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