• Poetic License

    Poetic License

    By Garrick Hoffman Poetry doesn’t come easily for me. Analyzing it, understanding it, writing it – I’ve always endured a lot of difficulty with it, even despite my title as an enthusiastic writer with an affinity for the craft. Every time I produce a poem, at the end I feel like what I really wrote… Read more

  • America’s Feeble Infrastructure

    By Garrick Hoffman August 1, 2007, remains a date of haunting memories for many. During the evening rush hour in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the nearly 2,000 foot-long Mississippi River Bridge, carrying scores of commuters, shuddered and collapsed into the river. The collapse killed 13 people and wounded 145 others. In the wake of the destruction, the… Read more

  • A Glimpse Inside: Sam Underwood

    A Glimpse Inside: Sam Underwood

    By Garrick Hoffman Sam Underwood is a student here at SMCC who spent his fall season canvassing for the Maine Democratic Party. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing him to discuss his experience. This is the first of three installments. You’ve been working for the Maine Democratic Party this season. Can you give any… Read more

  • Arrogant Dogmatism in American Media

    By Rachel York In his essay The Problems of Philosophy, Bertrand Russell uses a term, “arrogant dogmatism,” to describe the personality of someone who has never “travelled into the region of liberating doubt.” He examines the separation of practical men from philosophical men, stating that practical men focus on providing food for the body with… Read more

  • Democracy: Why is it hard in Africa and the Middle East compared to Western Europe?

    By Ian Ziller In some nations, democracy has become a long-standing tradition. In countries like the U.S., democracy is such a tradition that we think of it as a core of who we are. Other countries, like the ones in Europe, also have a long history of democracies. However, not all countries that are democracies… Read more

  • Edward Snowden Part 1: The Man Behind the Name

    Edward Snowden Part 1: The Man Behind the Name

    By Garrick Hoffman The name “Edward Snowden” was once virtually unknown. The man behind the name lived in Hawaii with his wife and kids and worked as government contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA). He was perhaps just an average Joe, an ordinary family man who toiled away, like any American, in the banalities… Read more