Different country, different plan
How American culture prevents us from using Sweden’s COVID-19 strategy
In light of a worldwide crisis, it seems that a non-living organism has effectively exposed the fundamental flaws in our government more than ever before. Across the Atlantic, Sweden has taken a much different initial approach to combating the virus. However, is the stratagem effective and should we adopt this...
Contrarian Creativity
‘Originals’ advice on how to be different is anything but original
Obstacles in life are often unexpected — especially lately. Scrambling for opportunities, something to do, many have found themselves stuck competing for an internship after summer plans were cancelled. But when you’re stuck in limbo, in the same position as everyone else, how do you stand out? In his novel...
Guarding against Vanguard
Why we shouldn’t allow boot-up drivers for anti-cheats
Riot Games’ “Valorant” has been stealing the hearts of gamers on the FPS scene, with thousands of players even before its official launch. But is it stealing your personal data as well? Ultimately, it comes down to a trade-off of privacy and security, and there are better alternatives to consider....
Sound on to press play
Why sound is more important than graphics to player experience What makes a video game go beyond average isn’t just what you see: it’s what you hear as well. Good sound design augments a video game experience to a whole new level, from the sound cues to the battle music...
Social media virus
How to fight the spread of misinformation online COVID-19 can be cured by ingesting fish-tank cleaning products or flushing your system out with warm water and vinegar; coronavirus was also developed in Chinese labs to crash the stock market: In times of crisis, misinformation like this abounds. In fact, you...
Continuing Onward Online
How to apply the message of ‘Onward’ when we’re all inside “Onward” was one of the films that was hit the hardest thanks to the surge of panic created from the coronavirus outbreak. Box office revenues tanked for the first time in two decades, resulting from shelter-in-place rules and the...
Privacy versus public health
The importance of navigating personal privacy during a global pandemic Around the world, countries continue to wage their battle against the coronavirus, leveraging a multitude of weapons to end the pandemic at any cost. Whether that weapon is the use of location tracking and contact-tracing through smartphone applications, facial recognition...
Finding novelty at home
20 new activities to try while social distancing Being cooped up in the same place for weeks might start to make any student’s day feel monotonous. Right now, all the time that students could have spent going out and about can instead be spent trying something new. By trying something...
Anti-love or anti-repression?
A rebuttal to ‘Pro-sex/Anti-love’ Content warning: sexual assault “‘Abby’ — we’ll call her—” This was the beginning of an all-too-familiar story in the April 2020 edition of The Mercury titled “Pro-sex, anti-love” by Michael Lockwood. This opinion’s claims of how pornography ruins relationships and leads to sexual violence sparked controversy...
Why we publish what we do
Before an opinion piece is published in our paper, a rigorous process occurs beforehand. Columnists and writers approach our team with pitch ideas, which we must approve before they even begin. Next, they submit three separate drafts of their pieces and have them edited by 3-4 editors over the course...
