With Valentine’s Day around the corner, many are scurrying to purchase a gift for their loved ones. Stores are filled with bouquets of roses, chocolate boxes, heart-shaped cookies, and a plethora of teddy bears of all sizes. Little kids are wondering what cards or candies to gift their peers in class, while someone in aisle two cannot decide between red or pink roses. Valentine’s Day is fun for its extravaganza, quirkiness, and anticipation. However, more than a holiday for r

On August 11 th , 1919, the first president of the Weimar Republic of Germany, Friedrich Ebert, signed into effect the Weimar Constitution. This constitution detailed a representative democracy with provisions commonplace in many governments of this sort. Nationally, power was split between the executive and legislative branches. The executive branch consisted of a nationally elected president and a chancellor who was appointed by the president and was required to cosign on a

Valentine’s Day is loved and dreaded by many, so in this fifth issue of Delectable Discourse , where I ask college students a scrumptious new question each month, I asked the following: If you had to replace Valentine’s Day with another holiday, what would it be called, and how would it be celebrated? “Now you got me thinking. I’d make it Frog Day—a day where you celebrate frogs because they are amazing. They are neat creatures that actually provide a lot, and I think they de

The air is damp with a familiar, dirty, and salty scent–the smell of cigarettes, the sea, and the concrete jungle: Oakland, California. On November 1st of 2025, after a crazy Halloween night at the local goth club, I had an 8 AM train to catch from our local Amtrak station in Fresno, to Oakland Jack-London Square–I was going to see the renowned indie rock band Car Seat Headrest, live at the Fox. My 8 AM train was far too early following the previous night, and with a stroke o

What is the word you think of when you think of Christmas? Is it the Christmas lights or the long lines at Target? As I grew up, all I could think about was presents. Let me tell you a story about this dad and his little boy. The father's name was David, and he grew up in Pomona, Los Angeles, with his mother who was tough on him. He was a knucklehead who always got in trouble all the way till his late 30s. Then he had a little boy. His name was Isaac. Isaac grew up with his d

Although the purpose of Thanksgiving is to reflect on and be thankful for the positives and the privileges one experiences in life, many people associate Thanksgiving with a time where one’s gluttony can overtake oneself in a socially-acceptable manner, stuffing one’s face with as much food as possible, having to unbutton one’s jeans to accommodate the new circumference, and then passing out in a food coma. Consequently, in this third issue of Delectable Discourse , where I a

Valeria is someone well aware of her desires, leading me to believe what I already knew: she was going to leave, and everything was going...

The adrenaline rush, maybe? I don’t know. It’s hard to explain. Horror is a big business. Of course, fear isn’t everyone’s cup of tea or...

Lobotomy : defined as a surgical operation involving incision into the prefrontal lobe of the brain, formerly used to treat mental...

I’ve never liked driving at night. The low visibility from the dark and the obnoxiously bright headlights of other drivers make me...

Spooky season is among us, so it seems appropriate to talk about what to me is the spookiest thing of all: late-stage capitalism. The...

When the air felt crisp and the trees’ leaves were only beginning to turn a rusty orange, my grandma set a big plate of cookies on the...