Being a debate site, I only thought it was appropriate that I FINALLY had a blog post on the Democratic Primary debates (we’ve had a few already--is this primary season over yet?) Fortunately, although the request was last minute, the following contributors decided to help me out. They all sent to me their preliminary thoughts and expectations before watching the fifth debate and their initial reactions post debate. 

    I also asked for reactions from the following day after they had some time to think things through. One thing I have really become interested in lately is how our arguments and ideas change after we have walked away from them and mulled the thoughts over a little bit. What does reflection do to one’s...

What am I fighting for? 

Truth be told, some days I am not so sure. I am a little (okay, a lot) concerned about the state of our democracy at the moment. From the disregard and chipping away for norms that have corroded the system-predating and leading to our current president, to this administration’s authoritarian tendencies, to just the inability to have a civil discourse with those who hold different views, it appears that we are heading in a perilous direction. We have stood on the brink of a possible impeachment for years-with reasons and voices growing louder by the day. The media is derided as fake. My trust in the system often feels like it could sink no lower. 

I could go on and express my grievances, but I think we all feel th...

​First let me apologize for this graphic display of nature in action 

Yesterday on my way out, my dad and I stumbled across quite a scene. On my neighbor’s lawn, a hawk (I think it was a hawk) was sitting atop another bird, clearly finishing off a kill.

 The two of us in the car were not sure what to do. Do we disturb this cycle of predator and prey? 

Eventually I honked, but when this did nothing but lead the hawk to stare at me in a total WTF and “leave me alone” glare, I proceeded to get out of the car to try and scare it into leaving its victim alone. To no avail-the hawk just got up and flew away, prize in claws.

Why am I narrating my adventures in the wilds of suburbia to you? There is a point I swear. After a conversation with...

As I sit here typing away on my blog, with Facebook and Twitter open in other tabs above me, and with my phone next to me having its own Instagram, Twitter and Facebook apps, one can see that social media is a big part of my life (maybe too much?). So when I was asked to participate in a debate discussing social media, I could hardly say no!

Which is why I am happy to say I had the pleasure in participating this past week in another live debate with the NYC Political Forum. The motion for the evening was Social Media is Good for Democracy. I, along with my partner Kanishka Sukumar were assigned the opposing side, and our opponents, arguing in favor of the motion were Shaheed Majid and Maim Hoque.

The topic is quite an interesting and rel...

To the left, to the left, everything you own in the box to the left.

Okay, okay I won’t try and sing. I do want people to come to this site! And I promise I have not lost my mind (entirely). So why am I quoting the irreplaceable (see what I did there) Queen Bey? Because this past week I was able to discuss these words, just with an entirely different meaning.

On Wednesday evening, I was lucky enough to participate in a live debate discussing the motion The Democratic Party has moved too far to the left. I, along with a partner, was assigned to argue against the motion.

This topic, certainly relevant to the current political atmosphere, has garnered attention from pundits and the Twitterati across the political spectrum, as well as fueled...

Guys, I have big news. I am entering the Democratic Primary for 2020. I mean, everyone and their mother apparently is--what is one more person? I am not thirty-five, have no real experience, have no money...

So maybe no good opening argument for my candidacy can actually be made. However, with so many other people running--many who do have substantial and impressive resumes--it can become overwhelming to differentiate and know where everyone stands. In order to break through some of the overload, I have decided to engage in a new, ongoing project for the blog. I am recruiting any brave soul to write an opening argument for one of the many potentials (even the undeclared but likely--I am talking to you Joe Biden). However, if this wasn't...

What qualities make someone a good leader, specifically in the political context? What qualities are you looking for in the individual elected to be President in 2020? As more and more candidates jump into the race, these questions have been on my mind. I personally have been a frequent critic of our current president, but pinpointing exactly what I want to see in the next is difficult. And so, I have set out on a project to gather myriad voices to help define what leadership qualities are important in life, particularly for those who are attempting to steer this great ship we call the United States of America.

Graciously, several thoughtful and diverse people responded with their opinions to my questioning and have agreed to engage in...

You are all probably tired of hearing from me this week, but I had a moment of self reflection that I would like to share. Let me start off by saying I believe we don't give ourselves or others a chance to admit when we have made mistakes in judgement. Sometimes our visceral reactions are faulty and just knee-jerk impulses based on previous biases. We should be willing to admit this and allow for time to reflect and change our minds.

I had an instance of this occur yesterday. After attending my great uncle's funeral, the guests went out for a meal to gather and celebrate the life that had passed. I was amongst a gathering of my family and some of his friends, some whom I had never met before. One of these individuals that I struck a con...

Anyone who knows me knows that Harry Potter was tremendously important to my life (well, more Hermione, but still). Truly though, the books had a huge impact on my life that continues today.

One thing that really impacted me was surprisingly enough a specific spell that is found in the books-"wingardium leviosa". It was a charm that was used to levitate things, to make them rise.

As someone who suffers from anxiety and OCD, I have found that spell to be a saving grace. I use it as a mantra to rise above the noise in my head, to rise above the obsessions, to levitate in a sense from the repetitiveness.

Why am I bringing this up? Because I feel like we all need a little bit of the magic of wingardium leviosa nowadays, especially when it com...

In honor of Presidents Day (can someone please tell me where the apostrophe should go here!) I had originally intended to write this post reflecting on the legacies of the most revered men (thus far) in our country’s short history. Although our presidents have had their flaws, today is generally a day in which we reflect upon them and honor them. I wanted to discuss what made them leaders, what their positive and negative qualities were, and what they left behind.

Instead, however, I will leave that to the historians. Today I woke up to the sad news that my Great Uncle Rogie (the adjective necessary in both an upper and lower case) had passed in the middle of the night. And so, I would like to take a moment instead to reflect on his leg...