So you think you know ball—Explaining the NBA Playoff Format
Intro: With the NBA (National Basketball Association) playoffs getting underway this weekend, I thought it would be helpful to explain the format all the way from the initial play-in round to the finals. Background: The NBA is divided into two 15-team conferences: the Eastern Conference, with teams like the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, and New […]
Reviewing every episode of ‘Smiling Friends’: season three
With the release of its third season, “Smiling Friends” has officially come to an end. And what a ride it’s been—it’s safe to say that over the course of just three seasons, “Smiling Friends” has become the defining adult show of our generation. It’s fitting that the third season contains some of the show’s best […]
Why are meal points even a thing?
Presumably, most people at Brandeis have had a meal plan at some point during their time here. Whatever meal plan you ended up choosing, it inevitably included some amount of “points.” Even the cheapest plan has at least $60 worth of points, and any plan for someone who lives on campus includes at least $175 […]
Living in the Moment
The culture of college is very much an “on to the next” mentality. Students often think about their chemistry test next Thursday, an essay due in a week, or the frat party happening on Saturday night. This constant focus on the future is important, and indeed often helpful. It drives us to accomplish tasks that […]
It’s all about the games!
Throughout the year, I’ve been playing video games. Old games, new games, it doesn’t matter when it came out. All that matters is if you have fun. And to quote Reggie Fils-Aimé, “if it’s not fun, why bother?” This school year has been a long one, as it is every year. New experiences lengthen one’s […]
Hoot Recommends: Favorite outdoor spots on campus
With several days of warm weather in the past week, many of us here at Brandeis took some time out to enjoy the great outdoors; frolicking on the lawns, walking through the flowers, and having a good time in general. Unfortunately, however, we have all been fooled. This weather is what New Englanders know as […]
I Had A Conversation With Sally
Coffee I was in a cafe staring at the California sunset when I met her. She looked very zen at first, but also puzzled, like a lost puppy. From the way she stared at me, I knew she was trying to start a conversation, but was too shy to do so. I decided to help […]
Simon Malls … Who is Simon?
This article has been a personal interest of mine for a while now. I grew up constantly going to malls. When I was a kid in Los Angeles, malls were equivalent to meeting at the playground; you went with your friends, ate at the food court, and used a few bucks to buy a “buy […]
Sunblighted: Chapter 10
Last time on Sunblighted: Tev is interrupted by her mother, Bew, who mistakenly assumes that Lih is a guard for a group of performers known as ‘The Troupe of Tomorrow.’ Lih and Tev are forced out of the Inn, and Lih is fascinated by the new innovations of the world. When Tev and a local […]
Sunblighted: Chapter 9
Last time on Sunblighted: After providing Lih with food and shelter, Tev tells the tale of Sul-Um-Im’s blessing, a decayed religion that she believes is connected to the mysterious appearance of Lih and Gerfol. She says that Can and Thi were sacrifices saved by three warriors who go by the names: Sul Um and Im. […]
‘The Winter’s Tale’: A Review Full of McCarthy Era Shenanigans
This semester, Brandeis’ own Hold Thy Peace has put on a production of one of William Shakespeare’s “problem plays”: “The Winter’s Tale.” A play dubbed problematic not for its content, but for its unclear genre—with the first three acts featuring intense drama and many deaths and the last two acts being full of comedy, love, […]
UTC’s performance of ‘Clue: On Stage’ truly excelled
On Friday, March 13, Saturday, March 14, and Sunday, March 15, the Undergraduate Theater Collective brought their performance of “Clue: On Stage” to the SCC Theater, and it was a truly impressive performance. “Clue: On Stage” is a comedic adaptation of the 1985 film “Clue” and is based on the board game by Hasbro. Six […]
Brandeis Festival of the Arts introduces new 24-hour marathon format
The Brandeis Festival of the Arts—a longstanding campus tradition—is being reformatted this year to a continuous, 24-hour arts marathon named “Art Never Sleeps,” which will take place from six p.m. on April 18 to six p.m. on April 19. The Hoot sat down with Concert and Events Administrator for the Creative Arts, Natalie Sciallo, and […]
News Made Small 4/17
Springfest: Springfest will take place on April 26 this year, with the recent announcement of headliner Zara Larsson. Larsson is the 25th biggest artist on Spotify and recently performed at the Grammys. The opener is an artist called Notebook P, a rapper with 7,371 monthly listeners on Spotify. The Department of Student Engagement (DSE), in […]
On the Other Hand: On American Futures
Background: This column, On the Other Hand, began at The Hoot last semester as a successor to the Devil’s Advocate, written by the authors for The Justice from 2023-2024. The goals of both columns were the same: to take on difficult issues of importance in popular American discourse. On the Other Hand has debated a […]
A glance at Brandeis’ spring sports teams’ practice
To anyone that knows me, you know that I am incredibly unathletic and don’t typically pay attention to sports. Why, then, would I of all people be writing for the sports section? I am doing it for the same reason I also joined our ultimate frisbee team, TRON: to try out something new and learn. […]