In the 20^th century, nostalgia was declared a psychiatric disorder with symptoms that included insomnia, anxiety, and depression. Back then, it was primarily found in boarding school students and immigrants. Nowadays, nostalgia has been shown to be therapeutic and often has positive effects on mood and emotional stability according to University of Southampton psychologist Constantine Sedikides and his colleagues in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

A “Nostalgia Workout” which consists of writing down a favorite memory and/recalling a good experience for about 20 minutes per day has been shown to be effective in mood-boosting and wellness studies.Those who practiced this “workout” felt more alive and energetic on average. It essentially behaves as a sort of natural anti-depressant.

According to The University of Cologne’s Dr. FilippoCordaro , “Recalling these experiences makes us feel a stronger sense of social connectedness with others. We’ve done some research looking at what people usually describe as a ‘typical nostalgic experience’ and find that people typically think about positive experiences in which the self is the protagonist, but they are surrounded by and interacting with others.”

Some researchers say this is why the 2000s were a retro decade, with cultural influences from the past 50 years appearing in popular culture.

So if you’re feeling a little blue, just think of a good memory or catch a favorite TV show from your childhood and (statistically) you’ll be all the better for it.

Lory Martinez

Dogan was quick to react, striking the gunman, while other delegates brought him to the floor. TV footage (which has since been uploaded to YouTube) shows several people kicking, punching, and stomping on the man as he was lying on the ground.

The attacker has been identified as Oktai Enimehmedov, a Bulgarian citizen, but Turkish by ethnicity. Enimehmedov is reported as also carrying two knives in addition to the gas pistol. A gas pistol is only meant for self-defense, and is not designed to be lethal, but in close range, it can cause severe injury.

Dogan staring down the barrel of Enimemehmedov’s gun.

Interior Minister Tsvevtan Tsvetanov has told the media that Enimehmedov has a criminal record for “drugs possession, robberies and hooliganism.”
Enimehmedov’s would-be target, Ahmed Dogan, is the leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, a liberal party that primarily represents ethnic Turks and Muslims in Bulgaria, who comprise about 12 percent of its 7.3-million population. Dogan has been the party’s leader since its founding in 1990.

Today’s assault marks the most serious attack on a politician in post-communist Bulgaria since the 1996 murder of former Prime Minister Andrei Lukanov.

Alex Baer

News Director

Photo credit: Marissa Moroz

It’s been one wild semester, but I’d like to thank everybody for being a part of it! From our boots-on-the-ground reporting to our up-to-date fact checking and our dedication to the story, I’d like to thank all of my reporters and analysts on the Evening Review.

Stay tuned for updates; the spring edition of the Evening Review is just around the corner!

Alex Baer
News Director

The announcement comes as senior US officials prepare to attend a meeting in Marrakesh today with representatives from 70 other countries, including the Syrian opposition coalition, which is expected to have its recognition by the United States formalized.

The next question that is hoped to be addressed is Washington’s continued involvement in the crisis; the administration is expected to work alongside the coalition to help it establish authority in areas currently under rebel control, as well as prepare the coalition to take national power. The administration still shows reluctance with lifting the current Syrian arms embargo and arming the opposition in a scenario similar to the air bombardment in Libya almost two years ago. Said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, “We are maintaining our current posture of non-lethal support and not going beyond that.” The continued stance on arming Syria is mainly due to the United States’ consistent vocal concern for the possibility of extremist elements, with Obama stating that, “Not everybody who’s participating on the ground in fighting Assad are people that we are comfortable with.”

The announcement also comes on the heels of a statement from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the Syrian resistance group called the al-Nusra Front. In the statement, the US declared the al-Nusra front both a terrorist group and a front for al-Qaeda, as well as freezing any possible assets in US jurisdictions. The move is hoped to be well received by the Russian government, whose continued support of the al-Assad regime has caused international tension. In recent talks facilitated by the United Nations and the Arab League for Syria, the United States and Russia “explored avenues to move forward a peaceful process,” stated international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, according to CNN. The United States has reportedly urged the Russian government to use its influence within Damascus to help facilitate a political solution to the crisis. Though invited to the Marrakesh conference, the Russians have declined to attend.

Molly Gasparini

A new study suggests that volcanic activity, not a meteorite, may have killed the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. The findings, which site lava flow from the Deccan Traps as the cause of the extinction, were presented last Wednesday at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union. Princeton University geologist Gerta Keller conducted the study. For years, Keller has made the case for volcanic activity being responsible for the K-T mass extinction, which goes against the familiar Alvarez hypothesis.

The Alvarez hypothesis states that the impact of a giant meteorite at Chicxulub, Mexico caused toxic levels of gas and dust to be released into the air, which ultimately blocked out the sun and led to widespread cooling. This cooling is what eventually killed the dinosaurs, as well as ocean life. The new research goes against the Alvarez hypothesis, arguing that lava from the Deccan Traps also gave off poisonous amounts of sulfur and carbon dioxide. This in turn resulted in global warming and ocean acidification.

A 2009 discovery prompted the research. While oil companies were drilling off the Eastern coast of India, lava filled sediments were found approximately 2 miles, or 3.3 kilometers below the ocean’s surface. Keller and her team obtained permission to analyze the sediments and discovered that many of the fossils inside were from around the period when dinosaurs disappeared, between the Cretaceous-Tertiary periods, or K-T Boundary for short. It was also found that the lava in the sediments traveled almost 1,000 miles, or 1,603 kilometers from the Deccan Traps. The fossils inside the sediments show sets of plankton species declining in number over time, indicating that most died off gradually. The plankton also became smaller with less intricate shells, implying that the sulfur and carbon dioxide from the volcanic eruption acted as catalysts in causing ocean acidification. This eventually ended in a mass extinction of sea life. Similar patterns have been found in marine sediments from Egypt, Israel, Spain, Italy, and Texas. Fossil records for land animals in India vanished around the same time, possibly indicating that the volcanic eruptions were also responsible for extinction beyond the sea.

Another reason that Keller believes the extinction was related to a volcanic eruption rather than a meteorite is that sediments containing iridium, a major chemical component present in asteroids, are only on record for the time after the extinction occurred. Keller added that the impact of a meteorite alone would not have given off enough sulfur and carbon dioxide to threaten the populations of land and sea species. The blast may have exacerbated the extinction but could not have caused it alone.

The Deccan Traps are located in what is now present-day India, near Mumbai. Though the volcanic region is no longer active and is approximately the same size as France, during the late Cretaceous period the area was easily comparable to the size of Europe.

Mallory Stein

The Huffington Post reported that Cunningham and Essa are responsible for bringing a batch of brownies that had been laced with pot to class on Friday, partaking in a “bring food to class” event. The individuals who ate the brownies did not know about their cannabis content, and shortly after consumption five students as well as the class’s professor became sick. The instructor of the class began complaining of dizziness and was drifting in and out of consciousness. That’s when police were called to the scene, and after questioning 11 students as well as the professor it was concluded that Cunningham and Essa had baked the brownies, then brought them to the class. In addition to the professor, two students were hospitalized: one student felt as if she were going to black out after class and the other suffered a supposed anxiety attack. Arrests were made the following day. As of Sunday evening, Cunningham and Essa were being held in the Boulder County jail awaiting a bond hearing.

This comes after last month’s decision in Colorado, when voters approved the possession and recreational use of small quantities of marijuana. However the drug still remains illegal under federal law and its use on campus grounds puts research grant money at risk. This issue was recently addressed by Bruce Benson, University of Colorado president in a message sent out to college alumni. Benson also added that marijuana could cost the university up to a “billion dollars annually in federal revenue”.

Mallory Stein

The disturbing image has been severely criticized from the online community, which has been questioning both why no one went to help Han, and why the Post published the photo at all. Twitter and Facebook have been major platforms for criticism of the publication, with one Twitter user dubbing it “snuff porn,” according to CNN. Another user questioned why the photographer’s seeming first instinct was to “snap a photo of him about to die and sell it to the NY post.”

According to the Post, however, the photographer was trying to lend a hand. R. Umar Abbasi, the freelance photographer who sold the Post his picture, claimed in the tabloid’s story that he “just started running, running, hoping that the driver could see my flash. …I just wanted to warn the train – to try and save a life.” However, Abbasi’s defense has also been met with criticism, with one Twitter user noting that the photograph was “a tad too well-composed” to be taken while running towards the train, according to the Atlantic Wire.

The picture has also sparked controversy among media observers. Jeff Sonderman, a member of journalism think tank the Poynter Institute, stated that the Post “was wrong to use the photo, especially on the front page,” according to CNN. Another Poynter member, Kenny Irby, stated that while what the Post did was not unethical, it “crossed the line of dignity.” Fellow photographers have come to Abbasi’s defense, pointing out the presence of at least “a dozen other people” at the scene and that for photographers, “your instinct is to act with your camera.” Noted one anonymous photographer to the Atlantic Wire, “we don’t ask this of any other photographer covering other atrocities and far more violent scenes… New York isn’t Libya, but the job is the same. We document the human drama.”

In a video, the Post has defended Abbasi by claiming that the photographer was “not strong enough to physically lift the victim himself;” however, when contacted by The Guardian, producer Kenson Noel stated that he had not spoken to Abbasi directly and that “as you can imagine, any average person of average strength lifting someone from below the ground would be difficult.” Abbasi has not made any formal statement. The Atlantic Wire has also stated that the NYPD has since taken a suspect for the incident into custody.

Molly Gasparini

The ACLU, which is representing the servicewomen, claimed in the suit filed that the current policy on women is unconstitutional, since it discriminates based on gender. Major Mary Jennings Hegar, a plaintiff who flew medevac missions in Afghanistan, stated that the policy is “an injustice to women who have come before us and who continue to put their lives on the line for their country,” according to CNN.

According to the current policy, which was adopted in 1994, women, who comprise over 14% of current military personnel, can serve in a combat unit as a medic, an intelligence officer, or various other positions. However, they are barred from serving in infantry, armor, and special forces divisions, which are the more dangerous front line posts. This policy has relaxed in recent years, with the Pentagon announcing plans to open 14,000 ground positions to female soldiers earlier this year. But according to the ACLU, this still leaves over 238,000 jobs in infantry and special forces units that women in the military cannot have.

Another issue with the policy, claims the ACLU, is that it affects the ability of women to compete for promotions. Combat experience is a factor considered in job advancement, and though women have slowly been seeing increased combat on the ground, they are not given official credit, which makes it harder for them to advance in the ranks. The plaintiffs, who have all seen some form of ground combat, were never given official recognition for their roles. Hegar, who received a Purple Heart after suffering shrapnel wounds in combat, stated that she has “proven [her] ability every step of the way,” according to CNN.

When asked about the lawsuit, Pentagon spokesman George Little noted that Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is “very committed to examining the expansion of roles for women in the US military and he’s done so,” further saying that Panetta, who is named as a defendant in the filed suit, is “directing the services to explore the possibility of opening additional roles for women,” according to the BBC. Stating his belief in the strength of Panetta’s record on such issues, Little states that the 14,000 job openings created for women earlier this year indicate “merely the beginning and not the end of a process.”

Molly Gasparini

The students were divided into two groups, one that rinsed their mouths with Splenda-sweetened lemonade and one that rinsed with sugar-sweetened lemonade. The students who rinsed with sugar performed significantly better on the Stroop test, suggesting that simply rinsing the mouth with sugar increases self-control. The researchers now think that this is because the stimulation of sensors on the tongue by glucose causes signals to be sent to certain areas of the brain.

According to one of the leaders of the study, Leonard Martin, a professor of psychology at the University of Georgia:
“Researchers used to think you had to drink the glucose and get it into your body to give you the energy to (have) self-control. After this trial, it seems that glucose stimulates the simple carbohydrate sensors on the tongue. This, in turn, signals the motivational centers of the brain where our self-related goals are represented. These signals tell your body to pay attention.”

According to Martin, these findings suggest that simply gargling with sugar water may actually augment a person’s focus as well as their resolve to complete a task they’d rather not do. Quote: “It is the self-investment. It doesn’t just crank up your energy, but it cranks up your personal investment in what you are doing.”

The extent of this effect is likely limited to completing short term goals, such as managing to work late or finish a paper, but Martin suggests that gargling with sugar water might aid in the achievement of long term goals like quitting smoking and losing weight.

Ray Futia