College OTR

BYOSG: Bring your own shot glass

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:36:02 EDT

Two hundred USC students have contracted norovirus, a gastrointestinal affliction, which causes violent vomiting and is, apparently, extraordinarily contagious.

But the situation hints at other problems in college society, namely cleanliness among college students, and the lack thereof, has allowed this virus to spread so rampantly.

Trojans are the sworn enemies of Bruins, but we are still all college students – and thus, susceptible to the same virus.

Not washing your hands, or even sharing shot glasses, can create a cesspool of germs and grossness that can lead to more serious problems. Sure, people get that refraining from washing one’s hands is super-disgusting, (although some people still skip this ablution sometimes). But since drinking is a major pastime, sharing shot glasses is by the by at many a party. And it’s a viable way to contract viruses like our poor neighbors across the way.

Solution? Maybe Dixie cups? Just be careful since a Dixie cup is a little more than a shot, (I learned the hard way).

But more importantly, its out of respect for your fellow peers that we all should be more careful about our hygiene, especially with the season of colds, flues and now GI viruses that are running rampant.

We Lose, We Luge

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:14:47 EDT

The ice luge at the Wisconsin v. Michigan game. Great luge, not so great saying

Breakfast Club

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:02:55 EDT

There is nothing that compares to Purdue's tradition of breakfast club! Breakfast and Halloween Costumes (Jake's and Where Else?)

Keepin it Classy

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 06:44:53 EDT

keepin it classy with Wine Pong!!

It's Financial Literacy Month At The U!

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 06:02:16 EDT

You know, it's hard to believe it's already been a whole year. I'm still reeling from last year's Financial Literacy Month. Just like Christmas but without Santa Claus or your abusive Uncle Rodger planting his face in egg nog, Financial Literacy Month is a chance to win cool prizes and take multiple choice quizzes on the internet! Join me, won't you, as I find my Money IQ, learn about how broke I'm going to be when I graduate, and generally have a time of it!

Quiz 1: The Basics

This ought to be easy; everyone knows the basics! When there is no money in my wallet, I use my CELL PHONE to talk to a parent or guardian about giving me more money! Also, there are magic boxes all over campus that provide you with free money, just for guessing a simple four digit code! Oh, and don't forget about wooden nickels! (Hint: Don't take them!) using my already vast knowledge about moneys and moneys-related topics, I took the U's Basic Financial Literacy Quiz, and here's how I fared!

"#1 When I manage my spending, I am denying myself things in life.

True
False"

Denying myself things? Of course not! Spending management means "Should I get pizza or a sandwich today?" Whenever I take to managing my spending, I refuse to deny myself anything, as that is not how to stimulate this American economy (which is peachy, thanks for asking!). The answer is, of course, False!

"#2 Which of the following statements are true of the budgeting process?

Budgeting creates more wealth.
Budgeting forces you to sacrifice your well being.
Budgeting releases you from stress.
Budgeting contributes to global warming. "

Hmm... This one's a bit tougher! Rather than having two options to choose from, I have to read four whole things and think about each of them! Whoah Nelly! But this one isn't too difficult either: It's simply asking how many of these statements are true! I heard about "budgeting" once on the television, so it must be an important thing to get all the way there! If something got to be mentioned on TV, it must create more wealth. Check. Forcing you to sacrifice your well-being? Release from stress? GLOBAL WARMING?!? I didn't realize this was suddenly Science Hour with Dr. B.B. O'Math-Learnin'! Geez! Since it can't both release you from stress and sacrifice your well-being, I decided they must both be false. And as far as contributing to global warming, I don't think such a thing really exists. Besides, as Sarah Palin so aptly puts it, who cares what causes global warming? Until I see some strong evidence in support of it, I won't mark this one true, because it says "global warming" and that scared me off.

"#3 Where can you go for help with money issues?

Mom and Dad
Financial Aid Office
Boynton Health Services
All of the above "

You can of course go to Mom and Dad for help with money issues. I'm in college! My issue is "I don't have money" and "Hey where's the money?", both of which are magically solved with a trip to Mom n' Pops! The Financial Aid Office probably has some good things to say on the subject, like "You don't qualify, you lazy person"! Ha! Stay away from them. Boynton? Maybe you could go there, if you had that disease like on the commercial where you have so much money that you are sick. they would take it from you and not discuss it, I bet. As always, Mom and Dad are the answer!

"#4 Which documents should be stored?

Student loan documentation
Passport, birth certificate and social security card
Tax documents
All of the above "

It is my contention that if you store documents, you will forget where you put them or burglars will break in and defile them. Documents are terrible things, they clutter up the house and remind you of how dumb your middle name is. Don't ever save documents. I'm sure that's the point this quiz is trying to get me to reach.

"#5 I can save $7,000 if I graduate in four years.

True
False "

It is a moot point; no one at the U will graduate in four years. They just want to rub this in your face. You lose style points for that faux pas, Financial Literacy Quiz. Quit asking me hurtful questions while you're ahead.

Done!

Unfortunately, the quiz does not give you a number for your Money IQ, as I was expecting. Like many authority figures, it tells you what you did wrong and then makes you feel guilty. There are several important links I could click to improve my score by next time. But I've got a whole month to get Financially Literate! Come on, let's go spend our tuition money on shots and posters with boobs on them! Go money!

Gideon comes to St. John's to make sense of this whole election thing

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 05:57:56 EDT

St. John's plans to host a lecture from MTV's Gideon Yago. The lecture is entitled: GIdeon Yago, Making Politics Real and Relevant.

It will surely be the hipest thing to happen to St. John's since the last cool lecture from the creator of Craigslist.com, Craig...I forgot his last name.

Gideon says his presentation is a "Hip look at the presidential race and other newsworthy events around the world." He will put the Obama Vs. McCain issues into a Guitarhero-Apple generation context. For example "The Offshore drilling situation is harder to figure out than rockband drums on expert"

I will do another blog on how it was thursday night. So stay tuned

Friday Night at The Height!!

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 05:41:41 EDT

Students at The Height Drinking with friends (Uptown at The Height (10-3-08))

Saturday Night Barndance!!!

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 05:38:20 EDT

Friends! Classiness (Barndance)

Shirt Slogan Strikes Again!

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 05:18:51 EDT

What I really want is a white shirt that functions as a white board that I can write on and edit whenever I want to create situations like this

Rutgers: Preparing for Economic Disaster

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 04:46:07 EDT

The economy is going to hell, and as fiscally irresponsible college students that we are, many of us will find the treacherous waters of debts and loans closing over our little heads. In face of this, the ladies of Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, along with Senoritas Latina Unidad and Sigma Lamda Upsilon decided to hold a info session on debt relief, financial planning, and loans for students that don't want their bank accounts to get sucked into a black hole.

This event is held at Douglass Meeting Room C at 8:45 PM. Definitely worth checking out.

Basketball Tickets on Sale Now

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:46:40 EDT

The last time you saw Ohio State Basketball, they won a tournament. It probably wasn't the tournament you wanted, but the young Buckeyes won the NIT against UMass, 92-85.

Yesterday tickets went on sale for OSU Men's Basketball. Tickets are about $12 per game with the season package ($121 total) and it includes ten games, eight of which are conference games. Tickets can be purchased online via the ticketing office. Student seats are not assigned, you must arrive at the gate early to receive good seats.

New this year is the Nuthouse Rewards Program. Each game is worth a certain amount of points and the points bring you to different tiers. The grand prize is a trip to the NCAA tournament in Indianapolis for all games, $100 for gas and $50 for food.

CU Boulder Students Appreciate Frosting Boobs

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:34:10 EDT

You've probably heard about naked ladies with big boobs busting out of cakes at bachelor parties. Well someone had the ingenious idea to streamline the whole boob-and-cake thing to make a boob cake with frosting nipples. Yes, that's right, edible nipples. Oh la la.

Sarah Palin Lets See Your O-Face

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:29:52 EDT

Move over Jenna Jameson, there is a new Queen of Porn.

In possibly the greatest development of the 2008 Presidential Campaign, there is a Sarah Palin porno in the making. There really is no substitute for the real thing, unless of course it’s Tina Fey, but as long as she can handle a gun like the real thing, I doubt anyone will care.

I wouldn’t even be that surprised if the Republican Party is putting this thing out. It would be the most watched political ad of the year. Think about it, if they can find a McCain look-a-like without E.D. they can prove just how well they work together. Too much?

“This message has been approved for your cock.”

ASU Gets Hot for Belly Dancing Theme Party

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:26:54 EDT

It gets hot in Arizona, so hot that sometimes girls just need to expose their midriffs. And shake their tailfeathers. And have a party dedicated to belly dancing. That hot.

Duke Snags Oprah Winfrey For Commencement

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:13:11 EDT

The Big O is coming to Duke this spring. Oprah Winfrey will be the school’s 2009 commencement speaker. UNC may have Desmond Tutu, but has he ever given an entire audience brand new cars? I don’t think so.

It’s pretty impressive that Duke even landed Oprah considering they claim not to compensate commencement speakers, not that the billionaire needs the cash. It also doesn’t hurt that one of her godsons is a member of the graduating class.

Bizjournals.com gives a little insight into just why Oprah is such a great choice:

“A media pioneer, she is a vivid example of the power of individual initiative,” Brodhead said. “In her role as entertainer and entrepreneur, she has done as much to promote reading as anyone now alive. Through her work as a philanthropist, she has become a force for literacy and education around the world. We will be delighted to welcome her to Duke.”

Winfrey rose to fame on the success of her talk show, “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” which has made her one of the world’s richest and most influential women. She is also a well-known philanthropist and oversees a media empire that includes a popular book club, a TV production company and O magazine.

Is it really necessary to explain who she is anymore? I’m pretty sure Oprah is up there with Cher, Madonna and Gandhi in needing only one name for instant recognition.

Plus, for anyone previously clueless about her clout, Oprah is currently known for endorsing Barack Obama. By the time the speech rolls around she could be one degree of separation away from the President of the United States of America… either that or she'll forever be connected to the most overhyped failed candidate in history.

Dance Parties for Any Night at UGA

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:04:06 EDT

Who says dance parties are only for the weekends?

Wal-Mart Presents: "Proud American." ... Wait, What? A Bing Student Expresses Her Confusion

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:54:06 EDT

This is not a joke, though you might just assume it is by the mind-numbingly hokey trailer before you. Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola, American Express and American Airlines present “Proud American,” a film about “the nation's spectacular landmarks and engineering marvels, historical sites and natural wonders, Proud American is really about the American people. The film will portray America as a land of opportunity, and tolerance. First seen through the eyes of new American citizens we hear why they came, how they came and what they appreciate most. Things many of us take for granted. Drama, spectacle, and humor are woven into a fast paced film, which delivers chills, actions, tears and warmth. Unlike any film ever made about America, it comes at a time when America needs it most. Uplifting, Powerful, Amazing, True.”

The intent of this film is to boost the moral of the American people, but what it appears like is a way for corporations to manipulate and control an image for this country. Just by watching the trailer, I can’t help but cringe at the desperateness of it all. There were surely other ways to make a film like this, that didn’t involve pounding dramatically overdone, and unrealistic stereotypes into our heads.

In case you were wondering, yes; that was indeed Ruthie Camden and Mr. Belding in the trailer. Though, I’m not sure if that’s enough to draw in an audience, being that the film has been playing since late September and has only grossed an average of $118 per theater. “Proud American” is even playing in IMAX! This concerns me, however. I wonder if this is the future of film, Wal-Mart style.

Dartmouth Douche of the Day: Douche Bag '11 in East Wheelock

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:39:52 EDT

I love outing instances of douche baggery. It's not easy being a douche; there's a certain combination of ego, lack of social intelligence, and pizazz that just doesn't come naturally to the average human.

The most recent (but certainly not isolated) act of douchebaggery happened in a certain affinity program housed in the Wheelocks, where students are generally more inclined towards having personal privacy. This guy's been on my radar for quite a while for general douche baggery, but I didn't feel the need to talk about him until I heard about this incident...

This school year, Douche Bag '11 was put with a guy (we'll call him Mr. Victim) who had moved into their new two-room double over the interim, before fall quarter began. Mr. Victim did something peculiar however, he set up house in the outer room, even though he was the first one to move in, and had every right to take the inner room. This is peculiar because the large majority of people in East Wheelock prefer the inner room, where you have more privacy and quiet.

When Mr. Victim was asked why he didn't occupy the inner room, he said that his roommate Douche asked for it, and he wanted to be polite.

Douche's justification? He had said his religion did not allow meat to cross his living space, thus, he could not have anyone who ate meat walk through his room.

This led me to do some minor sleuthing.

I found out that yes, while Douche's vegetarian religion does not allow meat to cross living spaces, it's a rather obscure and rarely followed rule.

Not only that, I have heard from various sources that Douche has in fact allowed several carnivorous acquaintances to go into his room, and still continues to do so.

Bottom line: Douche Bag blatantly used his religion to obnoxiously take advantage of his roommate and claim the inner room.

Edit: I've just been notified that as of last week, Mr. Victim had moved out of the room. We are in the third week of school. Wow.

PIXILERATED: Free Concert @ Brown Tonight

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:29:17 EDT

You aren't busy tonight, are ya? Let's be honest: PIXILERATIONS is way cooler than chemistry homework. Free concert tonight! Here's the details:

TUESDAY, October 7th, 8pm: PIXILERATED: The Acousmatic Concert Surround-sound computer music and visual experiments by Jeffery Hass, Stephen Travis Pope, Robert Dow, Pau de Nut, Jen-Kuang Chang, Eleazar Garzon, Arvid Tomayko-Peters, Freida Abtan, Aaron Acosta, and Mei-ling Lee. --at the Grant Recital Hall (on the Brown campus). FREE.

And, if you haven't checked out the exhibits at Sol Koffler (169 Weybosset) and 191 Westminster Street, what are you waiting for? The exhibit is way cooler than any other art exhibit you've ever seen, I guarantee it, it's free, and it's only in town until October 12. Get your dose of culture, baby, and dig what these smarty artists can do! (Sol Koffler is open daily from 12 - 8, the unnamed Westminster street gallery is open from 12 - 6 every day).

UC Berkeley Girls Love Role Playing at Love Fest

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:06:35 EDT

These UC Berkeley girls are all about the whole sailor shtick. Better than a theme party, Love Fest provided them with ample opportunity to dress the part of seamen.

CalTech Kids Learn Nzadi, Everyone Else Left Asking, "Huh?"

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:55:25 EDT

Remember back in the day (or last night when you were high) when you thought that pig Latin was a stealthy way to communicate, only to discover that everyone knew what you were saying? Now, CalTech linguistics students want first dibs on a little understood language, Nzadi. It’s the first time a college has studied the language.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle:

"There's nothing like the joy of discovering a language from scratch," said Cal linguistics Professor Larry Hyman.

The 10 students in his course, Introduction to Field Methods, are focusing on Nzadi this semester - the first such effort in any college or university to examine this remote member of the Bantu linguistic family.

"It's a chance to study a language that nobody has studied before," said graduate student researcher Thera Crane. "That opportunity does not come around very often."

Nzadi is spoken by thousands of people in fishing villages along the Kasai River in Congo, a country with about 220 languages.

The students in Hyman's class have two goals. They want to figure out how to analyze an unfamiliar language and they plan to document Nzadi - a tongue so unknown that it cannot be found in the Ethnologue, a compendium of almost 7,000 languages across the globe.

So you think a language that most won't understand is an impractical waste of time? Consider this: if the CalTech kids want to tell secrets in public any time soon, it shouldn’t be too difficult. They can just break out the Nzadi to break out the stealth and forget about that pig Latin bullshit.

Terrapin Tuesday Theme Day: Week One

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:31:12 EDT

Part of the plan for this blog is going to be that every Tuesday, you will be able to come here and find an awesome party theme idea that you and your fellow Terrapins can use for the weekend. The classics (Adjective Something-that-ends-in-O’s & Adjective Hoes) get tiring everywhere you go and Maryland is no exception to the rule. It’s like doing the same Mad-Lib over and over again – [adjective] = boring. So I will bring a fresh twist to the party game, starting today.

Some of these themed parties have actually been thrown, some are going to be thrown, and some are only young, ripe ideas.

“Field Hockey Players & Dragon Slayers”
Fellas, show the modern day athletic-but-cute-at-the-same-time woman that besides snuffing out fires, your chivalrous party engine can make it hot too.

Description: Who says a party theme has to have continuity? How about we mix it up for a change with something random, yet structured at the same time? Plus, it rhymes…

Ladies:
Dress Code - Plaid skirt, polo shirt, high socks, matching colors, and a cleverly located ponytail (side, top, pig?) tied with a ribbon.
Supplies Needed - Nothing. You’ve probably got it all in your closet.
Bonus Points – Anyone with mouth guard and/or a brisk sweat.

Fellas:
Dress Code - Lots of shiny armor, war helmet, shield, and sword.
Supplies Needed – A butt-load of aluminum foil.
Bonus Points – Anyone who rubs charcoal on their face so it looks like they just got out of the heat of battle…the maidens will swoon.

Drinks: Any type of shot that you light on fire; wooden kegs of mead.

Location: Lots of spots available - preferably outdoors, maybe a backyard somewhere across Route One, at a Knox Box or off Metzerott.

Musical Suggestions:

The Battle Of Evermore by Led Zeppelin
Greensleeves by Robin Hood? Some minstrel? God?
The Princess Bride OST

Facebook Invitation Artwork: View here.

Remember, if you don't like this theme, it only the first of many themes to come. On the contrary, is there anyone out there brave and courageous enough to ~~slay this dragon~~ throw this jam?

Cornell's Football Team: As Good as the New York Giants

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:19:59 EDT

During the previous NFL season, the New England Patriots remained undefeated until their bitter loss in Super Bowl. This season, two teams – one in the NFL and one in the Ivy League – are following closely in their footsteps by dominating their respective conferences.

In the NFL, the New York Giants, the team that won the Super Bowl last season and doomed the Patriots to an imperfect 18-1 record, are currently 4-0, making them one of the only undefeated teams in professional football today (the Tennessee Titans being the other). Hopefully, they don’t have a late-season collapse, like their predecessors.

In the Ivy League, the Cornell Big Red is the only undefeated team, thanks to their perfect 3-0 record. This is the first time since 1999 that Cornell has made it this far without losing a single game.

And so, thanks to the transitive property of equality (A=B, B=C, thus A=C), it is now a mathematical fact that the Cornell Big Red are on par with the New York Giants.

Cumbersome Construction on Penn's Locust Walk

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:22:05 EDT

That's where tractors belong -- on a farm. Not in the middle of an urban campus.

A few weeks ago, I told you all about an odd impediment on Locust Walk involving pillow-fighters on The Compass. Today, walking home from that same 10:30 a.m. class, I was struck by an even worse predicament – a majorly annoying construction situation.

For almost an entire block, from 36th to 37th, Locust is currently un-walkable (and probably even worse if you’re on a bike). There are two huge tractors plopped directly in the center of the brick-covered walkway, which is baffling because I have no idea how they could have possibly driven onto the narrow, car-less street.

In between the tractors, which are causing some unspeakable foot traffic difficulties at the moment, are a few huge holes in the middle of the walk. I wonder what they could possibly be digging for on Locust? Telephone wires? Buried treasure?

I thought that perhaps the tractors were another type of flash mob, simply because it is so perplexing to see huge vehicles parked on the idyllic center of Penn’s campus.

The corner of 36th and Locust has been a construction site for a while now, as has the area outside of Hillel on 39th and Walnut. So can someone please inform me as to why the middle of Locust has to be blocked off with orange tape, too?

Hopefully the construction won’t be permanent, because it is a serious pain in the ass.

Tri Delt $5 Prom

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:15:05 EDT

From Delta Delta Delta's Fall Invite

I hope the girls of Tri Delt aren't implying that they're cheap...

Fall is Virginia Tech's Season

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:05:56 EDT

Even our trees are maroon and orange.

What do You Get When You Put a Reporter, Pollster and Black Correspondent Into an Auditorium?

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:56:40 EDT

You get a lecture filled with hilarity, bad news for Republicans, good news for young voters, revelations about John McCain's campaign character and other black thoughts.

Monday night Miami University students were treated to a lecture about how Age, Race and Gender have been and will be effecting the 2008 Election. Featured lecturers included New York Times reporter, Elisabeth Bumiller, Pollster, John Zogby and The Daily Show's Senior Black Correspondent, Larry Wilmore.

Things got underway with Elisabeth Bumiller explaining her current role with the New York Times, which has been to follow the McCain campaign. In fact, she's been traveling with the McCain campaign for so long that she's seen the Straight Talk Express evolve from a bus into a plane. (It's ironic that both candidates travel on their private campaign planes and when they get off they talk about the energy crisis and a junkie-esque dependence on foreign oil and then they hop back on their plane to go talk about the energy crisis somewhere else, but I digress). And guess what? That's not all that's evolving. Apparently Senator McCain has gone from an open book into the secretive man behind the curtain.

Ms. Bumiller went on to explain the evolution of Mr. McCain's personality. She claims that in the beginning of his campaign, the Senator was open to any questions from the press. His Straight Talk Express was exactly that. As the election has become increasingly intense, day by day, Senator McCain has apparently been getting a wee bit angry. Funny how on the day McCain begins his negative campaigning, question Obama's character, I find out that McCain isn't exactly the most pleasant guy to be around anymore. Maybe he's befuddled over the recent swing in the polls towards Obama in previously assumed Republican states, such as Colorado, Florida and Virginia or maybe the wear and tear of the presidential election is getting to him.

Ms. Bumiller shared stories of riding on the bus version of Straight Talk and having uninhibited access to the Presidential candidate. While traveling across the country, reporters would sit with Senator McCain for a couple of hours or until they run out of questions. That was back in the day when McCain was the moderate Senator that you couldn't hate unless you were a far-left, liberal, nut-job. Now she says that on the McCain plane the reporters are separated by a black curtain while flying across the country. What used to be a plethora of reporters has trickled down to only four, merely traveling with McCain and writing about how rallies went, rarely having a chance to ask questions anymore. This communication blockade apparently started when an ABC reporter and McCain were getting a little testy with each other and the campaign decided that McCain needed to be focused on one message at a time instead of taking on multiple messages and issues at any given time. Of course! Why would we want a President that can respond to any question or message at a given time? I'd rather have one that dictates what the message is and forces us to swallow it like a disgusting mix of cough medicine and vegetables.

Next up was Mr. John Zogby, a pollster that famously called the 1996 election within one tenth of 1 percent of the presidential result. He began by going over some of the more recent polls. Apparently our current fearless leader, President Bush, has sunk to Nixon-Watergate territory with his abysmal 23% approval rating. That's probably not shocking for most of you, but what is shocking is the 9% approval rating Congress has fallen to. How can a group of supposedly the best and brightest have such an embarrassingly low approval rating, one that a competent group of monkeys could probably best? This spells bad news for Republicans and Democrats, but by the end of Mr. Zogby's portion, it was clear that Republicans are getting the short-end of the stick when it comes to polls these days.

Polls, as one could assume, aren't fool-proof, but they can be sometimes. Zogby's group wasn't able to accurately track the Hillary vote, but they have the Obama vote down. The poll he's releasing tomorrow gives Obama a 48%-43%. Zogby's confidence in tracking Obama's vote is simply more bad news for Republicans in a seemingly endless episode of The Twilight Zone: Republican Style. Even worse for the Elephants, Zogby claimed that 18-29 year olds are supporting Obama 2:1. He went on to claim that if that age group goes out and actually votes - unlike in 2004 - Obama can start his march down Pennsylvania Avenue. If we don't vote, though, and we leave it to the 65+ year olds (shocking that they'd support McCain. Seriously, can they relate to him at all beyond Bob Evans and colonoscopies?) then McCain will be making his way to the White House.

Last up was Larry Wilmore, the Senior Black Correspondent of The Daily Show. As expected, Mr. Wilmore was able to get the crowd laughing, proving that satire is a necessity to get through a campaign like this. He started off confused, hoping he was in time for Karl Rove night.

Mr. Wilmore continued his portion of the lecture by discussing the notion that we won't be a racist country anymore if we elect Barack Obama. Wilmore laughed this idea to the side proclaiming that we wouldn't be a racist country if we elected Flavor Flav to the White House. Wilmore has a point here. It would take a substantial amount of racial apathy to elect a man with such a high level of black, as Mr. Wilmore noted. Wilmore went on to explained how Obama has a very comfortable level of black. In fact, his level of black was so low that he only entered Reverend Wright's church in hopes of getting in with the black crowd, so goes Wilmore's theory. Clearly that backfired. Could you imagine, though, electing Flavor Flav? He'd have speechwriters using UrbanDictionary.com as a resource.

As his portion of the lecture wound down, Wilmore began to discuss how the candidates are looked at through the media. He pointed out how Republicans seemed to be okay with Gov. Palin's 17 year old daughter's whole pregnant situation and preferred it be left out of the campaign. Fair enough, the daughter isn't running for office after all, but Wilmore posed the question: Would the same go if Obama had a pregnant 17 year old daughter behind him at the DNC. Wilmore then quipped that there would be a "different 'n word' than nominee" at the convention.

The lecture then closed with a brief questioning from the audience and last thoughts from the lecturers. Their closing comments seemed to speak to the sentiment of wanting a true leader. They spoke about the importance of one of the candidates grabbing the role of leader by the reigns and showing it to the rest of the country, because that's what we are in dire need of right now. It will not be an easy four years for whomever is elected.

So there you have it, young people of the country. Get our there and vote or stay at home to watch online porn and play video games (quite the hand workout when combined) and crap on our Democracy by not voting - a privilege not everyone enjoys in this world. Our voice is the leading voice in this election and it's time we grab the reigns of leadership, so we that we can get over our crisis in confidence and return America to the shining beacon on a hill it used to be. We'll have to ask ourselves the tough question of what we can do for our country. And as we get older our role in running the country will increase, but for now our responsibility is simple; vote on November 4th.

Just In Case You Run Out Of Room In The Fridge...

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:53:36 EDT

... and the bucket of ice and the bathtub. This also looks like a disaster waiting to happen with drunk, liquid-filled students around.

Jello Shots: Not As Innocent As They Look

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:51:33 EDT

These guys seem to have a love-hate relationship with the jiggly alcohol carriers.

Reason # 236837 to Trek Up to Madison, Wisconsin

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:26:41 EDT

Cops just don't give a shit.

Yale's Dwight Hall Vandalized, Branded With "White Guilt"

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:20:47 EDT

Early this morning, Dwight Hall, Yale’s center for community service and social justice groups, received an unwanted paintjob, courtesy of an unidentified political activist who spray-painted the words “White Guilt” in black and white along the High Street wall.

For the uninitiated, “White Guilt” is the term used to describe the collective guilt shared by Caucasians over the racism and mistreatment of African-Americans over the years. And so, it makes sense that the vandals targeted the center of “social justice” for this attack.

While the investigation is on-going and no suspects have been named or apprehended, one must wonder if this wasn’t an inside job of some sort. After all, the building houses a cornucopia of politically active Yalies who would love nothing more than to draw attention to their cause.

Plus, you know, it’s Yale – enough said.

If you want to see an actual image of the defacement, head over to the Yale Daily News.

Hey, Brown, Think You're An Internet Rockstar? Prove It!

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:13:33 EDT

So you think you are a guru of the 'net, the smartest guy or gal east of the Mississippi, or just plain fast with the mouse clickin'? You heard it here first: Prove your internet prowess and your intelligence, and, if you're lucky, score with some hottie librarian, by registering for tomorrow's Digital Literacy Contest held tomorrow, Oct. 8th, from 4:30 – 6PM at the Rockefeller Library 2nd floor computing cluster. Spaces are limited so register today to guarantee your spot.

From the webpage: "Think you're smart? Prove it. The Digital Literacy Contest is a high speed battle of minds to find information online. It is hosted by the Brown University Library. You'll have 30 minutes to answer 30 questions using the Internet. Correct answers are worth +1 point, incorrect answers are penalized by -1 point. Highest scores win! Free pizza and drinks. More than $300 in cash prizes!"

Dude! It's like taking a test with a cheat sheet, and you'll get free pizza and drinks to boot! (I'm guessing you'll need to bring your own grog to add to the N/A drinks, but hell, maybe there'll be booze!) Oh, yeah, and you can win CASH! Score!

The press release:

PROVIDENCE, RI – Brown Library to host competition of Internet literacy and cognitive agility. .... Winners will take home hundreds of dollars in prizes. The contest is free and open to all students.
Afterward the contest, the library will provide free food and will host a discussion about digital
information literacy.

The contest was created in 2007 by then Purdue University philosophy student Daniel Poynter. It has since grown to other universities across the nation including University of Florida and Indiana
University.

"This is the first competition in which people wield the Internet as a cognitive prosthetic. It’s a high
speed battle of Internet-enabled intelligence. It has three main objectives," Poynter said. "To identify people who thrive in information overload; to disseminate their insights; and to create a discussion about what it means to be digitally literate."

"Our age is both unprecedented and pivotal," Poynter said. "Unparalleled global access to information is accelerating technological and social change. Making sense of our increasingly complex world depends upon becoming better information filters through the help of libraries. This competition is one way to ease ourselves into this exciting future."

Washington U. Abroad

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:00:33 EDT

A group of volunteers helps some folks out overseas.

Wow, Huge Bale of Hay You Got There

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:00:14 EDT

I guess this is what they do for fun in Nebraska?

Belmont Debate 08: Student Updates

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:49:26 EDT

Belmont Debate 08 is here. From what I hear, McCain is already in town and Obama is set to arrive around noon via the Nashville International Airport, for those of us who would like to stalk.

The debate starts at 8 at the Belmont Event Center but students can check out the Belmont Block Party from noon to 6:30 for free food, live music from Nashville and Belmont bands, and the chance to speak to media figures such as Katie Couric and Karl Rove.

Whether you're a member of the Republican party or the Democratic party, it'll be a party for everyone. Belmont, a Christian University, hasn't allowed alcohol on its campus since 1951 but are lifting this ban and setting up a hospitality bar in the media tent. Come dressed in your finest business casual and you may be able to sneak a vodka soda with Anderson Cooper. Yum.

For those of us who can't bear to leave our cozy dorm rooms for this rather chilly and damp Tennessee weather, the First Amendment Center will be hosting a speakers panel on the debate from 10-12 today, and The Multipurpose Room at the Commons will be having a debate viewing party with professors such as Stephen Buckles and John English.

Shots for everyone at Sportsmann's and Tin Roof once the debate ends.

Vanderbilt 5-0, Ranked 13th. Students Tailgate On.

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:27:03 EDT

When I asked for pictures of the (14-13!) VU Auburn Game, I was thinking more along the lines of..at the game. In typical Vandy fashion, of course, I got 90% tailgating snapshots and a few blurry pictures of the field.

Until this Saturday at Mississippi...CONQUER AND ~~CHUG~~ PREVAIL!

Syracuse Party Time

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 09:32:52 EDT

These students got down and dirty

NYU Book Review: I Was Told There'd Be Cake

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 09:32:49 EDT

So, I suppose it is unorthodox and downright unfair to review a book before I've even read it in its entirety but the thought of finishing this book is weighing over me like a black cloud of doom. I bring it everywhere hoping that Ill be bored enough to pick it up and read a section or two but even looking at my shoes seems more interesting. I dont care that it is getting rave reviews, enough so that it was being sold in an NYU bookstore, I Was Told There'd Be Cake is simply putting me to sleep. So far I've been forced to hear about Sloane's seemingly quirky and adorable habit of getting boyfriends to purchase toy ponies for her, Sloane's horribly lax Jewish family, Sloane's gruff boss, and maybe one or two other topics that went in one eyeball and out the other.

I realize that the point of these stories is to talk about ordinary life for one girl in an extraordinary way, but these subjects have only occurred to me as trite; just glorifying nuances that many people experience doesnt cut it if those nuances arent somehow more interesting than the readers own. In the summer camp story, for instance, Crosley even dared to use the cliche of how much the girls in her bunk were like a "family", simply further bringing to my attention the fact that my own summer camp experience may have been more interesting to write about. No, I didnt subtly become a Christian after six summers spent at Camp Louise, which was her ultimate point in Christmas in July, but I do have better stories and thus, this bored me. Not to mention the fact that, as a Jew, I was somewhat insulted by her family's counterproductive celebration of their religion. Having a Christmas tree in a "Jewish" home at holiday time only says one thing: Jews for Jesus, and those people be bonkers.

There is no denying that Crosley is a really talented writer, technically. For what she is writing about and for what she has written, she has done a great job and her writing flows easily from point to point, much like essays should. Actually, exactly like essays should: perfectly calculated, edited down so that every flourish is painfully precise, with clear use of a thesaurus. But this is where these pieces of writing become droopy and dull. There are no literary flourishes that distinguish her writing from Sedaris and Vowell, the people that Jonathan Letham compares her to on the cover. She can form a very proper sentence and even add a little wit in there to make her readers smile but that only goes so far to mask the fact that shes a very ordinary thinker. She seems like a perfectly nice, hard working, charming, intelligent college graduate but the life and times of people like that are not often the most interesting to hear about, and I dont think I really even trust her to come up with fictional stories that stray far from her real life experiences.

They are, without a doubt, a very easy read if you arent a critical **** like myself, but I am what I am and in the middle of every story I find myself just wanting to skip to the next one in hopes that it would better keep my attention. I am still a serious reader, however, and so I stuck with each one but there was never the climax that I was waiting for and my emotions never boiled over except during The Ursula Cookie when I became annoyed at how timid and mousey Sloane's own character became in the face of a difficult boss. I just kept waiting for her to get fired and dumped all at once. Had that happened, maybe I would have thought it a better tale to tell, but nope, Crosley resigns eventually and thats that. She even somehow dragged September 11 into the mix, just to give it a little historical volition. "It was Wednesday morning, not 'the day after 9/11.' Devastated but ill-equiped to show it, we were all in a kind of limbo and we didnt know it yet," she writes, but I really dont see the point. She puts this in there as if, because she resigned the day after 9/11, her resignation was more important and should make us well up with emotion or something. It didnt.

There's More Than One Way to Get a Good Work Out in Tally

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:55:15 EDT

Whether you're living off campus or surviving your first year in a dorm, the college lifestyle is notorious for putting weight on students. The solution to this is of course eating healthy and working out, but sometimes the gym can get boring and jogging through campus can get embarrassing.

Why not try one of these "alternative" exercise classes and activities that Tallahassee has to offer:

1.The daring can try an introduction to pole dancing, burlesque, or strip cardio class at Art of the Catwalk, noted to be the sexiest fitness studio in Tallahassee.

2. FSU's fitness center, the Leach, offers a large variety of free (for FSU students) classes. My favorite being Zumba, a Latin infused dance/cardio class. It doesn't even feel like exercise!

3. One of my favorite things to do in Tallahassee is take kayaks out at FSU's Rez; their privately owned lake. It's a completely chill atmosphere and sailboats and canoes are also available.

4. One of the most fun ways to work up a sweat is to go out dancing at one of the local nightclubs; 90s night at AJ's is a lot of fun and a thursday night at "the strip" never disappoints. I know what you're thinking, but no; it doesn't count as exercise if the evening involves alcohol, sorry!

JMU: Gandhi Who!?

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:58:13 EDT

It’s only natural that the first Gandhi statue in the state of Virginia was presented to a university that has the school motto “Be the Change.” Given to JMU by the Ambassador of India to the United States last week, the larger-than-life Gandhi statue can’t be missed, but will most likely go unappreciated in its location.

Standing at about the height of Yao Ming (that freakishly tall Chinese basketball player in all those commercials a few years back), the statue is anything but realistic. The cute Indian man that fought for India’s independence stood at a mere 5’3” (the statue is only off by a couple of feet, no biggie).

Placed in the new library on the side of campus dominated by science, math, and technology majors, the statue is probably not of significance to most that encounter it. In fact, probably 50% of those students don’t even know who Gandhi is. It’s okay though, because if you asked me about organic bonds all I could tell you about them is that it sounds like the word orgasm and giggle (teehee).

But why JMU didn’t put the statue on the side of campus with Justice Studies, History, Philosophy, Religion, Anthropology, Sociology, and other majors of the like—I have no idea.

JMU is also only the third college in the United States to have a statue of Gandhi (yeah, I thought it was random too). Kind of surprising when there are so many other super liberal schools (think about all those barefoot-walking, acid-tripping, organic-eating hippie schools that pride themselves on peace and love).

But, hey, according to JMU students, “The statue will bring something to JMU as a whole because it promotes Gandhi’s ideas of nonviolence and peace.” Yeah, and simply putting a peace sign poster in the middle of Baghdad is going to bring world peace!