Archive: Jan 2010
Romance novel a matter of predictability
Every year, as Valentine's Day draws closer, I indulge in a series of romance novels '- each more ridiculous than the last. Intrigued by the summary, I chose 'A Matter of Class' by Mary Balogh as my first romance read for this year. Not surprisingly, I found myself extremely disappointed in the predictable plot and […]
Ringo embraces past and present on new solo album
Ringo Starr is a musical legend. His role as a Beatle is enough to insure him a prime spot in the annals of popular music. However, in addition to being a member of one of the most influential bands of all time, Starr has also had a long, albeit underrated, solo career. Starr's new studio […]
River Campus music flourishes
The Eastman School of Music is known as an elite music conservatory, but Eastman is not the only part of UR where music is flourishing. Recently, students on the River Campus have begun to show growing interest in music across the board. 'We have seen amazing growth in course offerings and in student participation across […]
Why short relationships aren't always so bad
I know there are people - strange, very happy-go-lucky people with shiny crescents on their eyes like comic book characters - who are blissfully happy serial daters. My friend Mark is one of them. He carries fresh laundry to his girlfriend's swim practice, text messaging pet names like 'pookie' and 'cupcake' into his text messages […]
The Lure of FarmVille
Unlike most people in college, I have had my share of experience with farming. Back in the motherland as a little boy, my grandmother and I co-owned a farm. By co-owned I mean she owned it and allowed me the opportunity to get potentially maimed by helping her farm the land. Some of you might […]
UR unites to help Haiti
Since the magnitude 7.0 earthquake leveled much of Haiti, students on both the River Campus and the Eastman School of Music have been collaborating to help ease the burden on the Haitians. Many groups from both campuses, including the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps, the Newman Catholic Community, Eastman ensembles, various religious groups and others […]
President Obama disappoints in first year
Now a year into Obama's presidency, many Americans are beginning to realize that empty campaign slogans like 'hope' and 'change' have brought about nothing of the sort. Many Obama supporters believed they were voting in the Bush cure-all. However, the destructive policies of the Bush era have continued, albeit with a friendlier face. Just as […]
Perils and joys of a long winter break
A few months ago, after extensive research and thought, I decided to choose Buenos Aires, Argentina as my study abroad destination. I loved the city's fascinating history, beautiful location and highly favorable exchange rate. However, one thing I did not take into account was the difference in seasons there. Since Argentina is below the equator, […]
O'Brien, Leno and fans suffer from NBC's late night debacle
Last Friday, Conan O'Brien gave an emotional goodbye to his position as the host of 'The Tonight Show.' This came just seven months after he took the reigns from former host Jay Leno. Two weeks ago, NBC, which airs 'The Tonight Show,' announced it would be moving 'The Jay Leno Show' to Conan's time slot,' […]
The Streets of Ghana
Whether or not we would like to admit it, in the United States one's socioeconomic status can be detected physically. You can be 99.995 percent sure Bill Gates is not going to be living in the inner-city, and that the local homeless man is not an undercover millionaire. We understand that certain types of people […]