Last week, Facebook reminded me that my time on this swell Earth is short with the social network's recent update — the legacy contact. Now, imagine this unfortunate scenario: You just died. As a ghost, you are bemoaning the fact that your Facebook profile picture will forever be an image of a baby flying squirrel. You do not want...
“Video games can never be art.”
This was a quote by the late, great Roger Ebert on the validity of video games being considered exactly that: art. However, as great as Ebert was in the realm of film and other aspects of visual study (“Beyond the Valley of the Dolls” needs to be seen by more people), he was categorically...
Recently, “Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams announced he would be stepping down from his program for a temporary leave of absence. This comes after revelations that Williams, the 10-year managing editor for NBC, lied about his experience covering the Iraqi conflict in 2003, in which Williams claims that a helicopter he and his crew were on was hit by...
I wonder what spurred me on to become a well-rounded student. Perhaps it was Rory of “Gilmore Girls” with her impeccable academics, respectable extracurriculars, devoted interests and her repetitive drama that infatuated me? Or maybe it was the Japanese environment of my youth, where my classmates would often go to cram school, or “kumon,” to learn a second language...
The California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) is a test that most students at UCR are likely familiar with. During their sophomore year, students take the exam to test their knowledge of the curriculum and gauge whether they are ready to leave high school as a learned member of society in the realms of the basic arts and sciences,...
Valentine’s Day is a holiday that dredges up all sorts of emotions. For some it’s simply February 14 and for others it’s “Singles Awareness Day.”
I love Valentine’s Day. I’m single, not particularly a fan of romantic comedies or Nicholas Sparks related things — tortured love stories, such as “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” or “(500) Days of Summer”...
A running theme in insurance commercials, be it automotive, property or life insurance, is “here at ‘x’ insurance company, we care about you.” I have always found this patronizing, because many of these corporations try to pass themselves off as charities, pretending to be loving, father figures created to bestow money upon the less fortunate in their time of...
With our school currently participating in the Big West Conference, I see UCR’s student athletes sporting their blue, white and gold jerseys as they go off to their next game, possibly with homework in hand. In contrast to many UCR students, student athletes have two roles on campus: to study in academics and to engage in sports. Despite their...
Attempting to park anywhere at UCR without owning a permit is harder than most students’ midterms, especially if you don’t arrive at campus well before midday. Even with a permit, arriving after noon rules out nearly every reasonable spot.
With more than 14,000 commuter students, UCR’s parking situation is necessarily difficult and expensive. The nonprofit agency tasked with managing all...
In a recent interview with NBC News, President Barack Obama declared his stance on the now decades-old controversy over the dangers of disease vaccination. “I just want people to know the facts and science and the information,” said Obama in reference to parents who refuse to immunize their children from deadly diseases. “The fact is that a major success...