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(12/10/10 10:47am)
Elizabeth Edwards died in her Chapel Hill home on Tuesday at the age of 61. By the time this column is printed, news of her death will no doubt already have reached you—the brightest stars go out the hardest. Mrs. Edwards had that perfect mix of brains, beauty and spunk: a big no-no on Capitol Hill, where the candidate’s spouse must never outshine the candidate himself. She had a spark of life reminiscent of the late Princess Diana.
(11/12/10 11:00am)
Am I a broken record?
(10/29/10 9:00am)
Last year I wrote a column titled “The Seven Books That Changed My Life.” The column was not hard to write as books come easy to me, so I was mildly surprised when I began receiving feedback from students and administrators about my list and their own dream roster.
(10/20/10 9:00am)
On July 26, 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order No. 9981, which effectively desegregated the military. The order read, “There shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.” On Oct. 12, 2010, Judge Virginia Phillips, a Federal district Judge for the Central District of California, ordered the military to stop enforcing its 17-year-old “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. The policy restricts the United States government from attempting to discover or reveal closeted gay, lesbian or bisexual service members and applicants, while prohibiting those who openly identify as LGBT from military service.
(10/04/10 8:09am)
On Sept. 9, 15-year-old Billy Lucas hanged himself in his family’s barn after facing a long period of anti-gay bullying at school. On Sept. 19, 13-year-old Seth Walsh was found unconscious in his backyard after he tried to hang himself from a tree for similar reasons. He died of complications on Sept. 28. On Sept. 22, Tyler Clementi, 18, jumped off the George Washington Bridge after his roommate secretly filmed and posted a video online of him having sexual relations with another man. Asher Brown, 13, shot and killed himself on Sept. 23 after enduring constant harassment from his classmates for being gay. On Sept. 29, openly gay Johnson & Wales student Raymond Chase, 19, hung himself in his dorm room.
(09/17/10 10:54am)
Hip-hop used to be about the African-American consciousness—a celebration of differences and an angry cry to rally against the feverish, mass produced climate of 1970s America. While male rappers claimed a significant portion of the critical and commercial success, the voice of female emcees became increasingly prevalent during the golden era of hip-hop in the early ’90s. Rappers like Queen Latifah and MC Lyte broke beyond the confines of the boy’s club, letting loose lyrics that promoted female empowerment. During an August 2010 interview on NPR’s Tell Me More, documentary filmmaker Ava DuVernay stated, “...during that time, you saw, you know, good numbers of women comparatively, about 45 or so, women signed to major labels... recording, touring, making music videos... And there’s been a drastic drop off to the point where we’re at... there are about three women [Nicki Minaj, Trina and Diamond] signed to major labels at this point.”
(09/03/10 4:33am)
Jonathan Franzen’s novel “Freedom” does what most current fiction fails to do: encourages dialogue and an intelligent, albeit vicious, examination of the current status quo—and all of this before the book even officially went on sale. In anticipation of his new novel, which hit shelves Tuesday, Franzen received quite a bit of press: two glowing reviews in the New York Times, the cover of Time Magazine (the first living American author to grace the cover in over 10 years), coverage on countless online journals, rags, blogs (Perez Hilton included) and the attention of President Obama, who was given an advanced copy to take on holiday.
(04/22/10 8:00am)
Let your freak flag fly—you’ll be in great company.
(04/08/10 8:00am)
More than words, food tells our story.
(03/25/10 8:00am)
There is an incorrigible quality to my obsession with reading. I was that kid—the one who stayed up late underneath the shelter of a ninja turtle bed spread, flashlight in hand and book secured safely in lap. Whereas in my youth I read for pleasure, I now also read to be saved. For a book has saved me on countless occasions—lifted me up in my deepest depressions, a vehicle of transport from realities that were oft too heavy. And once that happens, you don’t stop looking for another chance at salvation.
(03/04/10 10:00am)
My glasses are as much a part of me as anything I can think of. I have worn them since the fourth grade, switching every two years to a new style and brand. Slowly, they have metamorphosed from a pair of dinky, tortoise-shell circle frames to a sleeker pair of black, rectangular frames by Ferragamo.
(02/18/10 10:00am)
While at Mardi Gras this past weekend, I learned a few things and did a few things. Certain sections of this column are no doubt only applicable when acted upon in New Orleans, while others, I feel, can be handy in almost any situation.
(02/04/10 10:00am)
In light of its actions this week and in years past, there can be no doubt that major American television network, CBS, is selling out.
(01/21/10 10:00am)
A few months back I noticed a status update pop up on my Facebook Mini-Feed. I went to high school with the Boy responsible for the update. We were never more than passing acquaintances, a nod and smile sort of relationship, but I was bored and faintly nostalgic so I began to peruse his profile.
(11/19/09 10:00am)
Let me begin this column by stating, I am a staunch liberal and Democrat. If asked to align my beliefs with those of a string of politicians, among the group would be Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and the late Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. Given the option of voting for my old gym sock or Sarah Palin for future president and/or vice president of the United States, I’d place my bets on the gym sock.
(11/05/09 10:00am)
For the past 10 years I have prayed before going to bed. This prayer is lazy at best. I do not kneel, nor do my prayers ever exceed 20 seconds. I pray, instead, on my side between my sheets, while I express my thoughts and wishes in a barely audible whisper.
(10/22/09 8:00am)
I don’t work anymore, I haven’t seen at least half of my school books since I bought them and people now laugh hysterically at the idea that I’m actually able to grow facial hair.
(10/08/09 8:00am)
I’ve always been fascinated by the magic of cosmology—the science of the universe, and our place in it. Introspection comes easy at four in the morning, walking back from wherever, with the moon and the stars drifting overhead.
(09/24/09 8:00am)
Understand that it is time to become who you are. Accept this, and do not cloak yourself in fear any longer.
(09/10/09 8:00am)
Dear YOU,
