Opinion
New Year’s Resolutions; Can’t Keep Your Resolutions? No Problem!
|So you’ve been back to college for about three weeks, managed to finally get to the right classrooms, reunited with all your friends . . . and are now trying to forget the New Year’s resolutions you quickly made and even more quickly forgot. You’ve probably dropped your resolutions for several reasons or excuses, depending on how honest you are with yourself: no time, not enough energy, too much schoolwork.
Are You ‘Credit Wise’? Information Every College Student Should Know
|As you read this, college students nationwide are irresponsibly managing their finances. Last year, the average college undergraduate carried $3,173 in credit card debt, the highest level since the data was collected in 1998. In 2004, college students had on average $2,169 in credit card debt.
Secretary Clinton Vs. China Is the United States Government Going Too Far with Foreign Google Affair?
|About two weeks ago, I heard a story about how China attempted to hack Google in order to gain access to the e-mail accounts of human rights activists, and frankly it didn’t surprise me.
I have gotten used to China’s attempts to control what its people can or cannot do on the Internet, from the time the Chinese government blacked out YouTube and then moved on to block Twitter and Facebook.
Letters To The Editor All Students Should Pitch in with Haiti Relief Efforts
|The George Mason University Student Government is preparing for a major Haiti Disaster Relief effort starting Feb. 8. Students, faculty and staff will be able to help through donations throughout the Fairfax campus and online.
There will be three ways to make a contribution. First, collection containers will be set up at certain locations on the Fairfax campus to collect donations.
Second, those with meal plans will also be able to donate their meal plans directly to those in need.
Schadenfreude Whose Misfortune Do You Feed Upon?
|While I wouldn’t say I prescribe to any belief system in particular, I would say I like to stay away from the Seven Deadly Sins. You know the ones: pride, lust, sloth, anger, gluttony, greed and, of course, envy. Over winter break, sloth and gluttony reared their ugly heads again, but envy began to creep in too. And where envy leads, “schadenfreude,” German for, “enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others” is sure to follow.
Sailing the Internet Two Teen Sailors Vie for a Family’s Attention
|A few months ago, my family became regular followers of the blog of Jessica Watson, a 16-year-old Australian girl attempting to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world.
Jessica was a perfect fit for my family. She appealed to my daughter’s inner sexual liberator, constantly on the lookout for a good girl empowerment story. Jessica also appealed to my inner misanthrope, always open to new tales of those who give society the proverbial mooning and set course for a life of solitude.
The “Curse” of Haiti Could a Deal with the Devil be the Cause of Haiti’s Catastrophes?
|In the aftermath of Haiti’s devastating earthquake, many countries, including the United States, have responded with military troops, doctors and other personnel to aid the small country.
However, there have also been inappropriate responses to the tragedy. According to the BBC News website, Pat Robertson, an evangelist broadcaster, said that Haiti is “cursed” due to the country’s deal with the devil to free themselves from French rule in 1803.
“Climategate” Shows Hypocrisy Is Global Warming Evidence Mostly Fabricated?
|In November 2009, the University of East Anglia’s Hadley Climate Research Unit (CRU) was caught red-handed fabricating data on climate change. Phil Jones, the head of the CRU, which purportedly consists of some of the pre-eminent climatologists in the world, has resigned in shame. Michael Mann, a Penn State University climatologist who is also at the heart of this collusion, is under investigation.
College: Worth the Risk? Debt with a College Degree
|I sat down on Saturday night with my father the week before spring semester and we weighed our options for sending me back to college. My total bill came up to $8,012, not including books. We looked at our bank accounts and decided that the best option would be to take out a loan, and my father jokingly told me, “You better get a good job and pay this back.”
I laughed, but his words echoed in my head, and they haven’t left yet, because, honestly, there is no guarantee that I will be able to pay off this loan anytime soon.
Let’s Not Forget The Frontiers, Gentlemen The Drive for Outer Space Exploration Has Diminished
|Of the activities I took part in during the first two weeks of 2010, none were quite as depressing as watching some of the old, classic science-fiction movies, ranging from 2001: A Space Odyssey to even the Back to the Future trilogy.
It’s 2010 already – why have we had so few footprints on the moon? Why is there not a single one on Mars yet? What happened to the dreams that people like Arthur C. Clarke had – dreams of being in outer space in more than just an incomplete station that will function only another five years at best, unless it gets a shot in the arm?