Author Archive
Spotify study playlist
Studying put you in a funk? Just trying to distract yourself from the funk of the room you’re sitting in at Butler?
Then listen to these funky tunes!
Check out after the jump for a link to a Spotify study playlist, featuring upbeat hits that will keep you awake from Daft Punk, Neon Trees, and Kanye West and some more mellow beats from Imogen Heap, Adele, and Keane. More »
MOVIE REVIEW: ‘Payback’
“Payback” has a singular, expansive mission: address the concept of “debt” in all of its forms.
Through the concept of debt, the film explores and connects the many meanings of payback, which range from repayment of a loan to revenge in a blood feud.
The documentary is directed by Jennifer Baichwal and features several stories, each involving a different kind of debt. Baichwal does not search for conclusions or solutions to debt, but explores debt in all of its intricacy and variety.
Issues of environmental debt are examined through an investigation into the aftermath of BP’s oil spill in the Gulf and the story of a blood feud and longtime land dispute in Albania is particularly interesting.
Barnard announces Commencement lottery
According to an email from Dean Hinkson, a select number of tickets to Barnard’s 2012 Commencement are being given away in a lottery [insert Hunger Games joke here].
But don’t fret Columbia students– there’s good news ahead! It turns out you don’t even need to win a lottery ticket for the pity party going down from now until Barnard’s commencement!
Dear Barnard Student,
With all the excitement about having President Obama speak at Barnard’s 2012 Commencement, I’d like to offer you the opportunity to put your name in a lottery for a ticket to attend the Ceremony on May 14th. Please complete the survey https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/embeddedform?formkey=dEk2TFBuSTNDNzlSRk1Hck04UWpoM2c6MQ to participate. The Lottery will close on Wednesday May 2nd at 5pm. Winners will be notified via email by Monday May 7th. More »
Wrangling up a victory
With elections for seats in the United States House of Representatives coming up just a few months from now, senior Staff Writers Jillian Kumagai, Gina Lee, and Casey Tolan took on a series on Rep. Charlie Rangel’s race to win his title as the representative for New York’s 13th Congressional District.
The first part of the series ran in today’s paper, and tackled the transformations of both Rangel and New York during the past 41 years he has served as Congressman:
Over his 21 terms in office, Rangel has advocated a vast range of policies, among them cracking down on drug trafficking, promoting economic empowerment, and reinstating the military draft. His legislation created nine so-called “empowerment zones,” including the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization that created jobs and assisted small businesses.
As the third-most-senior congressman, Rangel has been in a position that allows him to impact the district, the city, and even the entire country.
Why not chronicle Rangel’s history in a different way– maybe through his most quotable moments over the years?
1. His quick reaction to President Bush: “I really think that he shatters the myth of white supremacy once and for all; it shows that, in this great country, anybody can become president.”
2.”You can no longer raise money and support those people in Washington and say you’re not one of them. It’s like being half pregnant. Either you’re in or you’re out. More »
What should Columbia call me when…
After lolling at the recently created #WHATSHOULDCOLUMBIACALLME Tumblr, I decided I wanted to join in on the fun.
What I think I look like dancing at a frat party
What I actually look like
Wanna learn Morse Code? See dumpster art?
It’s late. You’re up. You’re already having a case of the Mondays.
Actual News:
Mission Not-Yet-Accomplished: The U.S. and Afghanistan reached an agreement on the future role of the U.S. in Afghanistan. Troops have already begun leaving, but the agreement shows that the United States intends to keep a strong presence in the country after 2014, the scheduled departure date.
More election news: Except this time it’s not in the U.S.– Francois Hollande, a Socialist candidate, is giving Nicolas Sarkozy a real run for his money in the French presidential election. More »
Why you shouldn’t come to Columbia
After many voiced their Columbia concerns in response to my post a few weeks ago on why you should come to Columbia, I decided to present some cons to Columbia that I think are really worth considering.
1. Some people are annoying: People will ask questions that will make you roll your eyes until someone says heteronormative and you have to start rolling your eyes in the opposite direction. But if you got into Columbia, I’m sure the other schools you’re considering have people who are also pretentious at times—after having grown up with your back being patted by parents, teachers, and peers, I find it hard to believe that it wouldn’t get to some people’s heads.
2. The facilities suck: Usually one of the two printers in a room are broken, and the elevator in John Jay has broken down at least three times this year.
3. The food isn’t great: They only have real bacon every other day at Ferris Booth.
4. Sometimes you feel stuck: It’s hard to get the courage or time to leave Columbia at times, but at least it’s an option. I doubt the kids in Ithaca or Hanover get out more often than we do. More »
LIVEBLOG: Coding Bee
It’s Friday, 4/20, and you know what that means! COMPUTER SCIENCE SPELLING BEE!
Basically you have to say code out loud and follow some other rules, like including semicolons and tabs and backstabbing your friends to make The Facebook, but we’ll mention those when they come up.
Want to know what the 5 minute penalty for n00bness is? Keep reading for the play-by-play! Or come to the Computer Science Lounge in Mudd and watch with us! More »
Girl power
In today’s paper, reporter Carly Crane reports that last month, the 108th Street church ordained Eva Duzant, the church’s first female pastor in its 90-year history.
Southern Baptist congregation members said that it was about time for a woman to come to the forefront of the church.
“I think women need to be more involved in the teaching,” Paralee Feld, a member of the congregation, said.
But she also said that the gender should not be at issue. “I don’t care if it’s a man or a woman, as long as they are teaching me the gospel,” Feld said.
With Duzant being appointed minister and this past Tuesday having been Equal Pay Day, meant to bring awareness to the fact that women make 77 cents on average for every dollar men earn, I decided it was time we celebrate two of the women we love most at Columbia.
- Alma Mater: Who would tourists take pictures with if not for Alma? Who would give the incoming class the quickly shattered hope of becoming valedictorian if not for Alma? But seriously, who would serve as the icon of our campus if not for Alma? People may not know the name of the “big glass building” or which library’s the real one, but everybody knows Alma. Alma is our Eiffel Tower, our Statue of Liberty, and I can’t think of anyone else who could do the job better.
What surprised me most about Columbia
While I was growing up, college seemed like a magical place where everyone wanted to argue about obscure movies, were thrilled to be learning new things and couldn’t wait to talk about them over dinner, and had completely different perspectives on life than I did.
Needless to say, this was indeed just “magical.”
I’ve had completely boring conversations with other students, where we could find nothing to talk about other than the weather, the slowness of the elevator, or a Columbia favorite–how tired we both were and how much work we had.
And, I’ve been in lectures where the professor expected so few people to show up that he had to book a different room for the exam because our classroom held less than half of the class.
I don’t say this to discourage anyone from coming here, or to hate on Columbia– my year here has been one of the happiest of my life.
But, I think it’s important that we recognize sometimes college, even if we’re talking about one in the Ivy League, isn’t always sweater vests and smiles.