Student Life

Staff Columnists

Turkey time, library time: Happy Thanksgiving, WU

Friday, November 20, 2009 || Charlie Low

Oh, yeah! It’s that time of the year. Christmas ads start to taunt you through the television screen. Hanukkah ads don’t exist. Nor do those for anything else really. The generic “Happy Holidays” reigns supreme. Turkeys start gobbling knowing that their short and fairly meaningless lives are going to end in the culmination of their entire purpose: to feed an entire nation on one day. Poor, poor turkeys.

I say tomato,​ you say toma-No

Friday, November 20, 2009 || Richard Jesse Markel

The University’s catering service has been duped by the latest incarnation of the classic “sweatshop” argument. Labor conditions activists, who classically gave Nike grief about how they make shoes, have shifted their gaze toward farmers. Our food service company, Bon Appétit, has been tricked into supporting the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and their so-called “fair food” campaign.

Putting yourself out there

Friday, November 20, 2009 || Aditya Sarvesh

Ever feel like you’re being watched? Recently, I watched a video on YouTube that I made 6 years ago with my friends from middle school. More interestingly, there were comments and responses from random people about our video (which I did not know was posted online). And last week, my mom told me about a Diwali show in University of Michigan for which some kids watched my previous Diwali performance on YouTube and performed it exactly the way I did. I felt both proud and creeped out, realizing that other people can have access to parts of my life that I sometimes don’t realize are public.

On Limbaugh

Friday, November 20, 2009 || AJ Sundar

One would be hard-pressed to find as enduring and prevalent a Republican representative as Rush Limbaugh. Regardless of the political debate, event, controversy or climate, one can reliably turn on the radio to hear the loud, brash Limbaugh delivering some polemic or other against the liberal tyranny that is America.

Tickets to privilege

Friday, November 20, 2009 || Kate Gaertner

A few weeks ago, I got two traffic tickets in one night. Though embarrassing at first (no amount of sleep deprivation gives you an excuse for backing into police cars, which I did), my evening of two successive encounters with the Clayton Police Department has become a good story, and it comes as no surprise to anyone who has ever seen me operate a car—the fact of the matter is, I am a terrible, terrible driver.

Recognized smarts, unrecognized privilege

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 || Brent Sherman

Oftentimes, people mention we are smart because we are at Wash. U.; we attend a university that has the privilege of selecting its students from a large group of applicants.

How to find a great internship (and be generally successful)

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 || Eve Samborn

It’s almost Thanksgiving break, and that means going home for the holiday and answering a deluge of questions from relatives about your future career plans and the actual value of your glassblowing degree.

Is your opinion wrong?

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 || Randy Brachman

The other night, my suitemate made the claim that the movie “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,” directed by Stephen Norrington, is better than Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds.”

Out from under my umbrella (ella ella)

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 || Gabe Cralley

I realized the other day that I’ve gone through three umbrellas since I’ve been here at school, quite a change from home, where it rarely rains after May.

It may be bloody, but just do it

Sunday, November 15, 2009 || Kate Marcal

I gave blood for the first time last week through the University-wide drive. I was excited for the experience up until the guy looked at my arm and said, “Uh-oh.”

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