Please (don’t) stay off the grass To “like” something on Facebook can be a very powerful statement. People use the infamous “like” button to give their endorsements to everything ranging from pillow pets to presidential candidates. They have used it to take a stand against things such as world hunger and also to get free coffee coupons. To “like” something is a form of expressive … Continue reading Cloudy with a chance of musing

Let it go! If someone so much as whispers the word ‘tornado,’ the image of a horse so dead and beaten it qualifies as chili comes to mind. I’ve been driven to my knees listening to the pissing and moaning of peer after peer saying the exact same thing: our new statue looks like a tornado. For some reason, everyone on campus is only able … Continue reading A tip from your bonny lass

Campus: the last frontier This just in: no longer must Gusties resign themselves to power-napping or staking out the Caf in between classes—I would like to suggest a radical new way to productively waste time on campus. What am I talking about? Exploring! No, I don’t mean machete-hacking your way through the man-eating jungle plants growing in front of Chapel. This doesn’t require any special … Continue reading Some assembly required:

Columbus: Voyageur, adventurer, oh, and also mass murderer Remember back when you were a wee elementary school child and you learned about this beautiful man named Christopher Columbus? Yeah, he was the best. I mean, he founded all these would-be unknown countries and made people civil and just formed the world into a better place. Bullshit. When Columbus got to the Americas (“The New World” – … Continue reading Da snark:

The other, western Mormon The 48th Nobel Conference dealt with topics pertaining to the vastness of our oceans, the unknown wonders beneath them, and their future on this earth. I for one believe that our oceans are quite vast enough, and that we should do what we can to make sure that in another 150 years, Gustavus will not be hosting a conference about the … Continue reading Veni, vedi, weekly:

Why support the future generation? How many of you have sat through commercials advertising for the support of children in poverty around the world, and yet have done nothing to contribute to their well-being? Heck, I am at fault myself, but it is time that we begin to think about what the future entails for the next generation. According to the World Bank’s Developmental Indicators, … Continue reading The hidden truth:

The innocence of Muslims, the guilt of social media In June of 2012, a low-budget YouTube film, “The Innocence of Muslims,” was released depicting the Muslim religion through an anti-Islamic, Western perspective. Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, an Egyptian-born Coptic Christian, illustrated his disgust for the Muslim faith with terrible sets, a lackluster cast and an atrocious blue-screen desert. However, when the film was translated into Arabic … Continue reading And so it goes

Slacktivism, a dangerous pastime OMG Joseph Kony is such an awful man! All those poor little children, they need my help… There’s only one thing a middle class college student like me can do! Hit this “Like” button! Has the world changed? Has Joseph Kony been brought to justice? Does anyone care about that any more? Don’t get me wrong, people absolutely should care. There’s … Continue reading Riley’s rants

Finding our silver lining I don’t think it’s possible to overstate the effect of one’s outlook on their experiences. We are a generation living in a time defined by gradual, global crisis. It’s tempting to develop a fatalistic attitude towards our prospects, but I contend that re-envisioning our situation is crucial if we hope to manifest a brighter future. I found one hopeful perspective in … Continue reading Food for thought