Academic Perspective

With the first month of 2010 coming to a close, we’re back to present the final chapter of the Year in Review 2009. Pop culture and the media. 2009 was a year of media frenzies. The White House engaged in a battle against Fox news, which it described as more like “talk-radio” than a news organization. [...]

Despite relatively mediocre reviews, Avatar has grossed slightly over $1.6 billion worldwide since its December 18th release. Less than a month later, virtually every major electronics company was showing off 3D televisions and Blu-Ray players at the yearly Consumer Electronics Show. Just as 2009 could be called the year of Twitter and the iPhone, 2010 [...]

Every December 25th, Christians in America celebrate the biggest religious holiday of the year, Christmas. And much of non-Christian America celebrates along with them, albeit a little guiltily.
Coming from an atheist family, I am one of the many non-Christians who celebrates Christmas every December. We don’t believe in Jesus. We don’t believe in the Bible. [...]

2009 was not exactly the most memorable year. If anything, it’s notable for being one of the gloomiest years of late. Bank accounts are drying up, foreclosures are through the roof, and unemployment is the highest its been in nearly three decades. In all parts of the world, there aren’t many who can look back [...]

It’s a brand new year. And that means a brand new you! New Year’s is an opportunity to reflect on the past year, to remember the memories you’ll cherish forever and the moments you’d like to forget. It is also a perfect chance for everyone to make a commitment towards improving themselves and their quality [...]

In a pledge to the United Nations, the U.S. Military and the Pentagon both promised that U.S. citizens under the age of 17 would not be targeted for military recruitment. Despite these promises, America continues to sell the highly profitable business of warfare to its youth. With President Obama having recently committed another 30,000 troops [...]

The global economic recession has spared no one, not even one of the most consistently profitable industries in the world: sports. The US unemployment rate stands in double digits, its second highest since 1983. Credit is tight, making paying for housing, food and healthcare very difficult. Yet in such dire times, professional athletes always seem [...]

How is a social phenomenon measured? A mere ten years ago, the concept of online social networking was paid little attention. Now, there are 65 different social networking sites with over one million registered users. Of these sites, 39 have ten million or more registered users and 5 of these online networks have over a [...]

It was an awfully brisk night in January, not seven days removed from the New Year’s beginning. We had been staying with a family friend as my mom had given up our house. They gave us a lift to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, not far from Nairobi, the capital. I remember how stressed my mother [...]

I was in a local grocery store looking for a quick lunch to grab before a long trip south. As I stood in line for checkout, I heard a familiar tune coming over the speakers. At first, I couldn’t place it. Then, when the vocals began, I recognized it. The great encroachment had begun.