Wow. These last four years have flown by, and in a little more than a week I'll have a college degree (two actually -- a B.S. and a B.A.). But what does that mean? What does having a degree truly amount to at this time and place?
Everyone knows the stereotype that sciences are male-dominated and liberal arts female-dominated. Having a major in each, I can personally attest that the stereotype couldn't hold truer.
For Catholics everywhere, like myself, we are in the middle of Holy Week, the final time of fast and prayer before the celebration of Easter. But some church leaders in this country are using Holy Week as an excuse to make a political stunt. The Archbishop of Los Angeles, Cardinal Roger Mahony, called for the faithful of his archdiocese to fast as a sign of solidarity for illegal immigrants and pray for "just" immigration reform (read: amnesty).
Opening night for the IU production of Georges Bizet's "Carmen" was sold out, and seats were packed long before curtain. The production deserved every bit of this attention -- the performance of "Carmen" is by far one of the best of the season. The first and foremost aspect to the success of the performance was the music. The audience already had high expectations as some of the most famous melodies in opera come directly out of this particular opera, so emphasis must be placed on the musical aspect in order for the performance to be successful.
"East-Coaster" is a far too generic term. It really means this: an irresponsible, self-absorbed, boorish, spoiled rich brat from within a 100-mile radius of New York City who looks at"the locals" the same way an 18th-century British lord would look on the American colonists. Every time you see a BMW with Connecticut plates parked with an E-pass, an address in one of the swanky new downtown apartment complexes or full expenses (including bail) paid from daddy's credit card, you've found a genuine East Coaster. It's hard not to show contempt for this type of person, and though I described the East Coasters in the worst of terms, there are degrees of acuteness in their various traits.
The IU Opera Theatre season closes with a bang this weekend with Georges Bizet's "Carmen." This opera, first performed in 1875, won instant success and has since become a staple. It remains one of the most beloved and most performed operas in the world because of its catchy melodies and vibrant action. It tells the story of Carmen, a gypsy factory worker, who is loved by both the soldier Don José and the matador Escamillo, who fight to gain her attention.
I'm really not a conservative. Well, in the conventional usage of the word, I am; but in reality, "conservative" is defined as "tending to oppose change." But I hardly wish to conserve the present situation of things -- I wish to see change, just not the same change the misnamed "progressive movement" wants. I suppose that makes me a revolutionary of sorts?
This past weekend, I did two important things: study for a biochemistry exam and fill out my taxes. And let me tell you, biochemistry is far less ambiguous, complicated and frustrating than the tax code, so much so that I'd choose reviewing RNA-polymerase catalysis over number-crunching any day, even to get a refund. I have a nagging suspicion that Vladimir Lenin is in hell having a good laugh that the United States, the land of economic opportunity, has this Byzantine progressive tax code, one of whose goals is income redistribution. But is this what taxes were designed to do?
Friday, I managed to be duped into seeing a Hollywood film (my third in more than a year), the Wachowski brothers' "V for Vendetta." The film, aside from having an absurd plot, was nothing more than a thinly veiled assault at the conservative movement. Yet I am glad I saw it, because the film captured the essence of the liberal world view, and let me tell all you conservatives out there: you have nothing to worry -- the other side is not dealing with a full deck, as they say.
On the Monroe County Jail, facing Seventh Street for all passers-by to see, is the police department's motto: "Integrity. Respect. Service. Diversity." It makes me laugh -- I'll give you four guesses which of these was tacked on to be politically correct, and the first three don't count.
Solutions by The State News