Conservatives Take Elections in Europe

6/17/09 2:11 PM

Post by Scott Burns — Following four days of voting for the E.U. Parliament, conservative parties across Europe are singing a far different tune than their American counterparts after achieving a monumental victory for the first time in years. But does the landmark success of conservatives across the pond give us any indication of a big win for conservatives here in America in 2010 and 2012? Simply put: it's not very likely. Especially not with the current structure of the "conservative" party, the GOP, moving further and further away from "conservative" policies and closer and closer towards embracing moderate policies on health care reform and massive deficit spending. Even after suffering a knock out defeat last November, largely as a result of...

Twitter, the Internet continue to redefine the music industry

6/11/09 4:40 PM

Post by Travis Andrews — When John Lennon accidently leaned his guitar on an amp and The Beatles heard feedback for the first time, music changed forever. It’s a moment often talked about by rock critics and usually described as one of the reasons The Beatles are The Beatles. And it’s a moment akin to the creation of the Internet. To say the Internet changed everything is obvious — even our social interaction has been modified by the World Wide Web. But the music industry has severely changed since the wide spreading of cheap, affordable and fast Internet service. From Napster’s simplistic file-sharing allowing everyone from our kid siblings (to download the Jonas Brothers) to our mothers (to download Rod Stewart’s “Maggie...

"The Hangover" sucked

6/11/09 11:56 AM

Post by Scott Burns — “The Hangover” sucked. I know, I know. It sounds a little harsh for a comedy movie. But eventually someone had to step up and say it. In the past week, I’ve heard a countless number of college-aged guys across America laud the new Todd Phillips movie as an instant classic, likening it to other recent “classics” such as Old School, Anchorman, etc. Now don’t get me wrong: I’ve always been a fan of the typical “dumb-humor” movies. In fact, I’ve never really had a gripe with the Will Ferrell/Vince Vaughn type comedy before (save for Step Brothers). But sitting in a midnight showing of the Hangover at last week’s premier, my comedy gauge finally blew. I just could not understand why... 2 comments

Interactice "Project Natal" takes technology a little too far — and creepy

6/10/09 4:07 PM

Post by Skylar Gremillion — For years, video game companies have been trying to get new people into gaming. It wasn’t enough that millions of kids and adolescents were playing games, companies wanted more. Finally in 2006, Nintendo released their Wii console, which focuses on simple experiences and motion-based controls — and they struck gold. Millions of parents, grandparents and people who would have otherwise never played a video game now own the little white box. Naturally Nintendo’s competitors would want in on this market, and industry insiders have been patiently speculating that both Sony and Microsoft would launch a similar device. Well it finally happened — and it’s actually one of the creepiest things I’ve seen in a long time. ...

Criticism of Obama's lack of action is unfair

6/6/09 11:40 PM

Post by Matthew Albright — The news coming from North Korea has always been scary, but tensions have increased to near a breaking point in recent weeks. As the rogue nation has begun blatantly violating agreements on its nuclear policy — including test missile launches and even threats on ships near its maritime borders — the Obama administration is facing one of its first major foreign policy tests. So far, the administration has employed some undeniably tough rhetoric on North Korea — Obama has said that the nation's recent actions "pose a grave threat to the peace and security of the world," and that he "strongly condemn[s] their reckless action." In addition, the Obama administration has joined the cries for tough U.N. resolutions... 0 comment

Abortion doctor's death a tragic lesson in lack of perspective

6/4/09 1:13 AM

Post by Matthew Albright — The abortion debate is perhaps the most hotly contested contemporary issue in our nation.   Supporters of both sides cling to their arguments with a white-hot zeal few other topics can match.   The reason is simple — abortion is literally a question of life or death.  Anti-abortion advocates firmly believe that abortion is murder — thus their passions are understandable.   What is not understandable is when the passion to prevent what they perceive to be murder leads them to commit murder themselves.   Dr. George Tiller, one of the few remaining late-term abortion doctors in the nation, was gunned down in his church last Sunday, another tragic casualty of the ideological warfare over the abortion issue.... 1 comment