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Showing posts from June, 2009

Throwing Caution to the Wind

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I wanted to add a little diversity to blog, so I decided to add some poetry. The beautiful facet of poetry that I've now started to appreciate is the message that it conveys to its audience. Poetry teaches us lessons about life, humanity and our heart. Even though we're students, intellectuals and professionals, we're also human beings with questions and struggles in life. Therefore, I present to you poetry from the lovely Jaida Triblet. Dig in! Rolling plains, greener pastures, Blackberry fields yield the smell of temptation, You lick your fingers clean of their juices. “Green grass always seems greener when you’re not upon it,” Your mother said once long ago. Falling off a cliff is not hard to do, Its how you land on a cloud that is the challenge. A whir of nostalgia wipes you down as your voice goes hoarse from screaming in pain, The needle that sits in your side is not your punishment, But the reminder that mothers actually do know best

The Dream Act

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By Percy D. Lujan Since the moment the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, better known by the public as the DREAM Act, was first presented to the U.S. legislature, it has faced the opposition of some groups that qualify it as a threat to the U.S. economy. However, even within the pro-immigrant movement, there is still debate on whether this act should be passed or should it be included within a more complete package of immigration reform. The organizations against the DREAM Act argue about the cost of undocumented immigrants (the ones they refer as “illegal aliens”) to the government, and subsequently to taxpayers. According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, better known by the noble name of FAIR, undocumented immigrant students cost the states “$12 billion annually” from kinder garden to their senior year of high school. Other organization, known as the Heritage Foundation reports the states pay “$100 million annually” to pay for their in-state

Violence in Media: The Illusion, Allusion, Delusion and Contusion

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By Nilo A. Bermeo “There is a great streak of violence in every human being. If it is not channeled and understood, it will break out in war or in madness.” - Sam Peckinpah In the film version of “The Osterman Weekend,” directed by Sam Peckinpah, agent Laurence Fassett watches the brutal murder of his wife on video. Later, journalist John Tanner is shown video incriminating his closest friends as double agents. While the movie itself is a commentary about manipulation, the actions both Fassett and Tanner take as a consequence of what they have seen is about individual choice. That is the sole factor in committing violence. No matter what Fassett or Tanner saw on screen, they each chose to act according to what they believed was right for them at that moment. Individual choice and individual responsibility is at the heart of this article. With an ever increasing bombardment of protests, studies and oversaturation, the issue of violence in media has taken a witch hunt mentality. Violence

Be the Difference

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Before I delve into my blog, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Emmanuel Deegbe and I’ll be the new Publications officer. Even though I’m not quite as eloquent or as sophisticated as my predecessor, I’m just as passionate about writing. Writing helps me to empty my mind and free my heart. Words are not just words, but an instrument a writer utilizes to claw his/her way from their secluded existence and connect to the world. A page is not just page, but a vessel of a writer’s most intimate thoughts and feelings. The process is engaging, stimulating, frustrating, wearisome and intense but I’ll dare to ask, is there any art form better than writing? Forgive me for the blatant bias. Anyway, the blog is an opportunity for us to debate topics, sharpen our intellect, expand our perspectives and most importantly, to learn from each other. I hope this will be an exciting year. I was going to start my tenure discussing torture, but after the induction ceremony I felt inspired to write