By Katie Crabb | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens, tens of thousands of them young people, assembled in Washington, D.C., for the 36th annual March for Life last month.
It was my third year attending the event, and it was no less inspiring this time around.
By Julie Hirshan | jhirshan@flagler.edu
The Oscars selection process, like so many other things in life, isn’t fair.
Every year when the nominations come out, I am always surprised by which movies and actors have been nominated and which have been left out. I think that certain movies are deemed Oscar-worthy right from the start, while others are eliminated before they are even released.
By Cal Colgan | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Last month, the nation watched as Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States—and the first half-black president of this country. There were whispers of change, hope and prosperity among the students at Flagler after they watched the new president speak of facing difficult times together- not as Muslims, not as Christians, and not even as representatives of our various cultures- but simply as Americans.
Yet, as the saying goes, “The shadow of the past eclipses the future.” And although the shining light of “the audacity of hope” still resonates in the American psyche, the rest of the world has not forgotten the dark shadow cast by George W. Bush and his cronies.
By Haley M. Walker | hwalker@flagler.edu
I have always been a worrier. Things that would normally never shake anyone can usually send me spinning. Even insignificant events like forgetting to pay a bill on time, being late to class, not finishing a book or having unorganized notes are all sources of an embarrassing amount of fret to me. While I recognize that these little things do not affect everyone, I have become aware of a much more significant and wide-reaching situation that might become a shared worry to us all.
By Julie Hirshan | jhirshan@flagler.edu
It seems that in today’s society, young people can be reluctant to define their roles when it comes to romantic partnerships. I haven’t had any psychological or sociological training in this area. I’ve gathered these thoughts from my own experience and observations of my friends, family members and acquaintances.
Editor’s note: Lundyn Davis, a 2006 alumna who majored in political science, traveled to Washington D.C. for Obama’s inauguration.
By Lundyn Davis, ’06 | gargoyle@flagler.edu
I feel so privileged that I was able to attend the inauguration of President Barack Obama. The experience was one that I will never forget.
By Julie Hirshan | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Every year, as the holidays approach, I always hear lots of people around campus talking about “Christmas break,” and organizing countless “Christmas parties” for their clubs and organizations, as well as among their groups of friends.
Each time I witness one of these politically incorrect statements, I try to casually interject that a more appropriate name might be “holiday party,” or that I am actually looking forward to “winter break.”
By Erica Eding | gargoyle@flagler.edu
The holiday season can be an argumentative time of year. I’ve seen customers confront store clerks when they wish them “happy holidays” instead of a “merry Christmas.” I know parents who refuse to lie to their children about Santa Claus, and see him as a symbol of greed and capitalism.
Personally, I’ve found something else to be offended by. What’s with the geographical discrimination? All this talk of snow ball fights, sleigh rides and Frosty the Snowman leaves us Floridians feeling left out.
By Kelsey Flynn | gargoyle@flagler.edu
My favorite part of Christmas morning is running downstairs with my sister and waiting for my Dad to finish hiding “the pickle”.
Every year for as long as I can remember my family has had this tradition. My Mom grew up in a German area of Wisconsin and most of her friends had a pickle ornament that they would have to find in the Christmas tree. My mom wanted to be like her friends had her parents start this tradition and now mine does it as well. Pickle ornaments are not the easiest to find.
By Erica Eding | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Photo contributed
You can usually predict what the most memorable part of a trip will be. When I left for the Peru study abroad in May, I knew that seeing Machu Picchu would be number one on my list. However, there were many other amazing moments that caught me by surprise.
We began by building clean-burning stoves in the rural village of Huatata. In the first house I worked on, we heard a strange squealing noise. It sounded like a guinea pig, or cuy, which in the Andes is a snack instead of a pet. We asked Wilbur, our host, if he had a cuy. “We have 25 cuy,” he exclaimed.