On Election Night, 2008, newly elected President Barack Obama remarked, “Tonight, you voted for action, not politics as usual.”
Now six years later, this statement only adds another broken promise to the list.
The Senate Democrats two weeks ago engaged in the worst kind of politics, the type that says if you don’t agree with us, we don’t care about you.
“In order to write about life, first you must live it.”
This statement by Ernest Hemingway rings true and is especially applicable to health and wellness writing.
This beat requires a special kind of ethics. I would even argue that it requires a higher standard of ethics than standard journalism.
Competition helps breed greatness. This is hard to dispute. iron-sharpening-iron transforms complacency into innovation, weaknesses into strengths and mediocrity into greatness. However, there is a darker side to competition that has received a lot of attention from the sports media lately.
This dark side of competition is a black cloud that can consume an athlete who is looking for a quicker way to become bigger, faster or stronger. I’m talking about performance-enhancing drugs, and I am sad to say that, after watching the Texas Tech game, I believe some on the field are using these banned substances.
I must first start off by saying that this column is not for everyone. So before you waste your time reading something that does not enhance your quality of life, observe the following rules to weed out those of you to whom my advice does not apply:
If you wake up every morning with clear skin and smooth lips, know your summer itinerary includes a trip to Europe, an internship in New York/LA and a lot of poolside lounging, have the body of a Victoria’s Secret model and Angelina Jolie’s face and get asked out constantly, then stop reading now. To all who meet the above requirements — no hard feelings. We love you. We are happy for you. Keep doing your thing. Cheers.
Competitive athletes have been confronted with an impossible task of playing it hard and playing it safe, and professionals and spectators need to realize what makes football so entertaining is the threat of injury.
The Supreme Court just heard arguments for Greece v. Galloway, a case about legislative prayer and religious freedom. But the debate shouldn’t stop there.
The court should also agree to hear Hobby Lobby v. Sebelius, a high-profile case that carries widespread implications for religious business owners across the country.
Each semester, it seems this is the time the academic train I have been riding starts to slow down. For three-and-a-half months I have chugged along and am now running out of steam, barely coasting with the little momentum I have built up thus far.
I am ready to call it quits but know I cannot. With my GPA playing such a vital role in retaining scholarships and gaining entrance into study abroad programs, I cannot afford to give out now.
The Play Station 4 launches today, and the Xbox One will come out in a week, but that doesn’t mean you should rush out and buy those video-gaming consoles. As a gamer, I get it. You want to try the newest tech for your games and the newest games.
Here are the four reasons I think you should wait at least a year before you start playing next-gen: 1. Prices will expectedly drop. 2. Your friends are probably still going to be on Xbox 360 and PS3. The systems are bound to have bugs at launch. 4. There aren’t that many games at launch.
Science and the media don’t always see eye to eye.
I’m lucky enough to understand both sides of the whole media versus research battle. Scientists don’t always like journalists because they assert that journalists never get it right. Journalists are frustrated with scientists because they can’t seem to explain their research in an understandable way half the time, and the other half of the time, the scientists won’t talk to journalists. Maybe this is just a student journalist problem.
I turn on the news to see what people are saying about Obamacare, and it’s almost always the same thing every time. Old men are arguing, not respectively debating or discussing, over Obamacare on television. Who can really blame them at this point?
It’s a complex issue. There’s no doubt that finding the best way to provide citizens health care is difficult to a find a consensus on. But what I do know as a fact is that President Barack Obama did not fulfill his pledge of, “If you like your health care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health care plan. Period.”
In response to David Trower’s Nov. 12 column “Sex offenders need stronger punishments,” I feel disappointed that Trower would write something that relies on thoroughly debunked stereotypes, faulty statistics and emotional appeals, yet fails to even acknowledge or address the root causes of the issue of sexual abuse.
Trower’s viewpoint is typical of those who adhere to the “uncontrollable monster” myth of the American Sex Offender. It is a persistent myth dating back to the late 1800s and the serial killings of Jack the Ripper and HH Holmes. (In fact, sex offenders were referred to as “Rippers” during that era). Today, the “stereotypical sex offender” is still the shady and dirty old man in the wrinkly trench coat, who drives a rusty van and lures children with candy and puppies.
Typically, support for the death penalty comes among Republicans and conservatives, the groups known historically for being “tough on crime.” But a new coalition aims to give a voice to those conservatives who feel otherwise.
A couple months ago, more than 100 people convened in Los Angeles for the Fifth Annual National Reform Sex Offender Laws conference, “Justice for All.” The purpose of the conference is to shed light and try to bring about reform of national and state sex offender laws that they claim deny the civil rights of more than 750,000 sex offenders.
The U.S. also wants veterans to be employed. I moved to Waco from the Washington, D.C., area. I was a little worried about finding a job because D.C. has an abundance of jobs available to veterans and Waco has a much smaller economy than the D.C. area. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to find a job at all.
I need to know how to build a bomb.
This is not, I hasten to add, for my use or, indeed, for the use of any real person. Rather, it is for Clarence and Dwayne, two hapless wannabe terrorists in a novel I’m writing.
In this day and age, it would be impossible to stay connected with your friends, family and the Baylor community without the use of modern technology. We students rely on our smartphones, our friends’ Facebook posts and those “On the Baylor Horizon” emails (well, maybe not those) to keep in touch with student life.
We maintain and cultivate relationships with our peers through these digital mediums on a daily, if not hourly, basis. Checking your email, cell phone and social media platforms regularly is no longer an optional task, but rather a critical one.
Imagine a stranger coming up to you and saying, “I’m not trying to insult you, but you’re ugly.” Wouldn’t you be upset?
The example may sound farfetched, but it’s exactly what two Baylor Lariat columnists have done over the past two weeks.
In her column “Ring-by-spring stereotype goes both ways,” Lariat staff writer Maleesa Johnson implores readers to “please do not read this [article] as me demeaning housewives,” but she then proceeds to do exactly that.
Haunted houses are a legitimate rite of passage for Halloween. You go through them with the expectation to get scared while people in creepy masks chase you and gory props are set up to add to the aura of fear.
However, while everyone can appreciate a good scare now and then, I’ve found out through some unfortunate experiences that going to a haunted house sometimes tends to leave participants a little worse for wear.
I’m not a parent. I don’t claim to know the pressures of being a parent. I was, however, raised by two stunning parents. I was and still am very fortunate to have their guidance in my life.
There’s a problem nowadays with society. I walk down the street and see a screaming child. He or she is upset and wants to go to the toy store now or wants food now. Occasionally, I’ll see the child smack his or her parent when things don’t go the child’s way.
Husband hunters, rings by spring and “M-R-S” degrees are common phrases around the Baylor Bubble. These are not entirely unwarranted. Certain females here, as well as women at other colleges, may indeed be more focused on the pursuit of a husband than the pursuit of academic success.
The conclusion of the shutdown episode has brought a flurry of analysis and harsh criticism of Congress. But there’s something missing in it all. As tempting as it might sound to fire all of our elected leaders, it isn’t just Congress who needs to step up to avoid another government shutdown. It’s our responsibility too.
Last semester, The Lariat published a special issue examining the cost of college. While highly informative, many stories reminded me of the harsh reality that accompanies student loans. This year, the staff and I went in a different direction.
I have been to the Louvre and I have seen the Mona Lisa. I have taken my picture in front of Big Ben, and I have watched the time change on the world’s oldest astronomical clock. I have seen the world outside of Texas.
Most little girls dream of growing up to marry their handsome, Ken doll Prince Charming in a fluffy white ball gown with pink flowers on every open corner as doves ascend into heaven — some garbage like that.
I was not one of those girls.
Ladies, we are being lied to. The media sends us sneaky messages about what being a woman in this day and age entails. If we aren’t careful, we slip into the habit of changing our behavior in order to fit the image of the ideal woman. Let me remind you of a few things the media tells us that we can choose not to believe.
I hate late-night studying. I also hate late-night driving. So naturally, there’s nothing more horrendous than having to drive home from Moody during the wee hours of the morning after a long, brain-frying study session.
The film surprises you with vast silences.
It is an emptiness that at first seems jarring to sensibilities trained to believe every moment must be crammed. By contrast, this movie takes you into moments of pregnant stillness: no movement on the screen, no dialogue, no swelling music to cue your emotions. At one point, the camera takes what feels like a minute to study Solomon Northup’s face as he absorbs the awfulness of his predicament. He does nothing. He simply is.
It’s not official until it’s Facebook official. The way college students and young adults date in the 21st century is completely different than how previous generations approached dating.
It was simpler back when parents were our age and dating in college. A boy saw a girl he liked, talked to her and got her number. Then if he wanted to get to know her more, he would call her, and they went on a date. If the date went well, they would go on another one. If not, they went their separate ways.
Sustainability can be beneficial. But obsession over sustainability can lead to a sacrifice of common sense, blinding one to the possible harmful effects of these policies.
It is for this reason we must refuse to sacrifice our critical thinking when tempted with alluring phrases such as “clean energy” and “sustainable development.” Though both of these policies can have merit, they are not exempt from the rules of economics.
The U.S. national soccer team had the decision resting at its feet on whether or not to guarantee Mexico’s elimination from World Cup qualification.
All it had to do was lose against Panama on Tuesday night. Deep into stoppage time, down 2-1, midfielder Graham Zusi and forward Aron Johannsson scored to give the U.S. a comeback 3-2 win.
