Tres Not So Chic: How Euro Style Trumps American

It was hot and humid on my first day at Columbia.  After traveling all day, I put on my Crocs, a plain white JCrew top, and a denim knee length skirt.

They were standing in the endless check-in line, facing me, although I didn’t notice the group of them until I got a little further. Around one of their necks was a wrinkled floral scarf, topping a cobalt blazer over skinny gray pants. Another wore a distressed straw fedora, v-neck and black leather jacket decked in a few silver zippers. The third sported a dark wash denim jacket and light wash denim pants- a look I had only seen on the pages of Vogue and on the runways.

Double denim at D&G’s spring/summer 2010

It’s 2010! Spice up Your Wardrobe with this Summer’s Fashion

Tank top, skirt and jeggings.

It’s a new summer which means a completely fresh wardrobe! This summer we have a disparate and unique summer vogue. However a couple of old styles have come back to fashion. So, all you fashion lovers, get ready to update your look as this season’s trend has some awesome additions. And a variety of fabrics in diverse colors bringing a more desirable style to each look.

The garment that was thought to be dead returns. This year the one piece clothings have come back in fashion for this summer, these are known as ‘Jumpsuits’ or ‘Rompers’. They are cute, flirty yet sensible and perfect for the summer. Funkier than ever combining it with flawless high heels. Just keep in mind they don’t suit everyone make sure it fits right.

You see them every where, every woman has them, yes they are indeed skinny jeans. Skinny Jeans create a more feminine look and can be easily paired up with absolutely anything.

BP Oil Spill: Who’s to Blame?

by Claire Lee

Oil Spill (aerial view)

The biggest fear of every political leader is unexpected events, especially those beyond our own control. The BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill has proved itself to be just that: the nation’s biggest fear. It is a massive ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico; the spill stems from a sea floor oil gusher that resulted from the April 20^th, 2010 Deepwater Horizon drilling explosion, which killed 11 people and injured 17 others.

Oil-covered pelicans

In result of BP’s careless and negligent drilling, the entire Gulf of Mexico has become a hazard to all of its inhabitants. The gusher is estimated at flowing 35,000 to 60,000 barrels of crude oil per day. The spill threatens environmental disaster due to petroleum toxicity and oxygen depletion. More than 400 species of marine animals live in the Gulf of Mexico and are at risk. Everyday, many sea turtles, seagulls, pelicans, and other marine animals die suffocating in the oil. Birds and fish covered in oil are crawling deeper and deeper into marshes, never to be seen again. Fish and other wildlife are fleeing the oil out in the Gulf and clustering in cleaner waters along the coast; but this is not a good thing as one may think. The presence of the animals close to shore suggests that their natural habitats are so polluted; it has been deemed impossible to survive in.

The Racial Paradox: Is America Still Struggling with Racism?

By Lorenzo Ligato

Upper West Side, New York City. It’s a warm summer day on the Upper West Side. Flocks of New Yorkers and tourists scramble down Broadway, talking on the phone, grabbing cold drinks, rushing and loitering. Just a single walk down any street of the city affords the opportunity to taste the extraordinary social diversity of New York City. Many different races, religions, and traditions meet, mingle and coexist in The Big Apple, constituting a unique cultural mosaic. New York City indeed resembles the epitome of the multicultural integrated society. Nevertheless, although New York City and most of the country’s metropolises seem to be past race-based discrimination, racism is still a severe issue in America, as well as in many countries all over the world.

The Rise of the iPad: How Teens Are Responding

image from popsci.com

On March 5^th 2010 Apple released a new product, the iPad.  Leading up to its big release, there was lots of chatter and speculation as to whether this device would be as popular as Amazon’s Kindle and how it would affect various newspaper and magazine industries.

The Kindle was first to the market, and its inventors tried to sell books on it for approximately ten dollars each, trying to make these e-books cheaper than the average hard copy book as part of their business plan.  However, it turned out that publishers weren’t making a lot of money from the Kindle.  In late 2009, the Kindle was challenged by an e-reader from Barnes & Noble called the  “Nook,” which offered similar but even more appealing innovations than the Kindle, and slowly started to harm the Kindle’s business.

Women’s Beadwork in South Africa: Trade Not Aid

Noyiso of MonkeyBiz with a beaded model she made of a Heinz bottle

by Yuwii Aguele

Having attempted to make an income as a domestic worker and a farm labourer, 40 year old Noloyiso Maphakathi’s life was changed for the better when she was asked to join Monkey Biz. Like many other non-profit organisations in South Africa, MonkeyBiz provides employment and empowers disadvantaged women through the mediums of beading and wirework.

The art of beadwork roughly originated in the 1850s amongst the Zulu, Xhosa and Ndebele tribes in South Africa. Primarily used as a way to denote marital status and wealth, beading has now become more of a passion, art and a means of preserving South Africa’s heritage. In some ways, it has contributed to the cultural image of the country as South Africa’s beadwork is internationally acknowledged.

Monkeybiz provides 450 women with materials such as vibrantly coloured glass beads enabling each beadwork artist to create her own one-off pieces, ranging from fascinating jewellery to extravagant dolls. Some women are provided with beading classes, some form clubs which they share techniques and ideas while others simply learnt the art of beading from mothers and grandmothers.

Public Art in New York

By Randi Siegel

People in Manhattan always seem rushed with briefcases in hand, as they maneuver through crowded streets. Most of these individuals, whether tourists, locals or businessmen seem too rushed to appreciate public art. I, a native New Yorker and art enthusiast, took the time to slow down, and made a decision to look around New York, and enjoy the many beautiful (and free) sculptures it has to offer.

All of these modern sculptures have a massive presence, whether they loom over courtyards or buildings. They are unmistakable, and add vibrance and beauty to New York City’s unique atmosphere.

photo from flickr user wallyg

This Picasso sculpture is located on Bleecker Street in Soho. Entitled Bust of Sylvette, the sculpture sits in University Village.The colossal sculpture outlines the features of a women. The textured surfaces and multiple angels add to an abstract feeling, of which Picasso was trying to portray.

Whose Responsibility Was the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill?

by Madeline Wilson

When the BP spill was announced, I was surprised. Not because of the irresponsibility of the oil company or Barack Obama (though these feelings would come later), but because I had always appreciated off-shore drilling as something of the past.

I  had often associated off-shore drilling with the “Drill Baby Drill” campaign of the McCain-Palin camp during the 2008 presidential election. And, because politics is a polarizing sport, assumed that the Obama administration would take the opposite stance. Imagine my surprise when the not only the drilling continued after Obama’s election, but that it was regulated so loosely as to allow up to 1.7 million gallons of oil per day to be leaked into homes, habitats and much more, according to CNN.

Demystifying the SAT

Sitting in an exam hall, with a booklet of multiple choice questions before him, 25 questions to be answered in as many minutes, along with questions based on hundred line passages, the clock ticking by at a seemingly faster rate, Joe cannot help feeling stressed. Even the best of students do. So then, what is it that makes normal students who get As and A+s get less than 2000 on the SAT, and, moreover, what makes others with lower school grades score in the 2300s when it comes to the SAT?
Although Ivy League colleges adopt a holistic approach to admissions, one cannot ignore the fact that the SAT is indeed a very significant factor influencing their admissions decisions. While exceptions exist where those with stellar transcripts gain entry with scores in the

Not Your Average Joe: Why the Monstrous Contract Given To Hawks’ Star Johnson Is Justified

Haris Vukotic

The perennial NBA all-star Joe Johnson, shooting guard for the Atlanta Hawks, is set to make the maximum salary of $119 million dollars over the course of 6 years. His contract has been called “the worst ever”, because although Joe is a very solid player, he is not quite the same caliber of player such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard and other superstars. The large contract has reopened the polarizing question of how much a professional athlete should be compensated for their abilities.

Joe Johnson has hit the jackpot: a guaranteed $120 million over six years. | Photo courtesy of Sports.Yahoo.com

The biggest complaint people have about pro athletes is that their salaries don’t match what they contribute to society. What people fail to realize is that, no matter how high an athlete’s salary is, he is paid for what he is worth. Salaries for the majority of workers are set by supply and demand in the marketplace for their particular set of skills or talents. Typically, when a business requires more production, they hire more staff. If the staff is paid below what can be acquired elsewhere, they’ll leave for the higher paying job. If the staff is paid over what they’re valued, the company’s labor costs are large and they unnecessarily lose money.