Rice University’s Student Newspaper — Since 1916

Thursday, November 28, 2024 — Houston, TX

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Featured App: HeyTell

(01/18/12 12:00am)

Remember back to the telecommunications innovations of your childhood. The cups attached with string. That one thing on the playground you could whisper in. Playing the game "telephone." All of these things had their appeal, but they did not hold a candle to the wallkie-talkie. The wakie-talkie was both effective and awesome. In your hands, you held the same type of device used by firefighters, spies and construction workers. The simple joy of saying "over" or "copy" was enough to send even the most cynical child into fits of joy.


'Tinker Tailor' disenchants with bona fide portrayal

(01/18/12 12:00am)

James Bond has a host of complicated gadgets, such as deadly lasers and car missiles, to name a few. Jason Bourne arms himself with every imaginable type of firearm when not utilizing his incredible martial arts skills. In the beginning of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, the protagonist and MI6 spy George Smiley (Gary Oldman, The Dark Knight) is outfitted with a pair of  geriatric-looking bifocals. While certainly not as exciting as the tools of his fellow cinema spies, the glasses allow Smiley to coolly and objectively observe events and gain a power comparable to Bond's suaveness and Bourne's brawn.




Happy 50th birthday to Reason, Rhyme and Milo

(12/01/11 12:00am)

In my short life, I have had the privilege of reading some truly amazing literature, from Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov to Herman Melville's Moby Dick. However, I have never encountered a book more profound than Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth. As the beloved children's novel celebrates its 50th anniversary this week, I am reminded just how relevant and important it still is.



Eric Cantor protests at Rice University an affront to open discourse and free speech

(11/17/11 12:00am)

As my high school teachers know, I have a soft spot for being disruptive. I firmly believe that causing the occasional ruckus serves a purpose of not only creative expression but the simple joy of expression. However, I found the behavior of protesters who last week disrupted Eric Cantor, Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, in the midst of his speech utterly reprehensible.




Rice Student Association proposed blanket tax amendment threatens student freedoms

(11/10/11 12:00am)

Call me old fashioned, but of all 27 amendments to our Constitution, I still reserve the most love for the first. I love my guns, ability to vote at 18 years of age and right to a fair trial, but I don't believe that anything encapsulates the spirit of our founders more than the freedom of speech. Every day at Rice we see the rights of public discourse in action from an offhand remark of a professor or when reading editorials such as these. At a private university this need not be the case. Many institutions censor their students and I think we as Rice students should take pride that this doesn't happen within the hedges.






Arrested Development gives life new meaning

(10/06/11 12:00am)

As the President of the Rice Conservative Forum, people often ask me when I first became involved in political activism. It was my freshman year in high school, when FOX network decided to replace "Arrested Development" with "Dancing with the Stars" for its television show line-up. I knew I had to do something. A lot has changed since my friends and I ran a Save "Arrested Development" booth, but my love for the greatest show to hit the airwaves has stayed the same. After years of waiting, the announcement finally came that "Arrested Development" would return to network programming, and I am overcome with emotion.


Facebook wields immense power today

(09/29/11 12:00am)

I remember it clearly and vividly, as if it were but a week ago. I was lackadaisically reading class work when naturally I decided to visit Facebook. As soon as my homepage opened I knew something was wrong. The layout I had come to know and appreciate for months had changed yet again. On the left side, I had lists where I could now organize my friend into separate fields and rank like a high school lunchroom in a teen comedy. Above my chat sidebar, itself a new additon this summer, I had a constant newsfeed so I could see what all my internet acquaintances were doing at this very moment. My entire social network would never be the same.




Bicycle week not inclusive

(09/15/11 12:00am)

When seeing the signs announcing Bike Safety Week, a flush of emotions came to me. Fury. Sadness. Desperation. How dare the higher ups at Rice only acknowledge bicycles as personal transporation devices? What about me? What about my scooter? What about my brethren on long boards, skateboards, and waveboards? We too behave dangerously and recklessly. Why are we not important enough for a campus wide safety initiative?