Movie theaters have hosted many record-breaking blockbusters this holiday season – the most notable being Breaking Dawn II and Skyfall. The Twilight finale was number one its premiere weekend and grossed $43.6 million. Skyfall, thanks to a $50.5 million five-day gross and a $221.1 million total, is not only the highest grossing of the franchise, [...]

With the waves of tolerance that have been sweeping this nation off its feet, it’s no stretch to say that times are indeed changing. Ironically, even though tolerance is associated with the crumbling of walls, it also creates conflicts that pit groups against each other, such as the debate over the annual Rhode Island Statehouse [...]

The shoppers are at it again. This year’s Black Friday weekend surpassed last year’s record-breaking retail revenue of $52.4 billion, with Reuters recording $1 billion in online sales the first day alone. According to the Los Angeles Times, 247 million shoppers spent a total of $59.1 billion just this weekend—yet another record. As great as [...]

After the release of personal emails led to national outrage over CIA chief David Petraeus’ extramarital affair, a deluge of doubt has arisen over the security of email, as well as chats, tweets, likes, posts, video calls, and other forms of internet communication. Secrets are no longer secrets when today’s technology is involved, necessitating a [...]

Hurricane Sandy battered the East Coast with unparalleled ferocity, toppling houses, flooding streets and pulverizing hundreds of miles of coastline. Yet, amidst the brutality of the storm, small acts of kindness have bolstered individual morale to face the challenges ahead. Government action plans are instrumental in disaster relief, but the altruism and warm hearts of [...]

In light of the recent ballot box victories for same-sex marriage, the archaic definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman is obsolete. Although the legal benefits of marriage make it appealing to tie the knot, the institution of marriage is unnecessary. While the decisions in Maine, Maryland and Washington undoubtedly [...]

Poor teaching plagues bright futures. Evaluating the performance of teachers has become essential to improving school systems across the nation; however, student scores on standardized tests should never be taken as the measure of an educator’s worth. With the rise of new test score-based models such as Los Angeles Unified School District’s “Academic Growth Over [...]

At orientation, students in most majors are given sample four-year schedules detailing when to take what classes. Some freshmen have their entire college career mapped out by the second week of school.    But what about the students who have not yet selected a major? Unfortunately for them, USC lacks an advisement system comprehensive enough [...]

Elena Kadvany | Point: Partisanship cannot continue as is My initial reaction to the news that President Barack Obama was re-elected was relief, not excitement. I was relieved that the leader I believe in gets another four years to prove himself to those who don’t believe in him the way I do, and to continue [...]

Elena Kadvany: Point In 1972, the political term “October surprise” was coined. Twelve days before the presidential election between former president Richard Nixon and then-Sen. George McGovern, then-National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger announced that “peace was at hand” in Vietnam, changing the game on a crucial election issue that might have swayed many voters’ decisions [...]