Land of the free, home of the loud


Lately, I’ve been feeling very British. For example, yesterday I was sitting on the tube reading the London Evening Standard newspaper and avoiding eye contact with everyone around me like only seasoned tube passengers know how to do, when some boisterous Americans disturbed my peaceful ride with unnecessarily loud talking and laughter. I was irked […]

Religious films begin to flood the market


It’s been a decade since Mel Gibson’s bloody, polarizing The Passion of the Christ became an unlikely box office phenomenon, grossing more than $600 million worldwide and igniting a holy firestorm of controversy and theological debate, and Hollywood is still trying to replicate its success, especially its ability to appeal directly to Christian viewers. In […]

Dual-purpose foods help post-break blues


Ever feel like the world is crashing down on you? That is how I feel about being back at school after what should have felt like a fairly long spring break. But not to worry, Trojans, summer is only six weeks away, and then your freedom begins. Spring break was awesome: I went to the […]

Flower market welcomes spring season to Los Angeles


It’s hard to talk seasons when discussing Southern California. After all, the running joke is that we only have one. But there’s something about spring here. The city feels like it was made for these months. There’s a certain buzz in the air. Spring is when everything comes alive here — especially the flowers. Los […]

Embrace leftovers with new recipes


Spring break is less than a week away, so students are starting to get a small taste of what freedom is like along with the pressure of having to cram for midterms. I don’t know about everyone else, but I am also cramming to clean out my fridge so that nothing goes to waste — […]

Learning through distance running


If you saw me hobbling around campus on Monday looking as stiff as the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz, it’s because I ran the LA Marathon this weekend — and I did it without really training. In my defense, it’s been a really busy semester. As these are my last few months as […]

300: Rise of An Empire embraces pop mythology


Greco-Roman mythology has always been a fertile ground for movie adaptations. Ancient storytellers created gods and monsters as a means of explaining everything from thunderstorms and tidal waves to the changing of the seasons, but in doing so they also produced hundreds of readily adaptable — not to mention conveniently public domain — epics, including […]