Listen up, iPod users (while you still can).

You may love listening to your music on the way to class, during class, or in the library to drown out the sounds of those annoying kids who won’t shut up, but it looks like all that jamming is going to wreak havoc on your hearing.

It used to be a myth or a worry, but now there is actual proof that listening to your iPod or other personal music players (are there any besides the iPod?) too loud can lead to some pretty serious long-term problems. Like total hearing loss. The New York Times reports:

“Regularly listening to personal music players at high-volume settings when young,” the report said, “often has no immediate effect on hearing but is likely to result in hearing loss later in life.” The report is the latest of several to warn that the “MP3” generation of youths may be heading for hearing impairment in later life.

Um. Sh*t. Looks like our entire generation is gonna be without hearing in just a few short years. And those of us with those handy dandy inner-ear buds (like the crappy ones Apple makes that are always falling out of my ears) are even worse off, because they get even closer to our ear drums and cause more damage.

Want to be able to listen to music in your 40’s? Scientists recommend “limiting listening time to one hour per day and setting the volume to no more than 60 percent of maximum sound output when using headphones that are placed over the ears — and even less when using ear buds.”

It may be tempting to rock out to Journey on your way to a 9am class, but turn down the music. Not only does it annoy the rest of the people on the bus with you, but it just isn’t worth it when you consider the alternative: never being able to perform “Don’t Stop Believing” at Karaoke again.

Oh the horror.

It’s always a toss-up to say what the best part of an evening out is. Pregame and preparation are always fun, but last call is just a crucial part of a night out, especially when you’re going to school in the Midwest and the town closes down at about 2 AM.

You can really get a sense of the type of establishment you’ve been frequenting by learning what it closes with each night. In New York, sometimes a sick sense of accomplishment coincides with every last call you actually make it to. 4 AM is much easier said than done when you’ve been trained to turn in after 2. Sometimes, though, regardless of the time, you’re going to get the same gratification.

What’s sad is that no one actually NEEDS that final drink at last call, but everyone panics all the same, as though they haven’t been drinking all night anyway.

By far, on my undergrad campus, the favorite establishments were moderately-to-very dirtball bars filled with a slightly frat-tastic crowd of kids, and sometimes bartenders in basketball shorts. Some of said frat boys were known to wear sweatpants on the rare occasion. But the best part of these bars was the unquestionable fact that come 2 AM, the lights would flicker on and the speakers would be blasting either Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” or “The Gambler” by Kenny Rogers, depending on which venue you had chosen for the night. Read More »

Hillary Clinton’s new campaign ad mocking the finale of one of television’s most popular dramas has been causing a stir in the pre-election candidate market. In this clever spoof, Hillary and Bill take on the roles of Tony and Carmela by sitting at a table in mock New Jersey diner, while Chelsea is seen through the front window attempting to parallel park her car Meadow-style. Hillary’s campaign song comes on the jukebox and the screen fades to black. How clever.

While this culturally savvy spoof shows Hillary’s aptitude to interpret American culture, does it showcase any of her abilities to be the president of The United States? The references made to Smash Mouth, her horrific campaign song by Celine Dion, and the overlying theme of the Sopranos make the ad mirror some type of commercial advertisement for American media. Amy recently explored the concept of candidates creating MySpaces to reach out to the youth of America in their own territory. While I appreciate the fact that Hillary is attempting to reach out to young voters who will often ignore politics in favor of entertainment, another part of me wonders whether or not I feel disrespected by having a presidential candidate marketed to me as a celebrity-like figure. Read More »