Tonight is the 2nd Presidential Debate, which is sure to be awesome (even if it’s not nearly as hyped as Palin vs. Biden’s Teeth).

The event is going to be moderated by NBC’s Tom Brokaw, but instead of Tommy asking the questions, the debate will have a town hall format.

Which means the people get to ask the questions.

So, people of Nashville who will be sitting pretty in the town hall-y debate, if you are reading this, we have a few questions we’d like to ask the candidates. Real questions that require real answers instead of that fluff Gwen Ifill came up with (and Sarah Palin dodged) during the VP “debate.” Read More »

As I continue to try and wrap my head around Sarah Palin, the GOP’s newest Vice Presidential pick (”a woman making strides toward the white house, good!”, “a woman who thinks the government has the right to tell her what her reproductive rights are, bad!”), a few wayward comments flying around the internet and media have gotten me really confused.  According to sources, Palin is on record stating that global warming is not man made, and that polar bears aren’t endangered

…What?

“A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location.” Palin stated as early as a few weeks ago to a conservative magazine for it’s September issue. “I’m not one though who would attribute it to being man-made.”

As a moderate liberal, I can often support Republicans and Independents, as long as I believe their brain is in the right place. The thing is…denying humans have anything to do with global warming, and working to keep polar bears off the endangered list goes beyond politics and veers into …well…complete and utter wrongness. Read More »

1. Because let’s face it, you love Pixar movies. Whether it’s “Toy Story”, “Finding Nemo” or “Monsters Inc.”, everyone has a favorite. Really, admit it. You cried when they found Nemo.

2. Because you’ve always wondered: what WOULD happen if the earth was ravaged by global warming? Wall-E is the last robot on planet earth, hundreds of years after humans have abandoned it. Due to our race’s excess (the landscape is dominated by the corporation “Buy n’ Large”), the environment has been ruined. The earth is covered in garbage, and there are no living beings left besides cockroaches. Kinda makes you think about all the stuff we throw away.

3. Because who knew a robot could be so damn cute? Whether he’s protecting his girl-crush, Eve, from the rain or using a garbage can lid as a hat to dance along to a “Hello Dolly” video tape, I found myself wanting to hug the little guy. Yeah, I said it.

4. Because Eve, the shiny new robot sent to earth to find signs of life, is a great female role model. She’s tough (her arm doubles as some kind of super-powered ray gun) but sweet, and smart as hell. Watch her kick a** and fall for the lovable Wall-E, all while saving them, and the planet, from destruction.

5. Because…anything is better than “The Love Guru”.

Easy on the eyeliner, LC.

Reality TV has even gotten to the smart people — the world has hit it’s ultimate demise (minus all the Globla Warming brew-ha-ha.)

Yale Law School is attempting to set a world record for the most people gathered in one spot dressed as Lauren Conrad.

Uh, do we really need another one?

Maybe YALE doesn’t have legging/headband, layered-necklace wearing chicks, but if you walk into any mall in America you’ll find LC lookalikes rummaging through Forever 21 and Claires like rioters after a flood.

I’d prefer they stay and hibernate there. We don’t need any more people immitating “faux celebrities.”

…However, the invite does mention something about free eyeliner. Hm. Maybe those genius kids at Yale are onto something.

If you truly desire the ability to dress like LC, check out this eHow.com article.

Thanks to one Mr. Al Gore, I have been somewhat of a greenie (a friend of the planet, not the dog treat) for awhile now.

I have been spreading the word for months (like here) in hopes that I can get other people on board with me. Not because it is trendy or “in” right now, but because we don’t want our children to have to deal with such a mess of a planet later….or burst into flames because the earth has gotten so hot.

And I have met a lot of apprehension along the way:

“But I really love my Hummer.”
“It’s so hard to be earth friendly!”
“GO HUG A TREE!”
“Ew. Reuse someone else’s PAPER?!”

Ah; ignorance. How I loathe thee.

If people just sat down and listened for a few minutes they would realize just how simple it is to be earth friendly. I am not asking people to reuse their Ziploc bags (which I get made fun of for all the time) or stop using toilet paper. I am asking people to make teensy tiny changes to their daily routines that make virtually no difference to the user and a huge difference to the planet.

Since I last wrote about green items such as compact fluorescent bulbs and reusable grocery bags, a whole slew of new earth friendly products have surfaced. These hot new items are innovative, made from recycled products (to cut down on excess waste!) and yet another few easy ways for you to get a bit more green-ified. The best part, obviously, is that they don’t look like crunchy “Save the Planet” items; these are things you actually need and want. Read More »

Every college has it. The weird course. The bizarre experiment class that must have gotten okayed after the faculty meeting wine (and possibly weed) came out. The course everyone wants to take because it can’t possibly be studied for.

Liberal Arts schools are famous for these types of classes. Being a graduate of a Liberal A. myself, I made sure to take every weird course I could find. Every class with a half-written syllabus, opened ended final, or that was team-taught—I took. And let me tell you, those were some of the best wasted hours of my college career.

Wesleyan, one of the “Most Annoying Liberal Arts Schools” out there, currently has one of the best examples of a weird course I’ve heard in a long time. The reason this example is so good? It’s explanation is as pretentious as it’s description is redonkulous.

Course Name: Feet to the Fire: the Art and Science of Climate Change

Category: Biology
Cross Listed With: Dance

Description: As quoted by Gawker, the first lines of the course description are as follows: “Feet to the Fire is an intensive, interdisciplinary course that melds scientific and choreographic inquiry in pursuit of one of the most important topics facing society: climate change due to global warming”

Class Layout: “Classroom and laboratory sessions”, with a neighboring landfill acting as said laboratory. Read More »

Lately, it seems everywhere you turn people are turning green. Not nausea induced green (though that may be true if you are enjoying a nice long Welcome Week and hangovers abound), but earth-friendly green.

Whether it be celebrities like Leo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt or the aisles upon aisles of green products at stores around the country, saving the planet isn’t just for tree-huggers anymore.

And as you hear about all the celebs buying Hybrid cars and cities banning bottled water due to the excessive amounts of waste they create, you have to stop and wonder what your impact on the planet is.

Most likely: it isn’t good. Read More »

Do you know who Mahmoud Abbas and Ehud Olmert are?

Can you tell me who the current secretary of state is? Or who the Defense Secretary is?

I bet not.

But I would place money on the fact that you could name me at least two celebrities who are pregnant, the latest color of Britney Spears’ wig or the name of the diet that Jessica Simpson is currently on.

We are pretty pathetic my friends. According to an article in the New York Times, today’s youth is not news savvy. Read More »