Opinions

---

Healing to be healed

When it's 95 degrees outside and the air is so humid that you feel like you have to drink it in, it can be pretty difficult to think straight.

Super Bowl competitor receives wide criticism

Perhaps San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver was just a bit too excited about the big game to remember to think before he spoke.

Immigration for a torn nation

We need to repair a broken system and now is the time. A day after a bipartisan group of senators released a plan for immigration reform, President Barack Obama spoke in Las Vegas on his own terms.

Boys to men

In a statement last Monday, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) indicated its policy of "not granting membership to open or avowed homosexuals" might soon come to an end. The end of the organization's backward and intolerant policy is long overdue, and anything less than full reversal is unacceptable. The recent release is a complete 180 from the organization's news back in July, when it clarified its ban on gays and lesbians following a two-year evaluation.

Foods to avoid on a date

First dates are difficult. You have to figure out the perfect outfit - one that makes you look effortlessly good looking - you have to plan something to do that is fun but not too complicated, and you have to worry about discussion topics when those inevitable awkward pauses happen. Even if it isn't a "date," hanging out with someone you like more than a friend is stressful.

Finding my own voice

Hello. Hello... Silence. Hello? Is anybody there? Still nothing. Hello? Are you there? Hey there. S-s-sorry about that.

Les Misera-Bills: I dream a dream

With the Super Bowl a few days away, I can't help but think of my Buffalo Bills and whether I will ever get to see them hoist the Lombardi Trophy. Yes, I know the words "Buffalo Bills" and "Super Bowl" have no business being in the same sentence - unless that sentence is the punch line of a joke - but a man can dream, can't he? If you ask any Buffalonian what the city of Buffalo is known for, chances are you'll get one of three answers: snow, chicken wings or, of course, losing four straight Super Bowls. You would think this "feat" would bring more embarrassment than honor to our city, but it's actually the opposite.

Return to sender

Fans of The Postal Service, you've got mail.

Johnny be good

"If they can keep [him] out of jail or keep him eligible, he's gonna be pretty good."

Content blocked

My sunflower

I felt at home in Hungary. Acres of sunflowers bobbed in the spring breeze outside the crowded tour bus.

The results are in...

Here we are. The Major League Baseball (MLB) Hall of Fame Class of 2013 has been announced. And if you are having trouble recalling the newest inductees, that is natural.

"Cojelo suave, mi gente"

"Don't calm me down! I don't like it when people calm me down!" So far, that sole line has been the standout quote from MTV's latest exploitation device, Washington Heights.

The NHL is back: A new year's miracle

I woke up at 6 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 6, and slid across my slick wood floor in fuzzy socks. I jumped up and down. I stomped my feet and screamed in glee.

Finally nodding in the right direction

Best Picture Prediction: Argo Preference: Beasts of the Southern Wild When I read Beasts of the Southern Wild was one of the films voted for Best Picture, my appreciation for human existence was restored.

A place where we only say goodbye

There is a strange sense of serenity that comes from seeing one of the strongest people you know break down in tears; a certain humanity, a specific empathy, in the moments of a funeral that cannot be duplicated; and a battle of thoughts that ensue from driving alone for 16 hours, just you and the open road, immediately thereafter. While these feelings may seem too depressing to even consider when you're cruising through a new semester and are headed toward spring, the season associated with optimism, I just can't write seemingly flippant words with such weighty thoughts on my mind.

Oscar predictions and preferences

Best Picture Prediction: Lincoln Preference: Lincoln A great movie is all about great acting, and that's exactly what Lincoln has.

My life's awakening

This past winter break, Sonny from A Bronx Tale changed my life. He said, "The saddest thing in life is wasted talent, and the choices that you make will shape your life forever." I've heard this quote multiple times but not once has it affected me as much as it did last month.

Turn on the Bright Lights: In Retrospect

Context is a tricky thing when it comes to music. A lot of albums that are considered classics were adequately able to act as a zeitgeist of their time.

Thin patience and pockets

There is no greater embarrassment to our country's higher education system than our sad excuse of a financial aid and protection system for students. According to 2010 numbers, the average per-borrow debt of bachelor's degree recipients is approximately $22,000, up nearly $3,000 from the last decade.