34th Street Magazine's "Toast" is a semi-weekly newsletter with the latest on Penn's campus culture and arts scene. Delivered Monday-Wednesday-Friday.
Free.
Today marks the second day of the Muslim Student Association's Islam Awareness Week on campus.
While I'm typically ambivalent toward awareness campaigns - there are so many that it seems difficult to focus energy on any one topic - I believe a campus dialogue about Islam is valuable.
An effective and valuable program
To the Editor:
On September 22, The Daily Pennsylvanian published an article on the University City District's Main Street program. The article contained several misunderstandings about the program:
First, Main Street was originated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1980.
Which of the following situations do you consider more probable after graduation: facing a challenging ethical dilemma or being forced to identify, say, the different types of igneous rock on Earth? Well, Penn thinks it's the latter. As students in the School of Arts and Sciences, we're required to take a Physical Science course but don't necessarily need to take any courses on morality or ethics.
We're a nation of borrowers. According to Wednesday's USA Today (or does that make it the "USA Two days ago?") the average borrower's credit-card debt now stands at $1,717. The government borrowed billions from China to finance its no-tax and spend policies and doubled the national debt to $10 trillion over the past eight years (though, to be fair, I got this figure from the most recent Presidential debate, so there's no guarantee).
Students are one click away from a more interactive class experience.
More and more Penn professors are using "clickers," which are small remote-control devices that allow professors to collect and display data from students.
We support professors in their attempts to engage students.
In 2004, the U.S. Institute of Medicine proposed that health care systems should strive for coverage that is universal, continuous, affordable, sustainable and equitable. The Obama-Biden plan for health care reform outlines practical steps toward realizing such a system.
The United States was founded on a few simple ideals, central to which was the belief in freedom.
While the fear at the time was the very real threat from the British monarchy, Americans have always been very protective of their individual freedoms as well.
Do you speak to your parents more than four times a week? Discuss course selections with them before you register? Seek their guidance when something in your residence malfunctions? Welcome to the "Umbilical Cord" clan. That's the term my professor once used last year to explain what she deemed an unhealthy attachment to one's parents.
Last Saturday, Bruce Springsteen Barack-ed out for fans and politicos alike on the Ben Franklin Parkway in support of his favorite presidential candidate. As the voter registration deadline loomed in Pennsylvania, The Boss took the stage to inspire us to vote in favor of The One who was born to run, Senator Barack Obama.
Defending the GRE
To the Editor:
Christina Domenico's column last Wednesday was sadly misinformed about the Graduate Record Examination.
Many have claimed throughout the years that GRE is useless for predicting college success or that you can't boil down someone's ability to a number.
A few weeks ago, a man named David Foster Wallace took his own life at the age of 46, ending a protracted battle with depression.
This fall will surely be remembered as when the financial sector began its collapse - or, assuming the rosiest scenario, survived a convulsive restructuring.
I never thought I'd see the day when a top Republican publicly decried "greed and corruption" on Wall Street.
In last week's debate, Sarah Palin let loose a stream of words you'd normally associate with the left: "Never will we be exploited and taken advantage of again by those who are managing our money.
Got the late-night munchies?
Too bad.
Stores underneath 1920 Commons - including Subway, Starbucks, and the C3 convenience store - are now closing at 9:30 p.m. instead of midnight.
That leaves very few options for students hungry after 9:30 p.m., which in college-time, isn't very late at all.
I often wonder about the point of many things: "recommended" books for class, bug-eye sunglasses, the food court at 34th and Walnut streets. But my recent ponderings have been about the Benjamin Franklin Scholars program.
The majority of BFS students are mysteriously selected as incoming freshmen and must take at least one Benjamin Franklin seminar per year to graduate with recognition as a scholar.
Plastic is on its way out.
Recently, White Dog Cafe on 34th and Sansom streets decided to stop selling bottled water because of environmental concerns.
While it's not a widespread movement, crusaders against Aquafina have a point - bottled water does carry high transportation and disposal costs.