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(02/26/09 7:15am)
Students feverishly emptied the ATMs. It wasn’t a hold-up, but rather a hold’em: Texas Hold’em poker, that is. The gathering of freshmen played all night in Hill College House, continually dashing to the nearest cash machines for more betting power. As Rick Heaslip and Joe Smith* recall, it wasn’t morning that stopped the game — it was a lack of funds. But poker wasn't the one to blame; they had managed to bankrupt the ATMs before bankrupting themselves.
(11/20/08 8:06am)
In the Cameron Crowe classic Say Anything…, Diane Court explains, “I have a theory of convergence, that good things always happen with bad things.” This moment marks for me such an intersection: today is the much-anticipated arrival of shoutouts and my last letter as Editor-in-Chief of this magazine. (I’ll leave it to you to decide which is the good and which is the bad.)
(11/13/08 7:41am)
The Social Ivy. We’ve all heard the phrase, whether during the tours we took of Penn as high school juniors or from our own mouths as we explain to non-Quakers why they should be impressed with our credentials. True or not, the latter is the ultimate branding strategy; the only thing better than demanding elite status is to do it while simultaneously implying that our love of all that is social precludes us from being labeled obnoxious or snobbish.
(11/06/08 8:06am)
Yes we did. Our votes counted, our voices were heard. For a Democrat like myself, Tuesday night was a true triumph.
(10/30/08 7:14am)
Everyone knows what a large number of Facebook friends signify: you are popular. Or you're so deluded that you request friendships from random people who, in desperate need of appearing popular, accept said requests. (And admit it: at some point, you’ve either been that overeager requester or unscrupulous accepter.)
(10/23/08 6:32am)
In 1995, the computer-generated marvel Buzz Lightyear voiced the mantra of our modern era: to infinity, and beyond! Go ahead and laugh, but Pixar was on the money; we love the idea of the infinite, and it’s unsurprising considering that the planet we call home is not only explored but nearly exhausted. The presence of the so-called realms of the infinite — space, and the Internet — give us both the intrigue and the optimism we’d otherwise be lacking.
(10/16/08 6:13am)
It’s only when my parents make me decode my own speech that I realize how much of what we say is in the form of acronyms: there are Penn acronyms (DRL, UA, LT’s…), Internet-inspired acronyms (LOL, BRB, ROTFL) and acronyms for just about everything else (DMV, HSM…1, 2, and 3, USA). And floating within this acronym soup is the game that goes by the initials KMF: kill, marry, fuck.
(10/02/08 4:00am)
Eight days. All that is separating us from the glorious reprieve that is Fall Break is a week like the one immortalized in song by the Beatles. Even so, the phrase "so close, yet so far" comes to mind, and never have those words seemed so true. or so painful.
(09/25/08 4:00am)
When it comes to campus cuisine, I feel like a freshman again. only better, because I'm a senior. Once more, I'm excited by all the surrounding eateries that I've yet to fully explore and exhaust - that, and three years later I'm still avoiding Commons. But it's not the new spots around 40th that have me so pumped; they're tasty, yes, but slow service (Hummus), tiny portions (Distrito) and eerie atmosphere (Cream & Sugar) leave them underwhelming. The source of my giddiness is so overdue it's embarrassing (but I'm too happy to care): in my last year at Penn, I have finally discovered the food cart.
(09/18/08 4:00am)
I don't consider myself notably cynical - at least no more so than the average world-weary, disaffected Penn student. I believe in the essential goodness of man, I trust in the curing powers of chocolate and I have faith that a simple smile accomplishes a lot.
(09/11/08 4:00am)
It is said that love knows no bounds; debatable, perhaps, but certainly the types of love are endless. There is puppy love, forbidden love, platonic love, tough love and guy love (so says Zach Braff), amongst many others. And then there is stealth love, a term I coined a few years ago.
(04/24/08 4:00am)
I am terrible at keeping in touch. I can jump up and down stairs on a pogo stick, but despite every tool at my fingertips - cell phone, e-mail, Skype and even stamps and envelopes if I feel like going retro - I often struggle to maintain constant contact with my friends located far from Philadelphia.
(04/17/08 4:00am)
At my high school, the graduating class each year held a "senior catharsis." This event took place outside of school, and was a special moment in which seniors and faculty gathered to share favorite memories - while laughing and crying - in order to approach commencement with a fresh outlook.
(04/10/08 4:00am)
Spring Fling is just that: a tease. It might be more meaningful than a one-night stand, but it's certainly not something you tell your mother about. Though I'm about to embark on my third Fling, this is an event where experience does not matter much. as much as that experience is fun to share.
(04/03/08 4:00am)
In case you haven't noticed, it's an election year. As we've been told, Pennsylvania sort of matters in deciding the Democratic candidate. And as flippant as I've just been, I can't underscore the following enough: things are getting crazy around here.
In this semester alone, Bill and Chelsea Clinton have separately visited Penn. And now Colbert is coming! You know chaos must be reigning if Colbert manages to step foot on campus before Obama. After all, Colbert doesn't need our vote. (Though if he did, he'd certainly have mine.)
Though we can chalk up a lot of the craziness to excitement, I'm not a politico and yet even I am caught up in the whirlwind. Perhaps some of the current flurry can be explained as nervous energy that has been "unresolved" for too long, as PSYC 001 taught me. Maybe we've had too much anticipation for our own good.
Look at it this way: for months now, talk has centered on the upcoming PA primary and by extension, the election that will take place this November. These two events have been highly anticipated for a long time - for those anti-Bush, it's been 8 years! - without any resolution. If ever we've needed it, we need the release of voting, right now.
And that's where Best of Penn 2008 comes in. For the last couple weeks, you had the opportunity to vote on what you think deserves a superlative - whether it's simply the greatest or the most infuriating - and now you can see the results of your input. Despite our Quaker colors, there are no red or blue maps to be found here - just a consensus about what you believe makes Penn tick. By exercising your enfranchisement and witnessing the outcome (without the added stress of any hanging chads) you can now feel the much-needed release of a motion completed. Consider it a voting-asm.
Between this and the UA/Class Board elections, you should be able to last until April 22nd. As for November? This may be the first year in which we wish the summer months to fly by quickly. Now that is when you know that things have truly become crazy.
(03/27/08 4:00am)
When I reach for coke, people stare. Capital "C" Coke, that is. This is because I drink regular Coke - not Diet Coke, not Coke Zero, but classic, full-of-real-sugar Coca-Cola. So classic that it evokes images of glass bottles, red diner stools and families of smiling polar bears.
(03/20/08 4:00am)
There are times when Penn seems like a bad sitcom, with characters exaggerated to the point of absurdity. With a student body comprised of valedictorians, club leaders and the rare, hyphenated species known as the student-athlete, it is unsurprising that we tend to be competitive about GPAs, extracurricular positions and scoreboards. After all, we often consider these as investments in both our lives on campus and in the future. As any procrastinator will tell you, pressure is a great motivator.
(02/28/08 5:00am)
A 21st birthday is a coveted thing. Friends who are already 21 finally welcome you into their special club - more commonly known as Mad4 - and friends who have yet to reach this arbitrary legal cut-off look with envy as you waltz into Wine & Spirits, fully confident in your purchasing ability.
(02/21/08 5:00am)
Once upon a time (say, this past Saturday night at the Iron Gate Theatre), the all-female South Asian dance troupe PENNaach presented their amazing spring show. Though I went to support my roommate, an intensely dedicated Naach dancer, the first few minutes had me feeling like the one being cheered on.
(02/14/08 5:00am)
Newsflash: today is February 14. And you know what that means. It's two days past Abraham Lincoln's birthday. On this very day, except two days earlier, Honest Abe reached his 119th year. Let's break out the cake and candles.