by Emily Snell | Sep 26, 2012 | Opinion
You’re driving down Woodmont Boulevard, heading back to campus. As you pull up to the traffic light at Granny White, you look up and slam on your brakes, realizing the car in front of you is just a few inches away. You let out a sigh of relief and finish the text you were just sending. I would bet almost all of us have been guilty of texting and driving. Most people say they know it is unsafe, but an unfortunately high number of them admit they do it anyway. Until last Thursday, I was one of those people. On Thursday in women’s chapel, a former Lipscomb student shared her testimony about how she killed a man because she was driving drunk. She spent three years in prison because of it. Now she’s just 23 years old and has to live with the fact she took someone’s life. No, texting and driving isn’t the same thing as drinking and driving. It’s actually worse. Did you know that some studies show it’s even more dangerous? Think about that next time you see someone who you believe is obviously under the influence and is drifting across lanes. Then realize that what you are doing when texting and driving is probably even more hazardous. That means you could be forced to live life knowing that you took someone else’s … because you just had to send that text. Rolling your eyes about this? Stop and pay attention. This is serious stuff. Just last Wednesday, I read an article by Lipscomb’s own Professor Debi Tate about the prevalence of texting and driving and...
by Madeline Smith | Sep 25, 2012 | Opinion
After copious amounts of peer pressure I finally succumbed to getting a Twitter account, one of the most popular trends in social networking. I was surprised and delighted to discover I enjoy that I can pick and choose whose thoughts I read, and they are limited to only 140 characters, sparing me a paragraph-length thought that ended up only being a “repost” like on Facebook. My relationship with Twitter seemed perfect! I could say witty thoughts, read silly comments and stay connected with my friends. Everything seemed perfect until now. Campaign season is going to cause me to break up with Twitter. Gone are the inspirational Bible verses and ironic song lyrics. Gone are the “total frat moves” and Instagrams. Now my feed is all about who should or should not win the upcoming election. I am fine with reading about a sweet thing your boyfriend did. I enjoy seeing a picture of a cute kitten! But please spare me your thoughts on politics, whether I agree with them or not! I understand that the Internet seems like a great place to express your thoughts, but why turn something fun and casual into something so serious? Why Twitter? Letting out your political thoughts on Twitter is not going to change people’s vote. You do not have enough room to persuade anyone! All that is changing is my decision to follow you! And deep, intellectual thought is not going to spring forth from a 140-character tweet! I just wish people could turn back to the old Twitter, where they just talked about their lives and put up pictures. I enjoy knowing about...
by Cory Woodroof | Sep 24, 2012 | Opinion
While Clint Eastwood has recently been grabbing headlines with his RNC “empty chair” speech, let’s try to remember that this guy is one of the greats. Many believed Eastwood, a master-class actor and director, had made his grand exit from acting with 2008’s deeply affecting “Gran Torino.” But roughly four years later, Eastwood is back in his longtime collaborator’s (Robert Lorenz) first directorial effort. “Trouble with the Curve” suffers from its silly desire to be too much at once. First-time director Lorenz wanted this movie to be a moving sports drama, an affecting story about family and a 90s-era Disney comedy with bite. The film takes an almost Hallmark-ian approach to its material, giving its characters forced relationships, contrived dialogue and eye-rolling sentimentality. It’s a hammy affair, for sure – one anchored in a sea of sap. Eastwood stars as Gus Lobel, a veteran talent scout for the Atlanta Braves who is on the other end of his career. After realizing that his eyesight might be not up to par with that of a younger individual, he decides to make one last trip to North Carolina to see if a highly regarded high school player is worth a top draft pick. Eastwood’s busybody lawyer daughter Mickey (Amy Adams), who doesn’t exactly have a close relationship with her grumbly pop, reluctantly joins her father on the trip to help him with the scouting process (at the behest of John Goodman’s concerned head of scouting, Pete). While there, the duo runs into Justin Timberlake’s affable Johnny Flannigan (a fellow scout and former player), who, naturally, takes a liking to Mickey. Performance...
by Nick Glende | Sep 24, 2012 | Opinion
Sixty percent of Lipscomb students polled say they would text before using any other means of communication. A survey from Sept. 10. asked students “When you wish to contact someone, how would you normally do it? (assuming all options are available at the time you want to contact them).” The four options to choose from were phone call, text message, instant message (email, Facebook, etc.) or knock on their door (face to face). A few years ago the polls would have shown different results, but now most Americans, especially college students, carry a mobile phone. Rebecca Clark, a Lipscomb junior, has seen a decrease in the amount she calls and said she has grown maybe too comfortable with texting. “I used to call people a lot more, but texting just seems so much easier,” she said. “I’ve grown used to it, and now I tend to feel more awkward about calling someone. And I’d much rather send a text so I have time to respond, instead of be on the spot.” Judging by the poll results, 60 percent of the time, when communicating, nobody is actually talking. Things like tone of voice and body language are not a factor in a text message, meaning a lot of the time what you say can easily be misinterpreted. President of Lipscomb’s IT Department, Nick Painter, is familiar with this situation. “I can see how most people text instead of call nowadays, but texting is not always the best method,” he said. “Sometimes I’ll text my girlfriend and say something completely harmless, or I’ll be joking, and she’ll get mad at me, or it...
by Brynn Watkins | Sep 21, 2012 | Opinion
The day has come. I’m about to enter my first show of New York City Fashion Week. Gulp. I walk in nervous. I don’t know what to expect. Will I be deemed an outsider or scowled upon? Will I be branded a “fashion victim” by the who’s who of the fashion world? I haven’t the faintest idea what will come of this endeavor. All I can do is take a deep breath and jump in. Ready. Set. Go. Don’t worry! This story has a happy ending! I not only survived my first fashion show, but I survived my first Fashion Week – and without a scratch on me! I attended eight runway shows and three presentations–a total of 11 events. That’s not bad for a New York Fashion Week newbie. My job was to observe the shows and take notes, photographs and video footage. After the shows, I would write an article on each one and send them to my editor in chief. For my first fashion week, I was given the opportunity to work with LOLO Magazine as a freelancer. I was ecstatic! The whole experience was a major blessing. I still can’t believe I was given this opportunity! Now, on to the good stuff. I know you are all wondering about the details. Well, have no fear, fashion lovers. Hop in and let me take you on a visual journey. The Reem Acra Spring 2013 show took me straight to a fantasy world. Dresses waltzed down the runway with such grace you could literally see jaws dropping. Reem Acra’s collection used silks, satins and chiffons to create a romantic breath of...
by Cory Woodroof | Sep 19, 2012 | Opinion
Maybe it’s just me, but I want to scream at the top of my lungs whenever someone pulls out their cell phone during a movie. Even though, as a people, our attention spans have dwindled down to that of a toddler shaking a rattle, it still baffles me as to the amount of people who freely showcase their iPhones during a film in which they paid good money to see. Well, I’ve had it. I understand that we all can’t be as sensible as The Belcourt, whose employees will ask you to vacate the premises if a cell phone is used during a screening. I also understand that the art of common courtesy in a theater has become a silly myth akin to the Lock Ness Monster, Bigfoot and holding the door for women as they enter a building. I don’t believe in vigilantism, but I’m ready to take a stand. No more will I tolerate the 15 year-old-tweeniebopper who feels as if her conversation of “LOL”s and smiley faces is far more important than the film her parents paid for her to see. No more will I tolerate the moron who would actually check their Twitter feed during the pivotal scene of a highly-anticipated blockbuster. Enough is enough. I’m going to stare at you. I’m quite literally going to turn my full body in your direction, widen my eyelids and give you the stare-down you never thought was humanly possible. If I have to get up from my seat and sit directly next to you, then so be it. If you feel uncomfortable, embarrassed or bothered, then I...
