A Boyfriend Worse Than Yours

beagle1.jpgSo you’ve got the Boyfriend Blues. He doesn’t call when you want him to. He doesn’t respond to your texts. You go out of your way to cook him dinner, or help him study for his calc exam, and he barely mumbles a “thanks.” What a jerk, right?

Well, be glad he’s not this guy.

This past Wednesday, a Bronx man sunk to the lowest of douchebaggery lows when he stabbed his newlywed wife’s dog to death after an argument. Brian McCafferty, 28, had only been married to Jeanine Tulimero for a month when they broke out in an argument over McCafferty’s drinking early Wednesday morning. Tulimero became so upset, she left the apartment, only to return 45 minutes later to find her precious beagle, Jerry, stabbed to death.

Neighbors who heard the argument said they heard the puppy yelping and squealing shortly after the door slammed behind Tulimero. After police found a bloody knife inside the apartment, they arrested McCafferty on charges of criminal possession of a weapon, criminal mischief, animal cruelty and reckless endangerment.

There is absolutely no excuse for hurting a defenseless, harmless puppy. And the maliciousness with which this jerkoff maimed poor Jerry is despicable. While not all fellas are winners, Brian McCafferty is a grade-A LOSER with a capital L.

Only 5 More Days Until The Election

election_2008-400×300.jpgThe election is only 5 days away! Imagine how much our lives are going to change in the next five days. No, not because we will be getting a new president, but because the election will be over. The coverage will be over. After 2 long years we will be able to return to our regularly scheduled lives.

Not gonna lie: the past 6-8 months have been really exciting. All this campaigning and debating and Sarah Palin-ing has been really freaking awesome. People are getting involved in politics like never before and it is just really fun to watch it all unfold. But, I can’t say that I am not a wee bit happy to see it all ending in 5 short days.

Let’s look forward to November 4th. Here is a list of pros and cons of the end of election season: Read More »

Lessons Learned From Missing Woman, Leah Walsh

Woman WalkingLeah Walsh, a 29-year-old special education teacher from Long Island, NY, has been missing since Monday morning. Her abandoned car was found on the side of the road and appeared to have a flat tire. This is still considered a missing person investigation, however, it was reported by the Associated Press around noon today that an unidentified woman’s body was found approximately 13 miles from Walsh’s abandoned car. It has not yet been confirmed as of now whether the body was that of Walsh.

The cases of missing women have become much too common a scenario lately, and we cannot be too careful when we are out and about. The story of Leah Walsh should stand as a reminder to women everywhere that we must learn ways to protect ourselves and stay safe.

Here are some tips to protect yourself when you are alone at night, or even during daylight hours:

1. Always be aware. Know your surroundings and who is around the area. If you are walking along, do not talk on your phone or text your friends. Your lack of attention makes you an easy target for anyone wishing to harm you.

2. Carry pepper spray or mace and attach it to your keychain. When you are walking alone, always have it out and ready to spray. (And keep your keys out as well!) No, you will not accidentally spray yourself with it.

3. When going out to the bars or clubs do not carry huge, oversized purses (especially if living in a big city). These are perfect targets for muggers: they think that because the bag is bigger there is more cool and expensive stuff to steal. Read More »

Glamour Mag’s Rockin’ Women of the Year

Nicole KidmanOkay ladies, get ready to be inspired. Glamour magazine announced their choices for their Women of the Year list, and the Today Show broke the news with an interview with Glamour’s Editor in Chief Cindi Leive. The issue won’t actually be on newsstands until next week, so make sure to add it to your between-classes/procrastination reading list.

The list contains some great and inspiring women, like Jane Goodall, Hilary Clinton, Nicole Kidman, and the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize. These women are truly amazing and should motivate others, like myself, to get out there and try to change the world.

Well, maybe not change it, but make us a bit more focused on helping others than, I don’t know, what Juicy Couture sweatpants to buy next.

Unfortunately, the list also contains Tyra Banks. Yeah, I know; what was Glamour thinking? She is a nut. First, she tries to be a younger, hipper Oprah (which will never happen) and then she filmed a video in the bath? Um….

Is that something to aspire to? Is she really that inspirational that we can include her on the same list as Hilary Clinton? The ladies at Glamour think so, but I am just not so sure.

Anyways, even with Crazy Tyra, Glamour magazine deserves some major props for recognizing and highlighting these fabulous women. In a world full of magazines circling women’s cellulite and nit picking their faces without makeup, it is always refreshing to see some recognition for the amazing things we as women can do.

Free Bikes for Students? Sign Me Up!

miami-bicycle-shop.png

When I moved to college, the first thing I did after unpacking my shower caddy and twin extra long sheets was buy a parking spot. I had to have my car. Had to. It gets cold in Colorado, obviously, so walking all over campus in the winter was not an option. Plus, I got so used to having a car for errands, Costco runs, etc., that I just couldn’t bear to be without one.

I am sure most students feel the same way, especially since I can never find anywhere to park on campus these days. Ugh. Why do I even have a car if I can’t use it to drive to class?!

But I digress.

All of this campus street congestion that is no doubt a problem on college campuses nationwide has led many schools to start a revolution…with bikes.

The University of New England is one of a few schools (that will soon be many) that is offering free bikes to any student who leaves their car at home. Other schools are setting up bike share programs, which entice students to pedal around campus instead of hopping in the car. These schools are hoping that by giving students a real alternative, they will not feel the need to bring their car to campus.

And it looks like it’s all working – for more than just the parking sitch:

“We did it as a means of reducing the need for parking, but as we looked at it from the standpoint of fitness, health and sustainability, we realized we have the opportunity to create a change.”

The whole idea is really quite smart. By opting for a bike instead of a car you could help the environment, save money on parking (and parking tickets…), get healthy, and free up some of those parking spots for the rest of us reduce the number of cars clogging your campus streets. And all for free!

This looks like a total win/win.

If You Poop Money, Go To These Schools!

10596image.jpgWith the economy in the sh*tter…it’s not crazy to ask yourself how the eff you are gonna pay for college. Well for you young’uns lookin for schooling in this time of economic turmoil, here’s a list of schools you might want to avoid, despite their prestige.

Consumerist.com posted a list of the 25 most expensive colleges in the U.S. (determined by tuition + room and board). Naturally, this list consists of the creme de la creme of prestigious schools (though surprisingly you won’t see Yale or Harvard on there), that charge extra for the name.

Now, I may not be going to Sarah Lawrence – which costs about $53,166 per year – but I think I’m getting a damn good edumacation without totally putting myself in debt (by “totally” putting myself in debt” I mean I’ll only be paying back loans till I’m about 40… not 80). While prices are on the rise, Hofstra University maintains a rather affordable tuition with plenty of financial aid. The University boasts several accredited departments as well as famous alums, such as Francis Ford Coppola. Hofstra proves that there are schools out there that offer a great education without having their students bend backwards to cover tuition.

So really guys, what’s in a name? Why the hell are these school’s so expensive? And how is anyone going to pay back the loans if they can’t get a job? And are these schools really worth all this money?

So many questions; I need answers!

If there’s anyone reading this who attends one of these top-o-the-line schools, tell us: are you gettin your penny’s worth?

Jennifer Hudson’s Nephew Found?

2008-10-27t115428z_01_btre49q0×2x00_rtroptp_2_centertainment-us-hudson-family.jpgAs you may already have read on an earlier post, Oscar-winning actress and American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson is searching for her 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, after police found the singer’s mother and brother shot to death in their home on Friday. Hudson posted a $100,000 reward for any information leading to the safe return of her nephew.

Unfortunately, The Associated Press has reported that the body of a young, black male has been found in the back of the white van in Chicago. Though the body has not been confirmed as being Julian, the van matched the one being sought after in the Amber Alert issued for Julian’s disappearance.

We cannot possibly think of any reason to harm an innocent child, so we hope the police find out who did this soon.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Hudson family…

Shooting at University of Central Arkansas

ucalogo.jpgIt has been a pretty scary week on college campuses. First there was the shooting at Western Kentucky University, which prompted a campus lockdown to keep students safe. Last night there was yet another campus shooting, this time at the University of Central Arkansas.

According to reports:

One student died at the scene. Another, later identified as an 18-year-old male, died at Conway Regional Medical Center. A 19-year-old male was treated for a gunshot wound to his leg and released from the hospital.

The university has cancelled classes for today and are investigating the incident. So far it is still unclear what prompted the gunfire, but it is yet another sad reminder to students that college campuses are not the safe bubbles we have always considered them to be. Crime, especially heinous ones like these, are more common than we’d like to believe and we must remain aware of our surroundings wherever we are on campus.

The good news is that UCA has an emergency alert system and was able to inform students of the situation via text and email. Students were then able to get inside safely, which prevented this particular situation from getting any worse.

Welcome to the Pre-Pre SAT

sat_250×251.jpgRemember when you had to prepare for the SATs? The courses, the books, the tutors, and missing many Saturdays with your friends to take those damn practice tests? Yeah, that totally sucked.

And remember even before that when you were a sophomore and you had to take the PSAT? The Saturday morning spent at school instead of in bed (with reruns of Saved By the Bell), and then that stupid breakdown that told you what your future held (mine said “guidance counselor”)? Yeah, that totally sucked too.

Especially since I hate kids.

Looks like those fools at College Board (those are the people behind the SAT and PSAT, by the way) want to ruin yet another part of your life. This time: middle school. They are sick of losing potential testers to the dreaded ACT (which was so. much. better.), so they decided to rope em in early. Like, in 8th grade.

The College Board claims that this new test will point out areas that students need to work on to be successful in both high school and college, but it is basically just another way to make a few bucks, freak parents the eff out, and piss off 13 year olds across the country.

I may dislike children, but I still feel for them. Another test? There is already plenty of controversy surrounding the validity of the SAT to predict future success, so how can anyone think this test will be any different? And I made it through high school and college successfully without this test, so why burden these poor, defenseless kids (who already have enough to worry about with braces and acne) with another test?!

Just be glad this happened long after we finished all that standardized testing. Although, if College Board has its way, there may be a standardized test for getting a job. Or finding a new apartment. Or having kids.

But maybe that one won’t be so bad.

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(Updated) Shots Fired – Western Kentucky University on Lockdown…

wku.gifIn case you haven’t heard, there have been reports of a gunman at West Kentucky University. Though nothing has been confirmed, it has been reported that police have been responding to calls of gunshots heard on campus.

It is suspected these gunshots may have come from an altercation between students, however no weapons were found.

We will keep you posted as more information becomes available.

If you know anything, let us know by leaving comments below, or emailing us at Lauren@CollegeCandy.com.

Whatever is going on over at WKU, we hope everyone on campus is safe.

Update from the New York Times:

Update 4:45 p.m. Central time: Police give the all-clear signal to the campus and say they have taken four people into custody for questioning. Reports of shooting remain unconfirmed.

For more information on this story, check out WKU’s student paper, or what other students had to say.