Candy Dish: Um, Who is Joaquin Phoenix, Anyway?

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Wait, was Joaquin Phoenix working?

Angels and Demons: from awesome book to awesome movie?

Joe the Plumber now Joe the Plumber/Country Star and no longer a supporter of John McCain.

Courtney Cox is returning to comedy.

Juciy Campus founder thinks students are too serious.

Yes. There is a National Museum of Pasta. Delicious.

College grad starts an online college guidebook.

Rachel Bilson is adorable.

The world doesn’t revolve around you, people.

SAE fraternity pays for hazing.

Ever date a guy who is too tall?

You Don’t Want to Know the Relationship Between Anderson Cooper and Michelle Obama

cooperobama.jpgIf this isn’t the most outrageous story  I’ve heard in a while, I don’t know what is.

Apparently, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper’s great-great-grandfather Cornelius Vanderbuilt was the slave owner of Michelle Obama’s great-great-grandfather, Jim Robinson. And what’s more, Anderson’s kin has personally invited Obama to visit her ancestor’s grave at the Georgetown, SC plantation named Friendfield. Not surprisingly, Michelle Obama has yet to respond to the invite.

I’m  going to assume that supporting the final days of her husband’s campaign for President of the United States is taking precedence.

We thought we’d seen it all earlier this election season when news of Bristol (daughter of Sarah) Palin’s teenage pregnancy made headlines. But now we’re talking about celebrities/politicians and slavery. Will the press never end?

Of course not.

UPDATE: The source, Mollygood.com (via the New York Daily News), has updated the story to note that Cornelius Vanderbilt came into ownership of Friendfield after Jim Robinson was enslaved there. To clarify, the Vanderbilts never actually owned Robinson as a slave. My apologies for any confusion.

Grad School: Is It For You? Choosing a School.

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Last week, I warned you that the grad school application process is quite a time consuming effort. Well guess what folks? You’re going to need to put ample time into choosing your prospective grad schools too! Sure, this might seem a bit obvious, but this columnist doesn’t always think things through.

For me, grad school was a roll of the dice, and six possible schools came up for me: Georgetown, Rutgers, Ohio State, North Carolina State, San Francisco State, and the school I eventually chose, hereafter refered to as X University.I chose these schools on a whim. Georgetown was my “reach,” and the closest I could get to Ivy League while maintaining a glimmer of hope for acceptance. Rutgers was relatively close to my hometown (by close I mean a 5 hour drive); Ohio State is a party school notorious for it’s tailgating parties (I swear, that’s why I applied- don’t judge); North Carolina State was an hour from my only other friend attending grad school; and San Francisco just seemed like a cool city to live in, as did the location of X University.

Rule number one in choosing grad school? Don’t be superficial when planning your future! Read More »

Supreme Court Rules in Favor of DC Thugs (and More)

DC Chief of Police, Mayor, and City Official React to Supreme Court's Decision on Thursday

DC Chief of Police, Mayor, and City Official React to Supreme Court’s Decision on Thursday

On Thursday the US Supreme Court struck down the D.C ban on handgun ownership as unconstitutional. It’s decision overruled 200+ years worth of lower court decisions that suggested that the intent of the amendment strictly concerned gun ownership in a citizens’ militia. The 1976 law prohibited handgun ownership and required that shotguns and rifles be kept unloaded and either disassembled or under a trigger lock.

The plaintiff in the case, Gillian St. Lawrence, a 29 year old residing in the posh neighborhood of Georgetown in Northwest DC, stated, “I’m thrilled… I’m finally going to be able to take the trigger lock off my shotgun and load it if I need to be able to defend myself in my own home”. It should be noted that the majority of murders occur on the opposite side of town—in the urban areas of Southeast and Northeast.

Last year there were 143 murders in DC and the thugs seem ready to beat that number this year. There have been 85 murders in DC so far this year. So let’s make it easier shall we? Hunting season is officially starting up once more in DC. Come one come all! (Your writer is a resident of DC). Read More »