Gwyneth Paltrow sang country, Lindsay Lohan and her father have been hanging out, John Mayer has moved on to married women…what hasn’t happened this week!?  Trending topics this week have ranged from the slightly surprising (come on, it was only a matter of time before John lost ALL his morals) to the immensely bizarre.

Once again, we’ve been on the scene to help you sort through all the insanity and stir up discussion on hot button issues.  Here’s the rundown of what you should be talking about:

-Getting a little sick of those daily Pumpkin Spice Lattes? We’ve got 15 other ways to indulge in everyone’s favorite gourd.

-Rosie Huntington-Whitely has a crazy name and spectacular style.  Get her fabulous fur-trimmed look on the cheap.  But will you be going faux or keeping it real?

-Whether you want to admit it or not, reality TV has changed made a significant impact upon our generation and society as a whole.  Read up on the ten most influential “real” shows of all time.

-Another dirty secret our generation has?  Internet stalking.  An anonymous blogger shares the 411 here on how to do it right…and get results!  (And don’t act all creeped out.  You know you’re going to be trying these tricks ASAP.)

-OMGZ texting is going 2 kill U.

-And sexting is going to potentially kill your reputation.  Basically, it’s not as innocent as we all thought…

-Live dangerously with texting, but don’t mess around with your health.  Just because Breast Cancer Awareness Month is over, it doesn’t mean you can stop checkin’ out your tatas.

-Mental health is also muy imporante.  So you’ve graduated and things aren’t quite where you’d like them to be.  Six months out is a hard landmark to pass.  Here’s how to make it go by a little smoother.

-The elections are over, but the political battles are still underway.  What does all this mean for you? We’ve broken it down Cliff’s Notes style.

-Speaking of battles, hold yourself back from tossing sharpened pencils at one of these annoying classmates.

-Homeboy won’t let this college girl live her life.  What’s a coed to do?  See how our resident Dude weighs in on this not-so-hard one.  Tough love, ladies.  Tough love.

Whew. I need a break. And my mom’s cooking. And my grandma’s cooking. And a shower that doesn’t require footwear….

As the country voted in our nation’s midterm elections, debating over red states and blue, the heated discussions carried over from politics to pop culture here at CollegeCandy.  In a week that was filled with scintillating stories and outspoken debate, we loved hearing where you landed on some of the hot-button topics we brought up.

Need a little refresher of all the dramz that went down while you were dodging from voting booths to lecture halls?

-Demi Lovato checked into rehab and we took a look at the Disney Curse to which young stars seem to fall victim.  From blind items about drugs running in national publications to mental health rumors circulating on the internet, Demi is a sensitive topic no matter how you approach her.

-Currently up for discussion: Does almost cheating count?  Debate amongst yourselves and see what our dude has to say.

-You want a lot, he wants a little.  He wants it in the shower, you want it in the bed.  Sexual incompatibility can destroy a relationship, so find out how to talk about the important issues now.

-No one likes getting rejected, especially if it’s your dream sorority telling you “no thanks.”  Find out what to do in the aftermath of getting the boot from your Numero Uno house pick.  Hint: Pack tissues. Read More »

With Election Day a mere 2 weeks away, the fight for control of the House or Senate has transformed from a casual brawl into an animated Ultimate Fighting match. Considering even the professionals are unsure what the future of this election holds, the candidates have resorted to duking it out in hopes of resolving this uncertainty themselves. But, instead of throwing on their boxing gloves and heading to the ring, they are taking a route that keeps their hospital bills from skyrocketing: the media.

Political ads around election time are famous for their often-nasty messages, intending to take down the opposition. Interest groups act as a sidekick, informally backing certain candidates by criticizing their opponent. With all the smack-talk, it can be really difficult to decipher fact from fiction.

Amid this chaotic media mess, there are several sources that are not only reliable but also non-partisan. They provide voters with the facts, avoiding the echoes of emotion and party allegiance.

Here are a few must-read sites for any college student planning to vote this election– hopefully, that’s all of you!

Project Vote Smart
Votesmart.org provides candidates’ voting records, their political stance on all issues, and their approval ratings by interest groups. Seriously, there is no better site to inform you about your state’s candidates, leaving out the mess of opinion and sticking to the cold hard facts.

FactCheck.org
This site sifts through the truths and lies of campaign ads. It allows readers to be informed of false advertising and not fall for the tricks of media campaigning. Read More »

November 2nd is quickly coming. Yep, the Midterm Election — when you get to vote for your favorite Senator, Congressman/Congresswoman, or Governor for your state — is almost here! Although there’s a ton of hype about the election in the news, it often flies over the heads of many college students (and, dare I say, females). Unless you have CNN, the NY Times, or The Huffington Post as your browser home page, chances are you’re wildly in the dark concerning the election issues.

Luckily, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide to the biggies.

But, none of these issues really matter unless you actually choose to exercise your vote. So, here are 5 reasons to get out (or online to fill out an absentee ballot) and vote!

It’s Your Right
As a liberal democracy, America allows each citizen to have an equal voice in society. Certainly, some are a bit louder than others. But, that voice is represented in the form of a check mark on a ballot: the vote. This right, which can seem insignificant in our contemporary (and cynical) society, is so important that it has caused social wars for those without it. Now, considering every American citizen receives the possibility to exercise this awesome right on their 18^th birthday, everyone is on a level playing field. When you vote, you’re not only relishing the freedom of America, but the freedom of governmental liberalism.

You Want a Job
Tired of hearing adults at so-and-so’s graduation party console you with the now-classic “Well, in this economy, it’s just so tough to get a job”? Applying for exorbitant numbers of jobs, complaining, and moping around your room will not get them to pipe down. But a package that stimulates the economy by creating jobs, which is a point of partisan contention in this election, will shut them up. And, such a plan will help your future. It’s a win-win. However, no one can win if you don’t get out and vote.

You Get a Sticker
And who doesn’t love stickers?

The Issues Matter
These issues can’t just be ignored. They may seem trivial to your life at the moment, but they will greatly affect your life in several years. Most legislation does not take affect immediately. So, your vote now will decide your taxes, health care, (and even) salary, etc., in 5-10 years. It may seem like a hassle to fill out an absentee form, but it’s 100% worth it in the long run.

Apathy is Not Awesome
In Obama’s recent interview with Rolling Stone, he urges citizens to “shake off this lethargy” and vote. Obviously, his personal purpose with this statement is to target Democrats since there is a very high chance that the party will lose their majority vote in Congress after this election. But, Obama’s message should resonate with many students our age — no matter your party. We’re educated, we have a decent amount of free time, and all these decisions will decide our future in America. Yet, many of us will remain on our couch November 2, 2010, watching Dexter OnDemand instead of helping mold our country. Not. Cool. So, get out and vote. Especially in this election, when your vote will be extremely important in determining which party will have control of Congress, and therefore what kinds of legislation will be passed in the next two years.

At the risk of sounding cheesy, I have one message for the CollegeCandy readers. Exercise your right and VOTE! Yes, it’s a total cliché, but it’s one that can help change our country and our futures.

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Renting or buying textbooks – which is better?

In about a month, the U.S. midterm elections will take place nationwide. With 37 Senate, 435 House, and 37 Governor spots up for grabs, the American citizens (yep… you!) will be in charge of determining who will fill those seats.

“But, I’m in college!” you exclaim. “How am I supposed to vote when I’m not even at home?”

Luckily, the whole process is pretty simple. Yes, you will be required to fill out a form, tongue that strip of sticky nastiness on an envelope, and pop that bad boy in the mail. But, that’s about it. Here you can find all the information you need to obtain and send in an absentee ballot.

There are many reasons why the midterms as a whole are important. Also, many races are important. But, it’s not an election without the issues. What do Americans want? What do the varying states want?

This year, the three principal issues of the election will be the economy, the deficit, and healthcare. They’re all extraordinarily complex subjects, so it’s important to objectively understand what’s going on with each topic before heading to the booth. Read More »

It’s been a while since a turned 18 and became legal, but I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I have never cast a vote — not for a local, state, or national election. My first opportunity to vote was the midterm elections in 2006, and I just wasn’t informed enough about the House and Senate to make a smart decision. So I didn’t.

The other thing that paralyzed me, and that made me think it wouldn’t matter if I voted even in the presidential election, was the electoral college. I’m from good old Massachusetts — you know, the first state to legalize gay marriage, the so-blue-we-don’t-even- see-the-color-red state, the most liberal state in the union. There is never a contest about who wins our state’s votes. In fact, the politicians don’t even try; in the last election, I didn’t see a single presidential campaign ad.

So why bother voting? My vote amounts to a spit in the wind, and as long as we’re not talking about national popular vote as an option, things are going to stay that way. Still, though, I felt a renewed urge to cast my vote this year, because more than ever it seems like a year when a tremendous amount is at stake. Like hundreds of millions of others, I’ve seen my country slowly going down the tubes in the past eight years. It’s gotten a lot harder to be proud of my country, and I see the ideals it stands for increasingly obscured by smoke.

That’s when I found out that several states — including my college’s state of New Jersey — have voted to pledge their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular election. Hot damn, my vote counts for one vote again! It’s a very exciting and rebellious move on the part of several states who are tired of only Ohio and Pennsylvania getting all the love.

So I registered! Read More »