There’s a lot going on when it comes to reproductive health these days. First Herman “anti-abortion but women should choose” Cain, found himself clarifying his stance on abortion. Then there’s been different state-issues on Crisis Pregnancy Centers.

In case you don’t have a background knowledge on Crisis Pregnancy Centers let me clear it up for you. A CPC, or pregnancy resource center (PRC), works to counsel women against have abortions. They’re non-profits, generally run by Christian organizations. In the United States there are about 4,000 of these centers, with about 20 states providing funding them. Read More »

There were so many things this week I could have written about. Anti-choice groups are increasing efforts to make accessing abortions more difficult without being illegal. A Senegalese organization is getting villages to agree to stop the practice of female genital mutilation.  But when I read about an elderly lesbian couple that staged a sit-in after being denied a marriage license in North Carolina, my topic was picked.

Coming across the We Do Campaign video, in which non-heterosexual couples go to apply for marriage licenses in North Carolina, a state in which gay marriage has not been legalized broke my heart. Writing about the divide in belief about same-sex marriage last week, brought up the point that there in some parts of the United States there isn’t a lot of support for legalization. Currently NC is waiting until May to vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that could ban both gay marriages and civil unions. Read More »

Study hard, play hard – right? College is a major balancing act. It’s delegating what needs to get done and when, setting priorities and holding yourself to deadlines. And after a long week of working hard (attending class, writing papers, and staying ahead in the reading, just to name a few tasks), it is no wonder that college students have a reputation of wanting to party.

No one should be expected to sit in the library or stare at their dorm room walls every day of the week with their nose in a book. Everyone needs something that helps them unwind, especially on the weekends.

Sometimes finding something to do – especially on a campus where parties are a rare occasion -  is hard. I knew when I signed my life away as a Hollins woman, I was going to be living in Roanoke, Virginia,and that I wouldn’t have a big city as my playground on the weekend. I knew I wasn’t attending a huge state school where fraternity parties are the social factor and that club activities would be endless. As a prospective, I remember asking about the student life on the weekends only to hear the same fib that my fellow peers heard themselves as prospective students: “Don’t worry about it, you will always find something going on.”

Oh, but that is very far from the truth. Options on campus are very bleak. From the first weekend as a first year, I realized as no one was around on the weekends I would have to be entirely responsible for finding something to do Friday and Saturday nights. While not feeling bogged down by having too many social activities planned, I like that Hollins has a sleepy atmosphere (especially for those weekends I need to do a lot of work), but for the most part – I don’t understand why we can’t have some sort of decent entertainment when the weekend rolls around.

Read More »

I am the biggest. idiot. ever. Why? Because I will be spending one dreaded semester at home. That’s right, I gave up my freedom so that I could come home to spend a little extra time with the ‘rents. No, I’m not one of those people who can’t bear to spend time away from my parents, I just made a couple of mistakes…well, let’s call them choices…

Rewind to the end of senior year when a certain girl was debating between College A and College B. College A is the largest school in North Carolina, is very serious about their sports program (which means tons of fans to party with, plus I love college football) and just happens to be an hour from my boyfriend. College B is a smaller but well-known school located right in the middle of a booming city not to far from my home in Virginia that also happens to house an insane Arts/Fashion program.

Of course, naive senior Amber picked College A so she could get a degree in Fashion but still tailgate, party like crazy and spend time with her beau.

One cringe-worthy break up, one failed class, dozens of racial/socioeconomic clashes and too many drunken nights later I decided that it was time to transfer. My decision was a good one, but was made too late; by the time I submitted my application to another school (College C, I guess), it was impossible to receive housing and a decent financial aid package. Then I remembered good ol’ College B with the awesome Fashion program and decided going there was worth spending one semester at a sh*tty community college while having to obey Mom and Pop’s rules.

Some of you may have decided (or been forced) to stay at home too, or maybe I’m just hoping I’m not the only one that gets upset when I see those back to school commercials with all the cute dorm furniture and kids running through campus. Either way, there are pros and cons to movin’ back in with the rents and I know all about them: Read More »

So we are finally in the dog days of summer (which I realized when I went for a run at noon). Some of us are working, going to school, or schlepping around interning. Others are laying by the pool sipping sangria (*jealous*). But, I think we can all agree that a break of any kind is welcome. Especially when that break is a trip to somewhere cool, offbeat and–the best part– cheap. So pack your favorite flip flops, airy sundress and camera and head somewhere, anywhere but here. Might I suggest any of these destinations:

Isla de Vieques, Puerto Rico.

This 21 by 5 mile island is referred to asIsla Nena by residents, loosely translating into “virgin island”. Located only 6 miles off Puerto Rico’s coast, it is a hotbed of natural beauty and tropical activities. You fly onto the island after flying into San Juan, Puerto Rico, so be prepared with a your iPod, a magazine, eye mask or Valium–whatever it takes to get you to board an 8 seater plane to Vieques Airport.

Once you’re on the island, you can stay anywhere ranging from $90 a night B&B’s to luxury hotels, so whether you’re on a typical college budget, or you happen to have a trust fund, there are accomodations for you.

Activities on the island include: hiking, snorkeling and diving, biking, fishing, sightseeing and dining in Bravos de Boston, Vieques’ most fashionable town. However, the highlight of this destination is definitely its Bioluminescent Bay. The bay is filled with phosphorescent microorganisms, that glow in the dark when disturbed. Nighttime charter boats take you on a guided swimming and kayaking trip to the brightest bio bay in the world. If you’re looking for a tropical getaway that won’t break the bank and is off the beaten path, Vieques is it. Read More »

Hezbollah has taken over the western portion of Beirut the capital of Lebanon. This recent violence stems from the Western-backed (read: US-funded) government’s attempt on Monday to shut down Hezbollah’s telecoms network calling it a threat to state security.

According to eyewitnesses, the takeover occurred on Thursday at 8am with widespread Hezbollah roadblocks. Witnesses report street fighting involving machine guns, RPGs and tanks throughout the city. Civilians, apparently, have been forbidden from exiting their homes or even standing out on their balconies. Foreign nationals are desperately seeking a way out of the city.

It is feared that such violence will spiral the country back into civil war. The first Lebanese civil war occurred from 1975-90.

Meanwhile, the situation in Myanmar (Burma) continues to deteriorate. As many as 100,000 dead or missing and thousands facing homelessness and disease, yet the government remains incredibly reluctant to allow foreign aid into the country.

On Friday, the UN World Food Program suspended operations when its’ first plane was impounded by the government. Aid flights will hopefully be resumed on Saturday.

According to the US government, Myanmar will allow one aid plane to land on Monday. Read More »

[Update: The following is a blow by blow account of the democratic primaries in Indiana and North Carolina.Our coverage began at 6:30pm and ended just after 1am]

It’s yet another political primary extravaganza. The CNN coverage was cool for super Tuesday, but that was back in February! It’s now May and those poor news anchors really have nothing new to say. It’s sadly pathetic and extremely annoying.

That’s why tonight CollegeCandy is bringing you our own version of continuous coverage! Stay tuned for the latest in exit poll data, political meltdowns and candidate bickering without the over-dramatization , stupid jokes, and filler conversation.

It’s Election Night Coverage with Kandy Korrespondent!

1:12am

CNN is now willing to project Hillary Clinton as the winner in Indiana.

98% of the precincts in Lake County, Indiana have now been reported. With 99% of the precincts statewide now in, Senator Clinton now has 637,389 votes and Senator Obama has 615,370.The margin remains at 49% and 51% respectively.

On that note, this is Kandy Korrespondent signing off. Goodnight.

12:37

With 56% of the vote now in from Lake County, Indiana, Obama now has 589,888 votes and Clinton has 606,497. the margin is less than 2%.

12:30am

With 92% of the precincts reporting in Indiana, Clinton leads with 588,823 votes with Obama narrowing the margin to only 2% with 568,156 votes. There are still only 28% of the votes in from critical Lake County, Indiana. Read More »

And now for the news with Kandy Korrespondent:

All eyes are on North Carolina and Indiana as Democrats head to the polls today. The New York Times’ Adam Nagourney analyzed the three different scenarios that could possibly emerge out of today’s race. Briefly, here they are:

1. Clinton wins both states: This will demonstrate that her campaign has continued momentum and may serve to win some superdelegates over to her camp. It will also reflect the extent to which Obama has been hurt by the Rev. Wright debacle.

2. Obama wins both states: The death bell will ring for Clinton’s campaign. Najourney notes that several of her advisers have actually said that they will counsel her to quit at that point.

3. Spit decision: The Clinton campaign’s uphill battle to catch up with Obama’s delegate count will continue. After today’s election, only 217 delegates (excluding superdelegates of course) will be up for grabs. Najourey As democratic consultant Ron Klain states,

“The math still favors Senator Obama, no matter what happens Tuesday.”

Even though I’m so done with this whole Obama-Clinton endless fight, I’m hooked– I have to see it through to the end. For that reason, and because I have no life, I’ll be posting exit poll updates throughout the afternoon and evening–so stay tuned!

In Other News: Read More »