POP CULTURE, POLITICS AND PERCEPTION |Chai Latte with a Shot of Morphine

I’m currently sitting in a Starbucks in Edinburgh, Scotland. Before I attract any sass for studying abroad and still going to Starbucks, I would like to say that familiarity can be a blessing and free WiFi is needed at times. Anyway, as I rest here sipping my Chai latte, I’m reminded of healthcare… bear with me. So, in most European cafes, a customer is given the choice to “sit in” or “take away” – I would like to add that the first time this was put to me, in a strong Scottish brogue, I was very confused.

POP CULTURE, POLITICS AND PERCEPTION | Unalienable Rights

While the writing paused, the world of politics and violence continued uninhibited by deadlines and winter breaks. So, what have we missed? Iran’s sanctions were lifted, Iran received new sanctions, Istanbul and Kabul suffered bombings, France is starting business in Iran, the Americas are being terrified by the Zika virus and Canada had a school shooting. So, which one of these are we going to talk about? None.

POP CULTURE, POLITICS AND PERCEPTION | Paris est une fête

By SARAH PALMER

The attacks of November 13 seemed to strike at the very heart of Parisian culture. The violence left France trying to capture and secure its cultural values. In the midst of this crisis of the French mind, the city is attempting to re-establish what Paris is, a query that was resolved by American author Ernest Hemingway: “Paris is a moveable feast.” This was a poetic answer produced by a Western mind threatened by World War I.

From the words of a 1920s writer comes the image of Paris as a cultural smorgasbord, a meeting place of every artist. This memoir is an impressive testament to the creativity of the Western mind. Hemingway wrote from a world that had barely escaped the destructive might of modern warfare.

POP CULTURE, POLITICS AND PERCEPTION | Paris Sera Toujours Paris

By SARAH PALMER

This Friday, Colgate came to Cornell’s Lynah Rink for a fast-paced men’s hockey game. The freshmen continued to deliver, which paints a positive picture for the future. It was a high-scoring game, words that haven’t been used to describe Cornell in a while. Canadians scored all five goals, which is a useless fact, but entertaining and good for sports-themed parties. If you were there for the whole game you probably heard many tasteful chants such as: “Crest is Better,” and “Colgate University — Sucks.” You may have also heard the Big Red Pep Band play La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, in the third period of the game.

POP CULTURE, POLITICS AND PERCEPTION | Importing Hate

By SARAH PALMER

I do not pretend to be an expert in international politics. I’m writing for a college blog, not The New York Times. Yet as my blog has apparently taken on the tinge of an open-ended letter to the editor, I will follow the lead of fellow writers and act the expert. After mentioning senseless violence and the Syrian civil war, the next stop on our world tour is the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. A conflict that at its heart is about governance of the region.