For Virginia Tech

In honor of recent events, I'm posting this speech. Professor Nikki Giovanni spoke these words at the Virginia Tech convocation.

~Casey



We are Virginia Tech.

We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning.

We are Virginia Tech.

We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave enough to bend to cry, and we are sad enough to know that we must laugh again.

We are Virginia Tech.

We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did nothing to deserve it, but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS, neither do the invisible children walking the night away to avoid being captured by the rogue army, neither does the baby elephant watching his community being devastated for ivory, neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh water, neither does the Appalachian infant killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy.

We are Virginia Tech.

The Hokie Nation embraces our own and reaches out with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We are strong, and brave, and innocent, and unafraid. We are better than we think and not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imaginations and the possibilities. We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and through all our sadness.

We are the Hokies.

We will prevail.

We will prevail.

We will prevail.

We are Virginia Tech

7 plays in 24 hours

Sock N' Buskin will host it's very first 24 hour festival this weekend. It's a pretty neat idea - one that I've never heard of before. A team of writers will shut themselves in a room Friday at 8 p.m. and compose seven 10-minutes plays in a certain amount of time. Then, they hand off their work to teams of directors and actors who rehearse the pieces until show time Saturday at 8 p.m., when they will perform the sleep-depriven summation of the groups efforts. Anyone who wants to join in can contact Clayton Tune - Facebook might be the best means of communication.

~Casey

Deleted stuff: the Step Show and the Ms. School of Ag Pageant

This week, the newspaper ran on an early deadline. Therefore, events that College Life would have covered if we were on a normal production schedule got deleted from the section. Namely, the Greek Step Show and the Ms. School of Agriculture Pageant were overlooked. I apologize to the organizations who run these events. I wanted to cover you, but Spring Break and early deadlines got in the way.

However, students should still check them out. The Step Show showcases Murray State fraternities and their mad, rhythmic skills. It starts at 6 p.m. tonight in Lovett Auditorium.

The Ms. School of Agriculture Pageant has a slightly misleading title. Instead of witnessing beauty pageant contestants competing in bikinis, audience members will watch a group of guys try to win the crown. I assure you it will be a masculine competition to say the least. The pageant will be held at 6:30 p.m. tonight in the Expo Center. Tickets cost $3 with a MSU ID and $5 for general admission. All proceeds go to Bright Life Farms.

~Casey

Want a Chocolate-Cinnamon Roll?

At the moment, I'm hungry, so I can't think of any other blog-worthy subjects except food. Therefore, I bequeath unto the students of Murray State and the world, another microwave recipe. This one looked especially good.

~Casey

CHOCOLATE-CINNAMON ROLLS

1/2 c. chocolate morsels
1/4 c. chopped nuts
2 tbsp. honey
1 (9.5 oz.) can refrigerated cinnamon rolls

1. Mix together chocolate morsels, nuts and honey. Place one tablespoon mixture into 8 individual custard cups.

2. Place one cinnamon roll, cut into fourths, over chocolate chip mixture.

3. Microwave, four at a time, on medium high (70%) for 2 to 3 minutes, or until surface springs back when lightly touched. Re-arrange halfway through cooking. 4. Invert custard cups immediately onto a serving dish. Leave cups over rolls about 3 minutes, then remove. Serve warm. Yield: 8 rolls. Drink with milk or coffee.

-from Members.amaonline.com

Counterculture Embodied

What exactly is a "counterculture icon"? According to a press release from the English and Philosophy Department, it's a former anti-war activist with disheveled hair who once wrote award-winning poetry from jail on pieces of toilet paper. I think I want to be a counterculture icon, too.

Today at 7:30 p.m., author Ed Sanders will read his poetry in the Freed Curd Auditorium as a part the annual Jesse Stuart Writing Symposium. He has written books of poetry such as "Poems from Jail" and nine volumes of "America: A History in Verse." He also published a bestselling nonfiction book titled "The Family," which investigates the events involving the Manson Family that lead to the Tate murders. He obtained the information for this book by disguising himself as a "satanic maniac-guru and dope-trapped psychopath" to infiltrate Charles Manson's cult.

Those are just a few of his accomplishments. Sanders also started an avante garde journal called "F*** You: A Magazine for the Arts" (but his version didn't have stars,) and he formed a satirical band called The Fugs. He currently lives in Woodstock, NY. Go figure.

Anyway, Sanders will be in Murray tonight, reading poetry that he probably originally penned in a cell. He'll also be participating in a panel discussion called "The Writer and Social Activism" at 3:30 p.m. in the Freed Curd Auditorium. It's all free, so check him out.

~Casey

For you, Dr. Seuss

In case you didn't know, today is Dr. Seuss' birthday. The man gave us literary masterpieces such as "The Cat in the Hat," "On Fish, Two Fish" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Therefore, in his honor, I post the following link. I haven't decided whether or not it's an abomination or a glorious internet find, but decide for yourself. Apparently, this is what happens when Dr. Seuss decides to write Star Trek:

http://www.seuss.org/seuss/seuss.sttng.html

By Our Powers Combined ...

The weather was beautiful yesterday. Warm sun. Gorgeous clouds. ... I'm worried about the planet.

Today is March 1, so shouldn't we still be lamenting the loss of feeling in our toes as we walk to class? This whole global warming thing has gotten to me, so now whenever we have a nice day, I think the ice caps might melt. I really don't care to experience "Waterwold" first-hand. It wasn't a good movie.

We've been taught all of our lives that Earth is suffering in numerous ways, not just from warming, but from pollution. However, recycling can fix help. Between 8 a.m. and noon on Saturday, students can take their aluminum cans, plastic bottles, cardboard and paper to North Farm for recycling. North Farm is located on North 16th Street, 1.5 miles north of Highway 121, look for signs on the left. If you have any questions please contact Dean Stutesman at 809-3183.

It's like Captain Planet always taught us, together, we can save the world.

~Casey