Springsteen keeps his ‘Promise’
"Usually when an artist releases a collection of unreleased material and alternate versions of popular songs, disappointment follows. Usually the songs on these sets were not released for a reason. They were just slapped together onto an album, knowing all…
Painting with personality
"Continuing with my Featured Artist Series, I interviewed figure painter and graphic designer Lacey McKinney. Her work is an expressive blast of color and fantastic rendering of the human form. "Q: How did you get into art in general? "A:…
‘Underpants’ brings sheer delight
"Tension blooms in the student honors production of "The Underpants," after a "little housewife," as her tender husband so eloquently puts it, drops her drawers and gives the King of Germany a salute for the ages. "Although she quickly gathers…
‘Unstoppable’ disappoints given hype
"Movies involving speeding vehicles that may explode and cause terrible damage are nothing new; the most notable is, of course, Jan de Bont’s 1994 action film "Speed." Since its release, many films have tried to take various permutations of its…
N.Y. runs afoul of free will
"We arrive into life alone. Cold, unclothed we travel the requisite inches through the birth canal and begin significant life. When the umbilical cord is severed, the conversion is complete. We are now free—but also completely and totally singular in…
In November, Thanksgiving means food, football but also family
"It is almost that day. The day where family we see once a year seem to magically re-appear at our doors, bearing a casserole that they claim to be a secret family recipe, or a store-bought pie, which they then…
Passion rings through Rihanna’s ‘Loud’
"Barbadian recording artist Rihanna splashes back on to the pop music scene with her fifth studio album, "Loud," released on Nov. 16. The album serves as her pop diva redemption following her much darker and emotional album, "Rated R." "The…
Designers protest image as mere visual decorators
"Graphic design is often misunderstood for art. Graphic design is not art, although graphic designers are artists. Art and design do have similarities—they both trade hard edges for subjective decisions based on gut feelings and personal experiences. It’s messy, unpredictable…
Counseling disappoints
"Imagine having an issue, addiction or crisis that has been part of you for a long time. In fact, it has been apart of you for so long that you cannot think of a way to shake it. You live…
Smokers lose rights at hands of advocates
"We have been taught that discrimination in any form is wrong, and yet smokers have endured discrimination for over a decade. Smoking bans have been put in place to prohibit smoking indoors. Their premise was the notion that second-hand smoke…
