Culture

‘Miss Americana’ will endear, or at least explain, Taylor Swift to you

“Miss Americana,” the new Taylor Swift documentary, made me feel guilty for going through a period in which I no longer liked Swift. I discovered her in 2010, and her second album helped me through a dramatic eighth-grade friendship breakup the following year. I was officially a fan, and so was nearly everyone else I knew, regardless of gender.

A tale of a half-baked halftime show

Tim: I think it was really smart that they started out with Shakira. Briah: Okay, can I say something? I don’t think either of them are singing. Shakira, she can probably do better than J. Lo (Jennifer Lopez) as far as singing and dancing at the same time. J. Lo, I just don't think possesses that talent. T: I definitely think their background tracks were turned up a couple notches.

Dua Lipa may have said ‘Don’t Start Now,’ but I’m starting to love her anyway

When Dua Lipa took home the Grammy Award for Best New Artist last January, I was happy. When she released her comeback singles “Don’t Start Now” in November and “Future Nostalgia” in December, I was happy. And this past week, she came out with “Physical,” a jaw-droppingly good retro-pop banger with a beautiful accompanying music video. And I can’t stop listening.

Notes of nostalgia: ode to a foggy first day of classes

Aug. 29, 2016 was my fifth day on Miami’s campus after I’d first set foot on the red bricks and moved into Thomson Hall. My phone lit up, abuzz with my alarm at 7:00 a.m. I’d been using a “sleep clock” app that a Buzzfeed listicle called a “college essential.” I’d read an array of similar posts to help me develop some sense of preparation for my first-ever undergraduate courses. The alarm ended up being helpful – it woke me up at seemingly the perfect time.

Pura vida: Soaking in Costa Rican leisure

My parents and I had flown into Costa Rica for a family vacation the night before and spent the night in a hotel close to the airport. Today was the first of three stops of our trip: a bed and breakfast called Casa Rural — Aroma de Campo (Country House — Smell of the Land). 

Little moments, big realizations.

“Tiene hambre?” Are you hungry? I snapped back to reality after spacing out as I watched a group of four and five-year-olds jump rope.  “Sí, claro,” I said offhandedly. Of course I was hungry, all I’d had for breakfast was pancito — bread, made cuter with a -cito tacked on the end — with strawberry jam. And it was nearly 1 p.m. Juan opened his camouflage lunch box and rummaged around for a moment before he found what he was looking for. He handed me a mango, first inspecting it to make sure the small dent in its skin hadn’t damaged the inside of the fruit.  Suddenly, I felt the need to hold back tears.

How I became Europe's Biggest Loser

Sitting in the tiny airport’s café, we waited for check-in time. When the time came, we got in line at the front desk, and I rummaged in my pockets for my backup phone.  I came up empty—and it wasn’t in my purse, or my backpack, or my carry-on. “Don’t tell anyone else this,” I said to my friend Brooke, “But I’m going to go look for my phone.” “Julia, no,” she said, exasperated, but I was already gone. 

Francophone mishaps in frigid Montréal

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve found it challenging to answer why I decided to go to Montréal in early January. The most truthful version is that I wanted to go somewhere over break, and my friend Charlotte suggested Montréal.

Humans of Oxford: An imagination unleashed

What’s black and white and has monsters all over? Well, that’s how most of Nick Felaris’s drawings can be described.  “I can’t stop drawing monsters,” Felaris admitted.

Students in Sustainability: Advice From an Animal Lover

Brianna on duty at the Cincinnati Zoo!

Quarter Life Closet Crisis - Episode 3: We all need fashion

In this series, Style Editor Nina Franco and senior Amy Kuptz help our Editor-in-Chief Samantha Brunn clean out and update her wardrobe. Amy runs her own business, Get Dressed with Amy, in which she curates style guides for her clients based on their needs. This episode, we wrap up with Nina, Samantha and Amy talking about their reflections on the series and what it's been like for Samantha to wear some new clothes.

Miami students kiln it in the art department

The pottery wheels hum softly as nine students bend over their work, hands gently wrapped around the spinning cups and bowls. Bright sunlight blazes in from the almost-full-length windows spread across two walls of the room, illuminating the space and the students’ faces.

OPD raises money and forgoes the razors for No-Shave November

 This year, the Oxford Police Department participated in its third annual No-Shave November fundraiser. Each year, the entire force is allowed to voluntarily grow out their facial hair if they donate to the local charity the force chooses.  

Progressive family lets turkey slaughter their first-born in kooky mixup

 Mom and Dad frankly did a very good job of explaining why being pecked to death was the most ethical thing to do. We owe a debt to their kind, a debt only paid in blood. 

In defense of the whip and the nae nae

 Dabbing, flossing, Fortnite dances and other performance-based memes all stem from the soul of the great Silentó. There have been other, weaker attempts to create these memetic trends (The Stanky Leg comes to mind) but none turned the tide quite like the whip and the nae nae. And the fact that these newer memetic performances continue to grow speaks to the luck, skill and concentrated power of will of Silentó’s legacy.  

My grandmother got into a fatal hit and run while walking home drunk on Christmas

 As I mentioned, she had been drinking — rum spiked eggnog, to be specific. Grandma was, admittedly, a tank, but the nog had been flowing all night. I began to worry for her as she started off into the night, stumbling through six inches of heavy snow.  

American Ninja Warrior-life crisis

 Adding to the growing literature on mid-life crisis behavior and the post-divorce psyche, a study published last week by Miami University’s Department of Psychology found “American Ninja Warrior” contestants can pinpoint the exact moment their life went wrong, halfway through their ascension of the warped wall. 

Quick Tips for a More Sustainable Diet

Rebecca Andres: A strong, independent woodwind

Spending her childhood forging her musical talents, Rebecca Andres eventually found herself playing for Cincinnati Broadway Across America’s "Wicked." In the 96 performances that followed, Andres further fine-tuned her flute skills. Andres found her passion for music in the fourth grade. She comes from a family of musicians — many of her relatives play piano and her sister plays the violin. Andres tried to play the violin, too, but found that it wasn’t a good fit. 

Muslim Students' Association Decorates and Donates

  As the leaves swirled down from the trees outside of Armstrong on Friday, Nov. 15, Miami’s Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) swirled ornate designs onto the arms of students who stopped at their booth. Adjacent to a card table covered with various canned foods like Campbell’s soup and JIF peanut butter is another table occupied by a student practicing an ancient art form: henna.