Culture

Rotten Tomatoes' influence and the importance of bad movies

On March 24, producer Brett Ratner ("The Revenant," "Prison Break") made a statement that caused major waves in the film community: "The worst thing that we have in today's movie culture is Rotten Tomatoes . . . I think it's the destruction of our business." With this accusation, Ratner certainly means to target the crux of our current film culture, but amidst all the negative responses, one has to wonder: Is he right?

The Six-Toed Cats of Hemingway's Key West

Ryan Terhune, Photo Editor

Visiting artist finds inspiration through the ampersand

Everyone's acquainted with the ampersand. You might have even tried to draw it from time to time but can't get a firm grip on its intricacies. Perhaps you've mastered it and plastered it all over your notes. Whatever your relationship, the swirling, symbolic form of "and" is almost everywhere - just check a book, advertisement or your professor's PowerPoint.

PAS to host 'Disenchanted' tomorrow

College students will remember with nostalgia the days of popping in their favorite Disney movie on VHS tape. Favorites might include the magic of "Sleeping Beauty," the fierceness of "Mulan" or the elegance of "Cinderella." On April 5, these regal beauties will undergo a serious change in the production of "Disenchanted"

Be warned: Your internet privacy is always up for sale

Luke Schroeder, Columnist

From the editor's bookshelf

The way to a reader's heart is easy. Much like film buffs who gush over movies about filmmaking, devoted readers will melt in the palm of the author that can write well about their own relationship with words, stories and authors.

Drake defines and defies identity with 'More Life'

To be a pop trendsetter is to have the weight of an industry on your back. Music's biggest pop stars -- Taylor Swift, Adele, Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry--have been taking huge amounts of time crafting new albums, fighting against the tide of copycats and determining which sonic trends are simply fads or the next big thing. Drake doesn't have that problem. His new albums are almost an annual affair, each release breaking streaming records and amassing hordes of fans.

Humans of Oxford: Michael Fredericks: Just one more page

Cutouts from fashion magazines scatter the walls. A light board softly brightens a dimly lit bedroom. Dozens of professional quality, hand-drawn illustrations of people and emotions clutter the desk, floor and walls. And the sound of electronic music blares from the speakers on the wall.

Jane Doe No More: 5K helps reduce stigma around sexual assault

The sky was gray on Saturday morning. Wind tugged at the black and blue shirts of the group that stood outside Millett Hall, huddled together against the cold. Katie Harris stood in front of dozens of students and community members and thanked them for being there and supporting her cause, Jane Doe No More.

From Photographer to Conservationist

Fracking in National Parks Threatens the Environment and our Democracy

Images via Creative Commons.

Bottled up: A lifetime of water bottles

When I was 12, my mom bought me a half-gallon water bottle because I joined the cross country team -- plain red with a white lid and convenient-carry handle. The illustrated label showed it gleaming in a vaguely idyllic campsite where everything was Coleman brand, bonfire and all. Every Saturday morning, even if we were already running late, Mom would empty the ice maker into the water bottle until it couldn't hold any more then fill in all the gaps with water from the sink, the lukewarm liquid melting the hard, dry edges of the ice cubes.

Discovering Horseshoe Bend

U.S. Route 89 in northern Arizona is just like most highways in the American Southwest -- barren, dusty, cutting through a vast desert expanse dotted with pale green shrubs and the occasional cactus. Unlike my hometown north of Boston, where the suburbs fill the map like a geographic jigsaw puzzle, this area is hauntingly unpopulated, the roads stretching for miles in between cities with names like Wahweap and Lechee.

Spirit of Dumbledore in D.C.

As I stood outside the gates and peered through the bars of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., the White House appeared a lot smaller than I expected it would be. For all the hype and hoopla the famous mansion holds in the grandeur of its name and history the actual size of the place was underwhelming.

Mercado de Bazurto: A market that's not for marketing majors

CARTAGENA, Colombia -- Starting at 6 a.m., "The People's Market" is full of a lot of things: a variety of mostly-unappealing smells, obscure and nameless (well, nameless in English) fruits and native Cartagenos buying their groceries at bargain prices.

An inevitable peace: Re-discovering myself in Chile

SANTIAGO, Chile -- The application closed in less than an hour. Several setbacks had held me back all semester, and now circumstances were hinged on less than 60 minutes. I pulled out my laptop and quickly filled out the application, letting out a sigh of deep relief when I clicked "submit" seven minutes before the application closed. All I could do then was wait.

The Last 50 Miles: Spring break on the Appalachian Trail

As I struggled up the side of Blood Mountain, wheezing, barely able to breathe under the pulsing heat of the midday sun, I began to cry.

Humans of Oxford: Gaby Fleming: Making her own way a semester late

For Gaby Fleming, move-in day came a bit later than the rest of the incoming freshmen.

Annie and Sam: A little less platonic

They were both drunk, and, when Sam asked her to go back to the house, she couldn't think of a reason to say no.

Whispered rumors at the base of Iceland's Brei\0xF0amerkurjoekull Glacier

JOeKULSARLON, Iceland -- I'd never seen icebergs before. I'd always imagined them covered in penguins or polar bears, layered with lazy seals and sea lions, resting. But at Joekulsarlon, an icy lagoon at the base of Iceland's Brei\0xF0amerkurjoekull Glacier, quiet pieces of ice floated bare, decidedly devoid of life. Some pieces, nearly sapphire blue in the haze of the falling snow, cracked and groaned ominously.