As the holidays approach, people have to worry more and more about money because of presents they are expected to give. The holidays are about getting together with your loved ones and showing them you care but for some, a lot of the focus is on how much you spend. […]

In the past month there has been a significant amount of publicity about the Four Loko brand of alcoholic malt beverages. Four Loko boasts a mixed concoction of caffeine, taurine, guarana, and alcohol (hence the Four brand name); but it’s the mixture of caffeine and alcohol that has government officials […]

#8220;Mom!  I’m hungry!”  This refrain greets me every day when I pick up my children from school.  While I try to pack healthy food and be prepared with after-school snacks, I am not perfect, especially in times of stress.  Occasionally, we go through the drive-through at McDonald’s and attempt to […]

The power to cast a vote in to elect an official is exceptionally powerful. When the United States was founded in 1776, the founding fathers of this country restricted the ability to vote. Only wealthy white landowners were afforded the right to vote initially. For nearly two hundred years, those […]

At the beginning of this month, something great happened.  The annoying political advertisements, that seemed to run every two minutes on every single television station, finally ceased.  This happened, of course, because the 2010 mid-term elections came and went.  There are still races that have not been decided, but as […]

Two years ago, a media darling took the world by storm and won the United States Presidential campaign. When Rahm Emanuel left his position as the Congressional representative from Illinois’  5th district to become the White House Chief of Staff, he made it clear that one day he wanted to […]

Letter to the Editor   Dear Editor,   The October 26 issue of the Independent leads with the story “Faculty and Staff vs. Administration” which focuses on the contract negotiations between the University and the UPI. This is, of course, a central event in the life of the University at […]

My 11-year-old son is busting a move! It’s a good thing our downstairs neighbors moved these days because they would be going crazy with all the toe-tapping and snappy dance moves my son is practicing. All this dancing is a result of his having been accepted into the Ensemble Espanol […]

When I think about the past, I always think about the question “what if?” Looking at how we used to be and how we are now, anyone can see the drastic change we have made over time, especially for women. Women used to be looked at as the bearers of […]

The beef you eat today may very well hinder your ability to be cured of illness tomorrow.  This is a scary thought, especially if you are reading this while eating a roast beef sub at the Eagle’s Nest. That is why the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) is set to issue […]