Sam Taggart

Four Loko has been on everyone’s lips lately. Whether you’re a parent or media pundit discussing the dangers of the alcoholic energy drink or the college student enjoying those dangers, you have heard of the dreaded Four Loko. In the last few weeks, the beverage has been blamed as the cause of multiple hospitalizations across college campuses—some schools have even gone so far as banning the drink, and it seems that there is no stopping the media frenzy surrounding it.Read more...

Every single time I’ve turned on the news this past week, there’s been a story about where you should be allowed to put it. If you’ve seen a newspaper, magazine, or any other form of media, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Conservative pundits everywhere are saying, “Oh don’t put it there,” or, “It can’t possibly penetrate that spot,” or, “You’re disgraceful if you let them stick it here.” With all this judgment going around, I got reflective, looked inside myself and asked, “Where can’t they put it?” I don’t think it is Sarah Palin’s decision where you can or can’t imbed it.Read more...

After listening to LCD Soundsystem’s critically acclaimed Sound of Silver every day for every occasion (Happy birthday, Mom!) since it was released in 2007, no one was more excited than I was for their new album This Is Happening. How would it measure up? Would I talk about it in my sleep? Would I sing to it in the shower? Would I dance to it like no one was watching even though people were watching? Would it make me cry in the middle of a party (not that I’d do that)?Read more...

The accident happened so quickly—I could barely see it. One moment I’m throwing my phone up in the air in order to make a really funny joke and the next I’m watching in horror as it is slapped with unexpected force onto the hardwood floor. The second it crashed on the ground, the world stood still. I thought my plastic friend was invincible, but I was thoroughly mistaken. Four hours after the accident, when the screen transformed from an informative, colorful collection of words, numbers and pictures to a blank white screen, I realized just how vulnerable the phone really was.Read more...

“Alright, see ya later, dude,” I heard a raspy voice say in the Newcomb plaza. The voice was so raspy and so feminine sounding that I had to turn around to see what kind of person said this. What I saw was shocking and offensive: the raspy-voiced offenders were two girls who were unnecessarily wearing athletic shorts. They clearly weren’t working out, as shown by their pearl earrings and their (really) shockingly clean hair. So my first question: why are these girls wearing athletic shorts?Read more...

Today was hard. I woke up, and while lying in bed I tried to imagine what to wear. We all do it—go through your inventory in your head, think about the weather, and try to coordinate. Well, today, I could tell it was cold outside. My feelings were confirmed when I checked weather.com and saw that it was only going to reach fifty-five degrees outside. I knew that a new season had started, and this season is sweater season, which some people call autumn.Read more...

Fall is here! The leaves are changing colors, the weather is getting somewhat less hot, and soon enough, the students of this University will put the hottest fall fashions on display. Predicting the couture climate can be difficult, and if you get it wrong, the effects can be devastating. One time, I had a friend who wore cargo pants. Needless to say, the last time I saw him, he was being eaten by a dragon. That was a fashion disaster. Anyway, I’m here to tell you that the hottest thing to be wearing this year is not your traditional light sweater or festive flannel.Read more...

Why is it that when something at our university is the oldest, it is regarded as the best? The oldest a capella group, the oldest debate society, the oldest dorms—when you think about it, it doesn’t make much sense. But out with the new and in with the old, as they say. I’m proposing to start the oldest club in the whole world: the Prostitution Club. It is the perfect club. It is fun, traditional (as it is the oldest profession in the world), and a great résumé buffer. What’s that I hear? Oh yeah, it’s a phone ringing about the great internship you just got.Read more...

I’m so tired of hearing about the economic crisis. How many different ways can we say that everyone is screwed? That’s a trick question because, apparently, there are infinite ways of saying it. The economic crisis has lost all of its flair, making it even more boring to me than news reports about Iraq or terrorism. It’s sad to see such a big topic get so boring, but we must be strong and realize that the economy is crazy boring and that it is time to just move on to more sensational topics.Read more...

I wanted a deal, but not just any deal. I wanted a deal from wal-on black Friday. The proposal sounded simple; the plan seemed effortless, but when I made my march to the automatic-opening glass gates on that cold morning last Friday, I knew that I was in for an epic battle.Read more...