Perspectives

It seems that college students sitting in front of bulldozers, walking out on things, sitting in on things and generally challenging authority is nothing new in the United States. For a time, during the ‘60s and ‘70s, staging a protest was almost synonymous with college, while today it is synonymous with maybe only a few specific colleges, like Berkeley. As a generation, have … [Read more...] about Lack of student protests creates free-speech void

Entangled in the heavy loads of classes, upcoming papers and exams, this fifth week might have you feeling a bit overwhelmed. And as you walk to class with the ocean settling softly upon the slopes of your shoulders, it can be easy to forget the beautiful place in which you live. Today, most of you will have the same routine schedule, going to classes, eating meals, seeing … [Read more...] about Students blessed with lives without war

Hundreds of protesters are occupying Wall Street, an outpouring of populist anger and resentment directed toward abusive corporations and corrupt special interests. Heavily influenced by the Arab Spring on the other side of the globe, the Occupy Wall Street movement is an organic people’s uprising, not backed by special interests or partisans like those that jump-started the … [Read more...] about Media neglect Occupy Wall Street protests

I joined Facebook on May 7, 2007. I know this because the new Facebook Timeline feature allows me to look at my entire life, literally from birth.  The new look is set to go global in the coming weeks, and you are all going to hate it, but for all the wrong reasons. How did I get the new profile before everyone else? Easy: I cheated. A sneak peek is open to all Facebook … [Read more...] about Facebook's digital parody distracts from actual lives

If you’re in the process of deciding whether you should volunteer in a soup kitchen near home or in one somewhere in Somalia, read on. The choice between serving near or far recently confronted 2011 Pepperdine alumnus Phoenix Eyre, and his conclusions are worth sharing. If you’ve met Eyre, you know what it is to witness a fireball of energy in human form. I have met few people … [Read more...] about Better to serve near, or far?