Magazine

The french fork. The hulihee. The carnie. The duck tail. The anchor. These are not cleverly named sandwiches at the local indie deli; they are a few of the many titles for modern facial hair styles. Yes, facial hair — beards and mustaches and sideburns. Not only has the list of facial hair styles vastly expanded, but actual facial hair competitions have recently become a growing trend.

Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina to Italian (Florentine) parents, presents himself as a humble servant of God, refusing pleasantries and extravagance. He cooks for himself, rides the bus, lives in a regular apartment, and has announced his dedication to social justice and human rights, implying that he intends to focus the Church’s efforts toward this end.

When a red carpet interviewer approached The Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney at the Grammys this year, Carney was asked whether he believed tween heartthrob pop sensation Justin Bieber deserved an award that evening. Carney replied, “He’s rich, right? The Grammys are…for music and not for money. And he’s making a lot of money. He should be happy, I guess.” The Biebz retorted via twitter, and so the gauntlet was thrown.

Only six years ago, 87 percent of the United States student population aged five to 17 attended public school. And in the six years since that 2007 measurement, that percentage has dropped each year as students move to private or charter schools, even homeschooling. Many parents are seeking non-public education options for their children at a younger age before transferring into public schools — if at all.

It’s a fierce competition; there are more students applying to colleges than ever before. According to a study from the National Center for Education Sciences, 21.6 million students were expected to attend American universities in fall 2012, an increase of 6.2 million since fall 2000. Not only is the competition growing to get into these schools, but also there are more students to compete against. Those numbers are steadily increasing. NCES said in a study that there is an expected increase of 11 percent for students enrolling in colleges between 2010 and 2020.

What is it that we find so fulfilling about being the first, the fastest or the best? Personal recognition or achievement, sometimes found in the form of setting records, is often attributed to an internal competitive drive. However, to say that this is the sole motivation behind record breakers would be to oversimplify record breakers’ efforts and attitudes. In fact, many find their inspiration from within, from supportive friends and family, or even complete strangers.

A rising trend of coddled and praise-hungry children is one that is pervading youth sports and education alike, and many believe that the “everyone gets a trophy” mentality is to blame. Many recreational sports leagues and gym classes across the country have stopped keeping score for fear of hurting the losing team members’ self esteem. Much to their dismay, today’s kids aren’t becoming more secure in their ability, but rather the exact opposite.

Monday, April 1 through Sunday, April 7, Ithaca College’s Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival 2013 (FLEFF) will offer forums, music, art, films and multimedia events focused on the theme of “Mobilities.” Sponsored by the Office of the Provost, FLEFF 2013 will take place both on the IC campus and downtown at Cinemapolis.

Against the advice of his crack team of legal advisors, Donald Trump has announced that he will continue his campaign to become the next President of the United States. Trump said that despite an unsuccessful bid against President Barack Obama in 2012, he still refuses to concede defeat.

Buzzsaw asks why I haven’t put IC in my will yet?