When John McCain’s campaign compared Barack Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton in an attack ad, the message seemed to be that a “celebrity” can’t be asked to lead the country.

My question is, why not?

What’s wrong with having someone in the White House who puts millions of people in a frenzy because they believe in a message? And what exactly did the comparison try to say?

You would think the McCain campaign is trying to send the message that if Barack Obama is in the White House, he will be on the next celebrity sex tape or have a mental breakdown that makes him shave his head and be caught by the paparazzi at all the late-night clubs.

So my question remains: of all the disagreements the McCains have with Obama’s campaign, why shoot at his popularity? It’s like saying “Look at this guy! He’s popular so vote for me!” That makes no sense.

Blogs might be the greatest thing about the Internet. When something happens, talking heads, pundits and my neighbor Bob can immediately go online and tell the world - or whatever portion of the world cares about their thoughts - what they think about it. It doesn’t cost anything and if you think a blog is pathetic, stupid, irrelevant or just plain out of touch, you can easily browse to a different site.

One thing everybody has in common is that in one way or another, we seek entertainment. That may be going to the movies, listening to some music or, hell, even learning about the latest innovations in technology.

It is with those ideas in mind that we start this blog. The Verge staff has thoughts on entertainment and you will get to know those thoughts. You don’t have to agree with us. I’m sure some think “The Dark Knight” is overrated while others are excited for the return of Beverly Hills 90210. But we hope to engage you in discussion about entertainment-related stories, including news reactions. So sit back, relax, enjoy our show … and then tell us how wrong we are!

The opinions page featured columns this week that attempted to show readers that there is more beyond what they see. It’s easy for people to get judgmental after looking at something or reading an article.

Our Editor-in-chief, Kristina Peters, wrote a column Monday about all of the events our readers have to look forward to. Returning to school is not just about rekindling friendships and partying hard again. Students have some pretty important events on the horizon.

Bob Bajek, a staff reporter, conveyed his experiences and thought processes of watching the Olympics on Wednesday. Communism is something that our country has feared and fought countless wars to prevent, but yet we traveled to a communist country to play in the world-unifying Olympic Games. But his focus was how China portrayed itself in a western manner. To those who don’t think much past what’s shown in the mainstream television networks, communism wouldn’t have come to mind.

I wrote a column for Tuesday’s newspaper about how our readership needs to get involved with us, and other organizations on campus. Adults who attend college and are learning critical thinking skills have no excuse for not trying to ask for what they want. Simply being upset isn’t good enough, I called out  for my classmates to take action for what they want.

Finally, Associate News Editor Matt Hopf wrote about campus security for Thursday’s issue of The DEN. While campus safety is one of our country’s biggest issues, Hopf took it beyond common consideration and showed our readers that some new precautions, the use of guns, should not be used. Yes, something needs to be done. Hopf showed our readers what is being done and how guns shouldn’t be used to stop other people from using guns.

Just think beyond what you see or think and take in something new. The simplest urge, judgment, isn’t the only decision a person can make. Welcome to real life logic and theories.

Around Town

Charleston Police Chief Mark Jenkins offered students who are hosting parties within the city a few tips to prevent any visits from the police department.

Jenkins said house parties are more prevalent at the beginning of the year with students returning to nice weather.

“If you’re going to have a house party, try to maintain it as far as size,” he said.

Parties should have less than 50 people and the residents should notify their neighbors.

By creating contact with the neighbors, the resident can give out contact information in case neighbors are having problems. This way, students can cooperate and may be able to avoid neighbors calling the police.

“A little courtesy goes a long way,” Jenkins said.

One of the biggest concerns for the department is the unlicensed sale of alcohol, even if the sale is for a fundraiser or a charity.

“It is still illegal,” Jenkins said.

-Matt Hopf, Associate News Editor

Inside the newsroom with Online Editor Nicole Weskerna

Online journalism rocks. We shoot movies, take pictures and save paper. We’ve also outgrown the old DENnews.com, which is why I’m extra pumped for this semester because we have a new Web site layout in the works. We’re hoping to launch it within the next month or so – the design is complete, it’s just a matter of transferring our content, which will take a little while.
I’m pleased to have the privilege of helping with the design of a site that’s going to be around for the next few years. We’re ready for more multimedia content, and we’re also planning on give The Verge more exposure online, as well.

Another new execution is our blog site. Blogs are nothing new to DENnews.com, but we’re hoping to get more reader interaction and help our readers better understand what goes on with the production of the paper, the way reporters gather stories or how we came to certain decisions.

In this coming semester, I hope to have at least two or three posts a week from beat reporter and editors. We want our readers to stay in touch and give us feedback.

Aside from that, we’re hoping for more photo galleries, videos and even maybe some contests.
Is there something you’d like to see more of? Post a comment and let us know!

By Kevin Kenealy

I’ve been thinking about songs about robots a lot. I mean, why are there so many of them? According to some Web site I looked up (this is a credible source, oh yea), there are at least 46 songs with robots or pertaining to the band’s machine audience. I’m so tin-manned from this whole thing (yes that’s right I said tin-manned, make up an adjective to replace it if you will) that I just had to listen to a number of these songs.

Here’s what I’ve found: The majority of these songs do not make sense. I think most robots would deprogram themselves to the electronica that are robot-related musicana. I’m pretty sure the band Kraftwerk are robots, at least in their “Robots” music video, and the rest of the bands are just trying to reach their robot audience, perhaps.

I wonder what Anthony Daniels thinks of Mr. Roboto? Do people expect him to do the Roboto at weddings? I think if they did, he’d be pretty C3Peeod.

So, I don’t think this fascination will stop. Upon watching the “Iron Man” trailer, what song do I hear? Do you think if there were a robot race, they’d make humanoid songs? And, what would they sound like?

I don’t know about you, but I think the candidates really ought to investigate this blog further. Global warming and the war for Middle Eastern Conquest is important yes, but robots are the future. I mean, I’m pretty sure Clinton’s a robot in disguise. I have no evidence of this – just an intuition – but you know facts aren’t everything. Dan Rather proved this.

Anyways, here are a number of songs pertaining to robots. Enjoy, or if you’re a robot: if you only had a heart, you could enjoy.

Black Sabbath – “Iron Man”  – If Rocky Balboa were a robot, he’d be Iron Man. Now that I think about it, Ozzy and Stalone do sound pretty similar and it would be a good entrance song for a wrestler. Anyway, “Iron Man” is probably the coolest song about robots. Although I’ve heard this song enough to probably stretch an entire day’s time, I can always listen to it again and again. Maybe it’s because the emphasis is more on the music that makes this a robot song. We do hear the “I Am Iron Man” but it’s not quite as cheesy as Mr. Roboto. This song actually has balls with killer drum solos and guitar riffs that give it a sort of robotic feel. A six-minute song I never get tired of always makes me “live again.”

Big Dumb Face – “Robot” – More of a heavy metal robot bout, as opposed to “Iron Man,” this song pounds out fast-paced robot voice pounded to heavy guitar for a minute straight, or the entire length of the song. “Thank you Robot” are the last words said….could this be an influence from “Thank you very much Mr. Roboto?” Hmmmmmm……..

Kraftwerk – “Robots” – Robot-like music, electronica … are Kraftwerk robots?

The Futureheads – “Living Like a Robot” – In the music video, it’s a cartoon version of robots and shows Bender from Futurerama. Ha, the Futureheads show Futurama; who knew?

Grandaddy – “Jed the Humanoid” - Sounds like a cross between Tom Yorke and something I can’t really put my finger on. It’s very depressing and boring….that’s all I have to say….it moves slower than Kraftwerk and I guess that’s this song’s only feat….needs more oil around the edges.

They Might Be Giants – “Robot Parade” - Entertaining, short enough to keep my short attention span on robot songs, the robot voice was campy and creative. I guess it was about robots that were on parade for some reason.

Les Claypool – “Robot Chicken” – Very, very odd, in a near Mike Patton way, it made me feel as if I was in another world. Considering this, it had a feel to it, very unrobotlike but robotlike at the same time if that makes sense – kind of like how Clinton’s a democrat but it doesn’t seem like she is?

Beastie Boys – “Intergalactic Planetary” – whenever a cheesy robot comes out of another dimension and then attempts to dance to the white rappin’ Boys, it’s nothing short of Beastie.

Styx – “Mr. Roboto” - How can one blog about robots without even mentioning Mr. Roboto? Apparently, according to the music video, Mr. Roboto does everything from get a cat out of a tree, vaccuum, all with squares drawn on a silver box. Perhaps my favorite part of this video, though, is a clip shown of Godzilla and a robot shaking his fist at it. As cheesy as the dance is, I always find myself singing along with it.

Radiohead – “Paranoid Android” - This video makes about as much sense as the Wizard of Oz backward or George Bush or indulging on multiple energy drinks. This song almost makes me feel high even though I’ve never been and the video only helps compliment that (the cartoon video includes a man who attempts to chop down a light post in medieval wear with his shirt off and mermaids who rescue him from a river – need I say more?) Perhaps my favorite song on OK Computer (a fitting album for a robot song), this song has more to do with I think someone lost in a crazy, crazy world…..a paranoid android…..this song alone almost serves as a mini album, as well, in that it has its upbeat, its sweet mellow crescendos and decrescendos complimented wtih York’s weeping voice. This is, by far, my favorite robot-affiliated song

Daft Punk – “Robot Rock” – A cross between rock n’ roll and disco, this song seems like it would be played at Studio 54, Circa 1978. I can’t imagine any robots dancing to this, other than perhaps R2D2 or Bender, but definitely not stiffs like C3PO or Keith Richards. This is for your harder core dancin’ bots. The double guitar used in the video shines so much to give anyone a seizure. This is also one of those tunes that you should be careful with, because I already have the same few notes stuck in my f’in head. If I were a robot, I could just program it out right now. Damn it.

The Flaming Lips – “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” – I guess Yoshimi is going to save us from the evil machines. I’m glad I have someone on my side. In the event of a terrorist disaster, I know everything will be fine because I have Yoshimi on my side, who in the video appears to do nothing but eat fruit and vegetables while in a crouching position. Thank you Yoshimi, I believe you won’t let the robots defeat me. Good for a laugh.

Robin Gibb – “Robot” – Annoying from the get go, the first 25 seconds could be cut from this…OK…and the music is louder than the guy singing. I hear something in the song about a robot and then there’s a robot voice. We’re 2 and a half minutes into this thing and it feels like 2 and a half hours. It’s like the song that never ends but worse. It’s more monotone than Kraftwerk without trying to be. It’s just awful is what it is. Is the beat supposed to make me dance or throw up? I’m not sure….maybe throwing up is the dance? Whatever….I’ve definitely wasted time listening to this…..ha at 3 and a half minutes….some new backup singer comes in for some reason…why then? this actually makes Rosie O’Donnell singing the national anthem sound normal….it’s ending…..freedom.

The Party Line with Nicole Milstead

In the world today, media is presented in many diverse ways. Through radio, television, magazines, books, newspapers and the Internet, media is everywhere. Freedom of the press and media does not come as easily for some countries of the world as it does for others, such as the United States. Freedom of the press and media affect the ease of transition to modernization in countries outside of the United States. A good example of this is South Korea. I chose South Korea because it is the only country whose press has had a revolution where citizen journalism actually works. The Web news service, Ohmynews, has become extremely successful in South Korea when nowhere else in the world has gotten off the ground.

A large sign of press freedom is when the government will allow anyone to report the news, not just trained journalists. Currently in South Korea, the government calls the press free, but occasionally censors by removing items from the Internet news source. The concept of citizen journalism is not new, but the success of it is only about five years old.

The agency of Ohmynews, started in 2000, is considered part blog, part professional news organization and has changed all the rules in Korea. Individual citizens are able to report the news as they see it and post it on the news site. It is reported that over 70 percent of the news content is posted by average citizens who have not had professional journalism training (Macintyre, 2005, 42). The individual citizens often beat the major news organizations, such as the Associated Press, to major national and international stories – this is known as scooping. Citizen reporters submit about 200 articles every day, and about 1 million readers visit Ohmynews each day. This is so successful in Korea as opposed to other countries, where the same type of journalism occurs, because in Korea, they are willing to pay citizen journalists for their work. Individual citizen journalists get credit card transfers to their accounts from people who like what they read. Some citizen journalists have made up to $20,000 per story on the donation-based set up. There are no paid subscriptions, just donations.

South Korea is a partially free state for the press. Freedom House gave South Korea a 31, when score of 30 is free. They are ranked 69 out of all of the countries. All newspapers and Internet sites are required to register with the government and the government removes stories from Internet sites like Ohmynews as it thinks necessary. It was confirmed in 2005 that the military uses wiretaps for journalism surveillance. Freedom House reports that 67 percent of Koreans have access to the Internet (Karlekar, 2006, 223-224).

In a few years, especially with the help of Ohmynews, I believe South Korea will be a free press. According to the freedom house statistics they are only one point away.

Movie/TV talk with Dylan Divit

Hey blog world, it’s Dylan Divit again, and this will probably be the last installment of my blog series. Indeed an emotional time, for my days at Eastern are quickly wrapping up. These past four years have been a blast and much will be missed. On the up side, no more classes! Unfortunately, many of us must heed our parents’ advice and “grow up.” But let’s look on the bright side.

It is summer, summer, oh, how I love summer! Soak it up, people. If you are stuck here in Charleston, I’m sorry. You will probably miss out on some fun stuff … suckers. Living 40 miles outside of Chicago does have its perks, although summer activities can get expensive. Concerts, boozing and the occasional Cuban cigar may break the wallet. There are always cheap summer activities, though, like going to the movies - if you steer clear of the concessions. I plan on seeing several movies this summer, among all the other awesomeness.

Here’s a list of this summer’s blockbusters in case you have not heard:

Iron Man: Opens May 2. The CGI looks fantastic, but with comic book movies, it is hard to tell what to expect. This looks rather promising, though.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Opens May 22, the long-awaited fourth adventure. Let’s see how many jokes will be made about Harrison Ford’s age.

Sex and the City: The Movie:  Opens May 30. Sorry fellas, but your girlfriends are dragging you to see this movie.

The Happening: This marks the return of M. Night Shyamalan. This movie cannot be worse than Lady in the Water. The twist ending has been a few years in the making so look out, it could be good.

The Dark Knight: Opens July 18. This probably would have been a blockbuster before the death of Heath Ledger, but now my inner psychic sees fans going bonkers.

It has been real, blog world.  Don’t forget to tip your waitress.

The Internet with Chris Essig

The semester really flew by, didn’t it? The final week of school is upon us and that means the only thing standing between you and your wonderful summer vacation is finals week. So to help mend some of the pain, I’ve provided a few helpful online resources to aid this semester’s cram sessions.

1. Google Scholar
What can Google do for you? Well, just about anything. If you are looking for professional help, check out Google Scholar, an index of scholarly articles written on practically every subject. It’s as easy to use as regular Google, and it is the perfect filter to weed out the crap your teachers won’t let you use. Google Book Search is essentially the same thing only with books. This may help a ton this week but, if not, check back this summer when you’ve got some free time and need something to read.

2. Answers.com
Answers.com has a slew of encyclopedias, from the Britannica Concise Encyclopedia to the Intelligence & Security Encyclopedia. The open source encyclopedia Wikipedia and the “Q&A community” WikiAnswers are on there as well, but they are not nearly as reliable as some of the others.

3. Purdue University Online Writing Lab
Anyone writing an essay this week or next should check out this Web site for quick tips and pointers on how to write a good essay. The site covers a lot of ground when including grammar, research and MLA citation.

4. Ageless Learner
I present to you the Internet’s learning database. I guess the thought here is if you know how to learn, you will learn. Regardless, the Web site does provide more than enough information on learning, so now you won’t have any excuses. A good place to start is to find out what your learning style is.

5. StickDeath
Everybody needs to let off a little steam during finals week and what better way of doing that than watching stick figures being slaughtered in the most grotesque ways imaginable?

In addition, the Internet Archive, which I have blogged about in the past, has an education page, which is full of useful, and credible, information. So check it out.

Well that is it folks; another semester in the bag. For those who are graduating, good luck in the “real world.” For those who aren’t, see you next semester!

Fashion with Kristy Mellendorf

Summer does not officially begin for a few months. However, colleges around the nation let out earlier than June. Summer has always been the season to take vacations and have fun. This sometimes, not always, includes a little bit of travel.

When traveling, it is essential to remember what to pack and what not to pack. The key is to pack light. It is not necessary to bring “everything including the kitchen sink,” as the saying goes.
First think about where you are traveling. This can help plan what type of attire to prepare for. Also, ask yourself if any extra luggage is necessary for souvenirs.

Try to keep the amount of shoes down to a few pairs. I like shoes as much as the next girl, but they can easily take up space. Depending on the length of your trip, try to keep it down to two or three pairs. This amount allots for a day shoe and a night shoe.

Clothing leaves much to consider. Even though the weather changes day-to-day, try to get a good idea what the weather will be like where you are going. Will it be warm or cold? Jeans or capris tend to be a safe bet during the summer, unless you are headed south toward the equator.

T-shirts are usually a good bet. They can be easily layered and are cool enough in several occasions.
Another question to consider is whether you plan on swimming or not. I’ve been on both ends of that pole. I’ve not had my swimsuit when needed and vice versa. It generally takes up little space, so there is little harm in bringing it with you.

I would advise not to forget the proper undergarments. These are typically not hard to locate. Though, I have yet to meet a person, at least women, who are not particular about what is underneath their clothes.

Toiletries are also a must. Depending on where you are traveling, taking them with you might be hard. They are no longer completely welcome on planes. If the situation permits, things such as deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, Q-tips, soap, et cetera, can be bought in travel sizes or put into plain, travel-size containers.

As with anything these days, be safe. If flying to your location, pick an airline you trust. Give yourself time to adjust to the time difference upon arrival and for your return. If driving, make sure to plan food and rest stops to ensure everybody on the trip is healthy. Also, planning a route is one of the better ways to go, so to avoid using more gas than necessary.

In your destination city, have a guide. The chances of being safer with a guide are higher, whether the guide is a person or a map. Also, if something encountered does not feel right, make sure you find a way out of the situation. Someone new to the city can be the easiest person for criminals to attack.

Enjoy your summer everyone. During your time, do not for get to look fabulous no matter what your plans. Have a great summer and congratulations to the graduates.