Helen Mirren told off a bunch of people drumming and making a commotion for a parade for being loud during the first half of a play she was starring in as Queen Elizabeth II. Spectators said it was unusual to see someone dressed as the queen saying such… profane things. [Source]

Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II

Monday (May 6^th, 2013)

YouTube may soon start to charge $1.99 a month for up to 50 of their video channels. This service will also get rid of the ads before videos and allow people to watch “exclusive content”. [Source]

The Met Gala was Monday night! The theme was punk, which some celebrities chose to downright ignore while others went all out for it. Here’s a gallery of all the dresses and such.

Tuesday (May 7^th, 2013)

Climate change isn’t just affecting the polar bears any more. British wines may be forever changed by new growing conditions due to rising temperatures. [Source]

Mark Sanford, the disgraced former South Carolina governor who resigned after coming clean about his affair, won the special election for South Carolina’s first congressional district’s House seat, beating out Stephen Colbert’s sister Elizabeth Colbert Busch. [Source]

Syria shut down its internet once again, likely due to the attacks going on in the region. This also happened back in November when the internet was down for about two days. (Note: the internet returned nineteen hours later this time).

Probably due to peer pressure, new Secretary of Treasury Jack Lew has changed his signature. Personally, I think his older one looked cooler. [Source]

Wednesday (May 8^th, 2013)

Three months later, police found and arrested the people involved in the $50 million diamond heist in Belgium. 31 people were arrested from three different countries. [Source]

James Holmes, the man behind the Aurora, CO shooting during a screening of The Dark Knight Rises,  pleaded insanity to his court case. [Source]

Nearly a third of all bee colonies in the United States didn’t make it this winter, making it the fourth-worst winter since 2006. It’s particularly unfortunate since bee pollination is crucial for many farmers. [Source]

The newly appointed head of the CIA’s Clandestine Service was outed by the media and Twitter. Obviously, the CIA will probably need to reevaluate this decision since the director, Frank Archibald, is technically still supposed to be undercover. It’s Valerie Plame all over again.

Thursday (May 9^th, 2013)

Friday (May 10^th, 2013)

Police have arrested suspects involved in a robbery that took $45 million from ATMs in the span of 10 hours. [Source]

The International Space Station was leaking ammonia into space today. But don’t worry guys, NASA has it all under control. Let’s be real though, it was only a matter of time before the human race started messing up outer space. [Source]

The carbon dioxide levels have reached a high not seen for millions of year, passing the 400 parts per million mark. Pretty scary. [Source]

Interesting Reads

Historical (British) figures in modern-day garb.

Movie stars and their porn star names.

One man’s story about being swallowed by a hippo.

How American is your music taste? (And on that note, everyone hates Justin Bieber)

The post Are You in the Loop? The Met Ball, Mark Sanford and Climate Change. appeared first on The Campus Companion.

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Remember that story about that high school in Georgia that has always held two separate proms for its white and black students? That ended over the weekend when the high school hosted its first integrated prom. Congrats, guys, but you’re a little late; the civil rights movement was decades ago.

President Obama plans to nominate Anthony Foxx, current mayor of Charlotte, as the transportation secretary, bringing in some racial diversity to the cabinet. [Source]

The White House Correspondent’s Dinner was on Saturday. Hosted by Conan O’Brien, the event was held at the Hilton and attended by basically anyone who matters in the media as well as a select few Hollywood guests. So, not me. But, in case you missed it (which you probably did because who watches C-SPAN on a Saturday night?). here is the link to Obama’s speech and Conan’s speech.

Meet Misha, the man who supposed brainwashed Tamerlan Tsarnaev into a radicalized Muslim, though he denies this involvement.

Monday (April 29^th, 2013)

Jason Collins became the first major league sports male athlete to come out. He received praise from many, including former Stanford classmate Chelsea Clinton and her dad, Bill Clinton. He even got a phone call from current President Obama.

Wolves are making a comeback in Germany after being gone for over two centuries, having been driven out of the country by hunting and other means in the early 1800s. [Source]

Tim Tebow was let go by the New York Jets. [Source]

Ghanaian leaders have banned the killing of “spirit children”, which are essentially kids that are born with physical deformities that Ghanaians have traditionally believed to be possessed by evil spirits. [Source]

Tuesday (April 30^th, 2013)

The Dutch Queen abdicated the throne in favor of her son, making it the first time in 123 years the Netherlands has had a king. This would also make the new monarch Europe’s youngest though don’t get too excited ladies, he’s by no means that young at the age of 46. [Source]

A Missouri senator was writing a proposal on regulations of higher education in the state of Missouri when he decided to make things personal by banning seersucker suits for everyone over the age of eight. Obviously, this didn’t end up happening but still, really? What did seersucker ever do to you? [Source]

Following an on-going hunger strike at the prison, President Obama is finally taking further action to close Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. [Source]

Wednesday (May 1^st, 2013)

Erica Lafferty, the daughter of the late Sandy Hook principal, confronted Senator Kelly Ayotte at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire about the senator’s choice to vote against expanded background checks in the gun control bill recently. Things were, as you can imagine, very tense. [Source]

Guys, Amanda Knox did not do it. She did not kill her British roommate when she was studying abroad in Italy.

Three additional suspects have been arrested, two of whom are from Kazakhstan. All three suspects were classmates of Dzhokhar. Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev were charged with “conspiracy to obstruct justice by plotting to dispose of a laptop computer and a backpack containing fireworks belonging to” Dzhokhar and Robel Phillipos was charged with “making false statements to law enforcement officials in a terrorism investigation.” [Source]

Azamat Tazhayakov, Dias Kadyrbaev, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev

Thursday (May 2^nd, 2013)

Friday (May 3^rd, 2013)

You probably heard about Reese Witherspoon’s arrest (“Do you know my name?”) and now you can actually watch it through this footage from TMZ.

Somewhere between 50 and 100 people were killed in Syria in an attack on the village al-Baida. The attack was done by those loyal to Syrian President al-Assad and it is believed that this was done in response to an attack that rebels did to some pro-Assad fighters earlier in the day, which resulted in at least six deaths and 20 wounded. [Source]

Speaking of Syria, the United States believes that Israel conducted an airstrike into the country though information is still limited. [Source]

Rhode Island has officially passed gay marriage! Governor Chafee wrote a nice piece in the New York Times about his decision to support the cause even back when he was a Republican Senator (he’s now independent). [Source]

Interesting Reads

You can now review prisons on Yelp, which many former inmates have already done.

Why our grocery stories only sell a few varieties of apples.

Handwritten manuscripts of classic novels along with the original doodles in the margins.

High school = the real world.

How one man became a hipster.

The post Are You in the Loop? The White House Correspondent’s Dinner, Jason Collins, and Gay Marriage in Rhode Island. appeared first on The Campus Companion.

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As you probably know by now, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was caught by the police after he spent a few hours hiding in a man’s boat. He was unconscious for most of the weekend and was in a critical condition for most of that period of time.

There was an earthquake in Sichuan, China (the same location of the disastrous earthquake in China in 2008) where about 188 people died though it is said that there will probably be a faster recovery than last time.

Of the 166 inmates at Guantanamo Bay, 84 of them are on a hunger strike and 16 of them are now being force-fed through tubes. [Source]

As most college students know, 4/20 is a major “holiday” for some people. However, celebrations were cut short in Denver when a shooting broke out resulting in the canceling of an event on Sunday. [Source]

Monday (April 22^nd, 2013)

Happy Earth Day (or Other Planets’ Day if you’re into that)! Go out and plant a tree and pray for humanity because the world has been pretty messed up in the past few weeks.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will be charged for conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction and since he’s an American citizen and committed the crime on American soil, he will not be tried as an enemy combatant, which has stirred up discussion and debate. He is also communicating with the police via writing and he has told authorities that he and his brother acted alone in the bombing last week.

A week after the bombing in Boston, a terror plot in Canada was thwarted by authorities. Canadian police are saying that the two men arrested are affiliated with a terrorist group and were targeting a train route. [Source]

Tuesday (April 23^rd, 2013)

A car bomb exploded in Libya outside the French Embassy in Tripoli. No one was killed though two guards were injured. [Source]

Let’s welcome the students of Cooper Union to the world of student loans! Starting in fall of 2014, the school will be charging tuition for the first time in a century. [Source]

In other news, Obama has the same approval rating as Bush does right now. [Source]

France legalized gay marriage. It is the 14th country in the world to do so. [Source]

Wednesday (April 24^th, 2013)

Gay marriage passed in Rhode Island, making it the tenth state in the U.S. to pass it and the last of the states in New England. [Source]

In more Dzhokhar news, officials are saying that he was unarmed at the time of arrest and also, he used to kind of deal weed on the side.

The H7N9 flu in China has now spread to Taiwan. The World Health Organization is saying it’s “one of the most lethal influenza viruses” they have seen so far.

In the United States, you can buy a gun even if you’re on a terrorism watch list. [Source]

Thursday (April 25^th, 2013)

Friday (April 26^th, 2013)

I know, I know. Lots of stories about the Boston bomber. Here is a link to an interview given by the man whose car was hijacked by the two bombers. Also, Dzhokhar was transferred to a prison hospital.

It’s official! Football is getting College Football Playoff in lieu of the Bowl Championship Series though it is unclear when this will begin.

Twelve years after the events of 9/11, someone has found a 5-foot long piece of what officials believe to be part off one of the planes that struck the Twin Towers in Ground Zero. Really? In the decade that has passed, no one else seemed to notice this?

Interesting Reads

The economy will bounce back through home and car purchases but student loans are holding college graduates from buying homes and cars, thereby possibly preventing an economic recovery.

Test your economic literacy.

Gatherings of former and current presidents in history.

Using Spanish ham sandwiches to look at the financial crisis.

Gwyneth Paltrow name drops Jay-Z a LOT.

The post Are You in the Loop? Boston News, Bangladesh Tragedy and H7N9 Flu. appeared first on The Campus Companion.

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If you were lucky enough to live in the upper half of the country, you might have been able to see the Northern Lights! [Source]

Justin Bieber visited the Anne Frank house in The Hague and left a note in the guestbook saying, “Anne Frank was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber.” As you can imagine, the internet had a lot of fun with this. But it also raises the question, would she? [Source]

Adam Scott won the Masters and may be the next Bachelor?

Monday (April 15^th, 2013)

You probably heard about the tragedy that struck Boston around 2:45 PM near the finish line at the Boston Marathon. Three people were killed (including an 8-year old boy who had just hugged his father to congratulate him on his finish) and over 140 more were injured by the bomb blasts. There was also a blast at the JFK Library. Here’s a list of all the precautions that were taken after the blasts.

Pulitzer Prize winners were announced. Here’s a list of all the winners.

Rutger’s ex-head coach Mike Rice is apparently coaching his daughter’s middle school basketball team. As you might remember, he was fired for shouting awful things at his players as well as kicking them. Also in, there has been a rise in the number of girls seeking therapy from verbal abuse in the same town.

Tuesday (April 16^th, 2013)

The bombing at the Boston Marathon continued to be investigated. Newspapers around the world reacted to it. Pictures (warning: some are graphic) were released. The New York Post got a lot of things wrong. Theories about what happened and the cause are sprouting up.

An earthquake in Iran left at least 40 dead. Over 400,000 felt the impact of the quake. [Source]

Wednesday (April 17^th, 2013)

The Senate rejected a law that would call for background checks on people trying to purchase guns, despite most of the Senators actually supporting the law. They just don’t want to lose a reelection in 2014. [Source]

New Zealand passed gay marriage in an overwhelming 77-44 vote. Senators and spectators alike all sang a song together afterwards which is pretty darn cute. [Source]

A fertilizer plant blew up late on Wednesday in Waco, Texas. At least five people died. The incident is likely to be an industrial accident. [Source]

In lighter news, the cupcake fad is over. Like really though. Crumbs‘ stock has fallen from its peak of around $13 to around $1 now. If you’re still eating cupcakes, let me introduce you to macarons. [Source]

Also, the Senate didn’t pass the new gun bill that would call for a background check on buying guns. Actually, that’s not true. It technically did pass (54-46) but a filibuster would require at least 60 votes for the bill to pass. President Obama was not happy. [Source]

Thursday (April 18^th, 2013)

Friday (April 19^th, 2013)

So many things. First, MIT’s campus was basically shut down due to a gunman on the loose and an officer died. But then, it turned out that the two suspects involved were actually the two suspects from the bombing. One ended up dying and the other (as of Friday afternoon) is still on the loose though that is subject to change. The suspect’s name is Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and he and his brother Tamerlan are the prime suspects in the case of the Boston marathon bombing. You can read all about Dzhokhar here. Eyewitness accounts about the Watertown lockdown here as well as more pictures here. Here is a video of the boys’ uncle speaking about his nephews.

[Update]: The suspect was later captured on Friday night.

Wearing a kilt may lead to a more fertile tomorrow, according to a Scottish study.

Interesting Reads

Trick people into thinking you were at Coachella too.

Charts of how we pay taxes, if you care.

This week was awful.

A timeline of all the things that happened this week.

The post Are You in the Loop? The Worst Week Ever appeared first on The Campus Companion.

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SCIENTISTS ARE MAKING PROGRESS ON AN INVISIBILITY CLOAK (THOUGH IT ONLY APPLIES TO  A LIMITED RANGE OF LIGHT WAVES). [Source]

As April 15th creeps up, everyone across the country has either already done their taxes or is scrambling to do them. If you haven’t filed them already, pull a Shakespeare and just not do it because apparently Shakespeare was a tax-evading food hoarder. [Source]

Monday (April 1^st, 2013)

Remember the news story about the pig carcasses in a river outside of Shanghai? It could be the beginning of a pandemic. [Source]

Anddddd baseball is back! No gruesome Kevin Ware-esque injuries so far either. Ahem, basketball.

Caroline Kennedy is the new U.S. Ambassador to Japan. [Source]

Tuesday (April 2^nd, 2013)

Colorado might become the Napa Valley for weed. [Source]

For the very first time, there’s a majority in the Senate for marriage equality. 48 Democrats, 2 Republicans and Vice President Joe Biden all support it. [Source]

Wednesday (April 3^rd, 2013)

Cancer clinics across the country are turning down patients on Medicare because of the sequester. Thanks Obama. [Source]

So, France officially has the cutest lawn mowers in the world. The Mayor of Paris decided to have four two-foot tall sheep munch on grass until October to keep the grass nice and trim in a half-acre patch of grass in a park in the 19th Arrondissement in order to be more eco-friendly. [Source]

North Korea may have moved their missiles closer to the United States. Yikes. [Source]

Thursday (April 4^th, 2013)

Friday (April 5^th, 2013)

A federal judge wants the morning-after pill to be available to girls of all ages. As nice of an idea as that is, the reason the Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius required girls ages 16 and under to have a prescription for the pill was because it wasn’t scientifically proven to be safe girls as young as age 11. [Source]

The new National Republican Congressional Committee’s website kind of looks like BuzzFeed. Does this mean we’ll start to see things like 11 Congressmen with Adorable Kittens? [Source]

So now there could be FOUR NFL players ready to come out about their sexuality. [Source]

Six people have died from the H7N9 strain of avian flu and fourteen more have been infected though the World Health Organization says not to panic since it hasn’t been proven to transmit from human to human. Still though… [Source]

Interesting Reads

Ten articles from April Fools’ Day that seem fake but are actually very, very real.

What does your favorite Pixar movie say about you?

The post Are You in the Loop? H7N9, Marijuana Legalization, France’s Cute Lawn Mowers and Arrested Development. appeared first on The Campus Companion.

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You can buy gummy versions of yourself in Japan. [Source]

While most people are focusing on March Madness games, a Quiz Bowl team caused quite the stir when it was revealed that Harvard’s team has been cheating for a while. Maybe it’ll be outed that Kansas’ basketball team is all on steroids or something this week. [Source]

The Senate FINALLY passed a budget plan. Its first in four years! [Source]

Monday (March 25^th, 2013)

One closeted NFL player is considering coming out soon. [Source]

Punxsutawney Phil’s handler is taking the blame for the fact that it’s April and still snowing which was NOT what the groundhog predicted. Why does this matter? Because the groundhog was being indicted for his false prediction. WHAT. [Source]

Tuesday (March 26^th, 2013)

Google made Sweden delete “ogooglebar”, which means “ungoogleable”, from its language. Wow, Google. You must have been such a nice person in high school. [Source]

The Met is being sued for basically making museum-goers believe that they have to pay a $25 admission fee when the reality is not the case. [Source]

Wednesday (March 27^th, 2013)

The CIA has appointed a woman in charge of the Clandestine Service, aka the group of undercover agents. Since she’s undercover, we have no idea who she is but yay! Good for her. Not only that, but the new Secret Service director is also a woman. [Source]

The Supreme Court is likely to strike down on the Defense of Marriage Act saying that its unconstitutional. Justice Kennedy even compares gay marriage that is legal in states but illegal federally to skim milk. [Source]

The Peabody Awards are out! Here’s a list of the winners and where you can watch them.

Thursday (March 28^th, 2013)

Friday (March 29^th, 2013)

Turns out the Keebler elves live in San Francisco. A mysterious and tiny door appeared at the trunk of a tree in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, brightening up the day of anyone who walks by it. [Source]

Photos of North Korea’s plans to attack the United States show that they plan on targeting Hawaii (makes sense since it’s the closest), Los Angeles (okay, sure. It’s the second largest city in the United States and also located relatively close to Pyongyang), Washington, D.C. (duh), and… Austin, Texas. What? Guess Kim Jong-un isn’t down for some longhorn football. [Source]

Vaccines do not cause autism. [Source]

So if you’ve been on Facebook at all this week, chances are you’ve seen someone change their profile picture to a photo of an equal sign on a red background. Here’s a graph of what the map of all those profile pictures across the nation looks like. [Source]

Interesting Reads

College fees are a veiled way for universities to raise tuition without really raising tuition.

Dolly Parton has a Tumblr now.

America’s acceptance of the gay community can be chronicled by Ellen Degeneres’ career.

The post Are You in the Loop? DOMA, Gay NFL players, and Google vs. Sweden appeared first on The Campus Companion.

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China is combining the agency that oversees the one-child policy with the ministry in charge of health which could mean that future generations of Chinese kids will (legally) have brothers and sisters once again! [Source]

Monday (March 11^th, 2013)

There’s an increase in drug-resistant bacteria which is actually pretty scary. [Source]

There was supposed to be a soda ban in New York but a judge shut it down so rejoice, New Yorkers! Once again, you can enjoy your Double Gulp Cokes from the gas station! Also, interestingly, the average American drinks 44 gallons of soda a year. [Source]

Fun fact: Chinese politicians dye their hair black every month to stay youthful. [Source]

A sea of black hair

Tuesday (March 12^th, 2013)

Boy Scouts of America are polling 1.1 million former Scouts on whether or not to uphold the gay ban. [Source]

Anna Wintour is going to be announced as the new artistic director of all of Condé Nast. Expect more Devil Wears Prada-like novels and movies about assistants being bullied in the future. [Source]

Mexico’s trying to pass a legislation that would prevent a telephone and broadcasting monopoly, which would end up hurting Carlos Slim’s (the richest man in the world) empire. [Source]

Wednesday (March 13^th, 2013)

Are you in your third trimester? Don’t want your baby? Germany’s solution is to allow mothers to take a fake name in the hospital while giving birth. [Source]

Thanks to the people who own our favorite hipster beer, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Twinkies will be back on shelves this summer. [Source]

We have a new Pope! Even better, the Pope twitter account is tweeting again. Pope Francis is the first pope to come from the Western Hemisphere and is from Buenos Aires. He also looks like George Bluth from Arrested Development. [Source]

Most of you probably don’t follow blogs or whatever, but guess what? I DO AND THAT’S HOW I GET THE MATERIAL FOR THIS COLUMN. Which is why I, along with a bunch of other nerds out there, was upset when Google announced they were getting rid of Google Reader, which is a really popular RSS feed that allows you to look at all the blogs and websites you follow from one webpage. I blame Google Glass. [Source]

Thursday (March 14^th, 2013)

Friday (March 15^th, 2013)

Some Wisconsin (whoo!) guy got himself banned from all libraries on the face of the earth after he was caught masturbating in one in Racine, WI. Wait, what? [Source]

Okay, so everyone is curious to learn more about the new Pope and one woman in Argentina claims that she is the reason the boy joined priesthood. The woman’s father found a love letter from the future Pope Francis and forbade her from ever seeing him again. [Source]

If you haven’t been keeping up with the Steubenville rape trial, here’s the low-down.

Interesting Reads

You will never be able to think about these ten foods the same way again.

North Koreans say sexist things about powerful American women.

Japan’s education system often leaves out the parts of World War II that shed a negative light on the country.

Taco Bell’s Doritos Loco Taco could be the solution to “save America.”

The post Are You In The Loop? Pope Francis, Soda Ban, and Twinkies. appeared first on The Campus Companion.

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Doctors confirmed that they did indeed cure a baby born with HIV. This was done through a series of drugs given to the baby around 30 hours after birth. This would be the second time ever for a person to be cured of HIV, the first time being a man who was given a blood-marrow transplant donated by someone who was genetically resistant to HIV. [Source]

Mitt and Ann Romney made their first media appearance in a while and their first interview since the election. Check out the interview here.

Aww, Justin Bieber had a really bad birthday and was whining about it. We all feel SO sorry for you. [Source]

Monday (March 4^th, 2013)

Pre-Med? Then pick up that Wii controller! A study found that the surgical skills of various doctors improved when they spent time playing Wii Tennis. [Source]

The sequester is probably going to take a few months to go through because politicians cannot get along. Don’t know what the sequester is? Here’s a nifty FAQ. [Source]

The Forbes Billionaire List is out! Check to see if you made the list this year or to find a potential sugar daddy/momma to help pay for those college loans (just kidding).

The richest man alive

Tuesday (March 5^th, 2013)

The TSA is going to allow small pocket knives starting April 25th. But don’t worry, razors and box cutters are still not allowed so your life is safe. [Source]

Hugo Chávez died Tuesday night. He had many memorable moments and the world reacted to it in many ways.

As if the whole horsemeat scandal wasn’t bad enough, IKEA had to recall almond cakes in 23 countries after officials in China found high level of bacteria that is normally found in poop. Yes, IKEA just went from having horsemeat in their Swedish meatballs to having poop in their cake. This is probably why you shouldn’t eat at a furniture store. [Source]

Wednesday (March 6^th, 2013)

David Cameron wants to end female genital mutilation once and for all. [Source]

Arkansas just passed a new abortion law that is the strictest in the nation, banning abortion after 12 weeks into a pregnancy. [Source]

A new United Nations report likens some autism and rehab treatments to torture. [Source]

Time Warner and Time Inc. are going to be two separate entities. [Source]

Rand Paul’s filibuster was about 12 hours long but it’s being praised for addressing the drones issue that Obama does not seem to want to talk about. [Source]

Thursday (March 7^th, 2013)

Friday (March 8^th, 2013)

So, John Brennan was sworn in as the new director of the CIA. One problem though: the Constitution on which he was sworn did not contain the Bill of Rights. [Source]

Guys, the world is getting warmer and the Times is ON IT. For related headlines like that one, check out this Twitter account.

Hey, binge drinkers everywhere: alcohol could be giving your brain more fuel according to this new Yale study. [Source]

Interesting Reads

Before iPhones and Blackberrys, there was the little black book. Check out the ones of some famous icons from years past. [Source]

Cool Instagram account featuring lots of photos taken in North Korea.

Our ancient ancestors cared about fashion, apparently.

A “food critic” review of the Olive Garden.

The post Are You In The Loop? HIV Cure, Rand Paul’s Filibuster, and Hugo Chávez. appeared first on The Campus Companion.

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The Oscars were this past weekend. Seth McFarlane hosted and the ratings went up. Everyone looked pretty but Seth McFarlane was kind of obnoxious. There were a lot of parties. Here’s a list of the winners.

Scientists think they have found an ancient continent that is now buried under the Indian Ocean called Mauritia. [Source]

Monday (February 25^th, 2013)

Want to be able to pen pal your friend on another planet? Want to know what that three-eyed green guy is saying when he and his wife are arguing at the local Costco? Now’s your chance because one Parisian school is offering a course in… Martian. [Source]

Stop pulling all-nighters because getting less than six hours of sleep a night is messing with your genes. [Source]

Tuesday (February 26^th, 2013)

Anheuser-Busch is getting sued for $5 million for allegedly watering down their beers. And yes, frat boys, that lawsuit does include Natty Ice! [Source]

A bunch of prominent Republicans including possible presidential candidate in 2016 Jon Huntsman and others signed a brief in support of same-sex marriage. [Source]

Some guy is building a Titanic II and it’s going to take the same voyage the original one took from Southampton, England to New York City. Also, completely unrelated, but the guy is also not superstitious. [Source]

Wednesday (February 27^th, 2013)

The Harlem Shake video trend is morphing into a political statement in the Middle East. [Source]

Ever notice that your Chicken McNugget pieces all look weirdly uniform? That’s because McDonald’s specifically makes them in four shapes: bell, bone, ball, and boot. Kind of gives a new meaning to the four B’s*. [Source]

Data shows that people who don’t like sushi are also very likely to not support gay marriage. Hmm. [Source]

Thursday (February 28^th, 2013)

Friday (March 1^st, 2013)

Playing video games helps with dyslexia! [Source]

So, the controversial Keystone pipeline won’t affect climate change nor will it be affected by climate change… according to the government. [Source]

Obama made the mistake of saying “Jedi mind meld” thereby shattering his nerd credibility as a Star Wars fan and a Star Trek one. Amateur. [Source]

Interesting Reads

One man is urging Catholics to “give up Catholicism” since the Pope clearly did. [Source]

Besides looking at things, the Kims also really love basketball. Like, a lot. [Source]

Fan of Taylor Swift and that song “I Knew You Were Trouble”? No? Well, you should watch these videos anyway.

*That is, for those who didn’t go to high schools with strict dress codes, boobs, butt, back and belly.

The post Are You In The Loop? The Oscars, Titanic II, and Obama’s Jedi Mistake. appeared first on The Campus Companion.

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3. Are You In The Loop? The State of the Union, North Korea, the Grammys, and Israeli Stipends for Ice Cream

Some sick freak is going around New York and Connecticut on a cat-killing spree. Clearly this person doesn’t spend enough time on the internet because then they wouldn’t pull something twisted like this. [Source]

Um, according to scientists, it is totally okay if you let it rip the next time you’re up in the air. [Source]

Mississippi finally ratified the Thirteen Amendment after one Lincoln viewer found out through internet research that Mississippi had never formally abolished slavery. They’re only about 150 years late on the ratification but baby steps, I guess? [Source]

The face that inspired Mississippi to abolish slavery

Cooper Union may not be free any more and may start charging its students tuition as it depletes its endowment. [Source]

Monday (February 18^th, 2012)

Scientists have come to the conclusion that Picasso used common house paint to paint his works, ending the long debate over what kind of paint he used. [Source]

The Chinese military has been linked to a scandal of trying to bring down the United States. Hackers working for China have been targeting sensitive information related to American intelligence. [Source]

Tuesday (February 19^th, 2013)

A study put out by a Hungarian physicist shows that any two pages on the internet are connected by 19 clicks. 19 degrees of separation is the new thing, I guess. [Source]

NASA lost communication with the International Space Station which is absolutely terrifying but then they fixed it so it was okay. [Source]

Wednesday (February 20^th, 2013)

Google is coming out with a pair of glasses and is working with Warby Parker to make them stylish. Since this is Google, these aren’t your average eye glasses. Called Google Glass, think of it as having being able to have a computer screen in front of you without, well, having a computer screen in front of you. [Source]

Google is coming out with a new touchscreen laptop! Here are all the details about it. [Source]

Get ready to feel all warm and fuzzy from this cuteness. Dolphins have names for themselves and actually use these names to talk to one another. [Source]

Thursday (February 21^st, 2013)

Friday (February 22^nd, 2013)

Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman, one of the most powerful drug lords, died on Friday and it could be because of WikiLeaks. [Source]

CNN got ahold of some FBI internal reports and they’re pretty interesting. Who knew that FBI employees were sexted and paid for sex in massage parlors? [Source]

Interesting Reads

Protests are everywhere nowadays. Here‘s a nifty guide on how to spot a fake grassroots movement.

Soft drink ads used to be racist.

People seem to worship the ground Lena Dunham walks on but this guy is not on board.

A lot of people hate Anne Hathaway.

Nobody likes me!

The post Are You In The Loop? Mississippi Abolishes Slavery, Google’s New Touchscreen Laptop, and Donald Trump’s Twitter Hack. appeared first on The Campus Companion.

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3. Are You In The Loop? The State of the Union, North Korea, the Grammys, and Israeli Stipends for Ice Cream