Although Silicon Valley technology has given rise to some amazing things, I don’t think it can ever be as important as the lived experiences San Franciscans have had during the past several centuries. Despite bringing in lots of money, the tech industry isn’t the heart of the Bay Area.
I don’t like to think of vaccines as controversial. I went to an alternative school where many parents chose not to vaccinate their kids. I never understood it. Not vaccinating against at least the classics, such as mumps, measles and rubella or polio, seems both foolish and selfish.
Wizard rock is a genre of music generated by the fan culture surrounding the "Harry Potter" books. Since J.K. Rowling and the books themselves are so universally popular, many fans look closer to home to find new ways to channel their love for the series. Wizard rock songs are all about things that happen in the Harry Potter universe. As a genre, it has gone through many different incarnations, and its uniting theme is the content, not sound or quality. Though wizard rock fills a very specific niche, the fandom is big enough that it has a huge cult following and fan base of its own. There have also been spin-off bands playing music about "Doctor Who," "Lost" and the "Hunger Games." Only a handful of bands actually get known for their music, but famous wizard rockers have between several hundred thousand and over a million subscribers on YouTube and other forms of social media.
Last week, Feminists Advocating Change and Empowerment put on Breaking Ground, the annual monologue show written by Whitman students, professors and alumni. I wrote and performed a monologue about my experiences working as a volunteer doula in a hospital’s birth center. Doulas are birth attendants who support and advocate for the mother, making sure she is in a good physical and mental space throughout the course of her labor. I've done over 100 hours, working 12-hour night shifts in the delivery ward. When not needed in the delivery room, I helped take care of the newborns across the hall. My monologue was called “The Miracle.â€
This week, Feb. 23–March 1, is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. In the United States, 20 million women and 10 million men will suffer from a serious eating disorder. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all psychiatric disorders. Many important issues have days or weeks dedicated to raising awareness, and sometimes I wonder what the point is. Why would you raise awareness about an issue for one day or week, and then tacitly ignore it with no follow up for the rest of the year? However, raising awareness for eating disorders is absolutely crucial, not because people have never heard of them, but because, like most psychological disorders, they’re surrounded by misconceptions and stigma.
At first glance, the Hall of Science, with its fancy chemistry equipment, lecture halls with built-in computer desks and display cases of taxidermy animals, might seem like it has something for everyone.
For my 20th birthday, my parents gave me a lifetime membership to the Girl Scouts of the United States. Being a Girl Scout shaped my identity when I was growing up, and I remained a member until I graduated from high school. I view my involvement with Girl Scouts as a foundation for the feminist ideals I now hold so dear.
