A Blog on McConnell Center Life

 By Macy Waddle   Beyonce Knowles-Carter, 42, is a hip hop/pop artist that got her start with Destiny’s Child, a girl group that swept the 1990s and early 2000s with hits like “Say My Name” and “Survivor”. Taylor Swift, 33, is a country/pop artist whose career began when she was just 16 years old with songs like “Tim McGraw” and “Teardrops on My Guitar.” On paper, the two are not similar artists and most recently have posted a photo together, when Beyonce came to support Swift at “The Eras Tour” movie premiere in Los Angeles, so why are the two constantly pinned against one another in the media?  Nikki Keating of The Oberlin Review explains their differences best, "Taylor Swift’s brand is dependent on white feminism and indie folk/pop. Her music and set are retro-inspired and fun, focusing on themes of womanhood through the lenses of her “Southern,” white upbringing.  On the other hand, Beyoncé focuses on her experience as a Black woman in America. Her songs an...

By Bradfield Ross Few cultural combinations are as ubiquitous in our world as the approach of Halloween and watching movies, scary or no.  Although I was certainly not a horror fan as a kid, a late-night showing of IT in 2017 changed that in an instant. Over the last three years, since I’ve used the website Letterboxd to keep track of my movie-watching, I’ve seen 120 horror movies from 1922 to 2023. While enjoying a movie for the sake of art or entertainment is certainly not an invalid way to watch, applying a more analytical lens can reveal surprising insights. 2023’s Talk to Me is not only a thrilling, terrifying movie boasting the sort of straight-up low budget approach to violence and gore that made films like Saw or Terrifier classics, it is also a pertinent reminder of how the horror genre got its name. My horror viewing over the last few years has consisted of a lot of outside picks. The Scream franchise, which Nadia and I binged to go see Scream VI in theaters, is cer...

By Karmyn Jones The United States is the only modernized western country that does not offer publicly funded healthcare to all its citizens. The United States operates on an insurance-based system; this means that in order to get somewhat affordable health care you must be insured. Unfortunately, there are currently about 30 million uninsured Americans. Not to mention, insurance companies are often more interested in profit rather than actually providing healthcare. Currently healthcare is considered a privilege for the middle and upper class; however, like education, it should be considered a right for all US citizens. Health insurance is rising as one of America’s top issues; high premiums, deductibles, copays and other unseen expenses are all associated with remaining healthy. Many Americans have the luxury of insurance, but many still have to go without it. This is a frequent topic within Congress, but no one can agree on a solution. Every day, Americans get a new disease or condit...

By Dyllan Tipton   On September 11th, 2001, the United States experienced a devastating attack on its soil by Islamic terrorists. This tragic event stands as the deadliest terrorist attack in American history. On that fateful day,  nearly three  thousand innocent Americans lost their lives, leaving an indelible mark on our nation and shaking the very core of the civilized world.     On September 14th, 2001, President Bush spoke these words  to first responders  at Ground Zero  in New York City,  “ I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon."   In response to this heinous act, over 180,000 individuals selflessly volunteered to serve in the armed forces, dedicated to defending America throughout the  subsequent  War on Terror.  These brave men and women ans we red the call to protect our country and uphold the values of freedom and democracy that ...

By Hannah Cease Kirtland’s snake is a smaller semi-aquatic snake in the family Colubridae. It is the only species still living in its genus, Clonophis. This snake is endangered, it is rarely seen yet populations have been recorded in Kentucky. It is most often found in northern Kentucky along the Ohio river. An isolated population is also found in the Jackson purchase region of Kentucky. The most notable population is present inside the city of Louisville in Jefferson county. These snakes prefer to live in wet or damp areas such as wet meadows, damp vacant lots, or edges of swamps. They also occasionally live in forested areas or near rivers and creeks.  These snakes are smaller ranging between 14-24.5 in. (36-62 cm) in length. They have a short head that is not distinct from the neck in coloration or size. The top of their heads are black with light cream colored scales around the bottom of the mouth, chin and throat. These cream colored scales continue down the length of the snak...

By Alli Geiger   For my entire life, I have grown up with dogs. I can not think of a time when there was not one or two dogs in the house. And while the dogs have changed, the presence of a dog was always there. There was Abigail, Gus, Phoebe, and Cole filling the space in our time, house, and hearts. Abigail the basset hound was small but mighty, what she lacked in height she made up in her stubbornness. Basset hounds have the best sense of smell of any of the dog breeds, and while it is known that dogs need a lot of exercise, dogs also need their talents exercised as well. When I was little, one of my parents would take me into the park/woods with them and the other would have Abigail on the leash. They would give her my clothes to smell then she was off tracking me. I was always found.  I remember the day I lost Abigail very vividly. My mom had rented a movie for my sister and I to watch; it was Barbie Thumbelina. She wanted us to watch it in the basement, unusual that it w...

By Grant Avis   Over the summer, I traveled to Muhlenberg County, down by the Green River, where the little town of Paradise once lay. As part of my endeavor to visit all 120 of Kentucky’s counties, my visit to Muhlenberg was heavily influenced by a song my grandfather sang to me when I was a child: John Prine’s Paradise . At the TVA plant in eastern Muhlenberg County, I found unnerving abandoned smokestacks, dusty roads, and the complicated legacy of Old King Coal. As I entered Muhlenberg from neighboring Butler County, John Prine Memorial Park sat along the roadside. Passing it at first, not previously knowing it was there, I turned my little car around onto Route 70. The sun had beat the blacktop into that familiar faded gray, and the gravel in the park’s parking lot had washed out, leaving gulleys that led people down to the Green River. These people, the past visitors, had left Mountain Dew bottles and cigarette buts galore. As I stumbled on the rocks lining the river bank, I ...