America’s school systems are failing to meet the needs of the children that need them so much.

“Waiting for ‘Superman’”, a new documentary film by director Davis Guggenheim, follows the struggles of five public school children as they attempt to leave failing public school districts for better, high-performing charter schools.

Charter schools provide an alternative to public education. The schools receive a mix of public and private funding. The schools are not held to the strict, bureaucratic policies of public schools.

The film has received rave reviews from liberals and conservatives. It shines a much-needed light on the failures of public school systems and the benefits of a charter school education, but it leads to an even bigger discussion.

Public school education has become the new civil rights struggle for America.

It is still very true that in the year 2010, the greatest indicator of a child’s academic achievement is her family’s socioeconomic status. This should not be the case; all children have the right to receive a top-notch education.

The Mississippi Delta is one of the poorest economic regions in the United States. According to 2010 accountability records from the Mississippi Department of Education, many of the Delta’s public schools are failing to meet the needs of their students. The West Bolivar School District in Rosedale is considered “at risk of failing” with its middle school deemed “at risk of failing” and its elementary school set on “academic watch.”

In my hometown of Shelby, the North Bolivar School District has been considered “successful,” with its elementary and middle schools both considered “successful.” My alma mater, on the other hand, Broad Street High School, as been set at “academic watch” with a graduation rate of about 59 percent.

Coahoma County School District is on an “academic watch.” Coahoma County Junior Senior High School and Friars Point Elementary are “at risk of failing” and Lyon Elementary is “failing.” Coahoma Agricultural High School (which is separate from Coahoma County’s school district) is on “academic watch” with a graduation rate of 47 percent. In the Clarksdale School District, Clarksdale High School is “at risk of failing” and W.A. Wiggins Middle School is “failing.”

Humphreys County School District is “at risk of failing.” Both its high school and junior high school are “at risk of failing.”

There are some bright spots in the Delta. The Quitman County School District is “successful,” with its elementary and junior high schools considered “successful” and its high school considered “high performing.”

In the well-off areas of Mississippi, the numbers look a lot better.

Oxford High School is considered a “star school.” Oxford’s Bramlett, Oxford and Della Davidson elementary schools are all “high performing.”

The Desoto County School District is “high performing.” Horn Lake, Olive Branch and Southaven high schools are all “high performing.” Desoto Central and Center Hill high schools are “star schools.” The Madison County School District’s Velma Jackson and Madison Central High School are “high performing” and its Ridgeland High is a “star school.”

Mississippi has two major education problems to address.

Mississippi has too many school districts. Mississippi only has 82 counties, which mean tax payers are spending money to support superintendents and other administrators who can’t meet the needs of their students in small districts.

Mississippi is also behind on charter schools. The Mississippi senate and house passed a charter school bill in February. The charter school law has its drawbacks, but hopefully the charter schools will perform for Mississippi’s students.

Quality public education is a full legal right, not a privilege afforded to only a few.

On Michigan’s second play from scrimmage Saturday, I looked on as sophomore virtuoso Denard Robinson sliced and diced, bobbed and weaved and outright embarrassed the Indiana defense for a 72-yard run that made him look like a grown man dominating a peewee game. Media members from Indiana looked impressed, but I was shocked and appalled by my own lack of astonishment.

After all, I had seen this before, um, nine or 10 times.

In fact, Denard wasn’t even to the second level of defenders before I whispered to myself — He’s gone.

Chances are, if you’ve followed Robinson’s performances in the first five weeks (383, 504, 345, 189, 494), you’ve said the same thing to yourself as he sprinted away from the mere mortals that were left in his dust.

Then, as the dust cleared from Robinson’s near-eclipsing of the sound barrier, that word crept into my head.

It’s too early, I thought. It’s only been five weeks, and those five teams weren’t even that good.

But then it began to fester. My friends were talking about it. Your friends were talking about it. ESPN was talking about it. There was no escaping it.

You could talk about how bad Michigan’s defense was, but that wasn’t the story. It was Denard Robinson. It was the obliterated Michigan record books.

It was the H-word.

I still cringe a little bit when I say it, but it’s not worth ignoring anymore. Denard Robinson is no longer just great. He’s blurring the lines between hyperbole and reality.

Still I searched for every possible reason not to start the discussion, to battle against the omnipresent power of the national media hype machine. It has only been five games after all. But the last five Heisman winners’ stats through five games offer little consolation to the doubters.

Last year, Alabama running back Mark Ingram had just 487 yards and six touchdowns through five games. The year before, Sam Bradford had accumulated almost 1,700 yards and 18 touchdowns by game five, but most of that came through the air.

Going back even further, Tim Tebow, in one of college football’s greatest seasons, accumulated 1,730 total yards (1,297 passing, 433 rushing) and 19 touchdowns by week five of the 2007 season. And in 2005, if you can still consider it a Heisman year, USC running back Reggie Bush notched 791 yards and eight touchdowns.

Solid seasons — for someone with his shoes tied.

But Robinson’s numbers tower over the award’s modern winners through five games of their legendary seasons. His 1,008 yards passing nearly eclipses 2006 winner Troy Smith, and Smith rarely ran for any yards. Robinson’s 905 yards on the ground are closer to Ingram and Bush’s total combined than either of their separate contributions. And though it goes without saying, his total yardage makes every member on that list look pedestrian through five games.

There’s only one candidate in the history of the honor who Denard looks like through five games. And it’s the most staggering comparison of all.

Barry Sanders’ 1988 season is arguably the best of any collegiate football player in the game’s history. He ran for 2,850 yards and tallied 39 touchdowns from all over the field, absolutely dominating every single player he faced.

But through five games, Robinson has been, well, better.

Granted, he has 100 fewer rush yards and two fewer touchdowns, but that fails to account for any of Robinson’s 1,008 pass yards. Or the fact that he’s a freaking quarterback.

It’s safe to say that no one knows how to deal with Robinson’s astronomical stats or domination of his opponents. A significantly more difficult slate lies ahead in Big Ten season that will absolutely separate the contenders from the pretenders.

But no one can stop Denard Robinson, and Rich Rodriguez sure won’t stop using him because he as well as anybody knows they’re going nowhere without him. He is indeed college football’s most valued player. How often do you hear that about someone who’s started just five games?

So temper your expectations a bit, maybe he won’t keep this pace up. But the Terrelle Pryors and Ryan Malletts of the world have tougher schedules, too, and they don’t have Robinson’s enormous head start.

The truth is, he’s running away with it after five weeks, and I’m not scared to say it anymore.

It’s time to start talking Heisman.

We’ve got two dates to the ball, but neither one wants to dance. On Saturday, the Palestinian leadership said that if Israeli settlement building wasn’t halted, then the most recent peace talks, begun just under a month ago, should be suspended.

On Sept. 26, a 10-month moratorium expired that had banned Israeli settlers from building inside the West Bank. Following the war in 1967, Israel has occupied land in the West Bank and it has allowed some 500,000 Israelis to build and move into 100 settlements within its borders.  The settlements are illegal under international law, and Palestinians view them as encroaching on land they will use to build their state some day. Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said last week, “Israel must choose between settlements and peace.”

While I’m in the company of all others who think peace in the Middle East is a few millennia overdue, the fact of the matter is, from a national interest standpoint, Israel does not have any pressing reasons to reach a peace deal.

“Life is good in Israel,” Nir Sagie told me. Sagie, 30, is an Israeli linguist who lives in Tel Aviv, Israel’s second largest city and financial capital. “It affects the way people here see the situation, the conflict, the process, whatever you want to call it. In most places, you don’t feel any war situation, so many people don’t care,” he said.

Two weeks ago I wrote about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the perspective of two Palestinians. One of them, my friend Moha Hilal, a 24-year-old Palestinian student from West Bank who studies in Malaysia, described the situation, saying, “The Palestinians need peace but don’t want it. The Israelis want peace but don’t need it.”

I applaud President Barack Obama for being able to bypass the usual rhetoric of numerous pre-indirect talks and getting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Abbas to agree to direct talks for the first time in 20 months.

The talks did seem to be too little too late though, considering they began four weeks before the expiration of the settlement freeze. For a conflict that has lasted over the past 40 years, how much did the Obama administration think would be accomplished in those four weeks?

In light of the settlement freeze expiring and the Palestinians threatening to walk out, the Obama administration offered a package of compromises to the Israelis in return for a two-month extension of the settlement-building moratorium. The Israelis rejected this.

Two months, six months or five years: No settlement freeze will be effective unless it is forever.

“The deal has been quite clear over the last 20 years or so,” Sagie told me. “In order for peace to happen, Israel has to evacuate the settlements in the West Bank. No deal will be achieved if we aren’t willing to evacuate settlements, and our current government is not willing to do that.”

Sagie explained there are two justifications for Israeli settlements to exist in the West Bank. One, for security reasons: If the settlements are evacuated, the Palestinians will be able to attack Israel more easily. The security justifications are more believable than the religious and ideological reasons, Sagie said. The religious and ideological reasons are that the Israelis have been on those lands for 2,000 years and they can’t leave.

When I asked Sagie if the Palestinians would be able to attack Israel more easily if the settlements are abandoned, he replied, “You can’t know that, but people here don’t trust the Palestinians.”

The Palestinians won’t participate in peace talks if there is a continuation of Israeli settlement construction. The Israelis will not halt settlement building on security grounds. What the hell is anyone supposed to do?

Israel has legitimate reasons to be concerned about security considering they’ve suffered rocket attacks and fought wars with both Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon over the past decade. But can it address security concerns without relying on force?

The conflict is a never-ending cycle. The Palestinians suffer and attack Israel. Israel then retaliates and the Palestinians suffer more. Support for Hamas and Hezbollah swell, and then they attack again. The status quo is not acceptable for the United States, Israel, the West Bank or Gaza.

I am interested in decreasing the threat Israel faces from rocket attacks from Hamas and Hezbollah. I am interested in seeing that Palestinians are able to live free of an occupation and in their own state. I am interested in seeing less hatred for the United States due to our support for Israel. We need to redefine expectations that reflect the realities on the ground. We cannot continue on like this forever.

Continuing to build settlements in the West Bank is madness. It will only help to fuel support for groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, which will then attack. Israel will then justify the existence of settlements even more. Settlement building will only prove to be a detriment to Israel in the long run.

“People feel like the Jewish state is temporary, like we’re always walking on eggshells,” Sagie said. “People feel that we have to fight to keep it.”

What can be done to convince them otherwise?

There may be one more way for young women to avoid dreaded college weight gain — and without any effort on their part.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, having an overweight college roommate may lead to less than average weight gain and more conscious health decisions.

A new study by U. Michigan found that college women who are randomly paired with roommates who weigh more than average gain less weight than women with trimmer roommates.

The study showed that these women gained only half a pound. Typical freshman weight gain is between two and a half to six pounds — substantially less than the “freshman 15.”

The study, which was released Sept. 21, explained that heavier roommates are more likely than average-weight women to diet.

Exercising more often and being more likely to use weight loss supplements and purchase college meal plans with limited access to food were among the reasons for the difference in weight gain.

There have been previous studies done suggesting that having an obese spouse, friend or sibling increases the likelihood of becoming obese. However, unlike roommate pairings, these relationships are not random.

Researchers assessed 144 female college students randomly assigned to share living quarters during their first year. At the start of the fall semester, the researchers noted the women’s height and weight and asked about weight management behaviors.

These behaviors included things like whether they had tried to lose weight in the previous year, the average number of times per week they exercised and whether they had signed up for an unlimited college meal plan.

U. Minnesota freshman Kelly O’Neill agreed with the logic behind the study but isn’t worried about gaining weight during her first year of school.

“I haven’t gained weight so far, so I’m not concerned,” O’Neill said.

A 2009 Boynton Health Service study found that more than 40 percent of all females had a body mass index that placed them in the overweight or obese categories.

Why are you here? Most of us have probably grown up with the assumption that after high school, you go to college. And obviously since we are all here, this assumption was correct.

Let’s assume for argument’s sake that all of us attend this fine institution of higher learning for somewhat similar reasons: We want to expand our minds and horizons, we thrive on acquiring knowledge, we want to gain a deeper understanding of human nature, we strive to develop insight and enlightenment … or at the very least we are hoping to land a cool, high paying or highly rewarding job.

But college is not for everyone. Having a college degree does not guarantee that a person will get his dream job, make a lot of money or be personally fulfilled. With the economic hardships of the past two years, we probably all know college graduates who are still looking for jobs, and others who have taken jobs far below their perceived experience or educational level.

What’s worse is that, according to the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, only 55.9 percent of American college freshman who entered in 2002 ended up with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree by 2008. That means more than 40 percent of said students did not graduate in six years — and I’d bet most of them are still paying off college debt for a degree they never earned.

In an article for the National Association of Scholars, retired U. Wisconsin professor Thomas Reeves said, “Going to college has become a national fad … Is it always a prudent investment, for the individual and for society, to be sending junior off to the dorm?”

It’s a valid question. Especially when you couple the high rate of college quitters with U.S. government reports that there is a skilled labor shortage. Add that 23 of the 30 jobs projected to grow at the fastest rate in the next 10 years do not require a college degree and one is left to wonder if some students who have grown up with the doctrine, “after high school, I will go to college,” would have preferred never to have started college in the first place.

In a May piece in The New York Times Jacques Steinberg wrote, “A small but influential group of economists and educators is pushing another pathway: for some students, no college at all. It’s time, they say, to develop credible alternatives for students unlikely to be successful pursuing a higher degree, or who may not be ready to do so.”

So maybe four years of college shouldn’t be the default. Pursuing any sort of education past high school is a significant investment of time and money and for some, it may be one that doesn’t pay off.

A new exoskeleton, coined by some as a real-life “Iron Man,” was unveiled at U. Utah last week.

The exoskeleton is the latest robotic development that started at the school under Stephen Jacobsen, a professor in mechanical engineering, who started Sarcos in the early 1980s, said Fraser Smith, vice president of operations for Raytheon Sarcos.

The robot, known as XOS 2, is able to lift and carry more weight and uses 50 percent less energy than its predecessor. Researchers aimed to reduce the amount of power consumed with the new generation robot.

“XOS 1 was a proof of concept,” Smith said, stating that the goal was to determine the capabilities of making an exoskeleton like this.

Paramount Home Entertainment and Raytheon Sarcos began making plans about a month ago to collaborate, in hopes of promoting XOS 2 and the DVD and Blu-ray release of “Iron Man 2,” which was released Sept. 28 said Guy Shields, a spokesperson for Raytheon.

Through this collaboration, Clark Gregg, who plays Agent Phil Coulson in the films, was able to test out XOS 2 during the unveiling of the suit Sept. 23, Shields said.

Iron Man’s suit was intended to help a few people accomplish superhuman feats, the XOS 2 was designed to make a lot of people do many extraordinary things, Smith said.

The exoskeleton enhances a person’s natural ability. Researchers can control the amount of force applied by the user. For every one pound of force XOS 2 exerts 17 pounds, making lifting a 50-pound weight feel like three pounds, Smith said.

XOS 2 is capable of lifting 50 pounds, 15 pounds more than XOS 1, and holds the weight with the arms outstretched, which is the hardest position to do, Smith said. It can also bench-press about 200 pounds and carry a 200-pound backpack, he said.

There are two versions of the exoskeleton-logistics and military. The military version only has legs and was designed to help soldiers carry heavy packs. With XOS 2, soldiers would be able to carry the packs longer and have a decreased risk of orthopedic injuries associated with carrying heavy loads, Smith said.

The logistics version of XOS 2 has both arms and legs. The goal with this version was to design an exoskeleton that could help people unload objects off of trucks. Additionally, researchers wanted to reduce the risk of injuries, with the logistic version, they are also looking to decrease the amount of people it takes to complete these tasks by a third.

Smith welcomes the comparison between the Iron Man suit and XOS 2, adding that the exoskeleton is real and the suit pure fantasy.

“From our perspective, we were happy to have publicity associated with the release of Iron Man 2, as it makes kids more enthusiastic about going into the engineering field,” Smith said.

If there is one thing that will almost always have a market in the video game industry, it is nostalgia. There is a reason that Mario and the Final Fantasy games have been remade dozens of times with positive sales.

So with the introduction of the Virtual Console feature to the Nintendo Wii, the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, manufacturers are starting to cash in on it.

Of the three networks, Virtual Console for the Wii certainly offers the most in terms of the nostalgia factor, particularly with its NES games, with a game library that stretches back to the late ‘80s. However, not all games are created equal, as a Mega Man game is certainly a better purchase than Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom.

The Virtual Console, which was introduced at the initial release of the Wii, allows owners to download older games from the Nintendo library, including games from the NES, SNES, Sega Genesis and arcade in exchange for Wii points, which cost $1 for 100 points. Most NES games go for 500 Wii points.

Here are the NES games for Virtual Console that are bonafide classics, quality picks and games you should avoid.

The Classics

Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3
Out of all the games that now constitute the behemoth that is the Mario franchise, these two remain the foundation, and are still two of the best.

Super Mario Bros. is simple and difficult, but remains one of the purest video game experiences one can find nowadays. The best part of the game is the fact that almost anyone can pick it up and just start playing immediately. It’s good, even in 30-second bursts when you are bored. That, or a marathon stretch to try and finish the game.

If you are looking to play a full Mario game though, Super Mario Bros. 3 is the better buy. Pretty much everything that made the original good is improved in the third installment.

Even against today’s platform standards, Mario Bros. 3 has great depth, level variety and replay factor. Eight worlds, multiple power-ups, wicked sweet levels, great mechanics, and a solid challenge. This game is universally considered one of the best of all time and has everything going for it.

The Legend of Zelda
This game is best played for the nostalgia factor and the challenge. There is no in-game map, no direction of where to go or what to do and pretty hard. It is not necessarily as good as the latter ones, but still fun to play at least once.

It is only really worth the five bucks for fans of the Zelda series. For those who are unfamiliar with the series, there’s not much there.

Metroid
Very similar to Zelda. By itself and on today’s standards, the game is hard and boring. It is a worthwhile ride for people craving nostalgia and fans of the series. People that like Metroid should buy Metroid.
Quality Buys

Ice Hockey
This game is everything that is good in sports and video games. The concept is simple: there are little guys, medium guys and big guys. The player picks a country, four players of any mix, gets a goalie and goes.

It’s as much a pick-up-and-play sports game as there ever has been, like a Super Smash Bros. as a sports game. The gameplay is simple, the games go by quick, there are silly animations and it just plays fun.

Of all the games you can buy for five bucks, Ice Hockey is among the best. It sucks you in quickly and keeps sucking you back in like a good addictive online flash game. It also takes all the good things about hockey and makes them better. There are a lot of goals, it is fast-paced, there are as many fights as you want and there is no offsides.

Although, it still has icing. Stupid icing.

River City Ransom
A goofy mashup of simple beat-‘em-up and RPG elements, River City Ransom is as funny as it is fun to play. Your character’s girl has been kidnapped by “Slick” and you must fight through hordes of River City High’s gangs such as “The Generic Dudes,” “The Frat Guys” and “The Home Boys.”

The game’s weapons list includes chains, brass knuckles, trash cans and pipes, making it a pleasure to take on each gang. While difficult, the game provides a good challenge for those looking for a solid game, even by today’s standards.

What makes the game memorable, though, is its humor. Defeated enemies yell absurdities like “Barf” and “Chill out, Rambo,” and most things can be picked up and thrown at other things, which is always fun.

Tecmo Bowl
Another easy-to-play sports game that anyone can jump right into. Tecmo Bowl, the game that was notorious for featuring a nigh-unstoppable Bo Jackson on the Oakland Raiders, is about as simple a football experience as there is. There’s no learning of playbooks or deciding between a 4-3 and a 3-4. You just pick a play and decide whether to run it or chuck it.

It’s the essential arcade football game that takes everything football games try to do nowadays and makes it simple and fun. It’s harder to screw up in this game but harder to master, much akin to Ice Hockey, but not as fun.

Games to Avoid
Final Fantasy
As a big fan of the entire franchise, I personally love this game. But there’s no reason to buy it on virtual console. Since the game’s official release, the games been remade into the much better, easier version Final Fantasy: Dawn of Souls for the Gameboy Advance that is devoid of the number of issues that are present in the original, and also comes with a remake of Final Fantasy II.

By today’s standards, the original Final Fantasy is not very playable. It’s far too difficult to be much fun, except for those who enjoy random encounters for hours on end to be able to finish it.

The gameplay is sketchy, as attacks that were aimed at defeated enemies will just go as misses. Some spells in the game just don’t work.

By the time you would finish this game, you could apply for job, get it and work there long enough to earn the cash to buy the remake for Gameboy Advance.

Of course, if you enjoy leveling up by killing wolves for six hours, never being able to save and buying potions one-by-one, it’s great for nostalgia.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Oh, it seems like a good idea, doesn’t it? No. Don’t do it. This game isn’t very good.

It is too hard to be fun and it is not well designed. There is a weird world map element that is clunky, but it is not as bad as the actual platforming part of the game, which is involves constant dying.

No. Stop it. Go buy some pizza for that five bucks.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Similar to the original Zelda, this game is hard. The main difference is that this game is harder, not very fun, doesn’t fit in at all with the series and lacks the nostalgia that makes the original good.

Of course, there’s the fact that the programmers decided that the sequel to the original needed to have RPG elements and be a side-scroller. In essence, Zelda II just is a crappy platformer that features Link. Yay.

Pac-Man
If you want to play Pac-Man, go to a computer, Google “Pac-Man” and then proceed to play Pac-Man. There is no need to pay money for this game anymore.

A study by the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, entitled “Leisure College, USA” makes the claim that college students studied about 14 hours a week in 2003 in comparison to the 24 hours a week students studied in 1961.

The findings of this study also show that this decline has nothing to do with the type of institution a student attends, whether or not they work, or what they choose to study.

The study was written by two professors from U. California, Mindy Marks and Philip Babcock. Babcock says the research was inspired by a similar survey that pertained only to students of U. California, “The study-time numbers looked quite low to us, and we wondered if this was true across the nation and if it had always been true.”

The research that followed confirmed these low numbers in current study time clocked by university students.

The data collected by Babcock and Marks includes four sets of data coming from the years 1961, 1981, 1987-1989, and 1991-2003, which involves the responses of full-time students to a survey asking the number hours each studied per week. From these surveys the researchers were able to see an obvious pattern: Study time had gone down, and drastically at that. Hoping to find the cause of the decline, the duo looked at the changes in college culture that occurred over the time span. The two major possible reasons Marks and Babcock cited in their research that may have led to the major decrease in study time were the use of technology and falling standards in universities all over the country.

The use of technology would surely make tasks that would have taken longer before the widespread use of the Internet, such as writing a paper, quicker and easier to complete. However, the study shows that most of the decline took place prior to 1981, a time in which this access to technology was impossible. This means that while technology has had an impact on the amount of time students spend studying, the impact is minimal and recent with little relevance to the study’s findings.

What might be causing this trend according to the research? Universities whose standards for students have dropped in recent decades, resulting in students today who do not need to work as hard in college as students in 1961. This conclusion is problematic as there is no precise way to test the standards of universities today and so many factors affect student study time. However those who believe this theory have several explanations such as student desire for leisure time and the catering of universities to such desires in an effort to attract students.

Ben Smith, a freshman here at the University of Massachusetts who plans to major in biology agrees that there are a lot more options available to students in terms extracurricular activities, particularly club sports and other athletics. This would cause studying to be less of a priority, as today students need not be a part of their college team to have time committed to sports or almost any other activity.

Similarly, Kathryn Tolley, Phil McGilvary and Kit Dyer, all UMass sophomores say that college standards are not the only things that affect study time.

Tolley said that, with larger numbers of students receiving higher education, it has become the cultural norm to go to a university and thus those who do “may not be as study-orientated,” but rather may be attending a university because it is expected of them.
McGilvary agrees that the expectations universities have of students may have changed in a not-so-negative way, claiming that today oftentimes students need to go to graduate school to acquire the qualifications that were once held by undergraduates in order to compete in the job market. This would mean that today the amount of work required of an undergraduate student is similar to what a high school student needed to accomplish 40 years ago.

Dyer feels as though she was more prepared for college than students in the past may have been because as she says, “Now when you are in high school the teachers are there to teach you primarily how to learn and in college you are there to learn the actual material.”

However, this is all speculation and, without more in-depth research, the true reason for the decline in time spent studying by college students would need to be done for a truly accurate explanation to be found.

But in the end, no university can be held entirely responsible for the study habits of its students, who are as adults responsible for themselves, according to Professor Blaustein who works in the Center for Neuroendocrine.

“Universities really can’t be harder. Some professors are demanding; some aren’t,” she said. “Some students rise to the challenge and try to get as much out of college as they can; some don’t. The amount of time students study is determined by the student, not the universities.”

SPOILER ALERT

Like a dose of heroin, the second you get a taste of ‘Boardwalk Empire’ all you want is more. For me it was more that I couldn’t get enough of Enoch “Nucky” Thompson. The smooth talking, well respected mobster playing politician Nucky, played by Steve Buscemi, steals the show. Nucky has a skill for being who the public wants him to be and keeping his secret agenda out of their eye.

The season premier starts us off in Atlantic City in the 1920’s on the last evening before prohibition goes into effect. Nucky Thompson is introduced as he is giving a compelling speech to a group of women, whom it is clear are full fledged supporters of both prohibition and of Nucky himself. A couple tears are shed throughout the audience as Nucky recounts his own childhood struggles coping with his alcoholic father. He leaves the stage to a thunder of applause and steps outside to take a swig from his flask.

Jimmy Darmody, played by Michael Pitt, is a longtime friend of Nucky. Having put in enough time to work for Nucky. The short fused, quick-tempered Darmody is too much of a liability for Nucky and he doesn’t offer a job up.

The second that prohibition becomes real and the country goes dry, Nucky gets to work on keeping Atlantic City wet as water. Realizing that people are going to pay whatever they have to for a drink, Nucky takes full advantage. We are introduced to a group of characters that come to Nucky in order to get into the bootlegging business and take it across the country.

An awesome aspect of the show is that we get to see famous gangsters Al Capone and “Lucky” Luciano rise to power. They are introduced in this episode as two kids, early twenties, who know Nucky is the man to talk to and come to him in order to get into the alcohol business. They waste no time getting to the point and make it clear they mean business. Words are exchanged and they settle on a deal.

As Nucky’s crew is driving back with a truck full of alcohol they come to an ambush in the road. Three masked men wielding shotguns overtake the group and in a moment of confusion open fire. Every one of Nucky’s men is killed in the bloody onslaught and the masked men make away with the trucks full of alcohol.

Jimmy Darmody turns out to be one of the robbers and pays Nucky his share regardless. Nucky, furious and confused at Darmody, accepts the money anyway. He cleans up the remaining situation Darmody created with a couple of bullets and everything seems to be running smooth again.

This show is seriously hot. Martin Scorsese produced another gem here. If you haven’t watched this show yet you should ask yourself, what am I waiting for?

‘Boardwalk Empire’ is on Sunday nights at 9 on HBO.

Employing the use of simplistic lyrics and basic chord progressions, the Gin Blossoms fall flat with their album “No Chocolate Cake” in more ways than one.

The 90’s sensation is most well-known for their 1992 hit “Hey Jealousy” and, unfortunately, hasn’t been the same since. The untimely loss of guitarist and songwriter Doug Hopkins is one contributing factor to the decline, and, even though Robin Wilson, the vocalist of the group, is still around, his vocals don’t have the same effect in the absence of Hopkins’s lyricism. Most of the album consists of slow jam, soft rock that is typical of this group. However, their modernized pop rock sound doesn’t seem to have the catchy beat or lyrics of the previous compositions that made them famous.

Wilson sounds off-key, or flat, in many songs and there was also a lack of synchronization in the harmony sections of “If you’ll be mine.” This lack of quality, which is seen throughout much of the album, is off-putting to most, especially music aficionados and musicians.

The first single off of the album, “Miss Disarray,” sounds like nearly every other song on the album, but luckily the singer dropped out of the falsetto register for it. The single was released on Aug. 2, 2010 to radio, but as a habitual radio listener, I have not heard the single until now; astonishingly, the album debuted at number one on Amazon.com.

“No Chocolate Cake” seems to be reminiscent of early Hansen, but without popular appeal. They also include the stereotypical love songs and “bubble gum” positive messages that were prevalent in 90’s pop rock.

“Wave Bye Bye,” just like its title, hosts extremely simple and mindless lyrics that detract from the overall appeal of the song. It is almost comparable to a modernized “No Rain” by Blind Melon, sans complexity.

Fortunately, the album wasn’t a total loss. “I’m Ready” is a song that possesses actual merit and Wilson’s voice even reminds me in spots of Jane’s Addiction’s Perry Farrell.

“Dead or Alive on the 405” was another unique track. The single was like 311 meets the Beach Boys with its ska-like sound.

Critic’s Conclusion: It might be telling of my own preference, but I feel this album is not something that sounds as if it was produced by professional musicians. It is not even comparable to EP’s that are put together in someone’s garage.

The simplicity, instead of being a positive attribute like it is for many modern bands, only served as an annoyance that seemed mindless and shoddy. The beat was repetitive and it felt like something one could dance the “Carlton” to. Perhaps the band should consider putting more time into an album before they release it.

It would almost be comparable to bands like Hootie and the Blowfish, Goo Goo Dolls or Simple Plan if it were actually good. If you’re looking for something deep or meaningful, it would be wise to look elsewhere.

Track listing:

1.”Don’t Change for Me” 4:05

2.”I Don’t Want to Lose You Now” 4:11

3.”Miss Disarray” 3:30

4.”Wave Bye Bye” 4:07

5.”I’m Ready” 4:22

6.”Somewhere Tonight” 3:56

7.”Go Crybaby” 5:00

8.”If You’ll Be Mine” 3:14

9.”Dead or Alive on the 405″ 3:02

10.”Something Real” 4:03

11.”Goin’ to California” 3:44

12.”Please Don’t Ask Me (iTunes Bonus Track)”