Another season, another drama filled chapter of the lives of the members of the Crawley family. Or are things a bit different this time around? Season five of “Downton Abbey” aired Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015 on PBS. Since, the Internet and news sources from all over have been raving, predicting and discussing the BBC production’s most recent developments and what is in store in the coming episodes.

It’s the dawning of a new age at Downton Abbey. In the first seasons of the show, Lady Sybil Crawley’s marriage to the family chauffer depicted the integration of social classes and the disruption of the social system. But now, there are blurred lines between upstairs and downstairs of the Abbey as characters become more intertwined regardless of their status in society. A prime example of this that we are likely to see more of in season five is the servant-mistress relationship between Anna and Lady Mary. Mary seems to forget the strict social code, whereas Anna is a bit more cautious. However, this season, Anna will surely prove to be a loyal friend to Mary, and not only a loyal lady’s maid.

New plot lines emerge, such as Mary’s modern approach to courtship; Earl Robert Crawley’s traditional ways obviously becoming stale and outdated; or Lady Edith’s secret child and missing lover, and viewers may as well be back in 1920s England themselves. But perhaps therein lies the attractiveness of “Downton Abbey” to viewers. Despite a ninety-year gap, many of the themes and scenarios of the seasons parallel present issues of society today in its efforts to modernize.

Robert’s character presents the tension during the shift from feudalism and the old social system in Britain to a modern society. As the Earl of Grantham, he wants to maintain tradition at Downton Abbey, but his daughter, Mary, as well as his son-in-law Tom Branson have more progressive visions. Mary strains gender boundaries of the time, but she too, is realizing that Downton Abbey will have to adapt to the quickly changing and modernizing world to maintain the family’s high status. In season four, Tom Branson, who was the husband of the late Sybil Crawley, saw the opportunities that lay in America with its booming business and the ability to move between social classes — “the American dream.” Would Tom go as far as leaving England to start anew in the United States? Season five will continue to explore the shifts in life for the English upper class during the 1920s that were introduced in the previous season, and old-fashioned-thinkers like Robert must face the fact that, just as his American mother-in-law pointed out in season four, “My world is coming nearer. And your world – it’s slipping further and further away!”

Besides the economic shifts that the characters will continue to face in season five, the Crawley women are now part of the alterations in other societal norms, including fashion and sexuality. The audience sees hints of what “the Roaring 20s” was known for- looser, less constraining clothes paired with looser morals and shaking up the former pretentious atmosphere familiar with British cultural customs. In the beginning of season five, Lady Mary must decide whether to accept a bold and perhaps indecent proposal from her current love interest, Lord Gillingham. At the same time her sister, Lady Edith, experiences the pain associated with having to keep her baby a secret, for fear of being rejected from her family for having a child out of wedlock.

The first episodes, as well as the season sneak peeks, advise that viewers should be ready for an exciting season five with the Crawleys and their staff. Plus some new additions to the cast will stir the pot: Richard Grant as visitor Simon Bricker, Anna Chancellor as Lady Anstruther, and Rade Sherbedgia as a Russian refugee. The dynamic cast of “Downton Abbey” makes audiences come back for more. For a PBS historical drama, the audience of “Downton” is wide and diverse, but intensely bonded to the characters. As my 82-year-old grandmother says, “Anyone who’s anyone watches Downton Abbey.”

Since its founding in 1879, the St. Louis Art Museum (SLAM) is a prominent destination for weekend relaxation that doesn’t cost visitors a cent out of their wallets, and provides a profit of artistic inspiration. Located in Forest Park, the art museum not only offers amazing visuals on the inside, but on its exterior as well.

Approaching the museum from the outside, visitors might as well be tourists in Europe, and not in the Midwest.

Courtesy of St. Louis Art Museum Facebook

Ending this weekend was an exhibit hosted by SLAM since August called “Louis IX: King, Saint, Namesake,” relevant for the city’s 250th birthday celebration this
One section of the exhibit highlighted the reign of King Louis IX in France from 1226-1270; the other, his legacy as a saint and his overall impact on history. As he was extremely devoted to his religion, he led multiple crusades and movements to convert Jews in France. He is the only canonized king of France.
Aside from the Louis IX exhibit, the Saint Louis Art Museum regularly rotates exhibits, often enough that a fresh experience always awaits.

Others on display are “Breton Weston: Photographs”, “Facets of the Three Jewels: Tibetan Buddhist Art from the Collections of George E. Hubbard and the Saint Louis Art Museum”, “Calligraphy in Chinese and Japanese Art” and “Currents 109: Nick Cave”.

Two new exhibits opening on November 21st are “Scenic Wonder: The Hudson River Portfolio” and “Nicholas Nixon: 40 Years of the Brown Sisters.” Advertised around the city lately is the exhibit “Atua: Sacred Gods from Polynesia”, which opened only a few weeks ago.

Courtesy of St. Louis Art Museum Facebook

This recently new exhibit and the two upcoming exhibits draw attention to the amazing variety of type and context of art that SLAM presents to visitors; landscapes from the American romantic era of the early 1800s, a famous photographer’s intimate portraits of family post-1975, and amazing Polynesian sculptures.
All these exhibits were relevant in the past, and continue to be so today.

SLAM refuses to be the type of static, dusty art museum that parents drag kids to on family vacations. Each exhibit contains more than pictures hung up on walls to look at, but legacies, expressions, and ideas of people and cultures from our own country and from countries across the world, from France to China to the South Pacific.

The museum’s permanent collections are just as wide in variety and arranged to be viewed in-between the visiting exhibits. Paintings, prints, photographs, drawings, sculptures, textiles, and even suits of armor make up the collections.

The combination of works integrates different perspectives and personas for the people of St. Louis and tourists to contemplate. Among all the attractions in St. Louis, the art museum possesses elegant charm and wonder that cannot be ignored.

On Friday, Oct. 24, League of Laughter, the Bare Naked Statues, Astha, Beyond All Reason, Phases of Motion, Xquizit, Elevation and Decadence performed in a showcase of comedy, dance and music that attracted a full house at Xavier Hall’s auditorium. In short, Billikens can do some awesome things. For many of the groups, this was the first performance with their new members. With recent stresses on our University community, it is refreshing to see people come together to appreciate each other’s talents. Music has a way of bringing people together, as does dance and, of course, laughter.

Before performing their songs, the a cappella groups pitched their albums on iTunes and Spotify, and their own showcase nights (dates can be found on the respective Facebook pages). Astha was founded in 2006, Bare Naked Statues in 2000, Beyond All Reason in 2002, and Decadence in 2010. The legacies of each group are undeniably developing each year. These student organizations unite people and serve as outlets for musical expression. There are enough a cappella groups that a “Pitch Perfect” plot line could definitely occur here on campus– but that’s just a suggestion.

Beyond All Reason, SLU’s all-female a cappella group, performs at the showcase hosted by Billikens After Dark last Friday evening in the Xavier auditorium. Courtesy of Rachel Moylan.

Phases of Motion’s performance was Beyoncé-themed, which is always sure to bring down the house. Their great energy made me want to go and join them on the stage.

Xquizit’s edge and passion set them apart. The group’s strong personality filled the auditorium, full of team spirit and pride in working together.

Elevation’s Irish dancing created music and rhythm simultaneously, and simply left me with so much respect and admiration for the amount of practice it must take to master their moves.

My favorite thing about all three, however, was the unmistakable fact of how much fun every dancer was having. The three groups span such different types of dancing, but their obvious passion was something they all held in common.

People have always told me that we have good dance groups and a cappella groups here at SLU, but Friday night I finally experienced them for myself. As a new audience member, I wasn’t disappointed. As a new fan of these student groups, I wish they would have performances monthly instead of just once a semester. I hope to see more of them around campus, and I think the auditorium full of people on Friday would agree with me. These groups deserve more recognition in the future. Hopefully, I’m not the only one who wouldn’t complain if walking around SLU’s campus were similar to musicals with numbers happening around every corner.

In one of my classes this semester, a required reading that we just completed was The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness by Simon Wiesenthal. The cover of the book summarizes the compelling topic of the work — “You are a prisoner in a concentration camp. A dying Nazi soldier asks you for your forgiveness. What would you do?” Wiesenthal’s question and account is non-fiction, and therefore puts an unavoidable pressure on humanity to respond. I didn’t take it to be rhetorical at all, and I don’t think anyone should. Wiesenthal spurs an important dialogue that must take place within ourselves and with each other.  70 years later, the question is frighteningly relevant — it spans over different spheres of how we confront betrayal or harm, all the way to worldwide threats like terrorism. Could we ever find it within ourselves to forgive a terrorist? Would one ever be able to forgive someone who murdered someone they loved?

I feel compelled to answer the question presented in The Sunflower and to wrestle with why the question in itself is so troubling. A nagging presence exists in the mind of the reader after being nudged to accept the challenge of considering the heavy question — What would you do? A definite conclusion is hard to come by, but after someone brings it up, we must recognize this burden to humankind. We like trying to distract ourselves from discussing the things that matter most, and most of them are decades or even centuries overdue discussions. So now is the time.

Forgiveness is grace. Followers of Judaism are called to have a purpose in life summarized by the words “tikkun olam,” meaning “heal the world or repair the world”.  When I first heard this phrase in my Theology 100 class last year, it instantly struck me with hope. I wish more people, no matter their proclaimed religion, would inhale and exhale this motivation every moment of their lives.

We are responsible in restoring each other, but also to promote justice. The word “human” is crucial to the conversation. Does murder make someone inhuman? If so, do we have no right to extend compassion to them? After murdering, how could someone be still regarded as a human?  Or should we have mercy and allow them to be regarded as such? Are they forgivable?

In his response to Wiesenthal’s question, Desmond Tutu, a South African social rights activist says, “Forgiveness is not facile or cheap,” and that is because it is standing up against evil and patronizing it in a sense. I agree with the Jewish basis that only the direct victim of a wrong can be the one to grant forgiveness. Sorting through, perhaps murder is unforgivable in the form of homicide, genocide, or terrorism, but I believe there is at least a remedy. There’s no cure for these forms of evil, but everything has a remedy, and maybe forgiveness is that remedy. True forgiveness by the victim is essential for the rehabilitation process of both parties, and for the abuser they must face the even more overwhelming challenge of forgiving themselves which sometimes isn’t possible. It isn’t the only medicine, but one of many parts of therapy. Having the capacity to forgive is the greatest strength someone can have. It doesn’t ignore anything; it acknowledges the burden and accepts the challenge. Darkness doesn’t make it hesitate; it acknowledges reality, but pushes through, opening up the ability of the person to start healing themselves.  Now is the time.

Theodicy is the study of the nature of evil in the world and what we do about it. My professor for my honors class on worldview, Dr. Daniel Finucane, a member of the theology department, explained to my class that we can’t really come up with a clear answer of why evil exists, but instead we can ask a question back — What can we do to help? Somehow there is a blinding white light of goodness in the inkiest of nights that we create together. It isn’t all one person’s responsibility.

My pursuit of an answer to Wiesenthal’s question will never be complete, and there are so many different ways to examine it and develop the premises for a decision. Should we forgive because God would forgive? Or can we say, “But we are only human,” and use that as an excuse to walk away from the question?  We need to start a conversation together to answer this question. What would you do? I want to live in a society that isn’t afraid to question everything and to challenge each other’s answers, even if it feels uncomfortable.

Many memorials for the Holocaust contain the words “Never Again” — a way of bringing the world to rehabilitation. It takes courage and passion to uphold “tikkun olam” and looking straight into the face of the heaviest and deepest despairs, but doing so would yield the most cherished and productive elements of human life and legacy. We live in a broken world, but still everyday there is hope.

The summer of the Ebola virus epidemic, the summer of the ALS ice bucket challenge, the summer of the Ferguson riots, the summer of Robin Williams’ death and the summer of the US soccer team’s hopeful streak in the cup.

Like other news stories and current events, these happenings affect our daily lives and daily emotions.Therefore, the Billboard Top 100 arguably reflects our current mood as a culture. No other writer has stood out as reflecting our current culture’s mood than Sam Smith.

Among the pop, rap and more party-worthy songs, Smith captures attention as the soulful singer-songwriter grasping common emotional experiences of a younger audience that usually distract themselves with Iggy or Kanye, instead of being unafraid to feel what needs to be felt.

The success of Sam Smith’s album “In the Lonely Hour” reflects the silent but ever-present journeys we work through in realizing that the ups and downs are what create life’s beauty. “In the Lonely Hour” remained a top ten album on iTunes as Sam Smith’s music boomed this summer. Although he lost the VMA for “Artist to Watch” to Fifth Harmony,with his growing popularity and influence, people are evidently watching him.

Smith’s smash-hit album exemplifies the magic of music.

In an interview with The Guardian, he spoke of his inability to relate well to other artists today. Smith also opened up about the fear of his recent success slipping through his fingers —the common belief of too good to be true.

Heartfelt is the essence of his voice, which empathizes with the mixture of feelings that simple words can’t express. Besides “Stay With Me,” Smith was featured in the song “Latch” by Disclosure, and his own album includes an acoustic cover of the song that puts the club-worthy radio version to shame. Slower and full of raw emotion, the lyrics of “Latch” (Acoustic) cause inevitable chills so that the listener can’t help but keep it on repeat.

No one can deny the beauty and intensity of “In the Lonely Hour,” and Sam Smith deserves the utmost praise and respect for his passionate performance. The British singer shows it pays to be a unique sound on a chart that usually highlights styles with shallow lyrics and predictable expressions. His soulful sound is timeless, and his words hold true and relate to many different experiences.

Listening to his music, he reminds us that even “In the Lonely Hour,” we are not alone. Through his lyrics, Sam Smith proves that there is a way to describe what we feel, and we are not the only ones dizzy with hope for how we want things to turn out in the end. With songs like “Latch” and “Lay Me Down,” he unhinges the normal conveyor belt of relationships and places them into fourteen songs on an album that urges the audience to feel with all their might.

Image courtesy of Saint Louis Art Museum Facebook

At the Saint Louis Art Museum the current featured exhibit, “Impressionist France: Visions of Nation from Le Gray to Monet,” bids for your presence until July 6 with student tickets for only $12. Unlike some art exhibits, each piece compels onlookers to enter the painting or photograph with an active imagination. The exhibit’s displays of canvas and paint provide experiences of living perspectives to the audience, which ultimately accentuate the utter beauty of France.

The contrast of lighting and the depiction of gorgeous, colorful scenes of France generate emotions, sensations and contemplations in a distinct and moving fashion. The exhibit focuses on the years between 1850 and 1880 and features the works of painters such as Claude Monet and Edgar Degas alongside that of rising photographers of the time like Charles Marville and Gustave Le Grey. Each of these Impressionists famously documented the history and society of late nineteenth century France through their work. With the rise of photography, painters had to find a way to keep their work valuable and did so by painting realistic and aesthetically pleasing scenes in a technique that went against former traditional painting practices.

Impressionists embraced modernization by incorporating optimistic perspectives in scenes of industrialization. This helped promote the beauty in progressivism and reiterated the freedom behind their brushstrokes. They depicted nature as breathtaking and inspiring while their scenes of society were sophisticated and spirited. The Impressionists also incorporated new technologies such as steamships and railroads into their landscapes as invigorating and even romantic objects.

The smell of flowers, the invigorating wind coming off of the sea, the beckoning murmur of Parisian streets or the sensation of the sun’s radiant presence in a field all seem to encourage the audience to put the scene into motion through their own mind’s eye. Impressionistic artwork is certainly not a collection of static pieces hanging on the walls, but rather an invitation to enjoy a slice of life as seen by the artist. It is the audience’s job to add the dragonflies onto Monet’s lily pads and to exercise the muscles of Degas’ dancers. While admiring impressionistic artwork, a person doesn’t have to have an art history degree to discover its beauty, because they are scenes we can all find relatable.

At the Saint Louis Art Museum, the exhibit takes the viewer through the paintings in sections based on themes. First, museum-goers admire Impressionist cityscapes and monuments before being whisked away into breathtaking scenes of nature, agricultural life, mountains and oceans. The exhibit ends with the dawn of industrialization in works that still encapsulate the iconic elements of Impressionism. Together, the categories flatteringly define the country of France in a way that would fill any citizen pride. This was a critical boost for the French after being defeated in the Franco-Prussian War in the 1870s. Thanks to the Impressionists, pride for their nation was regained through the expressed visual characterization of a strong, beautiful and charming country.

The impact of history on the art allows the viewer to ignite the pieces with life. When walking through the rooms of paintings and photographic prints, one embarks on a journey that concludes with a genuine awe at the combination of ingredients that form the lovely and iconic visions we know as France.

The “She Wolf” whose singing started off in 2014 with a chart topping single, “Can’t Remember to Forget You” (feat. Rihanna), released her 10th album simply entitled “Shakira” on March 24. Since the 1990s, the Colombian singer and dancer has built a fan base that has made her name one of the biggest in pop music. Monday night’s release proves that Shakira’s incomparable sexy Latin style isn’t about to make an exit off the world music stage quite yet.
The past few years have contained big milestones for the 37-year-old singer. Not only is she about to mark four years with boyfriend Gerard Piqué, but the couple also welcomed a baby boy last January. Before listening to her new album, fans can’t help but wonder how these parts of Shakira’s personal life have affected her music.
After listening to the twelve-track album, it seems that they have, but only for the better. Bringing an interesting mix of heartfelt songs with upbeat hip-shaking-worthy ones reminiscent of our Shakira in the ages of “Oral Fixation” and “Laundry Service,” Shakira still impressed wit
h her rich and fun mix of music in this 10th album. The fact that by Monday night her album was already No. 1 on iTunes in 60 countries should certainly prove that point.
Some of the quieter, ballad-like songs on the album like “You Don’t Care About Me” and “Broken Record” sound similar and may catch the listener off guard if they expect the whole album to be extremely upbeat.
The inevitable song dedicated to her happy little family, “23,” is sweet, but not the high point of the record. Some of the lyrics are a little unoriginal, though this small weakness can be looked over thanks to the power of other songs on the album. The real make-you-want-to-turn-the-volume-up-and-put-the-car-windows-down-songs are “Dare” (La La La), ‘Empire,” “Spotlight,” “Medicine” (feat. Blake Shelton) and “The One Thing.”
“Dare” has an irresistible, danceable beat that brings the scene of a Latin American club to mind while “Empire” is an irresistible anthem whose music video released also on Monday with the rest of the album. “Spotlight” and “The One Thing” have strong guitar rhythms that bring a new rock ’n’ roll sound to her music and put the spotlight on her full-bodied voice.
These are definitely worthy of belting in the shower or into your hairbrush. Perhaps the most interesting song from “Shakira” is “Medicine,” which involves the collaboration of country star and co-judge on The Voice, Blake Shelton. Whoever thought Shakira could be categorized in that genre? Or perhaps a better question is what type of music can’t she sing? Their duet is emotive and fun, as it overlaps distinct voices into a blend that only country music can achieve.
“I don’t reach for the bottle of whisky / No you won’t see me popping pills / ‘Cause if I want the pain to go away / In a second make it fade / You’re the only thing that will / You’re my medicine.”
Given the early spring release date, with any luck these will be the sounds of summer 2014. On the radar of the music industry since as early as 1995, 19 years and going strong, Shakira isn’t finished with us yet.
It’s always comforting to know that some things never change; Shakira mixes things up slightly with her incorporation of rock and country in her new album, but continues her legacy of what her fans recognize as distinctly Shakira – the “She Wolf” we know and love whenever, wherever.

Image Courtesy of “The Wolf of Wall Street”

Most moviegoers consider Leonardo DiCaprio a good actor – we fell in love with Jack Dawson treading water in “Titanic” and were mesmerized by green-light-gazing Jay Gatsby last summer– but the true test of an adored actor’s abilities proves to be if he can convince his most star-struck fans to despise his role as a greedy businessman, playboy and drug-addict. In terms of the acting talents of the stars “The Wolf of Wall Street” delivered, but the impressive elements of the film end here. Audiences were widely misled by trailers for the Christmas Day release, which suggested a classier blockbuster starring fan-favorite DiCaprio. Even though his role was that of a law-breaking bad boy, the trailer still portrayed DiCaprio as a lovable character with whom the audience would empathize and admire for his charm, wit, energy and mastermind thinking. Though many may have expected this film to be a modern-day Gatsby with plenty of partying in the fictional West Egg, “The Wolf of Wall Street” actually proved to be its own, less inspiring genre.

Cheap, overdone, static, crude, unnecessary, uninspiring, demeaning, random and poorly edited are all words to describe Martin Scorsese’s film. If the sections that can be described by the above words were cut out (making the movie maybe 90 minutes long, or in other words half the time of the actual film) the resulting production would advance in quality. Fleeting moments of potential exhibit a glimpse of what could have been edgy, clever, sexy and realistic but instead wholly resembled a movie aimed at an immature “Project X” crowd.

So, are we just too snobby and old-fashioned in our tastes? No, it was more than perhaps being a prude to the unnecessary sex scenes, endless cocaine and the ultimate lack of justice in the end. Even beyond what the MPAA raters warned audiences of, there was simply a bad mood and vibe to the movie. Yes, it was based on the real life antics of Jordan Belfort, but without background about the true scandal the audience watches a comedy that was grossly mixed with dark subject matter that made the movie’s purpose quite confusing and nauseating.

“The Wolf on Wall Street” apparently has done well in foreign box offices, grossing over $15.2 million in France since opening. Still, I wonder what lovely gains in reputation Americans will get from the film? In internationally produced movies Americans often are presented in a stereotypical and unflattering light, but why does it seem that with this film we are doing it to ourselves?

Please, do not let “The Wolf of Wall Street” and Jordan Belfort be the first thing a foreigner thinks of when someone mentions the American economy! Please, let us not have another thing that gives the wrong impression to people who do not understand the context and background of a story. Please, let us rise above being trashy and loving it!

Overall, Martin Scorsese managed to make an attention-grabbing movie. Certainly, the 180-minutes was not boring, but I found the elaborately distasteful elements exhausting to watch. The film itself was well performed but not well edited, and by the end it was nice to leave the theater and see women fully clothed.

I’m not sure what the intentions for the film were exactly. It was not a comedy; there were too many terribly realistic and gut-wrenching moments. It was not a drama; much of it obviously was not meant for personal reflection or abstract observation. Rather, “The Wolf of Wall Street” ultimately makes a viewer lose faith in humanity and believe that maybe Leonardo DiCaprio was the one shot by George Wilson. Regardless of how he proved himself as an outstanding actor, it is still shocking to see a favorite hero and protagonist become such an adversary.