Netflix and Redbox may have movies, but they’ll never be Blockbusters”
by Andrea Harvey

Sure, Redbox and Netflix are relatively cheap and horribly convenient, but there was something special about having all your options in one store, ready for you to watch as soon as you get home. No mail involved, no 28-day wait before it gets to Redbox and no separate trip to the grocery store for your movie snacks.

Little did I know that nearly 10 years later, Blockbuster would be announcing the closing of all its locations in the United States. Just last weekend I walked past the Blockbuster on 18th Avenue and Willamette Street in Eugene and saw that it was shut down. It makes me sad.

“The obvious reason for all this is the Internet. Blockbuster’s demise, for one, was inextricably linked to the success of Netflix,” said James Surowiecki in the New Yorker in October 2010, the year Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy.

The Daily Emerald
University of Oregon

Full article here.

“People too different for universal study method”
by Cassie Ruud

I remember when I was living in the dorms and “Quiet Hours” came into effect during dead week and finals week. I liked the idea initially — an allotted amount of time in which everyone respected that everyone else was going to be busy and needed to focus.

But after the first few days, a few other floor members and I started to lose our minds.

People have different studying styles. One is no better than the rest, and there is no one-size-fits-all deal.

You have to pick the options you know are going to work for you. At this point in the college game, I bet you have some ideas about what those are.

So if you have to lock yourself alone in a room, talk to yourself, sing along to your Pandora Christmas station, watch TV or have it pin-drop silent, do what works for you and respect others who might differ in study habits.

The Daily Barometer
Oregon State University

Full article here.

“Religious freedom is what I’m getting for Christmas”
by Rebecca Simpson

During this time every year, we are all privy to the “War on Christmas” that seems just on the horizon. Fox News even has its own section about this tyranny where viewers can submit their stories of challenges to religious freedoms. Attempts to make schools and other public places more secular in nature are seen as stifling Christians and their ability to celebrate.

This is one more example of those who refuse to accept or tolerate the beliefs of others demanding that their own intolerant beliefs be respected. Any perception of infringement, true or not, is labeled as denying religious freedom — even if that religious freedom means treading on the toes of everyone else.

There is no “creeping Sharia,” and the idea that one group is fine to practice and have universal public accommodation for their beliefs, while another religious group represents an attack on everything we hold dear, is outrageous.

The State Press
Arizona State University

Full article here.

“Initiative will further closing of opportunity gap”
by Judy K. Sakaki

The road from exclusion towards equity has been a long one. And even though California DREAM Act students are now eligible for the same grant and scholarship assistance as documented Californians, Dreamers still face significant challenges. They lack access to low interest student loans and work-study opportunities that federal funding makes available, which makes it harder to cover the “self-help” component of financial aid packages. They also face additional challenges associated with their undocumented status that impact their retention, success and graduation.

The $5 million that UC President Janet Napolitano has committed will help undocumented students address some of these remaining challenges.

The University of California is dedicated to providing a world-class education to all eligible students, regardless of their background or immigration status.

The Daily Bruin
University of California, Los Angeles

Full article here.