Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
May 9, 2025 May 9, 2025 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

Voices

Hopkins is a diverse university where an incredible mix of cultures, academic interests and personalities coexist and thrive. Here is the section where you can publish your unique thoughts, ideas and perspectives on life at Hopkins and beyond.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra brings back 60s

By ALEX HUROWITZ | March 7, 2013

The genesis of the lo-fi psychedelic rock group Unknown Mortal Orchestra stemmed from organic interest. Ruban Nielson, the main songwriter of the band, was originally in the New Zealand power pop group The Mint Chicks. They were active from 2001 to 2010, and after the break-up, Nielson decided to move his family to America and not do music anymore. However, in the spring of 2010, he released a track titled “Ffunny Ffrends” on his bandcamp profile, with no information on who created it. It became incredibly popular over the music blogosphere and was reblogged incessantly, in attempts to find who created it. Due to the amount of interest, Nielson finally claimed the track to as by his new project, Unknown Mortal Orchestra.

Celebrities we all want to have coffee with

By Elizabeth Sherwood | March 7, 2013

One of my favorite things to do is pretend that I am friends with celebrities I admire.  I saw a lot of people I respect in the audiences of the recent awards shows.  Now that the shows are all over, a lot of people I have talked to have been analyzing the results.  It seems like all I can talk about with friends is the fact that so and so should not have gotten the Oscar, and such and such film should not have won the Golden Globe. But talking about those things cannot change what happened. Since this column focuses on the positive, I felt it was appropriate to talk about my favorite people. These are the first famous people I thought of from a long list of those whom I currently want to hang out with, hug and let know that they are appreciated.

Thinking back to the days when being naked was OK

By AMANDA GARCIA | March 7, 2013

It’s already March 2013. I repeat, March of the year 2013, and it feels like it was still yesterday that I was roaming around my Brooklyn apartment with a big baby doll in my arms. At that point, my older sister was trying to wean me into wearing pants, and when I say wean, I mean that she would yell that I needed to put pants on. Pants? I had panties on, wasn’t that enough? Remember when that was acceptable? As a matter of fact, let’s rewind to when full on nudity was the norm ...

Sweet Potato Fries to die (or live?) for

By SALLY MINN | March 7, 2013

Okay, so for all of you greasy fries-lovers all out there… this is not that — it’s better. Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for a fries overhaul. Your fries are about to get crunchier on the outside, and softer on the inside, sweeter all around and to top it all off, healthier. These fries are the most tantalizing culmination of spicy, sweet, crispy, warm goodness. They are chock full of beta-carotene, the precursor to vitamin A, which is necessary for healthy skin, mucus membranes, and eyesight.

The gourmet gals give Peter's Inn five stars

By Alex Barbera , GEORGINA RUPP and GEORGINA RUPP and ALEXANDRA BARBERA | February 28, 2013

Back in January, we traipsed over to Peter’s Inn for a delicious and unexpectedly gourmet meal. Not to be confused with Pete’s Grille, the tried-and-true breakfast joint on Greenmount (which, by the way, is also worth a visit), Peter’s Inn is an eclectic award-winning restaurant on South Ann Street in Fells Point. It was rated among Baltimore’s Best Restaurants in 2012, and after our meal here we can see (and taste!) why. The fact that we haven’t been able to get this dining experience out of our heads over month later is a testament to how much we enjoyed each dish!

"It's so nice and sedentary!"

By SOPHIA GAUTHIER | February 28, 2013

America is PLAGUED by an obesity epidemic. QUINTILLIONS of dollars in health care are being poured towards PREVENTABLE diseases. People are DYING. School lunches are POISONING the nation’s FUTURE. METEORS are EXPLODING over RUSSIA.

I just really hate "Girls"

By NICHOLAS DEPAUL | February 28, 2013

I have seen every episode of Girls, the HBO dramedy currently airing its second season. I have read many critical analyses of the show, both on informal blogs and in esteemed national publications. I have discussed the show far too much with interested parties.

Ten rap lyrics that offer terrible advice

By KERYCE CHELSI HENRY | February 28, 2013

There once was a time when rap lyrics were inspirational. That time has passed. Sure, most rap songs are pretty catchy these days, but we would be screwed if we actually lived by the lyrics of our favorite songs. Here are ten rap lyrics that set terrible examples for us all. Don’t try these at home:

Living like a local in the “Music City”

By Elizabeth Sherwood | February 21, 2013

This piece is tricky because it does not fit into one single category.  My column is not a travel column, although travel is absolutely one of my favorite things. I also hope not to repeat here the same themes that were in my piece about loving cities. But, since my trip to Nashville this past weekend, I have been reminded of this: one of the greatest ways to push yourself out of your comfort zone is by exploring a new city like a local.  Of course, this is difficult if you do not have a native tour guide, but I try to give it my best effort.

Once hopeful LiLo back off track

By ELIZABETH SIEGAL | February 21, 2013

Like many 90s babies, somewhere around the age of five I was introduced to the cinematic classic that is the 1998 version of The Parent Trap.  I am an avid lover of movies and I wish I could claim that the first film that really made an impression on me was The Sound of Music or The Wizard of Oz.  But nevertheless, with pride I declare that Nancy Meyer’s remake of the movie recognized as Haley Mills’ original claim to fame remains one of my favorites.  For a good two years, the only movie I ever wanted to watch was that.  I loved every aspect of it.  I loved the creativity and intricacy of the syrup, feathers and whipped cream-filled pranks that Lindsay Lohan’s characters of Annie and Haley relentlessly pulled on each other.  I hoped that one day I would have a British butler who did a quirky handshake-dance with me whenever I saw him, no matter how old I was. I wanted to dance around with my mom at her designer photo shoot singing Jakaranda’s “Hey oh ma ma ma ma bed doo a dai ya!” But most importantly, the movie launched my admiration for Lindsay Lohan as one of my favorite people to watch.

Funny women flourish and fizzle as comics

By JENNIFER DIAMOND | February 21, 2013

I think it’s pretty safe to say that our society has advanced beyond the “are women funny?” debate. Because, duh, women are funny. You don’t have to look far to find tons of ladies (haha, binders full of women, haha, whatever) who are building careers with their impressive comedic chops. Look at Tina Fey. Or Amy Poehler. Or how about Sarah Silverman? Or Kate McKinnon, Kristen Schaal, Kathy Griffin, Janeane Garofalo, Wanda Sykes, Aubrey Plaza, Amy Sedaris, Ellen Degeneres, Margaret Cho, Chelsea Piretti or Kristen Wiig? Need I go on?

Why D.C. protesting should be on everyone’s bucket list

By RACHEL WITKIN | February 21, 2013

I was part of a drum circle this weekend, and it was magical. I never realized that banging on the drums in 30 degree weather while chanting “No more oil,” at the top of my lungs would be my thing, but it was everything that I ever wanted to happen. That is, everything except for the freezing weather.

EDM Concerts: David Guetta’s got a dirty little secret

By ALEX HUROWITZ | February 21, 2013

Electronic dance music (EDM) is one the most popular trends in music right now, especially the live performances. Tickets to festivals like Ultra, Electric Daisy Carnival, Electric Zoo and the countless others similar to them are a hot commodity to come by. There is even somewhat of a dress code for these events, consisting mainly of neon clothes and glowing bands, spandex, bandanas, sunglasses and pinnies. In addition, there is a massive sub-culture involving the use of amphetamines, especially MDMA (a.k.a. molly) or ecstasy, in order to heighten the euphoria exemplified by the music. However, despite all the happiness and fun involved, some questions have been raised due to the higher ticket and performer prices. What are these electronic “musicians”/”DJ’s” actually doing live? Are they performing and mixing everything live or is it all preprogrammed? Is that worth the money to see?

BAMFs of Black History

By KERYCE CHELSI HENRY | February 14, 2013

Though surrounded by much debate as to whether it should even exist, Black History Month allows us to recognize the historical contributions black people have made worldwide, as well as the effortlessly awesome figures that show that black history is full of ... well, BAMFs.

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