Hmmphh, there must be something tainting the Upper East Side VitaminWater because Gossip Girl has really been throwing me off lately. First things first, Serena is the hottest and most dazzling chick in the eastern seaboard and WHY, I ask you, WHY is she getting mixed up with Grunge-Bob Biker-Pants, Aaron???

He’s a poetic tool who references Cecil the Caterpillar nursery rhymes and texts freakishly coordinated “maps” for Serena to follow and come “find him”. Yet, despite his greasy bangs and foolish clothes that make him look homeless, Serena continues to go running off whenever his psycho scavenger hunt texts come beeping in.

I think Blair better knock some sense into her bff before she starts trading in her parfum for Patchouli oils and Blahniks for Birkenstocks.

In less disappointing news, B. Waldorf turns the big 1-8. Amid her lavish “grown-up” party that’s crashed by none other than Cyndi Lauper herself, B sets her Harry Winston choker hopes aside and accepts a birthday gift of…

wait for it…

a shiny, new…. conscious!!!

Ooh Blair, bravo! I commend the CW for your compassionate character development in just one short episode. Your new found maturity is no doubt a flattering look for you. You’ve graciously conceded to your mother dating a troll and even acknowledged a ripple of happiness for her under your icy, ivory shell.

Again this week the curtain closes on Jenny Humphrey in caked-on eyeliner pondering another dramatic dilemma….

Will she divorce herself from mommy and daddy to win control of her new fashion line?

Wait, isn’t J. Humphrey Designs extinct since Angry Agnes torched it?

Does she still have the coffee filter hat?!!!

Ughh, and where the “h” is Nate and his skinny tie!!????

Dispense your whispers here and check back next week for another recap.

Stay fierce…

Xo xo,

Gossip Girl

It’s my own personal belief that the internet is the leading democratic institution out there. Anyone can find an outlet for their opinion and a forum for their interests. It’s very cheap to publish, and inexpensive to use, so it opens the doors wide open for anyone and everyone to take part. As witnessed by Obama’s super-successful grassroots campaign, he is a master at reaching out to the public in a way that they can relate to. Hopefully change.gov will not be the last of its kind.

Welcome to the Blogosphere, President Barack Obama!

YAPTA:
Sure, your dog may have “eaten your homework” a few times when you’ve forgotten to complete an assignment, but when it comes to finding the perfect fare, YAPTA is a student’s best friend.  After entering the dates, times, and other personal preferences, YAPTA (aka Your Amazing Personal Travel Assistant) continuously searches for the lowest prices for your itinerary. The site alerts you when prices drop, but if you book and prices lower again, they’ll fill you in on how to get a ticket refund so that you are ensured the lowest possible price.

KAYAK:
Have you been studying up on your SAT analogy section yet? Well if so, give this one a shot.

CampusCompare: “That Big Fat Guidebook”  as Kayak: Searching Directly from the Airline.

Just like what CampusCompare does for the college search process, Kayak aggregates fares from every airline and other websites and allows you to compare prices side by side. They also offer a variety of search options to narrow down your search to filter your flights to fit your criteria.

PRICELINE:
You can’t BYOB on planes anymore due to more restrictive security measures, but you still can NYOP! Priceline’s NYOP (Name Your Own Price) feature is a bargain-hunter’s dream, but it comes with a catch—after bidding on a flight, you don’t have the option to change your itinerary, and you may have to make an extra stop or leave at an unpopular hour. However, if you are flexible, Priceline is the way to go to get the cheapest fares.

STUDENT UNIVERSE:
Remember back when you could only join Facebook if you had a “.edu” email address and were a current college student? For social networking, those days are gone, but at StudentUniverse those days live on! This site partners with major airlines to offer special deals exclusively for current students and university faculty. The student-status is verified by your email address and, sorry general public, but you can’t join the party.

FLYER TALK:
These days there are social networking communities for everyone—from Vampirefreaks to people who enjoy crochet —so we really weren’t surprised to come across a forum dedicated to the topics that would interest the frequent flyer. The users log on to discussion boards and chatrooms, and offer tips on  everything from how to optimize the use of your mileage points to how to score the best deal to how to earn the most reward points for your next trip.

We hope that helps! One last thing— for those of you looking to head to school in the Northeast, check this out, its a pretty great site that provides a plethora of helpful tools to wane your travel woes. Happy trails!

(Maybe it was me but every time I look at Emma all I see is Gretchen Weiners, Regina’s less-cute sidekick in Mean Girls—not to mention with a voice that’s just as nasal.)

Anyways, to find out if YOUR odds of getting into Yale are as cushy as Serena & Blair’s, click the link to see what CampusCompare’s “What Are My Chances?” calculator has to say. But watch out, it’s almost as sassy as lil’ Jenny Humphrey in her red lipstick and bedazzled, coffee filter hat.

Stay tuned to see whether Blair’s got what it takes to charm the Dean at dinner and keep it classy when rolling your own academic dice at CampusCompare.

Xoxo,

Gossip Girl

Do you see it???

VS.

Stop stressin’ and start doing! Finding your perfect college match is as Easy as 1-2-3!

Step 1: Find your Dream school: Use the Match-Me Meter to find the school that’s perfect for your - Like onling dating, but with colleges instead.

Step 2: Can you get in? Enter your stats into “What are my chances?” to see if you are good to go orif your scores are too low.

Step 3: What will it cost?  Get the stats on cash with the “Financial Aid Calculator”

Log on to today, get your parents off your back and get your butt into college!

This points to an unfortunate truth on college campuses and across the nation in general: diversity does not necessarily lead to tolerance. Although we live in a multicultural nation, people’s attitudes, perceptions, and tolerance of others’ differences can be downright intolerable.

This survey couldn’t have come at a more poignant time, as the country undertakes a presidential election that may indeed elect the first African-American president. Although most students said that race would not affect their vote, the number of non-white respondents who said that race did matter in their vote was double that of white respondents. These findings may contradict what some reporters are speculating might be a Bradley Effect, where white voters say they will vote for a black candidate, but on election day switch their vote to the white candidate.

This last Wednesday, on “The Daily Show with John Stewart”, John Stewart poked fun at these predictions by speculating that Barack Obama, who is of mixed race, may not know who to vote for come election day: “Your white half will all of a sudden decide, ‘I can’t do this’.” Obama certainly seemed amused at the idea that he might secretly wish to vote for McCain. If you want to see if the survey predicts your vote, read our report on Prejudice on Campus.

Kudos to all of you who filled out this groundbreaking survey, but don’t let your voice end here. Go out on November 4th and VOTE!

Ivy league educated Alaskan Sen. Ted Stevens was convicted yesterday after being charged with seven felonies for lying on financial disclosure forms, and could face a maximum of 35 years in jail. He is 84 years old, and is the most senior Republican Senator.

I actually had the opportunity to meet Stevens multiple times in the summer of 2004. I grew up in Alaska and I had a student internship Washington, D.C. for the other Alaskan Sen., Lisa Murkowski. I remember meeting him in his office and being shocked at his appreciation for taxidermy paired with the general vibe of hostility that I got while being there.

My opinion of him only solidified when I saw clips of him referring to the internet as simply a “series of tubes” (um… what?!) in 2006, but, we’ve had ourselves some ignorant politicians before, so even that is forgivable.

What’s not forgivable is the hypocrisy of Alaskan Republican politicians, like Palin and Stevens. Palin’s claim to fame is that she is a “reformist,” and she is constantly attacking Obama for who he has associated with in the past. But, here she is, honoring a relationship with someone was convicted for corruption!

Ayers and Obama served on the same panel on an education board at one point, but their ties pretty much stop there. But, it was Stevens whose endorsement helped lead Palin to victory in the 2006 gubernatorial election, and he has said that they have “worked together for a long time.” He spoke in a campaign commercial on her behalf just two years ago, and she served as the director of the “Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service” group until as recently as 2005.

Stevens  is adamant about his innocence, is trudging forward, and continues to work to be elected for another term as Senator. Palin refused to comment on whether or not she will vote for Stevens in the upcoming election next week and was hesitant to state that he should resign, which to me reveals her intention to vote for him and her loyalty to her felon friend. Felons can’t vote in the general election, but if reelected next week, Stevens will still hold one of the country’s most powerful leadership positions.

Ted and Sarah. These two popular politicians have made the state of Alaska’s regard for ethics go from powerful to puny.  Who’s “palling around” with the bad guy now, huh Palin?

It seems that BYU has rescinded Hardy’s diploma due to his recent excommunication from the Church of Latter Day Saints. Why? Because Hardy published a calendar that features shirtless male Mormon missionaries.

Gotta love a hot man on a mission! The men are modestly photographed, but there are strict rules in the Mormon faith about baring skin—remember Marie Osmond’s costumes on Dancing with the Stars?

The Church of Latter Day Saints has already noted that the 12 men featured are former, not current missionaries, as well as the fact that Hardy’s excommunication was not a direct result of the calendar, but of other, undisclosed reasons.

The results of this fight between Hardy and his faith? Over 11,000 calendars have been sold and Google searches for “hot Mormons” have skyrocketed. Can’t the LDS look at this as great, free publicity for their church?

Earlham College (76%)

University of Dallas (80%)

Centre College (82%)

Kalamazoo College (83%)

Goshen College (85%)

Queens University of Charlotte (90%)

Yeshiva University (90%)

California Maritime Academy (100%)

Thomas More College of Liberal Arts (100%)

Lee University (100%)