Showing posts with label Culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Culture. Show all posts
Should Scotland be an Independent Country?
0 comments Posted by The Masland Library Blog at 11:09 AM
As the vote on the Scottish referendum approaches, the vote
to stay or go has drawn near to a 50/50 split. For decades, many of the
Scottish people wished to be their own country, separated from England and the
Queen. But becoming an independent country is no easy task; there are many
details that must be considered in order for independence to be a wise choice.
Although Scotland already has their own educational system, health care, and
police force run independently of England, questions such as the economy and
currency, energy, oil and gas, pensions and welfare, citizenship and
immigration, military, and the possibility of obtaining EU membership, must be
considered.
Scotts
desire to have more control in what takes place within their own government.
Currently, with the UK’s system of government and parliament there is
devolution (the delegation of power to a lower level) this gives Scotland a
certain amount of control within their country. Many Scots are currently
arguing that they do not have enough power and that the only way to truly make
the best decisions for Scotland they need to have their own government system
in place. Others argue, that a No vote for the referendum is better, for with
it, they are not giving up the possibility of gaining more control, but rather,
from a no vote a greater devolution would take place.
As of this point, the current polls are:
No - 47%
Yes - 46%
Don’t Know- 7%
There
is much or the UK’s system of government that I still yet to fully understand,
there are so many different approaches that countries can set in place to be
run successfully. Although I may not understand all of what is taking place, it
has been fascinating keeping up with this news through the use of The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Wall Street Journal that are both
located within the library, along with the BBC’s website. Having both of these
newspapers and many more at the library are a wonderful resource to expand out
of the “bubble” of college and keep connected with all that is taking place in
the world.
~Leia
Welcome to Cairn! It’s exciting isn’t it? All of the new
people, new places, new sounds, new surroundings can be so exhilarating….. or,
if you are like me when I first arrived, completely overwhelming! You suddenly
feel like you were thrown into a Twilight
Zone setting where you are expected to attend all of your classes, EVERY
chapel, do all of the readings, papers, projects for EVERY class, oh and keep
up a healthy regime of eating right at EVERY meal and exercising in the gym at
the MAC. Not to mention all of the activities that help build community so of
course you are obligated to go EVERY single one because who doesn’t want to be part
of community?!
Stop. Take a deep breath. Count to ten. Let it out.
Before you get too far into the semester, let me offer you
some tips that I have learned (and am still learning!):
Number 1: You don’t have to do it all. Yup I said it.
Obviously homework is a must because without it we wouldn’t learn but don’t
feel like you have to attend every activity this school has to offer. Think of
them as options. If you like music, attend the music events that seem
interesting to you. Or maybe you like to participate in sports, there is always
a sporting event you can attend and cheer on the Highlanders! Intramurals are
also a great way to be involved in sports. You get exercise and community; two
for the price of one!
Number 2: Sometimes you have to use your chapel skips. They
give us nine for a reason! Maybe you had a long night of studying and really
need that 50 minute break in your schedule to recuperate. Take that time by
yourself to refocus on the reason why you are doing all of this. Seek God’s
strength to help you through. Pray, read the passage of Scripture that is most
encouraging to you, and even sing songs that help draw you closer to God.
Number 3: The Library is here for YOU! Remember all of that
reading and those papers you need to write? The Library is a great place to
accomplish it all! It’s quiet all the time (unlike the dorms) and the Library
staff are here to help you with researching topics and finding books. There are even whole rooms set aside to help
keep you focused on your task. Have a question? The student workers and
Librarians will do their best to answer them! There are no “stupid” questions
and we love to help!
(P.S Did you know we have a movie collection??? Stop in
during the Library’s hours and pick up a movie to unwind from all of the
homework you are working on!)
]Here’s to you Freshmen in having the best first semester of
your college career!
Pray often, Laugh a lot, and hold on tight because college
flies by quickly!
~Jenny
In case
you missed the first part of this blog series, I have set out to show Masland
Library visitors that the library is a valuable resource for social
entertainment. In Part I, I hit on some of the library’s top movies of various
genres. While movies are great entertainment for large groups of people, they
do not necessarily facilitate great social interaction. If there is much
interaction, the movie has probably become background noise and everyone missed
an important movie scene. So now I bring you to music, the perfect element to
set the mood for your social events. Even you are the loner of the party Taylor
Swift once eloquently stated, “People haven’t always been there for me but
music always has.” Therefore, I encourage you to check out some of the
library’s music and let it permeate the atmosphere of your social life.
Music
*The library’s CD collection can be found on the 2nd
floor on your left before entering the computer lab. Although I will not
expound upon them here, the Masland Library has some RECORDS available to
borrow. If you are retro enough to own a record player, ask us more on how to
get your hands on a record.
Romantics Sampler – CD M5 .R663 1995
Let me clarify first by saying this
is not a compilation of songs for a passionate date. The word Romantics refers
to a time period and genre of classical music from the 18th century.
This is music is called romantic because it explored the breadth of emotion in
a way music had not before. Therefore, the modern music listener can find great
refreshment in these pieces.
Scott Joplin Piano Rags – CD M25 .J81 P53 2004
Now these are some true American
originals. Just imagine you and your friends in some small town establishment
out west 100 years back, playing cards and listening to an old man tickling the
ivories with some good old rag time.
Spanish Guitar – CD M126 .S62 2002
This CD is sure to bring that spice
that was missing from your life. Do not forget about this one for all of your
Cinco de Mayo parties.
Quartets – CD M450
– CD M457.4
While great majority of our CD’s
consist of classical music, I wanted to highlight the quartet section of the
collection. In Fall of 2013 the world renown Ying String Quartet came and
played for our school. Some of the greatest classical music was written for
such a group of players on these instruments: two violins, a viola, and a
cello. Only four instruments! This music is not only for the sophisticated.
Jazz, Louis Armstrong – CD M1356 .A736 D445 2000
Jazz, Duke Ellington – CD M1366 .E461 D933 2000
Jazz, Coleman Hawkins – CD M1366 .H395 C654 2000
If you have not been sufficiently
exposed to big band jazz, you are missing out on one of the greatest musical
joys in life. This music may, dare I say it, make you want to dance. To give
you a little more direction within these three artists, Louis Armstrong played
some mean trumpet (and had a great voice!), Duke Ellington worked the piano,
and Coleman Hawkins played some sweet tones on the tenor saxophone.
Star Wars Original Trilogy Soundtrack – CD M1527.2 .W721 S27
2004
It is
Star Wars. Need I say more?
International Music Mix – CD M1627 .I58 1999
A little bit of this. A little bit
of that. Musical flavors from all around the globe. Now you can connect with
all of your multicultural friends!
Simon and Garfunkel – CD M1630.18 .S55 S5 1972
I have always considered these guys
to be the original indie band. They formed a new genre of folk-rock in the
1960’s. That may seem old but their music does not sound it. Simon and
Garfunkel is great for the car or chilling at all times of the day.
Soulful Music by Leontyne Price – CD M1670 .P953 1996
I cannot say I have ever listened
to this lady, but I do know she was famous. The nature of the music of this
album is just as the title suggests.
Manheim Steamroller, Christmas
in the Aire – CD M2065 .M354 C475 1995
If you have ever listened to
Christmas music on the radio, you must have heard Manheim Steamroller. I would
describe them as new age electric orchestra rock going wild on Christmas tunes.
These songs could put you in the holiday mood in July.
Michael Card, The
Hidden Face of God – CD M2198 .C37 2006
Michael Card is an older but well
known Christian artist that came to our school in Fall of 2013. This is only
one of several albums we have of his, but check them all out!
~Wayne Hailstone
During this semester, I have had the opportunity to begin studying Islam. For one of the fastest growing religions in the world, it is upsetting how little I knew about it. Once I decided that I desired to know more, I began perusing a few different sections within our library that contained literature on the subject. I found many decent resources, but I must say that my favorite book that I stumbled upon is Unveiling Islam by Ergun Mehmet Caner and Emir Fethi Caner. Although I am currently only 54 pages in, this book has taught me a substantial amount about this belief system.
The authors of Unveiling Islam, Ergun and Emir, are brothers who were raised as Sunni Muslims. Now, highly respected theology professors, Ergun and Emir wrote this book together in order to present the practices, ethics, and beliefs of Islam. Ergun and Emir helpfully present the Islamic beliefs by directly contrasting them to Christianity.
Some other books that were also helpful to me were Islam: A Short Guide to the Faith by Roger Allen and Shawkat M. Toorawa, and A New Anthropology of Islam by John Bowen.
As college students, there is so much to balance, and the idea of adding one more thing onto our plate doesn’t exactly sound like the most appetizing option, but amidst all of the stress of homework and extracurricular activities, it can be nice to set aside some time to invest in an area that is unrelated to your studies that interests you. Balancing time is key, but I encourage you to take a book, fiction or non-fiction, and set aside time during your semester to read for fun. With always reading for classes, the joy of reading tends to disappear. I challenge you to remember that reading can actually be quite an enjoyable endeavor.
~Leia Brunette
Summer has past and Fall is upon us. Colorful, crisp falling
leaves, warm sweaters and boots, pumpkin spice everything, and fresh chilly air
that nips at your nose and fingers. To me, this is the most beautiful time of
year because of the contradiction of warm colors and cool air. This is also the
time of year for Fall festivals and farmers markets that showcase all of the
wonderful colors and flavors that fall has to offer. Bucks County has many
events planned for this fall and most events are already in full swing.
Did you
know that the library page now has a LibGuide with all sorts of information
about what to do in this area? Well it does! I was very excited to find this
out especially since I am always looking for inexpensive breaks from homework
and the daily bustle of life. So if you are looking for a break from homework
or just need something to do on the weekends to celebrate the beautiful season
of Fall I would encourage you to follow this link http://libguides.cairn.edu/what_to_do
and check it out!
Happy Fall Ya’ll!
~Jenny Dunning
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