Girls Like Us
Tamar McCollom, Staff Writer
April 24, 2012
It’s taken quite literally my whole life to decide upon this. I’ve taken online quizzes, I’ve discussed the matter with my friends and my mother, and I’ve researched the primary documents for years only to come to this conclusion. I’m a Samantha with Charlotte’s style and Victorian... (more...)
Documentary Reveals Truth About School Bullying
Tamar McCollom, Opinion Editor
April 20, 2012
Bowling for Columbine, the infamous Michael Moore documentary on the Columbine shooting, argued that America’s obsession with violence was beginning to seep into the youth culture. Ten years later, it’s Bully, the new wrenching and eye-opening documentary, that again puts violent and hateful... (more...)
Case Closed: The Perenially Wet Bathrooms of MHS
Tamar McCollom, Opinion Editor
April 19, 2012
It was birthday fairy day, my favorite day. The tall glass of water commonly known as Rachael Oczkus stood before me holding donuts. I knew there was an explanation for how I could like someone who so closely resembles a model. But, alas. My hands were dirty in both meanings of the phrase.... (more...)
Bully Required Viewing for Every Parent, Student, and School Administrator
Tamar McCollom, Opinion Editor
April 13, 2012
Everyone has spent months reading reviews of Bully, the new horrifying and heart-wrenching documentary on school bullying, that proclaimed it “impossible to watch” and “a parent’s worst nightmare.” But nothing can prepare you for the 94 minutes that lie ahead of you in the theater. Nothing... (more...)
Community Recap: Season 3 Episode 13
Tamar McCollom, Opinion Editor
March 29, 2012
Nearly every show on television has touched on Occupy Wall Street themes, and even Greendale can’t resist the influence of the movement any longer. This week’s episode of Community discussed the greed and inhumanity of corporate America, but don’t expect the usual 99 percent rhetoric... (more...)
Zou Bisou Bisou—Megan Draper and You
Tamar McCollom, Opinion Editor
March 27, 2012
Seventeen months. That’s how long I spent waiting for Mad Men to return. That’s how long I spent re-watching Season 4 Episode 7: “The Suitcase,” in hopes that it would magically extend on infinitely instead of ending in a mere 47 minutes. That’s how long I spent muttering Roger Sterling... (more...)
Community Recap: Season 3 Episode 12
Tamar McCollom, Opinion Editor
March 22, 2012
After much delay, the new semester at Greendale is finally under away, and Community is back into the swing of things. The episode begins with the whole gang meeting up in the library study room to discuss their Winter Break (bear with it—January wasn’t that long ago). Britta is excited... (more...)
Uncovering the GOP’s War on Women
Tamar McCollom, Opinion Editor
March 17, 2012
It’s hard to imagine that we are still fighting the same battles that our grandmothers fought 50 years ago. For the past few months, debate in Washington over women’s health issues has reemerged with a vengeance, and it shows no signs of dissipating. First came the attacks on Planned Parenthood.... (more...)
Community Recap: Season 3 Episode 11
Tamar McCollom, Opinion Editor
March 15, 2012
After an uncommonly long three and a half month Winter Break, everyone on Community is working hard to get back to normal. The only catch is that normal at Greendale Community College is completely and totally weird. Pierce is fired from Hawthorne Wipes in the wake of his father’s death,... (more...)
The Birth of the Posthumous Comeback
Tamar McCollom, Opinion Editor
February 28, 2012
It’s funny how death transforms people. As if in death, we are more glorious than we were in life. As if all of our sins are absolved, and we stand (or rather lie down) as beings of greatness. Jacqueline Kennedy famously said of her fallen husband, “Now, he is a legend when he would have... (more...)
New Rules to Rectify the Mistakes of Last Year
Tamar McCollom, Opinion Editor
February 3, 2012
Another year, another list of annoyances to be rectified. Mirador takes on politics, popular culture, hair, and unsanitary bathrooms with a list of new rules for the new year. Define Santorum. NBC cannot cancel Community. Have we learned nothing from the Great Arrested Development Tragedy of... (more...)
Oscars: Who Will Win, Who Should Win
Tamar McCollom, Opinion Editor
February 3, 2012
BEST PICTURE: Who Will Win: The Artist 2011 was admittedly an off-kilter year in Oscar movies. There isn’t a juggernaut or a unanimous favorite, nor is there a close neck-and-neck race between two strong contenders. Half the nominees for best picture received mixed reviews, and a few weren’t... (more...)
Good for you, Lana Del Rey
Tamar McCollom, Opinion Editor
January 31, 2012
Introducing Tamar McCollom, one of Mirador’s new monthly columnists! Her articles are posted on the first Tuesday of every month. Rarely does an artist with only one album to her name already have such a long and storied history. Lana Del Rey came on the scene as a self-produced internet... (more...)
Are Teen Humanitarians Helpful?: CON
Tamar McCollom, Opinion Editor
September 30, 2011
Among elite high school students, there is an arms race to feed the starving children in Africa. Ten years ago, feeding the homeless was enough to convince both the world and any college admissions board that you were dedicated to community service. But these days, that just doesn’t cut it.... (more...)
The Donald’s Bad Press Trumps His Hair
Tamar McCollom, Opinion Editor
May 27, 2011
Trump’s recent announcement that he will not be running for president comes as no surprise Donald Trump is learning the hard way that despite the old adage, there most certainly is such a thing as bad publicity. Trump might have been able to work a notoriously unfortunate comb-over coif to... (more...)
Famous NYC Band Plays Final Show
Tamar McCollom, Staff Writer
April 25, 2011
Icons are generally determined in retrospect. Decades pass, and all of a sudden a select few emerge that seem to capture the zeitgeist of an era. James Murphy, frontman and genius behind LCD Soundsystem, doesn’t need to be put through the cultural form of Purgatory. It was apparent from the... (more...)
How to Consistently Compile Perfect Mixtapes
Tamar McCollom, Staff Writer
March 11, 2011
“A good compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do,” wrote Nick Hornby in his famous novel High Fidelity. Oh, how right you are Mr. Hornby. Now regarded as the unofficial Bible of the Art of the Mixtape, High Fidelity outlines a rigid formula for making the perfect compilation.... (more...)
Is James Franco Worth The Hype? | Pro
Tamar McCollom, Staff Writer
March 11, 2011
In a decade, James Franco has gone from being “the cute one” on the cult classic “Freaks and Geeks” to the newest incarnation of the Renaissance man. By now, everyone has heard the infamous stories. He graduated from UCLA after taking over three times the maximum course limit a quarter.... (more...)
Council Votes on Historic Orinda Sign
Tamar McCollom
February 4, 2011
After years of searching for a proper home, the Orinda sign returns to its original location Recently, the Orinda City Council voted 4-1 to place the historic Orinda sign in the landscape triangle in the Orinda Way-Camino Sobrante intersection. However, debate continues amongst residents over... (more...)
College Counselors Coddle Students
Tamar McCollom
February 4, 2011
With college admissions becoming increasingly more competitive, it is no surprise that students are searching desperately for a leg up on the competition. The latest place that students have turned to for help is the college counselor. College counselors do everything from helping to establish... (more...)
Miramonte Sailing Team Takes Off to the Races
Tamar McCollom
February 4, 2011
For years, the the Miramonte Sailing Team has existed unbeknownst to most students. However, the 2010-2011 season marks the first year that they have enough sailors to compete as a full team in Pacific Coast Interschool Sailing Association competitions. Now with six members, the sailing team... (more...)
Palin Takes on Bears and Liberals in New Show
Tamar McCollom
December 16, 2010
Since her national public debut as John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 presidential election, Sarah Palin has become quite the controversial figure. We might not all agree with her politics, but even her harshest critics have to concede that Palin is rarely dull. From her daughter’s... (more...)
Bullying at Alhambra Leads to Suspension
Tamar McCollom
November 5, 2010
In the last week of September, seven members of the Alhambra High School freshmen football team were suspended amid allegations of hazing a teammate. Before practice on Sept. 29, a group of boys taped their teammate’s legs together, held him down on the locker room floor, and punched him... (more...)
The Morning Benders Return Home
Tamar McCollom
November 5, 2010
“There’s a rumor that we’ve moved to New York, but we will always be a San Francisco band. This is our home,” said lead singer Chris Chu to kick off their second show back in the Bay since they began touring a year ago. What bands do you draw your inspiration from? Chris Chu: I feel... (more...)
Guide to Understanding Inception
Tamar McCollom
September 21, 2010
DISCLAIMER: If you are one of the six people left on the planet who has not seen Inception, do not read this article. The Nature of Dreams While dreaming, humans simultaneously create and perceive. This allows for the “Dream Team” to take over the creation aspect of dreams, and set up... (more...)