When I was 16 years old, I finally got my ears pierced. I went to Claire's at the mall with my mom. I was a little nervous, but it didn't hurt too bad. I got up, went to pay for my new earrings and passed out cold beside a rack of fingerless gloves.
I came to with my mom and a confused Claire's employee standing above me, trying to force-feed me water as if the Styrofoam chalice contained an anti-unconsciousness potion. I was so embarrassed that I stood up before I regained my balance. I stumbled through display stands of spike-ball earrings, studded belts and Hannah Montana purses while the Styrofoam cup lady shooed us out of the store, lest her manager see what trouble this tall child had caused in a tween accessory store.
I'm bad with any kind of needles, really. Getting a shot requires the company of my patient mother, who understands her full-grown daughter buckles at the sight of a thin, sharp piece of metal. When it comes to vaccinations, though, I bear that burden, but a shocking number of Orange County parents are having their kids skip the process all together.
- According to the Orange County Health Department, 6.8 percent of the county system's student population last school year was exempt from vaccinations. That's a lot. Here's an interactive graphic to better explain it.
- In early August, Dr. Patricia Parker and Dr. Sarah Dempsey were appointed as the new chairwoman and assistant chairwoman of the Department of Communication, respectively. What's good, glass ceiling?
- Barbara Entwisle is stepping down after five years as vice chancellor for research to return to her passion of teaching. Watching television is my passion, but I'm going to keep working here for now because I dream of one day being gainfully employed.
The first-year seminar English 72: Literature of 9/11 has gained the attention of national news since freshman Alec Dent criticized the course on a conservative website. He said it seemed sympathetic to terrorists, and many people who have taken the course disagree. Dent has not taken the course or read the books himself, but he is a freshman in his third week, so we should probably trust him.
New zoning legislation in Raleigh will block food trucks from operating in areas where they've served people for years. They'll receive a total increase of two thousand acres in operational area, but that doesn't mean much if they can't park themselves where people want to buy food all the time, like inside The Daily Tar Heel office next to my desk.
According to a Quinnipiac University poll, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have the worst favorability ratings of any leading candidates. Voters think Clinton is untrustworthy, and I think Donald Trump is a bunch of clippings on the floor of a hairdresser's studio in New York City that clumped together and came to life.
UNC's football season starts Thursday with a game against South Carolina. Jeff Schoettmer, a redshirt senior, is pretty nervous because his first career start was a few years ago against the same team, and UNC lost. Now there's a lot of pressure on him to lead his younger teammates.
At the VMAs Sunday, Kanye West delivered a lengthy acceptance speech/short TED talk. He announced his candidacy for the 2020 election. Arts & Entertainment Editor Sarah Vassello explains why the famed cherub imagery lover's run is so compelling.
The hosts of the pop culture podcast Having It All, Alice Wilder and yours truly, asked the UNC community to share some favorite places to cry on campus. Priceless gems include Davis Library, Wendy's and "the complex maze of steam tunnels that snake beneath campus."
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