According to USA Today, the 13th Floor Haunted House in Denver is one of the 5 best haunted houses in the country. However, nowadays, the 13th Floor seems to be blown out of proportion by its reputation and hampered by it. Even on a Monday night, groups spend only a fifth of the time inside the attraction as they do waiting in line, and parking costs just as much as an extra ticket as the streets were lined with parked cars for three blocks in every direction. That being said, should you go to this event, be sure to arrive on time or even early to your scheduled ticket time to save yourself the one to two hours spent in line. Also, be sure to have $20 cash for parking and a good deal of patience to work through the crowds, traffic, and remarkably condescending and aggressive lot attendants.
Read MoreThái Bảo Vietnamese Review
By: Madelynn Loring, staff writer
Upon entering Thái Bảo Vietnamese, the ambiance prepares you for one of the best meals of your life. Paris by Night, a long-running Vietnamese musical production, plays on a box television underneath small mirror displays covered in flowers. Young children and college students alike stare in awe at the aquarium display beneath the register. The staff offer a warm welcome and are truly passionate about their work.
But the heart and soul of any restaurant is the food, and Thái Bảo Vietnamese never fails. Offering everything from cultural staples to specials piled with various decadent meats and vegetables, Thái Bảo Vietnamese packs a flavourful, authentic punch in every bite. If you’re looking for a first taste of Vietnamese culture, go for the phở. Phở (pronounced fuh, as in pho-ck you) is a traditional noodle soup dish. Blending spices and herbs, phở broth is a delicious blend of sour and savory, and can be accompanied by red meats and vegetables alongside classic rice noodles. Additionally, phở from Thái Bảo Vietnamese are accompanied by a platter of possible add-ons. A squeeze of lime, a sprinkle of cilantro, and a few bean sprouts can add even greater depth to this delicious meal.
This is the place to eat where the locals do. Sandra Vo, fellow staff writer at the Highlander says that the authentic flavors and offerings reminds her of home and how much she’d “taken [her] mother’s cooking for granted” after moving away from home. But, located just east of the Regis Bookstore, Thái Bảo offers a journey into Vietnamese cuisine for those longing for a taste of home and for those just discovering it. The dozens of menu options mean that there is something for everyone at this restaurant, including vegetarians. From phở to rice bowls, stir fry to lo mien, and even Vietnamese hot pot, the possibilities are all but endless. With this culinary magic just a ten minute walk from campus, heading to Thái Bảo Vietnamese is a no-brainer.
photos by: Madelynn Loring
Holidays in the Time of COVID
By: Morgan Jacobus, Editor in Chief
COVID has made so many dramatic changes to so many different aspects of our lives, but something that affected me more than I thought it would was the effect of COVID on the holidays.
For me and my family, we normally have a simple holiday, just the three of us. We never threw any parties, or hosted any get-togethers, we just spent time together; me, my mama, and my dad. Since we usually have a rather isolated holiday already, I didn’t think I would feel that affected come time for the holidays. However, there were subtle things that I missed that made a big difference.
Read MoreThe Diminishing Value of Your Vote
By: Jesse Stuart, Staff Writer
Just before his death, Osman Hamdi Bey painted a portrait of an old man attempting to train tortoises and succeeded in indirectly depicting the inherent deficiencies of a dying government. Bey was the preeminent artist during the Tanzimat, a time when the Ottoman Empire was struggling to adopt the technological innovations of Europe while preserving their sense of identity and culture. In his 1906 painting, The Tortoise Trainer, Bey displays the simple scene of an elder (who bears a resemblance to the painter himself) using a flute and vegetables to train the tortoises at his feet.
The image is a satirical one; regardless of who the man and the reptiles are meant to represent, he is an antiquated figure in antiquated garb and using antiquated techniques to coach creatures for a pointless purpose (tortoises were once used as living decorations but certainly no longer by 1906), rendering this entire moment an anachronism: there is no reform or action that the Ottoman government can take to salvage itself, as the political structures by which it operates are the very nooses slowly tightening around its neck.
You can look at The Tortoise Trainer and think of the Ottoman Empire, ‘destined’ to fall and fracture after World War One, but I see the United States in every brushstroke, a comparison quite evident not just by the candidates of the 2020 election but attitude of its voters.
Read MoreRuth Bader Ginsburg: A Legacy That Will Live On
“My mother had two lessons that she repeated over and over ‘be a lady’ and ‘be independent.’ Be a lady meant don’t allow yourself to be overcome by useless emotions like anger, and by independent she meant ‘it would be fine if you met prince charming and lived happily ever after, but… be able to fend for yourself,’” said Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Nearly a month ago the Associate Justice for the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, unfortunately passed due to a decline in health. Although all of her supporters were in mourning, there was a collective response that all of her work needed to be spread. I find myself among these supporters and feel as though it is important to display a glimpse of how her drive pushed society into an era of women's rights.
Read MoreRed Flag Campaign and Women's Issues
By: Hannah Ury, Staff Writer
On Sept. 23rd, the Office of Victim Advocacy and Violence Prevention set up a display on the quad with a sign that read, “Say something when you see warning signs (red flags) for sexual assault, dating violence, or stalking. Put a flag in the ground to show your support!”
Photo by Morgan Jacobus
Last week, the Red Flag Campaign was featured on campus outside of the Student Center. They hosted a Zoom discussion regarding relationship violence and sexual assault, but aside from that it did not receive a whole lot of attention on campus. The Red Flag Campaign is a part of the Intimate Partner Violence/Sexual Assault Research Development Group in the Institute for Women’s Health at Virginia Commonwealth University, designed to bring awareness to the issues of relationship violence that can be prevalent on college campuses and beyond. While it can feel like the topic gets beat to death, it is ultimately more important now than ever to bring attention to women’s issues.
With the recent Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett, it is clear that women’s rights are under attack, and if Barrett is approved, they could be for decades. Not only would she restrict a woman’s right to safe abortion, including cases of rape, she would also restrict access to helpful organizations like Planned Parenthood. While the Red Flag Campaign is doing incredibly important work, it is ultimately a team effort that will achieve the necessary results for women in America.
Already President Trump has taken significant action against sexual assault survivors on college campuses. Title IX, a rule concerning sex-based discrimination and sexual assault on college campuses, has been severely limited by his administration. While the goal of the Red Flag Campaign and other survivor advocacy groups is to make it as easy as possible for survivors to report instances of sexual misconduct, the Trump administration has done its best to ensure survivors do not report what happens to them. What had previously been a broad definition intended to allow for ease of reporting has now been narrowed to “severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive” actions of sexual misconduct, according to his new version of Title IX. This definition is extremely harmful to survivors trying to report sexual misconduct because it is entirely subjective. As a result of the subjectivity of the rule, administrations who want to lower their school’s sexual misconduct statistics can simply decide that instances of clear misconduct were not actually severe enough to justify investigation. Rather than giving power to victims who simply want to see some sort of justice, President Trump has given power to the abusers and college administrations.
While attacks such as these can make college students feel powerless, it is important to remember why an extremely conservative Supreme Court nominee is being pushed through at the last hour. Conservatives know the power young people hold. Young people have the ability to sway elections, and for the first time we can have more impact on this election than the Baby Boomer generation. Sexual assault survivors are counting on us to preserve their rights, and for that reason along with a billion others, voting is more important now than ever. The Red Flag Campaign is an example of what survivors of relationship violence and sexual misconduct deserve: someone to stand in their corner. Vote this November and do your part in standing with survivors.