Special Projects

Senior Spotlight: Multi-hyphenate Daniel Cho composes life after Rice

From music composition to multivariable calculus, one prolific artist has excelled at it all. Daniel Cho, a double major in violin performance and composition at the Shepherd School of Music, began playing the violin around the age of five and won a competition for his first original composition at the age of nine. In addition to his impressive portfolio, Cho is minoring in business and is set to intern in Los Angeles this summer at Crowe, a global accounting firm, before returning to Rice to earn his Masters in Accounting. He hopes that his experience in finance will be another string on his bow to position himself in Los Angeles long term, where he can begin composing music for film soundtracks.

Review: Bluestone Lane makes a splash in Rice Village

Australian-inspired, New York-based Bluestone Lane just opened its second Texas cafė in Rice Village, so naturally the Thresher put on our nicest Sunday brunch attire (featuring Riya’s best boxer shorts), grabbed our camera and headed over to check it out. With its seafoam-blue tiles and beach-themed decor, including numerous fake ferns, Bluestone’s interior is reminiscent of a middle-aged woman’s bathroom. Admittedly, the decor is more appropriate when considering that the cafė caters to working professionals with readily disposable incomes, hence the $9.50 charge for a berry smoothie. Although the menu prices were exorbitant, the food and coffee were incredible.

Review: ‘Cocaine Bear’ is delightfully gory with blow, blood and (obviously) bears

If you’re looking for a short movie that contains drugs, gore and drama, all without losing its comedic heart and absurdist elements, look no further than “Cocaine Bear,” a comedy-drama directed by Elizabeth Banks and, notably, Ray Liotta’s first posthumous release. The story is (very) loosely based on a real bear found dead in 1985 after ingesting millions of dollars worth of lost cocaine. Although that bear did not go on a killing rampage, “Cocaine Bear” takes many liberties from its origin, making its main creature desecrate Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, leaving few survivors by the end. 

Review: ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ is a brainless disappointment

Before beginning this review, I want to acknowledge that I am aware of the controversy surrounding this game. I want to make my position on the trans community explicitly clear. Transgender people have a right to exist and a right to live their life free of harassment from individuals that seek to demean and degrade them. I believe I speak for everyone at the Thresher when I say that I condemn the statements that J.K. Rowling has made. Simply put, you cannot say that you support and love trans women and then tweet out “Merry TERFmas”. 

Review: Run to ‘Moulin Rouge,’ a sparkling, red-hot spectacular

“Moulin Rouge! The Musical” hit the Hobby Center this week, and it is worth a watch. The show is a jukebox musical featuring many popular and recognizable songs, and is based on the 2001 movie by the same name. I went into the show not knowing what to expect and left wishing that the show could go on for longer. Long story short, I loved it. 

Bull ride and barrel race at the Rodeo

Everyone say “yee-haw” because it’s that time of year again — the weather is finally back in the 80’s, midterm assignments have every Rice student in tears and the annual Houston Rodeo has come to town. Running from Feb. 28 to March 19 at NRG Park and attracting around two million visitors each year, even if you haven’t yet been to the Houston Rodeo you’ve probably heard about it. While this might not be your first rodeo, it may be your first in Houston, so here’s the Thresher’s guide to navigating the Houston Rodeo this year. 

Body swaps, zombie girlfriends and cover letters: Seniors talk Creative Writing

Savannah Carren’s senior project starts with murder by peanut butter and jelly knife. The piece, which Carren is currently working on for the English major’s creative writing concentration, is a high concept science fiction screenplay about body swaps, struggles with mental health and the general malaise of life.

This year’s Mavis C. Pitman exhibition provides space to play and reflect

Grounded in a playful exploration of the self, childhood and narratives that are traditionally forgotten; this year’s Mavis C. Pitman Exhibition opens on Friday, March 3 and runs until March 31 on the second floor of the Moody Center for the Arts. The Mavis C. Pitman Fellowship is awarded to a select group of senior VADA students, who each earn $1500 to create a piece of art. This year’s winners were Lily Weeks, Katie Kirkpatrick, and duo Jeff Xia and Peyton Chiang. 

MBB needs to fix defense in time for tournament

The Rice men’s basketball team started the season firing on all cylinders, winning 11 of their first 14 games and finishing the month of January with a 15-6 record. However, the team struggled in February, losing six of the eight games they played during the month. Sitting sixth in Conference USA, with just two games left in the regular season, the Owls must figure out how to fix their flaws if they hope to make waves at the conference tournament next week. 

Fied the beast: MBB’s Fiedler does it all, on and off the court

It doesn’t take a basketball analyst to figure out which NBA player junior forward Max Fiedler models his game after, and it just so happens to be the player that the 6’11 forward from Indialantic, Florida has admired his whole life.

Fast start propels WBB past Charlotte on Senior Day

Starting an all-senior lineup, the Rice women’s basketball team never trailed on their way to a 64-52 win over the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on Saturday. The Senior Day win improved Rice to 20-7 on the year and marked their eighth consecutive home win. 

Baseball sinks at Sunken Diamond, swept by No. 2 Stanford

The baseball team was swept by Stanford University, the No. 2 team in the country, last weekend. Despite the sweep, however, the Owls kept the first and third games of the series close, showing glimpses of what they hope to be a turnaround under second year head coach Jose Cruz Jr. According to Cruz, the opportunity to play against a top-ranked team this early in the season gave the Owls a spotlight to show what they have been building.

The case for letting the SA burn

In his 1995 essay “The Case for Letting Malibu Burn,” historian Mike Davis advocates for a “controlled burn” of the opulent — and wildfire-prone — California city. Continuing to pour resources into attempts at shielding Malibu from the natural fire cycle, Davis argues, is an unsustainable practice with numerous opportunity costs to the greater community.

It’s time for Rice to be serious about its climate pledges

Rice is not serious enough about its climate pledges. On February 11, when Rice’s campus was enmeshed by the Rice Marriage Pact, Rice’s 2030 Carbon Neutral pledge celebrated its one year anniversary. Rice hasn’t yet published any progress towards emissions reduction or other sustainability metrics. Missing data is not just an administrative inaction, but reveals how the pledges are actually built on flawed “net zero” frameworks and problematic “carbon offsets.” What counts as carbon emissions? Do historical emissions count? How about the increasing social cost of carbon? Rice must make a public commitment to publishing measurable sustainability goals and data and supporting student-led sustainability initiatives. 

Beer Bike accommodations are common sense

During the Student Association senate meeting on Monday, Feb. 27, student leaders shot down a proposed resolution calling for the Faculty Senate to prohibit midterm exams or major assignments being scheduled during both the week of and after Beer Bike. Though we agree with the SA that this proposal is far too unrealistic to ever get through Faculty Senate, there is some merit in the intentions behind it. As part of the Rice community, faculty should understand the cultural significance of Beer Bike as the ultimate Rice tradition — for all of campus — and consider avoiding scheduling exams or major deadlines immediately after it.

Dining Jack

Baseball heads to No. 2 Stanford twenty years after CWS final

Twenty years ago, Stanford University was the second-best team in college baseball. The Cardinal finished that season as runners-up in the College World Series, falling short to a team from a small Texas school – Rice. Two decades later, Stanford is once again the No. 2 team in college baseball – this time according to the weekly D1Baseball poll and not postseason results – but the Owls haven’t sniffed the rankings in over half a decade.

Bellamy’s career night leads WBB past second-place WKU

With the conference season winding down, the Owls cemented their spot in the top half of Conference USA by taking down second-placed Western Kentucky University on the road.

Karine Jean-Pierre announced as commencement speaker

Karine Jean-Pierre, current White House press secretary and presidential advisor, will be the 2023 commencement speaker, President Reginald DesRoches announced in an email to the Rice community on Wednesday morning. 

02-22-2023 Crossword Solutions