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Ellen Kim

NEWS 9/2/10 7:00pm

Parents face dilemma in punishment styles

By Ellen Kim

On July 6, 2010, ABC's "Good Morning America" aired a segment titled, "Parents vs Grandparents: Spanking Divides Generations." Spanking a child, as a disciplinary act, has become rather controversial, not only between the younger and older generations, but also among parents of all ages. An example of this divide was that between the couple Laura and Todd Mansfield of Portland, Ore., and Laura Mansfield's parents. The Mansfields' two children, both under the age of seven, were staying over at their grandparents' house for the weekend. The children were spanked by their grandparents after they were found pulling out their grandmother's flowers from the garden. The Mansfields, who never spank their children, were enraged. Laura Mansfield's father did not see spanking as traumatizing or harmful. After all, spanking had been a part of growing up. But the Mansfields felt otherwise. In fact, Laura Mansfield stated that she believed "spanking can be used as a form of abuse."

NEWS 2/25/10 6:00pm

Mock trial offers rewarding experience

By Ellen Kim

Rice University has a mock trial team, but not very many people know it exists. I've only been in the club for a semester, and I'm already used to the incredulous "Is that a club here?" As much as their reactions dishearten me at times, I can't blame these students.The Rice Mock Trial Team disbanded last year and was restarted last semester by a group of freshmen and sophomores, including myself. We were busy, to say the least. As we struggled to rebuild the team and learn the course material, all the while honing confidence and skill, we admittedly found ourselves more concerned with making it to the regionals unscathed than with promoting the club on campus.

NEWS 2/4/10 6:00pm

Criticism of photoshopping not necessarily deserved

By Ellen Kim

In the past couple of months, I've noticed some revived controversy over the editing of photos of models and celebrities. Of course, the concept and exploitation of photo manipulation is nothing new. The discussion has been in vogue for years, but it goes back even further than simply the invention of Photoshop - Stalin removed people from pictures when they got on his bad side, and even Mussolini edited out his horse handler to appear more imposing. Today, when photo manipulation, more commonly referred to as "photoshopping," is mentioned, fashion, magazines and perhaps even Facebook photos may come to mind. Apart from the general applications of photoshopping, such as inserting colorful backgrounds or textures, many often resort to tweaking pictures for purely aesthetic reasons. With programs ranging from user-friendly editors to professional software, the ability to create and convincingly enhance images has become prolific in our society, both commercially and personally. But to what extent are we willing to accept this warped image?

NEWS 11/5/09 6:00pm

Mature themes still sneak into kids' movies

By Ellen Kim

Have you ever watched a children's movie and found yourself saying, "This movie is not for kids"? Such thoughts ran through my head last week as I took in Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a film that made me wonder which morbid visionary decided the tragic story of a deformed bell-ringer would make a good children's classic. Before continuing, I will say that the movie itself was amazing. I had not seen Hunchback before last week, and I was impressed by its thematic breadth, dynamic composition and array of good and evil. But this was the appreciation of an 18-year-old. I doubt it would have the same significance for a child 10 years younger.

NEWS 10/8/09 7:00pm

Rec Center begs to be taken advantage of

By Ellen Kim

I hate to say it, but my first trip to the Barbara and David Gibbs Recreation and Wellness Center was disappointing. Lured last week by the offers of free towels and T-shirts, I entered Rice's newest addition after my economics class with expectations waiting to be fulfilled. But the towels were too small and, as far as I saw, the T-shirts were nonexistent.But these were the least of my tragic disappointments. There was no laser tag arena. No anti-gravity chamber. Only a couple indoor basketball courts, a handful of multi-purpose rooms, a few racquetball and squash courts, a measly 9,000 square-foot cardio and weights space, one recreation pool and a 50-meter outdoor competition pool.

NEWS 9/17/09 7:00pm

Longing for home possible to alleviate

By Ellen Kim

No one else seemed to be having a problem. It was as though everyone was okay with living on, what seemed to me, an alien planet - a world devoid of everything I had ever known and loved. I am not exaggerating. College made me feel miserable and terrified, but most of all, alone in my misery and terror.Showing up at Rice was one of the most heart-wrenching moments of my life. And I know you're probably re-reading that sentence to make sure I had written it correctly. Did she say "heart-wrenching?" Is she insane?

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