Campbell Mattix

I'm going to vent for a moment, so strap yourself in. Last week one of my professors asked me what organizations I'm a part of. Embarrassment coursed through my gut. I realized that I was currently not a part of any organizations and felt like I was missing out. My next feeling was frustration. How could I possibly do more? School is not just school when you have student loans as large and overwhelming as the skyscrapers in Los Angeles. Suddenly every grade becomes twice as worrisome because if I don’t get a great job I may be living a life in the red. By adding honors to my degree, both within USC and my major, you would think my nausea would subside. Well, as it turns out, taking on these extra labels means you actually have to work a whole lot more. This means adding thousands of pages of reading to each month and the constant reminder that you’re not going to be done until you graduate in a few years. This feeling is intensified by the constant search for inter...

The PBS documentary Botany of Desire: The Apple Chapter tells the story of the apple in two sections: The history of the apple The apple today The History of the Apple When sweetness was rare in the human diet, apples were a perfect option because they were high in calories and portable. Appealing to mammal, and specifically human, taste was essential in the spread of apples. People, like Johnny Apple Seed in 1774, greatly increased the spread of apples in the New World by purposefully transporting and planting seeds.  Eventually, apples were originally used to create hard cider. Surprisingly, apples that taste the worst made the best alcohol. By in the 1830's, there was a revolt against alcohol, and the apple tree was vilified. The apple had to adapt, so then sweet apples began to take up almost all of the apple market. This continues today.  The Apple Today Farmers are like bees because they are both controlled by plants. But farmers have started to gain an...

The Happiest Place Why Every USC Student Should Go to Disneyland Where can you board an intergalactic roller coaster and hop on a flying elephant in the same day? Or search for treasure in a hidden temple and rocket through the Matterhorn on a bobsled within an hour? Now imagine walking into a magical place that houses all these attractions (plus 50 more), for only $97 a day. This is Disneyland . For USC students, a trip to Disneyland is essential because Disneyland is: The Mouse’s House (Plus So Much More) The Best of the Best The Epitome of Education The Mouse’s House (Plus So Much More) When you scan your ticket and run through the glorious gates of Disneyland in Anaheim, California, make sure you grab a map. Take a look and you’ll see a humongous castle and 8 worlds surrounding it. I know the layout like the back of my hand. Starting from the entrance and moving clockwise: Main Street, U.S.A. is a town square that houses dozens of s...