Starhawk on the end times:

A lone, muck-covered Barbie doll in the vast debris after Hurricane Katrina inspired earth-based spirituality leader Starhawk’s talk, “Goddesses for the End Times,” Monday, 7 p.m. at Alice Millar Chapel.

To Starhawk, the doll was symbolic of a goddess who would save humanity from what she calls, the “end times.”

The end times, according to Starhawk, is the end of the secular world. It is not necessarily the end of the world itself, but the culmination of the destructive path humans have imposed on the earth.

She mentioned two crucial issues of the end times – peak oil and climate change. According to Starhawk, peak oil crisis occurs when about half of an oil reserve has been extracted.

Extracting the rest of the oil from a reserve is not only expensive, but requires the unnecessary use of energy.

Starhawk said there are many estimates as to when the peak oil will be reached on a global scale – some say decades, five years, months; others say we may have already reached it.

Climate change is something we seriously need to be worried about, said Starhawk. She mentioned the melting of ice caps in Greenland, the rise of waves by 20 or more feet and the displacement of people in lowland areas.

“We are entering a period of tremendous global instability but we have no way to know what it’s going to look like,” said Starhawk. “Basically it’s not good.”

Which is why volunteering in New Orleans was so important to Starhawk.

“I wanted to see what happened in a place where everything crashed,” she said. “I learned every official institution that was supposed to function didn’t. It should be our national shame.”

Thinking about the destruction of New Orleans and the current state of the world, led Starhawk to question what we as humans need to get us through these times.

Enter the great goddess.

One of the magical teachings in the goddess tradition is the belief in the goddess. Starhawk said it is our belief in her that allows her to crystallize into a deeper form of life. And once she exists, we can evoke her in us and draw inspiration and strength from her.

According to Starhawk, we need to give up our very powerful cultural story – the story that tells us we have transcended nature’s limits. We need to go back to our bodies and admit we do die. The cycle of birth, death, growth and renewal is essential and sacred in the goddess tradition. And when we approach her in that way, she renews our souls and spirits.

“Goddesses are powerful metaphors which show us that power is not always aggressive,” said Starhawk. “We have to embrace the earth, our bodies and the cycle of birth, death, regeneration and the great powers working with us.”

During the question and answer session, a woman proposed marriage to a surprised Starhawk who ignored the request and instead, answered the woman’s next question.

Starhawk’s talk was part of the religious conference entitled, “The Feminine Divine in Cross-Cultural Perspective,” held Sunday through Tuesday at Northwestern University.

Talbot spoke about “Reporting on Tomorrow,” today at noon in Fisk 211, and touched upon online and literary journalism.

“I’m an admirer of Slate and Salon.com,” Talbot said. “I have to because my brother started it.”

Talbot praised online journalism for enabling journalists to report things first-hand or, in the case of citizen journalists, use cell phones to provide pictures of important incidents such as the July 7th bombing blasts in London in 2005 and tsunami in Southeast Asia in 2004.

Also, a majority of popular online journalistic sites are opinion-oriented, said Talbot. She said this is great but feels that these sites are usually not analytical enough and do not always give the entire context of a story they are commenting on. And despite the prominence and demand for online storytelling, long-form journalism remains a flourishing genre, Talbot said.

Long-form stories allow journalists to spend months, if not years, with a subject to delve beneath the surface. Originally used for profiling marginal members of society, long-form pieces also can be good for profiling people in power to “get beyond the press conferences,” Talbot said.

However, long-form journalism takes time and effort to research and write and has been criticized for not being “analytical” enough. Some critics have labeled literary journalism as “sob-sister stories” — the kind of stories that invoke emotion for no reason.

Despite the criticism, Talbot believes that as long as long-form satiates the audience’s basic emotional and ascetic need, it will always have a place in journalism.

She ended her talk with advice:

- As a writer, be the most alert observer, as if you were going to a foreign county. Without interesting details, you can’t have a story.

And for college students interested in honing their literary journalism skills, Talbot said:

-The best way to learn how to write, in any case, is to write.

-Read what you admire and try to emulate the style — without plagiarizing.

“That’s how I learned to write,” said Talbot. “I read works that I admired.”

- Don’t know what to write about? Go out to a neighborhood in Chicago (a safe one or at least with proper guidance and protection) and write about a topic in the style of writing you admire.

- While it may be hard to do long-form writing in college, it is not impossible.

Talbot has also written for The New York Times Magazine, Salon and The Atlantic Monthly. As a New America Senior Fellow, Talbot was awarded a Whiting Writer’s Award in 1999.

Dear Taren,

At Northwestern, everyone seems to move from dorms to apartments by their junior year. It’s the “thing” to do. I’m torn because I enjoy the convenience of being two minutes away from my classes and living in a community. At the same time, next year all my friends will have moved into apartments and I’ll be left alone. What are some pros and cons of dorm vs. apartment living that can help me decide what to do?

– Two Torn

Dear TT,

I totally understand your dilemma. A lot of my friends are going through the same ordeal.

Junior year is an awkward time – you’re almost old news, but not quite. I mean, not that I would know or anything. I’m just guessing.

Dentures aside, it would be a bit awkward to be living with second-years and a new batch of freshies in your dorm still “getting adjusted” to life at Northwestern. You’ve been there and done that – and for most juniors, it’s time to move on.

You want freedom and independence. And nothing screams “bad-ass junior” than having your own apartment. Or going abroad. Or being a CA (another option to consider).

But while there are perks to living in a dorm -– the sense of security, the dining hall, proximity to classes, hanging with the youngin’s and playing party informer for them –- you have to ask yourself if the benefits outweigh the independence.

If it was me, I’d totally move out. Sure you’d have to cook and clean up after yourself, but whatevs. You’ll be living on your own soon anyway. You might as well start now.

Good luck.

– Taren

Dear Taren,

I have this “friend” who is so overbearing. I say “friend” because she really isn’t my friend. She only thinks she is. In fact, she thinks we’re best friends. I met her last year and ever since then she latched herself on to me and hasn’t stopped. Over the summer she called me like three times a day to see what I was doing. So far this year I’ve managed to dodge her for two weeks straight. But she found me. I tried telling her that I needed some space. And then she asked me when I would be available to get a pedicure with her. How do I get her to leave me alone?

– Absolutely Smothered

Dear AS,

Yeah…okay. Wow. Now, that I’ve regained my speech, I am seriously scared for you. This girl seems really intense. And not the kind of person I would lead on. Or be friends with. Obviously you made quite an impression for her to call you three times a day this summer. And then hunt you down like a madman. I mean, woman.

Maybe she just needs friends. Or maybe she’s paranoid because she can sense that her “best friend” hates her guts. Or at least is absolutely irritated by her.

In any case, just be blunt. Tell her that she is the bane of your existence and you want her to attach herself to someone else. Someone who cares. Or call University Police. Or get a restraining order. Or do all three.

Of course you don’t want to hurt her feelings (or maybe you do) but seriously tell her how you feel. And she’ll get the point. Hopefully.

– Taren

Dear Taren,

I really like this guy and he seems awesome. He’s smart, cute, funny and treats girls with respect (from what I hear and know personally) but I always meet him at dance parties so there hasn’t been much opportunity to talk, and so far it’s really awkward. I really want to get to know him better but I don’t want to put myself in a weird situation with him. What can I do to find if we’re compatible or not? Should I go after it or should I just forget about the situation?

-Avoiding awkward moments

Dear AAM,

If you have $40 at your disposal, set up an account with eHarmony.com and fill out a compatibility test. That way, you’re guaranteed to find your scientifically-proven handsome prince and live happily ever –- in six months or less. Or, if you’re broke (like me), chances are you’ll have to rely on fate to screw your heart over a million times before finding a half-decent guy.

But, in the meantime, give him a chance. If you really like this guy and want to have an actual relationship with him, try adding him on AIM and chatting with him there. If you would rather skip the preliminaries and get to know him face-to-face, try going out with a group. It’ll relieve a lot of the tension. But if neither of you know any mutual friends, take a chance and go on a date. Honestly, how often does a girl find a guy at Northwestern who’s nice, handsome, funny, smart and awesome – with pure intentions? (Sorry guys, maybe I’m just being bitter.) I think it’ll be worth your time and effort to pursue this prospect. However if it doesn’t work out, don’t fret. The right guy for you is out there. Maybe just not at Northwestern.

– Taren

Dear Taren,

I hooked up with this hot guy but I forgot to get his name or number. How do I find him?

P.S. I was not drunk.

-I swear I was sober

Dear ISIWS,

Um, okay. I think I get the idea. You weren’t drunk. At all. You just “forgot” to get contact information from a hot guy whom you made out with. Good job. How did you get into Northwestern again? Haha. Okay, sorry I couldn’t resist asking. My bad.

Luckily, our campus is small enough that you might have a good chance of seeing him in person or know someone who knows someone who might know him. Or you could Facebook stalk him. Although that might be difficult as you have nothing to go on except his face. If you even remember what he looks like. But other than that, you should just forget about it. If it’s meant to be, you’ll somehow connect again. If not, no big.

– Taren

Dear Taren,

I like this guy but he is super religious. Not that I have a problem with him being religious, it’s just that I feel so awkward when I talk to him, like I’m afraid to offend him. He’s such a wonderful guy and I really want to start dating him, but I don’t think he has ever held hands with a girl before. My friends tell me that every guy has urges no matter how religious they are, but I don’t know about him. He seems too innocent and God-fearing to even think about “doing it.” What should I do? Should I try suggesting dating to him or should I just pass?

– Lusting after a saint

Dear LAAS,

If you feel so awkward talking to him, then why would you want to date him? Try to spend more time with him and get a feel (haha) for what he’s like. He might surprise you. Then when you feel like you know him better and actually know (a.k.a. he tells you) that he has feelings for you, you can decide whether or not you want to forge a romantic relationship.

By that time you should be comfortable enough with him (and vice versa) to ask him about his religious beliefs and why he lives his life the way he does. Respect his values and don’t take offense if he tells you he’s waiting until he gets married to have sex. Of course, romantic relationships should not be based on sex. Right? I mean, theoretically speaking. Whatever. Just get to know the guy first and go from there.

–Taren

Dear Taren,

I really admire a prominent celebrity and this week I requested to be in the audience of her show. I didn’t get in. However, a female friend who applied after me got a spot on the show. I feel as though because she’s a girl and I’m not, the celebrity chose her over me.

Taren, what should I do? Should I get a sex-change operation? Or should I just accept that my favorite celebrity simply caters to an audience of women?

– Lost in Translation

Dear LIT,

Well if you want female parts and can afford it then by all means, go for it. I won’t judge. But beware, your new bodily changes might scare away any potential female dates — and any hopes of “Big Pimpin’.”

Female parts aside, it may be time for you to fixate your admiration on a different celebrity – one who has her “people” (a.k.a. lower minions on her totem pole of greatness) treat her fans, male or female, with respect. Although, the turn of events was most likely a mistake. Or maybe it was one of her reps who didn’t give you the time of day. Whatever the case is, just forget about it.

–Taren

NU’s Marsel Mesulam, a professor of neurology and psychiatry, and Martha Farah of the University of Pennsylvania, a professor of psychology, discussed the science and ethics of brain-imaging technology.

Mesulam highlighted historical milestones of the technology, before breezing through a number of brain experiments. One brain-imaging trial was able to detect how much one person is attracted to another, for instance. But despite such advances, which let researchers see neurological reactions “as if we are looking at the brain in our hands,” Mesulam warned against the danger of “excessive zeal.”

“Functional imaging is nowhere near to being a lie detector, at least not yet, not in the current state,” Mesulam said. “The field has changed and will never be the same. But not all answers can be answered by functional imaging and not all answers are interpretable.”

Farah discussed the ethics of trying to read the brain. A lot of people, from employers to the FBI, are interested in using brain imaging to peek into people’s minds. Brain imaging has some ability to detect whether people are actually remembering things or they’re making up a memory, at least in laboratory situations. It also has been used to measure mental traits, cognitive ability, personality, interests and attitudes in normal folk (a.k.a. non-convicted criminals or terrorists).

But with such “shockingly accurate” technology available, the distinction between the limitations of personal privacy versus the public’s right to know is blurred. Where do you draw the line? What is one’s right to one’s own personal thoughts?

The best way to deal with new technology is to for scientists, policy makes and the public to talk about it, Farah said. She also stressed that because this technology is not always reliable or consistent, it’s “not ready for prime time yet.”

Organized by the Department of Neurobiology and Physiology, the event was sixth in a series of public outreach programs focusing on the developments in the life sciences.

Dear Taren,

I went out on a date with this girl. She’s nice, and there are a lot of things that I like about her. However, I just discovered that she goes home (an hour away) about every two weeks to visit her little sister for an entire weekend – and she used to go home even more often. Apparently they go to the movies and hang out. As someone who has comparatively little contact with family, I’m weirded out by this. Am I wrong to think it’s super-immature to go home so often?

–Not sure she’s mature

Dear NSSM,

Well look on the bright side, at least she goes home less than she used to. Okay, so it is a bit strange that she goes home every other weekend just to hang out with her sister, but maybe she’s just really family oriented. Or maybe she hasn’t found a group of friends here to hang out with during the weekend. Or maybe she just doesn’t like the party/study weekend scene here. Whatever the case, try casually bringing it up to her the next time you talk to her. Find out why she’d rather watch movies with her sister than cuddle up with you (haha, just kidding). If you find her reason to be valid, then by all means man, get your sexy on! But if not, it’s up to you to decide whether or not you still want to date her. I don’t think you should lower your dating status to “just friends” just because she goes home a lot. And even if it turns out that she is socially awkward, don’t just kick her to the curb – unless you feel the need to. Good luck.

Dear Taren,

Yesterday, I broke up with my boyfriend of three years, and it happened really out of the blue. Now I feel guilty and awful about it, but I feel it was something that needed to happen for me to grow as a person. How do I move on and have fun in college without feeling I’m betraying what we had?

–Guilty (Ex) Girlfriend

Dear GEG,

Wow, three years! Now that’s commitment. But despite your long run, breaking up was the right thing to do. I don’t know all the details of the situation, but obviously you know the breakup was necessary for you to grow as a person. And while it still hurts (I know. I broke up with my high school sweetheart of two years because I believed we couldn’t bridge the distance), all you can do is have faith in your decision and move on. You shouldn’t feel guilty for wanting to be on your own and single. Part of being in college is learning how to be your own person, and as cheesy as this sounds, be independent. I’m not saying that having romantic relationships (and then some) in college is a bad thing – it’s different for everyone. Personally, I think being single while in college is the best way to be. But that’s just me. In the meantime though, don’t beat yourself up too much about it. You did what you felt was right and that’s all that matters. Just have (safe) fun and try not to think about it too much.

–Taren

Dear Taren,
I have a semi-stalker and it’s freaking me out. He randomly shows up everywhere I go and insists on talking to me. I see him in the dining hall, in passing, hell, I even have him in one of my classes. He is so creepy and I wish he would leave me alone. How do I tell him to buzz off without being mean? Help!

—I hate being semi-stalked

Dear IHBS-S,
Um… just tell him to f*** off. And you’re not a big fan of direct approaches, try telling him you have your period — permanently — and his constant craving for unwanted conversations (and God knows what else) will eventually drive you to do something crazy, and in a bad way. Or you could of course, just be subtle – like walking way from him in the middle of a conversation or running for your life in the opposite direction as soon as you see him. Those tactics will definitely get the point across – and you’d never have to tell him face-to-face! =)

Although any one of the aforementioned tactics is worth a try, just be civil with him. Say “hi” when you see him and move on – quickly.

—Taren

Dear Taren,
As Family Weekend approaches, I’ve been a little concerned about the awkwardness that is about to ensue. My parents, who have been divorced for a few years now, are both coming to the football game with their new spouses. I know that this weekend will just turn into some crappy version of “American Beauty.” The problem is that I can’t convince them to come at different times. How can I best handle this?

—A worried “wish I could just hide the shot glasses and be done with it” student

Dear… okay an acronym would be too long, so I’mma do this Flava Flav style and I’mma call you “Poor Thing”,
Sorry if that was a bit insensitive, just trying to cheer you up. =D

But seriously…yikes! There is only one thing you can do: deal with it. While subduing your sorrows with ten million shots of alcohol may not be best the best thing for your wallet (or your health), the cheapest (and safest) way to assuage one hell of an awkward weekend is to talk to your parents, individually of course.

Tell them how you feel and ask them to keep their quarrels and parading of their new spouses to a minimum – after all, they both insisted on showing up for Family Weekend. And if that doesn’t work, count me in on the debauchery. Kidding. I’m a moral and upright person and am not legally allowed to do so, theoretically speaking. But look on the bright side: It’s only a weekend.

—Taren

Dear Taren,
One of my guy friends asked me out on a date. It was completely strange and out of the blue. I’ve known him for a year and throughout the course of our friendship he’s never hinted at his feelings for me. Needless to say, I was surprised and grossed out. I told him ‘no’ but he insisted we “take a rain check.” I told him I’d think about it. How do I tell him I’m not interested without hurting his feelings?

—Hell no to friends with benefits

Dear Hell no,
Whoa. So I’m guessing he’s fugly. Sucks for you. And for Mr. Slick of course, who thinks he’s got a date in the bag. Poor thing. But I do give him points for trying. I don’t know too many fuglies who would attempt such a feat. I’m kidding. Fugly or not, the dude obviously has the guts to spill his guts to you – and that’s impressive. However, it does not automatically render him sexy, or as my friends and I like to call it, an “xyz” (a.k.a. romantic possibility).

Pull him aside when no one else is around (Ooooh…so romantic! Haha.) and tell him that though he’s a great and awesome person, you just want to keep things on the friends level (insert lame but honest and heartfelt excuse here). Chances are, he’ll understand and take your answer in stride. Things might be a little awkward from there on out, but nothing a little space won’t solve. And if he bursts out into an estrogen-driven fit, he’ll always have a new episode of Oprah to console him.

—Taren

Dear Taren,
Last weekend I partied kind of hard. Long story short, I ended up vomiting on one of my notebooks. When I woke up, I popped two aspirin and then realized I had completely ruined the syllabus for that class. I don’t have any friends in the class and I’m scared of the professor. What should I do to make sure I know enough about the class to pass?

—Booting out of B-Range

Dear BOBR,
Are you serious? Like seriously, are you serious? Hmm… okay, I guess you are. Just ask the professor for a copy of the syllabus! =D Your parents don’t spend their (possibly) hard-earned money for you to fail your classes because you’re too scared to approach the professor. Seriously – get that syllabus, by any means possible. I don’t care if you have to steal a copy from someone dozing off in class or become buddies with a big bald guy wearing a dress (which is totally cool, I’m a very open person). And by the way, Blackboard and TAs do exist.

—Taren