Photo credit: RAINIER EHRHARDT / AP

Glitter. The sparkly and colorful party favorite has always been emblematic of celebrations and good times.

Not anymore.

Lately, glitter has become a weapon of choice for demonstrators.

No politician is safe.

“Glitter bombing”, a phrase coined for the act of bombarding a target with doses of colorful glitter, is a new phenomenon intended to show disapproval of a candidate’s stance on certain political and social matters

You may find yourself asking, “Why glitter?”

Nick Espinosa, a 25-year-old protester who immersed Newt Gingrich in a Cheez-It box full of glitter, has his reasons.

When asked why he chose the colorful substance to make a political statement, Espinosa referred to the confetti-like demonstration as:

“a harmless but a sensational way to bring attention to serious issues.”

Well, these glitter crusaders certainly have our attention.

Take a look at this video of Republican candidate Mitt Romney as he is blasted making his way to the stage.

While Romney seemed amused at the showers of festive bits, Gingrich was less than amused with his sparkly encounter which he described as:

“an assault and should be treated as such.”

Would you consider glitter bombing as assault? Could these protesters face jail time?

Is this just another non-violent form of protest or does this act get too up close and personal to our beloved politicians?

…Am I the only one who thinks we are wasting perfectly good glitter, or what?

Applications are due on Friday, April 6th. They must be submitted to the Women's Center. Please be sure to follow all of the instructions in order to be considered as an eligible applicant.

The U.S. Department of State's Fall 2012 Student Internship Program is still accepting applications.

Click here (http://careers.state.gov/students/programs) to read more about the Student Internship Program, and to start the Gateway to State online application process.

Please note that the deadline to submit completed applications is March 02, 2012. You have until 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the closing date of this announcement to complete the application process and upload/fax all required documents (transcripts, etc).

To be eligible for this program, you must:

• Be a U.S. citizen
• Be a full- or part-time continuing college or university junior (including graduating seniors intending to go on to graduate school), or graduate student .
• Have good academic standing
• Successfully complete a background investigation
• Be able to receive either a Secret or Top Secret clearance.

Please read the entire vacancy announcement carefully for all qualifications and requirements.

You can also visit our Student Programs forum (http://careers.state.gov/engage/forums/student-programs) to post questions or read discussions about this program.

In an article about the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, The Washington Post mentioned For All the World to See, an exhibition organized in partnership between the museum and UMBC’s Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture. The full text of the article is available here.

Amazon, one of the most innovative and fastest growing technology companies, will hold a technical talk and information session at 7:00pm this Thursday (2/23) for UMBC students interested in full-time positions or internships. The meeting will be in the Skylight Room of the Commons.

UMBC Alumna Akshaya Iyengar (MS CS '11) joined Amazon last year and will talk about what it's like to work at there as a software development engineer. Amazon recruiter Makenzie LaCount will talk about employment at Amazon and accept resumes from students interested in a full time position or internship.

Pre-registration is not required, but come early to enjoy the food and get an Amazon t-shirt.