Discount humor or comedic find of the year?

Observe and Report, brought to you by director/writer Jody Hill, is not for the feint of heart, but is an interesting look into the psyche of a mall security guard who tries too hard to be the best at what he does. Any psychology majors may want to watch this movie to answer one simple question: how many mental diseases does Ronnie Barnhartd (Seth Rogan) have?

Ronnie, being the head of mall security, battles many foes, including skateboarders, shoplifters, and a menacing flasher who manages to catch the love of his life, Brandi (Anna Faris), off guard by flashing her his goods. After this devastating incident, it’s up to Ronnie and his team of mall warriors- Charles (Jesse Plemons), the Yuan twins (who play themselves, John and Matt Yuan) and Dennis (Michean Pena) – to catch the pervert and put an end to his flashing days once and for all.

For his second film, Jody Hill does a great job at writing and directing what I thought was a hilarious film with a few heavy flaws. It is not slapstick humor nor is it black humor, but an interesting hybrid which hasn’t been seen for quite a long time. If you don’t attempt to understand what is going on in each character’s mind, then you will not get a lot of the jokes. This may turn many people off to watching the film, as it can’t be categorized as smart or stupid humor: it just is what it is.

The amount of violence and obscene images placed in this movie are surprising, but add to the laugh factors. Simply put, this film is not for everyone. Some may find it hilarious, some may find it offending, and others may think it is foolish. This is one of those films which is difficult to tell what kind of people will enjoy it.

Ray Liotta shows he still has what it takes to be a badass as Detective Harrison, in a way we haven’t seen since the 1990 blockbuster Goodfellas. Seth Rogan, unlike his last few films, actually acted instead of playing himself for this film. Instead of coming off as the slightly intelligent good guy, he’s a mentally incapable fool who does what he wants, which leads to many conflicts and the viewer may find himself wanting to guide him along the right way. Anna Faris actually acts a little better than she did in the Scary Movie films (which isn’t saying much). Don’t expect any Oscar winning acting in this film, but as a whole it was well done for what it needed to be.

For only his second motion picture, Jody Hill brings a surprisingly funny film which may not appeal to everyone, although the last ten minutes of the film might be worth it to watch regardless. It has its flaws, mainly in the acting and pacing of the story, but overall it is a film that you might want to check out, although guys may not want to bring their dates as it’s a very testosterone-driven film. I give it 3 out of 4 stars.

Page 11, Entertainment

Click on link below to view full-sized page.

Entertainment, Page 11

Metallica makes the Hall of Fame

Metallica made music history by being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday, April 4. They blew the roof off of the Public Auditorium in Cleveland. The rap group Run-DMC was also inducted. Frontman-guitarist James Hetfield who co-founded the band in 1981 said “Dream big and dare to fail, because this is living proof that it is possible to make a dream come true.” After accepting the award, Metallica played a couple of their biggest hits, including “Master Puppets” and “Enter Sandman”. This marked the first time the tickets sold were open to the public. Eminem presented the honor to Run-DMC’s Darryl “DMC” McDaniels and Joseph “Rev-Run” Simmons. He called them “the baddest of the bad and the coolest of the cool.” After the death of founding member Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell, the band retired in 2002. McDaniels said, “The music that we made then didn’t just impact friends, it impacted a generation. So I guess that’s what rock ‘n’ roll does.” Run-DMC is the second hip-hop act to be inducted after Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. It was a great and proud night for musicians and music fans everywhere of the legendary acts.

Page 12, Sports

Click on link below to vew full-sized page.

Sports, Page 12

Jordan leads Hall of Fame class

On April 6th, it was announced that 5 people would be let into the basketball Hall of Fame, in Springfield, MA. Of those five, four played in the NBA, one coached in the NBA, and one coached Women’s NCAA. They are Michael Jordan, David Robinson, John Stockton, Utah Jazz Long Time Coach Jerry Sloan, and Rutgers women’s coach C. Vivian Stringer.

The Biggest announcement is of course that Jordan is done. Michael Jordan is in the Hall of Fame. There is no more coming back to the NBA. He is regarded as one of the best players ever, if not the best.

David Robinson won two NBA championships, was MVP for a season, and was selected to the all- star game ten times. He played with the Spurs for his whole fourteen year career. He won in 1998 and 2003.

John Stockton is the all-time assist leader. That should say it all. Now, he did play with Karl Malone, one of the best scorers of all-time, but it is still a remarkable achievement.  The next closest person to him in assists is Jason Kidd, but he is down by 5000 assists. Stockton is also the leader in steals with Michael Jordan down by 700.

Stockton and Sloan have been forever tied together as they were Player and Coach for the same team for fourteen years. Both never played for another team other than the Utah Jazz. Sloan coached Stockton to two NBA Finals and his superb statistics.

Vivian Stringer is the third winningist coach of all time with 800 wins. She is the first coach to lead three different schools to the NCAA Final Four. Those schools were Cheyney State, the University of Iowa and Rutgers University. She is now with Rutgers University.

KNIGHT of the WEEK

Jaime Bee ‘09
Softball

The senior first baseman broke a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the 7th with a 2-out walk off homerun to give the Knights a 4-3 Commonwealth win over Widener in the opening game of the twinbill homestand.  While Widener took game two with a 1-0 final, the Knights went 3-1 on the week and currently reside in the fourth and final playoff slot behind 3rd place Widener.  In addition to her game winning homerun, Bee hit .583 on the week going 7-12 with 5 runs, 2 RBI while enjoying a perfect week in the field making 34 put-outs with 2 assists.

NCAA 2009 Champs

On April 6, 2009, the NCAA Basketball series came to an amazing end with one team, and one team only, on top.   In an 89 to 72 win against Michigan State, North Carolina went on to be the Champions for the 2008-2009 series.

The road to the final game could almost be categorized as easy for North Carolina, with impressive wins against Radford, LSU, Gonzaga, Oklahoma and Villanova.  No match against the team was even close to a tie, and any team that opposed UNC inevitably walked away with their tail between their legs.  Their most notable win came in the first round against Radford, with a bone-crushing final score of 101 to 58.
North Carolina’s top scorer, Ty Lawson, scored an impressive 21 points, while Wayne Ellington and Tyler Hansbrough scored a total of 19 and 18 points, consecutively.  All three players had an interesting season, culminating in the final game, and a rare display of emotion by all three.

Fans across the nation saw this win coming, including our nations President, Barack Obama.  His highly publicized bracket had North Carolina coming out on top, and he was not disappointed.  The team’s moves were precise, calculated, and executed with stunning finesse; it was hard to think of any other team standing a chance.

Michigan State, however, was not without their notable moments.  Despite the overall defeat in the end, the team had some very impressive wins under their belt.  In the March 28 game against Louisville, the team walked away with a 64 to 52 win; a final that put them in the final four.  However many wins, there is no doubt that the ride back to Michigan will be a quiet one.

There are so many things that come with the title of NCAA champions, including higher possibilities of a draft into the NBA.  The top three scorers of the game actually came back for that specific reason. Overall, North Carolina has worked hard, and fought their way up to their rightfully deserved spot on top.

Front Page

Click on link below to view full-sized page.

Front Page

Page 2, News OP/ED

Click on link below to view full-sized page.

News OP/ED, Page 2

Man to sail across Pacific on recycled ship

With the amount of waste created in America today, people are discovering that recycling is a great way to cut down on the use of raw materials. For David de Rothschild, he is taking it one step further. Rothschild is building a building a sailing vessel that he plans to take across the ocean from San Francisco to Australia this April. The boat is being made almost completely from thousands of recycled plastic bottles.

“The idea is to put no kind of pollution back into the atmosphere, or into our oceans for that matter, so everything on the boat will be composted. Everything will be recycled. Even the vessel is going to end up being recycled when we finish,” Rothschild said in an interview with CNN.

The ship, named Plastiki by Rothschild, will have to cross over 11,000 miles on the Pacific Ocean before it reaches its destination in Sydney. His crew will consist of three permanent sailors in addition to himself, plus a group that will rotate between stops along the voyage. Rothschild plans to stop in Hawaii, Tuvalu, and Fiji on his way to Australia.

For Rothschild, the ship is meant to be a statement about the uses of recycled materials. “The idea is to take the Plastiki, break it down [after the voyage], and put it back into the system. So, it may come out being a jacket, a bag, more bottles. It’s infinitely recyclable,” he said. Even the electronic equipment on the boat will be charged by solar panels. On the whole the boat is made of 90% recycled materials. Only the masts from the ship were not made from recycled plastic.

For his part Rothschild has experience in adventuring. He is one of only a few people that have traveled through both the Arctic and Antarctic ice caps. He also founded the group Adventure Ecology, which uses expeditions like the one planned for the Plastiki to bring attention to environmental issues.

Although Rothschild is certainly experienced and dedicated, the integrity of any ship he constructs will be put to the test on his tip across the Pacific. His ultimate goal is for people to understand that recycling has its value and that much of the stuff we throw away still has a lot of use. As Rothschild put it, “That’s what this is all about — showcasing cradle-to-cradle products rather than cradle-to-grave.”

From the Editor’s Desk…

To Our Faithful Audience,

Since it has recently come to my attention that people actually read this section of the paper, I have made an extra effort to remove as many typos as I see and to write it before 2 a.m.

This issue is all about that little thing known as Spring Break. For some students it is a time for reckless fun, for others it’s a time to go home and hang out with Mom and Dad. For others it might be reckless fun with Mom and Dad, but hey, whatever’s clever- it’s Spring Break dude!

I hope that wherever you go and whatever you do that you take the time to not study. Class is no excuse, and don’t let me catch anyone doing otherwise. If you get in trouble, you can go ahead and say the school newspaper told you not to. To which your teacher will probably
respond, ‘We have a campus newspaper?’
In any case, I’ll check you on Beaver Beach once the weather gets nice.
Sincerely,

Tyler Peckham

Editor-in-Chief

Man Attacks Chuck E. Cheese

Chuck E. Cheese can be a hazardous place to be a kid. 34-year-old Massachusetts man Trahan Pires was fined $500 after assaulting a Chuck E. Cheese mouse. Pires thought the mouse had pinned his 11-year-old son against a video game. The boy’s family was at the restaurant to celebrate his birthday. According to the 19-year-old man inside the costume and a witness, the mascot was making his way through a crowd that was trying to knock him over and accidentally knocked into the boy. Pires apparently thought differently and ripped the mascot’s head off and started screaming at the man inside. Pires pleaded guilty and was fined. Note to all parents: don’t take out your aggression on Chuck or any other mascots.

-Gina Merlino

Man Stoops Real Low, Cat Gets Real High

In a bizarre case of animal cruelty, a 20-year-old Nebraska man was charged with putting his girlfriend’s 6-month-old cat inside a bong. Acea Schomaker was caught smoking marijuana with a piece of garden hose attached to a plastic glass box where the kitten was stuffed inside. According to Schomaker, his cat, Shadow was hyper and he was trying to calm her down. He had done this three times. Schomaker was fined $400, cited for misdemeanor animal cruelty and face drug charges as well. Shadow was dazed, but in good condition, recuperating at Capital Humane Society. Maybe this is one guy who has seen too many stoner flicks, but it could be just another case of people doing stupid things when they are high. Note to stoners: kittens and bongs don’t mix.

-Gina Merlino

Crippled Man Smugles Cocains in Plain Sight

A 66-year-old Chilean man with a fractured leg is now in custody after trying to smuggle cocaine through an airport in Barcelona. After finding the man suspicious, authorities searched his luggage to discover the drug hidden in both a six pack of beer and the legs of a stool, but that’s not the only place it was hiding. After applying a substance which helps identify cocaine to the man’s cast, the supposed medical apparatus tested positive for the drug.

After further investigation it was discovered that the man’s leg was indeed fractured. However, police believe that he may have intentionally fractured the bones in order to apply the coke cast and fool authorities who may want to verify his condition by x-ray. Officials suspect that the man was using a leg cast hoping to elicit sympathy from airport authorities and distract them from the real contents of his cast.

The police recovered a total of 10.5 pounds of cocaine. The attempted cocaine smuggler, known only by the initials J.S.P.F., was relocated to a local hospital in order to receive proper treatment for his leg and remains there under police observation.

-Teresa Barone

Woman Celebrates her 108th Birthday… or 111th?

Michigan native Mattie Caldwell celebrated her birthday on March 5 but she’s just not quite sure which birthday she celebrated. According to medical records, she was born in 1901; however, an old family bible dates her birth three years earlier in 1898. Due to her home birth, there are no medical records that can indicate which date is actually correct. Regardless of the age “It’s special,” says the 100 something woman. Caldwell celebrated with her family, including her seven plus great-great-great-grandchildren (she lost count after seven).

-Teresa Barone

Page 3, News OP/ED

Click on link below to view full-sized page.

News OP/ED, Page 3

How to run a marathon: My first 26.2 Mile Running Adventure

The marathon is a race that commemorates the legend of the Greek soldier Pheidippides.  He was said to run from the town of Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory over the Persians at the Battle of Marathon. The marathon even existed as one of the original events for the first modern day Olympics in 1896 to commemorate the legend. Since that time marathons have become popular events for amateur and professional runners all across the world, with hundreds being held annually and the official length of a marathon being set at 26.2 miles. Or, as I now like to think of it, the perfect length no human body can run without feeling like shit for at least three days.

On Sunday, March 1, I ran the B&A Track Marathon in Annapolis, Maryland. I am now writing this a full week after completing the task.
I still remember the morning I decided I was going to embark on the four month adventure of running  that I needed to get in shape. It was after I had made an intoxicated cheese steak binge at none other than Glenside’s own Michael’s Diner. After waking up and still feeling the pile of grease and meat rolling in my stomach, I realized that I was probably in the worst shape of my life. Added to the stress of life, I wasn’t really feeling too good about a lot of things, so I decided I should do something completely irrational: enter the decision to train for a marathon.

My training began with me basically seeing how far I could run. I was pretty happy that I could pull off 3-4 miles right off the start, although it wasn’t as easy as it used to be. Through the four months of training those three miles grew until they varied between 10 and 20 miles during the later weeks of my training. I’ll spare you the details, but I ended up training five days a week with usually three days being dedicated to running and two to hitting the gym.

Not too far into this whole process, I realized I was gifted with what is known as the “runner’s high.” I can say it’s not like any other high I’ve experienced…but it was much cheaper. Basically, once I got into the groove of running my body and mind get into this rhythm where I don’t even have to think about the fact that I was running anymore. Outside of the 17 mile and 20 mile runs I did to prepare for the marathon, I never really had too much trouble with the running part of my training because of this “high.”  I might go so far to say as that I liked it. But then there was race day.

I came into the marathon after taking two weeks where I was pretty much unable to run because of a sore foot and a tweaked knee I got from my 20 mile run. On top of that I went out to Olive Garden the night before to do what is known as “carbo loading,” or “eating as much crap as you can fit into your mouth in one sitting,” as I like to call it. Carbo loading is supposed to help with energy during the race. So on race day I hadn’t ran in two weeks and I felt like a fatty. The race started with me setting a good pace for the time I hoped to finish: three and a half hours. About four miles in my knee started hurting and my foot started acting up. But instead of dropping out I decided that unless the pain got unbearable there was no way in hell I was going to waste all the training that went into this race. As time went by my knee inexplicably felt better, or maybe the rest of my body started to feel worse, but I was able to keep going.

The great thing about the marathon was that it was a big change from all the running I had done on my own to prepare. Almost every couple of miles there were stands where I could get water and small crowds that cheered me on. My parents, who drove me down and came to watch me even ran with me a little on the trail at one point. Even the other runners encouraged each other. But as soon as I went into the uncharted territory of over 20 miles I really started to feel the pain.

All I can tell you is that running the last six miles was probably the hardest things I’ve ever physically pushed myself to do in my life. By the time I reached mile 25 I just remember putting my head down and just counting my breaths and each step. And then, I can’t explain how it happened, but as soon as I saw the finish line my mind suddenly went into T1000 mode from Terminator II and I sprinted the last 1/5 of the mile as fast as I think I could’ve at the beginning. My final time was 3 hours, 29 minutes, and 04 seconds, which was actually 56 seconds less than my goal. Just like the marathon took me from the worst shape I’ve been in to the probably the best shape, finishing the race took me from complete misery to one of the best feelings in my life. When all was said and done I finished 46th out of nearly 250 finishers for the marathon, plus probably another hundred that dropped out without finishing.

I’ll take it.

So now, two weeks later, after all the blisters have healed and I can walk normally again, I can finally look back at my first marathon and really be happy that I went through with it. The sad thing is that I think I’ve missed running this past week, and I know it’s only a matter of time before I get down to Kelly Drive and start running again. I guess like any good high, running has kept me coming back for more– my only question now is whether or not I’m truly addicted to the feeling. So, uhh, when’s the Philly Marathon again?

Political Preview

The Current Conservative Mindset:

So President Obama’s Economic Stimulus Plan was passed? So can somebody tell me why everything is not completely fixed at this point? Wait, now he wants to repeal President Bush’s tax breaks for the wealthy? Well now he’s gone too far. If those hard-working Wall Street executives can’t keep their hard-earned money, well that’s just not fair…no wait, that’s not American. And he wants to end combat operations in Iraq by August, 2010? That’s it I can’t take this anymore. “Honey I’ll be out in the Hot Tub reading Money Magazine…What’s that? Oh of course I’ll be back in to watch the O’Reilly Factor with you.” Jeepers, I haven’t been this upset since I found out that The Colbert Report was actually making fun of me.

For those of you that haven’t been paying attention to the world of politics these last few weeks, allow me to catch you up. First off, President Obama’s economic stimulus plan was passed. He also came out with a new strategy for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and is being attacked from both sides for either dong too much or too little with his plans. And to top it all of,f he lifted the ban on using Stem Cells for medical research. Not bad for somebody who hasn’t even been president for three months yet.

But unfortunately for President Obama, time is not on his side. Americans are sick of hearing about the terrible state of the economy. Trust us, we know it is bad. At this point we just want some good news, any good news. But sadly, I have none of that to give.

Lately I was thinking about the state of global economics and what it means to America. It is no secret that America is in a lot of debt, nearly $11 trillion to be more exact. A lot of this debt is in foreign holding in countries like China and Japan that invest in America. The reason they invest in our country is because we generally make money. In fact, countries were so intertwined with us that investment banks failed across the world because they had holdings in our housing market. But now that America is not so profitable anymore, what exactly is keeping everything afloat?

Like a company in the stock market, investment in America might start to look like less and less of good return. And that means we might start to see our global stock begin to fall. For years America has been the reigning economic superpower in the world, but suddenly we don’t seem so mighty any more. And the bigger they are, the harder they fall. So if America’s economy continues to fall this will not only have obvious repercussions for Americans but for the rest of the world that invests in our economy to make money. Now I’m no economist, but couldn’t this lead to a global recession of some sort?

Well, it’s best not to think about it too much, I suppose. After all these are just some passing thoughts of somebody who probably pays too much to politics. So don’t let it get to you, go have fun on spring break…

Weekly Green Tip

Green Tip: Reduce Waste

Check out Rocko’s modern life recycling song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_6DMi8jvyA

Have you thought about where your old electronics go?  Quite often your computers, cameras, phones, cords, DVD players, etc. are tipped into landfills, incinerated as solid waste, or dumped in developing countries.  Don’t like the idea of children in third-world countries picking though the smoldering remains of your trash to collect bits of metal?  Come to the Used Electronics Drive where everything will be ethically recycled!  Volunteers are needed to help sort and package the electronics.  Saturday and Sunday March 28th and 29th.  For more information contact sarah@ttfwatershed.org or sclymer@arcadia.edu

Page 4, Student Life

Click on link below to view full-sized page.

Student Life, Page 4

Knights’ Nook

Dear Ms. Majestic,

I live in one of the dreadful freshmen triples this year but my roommates are actually pretty nice. We don’t hang out much outside of our room. We’re all very different but somehow we still manage to get along which is cool. Anyway, I heard that housing lottery or selection, whatever you call it, is coming up and I’m kind of worried. My roommates are nice but I don’t want to live with them next year, especially not in another triple! My other friends all seem to have plans about where they want to live next year and I’m the odd man out. My parents suggested I get a single but I really want to live in Oak Summit near the rest of my friends.

If I don’t figure this out soon, I just may become a commuter next year. After all, its cheaper and I get to have real food. So help me out Ms. Majestic, what should I do?

-Roommate-less

Dear Roommate,

This is definitely not the first time Ms. Majestic has heard this cry. Every year, about the same time, first-year students who have unique living situations have to make “tough” decisions about the upcoming year and their housing situation. Let me be the first to tell you that housing selection is not as bad or exhausting as other people make it. You go in, choose your housing and you survive. Now it sounds like your real issue is what your game plan will be as far as the people you’ll live with. I’m sure you didn’t know this but you have several options. Since you want to live in Oak, you can asked to be placed in an apartment with a few people that you don’t know. Sounds strange but sometimes it works out for the best. You can wait until housing selection night and see if there are people who need an extra person or, you can talk to your friends to be included in their plans. Don’t look to commute because although it seems feasible, you shouldn’t consider it your last resort because you may resent being home once you get there. Happy Housing Season!

-Ms. Majestic

Dear Ms. Majestic,

I’m really pissed at my roommate right now and I hope he reads this! My girlfriend goes to Temple and she hangs out here alot. My roommate doesn’t have a girlfriend because he’s super pathetic and socially awkward. I introduced him to a few of my girlfriend’s friends and he totally messed that up. The problem is that when my girlfriend is around I think he’s up to no good. He’s always checking her out when she stops by and when I tell him to knock it off, he just laughs like its no big deal. I know my girlfriend is hot but I shouldn’t have to hide her because my roommate is a total DB about her coming around. If he does it again,I might knock his face off and I don’t think that would be cool. Ms. Majestic! Please help me before I beat this kid to shreds.

-Babe’s Boyfriend

Dear Boyfriend,

You may want to look into going to Couseling Services before this thing gets to far. You seem to have some anger issues that probably have gotten worse since this whole thing started. Seriously. I can unnderstand where you’re coming from with your roommate but you have to try to understand where he’s coming from. If he’s as strange as you describe him to be than he probably doesn’t have that many friends. As annoying as he is, he’s only doing what you’ve allowed him to do and what he thinks is appropriate. Have you tried talking to him calmly? Most people respond better to real conversation than yelling and screaming. If that doesn’t work, you need to figure out a way to cope with him until the semester ends. We’re near the end and it would be pointless to move or make things worse this late in the game. And Creepy Roommate–If you’re reading this, knock it off!

-Ms.Majestic

How to maintain a healthy and successful long-distance relationship

We’ve all had our fair share of wildly inappropriate suitors that cause us to fall deeper and deeper into the realm of cynicism. Even when people are offering to set us up left and right and we spend our Saturdays in the self-help section of Barnes & Noble, we have often found ourselves wondering where our true love is hiding. Where are the dates that leave our senses electrified? Where are the men who pick up the tab and still call the next day? And where are the women who aren’t so needy and weighted down with such heavy baggage that it could never be checked at the airport? Well, what if you did meet one of those mesmerizing characters but he or she is about to hop on the red eye back to their home state, come the morning?

Well, like the “cougar” phenomenon (if you haven’t heard, older women are picking up younger men and holding onto them tightly), a modern trend seems to be picking up speed in the LDR department. Long distance relationships, once perceived to be doomed from the start, are garnering more and more attention as rewarding alternatives to the dodgy dating market. Whether the distance is created after a successful local relationship has developed, often due, in part, to job relocations or the armed forces, or one of the partners simply lives across state lines, LDRs are sprouting up all over the place. Web sites like www.ivillage.com and others tailored to the modern woman have countless articles and blogs on how to cope with a love that’s not nearby.

Sometimes it turns out that your true romantic match has not been living quietly in the next town over waiting for your run-in at the bus stop. Albeit difficult, long distance relationships force both partners to tap into their passionate, creative sides to maintain a healthy, successful romance and partnership. If you’re up for it, here are just some of the ways to give your LDR a chance to survive without going broke or spending your nights lost in jealous thought or desperate longing.

BELIEVE IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP

Chances are, if you’ve decided to follow your heart and give a long distance relationship a try, you know something about faith. You must have faith in yourself and your partner to ever have a chance of maintaining a relationship with state lines or maybe even oceans between you. Whatever the distance, to believe in the sanctity of your relationship is an important element in its survival. Tracy Wilkes of Philadelphia, PA has said of her LDR that, “Initially, I believed more in what people said when I told them about Mark and me. I wanted to focus on our relationship but I was constantly being told that 2800 miles was not a relationship. As time passed, I started to see that I was letting the distance mask my true feelings and I started believing more in what we had. Two year later, I cannot imagine not having Mark in my life. The emotional ups and downs have been worth it, because like everything in life, it was a risk to get into this, but I believe in us now.”

TRUST NOT ONLY YOUR PARTNER, BUT YOURSELF

The number one concern for both partners in and out of long distance relationships is trust. To trust another person is often difficult for the most confident of us, because to do so means becoming vulnerable. So having a distance between you and your loved one can allow feelings of jealousy and mistrust to creep into an otherwise solid union.  Do you want to spend the time apart worrying and accusing? Or do you want to put yourself in your partner’s position and realize that they are just as curious about what you are doing as you are they? Trust is to be earned but if it’s not there to begin with, distance could conjure up delusional mistrust that no longer makes either partner happy. Trust in your ability to be honest with yourself and your partner and your time apart will be worth it.

KEEP TALKING

This not only means chatting on the phone at least once a day to let your partner know you are thinking of them, but talking means healthy communicating. Communicate your thoughts, from the mundane (what you felt when you got that paper cut at work today) to the more concrete stuff (how you felt when he didn’t call you after he left his frat brother’s party like he said he would) or about even the more serious issues (when will you actually live in the same city or part of town?). To mask your true feelings is easy when you are not face to face and this is not a good habit to start. Using email, texting, phone calls, webcams and other technology to keep you connected to your partner is a gift, but to communicate false emotions or concerns could lead to disaster. To recognize that you cannot simply wait until you see their face or grab their hand to talk about the real issues is important. But this distance doesn’t have to mean that everything is dipped in sugar when you are apart and the “real” relationship starts when you are together. Communicate whenever you can and be willing to listen as well.

GET CREATIVE

Money for gas, flights, phone bills can add up, but a long distance relationship doesn’t have to break your bank. Have fun tapping into your creative side and showing your partner how often you think of them and miss them. To “web-date” has become a common and cheap way to spend time with someone you love. Just go to www.skype.com and download software for free that will connect you to anywhere in the world via phone or video chat. Sending cards or letters in the mail is a pre-modern mystery to some people but the sentimentality can be powerful. David Coleman, the “Dating Doctor” featured on www.datingdoctor.com, advises couples in LDRs to “Send quick notes, care packages, letters and postcards. Call and leave messages when you know they are not home. Just let them know that you are thinking of them even when they are not around.”

The truth is, even if you live across the hall from your romantic partner, people leave town on business, have busy schedules, or take vacations. We are not always lucky enough to be around our partners 24/7, but do we really want to? LDRs, like any other ones, can be difficult but they allow us to make room for love in our lives while continuing to grow as people and learn about our own strengths and weaknesses. The keys to any healthy relationship are love, trust, and communication with both ourselves and our loved ones. So if you are contemplating or struggling with a long distance relationship, remember to be honest with yourself and everyone involved. As counselor Kara Devers often reminds her clinical patients, “Be willing to disappoint someone as long as you are not disappointed in yourself.” Therein lies the success, even if the relationship does not succeed. Good luck.

Page 6, Feature

Click on link below to view full-sized page.

Feature, Page 5

Arcadia Spring Break 2009!

Saturday, March 15 marks the first official day of Arcadia University’s 2009 Spring Break. For some students it is a chance to unwind and relax at home. For others it is a time to get wild in a preferably much warmer climate than Glenside, PA. And for others it is a chance to help out with those less fortunate than themselves.

But with the United States Department of state releasing travel advisories for Mexico, in addition to stories like Natalee Holloway getting lost in Aruba in 2005, students are being told to be more careful than ever no matter where they go for Spring Break. “Do not travel around alone, always stay in groups or pairs and never leave a companion behind,” says Public Safety’s Frank DeMeo.

DeMeo encourages students to also be mindful of the laws of where they are spending Spring Break. Each year many Arcadia students go abroad, often times on the Spring Break “Previews” to Scotland, London, or Spain.

“I’m looking forward to being in Europe since this is the first time I’ve been on vacation in a while,” says Freshman Gina Lichner. Freshman Gina Kozak is also going to Spain for Preview. “I’m a Spanish major so I’m really excited to go to Spain,” says Kozak. “I’m just really pumped in general.”

Although Arcadia’s trips are usually well-planned and supervised, being in a foreign country is not always as predictable as spending a week in the States.  Other students are taking a slightly more domestic take on their Spring Break journeys.

Senior Danielle Trout is going to Jean Lafitte, Louisiana with Arcadia’s Community Service Department to help rebuild homes ravaged by hurricanes in the rural areas surrounding New Orleans. “I’m looking forward to meeting the people I’m going to help,” says Trout. For her, the trip promises to be a rewarding and a welcomed break from classes. “The price is good, too,” adds Trout. “Besides, it looks good on a resume.”

Other students are looking to save some money by only taking a weekend trip instead of forking over the cash to travel across the country. Senior Krista Heim is  spending a weekend in Atlantic City with friends. So what’s a 21-year-old to do in Atlantic City? “Shopping, gambling, probably going out to the club,” says Heim. Other than that she plans on spending time at home.

No matter where students decide to go, DeMeo warns that students should always follow the law. “Do not do drugs or be anywhere where there are drugs especially if you are traveling out of the country, penalties are severe and there are no constitutional guarantees in a foreign country,” says DeMeo. Although it’s no secret students drinking alcohol underage during Spring Break is pretty common, students should aware of the risks they take.

But whatever you decide to do this break, make sure to take it easy. Whether it’s sightseeing in another country or sitting in front of the TV, make sure to get some time off of school. As for this writer, I’ll be down in Ft. Lauderdale. Cheers!

Spring Break: Getting your break on with a budget

It’s that time again: its time to go to Cancun, Florida, Europe, anywhere that you can party, go wild, and regret whatever you did the next day.  It’s spring break, a week that is known for being wild.  Students often look forward to this week because they get to go somewhere other than school or home.  Unfortunately, in this economy money is tight and spring break is expensive.  So what is a college student to do when they are broke and cannot afford to go anywhere?  Surprisingly, there is more stuff to do than most people realize.  I am staying home for spring break and my entire week is filled with things to do.

There is always one thing I do during breaks, I always see my friends from high school.  Instead of lying around all day call a friend from high school and get together with them.  Have lunch, go see a movie, or just hang out.  If your friend goes to college near you and their break does not coincide with yours just go see them.  Call them and ask if you can go to one of their classes with them that way you can still spend time with them.  Another thing you can do is go to appointments.

If you know ahead of time that you are not doing anything for spring break then set up your different appointments for those days you have off.  Have your hair done one day, go to the dentist the next day, then the eye doctor, etc.  This way you can get your appointments done with and not have to worry about missing class for an appointment.  The next thing you can do is probably the one thing you do not want to even think about over break, homework.

Unfortunately, spring break is in the middle of the semester and there is homework to do.  Many teachers seem to like giving students homework that is due the first day of class after spring break.  Even though homework is the last thing you want to be doing during your break getting it done will mean less stress for you when you go back to college.  Everybody else who went somewhere and did not do their homework will have to catch up and do their homework in a hurry.  You can just relax knowing that you did your homework and did it without rushing through it.  Something else that you can try and get out of the way is getting a summer job.

With summer being right around the corner many students are going to need to get a job.  I suggest that you start looking now and applying for them over spring break.  Let the place you are applying at know that you can come in for an interview during your break and that you can start the job when the college year ends.  If you start looking for a job when summer starts it can be hard to find one because all the other college students are looking for one as well.  Getting a job for the summer during spring break can help ease your stress because you know that once college is done you can start making money right away.

The last thing I suggest you do is to catch up on your sleep. Many college students are sleep deprived from staying up so late doing homework and studying.  Spring break is a great time to catch up on your sleep.  What is even better is getting to sleep in your own bed that does not squeak every time you breathe.  So sleep in a few times and enjoy it because once break is over you will become sleep deprived again.

You do not have to go somewhere to have a good spring break.  You can stay home and have a great break.  You can see your friends from high school and hang out with them.  You can accomplish many tasks such as appointments, homework, and finding a job.  Best of all you can sleep in your own bed and not worry about having to go to class.  So don’t be sad about staying home for spring break, instead have fun and accomplish a few things.

If you have looked at The Tower I’m sure you’ve surmised that I write a weekly column. I write for the paper because I enjoy it and I think it’s an important way to express the different things that occur throughout a year of studying abroad. Back at Arcadia I’ve taken a fair share of different writing courses and this past weekend has inspired me to take on a new writing venture.

Letter writing.

This idea came about during a recent trip I took to Bath and a few places relevant to the Jane Austen ‘universe’ with Arcadia. On my nice little excursion out of the chaos that can be London we visited some small villages and smaller cities that thrive on fresh air and their historical relevance. We visited cathedrals that go back as far as the Norman invasion of 1066 and then there was the city of Bath, which was a favorite bathing spot for Romans! In one of the places we went, there were actually people dressed in Victorian costumes; it was kind of like walking into a renaissance fair you didn’t mean to go to.

Back to the letter writing, after picking up a very reasonably priced fountain pen for about $1.30 American, I was inspired to write the letters I have been promising people I would send all year. It pleases me to tell people that I spend my afternoons indulging in some leisurely corresponding that actually makes me feel accomplished. My usual procrastination leaves me feeling useless, but there is something very fulfilling about writing letters. Maybe it’s the product at the end; facebook doesn’t give me anything to show off after the hours I spend navigating around the pages aimlessly bar a few funny anecdotes about bumper stickers.

Moving onto facebook, it’s recently come to my attention that students both in the UK and continental Europe have a very funny facebook custom. I’ve noticed it a few times, but a friend in Italy brought it to my attention that instead of asking for your phone number, students will ask for your facebook name and add you. It seems to be a common thing around here, basically as common as an Australian backpacker who has a notepad full of people’s names and e-mails that they have met in hostels! (I know that must seem stereotypical, but it’s another common thing! Most people who have stayed in a European hostel can attest to that!) Anywho, the moral of that little anecdote is that students here are just as addicted to social networking as the average American student.

Jumping around a bit, I am finally getting some ‘touristy’ things accomplished around London this week as a friend from home is visiting for the first time. Today I climbed a stupid amount of terrifying stairs to the top of St. Paul’s Cathedral and tomorrow we’re going to the London Eye. On Monday I will finally visit Stonehenge and the rest of the week hopefully visit some of the markets and monuments I haven’t gotten to yet.

My final note is that even though I’ve been here for months and seen so many things in this city, every day there is something new to see and experience. I think that’s also true about Philly and  I’ll keep taking advantage of everything London has to offer me.

Page 6, Entertainment

Click on link below to view full-sized page.

Entertainment, Page 6

Never Compromise

“Who Watches the Watchmen?” On its opening weekend I’d say a whole bunch of people.  The movie based on the iconic graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons opened this Friday to packed houses all across the nation.  At the helm of the project is director Zack Snyder (300) and his high gloss style.  Since the mid-nineties the rights to Watchmen have been traded between studios the project given to different directors and at one time almost canned for good.  After months of hype and protest from disgruntled Watchmen purists the film finally hit theaters.

The biggest gripe about a Watchmen movie has always been the novels huge and twisting scope.  Each character gets a good chunk of time for both back story and recent history as well as insight into personal affairs of course.  Watchmen lovers also had a problem with condensing own Moore’s work into a movie because the novel takes time to develop the urgency of Nixon’s tyrannical rein in an alternate 1985.  The good news is Zack Snyder does a much better job with Watchmen than he did with 300.

Unlike 300, Snyder invests serious time in each of the Watchmen and through a Bob Dylan soaked opening montage does a great job of showing the plight of the masked heroes before them, The Minutemen.   Snyder follows Watchmen page-by-page and word-by-word at points but indulges a little by elongating fight sequences and upping gore, both of which end up working for the movie. The film’s opening scene, a fight between a masked intruder and the 60 something former Watchmen Edward Blake aka The Comedian is just as brutal as anything in 300 and yet feels like a panel right out of Watchmen.  With the doomsday clock at five minutes to midnight and the world on the bring of nuclear annihilation Snyder takes the audience through the flaws of human nature, the scarred life of former heroes and the view one never compromising right wing vigilante.

Stealing the show is Oscar nominated actor Jack Earle Haley as Rorschach.  Haley not only looks like the Rorschach in the book but also almost comes to embody him; his acting chops really show through as the unwavering fighter.   Another good performance came from Billy Crudup (Almost Famous) as Dr. Manhattan.  Out of touch with humanity and Earth itself Crudup does a great job of pulling emotions from the emotionless and showing the depth of Dr. Manhattan.  With Haley and Crudup as the cast’s big names (or not so big) the lack of star power may come off as a problem but it doesn’t, just see the sex scene between Night Owl II and Silk Spectre II for justification.

Though Watchmen has what it takes to please audiences Snyder does falter from time to time with his directorial choices.  Most elite fans will argue about the absence of the books within Watchmen, “The Curse of the Black Freighter” and “Under the Hood” both of which add significantly to the Watchmen experience.  With the movie running a little under three hours it already feels long at times making Snyder’s cutting of the two books both a good and bad idea.  The biggest issue Watchmen runs into is the slight alteration of its ending.  Snyder ops to omit SPOILER ALERT the books thrashing monster replacing it with a cataclysmic explosion END SPOILER.  While is does detract for fans, Snyder’s choice is legitimate, reworking the ending only slightly to make it more relevant to people today.

If you’re a fan of Watchmen or graphic novels for that matter go see the film.  Zack Snyder is the first director to bring one of Alan Moore’s books (read V for Vendetta then watch the movie) to life the right way, though he strays slightly the overall feeling is correct. Stylistically Watchmen the film is a translation of the book, dark, brutal, and heavy.  If you aren’t a fan of Watchmen read up before you see the movie.  This isn’t Spider-Man 3 and with its ping-ponging story lines, length, and graphic nature Watchmen can easy become a hassle for a viewer looking for Toby McGuire swing dancing.  So read the novel, take a little breather to get pumped, and go check out a movie that doesn’t really compromise but rather condenses what Lost creator J.J. Abrams calls “The greatest piece of popular fiction ever written.”

Sean Penn wins big with Milk

Sean Penn won the 2009 Best Actor Oscar for his performance of the first openly gay politician Harvey Milk.  Milk was slain in 1978 by former city supervisor Dan White (a quietly desperate Josh Brolin, No Country for Old Men).  Director Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, My Own Private Idaho) weaves the movie around Milk tape-recording his will in the event of his assassination.

The movie begins in 1970 with a closeted Milk finding his love Scott (Spider-Man’s James Franco, deftly playing both charming eye candy and serious adult) in a Manhattan subway station.  Scott and Milk go to San Francisco to begin their lives.  They open a camera shop and essentially build Castro Street into a gay neighborhood full of free love.  When the police continue random brutality for no reason, Milk decides to run for county supervisor to make civil rights changes.

By the 4th election, Milk has gained political victory, devoted followers, a strong campaign staff, and a voice to try and quiet the Anita Bryants of the world.  Proposition 6 is particularly focused on among his many passionate battles, and it was basically a gay teacher witch hunt begun by California Senator John Briggs.  The measure didn’t pass, but it’s an interesting coincidence that Proposition 8 was currently passed in California to ban gay marriage.  1978…2008…the fight for equal recognition is still going strong 30 years later, but what would have happened if Harvey Milk was still alive and passionately fighting in his radical and theatrical way?

Van Sant mixes documentary and news footage into the scenes which gives the movie a proper gritty 1970s vibe.  Writer Dustin Lance Black (HBO’s Big Love) won a 2009 Best Original Screenplay Oscar, and it’s justified as his characterization of Milk is honest and flawed, yet passionate and joyful.  Harvey Milk is not a man often in general American history books, but it doesn’t matter if you’ve seen the documentaries or read the book The Mayor of Castro Street as Sean Penn absolutely embodies his spirit.  He didn’t need those facial prosthetics as his portrayal of Milk’s hope, courage, tenacity, and need to be loved saturates the screen for two hours.

Penn and Franco’s chemistry was palpable from the moment they met each other on the subway stairs, and Van Sant immediately established that this is not a closeted movie by having them immediately kissing and ending up in bed five minutes after the opening credits.  There is a lot of focus on Harvey and “his men.”  Emile Hirsch (Speed Racer) plays Cleve, a student and sometime hustler who became a very vocal activist for Milk.    Scott left Milk before the successful election but remained an active part of his life.  Diego Luna (Y Tu Mama Tambien) plays Jack, the new clingy and dramatic lover who ended up hanging himself.

Brolin doesn’t get a lot of screen time, but his conservative ex-policeman character of Dan White is extremely frustrated by Milk and all the change going on around him.  By the time he pulls the trigger, he has slowly disintegrated into a broken down man.  It’s to Brolin’s credit that he can bring sympathy to a man who committed two acts of murder but got off with manslaughter.  He and Penn have extremely tense filled scenes that build up to eventually make the ending even more harsh and climactic.

Milk is a film that demands to be seen.  Harvey Milk didn’t just want to give civil rights to homosexuals, he wanted to ensure that the elderly, poor, disabled, and misfits all had basic human rights.  He said, “This is not just jobs and issues, this is our lives we’re fighting for here.”  Penn and Van Sant have helped to keep this fight alive through art.

Page 7, Entertainment

Click on link below to view full-sized page.

Entertainment, Page 7

Enter the Zone, the Killzone

When the Playstation 3 hit shelves in November of 2006 frenzied consumers ran out to get the newest and most powerful home gaming system ever.  Unfortunately the truth of the matter is Sony’s big black box came out with a huge price tag and an under achieving set of games.  At the 2006 E3 expo Sony needed to show what the PS3 could do if they were going to be able to put a dent in the sales of the mighty and tenured Xbox 360.  A midst a wave a controversy, Sony showed off Killzone 2, the sequel to the lukewarm Playstation 2 title Killzone.   The short video showed no actual gameplay but from the rendered footage consumers got to see some of if not the most impressive graphics to ever hit a game console.  Developer Guerilla Games was pelted by the public due to the games already lofty bar of excellence, three years and a horde of dropped- jaws later Killzone 2 finally hit the PS3.

Before the release of Killzone 2 Sony gave gamers a taste of the PS3’s power with games like Uncharted, Heavenly Sword, and Resistance 2.  Each game had those certain “Wow” moments, Killzone 2, on the other hand, is a game chock full of them.   The stunning opening cut scene shows off facial movements and lighting effects that are hands down (and I mean hands down) the best in a home console game up to this point.  The opening scene is rendered and even in its early stages at E3 gamers knew the cut scenes would pack a punch, which makes the actual gameplay graphics that much more outrageous.

Set in an alternate world the campaign of Killzone 2 takes the gamer through the second conflict between the ISA forces and the Nazi like Helghast.  The fighting takes place on the Helghast home planet of Helghan a dark, grim, industrial world.  Guerilla Games did everything possible to make the lighting, shadows, and colors as close to perfect as they could.  For example, in one scene a group of Helghast ambush Sev, the game’s main character.  The ambush takes place in a dark warehouse, when the Helghast suddenly break through a wall the light comes rushing in glaring and reflecting off of everything it would in normal everyday life.  The character models are also amazing; when a bullet hits an enemy in the leg or the shoulder the enemy twitches and falls like a human being.  Killzone 2 pushes the PS3 further than any game thus far, but even the mind blowing graphics can’t mask a lacking single player.  The game is overly difficult and somewhat short.  The single player does offer one new and interesting idea being one of the only first person shooters to implement a cover system.  The system works by ducking behind cover and then using the left stick to peek over and around the object of cover.  The design is great but with the games fast pace and skirmish type fire fights, it takes a bit to master.

Stepping out of the single player campaign the true gem of the Killzone 2 universe comes to fruition.  The game features one of the most deep and chaotic multi-player experiences on a console.  Taking parts of Halo and Call of Duty, Killzone 2 may be the exclusive title Sony needs to take the lead in the console war (excluding the Wii of course).   The game takes the speed of Halo and attempts to meld it with the precision of Call of Duty. The result is a game with a tough learning curve but a rewarding online experience.  Guerilla took a lot of time working on an interesting system of customization by making classes with perks and in game achievements called ribbons and badges.  Each class has certain abilities; a medic for example can revive downed allies and drop health packs to help damaged ones.  After the player completes certain challenges with a class they are given the ability to combine them for instance an engineer who can drop health packs.  This gives the player numerous ways to play.  Another plus is how smoothly the online works.  Most people complain about the weakness of the Playstation Network as compared to Xbox Live, but Killzone 2 runs without a hitch plus the ability to play each game mode in succession makes sessions seem shorter than they really are.

Killzone 2 is a work of art.  The game looks like nothing else out there and yet feels like a legitimate first person shooter.   Most importantly it gives gamers a real reason to step out and get a Playstation 3.  The black box is looked down on for its price tag, but with a killer exclusive title and the ability to play Blu-Ray the PS3 makes total sense.   Some are calling it the “Halo killer”, the game casual enough for the every now and then gamer and hardcore enough for the most devoted. Killzone 2 has its very polished sights set on topping the futuristic shooter genre.  With tons of downloadable content on the way Killzone 2 is looking to stick around for a while.  Lock, load, and get ready to be blown away.

Late Night Comedy Switch Ups

On February 20, Conan O’Brien record his last show as host of NBC’s Late Night. Taking his place was somewhat less of a comedian than O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon. It’s not really anything personal towards Fallon, well actually after seeing Fever Pitch, maybe it is. Just to get everything straight, O’Brien is no longer the host of Late Night because he will be taking over Jay Leno’s position as host of NBC’s other late night mainstay, The Tonight Show. Conan is scheduled to have his first day as host of his new show on June 1, Leno’s last show will be on May 29.

O’Brien had an excellent run as host on Late Night, building the show to a dominant position in its time slot over the years. With his unique style of humor that was able to create popular skits like the Walker Texas Ranger Lever, he was able to create a very loyal following for his show (if you don’t know about the Walker Lever, get yourself on Youtube and track it down asap).

In the meantime, there is a late night talk show void that needs to be filled. I will say that after watching a couple of episodes with Jimmy Fallon as host, I am pretty skeptical of what Fallon can do. The skits and jokes he tells tend to fall flat more often than not, and you can tell the audience is stretching its enthusiasm to keep the laughs coming. I will say the one thing Fallon does do well is his interviews. Although interviews can usually be the more boring part of late night television, Fallon is really able to get into it with his guests, even going so far as to have a dance-off with Cameron Diaz.

I think if Fallon needs anything it is a Andy Richter type cohort to move his jokes along. Having watched him since his career at Saturday Night Live, I know that Fallon is likable, but I don’t think he ever really made me laugh like any of the greats such as Sandler, Ferril, or even the emerging star of Adam Samberg. Let’s face it, there’s a reason why Fever Pitch sucked other than the fact that it was about the Red Sox.

Until Conan comes back on the air, I probably won’t be watching as much late night TV as I used to. Leno is stale and Letterman is boring. Outside of CBS’s Late Late Show with Caig Ferguson, it just doesn’t seem like there enough laughs on late night. Until then I’ll be waiting for Conan’s triumphant return and probably the overdue retirement of Leno. Jay, it’s nothing personal, but between Conan’s hair and your chin, there’s only room for one of you during late night.

Page 8, Sports

Click on link below to view full-sized page.

Sports, Page 8

AU Preview: Womens Spring Sports Edition, AU Softball: Spring ‘09

Arcadia University Softball has been selected to finish fifth out of seven teams in the 2009 Commonwealth Conference pre season coaches poll, announced today by the league office.  The Knights went 11-22 overall and 10-8 while one-year members of the Freedom Conference in 2008,  and earned 23 points for their 2009 fifth place rating ahead of Albright (6th) and Lycoming (7th).

Arcadia’s 2008 squad missed out on the Freedom playoffs last season and despite the loss of valuable experience up the middle of the field, they are loaded with young players full of potential. The Knights return several key players from last year’s team, including Kiersten Hughes, a senior, who will anchor a young but game-tested pitching staff.  Senior Jaime Bee and sophomore Virginia Buechel return to the infield corners and will aid their teammates with a steady defensive presence and an abundance of power at the plate while junior Kristen Burns makes the move from experienced back-up catcher to a starting role in 2009.

Lebanon Valley looks to defend their first Commonwealth title as the pre-season favorite while Messiah (2nd), Widener (3rd) and Elizabethtown (4th) have been selected as the pre-season favorites to nab a post-season berth.

Head Coach Linda Detra will lead the Knights for her 16th season accompanied by assistant coaches Hillary Koehler and Meridith Mayes.    Arcadia will look to their returnees to replace valuable experience up the middle of the field, as they graduated their catcher, shortstop and centerfielder, which included 2 All-Conference players in Amanda Celantano ‘08 and Danielle Discher ‘08.

Jessica Defluri ‘10 and Kellie Reese ‘11 round out the experienced pitching staff while  Diana Rufo ‘09, Brittni Holland ‘10 and Ashley McCarthy ‘11 will give the Knights speed on the bases, looking to disrupt the opposing teams defense.

The newcomers to the program include Erin Wojcieszyn ‘12, Emily Pagnotta ‘12, Lindsey Henchinski ‘12, Katie Pierce ‘12, Helene Bonnot ‘12, Kelsey Roberts ‘12, Amy Johnson ‘12, Allison Russell ‘12, Jennifer Sevitski ‘12, Kaitlyn Chase ‘12, Danielle Sweeney ‘12 and Devin Guerriere ‘12. These talented young players will provide the Knights with plenty ofdepth at all positions, including right and left handed pitchers.

Head Coach Detra said she is excited about the coach-ability of all the players, ”All the girls are willing to work hard and get better and the competition in practice should transfer over to a competitive edge on game days.”  The ‘09 Knights are full of enthusiasm and potential, and are looking forward to a promising season, which could lead to conference playoffs and more. The Knights continue to find ways to make an impact in the community as well through their participation in Arcadia’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service as well as hosting their annual indoor clinic which takes place on March 1 this year.

The team begins their season March 6th in Virginia Beach against Emory and Henry College.  The Knights will play 4 games in 2 days in Virginia Beach before returning home to host their home opener, a Commonwealth Conference double header against Messiah College scheduled for March 10th at 2:00 p.m.

Womens’ Lacrosse

For the 2009 season, Women’s Lacrosse players appear to have more drive then ever before.  After tying in 11th place with  Alvernia in the Middle Atlantic Conference 2009 pre-season coaches poll, AU’s girls are “fueled up” to surprise some of the opposing teams for this years main season.

Leading the team for the 7th year in a row is Head Coach and 1997 Arcadia alumni Cindy Joseph, as well as newcomer graduate assistant Kate Johnston.

While many players are returning to the team this spring, including Seniors Melanie Mark, Kate Beers, Shannon Bustin, and Erin Cunningham, Lacrosse is seeing several new additions to the upcoming spring roster.  Transfer student Kelsey Dobbins is expected to bring a whole new meaning to her position of Attacker this year, while first year Stephanie Holguin is making a jump across the field, leaving her
former defensive position and moving to the midfield.

Also new to the team is defensive freshman Megan Madison, goalkeepers Evelyn Ciaburri and Amalie Kreitman, and “Utility Player” Lori Spangler.

Lacrosse opened their season at home, on March 8th against Kings College.

Front Page

Click on link below to view full-sized page.

Front Page

Page 2, News OP/ED

Click on link below to view full-sized page.

News OP/ED, Page 2

The Case for Obama’s Stimulus Package

By Press Date, President Obama will likely have already signed his $787 billion stimulus package into law. Once passed, the bill promises to be Obama’s first major step towards the recovery of an American economy that is in shambles. Money will be given to infrastructure projects, aid to homeowners and those facing foreclosure, and even legislation limiting the amount corporate CEO’s can be paid to $500,000 if they received any government bailout money. On top of that, Obama has to find a way to spend the second half of President Bush’s $700 billion bailout that was passed at the end of his term. But even before this money has been used, Obama is already facing some very hard scrutiny.

It is clear that the Republican Party has drawn their line in the sand when it comes to Obama and has refused to vote for his plan. Instead of supporting Obama’s ambitious plan to inject some life into a stagnant economy, they have made the bet that Obama will fail. This, they hope, will allow them to regain some more seats in the House and the Senate for the 2010 election. Of course this would imply that they are counting on two things: Obama to fail, and the American economy to be in ruins. Now I know the GOP is typically the party to point the un-American finger at their political enemies, but isn’t there something inherently counter-productive in wishing the worst on our economy so that they can benefit politically? Maybe things would have gone smoother if Obama had taken a page out of the Republican Party’s playbook and called the bailout the “Patriotic Stimulus Injection Plan,” or the “God Bless the Economy Act.” Not to mention that the only thing Americans would be rewarded with, should the Republicans pick up more seats in the next election, is a Congress that could more efficiently stall plans from Obama designed to help Americans.

Realistically, Obama’s lack of support from across the aisle should not come as too much of a shock. After the Republican Party was routed in both the 2006 and 2008 elections there are not very many moderates left. What is left behind are the hardcore conservatives in relatively safe districts. You know the 20-30% that still supported Bush towards the end? Think of these as the representatives of that small (crazy) group of Americans. As a result, they have little to lose by trying to make Obama look bad since they face a minimal threat of being voted out in the next election cycle.

Where Obama’s support needs to come from is the everyday American. His campaign of “Hope” meant a lot of things, but now that it has come apparent that there will not be a rainbow over the White House each day and that Democrats and Republicans were still not going to play nice, Obama needs to focus on just getting things done. The best he can hope for is winning over a few moderate Republicans in the Senate, although it is worth still reaching out as much as possible. The number one way he can lose his political sway is if he hesitates. So far he has emphasized quick action over anything else, and has alluded to this bailout plan as only “one leg of the stool” for rebuilding the American economy. If there is one thing that this first battle with Republicans should show Obama it is that politics will always be a rough business, and the best that he can hope for is that his side wins. The Republicans know that just going along with Democratic policies will only lead to continued Democratic success, which is why they are taking the opposite path. Of course one could also suggest that this is also incredibly selfish, and a great way to make a terrible situation even worse, but who am I to judge?

The next step for Obama will be holding businesses accountable for their actions. The idea that CEO’s should not be compensated for robbing their companies and the American people of their livelihood is a step in the right direction, although it is much more of a novel idea than it should be in our government. Obama has already announced that a plan to rebuild the American auto industry is already under way.

Personally I’m looking forward to the idea that by the time I am ready to buy my first new car that I will have more than one or two options for cars with over 35 mpg. Not to mention Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is making her debut with a trip to Asia this week. So far Obama has been focusing almost completely on his domestic agenda, but expect to see a new foreign policy platform to emerge once Hillary comes back and gets her bearings.

As for us, the students, where many of us were members of the electorate that fell in love with Obama and what he had to say, it is time to see what he is made of. I’m ready to give him a chance, and probably a much longer chance than others to follow through on his promises. As long as he is active and making an effort to change the way things are I will not complain. It will take time for this stimulus plan and his legislation to come to fix the corruption that festered in Wall Street these last decades, and we all knew Obama had his work cut out for him. If Obama can get our economy on the upswing and Americans back to their jobs, then I think it’s fair to say that he is doing his job, too.

From the Editor’s Desk…

To Our Faithful Audience,

Well I’m not sure if The Tower got a sudden burst in popularity or if the janitors threw out all the issues we put around campus, but last week’s issue absolutely flew off the shelves. I’m going to go with the positive here and say you guys actually liked it, and if that’s the case, well then, awesome…I’m not even mad.

Personally, I’ve been looking foreward to this issue ever since I heard about Juicy Campus about a month ago. For those of you that don’t know, Juicy Campus is a place for students (mostly freshmen) to bash each other anonymously online. I’ll let Jake Scalici’s article do the talking, but something tells me we haven’t seen the last of this site or sites like it.

So enjoy, I think this is a solid issue.

Sincerely,

Tyler Peckham
Editor-in-Chief

Drug Designed to
Lengthen Eyelashes

Is prescription medication the future of beauty? A new prescription drug called Latisse, designed to enhance your eyelashes, is now on the market. The beauty solution has been approved for the treatment of hair loss and the product’s maker claims, “it will thicken, darken and lengthen inadequate or skimpy eye lashes”.

Many women are excited about this new cure for eyelash deficiencies and eager to test it out. “I want to be able to look like I have makeup on when I don’t,” says Tammie Wilson of Roswell, Georgia.

Results are a long time coming though, with at least an eight week wait for visible improvement, many people not experiencing the full effect until a whole 16 weeks after they begin the regimen. And if you ever decide to stop taking your eyelash-enhancing pill, the results will be reversed, thus deeming it necessary for the rest of your life to dole out a rather steep $120 every 30 days for a new prescription, in order to maintain your desired eyelash exquisiteness.

First removing all dirt from the face, and then brushing the liquid across the top of the eyelashes with a small applicator, Latisse is expertly administered by a professional doctor. Adverse reactions may most commonly include itching, redness, hyper-pigmentation or a darkening of skin around the base of the eyelashes. It has also been found to help significantly decrease eye pressure in glaucoma sufferers.

With scientific makeup innovations such as these, the advancement in beauty techniques is seemingly endless.

-Teresa Barone

Father and Son
Re-united by
Accident

Chris Walker grew up his entire life without knowing his biological father. The only thing he did know about his father was his name- Clayton Hamilton.

When a man named Claiborne Hamilton got a job at the Richmond Police department where Walker worked, he got curious. After some conversations and questioning, Walker learned that Hamilton’s age, where he grew up, and friends he knew all could be possible matches to his long lost father.

To confirm his suspicions, he called his mother asking if she knew a Claiborne Hamilton. At first Walker’s mother insisted that his name was Clayton and not Claiborne, but after Walker asked about Hamilton’s old girlfriend’s nickname, Billy Joe, she knew that Hamilton was his father. “Billy Joe,” was the old nickname of Walker’s mother.

Soon afterwards, Walker called Hamilton to tell him the news. “It shocked me, but I always believed that there may have been a possibility at the time,” Hamilton said in an interview with the Richmond Times Dispatch. “When I first talked to him on the phone, I cried.”

Since then the two have undergone DNA testing to confirm that they are in fact father and son. The two even went in similar directions in their lives, first going into the military and later becoming police officers. Although few could expect that it would lead them to working in the same office where they discovered each other.

-Tyler Peckham

Lance Armstrong
has Bike Stolen

Lance Armstrong’s comeback into the world of cycling hit a snag after he had his bike stolen after the first day of a nine day race in California. The bike was taken from a team truck only hours after Armstrong had finished racing for the day.

This is Armstrong’s second comeback. The first being his famed 1998 return after recovering from testicular cancer that had ultimately spread to his lungs and brain.

Being highly resourceful, Armstrong had posted the theft on his Twitter account on Sunday, February 15 when he realized it was missing. The bike is custom made and is only used by Armstrong for serious time trials. Armstrong’s plea for the bike’s recovery was somewhat less professional, however. “There is only one like it in the world therefore hard to pawn it off. Reward being offered,” he wrote in a request to recover an extremely valuable piece of equipment.

The bikes of Armstrong’s teammates, Janez Brajkovic, Steve Morabito and Yaroslav Popovych were also stolen. As of press date, there has been no word on the status of the bicycles, but if Armstrong can get over cancer that plagued the two most important parts on a man’s body, let’s hope he can get over this bump in the road as well.

-Tyler Peckham

Page 3, News OP/ED

Click on link below to view full-sized page.

News OP/ED, Page 3

From Great to Gone: Celebs Losing Sponsorhips

It looks like celebrities have been royally screwing up lately. First Michael Phelps gets caught smoking pot, then Chris Brown is arrested on charges of beating Rihanna. Not only do they have to face an incredible amount of public heat for their socially unacceptable actions, but they are also dealing with consequences greatly affecting their careers.
Both public figures have faced the loss of sponsorship from big name advertisers. Additionally, Chris Brown has been losing musical exposure as a result of the alleged beating he gave Rihanna.

Following the release of the photo of Phelps taking a bong hit, Kellogg Co. made a public statement announcing that they had decided not to renew their contract with the Olympic gold medalist. “Michael’s most recent behavior is not consistent with the image of Kellogg. His contract expires at the end of February, and we have made the decision not to extend his contract,” said Susanne Norwitz, spokeswoman for Kellogg.

Brown seems to have taken an even harder hit, not of marijuana, but in the loss of corporate support. Not only does he face the possibility of losing sponsorship from the Wrigley Corporation and the Milk Mustache campaign, but he is losing good exposure on the airwaves. Since the allegations against him, Sesame Street has removed re-runs of an episode featuring Brown and radio stations have been refusing to air his songs, due to the heavy volume of listener complaints.

The program director of Cleveland radio station 96.5 Kiss FM explains his reason for removing the artist from their playlists. “It appears that Chris has made some poor choices, we are following the lead of our listeners, and we will not be supporting Chris Brown on 96.5 Kiss FM in Cleveland until the alleged situation gets resolved.”

While this loss of support must be frustrating to the famous figures, it is entirely warranted. The simple fact is that these corporations are merely trying to be business savvy. They are protecting the future of their companies and the image that they are attempting to represent.
I must say that I do sympathize a bit with Phelps’ situation, which was seemingly a lapse in judgment, so unfortunately caught on camera.

Ashton Kutcher put it best saying, “God forbid he hit a bong. Go ask your 20-year-old kid what they did last weekend. I’m not saying it was a smart move. But he doesn’t need to be publicly outed for it.”

Unfortunately, however, he was publicly outed and Kellogg must face the image that he is now forcing them to represent. When a company is trying to tell you that their product is healthy for your body and then the man that they place on their boxes becomes known for an activity unhealthy for your body, it creates a conflict of interest. I’m all for fun just as much as the next person, but Phelps needs to be more careful about who he commits these devious acts in front of, knowing that he could very well face severe consequences affecting his Olympic career.

Brown faces even more career consequences, and rightfully so. I’d have to say that the image of a wife-beater (and let’s face it, that’s the image he gives off when people believe that he has abused his significant other) does not fare well with any advertising campaign. Who wants to buy gum from a company that supports domestic abuse? And as far as the radio station’s decision to drop his songs, they are facing the potential loss of faithful listeners. It’s a smart business move and simply that.

Weekly Green Tip

Recycle!

Americans are using up natural resources faster than ever.  Creating new bottles, paper, clothing, electronics, etc. requires a lot of energy to process the raw materials and turn them into the products we see in our everyday life.  A great way to save resources and energy is to RECYCLE!  When you throw your recyclables into a recycling bin on campus, the materials can be reused to create new bottles and paper with post-consumer content.

Starting on Monday, February 16th you can combine all your paper, metal cans, glass bottles, cardboard, and 1 & 2 plastics in any recycling bin with a clear trash bag.  Recycling is easier than ever, try it out!

If you have any questions about recycling, please contact the EnvironmentalNetwork@arcadia.edu

Death-Row Bride: Childhood Marriage in Saudi Arabia

What little girl doesn’t dream of one day walking down an aisle dressed in white, surrounded by friends and family?  In July 2008, that dream turned into a nightmare for a 15-year-old Saudi Arabian girl.  The aisle she walked ran between death-row prison cells.  Her father gave her away to his cell-mate.  Shortly after her two-day honeymoon in the prison’s special quarters, she discovered she was pregnant.

Unfortunately, childhood marriages occur regularly in Saudi Arabia.  On December 26, 2008, CNN reported the marriage of an 8-year-old girl to a 47-year-old man. The girl’s father arranged the marriage to pay off a debt.  Judge Sheikh Habib Abdallah al-Habib rejected the mother’s petition to annul the marriage, saying that the mother is not the girl’s legal guardian since she and her husband are separated.
Saudi Arabia currently has no laws determining the minimum age for marriage.  Fathers can give daughters as young as one year old in marriage, as long as the husband pledges to delay consummation until the girl reaches puberty.  While the law requires a women’s consent to marriage, some officials allow the woman’s guardian to grant consent for her.

The law may be silent on the issue of minimum age, but various religious opinions abound.  The BBC reported on April 12, 2005 that Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheik banned forced marriages, saying that the practice is not permitted by Islamic law.  Other religious leaders feel differently, including a top cleric who said, “’It’s not correct to say it’s not permitted…A girl aged 10 or 12 can be married.  Those who think she’s too young…are being unfair to her.”

For many families, childhood marriages are a matter of expediency rather than ethics.  According to an Arab News report on August 7, 2008, if a man is the single guardian of many daughters, he may give them in marriage in order to provide for them.  Poor families profit by receiving fees from the groom, while other families hope to prevent illicit relationships.

The myth that marrying at a young age protects girls is dispelled by the United Nations Population Fund report.  There are no official statistics regarding childhood marriage in Saudi Arabia specifically, but studies in Kenya and Zambia show that teenage brides are contracting HIV at a faster rate than sexually active unmarried girls.  In addition, girls age 10-14 are five times more likely to die in pregnancy than women age 20-24.  Over the next decade, approximately 100 million girls under the age of 18 will be married.

The Saudi Human Rights Commission launched a campaign in September 2008 to set the minimum marital age at 17.  Through their diligent efforts, the dream of a vibrant childhood may one day be granted to every Saudi Arabian girl.

Burris Under Fire

Even after former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been impeached, Senator Roland Burris is still trying to get out from under his shadow. New allegations of perjury have been levied at Burris since the discovery that he may have been solicited to donate funds to Blagojevich’s campaign. Burris allegedly was asked to donate funds after he inquired about his name being mentioned on the list of possible successors for President Obama’s Senate seat while Blagojevich was still in office.

For his part Burris, denies any wrong doing. “I’ve always conducted myself with honor and integrity,” said Burris during a news conference on Sunday.  The information came out in an affidavit released last week by Burris. Republicans charge that this information should have come out during a hearing in front of the impeachment committee for Blagojevich last month. Many Republicans are calling for the impeachment of Burris.

This news does little to help the Democratic Party or President Obama that have already had to deal with the turning down of cabinet posts by former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and former Senator Tom Daschle because of ethical and monetary concerns. The continuing drama of Blagojevich and Burris seems only to add salt to the wound.

“Clearly, it would have been better if Sen. Burris had provided this information when he first testified. Sen. Reid is reviewing the affidavit and will await any action by Illinois legislative leaders after they review the matter,” said a statement released by the camp of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

As of Press date President Obama is yet to comment on the status of Burris. Burris’ Senate seat will be up for election in 2010.

Page 4, Student Life

Click on link below to view full-sized page.

Student Life, Page 4

Knights’ Nook

Questions about life? Email us @
KnightsNook@gmail.com

Arcadia’s own Ms. Majestic answers ALL of your questions about love, life, and the library!

Dear Ms. Majestic,

I’ve been dating my boyfriend since the 8th grade and we are totally head over hills for each other. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I don’t know what I would do without him. A few years ago when I was going through some growing pains, he helped me out more than you could even imagine. To make a long story short, I think we’re ready for the next step. I’m a sophomore and he’s a sophomore at Penn State but I think that we’re ready to move on with our lives even though we’re young. All of my friends think that I’m crazy but they really don’t understand that we are far more mature than most people our age and we really love each other. My grandparents got married when they were only 18 and stayed happily married for over 60 years. if they can do it, I know that we can. How do I make my friends understand?
-Ready to be Wed

Dear Ready,

Let me be the first to say congrats on finding someone you love so deeply. These days it seems hard to find that special someone. At the same time, let me also remind you that it is very rare to find a special person and be as certain to share eternity with them as you are. Marriage is a huge commitment and happiness now doesn’t mean happiness forever. Your grandparents had to work very hard to maintain bliss for that long and I’m sure there were plenty of rough patches. You said that the two of you are more mature than your peers, but the real test of that maturity is if you can hold on to your love and get married when the time is right. Get a degree, travel a little… do anything except get hitched.

-Ms. Majestic

Dear Ms. Majestic,

My roommate is a huge pervert. Whenever we go out, he always makes an effort to embarass me and himself. All of the chicks we hang out with think he’s a tool, but he doesn’t seem to realize it. He tells people that he’s a playa, but everyone around him knows that’s not true. Besides being a jerk to every woman he comes into contact with, he’s a pretty cool dude. We vibe on a lot of the same music and stuff. The problem is that my girlfriend hates that I hang out with this kid and she thinks he’s rubbing off on me. I don’t know how I’m supposed to prove to her that I’m just as annoyed as she is and not piss him off. He’s my roommate and I won’t be able to get rid of him so she’s going to have to stick it out but I’m afraid she’ll break up with me if I don’t lose him. What should I do?
-Roomie vs. Chick

Dear RC,

Man, what a sticky situation. You really don’t have a ton of options. Your girlfriend shouldn’t have put you in such a sticky predicamnet because if she had any sense, she would know that you can’t just up and move with a viable reason. I understand that your rommate is a jerk but you also said that he was a pretty cool guy otherwise. Try to make your girlfriend see his not-so-evil ways and maybe she’ll come around. Make sure you talk to your roommate and ask him to lay off his tool antics. It may end up being worse than you ever imagined if this keeps going the way its going. Good luck and stay cool.

-Ms. Majestic

Getting back into the swing of things after my week long snowcation has been tough. Adding to my already lackluster approach to studying this past week was a wonderfully enjoyable bout of tonsillitis to knock me right back into my sick routine of sleeping all day and watching the same movies over and over. After finally dragging some antibiotics out of the NHS doctors, I am on the road to recovery just in time to enjoy my reading week.

If you’ve just started to read my column then a) shame on you, you should have been interested in my life last semester and b) you wouldn’t have a clue about the amazing reading week given in the middle of my semester.  To keep it short and sweet it’s a week off from all lessons and you can use it however you please. It is suggested that you do some reading, but most students use it for excess partying and going home. Last semester I did a bit of reading, but unfortunately spent most of my week on the latter. This semester I hope to redeem myself with a ridiculous amount of reading.

My plan is to read two weeks ahead of schedule which I really think I can do if I would just stop sleeping all day. Sleep to me seems to be the blight of the college student. Most of my friends share the same problem with sleep. We either sleep so much that it is completely unhealthy or we sleep so little that it is unhealthy. I try to find that perfect balance, but it doesn’t seem to fit in staying up til 3 a.m. to finish a book or coming home from a night out at 8 a.m. But I won’t give up trying to control my sleep.

Even if I do get my sleeping patterns under control, I’m not sure I will have enough energy for the upcoming weeks. In the beginning of this week I shall be frequenting the library, but Wednesday I will be boarding a train and making a quick trip up to Oxford where one of my fellow ex-FYSAE and Arcadians is studying. This weekend I also have another Arcadian visiting from Ireland! The following week I am going to the theater and then completely indulging my inner English-major/silly girl who loves Jane Austen. I will be going on a Jane Austen themed overnight trip with Arcadia to Bath, which is a main stay of her writing. It is a bit sad, really. I’m imagining a gaggle of girls who all share the same fantasy of finding Mr. Darcy, but I’m sure it will be enjoyable nonetheless. A week after that one, of my best friends from home will be coming over to visit and then after that I have my twenty-first birthday to look forward too!

With the next month’s extremely busy schedule, I really, really need to get a handle on my procrastination and get ahead with my work. I’m sure everyone’s feeling the weight of a massive workload back at AU as well so wish me luck with mine and get your work done too!

So, with the holiday season past, especially Valentine’s Day, there are plenty of people looking for someone to do. For those of us on the singles circuit, getting our “needs” filled can be tough sometimes. What is one to do? BOOTY CALL. Yes, I’m serious. Get your jollies filled and then go home. There’s nothing wrong with that! Urban dictionary defines a booty call as “A late night summons — often made via telephone — to arrange clandestine sexual liaisons on an ad hoc basis.” Otherwise know as getting laid. As long as you know that it’s a booty call and nothing more.

Follow these signs that it might be a booty call:

1. It’s late at night, usually after 11pm.

2. The other person seems to be under the influence (not the influence of Cupid’s arrow either!)

3. They say things like, “So…my roommates are all out of town….want to hang out?”

4. They also make blunt sexual references… “Me so horny,  me so horny!”

5. Finally, You’ve answered a booty call before and it was GOOOOOOOD!
The key thing to remind yourself, and we’ve all made this mistake, is to not overdo the booty call. It should be used on a URGENT need basis only! Only when you are so horny that masturbating all night will NOT do the job! You don’t want to seem desperate. Really! If you abuse this you are going to get a reputation. Honestly, your roommate is going to leave you a note that says “Really? Again? How much sex can you truly have? For that matter how MANY orgasms can you FAKE?”

Here are some ideas as to how to get a booty call:

1. Talk about sex a lot to someone to see if your sexual interests match.

2. Swap some sexual encounter stories to see if they are willing to have a booty call.

3. Establish that you should “hang out” or “party” sometime.

4. Think of really corny/sexy things to actually say when it’s booty call time: “What are you doing tonight…can it be me?” *wink*

5. Finally, be ready to say, “Want to get laid? Come over.”

Use these tips wisely. You are sure to have a good night. Or maybe several good nights!  Just be sure to keep it strictly to getting booty or you are going to just look sad and pathetic! We don’t want that! What are you waiting for? Get calling!

Page 5, Feature

Click on link below to view full-sized page.

Feature, Page 5

Special Report: The Inside Scoop on Juicy Campus

Arcadia is a University built on diversity and acceptance.  There is a diverse amount of clubs, everything from volleyball to Quidditch. The student body is geographically diverse with students from other countries studying in quiet Glenside, and Arcadia also houses a large LGBTQ community.  The differences in people are supposed to be not only accepted at Arcadia but learned from, like a forum for not only education by books but through life.

Spring break trips to different areas in the United States and around the world work to inform students of the way people live around the world, just like FYSAE and other study abroad destinations do for college life.  On campus, Arcadia celebrates this idea of harmony amongst difference with a symbolic Civility Flag.  But  unfortunately for many students of Arcadia University a website has given others a chance to speak out against the differences they don’t like or can’t understand. Throw in some other personal happenings orpossible facts and you have the dilemma that is Arcadia’s JuicyCampus.

JuicyCampus.com is an anonymous gossip website started by 2005 Duke University alum Matt Ivester.  In a New York Times article Ivester talks about JuicyCampus as “gossip 2.0”.  JuicyCampus acts like a virtual bathroom wall according to Ivester a place to write what someone wants about whoever the want.  For example a post might say something like “John Doe banged so and so in the Hienz bathroom last Friday.”  Other prevalent posts are list style like “Top Ten Pot Dealers at (insert school name here).” The site has caused quite a stir in campuses across the nation since its inception in august of 2007, and brought about clone websites in small instances like high schools.  At Arcadia the site has been used one of two ways, for the already mentioned gossip and for all out hatred.   This has been the problem with JuicyCampus in general.  The private gossip, finger pointing, and secrets told haven’t brought flack to the JuicyCampus or Ivester but going beyond intothreats of violence or outright hatred has.

In December of 2007, a student at Loyola Marymount University posted a threat to kill as many people as he could on the campus’ Alumni Mall building.  Resulting in JuicyCampus’s biggest headline to date. At Pepperdine University students moved to block JuicyCampus from the schools servers, other campuses have gone the route of blocking JuicyCampus from their network without a vote, even though it can be seen as a breech of the Constitution’s First Amendment protecting free speech.  Ivester has gone as far as to compare the blocking of JuicyCampus to China’s censoring of the Internet.  All in all, JuicyCampus has name its name on the dismay of the people mentioned on it making its infection of a campus the size of Arcadia University even more surprising.   The schools clashing with JuicyCampuses and Ivester in the headlines have 8,000 or more students as opposed to Arcadia’s smaller more tightly knit 3,600 plus.  The site had been blocked by three schools as of January 2009, Texas Christian University, Tennesee State University, and High Point Unversity.  JuicyCampus expanded over 500 niversities at its pinnacle in late 2008.

JuicyCampus became a problem on Arcadia’s campus causing dean of students Jeff Ewing to bring the issue up to Arcadia’s Student Government Organization, or SGO.  “I did approach SGO to discuss the issue because students had raised it with me and I wanted to see if the students involved with SGO wanted to address it.  The students who spoke to me were concerned about how others were being treated on the site and felt it was something we should address somehow.  From what they shared with me, there certainly seemed to be no positive purpose to the site.” Said Ewing

Unlike at other colleges and universities Arcadia’s issues with the site were resolved without much effort or trouble.  On February 5, 2009 JuicyCampus was shut down due to financial problems effectively ending the sites run at Arcadia or anywhere for that matter.  Some say the site or one like exists at another address but for the most part the online gossip site is dead at Arcadia University for now, but the sting from the things written will be felt for some time for those mentioned.

Page 6, Entertainment

Click on link below to view full-sized page.

Entertainment, Page 6

And the Winner is: 2009 Grammy Review

“And the Grammy goes to…” These were the theme words for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles at the Staples Center. It was a night of surprises, performances, and, of course golden, awards. The night began with questions, as I watched the E! channel’s Grammy pre-show and learned that singers Chris Brown and Rihanna were going to be no-shows. Both were nominated and expected to perform. No news had broken yet before the show, so the audience was left wondering what happened. It wasn’t until after the show that it was uncovered by countless news stations and the Internet, that Chris Brown turned himself into police for an alleged felony battery between himself and an identified woman. Sources say that the woman may in fact be his girlfriend Rihanna. The craziness didn’t end there. The Grammy’s was a night of stars and surprises.

Famed group U2 opened the award show and delivered a cool performance that set the tone for the beginning of the show. Just when I thought the Grammy’s would be a bust, R&B legend Whitney Houston walks onto the stage looking great! The singer who had some troubles in the past looked nothing like that person. She looked new and approved as she presented the R&B Album Award that went to Jennifer Hudson. Hudson took the prize and received a standing ovation as she thanked her family that was tragically killed, and her family that is with her presently.

The night continued with performances by Al Green, Justin Timberlake, Keith Urban, and Boyz II Men, filling in for an absent Rihanna. For such short notice, the collaboration wasn’t bad at all. Coldplay’s Chris Martin serenaded the audience and then, all of a sudden rapper, Jay-Z walked onto the stage and spit a quick verse. Coldplay finished the performance singing their popular song “Viva la Vida.” Other performers included Carrie Underwood, Kid Rock, Kenny Chesney, Radiohead, Sir Paul McCartney with Foo Fighter’s singer Dave Grohl, Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift together, and Jennifer Hudson’s heartfelt ballad. The night continued to be a collaborative night when The Jonas Brothers and Stevie Wonder teamed up to sing the brother’s “Burnin’ Up” song and then Stevie’s “Very Superstitious” hit. Katy Perry gave an average performance for her song “I Kissed A Girl”, her set was filled with different huge props that were fruits like pears, apples, and peaches. She even had a fruity outfit to match, and I’m not a fashion expert, but did anyone peep the flat green shoes she had on? All I could think was “Step your game up Katy, it’s the Grammy’s. Put some heals on!”

Then, I saw that Kanye West didn’t know what year it was as he performed with British singer Estelle for her “American Boy”song. Kanye, with his shiny Michael Jackson silver jacket and black gloves, accompanying the outfit with his 1985 hair to match was too much to handle. But he redeemed himself later in the show. One of my favorite performances, probably because I LOVE this song was “Swagga Like Us.” Queen Latifah presented “The Rap Pack” featuring Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and T.I. with a very pregnant M.I.A., who was in fact due on the same day as the Grammy’s. Very strange, yes, but the performance was hot! There were other performances during the night in which everyone was paired off with someone else. All in all, the performance went pretty well. Another highlight was seeing bands that went ghost for a while, like Blink 182 and Green Day.

Some of the winners mentioned walked away with more than one gold award, and some did not walk away with anything. Whatever the case, it was a night that will go down in history. Stevie Wonder closed the show singing soulfully as he played his piano and his harmonica. It was a starry night of questions, some answers, good performances, ok performances, great outfit choices, not so great ones, and new and old faces. The 2009 Grammy’s are long gone, but not to worry, they will be back. Before you know it, it’ll be time to cue the music for the person who’s acceptance speech is way too long. You’ve got to love that, and you’ve got to love the Grammy’s!

Best R&B Album- Jennifer Hudson

Best Country Performance by Duo or Group- “Stay” by Sugarland

Pop Collaboration with Vocals- Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

Best Rock Album-  Viva la Vida by Coldplay

Best New Artist- Adele

Record of the Year- Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

Male Pop Vocal Performance- John Mayer

Best Rap Album- Lil Wayne

Album of the Year- Raising Sand Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

The Lowdown on Chris Brown & Rihanna

After the 51st Annual Grammy Awards premiered on CBS on February 8th, there was a lot of talk about the absence of singers and couple Chris Brown and Rihanna at the award show. Immediately after the show, the internet, news stations, radio stations, and people’s cell phones were buzzing, with explanations for what happened. There have been countless speculations as to what happened between the performers. Two things we know for sure, whether or not Chris Brown did what people said he did or not, his career just might be over. As for Rihanna, she probably just nailed a book deal with a publishing company to tell her story.

So, here’s the scoop and the latest on what went down. The night before the Grammy’s, Chris Brown, 19 and Rihanna, 20 were spotted at a pre-party and seemed to be happy. Sources like BET NEWS, E! Channel, Yahoo News, just to name a few, all seem to agree that after the party things turned ugly. Supposedly, Chris and Rihanna were seen arguing inside of a car. After that, no one physically has stepped forward to clear up what occurred. But, here’s what we think we know: Chris and Rihanna got into an argument and tempers started to flair. Sources say that Chris allegedly hit Rihanna, gave her bruises and she had to go to the hospital for her wounds. “Someone” (more than likely Rihanna or a friend) called the police and reported that Brown attacked her. But wait there’s more…

The internet and television tried to keep the latest news updated and each minute, something new was discovered. The majority of the media is saying that Chris gave Rihanna a split lip, bloody nose and scratches on her face. It is crystal clear that Chris Brown turned himself in to the Los Angeles Police Department due to video released all across the world. Brown was driven to the station by his attorney Mark Geragos, whose past clients include Winona Ryder, Scott Peterson, and Michael Jackson. Geragos’ past clients have nothing to do with Chris Brown, but from what those clients have on their records, it doesn’t look good. The R&B singer was charged with making a criminal threat, and at this point remains under investigation on domestic violence allegations. His bail was set at $50,000, which he posted and he was released. But there are still questions unanswered that fans, and just about anyone who is interested, want to know what is true.

I have heard everything under the sun this past week regarding the Chris Brown vs. Rihanna attack. I’ve heard that Rihanna gave Chris Brown some sort of STD, Rihanna cheated on Chris with rapper Flo-rida, Chris bit Rihanna on her face or arm, someone else may have been with the two when the fight happened, etc. It’s been a lot of talk, and no one really knows what to believe. A few friends and I have agreed that there needs to be some sort of press conference ASAP to confirm what’s going on! There just needs to be some sort of follow-up or conclusion as to what is the truth, so that people can stop making up their own stories.

Chris Brown is most definitely not benefitting from this situation, his Doublemint Gum ad campaign has been pulled and some radio stations are not playing his songs. It’s very sad and disturbing to think that all of these allegations probably happened. Also, Chris Brown is a talented young man who is seen as a lovable guy. Of course, that doesn’t dismiss the fact that he could be an abuser, but I think it’s crazy that such a talented kid could be going through something like this.

More importantly, Chris Brown is a young Black male, and that just puts the icing on the cake. Whenever a Black entertainer does something outrageous or gets arrested, the Black community lowers their heads, because it’s a fact that this young man has potential, but by this happening, it’s not setting a good example for the other young men coming behind him. Hopefully, this will be a lesson for them that no matter how famous you are, you must take responsibilty for yourself, and that fame can be taken away from you in an instant. One can only hope that this whole situation can be settled and that the whole truth will be proclaimed. A lot of people want the truth and at this stage in the game, people can handle it.

Page 7, Entertainment

Click on link below to view full-sized page.

Entertainment, Page 7

The Scramble

A brief look at new media.

The return of New Brunswick’s own post-hardcore heroes, Thursday, is a much-needed one.  With the genre falling to stale emo-rockers seemingly by the day the return of the kings came at the perfect time.  On their last release 2006’s A City by the Light Divided, Thursday seemed to be faltering under the weight of their own music.  Strings, keys, synths, and singer Geoff Rickly’s lamest lyrics to date had fans wondering if there was anything left in the tank.   On Common Existaence a refocused Thursday gives the same formula another shot adding in some of their old fury, better synths and most of all, a much better written album by Rickly.  The result is eleven tracks that blend the bands breakthrough classic Full Collpase with A City. Polished raw hardcore mixed with prog pop patches.  Rickly and Co. bring a huge wall of sound style to tracks like “As He Climbed the Dark Mountain” and “Love has Led Us Astray” but without budging from the pummeling style of other songs like “You Were the Cancer”.

I remember hearing about this band a few years ago.  Punk rock, art punk, something rock, Trail of Dead (it’s much easier to type) were the underground golden boys of the early part of the millennium and they weren’t afraid to show off their duel drumming, heavy guitared brand to anyone.  After being picked up by a major label, it seemed like the well went dry for Trail of Dead.  Their albums became dense art rock, soundscapes with layers and layers of instruments and ideas but without the soul of their earlier pieces.  On their latest release, Century of Self, the band went old school, recording all of the songs live and heading back toward their original style.  Century of Self isn’t the band’s crown jewel, but it does make Trail of Dead relevant again.  “Fields of Coral” sounds like a Bruce Springsteen song, “Far Pavilions” is mellow despite sprawling guitars, and “Inland Sea” has a seriously epic intro.  Welcome back Trail of Dead, welcome back.

Whats My Age Again?

My first big concert, that is one not in a gym somewhere, came in the summer of 2001.  I was an 8th grader with an affinity for guitar riffs I could play and songs with things that had lyrics that were important to me at the time, like girls and dick jokes for the lunch table.  No one band fit the bill better than Blink-182.  Mark, Tom, and Travis those were my musical heroes.  Whether it was early Blink like Cheshire Cat and Dude Ranch (the pre-Travis days) or the big hit albums like Enema of the State and Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (my vote for the greatest album title of all time), the leaders of pop-punk’s second wave had everything my 14 year old brain could possibly want.  Unfortunately, the band and my fourteen-year-old brain got older.

High School brought about friends with different tastes, tastes that influenced me.  Metal, hardcore, prog, other genres in general began to flood my iTunes and CD catalog and my love affair with Blink began to fade, thanks in part to their self-titled 2003 release.  The album was a different band.  The voices were the same, even the first single, “Feeling This”, had some of Blink’s classic sound, but in general the band I once knew and loved was gone.  Tom DeLonge moved on to do Angels and Airwaves, his second (and by far worst) side project and Mark and Travis moved on to form +44, both acts paling in comparison to the youthful glory of Blink-182.  Some people said it was a band growing up, trading in high school humor for fears and questions.  Others look at it as a matter of over exposure, a band that didn’t see their fame as a matter of their music, but rather their personalities.  In 2005, DeLonge went on an indefinite hiatus from not only Blink but his two best friends, the fun had ended.

Let’s fast forward two shitty Angels and Airwaves album’s and a plane crash to the 2009 Grammys.  I was watching the show, full of music I really wasn’t that into, only to see Mark, Tom, and a still recovering Travis on stage.  Mind you, in recent years I had begun to look through my albums and, in doing so, rediscovered my connection with songs about peeping toms and hallway gossip.  The simple guitars, catchy melodies, and the feeling of the first times I heard the songs brought the band back to my musical forefront..  Mark spoke out first cracking a joke about the previous segment’s performance saying, “Isn’t it great to see the Jonas Brothers and Stevie Wonder back together again?” After laughing, the next thing I heard was Travis saying that Blink was back together and the smile just crept across my face.

Now lets talk about this new and improved return of Blink-182.  They’re recording, they’re touring, they’re like, really back.  The question is, which Blink are we  going to get?  My worry is that the band will pick up where they left off, growing up.  Dude Ranch, Enema, and TOYPAJ were all about the pains of being young while yearning to get to 21 and buy booze.  I don’t mean to speak for everyone, but I think the majority of fans would say Mark, Tom, and Travis need to go back to the things that made them friends in the first place.  Sure they’re all thirty something dads, but the chemistry between them is in their American Pie, dog-humping humor.  I don’t want an album about the dark times of Blink-182, the hiatus years, because that isn’t what Blink stands for.  In the end, I’m weary but giddy. 2009 brings me a chance to go see a summer tour with the band I saw every summer I could, the chance to hear tunes like “Dammit” and “Aliens Exist”, and most of all the chance to take a trip back a few years to a simpler, brighter time.

Page 8, Sports

Click on link below to view full-sized page.

Sports, Page 8

A-ROD……..A-ROID???

Yankee Alex Rodriguez admitts past steriod use

In recent years, U.S. professional sports leagues have cracked down on steroid use by their players harder than ever before. In addition to strictly monitoring current and future use by players, some monitoring bodies and leagues have chosen to dig down throughout a player’s entire career to try to find any incidents of past use. Unfortunately, what’s been uncovered is that many “Sports Heros” of our time such as Rodger Clemens, have at one point or another used illegal steroids.  According to Sports Illustrated, who first broke the story, Yankee prodigy Alex Rodriguez is the new addition to the infamous company.

Sources at Sports Illustrated and CBS News say that in 2003, A-Rod tested positive for the steroids Testosterone and Primobolan.  During the time in question, Rodriguez was playing for the Texas Rangers, and was also the 2003 MVP. At the time, however, MLB did not have penalties for steroid use and tests taken were said to be anonymous and confidential.  Confidential, of course, until a Federal intervention in 2004, resulting in the seizure of all files from a lab in California.

Adding to the actual allegations of steroid use against Rodriguez, the other issue at hand seems to be the fact that in a 2007 interview with CBS News anchor Katie Couric, A-Rod avidly denied any use of any steroids at any point throughout his career.  Now that this news has come out, hypocrite is the word best describing the situation, as well as the player, by many New York and baseball fans.

As of press date, A-Rod has refused to comment on the validity of the accusations, however the timing for this story to break couldn’t have been worse.

Starting on March 3, 2009, SF Giants player and “Home-Run King” Barry Bonds will be on Federal trial for accusations that he lied to a grand jury in 2007, when he stated that “he never knowing took illegal steroids.

With all of professional baseball having steroids on the brain due to Bonds’ trial, along with fans’ support faltering, it’s still not a definite whether or not Rodriguez’s career can withstand the scandal this time around. Despite the fact that these allegations are from 6 years ago, and that the incident was officially dealt with back then, the idea that A-Rod had lied to the public is what’s leaving a bad taste in Yankee fans’ mouths.

A-Rod, however, is no stranger to the world of gossip and     scandal in recent years. Due to his increased role as a Celebrity, in addition to just another Athlete, the press have dissected much more than just Alex’s career, and in fact, have speculated about his personal relationships.

In 2008, Us Magazine reported that Madonna’s 7 year marriage to actor Guy Richie was on the rocks, and that she had hosted several “late-night visits” with Rodriguez at her New York City apartment. Nearly at the same time, A-rod’s wife, Cynthia Rodriguez, (upper-right), had begun filing for divorce, based on her husbands “extramarital” activities.  Despite Madonna’s denial of a physical affair, Cynthia’s lawyers insisted that an “affair of the heart” took place between the two, and that was the basis for the disillusionment of the marriage.

Where A-Rod goes from here will take some serious damage control, and very unlikely forgiveness from fans.

KNIGHTS of the WEEK

Caitlin Sparks  ‘GR, 09
Women’s Basketball

Fifth year player Caitlin Sparks became the new all-time scoring leader for Arcadia Women’s Basketball during this Saturday’s 57-38 loss to Commonwealth Conference opponent Lycoming College at Lamade Gymnasium in Williamsport.  Sparks entered the game needing 13 points and set the new program record (1297 points) on the free throw line with 2:11 remaining in the game, as she sunk the front end of a one-and-one chance to displace 2007 Arcadia graduate Katie Lynch, who held the previous mark of 1296.  For the week, Sparks averaged 14.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, both above her season averages (13.9ppg/8.1 rpg) while her 27 steals leads the squad.

Damien Palantino ‘10
Men’s Basketball

Junior gaurd Damien Palantino led his team in a tough winless week in Commonwealth play, providing many offensive sparks to keep the Knights in contention against strong teams in Widener and Lycoming.  Averaging 13.1 points per game, Palantino poured in 21 at home in a 68-62 loss against conference leader Widener before hanging a team high 15 on Lycoming in a unsettling 82-63 loss in Williamsport.  He shot the lights out with a team high 63% average from the floor, 50% from beyond the arc, and 86% from the charity stripe while adding 4 steals and dishing out 3 assists and surpassed senior Bobby Mulholland(12.1 ppg) as the season scoring leader.

Arcadia hosts Mid Atlantic Swim Championship

This past weekend, February 13th thru 15th, Arcadia’s Men’s and Women’s swim teams participated in the 2009 Middle Atlantic Conference Swim Championships. The conference, which was held at the Wyoming Valley Catholic Youth Center, included rival teams from across the area, including Kings, Albright, and Lebanon Valley Colleges.

Leading AU’s Men’s team was senior John Konieczny, who placed 14th in the 200 meter Breast Stroke.  In addition to Konieczny, who shaved close to 7 seconds off his qualifying time, was fellow swimmer Steve Haasis, who also beat his best time by 7 seconds for the 200 meter backstroke. By far, however, the most impressive personal time was that of Jason Sharpe, who improved his qualifying time by 11 seconds in the 200 meter butterfly.

Arcadia’s Women’s team also proved successful over this past weekend, with Kayla Kroll placing 19th in the 200 meter Womens Butterfly, as well as Stephanie Bartolotta, who hit a personal best of  2:51:       34 in the 100 meter breaststroke.

A congratulations to all swimmers, both men’s and women’s, as well as to head coach Stephen Rote, on a job well done during this year’s conference and a great overall season this year.

Front Page

Click on link below to view full-sized page.

Front Page

Page 2, News OP/ED

Click on link below to view full-sized page.

News OP/ED, Page 2

Economic Stimulus Debates Swell

As all of you probably know, there has been bad news on the state of the economy. Millions of people are unemployed, thousands upon thousands of jobs have been cut, foreclosures are listed across the nation,  and banks are asking for bailouts like they’re candy. President Obama, along with his staff and the House of Representatives, put together an economic stimulus bill that is being hotly debated by the Senate as far as what to include, what to cut away, and if the bill should pass at all. The price tag has gone up to $900 billion. I am here to defend the bill and I will tell you why.

Since last summer, the state of the economy has gone from bad to worse. Julianne Pepitone on cnnmoney.com reported that in the final week of January, on what was known as Bloody Monday, 65,400 jobs were cut. In 2008, nearly 2.6 million jobs were lost. That was the highest yearly job-loss since 1945. Companies such as Caterpillar and Pfizer cut 20,000 jobs. The unemployment rate for January hit 7.6 percent, the highest since 1992. The U.S. economy lost another 598,000 jobs since January, the largest one-month job loss since 1974. Many companies have filed for bankruptcy, stores across the country have closed, and on top of that, we still have to deal with global warming. Everyone, especially Obama, has been saying that this is the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Americans are hurting. Families struggle to put food on the table, pay their bills, afford college education for their kids, and save up for retirement. College students are up to their eyeballs in student debt and the job market looks bleak. The bill has a huge price tag and other people have been getting bailed out, such as the banking and auto industries. However, this is about putting the nation back to work and getting the economy moving again.

The economic stimulus package aims to inject money into several different venues.  Obama wants to give $26 billion to subsidize health care insurance, $46 billion to transportation projects, $14.4 billion for the Energy Department, and $54 billion in state fiscal relief for education. The plan also includes tax cuts and credits, such as a $2,500 tax credit for college tuition, giving tax cuts to families.
There are opponents to the bill. Bill Dalton of kansascity.com views the bill as full of earmarks and pork-barrel spending. For example, the stimulus has $50 million for water and habitat needs in San Francisco and $198 million to compensate Filipino World War II veterans.
Opponents such as talk radio hosts and Republican Congressmen see a lot of unnecessary spending and are either trying to trim costs or reject it altogether. Many feel that instead of spending, the government should be granting tax cuts.

However, action is needed, and it is needed quickly.

Joan Thompson of the political science department at Arcadia had this to say about the stimulus, “From a political science perspective, President Obama needs to act quickly to reduce the impact of the recession we are now in on middle class households. Otherwise he could be blamed for hard times by his own party as well as by the Republicans.”

The bill has already passed in the House and it currently being debated in the Senate. The package might be modified with more or less spending or have different approaches to certain areas. It is an ongoing news story and its outcome will have a huge impact on the country.

I support President Obama and the decisions he makes. He has quite a lot on his plate to fix. Americans are struggling financially. We need to do something. If this bill gets things moving again, then let’s pass it. Obama plans for the bill to create 3-4 million jobs. That is what we need. We are running out of time and options. If we don’t get something passed, things are going to get even worse. The economic stimulus package won’t solve everything. Obama is not aiming for it to do that. He wants to create new jobs for Americans and get them to work.

Letter: Bookstore Returns are Underpriced

I was reading your article about Arcadia’s bookstore. And you failed to mention that the bookstore doesnt give a lot of money back to students when buying back their books. As much as the bookstore says they’re not trying to rip us off they are forgetting that when we sell back our books they give us 10% back of what we paid! I can just go back to the community college at home and sell back the same books but get 50-60% back of what I paid. Its just ridiculous how much the bookstore gives us back for books that cost over a $100 then they place them back on the bookshelves for a little less then the new priced. There isnt a balance here and it is most certainly true when you mentioned that its a win or win situation for the univeristy as well as the bookstore. I wish Arcadia would start caring more about its hard paying students and less about the extra money they are making.

-Kristin Castelow, Class of 2012

From the Editor’s Desk…

To Our Faithful Audience,

So I hope everyone is excited for Valentine’s Day. If you’re like me, you’re probably not as excited as you could be, because then you would be single. But don’t fret if you are, we have helpful advice for those of you that might be spending V-Day alone this year. And for those of you lucky enough to have someone special, we have some advice for you, too.

In any case, I hope you like last week’s bookstore article, and we’ve tried to keep the good reporting coming with this week’s article on Arcadia’s struggling Music Department. Not to mention Jake Scalici’s write-up of this year’s Philly Car Show. So give this issue a read and you’ll probably find something you like…maybe…hopefully.

Sincerely,

Tyler Peckham
Editor-in-Chief

Michael Phelps: Super
Human Athlete or Normal
23-Year-Old?

Michael Phelps seems to have earned the title of pothead ever since a picture surfaced of him smoking a bong, allegedly packed full of marijuana. The picture appeared in News of the World, a British tabloid. It was reportedly taken in November at a student party at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.

Phelps later admitted it was him in the alleged picture. “I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment. I’m 23-years-old and despite the successes I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again,” said Phelps in a statement.

The Olympic gold medalist could face several repercussions due to his drug delinquency. According to the rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency, administrator of Olympic and international drug testing, marijuana is classified as a banned “in-competition” substance even though they do not classify it as “performance enhancing.”

Since the release of the photo, Phelps has been suspended from competition for three months, during which he was also cut off financially, by USA Swimming, the governing body for swimming in the United States. The organization released a statement saying “This is not a situation where any anti-doping rule was violated , but we decided to send a strong message to Michael because he disappointed so many people, particularly the hundreds of thousands of USA swimming member kids who look up to him as a role model and a hero.”

Kellogg has decided not to renew a sponsorship contract with Phelps because “his behavior isn’t consistent with Kellogg’s image.”

However, the International Olympic committee has accepted the swimmer’s apology and he will be allowed to compete in the future Olympic games.

-Teresa Barone

Tube Tied Mother
Bears Baby

Calling her child “God-sent,” 39-year-old Monica Tate gave birth to her son Elijah 19 years after having her tubes tied to prevent any further pregnancies. Tate thought it would be impossible to have another child after her operation at the age of twenty, following the birth of her second child.

After discovering she was pregnant, Tate took multiple pregnancy tests to confirm if it was true. Dr. Martin Felder, who delivered the child, said the chances of her becoming pregnant after having her tubes tied, and especially at her age, were slim to none. According to reports the baby and its mother are both healthy and doing well.

-Tyler Peckham

Jenny’s
Number for
Sale

Jenny’s number is being sold on ebay! 28-year-old DJ Spencer Potter is selling the number 867-5309 on ebay for big bucks. These digits became famous after Tommy Tutone’s 80’s hit, “867-5309/Jenny,” in which a guy finds a number for a girl named Jenny written on a bathroom wall. The number being sold on ebay has a New Jersey area code and is already going for over $5,000, according to CNN.com. By the end of the auction on Monday, February 9, Potter says he hopes to earn at least $40,000. What a price to pay for a lifetime of crank phone calls from 80’s music fans.

-Teresa Barone

Man Watches 72 Hours of TV

Sri Lanka-born, Toronto-based Suresh Joachim set a record Sunday by watching television non-stop for 72 hours in Stockholm, Sweden. This new time breaks his previous record of 69 hours and 48 minutes that he set in 2005. Joachim already has 53 other world records attributed to him.

Personally, Joachim is relatively shy, but it is more than obvious the man takes his record-breaking ability very seriously. Among his other records are drumming continuously for 84 hours, running on a treadmill for 168 hours to cover 659.27 km, bowling for 168 hours, carrying a 4.5 kg brick for 135.5 km, crawling non-stop for 56.62 km, dribbling a basketball for 156.71 km in 24 hours, dancing for 100 hours continuously, and probably best of all, moonwalking for 24 hours.

-Tyler Peckham

Page 3, News OP/ED

Click on link below to view full-sized page.

News OP/ED, Page 3

Weekly Green Tip

Buy Organic!

“Laboratory studies show that pesticides can cause health problems, such as birth defects, nerve damage, cancer, and other effects that might occur over a long period of time” (www.epa.gov).  Pesticides accumulate in animals and residues are often left on washed produce.  Pesticides pollute air, water, and harm wildlife.  To minimize your exposure to harmful chemicals and protect natural ecosystems… buy organic foods when possible.  The foods with the most pesticides are: peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, and strawberries (www.foodnews.org).  This week, buy at least one food item that was organically grown.

To get involved with Arcadia’s Environmental Network, contact Steph at sclymer@arcadia.edu

Arcadia Teach-in Aimed for Greener Tomorrrow

Global warming is becoming an increasing cause for concern among environmental activists. This past Thursday, Arcadia University took an active roll in educating people about this issue. On February 5, a National Teach In for Global Warming was held in the Grey Towers Castle.

The teach-in was not simply about global warming, it was also about sustainability and the environment in general. The teach-in was designed to educate the community about the hazards our world faces and the steps they can take towards sustainability. The goal was to teach others how to live their lives in an environmentally savvy fashion. There were also representatives from organizations dedicated to helping reverse the harmful effects that have already been caused to our environment.

Bridget Foreacre represented the Clean Water Action organization, a grass roots environmental organization based in Philadelphia. This organization focuses on the politics of environmental policy. During the election Clean Water Action heavily endorsed those candidates who placed a lot of emphasis in their campaign on environmental issues.
Clean Water Action is working on a project called Buffers 100 which would create mandatory buffers of at least 100 feet on each side of Pennsylvania streams. Stream buffers create a boundary in which people are not allowed to develop land. This would help reduce pollution and flood damage, enhance habitats for aquatic life and could even increase local property values. Clean Water Action is currently in the process of petitioning to Governor Rendell to enact this Buffer 100 policy.
Executive Director Sarah RobbGrieco was at the teach-in to represent the Tucony-Frankford Watershed Partnership. The main goal of her organization is to clean up the streams in Philadelphia and make strides towards keeping them clean. The Tucony-Frankford Watershed Partnership is concerned with the extremely unsanitary state of Philadelphia streams.

Because of the amount of land development, there is not enough green space to absorb rainwater and it is overflowing our drainage systems and backing up into our creeks, creating a very unhealthy water source, say RobbGreico. Tucony-Frankford Water Partnership encourages people to help create more green space for water absorption by doing things as simple as planting more trees in your yard or letting your grass grow just a little longer than usual.

More complicated actions include installing green roofs, which allow plants to be planted on the roofs of buildings, and using porous pavement on sidewalks, which allow for a much higher percentage of water drainage than the average sidewalk.

There are also many simple ways that students can “go green” by just making minor changes to their daily routine. “Easy things like turning off the water when you brush your teeth or not spending a lot of time in the shower,” says Senior Jess Grazel, one of the coordinators of the teach in. “Even that can help decrease water usage so much.”

Grazel is also involved in the Environmental Network club where they are working on creating more events like the teach-in to educate students about going green. One of the strides the club has taken is the introduction of Trayless Tuesdays in the dining hall. Not allowing students to use trays can significantly impact the environment, explains Grazel. “We’ve gotten mixed reactions but we are going to continue with it because it is saving us a lot of money. It’s supposed to cut down on water usage and food waste. We’re actually trying to get it to be Tuesdays and Thursdays. We’re trying to take little baby steps towards helping the environment.”

They may be baby steps, but it is these baby steps that make a difference towards a greener future for our planet.

Controversy for Couple That Cloned Family Dog

It has always been a normal process to mourn the passing of a beloved pet, especially when a family considers them as more than animals, even worthy of having a seat at the dinner table or sleeping alongside them in bed. Yet the Otto family has taken it one step further. When Edgar Otto and his wife, Nina, who live on a 12-acre estate located in western Boca Raton, Florida, first heard news that their yellow lab, named Lancelot, had cancer, their preparations for his death were a little different. Edgar and Nina now own and love the first single-birth, commercially-cloned puppy currently in the United States.

Edgar and Nina Otto, who have nine other dogs, 10 cats, six sheep and four parrots, had his DNA frozen five years ago immediately after hearing of his cancer, guessing that pet cloning would one day be possible. After Lancelot’s death at age eleven, the couple found a California based company which claimed they could take the frozen DNA and produce a clone of their beloved late Lancelot. The dog was genetically engineered in South Korea at BioArts International, as part of the company’s Best Friends Again division, a company that advocates for the cloning of beloved deceased pets. BioArts took the DNA from Lancelot and inserted it into the egg of a Korean dog similar to the breed. The company then inseminated another Korean dog with the fertilized egg.

And how much exactly did it cost to bring back the dead? All of this was done for a fee of $155,000, paid at a San Francisco biotech firm’s dog-cloning auction last July. The Otto family believes the rebirth of their beloved family member was worth all the money in the world.

Yet, Edgar explained that the family is hardly hurting from the huge bill. His father cofounded NASCAR, “so I won that lottery,” he says. On top of that, Edgar himself started a successful medical company. All money aside, BioArts International created Lancelot Encore in South Korea, where he was born about ten weeks ago. Not so cleverly named “Lancelot Encore”, the newborn clone was flown first class into the Miami International Airport. According to these proud new parents, Lancelot Encore looks just like their former pet, and it is the couple’s hope that the dog will have the same personality and intelligence of their first dog, that they loved so much. The cloned puppy was completely healthy at birth and is apparently expected to live a long and happy life.

However, cloned animals or people are not the real thing, no matter how much they look like the source material, and nothing could replace the original. The Otto couple’s feelings aside, there are many that think spending so much money on cloning a pet when there are rescues and kennels and shelters overflowing with unwanted animals is wasteful. Even President Obama plans to rescue a dog from a shelter, rather than buying a purebred from an expensive breeder. Yet, the couple claims to have donated more than the sum paid to clone Lancelot Encore to the Humane Society. Interestingly enough, according to CNN, it is the exact same Humane Society that speaks against the cloning of animals. The Ottos also promise that if they ever decide to bring their eleventh dog home, it will come from a shelter.

Page 4, Student Life

Click on link below to view full-sized page.

Student Life, Page 4

Knights’ Nook

Questions about life? Email us @
KnightsNook@gmail.com

Arcadia’s own Ms. Majestic answers ALL of your questions about love, life, and the library!

Dear Ms. Majestic,
Do you have any ideas on things to do on campus for Valentine’s Day? I don’t really have a car and I want to treat my girlfriend to a really nice time but we can’t go very far. I have a few bucks to spend  and she has a lot of friends who are going to be doing really nice things with their mates. No, its not a compeitition but I want her to have nothing but nice things to say.  What do you think?
-Blank Gift Canvas

Dear Blank,
First, don’t worry about her friends’ mates. They are not who you want to impress. Second, your girlfriend will appreciate whatever you do for her, as long as it comes from the heart, so keep that in mind. I suggest you order her favorite Chinese dish, check out a movie from the library and take a moon-lit stroll. Face it, on campus your options are limited but it could end up being a magical night if you execute it just the right way. Good luck lovebirds!
-Ms. Majestic

Dear Ms. Majestic,
So here’s the deal. I’m dating these two guys and I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do on Valentine’s Day. Both guys are my boyfriends (can’t eat just one!) and now I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. Both of them are on a budget and I want to hang out with both of them. I also don’t know how I’m going to explain the gifts to each of them. Like if one gives me a ring, how am I supposed to hide it? I just need your help Ms. Majestic! Save me from the potential chaos.
-One Girl with Two Guys

Dear One,
First, why on earth do you need two boyfriends? That’s a bit excessive, don’t you think? You can’t posssibly focus on two people at the same time and Valentine’s Day requires a ton of attention for any partners. To put it to you plainly, you need to drop one. Once you’ve done that, that day will run smoothly. If not, you’re destined to be running around, switching outfits and lying until they both get fed up with your shady behaviors.You want me to save you from your potential chaos but its all up to you. Save yourself and enjoy Valentine’s Day!
-Ms. Majestic

Every week I sit down and try to think of the most exciting things I can share with the Arcadia community about my life abroad and, to be honest, I feel bad most of the time because it may not be nearly exciting enough. This week was full of commotion but as far as my weeks go, not necessarily my most productive, which isn’t really that surprising. This week I was lucky enough to have not just one, but two snow days

I’m sure you may have seen it in the news; London was literally shut down by the largest snowfall to hit the city since the early 90’s. Being used to winter in New Jersey or Pennsylvania, the snow was pretty heavy, but not a monumental occasion in my eyes. This week I was lucky enough to have one of my friends studying in Italy come up for the weekend. We were FYSAE together so it was really fun to have her here for a little bit. We visited some of our favorite old places and did plenty of shopping. When the snow began on Sunday, night we were a bit panicked but after fighting with the local taxi agency, got her to the train on its way to the airport for a reasonable fee. Having waited up to help her get to the airport after the bus service had been suspended, I passed out once she went.

To my horror, at 6 a.m. my phone rang and all flights out of London had been canceled. The worst part was that her Italian phone battery had died and there was literally no way from the airport back to London. Trying to get back to sleep for a few more hours, I was very displeased when a loud banging on my door woke me up about two hours later.
Sometimes living with mostly freshmen makes me feel really old and a bit like a child minder. That morning was definitely one of those times. My flat mates were banging on my door, essentially ripping me out of bed in order to drag me out into the fresh snow. I like snow as much as the next person, but this was not my ideal time to make snow angels, and I knew it would definitely end up with me miserable, covered head to toe in snow. After ignoring the loud barrage of fists hitting my door for as long as I could bear it, I was coerced into joining my ‘children’ in the snow. I did indeed end up completely covered in snow, but I now realize that was imminent.

Later that day, after learning that there was one bus line running from central London to my halls, my friend made it back after a series of unfortunate snow related hurdles. With the city basically dead due to all of the snow, I was pretty excited to have all of my lessons the following day canceled. On Tuesday night, my friend was finally able to get out of London and by Wednesday the city was mostly running normally, but it was a nice little snowcation. I will dearly miss it when I have to go to all of my classes this week, but I’m not too worried. In one weeks time it will be reading week, and I will actually spend it productively with a more proportionate reading to going out ratio. At least I hope!

Forget the Roses: Be Practical on Valentine’s Day

As much as many Americans hate to admit it, Valentine’s Day is not about love. The cheesy cards that sing, the spiritless teddy bears covered in red fur and the pounds of cheap chocolate. Oh the chocolate! For most of us, this day is just another excuse to go out of our way to prove to someone how much money we were able to scrap together. And for the select few who will spend the 14th at home wearing sweats and watching a sappy movie, this list if for you.

Here goes nothing… a list of the most practical (and a few you shouldn’t even consider) Valentine’s Day gifts that a woman could ask for.

1.    Pajamas- No, not the lacy string things that the ladies at Victoria’s Secret try to pawn off on you. We’re talking real pajamas. Something so when your lady slips it on she feels warm and cute, all at the same time. Although lingerie is good here and there, she’s not going to wear that thong set everyday. Just not going to happen.

2.    Fruit Bouquets- Flowers die and there is nothing more practical than food. Imagine the look on your lady’s face when she sees a bouquet that is not only pretty but edible at the same time. And if you’re smart, you’ll get the chocolate-covered strawberries. Chocolate is a known aphrodisiac and it just might pay off.

3.    Perfume- Unless you know the exact fragrance that she wears, don’t even bother. Buying your lady beauty products like soap and perfume say one of two things. One- I couldn’t think of anything else. Two- I know you like this so here’s some more of it. Stay as far away from Bath and Body Works as possible and don’t even dare consider some off-brand cosmetics.

4.    Underwear- Almost all women like a great pair of undies to compliment a pair of jeans or to slide on beneath their favorite skirt. It may be hard to resist the urge to buy the things that you really want to see, and there really isn’t any harm in slipping a few of those in the gift box but the number of thongs should be limited. Get her a few pairs of quality panties that are sexy but will cover her entire backside. She’ll appreciate it for sure!

5.    Jewelry- It’s hard to resist jewelry with all of it’s glitz and glitter, but if you fall into the temptation, you’ll be trying to outdo yourself until the end of eternity. Buying a necklace this year means you’ll be buying a ring next year and from there it just gets worse. Remember, a diamond lasts forever and if you don’t plan on sticking around that long, don’t commit that crime.

6.    Clothes- With the assumption that your lady friend isn’t a pure nudist, clothes are far more practical than anything else on this list. If she’s going to start looking for jobs, get her some trendy work wear. If she’s always in pajamas, get her a few pairs of nice jeans. When in doubt, get a gift card but try your best in the women’s department. At least you tried!

7.    Favorite Hobby Goods- Whether she’s a movie buff, a knitter or scrap booker, this gift could definitely win her heart. If she already has a hobby, you can’t go wrong in getting her a basket full of her favorite supplies or things that she’s wanted but would never buy for herself. This will also show how much you’ve been paying attention (or researched) and that will make her feel extra special.

8.    Makeup-This is twice as bad at perfume. When you toss a couple sets of blush and eyeshadow in a woman’s directions, especially if she didn’t ask for it, you could be in real danger. Even thought you may not be trying to, you’re telling her that she needs some sprucing up and something like that could only backfire.

9. Spa treatments–There are millions of women who would die…seriously die to have a little time at the spa. It really doesn’t matter if she’s a woman on the go or just a schlump, she’ll be excited to got to the spa and brag about you to all of her single friends.

10. Adult toys–It’s been said that this day has the highest sales for these types of items but it really is a toss up. Buying the cheap stuff from Spencer’s can make you look pathetic but if she’s not into that kind of stuff, you’ll just look like a tool. Get tactful stuff is she has an adventurous side and stay as far away from The Mood if she’s just not that into it.

Whatever you end up getting, do yourself a favor. Make it personal, original and special; not just for her but for you too. Gifts that work out for both partners are always more fun and they usually create memories that you would have never had with just a vase full of roses.

Page 5, Feature

Click on link below to view full-sized page.

Feature, Page 5

Arcadia’s Music Department: Marching to the Beat of broken Drums

When it comes to Arcadia, the term “Liberal Arts school” is thrown around a lot. Well actually Arcadia defines itself as a “comprehensive university”. But just for the sake of arguement, the Encyclopedia Britannica Concise defines “liberal arts” as a “college or university curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge and developing general intellectual capacities, in contrast to a professional, vocational, or technical curriculum.”

When it comes to Arcadia, this definition rings true, for the most part. Yet, when going down the list of undergraduate fields of study, it is obvious that not all programs are created equal at Arcadia.
The program that is  perhaps most disregarded is the music program — or lack thereof — here at Arcadia.

Dr. William Frabizio, Chairman of Arcadia’s music department, knows first hand the problems that Arcadia’s music program faces,  “We lose students all the time-we lose students who are already here to study music, and we lose our potential students who come and take a look and I have to level with them that there’s not much support, and really, it’s a shame, it’s really a shame,” says Frabizio.

“It’s always a puzzle as to why administrators are against something. It really is. I wonder why. And, they mention liberal arts eighty-some times in the catalogue. Music was one of the first seven liberal arts as established in the 800’s,” added Frabizio.

Every year, fresh faces enter the University ready to take on the challenge of the college life.

Freshman Alyssa Reiner has noticed the lack of support for music at Arcadia, especially when compared to her friends’ choices for college. “A bunch of my friends went to other colleges and I came here and was incredibly disappointed at the lack of musical groups and any kind of focus on music,” says Reiner. “Maybe make it from a minor into a major because there’s so much focus on fine arts with theatre and everything, and music is so closely related to those, yet there is barely anything.”

Freshman Michael Cunnane agreed with his classmate. “The music department is pretty much nonexistent and I don’t understand that. I find it really strange that you can’t major in music here,” says Cunnane.

Cunnane says he is happy at Arcadia overrall, yet he sees room for improvement.

“I’m already in the school-I’m in too deep.  Music should definitely be something we can do here-at least get a major in.”

Problems in the music Department seem to come fast and often.  Music Professor Alvin Byer had a class he was giving rescheduled from Room 114 in  Boyer Hall to Stiteler Auditorium.  “That big open room behind the auditorium which is not a very pleasant room to give private lessons in. It’s very big, it’s totally open, and people can walk in and out,” says Byer.

According to Byer even the instruments supplied to the ailing Music Department fail to meet basic standards. “Both those pianos, the one in Boyer and in Stiteler are in very poor condition. They have notes that don’t play, and when the student is playing something for me and I don’t hear a note, I think it’s because they missed playing it but in fact, she hit the key and it didn’t respond,” says Byer. “I get the strong impression that the music program is given lowest priority. It’s very embarrassing and discouraging. We get the crumbs that are left over.”

Freshmen Andrew Hutz echoed Professor Byer’s sentiments. “I think that one of the major problems with this school’s music department is the fact that there seems to be a fundamental lack of respect for musicians and what they need in order to work,” says Hutz.

President Jerry Greiner points to a lack of student interest for the decline of the program. “I think there was a point in the history of Arcadia where there was a very active major program and there was a number of students who participated in it,” says Greiner. “Then it began to dwindle, became smaller and smaller, so that the decision was made to reduce the major down to a minor in order to make it more economically feasible to have a music program.”

According to Greiner, Arcadia has made few changes to the budget of the program since its transition from a major to a minor.

Dr. Frabizio remembers it slightly differently.

“When I first came here we had a music major, we had two music majors undergraduate. And, for some reason, they lifted me out of the chairmanship for a year, rerouted a lot of money that had been developed for music into other fields, and ultimately eliminated the music major,” says Fabrizio.

Greiner also points to a lack of space as a limitation for a more developed music program. “My hope would be that in our next building, which is the University Commons, we would be able to find space within that building that could be dedicated, or nearly dedicated, for the use of students. We’d have to work on the design of that space to make sure that it’s soundproofed in ways that would make it possible for students to practice there without disturbing the offices that are above or next door to the space,” says Greiner.

But even with more space Greiner still does not see the need to create an undergraduate Music Major. “I’m not getting the impression from people that I’ve talked with that there’s an interest in having a major,” says Greiner.

Dr. Frabizio suggests making it easier for students to let their voices be heard about the program. “I had suggested to the president  that it would be a good idea to have, for lack of a better term, a series of town meetings, where just the president of the college and students met, without any other administrators or faculty or anybody there and field questions from people and comments from them and he would have a pretty good idea of what’s going on,” says Fabrizio. “I think the student voices are the ones that would be heard. I’m not trying to incite anything, but I think students are the ones who can say ‘Hey, we want this’.”

Frabizio feels losing the music program entirely would be a great loss to Arcadia. “If we exclude it from education, in favor of what they’d like to call the three R’s, or the basics, or fundamentals, or something like that, we’re skipping a large part of communication that they don’t think about.  I don’t know of any other subject that people can be so passionate about what they’re doing.”

A very single Valentine’s Day

Me: “Hello, my name is Elishia, and I’m single.”
Therapy Group: “Hi Elishia!”

This is the feeling I get when I announce to people that I am single. It feels like a “single’s only” club that I am always invited to, and I often get the V.I.P. treatment, or in my case “S.A.M.” (Single And Manless) treatment, where people who are in relationships act like they feel bad for you, and they seem to question my single status and sometimes wonder why. Being a single 21 year old female at a given time has its perks, but there is one particular day where it can either suck or its not even a problem. But one thing is for sure, Valentine’s Day reminds me that I am a single lady.

I’m the kind of girl that has had guys who were friends, or guys who claimed to be my boyfriend, or a relationship with a guy that hadn’t exactly been dubbed anything, he was just there. So when the big February 14th rolls around and I’m single, it doesn’t phase me much like the guys who have come IN and OUT of my life. But, this particular day does make me think, is being single on Valentine’s Day really that bad? Many singles out there up front might just say “No!” But then there may be some who say “Valentine’s Day sucks!” Whatever the case, this particular day is exactly what it is, a day. So, I’ve learned not to be so upset about being single every Valentine’s Day. This day shouldn’t define that I am lonely just because on a day that’s all about love,  I’m alone No, this Valentine’s Day I’m saying, “So what if I’m single, I’m happy this way.”

I am a Communications major so I almost always notice different ploys that go on, especially in the media. The media pushes Valentine’s Day to be this day for couples only. The commercials with cupid hitting some guy in his back and all of a sudden he’s in love with somebody, that’s corny to me. Or when you walk into Hallmark or any store that sells cards, most of the cards are geared toward people who have a mate, never just a card that says “I just wanted to say I love you.” It’s always a card with a cheesy couple on the front holding hands. Don’t get me wrong, it’s kind of sweet, but let’s be a little versatile and not only speak to couples, but to people who are dating someone but not actually in a relationship, for the singles out there, for everybody!

It’s pretty easy for me to not be depressed on Valentine’s Day because back at home, my mom, dad, my grandmother, or friends might give me something nice like candy and flowers! So, if I end up just sitting at home watching movies and eating like a pig on the 14th, so what! But seriously, I’m not that worried about this Valentine’s Day as much I thought I would be, I’m cool. I’m prepared to do whatever comes up. So if all of my girls want to go out to dinner, or gossip the night way, let’s do it! Or, if it’s just me chilling on the couch watching one of my favorite movies, like The Godfather or Scarface, then so be it! Yes, neither of these movies are about love, per se’, but I LOVE watching them!

You see, being single does have its perks, no disrespect to those that do have a mate, but being single, especially on Valentine’s Day, I can do whatever I want. If I want to treat myself to a day of shopping that doesn’t include buying something for someone else, that’s great! Or, if I want to buy myself flowers just because, I can do that too. I’m not saying that non-singles are trapped, but in a sense there seems to be certain rules to follow when you are in a relationship with someone. It’s expected that you go out to dinner, buy flowers, or have a romantic evening at home with your special someone. You can’t just wing it on Valentine’s Day, and if you do, then you might have some explaining to do with your significant other. This Valentine’s Day, my single self IS wingin’ it! Whatever happens, happens.

All of my single ladies, don’t be afraid to put your hand up! Be proud of this single status. Hey, I am. I know everyone is different and everyone handles certain situations differently, but let’s look at it this way, being single isn’t the end of the world, and neither is just being single, period. If you are feeling icky about being single on Valentine’s Day, try your best to look at the brighter side of this. Make this Valentine’s Day a day to learn more about yourself and maybe you’ll realize that it’s not that bad! I’ve learned that every year brings something new and sometimes you have to be patient and wait for something to happen, and I’m ok with that. I’m ok with being a strong, independent, single young woman 365 days of the year, and I’m ok with being single on one of those days which is Valentine’s Day. Let’s leave it at this, something Carrie Bradshaw from Sex & The City said on one of the episodes: “The most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself, and if you find someone to love the you, you love, well that’s just fabulous!”

Page 6, Entertainment

Click on link below to view full-sized page.

Entertainment, Page 6

Best of Show: Philly’s 2009 Auto Show

From January 31st through the 8th of February the Philadelphia International Auto Show invaded the chilly snow-covered City of Brotherly Love, bringing with it vehicles for anyone and everyone.  Housed inside the Philadelphia Convention Center the annual Auto Show limped into town on the world auto industry’s first yearly losses since 1950.  The news didn’t seem to put to much of a damper on the crowds of the show though as people flocked to the Convention Center for a look at the new, the old, the practical, and the expensive vehicles auto makers had to offer.

Upon entering the Convention Center, the Auto Show chose two luxury companies to welcome the crowds.   Lexus and Mercedes, legendary for their engineering, luxury, and price tags shined as the first stop.  Lexus seemed to outshine the juggernaut Mercedes, mostly due to the beautiful and powerful ISF sedan.  At $56,000 and change the ISF has a 416 horsepower 5.0 liter V8.  The Benz sedan in the same class as the ISF is the E-Class which, fully loaded (AMG version), is about $88,000.  In a time of economic crunch the victory goes to Lexus. .

Moving from the atrium to the show’s main hall included stops in two small areas with custom rides.  The small exhibits had some of the shows most outrageous rides like 50 Cent’s white on white Bentley Continental or a near 2000 horsepower Mustang GT 500 Twin Turbo.  Other customs included a Nissan GTR from Japan, steering wheel on the right and all, as well as custom choppers and crotch rockets.

The main hall housed the car companies for the everyman like GM, Ford, and Honda as well as more upscale vehicles like Volvo and Acura.  One of the most crowded companies had to be Chevrolet.  With four examples of their soon to be released Camaro, the newest and most powerful version of the Corvette ever, and a slew of vehicles getting 30 MPG plus, Chevy had quite the crowd in their floor space (on the Thursday I went of course).  The biggest pull seemed to be the Camaro. With four versions announced, Chevy looks to be aiming the Camaro at the new drivers as well as the fat wallet wielding mid-life crisis crowd.   “The V6 model has 304 horsepower and a price tag in the low thirties. As the power moves up so does the price with the LS7 version being in the low $40,000 range,”  said a GM representative.

The 2009 Camaro which is modeled after it’s 1969 brethren is making it’s return to the Chevy line up since the beloved muscle car was ousted due to slumping sales in 2002.  The new ZR1 Corvette also turned heads with its 610 horsepower, post 200 MPH top speed, and most of all it’s $120,000 price tag.  Chevrolet also has cars for the normal human like the Malibu sedan or the Cobalt SS, which was rated by Car and Driver as the best small performance car for the money thanks to its stiff suspension, 260 horsepower 2.0 liter turbo engine, and 30 MPG rating all for a car around $20,000.  Oddly absent, however, was the Volt, GM’s electric car which doesn’t use gas until 40 miles into a drive thanks to its revolutionary battery.  “The Volt is in Washington for testing,” said a GM representative.  Many experts are saying GM is hanging their hat on the Volt and its ability to be not only affordable but reliable.  Hopefully the crowd will be a sign of hope for the floundering GM Corporation.

Another big crowd in the main hall was housed around all-wheel drive masterminds Subaru.  In the past, Subaru has been known for dependable performance-driven vehicles, despite some mundane styling.  However, it seems Subaru has plans for both beauty and function with their new model line.   The new Forrester and Tribeca aren’t the grocery grabbers they once were; each got an aggressive styling upgrade making them more akin with Subaru performance.  The new Impreza was also a head turner. Moving away from the four door car style of the WRX, Subaru brought back the 5 door hatch back version of the car along with a more integrated, though no smaller, hood scoop.  The base Impreza comes with a 2.0L 150 horsepower four cylinder but the legendary STI model is propelled by a 2.0L twin scroll turbo engine pumping out 304 horsepower.  Add in substantial stiffness and suspension upgrades and the new Impreza is a great buy from about $18,000 to $35,000.  Finally, Subaru’s ace in the hole was their Legacy sedan.  A sporty car with luxury styling, it had a custom brushed metallic paint job that was attracting more than a few curious onlookers.

Other highlights of the main floor included a look at the new Dodge Challenger.  Dodge released the modern muscle car this summer in hopes of beating Chevy’s new Camaro to the punch.  The Challenger looks sweet with it’s old school body lines and light bar tail light but the bland interior and underpowered base model hurt a bit.  The 2009 Acura TL also brought turning heads by mixing power, performance, and edgy style to the mid-level luxury class.  Another great entry into the same class as Acura’s TL is Hyundai’s Genesis.  The Genesis offers superb almost German styling and couples that with luxury and an engine that’ll have the Genesis going from 0-60 faster than a Porche Boxster.  Finally the struggling college student can breathe easy with impressive cars from Volkswagon, Toyota, and Saturn.  The Rabbit, Yaris, and Astra are all offered nicely equipped for under $17,000.

Whether the goal is to have a good time, look for a possible new car, or faint over the price tag of a Lamborghini the Philadelphia International Auto Show always has something for everyone.  Not to mention the fact that the Convention Center is part of Market East Station and right across from Reading Terminal Market.   Take a train, get some lunch, and prepare to sit in about a million cars, all for the fun of it.

Page 7, Entertainment

Click on link below to view full-sized page.

Entertainment, Page 7

The Scramble

A brief look at new media.

On their third trip around the block, leather-clad Swedish disco-punk quartet Franz Ferdinand don’t do much to change their formula.  In 2001 they exploded on the scene with the breakthrough hit “Take Me Out”. In 2008 the same Saturday night fever bass and drum groove are bouncing through the speakers.   FF has the goal of making albums both listenable and danceable.  For example, “No You Girls” will have your dad reaching for the polyester while “Ulysses”, a song about getting high out of boredom, might appeal to the ‘Arcadian’ in you.

What sounds like a dusty old west tale full of whistles and handclaps? Well, the latest melodic virtuoso Andrew Bird of course.  What sounds like an episode of planet earth complete with violin and warm acoustic guitar?  Yep, you guessed it, Andrew Bird’s Noble Beast.  Bird is constantly working on material.  The Chicago native has side projects and collaborations galore all showcasing his infallible songwriting, improvisation and thesaurus-wielding lyrics.  The best part of Bird’s music, Noble Beast included, is the sublime cohesiveness Bird crafts throughout his sweeping scenes of musical flavor. One minute Noble Beast sounds like the soundtrack to a movie about a professional hitchhiker (“Tenuousness”) and minutes later Bird makes like the Discovery Channel all the way down to talk of microorganisms (“Anoanimal”).  Noble Beast is cinematic and vivid, always painting a picture with the harmony Bird demands.

Hitting close to home for the majority of Arcadians (j/k), Taken, an action thriller whatever, takes place abroad specifically France.  In the film, businessman Bryan Mills (played by Liam Neeson) prepares for his 17-year-old daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace), to arrive on her European vacation.  When she does dear ol’ dad warns Kim about a certain “type of people” that make being a tourist in France dangerous.  Of course Kim gets snatched up and Liam Neeson finds himself breaking necks, stabbing baddies, and shooting up a bunch of Albanian (they couldn’t be French too) hoodlums to get his daughter back.

Bonnaroo gets big

Bonnaroo has become the one bright light of the summer season.  Starting in the summer of 2002, Bonnaroo brought the music back into the stale summer festival getting rid of the sponsors and the soaring prices.  The humble beginnings were mirrored by the choice of bands Bonnaroo presenters went with.  Headlined by Trey Anastasio and Widespread Panic, the festival focused in on jam bands and a folky undercard.  In recent years the festival has started to aim at bigger acts like Kanye West and Dave Matthews while keeping the card diverse and interesting with smaller bands.

The 2009 edition of Bonnaroo may be one of the most diverse and yet satisfying in the festivals history.  Headlined by the suddenly busy Bruce Springsteen and his compadres The E Street Band and the legendary Phish (Anastasio included) Bonnaroo is looking to move out of the shadow of its underground roots by bringing the mainstream and the counter culture together.  Other acts like The Mars Volta, Ted Leo and The Pharmacists, Andrew Bird, and Okkervil River make the line up appealing to all kinds of fans.  Some artists are also returning to the line up like Band of Horses and Rodrigo y Gabriela.

The summer music festival seems to be dying but the fact is Bonnaroo makes the difference.  A Great lineup, a solid location (Tennesee), and an atmosphere like a modern day Woodstock (but not Woodstock ’99) make it the best choice this summer.  Tickets go fast so get on saving and finding a way to a week long party complete with solid soundtrack.

Page 8, Sports

Click on link below to view full-sized page.

Sports, Page 8

The Flyers look strong, but is it enough?

As playoff time for the NHL looms on the horizon many Philadelphia hockey fans are wondering if the Flyers can bring a second championship back to the city of Brotherly Love. So far, so good. Philadelphia has to like where their second place standing in the Atlantic Division behind only the New Jersey Devils, and a fourth place standing in the Eastern Conference. Complementing this nicely is Jeff Carter’s breakout season and solid contributions from Captain Mike Richards, Scott Hartnell, and a finally healthy Simone Gagne. Suddenly a team without Briere doesn’t seem so bad. And on that note, the less they play Briere’s good friend, goaltender Martin Biron, the better they do as well.

If there is one chink in the Flyers’ armor this season it has been goaltending. At the end of last season Biron looked like he was ready to take the number one role between the pipes, but has done little to prove that this season. He sits at an unimpressive 15-11-5 record with a 2.96 goals against average. Meanwhile his counterpart in the net, Antero Nittymaki, has a 13-4-4 record coupled with a .924 save percentage. The only problem with this is that no Philadelphia fan can forget the dismal 2006-2007 season where they posted a record breaking number of losses with— guess who—Nittymaki as the number one goalie. I’ll stake the claim now that Nittymaki is only doing well because he has the role of coming in and saving the day when Biron is falling apart, if the spotlight gets put on him I think we’ll see some different results.

Of course, a possible solution for the Flyers might be to stop letting 30 shots or more per game. But something tells me they won’t be stopping that  now. Instead of developing a new defensive structure, the Flyers have opted to just ramp up the offense to the point where it doesn’t matter if a team is scoring three goals on them a game. Probably the most impressive example of this is their 4-3 overtime win over the Conference leading Boston Bruins last week (in Boston!). A win against the Bruins is no small feat, let alone a comeback win in overtime.

For the next five games the Flyers have a decent opportunity to pick up three or four more wins. If the rival New York Rangers manage to stay in a slump that leaves some favorable matches against Ottawa, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo, and a good opportunity to start padding their points for the playoffs.

Right now the key for the Flyers is to stick with what works. They don’t quite match the finely tuned machine that is the Detroit Red Wings, or the explosiveness of the Bruins, but Philadelphia has something good going for them. The number one key for them is to get Biron playing at the level they need him at while letting Nittymaki get just enough time to stay hot. As far as the offense goes, don’t change anything. Expect 80-points or more seasons from Carter, Richards, and Gagne, also look for Carter to break 50 goals this year. With point production like that Philly has a great chance of sneaking up and taking over the spotlight when it gets into the late rounds of the playoffs this April and, God willing, this May.

Knights of the Week

Kim Milligan ‘10

Women’s Basketball

In a 1-2 week for the Knights, Kim Milligan stepped up for a team playing two games minus their leading scorer Caitlin Sparks, and averaged 16.3 ppg, 6 points above her season aveage (10.3), 8 rebounds, four above her (4.1) season mark and captured 6 steals and blocked 2 shots to lead her squad.  Milligan opened the week with her best balanced collegiate outing, nailing 18 points and hauling in 17 rebounds in a 73-59 win over The College of Notre Dame, before scoring 14 at Albright and 17 against #11 Messiah to end the week.   She has scored in double figures in ten games this season.

John Konieczny  ‘09
Men’s Swimming

In his final collegiate home meet, team captain John Konieczny left it all in the pool.  To open their meet against Lebanon Valley, Konieczny helped his relaymates to a 1st place win in the 200 Medley before pulling out a dominating victory in his final regular season individual heat, the 500 Free.  Konieczny’s perfect start allowed him to outstride his nearest opponent, eventually outmuscling his second place opponent by 8 seconds to win (5:31.24), closing out his career with individual and relay wins.

Jason Sharpe ‘11
Men’s Swimming

Jason Sharpe helped his team to open their final home meet with a 1st place win in the 200 Medley Relay,  victorious by more than two seconds to second place Lebanon Valley College.  Sharpe, who anchored the final leg of the relay, went right back to work in the 1000 Free and out-performed the Arcadia program record in that event by .26, setting a new school record of 11:17.65.

Khalief Trawick ‘12
Men’s Basketball

In a 1-1 week for the Knights in Commonwealth action, Khalief Trawick averaged 16 ppg, nearly double above his season average (8.6) and helped the Knights earn a vital league win over Messiah College, positioning the team into a four-way tie for fourth place in the standings.  Trawick drained 4 free throws in the final :27 of play against the Falcons to help seal the 70-62 win behind a 14 point-7 rebound afternoon.  In a loss at Albright earlier in the week, Trawick led the Knights with 18 points on 7-8 shooting and perfection from beyond the three point arc.

Front Page

Click on image above to view full-sized page.

Page 2, News OP/ED

Click on image above to view full-sized page.

Local fireman gives his take on the Coatesville, PA arsons

Citizens of Coatesville, Pa, a Philadelphia suburb in Chester County, have been living in fear for the past few months. The fear is that their homes could be suddenly burned down in the middle of the night.

Since the end of 2008 the town of Coatesville has had a severe problem with arson. There have been more than 30 fires in the past year, leaving numerous people homeless. The year of 2009 has already experienced 14 suspected arsons.

Two of the most recent fires were set on Thursday, January 22 and late on Saturday, January 24.

Thursday, a fire was set on the 1100 block of Olive Street. Just a few minutes later, trash cans were reportedly set on fire on Hope Avenue. The trashcan fire was reported by the boyfriend of a homeowner who described a 5”2′ white male suspect around 16 years of age.

The Saturday fire occurred on the 300 block of Fleetwood Street. It began at 11:31pm and quickly spread to 15 row homes, becoming a seven alarm fire. It took 150 firefighters almost three hours to extinguish the flames. The blaze was finally under control at 2:07am on Sunday morning.

Saturday night’s fire was so intense that it was no match for Coatesville’s Fire Department. They were forced to call upon several other companies for assistance, including our own local Edge Hill Fire Department.

The Fleetwood Street fire proved devastating, leaving 11 families homeless. 32 adults and 18 children were forced to find alternative housing.

These people were lucky to escape with their lives, says former Chief of the Roslyn Fire Department Jeffrey Glynn. “If the fire had started any later there probably would have been fatalities. Luckily, most people were awake at the time and were able to be alerted to safety,” says Glynn.

Red Cross funded hotel rooms for those displaced by the fire until Tuesday night at which point Chester County took over financial responsibility. County officials were hopeful to find more permanent housing for these families by Thursday. Food is being provided by donations made to Coatesville Memorial Community Center and the Salvation Army.

These reoccurring arsons have left the town of Coatesville in a state of alarm. Chester County has declared a county-wide disaster emergency. This declaration is designed to help the county respond faster in the case of any future fires.

An arrest was made last December in the case of the Coatesville arsons but it has not stopped this fire phenomenon. State and federal agents have since gotten involved in the ongoing investigation.

Police patrol has increased throughout the town and firefighters have been going door-to-door, offering free smoke detectors and batteries. The town is urging citizens to keep their porch lights on at night and remove any flammable objects from their porches.
“I can only hope that they determine who is setting these fires. It is a terrible tragedy,” says Glynn.

Chester County has recently added $5,000 to a reward fund that they set up for anyone with information regarding the fires in Coatesville. Anyone that witnesses suspicious activity is urged to call 610-636-0514.

From the Editor’s Desk…

To Our Faithful Audience,

Alright, alright, I hope everyone enjoyed and is hopefully fully recovered from their Super Bowl celebrations. I have to say that I am pretty happy that we have had two exciting Super Bowls in a row now, and I am also glad that those upstart Cardinals got put in their place after what they pulled on the Eagles.

As far as this week’s installment goes, I’d like to think we did a good job this time. I’d like to thank all of those that contributed this week and I look forward to keeping up this style of thorough and well-researched news reporting. And I hope you readers also enjoy what our staff managed to put together.

Sincerely,

Tyler Peckham
Editor-in-Chief

23-year-old crowned Wing Bowl Champ

Every Friday before the Super Bowl, sports-talk station WIP-AM sponsors a chicken wing contest. This year at the Philadelphia Wing Bowl no professional eaters were allowed to enter the contest, but organizers say they’ll be back next year. So this year was the year of the underdog. John Squibb, a 23 year old of Berlin, New Jersey, took the title of chomping down the most wings. Nicknamed Super Squibb, he ate 203 wings in about 20 minutes! Not bad for someone who did not have a lot of experience in eating a mass of yummy chicken wings. Squibb’s stomach may have felt a little bubbly after the contest but his pockets definitely benefitted from the good eatin’. He walked away with a spanking new car, a $7,500 diamond ring, and a crown of miniature chickens! One of Super Sqibb’s opponents, Richard “Not Rich” Razzi, came in second by eating 180 wings, not bad at all. But Squibb is the champ, the chicken champ that is.

-Elishia Peterson

Toddler Chokes on Condom

A family from Massachusetts is filing a lawsuit against a hotel in New Jersey after their 22 month old son chocked on a condom. According to the Philadelphia Daily News in an article written by Jason Nark, the Wolfe family was staying at the Homewood Suites in Mount Laurel, Burlington County, preparing to continue their journey home from Florida. The morning of January 3rd, the Massachusetts family was caught by surprise before they left the hotel. The toddler was thought to have been watching TV on the couch, but it turns out, according to the lawsuit filed, that he had found a used condom that had been there before the family checked in, and put it in his mouth. The toddler’s mother, Amy Wolfe, noticed he was choking and came to his rescue, but it was a bit too late, for the toddler had swallowed the contents. The baby boy had to go through many tests and still does to ensure he did not contract any sexually transmitted diseases like HIV or AIDS. The Wolfe’s attorney, Norm Hobbie, said of the family’s anguish, “It’s an extremely sensitive time for them.” Daily News writer Jason Nark uncovered that the Homewood Suites did not return any phone calls or emails for their comments on the lawsuit filed January 29th.

-Elishia Peterson

Man demands breast implant back

Call it revenge of the ex. One woman had to experience it in cruel and unusual circumstances. A 26-year-old woman was stabbed six times by her ex-boyfriend because he wanted her breast implants that he paid for back. Thomas Lee Rowley, 28, attempted to cut them out. He is now on trial for false imprisonment, attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, and stalking. The woman has survived the stab wounds and her chest was repaired. Rowley apparently thought he had the right to do this. “I’m gonna cut em’ out and get em’ back.”

-Gina Merlino

Sister tears wedding apart

Weddings can be stressful enough, but then there is the question of who to invite. For one woman, not inviting her sister turned ugly. Nicholas Landry and Lori Kappes were having their reception when Kappe’s sister, 23-year-old Annmarie Bricker, showed up uninvited and launched at the new bride, pulling out some of her hair. Bricker was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of battery. Bricker said all she wanted to do was discuss family issues with her parents and sister, but witnesses tell another story. One has to wonder if Bricker had taken the film Bride Wars too literally.

-Gina Merlino

Page 3, News OP/ED

Click on image above to view full-sized page.

Hidden artifacts found in the Grey Towers Castle

Although Arcadia University purchased William Welsh Harrison’s estate back in 1929, what we all know and love as Grey Towers Castle apparently still has mysteries left to be discovered. In such a large building (especially with a lot of it restricted off), it is easy for history to hide in the dark and endless mazes of the castle basement. Just last semester the university was notified by castle maintenance of recovered artifacts dating back to the early 1900’s, found in an incinerator in a forgotten corner of the basement, hidden all these years behind boxes.

Arcadia University’s Grey Tower’s castle was designed in 1893 by Horace Trumbauer for Mr. Harrison, then co-owner of the Franklin Sugar Refinery. By the year 1891, Mr. Harrison had expanded his estate to 138 acres, deciding to also expand the house to include a gate house and stables. He employed the skills of 23-year-old architect Horace Trumbauer who completed the stables and gate house a year later. Yet in 1893, the main house (called Rosedale Hall) was burned to the ground in a raging fire. After finding a temporary residence in Glenside proper, Mr. Harrison once again employed Trumbauer to build him a new home to replace the one that was lost forever, right on the scene of the crime. In March 1893, the young architect took orders from Mr. Harrison to build a grandiose mansion inspired by Alnwick Castle, the medieval seat of the Dukes of Northumberland. And thus, Grey Towers Castle was born.

Even now, there are secrets to the castle that have only just been discovered. After the artifacts were pulled from their brick prison, they were immediately cataloged for university records and studied by students in the Castle Restoration Society. Among some of these objects retrieved from the dust were an orange juice can, pieces of broken white stone and broken glass, a Tasty Cake wrapper (labeled “cherry pie”), a pair of baby shoes, stockings, black socks, numerous beer cans, a deck of cards (incomplete), an apothecary bottle (with medicine still inside), and a perfume bottle, still carrying a lingering floral scent.

Also found were many purposefully torn letters with their addressed envelopes, pieces of torn up newspaper, and a women’s corset and lace. Although yellow and fragile, the date “1917” can be plainly seen on the newspapers, complete with lines of comics. On the torn up letters the female names “Irene” and “Elizabeth” are seen scribbled in fine cursive, and their twin envelopes indicate that they were written by Mr. Harrison himself.

Interestingly, the letters themselves are too torn to piece together the body and read them in full detail. Of course, everyone would love to assume that these mysterious unknown women were Mr. Harrison’s mistresses, as he was notorious for being lucky with the ladies, except for his wife. Why would these letters be purposefully torn and sent to be burned in the basement, along with a woman’s corset?

“It’s really easy to jump to conclusions about the objects, and why they were in the incinerator of all places,” says Christine Klepper, a senior history major and leader of the Castle Restoration Society at Arcadia. “But a lot of the stories about the Harrisons were rumors fabricated by students. We have to remember to use the clues given and find fact, not just assume because it’s fun. All these things that were found could just have been broken, and placing them in the incinerator was just a way to get rid of them.”

Despite what mysteries these objects create, only one thing is for certain. What back in the early 1900’s may have just been trash is now treasure, and the university archives will go through these artifacts and pick what they want to save. Some things, like the comics, may end up being displayed somewhere in the castle. Yet the most exciting thing about this is that there is still more to be discovered. At least two more future trips are planned to investigate other rooms in the basement in hopes of falling upon more hidden treasure, hopefully as exciting as the first discovery. “Hopefully this stirs up interest again for Grey Towers Castle,” Christine Klepper says. “In no way is it neglected, but I think this is still a good reminder to all of us to respect all of its history.”

Monday, Bloody Monday

Last week started off with the cutting of over 65,000 jobs.

The final week of January started off with enormous cuts on the job market as over 65,000 people were left jobless.   On Monday the 26th, seven Fortune 500 companies made the massive cuts.   The most surprising cuts came from drug company Pfizer, who cut  20,000 jobs after cutting 4,700 jobs earlier in the year.  Pfizer is known for being able to make its way without cuts.  Others include construction equipment maker Caterpillar, lawn and farming equipment company Deere&Co., Home Depot, Sprint Nextel Corp. and Texas Instruments.

Other big cuts came the on Wednesday the 21st, as nearly 40,000 jobs were lost. 27,00 of the lost jobs came from BHP Billiton, Clear Channel Communications, Intel, Rohm and Haas Co., UAL Corp. and Williams-Sonoma.  The trend seems to be continuing as other companies like Time Warner and ING began to announce their need for possible cuts in the near future.  Even the almighty Microsoft is feeling the hurt as they plan to cut 5,000 jobs.

There is no telling what the future holds but according to Robert Brusca, chief economist at Fact and Opinion Economics,  as reported by CNN, there is hope in sight for Americans looking at the job market. “These recessions are like geometry,” Brusca said. “It looks like we’ll have a V-shaped cycle, in that we’re going into this with very sharp losses. This intense-phase recession will probably recover fairly quickly, with the job market coming out of it at the same angle it came in.”

Dollmaker Ty denied creating Sasha and Malia Obama dolls

Malia and Sasha Obama have been the talk of the town since two dolls were released by the Ty company that makes Beanie Babies. Ty claims that the two dolls are merely a coincidence and that their intention was to release dolls for their Ty Girlz collection and pretend that the likeness and names of the dolls to Sasha and Malia Obama were simply a coincidence. But since the dolls faces have been plastered across the internet, this is far from the end. How could it possibly be a coincidence that two dolls have the same names as the President’s daughters? Ty has some explaining to do.

It is true that the dolls hardly have any resemblance to the Obama girls, even though Ty says that is the definitely the case anyway, but we all know that these dolls were supposed to reflect the two young girls.“Sweet Sasha” and “Marvelous Malia” are the names of the 12 inch dolls and the ONLY dolls in the whole collection that our African American. Hmm, ironic right? Ty stands by their word and holds onto the fact that the playmates are not the Sasha and Malia everyone is thinking of.

“Information concerning the development of our products and how we come up with names, how we select them, how we trademark, that’s considered as proprietary, I can’t go any further with that question,” said Ty Senior Vice President of Sales Tania Lundeen when asked by CNN about the coincidence of the dolls. Lundeen continued to say that “Sasha and Malia are beautiful names that worked well with the dolls we were making.” Is that so?

Well, Ty may think that the dolls are not a big deal, but others are not condoning this product. First lady Michelle Obama’s press secretary Katie McCormick Lelyveld also spoke to CNN about the ordeal. “We feel it is inappropriate to use young private citizens for marketing purposes,” said Lelyveld.

The Ty company’s website has been booming since this whole situation began, and many seem to be interested in finding more information on the dolls that are being sold at $9.99 each. One can only wait and see if the dolls will actually go of stock. So far it is true that the two young girls have some selling power. After the Inauguration of President Barack Obama, Malia and Sasha’s J.Crew coats were on many parents’ minds because they wanted the same winter coats for their daughters. So you can only imagine what these dolls will have parents going nuts for.

The response of these fluffy characters from 10-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha have not been too good. Many cannot believe the audacity of the Ty company and why this was even done at all despite the company’s denial of what the dolls stand for. Could it be true that the flat faced depiction of the Obama girls is just a coincidence? Or, is it a cheap attempt by Ty to make a few dollars off of two little girls?

Whatever the case, Ty has caused a lot of controversy and this little stunt is not to be forgotten. Maybe the “Sweet Sasha” and “Marvelous Malia” dolls will be a thing of the past like Ty’s precious Beanie Babies. Here today. Gone tomorrow.

DTV Switchover Switched

At the last meeting of The Tower, I was given a piece of information regarding the switch from analog to digital television broadcasting. Apparently the United States Senate had voted unanimously to postpone the upcoming switchover from the original date of February 17 to June 12, 2009.

They didn’t count on Congress. As of January 28, the bill supporting this, backed by President Obama and Federal Communications Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, failed to get the two-thirds House majority that is required to pass it. The vote came in at 258 to 168. The date of February 17 will stick, for now anyway.

The Nielsen Co. estimates that over 13.5 million American households rely on analog television sets. Once the switch happens, analog sets will turn dark unless they have a digital converter box. The government had implemented a $1.34 billion coupon program which allowed each household up to two $40 coupons to help subsidize the purchase of the converter boxes. This recently ended when the funding limit was reached. An estimated 6.5 million households have yet to receive their converter boxes. Anyone who tries to apply for a box now will be placed on a waiting list.

The House vote was mostly split along party lines, with Republicans being concerned that moving the switchover to June would do more harm than good. They say it will confuse owners of analog sets. The February 17 date has been set since mid-2005. According to Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS, millions of dollars have been spent to alert consumers. Delaying the transition would also cost them up to $22 million.

Republicans were also concerned that because local TV stations are ready for next month’s change, the proposed postponement would mean more maintenance and power for broadcasters.

Democrats could try and change the proposal that would enable it to pass the House with a mere simple majority. Although that bill would have to return to the Senate for final approval.

While I associate myself with no political party, I have to agree with Republicans on this particular issue. A delay this close to the deadline will not help. If someone is not ready now, I doubt they will be ready in June. It’s only been five years since the date was set. The general population has known about the deadline for at least a year, if not more.
I do not find it to be a big deal if people have to go without TV for a short while.

The solution to this is fairly simple in my opinion. The government should just fund the $40 coupon vouchers a bit more. Allow those on the waiting list to receive one as quickly as possible. If someone had yet to apply, then let them deal with the switch. Eventually, everyone will adapt.

If you have an analog box and have yet to apply for one, you can do so by going to https://www.dtv2009.gov

Page 4, Student Life

Click on image above to view full-sized page.

Knights’ Nook

Questions about life? Email us @ KnightsNook@gmail.com

Arcadia’s own Miss Majestic answers ALL of your questions about love, life, and the library!

Dear Ms. Majestic,
How come I seem to be the only person who thinks that sitting with people in the dining hall that I don’t know is a good way to make new friends? Sometimes when I go into the Dining Hall before my my hallmates or frineds get there, I’ll find a few people that I don’t know and grab a seat. I don’t like sitting by myself and the people I usually eat with are late a lot. Arcadia isn’t a big place, but I really like meeting new people and I don’t see a real problem with it. On the other hand, my friends all think I’m crazy. What’s the big deal?
New Friender

Dear New,
No, you’re not crazy. You are one of the very few people who is brave enough to go up to a table of semi-strangers and say hello. In college, all of that stuff seems to be really peculiar, especially when your reputation is on the line. Your friends will have to get used to your friendliness or learn to be on time for meals and you have every right to let them know, if indeed that’s how you feel. People are hard to please so if you feel comfy meeting new people, by all means, meet them and tell your friends to shove it.

Ms. Majestic

Dear Ms. Majestic,

My brother is a serious player. I’ve heard so many stories about the girls he’s hooked up with and dated. its ridiculous. I had to listen to him say really mean things to his girlfriends over the phone and I feel bad for them…they’re actually interested in a such a loser. It’s a real shame. The major issue is that now my roommate likes him. When he helped move me in, she claims that they made a connection and she was bugging me for his number when school started. She found him on Facebook and now she’s all over him. When I went home for break, I asked him about her and he acted as if she didn’t even exist. Meanwhile  she thinks he’s really into her! I don’t know what to do. I gave her fair warning and now she’s in too deep. Should I do something?
Unhappy Bromance

Dear Unhappy,
The answer to your question is yes. The only thing you should do is mind your business. You said you gave your roommate a fair warning and that’s all were required to do since you knew that your brother wasn’t looking for anything serious in her. Both your roommate and your brother are adults and you should let them mess up on their own.You don’t have an obligation to either of them and hopefully karma will put everything in its place. Now go out and enjoy life!

Ms. Majestic

It’s been awhile since I’ve last relayed the hectic goings on of my life in London. In the past month I had to leave my family and my puppies back in the United States and take the flight back across the pond only to return to exams! After finally getting through exams, and almost certainly single-handedly ruining my GPA, I have embarked on a new set of courses that force me to spend ungodly amounts of time in the library. Oddly enough, I am starting to feel like the student I came here to be. I have a membership at two University of London libraries and I have 4,000 words about John Milton under my belt, so I’m feeling a bit less like an imposter in this academic setting.

Last weekend I took my first trip for leisure to visit friends in Ireland. Traveling on economy flights is always thrilling to me; I think it’s something about picking your own seats. This term I hope to be able to take a few trips around England and Scotland; it’s a bit shameful that I’ve spent almost a year of my life in England and I’ve never properly looked around anywhere but London. I am very excited about one of the Arcadia scheduled trips that is basically a Jane Austen weekend. It probably makes me sound very sad, but I have been waiting to go on a Jane Austen weekend forever; the hunt for Mr. Darcy is always underway!

As I write this I can’t believe that January is basically over and February will soon be underway…it will already be underway by the time you read this. The idea of a year abroad is so daunting until you are there and everything goes by so fast. This semester I plan to work a lot harder but also do some more fun and exciting things. My entire floor has banded together and decided we will begin to make weekly visits to different museums and tourist haunts in the city. It’s already in the back of my mind that in a few short months I will be on my way home. In the next few months I look forward to making the most of this beautiful city, visiting some interesting places, most notably Morocco and the Netherlands, and turning 21 on St. Patrick’s Day! Put together with all of the studying I have in store, I should be very busy up to the day I leave. Already thinking ahead a bit, I’m currently on the search for grad schools in the UK and then there’s where I’ll be living at Arcadia next year. Well now I’m off to collect a former FYSAE friend that is visiting from Italy. I look forward to a weekend ahead of reminiscing about freshman year, which seems like it was yesterday when we first came to London.

Sighs for Sheng Wang: comedian stirs emotions

On January 30, Arcadia students turned out to laugh – and sigh – at Sheng Wang, the Student Programming Board’s first comedian of the semester.  A Taiwanese Texan who currently calls the San Francisco Bay area home, Sheng Wang is known for performing on Comedy Central’s “Live at Gotham” and touring with the renowned Comedians of Comedy.

Onstage in The Chat, Wang established rapport with his audience by chatting casually with them about Arcadia’s heritage and social scene.  He served up an entertaining round of his particular brand of humor, reflecting on the amusing side of ordinary life experiences.  Although there were some of the usual mind-numbing potty jokes (after all, is anything funnier than the porcelain “skating rink”?), anecdotes of Wang’s battles with dental floss and the “friendly fire” of pigeons kept students snickering.

Laughter was not the only response Wang evoked.  English major Abby Grosslein captured his poignant undertones when she stated, “He was really funny, down-to-earth, and relatable; but he was kind of sad, too.”  Perhaps it was the “expired hope” of his love life or the notion that his receding hairline would one day leave him with “a whole head of face,” but Wang evoked as many “awww” moments as laughs from the crowd.  While self-deprecation is the norm in Wang’s performances, the melancholy strain seemed to be more than a joking matter.

Offstage, Wang shared his perspective.  “Traveling is rough.  I’ve been doing this for six years and I’ve done the most traveling this year.  I’m home for one week out of the month and I don’t get to see my friends for weeks at a time.”  When asked how he enjoys performing at colleges, he stated, “It was kind of another reality check.  I thought they would be the best thing ever – smart and sober and kind of progressive.  I thought they would relate well, but as I’ve grown older, my humor has developed differently.”

Arcadia’s enthusiastic response seemed to bolster his spirits. “It was a really fun show.”
Reflecting on the positive aspects of his career, Wang stated that his inspiration comes from performers such as Mitch Hedberg.  “He was the first comedian who let me see I could be myself and do my own kind of comedy.  His comedy was silly and personable and relatable,” said Wang.

He also did not always know he would be a comedian.  After graduating college with a business degree, he felt that the corporate world was not for him.  He considered pursuing photography or poetry, but decided he liked the instant feedback he received from comedy.  He appreciates the opportunity his career has given him to work with both veteran comedians on tour and with his friends in local comedy clubs.

According to Heather Sterner, Assistant Director of Student Activities for Campus Programming, Wang’s performance was a good start to the spring line-up of comedians, with a  record number of 125 students attending.  Jeff Whyte-Capone, Comedy Chair for the Student Programming Board, urged students to watch for upcoming events, including an appearance by Jason Stuart of Will and Grace fame on February 5 and student performances during the Knight of Comedy on March 7th.

Page 5, Feature

Click on image above to view full-sized page.

Online or Overpriced: the challenge to getting cheap textbooks at Arcadia

As most students know, Arcadia’s resident bookstore, Templeton Books, is located on the second floor of the Kuch Center.  For many it is a dreaded stop at the beginning of each semester. It is not unusual for students to end up spending upwards of $200 or $300 for text books in one semester. With certain books reaching into the triple-digits, many students are quick to point blame at Templeton Bookstore for the steep price they pay for their education. Templeton’s Store Manager Meg Lavan and Text Manager Lydia Whitelaw are not convinced students  are pointing their fingers in the right direction, however.

“We put a lot of time to get as many used books as possible,” says Whitelaw. Used books are often the cheapest option for many students, as they can often be discounted by 25% or more from the price of a new book. Whitelaw says she makes every effort to stock as many used text books as possible, but she can be limited by unavailability from Templeton’s owner, Nebraska Books, or by Arcadia’s professors not giving her enough time to order used books. “If we have an order from a professor we know what [used books] to buy back,” says Whitelaw.

Currently, Templeton books is on an extension of a five year agreement they signed with Arcadia. In exchange, Arcadia gets a commission on items sold at Templeton. “It’s a win-win situation for the university,” says Lavan of the arrangement. “Buying from Templeton is a way of supporting Arcadia.”

This sounds good, but what about the students already paying over $40,000 to “support” the university? Many students look to buying their books online to save some money. Not a good idea says Whitelaw and Lavan.

“You don’t know what you’re getting [online],” says Whitelaw, referring to the possibility that someone selling used text books might not send the book or send the wrong copy. Despite the potential unreliability of a seller online, it is hard to argue with the prices. Used copies bought off of sites like Amazon.com and Ebay’s Half.com typically sell for lower than the prices for even Templeton’s used copies. But Lavan is quick to point out what is perhaps the number one advantage Templeton has over its online rivals: convenience. “You get your book right away, no shipping,” says Lavan.
Despite the higher prices, Whitelaw and Lavan defend Templeton as advocating for the students by trying to purchase used and affordable books. Some students are slightly less convinced.

Faced with an increasing tuition and a general downturn in the economy, the last thing students want to shell out cash for are text books. While books are a necessary evil when going to college, spending on average more than $200 a semester on some high-gloss, hard-covered information seems a bit steep. Not surprisingly, most students hold little regard for Templeton.

“I buy my books online,” says senior Psychology major Courtney LeCompte. “I feel like the bookstore is insanely expensive, and if I can get a book for half the price online, then why not?”

Other students opt to buy from Templeton for its convenience and reliability. “I usually buy them at the bookstorejust because it is more convenient,” says senior Biology major Alyshia Newhart. For her, Templeton’s prices might be hard to stomach, but at least she knows she will be getting a quality product. Freshman Elementary Education major Becca Hayman is also wary of buying textbooks from the Internet. “I thought about it, but a girl in my class bought online, but she got the wrong edition.”  Both Newman and Hayman agree that they will probably continue to buy from Templeton.

What seems to be at the heart of the problem for both students and Templeton is the constant production of new editions by publishers. In some areas like Political Science or International Studies, it is important to keep text books updated so that they stay relevant to the subject. But how many new discoveries are there in the newest edition of a Calculus textbook?

Templeton’s Text Manager Whitemarsh says the only limit to students getting old editions is whether or not Arcadia’s professors request them. The trouble is that the publishers of these books often send new editions to professors free of charge to try to get them to use them for their class. The result is that students are stuck footing the bill for the eleventh edition of a book that might only be slightly changed from the tenth.

“The new editions are the biggest obstacle to getting cheap prices for students,” says Co-chair of the  Political Science Department Dr. Joan Thompson. “I encourage students to look for ways to get used books or pick them up online.”

At the same time Thompson recognizes that the topic she teaches requires her to stay up to date with current events. “I want to talk about [Sarah] Palin and Hillary [Clinton] in a class, so a book that is two years old won’t cut it,” Thompson added.

For now textbook buying will remain one of two things for Arcadia’s students: painful or potentially unreliable. It is almost certainly cheaper to buy used books online, but the quality and reliability of service is something students should be aware of. For diehards like Arcadia senior LeCompte, the reward is worth the risk. “If I have to pick between highlighting in a book and paying $50 to $100 more, I’ll take the highlighting.”

The Superbowl: From a chick’s perspective

I’m not sure if there is any other annual American tradition that puts beer, lizards, and Doritos together like the Super Bowl. After watching the 43rd Super Bowl, I think I’ve turned a new leaf on life. I don’t need a job. I don’t need this Arcadia education. I don’t need food. I need the know-how to write and direct a 3 million dollar Super Bowl ad and I’ll be set for life.

It took me a few commercial breaks to realize that the game was the least important aspect but I did finally figure it out. I mean, besides the millions of fans who probably bought tickets to the game instead of paying their mortgage, no one seemed to be paying attention to the game once it got started. And in the beginning I started feeling bad for the teams, but once I realized that their salaries triple what my closest 50 friends will make in the next five years, I got over it.

Actually, I had double the fun watching the game—critiquing the commercials and watching the Steelers duke it out with the Cardinals. Before the game even started I was struck by the mini music video that Faith Hill had. I would really like to chase down whoever wrote the lyrics and scream ‘Why!’ into their face. She looked ridiculous and sounded even worse. Who thought that having a country music superstar sing the intro to the Super Bowl was a good idea? Hill made up for it when she sang America, the Beautiful but that doesn’t just count.

While I watched the game intently, I tried my luck at my football vocab. Yea, really bad idea. I remember calling a regular tackle a sack in the first quarter, asking what a false start was and trying to figure out why one field goal was worth three points. I always thought they were worth one…turns out that’s only after a touchdown. I was kind of thrown for a loop when I saw one player in this Count Dracula get-up, decked out with the wide collar and all. I still haven’t figured out what the hell that was for.

I can tell you that I paid close attention, well as much as my brain would allow, to the actual game. I saw Pittsburgh get that touchdown taken away in the first quarter. And I saw Arizona miss and/or drop the ball more times than deemed acceptable. I was definitely watching when 92 of the Steelers ran 100 yards and scored a touchdown. It was like watching a really good romantic comedy and the girl finally gets the guy. I felt all warm and fuzzy inside. Unfortunately, I watched Pittsburgh get too damn comfy and left the Cardinals come back a little, but I enjoyed watching them take back the victory in the last minute and 56 seconds. Almost as good as finding a great pair of shoes on clearance in your size. Might actually be better…its debatable.

At the end of the four and a half hour ordeal, I stopped sweating but remained confused. For some odd reason, I couldn’t pick my favorite commercial. I was so used to watching them online that I did not realized how much the momentum of the game changes how you receive the commercials. Although I thought all of the Bud, Pepsi and Doritos commercials were supreme, I’ll declare here, on this page, that my favorite was the Bridgestone ad with the astronauts landing on the moon and getting stranded. Something about two astronauts shaking their groove things that really gets to me!

Page 6, Entertainment

Click on image above to view full-sized page.

Album of the Year

Coldplay- Viva la Vida

The alternative British group hopes to be saying “cheers” to themselves if they grab the album of the year award at this year’s Grammies. Coldplay has been that group to watch out for, simply because of their catchy lyrics to songs like “Viva la Vida” which is on the album. And of course props go to lead singer Chris Martin for belting the songs fans love. Can Coldplay get their hands on the Grammy?

Lil Wayne- The Carter III

Weezy Baby has had quite a year with his hits off of his album, such as “Lollipop”, “Got Money”, and “Mrs. Officer”, among many others. The New Orleans native has been dubbed one of the best rappers alive by some, and he continues to make his presence known by hopping on other artists tracks and spitting fire. So, does Mr. Carter have what it takes to cop the Grammy? We’ll see.

Ne-Yo- The Year of the Gentleman

The song writer and singer had a big year due to his ability to write hit songs for himself and other artists. Ne-Yo had the radio on lock down when he released his songs “Closer”, and “Miss Independent”, and he has no intentions of stopping. The soulful and stylish gentleman knows just what he’s doing when he opens his mouth to sing to the ladies. Let’s wait and see if his vocals are enough to get a Grammy.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss- Raising Sound

70’s hard rocker Robert Plant is back on the scene to see if age is nothing but a number. Accompanied by  country singer Alison Krauss, the pair get together and make versatile songs that young and old listeners might enjoy. Plant strives to get the gold with Led Zepplin swagger while Krauss floats to the top with her smooth delivery.

Radiohead- In Rainbows

Radiohead are not newbies to this music game but their most recent album is a new taste and sound to this year’s award show. The group collaborated on songs and tried to keep their fans happy with their music. Like the other artists in this category, Radiohead too has had their eyes on the golden statue.

2009 Grammy Preview

The Tower takes a look at the

surprises, the favorites, and the

festivities of music’s big night.

“And the nominees are…..,” these will be the theme words for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards which will air February 8, 2009 at 8pm on CBS. The Grammies are the hottest award show known to the music business. Of course music artists look for the MTV Awards, or American Music Awards to snatch up a few trophies, but getting your hands on the golden Grammy award is the real deal. This awards show will be the 51st show marked down in music history, but who will claim the prize? Let’s take a look at who is nominated for the biggest categories.

Record Of The Year
Adele: Chasing Pavements
Coldplay: Viva la Vida
Leona Lewis: Bleeding Love
M.I.A.: Paper Planes
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss: Please Read The Letter

Song Of The Year
Estelle Featuring Kanye West: “American Boy”
Adele:“Chasing Pavements”
Jason Mraz: “I’m Yours”
Sara Bareilles: “Love Song”

Best New Artist
Adele
Duffy
Jonas Brothers
Lady Antebellum
Jazmine Sullivan

Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group
Coldplay: “Viva la Vida”
Eagles: “Waiting In The Weeds”
Gnarls Barkley: “Going On”
Maroon 5: “Won’t Go Home Without You”
OneRepublic: “Apologize”

Best Alternative Music Album
Modern Guilt by Beck
Narrow Stairs by  Death Cab for Cutie
The Odd Couple by Gnarls Barkley
Evil Urges by My Morning Jacket
In Rainbows by Radiohead

Best R&B Song
Jazmine Sullivan: “Bust Your Windows”
Raheem DeVaughn: “Customer”
Keyshia Cole: “Heaven Sent”
Ne-Yo: “Miss Independent”
Jennifer Hudson: “Spotlight”

Best R&B Album
Love & Life by Eric Benet
Motown-A Journey Through Hitsville USA by Boyz II Men
Lay It Down by Al Green
Jennifer Hudson by Jennifer Hudson
The Way I See It by Raphael Saadiq

Best Rock Song
Bruce Springsteen: “Girls In Their Summer Clothes”
Radiohead: “House of Cards”
Death Cab for Cutie: “I Will Possess Your Heart”
Kings of Leon: “Sex On Fire”
Coldplay: “Violet Hill”

So there you have it! These are a few of the many nominees for the good ol’ awards. It seems to be a battle between the new and old artists. But who will take home their very own Grammy? Tune in on Sunday February the 8th to see who rocks it on the red carpet in the best and worst outfits, and, see who leaves the stage a winner. Expect performances by Adele, Coldplay, and Duffy, just to name a few. The other theme words for next Sunday will be “And the winner is…”

Page 7, Entertainment

Click on image above to view full-sized page.

The Scramble

A brief look at new media

On his third album this decade, The Boss heads back toward his pop roots.  With the triumph of Barack, Springsteen brings back the flavors and layers of his earlier work with Working on a Dream, straying away from the Bush era skeletal folk.  The layered wall-of-sound is soaked with Springsteen’s blue-collar voice.  Lyrically, Bruce strays away from the idea of the everyman, but revisits it through a host of characters and musical flavors.  Songs like “Outlaw Pete” and “Working on a Dream” are sprawling and layer, vintage Bruce while other tracks like “Queen of the Supermarket” take different routes to get the point across.  The sound is bigger, the message is the same, and The Boss is still The Boss.

The ninth album from Brooklyn psychedelic noisemakers Animal Collective marks a blurry focal point in the band’s evolution.  Like The Grateful Dead, Animal Collective have cut out some of the hard edges to fall into warmer, smoother trips through their sonic wonderland.  Merriweather Post Pavilion still has its share of awkwardly arranged acid tracks, but Animal Collective transcended their niche for the most part.  “Brothersport” is a vat of melodies all swirled into one and other songs like “Summertime Clothes” simply trampoline off the eardrum with perfection.

Livin’ in a skater’s paradise

Skateboarding is a sport that never got proper treatment in terms of video games.  Thrasher Skate and Destroy, Grind Session and, everyone’s favorite grind the globe franchise, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater never really got down the core, but instead loaded the game with arcade fun for the whole family.  In the fall of last year, EA released Skate.  With innovative controls and a stylish way at looking at the sport EA changed the skateboarding game forever.  Then came Skate 2.

EA puts in not only tricks the first game was missing, but tweaks the graphics and joins in the creatable content revolution with a new replay editor as well as Create-a-Spot.  The story (which is completely irrelevant) goes something like this:  You are “This Guy”, as you will be referred to most of the time (Dude also works), and a pro skater sent off to jail after the original Skate.  Now you’re back, but San Vanelona, your Skater Paradise, has been clamped down on by the ugly corporate grip of Mongocore. Plus you lost all of your sponsors. Bummer bro.  Along the way you meet all kinds of skaters and other people that help you to your eventual goal of getting your status back.

Like in the first Skate, the point is to get your reputation up and find sponsors.  This time around EA has beefed up the career mode, making the challenges not only more abundant but significantly more difficult at higher levels.  Part of the increased difficulty comes courtesy of the much-expanded trick list, featuring everything from hand plants to hippy jumps.  The other big change for Skate 2 is the new ability to get off of the board and walk around.  Though the walking is clumsy to say the least, it holds a bigger purpose.  Through the city of San Vanelona random objects are thrown about.  Rails, tables, traffic barricades, dumpsters, signs, pretty much any lose object can be moved and set into positions making a once empty stair gap the perfect place for a picnic table jam session.   EA also took time to substantially work on the multi-player aspect of Skate 2.  Offline old favorites like Spot Battle and S.K.A.T.E. return with a new mode called Hall of Meat where wiping out and breaking bones is the ever so gnarly goal.  Online EA embraced a free skate mode allowing you can a plethora of buds to skate around certain chunks of San Vanelona.  Each place has challenges and goals to reach, plus what’s more fun than watching your friend wipeout in real time?  The “Create a Spot” feature lets the architect in you post the lines and spots you set up and post them online for others to check out.

Skate 2 has expanded on the first Skate in almost everyway.  More tricks, a better city, and the ability to walk and move are all welcomed additions. The best thing EA did is what Skate 2 didn’t do.  Without changing the way the controls worked, EA took a game and made it innovative and creative.  Skate 2 still feels perfect in terms of the reward for time played.  Sometimes it can be as simple as spending an hour trying to nose slide a huge rail, other times things can get a little more technical.  Skate 2 improves without rebuilding, but rather expanding, a key trait in the longevity of a sick franchise…dude.

Weezy puts the horns up on new rock disc… WTF

Before during and after the release of his highly acclaimed 2008 album Tha Carter III, Lil Wayne was slowly but surely straying away from the style that made Tha Carter II so insane when it was released in 2005.  The mix tapes had vintage Weezy cuts mixed in with the new party jams and abstract rambles like “A Milli”.  With all that said, Tha Carter III is a sweeter but no less interesting or successful version of Lil Wayne.  On April 7th Weezy is set to drop another album and a definite departure from his down south hip-hop roots.

Rebirth will be, unbelievably enough, a rock record.  Yes, grills and all, Lil Wayne is dropping a rock album.  The first single “Prom Queen” leaked a week or two ago only to be announced as the first single in the last few days.  My first thought was “Well I’ve seen Weezy holding a guitar, not really playing it and he has some songs with rock samples maybe he’ll just lean on that aspect a little more.” My second was “He must be high as a kite.” My first thought was wrong.  “Prom Queen” has a distorted riff, rock drums and sparsely placed keys with Weezy singing ala “Lollipop” over the new background.

In the past we’ve seen the combination of rap and rock go both great and miserable.  I mean who doesn’t like Run-DMC and Aerosmith’s version of “Walk This Way” or Rage Against the Machine’s metal rap fusion? Hell, Linkin Park even sounded good with a little help from Jay-Z, but then there were problems like Limp Bizkit or any other Nu-Metal band (sans Korn).  Granted, Lil Wayne takes a radio-ready pop/rock formula and, by adding his name to it, gives it even more appeal.  Who knows, maybe it’ll work out for him.

First it’ll be a Rock Band track pack, then a spot on Letterman, followed by a tour with Metallica where he does a guest spot on “Master of Puppets”.  Could you imagine Lil Wayne jamming out with Dave Matthews on a summer stop in Camden?  The possibilities are endless, and hilarious, but Rebirth is no joke.  Weezy is stretching his influence into an uncharted place; hopefully he doesn’t stretch it too far.

Page 8, Sports

Click on image above to view full-sized page.

Superbowl XLIII

After the embarrassment felt among Philly fans during the January 18th game against the Cardinals, many Eagles fans have put their money, and more importantly their hopes, in the Steelers avenging their fellow PA team.  However, despite what many would like to believe, Super Bowl XLIII was not a sure thing by any means for either team.

On February 1, 2009, the 43th Super Bowl began in Tampa to receive very mixed feelings on its outcome. Many took the first quarter as a strong indication of the game’s overall outcome.  In the starting minutes of the first quarter, the Steelers had a 10 point lead on the Cardinals.  Even furthering their confidence was a nearly 100 yard touchdown by the final seconds of the first half, but things would start to look very different after halftime.

Slowly but surely the Cardinals began to pick up their defense by the early minutes of the third.  Similar to their past games, including that against the Eagles, by the end of the third quarter, their offense was also taken up a notch.

The score was 16 – 20 by the final minutes of the fourth quarter.  Suddenly, the game took a turn for the Cardinals when Quarterback Kurt Warner threw a 64 yard touchdown pass to receiver Larry Fitzgerald.  It was with this goal that Arizona took the lead for the night, 23-20.

Despite this truly jaw dropping play by Warner, Roethlisberger still managed to lead his Steelers to victory in the final minutes of the game with one final touchdown, making the final score a close knit 27 to 23.

Despite the excitement ever present in the actual football game, many Super Bowl viewers are either more obsessed with, or at least equally so, with the Super Bowl commercials and halftime show.

In recent years the elite standard in Super Bowl commercials has always been Budweiser, and this year has been no exception. In 1994, the Bud Frogs, named Bud, Weis, and Er, debuted and revolutionized the way viewers thought of the brand.  After several variations, including Louise and Frankie, the Brooklyn-accented Chameleons and their “Hitman- Ferret”, Bud has since moved onto the Clydesdale and the Dalmatian “approach.” Similar to recent Super Bowl games, Sunday’s game also brought about several variations of the Clydesdale, once again showing Budweiser’s domination of Super Bowl commercial time.

For Super Bowl XLIII, the halftime show became very much a “blast from the past” when the legendary singer/songwriter Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performed.  Nicknamed “The Boss”, Springsteen started his mainstream career in 1972, with his debut album, entitled Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ.  Since then, he has had more than 15 albums and is currently launching the new and highly anticipated Working on a Dream, which was released on January 27 of this year.  Despite being almost four decades later, Springsteen and the E Street Band are still holding their own and still mesmerizing fans, both new and old.

In truth, this Super Bowl very much had something for everyone: an edge of your seat, minute-by-minute football game, a series of heartwarming animal ads, and a halftime show that truly proves that some things never go out of style.

Knights of the Week

Terell led the Knights in an 0-2 week in conference play with season-best numbers.  The senior forward led Arcadia with 13 ppg and 5.5 rpg on 8-11 (73%) from the line and 9-16 (56%) from the floor averaging 26.5 minutes.  Terell also dished out 5 assists, caused two turnovers and blocked one shot on the week.  His season overall performance on the floor (52% FG) leads the squad, as do his team-high 9 blocks.  For the week, he shot above his season averages for both points (8.7 ppg) and rebounds (4.9 rpg).

Knights defeat Falcons in Commonwealth Openener

Senior Bobby Mulholland and freshman Khalief Trawick combined for 33 points to help Arcadia Men’s Basketball defeat the Falcons of Messiah College 70-62 in the second half Commonwealth opener this afternoon in Glenside.  Today’s win avenges a loss to the Falcons just two weeks ago as the Knights improve to 3-4 in the league and 8-11 overall.  Messiah also stands at 3-4 in the league and drops to 5-14 overall.

The Knights opened the game with nice 7-0 run, leading by as many as 18 in the first half.  Messiah crawled their way back to make it an 8 point game at the half, 35-27 Knights, as Arcadia held the Falcons to just 27% shooting while causing 13 Falcon turnovers throughout the opening twenty.

Although Arcadia never trailed in today’s game, a layup by Jason Miller brought the Falcons to within 1, 46-45 with 11 minutes to play and to their credit Messiah kept Arcadia on their heels for the remainder of the game as a three pointer off the hands of Drew Sneeringer with 43 seconds to play made it 64-62 game with Arcadia in front.   Both teams were in the double-bonus down the stretch, but with Messiah forced to foul, both Trawick and Mulholland were perfect from the stripe in the final 27 seconds to seal today’s much needed win.

Mulholland, playing the final 12 minutes with 4 fouls, was red hot this afternoon, nailing 7-9 from the floor and a perfect 4-4 strikes on the line for a 19 point performance with 4 rebounds and 3 steals.  Trawick went 5-10 and 4-6 from the line to finish with 14 ponts and 7 rebounds.  Trawick added 2 steals and put home a dunk in the first half.  Senior Terell Varnado added 9 points, 7 rebounds and blocked 2 shots for a Knights squad that committed just 5 turnovers all day.  Junior Damien Palantino netted 5 points and owned team highs in assists with 6 and steals with 5.

Arcaida shot 46% from the floor and 73% from the line, as their defense held the Falcons to just 35% shooting while causing 20 Messiah turnovers.  Jamie Yoder led the Falcons with 18 while Colton Reitz contributed 16 points and 8 rebounds.

Arcadia will look to even the score with Widener University this Tuesday at home at 7 PM

“Join the Arcadia community in  its fight against breast cancer.”  On Tuesday, Febuary 17 AU will be hosting the “Pink Zone” basketball game against Albright College in the Kuch Center.  The game will be free of charge and donations would gladly be accepted to help the world’s fight against breast cancer. In addition to the game itself, which will tip off at 6:00 P.M., there will be a free t-shirt for the first 50 guests, prize raffles during halftime, and a free “give-a-way” to the first 100 people wearing pink.  All proceeds will go to the Kay Yow BCA Cancer Fund.

Front Page

Click on image above to view full-sized page.

Page 2, News OP/ED

Click on image above to view full-sized page.

Page 3, News OP/ED

Click on image above to view full-sized page.

Page 4, Student Life

Click on image above to view full-sized page.

Page 5, Feature

Click on image above to view full-sized page.

Page 6, Entertainment

Click on image above to view full-sized page.

Page 7, Entertainment

Click on image above to view full-sized page.

Page 8, Sports

Click on image above to view full-sized page.