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Page 2, News OP/ED

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.