Holcad - Westminster College
Transcription
Holcad - Westminster College
a-1 front - holcad (24”) 20060816cad 0% 5% 5% 10% 10%20% 20% 30% 30% 40%40% 50%50% 60% 60% 70% 80% 70%90% 80%95% 90%100% 95% 100% YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN Holcad The Westminster College’s student newspaper In this edition... BLACK Wednesday November 28, 2007 New Wilmington, Pa. 12 pages Volume CXXIX Number 11 since 1884 Beaded jewelry saves lives BeadforLife representative speaks at Peace Studies Coffee House By Eilis McCulloh Staff Writer Unique art gallery pieces are displayed See Page B-2 Winter sports begin seasons See Page B-1 Mini Scrawl edition See Pages A-4, 5 Titan Traverse to offer two spring break trips See Page A-6 Campus Statistic of the Week 9 The total number of class days left in the semester! Heather Ditillo spoke to students during the Thursday, Nov. 15 Peace Studies Coffee House. Ditillo is from Belleview, Penn. and is a representative from BeadforLife, an organization that aims to eradicate “extreme poverty by creating bridges of understanding between impoverished Africans and concerned world citizens.” In her presentation, Ditillo explained the organization and situation in Uganda. She also showed a video that had testimonials of members from the organization. BeadforLife was created by Devin Hibbird, Ginny Jordan and Torkin Wakefield in 2004. According to Ditillo, the three women wanted to “find a way for people to generate money.” It is located in Kabala, Uganda. Ditillo became involved with the organization after a recent trip to Uganda with her sister. She explained that the trip was life changing. During her presentation, Ditillo continually reminded everyone that the Ugandan people working in the program are poor in money only and that they are richer in community and family than the United States. BeadforLife membership lasts for 27 months. There are 350 members. Of the 350 members, only five are men. They represent sixteen tribes and multiple faiths. Using discarded newspaper and magazine, the members create gorgeous beads. They use the brightly colored beads to make necklaces, bracelets, and other jewelry. Following the presentation, those in attendance were able to purchase jewelry made by BeadforLife workers in Uganda. Working for BeadforLife improves the living conditions of the members. Many members go from earning less that $1 per day to $4 per day. However, the increase in salary is not the only improvement in the women’s lives. From the money they earn making beads, the women are able to send their children to school, place money in the bank, and increase food intake. Additionally, over half of the BeadforLife members started business from the money they earned. With their newfound successes, the members have an increased sense of pride and accomplishment. “It was inspiring to see how dedicated these women are to improving the lives of their families,” senior Marissa Shetler said. BeadforLife also helps members with health services and education, vocational and educational Green Party hosts speakers at campus conference YPS program to hold Alternative Gift Market Five speakers present ecological issues based on their organizations’ values Staff Writer Weekend Weather provided by Weather.com Friday 36/24 Cloudy Saturday 32/24 Partly Cloudy Sunday 36/32 Rain/Snow Showers Check us out online at holcad.com Photo by Ben Jarrett Five speakers presented at the recent conference held on campus by the Green Pary on Saturday, Nov. 17. By Allyson Koerner Staff Writer Inside The Green Party hosted speakers here on campus, Saturday, Nov. A & E - B-2,4,5 17, presenting issues about their Calendar - B-3 values as an organization. Campus News - A-6 Starting at noon the conferCrossword - B-3 ences were held until 3:00 p.m. in Features - B-6 Hoyt Science Center, including a Opinion - A-2 time where refreshments were Outside the Bubble - A-3 provided along with a discussion Sports - B-1 period. The Holcad is provided free-of“It’s pretty exciting to have all of charge to students, faculty, staff, these great speakers here on camand visitors of Westminster College. pus,” senior Ben Knauff said. “This Please take one. If you would like is the type of event that the whole additional copies, please contact campus should attend, regardless the editorial staff. training and sustainable life skills. BeadforLife is currently building a village outside of Kampala for 120 impoverished Ugandan families. The organization is teaming with Habitat for Humanity to build the village. The village is also an experiment because it is the first time that many of the tribes will live together. Ditillo explained many ways that we can help the people in Uganda. Some ways include: educating people about AIDS, sponsoring a student, buying Fair Trade, voting, empowering women, working to improve the quality of international aid and making generic drugs available to the poor. Anyone can help through the BeadforLife program by hosting a bead party or purchasing beads. Beads are available for purchase on the organization’s website. “All they need is opportunity,” Ditillo told the people gathered. She also relayed a request given to her by one of the young children she met while in Uganda. “Do not forget,” she urged. Anyone interested in learning more about BeadforLife can visit their website at Photo by Kirsten Dize http://www.beadforlife.org. The Students and other attendees browse through the items video that Ditillo showed is available on youtube.com by searching made by BeadforLife workers in Uganda. Heather Ditillo, representative for the organization, spoke at the recent Peace for beadforlife. Studies Coffee House. of your opinions.” The featured speakers were Ed Bortz, Tom Bailey and Tom Ljungman, Skip Mendler, and Rebecca Rotzler. Bortz focused on the topic of “Conscientious Objection and Selective Service”; Bailey and Ljungman spoke on “Burning Waste Vegetable Oil in Diesel Autos”’; Mendler discussed “Ballots, Bullets, and Bagatelles”; and Rotzler presented on her position as co-chair of the Green Party. Roztler was the main featured speaker at the conference. She is a co-chair of the Green Party of the United States (GPUS) and served as Deputy Mayor of the Village of New Paltz, NY from June 2003 to June 2007. Roztler held the position of the government representative to the New Paltz Central Schools District-wide Committee. She is also a GPUS National Committee representative for New York and even served as one of the cochairs of the GPUS Peace Action Committee. “It is great to have such a speaker here on campus, I was fortunate enough to have the help of other Green Party contacts to get these speakers for our conference,” Marissa Danney, president of the Green Party, said. The Green Party originally formed here on campus in the spring semester of 2002 and follows the ten key values of the Green Party of the United States. These values are grassroots democracy, social justice, ecological wisdom, nonviolence, decentralization, community-based economics, feminism and gender equity, respect for diversity, personal and global responsibility and future focus. All of the speakers incorporated these ten values into their speeches educating the campus community further on the Green Party and its ideals. “I think that it's a wonderful way for the campus to become aware about issues that are being discussed in America and the world,” senior Ann Ebhojiaye said. “Westminster students will have to face these issues when they leave college, and this is a way for them to be prepared to discuss and act on these issues, because they have a responsibility as American citizens.” For further questions and interest contact the president of the Green Party, Marissa Danney. By Staci McGill Every year an Alternative Gift Market is sponsored by the YPS as an outreach and educational project. The Market represents existing projects serving the global community; these projects are researched by the Alternative Gifts International (AGI) as to their feasibility. The Market is held in the Atrium of McKelvey Campus Center and has been expanded over two days. It will be open on Wednesday, December 5 from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and on Thursday, December 6 from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. “There are so many interesting gifts that it is hard for me to choose what to buy,” sophomore Sammi Jo Youkers said. “Although the Market doesn’t support my spending habits, it does support other countries.” This year the Sierra Student Coalition, The Newman Club, Habitat for Humanity, Amnesty International, Shoulder-to-Shoulder Pittsburgh and the Kenya Chil- dren's Project will join YPS in offering such life-giving gifts as alternatives to material gifts for those of us who can afford what they need and want. Students will staff the entire two-day Market. The Market also welcomes Wendy Farmerie, and her products from The Silk Road, a store in New Wilmington that offers global items that support businesses dedicated to fair trade. “This is a great chance for students to show that they care about the environment and globalization,” said sophomore Gary Hanssen. Some of the projects students will be "selling" will be Solar Entrepeneurs (Kenya), Children with Cancer (Tanzania & East Africa), Green Justice (Haiti), and Soothe Their Hunger Pangs (USA). AGI is a nonprofit, interfaith agency, which provides education about global needs and raises funds through its Markets. Designated grants are then sent to establish international projects for relief and development. The mission of AGI is to send authentic, life-giving gifts to a needy world. Photo by Mandie Zoller Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity participates in philanthropic events See full story on A-6 OPINION - holcad (24”) 20060829cad YELLOW 0% 5% 5% 10% 10%20% 20% 30% 30% 40%40% 50%50% 60% 60% 70% 80% 70%90% 80%95% 90%100% 95% 100% Page A-2 MAGENTA November 28, 2007 CYAN BLACK The Holcad — Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pa. Opinion RANT Let’s Talk & RAVE About: Thanksgiving was delicious! Go...catch a chicken. Monopoly can turn vicious. Campus tree lighting tonight!! Yes - I HAVE seen The Matrix. We are not a codfish. He's my friend even though he likes the Cowboys. Pocket Starbursts are my favorite. My poor Spanish dancing squatter. This just in: the TUB workers are still amazing! I lost a good friend. His name is Motivation. Did you know that "si" is a French word too? Well she didn't have a boyfriend, but now she does. I miss the luces de Sevilla. You know what? Political correctness offends me. Son of a NUTCRACKER!! Responsibility What usually happens when someone doesn’t show up for work a few times in a row? They lose their job. Apparently, though, this is not the case for all Westminster work study employees. One of my friends and I get up early most mornings to utilize the Marge Walker Fitness Center’s new hours. Unfortunately, though, on many mornings there is not a desk sitter present, making it impossible to work out. Sometimes the door is unlocked and we workout anyways. Since there isn’t a supervisor there, though, the desk sitters still get paid. This doesn’t make sense to me. I am ineligible for work study, so in addition to my job at the Holcad, I work at the Grove City Outlets. If I don’t come to work on time everyday, I will get fired. And understandably so. I know it stinks to have to wake up early; I’m not a huge fan of it, myself. But at least the desk sitters are getting paid to do it. They’re also getting paid to sit there and do their homework or watch TV. How many people would kill to have a job that easy? I’m not sure about the rest of work study jobs, but I’m pretty Everyone I know is getting sure students who don’t show up married. don’t get paid. For example, those who work at the information desk Creepy faces in the mirror - dun in McKelvey fill out time sheets. dun dunnn... Library workers and office assis- The Weekly Glop: Academics I have stated in past columns that I believe Westminster needs to make academia its primary focus. As a liberal arts college we pride ourselves on giving a well rounded education that will help students to excel in the workplace due to their eclectic academic background. I do think however that it will be difficult for students to receive this well-rounded education when Allison Houser Discussion Leader teachers are retiring and then subsequently not being replaced by tants have supervisors who know the administration of the college. if the worker is not there. Work for To my knowledge there are the Holcad? If you don’t turn in four professors that are retiring your articles on time, you don’t get this year; I however only wish to paid for them. focus on two of them. These two Our professors hold up their professors are Dr. McCarthy of the end of the deal for their jobs, too. If biology department and Dr. Hickthey don’t come to class multiple man of the mathematics and comtimes, they’ll probably get fired as puter science department. soon as the Dean finds out. At the These professors that are retirvery least, they won’t get tenure ing have worked years to make when they’re up for it. sure that their students have reIt’s all about accountability vs. ceived the education needed to exresponsibility. If no one is holding cel in their fields. They are also you accountable to do your job, it’s very well liked in their departyour responsibility to yourself and ments for exemplifying what it everyone else to do it anyways. means for a professor to have a So do the responsible thing and personal relationship with stugo to work when you’re supposed dents. They have earned their reto. You get paid to be there, not to tirement. sleep in your room. Since they are both retiring then there are obviously job openings in the departments, but these positions are not being filled. With the current professors already teaching the maximum classes alAllison Houser is a PR major lowed on their workload and prowith minors in Spanish and fessors retiring, how is it that the communication studies. She school is getting away with not hircan connect any moment in ing replacements? life to an episode of Friends. I have been informed that the reason that Dr. Hickman’s position Anthony Colwell Weekly Glopper is not being filled is because the incoming freshmen class in the math department is not very large. This almost seems reasonable, but there are two reasons that this argument seems like a cop out to me. First of all, with the amount of classes that are required for a math major to graduate, it is already tight even without the freshmen class thrown into the equation. Some classes are only able to be offered once every two years already, even with Dr. Hickman’s presence in the department. Those administrators who used this reasoning obviously didn’t take into account that the mathematics and CS professors also have to teach all of the QR IP’s in the department as well. So the amount of incoming math majors is irrelevant. The second reason why this explanation doesn’t make sense is because if this were true, then the contrapositive would have to be true. So if they are not replacing him because the incoming class is not very large, then if the freshmen class is large, they would replace him. Well they are not fulfilling this rule either. The incoming freshmen class in the biology department is the largest incoming freshmen class this year with 45 students. They actually have more incoming majors than elementary education at 43, which is unheard of. So the logic follows that the position left open by Dr. McCarthy retiring should be filled, but this is not the case. There are many departments that suffer because there are not enough professors to teach the classes that they need to ensure the students learn all that they need to graduate, and are given the opportunity to take certain classes more than once every two years. Students are being forced to take classes that they may not be ready for as sophomores. The next time it is offered is when they will be student teaching as seniors. This isn’t the professors’ or departments’ fault; they simply don’t have the resources to offer it more because of the lack of professors on staff. Not filling positions of retiring professors will only amplify this problem. I guess another reason that the administrators who decided not to hire new professors could have had finances in mind as well. Perhaps the school cannot afford to hire new professors. I guess I should have taken this into account earlier, but for some reason the 1.5 million dollar football field keeps coming to mind. Anthony Colwell is a mathematics and philosophy double major. He is also constantly in search for the secret of the ooze. Apparently there's a WC Umbrella Cult. My boyfriend likes to break his head. Let's waterski over this poem, shall we? I'm a Newman Club Jeopardy Champ. Yesss. I am never sacked. Neither am I a Maypole. Wehadababyit'saboy. Wait for it............FOPWOP. Who will the next WC president be? Hmm... Almighty Fork of Doooooom! How many days 'til Christmas break?? W ant to Rant & Rave? Email The Holcad with RNR as the subject. Want to write a letter to the editor? Here are the rules. Letters to the editor are published weekly, as space permits. All letters must be submitted by email to The Holcad by 12 p.m. Tuesday to make the Wednesday edition. All letters must be limited to 400 words, typed and include the author’s name and a phone number for confirmation. Letters must be free from offensive language, personal attacks and libelous or potentially libelous statements. The Holcad reserves the right to reject any letter. No letter will be edited when factually incorrect or in need of contexual clarification. Rather, an editor’s note will be included. Grammar and spelling errors will also not be corrected. Opinions expressed are those of the author. The Holcad will not print anonymous letters. E-mail letter to: holcad@westminster.edu. Don’t forget to check us out online! www.theholcad.com The Superfantastic Comic of Sweetness The Holcad Westminster College’s student newspaper since 1884 357 McKelvey Campus Center Box 157, New Wilmington, Pa., 16172 general: (724) 946-7224 ads: (724) 946-7223 holcad@westminster.edu fax: (724) 946-6223 Office hours: MW 8-9:30p.m. or by appt. Read each week’s edition online at holcad.com Editor-in-Chief Jenn Corkadel Layout Editors Christine Line, Lindsey Nuzzo, Jenna Retort Operations Manager Bill Shondelmyer News Editor Leanna Stitt Photography Editor Laura DellAntonio OTB Editor Katie West Sports Editor Brandon Phillian Sports Writers Tom Campana, Corey Kendall, Melissa Kramer, Bob Long, Staci McGill A & E Editor Chris Lehberger A & E Writers Erik Chesney, Danielle McCullough, Amanda Miller, Max Muska, Ben Portz Features Editor Lurene McDonald Features Writers Shannon Bobbert, Lynn Elliott, Andrew Kubincanek, Shannon Richter , Barry Unis Copy Editors Rachel Burkot, Sarah Byerly, Kerry Flaherty, Aimee Gerber, Allyson Koerner, Ashlee Nealer, Nicole Piszczor, Sarah Simon Staff Writers Jessica Davis, Laura Henry, Megan Hoffman, Allison Houser, Allyson Koerner, Jared McConkey, Eilis McCulloh, Stefan Schneider, Kathryn Zetzer Photographer Kirsten Dize, Ben Jarrett, Nicky Piszczor, Sarah Yaple, Mandie Zoller Advertising Manager Jill Carle Graphic Designer Mandie Zoller Distribution Manager David Timm Faculty Adviser Jim Raykie Outside the Bubble - holcad (24”) 060826cad YELLOW 0% 5% 5% 10% 10%20% 20% 30% 30% 40%40% 50%50% 60% 60% 70% 80% 70%90% 80%95% 90%100% 95% 100% The Holcad — Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pa. MAGENTA CYAN BLACK November 28, 2007 Page A-3 Outside the Bubble Ripped from the wire REGIONAL Baited traps fail to catch pit bulls in Cumru Township READING, Pa. (AP) - Authorities say baited traps in Cumru Township have failed to snare four pit bulls who confronted police and a resident. Township police say that the dogs chased a teenage boy into his family's house on Saturday evening. They say one of the animals lunged at Sergeant David Hain, who shot the animal in the shoulder. The dogs then ran off into the woods. Police say they didn't get any calls about the dogs on Sunday. Harry Brown III of the Animal Rescue League of Berks County says the animals are extremely ag- gressive and should not be approached. But he says they may all belong to the same owner and may have been retrieved -- which would explain why there has been no sign of them. Truckers & Local Lawmakers Protest I-80 Toll Plan Dozens of people attended a PennDOT informational meeting for people who were opposed to in Grove City on Monday night slavery." Raab says it's "truly a re- where plans for placing toll plazas markable document." on I-80 were revealed to the public. The document unveiling will However, most people who attendtake place on Thursday at The ed the meeting held at Grove City Raab Collection offices in Philadel- College were there to protest the phia. tolls. Governor Rendell pushed the move to lease I-80 to the PA Turnpike Commission as a way to Kysor is described as a white generate revenue for transportaman- 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds. He tion and mass transit in th state. has brown hair and eyes and sev- Truck drivers say making I-80 a eral tattoos, including a devil, heart toll road is an unfair and unecessary tax on them which will hurt and snake on his chest. consumers and local residents. Lawmakers from our area say they were disappointed this meet500 volunteers erected the struc- ing was held without them as they ture's walls and roof in about three are currently in Harrisburg for the days in 2002. They plan was to look for a temporary location for meetings until the church can be rebuilt. Historic letters, documents to be unveiled PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Several important letters and papers are to be unveiled at an open house in Philadelphia. Among the documents is a personal letter from Benjamin Franklin, written from Philadel- phia in July 1776. Other letters are from George Washington and John Adams. But Nathan Raab of the Raab Collection says the most important document is from John Brown, who crossed the Mason Dixon line before the Civil War and forcibly freed slaves. It's his last will and testament, signed the morning that he was hanged. Raab says Brown's "name and his cause became a rallying point Police search for murderer who escaped from SCI-Albion ALBION, Pa. (AP) - State police Authorities say 53-year-old Maland prison officials are searching colm Kysor of Erie was discovered for a convicted murderer who has missing Sunday when guards did escaped from the State Correction- a routine count of inmates. al Institution at Albion. Kysor is serving a life sentence for an April 1988 murder in Erie County. He was moved to the prison in Albion in April. Authorities say the prison was locked down after the escape. Fire believed accidental destroys Jehovah's Witnesses church RED LION, Pa. (AP) -Authorities say a fire that destroyed the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Red Lion appears to have been accidental. Church elder Ray Strong says a member reported the fire just after 8:30 a.m. Sunday, about an hour before the morning service was to begin. Dave Stump, chief of Leo Independent Fire Engine Company, says no one was injured, but the five-year-old building is probably a complete loss. State police fire marshal Patrick McKenna estimates damage at about $500,000. McKenna says overheating of a ceiling canister light probably started the blaze. Members say that more than INTERNATIONAL NATIONAL Malibu residents return to communities after fire burns 53 homes MALIBU, Calif. (AP) - Favorable weather and an aerial assault helped firefighters make progress against a blaze that destroyed dozens of homes along winding canyon roads, the second major fire here in as many months. A cool breeze blowing in from the Pacific Ocean kept temperatures low and moisture levels high Sunday, while 30 aircraft repeatedly dropped fire retardant and water that snuffed out most of the flames. The fire was 70 percent contained after burning more than 4,720 acres. Fire officials said they hope to have the blaze under control by Monday. Residents made their way back Sunday to see if their homes were among the 53 that were burned to the ground. Several homes along Corral Canyon Road, which bore the brunt of the blaze, were reduced to blackened wrecks, while many others were virtually unscathed. "There's no rhyme or reason to it," said Frank Churchill, who returned home with his wife and four children to find his white stucco home largely undamaged, while three neighboring homes were leveled. "It doesn't make sense." Thirty-four other homes were damaged and as many as 14,000 people were evacuated from the blaze, which was whipped up by hot, dry Santa Ana winds. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger surveyed the damage and hugged Jennifer Grossman who returned from a trip to find her home destroyed. "This is very, very sad," Schwarzenegger said to Grossman. "We're going to help you." Malibu was still recovering from last month's 4,565-acre Canyon Fire that destroyed six homes, two businesses and a church when the winds began whipping up again. "You think it's over for the year, and then, it's here we go again," Montebello City Fire Capt. Fernando Peliaz said as his crew soaked down the still-smoldering remains of a home. Hundreds of firefighters and equipment from throughout the state had been positioned in Southern California for most of the week because of the predicted Santa Ana winds. Investigators said the fire, which broke out along a dirt road off a paved highway, was caused by humans, but they had not determined if it was started intentionally, county fire Inspector Rick Dominguez said. Sheriff's deputies with bloodhounds were seen headed into the area that residents said is a popular spot for outdoor partying by young people. Several locals were convinced the fire was started by late-night revelers who may have lit a campfire. "I've been up there and seen howling groups of teenagers drinking," Corral Canyon Road resident Ricardo Means, 57, said of the rugged spot near the far end of the winding road where blackened beer bottles could be seen littering the ground. Malibu, with homes tucked into deep and narrow canyons along 27 miles of coast on the southern foot of the Santa Monica Mountains, is prone to Santa Ana-driven wildfires. Among them was a 1993 blaze that destroyed 388 structures, including 268 homes, and killed three people. Saturday's fire was west of the areas of Malibu that burned in October. Despite the constant threat of wildfires and other natural hazards, residents seem to love living here. A sense of community, quietness compared to Los Angeles and proximity to nature are all cited by locals. "It's just tranquility after madness of the city," said stem-cell researcher Denis Rodgerson, whose house survived. "It's a nice place." Stores usher in holiday shopping season with big discounts, expanded hours in tough economy NEW YORK (AP) - Shoppers — shrugging off a spate of lead-tainted toy recalls and higher prices for food and gas — jammed stores before dawn Friday to grab discounted TVs, toys and the hard-to-find Nintendo Wii, for the official start of the holiday season, expected to be the weakest retail showing in five years. Stores, including Toys "R'' Us and Macy's Inc. said more people were showing up this year for predawn specials but merchants need them to keep coming throughout the holiday season to make their sales goals. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, threw open its doors at 5 a.m., offering such specials as a Polaroid 42-inch LCD HDTV for $798 and a $79.87 Sony digital camera. From 5 a.m. to noon, Toys "R'' Us Inc. offered 101 early morning specials on such toys as Mattel Inc.'s Barbie styling set and Hasbro Inc.'s FurReal interactive jungle cat toy. That's four times the number it offered last year. J.C. Penney Co., which opened at 4 a.m., an hour earlier than last year, served up such deals as a leather massage recliner for $298.88, after a $50 mail in rebate. The original price was $799. Other deals include 50 percent off toys and board games. In a scene replayed again and again at stores nationwide, about 200 people stood in line outside a Target in Columbia, S.C., at 5 a.m., an hour before the store was to open. Tracy Jenkinson, 34, arrived just after 3 a.m. to take the first spot in line. He planned to buy a $199, 19- inch LCD television for his daughters. "It's kind of crazy if you're not here to get a particular thing," Jenkinson said. Best Buy Co. Inc. drew more than a thousand shoppers to West Paterson, N.J. and to its Manhattan store for early morning bargains on Sony laptop computers, cut to $399.99 from $749.99, and GPS devices from TomTom for $119.99, from the normal $249.99, according to store managers. "If they were selling it, we were buying it," Tom Shea, 23, said as he surveyed his purchases at a Manhattan Best Buy store. He said he, some friends and a cousin were the first through the doors when the store opened at 4 a.m. Shea, of Brooklyn, and two friends spent a total of about $2,500 on two laptop computers, an Xbox game console, a vacuum and several other items. They estimated they had saved about $1,500 — after waiting for 35 hours outside the Fifth Avenue store to make sure they were first in line, he said. Shoppers from overseas were reveling in exchange rates that made discounts even deeper. The dollar hit record lows against the euro Friday and reached their lowest point in 12 years against the yen. "Everything is half price for us," Ashlee Clifford said, smiling, as she shopped at a Circuit City in Manhattan. Clifford lives in Northern Ireland. She was unaware of the postThanksgiving shopping frenzy ,known in retail circles as Black Friday, until coming to New York. "It's absolutely madness," said Clifford, 26. Many prepared in advance to snap up their most coveted items, though some were not happy with what they found. Amber Hanson, 23, of Madison, Wisc., and her mother, Heather Ludwig, 51, of Stoughton, Wisc., mapped out a game plan using ad fliers Thursday. Hanson went to bed at midnight and was up again at 2:30 a.m. to get to Kohl's 4 a.m. opening, where she bought sweaters and candles. Ludwig said the best deal the store offered was $10 cash to spend on Saturday for every $50 spent on Black Friday, calling the lines "ridiculous," after an hourand-a-half wait to check out. Both mother and daughter, who hit other stores including Old Navy, said they weren't too impressed with the "deals." "The stores are giving away a lot less free things," Ludwig said. Recognizing a potentially tough shopping season ahead, stores began discounting weeks ago, with such gimmicks as expanded hours. While top luxury stores like Saks Fifth Avenue continue to do well, merchants that cater to middle and lower income shoppers have suffered as consumers struggle with higher gas and food prices as well as a slumping housing market. There are no new, must-have holiday items like Apple Inc.'s iPod, though certain products are doing well. At toy stores, Smart Cycle, from Mattel's Fisher-Price, and Jakks Pacific's EyeClops, a handheld device that magnifies objects, are among the early hits, though sales have been stymied by concerns over Chinese-made toys. At clothing stores, dresses have been current legislative session. Reps, Dick Stevenson (R-Grove City), Michele Brooks (R-Jamestown) and Mark Longietti, (D-Farrell), along with Sen. Bob Robbins (RGreenville) - will be unable to attend a public meeting on Nov. 19 in Grove City due to legislative voting session in Harrisburg that day. "From the very beginning, the public needed to have been included in the initial process before the legislation was advanced; however, we appreciate the Turnpike Commission following up on our request to hold public meetings to address the challenges that we are hearing local residents and businesses express if this tolling is approved," Brooks said. "This potential tolling not only affects commuters and residents who use this highway on a daily basis. a strong seller, according to Dana Telsey, CEO of Telsey Advisory Group, an independent research firm. In electronics, there are no new game consoles, though shortages of Nintendo's Wii, which made its debut a year ago, have kept shoppers alert to whatever has dribbled in. Pam Batts, of Raleigh, N.C., arrived at a Target in suburban Knightdale at 3:30 a.m. Friday, ready to buy a Wii for her 8 year old son but left empty handed. About 30 minutes before the doors opened, Target staff announced the store had been sold out of the consoles since Sunday. "Now what do I do?" Batts asked. "I've got just a month to find one." While Black Friday is expected by some analysts to be the busiest day of the season, it's not a predictor of how retailers will fare in the season overall. In fact, the weekend only accounts for about 10 percent of overall holiday sales. But it does set the tone since what consumers see that day influences where they will shop for the rest of the year. Last year, retailers had a good start during the Thanksgiving weekend, but many stores struggled in December and a shopping surge just before and after Christmas wasn't enough to make up for lost sales. This year, analysts expect sales gains to be the weakest in five years. Washington-based National Retail Federation predicted that total holiday sales will be up 4 percent for the combined November and December period, the slowest growth since a 1.3 percent rise in 2002. Bush lends heft to Mideast peace talks, efforts to broker IsraeliPalestinian declaration WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush will lend his clout Monday to help broker an elusive agreement between Israel and the Palestinians on the contours of long-stalled peace talks the two sides expect to relaunch this week at a high-stakes international conference. Resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been a priority of a succession of U.S. presidents, and late in his two-term tenure, President Bush has made that long-coveted diplomatic victory his goal, too. Bush invited the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to separate meetings at the White House on Monday to prepare for the centerpiece of his Mideast gathering — an all-day session Tuesday in Annapolis, Md. "I remain personally committed to implementing my vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security," Bush said Sunday in a statement on the international gathering that begins Monday night with a dinner. "The Israelis and Palestinians have waited a long time for this vision to be realized, and I call upon all those gathering in Annapolis this week to redouble their efforts to turn dreams of peace into reality," he said. Bush will open the Annapolis conference with a speech. He'll make clear that Mideast peace is a top priority for the rest of his time in office through January 2009, but he is not expected to advance any of his own ideas on how to achieve that, Bush national security adviser Stephen Hadley said Sunday. "It is now time for the parties to get into this process by way of negotiation," Hadley told reporters. "And I don't think the president will conclude that the time is right to start offering ideas on outcomes on specific issues. ... This is not a negotiation session. It is to launch a negotiation, and for the parties then to take a lead." Hadley also said the joint statement was not as important as it had initially appeared. The two sides had taken the unexpected step of agreeing to negotiations, so the document was no longer a vehicle necessary to bring them to that point, he said. "If we get something, if they can agree on some things as an input to the negotiations, that would be fine," Hadley said. "But I think it is really no longer on the critical path to a successful conference." The run-up to the meeting has been fraught with disputes, skepticism and suspicion about the opposing parties' good faith. And expectations remain low. But Bush has been buoyed by Arab endorsement of the meeting and the possibilities for broader peacemaking. He will be asked to use his presidential heft to promote a joint blueprint for talks that are to follow, Israeli and Palestin- ian officials said Sunday. Clinching a joint statement of objectives from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert might prove to be an impossibly tall order because of the charged issues that divide the two sides. On more than one occasion, negotiations have splintered over the key questions of Palestinian statehood — final borders, sovereignty over disputed Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees who lost homes in Israel following its 1948 creation. The Palestinians want the statement to address those issues in general terms. But Israel wants to leave them for post-conference talks, and has pressed for a broader, vaguer statement of commitment to two states living side-byside in peace. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice wasn't able to bridge the gaps, even after eight missions to the region this year. If the two sides can't even manage to come up with a shared statement of objectives, that could augur ill for the future of peace talks, which are to be renewed after seven years of still-simmering violence. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators met late Sunday with Rice in a last-ditch effort to wrap up the task. "We're confident there will be a document and we'll get to Annapolis in good shape on that," but bargaining may continue behind the scenes on Tuesday, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. Still, whatever joint agreement the Israelis and Palestinians present at Annapolis will be a starting point and is likely to sketch only vague bargaining terms. The big questions that have doomed previous peace efforts would come later. Palestinian negotiator Yasser Abed Rabbo said Palestinians hope to work out a joint document, but that an agreement is not essential because of assurances received in the U.S. invitation to the conference. That invitation, he said, "includes all the terms of reference for the future negotiation" and "confirms that both sides are committed" to putting in place the peace process. "This is enough to launch negotiations after the conference." Olmert made it clear that Annapolis is but a start. "I hope Annapolis will allow the launching of serious negotiations on all the core issues that will lead to a solution of two states for two peoples," Olmert said Sunday. The Arab League endorsement of the conference, while reluctant, is considered crucial because Abbas needs to be shored up, especially after Islamic Hamas militants routed his loyalists in the Gaza Strip in June and now rule there. Back of Section A - holcad (24”) 20060829cad YELLOW 0% 5% 5% 10% 10%20% 20% 30% 30% 40%40% 50%50% 60% 60% 70% 80% 70%90% 80%95% 90%100% 95% 100% Mini Page A-4 November 28, 2007 MAGENTA CYAN BLACK The Holcad — Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pa. How From a Dream spent? mid-afternoon jazz by Leanna Stitt for Mallory by J. Kelly she looks through telescopes for music (hazy mornings perfect clarity). exposure to colors of carefully chaotic vignettes, or the improvised eruption of mid-afternoon jazz seduce her into preparing recipes of shrimp jambalaya for breakfast. without knowing, she moves her hips to the beat of dripping faucets in southern suburbia snapshots of romance and rhapsody linger in her sink, absorbing the microscopic life she once knew. Paradox How from a dream spent body? How wavering as I must? How fall into winter after barely a half touch empties my chest? How all flickers, wandering that breach, curving: forms your lips take on each word. How a syllable more opened than light the eye of this world. Nothing I carry knows how you hold me, or asks how nearly close, how far inside so clearly this how answers. Samuel by Julie Tvaruzek I by Rachael Hoffman The scientists have their So-called logical explanations For the glitter in the sky. But perhaps the supposed galaxies Are just light fixtures On the marbled ceiling of our world. A world that exists In a not-so-infinite space A world led by those Whose minds are limited By infinity. On the 20th of July he went to Vienna, three years ago marked by a blue pen circle. She sent him privacy in an envelope. He kept it in a drawer. "Te quiero, guapo Buenas noches" Vienna, 2004. Inside I find a man I almost know pressed to a woman whose pale blue eyes tell me more about him than the flamenco guitar, than the worn ballcap hung from a peg. II Intrusion doesn´t seem so much a crime as memory left stale. Untitled By Sky Yaple dots running around the page dizzily... lost from the tops of i's and j's and dropped off the ends of declarative sentences, finally deciding they've had enough of being the smallest and unnoticed, and their mad frenzied dash across the paper managed to disrupt the entire structure... and every last paragraph crumbled Back of Section A - holcad (24”) 20060829cad 0% 5% 5% 10% 10%20% 20% 30% 30% 40%40% 50%50% 60% 60% 70% 80% 70%90% 80%95% 90%100% 95% 100% Page A-5 YELLOW November 28, 2007 MAGENTA CYAN BLACK The Holcad — Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pa. February 25-29, 2008 Submission deadlines: Art - February 20 Writing - March 7 Scrawl Poetry & Arts Festival Drop off art submissions in the Scrawl Office (McKelvey 356) Hours TBA Scrawl Student Art Show February 29, 2008 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Berlin Lounge walls To a Goddess by Julia Barker by Britain Rousch our empty phrases scatter 'round us like the autumn leaves that fall with all the nothings that we say i wonder why we even talk at all we build our walls so high, so deep, so far beyond the clawing reach of prying eyes that one day even we forget the secrets that we try so hard to hide and then one day they crumble stone by stone by stone the bricks we laid in pain and desperation by hands other than our own so whether those stones are cast in anger, fear, bitterness, or hate or used to build a new foundation in your hands i leave my fragile fate nightmare bait by Shinae Karli Champ a voice says something’s wrong. but look: charming air, country curtains. a misjudgment..? in the normal house a man awaits. dark glasses, middle aged, unshaven but friendly. in the man’s house a patio is kept. greenery, white flowers, menacing iron gate. through the gate a living room stays. neatly organized, mother’s magazines, near the kitchen. in the kitchen a pot screeches. boiling over, smelling foul, leaking toward the hallway. in the hallway a silence settles. depressing, floor creaking, stairs to the left. up the flight of stairs a lit room lives. oddly bright, oddly squashed, two king beds and a crib. in the long, lit room a crib sits. not rocking, emitting something, fit for a precious doll. in the gray blue crib a baby sleeps. not crying, not fussing, possibly not breathing. but it could be. in a normal house a nightmare awaits. lying in wait, watching constantly, wondering who will come to save the innocent bait. Email written submissions to stittlm@westminster.edu Lemon-Lime by Lizz Ward Lemon lime and the blue-sky autumn Wipe the slate clean with our unity and orange In a citrus vitality, but not quite sour For all the sweetness within There goes the shining sphere Through the springtime sky, again Goodbye again Ricocheting back and far, far away Fiery red, guided to my open hand Catch it quick! For it won’t last The beat, beat, beat of the pounding on The door, on the floor, reverberate Green on green on grassless green of winter Shout and sing and laugh and… That priceless moment Quiet, then erupts with triumph Our sacrifice repaid And the greatest trophy, enclosed in my heart. Work as one for the show The grandeur of the song and light, Number one. Even in the wiping clean, be ever true to us and pride. Will you not remember? White winter wonders Sculpt the cold into a fun escape Children run and play, And we are they. And in every way I miss it… Can you remember? The string, whap-whap-whapping, And words inviting a timid me begins something beautiful and forever. Tonight we’ll all gather and sleep, Or not. Either works, but better is the latter. When the new day rises we will too. A monotonous repeat of work, work, words Yet it remains the highlight. The worst of each day Fades in the summer twilight. With it goes our days. Every picture freezes a moment That no longer exists To anything but our memory BittersweetLike sugar and coffee But coffee is a thing of age What became of our lemon lime? Replaced by growthErased by time… I want it back, ‘cause it was mine and ours then… Birthday cake and softly fading winter Never let go Never wipe it clean O Goddess, divine Beauty not seen in mortals Tempts this poor human. What can a man do To please you, heavenly one? What lack you, Goddess? How can I make known To you how deeply I long For your affection? Goddess, your perfect Form, not possible on Earth, Hurts this lovelorn wretch. Your love is reserved For warlike men who flatter You for their conquest, As if the plunder, Acquired through great heroism, From some epic war. Must it be this way? Can there be no hope for me? May I not love you? Goddess, show mercy! Climb down from your mountain home; Relinquish your pride! You, modern Venus, Slay me with each luring gaze; I must have your love! Though your appearance Is visually pleasing, Seeing you wounds me; Because I cannot Ever have you for myself, I wish you were gone. It is most unfair That one so fair, within reach, Can never be mine. Fruit Salad by Lizz Ward An apricot sunset begins every day, in the blueberry sky the clouds drift away. The cherry flowers, the lemon-lime trees, all sway in the summery apple crisp breeze. Then it rains little raisin rain drops, over the raspberry sea til it stops. A big peach sun, high in the air, banana yellow buttercups blooming everywhere. Tropical pineapple islands, with mango beaches, a coconut flake snowfall covers everything it reaches. A strawberry sunset to finish it all, as the day begins to fall. And star fruit stars dot the plum purple night, the huge melon moon casts a glowing light. Wish such a colorful, bittersweet earth, how can we question what life is worth? It all blends together into a rainbow above. A living fruit salad, a garden of love. Back of Section A - holcad (24”) 20060829cad YELLOW 0% 5% 5% 10% 10%20% 20% 30% 30% 40%40% 50%50% 60% 60% 70% 80% 70%90% 80%95% 90%100% 95% 100% Page A-6 MAGENTA November 28, 2007 CYAN BLACK The Holcad — Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pa. Campus News Geeks come out during Geek Week State-of-the-art shelving in McGill library allows for space to grow By Jessica Davis Staff Writer Compact shelving has recently been added in the McGill Library as part of the renovation project. dug up and the rails that support the shelves were positioned beneath the floor. With a number of safety features, the shelving system is equipped with an overhead heat detector, toe guard laser, and an emergency stop. Inquiry students were taught how to properly use the system. A blinking red light indicates that the shelves are locked in place. By pushing the reset button and using the arrows to find the desired shelf, students and faculty may easily find material. Moveable compact shelving has been installed in the basement of McGill allowing more space for the growing collection of books and easy access for students and faculty. This state of the art shelving plays an important role in the library’s renovation which is sched“I think it's obvious that Westuled to be complete sometime in minster has made a commitment Fall 2008. “The compact shelving is very to preserving their library collecuser friendly and it makes finding tion and whether it's print or makbooks easy and fun,” junior Sarah ing electronics I think that's going Sporrer said. “I feel like it was a to keep it alive,” head librarian, good choice for the library because Molly P. Spinney said. According to Spinney, the shelving cost an approximate $450,000 Located in McGill’s basement, of the renovation budget. the new mobile shelving permits The renovation project in enough space for the library’s collection to grow while avoiding off- McGill consists of two phassite storage or discarding books. es..While the first phase focused on The library buys an estimated function, the second phase is three thousand new books per geared toward aesthetics. The inyear. For every three thousand new stallation of an elevator will allow books, more than one hundred handicapped students easy mobiliand twenty shelves are needed to ty to every floor. New furniture will house them. Compact shelving in- include a variety of seating options creases the amount of space and and the entrance will also be will allow 35 years of growth. To moved. The former computer lab accommodate the new shelves, the will be replaced by a children’s lientire floor of the basement was brary and Ferguson room on the of how it utilizes the space.” Photos by Mandie Zoller Students work together to compete during Geek Week. Kappa Delta sisters adopt girl scout troop By Gretchen Fatula Campus Writer The sisters of Kappa Delta adopted Girl Scout Troop 317 of Lawrence County to further their philanthropic efforts. Kappa Delta became involved with Troop 317 when Merrianne McGill contacted junior Sarah Petcovic, Kappa Delta’s philanthropy chair. Merrianne McGill needed help with leading the meetings. Junior Sarah Filson agreed to act as the assistant troop leader. Filson attends their meetings on Fridays, and even leads some of the meetings. Kappa Delta aims to help Troop 317 achieve the Bronze Award, which is the highest honor a Junior Girl Scout can achieve. The girls work hard achieving several badges a week. The badges range from learning about different cultures to protecting the environment. “Not only do we teach the girl Photo by Sky scouts,; they teach us some things Moveable compact shelving allows for more space for the too,” junior Melissa Murphy said. college’s collection to grow and provides easy access for The troop had a meeting on users. world diversity and some of the sisters volunteered to teach the second floor will include more the public during Summer 2008. troop several different languages. study space. If any of the Kappa Deltas studied McGill Library will be closed to abroad or traveled to foreign countries, they shared their experiences and pictures from their trip. “Kappa Delta tries to contribute by sharing some of our own personal experiences and knowledge to add to the activities,” Filson said. Fraternity cleans up creek Recently Kappa Delta helped the troop with its Healing Hands project, in which the sisters and other members of the community helped to collect medical supplies to create medical kits to send to people in Iraq who do not have the necessary items to take care of themselves. Some things the girls were looking to collect were bandages, antibacterial creams or wipes, and other items of that nature. The sisters sat in the TUB the week of November 12 to advertise the mission and collect the medical items that members from the campus community were willing to donate. Sisters of Kappa Delta also sat outside of Rite Aid with the troop to collect items from the New Wilmington community. “We received more items than we expected, but we still need more,” Petcovic said. The sisters of Kappa Delta are still willing to receive more supplies for the Healing Hands Project. If anyone has any supplies to donate, contact Sarah Petcovic or give them to any Kappa Delta sister. “The girl scouts mean a lot to Kappa Delta and we enjoy helping them in whatever way we can,” Filson said. Last year, the sisters of Kappa Delta took the girl scouts to the Soldiers and Sailors Museum in Pittsburgh and spent the day with them. This year, the sisters are joining the girl scouts on a trip to see the Alice in Wonderland ballet. Titan Traverse to offer two spring break trips By Timothy Malone Campus Writer Photo by Mandie Zoller Members of Sigma Phi Epsilon spent a day cleaning up McClure’s Creek and participated in other philanthropic efforts. By Allison Houser Staff Writer The brothers of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity have spent this semester completing philanthropic projects throughout the community. On Saturday, Nov. 10, eighteen brothers participated in the cleanup of McClure’s Creek, the stream that runs through campus, from the college football field to Dutch Isle. Junior Jake Shaffer was excited for the brotherhood to give back to the New Wilmington population. “It felt good to have people see us providing a service to the community,” Shaffer said. “All the brothers felt really good that we were doing this, and everyone had a great time while we were all together.” In addition to cleaning the creek, the Sig Eps have contributed to the annual New Wilmington Firemen’s Auction. On Halloween, brothers took turns jumping on a trampoline on the quad for their first Jump for Hope. Through donations and sponsorships, the brothers raised much needed funds for Youth AIDS, the fraternity’s philanthropy. “I think that all of the brothers have done a great job with working towards their philanthropy as well as with their work on the creek,” Ashley Carnahan said. “They spent a lot of time on this kind of work this semester, and I think it really has an effect on the community. Junior Jordan Flaim, another member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, agrees and adds that the community gives a lot, too. “It was nice to be able to get the brotherhood together and give back to the community because they do so much for the college,” Flaim said. Before the semester is over, the brotherhood plans to help their neighbors rake leaves. They also have plans for philanthropic events for next semester. For students faced with the problem of a boring spring break, a Titan Traverse trip may be the answer. One possible destination this year is Florida, where students would have the opportunity to canoe through the Everglades. Another possible place is Joshua Tree, Ca., where rock climbing will be the main activity. “The Joshua Tree trip will probably be for 10 to 12 people, although we aren’t sure yet,” Titan Traverse director Laura Nystrom said. “The Everglades trip would be bigger and would probably involve 15 to 20 people.” The Everglades trip will likely cost around $250, while the Joshua Tree expedition could be as much as $600. “It would be from March 14 to 21, with students back on campus by Good Friday, so they can spend Easter weekend with their families,” Nystrom said. Last year Titan Traverse offered a trip to Mexico. Junior Dave Mills described the activities that were involved with the experience. “We did five days of backpacking. We started at the top of a ravine and went down toward a river,” Mills said. “We did horseback riding and rock climbing too. We also talked to a guide about the indigenous people.” There was also a backpacking trip to Cumberland Island, Ga. Sophomore Derrick Trump was one of the students that participated. “We did some hiking and some service projects, picking up trash and cleaning up dumps,” Trump said. “One day we got up at 5:30 in the morning to see the sunrise and swim. It was a laid-back kind of trip.” The spring break trips are available for all students. Those interested should contact the Titan Traverse office. For those still uncertain, Mills offers advice. “It was impressive to see a totally different side of the world, because you were literally in the middle of nowhere,” Mills said. “I would definitely encourage anyone to go on the spring break trips. It’s a chance you won’t have outside of college with everything that goes into it.” B-1 SPORTS - holcad (24”) 20060829cad 0% 5% 5% 10% 10%20% 20% 30% 30% 40%40% 50%50% 60% 60% 70% 80% 70%90% 80%95% 90%100% 95% 100% YELLOW MAGENTA Sports CYAN BLACK The Holcad November 28, 2007 Swimming teams begin 2007-08 season Page B-1 762 or 762*? Men advance to 2-1, while while women have yet to pick up first win By Staci McGill Sports Writer winning 200-medley relay team (1:41.42). The men's and women's swimming teams hosted Washington & Jefferson in their first PAC meet of the season. The Titan men (2-0, 1-0 PAC) won 167-90, while the Titan women (0-2, 0-1 PAC) lost 142.5114.5. The Titan men posted top times in 11 events, while the Titan women finished first in five events. Against Wooster, Gerthoffer won the 200 freestyle with a finishing time of 1:48.93. Placing first in the 100 butterfly was Simpson with a time of 53.73, while posting the fast time in the 500 freestyle was Lehberger with a time of 4:58.26. Also placing first in the 100 breaststroke was sophomore Ben Gutmann at 1:01.92. Then the swimming teams hosted Wooster in a non-conference meet on Saturday, November 17. The Titan men (2-1) lost 105100, while the Titan women (0-3) lost 142-63. The Titan men posted top times in four events, while the Titan women finished first in two events. On the men's side against Washington & Jefferson, junior Cody Robson placed first in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 55.29, while junior, Conor Simpson captured the 200 yard butterfly (2:04.43). Freshman Devin Gannon also won the 200 backstroke (2:04.19). Three Titan men won multiple individual events, including junior Zac Gebhardt winning the 500 freestyle (5:05.22) and the 1000 freestyle (10:21.97). Junior Chris Lehberger taking the 200 breaststroke (2:16.71) and the 100 breast- On the women's side against Wooster, senior Becky Giles won the 400 IM with a time of 4:51.60, while sophomore Emily Dressler won the 200 freestyle with a finishing time of 2:00.76. Against Washington & Jefferson, Giles was the only Westminster swimmer to win two events. She placed first in the 200 IM (2:15.73) and in the 200 breaststroke (2:33.60). Giles also placed second in the 100 butterfly (1:02.96). Other individual winners for the women were junior Megan By Laura DellAntonio Mier, who placed first in the 100 freestyle (11:31.58) and freshman Taking the lead Courtney Herdt who won the 100 Sophomore Brett Gerthoffer sails past his competition in the 100 backstroke during the breaststroke (1:12.74). meet against Washington and Jefferson. The men went on to win the meet 167-90. The Westminster swim teams will next travel to the Wooster Invistroke (1:02.11) and sophomore the 100 backstroke at 56.61. touched first at 3:23.39, while Gantational held November 29 - DeBrett Gerthoffer capturing the 50 non, Lehberger, Simpson and juGerthoffer also swam on the cember 1. freestyle with a time of 22.62 and nior Stephen Burns comprised the 400 freestyle relay team that Titan’s and Lady Titan’s basketball start seasons with opposing records Men’s basketball still looking for first win By Melissa Kramer Sports Writer The men’s basketball team suffered their fifth straight loss this week at Juniata. The final score of the non-conference match up was 80-63. The Titans also fell to non-conference Penn State Behrend, 80-65. The Titans’ 0-5 record on the season is their worst start since the 1985-1986 season. The Titans traveled to Juniata where the Eagles led by only one point at halftime and trailed Westminster by one point with 14:33 remaining in the game. The Eagles then took the lead after a 15-0 run and held on to the lead defeating the Titans by 17 points. Senior Craig Hannon led the Titans with 22 points followed by classmate Chauncey Whitlow with 15 points. Sophomore Ryne Murray added 13 points and a team-high ten rebounds. Murray’s “doubledouble” is his first this season and fifth of his career. Juniata’s Brian Cannon led the team with a game-high 33 points, followed by Kyle Opitz with 15. The Eagles out shot the Titans from the field with a 52.4 percent (33-63) success rate. The Titans shot just 35.9 percent (23-64). The Eagles also out-rebounded the Titans, 45-32. The Titans played host to Penn State Behrend and trailed for all but three minutes of the game. Murray scored a game- and career-high 27 points in his first start of the season. The sophomore forward made 11 of 20 shots from the field and three of nine from 3-point range. Whitlow contributed seven points as Westminster’s next highest scorer. Behrend’s Dan Zeigler led the Lions with 17 points followed by teammates Kevin Buczynski and Tom Newman with 14 and 12, respectively. The Lions shot 60.8 percent from the field, while Westminster shot 44.1 percent. Behrend also out-rebounded the Titans, 35-24. Westminster hosts Saint Vincent Saturday, December 1st. Lady Titans basketball team wins home opener By Thomas Campana Sports Writer The womens basketball team opened their 2007-2008 home opener on Tuesday, November 20th as they hosted non-confrence opponent Pitt-Bradford. bundle of points. The Titans took a 28 point lead about half way through the second half as the scoreboard read 73-45. The largest lead the Titans piled up on PittBradford was 29 points at the 10 minute mark of the second half. As the final buzzer sounded the Lady Titans had posted their first home win of the season 96-74 in route to a 3-0 over all record. The Lady Titans who began their night with in a point scoring frenzy rallied a led by as many as Emily Ackerman senior 15 points in the first half, before hearing the half time buzzer guard/forward was one of three Tisound, as they went in with a 44- tans who set a new career high, Ackerman scored 30 points on 1133 lead. 19 from the field and 8-8 at the The second half the Lady Titans foul line, while she posted her secbegan where they left off, with a ond "double-double" of the season. Sophomore center Rachel Martinko also posted a personal best with 26 points on her 8 of 10 from the field and 10 for 11 at the line. Junior guard Gina Brunetti was the third Titans to post a career high as she posted 7 assist and 9 points in the Lady Titans victory over Pitt-Bradford. "It feels really good starting 3-0, but we know we still have a lot of things that we can get better at," Brunetti said. Photo by Laura DellAntonio Taking it to the hoop Brandon Phillian Sports Editor An indictment is not a conviction. However, in the case of Barry Bonds, it seems as if prior to even the indictment he is considered guilty until proven innocent. Whether or not Barry Bonds took steroids does not change the fact that he still has hit more home-runs than anybody else in the game of baseball. People who say you can just abolish Bonds’ home-run record are completely illuminating their lack of knowledge of the game of baseball. Never, and I repeat, never has baseball changed any number or record of any sort. If you were to change Barry Bonds home-run record, think of all the numbers that would have to change with it. Let’s start with wins. There were a number of times the Giants, or even the Pirates, won by one run because Bonds went yard. Changing Barry Bonds home-run record would alter the wins and losses of teams from the entire era in which Bonds played. Changing these wins and losses ultimately would change the outcomes of seasons if Bonds home-run record were to be changed. Let’s look now on an individual record. Every pitcher that Bonds hit a home-run off of would have a lower ERA if Bonds’ record were to be changed. Every teammate that Bonds batted in would have scored less career runs if Bonds’ record were to be changed. These are just a couple of reasons why Major League Baseball does not alter or change any of its statistics. Changing the slightest number or stat in baseball would greatly alter the game we know as Major League Baseball. Can be Barry Bonds’ record be tainted? Yes. Can Barry Bonds’ record ever be changed? No. Certainly, I would be remiss if did not mention the asterisk. To preface this whole idea of the asterisk, in the future, baseball historians will look back and remember this as baseball’s “steroid era.” With this in mind, George Mitchell will soon be revealing the findings and names of the Mitchell Investigation of steroid use in baseball. If Barry Bonds gets an asterisk by the most coveted record in all of sports, Major League Baseball will set a dubious precedence for all of those players involved in the Mitchell report as well as those players who will later be found guilty of steroid use. Should an asterisk be tagged onto Bonds’ home-run record, every record of every player ever to have been found guilty of using steroids would have to be accompanied by that murky mark. In my estimation, baseball would be better off to omit the asterisk and not delay the inevitable reality that this point in time will known as the “steroid era.” Although the way baseball handles the most highly touted record in sports is a big deal, perhaps the more pressing issue to Bonds is how his defense attorneys handle his trial. With a disgruntled former girlfriend and longtime friends turned foes as the prosecutions’ key witnesses, not to mention the obtainment of Bonds’ personal trainer Greg Anderson, it will be interesting to see what kind of case the prosecution can present. Whether or not Bonds is convicted on the charges of perjury, history tells us a reduction of Barry Bonds’ years as a free man will not lead to a reduction of 762 or 762*, the greatest number in all of sports. Brandon is a junior mathematics major and an education minor. He is also the voice of Titan Basketball and Greyhound Football on Titan Radio. The next women's basketball Freshman guard Max Spinner goes in for a lay-up against game will be at Wooster College an Eastern player during their third place game of the Buzz Agree or disagree, let us on Wednesday, November 28 at Ridl Classic. The Titans went on to lose 90-87, finishing know what you think. E-mail 7:30 p.m. The Holcad and you might fourth in the tournament. make Brandon’s column. Inside EVEN page - holcad (24”) 20060829cad YELLOW 0% 5% 5% 10% 10%20% 20% 30% 30% 40%40% 50%50% 60% 60% 70% 80% 70%90% 80%95% 90%100% 95% 100% Page B-2 MAGENTA November 28, 2007 CYAN BLACK The Holcad — Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pa. Arts & Entertainment Rettinger produces unique artifacts Gallery displays world perspective By Danielle McCullough A&E Writer Many people who have walked through the art gallery the past couple of weeks have been shocked at what they have seen. The last exhibit featured rugs and other woven tapestries, but the current art display includes paintings and sculptures that are little more than unique. James Rettinger is “not interested in making something pretty or ugly, just something contemplative.” At a recent art dedication, Rettinger quoted Picasso, “I don’t seek. I find.” As you walk through the gallery you may not like what you see, but if you take time and really look at each piece and notice how they all flow together, you get a whole different feeling about this collection. At first, I stood in Orr Lobby and slowly walked towards his first piece, noticing how the compartments changed as I walked closer. I noticed more how each piece holds a face; my favorite is the magic eight-ball with glasses on top of it. In order to get a grasp of most of Rettinger’s pieces, you need to step back and look at the whole structure, then take steps forward looking at all the detail. He likes to make his projects in a way so that someone can see how he put it together. Rettinger does use some interesting things to hold his projects together; he has a great use of saw dust and car putty. Also, arrows and rocks (sometimes slag) appear in a couple of his pieces. Rettinger’s sculpted pieces can be looked at from different angles to capture completely different feelings. Strength Through Vulnerability is a piece that has three heads (six different faces) to represent the different sides of his father, along with the compartment belly which represents his father’s mathematical personality. Quite a few people walking through the gallery have mentioned the fact that the clocks are all set at different times. The clocks came from his father’s house after he died; every room had four or five clocks, but the point is that time does not matter. My favorite piece, Flight, reminded me of Constantin Brancusi’s Bird in Space. The way it is put together is much simpler than some other pieces, but it conveys more emotion to me than the other pieces. Another great piece is Triggering Device; it holds a lot of emotion. Rettinger said that it was inspired by a “family going through a hard time.” However, the painting is about how a lot of things in life are left up to chance. The “X” on the back of one of the hands is from a student he had, even though the painting is on a trigger devise and could be taken as a bull’s eye. His work has a bit of anger in it because he does not approve of some of the things in this world. Many of his pieces contain the color black because of this. Black holds subtractive qualities, and it usually simplifies things, but in most of his pieces, the black amplifies the piece. Rettinger’s pieces will be in the art gallery through Dec. 15. Photo by Danielle McCullough Speaker takes critical approach New Criticism is still practical today By Max Muska A&E Writer New Criticism was a critical approach to literature created in the 1920s. Dr. Charlotte Beck aims to prove that this criticism is still relevant today. Dr. Beck spoke to a crowd of 33 students, faculty members, and guests in Mueller Theater on Thursday, Nov. 15 of her extensive research of the history and practicality of New Criticism. “It was interesting to hear her opinion because she was there,” Ryan Sargent, a Sophomore English major, said. Dr. James Perkins introduced the guest speaker. Dr. Perkins said that she has three degrees from the University of Tennessee and is Professor Emerita of English at Maryville College in Tennessee. Dr. Beck also teaches at the University of South Carolina at Beaufort. She is a founder of the Robert Penn Warren Circle and is currentPhotos by Laura DellAntonio ly working on a two-volume set of Members of the Piscataway Indian Nation Singers and Dancers from Port Tobacco, MD his work. dance for a crowd in the Berlin Lounge and the event was sponsored by the office of Diver“My goal is to prove that New sity Services. Criticism is still useful after all They performed dressed in tradtional head dress and dance regalia and performed several these years,” Dr. Beck said. Dr. Beck spoke first spoke of traditional dances. the beginnings of New Criticism. It began in Nashville as a by-product of the Fugitive movement. The Fugitives, led by John Crowe Ransom, were a group of poets at Vanderbilt University in the 1920s who became tired of classical approaches to literary criticism. The group would bring poetry to submit to the members for critique. The Fugitives began to critique literature by closely reading it line by line and thinking deeply about the meaning of the words, the diction (word choice), and the form used. This new approach was given the name New Criticism by Robert Penn Warren when he published a collection of essays in 1941 with the phrase “new criticism” in its title. This critical approach focused solely on the text. Any biographical information about the author is irrelevant, as is anything other than the text itself. New Criticism has often been criticized for attempting to understand a text without viewing that text in its original context. The critics started writing textbooks with their new method be- cause Biographical Criticism texts were all that was available at the time. New Criticism is often painstaking and time consuming. New Critics often choose shorter works to critique for this reason. But some have taken on large, famous works like the plays of William Shakespeare. A New Critic who critiqued Macbeth compared the play to a well wrought urn because it was crafted carefully in regards to its structure and diction. A critique is seen as successful when all metaphors used can be joined together to create one reading of the text. Over the years, New Criticism became a practical way of learning and teaching literature. Though it has been criticized often, its methods are still used today. “People still use close-reading,” Dr. Beck said. “It stuck around because it worked.” Dr. Beck responded to a question from English Professor Bethany Hicok concerning the fact that teachers do not teach students how to read anymore by saying that it is impossible to argue a valid point without first extensive- 2 Cascade Galleria Plaza New Castle, PA 16101 724-658-6681 *Birth Control* *Emergency Contraception* *Pregnancy Testing* *Annual Gynecological Exams* *Sexually Transmitted Disease Testing and Treatment* Appointments are also available through the Health Center. Please call 724-949-7928 to schedule. Our Medical Offices accept most insurance plans. For those without insurance, fees for most medical services (excluding prenatal care) are based on income and family size. Most medical services are provided at no cost to those age 17 and under. Breast and cervical cancer screening may also be available at no cost to those who qualify. www.adagiohealth.org Inside EVEN page - holcad (24”) 20060829cad YELLOW 0% 5% 5% 10% 10%20% 20% 30% 30% 40%40% 50%50% 60% 60% 70% 80% 70%90% 80%95% 90%100% 95% 100% The Holcad — Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pa. Memorial Chapel) 8:00 PM Movie in Mueller: Rush Hour 3 (MCC Mueller Theater) 10:00 PM Night Owl Bowling -- Van Leaves from Shaw Side of MCC 10:30 PM Movie in Mueller: The Invasion (MCC Mueller Theater Sunday, December 2, 2007 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Climbing Wall Open (Memorial Field House) 3:00 PM Movie in Mueller: Rush Hour 3 (MCC Mueller Theater) 3:00 PM Orchestra Concert (Orr Auditorium) 3:00 PM Soccer Banquet (MCC Witherspoon Lakeview) 7:00 PM Vespers -Communion (Wallace Memorial Chapel) 8:15 PM Alpha Phi Omega Meeting (Patterson 311/312) 9:00 PM Movie in Mueller: The Invasion (MCC Mueller Theater) Monday, December 3, 2007 11:40 AM Chapel (Wallace Memorial Chapel) 7:00 PM Allies Meeting (Thompson-Clark 314) 7:30 PM Men's Basketball @ Allegheny 7:30 PM Praise Team Rehearsal (Wallace Memorial Chapel) 9:00 PM Fellowship of Christian Athletes (MCC Witherspoon Maple) 9:00 PM - 1:00 AM Late Night in The Club (MCC Club/Lounge) Tuesday, December 4, 2007 12:40 PM Faculty Meeting (Phillips Lecture Hall) 12:45 PM BC 251 MiniMovie Showcase (Open to the Public) (MCC Mueller Theater) 12:45 PM Future Media Professionals Meeting (ThompsonClark 210) 5:00 PM Chapel Staff Meeting (Old Main 210) 5:00 PM S.W.A.T. Christmas Party (MCC Witherspoon Lakeview) 5:15 PM Pa n h e l l e n i c Council Meeting (111 Ferguson) 5:30 PM Alpha Phi Omega Exec. Board (MCC Weisel Room 255) 5:30 PM College Democrats Meeting (MCC Mueller Theater) 5:30 PM CPU (Coalition for the Protection of the Unborn) Meeting (Patterson 311) 6:30 PM Japanese Ani- 7:00 PM Gospel Choir (Wallace Memorial Chapel) 7:00 PM Kappa Delta Pi Fall Colloquium (MCC Mueller Theater) 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM Climbing Wall Open (Memorial Field House) 8:00 PM Circle K Meeting (Patterson 112) 9:00 PM - 1:00 AM Late Night in The Club (MCC Club/Lounge) 9:00 PM Off-Campus Lottery for Women (MCC Witherspoon Maple) 9:45 PM Off-Campus Lottery for Men (MCC Witherspoon Maple) 9:45 PM Tri Beta Meeting (Hoyt 228) Friday, November 30, 2007 TBA Men's Swimming @ Wooster Invitational TBA Women's Swimming @ Wooster Invitational 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM Pennsylvania District V Honors Band in Rehearsals (Orr Auditorium) 11:35 AM Biology Seminar (Phillips Lecture Hall in Hoyt) 11:40 AM Chapel -Hanging of the Greens (Wallace Memorial Chapel) 1:00 PM Campus Ministry Team Meeting (MCC Wile Room 352) 6:00 PM Phi Sigma Tau Meeting 8:00 PM Movie in Mueller: The Invasion (MCC Mueller Theater) 10:30 PM Movie in Mueller: Rush Hour 3 (MCC Mueller Theater) Saturday, December 1, 2007 TBA Men's Swimming @ Wooster Invitational TBA Women's Swimming @ Wooster Invitational 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM College Bowl (MCC Berlin Student Lounge) 12:00 PM Honors Band Banquet (MCC Witherspoon Maple) 2:00 PM WOMEN'S BASKETBALL v. Saint Vincent 2:00 PM Pennsylvania District V Honors Band Concert (Orr Auditorium) 3:00 PM Senior Voice Recital: David Timm (Wallace Memorial Chapel) 4:00 PM MEN'S BASKETBALL v. Saint Vincent 4:00 PM Guitar Hero Tournament for Charity (MCC Witherspoon Maple) 7:00 PM Mass (Wallace crowd. Do not hesitate to put your best foot forward and be unique in your presentation. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18): Several powerful and important messages are struggling to come through to your conscious awareness. Get quiet and listen to your inner voice. PISCES (Feb. 19 - March 20): Your popularity among your associates grows by leaps and bounds. Do not be surprised when an unlikely group of individuals reaches out to you for guidance. If your birthday is this week: You are granted a new lease on life as you enter an exciting life cycle. Do not hesitate to cut your losses, turn the corner and proceed to the nearest launching pad for new ideas and concepts. Embrace with enthusiasm and optimism the opportunities that will come your way. Expect some ups and downs in relationships or personal affairs, and work to establish a safe emotional haven in which you can thrive and grow. Also born this week: Nicolas Cage, Ami Dolenz, Dave Matthews, Pat Benatar, Amanda Peet, Rush Limbaugh and Julia Louis-Dreyfus SUDOKU! 7 6 1 9 5 9 2 2 6 7 3 4 9 1 4 7 3 8 9 4 6 5 5 9 2 4 1 2 8 2 1 5 4 3 6 3 3 3 7 4 4 8 5 6 9 3 9 4 1 7 9 2 1 7 8 5 2 3 7 BLACK Page B-3 C ROSSWORD HOROSCOPE ARIES (March 21 - April 19): A supportive partnership could make a difference. Work in unison with an individual who is willing to contribute to your business or professional success. TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): An incident with friends concerning money or values will test your patience. Stay calm and strive to maintain a positive outlook. GEMINI (May 21 - June 21): It pays to do your homework in the fiscal arena. Investigate the long-term value or potential success of an investment before sinking your savings into it. CANCER (June 22 - July 22): Do your best to avoid worrying about feelings or circumstances in a relationship that are out of your control. Take a positive stance and be more accepting. LEO (July 23 - Aug. 22): A productive work ethic is rewarded. Make every effort to ensure smooth sailing on the job and to make sure that everyone is involved in the solution or process. VIRGO (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22): With the new moon in your sector for socializing, there will be few lonely or dull moments this week. Surround yourself with loved ones and friends. LIBRA (Sept. 23 - Oct. 23): Your domestic situation can be stabilized with loving and harmonious relationships. Make an effort to cooperate with family members and to live in peace. SCORPIO (Oct. 24 - Nov. 21): This is an ideal period for comparing notes or exchanging information with associates. Speak up and keep the conversations interesting and lively. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 Dec. 21): You stand to come out on top financially. Look forward to a raise or expect a timely payment of money owed to you. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19): A fresh, new look or hairstyle is certain to set you apart from the CYAN November 28, 2007 C ALENDAR Wednesday, November 28, 2007 6:00 AM Titan Traverse Morning Meeting (MCC Berlin Student Lounge) 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Bookstore Ring Days (MCC TUB) 11:40 AM Faculty Forum: Faculty Roundtables 11:40 AM Faculty Round Tables (MCC WItherspoon Lakeview) 12:00 PM Holcad Staff Meeting (MCC Weisel Room 255) 4:10 PM Academic Standards Committee (MCC Wile Conference Room 352) 5:15 PM Campus Programming Council Meeting (MCC Club Room) 6:30 PM Newman Club Exec. Meeting (MCC Weisel Room 255) 6:30 PM SIG Career Night (MCC Berlin Student Lounge) 7:00 PM College Feminists Meeting (Mugsies) 7:00 PM SGA Meeting (MCC Mueller Theater) 7:30 PM Women's Basketball @ Wooster 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM Climbing Wall Open (Memorial Field House) 7:30 PM Faculty String Quartet Concert (Wallace Memorial Chapel) 7:30 PM Habitat for Humanity Chapter Meeting (MCC Witherspoon Lakeview) 8:00 PM Christmas Tree Light Up (Quad) 9:00 PM Kappa Delta Recruitment Party (Ferguson Hall Lobby) 9:30 PM Seekers Fellowship (MCC Club/Lounge) Thursday, November 29, 2007 TBA Men's Swimming @ Wooster Invitational TBA Women's Swimming @ Wooster Invitational 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM P ennsylvania District V Honors Band in Rehearsals (Orr Auditorium) 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Bookstore Ring Days (MCC TUB) 12:50 PM Interfraternity Council Meeting (MCC Weisel Room 255) 5:00 PM College Republicans Meeting (Patterson 231) 5:00 PM Seekers Exec. Staff Meeting (MCC Wile Conference Room 352) 6:00 PM Psychology Club Meeting (Hoyt 152) 6:30 PM BSU Meeting (MCC Weisel Room 255) MAGENTA 8 4 me Club Meeting (ThompsonClark 314) 7:00 PM SGA Meeting (MCC Mueller Theater) 8:00 PM SGA Christmas Party (MCC Berlin Student Lounge) 9:00 PM - 1:00 AM Late Night in The Club (MCC Club/Lounge) 9:30 PM Newman Club (MCC Witherspoon Maple) 9:30 PM Sierra Student Coalition Meeting (ThompsonClark 314) Wednesday, December 5, 2007 HANUKKAH BEGINS 11:35 AM Pre-Law Association Meeting (Patterson 215) 11:40 AM Faculty Forum: David Cushman, "Government Debt, International Debt, and the U.S./Canada Exchange Rate" (MCC Mueller Theater) ACROSS 11:45 AM RA Cafe (Info 1 Treaty Session) (MCC Club) 5 Permanent result? 12:00 PM Holcad Staff 10 Rind Meeting (MCC Weisel Room 255) 14 Reverberate 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM Alter15 Chips in native Gift Market (MCC Carlson 16 Play opener Atrium (Level 3)) 17 2000 George Clooney movie 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM Cele20 Director’s milieu bration! An International Festival 21 Type of fund? (MCC Student Lounge and Club) 22 Cloth made from flax 5:00 PM Christmas Ves23 Take ___ leave it pers Decorating (Orr Auditorium) 24 Hoodwink 6:00 PM Women's Bas25 1999 Cate Blanchett movie ketball @ Grove City* 32 Contemporary 7:00 PM College Femi33 Police blotter initials nists Meeting (Mugsies) 34 DDE opponent 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM 36 City on the Rhone Climbing Wall Open (Memorial River delta Field House) 37 Golf ball position 8:00 PM Men's Basket38 Canine offspring ball @ Grove City* 40 Ascot, e.g. 9:30 PM Kappa Delta 41 Playboy founder, casually Shamrock '07 (MCC Witherspoon 42 Large game fish Rooms) 43 1997 Jack Nicholson movie 9:30 PM Seekers Fel47 High mountain lowship (MCC Club/Lounge) 48 Head: Fr. 49 Old marketplace, in Athens 52 Longest river in France 54 Garden spot 57 1943 Lucille Ball movie 60 Other 61 Chide 62 Soprano Gluck 63 Peter or Paul, e.g. 64 Waters down 65 Ali, once DOWN 1 Favorites 2 Throb 3 Guitarist Atkins CROSSWORD ANSWER 4 Apex 5 Bank offering 6 Open, in a way 7 AAA advice 8 Walesa, of Solidarity 9 Mach+ plane 10 Sheen produced by age 11 MBA course 12 Raison d’___ 13 Describe 18 Organic compounds 19 Messy person 23 Nice concept 24 Lee’s org. 25 Latin I word 26 Water wheel 27 Runs in neutral 28 Major Israeli port 29 Oahu instrument, briefly 30 Water over the dam 31 Military warehouse 35 Roget’s specialty: abbr. 37 Showed the way 38 Meaningless talk 39 Yen 41 Leap 42 Steering system connectors 44 Harmless snake 45 Norwegian saint 46 Quash 49 Aid an arsonist, e.g. 50 Salon supply 51 Greek peak 52 Nuts 53 Early Nebraska residents 54 Chain’s partner 55 Humorist Bombeck 56 June 6, 1944 58 City of southern Kyrgyzstan 59 WWII acronym Inside EVEN page - holcad (24”) 20060829cad YELLOW 0% 5% 5% 10% 10%20% 20% 30% 30% 40%40% 50%50% 60% 60% 70% 80% 70%90% 80%95% 90%100% 95% 100% Page B-4 MAGENTA November 28, 2007 CYAN BLACK The Holcad — Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pa. Arts & Entertainment CD reviews "Much like Ire Works" Dillinger explodes with newest release The Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works Release Date: November, 13, 2007 Label: Relapse Records “Whew.” After listening to The Dillinger Escape Plan’s newest release Ire Works, you may say the same thing too. The band, comprised of vocalist Greg Puciato, drummer Gil Sharone, bassist Liam Wilson and guitarists Ben Weinman and Jeff Tuttle, have always been known as a band who pushes the limits their 2004 LP Miss Machine was met with acclaim due to their brutal fusion of hardcore and mathrock. Ire Works, on the other hand, finds the band amplifying their punch-you-in-the-face style of hardcore and exploring their experimental blend of electronics. The album does not waste any time in introductions, but instead throttles you with finger-breaking guitar riffs and back-breaking blast beats on “Fix Your Face,” a song that evokes immediate Converge comparisons. The album then moves directly into “Lurch,” that switches between off-kilter, The Fall of Troy like rhythms and powerful drumdriven breakdowns. However, not every song is a punch-you-in-theface speed thrashing. Instead, “Black Bubblegum” takes advantage of vastly different elements from falsetto vocals to a beat-box and even includes a southern-tinged pre-chorus featur- Chris Lehberger A&E Editor ing the first hint of singing from Puciato’s vocal chords. What surprised me most, however, was when the chorus hit and Puciato abandoned the southern charm, but instead switched to (gasp!) radio-ready vocals that seemed to be stolen straight from a Saliva record. Be that as it may, the band delves deeper into the progressive realm with “Sick On Sunday” and soon maneuvers back with viciousness on “Nong Eye Gong,” and “82558.” These two songs alternate between “When Acting As A Particle” and “When Acting As A Wave,” two linked and brief-but-pleasing Nine Inch Nails infused instrumental tracks, featuring a plethora of electronics. “Milk Lizard,” however, is the album’s finest track, complete with slithering guitar riffs accented by horns and hints of piano. The song displays suitable vocal diversity, rotating between screaming and Puciato’s impressive ability to sing and sing well. “Party Smasher” and “Horse Hunter” continue the excitement with more blast-beats and rhythmic guitar lines overtop of the searing shrieking of Puciato. “Dead As History” and “Mouth Of Photo from myspace.com AFI Live… The Lineup Davey Havok - Vocals Jade Puget - Guitar, Backing vocals, Keyboard, Hunter Burgan - Bass, Backing vocals, Keyboard Adam Carson - Drums, Backing vocals By Max Muska A&E Writer Cover art from amazon.com Tracklisting: 1. Fix Your Face 2. Lurch 3. Black Bubblegum 4. Sick On A Sunday 6. Nong Eye Gong 7. When Acting As A Wave 8. 82558 9. Milk Lizard 10. Party Smasher 11. Dead As History 12. Horse Hunter 13. Mouth of Ghosts Ghosts,” which are by far the albums longest songs, clocking in at 5:27 and 6:47, both feature traces of Spanish guitar the band’s tradition of using electronics. “Mouth Of Ghosts,” however, is the better of the two, featuring elegant piano arrangements and exemplifying the record’s atmospheric side with its mix of electronics and vocal styles. The song is lovely and acts as a perfect, epic closing for the album. The Dillinger Escape Plan’s Ire Works is a spectacular industrial escapade into the world of math rock, hardcore, metal and ambience. The band succeeds in every department, creating a record that is brutal, torturous, angular, off-kilter, fascinating and exciting all at once. The instrumentation is impressive, with Weinman and Tuttle shredding the mere strings off their guitars and Sharone disassembling his drum kit through his incessant pounding. This record is a much needed break from today’s rehashed metal and hardcore, and it continues to amaze me that a band as talented as The Dillinger Escape Plan can fly so far under the radar and still release records that are this good. A crowd of 13,000 attended AFI’s headlining concert at the Long Beach Arena in California. A recording of the concert, which is the band’s biggest to date, was released as a DVD last December and as a live CD on November 13. As far as live albums go, I Heard A Voice is an exceptional recording. The mix is nearly perfect. All instruments and vocals are heard clearly. No one aspect stands out above the others, making the band sound like a unit rather than just solitary musicians playing together on the same stage. My favorite part of the album is the active crowd participation in almost every song. The crowd sings along during most of the choruses and any time the music gets soft, their screaming voices are heard. The band played a variety of songs spanning their 16 year ca- the opening track of the 2006 album. This song is a departure from the band’s typical rock sound, drawing influence from electronic goth-rock using synthesizers and a drum machine. The song works very well as a show opener. Photo from livedirect.com reer, including six of the 12 songs from their latest studio album, 2006’s Decemberunderground. The concert started with the song “Prelude 12/21,” which is Chris is a junior public relations major who’s addicted to LOST and the Office, and despite being a writing minor, can't finish books. Or sing. At all. Sounds like: Converge, Nine Inch Nails, Muse Recommended Tracks: Lurch, Milk Lizard. Party Smasher Photo from spin.com Cover art from amazon.com The three songs that follow are "Girl's Not Grey," "The Leaving Song Pt. 2" and "Summer Shudder," which are singles on AFI’s studio albums. “Girl’s Not Grey” sounds very similar to the album version, but near the end of the song, Havok’s voice, as well as the audience’s voices, goes horribly out of key. The following two songs, as well as the majority of the concert’s songs, are played almost flawlessly. If the crowd’s screams were removed from the mix, it would be hard to distinguish between these live songs and their studio versions. After the opening tracks and a greeting to the audience, the band played a variety of songs from their albums. Nick 13 of the band Tiger Army has a guest appearance on “A Single Second.” This song is much more punk orientated than the rest of the show, and the guest appearance adds to the angst-ridden song. Near the end of the show, Havok’s voice goes off key more often. This happened a few times during the beginning of the show, but it was not very noticeable. But due to the yelling and high-pitched singing, his voice began to strain. This, to me, makes the overall album better because it means that the audio heard on the album is the actual concert recording without studio enhancement. The band ended strongly with their biggest hit, “Miss Murder.” The song was performed extremely well. Havok was able to keep his voice in tune the whole time and gave the crowd plenty of opportunities to sing along. If this recording is anything like a typical AFI show, I will want to see them whenever they are in the area. This is a great album of an outstanding live show. Live albums never compare to seeing a show in person, though. If you are just now getting into AFI, listen to their studio work first, but any long-time fan will definitely want to add this album to his collection. Max’s Rating: Chris’ Rating: Killers bring B-sides to life on Sawdust By Ben Portz A&E Writer After only about four years of being a band, The Killers already decided to put together an album that contains songs that have been written but never heard. The new album, entitled Sawdust, which came out on November 13, has some original songs, covers, unreleased tracks and Bsides. This brings up the question, “Why would a very young band have a record such as this so early?” Normally, artists such as The Rolling Stones, Beatles and other prolific greats come out with a Bsides album 30 years after they hit the “big time.” Photo from Amazon.com Ben’s Rating: Furthermore, their compilations are mostly aimed toward their loyal fans who would appreciate the tracks. Regardless, The Killers’ new album Sawdust is still a compilation of songs never experienced before by their fans. This band from Las Vegas contains four members: Brandon Flowers on synthesizer and vocals, David Keuning on guitar, Mark Storemer on bass and Ronnie Vannucci on drums. Within the past couple of years, these four have been extremely busy men. Their debut album, entitled Hot Fuss, did extremely well and sold more than five million copies. This record features the top two singles, “Mr. Brightside” and “Somebody Told Me,” which have been widely known in the rock and pop genres. Along with the album, they played over 400 shows throughout the world. When they came back from touring, they did not stop. At that point, they began to put together their second album called Sam’s Town. According to the band, Sam’s Town was very experimental and purposely different from their first album. “When You Were Young” was their top hit from that album. And, of course, most recently, The Killers came out with Sawdust. So why were they in such a hurry? According to islandrecords.com, lead vocalist Brandon Flowers said, “I grew up reading about bands that put out, 10 albums a year. And I have this fascination with being prolific, and it just sucks because the music business is so different now. So we recorded as fast as we could.” Unfortunately I feel like it will take some time for The Killers to become prolific, and their knack for creating a different feel to their songs may be the exact thing they need. In Sawdust they do everything from featuring former Velvet Underground singer/songwriter Lou Reed, adding their own twist to covers, and to cap it off, they have an eight-minute techno version of “Mr. Brightside.” The first track on the album entitled “Tranquilize” features Lou Reed. To me, this track is quite awkward due to Reed’s vocals mixed with the synth. It took me a couple listens until I finally began to enjoy it. “Show You How” is one of my favorite tracks on the record. It begins with Flowers singing a message on an answering machine which eventually segues into the full band. This song definitely highlights Flowers’ voice, because I got to hear it without any distortion. In many songs done by The Killers, they play with his voice causing him to sound haunting; although if that is what they are looking for, that is fine. In my eyes, too much of a good thing can turn bad. “Romeo and Juliet” is a nice change from their normal sound. This song, previously recorded by Dire Straits, is simply done which allows the lyrics to come out more than ever. Overall, for a B-sides album, I am extremely impressed. Ok, so The Killers may not be anywhere close to gaining prolific status; however, this album is a quality effort that should not be overlooked. If you listen to this record, you will find that The Killers have a lot of musical expression that probably has not been heard on their other albums. This album is worth buying. Photo from www.shoutmouth.com The Lineup Brandon Flowers - Vocals, Synth David Keuning - Guitar Mark Storemer - Bass Ronnie Vannucci - Drums Inside EVEN page - holcad (24”) 20060829cad YELLOW 0% 5% 5% 10% 10%20% 20% 30% 30% 40%40% 50%50% 60% 60% 70% 80% 70%90% 80%95% 90%100% 95% 100% The Holcad — Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pa. MAGENTA CYAN BLACK November 28, 2007 Page B-5 Arts & Entertainment American Gangster impresses viewers as a crime drama By Erik Chesney A&E Writer I know it may seem like I have been giving a lot of my recently reviewed movies bad reviews, and well, that’s because they weren’t that good. Thankfully, I got lucky with my latest movie, American Gangster. Starring Denzel Washington and Russel Crowe, this crime drama about real life drug lord Frank Lucas is easily one of the greatest films I’ve seen so far this year. Lucas (Denzel Washington), who is the lackey of a black crime boss, sees an opening for himself to enter the drug business when his boss dies. Smuggling pure heroin direct from Southeast Asia in dead soldiers’ coffins, he is able to undercut the prices of other dealers while selling a better product. He recruits his extended family and friends from his home in North Carolina to help him with his drug business. Through strict business practices learned from his old boss, he outgrows the other crime syndicates, becoming the largest heroin dealer in the United States until his conviction in 1976. Meanwhile, undercover Detective Richie Roberts (Russel Crowe) becomes an outcast to his fellow policemen after he turns in a large sum of unmarked bills. Assured of his integrity, his superiors assign him to the Bureau of Narcotics special task force. Determined to stop the flow of drugs Roberts sets out trying to find where the heroin is coming from. Roberts is stymied until Lucas uncharacteristically exposes himself by attending a high profile boxing match. Finally with a promising lead, Roberts begins to find the evidence necessary to convict Lucas, even though his superiors find it unbelievable that a black man was able to top white crime syndicates in the drug business. What is most interesting about this movie is that the story is true, and the two enemies eventually became friends. Lucas bargained his way to a more lenient sentence by offering his assistance prosecuting corrupt police and other drug dealers. One of the best scenes in the film is when Roberts is interviewing Lucas and Lucas realizes he has lost and decides to cooperate with Roberts. If anything was well chosen for the production of this film, it was the cast. As Roberts and Lucas, Crowe and Washington gave great performances. Although it is unusual to see Denzel Washington play a villain, he played Frank Lucas with an icy cold stare that is hard to doubt on screen. Lucas was a strict businessman, and Roberts, Crowe also gave a very Washington played the role with convincing performance. Another ease. As the uncorruptable role worth mentioning is the snake-like corrupt NYPD Det. Trupo played marvelously by Josh Brolin. One might say that the film is rather long at two hours and forty Alicia Keys isn’t no one By Danielle McCullough A&E Writer Alicia Keys’ third album recently came out in it she proved she was not “No One” with her first released hit from the album. Key’s delivers the exact R&B/soul music that you would expect her to. It does not matter if you’re a fan or not if you have ears you’ll love this album. It seriously is one of the best I’ve listened to, the music flows from one song to the next extremely well. She really starts it off with “Go Ahead” which has a really good beat to get the album started. Showing off her amazing piano skills Most of you have heard either on TV or on the radio her most recent release from the album “No One”. She really shows her true talent using the wide range of her voice throughout the song and makes you really believe that no one “can get in the way of how” she feels. Even John Mayer comforts her in “Lesson Learned” telling her “it’s alright, it’s alright.” Not only does he make an appearance in the album but so does Linda Perry. Her beautiful strong voice comes through carrying emotion throughout especially in “Wreckless Love” which is my favorite song in the album. It really makes you feel the same emotion as she is describing. She takes us back to the moments of our first love in “Teenage Love Affair.” Any of us can visualize and feel the excitement through the lyrics “want you to be my first my last my end my beginning/ write your name in my book TV recaps Tracks: 1. As I Am (intro) 2. Go Ahead 3. Superwoman 4. No One 5. Lesson Learned 6. Wreckless Love 7. That’s the Thing About Love 8. Teenage Love Affair 9. I Need You 10. Where Do We Go From By Brett Gerthoffer Here A&E Writer 11. Prelude to a Kiss 13. Tell You Something (Nana’s reprise) This episode of Grey’s is filled 14. Sure Looks Good To Me with high school drama, with both patients and doctors. Izzy and your last name my first I’m your George are acting childish and unmisses.” comfortable together and not Keys definitely has a S on her speaking. chest throughout the album. If you Dr. Bailey gets distracted from like her sound I recommend you also check out the sounds of Es- her workload on her first day back thero, Emiliana Torrino, Kate as Chief Resident when a high school sweetheart is Voegele and Schuyler Fisk. admitted to the hospital and nearly gets in a lot of trouble. Photo from www.iwatchstuff.com minutes, but I did not find any part of the film to be particularly dull. This certainly was not a “shoot-emup” action movie, as there was only one real “shootout” in the entire film. The length of the film was definitely necessary to tell the complete story and director Ridley Scott did a fine job telling this tale of crime and corruption. I’d definitely recommend seeing American Gangster if you are interested because it is one of the best films in theaters at the moment. Four out of five stars. Grey’s Anatomy doctors relate to high schoolers involved in a bus crash, salute band geeks “Pom Pom” squad (described as, like cheerleaders but also dancers), and the other a kid who is considered as one of the gothic-type “freaks” of the school who is regarded as “weird”. These two “odd” kids showed us the true meaning of friendship and the compassion for each other that the Pom Pom girls could not, considering that they were only concerned about their materialistic The girl received a major cut on thoughts instead of the fear of losher face and a broken leg and bad- ing a best friend. ly injured butt. The whole episode The pencil kid’s operation goes she and her snooty popular friends terribly wrong when a major vein are freaking out because she in his brain bursts and he is sent might not recover properly and be into a lifelong coma. Dr. Sheperd able to cheer again; also, that she has to break the news to his best Christina is a told by Torrez that she is brown-nosing Dr. Hahn and needs to step back if she wants the respect she craves. This is a tough task for Christina as she realizing it isn’t in her nature to “step back”. She pulls it off and finally begins to gain a morsel of respect from Dr. Hahn. Their relationship is starting to look better. Also, Meredith and Lexi get in a fight over their father who showed up to the hospital drunk. Meredith thinks he is changing because he was being so nice to her, but Lexi says it was only because he was drunk and he just says things. Photo from www.abc.com won’t be beautiful anymore after her plastic surgery and her homecoming dance date might decide not to take her to the dance anymore. High school girls… The “weird” kid got a pencil lodged right through his eye into Two high school kids are sent to his brain. He was accompanied by the hospital after a deadly school his best friend Marissa who stood bus crash. One is a captain of the by his side the whole episode. friend and she breaks down and cries as the Pom Pom girls continue with their materialistic problems. At the end of the episode we also find out that most of the Doctors were not prom queens, “band geeks”, or did not have dates to the prom. Family Guy’s Peter expresses views on illegal immigrants By Brett Gerthoffer A&E Writer This week on Family Guy, Peter becomes quite patriotic during a “honor the veterans” parade. He comes to the conclusion that he is sick of illegal immigrants in the US and wants to get them out. He starts by suggesting to his boss that they should do a background check on all their employees and fire them if they are illegally living in the US. Peter then visits his mother to get his birth certificate to prove that he is a valid citizen. But we find out that Peter himself is an illegal immigrant. His mom tells him that she got when she got pregnant with him she tried to get an abortion in Mexico. This story leads to a cut scene that shows Mrs. Griffin going into a Mexican abortion clinic. The method of abortion for the clinic has her hung up like a pinata while a group of young Mexican kids hit her with bats, but as they are doing this Peter pops out of her and is therefore born in Mexico. Mrs. Griffin didn’t want people in her town to look down on her so she never filled out the papers to gain Peter’s citizenship in the US. So Peter gets fired and is forced to find work that stereotypical illegal immigrants do, which involves Peter becoming a Nanny. This job becomes unfit for Peter when he accidentally kills the kids he is babysitting. Peter then tries to take a citizenship test but completely fails when he doesn’t know the answer to simple questions like “who discovered America”, andfill in the blank- “Land of the Free, Home of the_____” (his answer was Whopper). So Lois finds Peter a job working at her dad’s mansion where he has a whole slew of illegal immigrants already employed. Peter’s first job is to show Lois’s dad his loyalty by drinking a vial of his diabetic blood. There is a Cinco de Mayo party that all the workers are participating is, but Lois’ dad shuts it down and tells them that it isn’t an American holiday and they don’t get a day off during the week. Peter becomes enraged and rallies up the immigrants to charge the mansion and take it over. Lois’s dad bargains with Peter by telling him he has a friend at the White House that can push a few papers and get Peter his citizenship. Peter takes up his offer and gets the citizenship he thought he always had. Tune in this Sunday at 9 on Fox for another new episode. Back of Section A - holcad (24”) 20060829cad YELLOW 0% 5% 5% 10% 10%20% 20% 30% 30% 40%40% 50%50% 60% 60% 70% 80% 70%90% 80%95% 90%100% 95% 100% Page B-6 MAGENTA November28, 2007 CYAN BLACK The Holcad — Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pa. Features The blessings in disguise Titan Traverse Wanting what you never wanted to happen This past week was obviously Thanksgiving. I, like many others, went home and spent the holiday with my family. My three nieces were running around in circles with my younger brother and sister. My cousins’ kids were in on the game as well. My uncles and aunts and grandma sat talking over pie. My mom and I cooked and served up the food, making us everyone’s favorite people of the day. All in all, despite the dysfunctions that happen at any family function, the day gave me that warm, fuzzy feeling inside. The kind of feeling you would get if you were a peach in a microwave. Not to get all Hallmark on everyone, but I am blessed. Do I have the ideal life? I do not in any way, shape, or form. However, that does not mean that I should not count the positives in my life. They far out number the negatives. I have family members that sincerely love me. They want the best for me. They may not always know how to express this love, but underneath all the barriers you can see it shine through. I have the greatest friends. I do not think I would survive college school career I swore I wanted to go Duquesne University. It was “perfect” for me. It was not until I came here that I realized how not perfect it was. Honestly, if I had not come here, I would have missed out on so much including, but not limited to, my boyfriend, my Lurene McDonald Features Editor roomie, my sorority sisters, my jobs, and all my organizations. life if I did not have them. Whether Granted this is just a surface it is laying on a sorority sister’s level example. However, think past dorm room floor exasperated with this. Do you remember that boy or life at the moment, a friend who is girl you swore was meant for you willing to take me on Friday night and you were dying for them to dates while my boyfriend is in go out with you? But of course it Italy, or just a friend I can call to go did not work out and you were out on Saturday nights, I have mad. Then, down the road you met them waiting in line. They are al- someone so much better that you ways there for me. did not know what you were My sister and my boyfriend are thinking back then. my best friends. While this seems Or do you remember party in like no big deal to me, I realize not high school that your parents did everyone can say the same. not let you go to because the No matter what way I look at weather was bad? You were furimy life. I come out looking blessed. ous at them and told them you The above things are just a few for would not talk to them ever again. which I am extremely grateful. Then, the car you were supposed However, the funny part is that to be in was in an accident. Where a lot of the happiness in my life would you be now if you were in has stemmed from unexpected sit- that car? uations and dreams that “have not There are numerous examples I worked out.” could give of things I am extremeFor a large portion of my high ly glad did not work out because either something greater came along or my life benefited from it. It is like Garth Brooks sings in his song “Unanswered Prayers,” “Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers” Sometimes not everything works out the way we want at the time. However, your life can change forever, and for the better, by just one thing not going the way you choose. Be grateful for the things that do not go right. They make the ones that do seem so much more special. More than that, maybe you will be led to something to something ten times greater just because you did not get what you wanted. Just remember the future is yet to come. Give thanks for that. to host Ladies Night climbing By Laurel Sprague Campus Writer Westminster’s Titan Traverse is having a Ladies Night at the climbing wall on Nov. 28 in the field house. Starting at 7:30 p.m., female students will have the opportunity to climb the rock wall and learn the skills for proper rock climbing. “The point of Ladies Night is to offer a time that women can come and climb and not feel intimidated,” said Laura Nystrom, director of Titan Traverse. The event is strictly for ladies only. Both supervisors that night will be female as well. Veronica Geretz, one of the supervisors that night, believes that students should take advantage of the climbing wall. “It’s a really nice thing to take Lurene is a sophomore public advantage of,” said Geretz, “It’s a relations major who enjoys a rare thing to have on small campuses.” mug of hot chocolate and The rock climbing wall opened cozy afternoon naps. She last year through funding by Titan loves being a member of Kappa Delta Sorority and the Traverse. After being approved, the parts for the wall sat in storage for Admissions Office Staff. five years before being assembled in the field house. “We just didn’t have the man A Christmas treat you can eat or hang on the tree By Shannon Bobbert Features Writer With Thanksgiving behind us, we’ve again experienced and remembered all of the family food traditions that will probably follow us into the winter holiday season. The family atmosphere (whether you have a few visitors or a family tree full of cousins), the food, the seating chart (whether you end up at the “adult table” or the “kiddy table”), and of course, the dangerous day of the year known as Black Friday. The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is its own holiday of mass hysteria. Black Friday, aptly named for its description of both the time of day shoppers leave for bargains and the emotion of the Grove City Outlet Mall employees, is (in my opinion) more frightening than Halloween. Nobody is wearing a mask, but the greedy glint in the eye of any hardcore middleaged shopper is enough to scare any inexperienced bargain hunter away from the clearance rack. In my case, it was the cookie mix shelf. Among the veteran Black Friday shoppers, I found myself squeezing down the aisles of Wal-Mart in search of this week’s ingredients. I was blocked, shunted, and nearly stepped on a few times. It wasn’t until I reached the canned icing that I was in the middle of the full-contact sport of bargain shopping. I did manage to collect all of my ingredients without sustaining any long-term physical damage, though. These Holiday Cookie Ornaments are the perfect gifts for someone who really has everything, even if you’ve ventured out on Black Friday to find the perfect gift. Holiday Cookie Ornaments: Difficulty Level: Easier than resolving to wake up at five in the morning to go shopping. Ingredients: 1 pouch sugar cookie mix 1/3 cup butter or margarine 2 Tablespoons flour 36 small candy canes 1 can white icing Food coloring Plastic sandwich baggies (optional) Follow the mixing directions on the package of sugar cookies, using the egg, butter, and flour (the amount of these ingredients may change depending on the kind of cookie mix you use). Use cookie cutters to create Christmas trees, ornaments, stars, snowflakes, or any kind of holiday shapes. Line a cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper and place your holiday cookies on top. Cook them for five minutes at the appropriate temperature. While these cook, cut off the tops of the candy canes—these will be the hook for each of the cookies, allowing them to be hung from a Christmas tree. After the five minutes of cooking are up, take your cookies out of the oven and press one candy cane hook onto the front of each cookie. Bake these for one to two more minutes, allowing the cookie to harden around it. Carefully remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for about 20 minutes. Now you can get creative with the cookies using the icing and food coloring. Use plastic food baggies with a tiny cut at the tip to squeeze colored icing out of. After you’ve exhausted your decorating skills on all 36 cookies, let the icing harden so you can create an edible Christ- night snack after a long day of Helpful Tip: If you happen to mas theme on your dorm room holiday shopping. make these at home, keep them tree. Cost: about $5.50 off the lower branches of your Makes about 36 cookies, or tree. This will keep pets and enough for one person’s mid- power,” said Geretz. Although funding for the wall came from Titan Traverse, the money was technically given from the students themselves through various payments towards activities at the college. “It’s something everyone technically paid for,” said Geretz. Some students have become regular climbers at the rock wall. Brad Adams, a sophomore Business major, climbs the wall almost on a regular basis. “The quickest I’ve done it is 14 seconds,” said Adams. Adam’s regular participation at the rock climbing wall earned him the privilege of training to be a belay for Titan Traverse. A belay is a person who protects the climber from falling using a rope. “After three sessions of doing it I was certified,” said Adams. “Now I’m training to be a supervisor because they need more. The climbing wall is open weekly on Wednesday and Thursday from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Sundays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Titan Traverse plans on having a Beginners Night on December 6th to teach students the basics of rock climbing. Contributed Photo younger siblings from eating your creations and guarantee you a fair share of the holiday snacks. Students without borders:A Scotish adventure By Amanda Miller Features Writer Haggis Adventures guided tours offers an amazing three-day, sight-packed excursion to Northern Scotland, which is truly unforgettable. From ruined castles and hairy coos, amazing mountains and cliff edges, to legends from a local Scotsman about faeries and Robert the Bruce, this tour gives a great taste of Scotland for travelers of any interest. Haggis tours offer cheap guided tours of different areas of England, Scotland, and Ireland. The tours range from a day trip to an eightday journey. The one I partook in this past weekend, called Skye High, was a three-day tour of northern Scotland, beginning in Edinburgh and traveling as far north as the Isle of Skye and the city of Inverness. Along the way, we stopped at many amazing sights, several of which are tucked away spots, not normally seen by the average tourist. On our first day, our tour guide Tom, a local from Edinburgh, told us facts and stories about his beautiful hometown. We first stopped at the Wallace Monument in Stirling, a nearby city. This monument is a large structure dedicated to William Wallace. Tom corrected many of the mistaken facts about this Scottish icon presented in Braveheart and also proudly told us stories about different Scottish battles against the English during Contributed Photo Amanda Miller walks around the ruins of an old Scotish home. Wallace’s time. We then drove through the picturesque Glencoe, stopping occasionally to take in the beautiful views, ranging from waterfalls to mountains to lochs (the Scottish equivalent of “lakes”). Along the way, Tom told us stories about different Scottish clans that lived in this area and some of their history. That night, we saw a reconstructed early Scottish home and heard about how a traditional family would have lived, dressed, and eaten. Back at the hostel, a local singer came and played some Scottish music with his guitar and mandolin. On our second day, the weather was rainy, but we pushed northward to the mysterious Isle of Skye. Tome told us local superstitious stories, showed us where the faeries live, and took us to a windy cliff top called Kilt Rock. Even though the weather was not ideal, it created an atmosphere for Tom’s mystical stories and added mystery to the island. Our third day began with a drive along the giant Loch Ness, while Tom told us about the various strange animals that live in its black waters, including 10 meter long eels. He of course also talked about the fondly named “Nessie” monster and the many stories surrounding this much-sought-after creature. We stopped for pictures This tour proved to be informaand also saw the remains of tive, fun, and packed with more contibuted photo Amanda Miller takes a picture of The Northern Scotland landscape. Urqhat Castle which stands on the shores of Loch Ness. We then went to Culloden Battlefield, where Tom proudly told us about the Jacobite battle which took place there in 1746 between Scotland and England. This was a strange and almost reverent place, knowing that we stood where so many had died. sights than I can recount. Haggis tours are great for seeing large areas of the United Kingdom, getting stories from local guides, and for meeting people from all over the world. They are perfect weekend getaways and are a good deal for any traveler.