Volume 97, Issue 19

7 March 2013 Volume 97 Issue 19

GONE

TOMORROW?

Products and Practices on America’s Chopping Block

NEWS

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15

SNAPSHOTS

13

DIVERSIONS

19

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Emily Muthersbaugh HEAD LAYOUT EDITOR Ricky Barbosa

2

INTRODUCTION

HEAD COPY EDITOR Cedric Thiel HEAD PHOTO EDITOR Josh McKinney

Emily Muthersbaugh

CONTENT DIRECTOR Philip Duclos

NEWS EDITOR Jaclyn Archer

Editor-in-Chief

RELIGION EDITORS Rob Folkenberg Nick Ham COLUMNIST Rebecca Brothers CREATIVE WRITING EDITOR Kayla Albrecht OPINION EDITORS Elliott Berger Grant Gustavsen FEATURE EDITORS Braden Anderson Elizabeth Jones James Mayne Christian Robins CULTURE EDITOR Grant Perdew DIVERSIONS EDITOR Eric Weber TRAVEL EDITOR Megan Cleveland HEALTH & WELLNESS EDITOR Karl Wallenkampf

Print is powerful. Print allows ideas to be carefully crafted and constructed with careful and precise language. Ideas articulated in print can be widely circulated once published, but print is limited. The audience of an idea is much less controllable when published. Print is a one-way declaration that does not allow for immediate, face-to-face dialogue. The intention of an idea is as limited as the words used to express the idea. The complexities and nuances of an idea are as limited as the space allowed to express it. Additionally, ideas expressed in print rely on a similar understanding of the words used to express an idea.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Spencer Cutting

The Collegian seeks to provide objective news stories, diverse opinions, and relevant features to enrich our community. As the weekly publication of ASWWU, we hope to draw attention to important issues and facilitate the discussion of these issues. This is a continuous process with its advantages and limitations. I encourage our readers to participate in this discussion by responding to ideas discussed and by recognizing the innumerable and diverse perspectives on these issue which may not appear in print.

ago, our opinion editors wrote on affirmative action. Because of the discussion and interest generated by writing on this topic, additional perspectives on affirmative action are included on page 14. Additionally, earlier this year, our culture editor reviewed tea, elaborating on the different advantages of various kinds of tea. This review also generated interest in a further discussion of the possible effects of consuming tea, coffee, and alcohol. Thus, in this issue of The Collegian, several sections examine this topic further, including Health and Wellness, Opinion, and Religion.

As you read more about these issues, I hope that you gain insight in the added perspectives featured here and continue the discussion of these topics with those around you to gain even more perspective.

In this week’s issue of The Collegian, several issues are highlighted. Two weeks

FOOD EDITOR Amy Alderman SPORTS EDITORS Trevor Boyson Tye Forshee THE HEEL EDITOR Julian Weller STAFF WRITERS Amy Alderman Casey Bartlett Hilary Nieland Annie Palumbo Daniel Peverini LAYOUT DESIGNERS Allison Berger Alix Harris Greg Khng Cory Sutton COPY EDITORS Amy Alderman Rebecca Brothers Carly Leggitt Ryan Robinson DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Alex Wickward OFFICE MANAGER Heather Eva SPONSOR Don Hepker EDITORIAL BOARD Braden Anderson Jaclyn Archer Elliott Berger Philip Duclos Rob Folkenberg Grant Gustavsen Elizabeth Jones James Mayne Emily Muthersbaugh Christian Robins Julian Weller AD SALES MANAGER Brenda Negoescu aswwu.ads@wallawalla.edu

Photo by Darin Berning

Context

3–7

News ASWWU/Admin Week in Review Week in Forecast

Perspective Religion Column Creative Writing Opinion Snapshots Letters to the Editor

8–14

Photo by timjohn.com

Photo by Greg Khng

Photo by Ivan Cruz

Feature 15–17 Gone Tomorrow?

Products and Practices on America's Chopping Block

Life 18–24 Culture Diversions Sports Foodie Science Health SM/ACA The Heel

If you are interested in contributing to The Collegian, contact our page editors or the editor-in-chief at aswwu.collegian@wallawalla.edu. The Collegian is boosted by regularly incorporating a wide range of student perspectives.

Cover Photo Credit: Kai Kopitzke, Joshua McKinney, Darin Berning, timjohn.com The Collegian is the official publication of ASWWU. Its views and opinions are not necessarily the official stance of Walla Walla University or its administration, faculty, staff, or students. Questions, letters, and comments can be mailed to aswwu.collegian@wallawalla.edu or emily.muthersbaugh@wallawalla.edu. This issue was completed at 1:55 a.m. on 7 March 2013.

The Collegian | Volume 97, Issue 19 | 204 S. College Avenue | College Place, WA 99324 | collegian.wallawalla.edu

NEWS

Graduate Promoted to Fly Elite Aircraft Hilary Nieland Staff Writer

Britt Balk, aviation graduate of 2010, has recently been promoted to fly Piaggio Aero’s first-rate aircraft, the Piaggio Avanti. With only about 100 of these aircraft in the United States, the Piaggio Avanti is quite rare. The Avanti can reach speeds up to 402 knots (approximately 463 mph) at a height of 38,000 feet (approximately seven miles) and has a maximum operating mach of 0.70. Balk began his career as an intern at a corporate aviation company, Mountain Aviation, based in Denver, Colo. He started his position flying King Air aircraft and was quickly promoted to the rank of captain, a position he held until recently, when he was upgraded to fly the Piaggio.

He compares the difference between the King Air he used to fly and the Piaggio to the difference between a pickup truck and a Ferrari.

Balk states that his training at WWU was invaluable to his career. Mountain Aviation pilots

almost always operate as crews, so there are generally two pilots present during each flight. Because of this, the classes at WWU in which students had to practice working as a crew in the simulator were of particular import. He is also appreciative of the classes that required him to handle emergency situations in the simulator. Balk states that, because of these classes, he was able to easily handle situations presented to him when he began flying bigger and faster aircraft.

and G1000 flight-training devices.

Aviation students begin by obtaining their private pilot certification, a process that typically takes about one year. Students then proceed to earn their instrument rating, commercial certificate, multi-engine training, and flight-instructor certificates. The program generally takes four years to complete. Often, graduates will remain on campus for a year to instruct.

The aviation department has two different proThe WWU aviation department trains stugrams: aviation technology and dents to become proaviation management. Both fessional pilots and include aviation training, but prepares them for a vathe management degree emriety of careers in aviaphasizes business training. Stution, such as flight indents in the management track structors, airline pilots, graduate with commercial corporate pilots, air Photo by Joshua McKinney certification, but the instructor taxi pilots, and more. certification is not required as it In the program, stuis in the technology track. However, many mandents train in a variety of aircraft in order to gain agement students continue in their studies to earn experience in different conditions. The current instructor certification.

A minor is also available fleet includes four Cessna 172s, one Cub Crafters in which students earn their private pilot certificaSport Cub, one Piper Arrow, and one Piper Semition. nole. The department also owns Frasca TruFlite

Anonymous Student Donates $900 Amy Alderman Staff Writer

One anonymous Walla Walla University student recently donated $900 to Mission Mozambique, ASWWU’s 2013 humanitarian service project for well-drilling efforts.

Eric Barnes, ASWWU fundraising and project manager, says a donation of this amount demonstrates the generosity of WWU students. “WWU gives and serves. It is something that we are known for, and it is people like them who choose to give that makes our reputation a reality,” says Barnes.

Every donation counts — no matter how large or small the amount is. Barnes says that last week one student really wanted to participate in Mission Mozambique monetarily, but could only give $5. However, a donation of this amount will completely change the lives of three people.

The fundraising goal for this project is to raise $60,000 to construct 10 wells in northern Mozambique. If this goal is met, these clean-water wells will benefit at least 15,000 people, thus lowering the risk of disease and cardiovascular problems as well as increasing life expectancy for this region.

Mission Mozambique was chosen as a fundraising cause for three reasons. First, a little goes a long way — every $2 donated turns into $3 as community members and the Wilkinson Bread Company have agreed to match funds raised 2:1.

Second, Wilkinson Bread Company has ensured that the communities in Mozambique will be educated on well upkeep and will be given the proper equipment to maintain the filtration system. Third, ASWWU wanted to do a project that would impact many people in a simple way. “There is nothing more essential to life than water,” says Barnes.

If you’d like to get involved in Mission Mozambique, there are some great upcoming events and activities to join. Saturday, March 9, at 6 p.m., there will be an Open Mic Night and Art Show in The Atlas, and Sunday, April 7, at 4 p.m., there

will be an International Food Festival in the Winter Educational Complex.

If you’d like to donate to Mission Mozambique, please visit wallawalla.edu, click "give a gift" and then "give now." When filling out the donation form, type “Mission Mozambique” in the donation blank. For more information or to learn about other ways to get involved, email Eric Barnes at eric.barnes@wallawalla.edu.

OPEN ASWWU POSITIONS

ASWWU TV Manager ASWWU Webmaster Collegian Opinion Editor Collegian Staff Writer

CONTEXT

BY THE

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NUMBERS

€561

MILLION Antitrust fine the European Union levied against Microsoft after Google informed on them for not giving customers a browser choice.

58

Age of Hugo Chavez, president of Venezuela, who died this week from cancer.

$49,000 Amount of money a sex slave in Los Angeles brings to their owner during his or her life.

198,000 Number of U.S. jobs added during February, according to ADP Research Institute.

4

CONTEXT SENATE UPDATE

New Business P.L. 85 — ­ Taylor Sarrafian for ASWWU Webmaster Purpose: Hire Taylor Sarrafian to be ASWWU Webmaster P.L. 86 — Joshua Peterson for Assistant to the Spiritual VP Purpose: Hire Joshua Peterson to be asistant to the spiritual VP PL. 87 — Daniel Peverini for Religion Editor Purpose: Hire Daniel Peverini to be religion editor P.L. 88 — Concurrent Position — Daniel Peverini Purpose: Allow Daniel Peverini to be ASWWU justice and Collegian staff writer and religion editor F.L. 28 — Treadmill for Muscles in Motion Purpose: Purchase a treadmill for the girls' dorm gym F.L. 29 — Wireless Systems for the University Church Purpose: Purchase additional microphones for the University Church F.L. 30 — Dead Week Survival Kits Purpose: Provide goodies to Mtn. View and Birch apartment residents F.L. 31 — Water Bottle Fillers for Sittner South Purpose: Purchase and install water bottle fillers outside of the Fitness Factory in Sittner Hall

Old Business F.L. 25 — ­ WWU–WWCC Auto Clubs Drag Race Day F.L. 26­— Google I/O Conference F.L. 27 — AIA Travel Expenses

Key: F.L. | Financial Legislation G.L. | Governance Legislation P.L. | Personnel Legislation

ASWWU/ADMIN

NWCCU Reaffirms Full Accreditation The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities made an evaluation visit to WWU in October. During the evaluation process, the NWCCU has reaffirmed the university’s full accreditation and has made several comments on the positive aspects of the university as well as on some areas that need improvement. The NWCCU is the U.S. Department of Education– recognized accrediting institute for the Northwest.

✓

COMMENDATIONS

RECOMMENDATIONS

■ Clear sense of community.

■ Broad and sincere commitment to the mission and values of the university shared by administrators, faculty, staff, students, board members, and external stakeholders.

■ Provision of quality education during leadership transition.

■ Intentional and cohesive response to recent enrollment challenges.

■ Peterson Memorial Library’s information literacy program.

■ Campus-wide integration and evaluation of the university’s core themes.

■ Consistent evaluations of staff and administrators.

■ Implementation of a centralized institutional research process.

■ Better linking of core themes and allocation of resources.

■ Systematic determination of mission fulfillment.

The accreditation evaluation process includes a self-evaluation report and visits to the College Place and Portland campuses by NWCCU evaluators. During the visits, the evaluators conversed with students, staff, faculty, administrators, alumni, members of the board of trustees, and representatives from the Missoula and Billings campuses.

The NWCCU has recently adjusted its accreditation evaluation process and has put new Photo by Darin Berning emphasis on institutional sustainability, mission fulfillment, and core themes.

It now evaluates schools on a seven-year cycle, in which the institutions submit reports on years one and three in the cycle and undergo a comprehensive evaluation in year seven.

Walla Walla University, in addition to NWCCU, is accredited by the Accrediting Association of Seventh-day Adventist Schools, Colleges, and Universities; the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs; the Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology; the Council on Social Work Education; the National Association of Schools of Music; the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission; and the Washington State Board of Education for Teacher Certification.

NEWS

CONTEXT

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Gungor Performs at WWU Daniel Peverini Staff Writer

Last Saturday night, March 2, contemporary Christian band Gungor performed in WWU’s Winter Educational Complex.

Admission was free for students and $10 for the public.

At 7 p.m., students and community members began filing into the WEC to get seats for the concert, which started around 8 p.m. Some of the more enthusiastic concertgoers chose to stand in a cordoned-off space next to the stage. Before the concert began, ASWWU Spiritual Vice President Matt Randall welcomed students to the concert, which was sponsored by the ASWWU spiritual department.

Gungor opened the concert with “Dry Bones,” followed by other songs including “Brother Moon,” “This Is Not the End,” “When Death Dies,” “White Man,” and “Beautiful Things.” After the band exited the stage, the crowd expressed their desire for an encore, taking up the chant, “One more song! One more song!” In response, lead singer Michael Gungor returned to the stage and performed a solo acoustic guitar arrangement of The Doxology.

WWU student Chris Heinrich expressed his enthusiasm regarding the Gungor performance: “The concert was a blast!

I was up at the very front, which made the music that much better.” According to Heinrich, Gungor’s music is unique and uses chord progressions that make the music interesting and multilayered. Heinrich, who stayed after the concert, got to meet

Health Professional Panel Annie Palumbo Staff Writer

The health professional panel took place last night, March 6, in the Alaska Room. This event, sponsored by the WWU Career Center and the PreProfessional Club, was an opportunity for students, faculty, staff, and alumni to learn about various health care fields.

Numerous professionals employed in health care were in attendance, including a speech pathologist, several dentists, a dental hygienist, a physical therapist, a physician’s assistant, a doctor of osteopathic medicine, an anesthesiologist, and an ER physician.

At the start of the event, each health professional was introduced with a short explanation as to what they do; this was followed by smaller breakout

sessions where those in attendance had the opportunity to talk one-on-one with these professionals. According to Emily Forshee in the Career Center, this was a great time for students to learn “about what health professionals do on a daily basis at work, what the education requirements are, what graduate school entails, what the job outlook is, what health professionals like or dislike about their job, and other general questions about the health care field.”

The health professional panel provided opportunity for students who are majoring in a health care field, as well as students who are still undecided, to learn more about a desired profession. This event also was a great networking opportunity for those interested in job shadowing, graduate school, and internships.

Michael Gungor and his wife Lisa. “Meeting Gungor and his wife was really cool for me. He is a great musician who isn’t afraid to come out and chill with the fans.”

Gungor, named after lead singer Michael Gungor, is different than a typical contemporary Christian band. Although there is a core band which tours, Gungor includes many different musicians. According to a video that accompanied their album Ghosts Upon the Earth, “Gungor is a collective of musicians. ... The core of us are in Denver, Colo., but people come kind of from all over depending on what we’re doing.”

For further information, interested readers can visit Gungor’s website at gungormusic.com.

Photo by Darin Berning

March U-Days Hilary Nieland Staff Writer

It’s that time again: March U-Days is here, and soon academy students from outside the NPUC will be flooding the campus.

Prospective students will be coming to tour the campus, sit in on classes, experience dorm life, learn about what the university offers, and … sample the caf.

Several events are planned to give academy students an idea of how the campus operates, what the different academic departments are like, what financial options are available, and what the social life is like. Scheduled events include campus and departmental tours, sports tryouts, worships, class visits, career testing, a flight-center tour, a tour of downtown Walla Walla, and the Festival of One Acts.

This is a great opportunity for future students to get to know the campus, make friends, and maybe even pick a major. So if you see some lost-looking academy students walking around, lend a hand and maybe make a friend.

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CONTEXT

WEEK IN

REVIEW Gungor 2 March ASWWU brought the award-winning Christian music group Gungor to the WWU campus. Although the concert began late due to unforeseen obstacles, the concert closed with a spectacular rendition of The Doxology.

Photo by Kai Kopitzke

Photo by Darin Berning

Photo by Greg Khng

Festival of One Acts Opening

Wind Symphony Concert

2 March

5 March

Student actors and directors presented the opening night of this year’s student-led productions through wwudrama in Village Hall.

This WWU Wind Symphony program featured sacred music for the concert band, directed by Professor Brandon Beck.

CONTEXT

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WEEK IN

FORECAST Photo by Ivan Cruz

Thursday |

7 MAR 54° 34°

The Festival of One Acts 8 p.m.

Village Hall

Friday |

8 MAR 54° 32°

Vespers: Journey

Saturday |

9:30 p.m.

SAC

Monday |

Sonnenberg–Meske Match

Bed Races

4 p.m.

WEC

MSU Cello Ensemble 7:30 p.m.

FAC

The Festival of One Acts 8 p.m.

Village Hall

Daylight-Saving Time Begins

11 MAR

8 p.m.

College Avenue

Dead Week Begins

59° 39°

Saturday (cont.)

8 p.m.

Village Hall

6 p.m.

The Atlas

Photo by Ivan Cruz

Photo by Anthony White

The Festival of One Acts

Open Mic & Art Show

Photo by Ivan Cruz

59° 39°

55° 34°

4 p.m.

University Church

Impact

Sunday | 10 MAR

9 MAR

Orchestra Vespers Concert

8 p.m.

University Church

March U-Days Begins

Photo by Ivan Cruz

Dodgeball 9 p.m.

WEC

Photo by Ivan Cruz

Tuesday | General Recital 7:30 p.m.

FAC

12 MAR 63° 46°

Photo by Erik Sanders

Wednesday | Earmuff Day

13 MAR 66° 48°

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PERSPECTIVE

Question Are there certain areas of my life that Jesus can't help with?

Response

RELIGION

Christ and Caffeine Rob Folkenberg Religion Editor

Short Answer: NO! Slightly Longer Answer: NUH-UH! As the psalmist experienced: "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, 'Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,' even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you" (Psalm 139:7–12, NIV).

Caveat: Jesus won't force Himself on you and therefore will not work on an area in your life that you won't surrender to Him. Otherwise, whatever you are willing to let Jesus help you with, whatever you bring to Him, He will work in you and through you for your healing. It may not happen in an instant, but you'll probably learn more about yourself and grow more in the process of healing than you could imagine. Jesus wants to make us each whole; He wants to rescue us from the brokenness of the world, and He went to hell and back to prove it to us.

So my advice: Surrender and watch Him work.

—Paddy McCoy, Campus Chaplain

Have a good question? Email robert.folkenberg@wallawalla.edu.

REAL QUESTIONS

God wants us to be happy, and He wants us to be healthy! The Bible is full of practical advice on health and happiness.

God told Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit. It was for their health and happiness.

God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, as well as all sorts of health laws. God sent ravens to Elijah with food. And God sent us Jesus. Jesus is the greatest example of God’s desires for His people. Look at what He spent His time doing: He fixed broken bodies, He gave sight to blind people, He gave hope to sad people, and He gave eternal life to all people. Assuming we accept, Jesus wants to affect and change our lives for the better, and He wants to do it in a holistic way. He wants to affect and improve our whole lives.

Holism is really a foundational belief for Adventists. People are not one part body, another part soul. Mortal bodies do not house eternal souls. Humans are unique, physical creatures, made in the image of God, who have the capacity to experience Jesus and live eternally with Him should they accept Him. Because there are not separate spiritual and physical beings in us, it is also true that our physical lives affect our spiritual lives. Choices we make affect our salvation. Our lifestyle affects our mental capabilities, which affects our ability to reason. Spiritual life does not occur in a vacuum, and God wants to help us grow our whole person. Thankfully, God is all powerful, and He can get through to the healthy and the unhealthy among us. But there’s no doubt that God wants us to have happy and whole lives, where we’re healthy physically as well as growing spiritually. He wants to help us achieve that growth.

Recently, a letter was written to The Collegian expressing discontent regarding the positive mentions of various teas containing caffeine. Others have wondered why the university allows beverages containing caffeine to be served on campus at The Atlas, the Dairy Express, the SAC,

and the caf. Historically, Adventists have been wary of caffeinated drinks, and it is because of holism. God wants us to be healthy and happy, and caffeine generally doesn’t help that. It is potentially addictive, and it affects our brain functions.

“God wants us to have happy and whole lives, where we’re healthy physically as well as growing spiritually.”

Photo by Rob Folkenberg

Caffeine is definitely the cultural norm today. It’s everywhere. But the cultural norm does not always need to be our standard. Paul wrote, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”1 It’s not about what’s culturally acceptable or

unacceptable; it’s about worshiping God with our all, including our bodies.

I agree with concerns about the availability of caffeinated beverages on campus. Christianity is holistic, and a message of health is an important part of the Adventist belief system. Both Ellen White and the official policy of the Adventist church today discourage drinking tea and coffee other than for special medicinal purposes.2 Furthermore, the Bible makes it clear that we should live healthy lives for our own benefit and for His glory. But, even more important than the university policy, we should make our own decisions regarding caffeine and other things affecting health. After all, a grocery store is just a few minutes away, and banning caffeine won’t automatically make students healthy.

Let’s choose to live healthfully. Caffeine has been a hot topic, but how many people who refuse to drink coffee and tea still stay up late, consume too much sugar, and don’t exercise enough? I’m one of those.

I don’t like caffeine, but there are other areas where my health habits should be improved. All of us can probably do better.

The Walla Walla University seal, seen on the back of the Centennial Green stage, includes a triangle with the words, “Physical,” “Mental,” and “Spiritual” on the three sides. These terms encompass the purpose of Adventist education and, beyond that, the idea of holism. I love being part of religion that affects my whole life, a Christian walk that helps me grow and succeed and be healthy. I wonder sometimes why I run away from principles that help me live well.

Holism is biblical, and Christianity is holistic. I encourage Walla Walla University to consider ways of improving health on campus, including ending the sale of caffeinated beverages. Furthermore, let’s each decide to live holistic, healthy lives. I can think of several ways in which I’m going to improve my health, and I have a feeling I won’t be sorry.

1. Rom. 12:1-2, ESV. 2. See “2007–2008 General Conference Working Policy,” page 293; Selected Messages Vol. 2, pg. 302.

Columnist Some people say that spring is here when specific things start appearing all over campus: crocuses, daffodils, couples, and so forth. I say that spring is here when my olive oil has thawed out, and as of Sunday morning, we have officially achieved that goal. Good work, everyone. That’s another winter successfully navigated. Keep it up with the vitamin D. The end of winter means something else: We now have only one quarter left in the year. If you’re a freshman, congratulations — you’re nearly done with your first year. If you’re a graduating senior like I am, congratulations — you’re nearly done with the best part of your life, and the questions are starting to pile up. What are you doing this summer? What are you doing next year?

What are you doing with the rest of your life? Some of us have hazy ideas, but we’re not sure how to achieve them without accumulating mountains of debt. Some of us know exactly where we’re going and how to get there. Some of us frankly have no idea, and that, my friends, is A-OK. Life doesn’t have to be a staircase, with every step leading firmly and obviously to the top. It’s perfectly all right if your life looks more like an Escher drawing, with dead ends and unexpected twists and more than four dimensions. It’ll make your biography all the more interesting.

At Senior Recognition three weeks ago, it suddenly hit home that in a matter of months, I will be considered a full-fledged adult, capable of making decisions about mortgages and retirement funds. I did not feel prepared for this — I can barely bring myself to balance my checkbook, much less do my own taxes — and it did not help when

“There is nothing like driving an old car to improve one’s prayer life.”

The car did not respond to my pleas, so I left it on the side of the road overnight to ponder its shortcomings. The next day, I went back and asked if it had learned the error of its ways. It hadn’t, so I called AAA, coordinated locations with a tow truck, and arranged for repairs. This wasn’t a dazzlingly fun way to spend a Friday afternoon, but as I went home afterward, I realized something: I finally felt old enough to graduate. A brokendown car was all it took. If you’re feeling similarly unprepared, I can recommend the experience. With the right monetary incentive in hand, you could probably even find someone to damage the car for you, if you’re feeling especially panicked.

But doubt not the reach of His hand’s circumference, His holy hands heal our hurting hearts.

He watches, guides, and whispers in that quiet place.

Don’t hide your scarred face.

He sees in and breaks free the seeking, the broken.

Word of His deliverance has been spoken, For that you can stand certain, With hope to someday feel His embrace.

Pierced, raw, and amiss memories strain, Recalling countless pains, That time you fell down stairs from these untied laces, Hoping to be noticed by more forgiving faces.

Those helpless eyes you lacked strength to encourage, That girl who no more returns your letters of postage.

That wound in your friendship left not mended.

Unrelenting, Lucifer’s course leaves you helpless.

In the fog under this street light, With fingers frail and fear’s bite, Step into the dark abyss.

Not seeing a path, hearing a friend, Or feeling a guiding hand May seem a hopeless road untraveled.

But wait for that morning light.

Then, seeing His direction, pursue That child’s joy that He will bring.

See still that dandelion dreams, Waiting for you to find it.

Only one step is needed to start.

Take it.

This piece was the winner of the Creative Writing Competition.

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Dandelions

Rebecca Brothers

my car broke down two days later. It was more or less inevitable; it’s an old car, affectionately called Old Smokey, that’s been stalling, squealing, and rattling for years. (Incidentally, I would like to point out that there is nothing like driving an old car to improve one’s prayer life.) On that particular Thursday night, it stalled at the intersection of Poplar Street and Myra Road, reluctantly agreed to be pushed out of the way of traffic, and limped four blocks further before stalling again. “I am the sixth Brothers to drive you,” I told the car as I tried the ignition yet again. “If you die on my watch, I will never hear the end of it.”

Why try?

This body will surely die.

If this life has the meaning of a dandelion: To grow, to take wind’s beatings, To fall and be stepped on, And then frozen by a heartless cold snow, Surely you would miss the flower’s blossom, The breaking the surface to breathe God’s fresh air, The tickle of the sun in the spring of May, The bustling bees with their honey flow The tireless ants working below, And being blown in the wind by that child, That child who made his dreams and became What you are today.

I say for you the doubting Thomas, Too fearful to act on conviction, For the misguided, unsure, questioning, Hoping, crying, breaking, swelling, and wanting.

For this here, this means far more than a dash Between two soon-to-be-forgotten numbers.

‘Twas a gift to be cherished, Not meant to be taken as careless.

Life is more than just some bore With no value that can be bought in a store.

‘Twas given through death so we might rise again.

As such, do not strive to be better than they, Stronger than Hercules in the fray, Faster than Bolt’s nine-foot stride, Ruthless as Armstrong’s unforgiving pride, Smarter than that four-point student, Who forgets that after texts fade away, What is important is not his brain, but those Lives his intellect has sufficiently served.

Strive to be you, exactly as you were meant to be.

See I am not you and you not me and we come not from the same family, You might beat me at your game and gain fame to your name, Maybe even steal my voice’s right to proclaim, But I believe in this thing called chivalry.

Strive to be the best you can, God’s humble servant, a man.

Weakness may encompass,

Howard Heaton

Old Smokey Saves the Day

PERSPECTIVE Contributing Writer

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COLUMN & CREATIVE WRITING

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PERSPECTIVE

W

OPINION

Elliott Berger

Opinion Editor

I remember reading a cartoon once that stated, “Anything can be justified as long as you yell ‘for science!’ while you’re doing it.”

This is not the case with our health. Like any drug, an understanding that we are ignorant in most things biochemical is important. I see caffeine as an anti-inflammatory, potentially health-benefitting ingredient: a compound that is worth the risk of consumption.

Make sure you understand what you are letting into your body, and keep yourself updated on the buzz in research. Until more influential papers are published, you can find me in the coffee shop.

Contributing Writer

There’s money in caffeine. The coffee industry alone generates $10 billion dollars in the U.S. every year and has trade connections around the world. The anti-caffeine lobby has $20, a deficit, and a non-pedigree cat. Any studies conducted on caffeine are influenced by the richest industry because money talks. With that in mind, we can take a look at the research into the benefits and risks associated with caffeine use, keeping in mind that the scientific literature on long-term caffeine use is incomplete. It is wise to use caution before making any hard judgments for or against caffeine.

take-home point is: We can’t pick and choose our health benefits to justify the use of drugs.

After all, caffeine is a drug with benefits, risks, and mild addictive properties.

Caffeine’s effects are primarily due to competitive inhibition of cellular receptors located ubiquitously throughout the body.

These receptors control blood flow to the heart and brain, dopamine and glutamate regulation,

Adventists have traditionally avoided caffeine on the recommendation of Ellen White. Ellen White doesn’t accurately describe caffeine’s mechanisms, but she does describe its effects: “When the system is overtaxed and needs rest, the use of [caffeine] spurs up nature by stimulation to perform … unnatural action”.4 In extreme examples of an overtaxed system, caffeine consumption can overstimulate heavy drinkers to stay conscious, drinking until they die of alcohol poisoning.

“We can’t pick and choose our health benefits to justify the use of drugs.”

Some people are more affected by caffeine than others, a factor likely controlled by genetics.

Subtle genetic differences in the enzymes that break down toxins and foreign substances determine how quickly a person can work to destroy caffeine, and subtle differences in the aforementioned receptors determine how greatly caffeine will affect an individual.3

Tenants required to assemble their own furniture.

Perhaps the most healthful route is to treat caffeine with respect as a drug with benefits and risks. Caffeine is wonderful when used to stay alert for short periods, but the long-term effects of caffeine are currently unknown. If caffeine is a necessary part of our daily routine, perhaps we should examine our daily routine for ways we can get more rest.

1. M.S. Butt M.S and M.T. Sultan. 2011. “Coffee and its consumption: benefits and risks.” Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr.

51:363–373.

2. Amy Yang, Abraham Palmer, Harriet de Wit. 2010.

“Genetics of caffeine consumption and responses to caffeine.” Psychopharmacology 211:245–257.

3. C.D. Frary, R.K. Johnson, and M.Q. Wang. 2005. “Food sources and intakes of caffeine in the diets of persons in the United States.” J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 105:110–113.

4. Ellen G. White. 1948. Testimonies for the Church, Volume 2. Pacific Press Publishing: 64–65.

C

New study shows that red meat can reduce the symptoms of PMS. Period.

C

Kenya holds elections for the first time since 2007.

Running for office?

South African beef products have been found containing donkey, water buffalo, and goat.

McDonald’s takes Lion King theme too far.

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Many studies have shown short-term neurological benefits from caffeine, such as faster response time and increased alertness, but few convincing long-term benefits. For instance, moderate caffeine use causes a moderate decrease in the rate of Parkinson’s disease.1 On a related note, tobacco use also causes a fairly dramatic decrease in the rate of Parkinson’s disease. The

and general anti-inflammatory responses.

The body self-regulates itself by activating and inhibiting these receptors; the addition of caffeine artificially inhibits the receptors by competing with the body’s natural mechanisms.2

Marriott is teaming up with IKEA for a new line of hotels.

1. Starbucks Annual Report. Rep. N.p.: Starbucks Investor Relations, 2013 Starbucks Corporation.

Don’t Forget: Caffeine Is a Drug Logan Villarreal

Top choice for new pope could be a Canadian.

Thankfully, could also not be.

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If you do a quick search for how caffeine affects your health, you will find an array

Quite frankly, there are sharper sticks to play with when it comes to health. If you hear that coffee, energy drinks, and soda are bad for you, chances are the caffeine is not the compound causing harm. There are many other questionable ingredients

that are allowed into our food that have a far worse track record than caffeine, yet we see who gets a lot of the flack. Since caffeine cannot be significantly linked to anything as detrimental as artificial sugars or excessive sodium intake, I am perfectly content living a caffeine-present life.

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Readily available in coffee, tea, sodas, and certain packaged foods, caffeine is the most commonly used drug worldwide. The verdict is still out on whether or not caffeine is a harmful or a beneficial substance. Starbucks alone had a global revenue of $13.3 billion last year,1 pumping well over 200 million gallons of coffee through their stores, and most likely through us as well. How is this prominent drug affecting our health?

Since evidence is meager for both sides of the argument, the decision is left to us. I have yet to see any convincing arguments, and I remain a proponent of caffeine usage worldwide.

of papers — some contradicting, some saying it’s beneficial, but all short of “proof.”

There are claims about sports performance, anti-Alzheimer’s, pregnancy issues, mood enhancement, anti-Parkinson’s, resistance to Type 2 diabetes, and the list continues.

You will most likely find more good reasons than bad. Some may argue that the large companies who profit from caffeine usage buy the rights to anti-caffeine publications.

Great — if that’s the case, I’m starting a lab and publishing my first papers on the harmful effects of caffeine. If there were enough nay-saying papers, some would slip through the companies’ nets. Until then, we simply don’t know all the effects caffeine has on the body.

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COLLEGIAN WISDOM

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What’s the Buzz?

PERSPECTIVE

Researchers say they have figured out what caused the crash of the Hindenburg.

And to think we first blamed hydrogen.

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SNAPSHOTS

#thecollegian @moooon_child

@lkcole

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FESTIVAL OF ONE ACTS

@josuehdz0

Submit your pictures to us via Instagram by tagging #thecollegian.

Photos by Darin Berning

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@elzrice

SNAPSHOTS

_s

laa_loo

@kay_

GUNGOR

@heath erie_no

te

ASWWU WINTER CONCERT

@gregkhng

Photos by Darin Berning

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PERSPECTIVE $60,000

| EDITORIAL

Letters to the Editor Dear Editor, I am writing this letter as a concerned former student of Walla Walla University.

I have been following The Collegian even though I no longer attend. When I read Grant Gustavsen’s piece entitled “Diversity, Fairness, and Preferential Treatment,” I was alarmed.

I was mostly concerned with the statement, “Racial affirmative action is a dated concept.

It is no longer a measure that fights racism but is now one that carries on the idea that minorities are unable to compete with whites on a level playing field.” I assume here, that Gustavsen is referring to the policy of race quotas, which made companies hire a certain percentage of minorities. This practice was made illegal in 1978.1 Today’s policies of affirmative action ensure that minorities, including women, have equal access to schools and job opportunities.

They do not force schools or employers to accept unqualified minorities at the expense of qualified whites.

While American society has come a long way in terms of racial equality since the civil rights era, color is still a barrier that blocks many minorities from the same

Dear Editor,

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Mission Mozambique Fundra ising Progress

I am writing this brief response to an article I read in the last issue of The Collegian entitled, “Diversity, Fairness, and Preferential Treatment.” I hope to address Affirmative Action from a varying perspective. Dr. Norman Peale, author and minister says it best; “Change your thoughts, and you change the world.”

In reference to the article, the author presented the idea of a level playing field.

I would love to begin by refuting that a level playing field or rather an equal opportunity for all exists in our society today. Affirmative Action attempts to create a platform or tries to level the playing field for minorities and women by ensuring that they are well represented in the educational and professional workforce.1 In the 1960’s during the climax of the civil rights movement, governmental bodies instituted measures to ensure that qualified individuals received the same chance as their white counterparts. Some believe that the premise behind Affirmative Action is to fill quotas; Affirmative Action is rather

opportunities and protection of the law as whites. As a woman of color, I can also say that the level playing field that Gustavsen mentioned does not exist. Color is very much a part of my reality. Many black people are hypersexualized in the media; criticized as loud, obstinate, and uncouth; and are assumed to be unable to exist peacefully in American society. We are often criminally profiled and given harsher and longer sentences than our white counterparts.2 People of color are not given the opportunity to be judged on an individual basis. It is for these reasons that I insist that the policies of affirmative action are not dated, and are needed by those who do not have the same opportunities as whites.

American society is not post racial, and people of color are still affected by systematic prejudices against them. For example, the quality of the schools in minority areas is very poor in comparison to the schools in white areas.3 The quality of teachers, the teacher student ratios, and the quality of school facilities and equipment are very poor compared to majority white areas. I agree with Gustavsen when he wrote, “A job should be filled, or a student accepted, based on that person’s qualifications and

achievements, which are independent of the color of his or her skin.” I would even expand this to include protection by the police and by the courts, access to public offices, fair representation in the media, and other things that would create a “level playing field” society. Until then, it is my wish that the conversation about race continues at WWU. The more we talk about this the more informed we become, and the more able we are to positively impact our society when it comes to racial equality.

Sincerely, D’Anna Hines

a set of recruitment goals that in text is independent of quotas. Quotas may have existed in the initial phases of Affirmative Action, however, are not a part. Even though we have come a very long way since the beginnings of Affirmative Action, the attitudes and biases toward minorities and women have not changed. A concept that is important to note is White Privilege.

Author Peggy McIntosh’s (1989) lifework has been to further research white privilege.

She defines white privilege as “an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions … something I can count on … cashing in each day”. A scholarly definition is a “right, advantage, or immunity granted to or enjoyed by white persons beyond the common advantage of all others”.3 White Privilege grants access to jobs and services, allows for a voice that will be heard, and gives undeniable social acceptance in society. Affirmative Action recognizes that not only is white privilege dominant, but males too have a clear advantage in our society as well. Thus, white males being the most privileged in America. This law is not about preferential or special treatment, rather about giving a similar platform to

minorities and women that white and male privilege grants. Affirmative Action benefits all classes of people and gives a voice to those who do not have one.

1. labor-employment-law.lawyers.com/ employment-discrimination/AffirmativeAction.html.

2. progressivestates.org/news/dispatch/ racial-impact-statements-addressing-racialdisparities-in-criminal-justice-systems; http:// cooley.libarts.wsu.edu/schwartj/pdf/Spohn_ Sentencing231_281.pdf.

3. education.nationaljournal.com/2011/03/ focusing-on-minority-disadvant. php#1932264; huffingtonpost. com/2012/08/22/new-report-examinesfeder_n_1822501.html.

Equality in this nation, at the present moment, does not exist. We see that day to day even here on our campus at Walla Walla University. Removing Affirmative Action would not somehow level the playing field for all or promote equality; in fact, it would tip the balance more in favor of the white male population. “A job should be filled, or a student accepted, based on that person’s qualifications and achievements, which are independent of the color of his or her skin”.4 Affirmative Action has worked and will keep working to ensure that this ideal is upheld.

Nonee Ngazimbi Senior, nursing 1. civilrights.org/equal-opportunity/factsheets/fact_sheet_packet.pdf.

2. civilrights.org/equal-opportunity/factsheets/fact_sheet_packet.pdf.

3. a c a d e m i c . u d a y t o n . e d u / r a c e / 0 1 r a c e / whiteness05.htm.

4. a s . w a l l a w a l l a . e d u / c o l l e g i a n / m a i n . php?article=1386.

In order to preserve the authors’ voices, letters submitted to the editor are edited for spelling only. Letters may be sent to aswwu.collegian@wallawalla.edu

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Products and Practices on America's Chopping Block

TOMORROW?

Christian Robins Feature Editor

Braden Anderson

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FEATURE 15

Feature Editor

At what point does something become obsolete? Is it the introduction of a new technology, a reaction to necessity, or a shift in popular opinion? Or does it happen

as swiftly as the changing your mind? In a world that seems to be innovating and changing at an ever-increasing pace — where computing power doubles every 18 months, where worldwide shipping has made it possible to manufacture goods in Asia after they have been ordered in America, and where every dozen years the world population increases by a billion — it seems that we will all will have to cope with the parting of the outdated.

Yet how will we recognize the obsolete when we see it? Perhaps you have already seen things become outdated within your own lifetime: pagers, chalkboards, or CD

players. Or perhaps you have prepared a list of items and practices that you would be glad to see on the way out, such as daylightsaving time, imperial measurements, or cursive writing. All of these feel obsolete because they are impractical, have fallen out of general practice, or have been superseded by the rest of the world, which seem like fair criteria to deem something obsolete. But what if obsoleteness could be the product not of external pressure, but of our own choice? Can we make something obsolete just by wanting it to be so?

While it might be pretentious of humans to claim power over time, to distinguish

the transient from the timeless, the truth is that we are already doing so, whether through technological innovation, the necessity of reaction, or the shaping of popular opinion. From politics to products to personal preferences, we decide whether we will continue to change our clocks, write in cursive, use pennies, or buy print magazines. It is therefore our responsibility to be mindful of the choices we make: to be aware of how our decisions, collective and individual, will define the future. For through our choices we have the power to change the world, that is, to define the obsolete.

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Photo by Kai Kopitzke

Photo by Greg Khng

The Penny

Chalkboards and Teaching Cursive

The coin that bears our 16th president seems to have fallen out of style. Can you remember the last time you were delighted to find a penny on the floor?

Not much can be done with pennies these days. We can thank inflation for this. In 1950, the penny had the purchasing power of a dime today.

These are both things that we saw in elementary school but then rarely, if ever, encounter again. Sure, there are still a few rooms scattered about the campus with chalkboards (this was the first time your Feature editors have seen a chalkboard since second grade) and a few professors who still prefer to write in cursive, but for the most part, these seem to be phasing out.

This paltry coin actually costs 2.41 cents to mint, even though it is only 2.5 percent copper and the rest is zinc.9 According to Citizens to Retire the Penny, the government spends “almost $120 million to produce less than $50 million of circulating currency.”10 Does this mean that we will be phasing the penny out anytime soon?

Probably not, since according to the Coinstar National Currency Poll, 63 percent of Americans still support keeping the penny. The biggest reason for this is concern for the effects that rounding everything up to the nearest five-cent mark would have on consumer expenses — four cents are not that big of a deal, but add that up over 20 purchases and you have an extra dollar spent. However, The Los Angeles Times reports that a bill to address the rising costs of minting the penny, the Cents and Sensibility Act, is being introduced to Congress by Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Ohio. The bill would require the penny to be minted primarily of American steel, which is cheaper than copper or zinc. The penny would still be coated in copper, looking the same as it does today,11 and it should help with a government desperately trying to cut discretionary spending.

White boards are replacing chalkboards for many reasons: Excessive chalk dust irritates people with respiratory ailments and it settles into nearby electronics, whiteboards are cheaper to produce than chalkboards because of the slate in the chalkboards, and dry-erase markers have come down in price to the point that they match the cost of chalk.6 Cursive was intended as a way to speed up the writing process since the writing utensil is only lifted between words, not letters, but it lost the race to typing. Typing produces the same, legible character every time, and it is much faster than writing by hand. With the advent of the computer and word processing, making the typewriter obsolete, documents became much easier to edit and format. (Your Feature editors can attest to this.) Professors these days usually require all papers to be typewritten, so cursive has been isolated to signatures and calligraphy.

16

FEATURE

Photo by Kai Kopitzke

Photo by Kai Kopitzke

The Imperial Measuring System

Paper

For those who have to deal with it, the frustration surrounding the existence of two completely different systems of measurement can go without being said. Practically any discipline involving numbers must address them on a regular basis: The conversion between imperial and SI units — feet and meters, pounds and newtons, kilometers and miles — becomes almost second nature. But many have asked and do ask, “Why doesn’t the U.S. just get rid of the imperial system and switch to the SI system?” The answer is reasonable, but perhaps not satisfactory: cost. Ironically, this could also be used to argue for the change to SI.

From records to textbooks to maps, paper is slowly giving way to its digital equivalent across the board. Here are some examples: Students are buying textbooks digitally rather than in print, primarily because they’re usually cheaper and can all be accessed from a single electronic device.12 Subscribers of newspapers and magazines are reading more online content, and some magazines are themselves ceasing to print their editions, as Newsweek has done starting just this year.

Even hospitals, clinics, and surgery centers are feeling the pressure to switch to electronically stored medical records and notes. Some factors contributing to these changes are precisely those discussed earlier: new technological capabilities that make digital appearances just as or more appealing than physical versions (The Collegian included, we admit), market-driven choices of both media readers and printers, and the speed and accuracy of information transfer that digitalization brings, especially in the case of medical records. A wide-perspective study done in 2009 by Johns Hopkins even suggested that “paperless” hospitals and their medical professionals may deliver better care to their patients due to the advantages of electronic records.13

The development of the SI system began in Europe the 19th century, but even as recently as World War II, there was no unifying system of measurements dominating calculations done by scientists worldwide.

It wasn’t until 1960 that the SI system and its six base units were officially adopted by the General Conference on Weights and Measures in Europe.7 Before the adoption of the SI system, there were many “metric” systems in existence, all of which had different base units and contributed to a colossal waste of time converting from one to another.

The SI system standardized all measurements and made the calculation and communication of scientific information faster, smoother, and more accurate.

Then compare the United States, much larger than France or any other European country that has adopted the SI system. To restructure all facets of the U.S. in terms of the SI system would be almost prohibitive in cost, not to mention the frustration it would cause its citizens to have to relearn how to communicate lengths, distances, temperatures, power, and energy. Even for those of us who already have to use both on a daily basis (especially engineers), it can be difficult to think in terms of newtons and meters without relapsing into pounds and feet first. A claim can also be made that those who are unfamiliar with a metric system can find thinking in powers of ten (given F=P*A, what force is required to induce a 100-gigapascal stress in a 1-cm-wide square bar?)8 just as difficult as converting between feet, miles, and inches. While the rest of the world has managed the transition, the U.S. will likely continue to use the imperial system, designing anything from buildings to milk jugs according to feet and gallons. An American metric conversion experience is still only in the distant future.

Did you know that in 1999 NASA lost its Mars Climate Orbiter because the manufacturing team set the Orbiter computer system using imperial pound/seconds, and the navigation team inputted travel measurements using SI newtons/seconds. This miscalculation caused the Orbiter to overshoot its path and it plunged into Mars’ atmosphere.

Yet despite that the world is moving towards “paperless-ness,” not everyone is an enthusiastic supporter of the trend. Some despise the look or feel of e-readers. Others consider the use of paper and pen a moral obligation. Some more objective arguments against the conversion to paperless systems are cost, the necessity of electricity, and the pluralistic nature of computer programs. As noted before, to overhaul a paper system with an electronic one requires a large investment in capital training and maintenance for the user interfaces. Furthermore, because so many different versions of software for the same task exist (medical databases being a prime example), the transfer of data is not as easy and cost-free as supposed. But there are companies willing to attempt it: One in particular, Pitney Bowes, a communications provider (involved in mailing and shipping communication), has sequestered a group of engineers in their office to a “paper-free zone” for the purpose of discovering what products will be needed in a paperfree environment.14 Their conclusion: Paper will not become entirely obsolete, but it might become smarter, incorporating embedded digital information to augment its use.

Paper, if it does become obsolete, will take a long time to displace.

While digital media and storage can hold astronomically more information in a much smaller space for a vastly wider audience, it is not necessarily as timeless. Tom Martin, a devotee to pen and paper, wrote on his blog15 suggesting that while stored data can only be accessed for a short time in its various forms (citing the uselessness of floppy disks), paper has lasted for thousands of years.16 To echo his question, “If technology lasts for ten/twenty years, and pen and ink over two millennia, which is obsolete?”

FEATURE

Photo by Kai Kopitzke

17

Photo by Greg Khng

Daylight-Saving Time

Landlines

In the U.S., it is our tradition at 2 a.m. to set our clocks one hour ahead in the spring (spring forward) and one hour back in the fall (fall back). Well, not in Arizona or Hawaii, but for most of us this occurs on the second Sunday of March and on the first Sunday of November, respectively. (Heads up: We’ll be setting our clocks forward this Sunday, March 10.)

As of this moment, only 34 percent of American adults live in households that have only wireless telephone service, according to a survey conducted by the CDC. However, that is a huge increase from 2003, when that number was less than five percent. Also, baby boomers and their parents have a huge impact on that number. If we look at the demographics based on age from that same study, we see a very different picture. To quote the CDC, “Six in 10 adults aged 25–29 (60.1 percent) lived in households with only wireless telephones. This rate is greater than the rates for adults aged 18–24 (49.5 percent) or 30–34 (55.1 percent).” So, for young adults, roughly 50 percent or more live in households with only wireless telephone services. An increase in age from 35 years up correlates to a decrease in wireless-only households, with only 10 percent of adults over the age of 65 years living with only wireless.17 We would note that many of the households with landlines probably have members with wireless phones as well.

The idea behind daylight-saving time was to save electricity by taking advantage of the longer daylight hours of the summer time.

According to The Washington Post, the idea for DST originated with Benjamin Franklin, but the U.S. didn’t start implementing it until World War II to save energy.1 Today, there is much debate over how much energy DST actually saves. National Geographic makes the claim that DST “doesn’t actually save energy and may even result in a net loss.” Any electricity that we save at night is wiped out the next morning when it is now dark.

However, Scientific American concluded that a “four-week extension of daylight time saved about 0.5 percent of the nation’s electricity per day, or 1.3 trillion watt-hours in total.”2 There is also troubling data from Stanley Corren of the University of British Columbia. He found that traffic accidents increased by eight percent the day after DST went into effect. He attributed this to the lost hour of sleep.3 Regardless of whether or not it saves electricity, only 45 percent of Americans think that the hassle of making the change to DST is worth it, and only 34 percent see it as an energy saver, according to Rasmussen.4 Most of us love it when we get off DST because we get to sleep in. Standardtime.com has an intriguing proposal: If DST really saves electricity, then we should just stay on DST the entire year and avoid springing forward and falling back.5

1. washingtonpost.com/blogs/ capital-weather-gang/post/daylightsaving-time-ends-this-sunday-getout-and-enjoy-the-sun-an-hourearlier/2011/11/03/gIQAJ3rwlM_blog. html.

2. scientificamerican.com/article. cfm?id=does-daylight-saving-timessave-energy.

3. nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/ NEJM199604043341416.

4. rasmussenreports.com/public_content/lifestyle/general_lifestyle/ march_2012/34_see_daylight_saving_time_as_an_energy_saver.

5. standardtime.com.abcnews.go.com/ blogs/lifestyle/2009/10/death-of-thechalkboard-declining-sales-driven-bycheap-whiteboard-production/physics. nist.gov/cuu/Units/history.html.

6. Answer: 20 meganewtons.

7. nbcnews.com/business/economywatch/it-takes-2-cents-make-pennysay-what-583081.

8. retirethepenny.org.latimesblogs. latimes.com/nationnow/2012/01/ lawmaker-says-cheaper-coins-makemore-cents-.html.

9. edudemic.com/2012/09/study-uncovers-why-students-buy-digital-vs-paper-

This trend of moving from wired to wireless is likely the result of a society that needs to be able to get in contact with someone as fast as possible. That requires the means of communication to be on one’s person at all times. When we couple this with individuals trying to reduce their living expenses by cutting either their landline or their cell phone, they seem to usually choose to keep the cell phone.

This is not to say that there are no benefits to wired phones. They require much less maintenance, they can get reception wherever in the house they happen to be located, and emergency services can easily trace them in the event of a fire or health emergency. Younger generations tend to value ease of quick communication, whereas older generations favor the dependability of the actual device.

textbooks.

10. sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090126173721.htm; pcworld.about.net/news/Feb212001id42342.htm; datbookreviews.wordpress. com/2013/01/29/are-pen-and-paperobsolete.

11. cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/ wireless201212.pdf.

12. edudemic.com/2012/09/study-uncovers-why-students-buy-digital-vspaper-textbooks.

13. sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090126173721.htm.

14. pcworld.about.net/news/Feb212001id42342.htm.

15. datbookreviews.wordpress.com 16. datbookreviews.wordpress. com/2013/01/29/are-pen-and-paperobsolete.

17. cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/ wireless201212.pdf.

18

LIFE

CULTURE

The Problem With "Christian" Bands Grant Perdew Culture Editor

Last weekend, we were graced with the glorious presence of Michael Gungor and his band. They put on an incredible show that not only showcased Gungor’s fabulous talent and was absolutely fun for the crowd, but also was filled with uplifting music played for God. The thing that sets Gungor apart from many other Christian bands is that some random, musicloving, atheist hipster could have walked into that gym, not knowing anything about them or their reasons for playing, and he or she would have loved it. Gungor doesn’t focus on the fact that they are a “Christian” band, unlike many other bands of the same genre these days.

This is my problem with "Christian" music.

Now let me make myself clear. I think the music is fine; it's the label that I find troubling.

And I'm not talking about worship music and hymns; I believe that praise songs are meant to be for the glory of God and for everyone to sing to glorify Him. I’m referring to Christianrecord-signed bands that rely on their genre label for their small marketing demographic.

This "Christian" label turns a large majority of

people off completely. And if we are to spread the love of God to the world, why must we be confined to the closed-minded limits of "Christian" music?

Writing a “Christian” song reduces Christianity to a modifying adjective. The genre is degraded into a choice amongst equally labeled choices like rock, R&B, soundtrack, and easy listening. A Christian genre implies that our religion is the modification of a pre-existing reality. “You like hip hop? Well, here, have Christian hip hop.” Christianity and spirituality cannot be sorted into a category, as they are reality. If we are going to sing that “Jesus Saves,” it should not be because we are writing a Christian song, but because Jesus does save, and we are writing a good song.

I have a problem with people writing Christian music to make Christian music. So much more sincerity could be packed into a song if people just made authentic music from the heart. The rest of the world will be more interested in listening and being inspired by the positive messages if they know you’re not trying to shove Jesus down their throats. Artists lose authenticity when they try specifically to write a “Christian” song. Why not just write a good song from your own heart and soul and see where it takes you? And create it for the glory

of God if that's what you want to do!

art, with all its teeth.”

C.S. Lewis said, “What we want is not more little books about Christianity, but more little books by Christians on other subjects — with their Christianity latent.” So it is with music.

What is needed is the best music in the world to be written with positive, spiritual messages, without that label of Christianity, and it will spread to a much larger demographic and inspire so many people who would be closed to it if they knew it was “Christian.” Christian bands like Switchfoot eventually made it big once they dropped the genre. Jon Foreman said, “For us, it's a faith, not a genre. We've always been very open and honest about where the songs are coming from. For us, these songs are for everyone. Calling us 'Christian rock' tends to be a box that closes some people out and excludes them. And that's not what we're trying to do. Music has always opened my mind — and that's what we want."

I look at artists like Mumford and Sons, Sufjan Stevens, Noah Gunderson, and Sigur Rós. Marcus Mumford may write lyrics full of Christian content, but it springs from an authentic source. Mumford and Sons' music does not strive to be “Christian music,” but the positive effect it has had on people is outstanding. Because there is no need whatsoever to conform to a genre of Christianity, Mumford and Sons have no need of clichés and are free to express passionately their struggles, praises, and the brutal truths of life, love, and spirituality. Like Mumford, these other bands, with their inspiring lyrics, incredibly moving sounds (see "Festival" below), and even legitimate biblical references, use a language that is entirely real and universal.

As a label, Christianity has become an excuse for mediocrity. A clichéd refrain of "Jesus loves us" will not cover the fact that your melody, chord progression, and overworked synth track are recycled versions of Nickleback’s last single.

Late Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritain said, “God does not ask for 'religious' art or 'Catholic' art. The art he wants for himself is

Thus the college jock who quickly skips the Christian radio station, the show-hopping hipster who scoffs at the tiny Christian rock band playing in his town, and the atheist who avoids religious matters at all costs will receive the spreading love that Jesus represents through this beautiful music. The world may be turned off by religion, but everyone is willing to accept some love.

Inspiration and quotes from patheos.com/blogs/ badcatholic/2013/02/killchristianmusi.html.

SUPER STUDENT SELECTIONS

This week you chose the featured songs! Keep sending me suggestions and listen online at tinyurl.com/a3cqe5y

Active Child

"Hanging On (GRVRBBRS Remix)" The infusion of 80s-inspired synthpop with R&B leads this remix with triumph.

Sigur Rós "Festival"

Used with the climatic finale of 127 Hours, the Icelandic ensemble's ambient composition will have you epically inspired.

Bastille

Lana Del Rey

Alt-J

Justin Timberlake

"Flaws" English indie rockers present a beautifully crafted wonder of a record packed with melodic tunes and choruses.

"Fitzpleasure" Named after the keystroke for a ∆ on a Mac, this postmodern pop song combines elements that you have never heard before.

"Blue Jeans" The self-proclaimed "gangster Nancy Sinatra" croons with mesmerizing anthems that evoke the classic American dream.

"Cry Me a River"

Right out of *NSYNC, Justin made the bold, yet smart, move of taking a modernized spin on classic R&B.

Feed Me & Crystal Fighters "Love is All I Got" A fantastic combination of offbeat vocals with snappy beats and a full, synthy melody.

First Aid Kit

"Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" These Swedish girls bring new charm and harmonies to classic hits, including this Fleet Foxes cover.

ogs/ l.

DIVERSIONS

LIFE

19

Jesuits Recently, I was at a church where a conservative pastor (he who shall not be named) got up and preached about spiritual formation and the Jesuits. Me, being a smarter-than-average person, Diversions Editor thought that I had a solid grasp on this idea of “spiritual formation.” This was not the case. Said pastor informed me that spiritual formation is the simple act of focusing too intently on something.

(I guess that means Ke$ha’s doing great, because we all know she can't even create a coherent sentence, let alone a thought.) I was also educated about the world outside of Seventh-day Adventism (and let me tell you, if you thought drums in church were bad, you have another thing coming). I was informed that everything that is not SDA is ... Roman Catholic. Nope — it's not Islamic (aka Roman Catholic); it's not Mormon (aka Roman Catholic) or even atheist (aka Roman Catholic). Everything is Roman Catholic. Toward the end of his “sermon,” I learned a new curse word, and that word is: Jesuits. You can apply it to anything, regardless of whether or not it is, in fact, Jesuit. Here are some examples:

Eric Weber

A: Do you like my pants?

B: NO! They’re so Jesuit. ...

A: Ugh, I have a headache.

B: Must be the Jesuits.

Fill the entire grid by connecting colors.

Do not cross paths.

A: I failed my math test.

B: Well, Jesuit.

A: I cut my finger!

B: Awww, Jesuit!

Toward the end of the service, the pastor brought up something that has recently been very troubling to his mind, and that is that “young people” have been focusing too much on ... Jesus. Yes, Jesus. Forget about the budget deficit, climate change, the war in the Middle East, gas prices, mom jeans, or even my lack of intestinal fortitude. The real problem is Jesus. Instead, we should be focusing on doctrine. So, if you’re worried about your dying grandma, or even starving children, just know that there are people out there worrying about the things that really hurt our lives.

HAPPY MULLET MARCH SO I HEARD

Listen to me read my column at soundcloud.com/eweberz.

YOU'RE GRADUATING SEMINARY...

Maze by Elliott Berger

20

LIFE

SPORTS

SPORTS

Basketball Intramurals Tye Forshee

Sports Editor

A LEAGUE

News The NHL season is halfway over and the Chicago Blackhawks still haven't lost a game in regulation.

LeBron James' last-second basket propelled the Miami Heat to their 16th straight victory.

The Yankees will lose Mark Teixeira for 8–10 weeks while he recovers from his recent wrist injury.

Basketball Championships Monday, March 11 A League WWU-Tang Clan vs. Hustlaz 9:30 p.m., Court 2 B+ League Windemuth's Dream Team vs. Wolfpack 8:30 p.m., Court 2 B- League Spaceballs vs. Old & New 9:30 p.m., Court 1 Women's TBA vs. Jugo de Papaya 9:30 p.m., Court 1

The Bandits and WWU-Tang Clan faced off in a single elimination game, the winner of which would go to the championship game. Tom Creasey and Jordan Stimmel led WWU-Tang Clan in the first half combining for 24 of their 39 points. The Bandits found themselves down by 11 points after the first half. In the second half the Bandits were down as many as 20 points, however WWU-Tang Clan stopped attacking and the Bandits caught fire behind Jordan Spady and David Reischach.

Reischach's late three tied the game up with only 15 seconds left, but WWU-Tang Clan made free throws to win the game by two points, 69–67.

The Hustlaz came out with their most complete game of the season, beating the

Blackhawks behind Mark Moore's poise.

The Blackhawks came out trying to play catchup from the very beginning by trying to shoot three after three, but that strategy did not pay off as they could not make their shots. The Blackhawks were without their leading scorer, Tristan Greenidge, and it showed. The Hustlaz played a close game against WWU-Tang Clan, so the championship should be exciting to watch for A League.

B+ LEAGUE Windemuth's Dream Team had the hardest obstacles during their playoff run, but they have exceeded expectations and beat the second and third seeds to get to the championship game. Coached and captained

by Steve Miceli, Windemuth's Dream Team has found any way possible to win. They first shot well and prevented Three the Hard Way to attack the basket, notching a surprising win over the team. Next, they faced Triumph (led

by Mavrick Kuzmin), a game in which they came from behind to win by one point in a low-scoring game 26–25.

Wolfpack and Friendship Squad played in a back-and-forth game with several lead changes. The Friendship Squad attacked with Brandon Jansen's perimeter shooting and Jon Nickell's play-making ability. The game was tied after regulation, but Wolfpack hit back-to-back three pointers to clinch the win and move to the championship game.

Zach Rearrick and Brenden Rajah led the way for their team and the victory. The Friendship Squad and Wolfpack formed a good rivalry over the season as both games ended up being won in overtime.

WOMEN'S LEAGUE Jugo de Papaya has yet to lose a game all season, and no one has come close to beating them. Teams have yet to find a way to stop Sierra King and the team-oriented approach. TBA, captained by McKenzie Duellman, has an uphill battle against Jugo de Papaya, but the team has a chance to win if the members are able to play some good defense and slow the game down.

Numbers Game Trevor Boyson

Sports Editor

Being the obsessed fan that I am, I spend a fair amount of time on sports websites each week. A pattern jumped out at me this week: value. Recently, English Premier League soccer team Arsenal received a takeover bid of $2.2 billion from a group of investors. Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco reportedly just signed a new contract with the Baltimore Ravens for a record $120 million, making him the highest-paid NFL player of all time. Arsenal majority owner Stan Kroenke is reportedly not interested in selling his team, while Joe Flacco is probably extremely pleased with the results of his contract negotiations.

These are just a couple of the examples that I ran across this week that question the worth of a player or a team. Some might think that these are insane amounts of money. It’s true; they are. But they’re symbolic of something

else intrinsic to the sports world: We never know anything for sure. And let’s be honest: It’s great.

We struggle constantly to quantify the value of everything. The common medium just happens to be money because the sports will always belong to the business world. Based on previous performances, we try to predict what

“How many times have sports shattered our expectations?“ we think players or teams will do in the future and attempt to pay them accordingly.

We even attempt to value the unquantifiable.

Take, for instance, Joe Flacco: We debated all year whether or not he was “elite.” That’s not even a statistical category. But it mattered

enough to us to try and figure it out all year, and it undoubtedly factored into how much Baltimore was willing to pay just as much as all of his statistical categories.

How many times have sports shattered our expectations? The world of sports statistics has grown exponentially over the years, but statistics can only tell us about what has already happened. It’s all guesswork on what’s to come. Admittedly, they’re more educated guesses than random shots in the dark, but we never know what’s going to happen.

Just imagine a world of sports where we could predict everything that would ever happen. We’d never have a reason to watch.

Who would be the fan of a team if they would undoubtedly lose and there wasn’t even an inkling of hope? What honor would there be in cheering for the future winners?

But just because we don’t know doesn’t mean we won’t keep trying to figure it out.

We’re always going to keep crunching the numbers.

FOODIE

LIFE

21

Microwave Caramel Corn Amy Alderman Food Editor

When I was a little girl, I did gymnastics.

Not only did I do gymnastics at the acros gym, but I also did handstands, cartwheels, and front flips any chance I could get.

It wasn’t until I was a teenager when I discovered Cirque du Soleil and went to one of their performances in the Seattle area with my friend and her mom. The show was filled with acrobatic feats that I could only dream of — their strength and coordination seemed inexhaustible.

Last Friday evening at vespers, I found it fascinating to hear former Cirque du Soleil

year, much ch as

By this point, I’m sure you’re wondering what this has to do with caramel corn, right? When my mom was going through chemotherapy, she and her oncology nurse

would swap recipes — microwave caramel corn was one of the many. I still remember the kindness of this nurse and think of her often.

Be that kind of person — it just may change someone’s life.

Microwave Caramel Corn What you’ll need: wax paper, measuring cups, microwave-safe bowl

d our tistics , but t has k on more n the ng to

re we ever watch. they wasn’t would ers? esn’t out. the

performer, Ricky Schwartz, give his personal testimony. Specifically, it warmed my heart to hear about the people who welcomed him into their church and genuinely cared about who he was as a person.

12 cups popped corn ½ tsp. baking powder 1 cup light brown sugar ½ cup butter

½ tsp. salt ¼ cup light Karo syrup nuts (optional)

Pop all corn and add any variety of nuts — for example: one cup peanuts and one cup cashews. Lay combination down on wax-paper surface. Combine brown sugar, butter, salt, and syrup in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for one minute. Stir. Repeat this for a total of four times, then microwave them for an additional two minutes. Stir.

Immediately add baking powder. Pour mixture over popcorn and nuts on the wax-paper surface. Wait for popcorn to cool before eating. Store popcorn in sealed containers.

Photos by Amy Alderman

Mix It Up

There are so many variations and additions you could make to this recipe or do with plain popcorn — the list is endless! Here are some suggestions to mix in or put on top of the popcorn to get your creative juices flowing: dark chocolate drizzle, sprinkles, chili pepper and lime juice, brewer’s yeast, marshmallows, or Oreo cookie crumbles.

22

LIFE

HEALTH & WELLNESS AND SCIENCE & TECH

Caffeine's Logical Extreme Karl Wallenkampf Health & Wellness Editor

My father and I enjoy good conversation. One of our ways of understanding the potential outcomes of an idea or situation is to run it past the “logical extreme” test. It’s fairly simple: What is the logical extreme of the idea or situation? The word “extreme” means that we have to run it through any situation we can think of to its fullest extent, yet “logical” means we can’t just run down the whole slippery-slope fallacy of the extreme.

I’ve had coffee, tea, and caffeine on my mind for a while. I grew up being told that I shouldn’t drink caffeine, “dark” sodas — root beer being an exception for some reason — or any drink that said “energy” on the side. I didn’t know why, but I

generally respected my parent’s wishes.

So we had decaf coffee,1 drank herbal tea, and never had Coke, Dr. Pepper, or Pepsi.

It was only when I grew that I heard about caffeine, and it was only recently that I learned of its immense power.

“Caffeine has been shown to increase anxiety and impair sleep.“ Caffeine can have positive effects. The Center for Occupational and Health Psychology in the School of Psychology

at Cardiff University, U.K., published their review of the research on the effects caffeine can have on human behavior.2 Their conclusions about caffeine’s effect, based on the research they investigated, were these: Increased alertness and reduced fatigue, useful in under-stimulated situations such as working late at night; improved “performance on vigilance tasks and simple tasks that required sustained response,” while withdrawal had few effects on performance of the tested tasks; possible higher mental functioning based on caffeine usage; and reasonable consumption by the caffeine-users: Most who used caffeine in the studies did not overdose.

Reviewing these possible benefits sounds enticing, and after reading the summary of the research, I nearly ran to grab a caffeinated beverage. However, the research did note that “fine motor control may be impaired” and that “caffeine

Additive Health Care Spencer Cutting Science & Tech Editor

Three-dimensional printing, also known as rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing, is an exciting technology that allows the quick fabrication of objects of nearly any shape. There are several types of 3D printing, but two of the most common are extrusion printing, in which a polymer is headed and extruded through a movable nozzle, and powder sintering, in which lasers fuse powder into a solid part.

It’s not surprising that the versatility of 3D printing would be a desirable characteristic in a manufacturing technique, but the applications to which 3D printing has been put are still startlingly broad, from robots1 to architecture.2 Clearly, creative people have pushed the technology far beyond its original intended use of quickly mocking up engineering designs. Perhaps most exciting use of 3D printing, however, is in medicine.

The ability of 3D printing to make custom parts quickly and relatively inexpensively allows for implants custom fit to the patient. A company called Oxford Performance Materials recently received FDA approval for 3D-printed craniofacial implants made from a polymer called PEKK.3 For bone defects of the head in non-loadbearing locations, implants can be made to fit exactly where they need to by using information from MRI scans. The polymer implants, made by laser sintering, have adequate mechanical properties (for non-loadbearing applications, viz., most of the head) and heal well to the surrounding bone.

Last February, the BBC reported on another medical use of 3D printing.4 An 83-year-old woman in the Netherlands suffering from a chronic bone infection in her jaw received a new one, made of laser-sintered titanium and finished with a ceramic coating. The part allows full articulation, just like a normal jaw, and includes mounting points for a

permanent denture. Once again, traditional manufacturing techniques would have been inferior for rapidly producing a complex and custom part such as this.

There is a much more exiting goal than creating custom jawbones, however, and that is creating custom organs. Bioengineers can create small patches of artificial tissue easily enough (well, it’s actually a pretty involved process) by culturing cells on custom scaffolds, but anything on the order of centimeters in size becomes a problem.

Cells need nutrients, and engineering blood vessels to supply those nutrients has been a major hurdle in artificial-organ engineering.

While there are other approaches, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a novel approach based on 3D printing.5 Using the humble RepRap, an open-source printer you can build yourself with instructions from the Internet, they created a lattice in sugar glass.6 Next, they coated the lattice with a very thin layer of biodegradable plastic and poured a gel containing cells in around it. After that,

has been shown to increase anxiety and impair sleep.” That made sense to me: After all, the reason I drink caffeinated beverages is to impair sleep. So, good — I’m using the right stuff!

But I turned to find evidence of negative effects, and I was disappointed.

Caffeine can do you harm. I turned to Joel Fuhrman, M.D., and his health expertise.

He defines addiction as “when our bodies have become acclimated to a noxious or toxic agent.”3 He then states that if I were to drink four cups of caffeinated coffee or soda per day, I would endure a withdrawal headache when I tried to stop the habit. Addiction? He goes on to state that “when there is continual stress on your body from stimulating foods and caffeine, it gives the false sensation that we have energy, when actually we are using up our energy faster. This ages us.”4 Other dangers of caffeine? Increased blood pressure and increased cholesterol Continued on page 23

they were able to dissolve away the sugar, leaving functional blood vessels.

Three-dimensional printing is far more than a powerful design tool for engineers or an interesting hobby; it’s a technology that is on the cusp of truly changing modern medicine. Keep an eye on the news; I foresee great developments in the coming years.

Also check out this article on 3D printing a mold for a collagen ear: npr.org/blogs/ health/2013/02/20/172493174/print-mean-ear-3-d-printing-tackles-human-cartilage.

1. news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57565426-1/ is-this-3d-printed-robot-the-first-of-thousands.

2. wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-01/24/dutcharchitect-3d-printed-house.

3. 3dprintingindustry.com/2013/02/22/thefirst-3d-printed-polymer-implant-to-receivefda-approval.

4. bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16907104.

5. youtu.be/9VHFlwJQIkE; lmrt.mit.edu/publications/2012/Miller_NMAT_2012.pdf.

6. Similar to the material for the bottles actors smashed over each other’s heads in old movies.

SCHOLARS ABROAD

LIFE 23

The Inside Scoop on Italia: More Than Just Gelato Joni Dickerson Italy

The first weekend being here in Italy was kind of awkward because I was out of my comfort zone, out of my country, and out of my mind (in reference to jet lag). But now I have found myself looking back over my time here, and it dawned on me what a family everyone here has become. There are only 27 of us ACA students here in Italy, which means we really get to know our teachers and each other. In the afternoons, we are free to choose which extra classes we want to take.

On different days of the week, I get to do different activities, everything from volleyball to ceramics to cooking and even a hip-hop class. In between all those extra classes and daily worships with friends and working out, I find time to explore Florence … oh, and to study. Some highlights for me have been watching team Villa Aurora win a soccer game in the city league, dancing in a flash mob at the Christmas market in downtown Florence, attending an Italian wedding, snow ugar,tubing at a winter park downtown, watching alabaster being created, climbing on the roof of the famed Milan Cathedral, performing more ers or that odern reseeand homocysteine, which increases s. the chance of heart disease.5 He goes

in a skit for the Latin American church in Rome, singing for a choir trip to Turin, and of course, all the traveling, from Auschwitz to the Amalfi Coast.

“It dawned on me what a family everyone here has become.“ At Villa Aurora, everyone really is a family.

The teachers care about you and want you to succeed. You bond and make friends with students from other Adventist schools around the U.S., from Oakwood to Pacific Union College. Everyone came for his or her own reasons, such as fashion design, art, or Italian degrees, and others for reasons such as mine, traveling and learning. If you have travel fever, then Italy is your medicine. I won’t say "cure" because I’ll always have travel fever — it’s incurable. Villa Aurora has the most school trips out of all the ACA

schools around the world, and it’s easy to see why — Italy is filled with beauty everywhere. It also juts out into the Mediterranean, and if you haven’t looked at a map of Europe recently, look it up. Italy looks as if it is encouraging you to travel, anywhere from Greece to Spain to the U.K. — the possibilities are endless!

Recently, we traveled to Venice. Because it was during the Carnival of Venice, we saw fun costumes everywhere.

Many bought masks, and we had a great day exploring all over the canals and getting lost on the little streets under the blue skies. Wherever you may be in life, there are always blessings to find, but here in Italy, it seems easier than ever to appreciate the blessings.

Photos by Robbie Hill

Caffeine's Logical Extreme (continued)

ntingon to state that caffeine is a stimulant blogs/that reduces depth and quality of sleep, -me-hence there are higher levels of the stress lage. hormone cortisol. Cortisol interferes with glucose metabolism, which can increase 26-1/ insulin resistance and thereby promote nds. ch- heart disease. Also, adequate sleep encourages healthful eating, so caffeine intake encourages overeating.6 Indeed, ethe opposite is true: Eating more food with greater frequency suppresses caffeine

withdrawal headaches and symptoms, which tricks the body into feeling better by overeating due to caffeine intake.

To conclude, the logical extreme of caffeine is dangerous to your health. Of course, there is an amount of caffeine that would actually kill you — but that isn’t logical (150–200 mg per kilogram of body mass, which would be something like me drinking 67 tall cups of Starbucks coffee straight).7 Rather, the logical extreme is overall lack of health and increased risk

of heart disease (which can also kill you, of course), as well as a lack of sleep which results in reduced productivity and drive overall. Fuhrman states that one cup of coffee, or tea for that matter, “is not likely to cause a significant risk, but drinking more than one cup can interfere with your health and even your weight-loss goals.” I will invariably drink some caffeine again some night before a paper is due, but may I never make it my habit.

1. Ask me what’s so cool about the production of decaf coffee.

2. A. Smith, “Effects of caffeine on human behavior,” Center for Occupational and Health Psychology, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, U.K., Food Chem. Toxicology, 2002, September, 40(9): 1243–1255.

3. Joel Fuhrman, M.D., Eat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss (New York: Little, Brown and Co., 2012), 198.

4. Fuhrman, 308.

5. Fuhrman, 402.

6. Fuhrman, 402–403.

7. Wikipedia, “Caffeine,” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Caffeine#Caffeine_toxicity; cspinet.org/new/ cafchart.htm.

lica-

ovies.

We'd like to thank the sponsors of this week's issue of The Collegian and we encourage our readers to support them.

The Heel “Baked fresh every week.”

Battle of the Bands will be happening this year. Prepare to bop for a benefit on May 4th.

Verbatim

SUPER JEWEL QUEST The drill: old-school scavenger hunting! Scour campus for the three jewels I’ve hidden. Hints will be posted on sjqww.tumblr.com as needed. Email me for fabulous prizes or hints.

“I feel like all Adventists wear mom jeans.”

— Grant Perdew

“Sometimes I wish I could make out with myself.”

— Greg Khng

“It’s a stormtrooper! C’mon, guys, I knew that, and I haven’t even seen Star Trek.”

— Clarabeth Smith

“Stop smoking crack.”

— Troy Fitzgerald, on a girl hearing bells on campus

“The library is supposed to smell like old-man toes. It brings me comfort.”

— Nelita Crawford

Propelle d to quest, you’ ll need to spy thre e metal bird s who whe el and dive.

If th eir for ms a re ha rd to see , disg uis ed, then ask for help from alumni.

Your mental battle’s second stage (my two cents are green with questing craze): School values, gold, trifectorate, are near the outlet for your chase.

Jewel three’s vendor is oft’ maligned, it’s impersonality designed.

Just don’ t get stuck claiming your priz e; you’ d eat well, ‘til found by auto guys.

Hear something funny? Report it! julian.weller@wallawalla.edu

Julian Weller The Heel Editor

Listening to Lisa Gungor et al. singing Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” last Saturday reminded me of things Lisa’s husband said in a question-and-answer session before the show.

Michael Gungor had been answering questions about effective worship leading. What do you do when a congregation isn’t very responsive? Don’t worry about it, he said. Examine your motives for wanting a lively crowd.

Ultimately, you’re just another member of the group, and you wouldn’t be nervous about a dead crowd if you were in the pews. Besides, you can’t always tell how engaged someone is by looking at him or her. (That’s why I find appeals to “stand up for this next one” obnoxious.) The concert Saturday handily proved

Gungor’s point: Lots of us stayed in the bleachers, and lots of us ran up front to stand and bounce around. From what I could tell, though, the people sitting down were more engaged. They weren’t the ones chortling over quiet songs, anyway.

The same thing happens in vespers and CommUnity. If anyone stands up during a song, most of us wonder whether we should too. If there’s an altar call, or if a worship band asks you to stand, are you denying the Holy Spirit if you don’t get up there? No, but when the rest of the group is going, it’s easy to confuse social pressure with spiritual calling.

Homogenous cultures often imply universality. They make it easy to believe God cares about where you worship, what you wear, and whether you act like everyone else. Social and religious rules get confused for each other and moralized, and when people “fall” out of line, they get bullied (attacked by the majority).

This only works with a limited conception of

Would you rather have the life of Cinderella or Shrek?

“Shrek, ‘cause I don’t like Cinderella.”

Kofi Twumasi

“Shrek’s not based on outward appearance. It’s based on heart.”

Geddy Pratt

“Shrek, because in the morning, Donkey’s making waffles.”

Josie McKaig

“Shrek, because Cinderella gets a boy and Shrek gets a girl.”

Grayson Andregg

“I’m not a fan of princesses, but who would want to be a green ogre?”

Eileen Rojas Apologies to Armelle M. for printing a question different from what was asked. We know you aren’t 66!

God. If you think divinity is too big for one church, it’s harder to judge other bodies.

Back to the Gungors and everyone singing beautifully: Lisa sang a seldom-heard verse of Cohen’s. I was struck by its opening lines: “I did my best; it wasn’t much. / I couldn’t feel, so I tried to touch.” I see Cohen mingling the forces and connections we normally entangle, and praise for “the Lord of Song” is mixed in with ruminations on stormy relationships almost interchangeably. The physical and spiritual are found within each other. Cohen’s lines summarize so well the problems we earthly beings have with understanding and separating our relationships with each other from the great I Am, the pillar of cloud, the fiery Ghost.

Cohen’s lines aren’t so simple, though. It’s unfair to assume such a great artist would accidentally leave his work open to interpretation.

Art isn’t that monosyllabic; neither is truth.

The parable of the blind man describing the

elephant comes to mind, as does something else Michael Gungor said. I paraphrase: No one else in the world has your unique set of relationships and experiences, or thinks the same way about the world. That makes your art valuable. Don’t force it. Don’t try to fit yourself into a cookie cutter and chop off all the corners that make you unique. He was answering a question about praise-songwriter’s block, but his comments are identical to what I’ve been taught about art in general. It also applies to worship: If you believe God made you how you are for a reason, then you can’t discount your own voice. À la VeggieTales, “God made you special, and He loves you very much.” In art, worship, and life with each other, isn’t it our duty to remove our egos from the equation, without erasing ourselves? Like Jack Johnson sings in “Banana Pancakes,” we’re better together, and like stone soup, we’ve all got to bring our own ingredients.