Volume 98, issue 3

Walla Walla University

the

Collegian 17 October 2013 | Volume 98 | Issue 3

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10

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Breaking down the shutdown what a government shutdown means for you

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Grant Perdew Editor-In-Chief

Even if you don’t follow news or politics, I’m sure everyone has at least heard the term “government shutdown” in the last few weeks.

Sometimes we can so easily get caught up in our little world of a private university and feel like we’re not affected by everything that goes on outside. But that’s not true, and that’s what this week’s edition is about. Politics are a tough issue to tackle, with so many opposing viewpoints and ideas spinning in a giant governmental brawl. As of today, the shutdown may be over. But the staff of The Collegian is here to help inform the campus and community of what happened during the last few weeks and put simply why it’s important for us to know.

Regardless of whether you spend your life in a cave in Oregon or in Skyrim, what happens in our nation affects us. That is why it is so important to understand how policy affects the grants and

3–7

8–14

Context

Perspective

photo by cedric thiel

photo by arella aung

News|Contributor|By the Numbers Calendar

Campus Ministries | Religion | Study Abroad Column | Opinion | Snapshots | Diversions Creative Writing | Contributor

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Grant Perdew

Assistant Editor Nathan Stratte

Head Layout Editor Alix Harris

Head Copy Editor Carly Leggitt

Head Photo Editor Kate Gref

News Editor

Carolyn Green

Feature Editors

Brooklynn Larson Katie Pekar Julian Weller

Opinion Editors

Brandon Torkelsen Rebecca Williams Andrew Woodruff

Fashion Editor

Brenda Negoescu

Sports Editor

Grayson Andregg

Religion Editor

Daniel Peverini

Outdoor Editor Justin Mock

Diversions Editor Eric Weber

Travel Editor Jon Mack

Science & Technology Editor Joe Hughes

Food EDitor

Andrea Johnson

Local Attractions Editor Timmy Barbosa

Arts & Media Editor Chad Aufderhar

Backword Editor Rachel Logan

Creative Writing Editor Rachel Blake

scholarships we receive, the loans we leave school with, the health care options for young adults, and the economy we enter after we graduate.

If you’re completely lost when it comes to government, then I invite you to learn to basics of the shutdown and how it affects us. If you want to delve deeper into some issues that our nation faces today, be sure to read the feature and the contribution from previous ASWWU President, James Oliver. Becoming more informed is one of the most important things you can do. I challenge readers to get involved and do things. We can be the change we want to see in the world, and it starts with understanding.

want to be featured in the collegian?

Submit your poetry, articles, creative writing, art, and photos to: aswwu.collegian@wallawalla.edu.

15–17

feature

photo by creative commons

Layout Designers Erik Edstrom Andralyn Iwasa Ian Smith

Copy Editors

Rachel Blake Jassica Choi Lauren Heathcock

Staff Writers

Lester Biggs Savannah Kisling Carlton Henkes Lauren Lewis

Office & Distribution Manager Haley Coon

Breaking Down the Shutdown: What a Government Shutdown Means for You

18–24

life

photo by john froschauer

Arts & Media|Science | Local | Food | Sports Outdoor | Travel | BackWord

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: Creative Commons, @smellsfischy, Cedric Thiel, Andrea Johnson, Flickr User Ben thè Man 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 grant.perdew@wallawalla.edu. This issue was completed at 3:00 a.m. on 17 October 2013.

The Collegian | Volume 98, Issue 3 | 204 S. College Avenue College Place, WA 99324 | collegian.wallawalla.edu

CONTEXT NEWS | 3

a week to reflect on god's mercy // Lester Biggs

Staff Writer

This year’s fall Week of Worship held from October 7-12 emphasized God’s love, strength, and mercy.

During this week-long event, students got to learn from Walla Walla University staff and faculty members' first-hand accounts how merciful and forgiving God is. Their messages were inspired by 1 John 1:1-4, where John speaks about sharing what he has seen, heard, and touched, concerning the Word of Life.

This Week of Worship showed students that life comes with many ups and downs and that we can overcome the challenges through God’s love and mercy. Apart from hearing professors and other staff members speak about their journey to finding Jesus’

love, students got a little insight on the past lives of many professors.

“Our goal was to have leaders from our campus share a glimpse of their journey with the campus in hopes of helping others along the way of following Jesus,” said campus chaplain, Paddy McCoy. In total there were 13 speakers: two spoke for each morning meeting and two spoke for vespers. David Richardson Jr. delivered the final message of the week on Sabbath. With each speaker, there was no telling what kind of story or topic they would bring to the pulpit that would ultimately make a difference in someone’s life. Whether it was the loss of a loved one, a struggle with God, not knowing where to start your life, or not knowing where God wants you to go, the main message being spread was strength through Christ.

Anthony Smith, a chemistry professor, was one that stood out because he shared his struggles in accepting God as well as

how God turned out to be the answer all along. Alma Alfaro, a Spanish professor and a native of El Salvador, showed students what it was like when the world she knew started to crumble around her due to civil war. “I wanted to share how God has always had a plan for me. It was a new world but God was always in control,” said Alfaro.

The rest of the faculty and staff speakers included Cindee Bailey, Nathan Klingstrand, Joe Galusha, Brian Roth, Doug Logan, Giselle Hepker, Terri Dickinson Neil, Brant Berglin, Kristen Taylor, and Josefer Montes. Many students liked the variety of the speakers, because each person brought a different testimony to the pulpit about how God came through. “I liked the speakers because their testimonies were relatable. The music was good, too," said freshman Chris Williams.

Overall, the week was a success and gave the campus a good spiritual boost.

A time for sports and academy kids // Savannah Kisling

Staff Writer

orts

You may have noticed that high schoolers, once again, took over our campus for the weekend. It’s understandable if you purposefully tried to avoid them, but unless you escaped the whole Walla Walla Valley for the weekend or lived under a pile of textbooks and cafeteria take-out containers, you probably ran over/across a few jersey-clad young'ns.

When asked, Trevor Congleton of marketing and enrollment services couldn’t recall off the top of his head what year Fall Classic started, but said it was “sometime in the '90s.” Which makes it almost as old as many of the high school students that played in the games this year.

On Wednesday night, the first of the over-

20 teams from 18 different schools started rolling into College Place and throwing their mats on dorm room floors. Games started 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10, and finished in the early hours of Sunday, Oct. 13.

While the opinion of those who had to wait in extra long lines at the cafeteria, or those who couldn’t find a spot to sit in at vespers might agree that the inundation of academy kids is a nuisance, it wouldn't take long to find a current student that is attending WWU because of one of the events like Fall Classic. Being namely a recruitment opportunity, it has high school students living in the dorm, eating in the cafeteria, and attending vespers alongside current WWU students.

Another important facet of the event is that it builds relationships among the academies. “It’s nice to have the [academy] students connecting and getting to know each other,” said Marlena Rebant, who is

on the marketing and enrollment services team. “Having Fall Classic on our campus shows Walla Walla’s interest toward those relationships and the kids.”

For the college student, it can keep ties to his or her own academy strong. “You sign up for [academy students] in your residence hall. It gives them a chance to see what college is like, and also for you to stay connected with your academies,” explained Congleton. “A lot of Walla Walla students come down and watch the games. ... It’s a good way to integrate the Adventist community and build it up.”

OPEN POSITIONS M t. A s h E d i t o r A S W W U G r ap h i c D e s i gn e r * C o l l e g i a n L ay o u t D e s i gn e r * C o l l e g i a n R e l i gi o n E d i t o r *Collegian Columnist *D e ad l i n e O c t . 2 0

how to

Apply

1. Download application from ASWWU website.

2. Send your résumé, application, and cover letter to aswwu@ wallawalla.edu.

3. Wait for your interview.

SENATE VACANCIES

SENATE SESSION

D istrict 3 – Mesk e/Ma r ri e d

OCTOBER 17 – 9 p.m. – WEC 217

D istrict 7 – Ha llma r k / Fa c ul t y

Chec k as.wal l awal l a.edu

C o ur t/Uni v er si ty Ow ne d

for your senator s.

Do wnlo a d sena te a ppl ic a t i on fr o m a s. wa lla wa lla .e du.

Fol l ow @ASWWU _Senate on Twi tter for updates.

CONTEXT NEWS | 4

Carlton henkes Staff Writer Tuesday’s ASWWU senate elections CommUnity was a delightful diversion from the standard CommUnity format.

From compelling candidates to stylish videos to Karl Wallenkampf’s microphone

Jono Pratt, ASWWU president, showed his school spirit by opening with a call for students to fully appreciate Walla Walla University by taking advantage of all it has to offer. As Pratt broke down the budget allocations, he said, “We’ll be more transparent this year, showing you where your money is going.”

Logan Villarreal, head of ASWWU Video, has a goal to release a video every Thursday at 9:37 p.m. He also mentioned that there will be signups in the cafeteria for those wanting to help out with the videos.

It was also announced that the ASWWU webpage will be a great asset to students this year. To see the calendar of events and activities, go to as.wallawalla.edu and click the Events button at the top center of the page. Click the ASWWU Apparel Survey link in the sidebar on the right hand side to vote on your favorite T-shirt designs for this year’s official school shirt. Also, be sure to check out the Outdoors and Mountain Rents links under the Services drop-down menu at the top of the page for exciting off-campus opportunities. And take your broken bikes behind the Atlas to the Tread Shed to be fixed for free!

Among the changes brought by ASWWU this year, the WEC will be open later and the SAC open on Saturday nights.

Fall service day 2013 // lauren Lewis Staff Writer

At 8 a.m. Wednesday morning, Walla Walla University began the 11th annual fall Service Day. Service Day gives staff, faculty, and students the opportunity to participate in volunteer work around the Walla Walla Valley. It begins with breakfast provided by the University Church, followed by a short worship thought, after which participants head off to work at various sites around Walla Walla. After returning from their projects, volunteers are given a hearty lunch provided

by Campus Ministries, OPS, AGA and Village Club.

Walla University now has two annual service days. The first Service Day is held in October and the second is held on Earth Day in the spring. However, this year, spring Service Day will be held on April 6 due to conflicting dates of Earth Day and Easter.

Fall Service Day work projects included shoveling, painting, demolition, medical testing at public schools, arts and crafts, and yard work. History professor Monty Buell enjoys going to Fort Walla Walla for Service Day with the History department. One year, Buell and other participants photographed, labeled, and organized historic quilts.

Freshman Zach Brenes participated in his first WWU service day at the YMCA, where his group decorated for a children’s event.

Linda Emmerson, professor of philosophy, was a part of the Centennial Committee that initiated Service Day in 1992: “Service Day began in October, 1992. It was a formal centennial celebration event.

Lending a hand in service to our community was our campus' way of saying "thank you" to the many businesses and organizations of the Walla Walla Valley who donated both funds and land for us to build the college in 1891-2. The celebration also offered a renewed commitment to community on the part of the college. WWC/WWU benefits every year from the generosity of community leaders, businesses, and other organizations. ...

Over 700 students, faculty, and staff members participated in our first service day.”

“The average student and staff participation is between 500-600 people each fall Service Day," says Ellie Veverka, community service coordinator of Campus Ministries. Walla

photo by timothy torres

He said, “It was awesome!” Other projects included cleaning rooms, setting routers, and raking leaves at the Garden Court/Mike Foye Homes. Sophomore Matt Parret found it extremely fulfilling to “talk to and get to know the residents" and "a lot of fun!”

Fall Service Day was a success. If you missed out this year, mark your calendars for the spring Service Day. In the words of Emmerson, “Go help somebody! You'll be so glad you did.”

november 2 WEC 8 p.m.

photo by arella aung

@icpope

ASWwu commUnity //

sonic boom, ASWWU proved that it knows how to inform and entertain.

CONTEXT

CONTRIBUTOR ABROAD | 5

Mediterrabian Nights // Chandler Jordana

Beirut

To students currently attending the university so nice they named it twice: Greetings from outside the world of academia, the cold and dark place known as the “real world.” To the freshmen, new students, and others whose acquaintance I haven’t had the pleasure of formally making, my name is Chandler. Up until four months ago, I too was a student of Walla Walla University. As a current “alumnus” of Walla Walla University (and evidently a 23-year-old senior citizen), I don’t want to discuss with you the necessary steps to find a job after graduation or the difficulties of this economy. Instead, I want to talk to you about something that (most likely) everyone has already talked to you about: Travel.

Yes, traveling rules are like the opposite of Fight Club, and I fully intend on beating a dead horse because I am almost 100 percent sure that at one point you’ve been sitting in the SAC, just trying to finish your $1.29 burrito, when that annoying “freshman” from a few years ago (who you didn’t even know was back) not only speaks fluent French now, but suddenly knows all of the intricacies and hidden themes in European architecture.

So, as every sudden Miami Heat fan from the West Coast knows, “If you can’t beat ’em, join ‘em.”

Every year, WWU students join the Adventist Colleges Abroad program and journey to France, Spain, Argentina, or other countries. Don’t worry, I’m not going to discuss the inadequacies of these institutions because frankly, there are none.

I personally spent one of the best years of my young life at the ACA school in Spain and an unforgettable summer in France.

Even though I’ve never been to Argentina, I hear it’s dirt cheap and full of tango, maté, soccer, and Spanish. As Charlie Sheen would say, “What’s not to love?” In other words, please do not mistake what I’m about to say as an attempt to bash on the aforementioned countries or ACA programs located there — they literally changed my life.

However, in the Portlandia-watching, Macklemore-listening, Goodwill-shopping Northwest, I can’t help but feel like following the crowd is just not in your

nature. Take a little trip down to Whitman if you need help realizing Walla Walla is no exception. Specifically, Walla Walla University students are no exception — yes, I mean you, Julian Weller. Therefore I ask you: Why settle for a study-abroad program where you’ll be visiting all the same places they did last year, when you could study at an ACA program so new and far from mainstream that “you probably haven’t even heard of it?” Ladies and gentleman, I give you Beirut, my current home and the home of Middle East University.

If you’re looking to do something different or to just live under the Mediterranean sun all year long, look no further. Situated in the Middle East, which is currently about as popular of a travel destination as Borat’s “very nice” Kazakhstan, lies a skyscraper-littered metropolis that looks like it belongs more on the West Coast than on CNN. Beirut has literally everything you could want in a study abroad program (and it’s the cheapest of all the ACA programs).

Here you can learn Arabic, an important global language, while still branching out from the stereotypical “I took a year off in Europe to find myself” thing. You can travel to important global destinations like Dubai and Abu Dhabi, alongside important historical sites like the Dead Sea and Petra. You can start your day by visiting the Biblical cedars of Lebanon (if taking Facebook pictures at locations mentioned in the Song of Solomon doesn’t melt an Adventist girl’s heart, I don’t know what will) and finish it with an evening on a Mediterranean beach. You can even surf and snowboard on the same day. Now before you think I’m talking about Southern California, please realize that Lebanon has more history and culture in its pinky toe than does all of California (I love Cali, I swear).

If, during his discourse, the aforementioned “freshman” has anything to complain about from his life-changing year abroad, it’s the food he missed from back home. Well, that won’t really be a problem here. There are more American food options in Beirut than in Walla Walla. Fifteen minutes away from the MEU campus is the biggest mall in Lebanon, complete with P.F. Changs, Pinkberry, and Cinnabon (and American Eagle, Top Shop, Zara, Bershka etc. for the ladies). If that’s not enough, KFC, Subway, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, T.G.I. Fridays, Chili’s, Applebees, Krispy Kreme, and the Cheesecake Factory are all close by. So really, all you people who’ve thought about changing your Facebook status to “in a relationship with P.F. Changs” have nothing to worry about.

The bottom line is that Beirut is an exotic place. Even if “hipsterdom” is not your thing, there is something for you. If you think I’m making this all up, I challenge you to come and prove me wrong. I’ll even give you my address so you can hunt me down if you’re dissatisfied. Besides, you’ll miss your friends anyway — why not have better stories than them?

photos by chandler jordana

CONTEXT

BY THE NUMBERS

6

#thecollegian

100,000 High estimate of the number of head of cattle killed in South Dakota in the October 4 blizzard.

20–50% 71 MPH Percentage of their herds that many ranchers lost.

1,000 Feet from surface water, floodplains, rivers, or public or private drinking water wells that the cattle must be buried.

`

16

Days that the government shutdown lasted.

High speed of wind and snow in Midwest blizzard.

@masonelliot95

U.S. national debt as of October 16, 2013.

@mmmmmac_

@incandescent_k

@smellsfischy

$16,747,430,534,090.62

$1 Billion Estimated economic losses caused by the blizzard.

$0

Amount of federal aid supplied to help.

55

Snow accumulated, in inches, in Lead, South Dakota.

CONTEXT 7

week in forecast 17 Oct Thursday 63° 41°

photo by flickr user stopthegears

19 oct Saturday

18 oct Friday

66° 44°

63° 45°

photo by kai kopitzke

Final Mask Shoot 12–4 p.m.

ASWWU Offices

ASWWU Outdoors: Whitewater Rafting Trip

ASWWU Outdoors: Whitewater Rafting Trip

8 p.m.

Maupin, Oregon Deschutes River

Returns

Vespers: ASWWU Battle Ground 8 p.m.

University Church Speaker: Karl Wallenkampf Music: Zach Parks

ASWWU Battle Ground 10:30 a.m.

Village Hall Speaker: Tyler Martin

Popcorn Prayer and Praise 9:30 p.m.

Prayer House

21 oct Monday 70° 41°

photo by flickr user back to the cutting board

National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day

64° 43°

photo by aswwu

photo by joshua mckinney

National Pasta Day

20 oct Sunday

22 oct Tuesday 68° 45°

Music: Zach Parks

4 p.m.

Tom Coleman: Art and Slide Show 6–8 p.m.

FAC International Sloth Day

Food: 10 a.m.

23 0ct Wednesday 55° 39°

photo by kai kopitzke

CommUnity: Hispanic Heritage 11 a.m.

University Church

photo by flickr user rdecom

National Mole Day 6:02 a.m.–6:02 p.m.

PERSPECTIVE C AM P U S M IN I ST R I E S | 8

The value of small groups // Small groups are safe places to address relevant issues and questions in your life and to feel comfortable doing so. One of the characteristics that makes this possible is their adaptability. Perhaps you are interested in talking about the potency of the book of James; you can find people who’d be interested. Someone else wants to talk about the acceptance of Jesus? People want to hear what you have to say and discuss it. Often, individuals believe no one else contemplates the same questions, yet that could not be further from the truth. Talk to fellow peers, keep your ears open, and if there is not a group that fits your needs, you can create it.

Whether leading or listening, you can expect growth, acceptance, and friendship. — Travis Sandidge

Campus Ministries 2013–2014 leadership team

Rachael Coon assistant to the chaplain

Ministry leaders

chaplain

Kylia Clark assistant chaplain – women’s dorm

Michael moore ii assistant chaplain – men’s dorm

nate stratte assistant chaplain music & worship

–

Jesse Churchill circle church

karl wallenkampf

Travis Sandidge

Sean Lenhoff

Rychelle willis

shintell izquierdo

vespers coordinator

small groups coordinator

prayer ministires cocoordinator

volunteer ministires coordinator

hispanic ministries coordinator

small groups assistant

John wilson

kaci crook

prayer ministries cocoordinator

volunteer ministries coordinator

katelyn campbell homebase

gabby smith heubach worship

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No the p

aswwu spiritual vp

Tiffany Nelson

Sarah Linfoot

Core Team

Paddy McCoy

To so fr

ANDRES DIOCARES

worship service screen director

anthony lyder student church assistant

fulfill huma that G uncon conce or wh God’ fulfill be ful

Am him, Not very conce becau the fu many these future

PERSPECTIVE REL I GI O N | 9

We often hear about how our salvation is in danger.1 “God loves you very, very much. It’s just that if you turn your back on Him too many times, He will leave you to your own devices and eventually He will have to destroy you.” Right off, I want to say that asking about whether or not one is “saved” is the wrong question. This question originates from fear and has nothing to do with the God of Jesus, whose perfect love casts out all fear.2 We are all “saved,” whatever that means. This is so because God has promised our fulfillment, and His word shall stand.3 Now we can turn to what many will see as the primary problem with affirming universal

“We are all ‘saved,’ whatever that means.” fulfillment, the big question: What about human free will? To begin, I should make clear that God does not determine everything. God’s unconditional promise does not necessarily concern what color tie you will wear tomorrow or what you will eat for breakfast this morning.

God’s declaration only concerns our ultimate fulfillment, and it is a declaration that we will be fulfilled despite our alienation.

Am I saying that God will force us to choose him, and by so doing take away our freedom?

Not really. Instead, I am claiming that the very freedom with which we are (rightly) so concerned is possible only in God. This is so because freedom is found only in openness to the future. I am only free insofar as I can take many different directions with my life and these directions can only be taken in some future moment.

I think it is worth mentioning that fulfillment is not a “personal” experience in the sense that I can experience it without others. This is simply because we exist as persons in relation to other persons. We call each other out of ourselves to become ourselves. Human personality is therefore seen as a form of “transcendence.”

I lose myself to become myself.5 There is no real personality apart from community. The fulfillment of God’s promise is anticipated therefore not alone, but in community, which is why Christians have “the Church.” Thus I would go so far to say that there is no such thing as a “personal” relationship with God. We need each other, whether we like it or not.

Fulfillment is a thoroughly communal reality.

So, the main Christian problem is not, “Am I saved?” but rather, “Now that I am freed by God’s promise of fulfillment, what can I do for others?” This question requires an entirely different article. But I will say that as Christians, we should live in total freedom, placing our trust in God to fulfill us despite ourselves.

So te ri ol o gy (n.) theology dealing with salvation especially as effected by Jesus Christ. merriam-webster dictionary

1. I must acknowledge the work of Carl Braaten and Robert Jenson as a primary influence in writing this piece.

2 Cf. I John 4.18, NRSV. 3 Ergo Second Isaiah, “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isa 55:11, NRSV).

4 II Corinthians 3:17, NRSV. 5 Thus the words of Jesus, “Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it” (Mark 8:35, NRSV).

photo by raffaellino del garbo

Religion Editor

illustration by bradley lalonde

Daniel Peverini

week of worship

Toward a soteriology of freedom //

Openness to the future, in turn, is found only beyond death. If I choose to take a given direction with my life, my future is open to a degree, but it is always threatened by my impending death. When I die, I no longer am open to any future. Now, if I live beyond death, my future becomes truly open. With death behind me, I can live fully open to my own future. As Christians, we claim that God in Jesus is the promise of our life beyond death.

So we have come full circle: Freedom rightly occurs only in the God of Jesus. As Paul says, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”4

PERSPECTIVE

STUDYING ABROAD/ COLUMN | 10

lessons from the old country //

photos by cedric thiel

Cedric Thiel

I’m sure I will glean many more lessons as the term progresses and my haystack cravings increase. I look forward3 to starting the regular class schedule in a few days, when the full attention of an expert in a humanities field is directed toward my personal ignorance.4 Until then, Walla Walla, enjoy harvest season and Mexican food, and good luck figuring out your class schedule in the post– Week-of-Worship chaos.

Oxford

As befits all orthodox science majors, I am spending a term studying history and literature at the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, located at the University of Oxford.1 I flew over at the beginning of September and I finished the first part of the term (a four-week class) just last week. The next 10 weeks of the term will consist of three classes: one seminar with four other students and two tutorials where you meet oneon-one with a professor (and likely an expert in the field). Despite giving up in despair whenever I try to figure out just how the Oxford structure works, my brief time here is yielding several lessons.

dress clothes in order to have dinner in your college’s dining hall. You should have packed more formal wear.

schedule before walking an hour to the ferry terminal. Failure to do so may result in getting stranded in Ireland for eight hours and missing all of your connecting trains.2

Lesson four: Jaywalk. If you wait for the light to turn, you will never get anywhere.

Lesson five: You need academic regalia and

Lesson one: A university with a 700-year history has a lot of quirks. One of these quirks is taking a solemn oath from a librarian wearing an academic robe before you’re allowed in the library.

Lesson two: Live music from local buskers located just outside your windows is nice and entertaining at first, but after the sixth rendition of “Georgia on My Mind” on saxophone within an hour, you start to wish the windows were soundproof.

1. This is thanks to an opportunity provided by WWU’s honors program. Remind all your academy friends to apply for the honors program!

2. Ireland is a country of dreams — and nightmares. Ask Julian Weller about his experience travelling to Dublin.

3. Read: Have great apprehension about.

4. At least Kellie Bond doesn’t make swords.

Lesson three: If you’re going to take a ferry across the Irish Sea, make sure you check the

tactful is the new sexy // Brenna Selby Contributing Writer This is my fourth and final column here at The Collegian, and instead of wrapping up my (not very brief) history of Islam, I want to rant about something a little more personal.

Considering our diversity — as individuals and as a global society — it goes without saying that we spend a lot of a time trying to figure out how to get along with each other; and frankly, we’re really bad at it sometimes.

I sympathize with this issue in a huge way. It takes most of my energy just to avoid offending my own friends and family.

On top of that, it’s ludicrously hard for me to keep track of what is or is not politically correct, and there’s a good chance that I’m rubbing somebody the wrong way every time I open my mouth: “Wow, your eyes are really close together!” “Is that a baby or a mummified lizard?”

This week, I’m writing to those of you that find yourselves vomiting over the railing of the same tactless boat as I do (Tadd Selby). All you polite people can go eat muffins or whatever it is you do now.

I value being able to voice my opinions.

I have a lot of them, and if you’re willing to listen to me (and even if you’re not), I will share them with you. I’m a fan of the first amendment and I’ll defend to the death your right to say what you have to say even if I don’t agree with it. (Voltaire!)

The rub is that I also sort of value not hurting people’s feelings. I would be over the moon if we could all shamelessly share our opinions with the world without hurting anybody’s feelings, but that’s just not the way it goes.

The truth is that the only way to really avoid offending anyone is to crawl under a rock somewhere out in the woods where nobody can ever see or hear you again.

You are never going to please everyone.

(Hey, you with the muffin! Hear that?)

But there’s good news. Turns out delivery is a massive factor when it comes to exchanging ideas. This concept isn’t really complicated, but I’ll break it down anyway.

Let’s say your opinion happens to be that the earth is a sphere. If you ran into a person, or a whole group of people, that strongly believe the world is a flat disc

balanced on the backs of four elephants who are standing on a turtle named the Great A’Tuin (yay, Terry Pratchett), you have two general options. You can either scoff at what you see as their delusional picture of reality, or you can treat them (and their belief) with respect, and say something like, “That’s interesting! I happen to have a different world view, but I’d like to hear more about your perspective on things.” It’s important to point out that respect is not the same as agreement. And that, friends, is the key to success in almost every human relationship. It’s entirely possible to communicate respectfully with people you strongly disagree with. So, let’s not abandon our beliefs and opinions, but let’s work on ditching the hate.

PERSPECTIVE O P I NI O N | 11

Andrew Woodruff

Opinion Editor Well, let me start by saying I’m really excited for the field of psychology. Scientists are making rudimentary “brain links” known as brain-tobrain interfaces and have had success both in rat1 and human trials.2 Yet, despite all that interesting news, I’m still falling asleep in class. No, it’s not my bad sleeping habits — I sleep too much as it is. I just don’t get why we’re still talking about all the dead psychologists. I am enthusiastic and absorbed when I am reading Wikipedia or

“Learning doesn’t have to be about hitting the books.”

Brandon Torkelsen

Opinion Editor I am a college student. Because of this, I have very little perspective — the entirety of my knowledge about post-college life comes from others. In addition, my experience with education is of either the homeschooling or private Seventhday Adventist variety. That being said, I would like to make a short reflection on the nature of the education I will soon be completing.

The American system of education seems to be under fire as of late. There are a myriad of statistics proclaiming Scandinavia and Asia’s new reign as rulers of education. America was a pioneer in universal education, but that now seems to have passed. America’s educational structure is built as a pastime.

•

•

•

•

Wikipedia jumps straight to the chase.

Definitions are concise and logical.

Wikipedia only keeps the information it deems useful and sorts it according to its usefulness. There are no intro chapters, reviews, or long-winded explanations.

Wikipedia leaves room for curiosity. If anything catches my eye, I can click on it and explore it more. I can’t pause a lecture to explore differences among the branches of epistemology. The professor stops for no one.

Visual learning. There’s nothing like colorful pictures to spark your curiosity and a few diagrams to sum up what you’ve learned.

Lateral learning. Lateral learning is when you set out to study one thing and you end up learning about something else entirely. Sometimes this is a positive thing (like learning about Ayn Rand playing Bioshock) or it can

It seems that many companies today are not looking only for people with specific abilities, but people with certain traits. A recent survey by Universum found that companies are seeking out people who are professional, energetic, confident, self-motivated, and intellectually curious.1 While there is value in specific training, today’s marketplace is rapidly evolving, often leaving specific training obsolete. The American curriculum should have a place for classes such as Confidence 101 and Self-Motivation 335. Unfortunately, these traits are not easy to teach directly, but must be taught through the teaching of other skills.

Perhaps the problem is with classes. The nature of our advancement system — groups of kids moving along together — results in certain kids being held back and others left behind.

Naturally smart students can quickly learn that they don’t need to stretch themselves to fulfill the requirements for the group; less-intelligent students’ confidences receive repeated body blows in the form of substandard grades and confusion during lectures.

Maybe class subjects are too narrow. Math and science are important, but not everyone excels at or enjoys them. Some children are drawn to arts or humanities, but are told,

•

Learning can be laid back. Reading at my leisure means I absorb the maximum amount of information. This is why I love summer reading. You can read a chapter, put it down, and spend your time occasionally thinking back to what you were reading and relating it to your day. Now I just have to figure out how deadlines work.

Now I’m not saying that we should all switch from higher education to Wikipedia ... though that would be kind of awesome and definitely affordable. I just think there’s nothing keeping these elements from being added into our university education. Imagine if you could see the teacher’s PowerPoint on your iPhone. You see a term you don’t recognize? Just click it and it takes you to its definition. Very simple, but very powerful. Our world has become digitalized and we need to get innovative with it. Learning doesn’t have to be about hitting the books.

collegian

WISDOM A new toiletthemed restaruant, the Toilet Bowl Café, opened in Los Angeles.

Straining to find FDAapproved seating.

C

1. Http://www.nature.com/srep/2013/130228/ srep01319/full/srep01319.html.

2. Http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-5760028476/scientist-controls-colleagues-hand-in-firsthuman-brain-to-brain-interface/.

A fox has moved onto the grounds of the White House.

Searchers calling, “Jofftchoffo-tchoffo-tchoff!”

perhaps unintentionally and indirectly, that their passion is somehow less. The result of this may be kids being bored by the subjects that don’t interest them as the subjects that intrigue them are demeaned until they no longer pursue them.

Self-motivation is not taught in school.

Students have many motivations, but they are often applied by some external factor, whether parental pressure or cultural expectations. The American school system is not filled with students who view advancement as the best way to better their lives.

This lack of self-motivation is the reason I believe the American school system is failing.

In America, students do not need an education to survive. Education is no longer seen as the path to a better life. Because of this, schools, like culture as a whole, are filled with entitled, lazy students. The system is set up for a select few to succeed, while many students are left behind.

There is no easy answer, but an answer is needed nonetheless. America’s education is falling, and it is up to our generation to catch it.

1. Http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghancasserly/2012/10/04/top-five-personality-traitsemployers-hire-most/.

U.S. cuts military funding to Egypt.

Pharaoh, Pharaoh! Whoa baby, where’d my money go?

Pope Francis sells his Harley.

No more deux ex machina.

McDonald’s to temporarily replace Happy Meal toys with books.

Rise in paper-cut-related lawsuits expected.

C

=

When in Doubt, pick C //

This question has caused me endless frustration, but I think I finally may have a few answers. Wikipedia has found a way to engage us daydreaming scholars. At the center of Wikipedia’s success are a few elements:

be scary (like ending up on the weird part of Youtube). This is embedded in Wikipedia. It is what makes link surfing so fun.

C

Get engaged //

watching TED talks. Yet, the moment it starts getting taught to me I struggle to stay awake.

Why am I inspired by Wikipedia, but lulled into a stupor by an orthodox classroom setting?

C

SNAPSHOTS

WELCOME BACK BASH SERVICE DAY/

BACKPACKING 12 TRIP

12

photo by timothy torres

photo by arella aung

photo by arella aung photo by nathan curry

photo by arella aung

PERSPECTIVE DIVERSIONS | 13

creative

WRITING Rachel Blake

Creative Writing Editor

Tired // I’m tired.

I’m sleepy.

But without you Here Sleep seems Obsolete.

Still nodding off.

My dreams are No longer cradled By your warm hands. They’re Cold, Like stones Skipping across My tired mind.

Which still leaves Me feeling As before; Tired.

eric weber Diversions Editor & Pontificator

Health is a big deal

Health is a big deal (allegedly), and Adventism has always been a huge proponent of healthful living.

Adventism, with all of its fake, processed, dyed, oblong veggie meats. But there is one thing that school, Google, YouTube, and the Kardashians have failed to teach us about: forming truly healthful habits. Now, don’t think I’m exempt from this. As I’m typing this I’m watching reruns of Say Yes to the Dress while playing the how-many-Oreos-can-you-eat-before-you-cry game (I’m really happy with my choices. No, seriously ... I’m really happy). But the fact is, if we all don’t learn how to have healthy boundaries, we will all end up like one of those fat people that 13-year-old toolbags make gifs out of. So let’s stop, re-evaluate, and make some changes. Not like Miley-Cyrus-cut-my-hair-off change, more like Mike-Tyson-face-tattoo change. It’s just a suggestion.

PERSPECTIVE CONTRIBUTOR | 14

Just Say No // James Oliver

Contributor

The government shutdown tends to feel like Blue Palm has closed for the owners to do a month of taste testing and re-visioning.

Sure, they’re making froyo, but you can’t have any. We hope it will taste better, but what if it’s just the same, or worse? And in the meantime, it’s closed to us as its customers. Similarly, we can’t hike in federal parks (at least legally), or visit NASA.gov anymore, and meanwhile the congressmen who shut it all down get to keep working and get paid.1 Adding to the drama, the remaining employees and services of our federal government which have been deemed absolutely necessary are only allowed to remain in a state of limited operation ... which raises the question of why we have the “unnecessary” ones to begin with. (Ironically, the list of necessary people includes the ones paid to make and host websites which say the websites already made and hosted at .gov domains cannot be accessed.)2 Some of this seems absurd, yes. But ultimately, I believe we can avoid shutdowns.

As a designer by trade and education, one of the most important lessons I have learned is that we must create solutions based on causes, not symptoms. So rather than whine about my canceled trip to Yosemite or complain about how hard it is to keep up with Curiosity (NASA.gov/ohwait/justkidding), I would like to propose a solution to avoid shutdowns and other funding problems in the future: Operate our nation without debt.

That’s right, spend only the money we have and no more.

By borrowing now, we may not be able to improve or even maintain our standard of living for much longer. This is contrary to the marketing buzz, which seems to say that debt is great and will permanently increase our standard of living. Why else would we use credit cards, buy cars on payments, or take out payday loans? We borrow like we’ll get to pay less over time, rather than more. And on the state and federal levels, this mentality has great potential to quickly lower our standard of living if not kept in check.

Let’s look at the numbers.

Over the last year, our government has, for the first time since WWII, maintained more debt than the estimated monetary value of all goods and services produced in the United States (GDP).3 We can’t blame it on our recent war involvement, either, since the estimated cost of war since 2001 is just over what the U.S. borrowed in 2009 alone.4 Twelve years of war combined have cost us less than ten percent of our current federal debt.5 Most importantly, though, as our debt increases, by whatever means, we have to spend more money on the interest and less on our nation.

The president’s proposed 2014–23 budget forecasts a pre-interest surplus by 2019, but because of how much debt we’ll have in that same budget, we have to borrow at least $400 billion just to pay the interest on our loans.

By 2023, our budgeted deficit of almost $440 billion will be caused in part by over $760 billion in interest payments on over $25 trillion of debt. That is over half the cost of all of our wars since 2001, spent on interest alone!6 This proposed budget keeps the national debt hovering at about 98% of our GDP over the next 10 years, so as a percentage, the $9 trillion increase isn’t actually as large as it sounds, but we’re still talking about $9 trillion. And on top of owing over $25 trillion in 2023, we will have paid an additional $5 trillion in interest between now and then.

This is all assuming, of course, that inflation continues on its merry way, and our economy keeps up.

If we operate without debt, we can increase our long-term standard of living, though anyone running a debt-free business knows that having no debt will not solve all of life’s problems. Even if we run our nation without debt, money will still be spent in the wrong places, there will still be petty party fights, and we won’t solve world hunger. But if we sacrifice to get out of debt now and never look back, not having to pay $5 trillion in interest will start to look strangely like having an extra $5 trillion to use elsewhere.

Ask anyone you know who’s buckled down and gotten himself or herself out of debt. It may not be easy, and it may not be fun, but it will be worth it.

The only exception to the rule of never going into debt again would have to be to avert a global catastrophe. The world would be a bit different if Europe had been

completely conquered in WWII, and of course we want to keep anything similar from happening.

To pay off the debt, we have to reduce or eliminate whole sectors of government spending. Additionally, everyone will have to pay more taxes. We will have to learn to live without.

Once we’ve gotten out of debt, there is another step we must take. If we just have the money lying around, it will lose value and we would end up in a similar situation where we’re losing money each year, except this time it will be due to inflation. We would need to invest the extra money into other nations and business sectors so interest can be accrued.

So, when our generation is in control of this country, here’s what we should do: spend less than we bring in each year, save and invest the rest to use on a rainy day, and budget ourselves so well that we can actually afford to do things like pay for healthcare for everyone. We need to recognize the power of self denial now for great rewards later.

America needs to be able to dream again. Dream about a day when we can pay cash for everyone’s healthcare — a day when the president is given a discretionary fund every term so large it could change the world. A day in America when we can pay cash for wars, should they arise, and better outfit our men and women in the battlefield.

Imagine teachers getting paid well, schools having up-to-date buildings, and roads as smooth as glass from sea to shining sea.

And imagine that instead of our kids paying for our spending, we had a bit of self control and could pay for them to have a better future. Maybe they could shut down their government over something cool — like what to name the first Mars colony.

[1]Http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/ wp/2013/10/01/which-lawmakers-will-refuse-their-pay-duringthe-shutdown/.

[2] Http://notice.usa.gov/.

[3]Http://thumbnails.visually.netdna-cdn.com/united-statesdebt-as-a-percentage-of-gdp-19402012_50290c7b3f0c4.jpg.

[4]Http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/federal_deficit_chart. html.

[5] Http://nationalpriorities.org/cost-of/.

[6]Http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/ fy2014/assets/tables.pdf.

FEATURE 15

Breaking down the shutdown WHAT A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN MEANS FOR YOU // Brooklynn Larson Feature Editor

capitol photo from creative commons

closed sign photo stock image from sxc . hu

The United States federal government was shut down. If you have had any exposure to any news outlets anywhere, chances are you are aware of this. Phrases such as “debt ceiling,” “ACA,” and “funding lapse” are being thrown around as if they are terms that everyone knows. Blame is being passed around like a bad cold on a college campus — Democrats did this, Republicans caused that, etc. And on top of all of this, there is no clear answer for a lot of people who wonder how the shutdown will affect them. The next few pages have been designed to answer some questions you may have and present information you may find relevant regarding the government shutdown.

FEATURE 16

WHAT DOES A SHUTDOWN MEAN FOR ME AS A STUDENT? Government programs allowing for universities to apply for grants would certainly be greatly slowed or completely closed if the government were to shut down again, and some federal databases used for research would be closed until funding reappears. But whether a shutdown would impact you as a student depends mostly on a few key details.

NO

Are you planning to travel internationally soon?

A federal government shutdown would most likely not affect your student loans. It may take the government longer to process payments you make on your loans, but there would not be any change to the amount you have to pay. There is a risk, however, that the financial issues which caused the shutdown could cause a recession, possibly leading to student loan interest rates skyrocketing. There is no way to know how this shutdown will affect the economy in the long run, so for now just keep your eye on your loan’s interest rate.

Do you have student loans from the federal government?

NO

YES The Department of Education, like other parts of the government, had to furlough personnel that were deemed “nonessential.” This means that if you had to fill out a FAFSA anytime during or shortly after a government shutdown, the time it takes to process your form and send you and your school the results may be longer than usual.

At the beginning of the most recent shutdown, every national park and monument was closed to the public. Even the open-air monuments in Washington D.C. had been fenced off and guarded.

Eventually, however, there were a few state governments who agreed to pick up the tab, so to speak, to run national parks and monuments in their state. Although the vast majority of National Parks remained closed (including our own Bennington Lake, Whitman Mission, and Rook’s Park), the following and a few more were reopened.

Mount Rushmore — South Dakota The Statue of Liberty — New York Zion National Park — Utah Rocky Mountain National Park — Colorado The Grand Canyon — Arizona

YES Will you need to fill out a FAFSA anytime soon?

Luckily for you, most offices processing and sending out visas and passports would continue running, albeit slower than usual.

There are some offices in federally funded buildings that would have to close because their entire building is shut down, but cases like that are few and far between.

NO

Have you been planning a trip to a national park?

YES

If you’ve answered no to all these questions — congratulations. You have avoided just a few of the effects felt all over the country as a result of a federal government shutdown.

YES NO

FEATURE 17

WHICH PARTS OF THE GOVERNMENT WERE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN? No department was entirely shut down. Most departments retained some workers to keep essential programs running. For instance, 97 percent of NASA’s workers were sent home, but the three percent of workers who are essential for the International Space Station’s survival stayed. There are, however, programs within departments that had to close, or will have to close if another shutdown lasts much longer than the most recent government closure. One big example is the Department of Agriculture’s Women, Infants, and Children program (WIC), which would have had to close completely if the shutdown lasted past “late October” when WIC’s funds were expected to run out.

WHAT IS THE WIC? “The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides federal grants to states for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk.”

HAS THIS SORT OF THING HAPPENED BEFORE?

WILL THE ENTIRE GOVERNMENT SHUT DOWN?

Yes! Over the years, there have been 17 lapses in federal government funding, the majority of which were “ignored” while the government continued to function as if nothing was wrong. The longest government shutdown to date occurred in 1996 and lasted 21 days. photo from creative commons

photo by flickr user francisco diez

No. Some parts of the federal government will always be funded continuously regardless of Congress’ ability to pass a budget because they are written into permanent law. Social Security, for example, remains largely untouched by shutdowns. Also, because of the Antideficiency Act, certain parts of the government will not shut down because they have been deemed essential to the safety of human life and property. The United States military, emergency medical services and disaster relief, federal prisons, air traffic control, and most federal law enforcement will continue to function throughout a government shutdown.

WHY DID THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUT DOWN? In a nutshell, much of the federal government is funded by budgets that Congress passes. In other words, Congress decides how much money the federal government gets to spend. Consequently, the two major parts of Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives, must agree on the budget and pass it through both parts of Congress. In the past few weeks, the House of Representatives has proposed and passed several different budgets, but the Senate has not passed any of them. (There are many reasons as to why some politicians refuse to vote the budgets through, several of them having to do with the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare.) This disagreement led to Congress missing the deadline, October 1, when much of the federal government needed to have money to function.

Since Congress refused to pass a budget, many parts of the federal government did not have the funds to function normally, and were shut down until funding was agreed upon in Congress. photo from creative commons

CLOSING COMMENTS Even if none of the effects described in this article affected you directly, and even if you think the shutdown is over because Congress stuck a deal yesterday, here is why you should pay attention: The financial crisis that led to this shutdown is not something that will just go away because Congress agreed on an elventh-hour budget plan last night.

Their deal to raise the debt ceiling will only last unitl January 15, 2014. If nothing changes before then or shortly after, it is likely that the debt our government is creating will be passed on to us, our children, and maybe even our grandchildren. We, as young adults, should put forth some effort to stay informed, make wise financial decisions, and keep up with what our elected representatives are doing. Unless our generation decides to do a better job than those who have gone before us, it’s quite possible that the most recent government shutdown will not be the last.

LIFE

18 E|18 CULTUR

ARts and Media

vimeo.com/aswwu

tinyurl.com/o2nwoed

ASWWU Video

Songs for Soup-EAting Sweater Days

AGA & OPS Mudbowl Recap

Campfire OK “Wishing You The Best”

Soil, Wind, and Flame // Chad Aufderhar Arts & Media Editor One of my least favorite things about our campus is the sheer number of posters that I am confronted with at every door and bulletin board. I do not like this because I tend to ignore them all and miss things that happen on campus that I would have enjoyed. If you also have this problem, pay attention; I am about to save you from missing something truly special. This coming Sunday, ceramics artist Tom Coleman will be opening a show of his personal work for two days in the Fine Arts Center on campus. Perhaps you are thrilled about this already. Or, possibly you are wondering why you should care about pottery. I know very little about pottery beyond a lopsided mug I may or may not have made at summer camp so long ago.

This makes me completely incapable of telling you much more about Coleman’s amazing work, like why he is internationally recognized for his ceramics. Instead of saying it looked cool to me (ridiculously impressive is more accurate), I would like to share a passage inspired by some of Coleman’s vessels.

Dan Lamberton, Humanities Director and Professor in the English Department, wrote On the River Through the Valley of Fire: The Collaborative Ceramics of Frank Boyden and Tom Coleman. In this book he wrote essays and commentary, paired with images of the vessels about which he wrote. Here is what he has to say about pottery: “Pottery is the ancestor of the soup can, the oil barrel, the wine bottle, and the sixpack of whatever. It is the plate, the bowl.

It is every industry’s substrate, the craft where the hand shapes a body. The potter has historically been craftsperson and factory man and artist. The potter has rolled the clay and wound and braided it; has flattened clay and constructed it; has written on it, drawn on it, spun it; has held his breath as the shape adhered, sighed as it collapsed or stayed. Pottery has been hauled as amphora, as casket, as tablet. This craft is as old as craft gets.

“Think of how much work is put into the pot. The discovery and digging and hauling of clay, the clay-body forming, the wheel turning, the glaze with its alchemies and exact formulas, the fire, the smoke and the shadow of smoke, the water, the slip, the hand, the outside and inside, the knife, the foot and the lip, the color, what the artist can know, what no one can know, what anyone might look at in wonder. Turn the pot around and around. Where does the sequence begin? How many looks does it take to know the pot’s tail? Look inside. Look down inside from the top, for what the poet Theodore Roethke called ‘the shapes a bright container can contain.’ If you can,

Release Date: Thursday at 9:37 p.m.

Have any video ideas you’d like our team to pursue? Are you interested in being an actor? Send us an email at: aswwu.video@wallawalla.edu. look at the base, the foot, the podium from which the pot addresses you. Put your ear in the pot’s top. If you hear the ocean, you hear it right. If you hear the desert wind, you hear it right. In these creations, soil, wind, and flame combine in the most fundamental way — the way that has made the craft and art of pottery the archetype of the human and the divine.”

What more is there to say? I encourage you to go see these amazing pieces while they are here, even if it is just between classes. If you love pottery, great! If you, like me, do not know much about it, then I hope you will join me next week in learning and appreciating.

I want to see what you are doing and share it with everyone, too!

Email submissions of visual or auditory art to:

chad.aufderhar@wallawalla.edu.

The Neighbourhood “Sweater Weather”

It’s California-alternative music whose forward motion just keeps rolling over you. It is rich and airy at the same time while singing about sweaters. Good.

These guys are hard to place in a genre because they have a knack for making stylistic choices based on the specific needs of each song.

Grouplove “Ways to Go”

They are wild, messy, and loud.

Positivity coupled with catchiness has given them success. I just listened to the new album and I’m smiling.

Tegan and Sara “Closer”

In the past I would’ve called these ladies mediocre, but their new album, though just as electronic as their past, has a new fullness that made me listen closer.

Passenger “Let Her Go”

Many songs are about heartbreak, and to be honest, I don’t mind. Taking broken things and making something beautiful from them is worthwhile.

LIFE

SCIENCE | 19

Color me Surprised // Joe Hughes

Science & Tech Editor Today is all about color: paint, light, rainbows, double rainbows, the ocean, the sky, and some colorblind Greeks. Let’s start with paints. The first thing that could be considered a paint was used in a South African cave about 100,000 years ago, which was interestingly a little after Homo sapiens diverged from the rest of the humanoid tree.

By about 40,000 years ago BCE, people became confident in calling them paintings.

Many anthropologists link vocal and written language with civilization, but I think that language could be colorful as well. While charcoal drawings can convey a lot, the use of color forces people to notice a whole new world of information and express themselves in a whole new dimension. Noticing and expressing this new information probably made our ancestors better thinkers. So, in a way we probably have paint to thank for at least a small part of our civilization. We also have them to thank for those day-glo, paint-by-number Lisa Frank black velvet abominations, so let’s not get too excited.

Enough about paint — let's talk about light. We've already seen some of light's weirdness, but like that one uncle of yours, the weirdness just never really stops. We already know from last week's article that light has momentum without mass, but we might not know that light has a lot of energy.

You probably know that if you've put your hand close to an incandescent bulb and felt the heat. This brings us to an interesting point: While the energy stored in a hot object such as a light bulb is different from the energy stored in light, the only way for you to absorb that energy is through light.

The heat gets transformed into light, travels to your hand, and then becomes heat again.

This happens for every object, even those that aren't bright like a light bulb. Although we can’t see it, everything glows. We can’t always see the light emitted, but we feel it as heat.

As the objects get hotter and hotter, we are able to see as well as feel the glow. Not only do objects glow brighter as they get hotter, they also change color. The idea that color and energy are related — along

with the momentum tidbit from earlier — combined with a taunt, a wife in the hospital after giving birth, a mistress, two pearls for earplugs, and a week-long skiing holiday, was enough for Erwin Schrödinger to derive most of quantum mechanics. I’m not joking — this is actually what happened.1 Quantum mechanics is almost as strange as its creators.

This man basically invented quantum mechanics and had a harem.

Flowers in normal daylight.

photos by bjorn rorslett / nn

Flowers as bees see them; this is kind of unfair.

Isn’t that amazing? There is a whole different flower that we never get to see, unless of course we happen to use some fancy cameras to shift everything down for us. To me, this is a really neat reminder of how little we know about the world. With surprises as bold as this right beneath our noses, who knows what else we’ve missed?

photo in public domain

Back on track: Blue light is more energetic than red light. There is also an awful lot more light than we can see. Most people can see light waves that are about 400–700 nanometers long, but light waves get as big as 10 kilometers and small enough that you could fit about 10,000 of them inside a single atom. To put in perspective just how much information we are missing, let's imagine that we are standing in a crowd watching a parade. Unfortunately, we got there late and we can only see a 10-foot section of the street because a bunch of people are in the way. Well if that 10-foot section is our 400–700 nm, the rest of the electromagnetic spectrum would be long enough to stretch to the moon and back 137 times. I don’t know about you, but after being able to fly, the super power I want is to be able to see the rest of that parade.

Bees see a different, more ultraviolet, section of the parade than we do. Because of this, the flowers they pollinate advertise accordingly. Check out these pictures of flowers taken in natural light and adjusted to see what bees see:

you’ll see the blue part of a rainbow at 40 degrees and the red part at 42 degrees above the horizon. If you aren't lucky enough to be watching a rainbow at sunset, you can look 40 degrees up from a line to the tip of your shadow.

Alright guys, rainbow time. Whether you’re promising a lack of divine natural disasters, advertising your sexual orientation, or selling sandals, rainbows are where it’s at. So how do they work? They work based on two principles that are very different, but unfortunately sound very similar when said by a Chinese professor: reflection and refraction. Reflection is why you see yourself rather than the wall when you look in a mirror. Refraction is why your straw looks like it bends when it’s poking out of a glass of water. For physics reasons that I still don’t understand, some colors of light get bent at interfaces more than others. This bending difference is what really causes rainbows; because different colors bend by different amounts, white light splits up into all of its colors when it passes through an interface like a water droplet or a glass prism. Here are the mechanics: White light from the sun hits a drop of water from the top. The different colors in the light bend by different amounts at the interface, which causes the single stream of white light to diverge into a spread of color. This spread reflects off the rear surface of the drop, and then exits and spreads even more at its exit. All this adds up so that if you are looking away from the sunset and there is some water in the air,

A double rainbow works on the same principle, but there are two reflections inside the water drop rather than just one.

The net result of all of this is that instead of looking about 41 degrees up from your shadow, you look up at about 51 degrees.

And if you’re really lucky, it will go all the way across the sky!

So, now we are going to move from the continuum of the rainbow to the color blue.

Blue is a really neat color, and it is actually a pretty rare one. There are relatively few blue animals, and most of them use refraction rather than pigment to color themselves.

This is especially true of many birds, where if you look at the entire wing it shines a brilliant blue, but if you start to peel apart one feather, the color disappears. Blue is, not surprisingly, the last pigment that humans really perfected, which makes it all the more intriguing.

Because of page limits, I am going to leave you with that intrigue for an entire week, after which we will see just how little we know about the color blue. Until then, stay curious and don’t forget to look up!

To be continued. …

1. Http://tinyurl.com/collegianquantumphysics.

LIFE LOCAL | 20

LOcal Attractions Dollar Squalor Waller Waller // Timothy Barbosa

Local Attractions

Friends, today I bring you not news of wonder and joy from our fair valley, but an outpouring of perplexed dismay. From the start of this month, we’ve suffered due to the abandonment of many of our federally funded services. What does it mean to be a Walla Walla resident in the throes of an indecisive nation?

What will we do to stay alive?

If you were one of many enthusiastic students eager to enjoy an afternoon in the sun at Rook’s Park, you may have noticed a large orange sign informing people that the park is temporarily not in service. Well, I sure didn’t see the sign, and I spent an excellent afternoon in the park. As I sauntered onto the familiar green, I felt underneath my feet something invasive. Clearly, I was not about to let my toes be violated without my consent, and looked down to behold the horrific sight of unruly grass. Though it was past midday and the sun shone brightly, cold dew found its way under every blade that I had the displeasure of finding.

Even now, I cringe at the thought, and no matter how many socks I put on, there’s no solace from the memory of that horrid dew. I yearned for a seat in the embrace of the earth itself, but was repelled at every turn by the blatant neglect of a formerly-federally-funded gardener.

My experience was completed with my frustration that the nearest unlocked bathroom was more than walking distance away, only teased by the thought that perhaps the park restroom was actually open. Some readers may question my passion for the availability of certain facilities, but I ask you, have you ever been in need? I mean real need here, not just “you’re-five-minutes-from-home-and-you’ll-be-fine” kind of need. Nothing will erase from my recollection the traumatizing experience of that day. I still break out in a cold sweat at night, thinking that some other college student who ignores federal closure signs is out there searching for a place to play Angry Birds in peace. For those of us who faced the urge to use a restroom, the irresponsibility of the government shutdown became real.

When my wildlife-curious nature overtook me, where was I to go with my various questions pertaining to the local fauna and the Mill Creek project? Sadly, no federally funded ranger was there to guide me through any fascinating epic, complete with humorless anecdotes from his collection of rehearsed responses. Will my curiosity still hunger when the government finds an agreeable solution? Who knows, but at this point, I really don’t want to hear anything about salmon unless it’s on my plate, prepped with some salt and lemon.

Rook’s, of course, won’t be abandoned and un-relished due to a meager sign, nor should it, but what’s the fun of a park if there’s no one to enforce the rules? Take Bennington Lake, for instance: created and faithfully maintained by the (once) federally funded U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. I walked there the

other morning, seeking an understanding of just how far society has distanced itself from reason. The lake had accumulated an excess of snaring fishing lines and unappealing lures, the water had turned murky and unbecoming, and the overgrowth of crab grass offended my eyes. With this, I discovered that the lack of funding didn’t change everything.

I exchanged some witty banter with a few unlucky fishermen and consoled them with the reminder that since the federally funded corps of engineers stocked the lake with fish, all the trout were probably notified by Obama to stay home from work.

What’s the upside of the shutdown? For starters, the Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge will not be allowing visitors during its peak hunting season. How inhumane to turn a taxpaying citizen away from killing his favorite meal in his federally funded wildlife refuge.

Other important features of the park, such as significant columns of basalt, will go unattended. For the foreseeable future, the rocks will stand unprotected from scornful lashes from the whip of nature. I would gladly sacrifice my time to offer deliverance to these noble boulders if I wasn’t already committed to the well-being of a slab of concrete here in town.

So I ask you, Walla Walla University, where are we without the federal funding for “unnecessary services?” In this writer’s opinion, we’re on the verge of complete social anarchy. Without the aid of the U.S. government, soon our onions won’t be sweet, the sun won’t have a happy face on it like Raisin Bran raised us to believe, and the only national park still open will be Mount Rushmore. Hide your kids, hide your wife, and God Bless America.

UPCOMING LOCAL EVENTS Walla Walla Unplugged Friday, October 18, from 7–9 p.m.

19 E. Birch Street $1 Entry Acoustic open mic night with music, poetry, comedy, acting, dancing, and more.

Walla Walla Choral Society Sunday, October 20, from 3–5 p.m.

Assumption Church, 2098 E Alder St. $12 Entry A celebration of North American music, conducted by Dr. Jeremy Mims.

https://www.facebook.com/wallawallaunplugged.

www.choralsociety.org.

Walla Walla Ski Swap & Sale October 19–20 Walla Walla Fairgrounds Free Ski gear, boards, boots, bindings, gloves, hats, and more!

Tartuffe at Harper Joy Theatre October 19–20, from 8–9 p.m.

345 Boyer Avenue $8 Entry A famous theatrical comedy performed

by Whitman College’s theatre department.

www.theskiswap.com.

http://www.whitman.edu/hjt/current _ season. html.

LIFE

FOOD | 21

The Food Fiend presents

Th e F o o d F r ie nd photos by andrea johnson

Polenta

Andrea Johnson Food Editor Last week while I was preparing for The Food Fiend, I realized that I owe a lot of my cooking skills to my dear friend, Miss Kindra Neumann. She taught me how to make Dutch Babies, homemade almond milk, coconut soup, butternut squash soup, and the list goes on. Our Facebook friendship history mainly consists of shared recipes and food blogs. Honestly, I think 95 percent of our communication has to do with food. In that light, I consulted with her and she agreed to give up not one, but two of her favorite recipes: Polenta and homemade tomato sauce. We chose these recipes because they're easy, inexpensive, and ridiculously yummy.

We consider them some of our favorite comfort foods and we hope they become some of yours.

• 6 cups water • 2 cups coarse grain corn• • • • •

meal/polenta meal/grits 1 tbsp. salt 3 tbsp. butter or olive oil seasoning: herbs, garlic, grated cheese, etc. (opt.)

9x13" Pyrex dish (or other equivalent) butter/non-stick spray for dish

Boil water then reduce to low heat.

Add salt and cornmeal, and stir. Add butter/olive oil and desired seasonings.

Stir thoroughly. Pour into dish, smooth, then cover with foil and refrigerate until congealed. (Polenta can be heated via microwave, eaten as is, or baked.)

Baking method: Cut polenta into desired portions and place on a lightly greased baking dish. Bake at 350° F for 40 min. It can last for 1–2 days refrigerated.

Tomato Sauce • 1/2 medium yellow onion (chopped)

• 1–2 cloves of garlic (minced) • olive oil (enough to sauté) • small handful fresh basil • • • • • • •

leaves (chopped) or 1 tsp. dried basil 1 tsp. dried oregano 1 tsp. dried thyme a few sprigs fresh rosemary or 1 tbsp. dried rosemary a dozen medium tomatoes (diced) or ≈ 28 oz. canned tomatoes (diced and no added seasonings) 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste salt and pepper to taste 1 tsp. sugar (to balance acidity of the tomatoes)

Sauté chopped onion in olive oil until it begins to soften. Add minced garlic and herbs and continue to sauté for 2–3 minutes on medium-low heat. Add tomatoes. Let cook on medium-high until tomatoes are soft, stirring every so often. When desired consistency is reached, reduce heat to simmer and add tomato paste, salt, pepper, and sugar, and stir. Remove from heat.

FOR POLENTA

• I used a mixture of coarse

cornmeal and grits, which is slightly coarser than plain mixes.

• Make polenta fries! Just slice the congealed polenta into strips before baking.

• Polenta is cheap! It's like 66

cents in the bulk bins at Andy's.

You heard it here first!

Notes and

S ugges ti o ns FOR TOMATO SAUCE • Feel free to use more garlic, but don't overdo it. You might die — or kill all your friends with your breath.

• Feel free to mess with herb

proportions as you go. The amounts are more what you would call guidelines than actual rules.

• Tomatoes tend to boil at a low

temperature. Bubbling is okay photo by andrea johnson as long as it doesn't get too out of hand — or pot.

LIFE

SPORTS | 22

Records on Records // Grayson Andregg Sports Editor This week has been crazy for sports.

The MLB playoffs are now in full swing. College football had a crazy Saturday last weekend, with multiple

CAMPUS NEWS: Fall Classic was this weekend! Hopefully you all got to head to either the fields or gym to check out the championship games.

Portland defeated Auburn in the championship for soccer, and El Dorado Adventist snuck away with a win in game five for the women’s volleyball championship.

undefeated teams going down. And the NFL matches just continue to prove themselves as being anyone’s game.

One of the bigger deals this year for football has been, surprisingly, the volume of the crowd. Four weeks ago, the Seattle Seahawks smacked the San Francisco 49ers 29–3. During that game, the twelfth-man fans in Seattle were attending for a little extra. They

were going to break the record for the loudest fans in the history of open-air stadiums. They broke the record, all right: first by only one decibel, then shattering it by five decibels. The final record was 136.6 decibels — only 14 decibels away from being right next to a jet engine. This week, that record was again broken. Considering that the Kansas City Chiefs haven’t been good for centuries, 1 of course, no one is going to know that they have the loudest fans. Kansas City broke the record by recording 137.5 decibels while their team collected 10 sacks against the Oakland Raiders.

Records in sports are outstanding to say the least. No matter where we’re from or who we root for, everyone can appreciate something that’s previously never been done. Below is a list to show you just some of the incredible feats in the world of sports so far.

game in history, minor league — 33 innings, final score: 3–2.

• Most points scored in a NHL hockey game: Montreal Canadians — 16 goals.

• Most Olympic medals held by one person: Michael Phelps — 22 medals.

• Fastest man on earth: Usain Bolt — ran 100m in 9.58 seconds.

This is just a peek into the achievements of some of the incredible people we have on earth. It’s hard to imagine some records ever being broken, but somehow, they always are.

1. Okay, just since 1970, when they joined the NFL.

Sports Records • Fastest serve of a tennis ball: Samuel Groth — 156 mph.

• Loudest fans in outdoor stadium: Kansas City Chiefs — 137.5 decibels.

• Longest pro baseball

The beginning of next week is going to be a fun one with an exciting game on campus: Women’s Volleyball: 6 p.m., Monday Also, keep an eye out for the intramural schedule to see when you or your friends are playing!

photo by john froschauer

photo by dream - wallpaper . com

photo by themoviemind . com

LIFE

OUTDOORS/TRAVEL | 23

The Spiritual Side of Nature // Justin mock Outdoors Editor Growing up, I had a fascination for "the land down under." Though I hadn’t been there, I knew Australia had crocs, kangaroos, Steve Irwin, didgeridoos, boomerangs, and adventure. Now that I'm older, I realize

I may have idealized the country, but one thing that still fascinates me is the aboriginal culture and the history of their deep spiritual connection with nature.

To the aboriginal people of Australia, the land is more than a provider of resources — it is part of their human identity. In their creation story, the beings that created the world established a deep relationship between the people, the animals, and the land that they inhabited.1 One aspect of this relationship is the aboriginal rite of passage, called a "walkabout," in which one would travel the outback, following the paths of the ancestors.2 This journey had deep spiritual significance and allowed the journeyer an extended period of solitude in nature.

This spiritual connection to nature can be seen across the ages in varying cultures.

photo by justin mock

Many groups of people involve nature in initiation rites, giving a young person the opportunity to grow through spending solitary time in nature and being exposed to its power.3 In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus demonstrates the spiritual significance of solitude in nature as he is led by the spirit into the wilderness and undergoes spiritual warfare with Satan (Matthew 4:1–11).

Similarly, the Israelites were prepared for the Promised Land through 40 years spent in the desert (Numbers). In each of these cases, nature acted as the setting for transformation and for the preparation of something greater.

In my life, nature is a place to test my strength. Nature is untamed and dangerous.

It is a place where I can step outside the normal stressors of life and re-evaluate my priorities. Through its unpredictability, the outdoors reminds me that God, not me, has ultimate control. This reminder relaxes me and makes me think of what’s important.

It is in nature where I learn to recognize beauty, let go of fear, and trust in my God. Although we often are separated from the natural world by glass and concrete, God has

Time to Save the Princess // Jon Mack Travel Editor Pinned between snow flurries and the forest. Barred by valleys, mountains, and a daunting language barrier. It didn't matter how frosted our faces or weary our hearts, we were going to save the princess, and my brother, Dave, and I had no time to waste.

We scoured the town in search of her luxurious locks; hope had all but left. But just before we gave up our quest, it showed itself — the tower.

Erect above the valley floor it stood. After several moments, the truth hit us in the face like the tail of a slimy salmon.

The princess was locked within the gates of Neuschwanstein Castle, under control of the evil Lord Ludwig II.

could do not to dwell on what had made so many men into mincemeat. Armed guards?

Dragons? Nazi velociraptors?! What if the princess was already gone? Was she worth the effort? What if she was all looks and no personality? But now was no time for doubt; we had crossed the point of no return.

The fortress was as intimidating as we imagined. Massive, heavy chains secured the gnarled gates. We climbed to the top and peered into the courtyard, and to our surprise, no one was in sight. We jumped down and scurried to the dungeon’s door. We listened

photo by jon mack

through the cracks in the door for any sign of the princess. Then, all of a sudden a loud, thundering alarm blared in our ears! “Group two, you may now check in for your tour.” ...

DESTINATION OF THE WEEK:

The path to the fortress was strewn with pieces of those who had come before. It was all we

shown me that he still uses the spiritual side of nature to teach, develop, and commune with the individual who chooses to step off the beaten path.

1. Http://australia.gov.au.

2. Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walkabout.

3. Richard Rohr, Adam’s Return: The Five Promises of Male Initiation (NewYork:The Crossroad Publishing Company, 2004).

GOING FURTHER If you are interested in learning more about aboriginal culture, check out The Songlines by Bruce Chatwin. In this book, Chatwin searches to find out more about the aborigine’s relationship with the land and paints a vivid picture of how spiritually significant nature is in this culture. I read this book a few years ago and recommend it.

Did any of that actually happen? I’ll never tell, but it’s possible we made that whole tale up while waiting in the freezing cold for our tour to begin. We did actually stand by a door that appeared to lead to a dungeon and we did look into the peephole to see if any princesses needed saving, but as I look back on that trip with my brother, it’s not the castle but the memories we created that stand out in my mind. Whether you’re trekking through Bavaria or playing “high-stakes Frogger” on College Ave., life will, at times, hand you dull moments. Conquer those moments with imagination and turn them into part of your adventure. You’ll never forget it.

THAILAND

Official Name in English: Kingdom of Thailand.

Capital: Bangkok.

Main Religion: Buddhism.

Population: Approximately 6.7 million.

Median Age: 35.1 years.

Physician Density: 0.3 physicians per 1,000 people.

Famous for: Delicious and cheap food, betta fish, beautiful beaches, and Monty Buell.

Facts according to www.cia.gov.

photo by flickr user ben the man

back

word

#Hashtagging Our Way to the VIP //

This weekend, I went to a harvest party (not to be confused with a Halloween party.

Obviously, I don't endorse that), and while we were carving pumpkins, one of the guys in the group said, “My Klout is up to 63.”

Apparently this is cause for celebration and not a sign you should go to the doctor. Hear me out: Klout is a online rating service that you hook up to your social media websites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google+ ... pretty much every platform people use to overexpose themselves. [Well, not Google+; No one uses that, so it’s pretty safe to post there]). Once you register for Klout, the system ranks your influential powers based on how

much you post and how many people respond to it.

Let me break it down for you: If I posted something on Facebook and got 100 likes for it: “Going out for pizza with my girls! Heyyyy! #pizza #fatties #omg #yolo #bestfriendsforlife #lovemygirls #bestnightever #girlpower #wecantstop #andwewontstop,” then my Klout score would go up. My Klout score would go up even higher if people commented on my status: “You are so cool! I <3 pizza.”

Likewise, if I posted something lame that no one commented on, then my Klout score would go down: “Going to a Nickelback concert!”

(Cricket. Cricket.)

Klout calls this your “social media influential powers.”

Why does this matter to you? According

verbatim "Man, I wish Josh Jamieson was here."

— A freshman girl at the Fall Classic volleyball

tournament, overheard by an amused sophomore.

"I don't normally abuse people, but sometimes it's fun.”

— Monty Buell, on people coming in late to class.

"I would eat my neighbor's rooster if it would shut up.” waking her up in the morning.

“It's very important to me to have a harmony of armpit odors.” — Jim Nestler Have something funny to report?

Email me at: Rachel.Logan@wallawalla.edu.

Logan BackWord Editor

to the Klout website (Klout.com, if you're interested), users who are connected to the Klout system and fall into certain demographics (basically, if you have a high score) will be given certain perks by Klout. For instance, if I had a high Klout score, in theory I could be offered Sony products, Revlon products, Redbull products ... and so on. They do this because they hope you will post about their products once you get them for free. And since, lucky you, you have a high Klout score, your high social influence will encourage people to buy these products.

Yeah. I’m not falling for it either.

But, because I’m a curious person (and maybe could confess to being an “active” social media user), I wanted to sign up and see my score. How else would I know how influential I am? Well, I’m pretty average — dead average,

actually, with a score of 50 out of 100. I wasn’t exactly satisfied with that, seeing that Justin Bieber has a Klout score of 92 (and I think we can all agree my left earlobe is more interesting than he is) so I didn’t stop with just my Facebook account — I registered my Instagram account too.

Well, I guess Klout needs 24-48 hours to process my Instagram account into my profile, but after it’s finished I'm sure my score will be much higher. Right? Right.

Perks or no perks, I can't help but feel slightly disturbed at the idea that there is a site that can rank us all into categories based on the statistical output of our posts. According to Joe Fernandez, Klout founder, he hopes that one day people’s Klout scores will mean the difference between a standard room at a hotel and getting a free upgrade. All based on your social media. #scary.

What is Klout? Can you define it?

“Klout. Like Cloud? Oh. Klout. I have no idea. It sounds like a rash.”

— Katie Dailey junior, pre-occupational theory

confession “I’ve used the Fitness Factory in

“I kinda know what it is but I don’t know how to describe it. … Having the walk to back up the talk.”

— Tyler Martin junior, theology

Sittner for over an entire year without paying.”

Sincerely, Off Campus and Not Paying for That

“Nah, I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

— Kofi Twumasi senior, pre-law

— Dean Heidi Indermuehle on giving up her vegetarianism to stop her neighbor’s roosters from

Rachel

“Klout, a passage way, a vein in the body that is being blocked.”

— Crystalyn Black freshman, undecided

So, for all of you who have been trying to send confessions to the gmail account and have been denied: I'm sorry. Good news! We have a new, better way to submit anonymous confessions. Type: wwuconfessions. tumblr.com into your browser and

“It is a dermatalogical word or phrase referring to a wart-like bump on the underside of your foot.”

— Levi Hilde sophomore, pre-med

click the Ask Me Anything button at the top!