02-03-11 by The Heights

new recruits

The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College Established 1919 Vol. XCII, No. 5

super bowl ads

SECESSION IN SUDAN

Sports

the scene

marketplace

Boston College football signs 23 recruits for the Class of 2015, A10

The Scene discusses the most important part of the Super Bowl: commercials, B1

Southern Sudan has regionwide referendum concerning secession, B10

The Heights Thursday, February 3, 2011

www.bcheights.com

At war with the elements

Snow presents issues to maintenance staff By Taylour Kumpf News Editor

In response to the massive amount of snow that has been piling up throughout campus, Ground Maintenance Facilities and the Department of Transportation and Parking have busied themselves clearing snow and keeping the buses running as smoothly as can be expected. The snow has affected the bus schedule as well as parking availability, but Paul Cappadona, manager of Transportation and Parking, reminds students and faculty to plan ahead. “The snow does impact both parking and the shuttles,” Cappadona said in an e-mail. “Like all other vehicles around BC, the shuttles may operate more slowly due to the weather or traffic. Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to plan extra time and check [BC Transloc] to determine where the shuttles are located. This

Cecilia Provvedini / Heights editor

See Snow, A4 andrew powell / heights staff

Two BC students flown out of Egypt Study abroad cut short due to recent political tensions By Patrick Gallagher Heights Senior Staff

On Tuesday the two Boston College students who had been in Cairo on an external study abroad program were flown out of the country in response to escalating tensions. The two students were taken to Athens as a part of the U.S. State Department’s optional evacuation of American citizens from Egypt, said Bernd Widdig, director of the Office of International Programs (OIP). Prior to last weekend, the students had planned to remain in Egypt to

ITS keeps up with technology trends By Daniel Tonkovich

pursue their studies at the American University in Cairo, said Christina Dimitrova, assistant director of international development in the OIP. By Sunday morning, the students, along with their parents and officials of BC and the American University in Cairo (AUC), reached a joint decision that the two would be best off leaving the country, Widdig said. Widdig said that the OIP was in constant contact with the students and with representatives of the AUC since the protests began just over a week ago. “Over the last week, our office has been in contact with our students, their parents, and the AUC staff several times a day,” he said in an e-mail. “Despite some communication blockages, AUC has been able to send us constant updates on the situation and the safety of

See Egypt, A4

sang lee / Heights staff

Heights Editor

Ap file photo

Throughout the process, the OIP was in contact with students.

myBC consolidates events

Meeting the technological needs and expectations of students and faculty in order to foster a rich academic environment can be a difficult challenge, especially with rapidly developing technology offerings. Boston College administrators, however, said that the University remains competitive in the use of technology to support and enhance academics. “In the e-teaching arena, our technology is very competitive,” said Rita Owens, executive director for academic technology for BC. “We offer a full complement of services, some within the Blackboard Vista system and others as independent services. These include discussion boards, lecture capture, blogs, wikis, polling, modern classroom technol-

ogy, and remote classroom tools.” Part of how BC ensures competitive technology offerings is through the development and execution of a comprehensive plan for technology upgrades and new product integration. “We have a planning process for capital investments in technology,” said Michael Bourque, vice president of Information Technology Services (ITS). “For the technology related to student and faculty needs, we utilize steering committees. For instance, we have a broad program called University Core Systems, which is focused on a set of administrative systems such as BC University Information Systems (UIS) and related systems. For high performance research computing, we have a Linux cluster that

See Technology, A4

Eagles fall prey to uNC

Office of Student Affairs launches streamlined webpage By Daniel Tonkovich Heights Editor

The Office of Student Affairs has announced the debut of a new student programming portal, myBC. The site, available at www.bc.edu/mybc, is available for the entire Boston College community to access starting today. “MyBC is the new online portal for all activities and events outside the classroom,” said Benjamin Hall, a graduate assistant in the student programs office. “It will allow the BC community the opportunity to find out the latest information about clubs, organizations, and events.” The portal provides information about student organizations and events on campus. It also offers internal organization management features for program officers. The portal has been in development since the beginning of the academic year. “The site came from listening to student concerns,” Hall said. “MyBC centralizes the student organization process. Previously information about clubs and events was posted in various locations, like the O’Neill stairs, and on various websites. Now, all student organization information will be in one central location. It also simplifies the internal operations of clubs, streamlining the process for purchase and

payment orders, promotional activities, and booking rooms.” All registered student organizations have or will be receiving access to myBC to manage and promote their organization. As the site becomes more widely used by students, Hall said he expects the site to grow with even more information accessible to students, such as event photographs and program rosters. The system also offers the ability to

match a person with potential organizations and events of interest through the completion of an interest profile. The portal was created by Collegient Link software and branded specifically for BC. Institutions such as Boston University, Duke, University of Virginia, and Villanova already use the Collegient Link platform to promote and manage student organizations.

See myBC, A4

alex trautwig / heights editor

cecilia provvedini / heights editor

The new myBC website will consolidate information about upcoming activities and events.

Despite a Conte Forum filled to the brim with Superfans, the men’s basketball team left the glass half empty against the University of North Carolina. For more, see page A10

TopFive

The Heights

Thursday, February 3, 2011

things to do on campus this week

The Mind Often Wanders

Irish Music Concert

Today Time: All day Location: O’Neill Library

Enjoy an exhibition by the Art Club of BC featuring various works of art suspended from the ceiling of the level one gallery in O’Neill Library all day today.

Today Time: 6:30 p.m. Location: Connolly House Listen to an Irish music performance by Shannon Heaton, Maeve Gilchrist, and Paddy League as a part of the Gaelic Roots Music, Song, Dance, Workshop and Lecture Series.

Human Trafficking Lecture

Friday Time: 12:30 p.m. Lo c at i o n: C o rc o r a n Commons

Listen to renowned women’s rights advocate, Dr. Janice Raymond, a professor at the University of Massachusetts, as she talks about the issue of human trafficking.

featured on campus

BC celebrates Chinese New Year

Philippine Culture Show

Friday Time: 7 p.m. Location: Robsham

Come watch the Philippine Society perform different dances and rituals in their 19th annual culture show. Tickets will be available through the Robsham Box Office.

BC vs. Virginia Tech

Saturday Time: 1 p.m. Location: Conte Forum

Bring your friends and help cheer on the Boston College men’s basketball team as th ey take on th e Virginia Tech Hokies in Conte Forum.

IntheNews

Four Day Weather Forecast Today

27° Partly Cloudy 9°

Friday

34° Sunny 19°

Saturday

36° Wintry Mix

University College enrollment rises while graduation rates remain constant The number of college students and the amount of financial aid received is rising, while graduation rates hold steady, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Education. The data was collected from over 6,700 institutions that receive Title IV federal student aid. In 2009, about 57 percent of students graduated within six years, the same rate as 2008, though nearly 21 million undergraduate and graduate students were enrolled in these institutions, up from 19.6 million in 2008. About 79 percent of students received financial aid in the 2008-2009 year, up from 76 percent the previous year.

25°

Sunday

36° Sunny 24°

Source: National Weather Service

A Guide to Your Newspaper The Heights Boston College – McElroy 113 140 Commonwealth Ave. Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02467 Editor-in-Chief (617) 552-2223

Local News Job Shadow Day gives high school students a look into the real world

pampan zhang / Heights staff

Students celebrated Chinese New Year yesterday with performances from local groups, food, and games. By Hilary Chasse

place, to draw in a larger community,” Mak said. “We also utilized UGBC’s publicity Despite the icy conditions, efforts in order to spread the Boston College’s Chinese Stu- word to a larger group.” The dent Association (CSA) and event is also seen as a home the UGBC away from home hosted a celfo r t h os e wh o ebration of would typically the Chinese “We eat foods, such spend the holiday as oranges and N e w Ye a r with family. yesterday The event was noodles, wear red, in Corcoran hosted on New and perform these Year’s Eve, which Commons. The annual dances as a part of is the time for the event gives a tradition that goes traditional meal students a and customs. The back hundreds of taste of the Chinese New Year traditional years.” begins on the first celebration day of the first through permonth of the lu—Kelley Mak formances nar calendar and Co-President of the f ro m l o c a l is often referred groups, food Chinese Student to as the Spring prepared by Association and A&S ’11 Festival in China. dining ser“We eat foods, vices and such as oranges CSA, and games organized and noodles, wear red, and by the BC Mahjong Club. perform these dances as a Kelley Mak, A&S ’11 and part of a tradition that goes Shing Yip, CSOM ’11, Co- back hundreds of years,” Mak presidents of CSA, served as said. emcees for the event, introDiners who were unaware ducing the various groups of the holiday were remindand explaining some of the ed by the decorations in traditional significance of the the main dining hall and event to the audience. by the food selections for The annual tradition for the evening, which included CSA saw a greater focus this some traditional Chinese year on bringing the wider fare. These aspects of the BC community into the cel- celebration were due to a ebration. “We had the event collaboration between CSA in Lower, in a large public and dining services to update Heights Editor

their usual Asian selections to incorporate more authentic meals. The event was kicked off with a lion dance performance in the middle of the dining hall, performed by members of the Calvin Chin Martial Arts Academy of Newton. The lion dance, accompanied by traditional percussive music, continued into the Heights Room, leading spectators into the main room. Spectators received traditional red envelopes filled with raffle tickets upon entering the room. Other performances included Boston’s Gu Zheng Ensemble, who performed three pieces on these Chinese zither-like instruments. The Calvin Chin Martial Arts Academy then concluded the evening with a Kung Fu demonstration from several of its students. Notable members of the audience included a group of Chinese foreign exchange students from Hong Kong and Macau who came to experience how the Chinese community at BC marks the biggest holiday of the year in China. Christine Meng, a visiting student from the University of Macau, said, “In China, for the new year, we have a family gathering and a large meal so it’s good to have some celebration, it makes me feel more at home.” n

The Boston Private Industry Council and the Boston Public Schools sponsored an event yesterday in which two Brighton High School students had the opportunity to shadow someone in the professional world during their normal work day. The event, which takes place on Groundhog Day every year, is called the Boston Private Industry Council’s 2011 Groundhog Job Shadow Day and presents students with the opportunity to explore potential careers as well as gain first-hand knowledge of the professional world.

On Campus Boston College theatre students’ achievements honored at festival Two Boston College theatre students, who represented BC, were honored at the Region 1 sectional of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in Massachusetts. Nzinga Williams, A&S ‘12, won a national honorable mention for her stage management of She Stoops to Conquer, which was performed at BC this year, and Elise Hudson, LSOE ‘12, won a regional second place for her costume designs for The Magic Flute as a part of her costume design class this year.

National Federal court upholds ruling that judge’s poster violated Constitution CINCINNATI (AP) - A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling that says an Ohio judge violated the U.S. Constitution by displaying a poster of the Ten Commandments in his courtroom. A three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday affirmed a federal district court’s decision that Richland County Common Pleas Judge James DeWeese violated the constitutional separation between church and state by hanging the poster. The later poster includes the Ten Commandments in what DeWeese says is a listing of conflicting legal philosophies.

Editorial General (617) 552-2221 Managing Editor (617) 552-4286 News Desk (617) 552-0172 Sports Desk (617) 552-0189 Marketplace Desk (617) 552-3548 Features Desk (617) 552-3548 Arts Desk (617) 552-0515 Photo (617) 552-1022 Fax (617) 552-4823 Business and Operations General Manager (617) 552-0169 Advertising (617) 552-2220 Business and Circulation (617) 552-0547 Classifieds and Collections (617) 552-0364 Fax (617) 552-1753 EDITORIAL RESOURCES News Tips Have a news tip or a good idea for a story? Call Taylour Kumpf, News Editor, at (617) 552-0172, or e-mail news@bcheights.com. For future events, e-mail, fax, or mail a detailed description of the event and contact information to the News Desk. Sports Scores Want to report the results of a game? Call Paul Sulzer, Sports Editor, at (617) 552-0189, or e-mail sports@bcheights.com. Arts Events The Heights covers a multitude of events both on and off campus – including concerts, movies, theatrical performances, and more. Call Darren Ranck, Arts and Review Editor, at (617) 552-0515, or e-mail arts@ bcheights.com. For future events, e-mail, fax, or mail a detailed description of the event and contact information to the Arts Desk. Clarifications / Corrections The Heights strives to provide its readers with complete, accurate, and balanced information. If you believe we have made a reporting error, have information that requires a clarification or correction, or questions about The Heights standards and practices, you may contact Michael Caprio, Editor-in-Chief, at (617) 552-2223, or e-mail editor@ bcheights.com. CUSTOMER SERVICE

Police Blotter 1/29/11 – 1/30/11 Saturday, Jan. 29 12:49 a.m. - A report was filed regarding an underage intoxicated party. The party was transported to a medical facility by Armstrong Ambulance. 12:52 a.m. - A report was filed regarding assistance provided to a Resident Assistant in identifying an unruly party in Gonzaga Hall. The party was identified, issued a trespass warning, and escorted off BC property. Drug paraphernalia was also confiscated from the party. 1:33 a.m. - A report was filed regarding several suspicious parties. The group was dispersed and one party was identified, issued a trespass warning, and escorted off Boston College property 1:36 a.m. - A report was filed regarding the arrest of Donnell Sewell of Brighton for outstanding warrants. The party was booked and processed at BCPD headquarters. 2:47 a.m. - A report was filed regarding an individual who was assaulted from a thrown object. A detective is investigating. 1:43 p.m. - A report was filed regarding an allegation that someone may have illegally entered another student’s Agora Portal account. A detective is investigating.

8:54 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a well-being check requested by a parent performed in Vanderslice Hall. The student was located and all was in order. He was instructed to call and check in with his mother.

Sunday, January 30 12:42 a.m. - A report was filed regarding a student who was shouting obscenities outside Williams Hall. The student was identified and reported he was upset about an argument he had just had with his girlfriend. He was also found to be under the influence of alcohol. He was transported to a medical facility in a police cruiser for evaluation. 3:53 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a motor vehicle accident that resulted in property damage only. Officers assisted parties in exchanging paperwork and information. One operator claimed she was assaulted by another operator. A detective is investigating. 6:17 p.m. - A report was filed regarding a suspicious motor vehicle. A canvas of the area yielded negative results. A detective is investigating.

—Source: The Boston College Police Department

Voices from the Dustbowl “What is your favorite building on campus?”

“Bapst Library.” —Jill Galofaro, CSON ’14

“McElroy Commons.” —Ann Sizemore, A&S ’14

“Fulton Hall.” —Zack Kozlak,

A&S ’14

Delivery To have The Heights delivered to your home each week or to report distribution problems on campus, contact Dan Ottaunick, General Manager at (617) 552-0547. Advertising The Heights is one of the most effective ways to reach the BC community. To submit a classified, display, or online advertisement, call our advertising office at (617) 552-2220 Monday through Friday.

CORRECTIONS Please send corrections to editor@bcheights.com with ‘correction’ in the subject line.

The Heights

Thursday, February 3, 2011

100 Days celebration brings rush in ticket sales By Anna Patrick Heights Staff

Tickets went on sale Tuesday for the seniors’ 100 Days celebration, and, despite the heavy snow accumulation, ticket sales surpassed previous years amounts on the first day alone, with students lining up as early as 6 a.m. to secure their spots. One Hundred Days is a celebration that takes place about 100 days before graduation, and this year the event is being held at a new venue, the Cyclorama in Boston’s South End. The event will include a buffet of appetizers, a cash bar, a DJ, and a large dance floor. The change of venue resulted from a need for a space with a large capacity that did not exceed the limited budget. Due to the size limitations of the venue, the pressure to secure a ticket led seniors to brave the snow, slush, and

snaking lines. they would be going to a club in Boston,” said “Our class loves going to these kinds of David Aaron, CSOM ’11, who chose to purchase events, and it shows by the lines that are formed Beanpot tickets instead to avoid the extra cost. whenever ticket sales start,” said Marina Pardee, Joelle Formato, a co-chair on the Senior Week A&S ’11, who stood in line from 6:45 a.m. and Committee and CSOM ’11, cited the new venue as waited for two hours to get source of pressure that her ticket. increased ticket sales on Senior week activities, in- “Our class loves going to these the first day. “We were cluding the 100 Days celebra- kinds of events, and it shows forced to choose a venue tion, receive no funding from a slightly lower caby the lines that are formed with the University. To make up for pacity than in years past a tight budget, ticket prices whenever ticket sales start.” in order to keep ticket have had to be adjusted to prices at a reasonable meet the needs of supplying level,” she said. “Word —Marina Pardee the venue and entertainment, got out to seniors about A&S ’11 which has deterred some sethis, and I believe that niors from attending. “The is why there was such tickets are pretty expensive, and I’m sure our class a rush for tickets on Tuesday morning. By 6:30 would be just as happy piling into Mary Ann’s as a.m. there were already a large number of people

Allston-Brighton Crime Reports 1/7/11– 1/17/11

Police investigate theft from six cars On Jan. 14 at about 9:20 a.m, officers responded to a call that several cars had been broken into. Upon arrival, officers spoke to the six victims. Some of the cars had windows smashed. All victims said that they would safeguard their vehicles.

in line, and our committee did everything in our power to fairly and systematically move people through the line as quickly as possible.”. Despite the initial surge, there are still tickets available, which are being sold starting at 8 a.m. at Robsham Theater, weather permitting. The snowstorm and its aftermath have not stopped seniors from continuing to line up to secure their spot at Cyclorama. “I think seniors should go to all of the senior events before graduation because it’s a good time to be with all of your friends and even acquaintances without having to do much planning. The whole class is rarely all together for events so it’s a wonderful time to be with everyone,” Pardee said. To avoid the long lines for ticket sales for future events, the Senior Week Committee plans to use an online ticket reservation system. n

UGBC discusses spring agenda

Thief ransacks apartment, steals TV

By Tanner Edwards

At about 4:35 p.m. on Jan. 14 officers responded to a call for a breaking and entering. Upon arrival, officers spoke to the victim who stated that an unknown suspect broke into her apartment through her bedroom window, ransacking her bedroom, which was locked from the inside. The burglar exited the apartment through that window, ran around the house and entered through a different window, ransacking the entire apartment. The unknown thief stole a 42-inch flat screen TV from the apartment. Officers searched the area to no avail.

The UGBC passed a resolution last night allocating $1,000 in funds toward the Political Science Association’s conference titled “The Obama Administration and the Future of Nuclear Arms Control.” The conference, scheduled for April 14, was co-coordinated by Leon Ratz and Sam Ratner, both A&S ’11. The day-long event is slated to feature such experts in the field of arms control, and panels will be moderated by professors in the Boston College political science department. Ratz said that coordinators had received roughly 80 percent of the funding needed to host the conference. Senators expressed concerns about the about the event’s audience size, which as of now will be limited to roughly 150 BC students given the size of the Fulton Honors Library, the conference’s proposed venue. Coordinators stressed their desire to find a location that could accommodate a larger group of BC students and community members. Ratz spearheaded efforts in 2010 to have BC host a portion of the negotiations on the United Nations

Heights Staff

North Face jackets stolen from sporting good store At about 5:46 p.m. on Jan. 15 officers responded to a call regarding a larceny at the Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) on Commonwealth Ave. Upon arrival, they spoke to a witness, an employee of EMS, who said that he was walking back from Shaw’s when he observed an unknown male leaving the EMS building with multiple North Face jackets in his hand. The witness said, “Yo,” to the suspect, at which point the suspect ran away and entered a car, which drove off. The store manager had observed the suspect in the store but had not seen him take any merchandise. It was determined that seven North Face jackets were taken. Officers searched the area to no avail.

Bar customers refuse to pay On Jan. 17 at about 11:48 p.m., officers responded to a call from a bar on Commonwealth Ave. Upon arrival, officers spoke to a waitress who said that two customers ordered $56.45 in food and drinks (15 Bud Light draft beers, three Captain Morgans, and a small order of chili cheese fries). She said that when it came time to pay the bill, they refused. The suspects were identified, and after being questioned, one party laughed and said that he would be back tomorrow to pay the bill, while the other said that he had no money. Both were summoned to court.

Suspect enters police cruiser At about 9:40 p.m. on Jan. 7, Boston police officers, while on a paid assignment at Conte Forum, observed a male suspect attempt to enter the passenger side door of one of the officer’s police cruiser. After he realized that that door was locked, he opened the other passenger side door which was unlocked. When confronted, the suspect said, “Ahh, can you give me a ride home.” When the suspect realized that the car was a police car, he immediately attempted to leave, but was stopped by officers who questioned him. The suspect said that he had made a mistake, that he had been drinking alcohol, and that his behavior was just a “bad joke.” Officers said that he did not have the right to enter other another’s property. The suspect will be summoned for a clerk magistrate hearing. - Courtesy of the Boston Police Department, District 14 Gathered by Adriana Mariella, Assoc. News Editor and Zac Halpern, Heights Editor

Arms Treaty. The conference was postponed due to logistical reasons and later hosted by the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Senator Nick Domino, A&S ’12, urged his colleagues to pass the resolution to support Ratz’s second effort at hosting a major nuclear proliferation conference at BC. “Allocating money to this cause to an exemplary student like Leon who has brought so much to BC is the very least we can do,” Domino said. “We have a second opportunity to do this.” The Senate also voted to recommend a new posting policy system in the O’Neill Library staircase to the BC Student Programs Office (SPO). Senators bandied ideas to improve student organization advertising on-campus to make promotion more streamlined, aesthetically pleasing, and environmentally friendly. Suggestions included a system of 18 10-by-fivefoot chalkboard posting boards to replace the current multitude of papers lining the O’Neill staircase and a more thorough system to manage club posting and enforce SPO posting policy. Senators also discussed reevaluating posting policy in the Rat and advertising kiosks outside of Devlin Hall and McElroy Commons before passing the resolution. n

The Heights

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Technology updates underway

University hopes advancements support and enhance academic life Technology, from A1 is guided by the faculty through the Cluster Policy Committee. Occasionally, we do need to react to a new regulation and implement ‘as needed.’ Additionally, we have underlying strategies related to systems architecture and the evolution of core technologies.” One such project commenced in 2005 when ITS undertook the University Core Systems project to replace the current student information system. The project included the 2009 Agora Portal update. “The portal implementation was part of our architecture efforts to broaden the access to services via the web,” Bourque said. “For instance, it has provided a platform for providing consolidation and customization of services and added new services.” Bourque said the course information and schedule service with access to course evaluation results, syllabi, and textbook information was one of the new services added to the student portal. “[In executing the University Core Systems project], we have systematically replaced major functionality within the system including new admissions systems, a new residence life system, a new online course evaluation system, student billing enhancements, student loans, and a new advising management system,” Owens said. “We are looking at new open source models for a new student information system.” By using open source models, BC aims to offer the latest technology by customizing offerings to the needs of the student body. “We have made some good progress with these services,” Bourque said. “There is no single system to meet the entire set of requirements. We are now evaluating an emerging open source system, Kuali Student, as an option to deliver additional services,

currently in UIS, in an innovative way.” Kuali Student is a development of the Kuali Foundation, a consortium of higher education professional developing systems to meet specific demands of higher education. Blackboard Vista is another academic technology offering by BC used by over 70 percent of courses and by 95 percent of students that is planned to be replaced to better meet the needs of students and professors. “The Blackboard version that we own is Blackboard Vista and we will replace it within the next few years as the product will be retired,” Owens said. “It has served Boston College very well since our initial implementation of it in 2001. We are currently looking for a replacement and, fortunately, new open source options are emerging. As we did with Blackboard Vista, we will include undergraduate and graduate students on our search group.” In many of the technology enhancement projects, students and faculty were involved in many aspects the development and implementation. In addition to information technology, employees and dedicated staff in the Office of the Provost oversee academic technology, and numerous advisory committees exist to ensure BC remains competitive in its technology offerings. The Academic Technology Advisory Board, made up of faculty and academic administrators, and the Faculty Technology Contacts, made up of faculty from across the University, provide input and feedback to ITS and the Office of the Provost. Administrative departments also receive input from students, including UGBC officers, members of the Quality of Student Life Committee (QSLC), student focus groups, and student employees.

In addition to the projects undertaken by ITS and the Office of the Provost, BC incentivizes the incorporation of technology to enhance teaching and learning through its annual Teaching with New Media Awards (TWIN). It also supports faculty design and development of new technologies through the offering of Academic Technology Innovation Grants. Faculty agrees with BC’s encouragement of incorporating new technology to enhance learning. “Projects such as Professor Jerry Kane’s use of wikis in courses enhances the class experience,” said John Gallagher, associate professor of Information Systems. “It increases interest and collaboration, as well as raises the bar for student performance.” In addition to recent portal enhancements, exploring opportunities with open source software to meet student needs, and incentivizing incorporation of new technologies by faculty, academic technology in the Office of the Provost, and ITS have additional endeavors underway. “On the instructional technology side, we are currently working on a plan to extend lecture capture to more classrooms on campus,” Owens said. “We are also piloting a mobile version of the clicker polling software used in many of our classes. We will begin to upgrade to high definition digital projection in our classrooms, beginning with the reopening of Gasson Hall.” “We have been working closely with faculty and student representatives on planning a significant change to the student e-mail system,” Bourque said. “We expect to use a hosted service from one of the major external providers used by many other universities. An announcement is due out very soon regarding this.” n

Snow hinders shuttle system Snow, from A1

service is extremely useful when commuting during severe weather.” “Parking also gets challenging due to the snow,” he said. “Plowing, hauling snow, and treating road surfaces take considerable time. The large snow piles can result in lost surface parking space. The Facilities Department is responsible for all snow removal and does an excellent job under challenging conditions.” Cappadona said that to ensure safety, the bus system runs according to what the state mandates. “We follow the direction of the state of Massachusetts regarding when we can and cannot operate, speed limits, etc.,” he said. “On campus, Facilities works hard to keep the shuttle stops and surrounding sidewalks clear and free of ice for pedestrians and riders.” Although cost plays a role in snow removal, Daniel Bourque, vice president of Facilities

Management, said the main goal is to maintain the University’s regular schedule. “The University does budget a certain amount for snow removal,” he said in an e-mail. “Currently we have expended the budget and will seek additional appropriations as necessary. While cost is always a factor, our main concern is to clear the campus and provide safe access for the students, faculty, and BC community at large.” Cappadona said the cost for snow removal depends on the severity of the storm. “ Each storm is a different depending on a variety of factors,” he said. “The severity of the storm, type of mixture, [snow, sleet, ice, etc.] as well as the timing and duration of the storm are factors that impact how we handle the storm event and thus effect costs. Storm costs could range anywhere from $20,000 to $70,000.” This year has been more costly than most. “We have had more storms and more total snowfall as compared to the previous years, so

it has been more expensive,” Bourque said. One question that lingers is where to put it after it is removed from streets and sidewalks. “We haul snow from the surface parking lots, sidewalks, etc. to the Brighton Campus recreation field,” Bourque said. Overall, Cappadona said that normalcy is on the horizon. “The understanding and flexibility of the community is appreciated while we all work to return things to normal,” he said. “If people have questions or concerns about parking or the shuttles, we encourage them to [send us an] e-mail.” n

“Women sometimes exchange one form of oppression for another. For example, when abortions were legalized in India, gender selection, known as female feticide, rose significantly, and more female fetuses were aborted than male. It is estimated that 10 million female fetuses have been aborted ...” —Katie Dalton, Director, Women’s Resource Center

Women’s issues in the limelight Anniversary of Roe v. Wade used as rallying point for both stances

By Adriana Mariella Assoc. News Editor

Jan. 22, 2011 marked the 38th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court case, Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in the United States, overturned the standing Texas criminal abortion law, and affected the discourse on women’s reproductive rights in the U.S. The anniversary of this decision, which occured in 1973, is used today as a rallying point for both abortion rights and anti-abortion organizations, which annually demonstrate in Washington, D.C. every January. Abortion rights groups, such as the National Organization for Women (NOW), Choice USA, and NARAL Pro-Choice America gathered at the Supreme Court, while the annual March for Life Pro-life Rally participants gathered at the National Mall. Additionally, the Archdiocese of Washington hosted their annual March for Life Youth Rally and Mass. The significance of the case lies in the political attention it drew to women’s issues, said Katie Dalton, director of the Women’s Resource Center (WRC). The case placed women’s issues, as well as the moral issues of abortion, on the political main stage. “This case enveloped women’s issues with issues of morality,” she said in an e-mail. “It has also highly politicized the issue.” While Roe v. Wade is often seen as a political victory for the advancement of women’s rights, these victories can often be misleading, Dalton said. “Roe v. Wade is one of many historical turning points linked to women’s rights. I think it is important to look at such turning points with a critical lens,” she said. Dalton said that the type of freedom that comes with such

a decision as the legalization of abortion can come with unwanted consequences, as seen by the widespread abortion of female children in India in 1971 when abortion was legalized. “Women sometimes exchange one form of oppression for another,” she said. “For example, when abortions were legalized in India, gender selection, known as female feticide, rose significantly, and more female fetuses were aborted than male. It is estimated that 10 million female fetuses have been aborted due to gender selection in the last 25 years.” Dalton said that the future for women’s rights lies in establishing women’s places in the workforce. “Moving forward I see women securing equality in all spheres of our society, namely in the work world,” she said. Despite the advances that women have made in this area, she said that women still face difficulties in being able to manage being successful in the workplace and maintaining stereotypical female roles, such as raising a family. “It appears that women are gaining ground, but it is important to recognize that women are still sacrificing more than men to achieve equality,” she said. “An article by Davis Leonhardt in the New York Times last year examined the fact that the last three justices nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court were women [Harriett Miers, who withdrew, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan], a seemingly large step toward gender equality in Washington. But, upon closer examination, the article calls attention to the common thread that unites all three women: they are all single and without children. This fact illuminates the sacrifices that women still make to achieve high posts.” n

myBC launches myBC, from A1

Andrew powell / heights staff

While cost is a factor in snow removal, grounds maintenance personnel work to clear the campus and ensure the safety of students, faculty, and staff.

“Matching the needs of student organizations and providing the latest information about life outside the classroom, we hope myBC will be a popular online portal for the student commu-

Students temporarily taken to Athens Egypt, from A1

our students.” While the two students’ next destination has not yet been determined, Widdig said that the OIP was working toward finding them an alternate location where they would be able to continue their abroad experience. “We are working hard to offer them alternative study abroad opportunities, most probably in Greece or Italy,” Widdig said. Since the protests began, Ebram Megally, A&S ’11, has been intently following news coming out of Egypt, while paying particularly close attention to updates on the status of his friend Andrew Basler, A&S ’12, one of the two students who had been studying at the AUC. “With the Internet being shut down I haven’t had a chance to actually talk to Andrew directly,” Megally said, adding that Basler’s parents were updating his friends about his recent whereabouts through Facebook. “I’ll tell you this though – I have never seen anyone get as much attention on Facebook as he did when he finally was

able to update his Facebook status on his own in Athens.” Megally was 4-years-old when he moved from Cairo to the U.S., and still has a number of family members living in the city. He said that they were dealing with the protests like many other residents, just by staying out of the way. “They’re actually taking shifts to guard their residence due to the lack of police,” he said. While Megally said he is unsure how Egypt’s political hierarchy will look once the dust clears, he said that he is optimistic from reports that he has been reading. “Egypt can often be thought of as a place segregated by religion because of its connotation with the Middle East, but the protests have been more about solidarity than anything else,” he said. “Just today I read an article about how Muslims were guarding over Coptic Orthodox Christian churches while the Christians prayed, and Christians were protecting the mosques while the Muslims prayed. That is a beautiful thing.”

Aziz Kosber’s family lives in New Cairo, just five minutes from the AUC. Kosber, A&S ’12, lived in Egypt for 13 years, and said that he has been proud to see Egyptians united under the banner of freedom. “[I was] very proud to hear that Egyptians finally stood up to the government’s oppression and were united for a single cause, their freedom,” Kosber said. He said his family has been helping to secure their neighborhood from any damage and from thieves in the aftermath of the protests. “My dad took part in the community watches set up by the people … patrolling the neighborhood and setting up barricades to keep the looters out,” he said. Both Kosber and Megally said that they think an injection of youth into the new government that emerges in Egypt will help bring about much-needed social reforms. “That alone is the reason why all these protests started,” Megally said. “People, particularly the youth, felt that they had no say. There was corruption, low minimum

wage, police brutality, and the citizens felt like they had no way of changing it with the current government.” Kosber added that Egypt’s education system in particular needs fixing, explaining that by giving the country’s youth access to improved education, Egypt would see major improvements. “Ignorance and poor living conditions have proven to breed religious radicalism,” he said. “Egypt needs fresh youth that can push the country forward.” Widdig said that OIP carefully evaluates each of its study abroad locations prior to sending students overseas. “We are very careful in choosing our study abroad locations, and the safety of our students is of primary concern,” Widdig said. He did say that this was not the first occasion that BC made the decision to evacuate a student who was studying abroad. “Several years ago we had to evacuate a student who was participating in an external program and traveling in Lebanon when a military conflict started there,” Widdig said. n

nity,” said Hall. The Office of Student Affairs will reveal the product and answer student questions about the portal through several campus events, including tonight’s spring student activities fair. n

CLASSIFIEDS

The Heights

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Community Help wanted

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HELP WANTED

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Real estate

OFF-CAMPUS HOUSES and sublets! Still looking for that perfect junior year apartment? Call GREENLINE REALTY today! (617) 731-5434. Or just stop by to see us at 1956 Beacon St. (next to City Side in the heart of Cleveland Circle). We still have premium apartments in all of the best locations.

Looking for applicants? Contact Maegan O’Rourke, freelancer.

Directions: The Sudoku is played over a 9x9 grid. In each row there are 9 slots, some of which are empty and need to be filled. Each row, column and 3x3 box should contain the numbers 1 to 9. You must follow these rules: · Number can appear only once in each row · Number can appear only once in each column · Number can appear only once in each 3x3 box · The number should appear only once on row, column or area.

The Heights

Editorials

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Making friends in diversified places

Thursday, February 3, 2011

“What an odd thing tourism is. You fly off to a strange land, eagerly abandoning all the comforts of home, and then expend vast quantities of time and money in a largely futile attempt to recapture the comforts that you wouldn’t have lost if you hadn’t left home in the first place.” — Bill Bryson

With students in the midst of searching for their summer internships, standing out can be more important than having all the requirements. In less than four years, most current The bigger the personal network a undergraduates at Boston College will student can build, the more potential have finished their bachelor’s degrees he or she has to have a fulfilling underand will be either entering the work- graduate experience and, maybe one place or pursuing graduate school. day, an equally fulfilling vocational Once these students leave BC, they life. will be a little more detatched and a One other misconception that cirlittle more independent. They will be culates around this process is that the required to draw on the long-term con- majority of internships are tailored nections they made in college and on for Carroll School of Management the work experience they gained from (CSOM) students. We don’t deny that internships and jobs. recruiters want business-saavy stuWith dozens of recruiters on campus dents but it’s also true that the qualithis winter and spring to scout poten- ties of teamwork, interpersonal comtial interns and emmunication and ployees, now is the confidence trantime when underscend the designagraduates choose tions of CSOM and Internships are not the only A&S. It’s easy for to begin to foster option for restless young these relationships students studythat they will de- minds, either. Some students, ing humanities or pend upon later the arts to reject especially freshmen and in life. We believe the business hiring that the process of sophomores, might find more structure by not making these conapplying for busifulfillment in pursuing a nections and buildness internships, hobby or a long-term goal ing support strucmissing an opporduring the idle summer tures is continuous tunity to possibly and should not be stand out from the months. limited to the job swarm of applisearch. cants by having an The annual ininteresting major. ternship fair has already passed, but Businesses often want to recruit wellthe process of forming relationships spoken and interesting applicants. In is ongoing. The most lasting relation- other words, they want more poets in ships are formed outside of network- the boardroom. ing events and internship fairs which, Internships are not the only oprather, allow employers and recruits tion for restless young minds, either. to meet and exchange information. We Some students, especially freshmen are thankful to the Career Center for and sophomores, might find more offering these events and maintaining fulfillment in pursuing a hobby or a a staff that goes out of its way for stu- long-term goal during the idle sumdents. However, students should not mer months. While internships do rely on staged events like internship help students secure jobs, they do fairs to begin building their profes- not determine one’s future. There are sional networks. Instead, they should some adverse symptoms to the internbegin making these connections with ship fever that seems to be taking fellow students, faculty, and admin- over the campus, but, when mitigated istrators. These are the people who appropriately, these times can be opmight not necessarily have business portunities for personal development cards, but whose information doesn’t and a chance to find beauty in the have to be looked up. vocational world.

The silver lining of snow clouds The headache that is winter snow and slush in Boston would be tenfold if not for those that fearlessly weather the storm before us In light of this winter’s burst of the support staff that faithfully reprecipitation, The Heights would like sponded to the mass e-mail sent out to extend a mitten-clad salute to all by ResLife Tuesday night. If it got to of the men and women who work tire- the point where rapid freeze warnlessly to make campus navigable for ings necessitated abuse of the school those of us who left our cross-country listserv in an effort to pad the ranks skis at home this semester. of snow shovelers, we’d like to comThe sheer mend those who amount of snowstepped up to the fall this season has challenge. From been epic, and thus sprinkling salt From sprinkling salt on we all owe a very on the Higgings the Million Dollar Stairs big “Thank you” Staircase to makto those who work ing the Mod Lot a to making the Mod Lot a behind-the-drifts parking-friendly place, the parking-friendly to ensure that no place, the warriors one gets left out in warriors who battle Mother who battle Moththe cold, whether er Nature on this Nature on this campus it means making campus are many, are many, and go largely t h e l o n e ly t re k and go largely ununacknowledged. from Foster St. or acknowledged. sledding down the S o h e r e ’s t o stairs from Upper you, BC Grounds Campus. Wielding Maintenance. We tools as monstrous as plows to those appreciate the work you do in all as simple as a shovel, a whole crew seasons, sun and snow, but espeof people has been tirelessly shift- cially when the weather outside ing powder, leaving no trace of their is frightful. It’s nice to know that presence besides the paths they have someone has worked their hardest cleared. to make our walk to class much less A further mention goes out to treacherous.

The Heights The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College Established 1919 Michael Caprio, Editor-in-Chief Daniel Ottaunick, General Manager Hilary Chasse, Managing Editor

Matt Laud/ Heights Illustration

Letters to the Editor Whatever happened to personal responsibility? I happened to read the article regarding sexual health sites in the independent student newspaper of BC. It saddens me to hear that students feel they need to take charge and distribute condoms and the like to their fellow students. Whatever happened to personal responsibility? Cheers to the Jesuit minister for speaking the truth and not condoning distribution of condoms on the supposedly Catholic campus of BC. Take your condoms to Planned Parenthood, or better yet to the garbage can where they belong. This is an issue of truth-our human sexuality is a gift to be treasured, not to be manipulated and con-

trolled. Students publicly providing these services on campus is unacceptable. Then to take it a dysfunctional step further by promoting a sex toys really reveals the twisted mindset of these misinformed students. Sexuality is not a game. I will pray for these misguided students to be open to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit in their actions of trying to help their fellow students. Fiat!

Mary Stoll

The Online buzz Reprinting reader comments from www.bcheights.com, The Online Buzz draws on the online community to contribute to the ongoing discussion. In response to “It’s Easy Being Green, But is it Better?,” by Marye Moran:

buildings so people don’t have to go through the hassle of sorting.

Recycling obviously isn’t going to solve all the environmental and societal problems we currently have, but if it’s benefitting the planet somehow and giving manufacturers and companies more incentive to save money while producing products that pollute less, I don’t see the reason not to. BC is pretty good about giving people plenty of opportunities to recycle easily, like the single-stream recycling in all the dorm

Becca

The Heights welcomes Letters to the Editor not exceeding 200 words and column submissions that do not exceed 700 words for its op/ed pages. The Heights reserves the right to edit for clarity, brevity, accuracy, and to prevent libel. The Heights also reserves the right to write headlines and choose illustrations to accompany pieces

In response to “Grinding it out,” by Tim Jablonski: “The Heights student columnists do an incredibly professional job.” Anonymous

submitted to the newspaper. Submissions must be signed and should include the author’s connection to Boston College, address, and phone number. Letters and columns can be submitted online at www.bcheights.com, by email to editor@bcheights.com, in person, or by mail to Editor, The Heights, 113 McElroy Commons, Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02467.

Business and Operations

Editorial Clara Kim, Copy Editor Taylour Kumpf, News Editor Paul Sulzer, Sports Editor Kristopher Robinson, Features Editor Darren Ranck, Arts & Review Editor David Cote, Marketplace Editor Ana Lopez, Opinions Editor Dan Tonkovich, Special Projects Editor Alex Trautwig, Photo Editor Lindsay Grossman, Layout Editor

Mollie Kolosky, Graphics Editor Dara Fang, Online Editor David Riemer, Asst. Online Editor Therese Tully, Assoc. Copy Editor Christopher Marino, Asst. Copy Editor Adrianna Mariella, Assoc. News Editor Molly Lapoint, Asst. News Editor D.J. Adams, Assoc. Sports Editor Greg Joyce, Asst. Sports Editor Brooke Schneider, Asst. Features Editor

Brennan Carley, Assoc. Arts & Review Editor Charlotte Parish, Asst. Arts & Review Editor Matt Palazzolo, Asst. Marketplace Editor Kevin Hou, Asst. Photo Editor Woogeon Kim, Asst. Layout Editor Alex Manta, Asst. Graphics Elise Taylor, Editorial Assistant Katie Mcclurg, Executive Assistant

Margaret Tseng, Business Manager Christina Quinn, Advertising Manager Zac Halpern, Outreach Coordinator Cecilia Provvedini, Systems Manager James Gu, Local Sales Manager Jamie Ciocon, Collections Manager Amy Hachigian, Asst. Ads Manager Seth Fitchelberg, Business Assistant

The Heights

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Opinions

Thumbs Up Chocolate – So you don’t have a valentine lined up for the ol’ greeting card holiday. Never fear, other retailers are giving Americans something else to be sweet on: chocolate…lots of chocolate. Dunkin’ Donuts is even declaring February “Chocolate Lovers Month.” Hopefully BC will jump on the cocoa bandwagon and bring back those delicious chocolate chip muffins to the dining halls. Breaking Up – To aide the 60 percent of Americans who say the Internet is preventing them from fully closing the [Face]book on their exes, the website YourTango is sponsoring the first annual “Break Up with Your Ex Day.” Seems counterintuitive, but the nationwide movement is asking people to unfollow their ex’s Twitter, defriend them on Facebook, block them on IM and delete their phone number by Feb. 13. Foreseeable backfire? Incessantly stalking your ex to see if they’ve taken these steps against you. 3D Phones – You thought you were so cool when you could FaceTime on your iPhone 4. Well, move over you 2-D slowpokes, because LG is set to unveil the first cell phone with a dual-lens 3-D camera this month at the Mobile World Congress, thereby eradicating the need for all face-to-face human contact, ever. Foursquare — The rather creepy GPS locating social media device that allows you to “check-in” to the places you frequent most is now offering “badges” at all colleges and universities around the world. Good luck trying to find a seat in your chemistry lecture when all those freshmen are vying to be mayor of Merkert. Home Videos – America (or at least Massachusetts’) favorite first family, the Kennedys, had their most private preppy moments showcased for the world to see in the TLC’s twohour event, “Kennedys’ Home Movies.” Watch as they play touch football on the beach, discuss world issues on the verandas of their Hyannis Port homes—flawless, epitomizing New England perfection. Spoken Word – Engineers from Google, Twitter, and SayNow have created a speakto tweet service that is making it easier for protestors in Egypt to communicate critical messages regarding the conflict. Let’s hope no one let’s Kayne get a hold of this technology. Without the effort of having to actually type his tweets, any meaningless thought that crosses his mind will end up online.

Thumbs Down

Salt Intake – Lovers of nutrolls, ramen noodles, and barbeque sauce beware. The USDA’s new dietary guidelines have been released and they are calling for a decrease in daily salt intake ... to one teaspoon. This is a part of an overall effort on the part of the government to combat America’s fight with obesity, to which the nation’s most brilliant medical minds have given this groundbreaking advice: Eat less. Tuition Increases – The price of a degree is now rising faster than students can obtain one. In the period of 2006-2010, fees at four-year universities rose, on average, 30 percent— and the steady climb is showing no signs of tapering off anytime soon. This is definitely one way to eradicate the Van Wilders of the world.

“Freeing” up the music industry invented Napster as Justin Timberlake. That was random, but I thought he was going to break into song and dance to “Space Cowboy” at any moment. Moving back to the topic, after this program was released, torrent websites took over online media. Now anything, from serial numbers used to upgrade to paid-deCJ Gustafson luxe versions of computer programs, to full digital copies of iPod-compatible “Everything is free. You just have to textbooks, are available for free. know where to get it.” “It’s not illegal if Maybe the problem is there are not you don’t get caught.” “I’ll take the fiveenough reasonable substitutes when finger discount.” Any of these phrases illegitimate access to media is so acsound familiar? cessible. Hulu provides a way to legally If the act of piracy were related watch TV programs for free. But the to actual pirates, my friend would be selection is often limited and it still Black Beard. His computer’s name is requires the individual to watch comQueen Anne’s Revenge and it pillages mercials. Even though there might only the Internet ruthlessly. The new Kanye be three minutes of Tide Detergent and West album? He had the jams two weeks Geico Car Insurance ads (the one where before it dropped. Want to go see Tron the woodchucks are chucking wood at the movie theater? Who pays for into the pond cracks me up every time), overpriced tickets these days when you many students would rather log onto can have a private laptop screening? A one of a plethora of sites and watch textbook? He doesn’t want to kill paper their favorite programs uninhibited. because he’s an eco-friendly Boston Taking a look at anyone’s iPod who College student who turns off the lights listens to hip-hop or electronic mubefore he leaves the room. He’ll go with sic, the individual probably has a host the digital version. of mixtapes, which were downloaded Let’s do a quick survey. Who has legally and for free. In an effort to gain an expensive Adobe program on their a larger following and give listeners the computer? Who actually paid for it? gift of music for free, as Lil Wayne often Who finds songs on YouTube and does, many artists have turned to this then purchases them on iTunes? Who free, downloadable format of music. But finds songs on YouTube and converts the ability to do so obscures the crime them for free simply by opening a new of also downloading an official album Internet tab? Who has a digital version for free. The distinction between B.o.B’s of Pokemon on a device that clearly was mixtape and album isn’t always as clear not intended for the adventures of Ash as it should be. and Pikachu? Turn on MTV and if the network After seeing The Social Network I happens to be playing a music video in can’t stop envisioning the nerd who between marathons of Teen Mom and Jersey Shore, you’ll see Gucci Mane dancing around wearing more ice than a polar bear and pointing to the stupid ice cream cone tattoo on his face (it’s new, check it out…and yes, it’s on his face). If you steal a song from him to play at this weekend’s party, you probably will still be able to sleep later that night, even without the help of all the depressants in your system. Loving our favorite artists (note: I don’t like Gucci Mollie Kolosky / Heights Illustration Mane) has in es-

sence killed them. The music industry is in shambles and it doesn’t look like it’s coming back to the record sale heights of Michael Jackson’s Thriller album anytime soon. I’m in no position to offer some ludicrous, absolutely horrible, probably insulting idea of how to fix it. But then again, that’s never stopped me before. I suggest that some company (similar to iTunes) gets the permission of artists to put all music in a centrally located database. For free. Yes, all music would be available for free under license in one place. But a tally of all downloads and other statistics that artists associate with record sales would be carefully kept track of and publicized. Progress would still be carefully monitored. Because record sales are in such decline, the truth is, most artists make their killing off endorsements and concerts these days anyways. The actual hard copy of music is just a segue to other deals. Given the unheralded volume of traffic that would be coming to this database, G-Shock watches, Gatorade, and Oakley sunglasses would advertise their products associated with artists. In addition, concert dates and ticket sales would be associated with their respective artists, leading to an increase in sell-out events. Depending on how many downloads an artist receives, he or she will get a proportion of the advertising profits, in addition to publicity and increased concert attendance. Yes, this would appear to be a monopoly, but the incredible traffic to the site would re-invigorate the music industry that is quickly going down the toilet with Gucci Mane’s most recent album. As for the movie, software, gaming, and print industries, sorry, I don’t have any horrendous ideas for you today. But too many people are losing out due to the availability of media for free. And I’m not talking about Lil Jon. I could care less if he gets 10 more bucks to blow on Patrone. I’m referring to the single mother who cleans the recording studios at night but was laid off due to the lack of hard copy record sales. Lil John will book an extra concert and yell into the microphone to make up for illegal downloading. The custodial staff will not. The parking attendant will not. The secretaries will not. With extreme changes, despite their lack of legal legitimacy, adjustments need to be made. Someone needs to step up first. I suggest it be the music industry before it plays its final note. CJ Gustafson is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com

The end of days

Benjamin Key If you are reading this column, you are either: a) An alien historian, sent from your advanced planet to our own wasted Earth, to study the downfall of our race. Or…. b) One of the few human survivors of the Apocalypse of Feb. 2011. These are the only possible options. Of this I am sure. But how did I, a simple columnist for a college newspaper, anticipate the end of days when world governments, prophets, religious leaders, and Glenn Beck failed to? Because I saw the signs. They opened up my eyes. THE SIGNS: a) This weekend, with no warning or apparent cause, my phone turned against me. Both screens (oh yes, my phone has two screens) went blank. As if to taunt me, the phone continued to function otherwise unhindered. I was hence, tormented by the ghostly vibrations of unanswerable text messages. Cut off from communication and vulnerable, I struggled to hold firm my resolve. b) Twenty-four hours later, the second attack came. This time, I hardly survived.

Party Time

BY BEN VADNAL

My beloved laptop, Heinrich, a masterpiece of Dell engineering, was struck by a computer virus. But this was no garden-variety virus. Oh no. Dear reader, this virus was a pernicious beast that would not yield. It froze my computer and then, to deepen the insult, replaced my computer background (a tasteful painting of a triceratops) with a taunting message in broken English. The unbridled temerity horrified me, and I found myself ashamed. Bested by a geek with a computer to whom English did not come naturally. But I knew I must press on, and though my legs quavered, I stood tall. The lost computer required me to venture to the Campus Technology Resource Center to find a replacement. Though I expected to find a wasteland of failed thinking machines, sabotaged like my beloved Heinrich, these robust veterans proved to be in working order. As if by fate, a desk was open, and I rushed toward it, claiming it as my own (one must adopt a spirit of ruthless self-preservation in such times). I was perturbed to discover my new conquer was a Mac. Upper lip properly stiffened, I gave the device the old college try. As expected, I found the alien-looking screen confusing and the keyboard to be more appropriately sized for small children or circus freaks. But I would not let despair take hold of me, I made do with the laughably small keyboard and accessed the World Wide Web, keen to check the status of the rest of the planet. Alas, my worst fears were realized. c) A storm was brewing. Even as I write

this, a behemoth of nimbostratus clouds is coming towards us like an unstoppable rebel force. This wintry ogre is two-thirds the size of the nation (according to weather. com, which is a great site you’ve probably never heard … you’re welcome) and it will be wreaking its hellcat havoc upon us on Tuesday. Adjectives are being thrown by meteorologists like grenades: “historic,” “massive,” “crippling,” “paralyzing.” Here’s another sound bite for your AccuWeather update: We are all going to die. That’s right, with the exception of you, dear survivor, we shall all be crushed by the weight of frozen water. Our phones and computers will continue to be disabled by the charlatan who brought down poor sweet Heinrich, and it’s a Tuesday, so there is nothing on TV. We will be driven to the brink, quickly resorting to cannibalism and lunacy (see: Glenn Beck). Or perhaps I’m overreacting. Perhaps my broken phone has something to do with the fact that it was my birthday this weekend. Perhaps Heinrich got sick because I was trying to stream The Office illegally. And perhaps the storm will track north, and spare us its frigid fury. But I think not. I have seen the signs, dear reader. May God have mercy on your soul. Benjamin Key is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at bkey@bcheights.com.

Political game show

Jocelyn Rousey And now, ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for another round of our favorite political game, “Is It Constitutional?”—the game show where federal judges around the country make contentious rulings on heavily politicized legislative undertakings, dragging out political battles long after a bill has been signed into law. Is it political grandstanding in the run-up to the 2012 presidential elections or a legitimate ideological battle between the parties? You decide! This week, we travel to Florida, where U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson, appointed to the bench in 1983 by Former President Ronald Reagan, ruled just this Monday that the Patient Protection and Affordable Car Act (PPACA) is unconstitutional. That means health care reform is now two for two in federal courts. Judges Norman Moon and George Steeh (both appointed by Democratic administrations) have previously given the PPACA a thumbs up on constitutionality. However, Vinson, along with another Republican appointee, Judge Henry E. Hudson, have both given the bill a big thumbs down. What new drama does Vinson’s ruling bring to the debate this week aside from evening out the judicial scoreboard? Loyal viewers of our program might remember that the crux of this season’s plotline rests on the controversial insurance mandate, the keystone of the PPACA, that requires citizens to purchase health insurance by 2014 or pay a penalty. Supporters of the PPACA argue that the mandate is necessary for the smooth regulation of the health insurance industry, and that the reforms encapsulated in the bill hinge on being able to spread the risk associated with insuring people with preexisting conditions over a wider pool of policyholders. This mandate, they argue, is the best way to address the inefficiencies and injustices of the system and promote the general welfare of the people. But opponents of the law, like Vinson, aren’t so sure the federal government even has the authority to regulate the insurance industry in the first place. Specifically, conservatives feel that the federal government is overstepping its bounds (as stipulated in either the Commerce Clause or the Necessary and Proper Clause) by requiring people to buy health insurance. They argue that choosing not to buy insurance does not constitute an economic action and therefore can’t be regulated under the Commerce Clause, thus the mandate isn’t necessary or proper. But whereas in December, when Judge Hudson ruled that only the mandate was unconstitutional, Judge Vinson upped the conservative ante this week by saying that since the mandate is so integral to the rest of the Act, his ruling that the mandate is unconstitutional renders the whole law null and void, too. The heart of the matter (because our writers can’t resist an anatomy pun when covering health care reform) is a debate over the proper interpretation of the Constitution and the limits it sets on the authority of the federal government. Conservatives’ strict constitutionalism would force the government to stand by as insurance companies do what any profit-seeking business would do: jack up premiums and deny insurance to high-risk individuals. But Democrats’ looser interpretation of the Commerce Clause (in which the inaction of not buying insurance is still a conscious action with economic consequences) allows them help prop up an inherently unstable insurance industry. All in all, folks, that leaves this week’s show with a boatload of new questions: Will conservatives ever acknowledge the economic ramifications of choosing not to buy insurance and the burden it places on both insurance companies and policyholders? Consequently, will conservatives ever acknowledge that to ensure the well-being of citizens, we might in fact need to adhere to basic insurance market principles and mandate that everyone participate in the market? Perhaps more importantly is a historical question: Will strict constitutionalists ever realize that, given the lack of health care insurance crises during the late 18th century, it never crossed the minds of our Founding Fathers to include Constitutional provisions for dealing with such a crisis today? Will conservatives ever learn that strict adherence to a 200-year-old document (which has, it’s worth remembering, been amended over the years and thus is not the golden standard that strict constitutionalists hold it to be) might not help us solve modern day problems unforeseen by the document’s authors? And most important of all: Will our judiciary ever get sick of playing the same partisan games in which our politicians so readily engage? Tune in next week to find out! Jocelyn Rousey is a staff columnist for The Heights. She welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.

The Heights

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Tar Heels expose Eagles’ flawed post presence By Brad Zak Heights Staff

When February rolls around in college basketball, you start to find out the true identity of teams. With three big losses in a row to the top three teams in the ACC, people are starting to get a handle on the strengths and weaknesses of this Eagles squad. In a 106-74 loss to UNC on Tuesday night, the Tar Heels exploited virtually everyone of Boston College’s weaknesses. To make matters worse, Reggie Jackson struggled for the third straight game. He scored six points on just two-of-10 shooting and was almost outscored by first year Carolina walk-on Patrick Crouch. His explosiveness hasn’t been the same since he hurt his ankle in the waning seconds of the Miami game. He totaled just 26 points in his last three games as opponents have begun to overplay him on the outside. On multiple occasions last night, Tyler Zeller would hedge off Josh Southern and take away the quick drive or pull up for Jackson. Southern plays well on the high post, but the pick and roll isn’t one of the stronger parts of his game. As the game wore on, Jackson’s facial expressions and body language turned sour as he expressed disapproval towards the play of Southern. The Tar Heels were set up with fast breaks on multiple occasions from turnovers due to Southern failing to hold position on high post-ups. UNC quickly found out that playing a much more aggressive style on the outside forces the Eagles into bad decisions and a stagnant offense. “Our offense contributed to some of the defensive lapses today, in particular in the first half,” head coach Steve Donahue said. “They had five or six run outs. It depends a lot on our offense to even tweak it to help us out on the defensive end.” Against UNC, the paint was dominated by Zeller and John Henson as BC continued to struggle with athletic bigs. The team had a tough time getting to the basket as Henson altered almost every shot by playing a foot above everyone else on the floor. The Eagles had only nine two-point field goals compared to 13 3-pointers. Donahue conceded the team struggles sometimes without a true back to the basket player. “We had a lot of shots around the rim that didn’t go in,” Donahue said. “We’re not going to be a great

alex trautwig / heights editor

Though Josh Southern has shown significant improvement in his low-post game this season, the Tar Heels found success in handling the Eagles’ big men around the rim. team in the paint. We don’t necessarily have great back to the basket players, although Josh does a good job and Trapani and Corey [Raji] have their moments. In reality, we have to get people to collapse on us and go inside out and do it that way.” Without that balance on offense, the Eagles are forced to rely heavily on the 3-pointer. Against an athletic UNC team, they weren’t able to get the same open jumpers in transition that they have in the past. In the half-court offense, they were often

forced into bad shots at the end of the shot clock or committed turnovers (they had 18). The team needs more efficiency on offense. BC has struggled at times defensively due to its lack of size inside, but the Tar Heels attacked from every available angle last night in their best effort of the season yet. Not many teams would have beaten them last night, as they shot 57 percent from the floor and 52 percent from three. Harrison Barnes had the best all-around game of his career as he

nailed jumpers with ease. However, as the season wears on and the games get more important, the Eagles will have to step up defensively as they begin to get everyone’s best shot night after night. The UNC game should serve as a turning point for the season as critical games against similar ACC bubble teams Virginia Tech, Clemson and Maryland await. We’ll see if the Eagles can build off these revealed weaknesses or if they are who we thought they were. n

“When things started to snowball both ways, I thought they had one of the best games they’ve had in a while.” –Steve Donahue, Head Coach

Poor defense and plenty of turnovers on offense plague BC against UNC Tar Heel Stomped, from A10

Alex Trautwig / heights Editor

Joe Trapani was one of the lone bright performers for BC, earning a double-double with 25 points and 15 rebounds.

began to struggle on the offensive end as well, committing turnovers and missing easy shots. “When things started to snowball both ways, I thought they had one of the best games they’ve had in a while,” Donahue said. “And we started pressing and missed a lot of easy shots that could have helped us stay in it during those stretches. To Carolina’s credit, they did a great job of sensing it and putting us away.” The Tar Heels offense continued to roll for the rest of the game. They seemingly scored at will. Even when Roy Williams pulled the starters at the 1:30 mark and going to the end of his bench, the Heels continued to score. Junior Patrick Crouch scored five points in the closing minutes, his first points of the year after playing three total minutes the entire season, giving UNC a winning margin of over 30 points.

North Carolina ended the game with 11 made 3pointers in just 21 attempts. The Heels shot nearly 60 percent from the floor over the course of the game, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Of the Eagles’ 24 field goals, 13 were 3-pointers, and it took BC 33 attempts from behind the arc to hit that number. The Eagles were a meager 35 percent from the field over the course of the game. The one bright spot for the Eagles was the play of Trapani, who ended the night with 25 points on nine-of-20 shooting and earned the praise of Donahue. “I think Joe plays hard every time,” the coach said. “I don’t think you can ever complain that Joe Trapani doesn’t play hard. He gives you effort, and it’s never an issue with Joe, every single day in practice. Its hard not to admire that in what he does.” It will take the Eagles a couple of hard days full of effort and practice to try to right the ship for their next game against Virginia Tech on Saturday. n

A Cinderella story beginning to disappear into thin air Jackson MIA, from A10 get his act together if there is any chance of getting the season back on track. On a side note, I do support Donahue’s decision. He’s sticking to what he said early in the season about practice being the determinant for who would be in the starting five. He did it with Corey Raji, and now Raji has been one of the major contributors to the team adjusting to coming off the bench, and recently getting back as a starter. You would think that Jackson would be able to adjust, but that has yet to be seen. He apparently practiced harder after the Duke game to earn the start against UNC, but his performance is still subpar. If we take a step back and look at it realistically, we really weren’t supposed to be that good this year. Maybe being predicted to finish 10th in the ACC was a bit harsh, but unless we turn it around Saturday against Virginia Tech, we’re going to be settling for the middle of the pack in the ACC again. The hardest thing about this whole landslide is how good we looked before the last five games. Sure, we weren’t playing against the likes of FSU, Duke, or UNC, but we also weren’t playing awful teams, just mediocre. Yes, this is a down year for the ACC, but it’s not like we’re playing in the Ivy League. Oh wait...maybe that’s a good thing. Obviously Donahue has some work to do in practice. We loved him during the first half of the season when his offensive philosophy of shoot and shoot more was working perfectly. Jackson was making it precipitate more than New England this winter, Paris and Raji could suddenly shoot the

three, and Trapani was the steady contributor. Everything was working out fine, and it looked like the Cinderella season was underway. But now we are starting to see why they say defense wins championships, not 3-pointers. Opposing defenses are figuring out how to guard against us, and we still have no idea how to guard them. People will say that Donahue is not doing any better than Al Skinner would have done, but I beg to differ. Bold moves like benching Jackson at Duke may seem stupid, but Donahue is sending a message to his players. If you don’t come to play at practice, you’re not going to start. Plain and simple. Yes, we talkin’ ‘bout practice. It might not make a difference for the better this season, but Donahue is making these decisions for the longterm. While watching Tuesday night’s shellacking first-hand, I stood there thinking about this column, and how much I wanted to declare that the season was over. Now that I’ve slept on it, I’m not as bitter. I’m not sure that the season’s not over, but a win against Virginia Tech on Saturday would go a long way on regaining confidence for the players. Nevermind regaining fan support that would have been huge if BC had won. Sorry Athletics, all that work you did to get students to Conte on Tuesday night is now all for nothing thanks to the whooping. In Donahue we trust? Just give it time, and maybe he will have his own student-made banner too.

Greg Joyce is the Assistant Sports Editor of The Heights. He can be reached at sports@bcheights. com.

Alex Trautwig / heights Editor

A season that had started off so promising for the Eagles, is now slowly slipping away as BC has lost 4 of its past 5.

The Heights

Editors’ Picks

Thursday, February 3, 2011 The Week Ahead

Standings

Tonight, women’s basketball hosts Virginia Tech, while men’s basketball faces the Hokies on Saturday. Both hockey teams begin the first round of the Beanpot vs. BU. The Green Bay Packers will face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV in Dallas.

Recap from Last Week

Paul Sulzer

9-1

Greg Joyce

9-1

DJ Adams

7-3

Heights staff

6-4

Game of the Watch

Duke destroyed the Eagles at Cameron Indoor. Florida State topped the 100-point mark in a win over women’s basketball. Women’s hockey beat UMass-Lowell on the road. Team Lidstrom outlasted Team Staal 11-10 in the NHL All-Star game.

Men’s Hockey

Guest Editor: Alex Manta

Boston vs. University

Asst. Graphics Editor “Break out the brooms.”

Paul Sulzer Sports Editor

This Week’s Games Women’s Basketball: BC vs. Virginia Tech

DJ Adams Assoc. Sports Editor

Greg Joyce Asst. Sports Editor

Alex Manta

Asst. Graphics Editor

Virginia Tech

Women’s Beanpot: Boston College vs. BU

Men’s Beanpot: Boston College vs. BU

Super Bowl XLV: Green Bay vs. Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh

Green Bay

Men’s Basketball: Boston College vs. Virginia Tech

Boston College

In this year’s Beanpot, the two premier teams in the Boston area will go head-to-head in the first round at TD Garden on Monday night. Boston College and Boston University have won the past 17 Beanpot tournaments combined, and with both teams being the only top-20 squads in the tournament again, the best game this year will be this one. The Eagles have owned the Terriers this season, sweeping their three match-ups by a combined score of 17-9. BC goaltender John Muse, 2010 Beanpot MVP, will look to defend his title.

Spaziani signs 23 from class of 2015 Signing Day, from A10

up front, both offensively and defensively. The issues of spacing and numbers were of particular concern for the BC staff. Six offensive linemen and five defensive linemen will certainly allow the Eagles to continue their development on both sides of the line of scrimmage. “We’re looking for the best players to fill the right positions,” Spaziani said. “We’re still trying to get our numbers correct so there will be some areas where there are some young kids asked to play a little sooner than we would like.” Ideally, the coaching staff would like to redshirt many of these freshmen, allowing them to sit out for a year and learn from the veterans that are on the field. DT Kieran Borcich and OL Paul Gaughan are two of the more talented players with the potential to become difference-makers as they progress and adjust to the BC system. “We feel like we’ve got the right numbers to be going forward from here,” Spaziani said. The Eagles’ recruiting process empha-

sized the defensive side of the ball. Five defensive linemen, five defensive backs, and three linebackers highlight what looks to be a promising future for BC. The top defensive recruit is Al Louis-Jean from nearby Brockton, Mass. “We had known about him early on,” Spaziani said of Louis-Jean. “He’s certainly a very productive athlete and can play offense and defense. He’s very skilled, and we felt he fit the type of profile that we’re looking for at BC.” Louis-Jean is ranked as a four-star recruit on ESPN.com and is listed as the No. 9 CB in the country. He was previously committed to the University of Miami, but following the dismissal of then head coach, Randy Shannon, the Massachusetts native ultimately decided not to take his talents to South Beach, and signed with the Eagles. BC continued to build defensive depth by signing Sean Duggan and Steven Daniels, both of whom are linebackers from St. Xavier High School, the alma mater of current Eagles All-American, Luke Kuechly.

Spaziani shared his general philosophy about college recruiting in the press conference on Wednesday. “Winning is about a lot more than the most talented player,” he said. “You have to have character and a want to be at the University. All of that goes into building a program. Spaziani recognizes the amount of time and work that goes into developing a successful college player. Recruiting for a school like BC is certainly much different than for the likes of Texas and Florida. Much more attention is paid to intangibles, integrity, and academics. The coaches want to be sure that they’re players fit in with the school community and the general philosophy of BC. As for news about the replacement for recently retired offensive coordinator Gary Tranquill, Spaziani said to “stay tuned.” This is by no means the most impressive recruiting class in the country or even within the ACC, but several players give reason to be optimistic and Spaziani seems confident that he will continue developing a competitive program at BC. n

Alex Trautwig / Heights Editor

Bill Arnold we be playing on a different line Friday night after Jerry York switched up the forwards.

UMass arrives to Kelley BC-UMass, from A10

Courtesy of ESPN

Courtesy of Rivals.com

Quarterback Christian Suntrup (left) and linebacker Connor Wujciak (right) are two of the highly-rated recruits headlining the incoming class.

Struggles continue for BC Women’s Basketball, from A10

“At halftime it was 17 layups that we missed. At the end of the game it was 30 that we missed. We’ve got to do a better job.” Crawley was particularly frustrated because the Eagles were beating themselves. “Layups and free throws, those are things we have a little more control over, higher percentage shots. That was something very uncharacteristic for our team and I think we’ll be able to regroup and do a better job on Thursday [against Virginia Tech].” The Eagles shot a dismal 30.0 percent from the field,

well below their league-leading average of 46.8 percent. Although the Eagles shot poorly, they did dominate the boards, outrebounding Wake 50 to 35. In fact, the Eagles had more offensive rebounds, 27, than Wake had defensive rebounds, 26. In defeat, Stefanie Murphy scored a team-high 18 points, and Carolyn Swords scored 17 points and collected a team-high 12 rebounds. Swords leads the nation in field goal percentage, shooting 70.9 percent. Wake Forest had five players score 11 or more points. Sandra Garcia scored a game-high 21 points. Freshman Katie Zenevitch missed the game with the flu. n

Dainton will have his work cut out for him, as Eagles forward Cam Atkinson ranks third in the conference in scoring, with 19 goals so far this season. Brian Gibbons is not far behind, having earned 31 points off 11 goals and 20 assists. The Minutemen will see a slightly different BC offense on Friday, as the head coach has chosen to shake up the lines for the game. Bill Arnold will take the center ice, with Barry Almeida on the left wing, and Tommy Atkinson on the right, while Kevin Hayes will be in the middle of Paul Carey and Steve Whitney. “We’ve tweaked our lines a little bit this week, just a little switch in the center ice positions,” York said. “We’d like start to play four lines on a regular basis.” Although the team is concentrating solely on the 60 minutes of play on Friday, the significance of those minutes come playoff time will not go unnoticed. Every win, loss, and tie counts, and although the team is “focused just on UMass,” the head coach has not forgotten the importance of

getting ahead in the rankings in the hopes of drawing a favorable tournament seed. “We’re excited that the coaches and writers voted us No. 1,” York said, as the program recently secured the top rank of the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll. However, the Eagles rank fifth in the PairWise Rankings, which judges teams in the same terms as the NCAA Selection Committee does, including statistics such as a team’s record against common opponents and head-to-head competition. “The numbers crunch put us at five, and the top seeds are definitely worth striving for,” York said. Yale tops the PairWise poll; the Bulldogs are followed by Denver and North Dakota, who are tied for second; Minnesota-Duluth is currently ranked fourth. “It’s important to build on our PairWise ranking, and W’s do that for you. That’s one of our main influences this week,” the head coach said. The puck is set to drop at 7 p.m., when the Eagles will try to defend their de facto title as Lords of the Massachusetts Ice. n

SPORTS The Heights

Thursday, February 3, 2011

A10

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Heels stomp hapless Eagles By Joseph DeMaio For The Heights

Alex Trautwig / heights Editor

Celebrations were far from unusual for UNC, as the Tar Heels’ 57.4 percent shooting gave them plenty to cheer about.

It may have been cold outside, but the North Carolina Tar Heels were anything but, putting North Carolina 106 up 106 points to Boston College’s 74 in a 32-point Boston College 74 rout of the Eagles Tuesday night at Conte Forum. The Eagles were able to get off to a hot start in the first, as threes by Joe Trapani, Corey Raji, and Danny Rubin, along with a Trapani layup put them ahead 11-6. From there the Eagles and Tar Heels traded baskets until the 12:00 mark of the half, at which point BC led 18-13. From that point on, it was the Reggie Bullock show in Conte Forum. The UNC freshman hit back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers, putting the Tar Heels ahead 22-18. Trapani answered with a huge dunk, cutting the deficit to two, but that was the closest the Eagles were going to come for the rest of the night. North Carolina continued to pour in the baskets, assisted by poor Eagles defense. With another three from Bullock, his fourth in four tries from behind the arc, the first half ended with the Tar Heels ahead

49-35. “In the first half they had five or six run outs, so it’s hard to judge your defense there,” head coach Steve Donahue said. “We did an extremely poor job even on makes getting back.” The Tar Heels were brutally efficient from behind the arc in the first half. While both the Eagles and Tar Heels had seven made threes in the half, it took North Carolina 12 attempts, while it took the Eagles 18. The break didn’t cool down the Tar Heels whatsoever. UNC opened the half on a 15-5 run, taking advantage of lackluster defense from the Eagles to extend their lead to 64-40 by the 16:00 mark. “We weren’t cutting hard, and not scoring took the wind out of us and took our offense away,” Trapani said. “Our offense was sluggish. Bad defense compounds sluggish offense.” On the offensive end, the Tar Heels simply had their way with the Eagles, passing the ball at will, punishing every BC defensive lapse with more and more points. The Eagles, on the other hand, disheartened by their poor defensive performance,

Where in the world is Jackson?

See Tar Heel Stomped, A8

men’s Hockey

BC targets next Mass. opponent By Robert T. Balint Heights Staff

Greg Joyce Well, that was miserable. Standing in Conte Forum Tuesday night, trying to make sense of what just went down, I came to the realization that we all may have been played. What started off as such a promising season for the men’s basketball team is suddenly crashing down. Through the first 17 games of the season, we were 13-4. Sure, we lost to Yale and Harvard, but we had beaten Texas A&M, Reggie Jackson was lighting up the scoreboard every night, and Steve Donahue was looking like the savior of the BC basketball program. Now we have lost four of the last five games (granted it has been against quality competition), Reggie Jackson has gone into hibernation, and our defense is nowhere to be seen. The only positive I could muster from the loss (besides seeing Harrison Barnes take over) was that UNC topped the 100point mark. I actually wanted them to do it, because maybe it will serve as a wake-up call for the Eagles. Speaking of waking up, does anybody know where Jackson is? Remember just a few games ago when he was putting up nearly 20 points a game? I do, but it seems like Jackson doesn’t. Maybe getting benched at Duke is getting to his head. Since that move, he has 13 points in 63 minutes played. Did he lose all his confidence from getting benched? I don’t know, but he needs to

By Conrad Kaczmarek For The Heights

After a disappointing show in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in early January, the Boston College Eagles immediately started looking to the 2011-12 season. Yesterday was National Signing Day across the country, and head coach Frank Spaziani announced the 2011 incoming class consisting of 23 signed recruits. Attitudes toward the class were a bit negative when news came out that one of the top linebackers, Graham Stewart, had decommitted and signed with Florida. Rumors also swirled that BC’s top quarterback recruit, Christian Suntrup, may sign elsewhere as well. That speculation was put to rest during Spaziani’s press conference, though, when the 2011 class was officially

announced, including Suntrup. Overall, the class boasts some standout talents as well as providing the coaching staff with enough players to allow the luxury of building up depth over time. While there was some uncertainty surrounding the signing of Suntrup, the Missouri native finally did sign with the Eagles. Whether or not the fans will see any action from the new quarterback this coming year is yet to be determined. “We’re excited about him,” Spaziani said of Suntrup. “Once he comes in here, we’ll see real fast where he is, but we’re excited about him, no mistake about it. He has all the physical skills and he has a lot of qualities that we like, on and off the field.” The focal point of the class seems to be building depth

See Signing Day, A9

See Jackson MIA, A8

Alex Manta / heights Graphic

Women’s basketball

Pressure defense trips up Eagles

Boston College aims to defend its five-game winning streak against in-state teams on Friday night, as the Eagles will host UMass-Amherst in Conte Forum. The Eagles stand on top of Massachusetts’ collegiate hockey this year, having defeated Northeastern, Boston University, and UMass-Lowell by a combined score of 27-13. The Minutemen (6-13-4, 5-8-4 Hockey East) are next on head coach Jerry York and the Eagles’ (18-6-0, 145-0) list. “It’s a Hockey East conference game,” York said. “We’re trying to win a regular season championship, so those two points [that a conference win would bring] are important for us.” The Minutemen are coming into Chestnut Hill off the wrong end of a twogame series with Northeastern, losing the first, 3-0, and tying the second, 2-2. York pointed out the team’s recent success in one particular area of the game. “[Amherst] has been on a great special team roll,” York said. “They’ve killed off the last 31 out of 32 power plays they’ve faced,” along with taking advantage of scoring during power plays. In preparation, the Eagles will dedicate one practice this week to penalty kills, and another to power plays. Another strong point of the Amherst team has been Paul Dainton between the pipes. The senior goaltender made 30 stops in the tie game against Northeastern, and has a .921 save percentage on the season. “He’s a factor for sure,” York said.

See BC-UMass, A9

The big picture

Wake Forest hands BC its third straight loss after a 15-4 start By Drew McKay For The Heights

The Boston College women’s basketball team lost its third straight on Monday night, as the Demon 82 Wake Forest Deacons of Wake Boston College 64 Forest trounced the Eagles, 82-64, in Winston-Salem, N.C. BC knew the key coming in was dealing with Wake’s high-pressure defense. “We’ve been working on protecting the ball because we knew they were going to press us a lot,” head coach Sylvia Crawley said. “They were going to try to be very aggressive defensively against us.” BC started the game well. Carolyn Swords won the tip, which was collected by Kerri Shields, who then drove baseline and missed the layup. This trend continued all game long. On the other end, the Eagles looked strong defensively. They brought smothering, aggressive pressure defense, much like Wake’s early in the first half. This style forced the Deacs to try to move

the ball, which led to poor shots late in the shot clock. Off the stifling defense, the Eagles collected the ball in transition, and Stefanie Murphy drained a three off the slow break. The tough BC defense got to Wake again, on the very next position. A double team forced a loose ball. Kristen Doherty dove on the ball and flipped it to Carolyn Swords. Swords threw a long pass to a wide open Kerri Shields. Shields killed the transition opportunity with a traveling violation. BC continued to bring the pressure defensively with the half court trap, forcing Wake to take poor shots and opportunities for BC in transition. Carolyn Swords collected an errant Wake shot, and on the other end Korina Chapman dished to Kristen Doherty, who drained the jumper. This brought the Eagles a 17-9 lead, their largest lead of the game. This lead was as good as it would get for the Eagles on Monday night, as Wake began to make adjustments. The Eagles turnovers and inability to finish inside were their

i nside S ports this issue

undoing. Wake began to employ the highpressure defense for which they are known. “They turned up the pressure a little bit and I thought that we weathered the storm,” Crawley said. “We were battling in the first half.” As Wake changed its defensive strategy, BC changed its focus. Instead of concentrating on finishing easy buckets inside, the Eagles turned their attention to protecting the ball. “I think our focus was so much on breaking the press and keeping our composure and not turning the ball over,” Crawley said. The Eagles missed easy opportunities inside the entire game. On one possession, BC had five shot attempts from inside the paint and converted none. The Demon Deacons were up 42-33 at halftime. “Yesterday’s game was a little disappointing because we missed layups, shots that we could have made,” Crawley said.

See Women’s Basketball, A9

UNC exposes BC’s weaknesses

Turnovers and an inconsistent presence underneath the basket doom the Eagles......A8

David J. Phillip / ap photo

With Super Bowl XLV less than a week away, former Boston College defensive tackle B.J. Raji faced the media on Tuesday to answer questions about the big game ahead.

Game of the Week: BC vs. BU, round four

The 2010 Beanpot tournament pits the two rivals against each other in the first round...............A9

Editors’ Picks..............................A9 The Week Ahead............................A9

music

food

did the beatles inspire katy perry?

health conscious

The lasting impression of back in the ussr page B2

the importance of veggies page B4

Thursday, february 3, 2011

The Scene’s Anthology of Super Bowl Commercials Past and Present

By da r r e n r anc k | A rts & R evi ew E d it o r an d c h a r l ott e pa r is h | asst. A rts & R evi ew E d it o r

hile the entertainment factor of men slamming each other into the ground and running back and forth across the field is quite high, we would argue that the Super Bowl commercials are becoming the most popular and highly anticipated part of the night. That’s saying something since this year will be the first time anyone under the age of 50 has played the halftime show, since Janet Jackson’s wardrobe ‘malfunction’ of Superbowl XXXVIII. The commercials are legendary not only for their high-ticket price, but also for their creativity, hilarity, and longevity in TV history.

Who doesn’t remember the countless adorable Clydesdale moments sponsored by Budweiser? Throw in the futuristic quirkiness of Apple’s 1984 commercial, the hilarity of the eTrade baby, and the downright creepiness of Noxzema’s original shaving cream ad, and you’ve compiled a legendary list of Superbowl ads. The commercials even make this testosterone-charged event entertaining for all demographics who are shunted from their usual Sunday night routine. So grab the nachos and the remote, and settle in for a night of 30-second epics. See Super Bowl Ads, B3

mollie kolosky / heights photo illustration

The Heights

Thursday, February 3, 2011

+Editor’s Corner

Kids don’t stand a chance

Radio singles by Katie lee

Lupe fiasco “Words i never said”

Darren Ranck I like to think I have no enemies in life, but then I remember Jae Head, the little boy who played Sandra Bullock’s son in The Blind Side. He is surely my enemy. With his southern drawl, Scrappy Doo-like spirit, and crooked smile that only children can pull off, Head performed his role as a football-loving young’un with a precociousness that makes my teeth grind. On the whole, I can’t stand children in pop culture. I feel as though their success comes from the fact that they’re kids acting like adults in one way or another. With all these children populating the industry, it’s important to take a step back and consider which child phenoms worked and which ones left us thinking, in the words of Full House’s Stephanie Tanner, “How rude!” First of all, let me say that I do not hate children. I have a niece and nephew whom I love dearly (and equally, dear sisters), and they’re natural comedians, like their uncle. That being said, I pray that they never participate in the making of a Kidz Bop album. Kidz Bop probably emphasizes my overall point. When children sing Modest Mouse’s “Float On” as though they are about to board the Disney Cruise, it truly makes you question the depth of feeling they have to tackle such a song. The triumphant chorus approaches, and they yell the words “all right” not with relief, but with enthusiasm fit for elementary school P.E. They aren’t untalented. They just give every song a cheddar sheen that takes all the emotion right out of it. Despite my disdain for the “kidz,” I would definitely buy an album by the P.S. 22 Chorus. This Staten Island public school choir, composed of 60 fifth graders, has developed a repertoire that covers Lady Gaga, Phoenix, and Matisyahu. Somehow, though, even with such an alternative set list, they deliver performances full of depth. The Oscars, in fact, invited them to perform at this year’s ceremony, a rather esteemed opportunity for a group whose choice for best picture is Toy Story 3. The merry group of chanteurs and chanteuses can probably kick it with Hailee Steinfeld, 14-yearold Oscar nominee for True Grit. Although young, Steinfeld isn’t even the youngest nominee in Oscar history. Just four years ago, 9-yearold Abigail Breslin received an Oscar nomination for Little Miss Sunshine. Her kid beauty queen was at once heartwarming and comedic, and she stood out in a film full of heavy hitters, like Toni Collette and Steve Carrell. Long before that even, in 1973, Tatum O’Neal won an Oscar for playing a little con artist at the age of 10. She even deserved it. Most child actors in movies, though, like dear Jae, work too hard to be adult-like. Dakota Fanning is a classic example of this. I do think she will be a fantastic actress now that she’s grown up, but I found her to be slightly, for lack of a better term, creepy. Her vacant blue eyes and white-blonde hair and psychoanalytic speech is not becoming for a six-year old. When she diagnoses Tom Cruise with Peter Pan syndrome in War of the Worlds, I just feel uncomfortable. I usually wonder whether kids belong in entertainment. Everyone knows the double standard held against child actors. They soon take a stroll down the Lindsay Lohan road of destruction. What about the kids like Drew Barrymore or Shirley Temple or the Phoenix brothers who really do “get it”? I’m beginning to think talent is something you’re born with (which my niece and nephew absolutely are).

Darren Ranck is Arts&Reivew Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at review@bcheights.com.

An Independent frame of mind

Lupe Fiasco released a bold track this week from his upcoming album Lasers. Fiasco takes a step away from the sound found on his recent single “The Show Goes On” and decides to rap about religion and politics. Skylar Grey and Alex Da Kid, who are featured on the track, help to keep it melodically pleasant, despite the serious subject matter. Look for Lasers that is scheduled to drop on March 8. With tracks like “Words I Never Said,” the album is sure to be a hit.

Come back, Disney gold

Dr. Dre feat. eminem & skylar gray “i need a doctor” Dr. Dre is back with his new single “I Need a Doctor.” Eminem dominates the vocals of the song while Dre delivers the bars heading into the song’s climax. The rock-styled drums and dramatic keys give it an edge despite its pop influence. Even though some fans accuse Dr. Dre of drifting from his usual style, the song is sure to be an immediate hit.

3 doors down “when we’re young”

akon “one more time”

It’s nice to see an older band coming out with good new music. 3 Doors Down released a single from their upcoming album with a catchy and fresh sound. “When Were Young” captures the old spirit of 3 Doors Down while still giving the audience something a little bit different. Fans and new listeners will not be disappointed and should anticipate big things with the new music that the band will premiere.

Akon songs are always some of the most well known party songs around. This new track is no exception. Although “One More Time” is typical of Akon’s sound, it’s still sure to be a huge hit with its catchy baseline, hook-laden chorus, and repetitive phrases. Although his upcoming album has had little media attention or publicity, it is sure to be full of similar sing-a-longs.

photos courtesy of amazon.com and creativecommons.org

THis week on tv by joe allen

Commedy happily dominates the networks

‘ Community’

‘parks & recreation’

‘modern family’

Who knew that a simple show about misfits at community college could make episodes in which its cast transforms into zombies on Halloween and appears in stop motion on Christmas? Community always hits a home run when it leaves reality behind. Tonight, the gang cranks the geek meter to 11 for an intense “Dungeons and Dragons” episode. Half an hour of hilarious absurdity is virtually guaranteed.

In the first two episodes of its third season, Parks and Recreation reclaimed its place as one of the highlights of NBC’s Thursday night comedies, along with Community and 30 Rock (no, not Outsourced). The “Pawnee government is in crisis mode” plot has given the show new energy, as well as great new regulars Rob Lowe and Adam Scott. Will Forte guest stars on this episode as an avid Twilight fan who demands Meyer’s books be placed in the town time capsule.

Modern Family’s first season gave us a hysterical Valentine’s Day episode that featured Phil (donning the name Clive Bixby) and Claire’s adult role-playing misadventures. How can next week’s episode top that idea? Its title, “Bixby’s Back,” answers that in a way that is sure to excite fans. Aside from the laughs of the Phil-Claire storyline, the episode features an admirer coming between Mitchell and Cam, while Jay constructs an elaborate surprise for Gloria. photos courtesy of Google

Music Nook

photo courtesy of google

‘Cold, communism, and chicks’ are American’s typical thoughts about Russia, but the Beatles choose to focus on the third of these.

Think of all those girls ‘Back in the U.S.S.R.’ Krysia Wazny The first time I remember hearing “Back in the U.S.S.R.” I was a 10-yearold girl. Everything I had heard about the Soviet Union led me to believe it was evil, oppressive, and the reason my dad didn’t drink Ovaltine growing up (unimaginable). So why were those crazy kids from Liverpool singing the praises of the Party? None of the generally reliable adults around me could provide an answer, though I believe they appreciated the irony of my question (which was my actual goal). I didn’t think much about those words or bother to properly investigate them until a couple weeks before recently heading off to the former U.S.S.R. for a four-month stay. In the end, it turns out some people do want to get back to the ol’ collective farm, and for reasons I should have assumed. When Americans think of Russia, they usually come up with the three Cs: cold, communism, and chicks. The Beatles focus upon the last of these. “Back in the U.S.S.R.” is “California Girls” with an international twist. However, it points out some of the most essential stereotypes that non-Russians held about the Soviets during the Cold War and often continue to hold today.

First of all, Russian girls are sexy. Lennon and McCartney give shout-outs to Ukraine, Moscow, and Georgia in these iconic lyrics that further cement American perceptions about Russian women. Will they come and keep their comrades warm? Some men wait on the edge of their computer chairs and punch in credit card numbers to find out. Someone always feels the need to point out the “otherness” that “Westerners” ascribe to the Far European East. And sure, some of us can’t understand why the Russians force pedestrians to slip, slide, and triple axel their way to the metro, but then again we sympathize gladly with their love of chilled vodka, classic literature, and readily available Jaguar. In any case, “Back in the U.S.S.R.” points once more to the inherent differences between Russia and its Western friends. Only by “leaving the West behind” do Ukrainian girls manage to knock them out. So what were the Beatles trying to convey? Is Russia nothing more than a frozen wasteland full of exotic women with unspeakable socialist skills? Were they, in fact, backing the U.S.S.R., and not just back in it? Or were they just writing meaningless lyrics to a catchy tune so that American teenagers would continue to buy lunch boxes with their pictures on them? Their reasons really aren’t

important, but the attitudes those lyrics capture continue to present themselves in Western music and media today. I’m hoping that there’s an opposite side to this coin. Russia is no exception to the American/Anglo phenomenon present in most of Europe today. Yesterday I saw a sincerely classy coffee mug delicately inscribed with the words “coffee, espresso, instant coffee.” However, our comrades stereotype Americans at about the rate that Putin shoots tigers, and because no one thinks an American girl could possibly speak Russian, lessons in these prejudices are quick. If I could only stop smiling and laughing too loudly life would no doubt be easier. With any luck, there are some crooners in my new neighborhood composing away about Massachusetts girls who maybe make them hum a little tune and crack a smile. In 2003, Paul McCartney finally performed “Back in the U.S.S.R.” in Moscow’s Red Square. Times have changed, but the song remains the same. It may not be the U.S.S.R. any longer, but, boy, we’re still lucky to be here.

Krysia Wazny is a columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at review@bcheights.com.

Brennan Carley Last week, I had a response to one of my columns in which I discussed the literally “sad” state of movies. I thought I had done an accurate job at covering some happy movies (Easy A, for example) but one reader believed I done a disservice to my inner Disney nerd by excluding films like Tangled, How to Train Your Dragon, and Despicable Me (the last two, I realize, are not Disney, but fall in the animated category). The letter got me thinking about animated movies in general. It’s true that I love Disney. My family loves Disney. I’ve been to Disney World an embarrassing number of times, only because I’m the one who’s begs and forces it upon the family (not like I’ve ever heard any complaints, mind you). The thing that I can’t figure out is: what is Disney doing right? Sure, I could talk about the basic material that everyone covers when discussing the wonders of the Mouse House. Most of the company’s films have fleshed-out and lovable characters, intriguing and fresh plots, and fantastic animation to boot. That’s all a given. How do they keep doing it, though? Disney is an empire that rules our country’s entertainment system. We interact with its films, merchandise, music, and more on a daily basis and have no issue with the fact that it is such a dominating force, because we’ve been almost trained that way. Disney affects us in more ways than we can imagine. The company, valued at roughly $68 billion, knows just how much of an affinity we have to its characters. What little girl doesn’t dream of growing up to be the next Snow White or Cinderella? Just think, those movies came out more than 50 years ago, and audiences everywhere are still raising their children with them. That brings me to the main reason Disney has done such a good job of conquering the world. It knows the value of its intellectual property, and its characters that have served the company so wonderfully over the years. It’s hard to think of Uncle Walt as anything but a kindhearted man whose only dream was to introduce children to what would be timeless stories. Watching home footage of him riding around his backyard with his daughters on their miniature steam train, hearing the excitement in his voice as he described the Disney theme parks, one finds himself or herself completely charmed. Back when Walt was around, there were no sequels or prequels to be seen, but rather a steady stream of original and enchanting content that defines ones childhood, generation after generation. That brings us to the present, where Disney remains just as magical, but the sense that what it does is out of greed is always lurking in the back of my mind. Does anyone really believe that the characters from Tangled and Bolt will have the same staying power as those from Mary Poppins and Pinocchio? Disney has done a remarkably good job of making these films viable in the now, from meet and greets with the characters in the theme parks to the branding of backpacks and cereals. There are exceptions to the rule, as I’m sure my letter-writing friend would happily point out. When Disney met Pixar, the string of movies released almost every year since have changed the way people think about animated movies forever. In the future, I will surely introduce my children to the wonders of Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, and Toy Story. I seriously must question the logic of upcoming movies like Mars Needs Moms and Cars 2. Yes, Disney has recently faced issues with attracting male audiences (the behind the scenes drama of renaming what would have been called simply Rapunzel into Tangled), but did we need a sequel to Cars, arguably the worst of the Pixar films? It’s times like these that make me yearn for Disney’s golden years.

B re n n a n C a rl e y i s As s o s i a t e Arts&Reivew Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at review@bcheights. com.

The Heights

Thursday, February 3, 2011

It’s why you tune in super bowl commercials make their mark and draw in the viewers

remembering the bowl breaks

How many times have we thought to ourselves, “Where’s the beef?” Not nearly enough, but it’s a catchphrase that has stayed with us through the years. Uttered by a little AARP member in a Wendy’s commercial, the phrase premiered at the sanctum of television advertising – the Super Bowl. Since the mid ’70s, the Super Bowl became a Mad Man’s dream, and the progression of commercial trends has been nothing short of comical. Considered by many to be the first memorable Super Bowl commercial, shaving cream company Nox z e m a d e veloped a campaign with Jets quarterback Joe Namath in 1973. The commercial featured Namath giving himself a shave while a nike - bugs bunny and michael jordan 1992 Bridget Bardottype belted the lyrics, “Let Noxzema cream your face, so the razor won’t.” By today’s standards, it looks incredibly outdated and rather funny, but the well-placed celebrity endorsement, as well as the subtle sexual chemistry between Namath and the blonde bombshell, offered the viewing audience a bit of an unexpected treat. The rest of the decade found attempts from advertising agencies to bolster their Super Bowl content as they boosted the sex appeal, the humor, and the celebrity glitz. Another landmark commercial aired in 1980 for Coca-Cola. The spot focused on Mean Joe Greene, defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers, after a particularly devastating loss. His biggest fan, a little boy, tries to cheer him up and finally does after giving Greene his bottle of Coke. While the boy sadly ambles away, Mean Joe finally brightens up and tosses his sweat rag to young Billy! Thanks, Coke! A commercial for Apple’s Macintosh computer in 1984, though, left the cheesy behind and took a turn for the more dramatic. Now famous auteur, Ridley Scott directed the commercial, inspired by George Orwell’s 1984. A crew of blanched laborers marches into a screening room, where an imposing, bespectacled figure lectures them from pepsi - the cola wars 1995 a screen. During this event, a shotput contestant sprints down a hallway until she reaches the screening room and uses the shot to break the hypnotizing screen. A white fog envelops the crowd, and text at the bottom of the screen notes the launch date of the Macintosh model. Tense, a tad confusing, and even somewhat controversial, this commercial has remained one of the most well known in Super Bowl history. The drama never lasts long, though, what with all the animals popping up on television. Arguably most recognizable are the Budweiser Clydesdales. Every year these elegantly masculine creatures honorable shell out beer to the masses, in ways both comical and heartwarming. One of the most memorable Clydesdales spots premiered during the 2002 Super Bowl and paid tribute to the fallen of Sept. 11. Briskly galloping in the snow, the troupe of Clydesdales reached their destination, a point across from Manhattan Island. The Clydesdales stared for a bit before bowing down to the city, a wonderfully sentimental action. The most memorable ads, denny’s nannerpuss 2009 though, are the playful ones – the ads that pit Michael Jordan against Larry Bird for a Big Mac, the ads that feature Betty White playing tackle football in hopes for a Snickers, and the ads that creatively choreograph a dance for the SoBe Lifewater lizards. They are the reason why people tune in, they’re watercooler chat the next day, and maybe, just maybe, some of them will become timeless classics.

our all-time favorite super bowl commercials

wendy’s - where’s the beef? 1994

the essence of a commerical hit

Apple 1984

Mcdonalds - Michael Jordan & Larry Bird 1993

eTrade baby 2007

coke - mean joe green 1979

noxzema with joe namath 1973

What can $3 million get you? Answer: not a whole lot this Sunday. In fact, Fox has completely sold out all commercial slots for this year’s bonanza Super Bowl XLV. For a whooping $3 million, companies get 30 seconds – and prices skyrocket with every added second. Despite the mind-boggling absurdity of shelling out so many greenbacks for so short an ad, a Super Bowl commercial proves that a company has finally made it, and GoDaddy.com owner, Bob Parsons, is a fan of the high buy-in since “it’s not a bet if you know the outcome.” Here the outcome is a high return on a lightening fast commercial. With such a miniscule window of opportunity through which companies must shove their product to a mass consortium of viewers how can you make sure that no one is reaching for chips at the exact second your commercial runs? Answer: Minute to Win It planters - ugly woman 2008 style advertising where companies need a fast action hook that makes people remember the product amid the heartbreak or euphoria of the game. One of the best ways to make people pay attention? Throw up a character they know and love. Anyone who does not think the eTrade baby is hilarious has no right to be watching football next Sunday. Scheduled to make another appearance, this perennial hit inspires cries of excitement from his first frame on the TV. Alternately, an unfortunate absence thus far from the released lineup is the Old Spice Man, Mr. Isaiah Mustafa, fingers crossed that he will come in riding backwards on his white horse at the last moment (“I’m on a horse”). A former football player himself, Old Spice Man is another comedic hit that heads up an empire of commercial hits for the company. Better yet, forget babies and shirtless men. Playing to the viewer demographic (majority male and slightly drunk by second quarter) and throw up some hot, sporty girls – like Jillian Michaels and Danica Patrick – in sheared shirts with your logo emblazoned in bright letters. Taking its cues from the success of seductive commercials like Britney Spears’ Pepsi ad from the ‘90s, GoDaddy. c o m brings the idea to the next level and only teases part of its overall commercial. To see the end of Danica, Jillian, and a new mystery star’s foam fight, check out our website! It is certainly an effective way to get people off the couch and onto the internet. Although their stars may not match up with the hot factor of the GoDaddy girls, Best Buy has recruited Justin Bieber and Ozzy Osbourne to lend their star power to the company’s maiden voyage into Super Bowl advertising. It’s arguable how much these curious choices will attract the attention away from nachos (given that few tween girls will be watching), but nevertheless the idea of using star power to catch interest is a classic pepsi - Cindy Crawford 1992 one despite the extra price tag it adds. The only thing better than humor, girls, or stars? Free stuff! For the fifth year running, Pepsi’s Dorito has held its “Crash the Super Bowl” contest, and this year they are pulling in the PepsiMax product as well. Everyone who entered the contest in the faint hope of attending the Super Bowl or winning $25,000 will undoubtedly look for the ad that ousted them – even as they fume bitterly theirs was obviously better. With plenty of gimmicks, hooks, jokes, and star power, the successful Super Bowl commercial is all about flash and lights. The past years have delivered some memorable hits, and for LXV the gauntlet has been thrown down to create the next fan favorite.

The Heights

scene and heard

Thursday, February 3, 2011

natalie portman

By Taylor Cavallo For The Heights

Alec Baldwin

Disclaimer: I know Perez Hilton isn’t a reliable source. I also know that this is most likely a rumor. But just think for a second: Alec Baldwin replacing Keith Olbermann on Countdown. We’d all tune in to hear Jack Donaghy, the much loved 30 Rock character, reporting on homeland security. Although it is a rumor that Baldwin might take the position, it might not be a rumor that NBC wanted him as Olbermann’s replacement, which frankly is just as entertaining.

I Am Music II Tour

What better way to mark your release from prison than a tour of the country? Lil Wayne is set to tour the U.S. starting in March, stopping in 23 cities. As if that weren’t exciting enough, Weezy’s bringing along Rick Ross, DJ Mixmaster Mike of the Beastie Boys, the tatted-up Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, and (my personal favorite) Nicki Minaj. Mark your calendars and start saving. Tickets are undoubtedly going to cost a pretty penny. But seeing Weezy on stage after jail time? So worth it.

I doubt I’m alone in realizing that Natalie Portman seems to be starring in a lot of movies recently (five between 2010 and 2011). The number of times we have seen her face has increased exponentially. I don’t understand her inconsistency in roles. Starring in No Strings Attached was a confusing choice after her amazing performance in the thriller Black Swan. Hopefully, Natalie remembers that it’s quality over quantity, but I’m sure we can trust her. After all, she went to Harvard.

on The Session

Follow the 21st amendment

On the rarest occasions, enue prices to enjoy its amenities. You can even students begin to tire of per- get a “Bucket of Blondes,” five Miller High Lives petual themed parties (“Do I (Lifes?) wedged into an ice-filled spittoon, for $10 really have to dress as a Nazi – a better deal than a Budzilla at Roggies. George Michael for the third But you wouldn’t travel all the way downtown week in a row?”), the metallic for a Bucket of Blondes. Seasoned bartenders aftertaste of shot-gunning a at the 21st Amendment can sculpt any classic Milwaukee’s Best, and wit- cocktail, and they also boast specialties. Grab a nessing a fellow classmate group to indulge in prohibition punch, featuring a urinate ghastly medley of four types of into the rum, cointreau, orange juice, “The Bowdoin Street Zak Jason waste sour mix, and cranberry juice, building first hosted the conveyer belt by the entrance or sip on a Nantucket mojito, of Lower Dining Hall. When with lime rum, mint leaves, city’s most opulent hotel, the occasion strikes, students lime juice, cranberry juice featuring Boston’s first should cure themselves by and soda water. To reward public elevator ... [it is] venturing as far into the city you for trudging through the as possible. A great destina- where JFK supposedly wrotes slush and sliding through the tion is Beacon Hill’s The 21st ice, the bar also makes a pepspeeches.” Amendment. permint patty – a warming Originally erected in 1899, mix of vanilla vodka, Kahlua, the Bowdoin Street building Baileys, mint liqueur, and first hosted the city’s most opulent hotel, featur- chocolate syrup. If you’d like to stick with beer, ing Boston’s first public elevator. Throughout they also stock a vast selection of local favorites, the 20th century, the place morphed from the including specialty brews of Sam Adams. male-only Bellevue Pub, where Alexander GraBeyond imbibing, you can also savor the pub’s ham Bell used to dine, to the Golden Dome Pub simple yet hearty menu. Burger sliders, mar(named after the state house’s signature crown), gherita pizza, goat cheese and cranberry salad, where JFK supposedly wrote speeches beside the a balsamic roasted Portobello burger, a grilled back fire place. (The 21st Amendment’s website, cheese with three cheeses, chowder specials however, boasts that last tidbit. How valid it is we – the menu balances local staples with national know not. This isn’t quite as egregious as restau- favorites. rants that ask celebrities to sign plates and then There’s a photo on the cover of the menu. proceed to hang those plates on display by the Men and women in well-tailored suits sit around entrance. But it is still an aesthetic infraction.) a table splattered with empty bottles of dark Today, the 21st Amendment hosts everyone beer and half empty bottles of whiskey. One from Beacon Hill big wigs to Financial District man raises a glass in a toast, but no one notices. yuppies to MBTA workers who end their shift The rest of the crowd seems submerged deep in at the nearby Park Street station to college stu- conversation, enjoying each other’s company. dents. Shining mahogany lines the place from It’s a black and white photo, probably taken not tables to ceilings, and the owners have adorned long after the passage of the 21st Amendment. the dining room sparsely with old local election Almost 80 years later, The 21st Amendment hosts posters and sports paraphernalia. the same scene. Despite its lavish location, the 21st Amendment stays very affordable. If you need a Parker Brothers analogy, though the 21th Amendment Zak Jason is a Heights columnist. He can be sits on Boardwalk, you need only pay Baltic Av- reached at arts@bcheights.com.

Urban Outfitters

I have to admit. I was thrilled when I got an e-mail from Urban Outfitters entitled “Beauty Icon: Marie Antoinette.” Not only is she one of the most fascinating historical figures of all time, she was also one of the most beautiful. The Urban Outfitters blog explains to readers how to recreate the regal, elegant, and decadent style of Marie Antoinette, the first pioneer of high fashion. Hair and make-up artist Russell Oden opts for a ‘loose recreation’ so as to avoid a ‘costume feel.’ Oden is successful in making the big hair, f lawless skin, and innocent eyes of the Queen somewhat wearable.

‘fame: the royals’

Bluewater Productions is releasing a biographical comic book about Prince William and Kate Middleton, just in time for their spring wedding. Set for an April release, the 32-page book will tell the story of their royal romance and make note of other crucial moments in Prince William’s life. The collector’s edition will include a section about the marriage of his parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana. As you may expect, people have already pre-ordered these comic books about the royal couple, mostly Americans in fact. What’s the appeal? There are no super powers …

Food for thought: living for leafy greens

With the current winter weather in Boston, I am having trouble finding a good reason to leave my apartment in Edmond’s Hall – ever. Everything I need is right here, or at the very least, a short walk or T-ride away. It’s the happiest place on Kristin Canfield Earth, no joke, and after being abroad, I am really enjoying being on campus. I loved Austria, but after four months in a country that has two words for potatoes and where all vegetable soups are by default made with cream, I have been craving vegetables au natural. Lucky for me, so far we’ve managed to keep our fridge and our stomachs packed with them, but there are lots of people right here in Boston who don’t have access to fresh produce. These people live in what we call food deserts: mostly urban low income neighborhoods, these are places where you cannot find affordable fresh food within a reasonable distance. While I know that many of us choose to do our food shopping at CVS or 7-Eleven, but what if that was your only option? Here, we’re lucky. Off the top of my head, I can think of four supermarkets that are either within walking distance or a short T-ride away, not to mention the ample food choices on campus. Why should this matter to us? If the very thought of someone going through life without enjoying roasted eggplant or winter squash soup doesn’t make you feel sick to your stomach the way it makes me, then think about the ramifications of a diet consisting of only processed foods on one’s health. If I sound over-dramatic it’s because I really think this issue deserves our attention. And perhaps it’s possible that I’m conflating some of my stomach pains with hunger – it’s been known to happen to the best of us. When I was abroad, one of the things I

began to notice was that in many parts of the world, vegetarianism is truly a foreign concept. In Budapest, I wrote out the line, “I am a vegetarian. I cannot eat meat,” in Hungarian on a note card. While everyone was very nice, I definitely stirred up some mass confusion that weekend. On particularly memorable meal, I was handed sliced tomatoes and french fries with sliced processed American style cheese on top. Not wanting to be rude – and ravenous from the train ride – I cleaned my plate. Luckily, the delicious Hungarian beer and traditional music kept me in good spirits. Even if you’re not a vegetarian, you have been conditioned to expect a variety of choices at every meal. On any given day, there are five soups in the Rat, even more varieties of coffee. Do we really need these many choices to feel satisfied? No, but if you get to the Rat one day to find that they have only one flavor of coffee or that all five canteens of soup are filled with Mediterranean Eggplant, there would be an uproar. Perhaps not a mass stampede level of uproar, but nevertheless something dramatic. Here at BC, we claim to be committed to social justice. To that end, we join service clubs and participate in advocacy projects. With so many issues that people care about, sometimes it’s overwhelming to find something you feel truly passionate about. People complain that some issues are just too far from their actual lives, that they find it hard to care about something they do not and most likely will not ever have to encounter or deal with. That is fair. So, if you’re out there struggling to find something to care about, care about food. Work to ensure there is universal and affordable access to healthy food, no matter where you live. After all, even in my lovely Edmonds apartment (where I could stay forever if I abandoned all my outside obligations), I still need to eat.

Kristin Canfield is a Heights columnist. She can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.

The Heights

Thursday, February 3, 2011

+Music

Coming Soon

‘Rolling Blackouts’ revitalizes band

By Kylie Rolincik For The Heights

Are you suffering from an intense craving for loco beats dripping with an energizing buzz that really gets you going? Fresh out of Red Bull and Monster or whatever else you chug in an attempt to invigorate both mental and physical functioning? Well, lucky for you, The Go! Team’s latest full-length album Rolling Blackouts has just dropped—it’s calorie free and can pump up even the flattest tire of a disposition. After a nearly four year hiatus, this garage-funk English sextet made a striking return with a killer 13-track album that offers a breadth of dazzling pop, catchy hooks, and hardcore rhythm. From the rambunctious triumph of tracks like “Back Like 8 Track” to the dreamy Sixties heartache of “Ready to Go Steady,” this eclectic bunch has managed to collect and assemble a conglomerate playground of musical possibility which offers energizing merriment from start to finish. A brass explosion pulls you in and tosses you up into the grip of infectious groove, as lead signer, rapper, and chanter, Ninja pounds out the first track “T.O.R.N.A.D.O.” It is two minutes and 10 seconds of euphoric turbulence that will inevitably whip you up and rush you out onto the dance floor (or whatever danceable surface is in close proximity). Viciously spitting out the track title letter-by-letter, followed by a punchy beat-box, this rap combination of lyrical jabs and forcible punctuation is layered atop a heavy-hitting background of cutting horns. Again, if you’re out of fancy energy drinks, this song might just do the trick. Its whizzing displays of rhythm and rhyme course through your veins

the world is yours motorhead

rolling blackouts the go! team produced by memphis industries released Feb. 1, 2011 Our rating A-

courtesy of Creativecommons.org

On their eclectic and exciting new album, indie band The Go! Team electrify their audience with a pulsating blast of thrilling and toe-tapping numbers that totally succeed. like an intense glucose-fructose sugar rush that makes you want to party hardcore. If you’re feeling good after that, keep it going like the Energizer Bunny straight into “Apollo Throwdown.” This silky smooth, glitchy electric, hip-hop jam is fresh, to say the least. Caressing the catchy flow of percussive rips and cascading electro keys, laced with glockenspiels, Dominique Young Unique skillfully delivers a sail of old-skool rhymes such as “we got no second chance, we got a soldier’s stance- we got the thrills in our skills that you can’t advance.” The vocal feature of this gifted teenage rapper harks back to the dexterity and accent of the original female voice of rap, a sound that has been nearly

extinct since the early ‘80s. This track embodies The Go! Team’s jubilant expanse of musicality with a cutting edge takedown of dynamic electric noise and rock solid rhythm. Continuing forth on your energy kick, “The Running Range” showcases a crusading and visceral performance by The London African Gospel Choir. This female choir majestically carries the track with pure soul, steeped in pulsating horns and crunching bass attacks. Remember that scene in Kill Bill when Uma Thurman single-handedly managed to kill and / or seriously wound the entirety of O-Ren’s army of henchman, the Crazy 88? Well, this song makes me feel like I am sporting a bright yellow jumpsuit, bran-

dishing a Hattori Hanzo sword, and becoming Uma Thurman in that scene—utterly awesome and completely unstoppable. Yet, this triumphant intensity is then followed by an eerily singular piano, playing a delicate melody in “Lazy Poltergeist.” It is completely out of left field, making little to no logical sense, which makes it totally sensible. The last thing this multifarious group of musicians would want is to be one-dimensional or predictable in their creations. They want to keep the audience on their toes, dancing, always slightly uncertain of what’s to come. As a result, there is such a vast expanse of exhilarating musicality which the innovative spirit of The Go! Team seeks to encompass—as the exploding sound dynamite of one

song is tastefully balanced with the gentle soul-searching trickles of another. The beauty of The Go! Team is their range of infectious grooves. Implementing wild mixes of cutesy pop, skewed jazz, indie rock guitars, action theme songs, disc jockey beats, school yard chants, and explosive operatic rhythms, with a genius integration of guest vocalists, this eclectic group manages to send their worldwide audience into spells of bouncy promenade, and soulful jive. This musical circus act is truly at odds with anything else out there today, so put down the Red Bull and pick up Rolling Blackouts because this funky fresh inde hip-hop party will give you wings and send you soaring. n

Bella Teddy thompson

Chart Toppers

Singles

1 Grenade Bruno Mars 2 Firework Katy Perry 3 Black and Yellow Wiz Khalifa 4 Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You) Enrique Iglesias feat. Ludacris & DJ Frank E 5 What’s My Name Rhianna feat. Drake Albums

1 The King Is Dead The Decemberists 2 Kidz Bop 19 Kidz Bop Kids 3 Science & Faith The Script 4 Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes Social Disortion 5 Low Country Blues Greg Allman Source: Billboard.com

Civil Wars’ rough ride to ‘Barton Hollow’

By Dan Ottaunick Heights Editor

Joy Williams has steadily established herself as one of the most marketable and successful country artists of the past decade. Though Williams is still under the age of 30, her characteristically Southern music has proliferated

throughout the nation, with past tracks topping Christian radio charts. Though not a major national figure, Williams has found her place among a supportive niche of the American music market. With the release of Barton Hollow, on which Williams collaborates with singer John Paul

White under the moniker The Civil Wars, Williams adds male harmony to her already established sound. Exemplifying a brand of collaboration common by country artists, The Civil Wars have created an album that further asserts Williams vocal and melodic prowess. Opening with the simple and

Barton Hollow The Civil Wars produced by Sensibility records released feb. 1, 2011 Our rating B-

COURTESY OF CREATIVECOMMONS.ORG

The Civil Wars deliver a solid but sometimes too minimalistic album with their sleepy but consistent recently released album.

pastoral “20 Years,” Barton Hollow instantly reveals its unique and simple aesthetic. With soft strings and minimal, harmonic country melodies, the track provides a very clear idea of the experience that this album will provide. The transition into “I’ve Got this Friend” is thus seamless, and the whispered and natural vocals flow steadily from song to song. Th i s pa t te r n c o n t i n u e s throughout the first six songs of the album. These early tracks leave the listener desiring something more – something to break the established pattern of the album. Half-highlighted in the memory if only for their indistinct, collective haze, Barton Hollow’s songs almost blend together like landmarks sighted while softly flowing down a lazy river on a sleepy, Southern Sunday morning. Consistency thus established, one finds little to critique yet little in which to delight. Standing out from the subtle stream that characterizes many of the album’s other tracks, “Barton Hollow” injects a bit of human life into the album’s pastoral simplicity. A toe-tapping saloon tune,

“Barton Hollow” is in many ways antithetical to the album’s overall aesthetic. Though uncharacteristic of the band’s linearly established sound and perhaps an odd choice for a title track, “Barton Hollow” sparks a bit of life into an album so desperately seeking to escape its laid-back continuity. “Barton Hollow” is followed by “The Violet Hour,” which provides a return to the album’s established sound. Oddly impressionistic, this instrumental track is a highly appropriate response to the rebellion of “Barton Hollow.” As we reflect in the serenity of its Debussy-esque flow, we peer into the true heart of the album, its tracks laid out under the pensive moonlight the song spreads out. Viewing “The Violet Hour” as a response to “Barton Hollow” thus allows us to gain a true sense of the album’s meaning. The peculiar disorientation we experience when listening to “Barton Hollow” is not coincidental; we are removed from the immutable flow of the album so we may experience the very sense of rebellion that The Civil Wars have embedded within the title track. The song “Barton Hollow” captures

the fleeting instant in which we escape the comfort of our home – our Southern, summer stream – and experience the ecstasy of ebulliency. It is the earthly incitation of a transcendent state of vitality which we find in rebellion and escape. As the album recedes back into its characteristic melody, the sublimity of the rebelliousness of “Barton Hollow’s” resonates. As “Falling” plays, we instantly hear a melodic sorrow coming through the song’s lyrics and melody. Although this despair is unavoidable, “Falling” does not ask for our sympathies. Quite the contrary, the song seems to be an impetus by which the singer is overcoming her struggles. The song is about falling out of love, but this lost love is overcome, not lamented. “I’ve got to let you go / I can’t help falling out of love with you.” This feeling of contentment carries throughout the final songs of the album, and allows it to close with a sense of solemnity. Although “Barton Hollow” is best suited for the same country audience that has supported Williams throughout her career, it is a worthy effort that should add new fans to her supportive base. n

Six artists are poised to take the music world by storm By Brnnan Carley

Assoc. Arts & Review Editor The Strokes It has been quite some time since this New York-based band has released any sort of music, but rumblings arose last year that they had finished recording another album. The Strokes confirmed the news, and this week gave us some more information about their fourth disc. Titled Angles, the album features a concise list of songs (10 to be precise), the first of which, “Under Cover of Darkness,” is set to come out later this month. With a headlining set at the upcoming Coachella, more tour dates seem more than likely. Let’s cross our fingers. James Blake On Tuesday, Pitchfork named the British wunderkind’s new song “The Wilhelm Scream” one of the best tracks of the month. On Wednesday, it was announced that Blake was just signed to Universal Republic in America, the label

that is home to fellow imports Amy Winehouse and Florence and the Machine. Following in the footsteps of Swedish star Robyn, Blake released several short EPs in 2010 in anticipation of his fulllength, self-titled debut. The young artist blends dubstep and ethereal electro-pop with samples of other artist’s work, deconstructing songs by Timbaland and Feist among others. Out in the U.K. in February, James Blake is shaping up to be an album worth that pesky shipping and handling from across the pond.

Adele While 2010 was clearly the year of Florence and the Machine, the redheaded singer seems poised to pass the crown onto Adele in 2011. Buzz swirling around the petit songbird’s second album, 21, has been overwhelmingly positive, based largely in part to the success of its fiery first single “Rolling in the Deep.” Adele, 2009’s Best New Artist winner at the Grammy Awards, brings intensity to her new album. Her sound has strengthened since 19, due largely in part to a messy breakup that has inspired much of the raw and heartfelt 21. Quite simply, Adele seems hell bent on dominating 2011, and nobody should stand in her way. The Kills One of the most howling and legitimate rock bands still around, The Kills is a duo consisting of British guitarist Jamie Hince and Floridian singer Allison Mosshart. You may have heard their songs on shows like Gossip Girl and House, but the band has remained rela-

tively inactive since 2008’s critically acclaimed Midnight Boom, due to Mosshart’s involvement in Jack White’s rock super-group, The Dead Weather. The Kills are set to release their new album, Blood Pressures, in April. Lead single “Satellites” is a dirty, stuttering, and sludgy track that points to great things ahead for the vastly underappreciated blues-rock band. Lady Gaga There is no doubt that Born This Way, dropping in May, is 2011’s most eagerly awaited albums, and for good reason. In 2010, Gaga stepped

her game up and performed with Elton John at the Grammys, sold out shows across the world, rocked MTV’s VMAs for the second year in a row, and was named one of Time’s most influential people of the year. Next weekend, Gaga will once again blow the Grammys out of the water with the live debut of her new song, “Born This Way,” and that’s just the way we like her. Rye Rye Maybe I’m a bit biased because I’ve met the electrifying and oh-sopersonable rapper, but anticipation has been feverishly building

for years in advance of her debut album, Go! Pop! Bang!, set to drop later this month. The bubbly, high-pitched 20-year-old packs her rhymes with Baltimore flavor and straight up sass. After striking it big with her club-thumper, “Shake it to the Ground,” the rapper moved on to tracks like “Bang” and 2010’s “Sunshine,” both of which feature her mentor M.I.A. On her most recent track, a remix of Ciara’s pumping “Gimme Dat,” Rye Rye gleefully rhymes “I’mma get it like Ce-Ce / shaking all my goodies,” an impish reference to Ciara’s 2004 hit. n

The Heights

Thursday, February 3, 2011

The Heights

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Alex Manta / Heights graphic

Hosni Mubarak was born on May 4, 1928 in Kafr-El Meselha, Egypt. He studied at Egypt’s Military Academy and Air Academy, graduating in 1950 and receiving part of his pilot training in the Soviet Union. He led the rebuilding of the Egyptian Air Force after the disastrous Six Day War with Israel in 1967. He rose rapidly through the chain of command, becoming commanderin-chief of the air force in 1972. He assisted in planning the surprise attack on Israel in 1973 that ignited the Yom Kippur War. President Anwar Sadat appointed Mubarak vice president in 1975. While Sadat focused on international affairs and diplomacy, Mubarak handled the day-to-day activities of the government. He became president in 1981 after Sadat was assassinated by Islamic fundamentalists. Mubarak continued Sadat’s detente with Israel while also leading Egypt back into the Arab League after it was banished for the Camp David accords. He persuaded Palestinian Liberation

Organization leader Yassir Arafat to recognize Israel’s right to exist, and sent 45 thousand troops to fight in the UN backed Gulf War against Iraq in 1990. He took a firm stance against Islamic fundamentalism, arresting thousands of religious zealots after the assassination of Sadat and banning the Muslim Brotherhood. Mubarak has also survived 6 asassassination attempts since taking office in 1981, most recently in 1999 when he was injured by a knife-wielding attacker in Port Said, Egypt. Mubarak, who is 82 years old, reformed the constitution’s electoral laws in 2005, leading to speculation that his son Gamal Mubarak would succeed him when he stepped down. However, in early 2011 protests erupted across Egypt in defiance of his regime. The protests highlighted government corruption, censorship, and deteriorating economic conditions. In response to the protests, Mubarak announced that he will not run for reelection in September, though he has refused to resign immediately as the protestors have demanded. n

Health & Science

Researchers search for scientific explanation of attraction Rachel Newmiller In a mere 11 days, the most loved (or loathed) holiday of the year will be upon us. It makes greeting card companies, jewelers, and florists squirm with anticipation. It can cause couples to gaze into each other’s eyes over a candlelit dinner or serve as a painful reminder of a single relationship status for the uncommitted among us. Yet regardless of whether you are on good terms with Cupid this year or are greatly disturbed by the commercialization of this “Hallmark holiday,” Valentine’s Day prompts most people to reflect on love, romance, and intimacy. Emotions, especially those involving passionate desire, have intrigued some of the world’s greatest minds for centuries. From Plato, who said, “At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet,” to Albert Einstein, who admitted that “gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love,” humanity has long been awestruck by the powerful effects of this feeling and driven to search for its root cause. With advances in scientific knowledge and technology, some believe that laboratory experimentation has the

potential to reveal the inner workings of the human mind, including how we experience and process certain feelings. And although many are skeptical as to whether this discipline can ever fully understand and unravel our complicated emotions, it is certainly worth examining “the science of love.” Dr. Helen Fisher, a biological anthropologist and research professor at Rutgers University, is considered to be one of the foremost experts on the chemistry of romantic love. She believes that we have “three core brain systems for mating and reproduction”—lust, attraction, and attachment. Lust, or sexual desire, involves hormones known as estrogens and androgens. Contrary to popular belief, testosterone, a member of the latter category, is a very important contributor to the sex drives of both males and females. Attraction, which Fisher describes as romantic or passionate love, is hypothesized to be associated with increased levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine and low levels of serotonin. Interestingly, dopamine, which is involved in the reward system of the brain, has been connected to “ecstasy, intense energy, sleeplessness, mood swings, emotional dependence, and cravings.” Norepinephrine, which is related to alertness and arousal, has been linked to “a pounding

heart, elevated blood pressure, and other physiological responses of the sympathetic nervous system,” writes Fisher in The New Psychology of Love. As many of us know, all of the above occurrences are often “symptoms” of being bitten by the love bug. But what causes people to be constantly preoccupied with thoughts of their lovers? Research has shown that subjects who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and those who admit to being in love have reduced amounts of bodily serotonin, leading Fisher to hypothesize that a drop in this chemical may contribute to “obsessive thinking and impulsivity.” Finally, attachment involves a lasting commitment and is characterized by “feelings of calm, security, social comfort, and emotional union with a long-term mate.” Oxytocin and vasopressin appear important in this stage, as they have been shown to affect pair bonding in a species of monogamous mammal, the prairie vole. Both of these hormones are also released in humans during intimacy. As Joe Burdo, a professor in the biology department, explains, “Love and lust do interesting things to the brain. People in both long and short term relationships tend to activate the parts of the brain that deal with motivation and reward, but only those in the short term relationships had the part of

“When rats are infected with a particular parasite called Toxoplasma gondii, instead of being afraid of cats they tend to be attracted to them. Toxoplasma can only produce eggs when it infects a definitive host like a cat, so it’s a necessary part of its life cycle and has evolved that neat little trick to help the jump from rats to cats! Too bad we can’t blame parasite infection on the poor decision making of infatuated humans!” -Joe Burdo, professor, biology department

Multi-racial students increase Race, from B10 tion of multiracialism as a remedy for the nation’s age-old partitions. “The mixed race identity is not a transcendence of race, it’s a new tribe,” he told reporters. A phenomenon he described as “a new Balkanization of race.” Traditionally, Americans have mostly thought of themselves in singular racial terms. While President Barack Obama’s mother was white and his father was black, he checked only one box on the 2010 census, black, even though he had the option of choosing both races. Beginning in 2000, Americans were allowed to mark one or more races on census forms. However, a portion of the U.S. population has been mixed race since the country’s establishment, during which the first white settlers had children with Native Americans. The 1890 census included categories for those with multiracial backgrounds such as quadroon (one-fourth black) and octoroon (one-eighth black). With the exception of one survey, censuses from 1850 to 1920

included a mulatto category, a word once marked by shame that is making a comeback in some circles of young people. However, by the 1930 census, identification as mixed race virtually disappeared. Acknowledgement of multiracial people was replaced by the onedrop rule, an antebellum convention that classified anyone with even the smallest trace of African ancestry as only black. By 1970, Americans were expected to designate themselves as members of one formally accepted racial faction: black, white, American, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Hawaiian, Korean, or “other.” The “other” option was mostly used by people of Hispanic descent, because the U.S. census recognizes Hispanic as an ethnicity, not a race. The option to classify oneself as multiracial finally came in 2000 after years of lobbying, mostly by mothers of biracial children who did not want to force their children to choose only one race. That same year, seven million people, about 2.4 percent of the population, indicated belonging to more than one race.

The Census Bureau maintains that the mixed race population has grown an estimated 35 percent since the 2000 results were tabulated, and many researchers suspect a possible undercount of the mixed population. Symbols of a mixed race America are not just found on college campuses. They can be found in politics, business, and sports. Racially ambiguous actors and actresses are prominent in movies, television shows, and advertising. Certain news, social networking, and dating websites are targeting a multiracial audience. Student groups, like the one at Maryland, are also gaining popularity as an outlet for activism and a source of peer support. “I feel empowered being biracial,” said Ian Winchester, a University of Maryland junior who is part Ghanaian and part Scottish-Norwegian. “The ability to question your identity, identity in general, is really a gift.” But, he continued, “I don’t like to identify myself as a race anymore. My family has been pulling me in two directions about what I am. I just want to be a person.” n

their brain activated that produces obsessive thoughts, something we commonly associate with ‘falling madly in love.’” Helen Fisher and her colleagues have also conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies in order to examine the brain activity of men and women who were “madly in love” at the time of testing. The results, “support the hypothesis

that multiple reward regions using dopamine are activated during feelings of romantic love.” So what does all of this science tell us, and how can it help you on Valentine’s Day? Our understanding of the biological basis of emotions is just emerging and while these ideas are interesting, they are also quite young and require further exploration. But most importantly, your new awareness

of love-related findings may allow you to deliver a witty pick-up line on Feb. 14 (compliments of an unknown Internet author): “If I were a neurotransmitter, I would be dopamine so I could activate your reward pathway.” Rachel Newmiller is a staff columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at marketplace@bcheights. com.

The Heights

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Market Report

Obama hopes to ‘win the future’ with high speed railways Ameet Padte During his State of the Union address last week, President Barack Obama made frequent references to the technological endeavors and achievements of other countries, particularly in Asia. One of his plans to “win the future” by “rebuilding America” regards instituting high-speed railways in the United States. During his speech, he pointed out that “countries in Europe and Russia invest more in their roads and railways than we do. China is building faster trains and newer airports. Meanwhile, when our own engineers graded our nation’s infrastructure, they gave us a ‘D’.” I have to admit that when he followed this with the rebuke “we have to do better,” I cringed a little, recalling the disappointment with which my parents reprimanded me for poor grades. However, does high-speed rail (HSR) make sense for America? Let’s discuss. There are a few basic points one must understand about rail in the U.S. First, America has one of the least-developed and least-utilized public rail networks among nearly all of the world’s developed nations. Without getting into a circular chicken-and-egg

debate about whether availability stimulates demand or vice-versa, I believe this is in large part due to America’s cultural dependence on the automobile. They represent freedom and that uniquely American sense of independence. We are the nation of “a car in every driveway.” With gasoline and automobiles at staggeringly low prices and physical mobility at an incredible level, few people can conceive living without an automobile in the U.S. Freight trains continue to exist, and this is a key distinction. While European nations continue to invest and innovate in increasingly rapid trains and extensive networks, their freight rail services are fragmented and ineffective. In stark contrast, America has the undisputed best freight rail system on the planet with a high level of technological sophistication and utilization. Unfortunately, the freight train success has been a mixed blessing. In our country we have only one HSR: Amtrak’s Acela which runs the northeast corridor of the U.S. from Boston to Washington D.C. via New York City. While it is capable of reaching 150 miles per hour, it averages 87 mph due to the quality and type of rails. This is another key point. Our passenger trains must share the tracks with freight trains. This means that European and Asian-style bullet trains are technologically incompatible. HSR requires a unique set of

industrial investments. Because of the considerable speed and power of the trains, rails cannot turn too sharply, bank too heavily, ascend or descend too quickly, and must provide sufficient (and substantial) length for acceleration and deceleration. The rails themselves are dissimilar to the rails used for freight trains. The quandaries are obvious and staggering. Building an entirely new system for HSR disparate from our existing freight network would incur exorbitant expense. California’s proposed HSR line would cost at least $39 billion. Laying new tracks and building vehicles which could reach 200 mph would cost more than $500 billion. The alternative, to implement slower Acela-style trains across the U.S., would do more than mitigate top speed. The government (as Amtrak is a federal entity) would have to pay private freight companies for the privilege of using their tracks. Passenger trains would have to be scheduled and routed around freight trains (which are run based on demand, not a regular timetable) and would need to slow down to half speed. This is before upgrading the rails to allow the Acela trains to travel at high-speed, as going any faster would require repairs and upgrades to signals, ties, gates, crossings, and various other elements. Advocates say that these costs would be offset by ticket revenue.

eugene hoshiko / ap photo

High speed trains, like the one shown above in Shanghai, China, have become increasingly popular in Europe and Asia. However, what Obama has not addressed in the multiple instances in which he discussed HSR is that it is essentially a luxury item. If Amtrak tickets are not purchased well in advance, they can cost upwards of $100 for a oneway trip. The Acela high-speed option is at least 50 percent more expensive. In contrast, the Greyhound bus costs $25, travels the distance in an approximately similar duration, and has Wi-Fi. Amtrak trains do not. The Amtrak North-East Corridor is the busiest line in the country, and yet the ticket rev-

enue barely manages to cover the costs. In less populated areas this would be an obvious detriment. The proposed plan in California suggests that ticket prices could be less than half of comparable plane tickets. The trip would be faster, more comfortable, and “greener.” This is absolutely true. Although the trains use electricity (which come from fossil fuel-burning plants) the emissions-per-passengerper-mile are less. However, as always happens with infrastructure endeavors, costs will rise well above and beyond their projec-

tions and taxpayers will have to shoulder the burden. Obama’s plan boils down to running intercity passenger trains at 110 mph on freight tracks. Even in times of economic strength these plans are irrational, offering a minimal reduction in travel duration at tremendous expense for the upper-tier of the population, ever eager to sacrifice money for more time. I give this plan an ‘F’. Ameet Padte is a staff columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at marketplace@bcheights.com.

Investment could help secure early retirement Roth IRA, from B10

mohammed sajjad / ap photo

Pakistani citizens, including the young girl pictured above, hoisted anti-American signs in protest of American involvement in the Middle East.

US Embassy demands the release of diplomat

Raymond Davis incarcerated for alleged murder By Gerard Farara Heights Staff

The United States issued a statement Wednesday demanding the release of Raymond Davis, an American diplomat, arrested in Lahore, Pakistan, for the murder of two civilians. As the U.S. Embassy argued, Davis is protected on the basis of immunity from prosecution, and was, in fact, illegally detained by Pakistani officials. But as one American senior official told the Associated Press on the basis of anonymity, although Davis may have had immunity and was legally able to carry a gun, it is unclear as to whether he had authorization to carry a gun in Pakistan. Nevertheless, what happens in the days to come could prove to go beyond the life of just one man, but could rather be a defining moment in an already deteriorating U.S.-Pakistan relationship. If allowed to walk without facing a trial, the Pakistani government will only consolidate their image of being American sympathisers, an image not too keenly accepted by many Pakistanis. On the flip side however, if Pakistan stands firm and follows through with the trial, it will certainly signify what could be the end of relative American favourability within the region. Pakistan has essentially served as the U.S. gateway into Afghanistan, allowing free roaming of the mountainous region where many alQaida and other radical Islamist group

camps are believed to be hidden. But where there is a cause there is an effect. If this is the start of decreased American influence within the country, Pakistan may no longer have anyone to turn to when in need. After all, it was only a few weeks ago that Pakistan’s present coalition government was in grave danger of collapse when one of the leading parties threatened to join the opposition. Although the details are unclear, the U.S. Embassy has claimed that Davis shot and killed two armed civilians in self-defense as they each approached alongside his car with motorcycles. Additionally, a third victim was apparently killed by an American car that rushed to the scene to assist the American official. Pakistani police have confirmed this story, but prosecutors still came out this past Friday and affirmed that they would indeed pursue murder charges. Officially, the Pakistani government has failed to respond to these statements by the embassy, but they’ll certainly be hard pressed, from both sides (the U.S. and Pakistani civilians) to take a stance. Immediately after the shooting, thousands of civilians blocked the road and burnt tires while chanting anti-America phrases. Davis was left with no choice but to hand himself over. The rising anti-American sentiment is clear, and as it puts increasing pressure on the Pakistani government to act in the populace’s favour, the U.S. and by extension, President Barack Obama could prove to suffer the biggest blow to foreign policy, the loss of their gateway to Afghanistan and telescope to Iran. The loss of this strategic position would certainly signify further deterioration of the American image within the region. Such an image is the very thing the Obama

administration hoped they could shed during his presidency. But clearly his wishes to reconcile old wounds hasn’t become a reality. Some would argue that America has probably rubbed further salt in old wounds. But Davis’ arrest has raised another important issue, the question of diplomat security when entering volatile countries such as Pakistan. Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest city, has been subject to several terrorist attacks including bombings and shootings, and notably the assassination of the governor of Punjab Province earlier this month. Killed by a Pakistani guard hired to ensure the governor’s safety, the U.S. Embassy expressed its fear for the life of Davis and the treatment he would receive by not only jail mates, but prison guards as well. Pakistan has not clarified under what conditions internationals can travel with arms, but details of diplomat security have been the topic of heated debate before. Last year, certain Pakistani politicians and media outlets vehemently pushed forth the idea that American diplomats were bringing secret spies along with them, many of whom harassed several innocent civilians. Whether this story has any merit or not is uncertain, but regardless, the damage has perhaps already been done. Conspiracies only add to the negative connotation the U.S. holds in Pakistan, and thus fuel the evergrowing civilian animosity. Although the senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did sympathize with the Pakistani people, understanding the source of their anger, he was key to note that Punjabi officials should separate their anger and hatred from what is legally the right decision to make. n

ute all the way until you are 70 and a half. (Strange, I know. Who beyond five years old uses the half)? This lack of an age limit allows any investor to make contributions as regularly as they want, up to a certain limit that I will touch upon later. Roth IRAs are also beneficial because they do not conflict with employer retirement accounts such as a 401k. So, just to recap so far: tax-free, no age limit, and no conflicting retirement accounts. Yes, here it comes. The fine print, the other side of the coin: call it what you will, but here are the downsides to opening a Roth IRA. Aside from the income limitations, Roth IRAs have a maximum contribution of $5,000 a year (after tax) for people under the age of 50, and $6,000 for those above 50. Another downside for the 27 percent of unemployed teenage students who are reading this, you can only put in money that you have earned through a job to which you have filed tax forms. However, to flip these negatives into positives, many young students like ourselves either do not make more than 5,000 taxable dollars from a job, or do not wish to put aside $5,000 in a retirement fund that we cannot withdraw funds from until we are 59 and a half. (Yes, again the half and yes I did slip another negative in there.) Despite these limitations, Roth IRAs are a great investing tool for middle to lower income persons and an even more advantageous tool to those of us in our late teens and early 20s. A study showed that one person who started a Roth IRA at age 18 and put in half the funds of someone who began at 25, gained more

from their IRA than the 25-year-old. Therefore, I must reiterate: start your Roth early! One of the biggest advantages to Roth IRAs is slightly more complicated. The funds you put toward this retirement fund can actually be placed in a mutual fund for those who seek more adventure and higher returns than the compounding interest. However, for the risk-averse, a Roth IRA also allows you to put your money into bonds or various other money market accounts. However, with opportunities amid in the market, a relatively safe play is with a mutual fund. Many financial planners and consultants suggest a mutual fund as being the best path toward retirement safety. Returns with mutual funds are usually consistent and the range of stocks and sectors incorporated in these mutual funds are diversified. One report from Kiplinger.com shows that if a 25year-old person made a contribution of $5,000 every year until retirement; they would end up with $1.4 million! For those who do not want to contribute during their 30s and 40s? No problem. If you start a Roth IRA at age 25 and contribute $5,000 for 5 years, you will have approximately $481,000 waiting for you at the career finish line. How is all this possible? Just remember the beauty of compounded interest. Before you get all starry-eyed with thoughts of big bucks to come, I must ask, are you still laughing at how ridiculous an IRA sounds at age 20? If so, please listen to me and the wise words of 50 Cent, and you’ll be laughing “straight to the bank.” Alex Dripchak is a staff columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at marketplace@bcheights.com.

adriana mariella / heights editor

The Heights

Thursday, February 3, 2011

David Cote

Matt Palazzolo

Zac Halpern

Will Egypt be able to build a stable democracy?

It’s unlikely it’ll happen within any reasonable time. “Stable” is a difficult goal to achieve in the region.

It has to mount an insurgency against the US before it can become a beacon of democracy.

With capable leaders like Mohammed Elbaradei, Egypt will eventually create a stable government.

If that is what the Egyptian people want they’ll get it. It just may not be quick

Hopefully, as long as there is no scramble to fill the power void after Mubarak leaves.

When should candidates begin campaigning for the 2012 presidential election?

If it were up to me, October. Such a waste of time and money.

When Rupert Murdoch and George Soros say so.

Let’s be honest, it’s already started.

If you count courting major donors and raising profiles in swing states, campaigning began a long time ago.

Well, some Republicans started the day after Obama won...

Should teacher tenure be eliminated as many Republican governors claim?

Absolutely. Would anyone but a teacher say, “No?”

Of course, elminating job security always increases productivity.

Yes, it’s the first step in replacing indifferent teachers with inspirational ones.

Actually being able to fire teachers who consistently underperform. That’s a novel idea...

Yes, and expand merit pay. Teachers need to be held accountable.

Will the new health care law eventually be overturned?

I hope so... and Republicans will probably struggle until it is.

Not until Sarah Palin puts a bullseye on the bill.

It would be a terrible mistake.

It won’t be easy but yes, the courts or legislation will repeal this flawed law.

Maybe, if it’s put in front of one of those scary death panels...

Marketplace Editor

Asst. Marketplace Editor

Outreach Coordinator

Tomas Castella

President, College Republicans

Kristoffer Munden President, College Democrats

The Geneva Connection

WEF tackles the reality behind the global economic crisis Danny Martinez In a town that is otherwise known as a world-class skiing resort, Davos, Switzerland, hosted the annual World Economic Forum (WEF), attracting the global elite in the political, economic, social, and cultural spheres. The four-day convention, eponymously known as “Davos,” took place from Jan. 26 to Jan. 30. Speakers addressed a myriad of topics with global implications including globalization, stabilizing world markets, and contentious political situations. However, the first day of the meeting was overshadowed by the terrorist attack in Russia two days earlier, which killed 35 people and wounded over 180, according to the Associated Press. Russian Presi-

dent Dmitri Medvedev delivered the sobering opening remarks, noting that, “the reality is such, that terrorist acts like the one that has just happened in Russia… can happen at any time and at any place in the world. No one is immune to that today.” While political issues such as Israeli-Palestinian peace were discussed at the forum, the topic that superseded all was the ‘the new economic reality,’ of the post global financial crisis world. Political and economic leaders alike stressed the importance of creating an economic system for both the earth and world markets, which would provide stability and sustainability. German Chancellor Angela Merkel asked, “Can we safely say that we can prevent further crises from happening? Do we have the necessary mechanisms in place to ensure sustainable growth globally?” In a session entitled “Redefining Sustainable Growth,” world leaders shared their ideas. Mexican

President Felipe Calderon spoke frankly about the perceived pull between economic growth and sustainability. “Now we need to find out how to break this gridlock,” Calderon told the assembly “how to understand that there is a false dilemma and that it is possible to establish economic growth, and at the same time, improve the equality of the societies.” Calderon’s willingness to acknowledge that environmental solutions and economic solutions could be married is a telling statement. First, that the world economic crisis should be a force to break this “false dilemma” so as to create new jobs for a healthy economy. Secondly, a corollary to his statement – one not mentioned –might be most damaging: that without comprehensively addressing the issue of climate change, our economic system and way of life itself is in danger of collapsing. The ideas that came from this panel reflected the four larger goals that the WEF wanted to

address at Davos: responding to the new reality, speaking about the economic outlook, defining policies for inclusive growth, supporting the G20 Agenda, and building a global risk response mechanism. A few other panels and speakers caught my attention. First, Burma’s tireless democratic activist, Aung San Suu Kyi, gave a five-minute, prerecorded speech, as she was unavailable to attend. She discussed the steps that Burma needed to take to “be a part of the global community,” echoing the sentiments of many developing countries who have politically unstable governments. “Economic policies linked to human development and capacity-building are the best path to the achievement of stability in a democratic transition.” While the current political system in Burma remains tenuous, she remained optimistic that the fruits of globalization and economic interdependence – with some help – would come to Burma.

Another important panel was the question “What is the New Economic Reality” in relation to not only the global financial crisis, but as the host Mike Elliot, chairman of TIME International pointed out, the “16/70 economy,” that 16 percent of the world controls 70 percent of the world economic output. Panelist Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO of the WPP group, noted that, “This concentration of wealth, particularly in the United States, is a big issue.” Zhu Min, a special advisor to the IMF, concurred that, “the increasing inequality is the most serious challenge the world is facing, not only from advanced economies but also from the emerging market.” He also used the U.S. as an example of a country where one percent of the population had grown increasingly wealthy. “We have to go back to the fundamental question: Where should wealth be created?” Min asked. A common misconception is that the danger of an unequal

economic system is reserved for wealthy countries, which have a large GDP. As the panelists noted, in many developing countries like India and others, a fraction of the population prosper while the majority are economically left out of the picture. This not only creates economic problems in the short and long term, but revives political and social conflicts. “Inequality will be one of the key words at Davos this year,” Elliott said. Many other panels touched on key global issues with the best and brightest, one featuring Bill Clinton. Davos 2011 lived up to its expectations as providing an “unrivalled platform to shape the global agenda and catalyze solutions at the start of each year,” as the WEF describes it to be. Now, my only question is: How would Ban Ki-Moon do on the super slalom at Davos?

Danny Martinez is Heights senior staff. He can be reached at marketplace@bcheights.com.

Southern Sudan hopes to secede Sudan, from B10

government. The conflict, which has taken place in the western steps towards normalization, as region of Darfur, has claimed well as deepening our diplomatic approximately 3 million lives. ties.” The U.S. has had limited The Janjaweed, an autonomous diplomatic ties to the Sudanese militia funded and armed by the government in response to hu- Sudanese government, has been man rights violations in the accused by the United Nations of Darfur Concommitting flict as well numerous Despite near universal as Sudahuman rights nese Presiviolations, support for the dent Omar including referendum, South Bashir’s ingenocide. dictment for The conflict Sudan’s independence war crimes is still uncould still be at risk. and crimes solved, deagainst huspite peace Inspired by popular m a n i ty by efforts by inuprisings in Tunisia and ternational the International Crimo rga n i za Egypt, young Sudanese inal Court. tions and citizens have begun to Sudan countries, stage public protests. The including the wa s c o n sumed by protests have been small U.S.. civil war for Despite 3 9 o f t h e in number, but spread out n e a r u n i first 50 years versal supacross northern Sudan. of its indeport for the pendence. referendum, The first civil war lasted from South Sudan’s independence 1955 to 1972, while the second could still be at risk. Inspired began in 1983 and ended in 2005 by popular uprisings in Tunisia with the signing of the Compre- and Egypt, young Sudanese citihensive Peace Agreement. The zens have begun to stage public Arab-African cultural and Islam- protests. The protests have been Christian religious divide, as well small in number but spread out a corrupt central government all across northern Sudan. The contributed to the civil war. An country has a history of popular estimated 2.5 million Sudanese revolution, as street demonstrasoldiers and civilians died dur- tions toppled the government ing the two conflicts. Despite in both 1964 and 1985. Unlike the comprehensive peace be- Egypt though, the Sudanese govtween the north and south, war ernment has strong support from continues to engulf Sudan. The the military, as President Bashir Sudanese Liberation Army and seized power in a military coup the Justice and Equality move- in 1989. A change in government ment both declared war against could threaten the referendum’s the Sudanese government in implementation, though for now 2003, citing persecution of the it enjoys support from all regions non-Arab minority by the Arab of Sudan. n

khalil hamra / ap photo

Rioters in Egypt throw rocks after a local store was set aflame. Such protests have gripped the nation for weeks in a public outcry against the Mubarak regime.

Egyptians attempt to seize democracy Egypt, from B10

his authoritarian government, which is cited by some as one of the most oppressive governments in the region. Assad told reporters, “If you didn’t see the need of reform before what happened in Egypt and Tunisia, it is too late to do any reform.” He plans to institute small changes in government processes through reforms, but warned against the rapid and sweeping reforms called for by protestors in region. Some critics doubt that there will be any serious reforms taking place, and instead cite Assad’s intentions to reform as a politically convenient way to

quell any potential uprisings reforms. Furthermore, Obama supporting democratic prin- detailed that both the protesciples in his own country. tors and the government officials The U.S. has taken the posi- must stay away from violence. tion of supporting the principles U.S. involvement with the proof democtests and racy in the its positive Along with the toppling of relation events unfolding in ship with the Tunisian government Egypt and Mubarak’s earlier this month, the the Middle authorievents playing out in Egypt tarian reEast. President Barack gime in the have sent shockwaves O b a m a past create t o l d T h e throughout the Arab world. a difficult N e w Yo r k situation. Times that The U.S. Mubarak, although a diplomatic may run the risk of instilling partner, had the responsibility to further tension and hostility in initiate political and economic a region already flooded with

mixed opinions on U.S. foreign policy. For now, the Arab world is in a state of flux, making the outcomes difficult to predict. World leaders in the Middle East, America, and Europe may express various opinions about the action that should be taken to address the events that have occurred in the past month in Egypt and Tunisia, but it is important to remember the volatility that revolution presents inside a country. In cases such as these, caution should be the paramount concern of any reformer or revolutionary to insure a peaceful and stable transition into the future. n

marketplace The Heights

Thursday, February 3, 2011

B10

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Shifting racial identities

Finance at a Glance

Roth IRAs can yield wealth

By Michela Gacioch Heights Staff

The New York Times reported Jan. 29 that more college-aged students are identifying themselves as mixed race than ever before. According to the article written by journalist Susan Saulny, the United States is in the midst of a shift in demographics catalyzed by recent increases in both immigration and mixed marriage. Data from 2008 and 2009 analyzed by the Pew Research Center reveals that one in seven new marriages are between spouses of different races or ethnicities, making multiracial and multiethnic Americans one of the country’s fastest growing demographic groups. Experts expect the racial results of the 2010 census, which will be released later this month, to show either a continuation or acceleration of this trend. Many students of mixed backgrounds are no longer recognizing the color lines that have defined Americans in the past. Instead, young adults are adopting what Saulny calls, “a much more fluid sense of identity.” This blurring of racial lines is particularly apparent on the University of Maryland, College Park Campus. Laura Wood, the 19-year-old vice president of the university’s Biracial Student Association, wants students to celebrate their multiracial backgrounds. “I think it’s really important to acknowledge who you are and everything that makes you that,” she told reporters. “If someone tries to call me black I say, ‘yes, and white.’ People have the right not to acknowledge everything, but don’t do it because society tells you that you can’t.” While long-term effects of growth in the U.S. multiracial population have yet to be determined, hypotheses have developed. Optimists argue that the intermingling of races is a step toward transcending race and developing the country as one free of bigotry, prejudice, and programs like affirmative action. Conversely, pessimists maintain that adjustments of the racial divide will lead to more separatism and come at the expense of the numbers and influence of other racial communities, particularly African-Americans. Professor Rainier Spencer, director of the Afro-American Studies program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and author of Reproducing Race: The Paradox of Generation Mix, believes that there is too much “emotional investment” in the no-

See Race, B7

Alex Dripchak

Tarek fawzy / ap photo

Alexandria: Egyptians stand on rooftops and flood streets amid herds of other demonstrators in one of the biggest protests in recent history.

Riots escalate in Egypt Politicians around the globe weigh in on protests in Egypt By John Morrison Heights Staff

Over the past week, eyes around the world have been fixed on the events unfolding in Egypt. President Hosni Mubarak, head of the authoritarian regime in the country for 28 years, has faced a mounting opposition that is predicted to intensify in the coming days in an increasing effort to bring the government into the hands of the people. A young underground movement has emerged to organize the opposition, rallying behind an old opposition leader and Nobel laureate, Mohamed ElBaradei. Along with the toppling of the Tunisian government earlier this month, the events playing out in Egypt have sent shockwaves throughout the Arab world, leading many to believe that such political unrest may begin a cycle of political instability in other Islamic

nations. Even so, experts did not expect the Egyptian people to follow the political instability that grasped Tunisia earlier this month, and in recent days, Yemen is showing signs of similar grassroots action conspiring against their authoritarian regime. However, it is important to note that like Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen are Islamic countries with relatively few oil resources. Thus, experts feel that although Tunisia and Egypt have undergone considerable change in political stability in the last month, it is highly unlikely that the unrest will spill over into oil rich nations such as Saudi Arabia, where oil resources have allowed the authoritarian regimes to invest in the overall well-being of their people. Arab leaders who met recently in Davos, Switzerland, at the World Economic Forum confirmed the experts’ notions by expressing their opinions on the Egyptian protests to reporters of The New York Times. According to them, Mubarak would do everything in his power to keep his hold on Egyptian government. Furthermore, they also shared the belief that Jamal Khashoggi, executive of the 24 news channel Al Waleedbusiness executive summarized

for reporters, saying, “Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries are going to be spared because they are not democratic regimes.” Indeed, because of their proximity to Europe, the Egyptian and Tunisian people have had a taste of democracy that the oil-rich Middle Eastern countries have gone without. Still, it is hard to fend off the doubts of a political upheaval spreading into other countries throughout the Arab world. This information regarding stability in the region has not stopped other countries from establishing positions in the Egyptian revolts and in some select cases even issuing new policies to avoid unrest in their own government. The New York Times reported that the Hamas rulers of Gaza and the Palestinian Authority of the West Bank have agreed to be silent on the protests occurring in Egypt for the benefit of future relationships and the unpredictability of Egyptian politics at the moment. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Syrian ruler, Bashar al-Assad, has begun to institute several reforms into

Versatile, high-growth, low risk. These three words represent any investor’s dream. However, where exactly is this dream? Roth Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) are where this dream rests. I know, yes, another seemingly pointless acronym, however like ETFs (exchange-traded funds), these three letters represent something that could potentially be very worthwhile. An IRA is an individual retirement account where the goal is to accumulate funds for retirement savings. Give me a second before you start “busting a gut” at recommending what seems to be more fitting for your 50year-old father. A Roth IRA is a specific type of retirement account that allows you to withdraw the money you put in tax-free. That’s correct, that golden word that only rolls off your tongue in the rarest of circumstances: tax-free. (Doesn’t it sound liberating?) Anyhow, you may be saying to yourself, this sounds too good to be true. In point of fact, you are partially correct. Roth IRAs are not available to those married individuals who have an adjusted gross income (the amount you put on your tax form before taxes) over $166,000. If single, the amount is $105,000. I know that this seems like a lot of money, but hey, we are Boston College students! With a median income for a mid-career graduate of BC at $101,000, the caveat here is to start a Roth before your career takes off. Therefore there is no need to rush out tomorrow and pick up a Roth like it’s Black Friday, but it is something to consider as a young, economically-sound business professional. OK, so you know that Roth IRAs are tax-free, but what about everything else? Unlike other IRAs, Roths do not have a particularly restrictive age limit. This means that you can start contributing after age 16 and you can contrib-

See Roth IRA, B8

See Egypt, B9

Sudanese vote for independence Asst. Marketplace Editor

photo courtesy of mprnews.com

The ballot shown above was used throughout southern Sudan in their vote for independence.

Google has accused Microsoft of copying its search engine in Microsoft’s Bing program. Microsoft has yet to deny the claim.

The FBI briefed major financial groups in New York about a possible al-Qaida threat. The FBI denies that an actual attack is imminent.

Multiple major airlines will be providing free Facebook access on in-flight WiFi. The service will only be offered through February.

The Senate eliminated the secret hold in a 92-4 vote last week. The hold allowed a senator to anonymously block a bill from reaching the Senate floor.

i nside Marke tp l a c e

this issue

Politico of the week

Sudanese oil, praised the referendum. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Beijing viewed the agreement as an “important step toward implementation of the comprehensive peace agreement,” adding that “to realize lasting peace and stability in Sudan is the ultimate goal.” The U.S. was also an ardent supporter of the referendum. President Barack Obama utilized both the carrot and the stick in its foreign policy with Sudan. In November, he renewed long term economic sanctions in order to pressure the Sudanese government to hold the referendum. However, he also offered to take Sudan off the U.S.’ list of terrorist sponsoring states. Sudan has been on the list since 1993, and has been accused of harboring Osama bin Laden in the 1990s. The Obama administration lauded the success of the referendum after results were released. Deputy U.S. Secretary of State James Steinberg told reporters, “Once the results are certified, that will allow us to begin to take

See Sudan, B9

Science & Technology

Economics

A Florida judge ruled that the The Dow Jones Industrial Average health care reform law is unconsti- reached 12,000 for the first time since tutional. The federal government is June 2008. The S&P 500 also reached a expected to appeal the ruling. two-year high.

in numbers

in the News

Politics

South Sudan overwhelmingly voted to secede from the rest of the nation in a January referendum. The BBC reported that out of nearly 4 million votes cast in the referendum, approximately 99.5 percent of the ballots cast were in favor of secession. No state in Southern Sudan had lower than 95 percent support for secession. Southern Sudan is currently on pace to declare independence from the rest of the country on July 9. The referendum was established by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005 that ended a three-decade civil war between northern and southern Sudan. The agreement, signed by the government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, stipulated that the referendum would need at least 60 percent voter turnout, or approximately 2.3 million voters, in order to be valid. Also, the voters would have to approve secession by a simple majority. The vote easily met both preconditions, setting the stage for independence in

July. Though the vast majority of voters cast their ballots in Southern Sudan, absentee voters also cast votes in the referendum. Southerners living in Darfur, which is located in western Sudan, were allowed to vote. Countries with large populations of southern Sudanese immigrants also set up polling stations. The United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda all organized out of country balloting. The government of Sudan has endorsed the independence of its southern region. President Omar el-Bashir told reporters that he supports the referendum because “unity can not be forced by power.” The referendum also has significant international support due to the presence of impartial monitors. Former President Jimmy Carter, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry all participated in monitoring the election. China, despite being a steadfast supporter of the Bashir government and largest purchaser of

new web addresses available next year. The final ones are expected to be claimed by autumn.

percent of web traffic generated by Apple’s iOS devices. Apple has sold more than 160 million wireless devices since 2007.

Th i s we e k Ma rke t p l a c e w i l l ex p l o re t h e l i fe a n d ca reer of Hosni Mubarak................................................... B7

“

in quotes

By Matt Palazzolo

There is a conspiracy against state security and there is a conspiracy in the security forces.

”

– Farhat Rajhi Tunisian Interior Minister responding to a recent attack on the ministry offices.

Market Report.............................B8 Hea l t h & Sc i e n c e. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B 7