L&E Opinion: Basketball, unity and budget cuts
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Above: Starring Chris Evans (Fantastic Four) and Dakota Fanning (Coraline), “Push� is an action thriller about super-humans on the run from the agency that is trying to kill them.
‘Push’ is painful to watch
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he painfully inscrutable paranormal thriller “Push� introduces a host of characters with various gifts. Some can see the future, some can heal, some can plant ideas in other’s minds and some can make change for a dollar. By the time the credits roll, your most fervent wish is to run into a “wiper� (one who can erase memories). In an opening credits prologue, we learn that the U.S. government is continuing to perform psychic experiments started by the Nazis in order to create some kind of super-freakypowerful army. Like a lot of things in David Bourla’s script, the rules of engagement after the philanthropicminded telepaths begin to battle the evil mind-benders out for world domination are unclear. What we do know is that Nick Gant (Chris Evans) is a “mover,� a second-generation telekinetic who went into hiding after the Division killed his father more than a decade earlier. He lives a life of anonymity in Hong Kong, a densely populated place where fugitive psychics like him are safe, as long as they can keep their unique gift a secret. Into Nick’s
life there suddenly comes a 13-yearold “watcherâ€? Cassie Holmes (Dakota Fanning), a clairvoyant who needs his help in tracking down an escaped “pusherâ€? Kira, who may hold the key to bringing down the Division once and for all. A “pusherâ€? is the most powerful kind of psychic due to his RU KHU DELOLW\ WR LQĂ XHQFH WKH DFWLRQV of others by planting thoughts in their minds. Now, as Nick emerges from hiding LQ RUGHU WR KHOS &DVVLH Ă€QG .LUD WKH Division’s human bloodhounds are hot on their trail. In order to elude the authorities, they’ll need to disappear into the seedy underbelly of the city while relying on a team of rogue psychics to help cover their tracks. But Division Agent Henry Carver (Djimon Hounsou) is a powerful pusher who has made it his mission to stop them at all costs, regardless of the collateral damages that may occur in the process. Though this is a new kind of style for director Paul McGuigan, the average rating for “Pushâ€? is 4.5 stars out of 5.
t BYU-Hawaii the theme “unityâ€? has long been emphasized by student leadership, school administration and church leaders. The theme becomes increasingly important in a school where a student body of less than 3,000 represents 70 countries. There are truly few places in the world where unity should be a more important theme. Unity at BYU-Hawaii conjures up a variety of thoughts for me, including Foodfest, Songfest, BYUH Idol, Devotional, and our talented employees at the PCC. Recently I added another most impressive event to that important list. On the evening RI )HE , ZLWQHVVHG D VLJQLĂ€FDQW number of the student body pack the CAC for the men’s basketball game. It was an important and intense game. 7KH 6HDVLGHUV ZHUH Ă€JKWLQJ IRU KRPH court advantage in the play-offs and claimed it in a narrow victory. In the diverse crowd I yelled with students
–AUSTIN COOK
from Hong Kong, Brazil, Taiwan, the Philippines, the United States, Sweden, the islands of Polynesia and more. What made it all so inspiring to me was the fact that the students were there not to indulge in the sharing of culture the way they can at FoodFest or Culture Night, but to truly be a part of a common goal. I made new friends from Hong Kong who sat in the row in front of me. They asked to take pictures with me and my friends because we all started cheering together. Would it be sacrilegious to say I have never felt like I was more a part of Zion than at a basketball game? Maybe, but I discovered for myself the importance of celebrating something that makes us the same, just as much as celebrating the things that make us different. So as the season winds down, I want to congratulate our basketball teams for wonderful seasons. I wish to recognize the men’s Seasider PacWest champions. But most of all, now that our university faces important decisions regarding budget cuts (as outlined by Staff Writer Nicole Hamilton in the Feb. 19 issue of Ke Alaka’i) the future of athletics at BYUH is in question. If the nature of athletics has to change, it has to change. We go to school largely by the means of tithe-payer’s money, so it is a point we would be obligated to concede. But it is in that vein that I thank the basketball teams for what they have taught us and implore to the administration of this university that in the spirit of true unity, our legacy of winning athletics be continued at BYU-Hawaii.
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Projects of Peace Students join soul, heart and hands to make a difference
– JAROM REID
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photo courtesy of MOVIES.YAHOO.COM AND KE ALAKA’I FILE PHOTO
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