Sept. 06, 2001 issue 01 Loquitur

Hard drug use on a steady rise

by Jill C. Hindman features editor

Everyone has seen the egg commercial, right? Just in case that was not enough of a self-explanatory message for you this will fill in the blanks.

Drugs are rampant today and have been for years. In the '60s and '70s the stereotype is everyone was all about peace, love and happiness. Marijuana was a popular drug, which a good number of people did not look upon as a hard drug. Well, today the more popular drugs are hard drugs: ecstasy, cocaine and acid.

Ecstasy, more commonly referred to as E, is a drug that is very popular not only in the club scene, but also in people's living rooms. Ecstasy has the characteristics of stimulants and hallucinogens. It has the ability to cause addiction. Side effects include increased heart rate and blood pressure. It can also disable the body's ability to regulate its own temperature.

Ecstasy is an illegal drug. That is either in the form of a capsule or tablet It is normally taken orally, but sometimes is snorted or injected. The effects last about three to six hours depending on dosage, which is an average of one to two tablets.

Ecstasy releases serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter, from the brain. This can leave longterm behavioral effects. This drug may also produce long-lasting effects on the brain that can alter memory and other behaviors and damages brain cells. Just one dose of Ecstasy decreases seretonin for up to two weeks. Prolonged use of this drug is linked to confusion, depression, sleeping problems, aggressive and impulsive behavior and anxiety.

Cocaine is such a powerful drug that after trying it just one time it is unpredictable as to how or if you will be able to control your usage. Crack, which is the street name, is sniffed, snorted, injected and smoked. When smoked it is most

A student demonstrates how users snort various drugs, such as Ecstasy and Cocaine. harmful because extremely high doses reach the brain very quickly. Also smoking causes more rapid addiction.

Side effects of cocaine are constricted peripheral blood vessels, dilated pupils, increased temperature, heart rate and blood pressure. Sudden death can occur upon the first time you use cocaine or unexpectedly after. There is no way to determine who is prone to sudden death.

Cocaine-related deaths are often a result of cardiac arrest or seizures followed by respiratory arrest. Increased risk of sudden death occurs when cocaine is mixed with alcohol. When this

happens a third substance, cocaethylene, is produced and intensifies the euphoric effect.

Long-term use can trigger aggression and paranoia. Depression often occurs after you stop taking cocaine.

Acid, also referred to as LSD, is one of the most potent mood-changing chemicals out there. It is colorless and odorless and sold in tablets. It is usually taken by mouth.

Story continued on page 3.

photo by Justine DiFilippo

Education of the heart brought to the streets

by Amy Gassen news editor

"Overall, 90 percent of the freshman class participated in day of service," Mary Laver, coordinator of community outreach and partnerships, said. ''Typically 75-80 participate." The annual day of service touched the hearts of 25 organizations this year.

Bernadette Hazel, junior, designed the tee shirts that the volunteers wore to the various service sites throughout the Philadelphia region.

Due to the increase in students, more sites than usual were needed for this year. The Philadelphia Cares program worked with Laver to develop five additional sites this year. Habitat for Humanity, Wissahickon Park, Kearsley Home, Philabundance, and the Presbyterian children's Village were all added this year. Student volunteers that have done service in the past accompanied the freshman.

Students participated in activities including playing sports with special-needs children, painting, preparing meals, and outdoor work. Student volunteers who have done service in the past served as site leaders for the first year students.

These students stick by the core value of education of the heart.

above: First year students work to construct a small damn to prevent muddy water from overflowing a nearby river at Tyler Aborium.

;eft: These first year students vounteered at the Mom-Mobile for Day of Service. Some of the group watched children at a day care while other sorted through donations of necessities for the mothers and soon to be mothers that the organization helps.

P'resident Bush regulates controversial stem cell research

Michael A Kazanjian editor in chief

It could be the most important decision of President Bush's career. On Aug 9 President Bush made bis first prime-time national television appearance since taking office. His speech focused on whether or not he would approve further testing and research of stem cells, an idea that he opposed during his campaign. The decision is one Bush said he "made with great care" and "pray that it is the right one."

Over the past few months, controversy has risen regarding the limits of stem cell research. Prolife organizations and Catholics disagree with the research because when stem cells are extracted from the embryo, the embryo dies.

Currently there are 64 existing stem cell lines available, accord-

ing to Bush, although disputed by researchers and since the cells can reproduce indefinitely, some scientists feel they have room to work. Dr Kimberly Boyd, assistant professor of biology, said, "Stem cells have an unlimited fate. They can become muscle cells, blood cells or heart cells. Their fate isn't determined until they are put where we need them."

Bush's decision limits the research to these 64 existing lines, saying that no embryos would be created and frozen for the sole purpose of research. However, some researchers are saying that some of the 64 stem cell lines may prove to be unstable. At Goteborg University, Sweden, only three of 19 stem cell lines are ready for research. As Bush said during his campaign, stem cell research will continue, with increased government funding, from adult tissue

samples, umbilical cords, placentas and animals, but none of them are as effective • as embryonic cells.

Bush's limitations aren't the only thing holding back research. Some states like Pennsylvania do not permit the extraction of stem cells from an embryo. Stem cell

works. Injecting sperm into an egg creates an embryo. After one or two days the embryo splits in two. Over the next few days that number keeps multiplying, reaching its final destination of 140 cells. The eggs now live in a small hollow ball called the blastocyst. The only way for an embryo to become a fetus is to be implanted in a woman's womb. The cells are then extracted from the blastocyst and begin to reproduce. The stem cells have no specific purpose until scientists use other hormones and body signals to coax the undifferentiated cells into purposeful cell types like nerve cells, skin cells, islet cells and heart cells.

can replace tissue that has been scarred by strokes or spinal-cord injuries as well as help those suffering from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Skin cells could regenerate skin for bum victims and heart cells could mend damaged arteries. One example of stem cell replacement is when a person becomes stricken with Alzheimer's. With Alzheimer's, only a small portion of the brain is affected. When the stem cells are injected into that area they might possibly help "replace things that can't replace themselves" said Boyd, hopefully reversing the effects of the disease.

research can only be done in Pennsylvania if the cells were extracted out of state.

While much has been made about stem cell research recently, it's important to understand how it

Once the stem cells are transformed they can begin to serve their purpose. Islet cells could help the pancreas produce more insulin helping many people who suffer from diabetes. Nerve cells

Whether or not Bush's decision was too conservative is yet to be seen. undoubtedly, a breakthrough in medicine has been made and for the first time millions of people who have given up, have been given hope.

photo by Rsnee DiPietro

photo by Amy Gassen

The decisionis one Bush said he "made with great care"and "praythat it is the rightone."

This is your brain on drugs

Story continued from page 1.

The side effects of this drug are unpredictable. It depends on the amount taken, the surroundings, mood, expectations and personality. Sensations and feelings change much more dramatically than the physical signs. The sensations can cause frightening feelings that can lead to panic attacks The "trip" or experience that you have while taking this drug can last up to 12 hours. While tripping you may have severe and terrifying thoughts and feelings of fear of losing control, insanity and death. The effect sets in 30 to 90 minutes after taking the drug. Flashbacks of a trip may occur without even taking the drug again.

Acid is not considered an addictive drug, but it does produce tolerance, which is extremely dangerous because it is so unpredictable.

So next time you see that egg commercial and they say, "Tiris is your brain and this is your brain on drugs" you'll know what they are talking about.

Any questions?

Marijuana use on a steady high

by Beth_Conahan

Oxycontin: the party drug for a new generation

by MichaelA. l(azanjian editor in chief

Over a hundred people are dead due to an overdose of OxyContin, America's best-selling painkiller. -The drug, produced by Purdue Pharma, is a slow release drug used to treat moderate to severe pain. When taken as prescribed, OxyContin relieves pain for up to 12 hours, most other painkillers last for six. OxyContin is often prescribed to people dealing with arthritis, back pain and certain cancers.

When the opiate-based pill is crushed it can either be snorted or mixed with water for injection. By bypassing the time-release function of the pill, users get an instant high.

The abuse of OxyContin became apparent in rural areas like Maine and Kentucky earning it the nickname of "hillbilly heroine.'" Georgia alone reported 62 related deaths last year. By the end of this year over 100 OxyContin deaths are expected in Georgia. Purdue Pharma, who manufactures the drug, opted not to include a safeguard in the pill. Often referred to as a narcotic antagonist, a safeguard would reduce the potency of the drug when crushed. Representatives for the company said that they did not expect people to crush and abuse the substance.

very difficult for people who use the drug as directed. Doctors are now being told only to prescribe the drug to patients dealing with severe pain and the FDA put its strongest warning label on the drug, warning doctors and patients of its highly addictive effects. There are also plans to limit doctors from prescribing OxyContin to patients using Medicaid which is paid for by the government.

Street dealers have been stealing the drug either straight from pharmacies, or by robbing customers leaving the store. Other dealers have stolen prescription pads from doctors to write false prescriptions. At this point there are nearly 13 lawsuits filed against Purdue Pharma, each of them saying that the company did not make doctors aware of its habitforming capabilities.

OxyContinoverdoseswere first becoming apparent in white males in their late 40s and 50s who had th~ drug prescribed to them for various reasons. When OxyContin hit the black market about six months ago, the age of users dropped to those in their 20s and 30s. Unlike other high profile street drugs, OxyContin has yet to hit the middle class. Its primary market seems to be the working class, blue-collar person, or those who suffer from disabilities.

news editor

Fifty percent of high school students try it before they graduate. It is the most highly used illegal drug in the United States. Thirty years later, it has only gotten stronger.

Barely known before the 1960s, marijuana use has grown by leaps and bounds to earn ·the spot of most commonly used illegal drug in this country. Almost 69 million Americans have tried marijuana at least once. On average, teenagers try it when they are 14. By the eighth grade 23 percent of students have tried it and by the tenth grade, 21 percent are users.

Cannabis is marijuana and any other drug made from the hemp plant. All cannabis are psychoactive drugs and they all have THC. Among the other 400 chemicals in marijuana. THC is the main active one.

Since the 60's, the amount of THC in marijuana has increased, making the marijuana people are smoking now more potent and mind-altering.

High doses of THC may cause the user to experience bouts of paranoia and anxiety. In a few cases, users have been needed emergency medical treatment for severe psychotic symptoms.

The long-term effects of marijuana are not clear but studies show serious concerns. Regular use could lead to cancer, problems with the immune system, respiratory and reproductive systems.

Quick Facts on Marijuana

•Marijuana is the most frequently used illegal drug in the United States.

•Nearly 50-percent of twelfth graders have tried marijuana at least once.

•The average age for the first use of marijuana is 14 years old.

•Marijuana smoking affects the brain and leads to impaired short-term memory, perception, judgement and motor skills.

-Facts courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

The company is currently working on a new opiatebased drug similar to OxyContin, only this time the drug will contain a safeguard. The new drug must first past several tests by the Food and Drug Administration before it can be prescribed by doctors, this could take between two and four years.

The street popularity of OxyContin is making it

In May 2001, Purdue Pharma released a 10-point plan to help fight the abuse of OxyContin. The plan included tamper-resistant prescription pads, distribution of more than 550,000 brochures for pharmacists and doctors to provide them with information on how to avoid prescription drug addiction. Purdue Pharma hopes that this plan will help curb addiction until they can release their new, safeguarded drug.

iiiner Cinter facel changes o arqpus Minis

newseditor

The Cabrini O,Uegc swnmerfticelifthas

E°'1gbt many changes tc>Ollt oonmn:mity.A new ciormQpenedits doors for the first time and profesors are returning to theirofficesin Grace Hall.

CulTently,the bangsand dust of~ fill the first floor of the Widener Center. The project plansto convertthe old student~vities office,commuter IQungeand lowerconferenceroom into a Ceo-ter for Service and leadersbjp. This project is revampingcampusministty whilebuilding on service projects for our community.

Manychangesare bejq made in die physical aspect of campus ministry along with the interpersonalaspect.

Mary Laver,coordinatorof communityoutreach and partnerships will be relocating to die center. PreviOU$ly,Lavu and John DiMucci had served as campusministersto die community. FatbetSte\'eAlbero,camtmsmfeisw 'illldJesaica mini•. Wt.-:•.._.,._

will be locatedin the new center.

This year, we are going to work closely with service and campus minislty activities," said Laver."We see them intertwined."

The center will strive to link .-vice with academics."Eventually, Laversaid, "we aregoingto havea majorfocus on service learning."

DiMucci, a formercampus minister, bas left his work al' Cabrini. "Almost every ma~ campus ministty event on campus w~ due to him," Laver said. •'The community buildingof spirit wasbrought/ by John."

Laver plans to build on DiMucci's vision ofi community spirit to sttuc~ die new center.

Jon Rania,music director, will be leaving 111 October. Campusministryis seekinga new music di rector.

Msgr.RobertMcMammsis the newcampus chaplain. Alberowill still say muses, however, his work:as a campus ministerrequires additionalhelp in ihat area. Masses are held Sundaysat 7 p.m. and Tuesdaysat 4:45 p.m..

Organize: Don't let clutter get

by Renee Di Pietro perspective editor

Everything is in place, you are so proud. Finally, the carpet is visible. Then you wake up and see your mess just where you left it, here in reality.

Being disorganized is a killer... a time killer, a schedule killer and a mental killer. Being disorganized is mentally stressful. Picture that office, room or area in your life that recently or has always had a life livingforce of its own. You have surrendered to the fact that control is never going to be a graspable option. Disorder is just the way the cards were dealt.

But there is help and the 'I don't ever have time to straighten up' excuse is not going to cut it, because the real reason is much deeper than that.

People let clutter overrun a room, a garage, or a closet because they acquire a fear, a voice that haunts a person into not striving for success. Success becomes represented by this voice as scary and feared because with success comes a threat of not being able to maintain the success.

Here are some tips on bow to overcome this fear:

In your bedroom, the only articles that should be in there are the ones that you use or love. Every thing else needs a place outside of the room. When coming across ii ms that do not belong in the room, try new areas such as the trashcan or a garage sale.

In each room throughout the house a central theme is necessary. If the dining room is going to be the eating room then all objects that differ from this theme need to be removed.

The majority of jumble throughout households mainly resides in the den or garage areas. Problems usually revolve around these areas because these rooms are frequently missing a theme and the items in the room never have a permanent home within the room. Each object within a room must have a permanent home where the object can always be found and returned to again.

Clutter can make you sick when uncontrolled. People constantly are talking about how they wish they had more time to clean up and organize at home. In August, the Oprah show discussed the stresses of disorganization. Woman after woman stood up and described the feeling of living with the cloud each day because she could not tackle the disorganization of her life. Embarrassment, depression and uneasiness resulted from their battle with confusion about what to do to fix their disorganized disarray.

To help, first the women were taught why they were holding onto the mess of their •lives. Reasons ranged from being stuck in _a transitional phase of life, like switching jobs, or that they were holding onto the past too tightly and could not trash anything, even if it was useless to them. They continued to hold onto the past feeling safer with the mess, in fear that if cleaned up that then

Clutter

how to unclutter your living space. they would be forced to more forward in life.

After these women applied the organizational tips from above they felt pounds lift off them. They felt ready to move on in their lives. Even one woman put it as being a way

life

to make a path of rightness in her life, clearing away enough room for her guidance of the lord to reappear in her life.

photo by Renee DiPietro

overpowers the room. A recent episode of the Oprah show offered tips on

l,1,11• Iii 1•1 -······•.... -

The stories below are real. They were featured in real periodicals. They happened to real people.

by Renee Tomcanin managing editor

The Polka Fine

Next time you are cruising the streets in your car, you may want to think .twice about turning up the volume. A judge in Cleveland, OH came up with a unique sentence to combat high stereo volume.

According to Planetsave.com, Alan Law, 19, was given the choice of paying a $100 fine or listening to four straight hours of polka. Law chose the musical sentence and spent his Thursday afternoon listening to Frank Yankovic.

Judge John Nicholson, who created the interesting sentence, said he chose polka music because he didn't think that people of Law's age cared for that type of music.

Law has reconsidered plans to purchase a new stereo for his vehicle.

Bigfoot sighting

A recent Bigfoot hoax has been exposed for what it really was-a scam to get on the Howard Stem show.

Simon Garth was the butt of a practical joke when he was called about the frozen corpse of Sasquatch in his freezer. Immediately stories were posted all over the Internet that Garth had shot and killed the mythical monster. However, two of Garth's friends had set up the whole thing.

"It's been a fun day. I wish I did have Bigfoot in a meat locker," Garth said.

Reporter David Moye of the W1reless Flash first broke the story. He found a posting on eBay by Garth auctioning off Bigfoot's soul. It was soon revealed however that all Garth had wanted to ·do was talk to Howard Stem.

Now that the 4oax has been revealed, Garth is receiving complaints from Bigfoot fans and still hasn't received a call from Howard Stem.

Sign Theft

Citizens in Linesville, Pa. find themselves faced with an ironic situation. An anticrime organization found themselves victim of a crime, the theft of their crime watch signs.

Five signs, poles included, were taken from roadsides in Linesville. The organization isn't sure if this is someone trying to get even, but they are sure of one thing.

"We don't think it was kids because the signs were gone, post and all," Ed Barker, chairman of the North Shenango Township Crime Watch chapter, said.

Not Your Mother's Home cooking

Two American Mormons visiting in Melbourne, Austrailia were served a particularly tasty treat.

Alexander McLean was charged with serving cookies containing cannibus to the two 19 year-olds. The duo started to feel strange. They believed their distorted vision and hearing was due to a gas leak. After checking into a hospital, they tested positive for cannibus.

McLean was given a two month suspended sentence. He said that the Mormons were nice young men.

"If they ever knock on our door again they are quite welcome to come in and have a cup of coffee and a biscuit," McLean said. All stories from forteantimes.com and wacky

Publlc.SafetyReport

\ August 30-September 4

On August 30, an RD doing rounds found a curious work of art in the lounge of the new dorm. An easel held a drawing of a person with a can of gasoline. On the can, the word ''Brini" was on the can. •

On August 30, two students were written up for possessing alcohol in the new dorm. The dorm was dry. The alcohol was confiscated.

On August 31, repeated threats were written on the dry erase board of a female student in House 2. Obscene language was used.

On September 1, prank phone calls were make all around campus. Callers were posing as parents searching for their homesick students.

On September 2, students in Xavier Hall, a dry dorm, were charged with underage drinking. The alcohol was confiscated.

On September 2, two female students were cited for drinking underage in the New Dorm. The residence hall is dry.

Attention Drivers

!A.ALIYAH: Gone But Not Forgotten:

Ir:..

by Geri Lynn Utter A&E editor

Aaliyah said, "If I were to go, I would want to be remembered as an entertainer that can do it all." The unforgettable words of the multi-talented Aaliyah Haughton linger in the heads and hearts of her loyal fans and family after her tragic death, in a plane crash on Aug. 25. Aaliyah was in the process of shooting footage for her next video in the Bahamas, when the crash caused her sudden death. No one was prepared for the unexpected death of such a young-beautiful artist that seemed to hold the world in the palm of her hands.

The reason for the crash still remains unclear. One report claims that there was an argument between the pilot and the passengers before take off, regarding the weight of the equipment being loading into the small plane, according to the New York Post.

The pilot felt the plane would not be able to support the weight of the equipment and nine additional passengers. The pilot warned the travelers that in order to have a safe flight into Miami from the Bahamas the weight of the equipment had to be limited. However, the passengers ignored the pilot's various requests not to overload the plane.

Seconds after the two-engine Cessna 402 took off seven passengers were killed instantly including 22-year-old R &B singer and actress Aaliyah. The two remaining travelers died latet in hospitals.

Another report claims that the Cessna 402 could have experienced engine failure. It is rumored that the pilot was having diffi-

culty starting one of the engines; however, the only people that know for sure are all gone, including the Grammy-nominated Aaliyah.

Aaliyah was not only a promising young singer and actress, but also, the R&B world's "baby girl" who was adored by her fans. A short time ago Aaliyah was asked, "What would you like the world to remember you for?" Aaliyah said, "I would like to be remembered as an entertainer." Even though at the young age of 22-yearsold Aaliyah is no longer with us she accomplished her ultimate goal of being known to the world as an entertainer.

BACKGROUND

We all knew her as just plain Aaliyah, but her full-name was Aaliyah Haughton. She was born in Brooklyn, NY., on January 16th, 1979; however, at age five she moved to Detroit.

Aaliyah strived to pursue her dream as a singer fm; the majority of her short life. At 11-years old, Aaliyah managed to land a gig in Las Vegas with the Glady's Knight troupe. Her aunt is the legendary Gladius Knight. So it is apparent that the soul of rhythum and blues was introduced to Aaliyah at an extremely young age By the time Aaliyah was 15-years-old

she came out with her firsi solo-album, "Age Ain't Nothing But a Number." Her album sold a million copies in 1994 and '"Try Again," a popular track from the album, was nominated for a Grammy. This past July, her self- titled album "Aaliyah" sold a half-million copies.

Aside from her booming singing career, Aaliayh also had her mind set on pursuing a career in the acting field. She co-starred with Jet Li, in the blockbuster hit "Romeo Must Die," and she just finished shooting "The Queen of the Damned". Aaliyah was also preparing to appear in the sequel to "The Matrix."

F U N E R A L

On Friday, Aug 31 funeral services were held for Aaliyah at Saint Ignatius Loyola Church in New York City. Her body was carried in a white- horse drawn carriage and her mother, Diane, released 22 white doves representing each year of her daughter's short life.

More than 3,000 people attended Aaliyah's memorial service at restaurant Cipriani's to mourn the death of the beloved Aaliyah.

Aaliyah "babygirrHaughton

'Matchbox Twenty' lights up the pack

by ReneePi Pietro tor perspectives edi-

During the Matchbox 1\venty and Train concert, out in the rainy general admission area, an audience full of all ages was thanked and acknowledged by the bands for their love and reliability. People nodded and cheered in return

"All in all their perf ormance was good. The one song that I enjoyed was Rest Stop ...... "

that their decision to come see the bands could not be swayed by the wet weather.

Peter Stuart started the night off with some sparks on the side stage. Fourth year student of West Chester University Dan Mc Crossin described Stuart as " a young energetic singer-songwriter. He displayed a lot of energy and passion in his music and sound."

At about 8 p.m., Train took to the stage and began their set just as the sky decided to open up and not hold back anymore. Train covered the classic Led Zepplin song Ramble On. They are becoming well known for this cover and have included a bonus single of Ramble On with the purchase of their current cd, Drops of Jupiter.

-Bernadette Hazel junior

Matchbox 1\venty and Train recently came to town this summer, Aug 23, at the 1\veeter center in Camden, N. J. Scattered showers were the forecast and the meteorologist were dead on with this prediction.

Rob

Throughout the concert Bernadette }Jazel, a junior graphic design major, kept dry in her seat under shelter. "I was disappointed that Train only played 45 minutes," Hazel said, "but I really liked Matchbox 1\venty and the setup of the stage for their set. There were lights everywhere."

Mc Crossin said Matchbox 1\venty was everything he expected.

"All in all their performance was good. The one song that I enjoyed was Rest Stop. It was very passionate and was not drowned out by the horns in the background."

all photos retrieved by www.g90Cites.com

Fans and loved ones dedicate a mural to Aaliyah to ensure that she is always remembered

photo retrieved fromwww.musicfanclubs.org

Thomas and the rest of Matchbox Twenty entertained fans at the Tweeter center.

'Drowned World' tour stays afloat in US

by StephanieMasucci guest writer

"I have seen every one of her tours," said a mid-twenties man who was wearing a pink cowboy hat with a matching boa and a wife beater that said "Boy Toy" across the breast. He headed through the crowd with a certain bounce to his step. Over 16,000 men and women of all ages and races joined this man at the First Union Center on Sunday, July 22, to see the second of two soldout concerts in South Philadelphia.

An eclectic array of individuals had come together to see a performer who will go down in history as a cultural icon and an expert in changing personas and a pioneer in advancing the place of women in music.

While thousands of people huddled around the concession stands buying $35 program books and t-shirts that ranged from $40 to $120, Madonna Louise Ciccone was preparing to start her "Drowned World" tour in the United States. After having toured through sold out crowds in such countries as Germany, Spain and England,

Madonna hit home for her first concert since the "Girlie Show" in 1993.

An impatient crowd sat discussing favorite Madonna memories when the lights went down at 8:25p.m., almost a half an hour later than the concert was supposed to begin.

An uproarious thunder of screams and cries began as the conglomeration of lights that was fixed on the stage began to sparkle and rise off of the stage floor. Dancers started to spin around as the music grew louder and louder to the audiences delight. Then the loud cries of die-hard fans rose four octaves higher as the shadow of Madonna appeared through the heavy lights and fog. "I traded fame for love, without a second thought," she began to sing the first track of her critically acclaimed album "Ray of Light," "Drowned World (Substitute for Love)." Tears fell from the faces of onlookers as they tried to grasp the fact that they were actually watching Madonna in person. She had on a black shirt with black bondage pants and a black and white kilt. She retired her red kilt after the European leg of her tour.

Her next song was from her latest album "Music" as she danced and was carried around stage by her dancers. The top performers of their trade were on stage with Madonna doing gymnastics and dances that were of Broadway style. Madonna's voice was as clear as ever as she sang most of her

Guy Ritchie(left} with wife ,Madonna(right} are shown giving a snuggfy kiss. Even though she is pop music's icon, she stifl finds time for fove with her new hubby in between tour dates.

songs from her last two CDs. • the mass criticism she received during her

As Madonna left the s~ge for her first Erotica period in the early '90s. She sang costume change, the audience saw men this song while riding a mechanical bull bewearing nothing but flesh colored th?ngs fore singing "Secret" another song from hanging from the ceiling. They twrrled l994's "Bedtime Stories." "La Isla Bonita" around and made their way to the stage was one of the nights most nostalgic numfloor just as Madonna came ~ack on stage bers which is from her 1988 album "Like a in her "Geisha" look. Adormng a komono • Prayer." with sleeves that took up the whole stage, The night seemed to go too fast as a fashe sang the first song released off of "Ray miliar beat started to filtrate through the staof Light," "Frozen." dium. The audience smiled as it realized

She continued this set a la "Crouching that the music was from Madonna's first Tiger Hidden Dragon" as she leapt from the number one single. Madonna came back on stage and did martial arts moves on her fel- stage with her all black outfit on and a hat low dancers. She·left the stage once again holding her tied back blonde hair in place, as the audience was treated to an instru- as she skipped singing "Holiday" with her mental version of "Don't Cry For Me Ar- bright red lipstick on. But alas the lights gentina." She came back on stage sitting on went out and the concert had come to an a couch while playing the guitar to "I De- end. The crowd chanted "Madonna serve It" the song that she dedicated to her Madonna" as the sound of thousands of feet husband, director Guy Ritchie, when she stamped on the floor and banged on their performed in London. Wearing a cowboy seats, Once again the music started. hat leather jacket and her dirt covered jeans, "Music makes the people come together."

Madonna sang her Gold platinum song The lyrics from her latest number one sin"Don't Tell Me" while doing the country gle "Music" were echoed back to her as the line dance from her video. She ripped off audience sang along. her jacket and was wearing a shiny se- This long awaited night however came to quined American flag tank-top as she sang an end. The standing in line for hours to "Human Nature," which was a backlash to

buy a ticket had led up to this. Fans left holding ticket stubs that could have cost them anywhere from the face value of $45 to $250, or the scalped and online auction prices of up to $3,000. "This was the most amazing night of my life. I have no words," said Maria Zaccaggni a junior at Temple University. 'This was so much more than a concert. It was history in the making."

Madonna's tour, which will end in Los Angeles in a couple of weeks, sold-out almost instantly across the globe. She cancelled one date in New Jersey due to a case of laryngitis and had to postpone her Boston show one day. Audiences alike are still looking forward to hearing Madonna sing her ballads "You'll See" and "Nobody's Perfect." Her concert was aired on the cable-access channel HBO on August 16 and could possibly be sold on VHS and DVD in the future. Those who "Live to Tell" about this experience know that they are the "Lucky Star" who will "Cherish" this experience "Like a Vrrgin" forever.

Madonna is caught expressing herself by striking a pose, while kicking off her world tour in Philly.

photo retrieved from www.madorinanet.com

REMEMBERING ENGLAND'S ROSE: Four Years Later

by Jill C. Hindman features editor

Known as "the queen in people's hearts," Princess Diana did not see herself as such at all. Aug 31 marked the four-year anniversary of her death.

She was a shy blonde with blue eyes and a warm smile that captured the hearts of people all over the world. Diana who started off as a kindergarten teacher took on her role in royalty at just 20 years old when she married Prince Charles who was 10 years her senior. Her wedding was that of a fairytale, or so it appeared.

Although she held the title of princess, Diana battled bulimia, suffered from depression and attempted suicide. Her marriage ended in 1996. Despite all of her hardships Diana continued to use her publicity in a positive way.

Diana worked with the elderly, the sick and was an advocate for AIDS awareness. In the late 80s she shook the hand of an AIDS patient on television and changed the minds of those who were ignorant to the disease.

Diana's death was a shock that saddened the entire world. A woman of such beauty and grace was taken from us at such a young age.

After her death she was described by Nelson Mandela as "an ambassador for victims of landmines, war orphans, the sick and needy throughout the.world."

Mother Teresa remembered her as "very concerned for the poor. She was very anxious to do something for them that is why she was close to me."

Diana will always be remembered as a woman with a beautiful heart and a gentle soul.

CCIP{IBATitVE

bi-'JustioePl Ellippa

Almost every room on campus and every household has a microwave. Not everyone has a stove or oven. Although stoves and ovens are the traditional means of cooking everyday foods, we don't need them. Microwaveshave the power to cook full meals, but most people don't know what the microwave is capable of. There are fun foods that you can make using just the microwave.

Here are two inexpensive and fun recipes to try.

Lip-gloss

Ingredients

2 teaspoons petroleum jelly

1/4 teaspoon lipstick (about a quarter of the lipstick)

4 drops of any flavor candy oil (optional)

Place petroleum jelly into small microwave container. Top with lipstick. Microwave for 7 minutes on high, or until soft. Stir with utensil that can be thrown out. Add candy oil. Store in small container. Wait until mixture hardens before use.

Hint for small container: Next time you order out save the sauce container to store the lip-gloss.

Total cost of homemade lip gloss $3.69 before tax.

Fudge

Ingredients

llb. Confectioners sugar

1/2 cup cocoa (about 21/2 packages of hot chocolate mix)

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup butter (one stick)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup nuts chopped (optional)

Combine sugar and cocoa in microwave safe dish. Pour in milk and butter. Do not stir. Microwave on high for 2 minutes on high. Add vanilla and nuts and stir. Refrigerate until mixture hardens.

Total cost of homemade fudges $7.40 before tax.

photo courtesy of AP

photo courtesy of Jerry Zurek

photo courtesy of People Magazine

Clockwise: Princess Diana's warm smile and kind heart will always be remembered. Diana tending to her younger son Harry's shoe, while her older son William watches. The tunnel that tragically took the life of Princess Diana.

photo by Justine DIFHippo

photo editor

S.IMM&R SPENTEN'.SPAIN. •

Every summer Cabrini sends students over to Spain to study and for an intense experience of Spanish culture. The following story is a modified version of Renee Di Pietro's journal of her experiences this summer.

by Renee DI Pietro

PART ONE

June 29, 2001

perspectives editor

Hola, I am in Spain! This is so much fun. Dr. Jimenez, our program cfrrector,treated us to lunch in Malaga when we landed. He pointed out different sites such as the rock of Gibraltar and the huge windmills from the tales of Don Quixote on our bus ride to our permanent summer home here in Cadfz.

Our host family is awesome. The mother is wonderful and speaks lots of English while teaching us Spanish. The house is about nine flights up. Tonight Jenn, Jeanne and I went out on our first walk alone and learned our way around. We observed bow different the culme is here and could not help but describe it as scarily perfect. No one fights in the streets; they all respect their elders immensely, and are extremely family-oriented.

Jone30,

2001

Second day in Spain. We slept 14 hours last night, so today we were full of energy and fun. Tonight we met up with others from our group and took a bus to the main beach of the island. We drank at a beach bar and then walked back to our part of the island along the beach. The walk home was so refreshing but also tiring so goodnight for now.

University of Cadfz. I love my professors. There are a lot of students from all over the world in my classes. The European students are amazing; they all speak a minimum of three languages.

Every Thursday, Dr. Jimenez meets with our group after classes to see how everything is. Last Thursday be gave me two birthday presents because my birthday was Tuesday. Everyone signed a card and I was very surprised.

The younger son, Alfonso, that we live with is 19years-old and can speak a fair amount of English. He is training for the navy and studies physics at a university near Madrid. He plays the guitar everyday and always asks if Jeanne, Jenn and I have any requests. He knows a lot of American artists. He reminds me of my brother Rob. There is an Internet cafe near our house and we go to check our mail at night before we go shopping or on our way back from the beach.

Each night this week Jenn, Jeanne and I have been pretty religious with getting ice cream at this amazing shop. The ice cream is to die for and the guy who works in the shop also has the most exotic eyelashes we have ever seen.

July 8, 2001

Hola, yesterday was incredible. Jenn, Jeanne, Matt Breidenback and I went to the big Victoria beach that is in the new city. Jenn and I went swimming for hours, pie water was nice and clear. Friday night our group got together and went out in the new city to a disco. At 1 a.m. the place was empty, but at 2 a.m. it was packed. Late nights .are an understatement when describing the social life durir.; ~11eweekends.

We went to Jerez today with Dr. Jimenez, which is his hometown. He took us to see three beautiful churches. I

all photos cowtesy of Renee Di Pietro

July 7, 2001

Samday. First week in Spain. This week school began. We wake up at 8 a.m. everyday. and shuffle around our shoebox room. Walking to school wakes us up and we window shop on the way, wishing that after classes the stores could still be open but at 2 p.m. the town closes up for siesta and we head home for our lunch.

Mavy is a great cook, maybe even second to my mother. She took cooking classes and it shows greatly. We normally have some kind of soup like gazpacho, or beans to start off. Then the main course is anything from fish, to chicken, to meatloaf. Watermelon is always available for dessert and is so good. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day in Spain. Dinner is at 10 p.m.

School is challenging. We are taking three classes at the

like to refer to Dr. Jimenez as the book of knowledge because he seems to know absolutely everything. Matt asked him if we could see a bull fight before we leave Spain and now we are going at the end of the month. I am very excited but I never knew that they killed the bull at the end.

Today Jeanne and I sat on the roof to do our homework and then chatted. No touch of home today, the Internet cafe was closed.

July 9, 2001

Hola! It is Monday, the beginning of our second week of our five-week program. The weather is wonderful.

Today was Alfonso's birthday and we bought him a little wooden fish and I wrote him a little card in English so he can practice his English. We got him a fish because whenever we are talking to Alfonso and cannot remember the word we are trying to communicate we all get silent and he says to us, "And now, we are fishing."

Next week look for Part Two of Renee's journal of her summer spent in Spain.

EDITORIAL

Welcome back, or if you're new to Cabrini, welcome. Wbat you're holding in your hands is the first issue of the 2001-2002 Loquitur brought to you by a brand new staff. Whenever a publication changes hands, many differences start appearing on the pages. Our staff of 11 editors is full of ideas that will get brighter and brighter as the year goes on.

A great publication requires feedback. We need to know what you like. Even more important, we need to know what you hate. If you hate it, consider it gone. If you like it, you'll see more of it. Think of the Loquitur as your paper. When you open it up you want to be informed and entertained. The 2001 21.' staff wants nothing more than to satisfy those two 1~~quirements. • Edge. That's what our edition of the Loquitur is going to have. On the cover of last year's first issue was the an-. nual "Day of Service." This year we're covering the effects of ecstasy, cocaine, acid and other street drugs. Running rampant in today's society, more and more deaths are being attributed to drug overdoses. On page three you'll also find a story about OxyContin, the best selling, and one of the most addictive painkillers in America.

Style. We're working on making the Loquitur a visual feast. With a new photo staff on board, we're hoping to make every issue as enjoyable to look at as it is to read. Dependency. We want to be your first choice for news. We'll work to get the stories that impact you in every issue, week after week.

Keep a constant eye on every issue of Loquitur published this year. We promise you more of what you want and we hope that you'll come back to us from now until finals. Enjoy.

The editorials, viewpoints, opinions and letters to the editor published in Loquitur are the views of the student editorial board and the individual writers, not the entire student body or the faculty and administration.

Editorial Board Michael A. Kazanjian

Going beyond the call of duty

Lisa Broomall Maria Chambers

Colleen Connor Vmcent Defruscio

John Delsordo-Tarle

Ol,lherine Hernson Eugene lacovelli Shannon King Richard Magda

Tanya McCausland

McGuigan

Williams

Paolucci

Wagstaff

Justine Difilippo

photo editor

Throughout our years as students we have come across many teachers yet few are remembered. Teachers rarely impact our lives as we grow older and move on but things have changed. More teachers have affected my life here then any other school I have attended in my 18 years of schooling.

The teachers on this campus talk to their students as equals and are interested in their school life as well as in the classroom.

There are at least three teachers that have made an impact on my life since freshmen year. Charlie McCormick, Diane Sziller, and Jerry Zurek.

Professor Sziller was my second semester of math teacher. Math is definitely not one of my strong subjects, and the harder I tried the worse I did. One day professor Sziller pulled me aside aud asked me what the problem was. I had told her the war stories of horrible math teachers who would not answer my questions. The one's who never thought out of the book and when it was time for homework, I was lost. Through tears I told her that I was really trying but I could not grasp the concepts. Professor Sziller stayed after class every day with me giving me extra assignments, showing me step by step how to recognize what formula to use. I

Lessons to learn...

remember the final exam we completed, one page at a time. When I was done the first page I handed her tlie paper and received the second page. When I was picking up my third page she said to me, "You're doing great, keep it up." I ended up acing the final exam. I see her around campus every now and then. She never hesitates to come up to me and ask how school is going. Also, if I am struggling in any other classes and asks if she can help. She believed and still does that I can do things well and that is what I needed to succeed.

Dr. Charlie McCormick was my SEM 100 teacher and teacher of many other classes that I still take with him, shortly became my mentor. We had to meet with him outside of class many times. English was my strong point so I did not really need help just some fine tuning. The first time I was in his office I noticed some black and white photos on his window ledge. We started talking about different areas of photography. He found out that I was into photography and suggested I should go to study photography in Maine. For the past two years he's been bugging me to apply to the Salt Institute. Shortly I will be processing applications and a portfolio for this school that I would have never known about if it were not for Dr. McCormick.

Dr. Jerry Zurek is my journalism teacher. He is always there for his students even when he is on sabbatical. Though this story has nothing to do with the acade-

mic part of ~chool, it has to do with residing on campus. Some students do not know but the journalism class is a full year eightcredit course, which simply means four credits a semester, but they are not awarded until the end of the year. April came around and it was time to pick housing. Four of my friends and I wanted to be in the apartments. The list waJ posted and I was the only one who was not allowed to live there. I was told I was 1.5 credits short, but with my journalism credits I was 2.5 credits over what I needed. Residence Life would not listen to me. Dr. Zurek was an email away. I had told him my story and how they would not acknowledge my four credits. He didn't hesitate. He made phone calls, sent e-mails, and was about to make an appearance on campus before I was finally permitted to live in the apartments.

There are still more teachers that have gone that extra step for many others and me that teach at this college. These teachers have impacted my life in one way or another. When people ask me how I like Cabrini, the first thing out of my mouth is that the teachers are great. This is the first time in my life that I have actually said that about a campus-wide teaching staff. I feel as if the faculty here are like my parents, I want them to be proud of me as well. They are the ones who are there for us in our times of need. Thank you. Do not be bashful with ideas of cartoons, letters to the editor, story ideas, quotes or responses to the editorials or stories.

Share your voice, Write to Reneesc52 @hotmail.com

''The

"You past makes us who we are, do not let it be are a potential genius, there is no problem you cannot solve, _andno answeryoucannotfind somewhere."

--Brian Tracy

your burden."

--Jet Li

"It matters only that you manifest your genius; it doesn't matter when. It's never too late or early."

-- Mark Victor Hansen

People are the key to life, not timing

Take a breath and clear your mind. Now focus clearly on this question, can one day be the difference of your life? Think honestly. If you say yes, is it true also that one moment can affect the rest of your life? Picture this. You are about to cross a busy street at an intersection and you glance at your watch after you see the light is green. Seeing that you are running a couple minutes late you automatically step out from the curb, just as if you were in the car you would have stepped on the pedal to accelerate.

Five fingers grab your left shoulder and yank you backwards. You hit the ground hard. A bus passes filling your lungs with fumes and leaving splatters of dirt and dust on your clothes.

You could have been killed. You did not see the bus. You saw everything else that you thought was important. You

failed to recognize the world around you, not revolving around you.

This is realistic story but I do not know if it is true. I happened to hear it by word of mouth. I think life is similar to this event especially after you have had a similar experience. But I do not think the difference of a week, a day, or an event of time affects us as much as the people we meet. A stranger is the hero in the story above, not a moment of time.

Not every unique person is going to affect your life in positive or negative manners, but there are a lot of people that I can remember who helped me start a new phase or level of my life. Not everyday do I meet one of these strangers who guide me away from my ignorance or shock me so greatly_thatI am thrown into another world, but some days I get really lucky.

The day of service was a lucky day for me. I cannot tell you how many times I have written in my career development papers how I wish I had more time to dedicate to service. No matter who I help day to day, it feels like nothing compared to the feeling I get when the help ·is volunteer

Lancaster, the shore, dead chickens

Saturday holds such high expectations. Either you work all week, or you go to school all week, or you are one of the lucky few who gets to do both and you just cannot wait for Saturday to come. Saturday, however, isn't all it's cracked up to be.

It was so much easier when I was 10. I'd wake up, eat three bowls of something covered in MichaelA Kazanjian chocolate with a splash of milk editor in chief and proceed to watch cartoons until my ass hurt. Well those days are gone. Now I wake up, shower, shave and go to work. I'm not even sure if Saturday morning cartoons still exist. My entire Saturday isn't shot though. I get off work at 1 so after that I'm free to frolic.

The major difference between Saturdays when you're a kid and when you're supposed to be an adult is the planning. Nothing just happens anymore, it needs to be planned. This is where I fail miserably. Three Saturdays from this past summer come to mind immediately.

Saturday number one. My significant other and I decid6 to take a ride into Lancaster. I guess the plan was to see how differently people live even though they live no more than two hours away. Well, we really didn't get that far. After an hour or so of driving we hit some major traffic. You really know traffic is bad when horse and buggies blaze by you and your "luxury" automobile. The next hour and a half was spent crawling up the street. We finally got into Lancaster realizing that neither of us were interested in Amish people. The only thing we did was go to the GAP outlet. I drove three hours to go to the GAP. In case you missed that, I DROVE THREE HOURS TO GO THE GAP! I didn't even buy anything.

The next Saturday wasn't much better. After our failed attempt at Amishville we decided to try something more traditional. Off to the Jersey Shore we went. Well, sort of.

Again I dealt with the demon known as "traffic." A ride that normally takes no more than an hour and fifteen minutes lasted for about four glorious hours. Eureka! We hit the beach.

Unfortunately, so did the storm clouds. But we stuck it out. As people fled the beach in horror we stayed. Damn it, it took me four hours to get there and I was going to get stung by a greenhead fly, no matter what force of nature tried to drive me out.

While these last two Saturdays weren't a success, at least they weren't volatile. The final Saturday of the summer was the Saturday to top them all. My mother's friend owns a few apartments on Broad Street in Philadelphia. She told my mom that some tenants had just moved out and they needed the place cleaned before the new tenants moved in. My mom told her that her son and his girlfriend might be interested in doing it for some extra cash. So we agreed.

We walked into that hellhole three days later and regretted it ever since. Dirt was caked to every comer of this place. The more we scrubbed the more dirt seemed to pop up. The kicker, however, was the refrigerator. I pulled that door open and nearly tossed my cookies. The feathers that were stuck in the carpet should have tipped us off to something shady. What I discovered was as horrific sight as you could imagine. Residing on the bottom shelf of the fridge was a dead chicken. We're not talking about Purdue here, we're talking about a chicken that was beheaded in the living room and tossed into the icebox in a pool of blood. I'll allow you a minute to cringe. Okay, are you feeling all right? Well, I wasn't dumb enough to touch it, don't worry, I left that lovely task up to the landlord. Was it worth the sixty bucks we got paid? No way in hell.

So this is what Saturday has become. What a shame. Thank God there's always Sunday.

work.

My group was small and we went to the Mom Mobile, an organization that helps mothers or soon to be mothers. When we arrived we were split in half and I spent my day in the children's nursery for two-year-olds and younger. I love children so this was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. The childcare workers were so sad that we were only there for one. day but we helped them a great deal in the small amount of time. There were many children f?r only a couple pairs of hands. Patience was the new lesson of the day until I got to talk with another group member.

On small breaks our group chatted and learned a little bit about each other. Later one person and I picked up our get to know you conversation and as we began to dip a little deeper I was simply amazed with this person. I probably will not see this person again throughout the year, but the short time we had was unique.

Last week I realized how much I learned in just the difference of a day. I want to thank my new friend for making my life a little more real.

The difference of commuting

doesn't feel right. And if you look at the other commuters they seem to agree.

' We shower and dress and come to class looking almost refreshed. ...

All of this preparing takes up time and I'm not a morning person.

Beth Conahan news editor

Commuting is tough. You probably did not even notice I was gone but, that's right, this year I am off-campus.

I leave my apartment a half an hour before class and drive onto campus only to cruise up and down the parking lot behind Founders and find that the only spots available are at the Dixon Center.

There is something strange that I have noticed about this whole commuter thing. As a resident, I would roll out of bed five minutes before class, look awful and would not care.

As a commuter, that just

Even after I get to school and go to class, my hardships are not over.

When you have an hour between classes, what is a girl to do? She can't go back to her room and tum on a bad episode of Jerry Springer. It's too far to drive home and back. For an hour, I have to find a place to exist, the Wigwam.or outside, or in the library, whereever I am not in the way.

I like living off-campus though. I get to leave Cabrini behind at the end of a day. My roommates are cool and I do not live in fear of RAs or Public saf~ty. I mean, not that I ever did anything I should not have.

Learn how to deal the dealer Cycling through life from bottom to top

The first thing you should know about buying a car is that you call the shots.

sees you as having the potential to make his month merry from his earned commission.

As you walk through the door of the dealership, make sure it is the end of the month. A salesperson's performance is evaluated at the end of each month. You are more likely to get the deal you want if it is the end of the month.

copy editor

Whether it be a new or used car, the salesperson has one item on his agenda- to make a profit. Of course he wants to make a big profit, but if you know what you want and what you are looking for, he will not be taking home too much of your money from the deal.

Buying a car is not like buying a house. Of course interest rates play a major role in the borrowing process of both purchases, but for the purpose of this column let's steer away from the banking half of it and say that all the money you need is in your pocket. We will worry about interest rates, Alan Greenspan and credit reports in a future article.

Making such a hefty purchase takes confidence. The dealer can really smell your fear and inexperience. The inexperience might be obvious from your youthful and charming face. But do not stop yourself from walking in and acting like you own the place. The dealer

So you got through the front door- good job. Be careful not to trip over anything as you walk gracefully across the showroom. By the time you make it to the salesperson's desk, he will have already sized you up and will want to sell you the car he believes is the right one for you.

Again, image is very important. Act cool and be tactful. Show the salesperson that you mean business and that you do not want any flack or jargon that no one understands.

Make sure you do your homework. Familiarize yourself with the dealership lingo. If the dealer asks if you want a spoiler in the non-inclusive package priced at the MSRP dealerready-to-sell price, do not be cool and tell him that you do think the Phillies are on their way to the series. Read up on the terms and tell him to spell them out if he still makes no sense.

Do not walk into a dealership and get sold on the first car. Look at all things in the car and

under the hood. If it is a used car, you will want to do a very thorough search. Arrange for a mechanic to assess the _car's condition. A good tip is to check the rubber covers on the accelerator and brake pedal. They will reveal if the odometer reading is correct. Most importantly is to take your time and ask all of the questions that come to mind. When you decide that you are ready to buy a car, make an offer. Pick an amount that you think would be too low for the car. If the dealer says that be cannot do any better than the original price, get up and walk out. If the dealership is interested in your business, they will meet or come close to your offer. I guarantee that you will receive a call from the dealer saying that he re-worked things and thinks he has a solution, that is if he did not chase you down as you walked out the door. The most important advice is to make sure you feel comfortable with the final price. Do not sign anything until you are sure that you have been given a good deal.

Car shopping is still a buyer's market. Be the shrewd businessperson you have always wanted to be and remember who is in the driver's seat.

• I

graduating and you are looked up to and envied by all of the classes that precede you and you are loving it. Then you go to college. Lucky you. Well here we all are. We all came here starting at the bottom. We came here not knowing anyone, or anything even though we all probably thought we did. Everything changes when you are at the bottom again.

Jill C. find.man features editor ....._______ _,

So here I am a senior. The year I have been waiting for. Even though this year is bittersweet, I am glad to be where I am With the "real world" just around the comer I am so scared, but really I am excited more than anything.

As I get older I am realizing that life is a bunch of cycles. I keep starting at the bottom and working my way to the top.

First you have grade school and go through the awkward,' geeky years, unless you happen to be in that rare one percent who has just been so cool your entire life. Newsflash, that one percent doesn't exist. So yes it is true we have all been a geek at some point. Get over it.

Next, we go onto high school. Everyone starts off as these little, scrawny freshmen scared to death. The years go by and our status progresses. In high school we hang out with different crowds, go to parties and get in trouble, meanwhile wishing we were seniors the entire time.

Finally, senior year comes and you are the big cheese. You are cool because you are a senior. You are

As the years went by I have found myself more vocal in class and not intimidated by the upperclassmen. I have learned that nothing worthwhile comes without a little work. I have learned that everyone has a story to tell and sometimes you just need to shut up and listen. I have learned that everything happens for a reason. I have learned that being happy with who you are makes everything else fall into place so much easier.

Life is an ongoing lesson. No matter where we fall in the mix there is always something to learn, something new to achieve. Take everything for what it is and make the best of it.

In nine months I will graduate and once again start at the bottom, but this time it will be different. Everything that I have gone through and learned up until now has prepared me. I know it will be tough and I'll be making a lot of coffee. But one day I'll be at the top again and appreciate it so much more.

What did you do for Labor Day weekend?

"I took a Hedtke class".

Dena Kobeissi, Senior Spanish major

"I went with my field hockey team to Drew University. We played two games, went to the movies and over a teammate's house for lunch. I got stiches in my face. All in all, it was a great weekend."

Stephanie Masucci

Senior English/ Communication major

"I went to the University of North Carolina to visit friends. We also went to the beach at Jacksonville, North Carolina."

Dunlop Junior Business major

Dedication to the Extreme

by Tracy Timson sports editor

A love for a sport has many rewards.

Wmning the championship game or the cbeerleading trophy leaves an individual with a sense of accomplishment, a sense that they have achieved a dream. Sometimes this accomlishment is achieved at all too great of a risk.

It is understood that with playing sports comes certain injuries.

A pulled muscle or a bad shoulder are things that are seen everyday in the world of athletics, but death is something we do not hear often during a sports report on the nightly news.

This year, however, the world of sports has experienced a huge loss. His death was blamedon heat exhaustion but it could also be a love gone too far. Kory Stringer of the Minnesota Vikings was pronounced dead at 1:50 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 1, at St. Joseph's-Mayo Health .System in Mankota, Minn.

Imagine a football player or any other athlete stepping out onto the playing field for yet another season. Not just another season but for prac-

tice and for the third time that day, giving his all to the game that he had so much love and respect for.

What seems like a game to some of these player's is much more to others. Sports are somtimes these people's lives. It is what they live and breath

Preventing • Heat Stroke

for and in Stringer's case it was also his job. The question that is left in the back of people's minds is "Is your love for a sport enough to kill you?" The answer has been proven this year and the answer is yes.

Stinger was a 6-foot-four, 335 lb. right tackle for the Vt.kingsand an allpro lineman in the NFL.

He had completed the morning practice and later began to develop symptoms of heat stroke. An ambulance was immediately called but according to NFL.com "Stringer was unresponsive at the time of arrival and had an extremely high core temperature of over 108 degrees."

It was later found out that earlier on Tuesday that Stringer "vomited during practice and got the wind knocked out of him during morning drills."

Q. What can be done to prevent something like this happening to other athletes?

Stringer was an all-pro lineman for the NFL before his sudden death on August 1, 2001.

Stringer went out on the field with a mission, a mission to prove to himself that he was a good athlete and he could fight through the beat and the pain to prove to himself, his teammates, his coach and the sport he loved so much. This mission led to an NFL player's death.

My Life As A ...Tennis Player

by Meliss,aArriola guest writer

My life as a tennis player is not what everyone thinks it is. Tennis is what others consider to be the girly sport, the easiest sport out there but it isn't. It's just like any other sport that takes dedication and commitment out of any athlete.

I myself always think of the running I did in the hot summer weather to keep in shape or the work on footwork or the hundreds of balls that I was forced to hit down the line and cross court in a given hourjust trying to perfect my game. Workingon timing and consistency to get the forehands, backhands and serves in just the right place always will be an incredible effort. The work all brought into this game is what tennis is all about.

Of course there is also playing the matches, the countless games that only make you and I better from experience. It's getting yelled at from your

coach. It's the third match with the tiebreaker that all adds up to the hard work. It's the devious opponents that you play that makes a game out of cheating because you know in this game that there are no umpire or referee to call out the lines.

Obviously, there ·are many good points. Just the rush of winning for one thing is the greatest feeling when you're out there. When you go on the court for a singles match, you're all alone with no other teammates to help you except to_cheer on the sidelines. You have to think of how you want to play your opponent.

As a tennis player you must beat the game by yourself whether you're in a 60 minute match or a three hour with a tie breaker in the third set. I have to always be ready.

Dedication is a must and when Cabrini brings home a win it is worth all the hard work.

A: The fact is 99 percent of the time it's just heat exhaustion and replacement fluids will solve the problem. What's tragic is you can go right from heat exhaustion to beat stroke, primarily because these are very highly motivated men who work very hard and really don't often tell 1A if they are having trouble. They might throw up and not tell us, there is a lot of peer pressure to stay in and work hard, so unfortunately in some situations athletes work just beyond their point. But they have certainly been doing this a long, long time, and all i;?fus are aware that heat illness is a very serious illness. Hence, we preach hydration constantly. Athletes should drink before practice, after practice and during practice. We make water available for them, and we make Gatorade and other electrolyte beverages available for them. It's so important because they lose so much more than water. An athlete can really sweat almost a gallon of fluid, and in that fluid is salt and minerals and other important electrolytes that the body needs, and that's why we preach that water is just not enough. That's why we have Gatorade and other sports drinks.

Q: Do people react the same way to dehydration?

A: Various people are vulnerable to heat exhaustion and even heat stroke, and that would be older people, large people, obese individuals, people who have had heat exhaustion before are more likely to have it again. Heat illness, we universally believe it is preventable through hydration, but given athletes can sweat as much as a gallon of fluid in a practice, sometimes you just can't drink enough. They're tired, exhausted, and they just don't drink But we really do believe that in most instances it is preventable. Unfortunately, as I said before, you can get yourself into troubleJCally fast without really even knowing it. It sounds like Mr. Stringer bad heat exhaustion the day before and was low on reserves and pushed himself more than he should have the next day. lreally don't know the details of that, but we universally believe that heat stroke is a preventable illness.

Q: How does peer pressure come into play?

A: In football practice around the National Football League, all of the athletic trainers are very aware of heat illness, and so we're watching these players, looking at their weight, how much they're losing between practices and everything else. Of course, the larger players, the linemen, heavy players that weigh 300 pounds, so we're all aware of it, and they're awareof it, too. My point was that they @re very highly motivated, and often times they just don't want to come out and they don't want to drink, and so there can be problems. Even in the military you seethat in very hot environments where you're training for the Marine Corps, people get themselves into trouble. Very rarely. We've never bad a death from heat illness in the National Football League. We've been doing preventative programs for a long time, and 1hisjust happens to be a very unfortunate situation.

Photo courtesy of NFL.com.

Photo by Justine DiFilippo. Melissa Arriola serves up another win for Cabrini.

Information obtained from NFL.com.

The Sixers gave fans everything and more

by Justine Di Filippo photo editor

Driving down the street last May through June one could not help but see the Sixers mania going on in the Philadelphia region. Bars, homes and cars had pennants, jerseys, and any other Sixers memorabilia showing proudly.

The 76ers brought home almost every troph1 in the league. Allen Iverson received MVP of the year, Aaron Mc Kie was sixth man of the year, Dikembe Mutumbo was defender of the year and Coach Lary Brown received coach of the year. With all these awards for great team members Philadelphia was psyched for the championships.

As the Eastern Conference began, every fan was on the edge of their seats. Each series was the best of seven and the Sixers played every game to the last minute. The Sixers won the Eastern Conference on June 4 against the Milwaukee Bucks. The game was won here in Philadelphia, giving fans hope of winning the finals against the L.A Lakers.

Our team took some brutal hits, but up in the eastern conference just would not quit. Iverson was stricken most with injuries. He had Bursitis in the right elbow, causing him

to wear that arm sock, and a tailbone contusion to name two of many. Mutombo sprained his left fifth toe and his right-hand pinky finger. Mc Kie had a chip-fracture in his right ankle. George Lynch broke his foot in game four of the Toronto series and never

tured the same ankle in a different spot, but continued to play with the fracture for the rest of the season.

The first Game of the finals was played in L.A against the Lakers on June 6. Fans once • again began to sit on the edge of their seats

as the game went into overtime. The Sixers, with all of their injuries, came out on top. The final score was Sixers 107 Lakers 101. Fans went crazy the underdogs took away the Lakers 15-0 standing.

During the next four games the Sixers injuries started to show. Our home team lost to the Lakers, on June 8 the final score was 8998 on June 10, 2001 the photos from www.nba.com/sixers final score was 91-96, Iverson and Bryant battle for the win.

returned for the season play.

Snow missed 32 games because of a fractured right ankle. When he returned in the forth game of the Milwaukee series he frac-

both games played in L.A. The Sixers returned to Philly and the fans were still behind them, but it wasn't enough. On June 13 the final score was 86100 and June 15, 96-108. Each game was close to the final minute.

Days after the finals were over and the Lakers took home the trophy again Sixers fans still had the pennants up, still wearing the jerseys. NBC 10 had a thank you Sixers commercial to show how dedicated their fans were. No matter how they did Philly fans stood right behind our basketball heroes.

Iverson was just one part of the team to carry the 76ers this far.

Aeropostale America's favorite past time

by Jill C. Hindman

Features editor

Phillies fans, where are you? You're not at the Vet, that's for sure. With the home team tied for first place in the National League some might think that there would be a little more enthu1tiasmfor the Phillies. The Sixers just finished an awesome season as the Eastern Conference Champs and the Eagles pre-season has just begun, but now it is time to focus.

It was not that long ago that Philadelphia fans had Phillies fever. In 1993 the Phillies proudly played in the National League Playoffs against the Atlanta Braves. The series went to game six. That year the Phillies drew more than three million fans for the first time.

The excitement at the stadium that night was unlike anything I have ever seen. Me and my dad and I sat in rightcenter field. I had on my little Phillies hat and sweatshirt and we ate peanuts and hotdogs. It was the perfect game. The fans were psyched and the team was pumped. That night was probably one of my greatest childhood memories.

Once again the Phils and the Braves

Some Fun Phillies Facts:

The Phillies are the oldest, continuous, one-name, one-city franchise of all professional sports.

First owners were Al Reach. the first professional baseball player, and John Rogers, an attorney. First game was played May 1, 1883.

First game score 4-3. The Phils lost to the Providence Grays.

First season ended with 17 wins and 98 losses.

First Home Field was Recreation Park on the corner of 24th Street and Ridge Avenue.

are going head to head. How could there not be a plethora of fans going to the Vet to see history repeat itself? Yes, after the strike a few years ago a lot of fans lost interest, but now it is time to get over it and remember why we loved baseball so much. It is America's Phillies took the title of National favorite past time. League Champs. It was the greatest game I ever saw.

On October 13, 1993 the Phillies played the Braves for the last time1hat year. The attendance at the Vet was 62,502. That game had the highest attendance of any in the series. Game six ended with a score of 6-3 and the

For more information on the Phillies go to www.phillies.com

Eagles play on greener pastures

by Renee Tomcanin managing editor

The Eagles were seeing red over their new green.

After 17 days of disputes, reworking and experimenting, the new turf in Veterans Stadium has been approved for use.

The problems began on Aug.13 when their preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens had_to be cancelled. Drainage problems had caused uneven cutouts on the field, according to WorldNews.com.

One of the major issues raised in the fact that Veterans Stadium is one of the few stadiums left in the country that is converted from baseball to football fields. This makes installing artificial surfaces difficult.

These problems have been fixed by several methods. Asphalt has been laid underneath sections of the turf to solve the drainage issues. A crew of more than 50 workers, a number larger than the one that worked on the field for the Ravens game, took

Savoca also defended NeXturf's reliability. "This is a much more predictable surface. It's going to play the same way in November as it does in August," Savoca said.

The city paid $2 million for the field. Saidel's investigations deal mainly with how NeXturf's manufacturer won the contract. The cay turned over documents that dealt with this issue.

Saidel wants to make sure that the city performed no illegal actions in their granting the contract to the NeXturf company, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Meanwhile, the Eagles are still compensating for the cancelled preseason game against the defending NFL champions. Refund checks from the game have been mailecf to season-ticket holders. part in the conversion, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

A model of the new stadium was revealed on June 7, 2001.

City controller Jonathan Saidel has been investigating the company that sold the NeXturf field to the city.

Jim Savoca, the chief operating offi-

cer of Southwest Recreational Industries, Inc., has defended his,company's product. "[Saidel] is going to find that the city bought the best product that was available," Savoca said.

If anything, the new turf had only good effects on the team. The Eagles won their first game on the field against the New York Jets, 13-12.

Photo courtesy of NFL.com,

The Eagles celebrated their new home with a groundbreaking ceremony.

X-Games excite Philly for free,

Philadelphia hosted the X-Games at the First Union Center. A student who works at the games tells his account of what happened. They will return to Phiadelphia again next year.

by Luke Stevenson guest writer

When school ended last year, I had never thought in a million years that I would have a summer job situation like that one I had. But sure enough on Aug. 11th, I reported to Fairmount Park bright and early in the morning for my first day of work at the ESPN's X-games. Aug. 17th was the first official day of the games in Philadelphia. With free admission, there were more than 10,000 peopleat the First Union Center by 1:00 p.m. Much of the city was excited to have the games in Philly this year as well as the next two years.

One of the most popular events was skateboarding. Street skating at City Hall with avert skateboarding featured Tony Hawk. Thousands of Tony fans came to the First Union Center to see him skate, and I speak for every one of them when I say that it was worth the trip. It is no wonder that Tony has his own Playstation game to try to capture the kind of intensity he gives off to his fans live.

Other events included BMX biking, my personal favorite, and then there was wakeboarding, street luge, and moto cross biking.

Karey Hart, a 26 year old participant in the moto cross competition, left the X-games in a stretcher with a broken ankle and a couple broken ribs. I was standing right there and watched him hit the ground from about 20 feet in the air, after he jumped a huge dirt mound and came off of his bike in mid flip. It was very upsetting to watch, but Philly's support for him as he lay on the ground surrounded by medics was just incredible.

The games also featured a stage with bands playing every half hour or so. There were actually some fairly big name bands playing, such as Stereomud,CKY, and Ill Nino.

Sponsors of the X-games included Adidas, Pepsi, PacSun, Wmterfresh and others. There was lots of free stuff being handed out to the public. The rest of the workers and I also walked off with a pretty impressive haul of free Adidas and Pepsi stuff when the event came to a close.

Anyway, the X-games were awesome, and what better place to have them than Philly? Both working there and watching the events were really cool. If you missed the games this year, be sure to check them out next summer in Philly. I was a little bummed to come right from the X-games back to school for another long year. But at least I know that I have a job next summer.

photos of X-Gam9s from 9xpn.ccm