SMCC Beacon May 8, 2018

I S S U E DAT E 5•8•18

SOUTHERN MAINE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

THE

BEACON

Student Leaders Honored At CeSIL Awards They hold these awards to recognize the well-deserving students who go above and On Monday, April 30, the Center for beyond to step up as a leader on campus.

The night began with an inspiring speech Student Involvement and Leadership held their fifth annual CeSIL Awards. This pro- by SMCC’s president, Ronald Cantor. He gram helps students become more involved briefly introduced the event and described in and out of the classroom by connecting some characteristics of the awarded students. them with campus activities, community One thing he noted was that the more sucservice and other leadership opportunities. cessful students he has come across throughout his career were the most involved.

The experience acquired from taking a leadership role inevitably enhances a person’s future experiences, no matter what they may be, and “the more you put in, the more you get out.”

After President Cantor’s introduction, the awards began. The first was the most presThe winners of the “Leader of the Pack” award pose for a photo.

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tigious award, known as the President’s Award or Student of the Year. This was The presented to Spring Point Resident Assis- Leader of tant Claudia Johnson. Claudia maintained the Pack Award was presented to 12 stua GPA above 3.5 throughout her time at dents who will soon be leaving SMCC. To SMCC and made a positive impact on the achieve this, these individuals have had to student body. Since her first year, she has demonstrate leadership and role-modelbeen an active member of the Activities (continued on page 2) Committee and a dedicated RA. The next awards, presented by Chuck Ott, were the Beacon Honors Awards. The first two were Beacon Alumni Garrick Hoffman and Erik Squire. These individuals were a major part of the legacy of The Beacon. Following were current Beacon members who continue to improve the paper today. Those awarded were Oguzhan Ozkan, Vanessa Poirier, Paul Moosmann, Troy Hudson, Lloyd Metcalf, Cassie-Briana Marceau, Jacob Clowes and Ben Riggleman. The last awards Chuck presented were the Beacon Scholarships, given to Rebecca Dow and Daniele Amandolini.

President Cantor addresses the award recipients.

Photos by Clarke Canfield

By Celina Simmons

VOLUME 14 NO. 14

SMCC Mourns Loss Of Beloved Physics Professor Jesse Mase On April 20, news circulated across the Southern Maine Community College’s all-employees email informing the community that Jesse Mase, a beloved Mathematics & Physics faculty member had passed away on Wednesday, April 19.

Within minutes after the email hit the computers of faculty, staff and administration, SMCC community members started to share their remembrances of Jesse and the role he played in their lives. Many of those who responded spoke of creating a memorial in Jesse’s name. Some spoke of creating a rose garden, others thought naming a room in his honor would serve his memory well, and some thought a bench

in his honor would carry his spirit into the future.

The Beacon reached out to some of the staff and faculty who responded to the email, asking for permission to share their thoughts regarding the impact Jesse made here at SMCC and on them. Here are a few.

“I’ll keep this short and sweet. Jesse had the rare talent of spotting potential in individuals who would otherwise be passed over. I am one of those individuals. He believed in me, hired me, and I owe my career to Jesse. I would not be here had it not been for Jesse.

Fair winds and following seas to a beautiful soul.”

Kevin Kimball, USN - retired Professor

Photo by Makala Thibodeau

By The Beacon Editorial Staff

Physics, Astronomy and Cosmology “Jesse was also part of the group that in 1995 received an NEH humanities grant (thanks to Bill Sutton and Judy Sullivan).

We convened daily for three weeks in the CA dining room. In one session Jesse explained a bit of Einstein to us. I remember being captivated by his presentation. That was why when years later he invited anyone who felt like it to drop by his physics class and hear him discuss relativity, I grabbed a seat in the Hildreth auditorium. I think Walter Chop appeared for that class too.

Of course, Walter and I were both undergraduate English majors, and as Odilia and Amy both noted, Jesse was not an intimidating teacher for non-physicists despite his exceptional credentials and intellectual prowess.

Jesse was a great guy. It’s hard to believe he’s gone.”

Kevin Sweeney Chair English Department “A wonderful person! And I also had him on FB — I would always love the photos he posted of his own roses. I shared many a meal with him​from back in the day of the “cafeteria,” as well as the Culinary Arts Friday buffets. He invited me to join with several members of the math department for those culinary meals - I always joked with him that I was an honorary member of the math department and I didn’t have to teach math! This morning a Veteran came in and spoke with me about his messaging back and forth with Jesse just this week on Physics. A huge loss for us.....”

Amy Lainoff, MA Advisor Veterans Affairs “That’s so sad. Jesse was a wonderful teacher. He had a special way of teaching that made students feel safe. Safe to ask questions, safe to admit not knowing or understanding something without feeling unintelligent. He would always say, ‘you can learn math/Algebra’. He was the professor of choice for any student who was apprehensive about math or physics. Students would drive in at off hours or completely rearrange their schedules to take a class with him.

“He posted the most beautiful photos on FB. I will really miss that. Rest in Peace my friend; with the knowledge that you made a huge difference in a lot of students’ lives and life at SMCC.” Sadly, Odilia Silveira-Harmon TRIO Success Coach

Campus News SMCC Filmmakers Discuss Maine Mayhem Ahead of Premiere For the past nine years, students in the Communications & New Media department have had the chance to write and direct their own movies — and show them in sold-out theaters throughout the state.

This very unique senior project is known as Maine Mayhem, a creation of CNMS department chair Corey Norman along with former student James Crocco. I had a chance to sit down with this year’s directors, ahead of the May 9 premiere at Nickelodeon Cinemas in Portland.

Director Brendan Kellogg and producers Alex Goodwin and Mitchell Kleege guided me through “Crystal Clear,” a movie starring a non-binary protagonist dealing with a wish-granting magical crystal. Heavily influenced by the work of Terry Pratchett, Brendan relied on the Captain’s House when locations proved to be difficult.

Jack Gentempo wrote and directed “Off the Tracks,” a Portlandia-inspired sketch comedy with a very unusual casting process: Jack created a Tinder profile, specifying that he wasn’t looking for a date but for extras

for his short film. That’s right: When in doubt, swipe right! You might end up on the big screen.

With “Washed Away,” Madison Holbrook tells a story about friendship and guilt. A car crash is a pivotal moment for her characters, and it was also a huge challenge for Madison as a director. Shot under torrential rains and on the very first day of production, she was able to pull it off brilliantly and cap her intense two years at SMCC that saw her pick up her first camera, dive head-first into film, and have her own movie screened all around Maine.

In describing how her “42 Atwood Lane” came to be, Breanna Penney repeatedly referenced how past experiences have already started shaping her still-young career. Serving as a producer for one of last year’s Mayhem films, she learned the importance of team-building on a film set. Creating a positive environment on set was her main priority, and one that she brings into every project she takes in. As for her movie, the idea came to her in the form of a dream, and follows a teenager who, in Breanna’s words, “attempts to escape the uncertainty of her fragmenting family.”

A Mile In Our Shoes

WWW

In our last two issues, we published a series of interviews with students conducted

by Phi Theta Kappa members. More of these interviews are available to read on our website at www.thesmccbeacon.wordpress.com.

THE

BEACON STAFF

Executive Staff

Oğuzhan Özkan Troy Hudson Paul Moosmann Ben Riggleman Daniele Amandolini, Shukri Adan Midcoast Section Editor Dan Elliott Poetry Editor Rebecca Dow Graphic Designers Daniele Amandolini, Rebecca Dow

Production Manager Managing Editor Art Director Copy Editor Digital Media Managers

Contributing Writers

Daniele Amandolini, Adam Barber, Randall Delaware, Rebecca Dow, Joshua Duplessis, Dan Elliott, Sarah Farrugia, Zachary J. Guiod, Troy Hudson, Lloyd Metcalf, Eliezer Morse, Mohammed Omane, Jessica Rose, Celina Simmons, Tina Teall

Illustrations

Rebecca Dow, Dan Elliott, Sosanya Pok

Contributing Photographers

Clarke Canfield, Randall Delaware, Rebecca Dow, Cassie Marceau, Makala Thibodeau

Advisors

Chuck Ott & Rachel Guthrie

Contact Us

mbeacon@smccme.edu

2 The Beacon • May 8, 2018

On a very different note, Justin Taylor’s “Parasite Night” stars a group of actors who fall victim to an intergalactic plot to use their body as vessels for parasites. Justin’s aesthetic is carefully crafted around VHS-era horror flicks, from Vincent Price’s features, to David Cronenberg’s “Videodrome” — a taste developed during his middle-school days, when he first discovered the magical world of movies.

When asked how he lightened the mood on his fake-blood-filled set, Justin recalled sneakily recording his actors’ histrionics and attaching clothespins on fellow crew members.

Jason Smith’s “Champ” is a the story of a boxer spiraling into drinking and self-loathing after losing his career match. Inspired

by Scorsese’s masterpiece “Raging Bull,” Jason tried his hand a crafting a story around boxing, a sport he knew nothing about. On the opposite, his lead actors are professional boxing trainers who had never stepped on a set before, making “Champ” a learning experience for all of them. The process of guiding them while listening to their input was Jason’s favorite Mayhem experience.

While superhero movies are very common these days, Bodhi Ouellette approached his film “Phoenix” as a more intimate story, focused on the human aspect rather than the visual spectacle. Phoenix is a former superhero, facing demons of the past and a familiar foe. Mayhem represented a great opportunity for Bodhi to grow as a director, and he already has eyes on future projects and developing new ideas.

Closing this list is Ben Rooker’s “The Wile.” While Ben was not available for this interview, his Kickstarter campaign describes the project as “a film about anxiety, isolation, and extraterrestrials.”

All the directors I talked to were clearly touched by the opportunity that Maine Mayhem provided. Seeing their creations on the big screen is something many aspiring filmmakers will never be able to accomplish, and their lives will be forever changed by this experience.

The Maine Mayhem shorts will screen Wednesday, May 9 at 5:30 and 8:30 at Nickelodeon Cinemas in Portland. Tickets are available at patriotcinemas.com

CeSIL Awards (continued from page 1)

Real Talk for sparking conversations among students, such as gun control and freedom of speech.

Afterwards, RA Jean Medard Zulu was awarded with RA Program of the year for organizing Cultural Night here on campus.

He considered how so many students are from all over the world and wanted to put together an event where everybody could share pieces of their home culture. Zulu also shared the interesting point that “a leader is

like behaviors in and out of the classroom.

Those students were Claudia Johnson, Troy Hudson, Nicole Wickstrom, Tammy Creamer, Taylor Gerrish, Celetta Richard, Rachel Merrill, Madaleine Baker, Brandon Buck, Isaac McIntire, Jason Smith and Jean Medard Zulu.

After the Leader of the Pack came the Rising Star awards. Another 12 students were awarded with this because of how they began to step up and shine over the past year. Those given this award were Omid Rohani, Eric Dodge, Ashley Holmes, Dale Wilbur, Megan Waters, Taylor Miller, Rebecca Dow, Taylor Markee, Leah Parrish, Rachel Lanzikas, Shannon Chisholm and Nkana Dorcus Ngaliema.

Following was the Organization of the Year Award presented Emerging Leaders graduates display their certificates. to the Activities Committee. Over the past year, the Activities Committee has a leader everywhere”.

The next award was Advisor of the Year, shown a lot of growth with student involvepresented to Kelly Levine. Kelly is the Resment and begun to take on much more ident Director of Surfsite, and well deservinitiative. Next was the Organizational ing of this award for her extensive time and Program of the Year, awarded to the SPLC effort put into the student body and Activities Committee.

The final awards were the Emerging Leaders Program graduation certificates, presented to 14 individuals who will continue to bring their leadership abilities to their careers after SMCC. Those students were Peggy Goodfield, Merrick Banks, Madison Holbrook, Mary Jo Smith, Ashley Holmes, Nkana Dorcas Ngaliema, Brandon Buck, Loreal Legare, Zainab Miguel, Matthew Cleary, Cameron Wheelock, William Chabot, Abigail Myatt and Maegan Perrault.

Congratulations to all those honored at the CeSIL Awards, and best of luck to the graduates leaving SMCC this spring! You continue to inspire students to become future leaders and to get involved in the student body.

Photo by Clarke Canfield

By Daniele Amandolini

Answers to Last Week's Learning Commmons Word Search

Campus News College Courses That Every SMCC Student Should Take

By Mohammed Omane College can be a fun and enjoyable experience, but sometimes a little recommendation can save you a semester of stress or help you gain the most for your money. I’ve compiled a list of five courses that I think every SMCC student should take if they need one or two more classes for the semester. These courses will not only help you in your academic future, but will teach you important life skills that I think everyone could benefit from. These courses are not part of the general requirements, and most are electives.

1. Personal Finance (BUSN 115) One of the most crucial skills that many students are not taught in high school is

being financially stable. This class has so much applicable material to everyday life.

From understanding the topic of insurance to doing taxes, the knowledge from this course will still be used 30 years down the road.

2. Foreign Language (SPAN, FREN, CHN, GERM) Being monolingual in a very globalized society. Learning a new language, whether you take Spanish and French here at SMCC or take Chinese and German at USM through the GPACU partnership, could really add a lot to your perspective.

The added physical benefits and mental fitness a second language provides are also vast. It might be challenging now, but

down the road, traveling will be so much more fun and meeting new people will be that much easier.

3. Creative Writing (ENGL 200) Introductory English only scratches the surface of exposing students to their writing potential. Creative writing teaches you the techniques and strategies of captivating your readers with your next essay or article. This can be applied to so many aspects of a student’s career, from writing scholarship essays to an attention-grabbing cover-letter for that summer internship.

4. Macroeconomics (ECON 125) Government changes are always happening — from tax cuts to increases in government spending. Understanding how

these affect you could save you the surprise of price increases or rises in interest rates on your loans. We hear a lot of economic terms thrown at us every day on the news, social media, and even in conversations with friends. This course will teach you how to perceive these changes in policy and how you could benefit from them.

5. Drawing (ARTS 110) This is probably one of my favorite courses. Drawing is a calming activity that can help you de-stress after a long lab session or work day. This course, while teaching you all about the arts, allows you to be creative and express yourself through all sorts of material.

class together in five minutes?” I nodded and ever so weakly said I was sorry to all that were in line in front of me.

Now, I normally would never ever do this on a normal day, but this was not a normal day. I had just come from a group presentation that our group had nailed, which was a miracle unto itself, as I had a family emergency and was not as prepared as I should have been. I was almost late for said presentation because of the lack of parking spots available, but was able to find one with only minutes to spare, and because of my time restrictions I had been unable to grab anything for lunch, and it was now almost time for dinner. So, yes, I cut the line; after apologizing to everyone, I paid for my coffee and was in class on time with only seconds to spare.

Now I will pay this forward: I will allow someone else to cut me in line, buy a stranger, fellow student or staff personnel a cup of coffee and keep the kindness wheel rolling. Some of you may not think of this as a random act of kindness, but for me it was so much more!

I wish you all best of luck on your finals, and I hope you all have a relaxing summer. For those of you that are returning for summer classes, and those that are returning for the fall semester, keep your eyes open for those random acts of kindness — my email address will remain open and I will report again in the fall.

For those of you that are graduating, congratulations and all the best in your future endeavors. Kindness is the rawest form of human compassion!

Please send your sightings of random acts of kindness to me, the Kindness Mama, at smcckindness@gmail.com.

Kindness Korner

By The Kindness Mama

Illustration by Sosanya Pok Another two weeks have passed and still nothing has come into my inbox about any random acts of kindness.

Now we are into our last few weeks of our spring 2018 semester and finals are looming around the corner for most of us students at SMCC. I too have finals and

have been hard at work getting the final touches done on study guides, passing in any reports and assignments that are due and preparing to pull an all-nighter studying for my exam(s).

With finals on my mind and knowing I needed caffeine to get me through the last of my two classes for the week, I headed over to the campus center for a cup of my favorite coffee from Starbucks. Starbucks is one of the greatest additions to the campus in my time here at SMCC. As I was walking to the line, which was now growing to 10 people, I quickly glanced at my watch and was trying to gauge if I did indeed have enough time to grab a cup of my favorite joe or if I should hightail it out of there and off to my next class.

I must have had the look of a sleepwalker or the walking dead, or had desperation on my face, because the very next person in line asked me if I wanted to go before them. I couldn’t believe it. Out of total disbelief I pointed to myself and asked, “Are you talking to me?” The kind handsome gentleman nodded and responded with a smile: “Yes, I am. Don’t we have

Business Club Gives Back

By THe Business Club

Photos Courtesy of the Business Club

On Friday, April 20, members of SMCC’s Business Club volunteered their time to help build a house in Scarborough for Habitat for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity develops “partnership housing” in which volunteers work side-by-side with those in need of adequate shelter. Today, Habitat works in nearly 1,400 communities across the U.S. and in approximately 70 countries, and has helped more than 13 million people “achieve strength, stability and independence through safe, decent affordable shelter.”

Business Club volunteer members included Matt Brown, Tina Hoang, Feza Mitima and Haleigh Barrett (who volunteered on her birthday!).

May 8, 2018 • The Beacon 3

Other World Chasing the Dead in Ireland

4 The Beacon • May 8, 2018

of the Irish Brigade,” by Morgan John has three spellings and where my grandO’Connell, provides a better understand- mother called her childhood home, there ing of this leader of the “Wild Geese.” is an Englishman named Mr. Cooke, who Additionally, the O’Connells were will take you trap shooting for a fee. He smugglers. Cognac was one such item is married to an Irish woman, whom he smuggled in, and this Catholic fami- followed back to Ireland. There are some ly didn’t hesitate to sell their goods to excellent restaurants nearby; at one, the wealthy Protestants, who had a taste for bartender and wait staff advertise Mr. French spirits. County Kerry also had its Cooke’s shotgun shooting business. small share of Catholic/Protestant wedAnother book, which reads a little like a dings. Which church the mother, father textbook, but which gives readers a good and kids went to just depended on the understanding of the development of lafamily. One such arrangement was the bor unions in Ireland, is “The Trade Union mother and children going to the Cath- Pint: The Unlikely Union of Guinness olic Church and the father going to the and the Larkins” by Martin Duffy. The Protestant Church. The book “Daniel Guinness family, an Irish Protestant famO’Connell: Nationalism Without Vio- ily, established the Guinness Brewery in lence,” by Raymond Morley, gives a won- Dublin, Ireland. The company had always derful description on life in Ireland in the been one of the highest paying companies early 1800s. in Ireland. But, although they continued Life in the early 1900s was different, to be the best paying company in Ireland, and many an American of Irish ances- they failed to keep sharing their increased try knows of U2’s song “Bloody Sunday” wealth with the workers until Jim Larabout the war in Ireland. So what hap- kin Jr. and the Workers Union of Ireland pened in County Kerry? Well, World War (WUI) persuaded Guinness to change.

I broke out in 1914, and many Irish Prot- Jim Larkin Jr. was able to improve workestant and Irish Catholic sons fought in ing conditions and introduce methods of the Great War against Germany. But also communication that aided Guinness by during this time period the Anglo-Irish allowing feedback from the lowest level of War broke out, which was followed in the workers to the top level of workers. This early 1920s by the Irish Civil War, which turned out to be a win-win situation. had the IRA fighting the IRA, disagreeMy last visit to Ireland was a couple of ing over the division of Ireland into two years ago. I was able to travel the country countries. American-born Eamon de quite cheaply by bus. If you have a liking Valera would survive the Civil War, and for history or are into genealogy, you’ll Michael Collins would die in an ambush. find much of interest in Ireland. Dublin is These were two of the great figures in the a great starting location. If visiting cemIrish Civil War. Collins was sent by de eteries and taking photographs is your Valera to negotiate with the British and thing, then a car or bus or train will get was blamed for the division of Ireland you there. into two parts.

Dublin is where the National Archives What gave rise to Britain’s willingness are held, which possesses the 1901 and to grant independence to the 26 coun- 1911 census records. Listed are my grandties in Ireland was Germany’s powerful mother and my great grandparents. My onslaught in France, which required as great-grandparents are listed as speaking much manpower as Britain could get. The both English and Irish (or Gaelic, the LatBritish, not needing to prolong a big war in term). in Ireland, offered independence if helped I hope I provided you with books to read by the Irish against Germany. and a better understanding of lesser-known Anyhow, my grandmother’s uncle, who facts. If you ever visit Ireland, the drinking was a Protestant in Waterville, County age is 18, so have a pint of Guinness or BaiKerry, bought the Butler Arms Hotel in leys Original Irish Cream.

1916, which is still owned by the family to this day. To buy a hotel during the Anglo-Irish War says something about my family’s relations with Catholics in this area. When my great grandmother died in the 1920s, her obituary noted that the procession was large due to the numerous Catholics attending my great grandmother’s funeral. She was well liked.

The Bay View Hotel in Waterville was also owned by another relative, but was recently sold to purchase another in Killarney, County Kerry. But, if you ever go to Waterville, you’ll see a statue of the actor Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977), whose hotel of choice, during his summer vacations, was the Butler Arms Hotel. Waterville is a nice little village on the southwest coast of Ireland, with a nearby golf course. In A statue of American actor Charlie Chaplin in Waterville, nearby Caherciveen, which Ireland.

Photo by Randall Delaware

greater insight into the history of Northern Ireland.

The Munster Settlement was not easiMy grandmother, who lived in Derry, New Hampshire, asked me, I think, ly settled, because many an Englishman in late summer of 1984, after I returned didn’t want to venture into Ireland and from a summer in Europe, “Did you visit southwest Ireland was certainly “beyond Ireland?” I said “No.” And then this wom- the pale.” That expression may cause some an of 96 years old said, “I suppose every- confusion to the unfamiliar, but just think one I know is dead now anyway.” I felt of “pale” as a protective fence keeping bad that I didn’t visit my grandmother’s dangerous people outside. At one time hometown and that I hadn’t any informa- anything outside of Dublin was considered “beyond the pale.” tion from relatives to bring to her.

What England resorted to was to send the Palatines, German Protestants from the Rhineland escaping continued war; the Huguenots, French Protestants who fled France for England and other Protestant countries to avoid torture, imprisonment and death for practicing a different religion; and former British soldiers, granted land for military service. Michael MacCarthy-Morrough has written a fine account of this settlement in “The Munster Plantation: English Migration to Southern Ireland, 1583-1641.”

So how did my Protestant ancestors get along with their Catholic co-inhabitants? There were some difficulties, but nothing of the scale and duration of Northern Ireland, which another branch of my family left in the 1700s to move to Maine.

These settlers did not own the land that they farmed, because some powerful men in London The Butler Arms Hotel in County Kerry, Ireland, owned received the land grants and by the author’s family since 1916. leased the land to settlers. Typically, these landowners never About 2001 or 2002, I received Irish left England. The settlers not only paid to citizenship, and I wanted to learn more use the land but also had to pay a tithe or about my grandmother’s Ireland. I con- tax on the bounty from their rented land.

My grandmother grew up in County tacted an American cousin living in Massachusetts, who was the granddaughter of Kerry, although it was County Limermy grandmother’s sister. She was raised ick where the Palatines and others first Catholic, her grandfather’s religion, yet settled. It’s County Kerry that I want to didn’t know her grandmother was orig- write about. Perhaps you have heard of the inally Protestant. Her grandmother was “Ring of Kerry”? Well, that’s the area. The baptized through the “Church of Ireland” Catholics and Protestants on this westback in County Kerry in Munster Prov- ern coast got along okay. There was one ince in Ireland. This sparked some curios- skirmish, which left one Protestant dead, ity, because my grandmother said people as told to me by my Irish-born cousin, “got along.” So I read several books on who, like me, has a Catholic mother and Ireland, and I learned a lot. This I’ll share a Protestant father, and is descended from another of my grandmother’s sisters. with you.

When I first met Cousin George, a felIn the late 1500s and early 1600s the English organized two settlements in Ire- low hobby genealogist, and a Trinity Colland. The best known is the Ulster Settle- lege Dublin graduate with a history dement in Northern Ireland. The settlement gree, he brought me to his parents’ home, in the south, in what is now the Republic where his mother, not a fan of genealogy, of Ireland, was the Munster Settlement. admonished us: “Stop Chasing the Dead!”

But anyhow, let me continue. CounThe Ulster settlement rewarded loyalists to England with land. This land, which ty Kerry was where Daniel O’Connell, was confiscated after war, was taken from the first Irish Catholic Minister of Parthe wealthy native Irish and the Catholic liament in London representing Ireland, Church. The land division and grants were was born. The O’Connell home is about given out in roughly three equal amounts 10 miles down the road from my grandbetween English settlers, Scots settlers mother’s birthplace. Daniel O’Connell’s and native Irish. The Irish portions was family had a relative, whose family was mostly granted in 3,000-acre lots, while native Irish but Protestant by choice, the English portions was mostly granted which allowed many privileges. O’Conin 2,000-acre lots, and the Scottish por- nell’s family was wealthy, and very intertions in mostly-1,000 acre lots, thus giv- esting. O’Connell’s uncle, “the Colonel,” ing land to a larger number of Scots. The was one of the “Wild Geese” who fought book “The Plantation of Ulster” by Philip for the French in France, a country that Robinson, a historical geography, gave me England wanted to prevent from getting a foothold in Ireland. “The Last Colonel Photo by Randall Delaware

By Randall Delaware

Other World Understanding DRM

By Adam Barber As we very rapidly transition into a digital world, the content that we consume — our entertainment — has gone from a physical copy you can hold to something that you access via a device or platform. I’m talking about music, movies, TV shows and video games. The concept of owning a movie or a video game has gone from having the disc in your hands to having access to a file on a server. Sure, you could download it, but many times you can only use the piece of entertainment through a designated platform or a certain number of times. Sometimes you need an internet connection to access the content, or you are unable to make a backup copy of the media you have purchased. What stops these downloads from being downloaded and pirated throughout the internet? Why can I only watch my movie or play my music through designated platforms?

This is where Digital Rights Management (DRM) comes into play. DRM is essentially a protection for copyrighted material. It’s a method of securing content released digitally to prevent piracy

and unauthorized use. DRM is a set of access control technologies that control the distribution, modification and use of the above-mentioned software and digital multimedia content, as well as devices and systems. If you were going to protect physical goods by putting a lock on them, then DRM is the digital equivalent of the lock.

It works by encrypting the digital content that is stored and transmitted so only authorized users can use it. Before the content is streamed or downloaded, it must be encrypted using multiple DRM schemes for device compatibility. Let’s say you just bought a movie from Amazon. So when a user tries to play back a video, the video player requests a key to decrypt the content from a license server. The server then determines whether the user and the device are authorized for playback. If they are, then the license server issues a decryption key. The video player can then decrypt and play the content for the user.

Is this a good thing, though? Some say yes, some say no. The general idea of DRM is to protect copyrighted material and to thwart would-be software pirates.

Password Security and Why It Is Important

By Joshua Duplessis As a college student pursuing a degree in Information Technology, passwords have been a big interest to me. Passwords are what keep us secure when a majority our of social and financial interaction has migrated online.

The pace of our greater and greater reliance on technology for the sake of convenience is putting us more at risk for security breaches. The reason for that is 61 percent of people have admitting to using the same password for multiple accounts. If one company that you have an account with gets hacked and uses the same password as another online service you have, that other service has a chance of getting compromised as well. In 2016 even Mark Zuckerberg did this and got his LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest accounts compromised for using the same password. (I don’t know what’s funnier, that it happened to Mark Zuckerberg or that he has a Pinterest.)

An average U.S. citizen has around 130 online accounts attached to an email address.

Let’s say 10 percent of those 130 companies do not store your password securely: 13 of those companies could easily get hacked and that hacker could have all your account information, and some of those accounts could be tied to financial institutions. So how can we prevent ourselves from being hacked and having our security compromised?

First, by making a password that meets complexity standards, with at least one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number 0-9, and one distinctive character (~!@#$%^&*_-+=`|\(){}[]:;”’<>,.?/). Having

just a complex password alone help in an immense way.

Another way to help with password security is to use something called a passphrase.

Instead of using a password that is just a single word in the dictionary, use a combination of words to make a phrase while still meeting the complex-password rule set.

One last tip would to be to make sure you change your password frequently. Tips on strengthening your password may only go so far, though; how companies store your information is just as important or even more important. No matter how strong your password is, if the company isn’t secure, a hacker will still get your information.

One way to know if a company you have an account with is secure is if it has a twoway authentication tool, which texts or emails you a code when you try to log in. This security feature adds another layer on top of your strong password, and the likelihood of some hacker getting your information is not likely.

Two-way authentication is becoming more of a common thing now. Most social media sites and Google will let you set up two-way authentication. Banking applications are starting to implement biometric authentication, which requires your face, voice or fingerprint to log in.

Our online lives are growing every day, and with more online accounts, there are more passwords we are going to have to remember.

I hope this made you more conscious of your data footprint as you go online today and take what type of data you put on the web and the integrity of the website you trust.

This is to ensure that only someone who has purchased the media is able to use it, protecting the owners of the intellectual property and hopefully keeping sales numbers where they should be. There are several downsides, though.

Let’s take the computer-game industry as an example and how they implement DRM. They use several methods, but one is limited install activations. This is where the owner of the game is only allowed a limited number of installs. It’s usually about three or five. That number may seem fair, but what if a computer is reformatted or upgraded? This can be an issue for someone who is planning on playing this game for years to come on multiple computers. Another method is persistent online authentication. This is where a game must always be online to play. This is also intrusive as it forces someone to be online to play their game. What if their network is down, or the servers that are enforcing the DRM are not accessible some day?

So DRM is a complicated issue. I am all in favor of a digital future and in favor of paying full price for entertainment because I like supporting the industries and

people that create it. It bothers me that a game I love, which I am totally willing to pay the full price for, may not make its money back or get a sequel because of lost sales due to piracy. I’m not sure if DRM is the answer, but it does attempt to protect the industries that create content.

Some are saying that relaxing the restrictions of DRM may actually be beneficial. Look at the content that is available on YouTube. Some artists are happy to get the word of their art out even if it means losing a few sales. What is lost at first may be gained via new revenue through an unofficial copy. DRM-free is actually regarded as a good thing to many, and even is looked at as good marketing.

If the price is right, some people are happy to support DRM-free media and play video, music, or a game through any medium they see fit. It’s an interesting argument and one that affects us all in some form or another.

Adam Barber is a member of the Information Technology Senior Seminar course and is planning a career in network and systems administration.

45 Old Port Festival th

Sunday, June 10, 2018 • 11am-5pm Kickoff Parade at 11am featuring Shoestring Theater — The parade starts at the top of Exchange Street!

Live music & entertainment on four stages Over 200 vendor booths with great food, fun gifts, arts & crafts and more!

May 8, 2018 • The Beacon 5

Midcoast Plant seeds of community

with

Justice roject

P

Become a mentor and/or facilitator!

Saturday, May 5th, 9am-5pm Saturday, May 19th, 9am-5pm Breakfast & lunch provided and all trainings located at Grace Episcopal Church in Bath! Join us!

Questions? RSVP?

Sarah Matari: 207.505.0904 // smatari@rjpmidcoast.org

From the Mind of Dan Elliott

6 The Beacon • May 8, 2018

Photo by Dan Elliott

Restorative Student actors perform “Just For Laughs” in the L.L. Bean Learning Commons.

Just for Laughs

By Dan Elliott With one week left of the spring semester, students are doubling down on their efforts one last time as they rush headfirst into finals. Here at the Midcoast campus, finals for Tess Van Horn’s Theater Performance class come in the form of a final show, written as a collaboration between students with the guidance of their instructor, and presented onto the public.

The second annual spring showcase was held on Friday in the L.L. Bean Learning Commons, and featured six short skits put on by 10 students of Van Horn’s THEA106 program.

This year’s theme of the performance, aptly named “Just For Laughs,” was comedy, which saw the students satirize such topics as the art-making process, gender stereotypes and expectations on a blind date, and personal philosophies revolving around loss. The use of props was also prevalent, as typewriters and newspapers were utilized in the sketch “Laughter on the 23rd Floor,” which sought to create the illusion of an office space. The Beacon itself even played a minor cameo role in the segment as well, as the acting students

used the last issue as a prop in their performance.

The segment “Hidden Image Picture” seemed to have the eccentric/straight man comedy balance that ran rampant in the performing duos of the forties and fifties.

Jared Morgan’s delivery as Reuban, in particular, seemed to contain all the energy one would see in a Nathan Lane performance. Maxen Hathcock’s mild-mannered responses as Robert helped to drive home a sense of neurotic craze in Morgan’s dialog that did, as advertised in the show’s title, garner a cacophony of laughter from those in attendance.

In “Beyond Therapy,” the audience was treated to the pitfalls of gender preconceptions and the impact of first impressions of a blind date. Like “Hidden Image Pictures,” viewers were treated to a slightly more eccentric character (Bruce, played

by Asher Mason) haplessly attempting to woo a young woman on a wavelength opposite of his (Prudence, played by Paige Shannon) who begins the date seemingly patient. Both parties end the date noticeably less dry, as the particular sketch ended with water being flung between actors, with the audience (thankfully) being spared of becoming soaked.

The program’s instructor and show director, Tess Van Horn, teaches performing arts classes both here at the Brunswick campus and at South Portland.

In addition to Theater Performance, she teaches THEA105, Introduction to Acting, which will be offered this fall at both of the aforementioned locations. In addition to her duties as an instructor at SMCC, Van Horn is involved in community theater, staging youth theater performances in Portland.

The walls of the Learning Commons, where “Just for Laughs” took place, were adorned with various works of art that were part of the art exhibit from only a week prior.

Together with Van Horn’s performance art, the combination made a sort of fluid collage that presented the artistic versatility of Midcoast students, and their ability to express themselves in a multitude of ways. This year’s turnout for both the exhibit and the performance was impressive, and it is Van Horn’s hope that this upward trend in attendance will only continue in the semesters to come.

(Continued from cover)

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Solutions for Global Wealth Inequality

By Zachary J. Guiod In this article I would like to focus on ways to fix the egregious level of global wealth inequality. It would be impossible to do this without calling out the failures of our current unsustainable system: capitalism. While there has been undeniable positive progress in technology and medicine under our current economic system, it is quickly becoming outdated, and it is literally killing millions of people every year. Nine million people die every year from hunger and hunger-related diseases, but, according to the international charity Oxfam, there is enough food to make sure that no one on earth goes hungry. In the words of Oxfam, “many people in the world don’t have sufficient land to grow, or income to purchase, enough food.“ In 2017 the world’s 500 richest individuals earned a combined trillion dollars and nine million people couldn’t afford enough food to live. There is abundant evidence to show that our current economic system needs a radical transformation, but those changes often take too long. So what can we do to end global poverty by 2030, a goal shared by various international organizations?

One solution slowly moving its way into the mainstream is the idea of a universal basic income (UBI). While there are valid criticisms of this idea — giving money to poor people won’t create roads, health clinics, or electricity grids, for instance — there is evidence that giving poor people money increases food consumption and childhood health. Economist John McArthur esti-

mates it would cost $70 billion a year to implement a global universal basic income to eradicate extreme poverty by 2030.

This is my radical idea: The UN taxes the 500 wealthiest people $70 billion every year until no one lives in poverty. Instead of individual countries using public tax dollars, some of which come from working-class people, the world should put the responsibility on the individuals who were rewarded by our broken economic system.

Another option is to feed the world instead of bombing it. To quote the artist/ activist Tupac Shakur, “They got money for wars but can’t feed the poor.” In 2016 the world spent a total of $1.57 trillion on “defense” spending. The U.S. outspent every country, with a military budget of $582.7 billion. In 2017 the U.S. spent $42.4 billion on foreign aid, less than 1 percent of the total budget. The United States, by themselves, could commit to ending extreme poverty and still spend half a trillion dollars on its bloated military budget.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “The rich nations must use their vast resources of wealth to develop the underdeveloped, school the unschooled, and feed the unfed.

Ultimately a great nation is a compassionate nation. No individual or nation can be great if it does not have a concern for the ‘least of these.’”

If wealthy countries, like America, want to call themselves “great nations,” they must live up to that title by doing what Dr. King says and use their resources to improve the lives of hundreds of millions of people.

#MeToo and Male Power

By Tina Teall The #MeToo movement and revelations about sexual misconduct from several high-profile men have shown the country and the world how prevalent our culture of male power really is. I think some men are opening their eyes and realizing that this culture is more prevalent and damaging than they realized. I think there are probably many women out there who are taking a deep breath and realizing that it’s not just them. Not only is it not just them, but it is So. Many. Women.

I’m certainly not naïve enough to think that everybody is having a revelation, here.

There are plenty who see nothing wrong with this behavior or deny the prevalence of it. “This is just boys being boys.” This is the mentality that has allowed and encouraged these behaviors to continue on long past their “time” (if there ever was one). It has created this culture where men feel justified in having power over women and feeling superior to them.

I have worked in manufacturing for 15plus years. This is a culture I live in every day. I see every day how women are seen and treated as invaders in this very male-dominated industry. The plant I currently work in is more male-dominated than most. These are older, white, “conservative” men. Onethird of our employees will be retiring in the next seven years.

I am a blonde, younger (than them) single mom. I’ve developed a thick skin over the years. I am pretty good at ignoring the inappropriate comments and small stuff. I am sort of known as someone who doesn’t take much crap, though. That has insulated me from the worst of “boys being boys.”

But still. I once had a stalker at work.

The plant manager told me to quit flirting with the guys. It was turned into my fault that this guy was harassing, following and threatening me at work and at home.

I have been turned down for promotions in favor of much less qualified men who were drinking buddies with the boss.

When making a complaint about a male coworker who was bullying the entire department that I work in, I was literally yelled at and told that I was just “intimidated” by him. Several other females made complaints about this person as well. Instead of taking our complaints seriously, it was viewed as if we were a group of bitchy henpecking women trying to get someone in trouble. It wasn’t until males started complaining about this person too that the complaints were taken seriously. I just want to go into work and be treated like everyone else!

Many men see women as “other” and that is the beginning of justifying (in one’s conscience) poor treatment of another human being. I think these stories are evidence of free will. I would hate to think that there could be a “master plan” that would include the things all these women are speaking up

Opinion What If?

By Lloyd Metcalf What if you could do exactly what you loved?

For this round of “What If ” I hope our readers will allow me to an opportunity to relate a bit of my own story as the semester comes to a close. When I came to SMCC for my first degree (Communications & New Media), I found myself inspired by the energy of being surrounded by people hurtling toward a hopeful future. It was nearly impossible to contain the inspiration to pursue the things I was studying outside the boundaries of the SMCC campus and classroom. I came back to pursue the arts, and the energy is still here.

If you are on campus to get a degree to just find another job, you might be missing the opportunity of chasing dreams.

There is far more going on in a degree program than just getting another job at the end.

When I got my Communications degree, I landed a pretty good job in an office that was a regular 9-to-5 in web design. I really felt like I missed the mark. I felt like the brakes had been put on after my time at school where I was moving a hundred miles an hour. Within a year I started Fail Squad Games and quit the cubicle. All those classes came into play for my company. Writing, layout, design, illustration. I was creating Dungeons & Dragons adventures and getting my company seen by people in the industry.

Even during my time at SMCC I found myself inspired by the classes I took. I put in the amount of energy I wanted to get out of each class. I started a television show on public access that is still in circulation today. “Hanging Around the Fishin’ Hole” has found millions of households across the country. During biology, I was so inspired by microscopes that I took photos of what I found in slides I prepared, embellished them in photoshop, and had an art opening on First Friday in Portland. There were numerous endeavors and projects that sprang into existence because of my classes and time at SMCC. Every class is an opportunity with professors, students, and guests who are connected and offer opportunities.

about. It would even seem depressing to think that this is a “natural” consequence of previous events. I think it points to the “brutish” nature of life, as Thomas Hobbes put it.

I think there is both a nature and nurture component going on here. I once listened to a podcast about a woman who was undergoing gender-reassignment treatments.

The podcast was specifically about the effects of testosterone on her. She said she basically became that stereotypical catcalling dude on the street, checking out women all the time and being obsessed with sex. This points to there being actual biological differences that cause men to be more aggressive, on average, than women.

That said, we are rational human beings, right? We can tell right from wrong and not act in this manner! Is it right to treat women the way I’ve previously discussed in the workplace? No! But these men are not all

Why doesn’t everyone do it?

Because it’s hard. It takes work, dedication, and a focus on a vision. Sometimes the vision is fluid and changes on the spot, but it is still in focus. I implore you to find your vision while being a student. Leap in with these new skills. If you say your passion is writing, write — every day — a couple thousand words. If your passion is auto repair, get inside a vehicle every day, rebuild an engine piece by piece. If your passion is culinary, do it every day. Don’t just make a “sammich” for lunch, make a grilled tomato, chèvre and thyme baguette.

Nothing is “natural talent” or “complete good luck.” It’s craft, practicing and perfecting our craft while working like a wild animal toward our visions. If we sleep through our higher education, we are checking out on life, opportunity, and possibility.

“It is better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared.”

— Whitney M. Young Jr. I can tell you it is possible to wake up every day and do that “thing” that you dream of. You are learning the tools here to make that possible. The key factor to waking up every day to do your “thing”, is to actually wake up every day and do that thing.

“Someday,” “When I’m good enough,” “I don’t have everything I need,” “It needs to be perfect,” “What if someone steals my idea?” Do any of these sound familiar? These are the things we tell ourselves when we don’t want to do the thing we say we are passionate about. We might say things like this when we are afraid of change, failure or ridicule. I have discovered that not doing your thing is worse than failure. If you never try, it is certain there will be no success with it. If you never practice your craft, you can never master your craft.

What if you could do exactly what you love every day?

Start today — do what you love now.

Master it, fail at it, try it again, do it better every single day. If you love it, it never feels like work. If you are passionate about it, a lifetime isn’t long enough. Find other masters of what you do and always be the worst at it in the room. Guarantee that you have nowhere to go but UP! evil pigs either. Many of them are perfectly “nice” family men who act poorly at times.

But why? This is where the nurture part comes in. They are (we are) part of a culture that allows and encourages this type of behavior. They don’t likely give it a second thought because it’s so prevalent. They see it all around them, sort of like a mob mentality. Good people do bad things because everyone else is doing it too.

To add to this problem, our culture teaches women to be subservient, pretty, polite and never “inconvenience” people.

Until both sexes really look into themselves and decide to change their own individual behavior and point out the rotten behaviors of others and really listen to each other, I don’t think this is a problem that will significantly change.

May 8, 2018 • The Beacon 7

Opinion From the Desk of the Managing Editor

By Troy Hudson

As my time at SMCC draws to a close this semester, I find myself marveling at how far I’ve come since my very first class in 2016, History of Mass Communication (a fitting beginning for a student destined to work so closely with the student newspaper). I came to SMCC fearing that, at 29, I would be unable to relate to my classmates and might struggle to fit in on campus. I quickly discovered that, on the contrary, I have never felt more a part of a community than I do at SMCC. I have employed a few basic strategies since Day 1 of that first semester that have never let me down.

These strategies have enabled me to get more out of my education than I ever thought possible. Rather than keeping my head down and just getting through college so I could begin enjoying my life in the future, I’ve enjoyed the benefits of my education right here, every day in the present moment. Life in the real world doesn’t begin after college — this is it!

I’ve tried to identify the reasons why I’ve had such a wonderful experience at SMCC. Was it a growth mindset?

A fun major? Sitting in the first or second row in every class? Yes, it was all of these things, but there were also a couple of big ideas that I committed myself to from the beginning that I would recommend to every student, regardless of major. The following principles have contributed to my success at SMCC: Say Yes Whenever Possible The first time I went to college at the University of South Carolina in 2005, I was 18 years old and had no idea how to balance school, work and a social life. I didn’t join a single club or activity in my first two years, didn’t play sports and didn’t feel any deep connection to my community. It is perhaps not a coincidence that I also didn’t complete my education there.

At SMCC, I decided to try the opposite. I would say “yes” to every opportunity offered to me unless it threatened to negatively impact my studies. This is how I started acquiring freelance design jobs, a valuable experience as a marketing intern at Sodexo and the various roles I have played on The Beacon’s staff.

At first, I worried that I might be taking on too much. With multiple jobs and a full-time class load, it certainly seemed so sometimes. But remarkably, I found that when I poured my energy into something I found exciting, it generated more energy so I was always able to rise to the chal-

lenge. When we say “yes” to an opportunity, we become open and receptive to life’s surprises and we allow ourselves to freely grow. By refusing invitations out of fear or discomfort, we restrict our area of contact with the world, thus limiting our own growth.

Saying “yes” is not always easy, but it gets easier with practice and is one of the bravest and most loving things we can do for ourselves.

Make Connections This is almost so cliché I hesitate to mention it, except that it has made all the difference in my self-confidence and network of support. One of the greatest parts of working with The Beacon is the way it has forced me to contact people I don’t know on a weekly basis. Walking up to students and faculty, sending cold emails and interviewing strangers is something I never would have volunteered for in my first college run. This time, however, I have discovered that making these connections with others pays huge dividends in unexpected ways.

Everyone I have ever met knows things I don’t know, does something better than I can and perceives situations differently from me. Other people have the tremendous ability to change us, challenge us and inspire us to grow.

Ask any successful graduate what they gained most from college and they’ll tell you it is as much the people they met as the facts they learned.

As students, many of us are currently surrounded by the most diverse population we’ve ever encountered. This is an invaluable resource! Likewise, the faculty and staff at SMCC are among the most admirable and caring people I have met anywhere. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to introduce yourselves to your professors and don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you need hard evidence, the National Center for Education Statistics has identified frequent informal interactions between students and faculty as a top predictor for academic success.

The great thing about these strategies is that they apply just as much after graduation as on the way there.

After all, what’s the point of getting a great education if not to go build an amazing life? I can personally vouch for these techniques, as they have enriched my life in many unexpected ways. Of course, you will discover your own key to success and that knowledge will be far more valuable than anything you’ll ever read in a book or newspaper. I wish you all the best on your journeys.

I will always be proud to be a Seawolf, and I look forward to meeting many of you on the road ahead!

8 The Beacon • May 8, 2018

A Case for Consequentialism

By Sarah Farrugia

They say if you buy your pregnancy test at a dollar store, you probably aren’t ready to have a baby. Not really, but they should.

The dollar-store test was unlike any I had ever seen or used; instead of peeing on the stick, the dollar-store brand required one to urinate into a small cup and then simply dip the stick into the cup until the results appeared. It was simple enough, but the test didn’t actually include a vital component: the cup. I scanned the contents of my parents’ bathroom. What would be the least likely to piss them off if pissed in? Leaving the bathroom to search for a suitable pee cup would only bring further attention to the strange behavior I had exhibited since stopping over for an unannounced visit. My eyes landed on a small vase, hardly three inches tall, bursting with springtime pansies. I chucked the flowers out of the bathroom window and proceeded to pee in the vase.

As destiny would have it, the dollar-store test was positive. I rinsed the contaminated vase and left it, now empty, to dry on the counter.

Driving home to the apartment I shared with my boyfriend, I felt the magnitude of my secret. My mind was racing. I wanted to share my news, but I wasn’t ready for the onslaught of reactions. I told my boyfriend. He was thrilled. He went to Target and brought back tiny onesies and the smallest socks I had ever seen.

I told my mom.

She was out of town at a conference. She cried and sighed and said we’d talk about it when she got back. We told my boyfriend’s parents. His dad laughed so hard he fell off the couch. His mother threw her bag of chips on the floor and walked out of the house without saying a word.

None of it felt right. I thought people were supposed to say “congratulations” and be happy for us. My grandmother was apprehensively delighted. She took me to Barnes & Noble and bought me books on pregnancy and parenting. She said she had always hoped there would be twins in the family. When I went to tell my father, he told me I was irresponsible, that I was throwing away my future, that I was reckless, that I was unfit. My mother said she would take me to get an abortion. I left my parents’ house in tears, screaming that they would never meet their grandchild.

In my head, everything spiraled from there. My morning sickness lasted all day, and I found myself hardly able to keep down water. My boyfriend and I fought and fought. He punched a hole in our living room wall one day. A few days later as we argued in the car, he hit the brakes so hard I slammed against the passenger-side dashboard. Nothing was right.

Nothing was how I had imagined it. No one was happy.

One Saturday afternoon in late June I sat on the floor in my parents’ house. My mother sat at her desk nearby grading papers. I rambled off my doubts to the thin air wondering if she would bite. She offered to call Planned Parenthood with me: “We’ll just… make an appointment.”

She smiled with a feigned sadness. Looking back, she reminds me of Effie Trinket from “The Hunger Games,” a rich socialite from the Capitol enthusiastically reading aloud the names of the children that will have to fight for their lives in this year’s Games.

They only did the procedure on Wednesdays and Saturdays. So, one week: Fourth of July, because who wouldn’t want to have a national holiday to remember her abortion?

In my head, as soon as that appointment was made, the decision was done.

On the other hand, everyone I knew, including the father of the child I was carrying, thought we were having a baby. So I came up with a lie. With Effie Trinket as my sidekick, we told my boyfriend that we had planned a mother-daughter day trip for next weekend. We were going shopping at the outlet mall a few hours away. Lunch, shopping, I would be back before the fireworks show.

I called him from my childhood bedroom the afternoon of the fourth. It had all happened so fast, I was okay, I explained, but he needed to come over. Everyone was devastated. The idea had grown on them. They had accepted it. The news seeped through our circles of friends and families. People sent condolences: cards, flowers, prayers, meaningless words that tore at my guilt. Or lack of guilt.

That was nine years and many therapists ago. And everyone is happy now.

When I analyze it step-by-step, decision-by-decision, I can clearly see that my actions were driven by the motivation to make everyone happy. A force that ultimately led to good long-term consequences, in my opinion. It is not to say that people felt joy or happiness believing that I had lost the baby through miscarriage, but they were spared a greater pain. It is not to say that I felt happiness or pleasure ending my pregnancy, but I believe that the procedure allowed me to navigate a path to greater happiness. A path that has led me to the greatest happiness I have ever known, having children and being married to a man I love with all of my heart. I believe that the ends justified the means and that everyone’s happiness now is greater because of it.

Arts & Features Cherry Blossom Festival Review

Poetic License

Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington, DC. The celebration of this giving On Friday, May 4, The Japanese Amer- between nations is annual, and persists as ican Society of Maine ( JASM) celebrated a testament to maintaining good relations the annual Cherry Blossom Festival with between Japanese and American peoples.

In 1910, a first batch of 2,000 trees the city of Portland. Located directly in front of Portland’s City Hall, there was were given; however, they were diseased. not only a food truck (courtesy of Mami, So, with the help of renowned Japanese a Portland-based restaurant and Japanese chemist Dr. Jokichi Takamine, Dr. David street food service), but also live enter- Fairchild of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and Eliza Scidmore, the first female board member of the National Geographic Society, the 3,000 trees sent in 1912 arrived disease free.

The first ladies of our country have always had a role in the celebration of the Cherry Blossom Festival, beginning with Helen Herron Taft, who, with Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador at the time, planted the first two Japanese Cherry trees on American soil.

The Japanese American Society of Maine performing traditional The remembrance of Japanese music in celebration of the Cherry Blossom Festival. this act of giving is important to us all, as it is tainment. My roommate and good friend, important for us to remember our ties Emi Yokoyama, is a transfer student from with others across the globe. Cultural difJapan; she has had the wonderful op- ferences and past regrets may still exist as portunity to perform in association with drummers from the JASM. The group present for the festival event were drummers playing some traditional Japanese music. As for Yokoyama, her performance consisted of a solo on her koto, a traditional Japanese instrument — one of those most widely known to Americans.

As for the drummers, they each wore headbands and kept perfect time with each other. Some of the songs had a story or idea behind them, even though there were few if any lyrics spoken — for example, one was a song about luck. JASM and the food truck Emi Yokoyama playing her Koto in front of were both in association with ISF Trading, Portland’s City Hall. a seafood trading company distributing a stain on our memories; however, when mainly sea urchin and sea cucumbers.

For those of you unaware about the we as two nations come together in celhistory surrounding the Cherry Blossom ebration of the spirit of friendship and Festival in America and Japan, here is a giving, don’t the tears of our past seem a summary of the significance it holds to bit more dried? our society. In 1912, a gift of 3,000 cherry trees were given to America by Mayor Photo by Rebecca Dow

Photo by Rebecca Dow

By Rebecca Dow

Saturday May 19, 2018

Bug Light Kite Festival 11am to 4pm Join us for a day of old-fashioned, kite-flying fun at Bug Light Park!

There will also be food and drinks available for purchase at a barbecue fundraiser at the museum.

Music Helps

By Eliezer Morse The music helps, My mind picks the notes like grapes And i feel the juice sweeten the bitters in my stomach, Make me wine drunk With lead-y bass And tickling synth And cozy samples.

Music gets me out of my head, Makes the air a roller rink Where i can skate around Noticing beauty That was obscured by my cobwebbed head.

Dead spiders crunch to the floor as my body moves, Shaking off the weight of death and dust No cloak of grim reaper today, Just spandex and sparkles, A rave out of darkness.

A Stronger Bloom

By Jessica Rose It’s kind of like, an illness: This gnawing, gut feeling.

My stomach becomes tight.

My vision, less focused.

My head, hidden behind a Mist of confusion.

Lust, ties my flesh to a Short-lived romance; Breaks the defences of my Fast fleeing heart.

With every longing desire, acted upon, I awaken regret.

My petals seem so fragrant, So tangible Until they’re plucked, swept up with the Primal Act. I am left feeling Scattered and withered in the Soft caress; Hungry lips of promise.

So often have I Savored the subtle pain, Of my pieces given, In every season.

I am weak, and In my weakness, I must: Sink, Emerge, Flourish; Become a healthy bramble.

May 8, 2018 • The Beacon 9

Arts & Features Summer Fun

By Jessica Rose

So, you’re wrapping up for the winter, enjoying the spring blooms of cherry, tulip and magnolia scattered amidst the sprouting greenery, and preparing for the busy (or not so busy) summer ahead of you. While many of you will be focused on “raking in the dough” with the influx of tourists this summer, one must remember the importance of self-care and the value of taking time to decompress, to relax and to have fun.

Below I’ve listed eight ideas on engaging activities to consider, if you’ve ever got time and drive to get a little creative this summer season.

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2

Make Some Tie-Dye!

Rubber bands.

White fabric or clothing (T-shirts are great!).

A water bucket or container for each color used.

A water bucket or container without dye added.

Different colored tie-dye pigments (try looking in your local art supply store or fabric shop).

Plastic trash bags.

A sink.

(Optional) Little cups or Empty ketchup bottles.

Pour your dye colors into their respective dye buckets, then add as much water as directed on your dye bottle, or to your own preference.

Take your piece of cloth or clothing and saturate it in the dye-less water bucket. Wring it out and lay it down on a flat surface.

Scrunch and wad the cloth in creative ways, then hold it in place with rubber bands. (There are many ways to scrunch the cloth; specific techniques can easily be found online.)

Take your empty ketchup bottles or little cups, fill them with dye-tinted water and begin dunking, pouring or covering the wadded-up cloth into and over the dye buckets.

Once you’re satisfied with the amount of color on your cloth or clothing, place the wad into

4

Go Fishing!

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Grab your tackle boxes, lines and bait. There are so many places in Maine to go fishing, just make sure you’ve got a valid fishing license!

This is probably the quintessential summer activity. Just as much fun to do alone as with a large group of friends, there is no doubt that going to the beach offers a sense of freedom and relaxation for all involved.

3

Camp In The Woods!

5

What could be better than using your weekend off to reconnect with nature? Grab the tent, multipurpose tool, some food supplies and brave the woods for a night. Of course, camping at designated sites can be fun too!

Call all your friends for a cookout, be it microwaved hot dogs and beef patties, or fresh off the grill steaks. Just cooking and eating summer food with friends outdoors can loosen the nerves and make for a wonderful time!

Get Out The Bicycle!

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Go On A Picnic!

• • • • •

Make some lunch and find a comfortable patch of earth to lay your blanket upon and spend some time enjoying the day.

ILL CREEK PARK SUMMER CONCERT SERIES

Instructions:

Place the closed, smaller bag containing the ice cream mixture within the larger bag. Close the larger bag and agitate the mixture for around 15 minutes, OR until the ice cream mixture becomes thick.

Remove the smaller bag and wipe the excess salt and ice off. Empty your now frozen ice cream mixture into a bowl and add in your chocolate chips or goodies of choice..

A Food Journey

July 18 Down East Soul Coalition (rain date 7/19)

July 25 Studio Two Beatles Tribute Band (no rain date) August 1 Delta Knights (rain date 8/2)

10 The Beacon • May 8, 2018

By Sheri Bell

August 8 Gopherbroke (no rain date) August 15 American Ride (no rain date)

1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream 1 Cup Half & Half Cream – OR – Milk 1/4 Cup White Sugar 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract (Optional) Chocolate Chips – OR – Other Goodies: To Taste Coarse/Rock Salt 1 Large Bag 1 Smaller Bag Ice (Preferably Crushed)

Take the cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla extract and mix them all in the smaller bag. Fill the larger bag halfway with ice and salt.

Illustrations by Rebecca Dow

July 11 The Larry Williams Band (rain date 8/22)

Make Some Ice Cream

Ingredients:

Go for a leisurely stroll around town. Or perhaps a speedy workout is more your style!

6

ALL CONCERTS START AT 6:30 PM

Have A Barbeque!

Go To The Beach!

Instructions:

Supplies: • •

a trash bag. Let it sit for 24 hours, then rinse it out in a sink until the colors no longer run.

Wring it out and dry. You now have a tie-dye something!

On Saturday, April 26, 2018 my husband and I went to the Lobster Shack restaurant in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. We arrived at 6:15 p.m. and found the line out the door and spilling on to the walkway. It was a quick 15-minute wait to get to the front, where we could order our seafood.

You now have simple homemade ice cream!

The Lobster Shack is a rare breed in a restaurant. You are allowed to bring your own adult beverages. They cannot be already opened, but if you care to have your favorite wine, beer, hard cider or wine cooler with your meal, then this is the place for you.

The Lobster Shack is located at 225 Two Lights Road, Cape Elizabeth. It is nested right by the Two Lights lighthouse overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. It has picnic tables outside, as well as tables inside for your dining pleasure. Perched above the rocks, this lobster-and-fried-seafood spot has beautiful ocean and lighthouse views.

The Lobster Shack is operational from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., daily. It opened for the season on March 31, and will close its doors on October 25. If you want a lobster dinner, please schedule your visit before 7 p.m.

SMCC Sports

The Scene From The Diamonds (Continued from page 12)

pionship game against Central Maine.

Francoeur would retire the first two Mustangs to come to the plate before allowing a single and hitting the next batter. With two outs and two runners on, Francoeur would entice the fifth batter of the opening inning to ground out to third base.

The bottom of the first inning saw the SeaWolves’ bats come alive: SMCC would plate four runs while leaving two runners on base. The scoring would start with a towering two-run homer to left field by Sean Adams. Adams homer pushed across Herrin, who earned his way onto base with a double to center field.

Timothy Greenlaw would next single to right field, after which he would score on a triple by Evan Leveroni, who would score on a single by Nathaniel Cyr. With two outs, Ian Westphal at first base and Caleb Chambers at second, the ‘Wolves continued to apply as much offensive pressure as possible when they pulled off a double steal, advancing Chambers to third and Westphal to second. The ‘Wolves would not be able to push any more runs across, as Cody Bryant grounded out to third base.

The second and fourth inning would see the ‘Wolves plate five more runs, building a 9-to-nil lead that would never seriously be challenged by the Central Maine Mustangs.

The ‘Wolves would load the bases in the bottom of the second, as Butler would walk and Herrin would single to right field. After Sean Adams struck out swinging, Timothy Greenlaw would single to first base.

Greenlaw would take second base on a passed ball; Herrin would advance to third, and Butler would score.

One batter later, a Nathaniel Cyr double to right field would push across Greenlaw and Herrin finishing off the scoring for the SeaWolves in the second inning.

The ‘Wolves would push their offensive output of the game to nine in the bottom of the fourth, as Greenlaw would grab another RBI with a double to center field, scoring Herrin from second base.

The ‘Wolves’ final run of the game would be scored when Greenlaw crossed home plate courtesy an error by the Mustangs’ left fielder.

The Mustangs would push a run across the plate in the top of the sixth inning turning over the goose egg on the big board that scored Central Maine’s St. Pierre, who had doubled earlier courtesy SMCC fielding errors.

One inning and three outs later, the SeaWolves rushed the mound and celebrated the latest championship in their storied history.

When the tournament award winners were announced, SMCC’s Dylan Francoeur would garner Most Outstanding Defensive Player and Amos Herrin would be named Most Valuable Player. Central Maine’s Alex Biron would be named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player.

SMCC BOOKSTORE

BUYBACK MAY WEEK 7-11 Sell back your books for cash!

Enter a raffle!*

Lady SeaWolves Fall In Semifinal Suffer Loss After Winning Seven of Last Eight

By The Beacon Sports Staff The Lady SeaWolves softball team ventured to Great Bay Community College on Saturday to participate in the Yankee Small College Conference postseason tournament. The ‘Wolves, who were seeded third, found themselves pitted against the College of Saint Joseph’s of Vermont, which was seeded second.

Over the course of the fall and spring seasons, the ‘Wolves would split their season series with St. Joe’s, winning two while losing two.

Mackenzie Ebert took to the pitcher’s circle, finishing the contest striking out three in Saturday’s action for the ‘Wolves.

The ‘Wolves would get on the scoreboard in the top off the first when Meranda Martin crossed home plate courtesy a St. Joe’s error on a ball put in play

by Sara Ring. Martin earned first base as the leadoff hitter when she dropped down a bunt and advanced to second on a steal as Madison Eastman struck out swinging.

The ‘Wolves would not be able to get on the big board again and keep the St.

Joe’s Saints from scoring until the third inning. The Saints would score three times in the third, twice in the fourth and twice again in the sixth inning, securing a trip to the championship game.

The Saints would take on New Hampshire Technical Institute for the crown of the YSCC and suffer a five to two loose to the YSCC champions. The ‘Wolves would only win one of four against NHTI over the course of the fall and spring season.

NHTI got to the championship game by dismantling Central Maine Community College 13 to nil in the first game of the day.

Prior to the YSCC tournament, the SeaWolves had won their last four games, as they took double-headers from Massasoit Community College (13-4, 10-7) and from Central Maine Community College (13-1, 11-1).

While the Lady SeaWolves fell short of the YSCC finals, Meranda Martin was named to the All YSCC team and Ray Magnant was named YSCC Coach of the Year.

THE

BEACON HELP WANTED FOR FALL ‘18 The Beacon is gearing up for next year and wants your help.

We are seeking interested students for:

Section Editors Section editors

Campus News ◆ Other World Opinion & Editorial ◆ Arts & Features Midcoast Campus ◆ Sports

Contributing Writers Layout & Design Illustrators & Photographers Ad Sales Paper delivery

...and remember to return your rentals to the SMCC Bookstore by Monday May 14th!

The opportunity is here if you wish to be part of a student club that has been active and going strong for the last 8 years.

*student ID required

Interested? Contact Chuck Ott at cott@smccme.edu

May 8, 2018 • The Beacon 11

SMCC Sports

The Scene From the Diamonds SeaWolves Baseball Win YSCC Champions

By THe Beacon Sports Staff

munity College, who dismantled New Hampshire Technical Institute 20-2 behind the seven-hit pitching of Damien St. Pierre and Matthew Temple. The Mustangs would jump all over the Lynx from NHTI in the top of the first inning, plating 10 runs.

Herrin’s work on the mound would be complemented by his bat, as he would score the first run of the game when Evan Leveroni pushed him across the plate with a single to left field.

The third inning saw the SeaWolves expand on their one-run lead, as nine batters would come to the plate. Lead off batter

For the sixth time in the last seven years, the SeaWolves baseball team ended the Yankee Small College Conference postseason tournament rushing the mound in celebration of winning the championship.

This year’s tournament took place in Old Orchard Beach at the Ball Park, which was home to the Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide of the New England Collegiate Baseball League in 2011 and the Futures Collegiate Baseball League in 2012-2014. Today it is home to the Old Orchard Beach Surge of the Independent Empire Professional Baseball League.

The SeaWolves path to the championship would start with a shutout of the Great Bay Herons on Thursday evening. SMCC’s Amos Herrin, who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and the YSCC Most Valuable Pitcher, took to the mound throwing a two-hit complete game.

Herrin would fan 12 batters over the course of sixth innings, bringing his season total to 108 batters struck out.

The ‘Wolves would face conference rival Central Maine Com- Coach Yanni is the happy recipient of a championship Gatorade dousing

Devon Butler would start the inning off singling to left field and advancing to second on a Herrin single to left also. Herrin and Butler would advance a base on a pass ball. Butler would score on the play; the third baseman was not able to handle a throw from the catcher trying to catch him at third as a 90-foot path to home plate was opened.

After Timothy Greenlaw and Leveroni flew out to center field, Nathaniel Cyr would drive across the third and fourth runs with a double to left field, padding the SeaWolves’ lead to 4.

The ‘Wolves would threaten to add more runs in the fifth inning, as they would load the bases with two outs, courtesy a fielder’s choice, and two walks. The ‘Wolves would have to settle for one run that came at the expense of a pass ball.

Leveroni would be the sole SeaWolf to travel the 360 feet around the bases, scoring an unearned run and topping the ‘Wolves’ scoring for the semifinal game.

First-year starter Dylan Francoeur would get the nod from Coach Jordan Yanni in the cham Continued on page 11

By The Beacon Sports Staff Last night the Southern Maine Community College’s Athletic Department honored the student athletes of SMCC at its annual student-athletes awards ceremony held at Purpoodock Country Club in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

After a social hour where students-athletes, family and friends gathered and relived the highlights of this past year, the award ceremony got under way. Awards were given out in a series that included: the Donald Ferrante Award for the Most Improved Athlete (male and female); the Carroll Rines Award for the Sports Person of the Year (male and female); the Timothy D. Hagerman Scholarship, which is given to a returning men’s basketball player who puts his team before himself and is a positive member of the school community; and the John Dakin Award, which is given to a non-student-athlete who gave of their time to promote SMCC Athletics — someone who volunteered or gave

of their self above and beyond what the expectation might have been.

Jamal Durrani and Lauryn Fagan would take home the honors of being named the recipients of the Donald Ferrante Award. Durrani would be recognized for the improvement he has shown on the soccer pitch, while Fagan would be recognized for her work on the women’s basketball team and softball diamond.

Ally Ruth and Caleb Chambers were recognized as the Carroll Rines Award winners for their dedication to the basketball and baseball teams.

The Timothy D. Hagerman Award would be presented to Tyler Mickle for his efforts and energy with the men’s basketball team as well as being a positive member of the school community.

William Tiner and Matthew Wilcox-Anderson were recognized as the John Dakin Award recipients for the work they have done videotaping and compiling highlights of the SeaWolves sports teams in action and promoting the SMCC athletic teams and individual athletes.

Photos by Cassie Marceau

Athletic Department Honors Student Athletes

Amos Herrin in action against the Great Bay Herons in the semi-final game of the YSCC Championships.

Fall Season Starts Now There is still time to get your name on the score card.

Join, hit the links, and start your subpar golf journey.

Contact Chuck Ott: cott@smccme.edu