The SMCC Beacon 4-29-2014

THE SMCC Issue 5 Volume 14 April 29 2014

By the students, for the students

Going Green with Hoop Houses

e-Cigs

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Final Semester Issue

Continue reading the online version over the summer: www.smccbeacon.wordpress.com

Great job Laura Young!!

SMCC Culinary Arts Teams with WEX, Inc. to Create a Community!

Alpha Chi Nuz International Winners

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Softball Wins YSCC Championship

By Angelina Smith

ith the academic year winding down, Alpha Chi Nu hopes everyone is studying hard for finals, and wishes only the best summer possible for all students and faculty at SMCC!

Our 2014 spring semester Induction Ceremony was a huge success, with over 90 students welcomed into Phi Theta Kappa! We’d like to extend our warmest congratulations to all of the students who accepted their invitation to the only international Honors Society for two-year colleges, and we hope that you get the most out of the many opportunities that this life-changing organization offers.

We also inducted Beacon advisor and adjunct instructor of painting and drawing, Chuck Ott, and Rik Sawyer as honorary members for their involvement with our chapter! Both have been steadfast supporters and advocates that never hesitated to help us when called upon.

This article is currently being written in sunny Orlando, Florida as we are attending Nerd Nation, the annual International Convention for Phi Theta Kappa. After dominating the New England Region awards ceremony last month, your SMCC chapter brought home the international Distinguished College Project Award, which was given to the top 25 chapters – out of over 1300 worldwide! The College Project is a service-learning project that all chapters are expected to fulfill. Ours was to establish an on-campus food pantry – the Captain’s Cupboard – that has now served over 200 students and families in need.

It was an AMAZING convention full of numerous educational forums on chapter development programs and opportunities, info on many resources available to members, and tips on how to transfer colleges in a stress-free manner. There were many awe-inspiring keynote speakers at the exhilarating General Sessions that saw 4000 nerds unite. One of the speakers was Dr. Robert Ballard, the man who found the Titanic.

We are the first chapter in the state of Maine to be recognized with any award at the international level. Never before has a chapter from Maine walked on that stage in front of over 4,000 fellow nerds. We were also named as one of the top 100 chapters.

Our officer team is proud to have accomplished so much in the past year! We thank Phi Theta Kappa for honoring our hard work and acknowledging our contributions to our community, and we take great pride in being a part of such a prestigious organization. We’d also like to thank our college administrators for their unwavering support for our chapter and endeavors.

None of this would be possible without them on our side.

As a member and officer of Alpha Chi Nu, I often extol the shared virtues of Phi Theta Kappa and Alpha Chi Nu more than I write about the processes its members and supporters have to go through to create these opportunities for students. Each two-year college in the nation does not automatically get a Phi Theta Kappa chapter assigned to it. Students have to create their chapter from the ground up; selecting advisors, encouraging students to join, and fundraising to earn money for events.

Phi Theta Kappa is itself run almost entirely by students. All of the chapters are student-run (Continued on Page 2)

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By Dierdree Glassford

his past week two students in the SMCC Culinary Arts program were given a learning opportunity that was one for the books. For the past year or so the McKernan center has teamed up with WEX, Inc. to offer a community meal for the local Redbank neighborhood in South Portland. WEX, Inc. offers a community meal to everyone in the multicultural Redbank community, all are welcome to come, free of charge, to enjoy a delicious home cooked meal.

Jill Hannaford, head Chef and mentor to many at the McKernan center offers her students many opportunities to reach their highest potential, both in their culinary fields and in life. Wanting more for her kitchen

SMCC Business Club Donates to the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital

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By Saman Baghestani

n April 17th 2014, the SMCC Business Club made its first donation of $1,000 to the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center! This donation represents the culmination of several years of investment learning activities conducted entirely by students in the Business Club at SMCC.

The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital is the only full-care children’s hospital in Maine, and they see over 52,000 patients a year. The nurses have ranked in the top 3% in worldwide nursing excellence surveys, and the hospital was rated the fourth safest hospital in the U.S. The Barbara

family, she is always inventive, offering many ways for her staff to learn with eye-opening experiences that make them feel fulfilled and inspired.

This WEX dinner was no different. Students and staff members Derek Haley and Dierdree Glassford were in for a treat when they were given the chance to see what all of their hours of prep and commitment actually meant for the community of Redbank. From toddlers to the elderly, and everyone in between, the entire community is invited once a month to have a meal as a whole.

On the most recent menu were BBQ chicken; a fresh variety of salads including mixed bean, potato, and fresh greens; and to top it all off a nice comforting peach cobbler. Every month the meal changes but the joy and sense of community does not. The WEX volunteers serve the patrons, and

Bush Children’s Hospital is supported by a great community that surrounds it, as the children that are patients couldn’t be in better care than they are there.

Our donation was all profit earned from investing in stocks. Five years ago, the Business Club received $2,000 from alum so that future students could learn how stocks and investments work. That alum gave us a goal: to raise $3,000 and donate the profits earned to the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital. Over those five years, there have been gains and losses because the stock market can be unpredictable.

This year we finally reached our goal of $3,000 and were eager to give our donation.

As the spring semester comes to a close, some of you may be graduating and heading on to a new school, or into a new career, and some of you may be back at SMCC in the fall. Wherever you’re headed, it’s

(Continued on Page 3) important to keep in mind that both success and failure are possibilities. Set one goal for yourself - it could be as small as getting an “A” on your next test, or it could be as big as getting that big summer internship that so many people are applying to. Setting goals helps us as people become better because they are something to work toward and to look forward to. Perhaps it is human nature to get sidetracked from these goals in life, but here’s a big tip: don’t be afraid to take a risk. If you sit in a corner your whole life without reaching to grab something you really want, then you won’t know how great the success of getting that will feel. So, here’s one of my goals to get us started: Get at least a 3.5 GPA this semester.

Have a great rest of the semester and a wonderful summer! The Business Club meets on Thursdays in Hague Hall from 12:30 – 1:15, and it is open to all students on campus.

CAMPUSnews Campus Exposed

opportunity to potentially help Lisa or other Leukemia patients. There will be a donor registration from 10:00am to 3:00pm in the Campus Center wherein students will fill out a form and “get By swabbed” - swab the inside of his or her mouth Garrick Hoffman and have this information processed and sent to a national database. By participating, you could “be n recent weeks, Timothy Gilboe, a Jackman the match” and be of invaluable medical aid for native and student here at SMCC, found Lisa Dolan or other Leukemia patients. himself on the front pages of multiple pub Further, in a letter to the editor included in lications, including The Portland Press Herald the last issue, a student here at SMCC broached and the Bangor Daily News. This is because The Beacon’s lack of coverage of campus events, Gilboe was awarded the Silver Star, the nation’s including club meetings, open mic nights, third-highest medal for gallantry in war. organizations, volunteer projects, and more.

Three years ago, Sergeant Timothy Gilboe The student implored The Beacon to get more and his squad members, assessing battle damage involved with these events so as to include them in a village in Afghanistan, were befallen by in subsequent issues. As a result of this letter, I gunfire of Taliban soldiers. Gilboe’s squad leader, have chosen to respond.

Matthew Daniel Hermanson, was fatally wound Dear Imploring Student, ed; his platoon leader, severely wounded; and the

Thank you for voicing your concerns to The rucksack of his assistant machine-gunner, Private Beacon. Your argument is sound. It is indeed First Class Scott Anderson, ignited into flames.

The Beacon’s duty to cover events on campus to After a series of events, Gilboe, unarmed, was feature in the newspaper. besieged by one of the Taliban soldiers carrying

That being said, The Beacon staff encourages an AK-47. Gilboe re-positioned the muzzle of anyone and everyone to contribute. As the paper his adversary’s weapon, directing it toward his says, it’s for the students, by the students. That own chest plate, and a shot was fired, shooting means that any SMCC student or faculty memshrapnel into his legs and knocking the wind out ber is enabled to submit freely. of him. Nonetheless, Gilboe was able to conquer

Regular Beacon writers comprise only a the soldier, driving him into the ground, and small band of people, all of whom, like you within minutes Private First Class Anderson saw said, are students with commitments located a window of opportunity. Anderson shot the elsewhere and class work to tackle. With that, it Taliban soldier dead. Gilboe then proceeded to can be very difficult to be present everywhere at establish security within his team, clear the area once, covering the grand multitude of events that of insurgents, and facilitate his fellow soldiers to are happening on campus. Because of this, and medical attention before seeking medical attenbecause The Beacon is an entity for student extion for himself. pression and an outlet to hone their writing skills,

For this episode of titanic valiance, Gilboe students themselves can report on events, clubs, has received the Silver Star, although he asserts and organizations that they were involved in. that it truly belongs to his squad leader, HermanAll students are empowered in that regard. The son, who Gilboe believes relinquished his life in Beacon is not an exclusive club by any means. regard for his squad members.

So, with that addressed, The Beacon is open

Gilboe is still in the National Guard, and here at SMCC he is working towards a Construc- to submissions from any and all students. The staff is always enthusiastic to see more submistion Technology degree. Currently, he is finishing sions from contributors, regular and irregular the Heavy Equipment Operators course. Gilboe alike. And, as mentioned, the regular writers can also mentions that he is trying to help a former only be in so many places at once, undertaking so Marine from his hometown, Ryan Begin, pursue many things, although it is no doubt paramount medical marijuana for veterans with posttrauto see a coverage of events by the staff. So The matic stress disorder (PTSD). Begin, Gilboe says, Beacon urges you: step up and write something “has a petition floating around the internet… for your newspaper! It IS yours, after all, and (and) he is always looking for supporters!” there’s no exclusivity behind it!

In additional news, the South Portland

Speaking of writing for The Beacon...

SMCC campus will soon be graced with the

Are you traveling this summer? Good news presence of the Maine Leukemia Foundation in for you travel writers: The Beacon will remain an effort to find a donor match for Lisa Dolan, a alive, and continue to serve as an outlet for your 28-year employee of SMCC. She has been re-diwriting proclivities. This means that The Beacon agnosed with Leukemia and has been receiving chemotherapy at Maine Medical Center. On May will accept submissions of students’ work and proceed to broadcast it in online form. All YOU gotta 1st, during Spring Fest, students will have the do is, you know, write. And submit.

Just like the average semester. So get on it, and help keep The Beacon alive for THE SMCC the summer of 2014!

Me? I’ll be serving as my buddy’s traveling companion in early May. We’ll be driving cross-country to the Grand Tetons, and I’ll be sure

Art Director Laura Young to write all about it for my school’s

Graphic Designer Tammy Huisingh newspaper.

Photo Editor Jennifer Lague

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Illustration Coordinator Rebekah Nappa

Managing editor Jason Glynn

Section Editors Patrick Doyle Garrick Hoffman

A.S. Kinsman Richard Sawyer Contributing writers Iman Ali

Saman Baghestani Teddy Burrage Michael H. Caron Sam Coombs Dierdree Glassford David Greene Xavior Hansen Molly Horgan Nicholas James Miller Kora O’Han Torrey Proctor Sabra Schirm Angelina Smith D.M. Smith Erik Squire

Web Master Charles Ishimwe

Online Art Direction Angelina Smith

Advisor Chuck Ott

The SMCC Beacon is published by and for the students of SOUTHERN MAINE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

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Enactus in Action: Leafy Greens

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By Torrey Proctor, Enactus VP

he 2014 SMCC Enactus crew has successfully built a high-tech indoor grow room in the basement of the Culinary Arts building. We have two of the highest quality T5 lights on the market, and a ‘stealth grow’ house.

We have the space to grow upwards of 80 plants at any point in time.

The crew has been growing since day one, and we are looking for more members to help now, and to take over the responsibilities of the board after the event next fall in Cincinnati.

Alpha Chi Nuz Continued from page 1

with faculty advisors to assist, and regional and international officer positions are also held only by students. All officers, regardless of position, are elected into their roles, and are outstanding members of their communities in addition to being academic achievers.

It is the collaborative effort of all 1,300 chapters’ active members that have built and developed Phi Theta Kappa into the massive and beneficial international organization that it is today. For years PTK has served communities in numerous ways and offers nearly $90 million in scholarships annually, along with numerous personal and professional developmental tools for transferring to four year institutions and career success.

If you are looking to be part of something that just may change your life and the world there is an AMAZING opportunity coming up for you! We will be holding

ALPHA CHI NU MAKES STATE HISTORY AT NERD NATION 2014 Pictured from left to right: Angelina Smith – VP of Communications; Jason Glynn – VP of Leadership, Leanna Shields – President, Brent Lawson – VP of Service, David Stankiewicz – Chapter co-Advisor.

4000 nerds descended on Orlando, Florida to attend the annual Phi Theta Kappa International Convention, dubbed “Nerd Nation 2014,” and hosted in Orlando, Florida, giving us yet another reason to be proud of our students. After taking the majority of all awards handed out at the regional convention our very own chapter, Alpha Chi Nu, made history for being the first chapter from Maine to win an award on the international level.

Our chapter was one of 25 – out of over 1300 chapters

2014 SMCC Graduation!

Enactus, or any club for that matter, is what you make it. When Sineah asked me to join, I was always one of those kids who was “too cool” for clubs, but I wanted to help someone other than myself. I learned that clubs are actually not lame, a great way to meet people, and a great place to get valuable experience.

The greens from this club and garden will go toward less fortunate people who need and appreciate high quality and fresh produce. The garden will be able to create a consistent yield while maintaining costs and labor in the lowest possible margin. What I am really saying is, this is extremely easy, so come down to the Culinary Arts basement and check it out sometime. our annual election for new chapter officers on Friday, May 9th. Flyers are currently posted around campus but if you’d like more information, stop by the Cesil Office, keep checking our Facebook page, your student email account, or email us at mptk@ me.edu.

The reasons why to get involved are just too numerous to mention here, we have made numerous success stories right here on our own campus. If you’d like to hear any of them – or start creating yours – contact us today!! Your chance to be part of a well-established, internationally recognized, and winning organization that will help you for years to come…is now!

Thank you to all our wonderful members, advisors, and supporters who help make Phi Theta Kappa the fantastic society it is!

We encourage our members to check out ptk. org for plenty of information about Phi Theta Kappa and its many programs and scholarships, including the Five Star professional developement program, Collegefish, and the online e-portfolio!

across the globe – to win an award for their College Project. The College Project is one of two service-learning initiatives wherein all chapters compete to make the greatest impact in their communities. The winning project was to establish the Captain’s Cupboard, a student run food pantry located on campus that has served over 200 students and families since its opening last fall. Alpha Chi Nu also earned a spot on the top 100 chapters list for the first time. SMCC was also recently chosen to be the host-site for this year’s Regional Leadership Conference scheduled in July. When asked how all of the recent notoriety felt Leanna Shields, ACN Chapter President, stated “It feels so good to be recognized not only in our home region, but internationally, for all of our hard work and dedication.”

SMCC Bookstore Rental Books Due Monday

May 12th by 5 pm

Get Your Grad Gear

Graduation Announcements Graduate T-shirts, Diploma Frames

Buyback Program Get up to 50% cash back for books 9am-4pm Monday-Thursday, 9am-3pm Friday

CAMPUSnews Earn Extra Credit via Submissions to The Beacon

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By Garrick Hoffman

MCC student Erik Squire has an idea, and he seeks to implement it.

In a recent discussion with his political science professor, Erik conceived and suggested a two-way benefit for both The Beacon and students in general: for students to write for The Beacon, and in doing so, earning extra credit for their political science class.

First he suggested that political science students could write about any political matter that is of interest to them. Then, when pitching the idea to his English professor, he suggested that students could simply write about anything that interests them. In doing so, the student can earn extra credit for their respective class and contribute as a writer to The Beacon.

His professors agreed and his peers voiced enthusiasm at the prospect.

“Overall I think it’s great for the Beacon, but it’s also great for the student,” Erik said. “They

get a chance to research something that interests them, and write about it. On top of that they have the pleasure of knowing that other people are going to see their hard work, as well as seeing it in an awesome paper format. Not to mention, they have a better grade for it all.”

Could this be something for all professors on campus to consider?

No doubt, despite the benefits, it’s something that would merit some sort of limit or restriction. Hypothetically, anyone could just write for The Beacon to earn extra credit without doing all the work that’s expected of them for his or her class. To avoid this circumstance, students should always confer with their professor to reach an agreement, and understand what’s fully expected of them.

I first began writing for The Beacon when I wrote an essay for my English Composition class.

The seal of The Beacon was broken for me after I submitted the essay, and since then I’ve become a regular writer for the newspaper. Because of this, I’d personally like to encourage students to do the same, whether or not you earn extra credit for your work. Much of the work done for a class work that one could consider meaningful - goes unseen beyond the eyes of the professor. Because of this, know that you, too, can broadcast your work via The Beacon.

Campus Clubs Working for the College Community

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By Erik Squire

here’s a fantastic group called the Green Building and Sustainability Club (GBSC) here on campus. The members are working to build hoop houses, which are miniature type greenhouses that can be carried and cheaply built.

They are building these hoop houses out of new and recycled material, such as free pallets, and a few things they had to buy themselves. These students are working hard tapping into their construction knowledge and using their own tools.

In the end they hope to use these hoop houses to grow food on campus for the students. On top of this they are also collaborating with other clubs trying to get the most out of the hoop houses. Here was a message that GBSC member Whitney Huse sent out to other members of the club:

“Great news, everyone wants our hoop houses!

I went to a collaboration meeting last week and here

is what I found out. Lots of people are working on similar sustainable gardening projects and they want to include us. The Enactus Club wants a HH (hoop house) for cycling seedlings for their crops that they will be harvesting indoors in the basement of culinary arts. I told them they could have our first model and tell us what needs to be changed...ventilation, etc. Also, a very large group of students and teachers that will be selected to have their own beds behind culinary arts building are creating a gardening club, and they will be interested in having a few HHs incorporated into their space. They also might have a potential next project for us, building a compost bin for their garden to recycle their garden scraps. The collaboration of us and these groups and culinary arts using left over produce from the Enactus Club will become a gardening hub of sorts. Nice to see that we have a goal, and our projects are needed and will be put to great use! I told the Enactus Club that after our next meeting on Thursday we should be close to our first finished hoop house.”

This is an outstanding club - sustainably feeding students and going green. If anyone would like to join the club or find out more about it, please contact the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership (CESIL), and I’m sure they would be more than happy to connect you with GBSC.

Take care SMCC; I hope you have a great productive summer and I hope to have you reading again in the fall. Till then, stay sharp, and stay awesome.

End of Semester Shows in The Learning Commons

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he Learning Commons on the second floor of the Campus Center is hosting 2 shows as the semester winds down. Students in Michel Droge’s Printmaking class and John Knights Painting 2 class have their work on display through the end of the semester.

Michelle Boutin, Sarah Brann, Nicholas Genesio, Kara Grant, Shawn Keach, Abbie Labonville, Jacob Mehuren, Margerat Mitchell-LaBrie, Michael McCall and Crystal Smith have displayed their explorations of the Intaglio print making process through a wide range of subject matter.

Complimenting the intaglio show is the work of the Painting 2 students who include: Angelito Aquino, Allen Dillingham, Erin Sturgeon. The paintings are done with acrylic paint on paper and explore the theme of self-portrait.

Culinary Arts Continued from page 1

all of the food that has not been consumed at the event can be packed up in to-go boxes to bring home for later, or are brought to local homeless shelters. Every single bit is given away to fill stomachs and to lighten hearts. Not a bite is wasted.

Through this wonderful connection and partnership, WEX, Inc. has created a $5,000 fund that allows students to attend SMCC and cook monthly dinners that bring together the neighbors of the Redbank community. The partnership allows students to truly see the good that a hearty meal can do, and to be grateful for the meals that they do have. Many of the children of the Redbank community will sometimes go to the monthly dinners alone, playing with friends on one side of the gym, and bringing home leftovers for their families that could not attend.

Students Derek Haley and Dierdree Glass-

ford were in awe, with smiles beaming as they watched how happy and connected this community was, and how much they loved the food.

Helping to serve, and then getting to also sit in and eat with the community, the students felt a sense of pride. “At the end of the night an older gentleman who had lent us a hand in unloading the food came up to me and clasped my arm, asking me if I was the one to make the peach cobbler. After replying that I was indeed the maker behind the cobbler he rewarded my efforts with a huge grin, saying it was perfection! The feeling of accomplishment and joy I felt after that was more than any paycheck,” reflected Dierdree.

The students also found that they could inspire others, including a young girl who was extremely interested in what it took to be a chef, asking question after question, and saying that maybe one day she can get a scholarship and become a chef “just like you!” The students found that by just doing their job, they were affecting so much more than they could have ever imagined.

When asked about how she felt about the

ongoing project with WEX, Inc., Chef Jill stated, “This project is gaining momentum and the energy continues to build. I was so proud of our two culinary students that represented SMCC on Wednesday. They pitched in with the food service, enthusiastically engaged with the people from the neighborhood, WEX and Opportunity Alliance. I could tell from their beaming faces that their being involved with this ‘giving back’ to the community gave them something far richer and greater than just the sense of accomplishment of cooking a meal for this crowd.”

Always reaching further with her employees and teaching them to aspire to be better at everything they do, this was just one more way to give them an eye-opening experience and the effect that good food can have when bringing a community together.

Some other accomplishments that the McKernan Center kitchen have been involved in lately have been their dedication to donating fresh produce, and any unused meals to SMCC’s Captains Cupboard. Not only that, but recently

Chef Jill Hannaford has taken on four Culinary Externship students, letting them focus on their own personal goals in their field, and giving them the resources to make something out of it.

Dierdree Glassford has worked for the McKernan for a little over six months now, and in speaking about the experience she says, “Working for the McKernan Center has completely changed my view of food. Before I came to SMCC for culinary, I knew nothing. When I started here I was a complete rookie, and now I feel as though I can handle myself fairly well in the kitchen, I take pride and care in my work, and if I have questions, I know how to find the answers to them. I have learned so much from working under Chef Jill, and I wouldn’t give this experience up for the world. Not only that, but she has given me the opportunity to give back to my community, something I am very passionate about, and very grateful for.”

What’s next for SMCC’s Culinary Arts students? Well, with great mentors and opportunities like these, the sky is the limit! | April 29, 2014 |3

THEotherWORLD

The Science Watchroom

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By Jason Glynn

his is it, the last issue of the semester. As I write right now, I am up at camp!! Camp being nowhere else but at Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory in beautiful Bar Harbor, ME. A few of us students that took part in the special genetics short-course in January came back up to present our research findings at a science symposium. There were researchers from all over the state presenting their research and giving lectures. It was awesome!!

If you’re interested in science, there is many ways to get your hands dirty right here in Maine.

Feed My Starving Children

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By A.S. Kinsman

n April 13th, 2014, over 500 volunteers from churches and non-profit organizations in Southern Maine filled the Maine Mall’s central atrium to pack meals for starving families around the world. There are approximately 870 million hungry people around the world. One in four are children under the age of five.

The first group to arrive was White Pine Community Church, who took the first 2hr shift from 10am until noon. Four other groups took 2hr shifts until 6pm, filling bags with dried vitamin powder, dried vegetables, soy, and rice in Manna packets. These ingredients are specially chosen in order to provide nutrition to families in developing countries. The packets have a relatively long shelf life due to their lack of moisture and provide enough content per package to cover six meals for a single family. By the end of the eight-hour packing day, over 100,000 meals were

The Primaries Aren’t That Important, Right?

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By Erik Squire

t seems as though some people think that the primary elections aren’t particularly important. Rather, they put all the emphasis on the general elections. It makes sense; the general elections are when the votes actually put people into governmental offices. In addition, those who are Independents in Maine can’t even vote in the primaries unless they go through the extra step of joining a party that they don’t even fully agree with. This extra step is due to the fact that “Maine is one of 12 states to use a strictly closed primary process, in which the selection of a party’s candidates in an election is limited to registered party members.” (-Ballot Pedia)

However, one could argue that primaries are the most important of elections. During this stage in the election process there are typically more choices available. This means that out of

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Through various grants SMCC students are open to a bunch of paid fellowships or internships over the summer. I was awarded one of them, so this summer I’ll be a lab rat at UNE’s Biddeford campus. If you want in I suggest that you ask your professor, and take advantage of any opportunities that may come your way!

This week saw more scientific breakthroughs that are near and dear to my heart, and both articles that I will cover include my favorite organ to study: the brain. Both articles include alterations in the developing brain and both were caused by drugs. So if you didn’t hear enough reasons why drugs are bad “um kay,” then I’ll give you some more.

The first article is about one of the fastest growing developmental disorders today: autism.

An ex-girlfriend of mine had an autistic son, so I got to be pretty familiar with and close to this disorder. It is hard to watch people with autism struggle to “fit in” and be one of us. With the Centers for Disease and Control placing the prevalence at 1 in 68 children in the U.S. now diagnosed with autism, there’s a good chance that you know someone affected by it as well.

We have been looking for the cause for a while now, and there seems to be a multitude of potential causes, but one specific area keeps coming up, and it has to do with one of everyone’s favorite neurotransmitters: serotonin.

The research by the Bloomberg School of Public Health confirms the long-suspected link of a mother’s use of SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as Prozac) with autism in boys. SSRIs are now widely prescribed for anxiety and depression.

Serotonin is vital during early brain development and altering with the natural chemistry through drugs is causing issues. The newly established link makes sense as to why more boys

have autism than girls. Serotonin’s production is increased by estrogen, a steroidal hormone that women produce. Boys are almost five times as likely to have an ASD (autism spectrum disorder) than girls.

The other study released this week is arguably just as important, if not more important.

There is still much debate that if marijuana; a substance that I largely blame my dropping out of high school on, is bad for you. The debate has raged over how bad, and/or how much is bad.

There has been some movement on the issue recently.

A new study published in the journal Neuroscience shows that now the once-thought ‘harmless’ casual marijuana use can have lingering effects. Moderate marijuana use - about once weekly - has been shown to actually alter brain structures in young adults. Brain regions known for dealing with emotion and motivation have noticeable differences in size and shape when compared to a nonsmoker’s brain.

Given that 18.9 million Americans report that they’ve recently used marijuana, this study is a big deal. Until now, most studies focused on the heavy tokers, assuming little damage was done to the light smokers.

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School used MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to look at the structures of many 18-25 year olds over time.

The nucleus accumbens and the amygdala – one region involved in reward processing the other involved in emotion – were observed to be larger in casual users. The effects of this, whether bad or really bad, are largely unknown.

So long story short people, is to be good to your brain!!

packaged for worldwide shipment.

Joe Campbell, pastor of White Pine Community Church, gave a brief interview while helping members of his church package meals.

Wearing a light blue “Give Love Away” t-shirt and sporting a sanitary white hair net, he said, “Our whole church cancelled our service this morning and showed up here.”

Just under 200 church members, about half of the entire congregation, showed up to help fight hunger. There were only so many positions available, so if there had not been a limit, there could have potentially been many more volunteers from White Pine.

A member of the church, 58-year-old David Price, gave an interview as he busily prepared and moved cardboard boxes for shipment. “If you go ahead and you just send them over things like granola bars, they really get sick on that. Their digestive systems aren’t set up for that.”

This is why simple yet nourishing meals were packaged for the starving families.

The ingredients include all the essential vitamins and minerals to ensure a complete meal. The pouches cost less than fifty cents each. In fact, the meals average at twenty-two cents per pouch.

Dale Carson, the group leader of Million Meals Maine, said of the event, “For twenty-two cents a meal, I don’t think any kids should be hungry in the world. And there’s so many kids starving… You know, why can’t we do this? It’s been so encouraging to me to see so many people jump on board and just get involved.

It’s just been a wild experience.”

This was Million Meals Maine first annual food-packaging event. They are already scheduling another event for next year. This time, they hope to package twice their quota, at 200,000 meals for starving children and families all around the world.

the entire group of people running there might just be a politician hopeful that actually lines up with one’s political beliefs. In simpler words: when there are more choices available, then there’s an opportunity to get what one wants.

When it comes to the general elections, people are left deciding between the lesser of two evils.

When people don’t vote their conscience and beliefs in the primaries, then they’re stuck with the incumbent or the man with the most money.

The Last Goodbye

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By A.S. Kinsman

t’s been an amazing year in the world of journalism for me. Encouraged by Chuck Ott, the Faculty Adviser for The Beacon, I decided to take up the proverbial pen and dip my quill into the inkwell of journalism. As a writer of primarily fictional stories, I had never really tried my hand at writing newsworthy articles. At first, my work was choppy, sloppy, and amateur. It was a process that was learned by trial and error. Sometimes I look back on my first articles and cringe. Most of them were not as good as they could have been. Others shock me with how well written they were. I noticed that as my time wore on with being on the roster of The Beacon section editors, my writing improved. Experience rang true. It gave me the words to write with and the flow that only seasoned writers can have.

Looking back, I’d say that I’d written close to 30 articles in my service of The Beacon.

That’s roughly 15,000 words that I’ve written for the students and faculty of SMCC to read.

It’s a huge number, but something I find myself very proud of. I’ve invested many hours of my time for this pro-bono work, but the payoff has been huge in the way that I’ve learned how to write better and become a respected, somewhat accomplished journalist.

Even as I write this, I find it very hard to believe this will be my last entry into The Beacon. I find it impossible to think that after slaving away on my laptop for hours at a time, researching and composing articles, week after week, month after month, this will be the final foray. It will be my last goodbye to SMCC’s literary world. Something about this hurts.

I know I ruffled a lot of feathers with some of my work. And I’m proud of that.

What kind of writer would I be if I didn’t practice my freedom of speech and press and catch the attention of my readers? What kind of writer would I be if I didn’t make people think twice about what they believe in? I’ll never regret the articles I’ve written or what I’ve written them about. I am pleased that so many people pay attention to what they are consuming in the media and have something to say about. I can only hope that some of you will choose to submit your own work to The Beacon or even join the team of writers yourself. It is a rewarding experience that you will have a hard time replacing.

Thank you again to Chuck Ott for giving me this opportunity to grow and learn. Thank you for encouraging me to keep writing, even when the creative juices didn’t flow, even when I wanted to just throw in the towel at times.

And thank you, readers, for reading what I’ve written and for responding.

Enjoy!

It may be a tough job sorting through the candidates, but it is the obligation of every responsible eligible citizen. If none of the candidates running are all that great, then one could even ask someone to run that would fairly represent them. Once someone finds a politician that they feel they can back, they should offer their full support, especially when the candidate isn’t a well known. If everyone could follow these steps, the world of politics wouldn’t be such a bad place. People wouldn’t as likely hate politicians so much. Most important, this country would be better off, with policies that suited the American people’s needs, and not the needs of the highest bidder.

On June 10th Maine’s primaries are taking place. Mainers need to research what their representatives voted for on their behalf. If Mainers are happy with the decisions that each representative has made, then by all means continue to vote for them. However, if Mainers are not happy, then look for someone else to support. If one can’t find someone that they support, then they should ask someone to run, who they do agree with.

Maine can be proactive this coming election and show the rest of the country that her people are concerned with the welfare of this state and in turn take action. Please, get out and vote wisely this June 10th.

THEotherWORLD Boston Marathon Bombings One Year Later

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By A.S. Kinsman

t’s been a year since the Boston Marathon bombings. It was a day that was meant to be spent rallying racers and cheering on the goodness of humanity and celebrate the human body’s potential. This all changed when two pressure-cooker bombs exploded near the finish line in a congested crowd of spectators. The terrorist attacks, perpetrated by brothers 26-year old Tamerlan and then 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, killed three people (including an eight-year-old child) and injured over 200 others, racers and spectators included. Most injuries included devastating shrapnel wounds, and many lost limbs.

It didn’t take long for authorities to catch the two terrorists. A four-day manhunt ensued after the bloody attacks. Tamerlan Tsarnaev went down in a hail of gunfire not long after being pursued by authorities, and his younger brother, Dzhokhar hid in a boat while authorities searched for him. He was eventually spotted by the owner of the boat, reported, and apprehended.

A year later, he sits in federal prison, and has complained about his “unfair” living conditions.

He awaits trial sometime this coming November.

He has been charged with using and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death, and malicious destruction of property resulting in death.

It is still not entirely clear why the Tsarnaev brothers planted two bombs in a crowded community event. It is believed that the motives were Islam extremist views, on the belief that non-believers (infidels) should be killed for their unbelief. Dzhokhar has admitted to authorities that he and his brother originally planned for a Fourth of July bombing, but when their bombs were finished earlier than expected, they decided to act quicker and selected the prestigious Boston Marathon, the world’s oldest continual race, as their new target.

A year after the devastating attacks, which

Literacy & Liberation

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By Garrick Hoffman

ohn Locke, an English philosopher and physician of the 17th century, once was quoted, Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours. If I could curtail that quote to just Reading furnishes the mind, I would be content.

If reading furnishes our mind, yet it is thinking that enables us to conceive our own original thoughts, how could we ever think for ourselves if we don’t have those materials of knowledge, if we ultimately choose not to read at all?

Let’s look at the tale of Frederick Douglass.

Douglass spent the first twenty years of his life bound by the shackles of bondage. At some point along the path of his enslavement, he formed an interest in literature. To his misfortune, slaves were not allowed to read.

Can you guess why?

It’s like our government’s (or the media’s, for the matter) citizens: slave masters didn’t want their slaves to think on their own. The masters wanted to keep their slaves stupefied so they would remain biddable fools. You know, just like so many Americans when Obama was president.

Oh wait...

So Douglass turned his interest into action, but he had to be surreptitious about it, or else face the wrath of his slave masters in the event that he’s caught. He would, even at a young age, trick literate boys into teaching him. Clever, right? He would also seek succor from the wife of one of his masters, and she, too, had to be surreptitious about it. Eventually, furnishing his mind with reading, he sharpened his skills and cultivated his knowledge. From here, he took further action and found his freedom, hopping on a train in Maryland (taking the right measures to do so first, since it obviously wasn’t as easy as hopping on one as a white person) and finally

was seen live on many stations and left the streets of Boston running red with blood, the Boston Marathon was held once again. Security was very tight and the race was very closely monitored.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said heightened security at the event included more uniformed and plainclothes police scattered throughout the race’s route, as well as a ban on backpacks and large containers near the finish line.

Over 36,000 runners from 96 countries participated in the run this year. An estimated one million people were expected to line the 42.2 kilometer route, from the town of Hopkinton east to Boston’s Boylston Street, according to Voa News.

Race organizers allowed about 9,000 more runners this year, including roughly 5,000 athletes who were not able to finish last year when twin pressure-cooker bombs went off near the finish line.

The run was bittersweet for many participants. Scott Kennedy, one of the marathon runners, felt participating in this year’s marathon would send a message.

“I saw a picture a few weeks ago that said ‘We need to take our finish line back,’ and that’s what I think that 36,000 people are going to do tomorrow, is take the finish line back,” said Kennedy.

Many others voiced their support. “This is probably the most meaningful victory for an American because of what happened last year,” said Meb Keflezighi, the winner of this year’s race.

“I’m almost 39. I just ran a personal best. I just won the Boston Marathon. I feel blessed.”

Stories of survivors were remembered as the Boston Marathon was celebrated a year after the carnage and devastation of last year. On Tuesday, April 15, a moment of silence was observed at the finish line on the one-year anniversary of the bombings. Church bells rang and a flag was raised as a steady rain fell. The phrase “Boston Strong” was chanted and repeated in memory of the event.

A year later, the race was won in celebration of victory over terrorism. The Boston Marathon of 2014 was marked with perseverance, strength, victory, and joy. Though bittersweet, the race was taken back.

In the words of runner Scott Kennedy, “Just to show the terrorists that they can’t win.”

arriving in New York as a free man, all within a day.

Later on, with his powerful oratory skills, compelling autobiography, and extraordinary literary aptitude, Douglass became an icon of the abolitionist movement. His deft abilities to explain his trials of slave life fueled the fervor for abolition. Slave owners must have reviled him, as he became an educated slave-turned-free black man who fought alongside abolitionists, including President Lincoln, and made a profound impact in doing so.

Muse on this for a bit: Douglass had to actively fight to be able to read and to have access to literature, all because his masters would expel him and every other slave from such. Now, in this era we live in, people actively and consciously eschew reading. What one man fought for, we dismiss.

I do believe that Douglass already was born with a towering capacity of intelligence, but reading enabled him to “furnish the mind” and, perhaps, claw his way out of bondage at a more accelerated rate than had he not been able to read at all.

Here’s another example of what I’m trying to get at.

Greece’s Dark Age began after their literature (and literacy) perished. After the Trojan War, the Dorian people attacked Greece, and the Mycenaean civilization - the dominant civilization - subsequently collapsed, bringing their language, written in Linear B, down with them. The Iliad and The Odyssey their only pieces of literature during the Dark Age, both of which were passed down, yet they were shared orally rather than written down. The Greek people, known as Hellenes, were rendered stagnant. Although there

Electronic Waste

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By David Greene

n most of your hands, right now, there is a smartphone. In a lot of your backpacks, there is a laptop.

When you get home tonight, you’ll probably turn on your television.

Your television will tell you that you need a newer, better smartphone and laptop. Everyday, our technology becomes old, undesirable, and obsolete. If you were to go to the store, right now, and buy the new Macbook, what would you do with your old one?

Well, statistically, you would just throw it in the garbage.

The EPA estimates that 50 million tons of electronic waste is produced every year, and only 20% of that is recycled. Most of the waste is put into a landfill. This is roughly equivalent to dumping 20 million cars into landfills. If you consider the materials used in making electronics, this statistic becomes even more troubling. Many materials used on the inside of our electronics are toxic, including lead, and mercury. When not disposed of properly, these toxic materials can re-enter the environment and potentially cause harm.

wasn’t necessarily any, say, civil unrest, violence, or insurrections, no one knew how to read or write, which at the time cast a grim shadow on the people. Because of their inability to do either, they were unable to share intellectual wealth in the written form.

Then, when trade with Egypt began, the minds of the people were eventually nourished.

They were re-introduced to mathematics and literature. The Phoenicians also played a role, introducing the Hellenes to their phonetic alphabet. Eventually, like World War II vacuuming America out of The Great Depression in the 1940s, literacy vacuumed Greece out of their Dark Age, which occurred around 800 BCE.

Furthermore, Thales and Anaximander, considered the founding fathers of philosophy, likely would have never been able to spread the word of their insights had they lived in the Dark Age. Even worse, it’s possible that their classical civilization, as well as theater, medicine, history, democracy, and philosophy, never would have materialized at all.

Either that, or it would have taken much longer for these things to materialize.

Reading and literacy, you could say, furnished their minds, and gave them the means to share their thoughts and observations.

Also, consider Hitler’s efforts to eradicate all of Jewish literature. It was an impossible, already-doomed aspiration because, I contest, you can’t eliminate literature so ubiquitous and embraced throughout the entire world. There will always be books floating around, and that’s all it takes to keep something alive.

What I’m saying here is that literacy, with all its spellbinding qualities and powers, carves

So why are we just throwing everything away?

I’d like to tell you that it’s because recycling electronics is a hard thing to do, but that’s just not the truth. Although the probable cause of these statistics is laziness, we can pretend that the cause is ignorance, and try to educate ourselves. Recycling electronics is quick, easy, and can usually be free.

Most cities have recycling centers that will take electronic waste. This is great resource, but usually there is a fee associated with this. If you don’t want to pay for these services, there are still options available to you.

Most large electronic retailers will accept your waste for recycling at no cost. Two large retailers that are in our area that provide these services are Best Buy and Staples. They take most consumer electronics with no fees, or questions. Really, you can just walk right in, and hand them your old junk, and they will recycle it responsibly.

But, what do we do with electronics that are no longer useful to us, but may have value to others? This is often the case with smartphones and functioning computers. Most retailers will accept smartphones for trade-in credit towards your next smartphone, or you could sell them on Craigslist or Ebay. As for computers, there are many organizations that need computers but can’t afford them.

A great thing to do with old computers is to donate them to Goodwill.

So, the next time you consider upgrading your technology, first consider what it is you will do with your old things. It is simple to be responsible, and your choices are important for the environment.

David Greene is a member of the Computer Technology Senior Seminar course, and is planning on a career in IT.

the path to enlightenment, to disillusionment, to intelligent/critical thinking, to liberation.

Regardless of whether anyone is born on a lower intelligence tier than Douglass, Thales, or Anaximander, the powers of reading can vitalize your mind, swell it with knowledge, and inflate its capabilities for (critical) thinking.

After I graduated high school in 2008, I regret to say that I don’t think I read a single book for four years. At some juncture of my 22nd year, I developed a curiosity in outdoorsman Aron Ralston’s autobiographical book, Between a Rock and a Hard Place. The book served as a tale of his nearly-fatal plight when he got his arm trapped in a slot canyon and was forced to sever it to regain his freedom (hey, there’s that word again). I read it, loved it, and never stopped reading since then.

In these last couple years (I am now 24), my thinking patterns and lifestyle have taken a complete one-eighty. Although it likely has something to do with a growing young man’s developing brain in those years of age, I attribute my oneeighty to reading. It’s staggering how much one can learn, how much insight one can absorb and muse on, how much wisdom one can gather, all from books and reading.

And it’s for that reason why education is so paramount for everybody, certainly, education within the walls of a school but, perhaps more importantly, beyond them. When you take your curiosity into your own hands and feed your mind with lessons, insight, and wisdom, then you too, can obliterate those shackles of mental bondage. You too, can carve your path into liberation. If you’re stuck in a dark confinement of ignorance, just know that literature is the key that opens the door for your way out. I’m still turning the key myself.

With literacy, reading, and education, as Winston McCall from Parkway Drive, one of my favorite bands, proclaims,

“From the depths of Hell I rise. From gilded cage, my spirit flies.”

Have a good summer, everyone.

(Many thanks to faculty members Justin Amoroso and Angel Christian, who both aided me for accuracy in writing this piece.) | April 29, 2014 |5

OP&ED

Bouncing off the Presidents Blog

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By Xavior Hansen

n President Cantor’s most recent blog he talks about making spring resolutions.

Spring: there seems no better time to resolve to make better choices. Along with spring time comes new life, and new opportunities, so why not make fresh resolutions? Let’s look at a resolution we can make here at SMCC. Let’s make new connections, let’s build ties with organizations that promote things we support, and let’s create bonds with people/institutions that can help us grow and thrive. Working towards that goal will, in part, accomplish this resolution that President Cantor made: “Resolved, we will adjust our priorities to enhance long-term progress and success.”

Building connections is an invaluable tool that all should utilize throughout life. We at SMCC can and should work on building more ties. Sociologist Mark Granovetter did research on the importance of weak ties. He found that the majority of people looking for work (56%) found their jobs through people they saw “more than once a year but less than twice a week.”

This demonstrates how great the need is for us to be outgoing as a school, and avoid insular behaviours. One can never have enough allies.

This is not meant to be a criticism to SMCC, rather an encouragement.

Ties lead to opportunity; both sides of the string can profit from these opportunities.

SMCC can benefit from building connections with volunteer, private, and governmental organisations as well as other institutions. If there’s a worthy cause that needs man power, SMCC should be known as the place to go for great volunteers. If job positions, intern slots, or other needs have to be met, they should know where to look. When we make ties with other places, and demonstrate what a great institution we are, word spreads fast! We have so much to look forward to hear at SMCC, there’s something special about this school. We have some time before things get crazy again in the fall, so let’s do the most with it!

This quote from President Cantor’s Blog seems an appropriate note to end this article on: “These times require the best of every one of us.”

B E H I N D T H E C U RTA I N W

By Jason Glynn

ell boys and girls, ladies and gents, professors and adjuncts, the moment we’ve all been waiting for has arrived. In your hands you are holding something special. You are holding the last printed issue of The Beacon for the Spring 2014 semester.

But don’t worry yet. This summer we will be trying something new here, we will not have the print version, but we will have an online special: The Beacon Travels. The rundown of what will be running online is not fully ironed out yet. We do have a few writers doing some cool things.

I will be covering my adventure as a lab rat at UNE’s Biddeford campus, and my involvement on our campus community garden as a new member of the club. If you are doing something really cool this summer and would like to share, then please email us!

So have no fear, we are not going the way of our many printed newspaper compatriots, for the print version will return in the fall. We were just on

In the Pursuit of Happiness

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By: Michael H. Caron

his semester I am taking a Public Policy course. It has been a great learning experience, and unexpectedly, a catalyst for some personal growth and insight into a specific facet of my life. About one month ago, at the end of our first policy analysis – of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps – I volunteered to debate the policy. The debate had four members, two debating for the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, who proposed an approximately $40 billion dollar cut in the SNAP program over a ten year period, and two debaters arguing a relatively small $4 billion dollar cut. The research I engaged in for this debate lead me to an interesting fellow named Arthur C. Brooks, President of the American Enterprise Institute, and an accomplished musician and economist. Almost

such a role that we couldn’t stop!!

When the print version does return in the fall it will surely be action-packed. The Maine 2014 gubernatorial campaign will be well-underway and we will be bringing the coverage to you. We have some exciting things planned, and we can’t wait to get back at it!

Hopefully you stopped by our booth at the Spring Barbeque and inquired about writing for us next year. The turnout was awesome and it was great to see everyone! We will also be looking for people to help out with layout and illustrations next fall too, there are many ways to build your resume with The Beacon!

The reasons to get involved are endless. Writing for assignments no longer seems like a big deal if you write biweekly and keep those muscles fresh.

The experience will help you build your resume and college transcript. It will clearly give you an edge over many others!

We have many opportunities for you to get involved and enhance your skillset, whatever that may be. We are also a great avenue to utilize if you

are involved in a club. With hundreds of student readers we can help you to get information where you want it! With a WordPress site, a Facebook page, and print, we have the tools necessary for your success!

Next week the staff here will be hitting the lanes at South Portland’s newest bowling alley: Easy Day. They are located over on Broadway, right by the bridge. If you missed us at the barbeque and want more information about getting involved, stop in and ask us some questions!

Hopefully you have an excellent summer.

Whether you are taking classes or not, try to find as many excuses possible to get outside and enjoy what Mother Nature has to offer. We are only young once, don’t stress out too much over school work. Save those stresses for fall.

With that said, summer is a great chance to pause and reevaluate things as well. Your next classes, your next move, your next college, give it some thought while you have a chance. It’s your future, live it and write your history the way you’d like to!!

every talk given by Arthur C. Brooks included something he called “earned success” which is loosely defined as the creation of worth in our life and the lives around us, assisting others, and creating – or sharing in the creation of – something beautiful.

This concept of success is based on motivation, hard work, and merit.

This profound information is something many of us know intuitively, but for me having some statistics, studies, and a few distinguished scholars behind the concept helped lead me to new discoveries. I began to listen more intently, and began to do some research. Although I am not yet a distinguished academic in the field of happiness research, nor will I likely ever be, I have learned a few things and grown through the process. The studies, the scholars, the data and statistics, the papers, the TED talks. It was all incredibly informative and helped to shape my perspective on the issue. But for me, the golden gem - far from fully polished - of this story is not the information, but the gained insight, the questions I began asking myself, and, one specific paradox I have been trying to work out.

The ideology of free enterprise purports that making it to the top of essentially any system should

be based on deserving qualities such as: determination, motivation, hard work, resilience, and perseverance. An environment where this ideal held true is called a meritocracy. The darker side of meritocracy is held in the implication that if one at the top is allowed to take all the credit for his hard work and effort, then one at the bottom must take credit for his or her inadequacy and overall, failure. Here lies the essential paradox of a meritocracy, often we are glad to take the credit for our success, but not for our failures, which we attribute to circumstances beyond our control. Often the opposite holds true when we view others; we attribute their failures more closely to their inner qualities and their successes more to luck or circumstance.

While considering these things I have been assessing how I judge my successes and failures.

How much of this do I do? Do I really think I am responsible for my great successes and void of credit for my failures? How large of a role does chance, or the larger contextual limitations of society impede on MY ability to succeed or fail? How much of where I am is my doing? Am I responsible for my happiness?

Am I in control, or merely riding on the coattails of the winds of chance?

Pro-Active Advice: Coffee, Tea, or Summer? Definitely Summer!

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By Kora O’Han

hat a rollercoaster ride this semester has been for me! As much as I’m glad that it is over, I am also pretty blue because so many wonderful people are leaving SMCC for greener pastures and brighter futures.

Don’t get me wrong, I am very happy for every one of you, lovely, beautiful people. Your presence will be sorely missed by me. I wish you guys all the luck and all the love of my entire being!

Do come back and visit sometime or hit me up at kora.o.h@gmail.com for old times’ sake okay? As for the rest of you, you’ll be seeing me next fall so fret not I’m still here for you! So without further

ado, here’s the last pro-active advice for spring!

Dear Kora, I’m a social smoker but lately I realized that I’ve been smoking more often and even without the presence of friends. I’ve been stressed out because of the incessant tests and assignments that the instructors have been forcing down our throats. I feel like a zombie without brains if I don’t smoke after class. I know I should quit before it’s too late but I think maybe it’s too late.

Smoking Zombie Dearest Zombie,

It is never too late to start breaking a bad habit. You did the right thing by asking for help and

I applaud you for your courage. First and foremost, you need to have a strong conviction to keep you on track and prevent you from buying another pack of cigarettes or bumming them from friends. That conviction could be a goal that you want to pursue, like a goal to remain healthy, or a concern that smoking might put a hole in your pocket, or a combination of both. I know of two ways that may help you quit.

The first is to cut back on the amount of cigarettes you consume daily by decreasing the cigarettes you smoke each day, for example from 10 sticks to perhaps 4-6 and keep on decreasing the number till you’re not reliant on them to get through the day.

You can set your own goals and adjust them as you improve.

The second way is to go cold turkey, meaning staying off cigarettes entirely. This is the harder of the two as one can develop withdrawal symptoms like excessive coughing or even substituting nicotine with another substance entirely which can be counter-productive. I hope these suggestions help, dear Zombie.

Always know that I’ll be here cheering you on while you kick that habit in the butt!

Dear Kora, I know that this might be a tad too late but I’ve been contemplating whether or not I should take summer classes. I’ll be going on vacation with my family for a couple of weeks in June too and I’m afraid that it might affect my attendance record for classes if I miss any.

I could spend my summer working but that would be so boring. What should I do?

Summer Woes Hey SW,

It’s not too late at all to think about it, especially if you’ll be here in Maine for most it! Have you ever thought about trying an online class or “Distance Learning” for an elective modules such as history, philosophy, photography, business etc.? There are many online classes available on the SMCC Summer 2014 catalog that there’s bound to be one

6 | April 29, 2014 |

that you might be interested in.

There are also hybrid classes (Online + Actual class time) available that you can look into which might fit around your vacation time or part-time work schedule. For further clarification, why don’t you approach a staff at the Office of Student Successes for options on summer classes? I’m sure that there’ll be someone there who might be able to help you pick classes. Remember to also have fun this, SW. It’s summer after all! (: Dear Kora,

I was taking a walk near Willard beach one day and I saw a boy being shouted at by a girl, presumably his significant other. I never thought twice about it until the next day when I saw the same couple with the girl doing the very same thing to him again. I did not want to disturb them or come to any conclusions but I think that what she is doing is wrong to be constantly shouting at her boyfriend all the time. Do you think I should intervene the next time?

The Perplexed Bystander Hey PB(&J),

There’s a fine line between a lovers’ spat and verbal abuse and all it takes for you to discern between the two is body language and the language used. If it is the former, then it will eventually be settled with make-up… ice cream. If it is the latter, it might be a good thing to intervene if you are sure that she is indeed hurting him.

Some people take arguments a little too far than they ought to, not caring how it might affect the person whom they are hurting, and might need an external party to bring them back to earth.

Verbal abuse, like other forms of abuse, should not be tolerated and should be stopped. That’s my two cents on this issue. I hope that this helps. Hopefully, it was just a lovers’ spat and not the other unfortunate situation.

Letters

Response: n the last issue of The Beacon there was a tactless and very disparaging “Letter to the Editor,” that was written by a self-proclaimed ‘smart student.’ It was a clearly petulant person with an obvious vendetta or animosity towards our chapter or its members.

Not only was it laden with grammatical errors which question the writer’s assertion that they were invited to an honor society, but it was also riddled with false assumptions and baseless accusations.

The intent of this response is not to slam the unknown author, or spread more rumors.

Its purpose is to correct some of the grossly inaccurate assumptions that skew the facts about our organization, attempt to damage our reputation, and wrongly sway the potential members who simply do not know about our structure or operational oversight.

Firstly, to address the questions brought up about our finances, which is admittedly a valid concern; it must be clearly stated that we are NOT a student ‘club.’ Thereby, we do NOT receive any financial support from our Student Senate. To be a student ‘club’ you must be all-inclusive, we accept members on an in-

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OP&ED to the

Editor

vite-only basis. When one becomes a member, they pay a fee of $80 dollars. Phi Theta Kappa takes $60 of that, and our chapter gets the remaining $20. These funds go to support our chapter activities and our community outreach – such as starting and stocking the Captain’s Cupboard food pantry.

As far as the travelling we do, our chapter is expected to attend two conventions yearly – regionals and internationals. As a college that houses a chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, our college is expected to send us to these conventions, but this money does NOT come from the student activity fee that is added to your tuition bill, and does not go through the Student Senate’s Finance Committee.

Although we are not a student club, when we travel we are still upheld to the same comportment that all other student organizations are. What’s more, all members of the officer team and anyone who travels with us are also upheld to Phi Theta Kappa’s own standards of conduct which include a written non-consumption pledge. We are NOT permitted to go to bars or partying, nor do we have the time to do so. If one member happens to break the rules this does not reflect on the entire organi-

zation, chapter, or advisor. We are an honors society people, need I say more?

Now onto the bowling: yes, we do go bowling, and that comes out of our chapter’s funds. One of the four hallmarks of Phi Theta Kappa is to promote fellowship among its members, which bowling clearly serves the purpose of accomplishing.

As far as “preferred table space,” assuming they were referring to our Bagel Sale location; that space is open to all student organizations on a first-come, first-served basis.

Lastly, but surely not least, we’d like to address the “gross to have food on the floor and things cleaned in the bathroom” assertion.

We are currently reviewing our procedure to triple check that we are in line with all relevant health codes, but it is unlikely the administration would allow any organization to operate in an unsafe manner. I urge you, the reader, to use your own reasoning here.

Sincerely, Your Alpha Chi Nu Officer Team

Dear Editior, lectronic cigarettes have been on the up rise, seeming less dangerous and a decent substitute for smokers. Many have been proven to quit traditional cigarettes on the vapor devices. Or are they just trading one addiction for another. Whatever the progress of the E-cigarettes are, they need to be regulated. The companies don’t have any of the laws to abide by as tobacco companies do. They have free range in marketing and advertising, yet all the side effects have yet to be fully diagnosed.

These companies have been accused of appealing to children and lurring them into nicotine addictions. There have been many Hospital reports of children with water in their lungs from puffing the devices too much. With all these fruity and friendly flavors along with the colorful looking devices, congress is claiming they appeal to children. Congress plans on putting laws to these popular unrecognized devices.

Sebastian Theriault

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Is the UN Part of the US State Department?

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By Iman Ali

n Friday April 18, President Obama signed a law barring the U.S. government from providing a visa to any nominee to the United Nations deemed to have engaged in terrorist activity, a measure aimed at blocking Iran’s preferred ambassador to the world body.

My views:

The United State is setting a grave precedent if they use this law against the Iranian envoy to the United Nations. Blocking the Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations would tarnish the United States host nation status, not to mention it would depict itself as an imperialist country. Frankly from an international point of view I couldn’t care much for Iran’s choice of an envoy to the United Nations, the only part I care for, as an advocate for international law is that any country has the sovereign right to send their envoy to the United Nations.

The envoy in question is Hamid Aboutalebi an Iranian diplomat that has visited the United Nations in the past, as part of a delegation without any US objections.

On Accountability and Resolution...

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By D.M. Smith

n a recent blog post, President Cantor talked about taking accountability asking, to whom and to what must we be accountable? He listed several entities, including us. I’ve also been thinking a lot about a quote from Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

These two thoughts made me think about writing one final piece for The Beacon. The last article that I wrote (upon request) was omitted from the issue. Whether it was censorship or editing due to space is unknown; the reason was never shared. The article spoke out against a writer who was voicing unpopular views without any counterbalancing points. It wasn’t a request to suppress the other writer, rather an effort to keep our campus communication fair and balanced.

This was not to be. The reason the article was never published was never shared and it dulled me on wanting to be part of this paper.

Once again, I find myself in a similar situation. I am a former member of the Yo-Yo Club.

It was an association that made me proud - an honorable club that promoted it on developing strong skills and building relationships. We have won awards and achievements, notable for being a small club within a much larger organization. It has been rewarding to remain a part of the club, even if in a lesser role as new leadership formed and went in a different direction.

The first sense of unease arrived when the club experienced a rather sizable turnover of participants. Yo-Yo-ing is tougher than you may think and interest can wane. But this was more than what we’d seen before. I was asked to step in and help finish a few of the strings that had yet to be fully connected for an upcoming competition.

Not a problem – glad to help out.

The next sense that something was amiss was when the banker advised that the budget for the string competition was being cut. While the banker could have ordered strings earlier and saved money, that opportunity was lost.

Not all Yo-Yos would receive new strings for the competition. The decision came down to raising funds or cutting Yo-Yos. Fully expecting to be a cut Yo-Yo, the manner in which it was done was less than honorable and somewhat dishonest.

I received a letter, outlining the tough decision that had been made and how the decision had been made on my lack of performance, as per an agreed upon contract. The letter was signed by four leader Yo-Yos. The letter came as a bit of a surprise to me as I’d never signed – nor been asked to sign – a contract of participation.

I was being held accountable to a standard that hadn’t been communicated, or agreed upon.

When asked about the decision, three out of the four Yo-Yos directed the blame to other Yo-Yos. No one took individual accountability for the decision. The fourth Yo-Yo provided no comment.

While the decision to make the cut is understandable, the manner in which it was done was NOT one to be proud of. It left me, and the others in a position of unanswered questions and diminished belief in the honor of the Yo-Yo Club. The ends did not justify the means. What was done and how it was done may eventually be forgotten, but how it felt may not.

Which is better – receiving no reason for being cut or an inaccurate, possibly dishonest one?

Having experienced both, I still don’t have the answer. It feels like I’m running out of cheeks to turn. Then I look back to President Cantor’s blog and consider his advice: We can explain why it’s impossible to do things better—or we can look to where accountability is abundant and follow that lead toward progress. These times require the best of every one of us.

Aboutalebi was accused of being involved in the 1979 US embassy hostage-taking during the Islamic republic’s revolution; Hamid during the

time appeared to have been a translator.

The insanity surrounding the rumors of his involvement in the hostage taking has sparked a harsh criticism from politicians such as: Republican Senator Ted Cruz who needs little excuse and even less evidence to move against Iran. The law barring the Iranian diplomat was Sen. Ted Cruz’s bill.

As we all know the United Nations is an intergovernmental organization that replaced the League of Nations. After World War 1 the Europeans joined together and created the League of Nations a tool that would prevent the member state from going to war with one another, but sadly member nations ignored the charter deeming the organization ineffective and it resulted to World War Two.

As a student and advocate for the fair international arena for common good we should not as Americans be the exception to the rule when it comes to international law but the role model.

Should Iran be more diplomatic when it comes to selecting an Ambassador to the United Nation’s world body? Yes. But sadly that’s not the case, is it? Does Iran have the sovereign right to choose their envoy to the United Nations? Yes. If Iran were a colonial state of America then I would readjust my view on the topic.

If Iran selected Hamid Aboutalebi as the Iranian Ambassador to the United States and the State Department blocked him, and let’s say Senator Ted Cruz’s bill passed Congress and President Obama signed it into law I would advise the Iranian government to go find a suitable candidate for the position.

The United States and every independent country has the right to accept or deny any foreign envoy, but an international body like the United Nations, the US should not micromanage. If being the host country is too much to bear than end your contract with the United Nations, I bet a European country would not mind being a host country.

Celebrating the Civil Rights Act: Does Racism Still Exist in America?

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By Teddy Burrage

arlier this month on April 10th, President Barack Obama, with three of his predecessors, celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, paying tribute to Lyndon B. Johnson and those who led the movement for more equality in the United States.

During his keynote address, President Obama gave a riveting portrayal of LBJ’s early life, describing his struggle with poverty as a child and his experience as a teacher at a so-called Mexican school in Texas. It was those experiences which inspired his mission for a more equitable America.

The provisions outlined in the Civil Rights Act ensured that Blacks no longer had to endure unfair poll taxes, reinforced the desegregation of public and private locations, and mandated equal opportunity employment.

The Civil Rights Movement paved the way for people such as President Obama and Congresswoman Marcia Fudge to hold public office.

The opportunities forged by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, President Johnson, and people like Medgar Evers will forever been seen as among the greatest achievements in this country.

Unfortunately, these acts of leadership have lulled many non-minorities into believing that racism in America is a thing of the past.

Many are eager to point to the election of a Black president (he’s actually half Black and half White), as proof that the color of your skin no longer matters in meaningful ways.

Those who believe in a “post-racist America” are often reassured by Blacks ability ride in the front of the bus, or sit at the lunch counter.

I’m here to tell you that these ideas are misguided at best.

According to the NAACP, nearly 50 percent, or 1 million of the 2.3 million people currently incarcerated are Black; this is despite Blacks only making up about 13 percent of the entire population of the US. Further evidence of these institutional inequities can be seen while analyzing New York City’s controversial stop-and-frisk policy. The policy clearly comes in violation of the 4th Amendment’s guarantee against unwarranted search and seizure. Data compiled by New York’s Civil Liberties Union found that 191,558 stop-and-frisks occurred in 2013; of those stops, 56 percent were performed on Black people, compared to only 11 percent on Whites.

The contemporary issues we are facing regarding race extend further than just the flawed criminal justice system. We see it within wealth and opportunity. The pangs of segregation and the implications therein still ripple into the present day. The Kaiser Family Foundation found that 35 percent of Americans living in poverty are Black, compared to Whites who only represent 13 percent.

What most people need to understand is the term racism. Racism describes an institutional system of privilege based on racial groups. Often people mistake the term racism with prejudice. Prejudice can be held by anyone, against anyone else, based on any difference. For example, a Black person can be prejudice against a White person. But a Black person cannot be racist. White people are the only group able to be racist. This is because we live in country where a vast majority of the people in power are White: ie, CEOs, legislators, property owners, etc. Here’s an easy way to understand this: racism equals prejudice, plus power.

So yes, almost everyone condemns the burning of crosses, segregation of public places, and the use of harsh racial epithets--but that doesn’t mean racism is gone. It means that people have resolved or no longer act on their prejudice. The work of Dr Martin Luther King Jr, President Lyndon B. Johnson, and countless others will forever encompass one of the greatest social movements in world history. But we need to not lose sight of the very apparent inequities that plague our society. The color of your skin should not be a reliable indicator of your wealth, privilege, and opportunity. | April 29, 2014 |7

8 | April 29, 2014 |

ARTS&features An Acadia Sojourn

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By Patrick Doyle

nd another semester ends and then another begins and then that one ends. Oh, wait, this one hasn’t ended yet.

It has been another great year of poetics and Beacon newspapers, as I’m sure you’ll all agree. While it’s a bummer that such great things come to a (brief ) halt, we can trade them out for beautiful Nature poetics and nice times in the Sun. The two I feel are interconnected like an Olympian race; you get the “poetic Torch” from me and then I pass it to you and then you go off into summer filled with poetic license.

Until then though, you’re stuck with this poetry.

Those Raymond Carver Moments All of my human relations can feel stark like potholes that will eat the tire of my trust, ripping out the frame of sanity with a loud THUD. Sometimes they can be empowering maybe.

Today is the first day of the rest of a bunch of “dirty realism” stories in-real-life, where between working class environments I have slightly prophetic conversations with those important to me, which can lead to those dry, economically vacuous, emotionally paraplegic Raymond Carver moments.

Freudian Hallucination My friend was showing me some wrapper and saying, “Look what I did.”

I looked at him and said, “Is that a condom?”

He said no.

I literally thought he was holding a used condom and showing it off.

Although we laughed about it, I think he was concerned.

God’s Garden Oswald Spengler said civilizations are like organisms, comparable to plants and their lifespans.

If God exists, which civilization is closest to the window on the sill?

Maybe the Romans?

By Garrick Hoffman

’ve lived in Maine for 24 years, and you could say that, to some degree, I’ve been deprived. Until this recent Patriots Day weekend, that is.

I had read in the Portland Press Herald’s weekly entertainment magazine, Go, that Acadia was free for the 19th and the 20th. I found out that meant both for entrance and for camping. $0? Sweet. So I made plans with a friend to make the journey, but he ended up backing out a few days prior in interest of Easter family plans. This left me wondering whether I should go or not. After conferring with my mom and with myself (if ambivalence was a psychological condition rather than feeling, I’d most certainly have a chronic case of it), I decided to go.

Solo.

It constituted some preparation and a threehour drive. So I loaded up my car and coffee mug, and embarked on my maiden voyage to Acadia National Park with an enthusiasm only matched by the feeling of buying a new Pokémon card pack in fourth grade. Or twelfth grade.

Prior to my trip, I bought an audiobook of Aron Ralston’s Between a Rock and a Hard Place, read by the author himself. As described in another column of mine in this same Beacon issue, it revolves around the outdoorsman’s bleak episode of adventure in which he travelled in a Utah slot canyon and got his arm trapped, leaving him stranded by himself for five days, battling against the odds, and ultimately severing his own arm. His zeal for solo adventures served as some inspiration to me, but I was simultaneously hoping as I drove that his near-fatal blunder wasn’t also serving as some harbinger for my own solo adventure.

That first day I camped at Blackwoods campground and did some non-strenuous hiking, peaking on the South Bubble and North Bubble mountains and admiring the beauty of Jordan Pond from the summits. Already I could tell that Acadia was one beguiling spectacle, and I understood why scores and scores of people make their pilgrimage to the park. Driving on the Park Loop Road and experiencing both the sunset and sunrise on Cadillac Mountain - Acadia’s highest peak at 1,528 feet - I was already intoxicated by the splendor of its landscapes and features, bedazzled by its natural, pristine, and untarnished beauty. Nature and all its labors, I began to ruminate, is in itself an aphrodisiac. In witnessing the rises and sets on Cadillac, it was then and only then that I longed for some companionship. Its elating beauty rendered me a trifle smitten.

I had bigger plans for the second day, for after the sunriseon Cadillac. I wanted to go on a hike of a considerable magnitude. So, looking at the map and its trails, I decided I’d start at Gorham Mountain trailhead and peak that (525ft), make my way to the Beehive (20ft), continue toward Champlain Mountain (1,080ft), then branch off toward the Ocean Path, which winds off the coast at sea level and hugs the Park Loop Road.

Although the hiking proved very rewarding and not overly taxing on my energy or body, one spot really did tax me. Psychologically, anyway. It was the Beehive trail.

I had included the Beehive in my hiking plans for the day. After making my way down from Gorham Mountain, I encountered an affable, young, and very pleasant Indian couple who proceeded to usher me to the second most frightening moment of my life. The first being the time when I thought I lost my favorite Beanie Baby. I told the couple that I wanted to tackle the Beehive, and they lead me to the trailhead. When we bid our farewells and I

Let’s Salsa!

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By Erik Squire

f you ever wanted to grab your dancing shoes and have an awesome night, but didn’t because you’re a horrible dancer, then you’re in luck.

April 23, Portland Maine Salsa (PM Salsa) will be starting beginner classes in Portland every week on Wednesdays at the Maine Ballroom Dance, at 7pm. Now there’s no excuse to say there’s nothing to do!

It is a great atmosphere, fantastic company, and in my opinion (so basically it’s a fact), nowhere else will you find a better dance instructor.

The classes are affordable, and it’s close by on Congress St! So come take your gal, or guy, and have a great night and score some points. If you’re single; not to worry! You don’t need to bring a partner, just come and meet some of the great people that are going by themselves.

offered my thanks, I commenced the undertaking.

The sign at the head of the trail cautioned: THOSE WITH FEAR OF HEIGHTS: THIS IS NOT FOR YOU.

Those with fear of heights? Hey, that’s me!

Well, here I go!

Fear of heights doesn’t really come into play or disturb me until certain circumstances emerge. One of them is when I feel vulnerable and exposed on some vertical position. Which is exactly what Beehive proved to have in stock for me. It’s a near-vertical rock face with iron rungs installed into the rock for climbing. This section would be unclimbable if not for the iron rungs.

I climbed and climbed with a nice family ahead of me and a couple other hikers behind. I felt like I was nearly convulsing with fear as I got higher.

I was honestly petrified. The only thing that could have made me more petrified is if someone started singing Alicia Keys’s “Fallin’”, or Kanye West’s “All Falls Down”, or Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’”. Yikes.

It was partially irrational, because as long as I climb intelligently and cautiously, which is not difficult for me, the climb shouldn’t be an issue.

But as the fear seeps in, the less prudent and more haphazard my maneuvers become. This is perilous because I could lose control and make a fatal error.

It also causes me to scrape my legs and arms on the rocks, causing small abrasions here and there that end up bleeding mildly. This would typically not be the case if I felt more comfortable hiking on high-elevation, vertical terrain, as I’d have a more correct approach. Nonetheless, the Beehive really is a treacherous climb. People in the past have both gotten injured and died attempting it. One false move, especially going up the iron rungs, and you’re taking a considerable tumble, and possibly taking others with you.

And here was this family ahead of me, with the father likely over the 200-pound threshold in weight, and his two younger daughters totally collected and headstrong. I was not so much like the girls. I later joked to them that they embarrassed me. Maybe I should practice being a 12 year-old girl. Maybe then I’d feel more comfortable climbing rock walls.

The rest of the day proved to be nothing short of wondrous. I couldn’t help but muse on how much I was reminded of my stay on Maui, Hawaii, in the town of Hana. Walking along the Park Loop Road adjacent to the infinite Atlantic, it felt like I was walking along the Hana Highway overlooking the Pacific. From some elevated points on my hike, I was reminded of another hike on Maui that overlooked Hana Bay. When I sauntered around Sand Beach, it was uncannily reminiscent of Wai’anapanapa State Park. My Acadia sojourn was the closest I’ve gotten to that feeling of being on Maui since returning to the mainland.

I talked to a few nice people, saw more sights of awe, and ended the day on a burger and beer at a local restaurant, Route 66. At night, with a six-pack of Shipyard keeping me company, I made a fire under the eyes of Orion, brandishing his spear, his belt shining in magnificent glory. I felt spoiled then.

In total, I hiked for around ten hours by myself (although I don’t know what that translates to miles, and some outdoor enthusiasts are much, much more audacious and extreme than I). Although I was largely on my own, I partially felt in company, however. It felt like I carried a part of my uncle with me. In February of this year he passed away at far too young an age. I inherited his backpack that appeared designed for adventure and told myself - and my family - that I’d first re-christen it on an elongated adventure in his honor. I think I fulfilled that duty adequately.

Having taken the classes myself, I can honestly say it is absolutely enjoyable. Dancing should be a life skill that no one can go without.

It adds flavour to one’s self, and even creates opportunities. For instance, if this really good looking girl/guy is at a dance party and they’re dancing Salsa, chances are you’re the only other person who will know how to Salsa, then you make your move. Personally I’ve had great experiences from knowing how to dance Salsa, that I wouldn’t have had otherwise, like dancing in Boston to live music, underneath the open sky, with a lively crowd. Any big city you go to in the U.S. there’s bound to be a great Salsa community guaranteed.

If you’re interested, please check out PM Salsa’s website at: www.pmsalsa.com. I promise you, that if you get involved, you will not regret it. If you want to try just one night, that’s perfectly acceptable; you don’t have to make a commitment. The art of dance is something you have for life that certainly adds enrichment. So please, get out and try it!

| April 29, 2014 |9

ARTS&features On Film: Captain America the Winter Soldier

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By Nicholas James Miller

e was the world’s first superhero, and has become a cultural icon spanning dozens of generations. Captain America is nothing less than the symbol of American patriotism, as well as a universal symbol of justice among millions of fans worldwide. As the leader of the Avengers, the hero to generations, and the icon of the Marvel Universe, Captain America has saved the world thousands of times, and in recent years, brought movie goers to the edge of their seat on the big screen. As someone who avidly follows the Marvel superhero movies, I couldn’t miss out on the original Captain America film, and most certainly couldn’t miss out on the latest installment.

Steve Rogers wasn’t built a very sturdy man. He suffered from asthma, was five feet four inches tall, and weighed barely one hundred pounds. It was after being proved worthy of greatness by his courage and drive for suc-

Sabering Hollywood The Quiet Ones (2014) By Sabra Schirm “I was in the darkness; I could not see my words Nor the wishes of my heart. Then suddenly there was a great light -- ‘Let me into the darkness again’”--Stephen Crane

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AMMER films, the production house who’s brought to life over 150 feature films since its birth in 1934, delivers once more with John Pogue’s The Quiet Ones.

An intoxicating blend of the physical and the psychological, this film will leave you cold... cold with fright, and the knowledge that, once again, HAMMER films has hit it out of the park.

Though very different in feel from James Watkins’ delightfully eerie 2012 feature The Woman In Black, The Quiet Ones is nevertheless awes, delights, and terrifies in equal measures. This film invites you to sit back, hold on, and be afraid as it delves into darkness, and puts your nightmares on display.

In a genre polluted with either cliché ridden messes or torture porn, The Quiet Ones delivers a much subtler brand of horror, a horror that plays on the imagination of the audience, and lets the fear of the unseen do the talking. Though there are no horrific monsters, or gore fests, or in-yourface moments of mayhem, The Quiet Ones manages to delight, surprise, and intrigue, even as you 10 | April 29, 2014 |

cess that he was selected to be the first subject to be augmented with a special super soldier serum, designed to make him faster, stronger, smarter, and to be pushed beyond the natural limits of the human body. After his encounter with the villain The Red Skull, Captain America was frozen in Antarctica, and remained there for nearly seventy years until the modern day.

The events of the movie take place after the events of the Avengers movie, when Rogers has settled into a “normal” life as a S.H.I.E.L.D. special forces operative. After a mission, it is revealed to Rogers by chairman Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) that the agency has been compromised, and that he can trust no one. Given this knowledge, he pairs up with Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson) to find the source of the menace, and to keep the world safe from certain annihilation, all while facing the menacing Winter Solider.

I honestly feel as though this is the best movie Marvel has made to date. As someone who has been a superhero fan since they could first hold a comic book, I feel like this most was absolutely the best portrayal of the characters on film that we’ve seen so far.

The studios improve with every movie they make, and it certainly shows. The story-lines, dialogue, special effects and sound are all on the verge of perfection, and the cinematography is some of the best I’ve ever seen. To anyone who hasn’t seen the movie in theaters, definitely check the film out. As for me, I’ll be seeing this film again.

hide behind your hands or your bag of popcorn.

This is, quite frankly, the film that Andres Muchietti’s 2013 film Mama should have been.

Both have an equally as compelling premise, and an equally as talented cast, but, in the end, The Quiet Ones succeeded where Mama failed terribly.

Mama, which suffered from an unfortunate case of “trying too hard syndrome,” ruined every moment of tension, of fear, by putting its horribly, obviously CGI’d monster on display. The Quiet Ones, on the other hand, lets the audience create their own face for the monster. Though both showing and implying are equally as valid approaches to a monster, great evil, etc… ultimately the implied horror wins, in the end.

No film, no matter how wonderful, is without its faults. The Quiet Ones, a tad reliant on jump scares at times, nevertheless managed to scare me consistently. Though repeated jump scares don’t always work well for a film, in this case, they enhanced the experience of the film.

The masterful marriage of the jump scares and psychological horror combined to create a truly beautiful horror film that left me feeling compelled, frazzled, and more than a little frightened.

The only other issue I found was the pacing and level of tension towards the close of the film. Though I enjoyed the ending, overall, there was an unfortunate loss of the fear at a crucial moment that all but killed the fear of the moment for me. Though The Quiet Ones recovered beautifully, managing to reel me back in, that loss of fear and tension was nearly a death blow to any fear I had in that moment.

Whether you are a fan of ghost stories, of physiological horror, or of the shiny new incarnation of HAMMER films, The Quiet Ones is worth a day out at the cinemas. Bring your friends, your family, your significant other and have a time of it. You won’t regret a minute of it.

My Taking Back Sunday Experience and walk off without ever connecting with the audience. Taking Back Sunday puts on a real show every time they play. Adam Lazzara, the lead singer, makes eye contact with esterday Taking Back Sunday’s spring every person in the room. When I look up at tour came to the State Theatre. Doors him and sing along, I feel like he’s singing to opened at 7:00pm and the show started me and only me. I forget about all the other at 8pm. The line was already wrapped around people around me. Their set list was their best the building an hour before the doors opened. one yet. Not only did the play songs off their Excitement was buzzing around everyone. This newest album, they also played their old music. wasn’t the first Taking Back Sunday concert The crowd was screaming the lyrics along to these diehard fans have been to. I overheard a every song. Even though the crowd was full of couple of people saying that this would be their strangers, we all bonded and made sure no one tenth time seeing them perform. For me, it was got hurt. my fourth. Everyone in line was gushing about

During their last song, John Nolan, the what a great live show Taking Back Sunday guitarist and backup vocalist, threw his guitar puts on, and I couldn’t agree more. pick into the crowd. I felt something hit my

The doors finally mouth and realized that opened and I got a it was the guitar pick. I He was the sweetest, friendliest, immediately crouched great spot right up front. The first opening most down to earth lead singer down to pick it up. band, Soundwave, came

After the show I’ve ever had the pleasure on exactly at 8pm. They I waited outside to try of meeting. played a short set and to meet the band with announced that they thirty other fans. Jenna don’t have a CD out yet but when they do, Mcdougall came out first and hung out with they want us all to check it out. They said they us for a long time. Many bands I’ve tried to would love to come back to Portland soon. meet have been rude or annoyed and tired after

The second band, Tonight Alive, was playing a show. They go immediately to their amazing. Jenna Mcdougall is an incredible tour bus ignoring the fans with their cameras lead singer and front woman. They put on an and sharpies. Jenna Mcdougall was the comenergetic performance that lasted 45 minutes. plete opposite. She hugged every single person The band was clearly passionate about their and took personal photos and videos with us music. I enjoyed every second of their time on all. She thanked us for coming out to the show. stage. Jenna Mcdougall engaged everyone in I was impressed with her friendly and nice the audience. attitude.

When Talking Back Sunday walked out

Taking Back Sunday came out but had on stage the crowd went wild. People were their hands full and went to their tour bus to pushing and shoving to get to the front. One put away equipment. Disappointed that this girl burst into tears because she couldn’t handle was my fourth time seeing them and I still being so squished and jostled. Another girl hadn’t met them, I walked back to the car. But looked at me and yelled, “I didn’t sign up for on my way back I noticed Adam Lazzara standthis!” as she got pushed past me. I always love ing on the sidewalk with two other people. I the enthusiasm of the crowd at Portland shows. walked over to him and asked for a picture.

Mini mosh pits started breaking out during He was the sweetest, friendliest, most down to the first song. I saw a crowd surfer go flying earth lead singer I’ve ever had the pleasure of over my head into the arms of a security guard. meeting. He talked to me for 15 minutes about Even though I was covered in sweat and having how much he loves Portland and how he was a hard time standing up and staying in one going to check out the Old Port tonight. place, I was having a great time.

I am so lucky to have experienced this. It

Some bands walk out on stage, perform, is surely a night I will never forget.

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By Molly Horgan

SMCC Senior Art Student Exhibit at 3Fish Gallery

tudents from the Art Program who are graduating this spring had the opportunity of a lifetime when they exhibited their work at the 3Fish art gallery on Cumberland Ave in Portland last week. On Friday night the gallery was abuzz during an public reception for the young artist.

The graduating students: Alex Brown who showed a series of screenprints; Jennifer Lally Connor showed mixed media work and an interactive installation; Sam Creenan exhibited new intergalactic and surreal oil paintings and dry point etching; Tiffany Crockett and her multi-media found objects sculpture and acrylic paintings; Jeremy O’Brian who presented a unique display of imaginative versions of everyday objects made from wood; Chelsea Sanders who showed a series of book art portraits; Erin Sturgeon presented charcoal drawings of otherworldly figures from history; Catherine

Anne Thomson’s oil paintings; Ali Waterman’s photography; and Jason White who showed a

series of collages based on boxes.

The SMCC Foundation also awarded Purchase Prizes as well as buying a piece from one of the exhibited students for the SMCC collection. Tiffany Crockett, Alex Brown, Jason White and Ali Waterman all had work purchased by the SMCC Foundation. Faculty member Chuck Gregory helped with the selection.

Photos courtesy of Jennifer Connor

CAMPUSnews Baseball and Softball (Continued from Page 11)

They had a winning streak going all the way to the conference championship game after losing 6 games in a row. They won 12-4 against EMCC, 17-10(EMCC) and 13-4 in their conference semifinal game against CMCC. They poured out 42 runs in these 3 games to bring them to the YSCC conference championship in New Hampshire against NHTI, who they had lost 5 of 6 to in the course of the fall and spring seasons.

They would pull off the great upset beating NHTI 1-0 in a pitching battle where SMCC Charlotte Lewis would throw the shutout.

Lewis would win the tournament MVP award and Roberta Trafton of SMCC would win outstanding defensive player of the tournament. This would be a tremendous accomplishment for the lady Seawolves, as they became the YSCC champions.

It has been a great spring season to watch here at Southern Maine Community College and has seen some great adversity overcome. These student athletes never gave up in losing streaks and prevailed in winning streaks. Both coaches should be proud of their accomplishments and I hope for the best in the baseball teams’ final games.

Baseball will still play a double header against Nasheau Community College and a best of 3 tournament with Bridgton Academy. If you’re an SMCC Seawolves fan you are hoping SMCC will extend their winning streak to 10 games to end the season and end a great year in YSCC College sporting action. Thanks for reading, and as always, Go Seawolves!

in the second game as well as winning that one 11-7. This win would be the 4th game in a row where the Seawolves would score double-digits.

Their bats were definitely working for them in this 4 game stretch.

The baseball team would go onto beat Dean College the next day in a double-header, and have now won 8 of their last 9 games after previously losing 11 straight games. They are on a great run going into their final few games of the season, and Coach Lemieux is very impressed by their progress.

“I think this group gained some confidence as a unit when we started playing at home.

With a team heavy with freshmen, it took some time for the players to gel as a unit. We struggled early on putting all three facets of the game together including pitching, hitting and defense in one game.”

“This group has been relentless in their commitment to developing as individuals and the player’s commitment to the program and life as student-athletes has paid dividends. Nobody gave up and each day we have gotten better and better. These guys work hard and are fun to coach,” said Coach Jared Lemieux. It’s definitely an impressive turnaround for the Seawolves and one to be respected. I wish them luck in their final few games of the season.

To end the softball teams season, they did some things that could be thought of as unexpected by many but not by the Seawolves fans who have seen their great ups and downs.

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Important

Learning Tree Climbing Techniques

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atthew Cooper, a student in Tom Hoerth’s horticulture class, practices his ascending technique on a cold spring day a few weeks ago. Tom gives guidance and instruction as Matt makes his way skyward.

Other horticulture students who participated include: left to right, Todd Robbins, Sheri Nielsen, Marie Mager-Prager

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| April 29, 2014 |11

SMCCsports S P O R T S

R E P O R T S

Softball and Baseball Recap April 14 to April 27

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By Sam Coombs

he softball and baseball teams here at Southern Maine Community College have had a busy spring with many games, often playing double-headers. For the most part the rain has held up and allowed for some great spring sports action. The softball team this year has been a sporadic bunch, sometimes having a 4 game winning streak and sometimes having a 6 game losing streak.

The baseball team started off very slow and couldn’t string together a single winning performance at the beginning of the spring. In the last few weeks, the baseball team has turned things around and the softball team has had the same identity as a sporadic team.

On April 16th the softball and baseball teams played a double header against Northern Essex Community College out of Haverhill, Massachusetts. In these two games the lady Seawolves played arguably their best two games of the season, combining to outscore NECC 28-5 in only 8 innings of total play due to mercy rule.

In the first game, SMCC ace pitcher Charlotte Lewis held NECC to 1 hit, striking out a whopping 7 batters out of the 12 total outs recorder. The 2nd inning would be a huge one for the Lady Seawolves, recording a total of 11 runs in that inning alone. The biggest blast of the inning was recorded by first baseman Kathryn Gilio, who had a grand slam to clear the bases and finish with 4 runs batted in, leading the Lady Seawolves. Shortstop Anna Allard also shined in this game finishing with 3 runs batted in helping the Seawolves win by a score of 13-2.

It was another offensive outburst for the Lady Seawolves in the 2nd game of the dou-

ble-header, out hitting NECC 16 to 3 in the game. They would go onto win the 2nd game 15-3 led by Kathryn Gilio, who had another impressive performance finishing with 3 runs batted in. She would finish the day going 5 for 7 with 7 runs batted in for the Lady Seawolves. Not a bad day to say the least.

The baseball team would continue their good play in the mid-spring stretch after a very slow start to the season, losing their first 11 games. After winning 3 of their last 4 games, they faced Eastern Maine Community College in a home contest.

This was an all around great showing for the Seawolves. From pitching, to hitting, to defending, there were nearly no blemishes. On the mound, SMCC pitcher Nate Boyle had one of the greatest pitching performances of the season for the Seawolves. He pitched 5 innings of work, allowing 1 hit, by EMCC’s Brendan Glass. He also allowed no earned runs and struck out a total of 12 batters with no walks. An overall grade-A performance. The Seawolves finished this game with no errors in the field and a total of 10 runs

offensively, winning the game 10-0. Offensively the Seawolves were lead in this contest by South Portland’s own Zach Horton, who went 2 for 2 in the game with 3 runs batted in.

April 17 to 19 would be a very busy 3 days for the softball team here at Southern Maine Community College. They would play a total of 6 games in only 3 days against CCRI, NHTI and rivals CMCC.

The two games played against CMCC would be a split, losing the first game 16-8 and winning the second 8-5. These two games for the Lady Seawolves were complete opposites of each other.

In the first game SMCC finished with a total of 8 errors in the field, which led to so many extra runners on base, resulting in 16 runs allowed.

As the old saying goes, defense wins games, and it is true. A team can’t expect to win a game if they have so many errors in the field. The same thing would happen to CMCC in the back end of the double-header. CMCC would finish the game with 7 errors in the field, losing the game.

CMCC would outscore SMCC 21-16 on the day but still losing 1 game, as CMCC was led by

Maggie McConkey of Fryeburg, ME, going 3 for 7 on the day with 4 totals runs batted in.

For SMCC Anna Allard led the way, going 4 for 7 on the day with 4 total runs batted in.

Allard recently got the honors of winning YSCC player of the week for her great performance.

The next 6 games for the lady Seawolves would be a tough stretch for them. After winning 5 of their last 6 games, they would go on to lose 6 games in a row. The Seawolves in these 6 games got outscored 49-28 and struggled to get anything going. In this stretch the Seawolves had 34 total errors defensively averaging more then 5 errors a game. It is difficult to win games averaging that many errors, and that was biggest problem for SMCC this season.

On April 19th the SMCC baseball team played a double-header against NHTI in which their offensive and overall great run continued. In the first game pitcher Dan French was the starting pitcher for SMCC, facing NHTI’s Patrick Jarvis who would struggle in this game. Jarvis gave up 10 earned runs on 8 hits and walking 4 batters. SMCC batters were all over him in this game.

The big inning came in the 3rd when SMCC scored 9 runs off big hits by Jon Daniszewski and Alex Brown. Daniszewski is someone who has improved a lot since first joining the Seawolves the previous semester. He has even switched positions from catcher to outfield where he had never previously played. “Jon has seen his average climb almost 100 points since the start of playing here and has also provided some stability at the corner in the outfield,” said head coach Jared Lemieux. Daniszewski is a player who is under the radar, and who has been helping the Seawolves in this winning streak, getting some notice from his coach.

After scoring 9 runs in the 3rd inning of the first game, the Seawolves would go on to win 12 to 5 against NHTI and would come up on top (Continued on Page 12)

Today in Sports History, April 29th 2007

New England Patriots Trade for Randy Moss

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By Sam Coombs

pril 29th 2007 was a big day for the New England Patriots organization and their pursuit of another Super Bowl title.

It was draft night and the Patriots were looking for ways to better their franchise.

In recent weeks before this day, the name Randy Moss, a wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders at the time, was one of the biggest names in trade talks at the time. He was coming off two mediocre years with the Raiders and many thought his better years were behind him. He was beginning to enter his thirties, which is a time usually to see decline in many athletes.

Moss was coming off a season with the Raiders where he only had 3 touchdown receptions and was not even a factor for the Oakland Raiders. They were a team that was losing games and Randy Moss couldn’t handle that situation. On April 29th Randy Moss was traded to the New England Patriots for only a 4th round draft pick.

The Oakland Raiders staff was basically trying to give away Moss for the betterment of the franchise.

The New England Patriots were coming off the 2006 season, 12 | April 29, a2014 | where they had 12-4 record and made it to the AFC championship,

losing to Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. The New England Patriots had made it to the playoffs 5 out of the last 6 years and winning 3 Super Bowls with quarterback Tom Brady.

Randy Moss was more than excited to come to the Patriots, saying, “I am still in awe to be apart of this organization.” Some Patriots fans and sports broadcasters were initially in question of whether Randy Moss still had anything to offer and if his attitude would work in an organization like the Patriots and with a coach like Bill Belichick. These doubters would soon realize the great talent that Randy Moss still was in the National Football League.

From week 1 to week 17 Randy Moss was nothing but a success. In week 1 against the New York Jets, Randy Moss had 9 receptions for 183 yards with a touchdown. In his previous season with the Oakland Raiders Moss didn’t record 183 totals receiving yards until week 6. After only playing 3 games with the Patriots, Randy Moss had already recorded 21 receptions, 407 receiving yards and 5 TD. Moss already had 2 more touchdowns than the previous season.

The continuity of Tom Brady and Randy Moss was easily seen and the path for the Patriots was working out better than planned.

During the course of the 2007 season the New England Patriots would go onto break many team and offensive NFL records. The Patriots finished the season with a record of 16-0, being the first team to win all 16 games of the regular season. The 1972 Dolphins

finished the regular season 14-0. Randy Moss finished the 2007 season with 98 receptions, 1,493 receiving yards and a National Football League season record of 23 touchdown receptions, beating Jerry Rice who previously held the record with 22. Tom Brady would also record the NFL record for most touchdown passes in a season with 50. The Patriots would go onto to play in the Super Bowl and the first appearance for Moss, losing to the Giants and finishing 18-1 on the season.

It has been widely said and will continue to be said around the league that in 2007, when the Patriots traded for Randy Moss, the trade would be one of the biggest steals of all time. To only give up a 4th round pick for what would become the best season for a wide receiver in NFL history is just simply amazing. The continuity of Tom Brady throwing to Randy Moss was simply impeccable. He took the entire New England community by storm and became a huge fan favorite. It was one of the biggest turnarounds by a player that has ever been seen and that is why Randy Moss won comeback player of the year in 2007.

Randy Moss helped turn his name back into super stardom and recreate many of his talents seen while playing as a Minnesota Viking. This historic year will always be unforgettable, and the unforgettable truth to the Oakland Raiders is, Randy Moss could still play and play at a high level.