January 25 issue

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THE A&T

FREE

REGISTER VOLUME LXXXV NO. 14

JANUARY 25, 2012

NCATREGISTER.COM

SERVING THE AGGIE COMMUNITY FOR OVER 80 YEARS

WEDNESDAY

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF NORTH CAROLINA A&T

Students rally to get director back KELCIE C. MCCRAE Editor-in-Chief

More than 100 students have signed a petition to bring back one of their favorite directors on campus. Maria Palmer was the director of the Multicultural Student Center in December; however, when students returned to campus she was no longer in the position.

Last semester, just four days shy of going home for the holidays, Palmer was told she no longer had a job. Because she held an at-will permanent position Exempt from the State Personnel Act (EPA), her termination was granted at the discretion of the chancellor or chancellor’s designee without the notice according to the employment policies for EPA Non-Faculty which was drafted by human resources. In this case, the designee was Palmer’s superior Judy Rashid, dean of students.

Under this policy, the university has the right to discontinue any EPA employee without reason.

“I really honestly don’t know what caused this decision,” said Palmer through a phone interview. “I went into a conference that I thought was my mid-year review, and I was informed that this was my last day.”

According to Nettie Rowland, university relations, the matter was a personnel decision, and at time of deadline, Rashid was not available for comment.

Rashid is also listed in 2011-12 university directory as the associate vice chancellor for student affairs.

“Instead of getting rid of people who love their job, they should hire more people as efficient as her,” said Kerwin Vargas, a junior mechanical engineering major.

News of her departure sent shock waves to students like Vargas who worked closely

Hotep sheds light for MLK celebration LILIANE LONG Contributor

Writer and educator Lasana Hotep took audience members on a historic journey as he delivered his keynote address for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration program on Jan. 19.

With the use of a PowerPoint, Hotep reminded the audience of the legacy that MLK left in this world from his birth in Atlanta, onto his days at Morehouse College, and up until his death in 1968.

“The program was pretty cool. I learned new information about Dr. King,” said Lacey Linton, sophomore social work major from Greenville. “I was amazed at the fact that he entered college at just 15, a lot of us today would not have been able to handle college at such a young age.”

Gregory Hill, a senior economics major, opened the program as master of ceremonies, and was followed by greetings from various faces on campus.

The university gospel choir also performed followed by SGA president Christian Robinson and the introduction of Hotep.

“Last year’s guest speaker [Dr. Steve Perry] was great, as was this year’s, said Cheri Farrior, junior journalism and mass communication major from Newport News Va. “Of course, not as many people showed up to these events as they should and that’s unfortunate because these speakers come to A&T for us.”

Last years speaker, Perry,

spoke to students on the education system in America and expressed to students the importance of closing the education gap and the low commencement rates in the African American community.

This year’s speaker, through his use of intellect and sarcasm, questioned the actions and morals of this generation of African Americans telling his audience of an experience he once endured at a high school Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration program.

The program, Hotep stated, was a wonderful; however, he felt disturbed when seeing the pictures of legendary African American civil rights activist such as Martin Luther king Jr., Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks followed by the images of artist and athletes such as Beyonce Knowles, Jay Z, Keke Palmer and Michael Jordan.

As a generation, Hotep stated, we now seem to put individuals such as Keke Palmer and Michael Jordan in the same category as African American civil rights leaders, a phenomenon that is disgracing and upsetting to many. He continued saying the we should instead remember and celebrate the lives of the extraordinary individuals that were beaten, jailed, threatened, and even killed fighting for this generation’s access to equal rights and education.

Throughout his presentation and in his ending comments, Hotep urged this generation to uphold and fight for the issues that matter and to keep moving  See MLK on Page 3

with Palmer. Vargas said it is because of her that he has felt accepted and appreciated at this institution.

“At the beginning, I didn’t know too many Hispanic students,” he said. “If it wasn’t for

“We’re not worrying on why she got fired, we are worrying about the fact that no one else can fill her shoes.” -Dawit Tarekegn her, I would probably be transferred to another university. She goes way beyond to help her students.”

In an effort to change this decision, Vargas has teamed up with three other students to try and get their director back.

After meeting with both Melody Pierce, vice chancellor for student affairs, and Chancellor

Harold Martin, Vargas says they are taking the matter into their own hands.

“We’re not worrying on why she got fired,” said petition organizer Dawit Tarekegn, a senior electrical engineering major. “We are worrying about the fact that no one else can fill her shoes.”

For five years, Palmer worked to recruit diverse students for A&T and make sure that they succeed and graduate. Although she is known as the director of the multicultural student center, her title was director of recruitment and retention for multicultural students.

With this job she was responsible for helping not only Hispanic students, but also all minorities to have a successful time at A&T. She started taking her students on a spring break servicelearning trip in which they fixed and built houses for people in

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARIA PALMER

MARIA PALMER (right center) poses with students and Chancellor Martin after screening their 2006 spring break trip in New Orleans.

need. In 2006, Palmer and her students traveled to New Orleans to help fix the region devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

“It was a very great experience,” said Vargas. “We learned construction of houses, and it

COURTNEY MATTHEWS Contributor

Spring 2009 was the first year the event, “Dessert with the Dean,” took place and had never received such a vast crowd as it did this past Wednesday.

As everyone filled Stallings ballroom, their eyes met two long tables filled with dessert cuisine. Brownies, cookies, assortments of sandwich triangles and fruit perfectly sliced for dipping into a chocolate fountain.

One would think with two long tables of sweet distraction it would be impossible to concentrate, but surprisingly the deans were able to pack enough punch into their messages to keep the audiences intrigued.

Eight out of nine deans dispersed between two tables, and were given a formal introduction at the start of the event. The presiding Senator, Jamell Garner, started the forum with a question to the deans, “Will the recent budget cuts affect students’ ability to graduate on time?”

Most of the deans were on the same page with their response, stating that they would be sure that courses needed to graduate would not be at stake. They also seemed to all agree that internships and scholarships are not as available due to budget cuts. Dean Quiester Craig from the school of business and economics was a little more detailed with his response stating that, “cuts caused a loss of faculty, which means class sizes have increased and courses normally offered in

two semesters are only available in one.”

The next question Garner raised to the deans was about the efforts going on in their particular college. Dean Sanjiv Sarin from the graduate school announced improved admittance, how the college had made it easier to apply to the graduate program and plans to establish a graduate student government association.

Vicki Coleman over library services had a lot of new occurrences to speak of including how kindles and iPads are now available to be checked out from the library, the success of the digitization of the A&T Register and yearbooks.

She also spoke of a library student advisory board, which was put into place to effectively communicate student ideas concerning the library experience. William Harvey from the school of education spoke of establishing a peer advising system and how he is challenging the students to raise their academic endeavors.

Both Robin Coger from the college of engineering and Craig are striving to achieve ef-

fective communication between alumni of their colleges and undergrads of the colleges for mentoring purposes.

Students were also encouraged to ask question at a certain portion of the event and one arose about the removal of the S.M.A.R.T program. Harvey said that it would not be put back into place until it is certain that the students in the program were fully equipped to tutor properly.

Inez Tuck from the school of nursing said that it was her third time attending the event and she felt that it was a great format to reach the students and to get their message across “we are here for you.”

Randolph Brown, sophomore, shared that it was his first time attending the event.“They [the deans] seem understanding and accessible, I can tell they care about the students.”

Other deans stated that they wished that it was more time for students to ask them questions but overall it was a great program. Students and senator Allahquan Tate all agreed that the deans seemed very accessible and that the brownies (both the pecan and cookies and cream) were their favorite dessert of the evening.

-courtneydmatthews@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @ATRegister

WEATHER

theYARD

theWORD

theSCORE

theSCENE

BREAKING NEWS, POLLS

PATERNO FURNEL SET FOR TODAY

WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE

MEN’S BBALL GET ROAD VICTORY IN OT

FEEL GOOD ‘MUSIQ’

Keep up with breaking news on our Web site. Slideshows, videos and more are available online.

Penn State coach, Joe Paterno will be laid to rest today.

Managing Editor Sylvia Obell discusses lasting relationships.

The Aggie Basketball team rakes in a road victory again Coppin State 93-92 (OT)

Editor-in-Chief Kelcie C. McCrae gives her review of the Musiq Soulchild concert.

PAGE 2

 See PALMER on Page 3

Dessert with a side of knowledge

ONLINE

www.ncatregister.com

was good helping people in need.”

This year, the students are scheduled to go to Washington, D.C., however many students

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WEDNESDAY

58° Low: 40° High:

PAGE 8

THURSDAY: Cloudy | High 57° FRIDAY: Rainy | High 57°

theYARD 2

The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, January 25, 2012

events

inFOCUS

theBLOTTER Violation Closed/Arrest

January 18 No Reports

January 22 January 19 3:30 p.m.

S.G. Thomas Dr. Personal Injury-Closed Info 10:00 p.m.

Barbee Hall Alcohol Violation-Case Closed

6:15 a.m.

Barbee Hall- Vehicle Accident Citation January 23

January 20 11:55a.m.

Brown Hall-Drug Violation Case Closed January 21 11:01 p.m.

Laurel St.-Drug/Weapons

25

Aggie Livewire Auditions

10:24 p.m.

Vanstory Hall-Drug Violation Closed/Arrest

(336) 334-7675

Memorial Union Room 005 7 p.m.

inBRIEF

Sophomore Class: Sex and Candy

Ques to march in memory of Dennis Hayle

Proctor Hall Auditorium 7 p.m.

THURSDAY

26

1:05 a.m.

Aggie Suites E-Drug Violation Closed/Leads Exhausted

If you ever see anything suspicious or need assistance call Campus Police

WEDNESDAY

Open Mic Night

3:30 a.m.

Aggie Village 4-Larceny Under Further Investigation

FILE PHOTO

EVEN THE AGGIE DOG walked last spring to help stop violence.

The Mu Psi chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. will march today in memory of their slain fraternity brother Dennis Hayle. Hayle was found shot to death on Jan. 25, 2009 outside

his home. This is the 3rd annual memorial walk. It starts at noon on the Omega plot, and is followed by a program in New Academic Building room 101.

The Memorial Room 7 p.m.

SUAB Full Body Meeting Stallings Ballroom 7 p.m.

Finer WomanHood Week Memorial Union Room 0214 7:20 p.m.

FRIDAY

27

Duke Nicotine Addiction Study Memorial Union Room 0209 8 a.m.

SUAB Game Night Exhibit Hall 7 p.m.

SATURDAY

28

Ronald McNair Symposium Stallings Ballroom 9 a.m.

SUNDAY

No events

29

MONDAY

30

Alpha Mu’s Next Top Model Stallings Ballroom 7 p.m.

TUESDAY

31

COP Full Body Meeting Stallings Ballroom A 5 p.m.

Conflict Styles Training Stallings Ballroom B 7 p.m.

THE A&T

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EDITOR IN CHIEF: Kelcie C. McCrae MANAGING EDITOR: Sylvia Obell OPINIONS EDITOR:Trumaine McCaskill SPORTS EDITOR: Karmen Robinson SCENE EDITOR: Ashley Vaughn NCATREGISTER.COM EDITOR: Jonathan Veal COPY EDITOR: Chuck Johnson COPY EDITOR: Justine Riddick PHOTO EDITOR: Kenneth L. Hawkins, Jr. STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS: Tracy Durandis

GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Taylor Wilson REPORTERS: Cheri Farrior, Dashawn Fleming, Kalyn Hoyle, Necole Jackson,Megan Jordan, U’Leasa Joseph, Jenell McMillion, Helesee Scott, Alexis White ADVERTISING& BUSINESS MANAGER: Courtney jackson BUSINESS STAFF: Kevin Best, Jeff Watts CONTENT DIRECTOR: Anjan Basu FACULTY ADVISER: Emily Harris

THE A&T REGISTER is published every Wednesday during the fall and spring semesters by students at North Carolina A&T State University. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Register’s newsroom (subject to availability). All subscription requests should be directed to the Business department.

THE A&T REGISTER has a weekly circulation of 5,000 copies on-campus and in the community and is a member of The Associated Press, The Associated Collegiate Press and the Black College Wire.

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The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, January 25, 2012

palmer From page 1 are opting not to go in protest of Palmer’s departure.

“I’ve taken my name off the list because I don’t think they are going to learn anything,” said Tarekegn, who says because of Palmer’s absence that the students will not build houses as they initially were suppose to.

“I grew up in D.C.. I think it’s going to be a waste of time.”

Upon coming to A&T, Tarekegn had a keen interest in soccer. After teaming up with Palmer together they created a soccer team.

“She helped me from the bottom up,” said Tarekegn. “She literally walked me through and got so many students to come to this school because they want to play soccer.”

After hearing what her former students were doing to get her back, Palmer said she feels wonderful yet concerned.

“They really have supported me,” she said. “Putting that burden on students whose main

mlk From page 1 moving forward. Martin Luther king’s dream of being judged not by the color of our skin but by the content of our

concern should really be graduating makes me feel a little bad, but it feels wonderful to know that they believed in what we were doing.”

Colleagues also shared some of Palmer’s good deeds.

“She has always been dedicated to her children and the students and is a tireless worker,” said Ryan Maltese, university event coordinator. “She is very passionate in what she believes in.”

Maltese said Palmer was instrumental in starting safe zones for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.

The zones around campus are available free of any type of discrimination for this community of students.

Palmer is now hoping to return to A&T. Although she was disappointed in this decision, she says would be come back in a heartbeat.

“I don’t kid myself that I’m dispensable,” she said. “I would love to come back.”

-kcmccrae@ncat.edu and follow her on Twitter @Kelcie_McCrae

character has gradually become a reality; however, the work that our ancestors started is far from over.

-lrlong14@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @ATRegister

ncatregister.com is So freakin’ easy a WILDCAT

could do it.

also in print every wednesday

Penn State’s Paterno to be buried today Andrew McGill MCT Campus

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno will be buried today in a private ceremony. And in a nod to the university to which he devoted most of his life, his family also announced Monday three days of public memorials on campus.

The plan drafted a day after Paterno’s death at 85 from lung cancer reflected a thaw in the icy relations between the family of a man who did much to further Pennsylvania State University’s academic and athletic reputations and the school’s leadership, which fired him over his response to child-sexabuse allegations involving a former assistant coach.

Paterno’s family had reportedly rebuffed efforts by university president Rodney Erickson and a handful of others to mend fences after the coach’s curt dismissal, which a member of the board of trustees delivered by phone Nov. 9. That changed to some degree Monday. When the Paternos sought to hold funeral and memorial services on campus, university officials worked with them on arrangements, sources close to the trustees said.

“Joe Paterno loved and supported Penn State to his last breath,” family spokesman Dan McGinn said. “The family wanted the involvement of the university in every way appropriate.”

According to the schedule released Monday, the first public viewing of Paterno’s body was for 10 hours yesterday afternoon at the Frank and Sylvia Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, an all-faiths facility on campus to which the coach and his wife donated $1 million.

The center typically does not allow viewings, but an exception was made at the family’s request.

A second, four-hour viewing will follow today before a private funeral at 2 p.m. in the Pasquerilla center. The funeral motorcade will leave the center around 3 p.m. and pass the university library wing funded by Joe and Susan Paterno as well as Beaver Stadium before traveling along College Avenue in the center of town. Burial will be private.

The Paterno family also plans to hold a larger public memorial Thursday at the university’s Bryce Jordan Center. School officials expect the nearly 15,000 seats to be filled.

University officials said Monday that Penn State would have no official role in the ceremonies but would provide facilities, transportation, and security support. The trustees plan to hold their own ceremony honoring Paterno at a later date, they said.

Still, the trustees said, the schedule of memorials marked progress in what board vice chairman Keith Masser had described only a day earlier as “maneuvering through a minefield” of hurt feelings.

Shortly before Paterno’s death, the university launched a media offensive defending the trustees’ decision to fire the longtime coach amid the scandal involving former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

Paterno’s dismissal at the end of a 62-season career, including 46 as head coach, was necessary, trustees said, because he had not diligently followed up on reports that Sandusky was seen in 2002 sexually abusing a child in a campus locker room.

Paterno had relayed the allegation to two university administrators, who are now charged in a criminal case.

Days before he died, Paterno said that in hindsight, he wished he had done more.

The firing itself was done in a phone call by John Surma,

then vice chair of the board of trustees. Susan Paterno called Surma back minutes after her husband had hung up.

“After 61 years, he deserved better,” she said she told Surma during an interview with the Washington Post published Jan. 14.

Paterno died before the school could honor him for his years of service as a record-setting coach, philanthropist, and passionate advocate of Penn State’s rise to become one of the nation’s leading research universities. Monday offered the first signs there might be hope for healing between his survivors and the school.

The trustees have reported receiving threatening mail, prompting university police to investigate whether the messages represented actual threats. There have been calls for heightened security at Thursday’s memorial service.

Meanwhile, Penn State’s faculty senate prepared for a meeting Tuesday in which it was to consider a no-confidence vote on the board.

At the bronze statue erected outside Beaver Stadium in Paterno’s honor, a copy of the Penn State Daily Collegian’s Nov. 10 issue lay soaked in a puddle. The headline “FIRED” had been overwritten in marker with “Killed by Trustees, Jan. 22, 2012.”

“How he was let go as coach was undignified. Joe deserved better,” said Keith Becker, a 47-year-old fan from the Harrisburg area who joined the steady stream of mourners visiting the makeshift memorial at the statue Monday.

When lawmakers in Harrisburg opened their session, House Speaker Sam Smith, RJefferson, defended Paterno’s reputation after a moment of silence.

“The legacy of the coach will survive the public rush to judgment he was exposed to by some in the media who chose

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to react without getting his side of the story,” he said.

Gov. Tom Corbett _ who opened the Sandusky investigation in 2008 as attorney general, handled its fallout as governor, and is as a voting member of Penn State’s board _ ordered flags at state facilities flown at half-staff until Paterno’s burial.

Corbett also has faced criticism from the coach’s most ardent supporters for not stepping in to arrest Sandusky earlier.

The White House issued this statement Monday: “Earlier today, President Obama spoke with the late Joe Paterno’s wife, Sue, and son Jay to offer his condolences for their family’s loss. During their conversation, the president recalled fond memories of when he first met Coach Paterno and said that he and Michelle would keep the Paterno family in their prayers during this difficult time.”

And the rabidly antigay Westboro Baptist Church was heard from as well. The Kansas group, known for protesting at high-profile funerals, said it would picket outside Paterno’s services Wednesday.

But at the Koch Funeral Home, just a few miles from the Paternos’ house in State College, workers appeared to be calmly negotiating the high-wire act of planning what is sure to be one of the state’s most closely watched memorial services ever in a mood fraught with tension.

Funeral director John “Jay” Herrington noted that the home had handled high-profile funerals before, including that of President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s sister-in-law in 1954 and one 15 years later for which President Richard M. Nixon arrived in a helicopter to attend his uncle’s services.

Asked Monday how he was handling the heightened attention around Paterno’s arrangements, Herrington replied: “This isn’t our first time.”

theWORLD 4

The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Loss, death make for a season unlike any other NANCY ARMOUR

Associated Press

The house at the end of the block was fast taking on the feel of a shrine when Joe Paterno stepped into the crisp November night with his wife, Sue, by his side. Students had gathered on the lawn, some carrying handlettered signs, many near tears and all of them confused, sad and angry.

For the first time in nearly half a century, Paterno was no longer Penn State’s head coach, fired moments earlier by unito contain the damage caused by a child sex-abuse scandal involving former defensive coordinator and one-time heir apparent Jerry Sandusky.

An era was ending, Paterno acknowledged.

“Right now, I’m not the coach. And I’ve got to get used to that,” he said.

A mere 74 days later, Paterno was dead.

Paterno’s 46th season in charge at Penn State began with a blindside hit — an omen, perhaps, of the trouble to come.

As the Nittany Lions ran drills during a preseason practice Aug. 7, Paterno was watching the defense when wide receiver Devon Smith slammed into the then-84-year-old coach, injuring his shoulder and pelvis.

Paterno spent two nights in the hospital, and the injuries would keep him in the pressbox during games for much of the season.

But he returned to practice three days after the collision, insisting the injuries would not force him into retirement.

“The day I wake up in the morning and say, ‘Hey, do I have to go to practice again?’ then I’ll know it’s time to get out,” Paterno said.

The Nittany Lions began the

year as unsettled at quarterback as they had been the previous season, when their 7-6 record was their worst since going 4-7 in 2004. But Penn State’s resounding 41-7 victory over FCS opponent Indiana State in the season-opener returned the Nittany Lions to the Top 25 for the first time in 11 months — just in time for a visit from then-No. 3 Alabama, a rare showdown between two of the country’s most storied programs.

With Beaver Stadium rocking, Penn State took the lead with a field goal on its first possession. But the Nittany Lions would manage only one more first down the rest of the first half as the Tide rolled to a 2711 win.

“We certainly deserved a whooping today,” Paterno said.

“I think we’ve just got a lot of work ahead of us.”

That became even more evident in the following weeks, as the Nittany Lions barely scraped out wins against Temple and lowly Indiana.

But the quarterback debate was eventually resolved — enough, at least, so that the bruising running game and ferocious defense that had been Paterno’s formula for success could take over once again. By the time Penn State headed to Northwestern, where Paterno would equal Eddie Robinson’s record for most coaching victories, the Nittany Lions were tied with Wisconsin atop their Big Ten division and eligible for a bowl game at 6-1.

“Joe’s always talked about Eddie with a great deal of respect, nothing but admiration for him,” Paterno’s son Jay, Penn State’s quarterbacks coach, said then. “When you’re in that kind of company, that’s pretty elite company.”

A week later, on Oct. 29,

Penn State slogged out historic victory No. 409 in the snow against Illinois. The Nittany Lions fumbled six times, losing two of them, but Silas Redd scored on a 3-yard run with just over a minute to play to make Paterno the winningest coach in major college football.

The electronic sign boards lit up with congratulations, and fans braved the cold and snow to stick around after the game and celebrate their beloved “JoePa.” At the postgame ceremony, Penn State president Graham Spanier and athletic director Tim Curley presented Paterno with a plaque that read, “Joe Paterno. Educator of Men. Winningest Coach.

Division One Football.”

“It really is something I’ve very proud of, to be associated with Eddie Robinson,” Paterno said. “Something like this means a lot to me, an awful lot.”

The victory improved Penn State to 8-1 and bumped the Lions up to No. 16 in the AP poll.

As the lone unbeaten left in Big Ten play, with a two-game lead in the loss column in its division, Penn State had the inside track to the conference championship game.

Get there and win, and Paterno and Penn State would be headed to the Rose Bowl.

And then came the concussive blow that only a very few saw coming.

Sandusky, the architect of Penn State’s ferocious defenses, was arrested Nov. 5 on charges of sexually abusing a total of 10 boys over 15 years. The details in the grand jury report were graphic and lurid, a shocking rebuttal of Sandusky’s reputation as someone devoted to helping at-risk kids. Worse, some of the alleged assaults were placed at the Penn State football complex.

Then-graduate assistant Mike

Hollywood reels after lost anti-piracy fight

By Richard Verrier Associated Press

LOS ANGELES – After a week in which their anti-piracy legislation got derailed by the full force of the Internet lobby, the mood in Hollywood was one of anger, frustration and a growing resignation that the entertainment industry will be forced to accept a much weaker law than originally envisioned.

A full-on counterattack by a tech industry opposed to the toughest elements in the congressional bills, including a well-publicized Wednesday shutdown by key Internet sites, halted the legislation.

With supporters defecting, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., on Friday postponed a key procedural vote.

The lead sponsor of the companion bill in the House said he would redraft the proposed law in search of consensus.

The developments were a setback for former Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, who has made fighting online piracy his No. 1 priority since becoming head of the Motion Picture Association of America last March. The Connecticut Democrat was selected in part for his political savvy and 30-year experience in the Senate.

Dodd said Friday that the industry would now seek a compromise version of the legislation. He acknowledged that Hollywood lost the public relations battle and blamed his Silicon Valley counterparts.

“You’ve got an opponent who has the capacity to reach millions of people with a click of a mouse and there’s no factchecker. They can say whatever they want,” he said. “We need to engage in a far better education process. People need to know ... that 98 percent of people who work in the entertainment industry make $55,000 a year.

They’re not moguls and they’re not walking red carpets.”

That message, however, has so far failed to resonate with

the America public, which has shown more sympathy for the tech companies promoting the idea that the bills _ the Protect Intellectual Property Act and the Stop Online Piracy Act _ would hurt legitimate websites and stifle freedom of speech on the Web. Hollywood now must conduct PR damage control and convince tech-savvy Americans that it isn’t the bad guy.

“What they need to do is lick their wounds, see what happened and do a lot of test messaging right now because clearly the one they were using wasn’t effective,” said veteran Hollywood publicist Howard Bragman, vice chairman of Reputation.com, a reputation management company.

Rob Beschizza, managing editor of the digital culture website BoingBoing.net, which joined the Internet “blackout,” said many people were suspicious of the entertainment industry’s inside-the-Beltway lobbying effort.

“While folks feel a lot of sympathy for artists and musicians who are struggling to make sales, there’s none for the companies,” Beschizza said.

Executives from Hollywood’s six major studios all declined to comment Friday on the turn of events. But many in the creative community were seething about how they lost the public debate over bills that they say are desperately needed to crack down on foreign websites that distribute bootleg movies and TV shows, which they say costs the industry billions of dollars annually.

“We fought for this legislation because illegal Internet businesses that locate offshore expressly to elude U.S. laws should not escape the very same rules of law that currently apply to illegal U.S. websites,” said a statement from various unions, including the Directors Guild of America, the Screen Actors Guild and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.

Actor Malcolm McDowell, who stars in and helped produce “Suing the Devil,” a lowbudget indie film that has been heavily pirated on the Web, expressed frustration at opposition to tougher anti-piracy laws.

“Frankly, the problem is epidemic,” McDowell said, adding that his movie has been downloaded nearly 100,000 times on more than 50 illegal sites.

Television producer Shawn Ryan, whose credits include the groundbreaking FX police drama “The Shield,” took to Twitter to make his case for the need for tough legislation to fight piracy.

“I want a free Internet,” Ryan tweeted Wednesday, “but if you like good TV there will be much less of it in future if piracy continues.”

Although Hollywood’s options appear to be limited, one tactic could be to apply more pressure on the White House to help broker a compromise with the tech industry. The Obama administration angered many studio executives last Saturday by releasing a statement that criticized aspects of SOPA and PIPA even after sponsors of the bills agreed to remove the most controversial provision, which would have enabled Internet service providers to block access to foreign websites engaged in piracy.

Two senior entertainment executives and Obama donors, who declined to speak on the record, said they were so angry about his administration’s handling of the matter that they would not support the president’s re-election bid.

Technology companies and other opponents of the bills said they wanted a slower, more deliberative process that could delay a new law until at least next year. They prefer legislation pushed by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., which would use trade laws to try to cut off the money from the U.S. to foreign piracy sites.

McQueary testified he saw one of those assaults in 2002 and reported it to Paterno, who in turn told his superiors, Curley and university vice president Gary Schultz, who was head of campus security. Paterno insisted McQueary did not use the same graphic descriptions he has in court, where McQueary has said he saw what he believed was Sandusky raping a boy of about 10 or 12 in the Penn State showers. And Paterno swore he had no idea until then that Sandusky was a danger, despite a 1998 incident that was investigated by campus police.

Paterno’s failure to call State College police, or even follow up with Curley and Schultz, initially sparked outrage outside Happy Valley.

With the university engulfed in turmoil, Paterno announced on Nov. 9 that he would retire at the end of the season.

“This is a tragedy,” Paterno said. “It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.”

The trustees would have none of it. Following a two-hour meeting that same night, vice chair John Surma instructed an assistant athletic director relay a message to Paterno’s home to call him.

According to The Washington Post, Surma told Paterno, “In the best interests of the university, you are terminated.” Paterno hung up and repeated the words to his wife, who redialed the number.

“After 61 years he deserved better,” Sue Paterno said into the phone. “He deserved better.”

Then she hung up.

“Obviously Joe Paterno is a worldwide icon and has done a tremendous amount for the university,” trustee Joel Myers said this week, explaining

the board’s decision to fire the coach. “We have sorrow and all kinds of emotions, empathy, sympathy for what has occurred.

That’s universal.

“But the university, this institution is greater than one person.”

Enraged students flooded State College streets in protest of Paterno’s firing, some throwing rocks and bottles and tipping over a TV news van. But tempers had calmed by Saturday, when Penn State hosted Nebraska in the Nittany Lions’ first game in 46 years without Paterno in charge.

Though tailgates parties went on as usual under sunny skies, a sense of surreal surrounded the stadium, as if fans weren’t quite sure how to react to Paterno’s absence and the events that caused it. Beaver Stadium was awash in blue — the color associated with child-abuse prevention — and public-service announcements flashed on the scoreboard throughout the game. Fans wore shirts and carried signs in support of Paterno, and several students came dressed as JoePa in rolled-up khakis, white socks and thick, dark glasses.

Finally, when Paterno’s image was shown in a video montage before the second-half kick-off, the student section let loose with chants of “Joe Paterno! Joe Paterno!”

The joy would be shortlived. The following Friday, Paterno’s son Scott announced that his father was being treated for lung cancer, diagnosed the previous weekend. The cancer was treatable, Scott Paterno said, and doctors were optimistic his father would make a full recovery.

But it was apparent Paterno’s decline was accelerating. A fall at his home Dec. 10 left him with a fractured pelvis, and he

was hospitalized for a week to make it easier to receive his chemotherapy and radiation treatments while he recovered.

The cancer had clearly taken a toll. A picture of a frail Paterno showed him wearing a wig, his thick, dark hair gone. Washington Post columnist Sally Jenkins, who landed Paterno’s only interview after the firing, wrote that his gravelly voice was now a soft rasp, “like wind blowing across a field of winter stalks, rattling the husks.” The second part of the interview was done at his bedside; later that day, Jan. 13, he was re-admitted to the hospital, where he died nine days later.

“You know, I’m not as concerned about me,” Paterno told Jenkins. “What’s happened to me has been great. I got five great kids. Seventeen great grandchildren. I’ve had a wonderful experience here at Penn State. I don’t want to walk away from this thing bitter.”

Walking away at all was hard for Paterno to imagine. Football, along with family, was his life, and he saw what happened to his friend and rival, Paul “Bear” Bryant.

“Quit coaching?”

Bryant once said. “I’d croak in a week.”

He died less than a month after he retired at Alabama.

Bobby Bowden, the longtime Florida State coach and a contemporary of both Paterno and Bryant, said it was more than coincidence.

“I thought the same thing about Coach Bryant,” Bowden told the Tallahassee Democrat on Sunday. “He stopped coaching and Coach Bryant died a month later. Here with Joe, he stops coaching and he dies a few weeks later.”

Giffords says farewell to Tucson constituents THOMAS BEAUMONT Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. — To say Newt Gingrich capped an extraordinary comeback with a South Carolina victory doesn’t quite capture what happened.

It was more like vindication. The former House speaker came from behind to overtake Mitt Romney on Saturday in a state that for decades has chosen the eventual Republican nominee.

On the way there, Gingrich triumphed over months of campaign turmoil and at least two political near-death experiences as well as millions of dollars of attack advertisements and potentially damning personal allegations.

He did it by finding his voice and rallying conservatives with a populist defiance.

“The American people feel that they have elites who have been trying to force us to stop being Americans,” Gingrich told cheering supporters in Columbia after he was declared the victor. “It’s not that I am a good debater. It’s that I articulate the deepest-felt values of the American people.”

It was on the debate stage that the pugnacious Gingrich arguably revived his presidential campaign, not once but twice in the past year, by giving a tea party-infused GOP exactly what it’s hungering for — a no-holds-barred attack dog willing to go after President Barack Obama with abandon. If Gingrich wins the nomination, his confrontational attitude against all things Obama likely will be a big reason Republicans choose him over chief rival Romney.

Gingrich, a political strategist in his own right who has a knack for understanding precisely what the GOP electorate wants, has aggressively taken it to Obama since the moment he entered the race

last spring determined to turn his nationwide grass-roots network of support that he’s cultivated for a decade into a front-running White House campaign.

But he stumbled early, including by disparaging the House Republicans’ Medicare proposal as “right-wing social engineering” and was all but forced to apologize after the conservative outcry. His campaign nearly imploded over strategy squabbles, with virtually his entire senior staff abandoning him before the summer even began. And he was broke after spending lavishly.

Gingrich spent the next six months running his own campaign on a shoestring. The former college professor used a series of debates in the fall — and the free media they afforded him — to show Republican voters his political and oratory skills.

Their adoration ended up catapulting him back into contention in Iowa. He vowed to stay positive and focus on Obama — even as his rivals, sensing a very real threat, went on the attack with a barrage of negative TV advertising.

His rivals and allied groups — primarily the pro-Romney Restore Our Future political action committee and Texas Rep. Ron Paul — castigated him for a tumultuous speakership and career in Washington after Congress, knocking him way off course and nearly bludgeoning him to political death.

It turned out Gingrich didn’t have the money to respond on TV. And his standing slid as the new year began, and he ended up coming in a distant fourth place in the leadoff caucuses on Jan. 3.

He was but an afterthought in the next state to vote, New Hampshire, where he spent a full week on the attack against Romney while complaining about the beating he took in Iowa on the air. But the cashstrapped Gingrich didn’t have money to take his criticism of Romney to the TV airwaves.

He seemed completely off his game, losing big in the first-in-

the-nation primary state.

Then Sheldon Adelson came to the rescue.

The billionaire casino magnate and longtime Gingrich backer ponied up at least $5 million for an outside group — made up of former Gingrich aides — to help put his buddy back in the game. It wasn’t long before the group — Winning Our Future — was exacting payback on Romney for his allies pummeling Gingrich in Iowa.

And the group started raising questions about Romney’s time at the helm of a private equity firm, Bain Capital, putting Romney on the defensive for the first time during the campaign.

When the race turned to South Carolina, it didn’t take long for Gingrich— a former Georgia congressman — to hit his stride. The state had always been a campaign firewall for him. He had visited often, built his biggest staff of any of the first three early-voting states and spent $2.5 million on advertising.

Over the past 10 days, he raised questions about Romney’s private business experience while Winning Our Future reinforced the message by financing millions of dollars in South Carolina advertising characterizing Romney as a corporate predator who dismantled companies while running Bain Capital. Gingrich also started working to undercut Romney’s strength — the notion that the former Massachusetts governor was the Republicans’ best chance to beat Obama in the fall.

“What you are seeing him doing is convincing people first that he can win,” senior Gingrich adviser David Winston explained at one point. “He’s in the process of crossing that threshold.”

It was his performance in two debates last week that may have helped him seal the deal with undecided Republicans who were questioning his viability as a candidate.

– This story is continued online at ncatregister.com

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The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, January 25, 2012

5

‘Red Tails’ opens No. 2 with $19.1 million CHRISTY LEMIRE

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kate Beckinsale is back with a vengeance, with her latest “Underworld” movie opening at No. 1 this weekend.

“Underworld Awakening” made an estimated $25.4, distributor Sony Screen Gems reported Sunday.

This is the fourth film in the vampire action saga. Beckinsale starred in the first two movies as the warrior Selene, then bowed out of part three but returned for this latest installment. “Underworld Awakening” was shown for the first time in 3-D as well as on IMAX screens, where it made $3.8 million. That’s 15 percent of the film’s weekend gross, which is a record for an IMAX digital-only run.

Sony had hoped the film would end up in the low-$20 million range. But Rory Bruer,

the studio’s president of worldwide distribution, says the fact that it did even better — despite a snow storm that hit much of the Midwest and East Coast — primarily has to do with Beckinsale’s return.

“She is such a force. Her character — you just can’t take your eyes off of her. I know the character is very dear to her, as well, and she just kills it,” Bruer said. “The 3-D aspect of the film also brings something, makes it a fun, visceral ride.”

Opening in second place was “Red Tails” from executive producer George Lucas, about the Tuskegee Airmen who were the first black fighter pilots to serve in World War II. It made an estimated $19.1 million, according to 20th Century Fox, which was well above expectations; the studio had hoped to reach double digits, said Chris Aronson, executive vice president of domestic distribution.

“I believe what George Lu-

cas has stated all along: This is an important story and a story that must be told. It is a true story of American heroism and valor and audiences have really responded to this message,” Aronson said. “People want to feel good about themselves, they want to be uplifted. We have enough hard crud going on in this country right now. Times are tough, and if we look back and are told a story of some really fantastic deeds, that’s really compelling moviegoing.”

Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian said a grassroots effort to get groups of people into the theaters to see “Red Tails,” along with positive word-of-mouth, helped its strong showing. The film saw an uptick from about $6 million on Friday to $8.65 on Saturday.

Overall box office is up 31 percent from the same weekend a year ago, Dergarabedian said, thanks to new releases as well as movies like “Extremely Loud

& Incredibly Close,” which had limited runs for awards consideration at the end of 2011 and are now expanding nationwide.

The 9/11 drama from Warner Bros., starring Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, came in fourth place with $10.5 million.

Last week’s No. 1 film, the Universal smuggling thriller “Contraband” starring Mark Wahlberg, dropped to the No. 3 spot with $12.2 million. It’s now made $46.1 million in two weeks. Meanwhile, Steven Soderbergh’s international action picture “Haywire” from Relativity Media, starring mixed martial arts superstar Gina Carano in her first film role, opened in fifth place with $9 million, which was above expectations.

“This is a great, perfect January weekend. You’ve got these holdover films and newcomers creating an overall marketplace that people are really responding to,” Dergarabedian said. “It sounds cliché but this market-

place really has something for everyone.”

As for worldwide box office, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1” has now crossed the $700 million mark.

The first half of the finale of the girl-vampire-werewolf love triangle franchise has grossed an estimated $701.3 million in global box office receipts since its release last November, according to Lionsgate, which recently acquired Summit Entertainment, which distributes the series.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Underworld Awakening,” $25.4 million ($13.4 million international).

2. “Red Tails,” $19.1 mil-

Southwest will keep flying to 22 AirTran cities Ap

Associated Press

DALLAS — Southwest Airlines Co. said Friday that it would keep flying to 22 cities served

by AirTran Airways but end flights to six others — raising the final cut list to 15 AirTran locations — as it combines the two airlines.

The dropped cities are smaller than typical Southwest markets and include Allentown, Pa., and Sarasota, Fla. Southwest said it couldn’t afford to serve such markets with today’s high jet fuel prices.

The decision ended months of suspense after Southwest bought AirTran in May. AirTran served 69 cities, including many also served by Southwest.

Besides the overlapping cities, the 22 non-Southwest destinations that the company will keep include airports in Mexico, the Caribbean and the Midwest and eastern half of the United States. Among them: Charlotte, N.C.; Memphis, Tenn., and Richmond, Va. Outside the U.S., the airline will serve Cancun, Mexico; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Aruba; Bermuda;

and Nassau, Bahamas. It will also keep Mexico City, where AirTran plans to begin flying in May, and San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, where AirTran has set a June launch.

Southwest and AirTran operate as separate airlines, but Southwest intends to combine the two starting this year. AirTran employees in the 22 surviving cities will eventually wear Southwest uniforms, although the switch could take several years.

Southwest announced Friday that on Aug. 12, AirTran will pull out of Allentown and Harrisburg, Pa.; Lexington, Ky.; Sarasota, Fla.; Huntsville, Ala.; and White Plains, N.Y. The Dallas-based company had previously said that it would halt AirTran service at Miami; Knoxville, Tenn.; Asheville, N.C.; Atlantic City, N.J.; Bloomington and Moline, Ill.; Charleston, W.V.; and Newport News, Va. AirTran ended flights at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in November — Southwest flies out of nearby Dallas Love Field. AirTran will also depart Dulles Airport outside Washington, but Southwest flies

Associated Press

PORTO ERCOLE, Italy — Stone fortresses and watchtowers that centuries ago stood guard against marauding pirates loom above pristine waters threatened by a modern peril: fuel trapped within the capsized Costa Concordia luxury liner.

A half-million gallons (2,400 tons) of heavy fuel oil is in danger of leaking out and polluting some of the Mediterranean’s most unspoiled sea, where dolphins chase playfully after sailboats and fishermen’s catches are so prized that wholesalers come from across Italy to scoop up cod, lobster, scampi, swordfish and other delicacies.

“Even the Caribbean has nothing on us,” said Francesco Arpino, a scuba instructor in the chic port of Porto Ercole, noting how the sleek granite sea bottom helps keep visibility crystal clear even 135 feet (40 meters) down.

Divers in these transparent waters marvel at an underwater world of sea horses and red coral, while on the surface sperm whales cut through the sea.

But worry is clouding this paradise, which includes a stretch of Tuscan coastline that has been the holiday haunt of soccer and screen stars, politicians and European royals.

Rough seas hindering divers’ search for bodies in the Concordia’s submerged section

have also delayed the start of a pumping operation expected to last weeks to remove the fuel from the ship. Floating barriers aimed at containing any spillage now surround the vessel.

According to the Dutch salvage firm Smit, which has been contracted to remove the fuel, there are about a half million gallons (2,400 tons) of heavy fuel oil on board, as well as some 200 tons of diesel oil and smaller amounts of lubricants and other environmentally hazardous materials.

The ship lies dangerously close to a drop-off point on the sea bottom. Should strong waves nudge the vessel from its precarious perch, it could plunge some 90 feet (30 meters), further complicating the pumping operation and possibly rupturing fuel tanks. Italy’s environment minister has warned that if the tanks break, the thick black fuel would block sunlight vital for marine life in the seabed.

A week after the Concordia struck a reef off the island of Giglio, flipping on its side, its crippled 114,000-ton hull rests on seabed rich with an underwater prairie of sea grass vital to the ecosystem. Environmentalists warn the sheer weight of the wreckage has likely already damaged a variety of marine life, including endangered sea sponges, and crustaceans and mollusks, even before a drop of fuel leaks.

“The longer it stays there,

3. “Contraband,” $12.2 million.

4. “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” $10.5 million.

5. “Haywire,” $9 million.

6. “Beauty and the Beast (3-D),” $8.6 million.

7. “Joyful Noise,” $6.1 million.

8. “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol,” $5.5 million. ($9.4 million international).

9. “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,” $4.8 million. ($18.1 million international).

10. “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” $3.75 million ($15.7 international).

J.P. Morgan sneaks up on BofA as it adds branches AP

Associated Press

MCT Campus

A Southwest terminal at an airport.

there.

The changes announced Friday will be included in new schedules that Southwest and AirTran will publish Sunday.

The 22 U.S. cities served

by AirTran that will eventually switch to Southwest service: Flint and Grand Rapids, Mich.; Rochester, N.Y.; Pensacola and Key West, Fla.; Charlotte, N.C.; Dayton, Ohio; Richmond, Va.;

Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C.; Memphis, Tenn.; Akron-Canton, Ohio; Wichita, Kan.; Des Moines, Iowa; Branson, Mo.; Portland, Maine.

Cruise ship threatens marine paradise off Italy FRANCES D’EMILIO

lion.

the longer it impedes light from reaching the vegetation,” said Francesco Cinelli, an ecology professor at the University of Pisa in Tuscany.

The seabed is a flourishing home to Poseidon sea grass native to the Mediterranean, Cinelli told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

“Sea grass ... is to the sea what forests are to terra firma,” Cinelli said. They produce oxygen and serve as a refuge for organisms to reproduce or hide from predators.

The Tuscan archipelago’s seven islands are at the heart of Europe’s largest marine park, extending over some 150,000 acres (60,000 hectares) of sea.

They include the islands of Elba, where Napoleon lived in exile, and Montecristo, a setting for Alexandre Dumas’ novel “The Count of Monte Cristo,” where rare Mediterranean monk seals have been spotted near the coast.

Montecristo has a two-year waiting list of people hoping to be among the 1,000 people annually escorted ashore by forest rangers to admire the uninhabited island. Navigation, bathing and fishing are strictly prohibited up to a half mile (one kilometer) from Montecristo’s rocky, cove-dotted coast. A monastery established on the island in the 7th century was abandoned 900 years later after repeated pirate raids.

Come spring, Porto Ercole’s

slips will be full, with yachts dropping anchor just outside the port. A steep hill provides a panoramic view of a sprawling seaside villa, once a holiday retreat of Dutch royals, and of the crescent-shaped island of Giannutri, with its ancient Roman ruins.

Alberto Teodori, who said he has been hired as a skipper for the yachts of Rome’s VIPs for 30 years, noted that the area thrives on tourism in the spring and summer and survives on fishing in the offseason.

If the Concordia’s fuel should pollute the sea, “Giglio will be dead for 10, 15 years,” Teodori fretted, as workers nearby shellacked the hull of an aging fishing boat.

The international oceanadvocacy group, Oceana, describes the national marine park as an “ecological diamond,” favored by divers for its great variety of species.

“If the pollution gets into the water, we are ruined,” said Raffaella Manno, who with her husband runs a portside counter selling fresh fish in Porto Santo Stefano, a nearby town where ferries and hydrofoils depart for Giglio.

She said fish from the archipelago’s waters are prized throughout Italy for their quality and variety.

“The water is clean and the reefs are rich” for fish to feed, she said, as trucks carrying oilremoval equipment waited to

board ferries to Giglio. “The priciest markets in Italy come here to buy, from Milan, Turin, even Naples.”

Concordia’s captain, initially jailed and then placed under house arrest in his hometown near Naples, is suspected of having deliberately deviated from the ship’s route, to hug Giglio’s reef-studded coastline in order to perform a kind of “salute” to amuse passengers and islanders.

The maneuver is apparently a common practice by cruise ships, environmentalists lament.

“These salutes are an established practice by the big cruise ships,” said Francesco Emilio Borrelli, a Green party official from Naples. He said that the Greens have received reports of numerous such sightings by ships sailing by the Naples area islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida.

Even before the Concordia tragedy, environmentalists had railed against what they brand “sea monsters,” — massive cruise liners releasing huge amounts of greenhouse gases — sailing perilously close to the coast to thrill the passengers aboard.

“These virtual cities put at risk the richness of biodiversity, which we must never forget is at the foundation of our very survival on Earth,” said Marevivo, an Italian environmental group.

LOS ANGELES — J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. said Monday it plans to open about 175 more branches nationwide this year, including more than 80 in California, the latest sign that the bank hopes plain-vanilla lending will fuel its future growth.

Chase, the consumer banking arm of New York-based J.P. Morgan Chase, currently has about 5,510 branches, up from about 5,270 a year ago.

Rival Bank of America Corp., meanwhile, has been trimming its branches, though it still has more than JPMorgan. The Charlotte, N.C.based bank has about 5,700 branches, down from about 5,860 the previous year.

If J.P. Morgan tops Bank of America in number of branches this year, it will be the second crown that the New York bank snatches from the Charlotte bank in as many years.

Last year, JPMorgan topped Bank of America as the nation’s largest bank by assets.

J.P. Morgan is eager to expand in consumer banking as new regulations crimp investment banking practices that used to be big revenue generators, like certain structured investment vehicles.

Bank of America, on the other hand, which expanded greatly in 2008 with its purchase of mortgage lender Countrywide, is scaling back after that move brought quarterly losses and regulatory headaches.

San Francisco-based Wells Fargo, which greatly expanded when it bought Wachovia in 2008, has about 6,240 branches, more than either J.P. Morgan or Bank of America.

J.P. Morgan Chase shares slipped 20 cents to $37.56 in morning trading, while Bank of America shares rose 26 cents to $7.33 and Wells Fargo slipped 4 cents to $30.50.

Reading is fundamental . . . . . . and so is writing.

The A&T Register holds contributors meetings every Wednesday @ 5 p.m. in GCB A328.

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The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Why do fools fall in love?

Top relationship problems SYLVIA OBELL

Managing Editor

No relationship is perfect.

Anyone who has been in one can tell you that. Good, long lasting relationships take work. That is something I believe many people today have forgotten with divorce suits being filed left and right. Every relationship has its specific challenge, but there are a few common ones that a lot of couples go through. I went around polling different couples to find out what the top challenges were and how they went about combating them. Here’s what I found: 1. Communication Most people will agree that communication is one of if not the most important things in a relationship. Ironically enough, it is also one of, if not the hardest, things to master in a relationship because you have two different people from two different backgrounds trying to find common ground in something that is already innate in us by the time we start dating.

Personally, I always struggle with communication in the beginning of a relationship because its the time where you are still getting to know each other in these new roles as “boyfriend” and “girlfriend.” It’s important to learn your partner’s expectations and needs when it comes to communication and care enough to meet and fulfill them. And vice versa. A lot of the time we know what our partner’s triggers are but choose to push them when we’re angry, but what does that really solve?

Was it really worth it after a long drawn out argument and then all you may have to do to get back in the other persons favor?

For example one girlfriend admits to shutting her boyfriend out when she’s angry. But not allowing him to speak to her or explain only prolongs the issue versus solving it. She also may spend time being mad about nothing without even knowing it.

In another relationship the boyfriend said that for a while he never realized that his girlfriend couldn’t emotionally handle the way he spoke to her in arguments. Her sensitivity surprised him because she was such a strong person in every other aspect. But once she was able to put her pride aside and admit it, he was aware and they began to handle their problems much better versus it turning into a big argument because they were hurting each others feelings. As the old saying goes, “communication is key.”

2. Priorities A lot of issues can be lumped under priorities which is why it made this list. Sometimes one of the toughest adjustments is rearranging your priorities once you enter a relationship. When you are single all you have to worry about is how you want to schedule your work load, family, friends, school, free time, etc. Once you are in a relationship, time management is taken to another level. You have to decide as a couple where your relationship falls on your list of priorities. Couples did agree however, that a good partner will force you to put them before things like school or family, but support you while you handle those aspects of your life. That being said, it is important that you give your partner time.

A common priority struggle for men tends to be going out

with their “boys” versus spending time with their girl. One boyfriend shared how he handles that specific problem, “Even though I often find myself having to choose between hanging out with the guys or hanging out with my girl, a lot of the time I chose my girl because she is my best friend. That’s why I think its important to date someone who’s your best friend because it’ll be natural for you to want to spend majority of your time with them.”

3. Trust Trust is probably one of the hardest issues to overcome, mostly because it is a pretty cut and dry issue. I couldn’t be in a relationship where there is no trust because I can’t be that girl whose checking your phone, twatching your every tweet, checking your Facebook inbox, following your every move, etc.

That’s all too exhausting and frankly its unhealthy.

The easiest example to go to for trust is cheating. A lot of the couples agreed that cheating is the most selfish and fatal things a person can do to their relationship. If you’ve been cheated on, the choice to stay or leave is a personal one but if you do chose to stay therapists agree that it is vital to let it go once you forgive your partner. If you constantly throw it in their face or refuse to give them your full trust again, the relationship will continue to suffer.

To those who have a problem staying faithful, here’s some advice from a someone who used to suffer with that same problem, “Take things day by day. It was hard for me to look at the whole year because 365 days is a long time, but when I take it day by day it doesn’t seem as daunting. Soon days turned into weeks that turned into months that turned into a year.”

4. Sex Sex is a lot like communication. It’s important to learn your partner’s expectations and needs and care enough to meet and fulfill them. And vice versa.

Whether its how often, where, what kind, etc., everyone has different preferences when it comes to sex. The couples all felt like when it comes to sex, a compromise needs to be meet.

“It’s important for both sexual desires to be met, but its also important to not let the sex drive the relationship,” said one girlfriend. She also added that contraception shouldn’t be a compromise, it needs to used, unless you both want to get pregnant.

“You may need to reevaluate the relationship if one person feels otherwise,” she adds.

Save the social networks KELSEY FAIR

Contributor

Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter allow consumers to stay abreast on the latest gossip, fashions and local hangouts.

More than a place to gather information, social networks have made the internet a venue to showcase technology. They contain a plethora of advertisements, entertainment and other motives of interest while providing access to information on a widespread assortment of subject matters.

For instance, the accessibility of newspapers via the internet increases awareness of current events within communities worldwide.

But what would happen if the internet was eliminated of the sites that many of us treasure? What if the government decided to shut down all social networks?

On Jan. 18, the internet experienced a ‘blackout’.

The peaceful protests lasted for 24-hours and websites resumed to their everyday manner the following day.

This event prevented certain websites from being accessed due to a petition. As many as 7,000 websites chose to participate in the petition to raise awareness of the intentions of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Ip Act (PIPA).

Among the 7,000 websites petitioning were Wikipedia, Google, Reddit, WordPress, TwitPic, Cheezburger, and BoingBoing, some of the top used internet sites.

The intentions of SOPA and PIPA are to inevitably end online piracy and protect the IP Act. The websites urged visitors to contact their local representative to voice their opinion of the intentions to censor or

block the page completely.

The reasoning behind blocking certain pages is to shed light on what would happen if SOPA and PIPA were to become legislation that are in favor of the acts.

If successful with their acts, online social networks, such as those previously listed and many more, would end. More or less, Congress is trying to censor the web. If the censorship were successful, certain websites would be out of commission and shut down permanently.

Those that disagree with the online censorship bring up points that challenge the freedom of expression and a right to information. Although this may be true, it is within the interest of Congress to prevent online piracy at just about any cost.

The websites that choose to protest definitely caught the interest of their users.

The mindset of the website coordinators was to bring awareness to their viewers and engage them in the problem at hand—SOPA and PIPA trying to censor the web. The websites knew their viewers would visit their sites, so why not creatively mention that the government is out to put an end to social networks?

In order to save the internet and avoid censorship, websites appointed January 18th as a day to bring all internet surfers to the realization that the internet community is at stake if SOPA and PIPA succeed. Therefore, it is pertinent to bring this matter to the public’s attention. In order to make progress or have voices heard, we a people must be knowledgeable of what is going on in and around their community.

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The military scandal you haven’t heard about LINDSAY POLLARD MCT Campus

Americans and Afghans alike are rightly outraged over a video circulating on the Internet that allegedly shows U.S. Marines urinating on Taliban corpses.

Pentagon officials are scrambling to do damage control, fearing that the video will hinder peace talks, and military officials are promising that those involved will be punished to the highest extent.

But another video that surfaced recently also merits outrage and action: It shows a soldier viciously beating a sheep with a baseball bat while other soldiers laugh and cheer.

Blow after metallic, stomach-churning blow rains down on the terrified sheep’s skull.

The convulsing and kicking animal tries in vain to rise and flee, but the man with the bat just keeps swinging.

A local boy in the background jumps up and down in apparent delight while the sheep struggles on the ground.

Despite a letter and phone calls from PETA to high-rank-

ing Army officials, no action has been taken on this case after more than a month.

Animals don’t start wars.

They don’t have political views, militaries or weapons.

Yet they are often the victims of cruelty in combat zones.

In 2008, video surfaced of a smiling Marine who hurled a live puppy off a cliff while another Marine laughed.

Thankfully, after a massive public outcry and pressure from PETA, the puppy-tossing Marine was expelled, and another Marine in the video faced disciplinary action.

The same year, video that was allegedly taken from a CD found in Baghdad’s Green Zone depicts what appear to be U.S. soldiers taunting and tormenting a dog whose back legs were apparently crippled.

The laughing men threw rocks at the dog, who snarled and yelped in pain before making a desperate attempt to flee on two legs.

One of the men in the video said the dog’s attempt to run was “the funniest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Many other similar inci-

dents of abuse have been recorded on video, and many more likely never see the light of day.

Whether the abuser is a military service member or a regular Joe, cruelty to animals isn’t “normal” behavior, and it must be taken seriously, for everyone’s safety.

People who find pleasure or humor in harming animals aren’t just cruel; they’re also cowards because they target “easy victims” who don’t have any hope of fighting back.

Mental-health and law-enforcement professionals know that animal abusers’ disregard for life and indifference to suffering indicate a dangerous psychopathy that does not confine itself to animal victims.

A history of cruelty to animals regularly shows up in the FBI records of serial rapists and murderers, and a study by Northeastern University and the Massachusetts SPCA found that people who abuse animals are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against humans.

Violence is a fact of war, but the depravity shown by

the sheep-beating soldier and the sick pleasure the onlookers seemed to derive from watching the beating are red flags.

All the students who have opened fire on their classmates have histories of cruelty to animals.

“BTK” killer Dennis Rader, who was convicted of killing 10 people, admitted that he was cruel to animals as a child and apparently practiced strangling dogs and cats before moving on to human victims.

Serial killer and cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer tortured animals and impaled cats’ and dogs’ heads on sticks. The Boston Strangler, Albert DeSalvo, used arrows to shoot cats and dogs who were trapped inside crates.

Whether it occurs at home or in a war zone, there is never an excuse for harming animals.

The stakes of cruelty to animals are far too high to ignore it, to excuse it or to let those who commit it go unpunished.

It’s time for the military to treat acts of cruelty to animals with the seriousness that they deserve.

5. Friends When it comes to involving other people in your relationship the solution is easy, don’t do it.

It’s ok to vent to close friends from time to time or get an outside perspective, especially if there’s a serious issue. However, most of the time you know when you should leave before anyone else even tells you. So the problem comes when you put another persons perspective above the ones that matter; you and your partner. Also, don’t put your problems all over Facebook and Twitter because at the end of the day that makes you look stupid. Handle your problems with the one who can fix it.

-smobell@ncat.edu And follow her on Twitter @YngBlkandFancy

Contributors Meeting Every Wednesday 5 p.m. in GCB Room 328 Follow us: @ATRegister

Consensus is highly needed on Web piracy MCT CAMPUS Contributor

While much of the nation’s capital has been engrossed in the debate over unemployment, taxes and spending, lobbyists representing a huge swath of the U.S. economy have been battling over proposals to combat foreign websites dedicated to piracy. The Senate plans to take up its version soon, despite the lack of consensus about how to rein in pirate sites without censoring legitimate speech or stifling innovation. That would be a mistake.

The bills _ the PROTECT IP Act in the Senate, the Stop Online Piracy Act in the House _ would authorize the Justice Department to obtain court orders against foreign piracy hotbeds. Those orders would compel Internet service

providers and search engines to deter users from accessing those sites, while requiring payment processors and advertising networks to stop servicing them. The bills would also enable copyright and trademark owners to seek similar court orders against alleged piracy hotbeds regardless of where they were located.

The lead sponsors of the two bills announced last week that they were dropping or watering down the provision requiring Internet providers to block access to offending sites. The concession came in response to a chorus of objections from top online security experts, who argued that it would fragment the way traffic is directed online and undermine efforts to deter fraud and other cyber crimes. The White House joined in that chorus Saturday, saying the

bills “pose a real risk to cyber security and yet leave contraband goods and services accessible online.” The administration went further, warning lawmakers against unleashing “unjustified” lawsuits that could slow the growth of startups and innovators.

Supporters of the legislation, including entertainment companies and businesses whose brands are counterfeited online, need to acknowledge the near-futility of trying to hide a site on the Internet, either by seizing their domain names or excluding results from search engines. They also should recognize the suspicions raised among tech companies by the original version of the House bill, which seemed to put U.S. websites at greater risk of being held liable for their users’ infringements.

Meanwhile, opponents of the legislation _ which include tech companies, social conservatives and civil libertarians _ need to acknowledge the threat from foreign sites that make their living off copyright infringement. The Center for Democracy and Technology, a centrist techadvocacy group, has argued for a streamlined version of the legislation focused on cutting off foreign sites’ sales and advertising revenue. That may not be the complete answer, but it’s a sensible first step that would minimize the potential for squelching legitimate innovation online. The various factions should work toward an agreement on that kind of approach rather than having the Senate try to ram through something that is still bitterly opposed by so much of the tech industry.

Editor’s note:The opinions expressed on The Word are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the staff of The A&T Register. All house editorials are written and revised with input from the editorial board, staff, and is approved by the editor. All submissions must be sent to theatregister@gmail.com to be considered for submission and should be no longer than 250 words. Submissions must be received by the Sunday prior to publication at 5 p.m. to be considered. The A&T Register reserves the right to edit all submission content for clarity and grammar. Submissions become the property of The A&T Register and will not be returned.

theSCORE The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, January 25, 2012

It’s raining threes in Baltimore! karmen robinson Sports Editor

Junior forward Adrian Powell hit a game winning threepointer in an intense overtime thriller to defeat the Eagles of Coppin State 93-92.

After defeating the Morgan State Bears 62-61 just two days before, N.C. A&T traveled back to Baltimore Monday night, to take on the Coppin State Eagles looking for its third consecutive road win that was televised on ESPNU. What looked like an easy shut out victory for the Aggies, who were up by 20 in the first half, turned into an intense, gut wrenching, stomach turning, nail-biting ball game.

The Aggies got off to a quick start with a 18-2 lead in just eight minutes of play.

Coppin State couldn’t handle the tenacious A&T lockdown man defense that forced turnovers in the first half.

A&T also couldn’t be stopped on the offensive side from 3-point land.

Before Monday night, the Aggies averaged seven 3-pointers a game. A&T hit nine shots from behind the arc in just the first half alone.

Nic Simpson, who hasn’t started in the past few games, hit 5 of those and ended the night with 22 points.

But with 5.8 seconds left in the half, senior point guard Tony Gallo knocked down a desperation three sending the Eagles into halftime with a tad bit of momentum despite trailing A&T 44-27.

This was the Eagles first time this season losing at the half.

Coppin State came out at after halftime with a Michael Harper dunk to give the Eagles a spark of life off an Aggie turnover.

Through the first eight minutes of the second half, the two teams traded baskets but the Aggies remained in a comfortable lead.

It wasn’t until later on that the Eagles crept back as Gallo’s steal turned into a fast break as he laid the ball in for the easy two points tying the score for the first time in the game at 67.

Later on Akeem Ellis’s threepoint shot put the Eagles in the lead 70-69 for the first time in

the game with 6:35 left in the half.

Down the stretch, Coppin State led 81-79 when Powell found Simpson who wiggled his way through a host of Eagle defenders on a back door cut to put in a reverse lay up to send the game into overtime.

In overtime with less than a minute to go with game tied at 90, this time it was Gallo found his way to the paint to shoot a contested floater over two Aggie defenders to put Coppin State up 92-90.

A&T’s Marc Hill then pushed the ball up the court to find a wide open Powell with 33.1 seconds to go in overtime, who instead of taking the ball to the hole to tie the game, confidently hit the three to put the Aggies up to win the game 93-92.

Both teams knocked down a season high of 15 three-pointers.

Powell, dangerously close to a double-double, put up 15 points, hauled in nine rebounds, and had three steals.

Hill added 20 points five assists and two steals.

Harper led all scorers with 30 points and Gallo added 22 points and dished out seven assists.

The A&T victory marked just the second time in 16 seasons that the Aggies defeated Coppin State on the road.

“I mean they shot the lights out,” said A&T head coach Jerry Eaves in an A&T press

MEN’S BASKETBALL

N. C. A&T (4-2, 9-12)

THIS WEEK’S GAME: Saturday vs. UMES Corbett Sports Center 4 p.m.

COPPIN STATE (4-3, 9-11)

Murray 9, Weins 0, Williams 12, Harper 30, Cephas 0, Gallo 22, Simpson 0, Ellis 16, Johnson 3, St. Louis 0 N.C. A&T..................44 37 12—93 COPPIN STATE........27 54 11—92 3-point goals: A&T -- Simpson 5, Hill 4, Powell 3, Williams 2, Witter.

Coppin State -- Harper 6, Ellis 4, Gallo 3, Murray.

-klrobin2@ncat.edu and follow her on Twitter @KayRob_

Pratt swims for the last time in Corbett Sports Center symone kidd Contributor

The N.C. A&T swim team took on the Radford University Highlanders on Jan. 20 in Corbett Sports Center. The meet was scheduled to start at 5 p.m. but was delayed 30 minutes due to the late arrival of officials.

Thirteen events took place during the event. The first of the night was the 200 Meter Relay that had the crowd going wild as the Aggies came in first place with a time of 2:00.04.

“We really had some good races,” said head coach Shawn Hendrix who is in her 12th season of coaching. The Aggies had 12 swimmers who placed in the Top 3 in 12 of the night’s 13 events.

Freshman Danielle Jackson had a personal best in the 50 Freestyle at 33.55 and she also placed first in the 100 Breaststroke at 1:13.65.

Four Aggies competed in the 50 Butterfly event. Junior Lauren Bowling came in first place with a time of 27.95, her competitor from Radford only trailed behind .5 seconds.

“I felt really good about competing tonight. At times I was a little tired but I kept a positive attitude and pushed through.

Overall, I think I did really good and the team did well also,” said Bowling.

Not only was Friday’s meet

the last home game it was also senior night.

Carolyn Pratt was honored during a senior recognition ceremony where Hendrix pointed out Pratt’s “Jamaican smile, comic side, and honesty.” Pratt walked on the team as a sophomore and is a swimmer that Hendrix can go to for second opinions on team decisions.

She also has a personal best in the 50 Freestyle and participated in the 50 Butterfly, which is not her event. Pratt was encouraged by her teammates to swim the fly for fun.

“I felt good about my performance tonight,” said Pratt. Coming from no swim background to putting up great numbers her goal for the last few meets is to go faster in her main event, the 50 Freestyle.

The Aggies finished the night with a total of five first place finishes but lost to the Highlanders 159-79. “Our season doesn’t end until February,” said Hendrix. “The biggest accomplishment has been the cohesiveness and focus.”

The team’s next meet is against Campbell on Friday, Jan. 27 at 4 p.m. They will then prepare for CCSA Duals and the Championship.

Contributor

North Carolina A&T’s Women’s tennis team played their first home match of the season against the Elon Phoenix on Friday, Jan. 20.

The Aggies and the Phoenix played very intense doubles and singles matches. Although the Aggies brought their powerful swings and dedicated attitudes they lost their match against Elon with the final score being 7-0.

Head Coach James Dunwoody was very proud of his team’s hard work. “I saw and understood their strengths and

MEAC

OVR.

7-0 6-1 5-2 4-2 4-3 3-3 3-3 3-4 2-3 2-4 1-4 1-6 0-6

15-5 9-12 10-10 9-12 9-11 9-10 5-12 5-16 5-11 6-13 4-14 4-16 4-15

Norfolk Bethune-Cookman Savannah State North Carolina A&T Coppin State North Carolina Central Morgan State Florida A&M Delaware State Hampton Maryland Eastern Shore Howard South Carolina State

Monday vs. Delaware State Baltimore, MD 8 p.m.

NEXT WEEK’S GAMES: Saturday vs. Bethune-Cookman Daytona Beach, Fla. 4 p.m.

Monday vs. Florida A&M Talahassee, Fla. 7:30 p.m.

woMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM

MEAC

OVR.

7-0 7-0 5-2 5-2 3-2 3-4 3-4 3-4 2-4 2-4 2-5 0-5 0-6

15-3 14-5 13-7 10-10 5-11 8-10 8-10 6-13 7-12 5-14 7-11 3-15 2-17

Hampton Florida A&M Howard Coppin State MD Eastern Shore Norfolk State South Carolina State Bethune-Cookman North Carolina A&T Morgan State Savannah State Delaware State North Carolina Central

Monday vs. Delaware State Baltimore, MD 6 p.m.

NEXT WEEK’S GAMES: Saturday vs. Bethune-Cookman Daytona Beach, Fla. 2 p.m.

Photo by KEENETH L. HAWKINS JR. • THE A&T REGISTER

A&T’s Carolyn PRATT (left) receives flowers for her senior night. She’s the only senior on the team. Bowling (top) races in 50 Butterfly

-sckidd@ncat.edu and follow us on Twitter @ATRegister

weaknesses of the match,” said Dunwoody. “First thing I need to do as a coach is work on their weaknesses.” Dunwoody also stated that he has seen improvement in his team. In a past game against Elon the match did not even last long as it did today at almost 2 hours. “I think we are as good as Elon the way we played today,” Dunwoody said with a confident smile.

Doubles was the first to be played and the Aggies lost each match. In the doubles match players Cayla Cross and Azeib Nigatu lost their match by a final score of 8-0. Nianna Henry and Kimberly Stalling along with Kenya Colbert and April

TEAM

THIS WEEK’S GAME: Saturday vs. UMES Corbett Sports Center 2 p.m.

A&T’s women’s tennis team swings into action in first home match breanna vigilance

AGGIES RUNDOWN

release. “Neither team let up.

There was some super shots made in that gym tonight. It was just one gorgeous basketball game. It was played at a high quality. ESPNU got their money’s worth on this one.”

The Aggies will get a well deserved four day rest until its next game in which they will host the UM-Eastern Shore Hawks, Sat. Jan. 28 in Corbett Sports Center at 4 p.m.

Smith 5, Powell 15, Hill 20, Simpson 22, Underwood 4, Louisme 0, Buck 1, Estes 4, Witter 9, Siverand 7

7

Burrage both lost their matches by a final score of 8-2. An opponent of Colbert and Burrage, sophomore Frida Jansaker, spoke out to say that it was an overall good competitive game.

“It was a good match, our team played really well today. I’ve played on this team from freshman year and I can say we’ve raised the bar.”

April Burrage and Kenya Colbert, both first time college tennis players, revealed that it was a good match. “I believe we need to continue to work hard so we will be ready for the conference,” said April Burrage. Burrage isn’t the only one preparing to get ready for the

conference matches. “The goal is not to necessarily win. It’s to work hard and to prepare for the conference matches,” team member Cayla Cross noted.

“These games are more for us to see were we are and what to practice for it [conference].”

Kimberly Stalling started off the singles match intense and strong leading the Aggies ahead.

She fell short to competitor Bryn Khoury by scores of 6-2, 0-6. Cayla Cross took on Barboa Lazarova and lost by 6-3, 6-0. Kenya Colbert fell against Briana Berne with scores of 6-0, 6-0. Azieb Nigatu served it up against Maria Ruiz and lost by 6-2, 6-2. Nianna Henry

battled against Katy Canada and lost by 6-0, 6-0. April Burrage played against Kaylyn Smialek and walked away with score of 6-2, 6-2.

The Aggies are headed to compete against Appalachian State on Saturday, Jan 21 at 3p.m. to hopefully bring home a win of a match.

The Aggies will swing into action at their next home game at the Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center on Saturday, Jan 28 at 1 p.m. against the Wofford Terriers.

-bnvigila@ncat.edu and follow us on Twitter @ATRegister

ncatregister.com

Monday vs. Florida A&M Tallahassee, Fla. 5:30 p.m.

AROUND SPORTS

SAN FRANCISCO — It’s Super Bowl XLII, Part II. After spending most of this postseason beating teams that had beaten them, with Charles Bronson-like vengeance, the Giants will have to get used to a new role as they prepare to face the Patriots in Indianapolis in two weeks.

Instead of being the wronged party looking for revenge, the Giants will find themselves facing a team that is trying to even a score.

It was four years ago that the Giants somehow defeated the unbeaten (and believed to be unbeatable) Patriots, 17-14, in Super Bowl XLII. That scarred what would have been a perfect season for the Patriots, who were 18-0 at the time and looking to become football immortals.

How deflating was that loss for the Patriots? The current postseason is the first in which they have won a game since the AFC Championship Game victory that put them in Super Bowl XLII. Now they’re back, after Sunday’s 23-20 win over the Ravens. And they get to face the team that crushed their dreams the last time they made it this far.

It was only this season that the teams met in a meaningful game for the first time since that Super Bowl, and once again, it was the Giants who came away with a stunning victory.

“I’d rather be down by three with a minute-thirty than up by four with a minute-thirty with Tom Brady, with their offense on the field,” Manning said.

“You like those situations where you have a chance to go win the game.”

Now it’s the Patriots’ turn to use that motivation.

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hotlist

thescene

The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Jan. 25th to 31st The A&T Register’s guide to what’s going this week in arts and entertainment.

on screen Photo by MCt campus

PHOTO SUBJECT Footage from the film “RedTails”

Movie Review:“redtails”

“Red Tails” soars into box office Sylvia obell

Managing Editor

“Red Tails” is an extraordinary tale of courage, bravery, and strength that is inspired by the equally extraordinary story of the Tuskegee Airmen.

During United States’ involvement in World War II the Tuskegee Airmen were formed as the first African-American aerial combat unit. Unlike the 1995 HBO movie “The Tuskegee Airmen”, “Red Tails” is set in 1944 Italy when WWII is already in full swing.

Despite the fact that these men heeded the call to serve their country, they still had to deal with the prejudice laws and attitudes of the very nation they were fighting to protect.

The story centers on the unit’s plight to prove that African-Americans did not lack the courage, discipline, and intelligence to be fighter pilots, as was the belief at that time.

Three major things stick out about “Red Tails.”

Let’s begin with the

outstanding group of black men that made this movie. Behind the scenes were some of the men responsible for the most controversial African-American shows. Anthony Hemingway (“The Wire”) directed the film and the screenplay was written by “Boondocks” creator Aaron McGruder, and John Ridley.

Big names like Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Tristan Wilds, Nate Parker, NeYo, Method Man, and more created an outstanding ensemble of African-American actors.

Each brought so much personality to their character; you couldn’t help but get attached. If Nate Parker didn’t have you convinced he was a force to be reckoned with after “The Great Debaters”, he confirms it in “Red Tails.”

I found his performance quite compelling, and boy can that man give a speech. If you didn’t have goosebumps after his “We Fight, We Fight, We Fight,” chant then something is wrong with you.

Though Parker was amazing, in my opinion, the standout performance goes to David

Oyelowo. The new face did an amazing job playing the arrogant and disobedient, yet loving and loyal Joe “Lightning” Little.

The next thing that stood out was the beautifully put together story. You’ll laugh, cry, feel anger and joy, but most of all you’ll leave the theater feeling inspired. Allow me to speak as a black woman for a moment.

Movies like this make me proud to be part of such a strong people.

The film reminds my generation why we need to be proud of who we are. It reminds us to look at the generations of our grandparents and greatgrandparents with admiration and respect for all they did.

It inspires us to create a history that can leave our grandchildren feeling equally as proud.

All of these sentiments had me leaving the theater wondering why I’m not able to leave a movie feeling this way more often.

It’s not like AfricanAmericans don’t have tons of amazing stories to tell. Which leads me to the last thing that

stuck out about the movie: the ironic parallels between the actual movie and the history of the Tuskegee Airmen. Both had to overcome adversity despite being almost 70 years apart.

The movie tells the story of how the Tuskegee Airmen proved to the entire U.S. Air Force that black men were not only equally capable of fighting in combat, but that they could be exceptional.

They had to fight for the opportunity to get real missions and once they got them those brave men met every challenge that was assigned by “lighting up the scoreboard,” as Terrence Howard’s character so confidently put it.

Then, 70 years later “Red Tails” executive producer George Lucus has to take the huge risk of funding and releasing the movie entirely on his own because no Hollywood studio would believe in an all African-American cast.

It is a sad truth that shows how others view our star power as a race when it comes to motion pictures. This weekend was, in essence, “Red Tails”

first “fighter mission.”

Like the Tuskegee Airmen, the movie has everything to lose if it doesn’t exceed Hollywood’s already low expectations for it. If this movie doesn’t “light up the score board” it can be ages before we see another big-budget African-American movie.

That being said, I encourage all ages and all races to go see this film. The story of the Tuskegee Airmen is something everyone should know as well as enjoy.

-Smobell@ncat.edu and follow us on Twitter @TheATRegister

on shelves

A

Concert Review: musiq soulchild

Grooving ‘Forthenight’

Kelcie Mccrae

Editor-In-Chief

A great sound for sore ears is what R&B powerhouse Musiq Soulchild brought to the stage as he sang his heart out for this year’s McDonalds Rhythms of Triumph this past weekend.

This annual program, sponsored mainly by the fast-food empire, Greensboro R&B radio station 97.1 QMG and gospel station 1510AM, serves as a celebration of black history. In

20

Questions

addition to providing a concert of soul, this program also served as an arena to recognize local individuals who have given back to their respective communities.

Julius Clark, Shawan Gabriel, and Julianne Malveaux were the recipients from High Point, Winston-Salem, and Greensboro respectively.

Breaking up acceptance speeches from the winners were sounds from local artists Van-

essa Ferguson and Aggie alum Bertha Young. It was evident that these too vocal divas had talent, however a crowd antsy to see the main event quickly noticed their lack of stage presence.

Not many seemed to know their music, which caused a loud roar of chatter during both performances. Maybe if they sang famous cover songs and mixed in their music they would have had a better reaction from the crowd.

After 90 minutes of speeches and bad performances it was time for the singer simply known as Musiq to take the stage.

Musiq began by taking the crowd back to 2000, he livened these R&B boppers to one of his first singles “Just Friends,” which immediately caused almost everyone in War Memorial to stand and groove to the beat.

In an industry full of one-hit wonders, hip pop, and other music that causes ears to bleed, it was refreshing to know that the

true essence of soulful music lives.

The vocal range that Musiq possesses is truly unbelievable.

When he belted out the crowd pleaser, as well as one of my personal favorites “Love,” he ranged from baritone to a high soprano.

The rest of his hour performance was a playlist of favorites including “Halfcrazy,” “SoBeautiful,” “B.U.D.D.Y.,” “IfULeave,” and my life’s anthem “Teachme.”

As a person who is a little edgy about commitment, I found this song to somehow portray my feelings toward love — well if it was sung from the female perspective. This song truly explains that just because one does not show love and affection at first, doesn’t mean they are incapable of learning.

As a self-proclaimed concert junkie, this show has join the ranks of Earth,Wind, and Fire, Kem, as well as Eric Benet

Rampart stars Woody Harrelson as Officer Dave Brown, a Vietnam vet and a Rampart Precinct cop, dedicated to doing “the people’s dirty work” and asserting his own code of justice, often blurring the lines between right and wrong to maintain his action-hero state of mind. When he gets caught on tape beating a suspect, he finds himself in a personal and emotional downward spiral as the consequences of his past sins and his refusal to change his ways in light of a department-wide corruption scandal seal his fate. Is it enough to redeem him as a man?

in terms of my favorite concerts.

Only thing I would have added to this dynamic show was a longer set, as well as a live band instead of a DJ. -KCMccrae@ncat.edu and follow us on Twitter @TheATRegister

Tyga is about to release his debut album, “Careless World: Rise of the Last King.” This comes after the success of his current single “Rack City,” even though this single is not on the album. Most have been introduced to the artist after he was signed to Young Money under Lil Wayne. We will see how he does solo without the help of his camp.

u

presS PLAY

Future feat Big Boi & Young Jeezy

“Aint No Way Around It” A lot of people may know the artist Future with his big hit “Racks on Racks.” He released his new single with Big Boi and Young Jeezy. This is a song with amazing lyrical skills by Big Boi and Jeezy, and the beat makes it easy to listen to.

II

presS Pause

Nicki Minaj

“Stupid H**”

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1. How many times have you watched “The Ratchet Girl Anthem” on YouTube? 2. How many chicks on campus does that song perfectly describe? 3. If you were offended by the video does that make you a “Ratchet Girl”? 4. If you’d still rock a jersey dress with Jordan heels did you know you were classified as ‘ratchet’? 5. Honestly, who is still #TeamFlipPhone in 2012? 6. Why? 7.

Who sucks more, Kyle Williams or Billy Cundiff? 8. Didn’t we just see the Giants and Patriots in the Super Bowl? 9. You Illuminati conspiracy theorist have anything to say about that? 10. Are you more hype about the game or the food? 11. Are you going to put in on the cost or will you be ‘that’ friend? 12. How many girls would be more excited for the Super Bowl if Derwin and the San Diego Sabers were playing? 13. You do know they’re not real, right? 14. Are you still watching “The Game” or have you given up all hope? 15. Where is Kelly Pitts? 16. Wouldn’t we prefer Brandy in a “Moesha” reunion or something? 17. Speaking of “Moesha”, did anyone catch ‘Myles’ is Red Tails? 18. Could it have been any more obvious that George Lucas was a fan of “The Wire”?

19.Who’s trying to be a Tuskegee Airmen for Halloween this year? 20. If you STILL haven’t seen this movie did you know you were losing?

Nicki recently released a diss record that is said to be directed towards rapper Lil’ Kim. This is a good record to listen to once to see what is said, but this isn’t anything to add to your iPod. Besides the rude punch lines, this song is annoying and only shows Nicki’s ability to lyrically kill off an artist.

Come be a part of theScene Contributors Meetings every Wednesday at 5 p.m. in GCB 328A