The Eagle — Nov. 9, 2009

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NEWS ‘TISN’T THE SEASON Speaker questions the origins of Christmas celebrations page 4

EDITORIAL

MERKEL INSPIRES German Chancellor gives great speech to Congress on fall of the Berlin Wall page 3

SCENE FOREVER YOUNG Forever the Sickest Kids chat with the Eagle before playing the Tavern page 5

GIFT BOX Richard Kelly questions the priorities of life and money in ‘The Box’

Meet AU’s busiest

By SARAH PARNASS Eagle Staff Writer Remember when you thought college was all about babes, booze and beach parties? Bogdan “Bob” Vitas, a senior in the School of International Service and College of Arts and Sciences, proves this is not the case.

The skin beneath Vitas’ eyes was sunken and purple and he sported a hefty amount of stubble this weekend when he gave The Eagle an interview after winning “AU’s Busiest Student” competition. He has no time for such time-wasting habits as sleep. Instead, he pulls all-nighters at least once per week.

Vitas starts his Monday morning off in the cold of early dawn with 30 minutes of exercise. This is part of his daily routine, but some days he just cannot drag himself out of bed after a night of studying, so it gets pushed back until later. Whether first thing in the morning or later in the afternoon, Vitas values this physical activity, dating back to his freshmen year of rowing for AU Crew.

“Forcing yourself to get up at four in the morning for a year, it just becomes a part of you,” Vitas said. “That feeling of getting up and having accomplished so much by the time that the sun is actually up, it was a good feeling.”

After his exercise, Vitas heads off to work at the United States Agency for International Devel-

SPORTS HEARTBREAKER Women’s soccer loses to Colgate 1-0 in double overtime page 8

TODAY’S WEATHER

HI 70° LO 52° Sunny during the day, turning cloudy at night TUESDAY HI 65° n LO 47°

WEDNESDAY HI 53° n LO 42°

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opment. At 2 p.m., he dashes back to campus for class, finishing up readings on the Metro.

Vitas is doing a double major in International Service and Literature, which reflects his span of interests, but does not give him many peers to work with.

“I’ve only met one other student at AU who’s doing the same [course of studies],” Vitas said.

Tuesdays are Vitas’ busiest days. Starting at 11:10 a.m. with his human rights course — a block — he also has a survey of American literature course and another block to work on his senior capstone project in literature.

The literature capstone requires a minimum finished product of 2550 pages, but “most of us expect to go beyond this,” Vitas said.

In addition to his hours of class, Vitas meets with the Disability Alliance, the Disability Compliance Project Team — a task force put together to decide what can be done to improve the lives of disabled students on campus — and with one of his advisers.

In the middle of the day, Vitas said he needs to take a moment for himself.

“I sit down and just sort of clear everything for 15 minutes,” Vitas said. “A calm self-reflection, not going over my schedule to figure out what’s next, just more like, ‘okay, slow down a little bit, Bob.’” On Wednesdays, Vitas works from nine in the morning until

KELLY BARRETT / THE EAGLE

BUSY, BUSIER, BUSIEST — Bob Vitas won The Eagle’s “AU’s Busiest Student Competition.” Vitas is balancing his double major course load in International Relations and Literature, fraternity, job, volunteer work and political activism. four or five in the evening, when he comes back for a 5:30 block class — “Lyric and the Fate of Beauty.”

After he finishes studying the future of poetry with Professor Manson, Vitas gathers with his brothers from Sigma Chi for pledge events or meetings. At night, he rushes from his brothers to Capitol Hill for a meeting of

the Capitol Fraternal Caucus — a lobbyist group that represents 95 sororities and fraternities across North America, according to its Web site.

On Thursdays and Fridays, Vitas again has work and class, but he calls these “catch-up days” because he uses his extra time to keep in touch with the friends and family he neglects during the

week and start on work for the coming week.

“So I can spend time and actually sleep on Friday evenings,” Vitas said.

Vitas’ friend — who wished to remain anonymous — actually nominated him for the “AU’s Busiest Student” competition.

“I don’t know whether he’s

pact Thurber’s actions had on the AU community and how the administration will react to the situation. Requests for interviews with administration officials have been unanswered.

The full-page ad ran last Wednesday, thanking lobbyist and adjunct professor at AU Jack Bonner for his “15 years of teaching excellence [at the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies].” The ad goes on to say, “Students of the Public Affairs and Advocacy Institute are grateful for the knowledge, insight and years of experience you bring to the university.”

The Center for Congressional

and Presidential Studies is part of the School of Public Affairs and holds conferences, institutes, classes and workshops on politics. Thurber is the director of CCPS. The ad also lists a number of guest lecturers that Bonner had brought to speak to students at the CCPS. Bonner, who taught GOVT-523, “The Art and Craft of Lobbying” at AU this semester, landed in hot water this summer after his lobbying firm, Bonner & Associates, passed forged letters from the NAACP and other organizations to members of Congress.

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see BUSIEST on page 4

Student panel Prof. Thurber says ad in Roll Call was a ‘mistake’ reflects on Ad thanked for Iran’s election lobbyist AU service

By MEGHAN SWEENEY Eagle Contributing Writer

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NOVEMBER 9, 2009 VOLUME 84 n ISSUE 22

Iran is going green, but it is not the same green movement that is taking place in the United States.

Iran’s green movement has nothing to do with more fuel-efficient cars or saving paper, but rather a political movement that took place during Iran’s recent election.

AU’s Persian Club and Kennedy Political Union hosted four speakers to discuss the emotions and effects of Iran’s green movement.

The four speakers, whose last names were not released due to anonymity concerns, included Roya, a Georgetown student who was in Iran during the election, Adam, an AU student who spent the summer in Tehran with his family, Ali, a student from Georgetown who was visiting his family in Iran a few weeks after the election, and Nikki, an AU student who spent the summer in D.C. following Iranian politics.

Each speaker spoke about their personal ties to Iran and their emotions during the election.

In early June, Iranians cast their vote for president, many rallying behind independent reformist party candidate, Mir-Hossein Mousavi. When the incumbent president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, won the election, Iranians took to the streets, feeling as if they had been cheated of their vote. Iranian protestors used green to symbolize their support for Mousavi. “[The] Pre-election atmosphere was pretty hyped up; people were wearing green head scarves, green wrist bands, lots of green in their clothing,” Adam said.

According to Roya, Ahmadinejad’s supporters were not comparable to the millions of youth, activist, labor unions, women and minorities who have been backing Mousavi for the duration of the campaign and election.

“The energy pre-election turned

into this huge mobilization post election,” Roya said.

“After the election, we saw Iranians taking to the streets with one simple question: ‘Where is my vote?’ That question was met with brutality, violence and deplorable actions on behalf of the paranoid Islamic Republic of Iran,” Roya said.

According to Ali, life continued as usual during the day.

“It didn’t seem different when I landed ... You couldn’t tell anything was different if you ignored every you watched on T.V.,” Ali said.

“But then people would open their mouths and anything and everything people would talk about was the election. It was still on people’s minds even three weeks after the fact.”

At night, protestors took to the streets.

“People felt betrayed that they got tricked into believing the process of the system of election,” Ali said.

During Friday prayer, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, condemned protestors and called for them to stop protesting. Violence soon erupted in Iran.

“During dinner ... we heard pops going off and we looked out and there was tear gas coming in through the windows,” Adam said.

“It’s important to distinguish between the peaceful protests the first week and the wholehearted crack down the week after.”

Despite strict limitations on the nation’s media, Iranians were able to show the world the brutality of the Iranian government.

“Everybody that had a cell phone or camera became citizen journalists,” Roya said. “Iranians were able to quickly ... get what they were seeing to CNN, to Facebook, to YouTube, to the rest of the people around the world and really show the world what was happening down the street.” n

see IRAN on page 4

By CHARLIE SZOLD Eagle Staff Writer Professor James Thurber said he “regrets the impact” of placing an ad in Roll Call Nov. 4, which thanked a “long-time colleague who is involved in a political controversy.”

It is not clear exactly what im-

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see THURBER on page 2

AU Abroad sets sights on program in Syria

By MEGHAN SWEENEY Eagle Contributing Writer AU Abroad, in an effort to accommodate a wide range of student interests, has created several new study abroad programs and may be opening a program in Syria.

This November, Director of AU Abroad Sara Dumont, Associate Director of AU Abroad Mark Hayes and Kogod School of Business Professor Giyath Nakshbendi will be traveling to Syria to explore potential study abroad sites for AU students, according to Hayes.

“I would like to stress that this is an exploratory visit,” he said.

The focus of the expansion of AU’s abroad program to Syria would be to provide students with more options to study in the Middle East and with additional Arabic language programs, Hayes said. Over 300 AU students study Arabic, according to Nakshbendi.

In order for an abroad program to begin, AU Abroad must first approve the site.

“During our exploratory visit to Syria, we will be visiting universities in Aleppo and Damascus to assess their interest in cooperating with

AU,” Hayes said. “In addition, we will evaluate their ability to offer an academically challenging program in Arabic language, Middle Eastern Studies, Islamic History and other related subjects.”

On their trip, Hayes and his colleagues will assess housing possibilities, health and safety issues and student immersion into Syrian culture.

“There are a few students who take Arabic, so expanding the program to Syria wouldn’t attract a different crowd of students but give the crowd [of students taking Arabic] more options,” said Martin Zeich, a sophomore in the School of International Service.

Other students may find it challenging to study abroad in Syria.

“I wouldn’t study in Syria,” said Tia Howard, a sophomore in SIS and the School of Public Affairs, “I don’t think it’s safe, and it’s too far away.”

Ayal Chen-Zion, president of AU Students for Israel, thinks that a study abroad program in Syria would be very interesting.

“I support American being on the forefront on extending its arm to other countries for students to study abroad,” Chen-Zion said. “There is a lot of room for negotiation between

Israel and Syria. Closer ties between the U.S. and Syria could bridge that gap.”

AU has developed a dozen new programs in the past year in various places like Sweden, Jordan, India and Taiwan, according to Hayes.

The addition of new programs will provide students with more options when going abroad. The abroad office works to create diverse programs in atypical places.

“The programs in India were added to provide additional geographic reach,” Hayes said.

Some students say they are excited about additional study abroad programs.

“I feel that the more options the better; it makes choosing a place to go a little more challenging because of the amount of options,” said Madeleine Kuhn, a sophomore in SPA. The abroad office looks to provide students with a multitude of abroad options.

“We are continually evaluating and reassessing the study abroad needs of the university,” Hayes said.

You can reach this writer at news@theeagleonline.com.

the EAGLE

NOVEMBER 9, 2009

news 2

India seeks college collaboration Minister of Ed. reaches out to U.S.

By MEG FOWLER Eagle Staff Writer India’s education system is at a crossroads, India’s Union Minister for Human Resource Development Shri Kapil Sibal said during an Oct. 30 speech at Georgetown University.

While in the United States, Sibal

met with the U.S. Secretary for Education, Arne Duncan. He also met with presidents of several universities, including Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Yale, New York Academy of Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Boston University, according to a press release on the Indian Embassy’s Web site.

Universities in India face challenges but are open to possibilities for growth and international partnerships, according to Sibal.

“We are grappling with the issue of quality,” Sibal said in a press conference recorded on the Embassy of India’s Web site.

Sibal’s trip follows his meeting with U.S. Under Secretary of State

William Burns in which they discussed an India-U.S. Education Council, according to a press release on the Embassy of India Web site.

“If we could actually tie up with some of these high-quality American universities and persuade them to enter into arrangements either with existing institutions or setting up new innovative universities in India ... We would then set an example of the level of excellence that we aspire for,” Sibal said at the press conference.

Many institutions — including AU — are looking to collaborate with India and its schools as equal partners.

Dr. Surjit Mansingh, an adjunct

professor at AU who has both taught and studied in India, is teaching a class in the School of International Service this semester called “Evolving Triangle: United States, India and China,” exploring the relations among those states.

“The important part of that was to carry the relationship into the realm of an actual partnership,” Mansingh said of Sibal’s meeting with the American education secretary.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the U.S. provided financial assistance to India in the medical and agricultural sectors, but India is seeking a more genuine partnership in its education system, according to Mansingh.

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MON 9

TUES THU 27 10

WED 11

Iraqi Art and Culture Discussion with Ambassador Samir Sumaida’ie 1 - 2 p.m.

WHERE: Battelle-Tompkins Atrium INFO: The Iraqi Ambassador to the United States will be visiting AU to speak on Iraqi art and culture.

CONTACT: For more information, email the Department of Literature at lit@american.edu.

SUB Cinema: “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” 11 p.m. - 1:30 a.m.

WHERE: Ward 1 INFO: SUB Cinema teams up with College Democrats to present the sixth installment of the Harry Potter series.

CONTACT: For more information, email Matt Gohn at sub@ausg.org.

American Madness 8 - 10 p.m.

WHERE: Bender Arena INFO: Get excited for winter sports with the men and women’s basketball pre-season pep rally.

CONTACT: For more information, email Kathryn Tortorici at tortoric@ american.edu.

THURS 12

FRI 13

SAT 14

Presentation and Book Signing by Photographer Christopher Anderson 6:30 - 8 p.m.

WHERE: Wechsler Theater (Mary Graydon Center 315) INFO: Christopher Anderson has photographed a wide range of issues including Afghan refugees in Pakistan, the economic crisis in Russia, the election of Evo Morales in Bolivia and Haitian migration to the U.S. CONTACT: For more information, email Amy Hendrick at hendrick@ american.edu.

“Know Your Numbers” Health Screening Event 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

WHERE: Mary Graydon Center 245 INFO: Find out your cholesterol levels, glucose levels, blood pressure, BMI and body composition at free health screenings.

CONTACT: For more information, e-mail Amy Farr at farr@american. edu.

AU Chamber Singers Annual Early Music Program: From Teacher to Student 8 - 10 p.m.

WHERE: Abramson Family Recital Hall, Katzen Arts Center INFO: The AU Chamber Singers will be performing selections from Johann Sebastian Bach with a full ensemble of instruments. Tickets cost $5 for AU students and $10 for AU community.

CONTACT: For more information, email the Katzen Box Office at AUarts@american.edu.

from THURBER on page 1

The letters outlined reservations that these organizations had about a climate change bill and, according to some members of Congress, possibly impacted some to change their votes.

In a hearing before the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming held Oct. 29, Bonner said the letters were the work of one rogue employee who was immediately fired. At the same hearing, Bonner also announced that he had hired Thurber to act as an “independent ethics adviser” for his firm.

Days later, the CCPS ran the ad thanking Bonner for his work with AU. Thurber agreed to work probono for Bonner’s firm, but the possible conflict of interest caught the attention of the political Web site Talking Points Memo. According to the National Journal, Thurber will no longer act as Bonner’s ethics adviser.

“I think it’s best not to do it,” he told the Journal.

Thurber also said it was a mistake to run the ad with names of individuals without their consent.

“I regret the impact my actions have had on the American University community,” Thurber said in his most recent statement to the press. “This was a lapse in judgment on my part, and I certainly would not do this again.”

Thurber, who teaches classes on political ethics for AU, said this was the first time in 35 years

At AU, the opportunities for India studies are expanding again after they dropped in the 1980s, according to Mansingh.

Next semester, “by request of the students,” who petitioned SIS to add this course, Mansingh said she will be teaching “Contemporary India,” a new 200-level SIS class.

Michelle Egan, director of the SIS Comparative and Regional Studies program, said the Indian Ambassador to the U.S. spoke at SIS earlier this semester. In addition, SIS International Relations Professor and Chair of the AU’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations Studies center, Amitav Acharya, will lead a student trip to India this winter

break, according to Egan.

“There are a lot of interesting developments going on in this area,” Egan said in an e-mail.

Sibal’s tour of American postsecondary education precedes a state visit to the White House by India’s prime minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, planned for Nov. 24.

This will be the first official state visit of the Obama administration and “will highlight the strong and growing partnership between the United States and India,” according to a White House press release.

that something of this nature had ever happened to him.

“I ultimately take responsibility for this,” he said Nov. 4. “But the ideas came from others who are very loyal to [Bonner] here.”

According to the article in the Journal, Thurber does not plan on running ads like this in the future but will instead use personal correspondence to thank people for their work.

“I have never had anything like this,” he told the Journal. “There have been articles about this, and I have received phone calls. I never am going to do [ads] like this again.”

You can reach this staff writer at mfowler@theeagleonline.com.

You can reach this staff writer at cszold@theeagleonline.com.

EDITORIAL

NOVEMBER 9, 2009

GRAHAM VYSE n Editorial Page Editor EdPage@TheEagleOnline.com

JEN CALANTONE n Editor in Chief Editor@TheEagleOnline.com

We should vote on issues, not superficiality LEFT TURN HERE

NICK FIELD One of the primary criticisms of this generation is that it is not involved in public — or political — service. Why is it that more people choose to work in business than to work in elected office? I believe many people want to work in government, but the problem is so few want to be a candidate for an office, a phenomenon I’ve personally dubbed “The Caroline Problem.”

It is named after Caroline Kennedy, who briefly sought appointment to Hillary Clinton’s Senate seat during December 2008 and January 2009. As you may know, in many states, including New York, the governor names the successor to a vacant Senate seat.

Kennedy lobbied the governor, David Paterson, after encouragement from her uncle, Sen. Ted Kennedy and her close friend President Barack Obama. Kennedy had never served in elected office before, and her attempt to gain the appointment was met with a severe media backlash. She was dubbed “Princess Caroline” by cartoonists, usurping an office she hadn’t earned. I do not think, however, that this was because the media was vetting someone who hadn’t faced the voters; I think it was because she had yet to face the media.

It should be clear to everyone, no matter your political persuasion, that despite what you think of any single media source, as a whole they are a fickle bunch.

Quite simply, their problem with Kennedy was that she had refused to do their talk shows, to participate in their short-attention span infotainment world. She seemed to act as if she was better than them, and she was, and they wanted to take her down a peg. In an interview during her time lobby-

ing for the Senate seat, Kennedy’s 30-minute New York One television interview was criticized for her overuse of the phrase “youknow.” This whole campaign was defended under the guise that voters would not choose her and she would be thrust upon them.

But this is the way it’s always been with Senate appointments and the voters would’ve had the chance to vote for or against her next year.

I use this recent example because it shows why America’s best people don’t run for office and the gap between officials and candidates that has developed.

Our Founding Fathers originally envisioned a government run by the best people possible in service and representation of their country. In the late 18th century, however, the most accomplished citizens were well-known, wealthy and connected, thus they could easily win office. The Founders did not seek, in fact they sought to avoid, the adoption of political parties and campaigns. This leaves us today with an inconsistency in our government, for the best candidates for office are often not the best officials, and vice versa.

Today’s campaigns are 24hour media circuses. Any and every instance in a candidate’s past is brought into the open. Does it now become clear why accomplished people don’t run for public office? Would you want people digging into every facet of your life? Asking about your preacher, or how much your clothes cost, or what you said or did ten, twenty, thirty or even forty years ago? The problem is that political campaigns have become a real life reality show. The only way we can fix this problem and improve our government is to begin to elect the best people for the job and not the best candidates for election and re-election. They should vote on issues, not the horse race.

Nick Field is a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs and a liberal columnist for The Eagle.

You can reach him at edpage@ theeagleonline.com.

Merkel speech on Berlin Wall can inspire us MIDDLE OF THE ROAD

CASEY PETROFF Twenty years ago today, Communist East Germany opened its borders to the West in one of the defining moments at the end of the Cold War. As the world looked on, citizens of both countries streamed from one side of the Wall to the other. Families were reunited and total strangers celebrated together in the streets.

The fall of the Berlin Wall was a great unifying event, not only for the two halves of Germany that were literally reunited, but for a world that had grown up in the shadow of the Cold War. The biggest physical symbol of the Cold War was suddenly a dance floor. Once people were shot trying to get from one side of it to the other, and suddenly, everyone was chipping at it with sledgehammers to get a piece of it to stick on their living room mantel as a memento. The great dividing line between East and West was reduced to an interesting piece of interior decoration. The eyes of the world were on Berlin, and the world cheered and patted itself on the back for a job well done.

The 20th anniversary of the Wall’s fall comes at a time of relative pessimism in the United States. According to a Rasmussen poll, 52 percent of Americans believe that the country’s best days are in the past. The sense of optimism that came with the end of the Cold War feels a long way removed from today’s world. The conflict between the democratic, capitalist United States and the communist

USSR — and their respective allies — must have seemed relatively easy to grasp compared to today’s world stage. The United States remains in Iraq and Afghanistan with no foreseeable easy answers, while the entire world holds its breath waiting for a conclusion to the rising tensions over Iran. In a striking situation of déjà vu, Russia is reasserting its old dominance over Europe, particularly in the area of Europe’s energy dependence.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel — a former East German — addressed a joint session of Congress last week. As to be expected, she thanked the U.S. for its role in securing a free and reunited Germany, but the bones of her speech were all business. She talked about the difficult problems of the here and now — a nuclear Iran, the environment, a “transfer of responsibility” in Afghanistan. Merkel’s speech was practical but at the same time it memorialized a moment of idealistic achievement in world history.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the world was optimistic — and rightfully so. Freedom had triumphed and a torn country was reunited. But, as one challenge has disappeared, others have risen in its place. Merkel’s speech reflects this. She realizes, as do America’s citizens, that the reunification of Germany is not only a powerful symbol of human potential and of the promise of democracy to Americans and to the world, but also an inspiration. She used her opportunity to reflect and memorialize, but also to make a pointed reminder about the work that is yet to be done.

Casey Petroff is a freshman in the School of International Service and a moderate liberal columnist for The Eagle. You can reach her at edpage @theeagleonline.com.

Courtesy of MCT CAMPUS

Ad raises ethical questions

When the head of the Center For Congressional and Presidential Studies took out an ad in Roll Call, Talking Points Memo and The Eagle asked questions. AU still needs answers.

Professor James Thurber, the director of AU’s Center For Congressional and Presidential Studies, has a lot to answer for. A poor judgment call on his part has recently resulted in what seems to be university money being spent unethically. It has tainted AU’s good name in the media.

Many of the details of this story remain unclear, but what we already know has serious implications.

On Nov. 4, Roll Call newspaper ran a $1,500 ad, paid for by which heaped praises for Thurber’s friend, AU adjunct professor Jack Bonner.

The ad thanked Bonner for “15 years of teaching excellence” and said, “Students of the Public Affairs and Advocacy Institute are grateful for the knowledge, insight and

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Recently, both The Washington Post and The Eagle ran articles about the price of university parking in the area. Unfortunately those articles have painted some unclear and possibly unfair pictures of AU’s parking policies and prices.

We would like to take a moment to try and present a clearer picture for our community. While we understand that no one ever gets their pay check and says, “Now I can pay for that parking permit I always wanted,” AU does its best to ensure that our parking rates and policies are fair and comparable to both local universities and the District of Columbia.

To make certain that AU’s parking rates remain competitive, every two years we conduct a cost analysis of AU’s parking rates as compared to the immediate surrounding universities and private parking facilities, as well as local residential facilities. According to AU’s most recent analysis conducted in December

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years of experience you bring to the university.” Judging by Thurber’s reaction to the situation, one can assume that he had some sort of oversight on the approval of the ad.

On the surface, this seems benign. But as the political Web site Talking Points Memo realized, Thurber’s knowledge of this particular ad raises serious ethical questions.

Thurber wasn’t just a friend and colleague of Bonner’s at AU. He was also working pro bono as an ethics adviser to Bonner’s lobbying firm, Bonner & Associates. Bonner badly needed an ethics adviser, because his firm had faced a firestorm of criticism over the summer for sending forged letters to members of Congress. This was a serious scandal. The letters were

ostensibly from the NAACP and other organizations concerned about climate change legislation. According to some members, they potentially influenced voting on the House cap and trade bill. Bonner hadn’t known the letters were fake. They were sent by one employee who was promptly fired when all this came to light. He isn’t the story anymore. Thurber is.

The ad can be seen as a public statement of gratitude from CCPS to one of its most beloved professors. However, it might also be interpreted as an attempt to get good PR about a lobbying organization printed in “the newspaper of Capitol Hill” just months after that organization had its reputation tainted by scandal.

Thurber’s reputation sug-

2008, AU’s parking costs are significantly lower than our closest competitors (i.e. Georgetown, George Washington) and well below the cost of local commercial and residential parking facilities.

The truth is that when compared to Georgetown’s and GW’s parking, AU has the closest, most convenient facilities with the highest space availability, not to mention some of the least expensive parking costs in D.C. To quote an AU student who stopped into our office looking for some information for her school paper on AU parking: “It only took me 10 minutes on the Internet to realize that AU’s parking is some of the cheapest in the area.” In fact, if one looks at university Web sites, you will see that AU resident and commuter students pay $468 per semester and $936 per academic year, while GW resident students pay $850 per semester and $1700 per academic year. At Georgetown, resident students are not allowed to park on campus at all. Georgetown commuter students must first enter a lottery to be eligible to park

and then pay $657 per semester and $1314 for the academic year.

That puts AU up to $382 cheaper per semester or $764 cheaper per academic year. In addition, AU faculty and staff permits are $117 per month while Georgetown faculty and staff pay up to $143 per month and GW faculty and staff pay $120 per month. Once again, American is cheaper.

This is not to say that parking is cheap. Parking in the D.C. metro area isn’t cheap by any standards.

However parking cost at AU are below market value, while still providing quality, convenience and availability. Our goal is to offer our community a productive learning environment where they can walk, drive and park in safety with minimum disruption to the community.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Public Safety. Be safe.

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In “Kerwin’s salary in middle of pay list” published Dec. 8, 2008, The Eagle incorrectly reported that AU President Neil Kerwin’s salary was $573, 206 for 2006-2007. In fact, his salary was $573,306. The Eagle then used this incorrect statistic in “Kerwin’s salary tops U.S. list,” published Nov. 5, 2009. In that same story, The Eagle incorrectly used the word “salary” in place of “compensation.” President Neil Kerwin received compensation over $1.4 million during 2007-2008.

The Eagle regrets the errors.

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Sylvia Carignan and Kristen Powell

CORRECTION

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gests this second scenario is unlikely. He is well-respected at AU. His history suggests he is a man of integrity. But questions remain. What was his specific role in the creation of the ad? Did he propose the idea? Did he draft the language? CCPS should explain why there was no oversight on this. They should outline a plan to prevent things like this from happening in the future.

Thurber has said he “regrets the impact” of an ad that thanked “a long-time colleague who is involved in political controversy.” But he owes this campus more than that. He should explain everything. He should be totally transparent. And he should apologize for using university money inappropriately.

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NOVEMBER 9, 2009

AU ponders Web tool

By ALEXANDER GRABOWSKI Eagle Contributing Writer A new Blackboard plug-in allows campuses to connect Google’s free e-mail and document-sharing services with Blackboard, eliminating the need to log into both platforms.

The integration program called Blackboard Building Block, developed by Northwestern University, is already being used by about 1,000 students at Northwestern and is now available to other institutions to use or build on the technology at no cost, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.

“It allows instructors to make a link to a Google document or calendar or spreadsheet,” said Brian Nielson, project manager for Faculty Initiatives at Northwestern. “For instance, as soon as a link is posted, all students have access to it immediately. The open sharing is great.”

Jim McCabe, Blackboard man-

ager of the Center for Teaching, Research and Learning, said AU is still unsure whether it will make this plug in available for students and professors.

Some members of the AU community have already expressed their support for the new feature.

“It’s a great idea for Blackboard users, particularly given that so many are dedicated users of Google applications,” said Sarah Irvine Belson, dean of the School of Education in the College of Arts and Sciences. “Students could go to one place to both build content and also check their grades.”

However, not everyone agrees.

Some members of the CTRL are hesitant.

According to McCabe, students could use better programs other than Google’s services. He said students are not using more sophisticated programs like Microsoft’s Excel program that would help in their post-graduate careers and

schooling.

“If it is purely writing assignments, the plug-in sounds like a great tool, especially if everything is in one place,” McCabe said. “However, most students would miss out on the necessary computer skills for their particular area of study if they only were to use Google’s services.”

Wendy Woodward, director of Technology Support Services, told the Chronicle the new plug in will make it easier for students to access both Gmail and Blackboard. She went on to mention that the program would allow students to work outside of the classroom more efficiently.

Geraldo Cadava, a history professor at Northwestern, told the Chronicle this integration is the perfect platform for class members to collaborate with one another.

Most AU students asked said they felt the program would benefit their campus.

“It would be easy to share ev-

erything with my professor,” said Tamara Braunstein, a graduate student in the School of Communication. “If you have any documents you or your professor would want to share, it would all be in one place.”

“I think it’s a really interesting idea,” said Evan Fedeli, an undergraduate student in the Kogod School of Business. “It makes the collaboration feature of Google documents more well known because [right now] it is hidden in the student e-mail program. Not every student knows about those features.

If it is more integrated and open, everyone could take advantage of them.”

In the meantime, AU and CTRL are investigating the Blackboard plug-in and making sure it is secure before deciding whether or not to install it.

You can reach this writer at news@theeagleonline.com.

BLACK IS BACK

YIPIN LU / THE EAGLE

Protestors march in an anti-war rally, Nov. 7, to stop “U.S. occupation and war inside the U.S. and abroad.” The march went from the Malcom X Park in Columbia Heights to the White House in the “Black is Back” march. Protestors also called for reparations and the repeal of the Patriot Act.

news 4

NYC site trip offers career networking Students to visit city over break

By JULIA RYAN Eagle Staff Writer While some students will be catching up on sleep or visiting friends at home during winter break, a group of AU students will be meeting professionals in marketing and communication and may even be securing internships or jobs during the New York City Site Visit Trip this January.

The AU-sponsored trip, which will take place from Jan. 5 to 7, will be an opportunity for AU students to network with AU alumni. They will also go on site visits for companies such as the Associated Press, Fox News, Sirius XM Radio and Estee Lauder, according to the Career Center Web site. Students can choose to visit up to six of these companies.

Spots for the trip filled up more quickly this year than last year, according to Bridget O’Connell, the director of Outreach and Marketing for the Career Center. O’Connell said the trip’s original quota of 75 people had to be expanded to 90 to accommodate the many people on the waitlist, and the list may have to expand even further in the near future to take on more students.

While the New York City Site Visit Trip is primarily aimed toward juniors, seniors and recent graduates from the Kogod School of Business and the School of Communication, students participating in the trip this year include some sophomores and three students each from the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Public Affairs and the School of International Service. O’Connell noted that the sophomores are coming along to attend site visits and to see what the job and internship market is like rather than to actually secure a job or internship.

Though the primary objective for this trip is for students to establish contacts, some students eventually secured jobs from companies they met on the New York City Site Visit Trip, O’Connell said.

“Though most AU students don’t get jobs on the spot when they participate in the New York City trip, many students keep ongoing communications with companies that they meet on the trip, like the MWW Group, a public relations firm in New York,” she said. “Today there are a few AU alums working for the MWW Group that originally met representatives from the MWW Group through the New York City trip.”

Despite the recession, the Career Center has not had to modify the New York City Site Visit Trip in any way, she said. A majority of the companies participating in the site visits and networking events have stayed on, and O’Connell said she expects at least 25 companies to offer site visits to AU students.

Meghan Hayde, the associate director for Corporate Relations for the Kogod Center for Career Development, has been collaborating with O’Connell and other trip planners to get Kogod students on the trip. Hayde will be making sure that students are adequately prepared for the trip with activities like an upcoming orientation session.

Hayde said she saw more Kogod students interested in the trip this year than last year, and she saw the spots fill up more quickly than she anticipated.

Hayde said she hopes all of the students participating in this trip will be able to gain valuable experiences from their time in New York City with potential employers.

“This trip will give them exposure to marketing opportunities at places like advertising agencies,” Hayde said. “It will give students the chance to make connections and see how their degree can be applied to the real world.”

You can reach this staff writer at jryan@theeagleonline.com.

Speaker says ‘no thanks’ to Christmas

By MEGHAN SWEENEY Eagle Contributing Writer It is only a matter of weeks before stores are filled with frantic moms and angry store clerks, but for many, the Christmas season is a magical season.

Tom Flynn, author of “The Trouble with Christmas,” spoke to AU students about the beloved holiday and the fallacies that created it.

AU Rationalists and Atheists, an organization created last year to represent non-faith, according to the President Matthew Bulger, sponsored the guest speaker.

Flynn has not celebrated the jolly holiday since 1984. Flynn’s lack of holiday cheer and unwillingness to participate in the festivities led to a book deal in 1993, he said.

“I wrote it in hopes of constructing a coherent narrative of how the very dated cultural train

wreck came to be,” Flynn said. “In part I wrote it to show my fellow nonbelievers ... how much they have to gain in firmly saying ‘No thanks, I’ll pass’ at holiday time.”

Christmas is just another day for him, he said.

“Come Dec. 25, I’ll be behind my desk ... there will be few interruptions,” he said. I’ll get a lot done, although sometimes it’s difficult to find somewhere to go to lunch.”

Christmas was not always the widely-practiced holiday that it is today, he said.

Oliver Cromwell, an English political and military leader in the 1600s, eliminated Christmas under his puritanical rule.

“Opposing the holiday wasn’t always unpopular,” Flynn said. “By the turn of the 18th century, the entire English speaking world became Yule-free.”

Several influential Victorians,

including Washington Irving, Charles Dickinson, Queen Victoria, Clement C. Moore, Thomas Nast and Francis Church, can be credited with putting forth the common ideas and practices of today’s Christmas, Flynn said.

“The holiday that Christians celebrate ... is a revival or rather reanimation that only took place in England and the United States during the Victorian era,” he said.

“Christmas as we know it is not a

universal western holiday, not even a broadly European holiday.”

To Flynn, it is not important to celebrate a holiday at Christmas time. He argued the Muslims do not celebrate a winter holiday.

“To my mind if Jesus Christ is not your savior, Christmas is not your holiday,” he said.

You can reach this writer at news@theeagleonline.com.

‘Busiest’ runners-up boast demanding schedules n

from BUSIEST on page 1

more human or machine!” the student said in an e-mail.

Finally, on Saturday and Sunday, Vitas can catch an episode his favorite television show, “House M.D.,” complete some of the informal work he does for the Center for Global Peace following a 10month internship or go out on the town with some of his fraternity brothers.

Vitas said his level of activity does not overwhelm him. Rather, he sees it as a blessing. “[Your passions are] all there in front of you and it’s just — not disconcerting — but it’s almost dazzling that you have all of these opportunities in front of you and you just have to latch onto one and pursue it,” Vitas said.

Vitas had one piece of advice for students who might want to follow in his busy footsteps: “Always be doing what needs to be done,” he said. “But leave

n

from IRAN on page 1

However, Ali disagreed that technology was an influential tool in Iran.

“They talked about a Twitter revolution in the media here, it wasn’t really like that,” Ali said. “It was more word of mouth that was

enough time for yourself.”

week and sleep an average of four hours each night.

REBECCA DOOLEY - Senior in Kogod School of Business, Rebecca Dooley is the second busiest student at AU. The competition between Dooley and Vitas was very tight. Dooley works a total of 50 hours per week; she spends half of

that time waiting tables at a nearby restaurant and the other half at an accounting firm. On top of her two jobs, she has an internship with a start-up company that requires a couple of conference calls per week, in addition to tasks she can accomplish on her own time.

Dooley also mentors freshmen in Kogod, a task she said takes up about four hours per week.

“I’m kind of used to it by now,” Dooley said of her busy lifestyle.

Dooley traced her busy roots back to high school when she thought college would allow her to relax more. She thought by senior year she would be done rushing around.

“But [my life] keeps on getting exponentially busier,” Dooley said.

Recently, Dooley also added applications for post-graduate employment to her schedule. With all of this, she still manages to go out to social events one night per

triggered by what they had seen in the media. The role of technology was more getting the word out to the West.”

The Iranian election, for many, was a wake-up call.

According to Roya, the government had manipulated an already flawed system. The alleged voter

fraud, which occurred in Iran, angered many Iranians, even those living in the United States.

“It wasn’t the protest atmosphere that was getting to me, it was wanting to be there that was getting to me because you felt so strongly for them,” Nikki said of her experience protesting in front of the United Na-

tions in New York. “It was not my vote that was disregarded. It wasn’t my fight. But you always feel for people you share something with.”

SECOND PLACE BUSIEST STUDENT

THIRD PLACE BUSIEST STUDENT

LAUREN OLSON - Lauren Olson, a junior in the College of Arts and Science, said she is often busy from 8:30 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. In addition to the time she spends at classes on campus, Olson also spends 20 hours per week as an intern in the Public Relations

You can reach this writer at news@theeagleonline.com.

field for a local school. Olson is a member of a sorority on campus and is on the executive board for the Panhellenic Council at AU. Tutoring for a nonprofit organization also takes up a large chunk of Olson’s time.

With so many responsibilities, Olson said she gets only five or six hours of sleep per night.

“I barely have time to eat, and the free time I do have is spent checking my e-mail and trying to get my homework completed as efficiently as possible,” she said.

“It sounds difficult, but to be honest, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

For Olson, each activity contributes to part of her personality.

“I like to think I am as much a part of them as they are of me,” she said.

You can reach this staff writer at sparnass@theeagleonline.com.

Bob Vitas’ Monday Schedule 6:30 a.m. - Morning Run 7:00 a.m. - Shower and rush to work 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Meeting at USAID 1:30 p.m. - Dash back to AU 2:10 p.m. - 4:50 p.m. - Class 5:00 p.m. Meeting with Independent Study professor 9:00 p.m. - Go over tomorrow’s meetings, e-mails 10:00 p.m. - Readings and Homework 12:00 a.m. - Call family in Europe 1:00 a.m. - Bed

looking for RANTS? GO ONLINE. www.theeagleonline.com

NOVEMBER 9, 2009

THE EAGLE'S ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT SECTION

‘Sickest’ bring child’s play to AU Bandmates joke about nudity, Snuggies

By MAGGIE HOLLANDER Eagle Contributing Writer Forever the Sickest Kids headlined a concert in the Tavern at AU on Friday, Nov. 6.

In a somewhat unconventional interview with The Eagle, guitarist Marc Stewart and keyboardist Kent Garrison discussed the band and their relation to — among other things — karate and Snuggies.

The guys, who said they were psyched to be here at AU, talked about the unique vibe of college shows.

“You gotta prepare yourself mentally for the difference,” Stewart said, while Garrison called it a “nice change in scenery.”

Although the band only has one album out, “Underdog Alma Mater,” songs from their new EP, “The Weekend: Friday” (out Nov. 17), show the band’s growth since their debut.

“It’s like in karate,” Stewart said.

“Obviously, you start out a white belt, and after a couple tests and stuff, before you know it, you’re a red belt, and then brown, you know. So it’s kinda like that.”

Garrison simply stated that the new songs are “more polished.”

AARON BERKOVICH / THE EAGLE

CHEAP DATES — Power-pop punk rockers Forever the Sickest Kids played the AU Tavern on Friday, Nov. 6. The boys, originally from Dallas, Tx., are currently on the Cheap Date Tour with The Rocket Summer, who they shared the stage with in 2008 on the Alternative Press Tour.

“The Cheap Date Tour” is aimed at getting fans to come out despite the current economic crisis. “We tried to make this tour a ‘Cheap Date,’” Garrison said. “So if you wanted to go on a date and didn’t

feel like going to a restaurant and spending $40 on a meal and spending $40 at the movies, you should come to the ‘Cheap Date Tour’ — get in for $15!”

Stewart, instead, joked sarcasti-

cally about the downturn.

“We definitely tried to charge more for everything,” he said. “We probably increased our prices by like 60 percent. So I think that helps out a lot.”

‘Days’ celebrates years

By OLIVIA HARRINGTON Eagle Contributing Writer “Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives.”

For 16,702 days, the honeyed voice of Macdonald Carey has echoed those famous opening words into households across the country.

First aired on Nov. 8, 1965, the daytime soap opera “Days of our Lives” has continued to impact the lives of audiences for generations.

The longevity of “Days” hasn’t meant lethargy; the soap’s storylines never fail to spark interest. Twists and turns are manifested daily, be it through astonishing paternity results, the return of an amnesiac relative or an organ transplant of such technological feat even the American Medical Association has not yet encountered it. The newest scandal to hit Salem comes with the return of the green-eyed vixen Dr. Carly Manning. In 1990, Manning, played

by Crystal Chappell, came to Salem running from the law. Upon arrival, she switched identities with a longlost schoolmate, sought to release her brother from an underground dungeon and taught a deaf boy sign language — and this was only in her first three episodes.

“She’s just kind of a wild thing, isn’t she?” Chappell said in an interview with The Eagle. “It’s so delicious and so much fun to do.”

While audiences tuned in to her tantalizing tales, it was the relationship between Carly and Bo Brady, played by Peter Reckell, that captivated fans. Brady’s bad-boy looks paired with his infectious charm left viewers swooning. Infatuation soon turned to infuriation when, only three years later, Manning left Brady, and the show, to marry another man.

After a 16-year hiatus, the doctor is back, prescribing just the right amount of mischief to concoct trouble. After stabbing her husband in a hotel in Morocco, Carly is headed home to Salem where viewers have anxiously awaited the reunion with

her one-time love. While the cast remains mum on the storyline, their own excitement is something they cannot easily hide.

“Fans and cast alike are excited to have Crystal back,” Reckell said. “She brings such intrigue to the storyline.

Working with such an amazing actress makes life fun.”

While the return of Dr. Manning may excite viewers, there is hope it will also serve as the boost for which daytime television has been waiting. Over the past decade, soap operas have watched their ratings decline. Although TIME Magazine proclaimed daytime television to be “TV’s richest market” in 1976, accessibility to the Internet coupled with contested plot changes and economic woes have left the soap opera industry close to vanishing. Even the fictitious town of Salem was hit by the recent and very real recession, as “Days of our Lives” took a financial blow due to its dependence on car companies to buy its commercial airtime.

Yet, despite the hardships, “Days of our Lives” remains strong. Resilient in a time when soap operas such as “Passions” and “Guiding Light” can only hope for repeated syndication, recent reports portray a very different story for “Days.” For the 20092010 season, the show presented the biggest year-to-year gain of any daytime series, with total viewership up 21 percent.

“It’s exciting,” Chappell said. “It’s wonderful to see [the show] resonate with people.”

While plotlines have occasionally spun stories fit for science fiction, “Days” piques audience interest by presenting the true dynamics of human relations. The show has never shied away from the taboo, dealing with hot topics such as abortion, suicide and rape, along with the quintessential scandalous affair.

“Days of our Lives” is not a soap opera confined to its one-hour timeslot; the show has instead expanded beyond simple pixilation into a cultural phenomenon. It has been ref-

The tour features, along with others, the Rocket Summer, a band that has toured with FTSK before, on the 2008 Alternative Press Tour.

Stewart discussed about the advantages of touring together again.

Eagle Staff Writer

Courtesy of MITCHELL HAASETH

erenced in shows like “Sanford and Son,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Friends.” “Days” has inspired more than 30 books from character analyses to cookbooks. The “Days of Our Lives” CD, “Love Songs,” to which Reckell contributed, has a rating of five stars on Amazon.com. Most recently, “Days” has continued its ascent into pop culture infamy with Reckell guest-starring as his character, Brady, in an upcoming episode of “30 Rock.”

“It’s a lot of fun,” Reckell said. “I’m honored to have had the experience.”

As their 44th anniversary draws near, the “Days of our Lives” cast is quick to reflect on the significance of their supporters.

“It’s so important to recognize the fans,” Chappell said. “I’m just so grateful for their support.” It is in that spirit that the cast will join fans in the “Day of Days” fan event Nov. 7 in Los Angeles. The day will include a meet-and-greet with the stars, a question and answer session, raffles and a sneak preview of an upcoming episode. Despite his years in entertainment, this is one gig that Reckell couldn’t pass up.

“Talking to fans, to look in their eyes, see them one on one and hear what they have to say, it’s what makes it all worth it.”

You can reach this writer at thescene@theeagleonline.com.

You can reach this writer at thescene@theeagleonline.com

‘Eccentric Soul’ compose history

By KATRINA CASINO

ENDLESS DAYS — To celebrate the show’s longevity, the cast of ‘Days of our Lives’ will have a fan event in Los Angeles on Nov. 7. This season, Crystal Chappell returns after a hiatus that lasted over 10 years.

“It’s like when you go out on a tour; it kind of takes like a week to get to know everyone,” he said. “So I mean, this time there’s not that ... awkward period or dead period.

We just hopped right in.”

Just a few seconds later, after joking about them all feeling comfortable around each other naked, someone inside their dressing room — a classroom a couple of feet away from the hallway where the interview was taking place — yelled something incoherent.

Stewart sprinted off and attacked the guy screaming “MARC!” inside.

A moment later, Stewart returned to the interview, with a quick “sorry” and an explanation: “He was making fun of my Snuggie because one time, as a joke, I wore it naked into his room.”

Snuggie talk aside, the band’s new direction can be summed up in the song “She Likes.”

“I think the song ‘She Likes’ is the song on the album that kind of just has everything,” Garrison said.

“It’s catchy, and it’s rock ‘n’ roll, so I think that song kind of sums up the new stuff.”

As for a favorite song from the first album, Garrison picked “She’s a Lady.” “[It] is probably our song that we like playing every single time and it feels like the first time, for me at least,” he said.

As the interview came to an end, Garrison searched for some last words.

“American ...” he paused. “American — heck yeah.”

Most bands travel with their own instruments and their own music, looking to gain a name and promote their latest record. The Eccentric Soul Revue may be looking to promote their releases, but they’re traveling with something different — music’s history, and they’re bringing it to the 9:30 club this Tuesday, Nov. 10.

Eccentric Soul is the flagship project of the Numero Group, a multiformat media business and archival record company dedicated to bringing toe-tapping blues relics out of obscurity.

“Time kills of precious bits of passed-over sound, story, and ephemera every day,” Numero’s Web site explains. “Just as fast as we can haul this sprawling archive of underheard recordings — along with the musicians, writers, and entrepreneurs who created them — out of exile.”

Seeking to finally achieve justice for under-appreciated musicians of the past, Numero views their records not as products, but as artifacts of soul.

Currently featured on Eccentric Soul’s line-up are The Notations, Renaldo Domino and headliner Syl Johnson — all legends in their own right. Not only classically melding gospel and R&B, the musicians of the Eccentric Soul Revue deliver everything from funk, rap and blues to power-pop and folk.

Syl Johnson is a 73-year-old powerhouse, a real-life witness to the heyday of soul. Making music since the 1960s, Johnson’s records have since explored themes like African-American identity and civil rights issues, never shying away from hurt and anger with records like “Is It Because I’m Black?”

And even when he’s not making

music, Johnson has always managed to remain relevant. In 1992, the musician’s ever-recognizable 1967 single “Different Strokes” was sampled by a number of hip-hop artists, including Wu-Tang Clan, Kool G Rap, Hammer and the Geto Boys. It is this statement of staying power that propelled Johnson to make a comeback into the music industry after almost a decade.

Now, 10 years after that, Johnson is still swinging it and busting it, tearing up the stage in his shiny vintage suit and worn-in loafers. More than just an imitation, Johnson is the real deal.

The Notations are a four-piece Chicago group that formed in the 1960s and are still going strong. Their MySpace features covers of Motown classics like the Temptations’ “Just My Imagination,” as well as old standards like “Baby I Like Your Style.” The Notations know that the industry’s standout artists are the ones out there making a name for themselves, and they’ve accordingly founded a record company. The aptly-named “Still Here Productions” aims to expand their name across their home, the Midwest, as well as throughout the country and overseas.

Putting themselves on par with legendary R&B groups like Gladys Knight and the Pips and The Whispers and the O’Jays, The Notations bring the smooth harmonies, catchy bass lines and, of course, shiny vintage suits, to Soul Revue audiences.

So what do D.C. college students have to gain from checking out this tour, featuring music faintly echoed from our parents’ living rooms? A taste of where music today comes from, a greater appreciation of how the contemporary builds off the classic and the experience of real, live eccentric soul.

You can reach this writer at kcasino@theeagleonline.com.

Action video game takes players beyond ‘borders’

By MICHAEL CONTE Eagle Staff Writer

BORDERLANDS

B

Ever since “The Elder Scrolls III” and “Grand Theft Auto III,” the idea of a great open-world, first-person shooter has seemed like the natural progression of video games from

linear to nonlinear in the minds of many. But the idea is far easier said than done, and the mixed success of open FPS games like “S.T.A.L.K.E.R.” and “Far Cry 2” have questioned whether this is actually a smart direction for the medium. “Borderlands,” a new “role playing shooter,” simultaneously embraces the concept and laughs in its face, mixing solid action with an RPG growth system in a stylized world for a game like no other.

Bad news first: unlike traditional RPGs, the story is weak. One plays as

a bounty hunter on a wasteland planet called Pandora, inhabited solely by gangs of bandits and vicious wildlife.

The player searches for the “vault,” a mythical cache of alien technology, with the help of some sort of guardian angel who sounds and looks like Cortana from “Halo” minus the dry wit.

Yes, “Borderlands” is another open-world action game, but it forces the player down a fairly linear path — like most RPGs — since most of the main story missions are

much too difficult unless the player has leveled up via side quests beforehand. But “Borderlands” succeeds where many RPGs fail by making these side quests generally fun, even though the occasional mind-numbing grind can’t be avoided.

The story missions are much more intense, as players face a more direct path full of enemies that vary from the typical foot soldier to brawny “bruisers” to “psychos,” fast enemies that will attempt to run the player down with an ax or shotgun. The ac-

tion, while sometimes lacking variety, is still pretty fun thanks to smart use of these enemies, passable AI and superb level design. And thankfully, accuracy depends on aiming skill rather than invisible dice rolls like “Fallout 3.”

The loot system is the most unique and fun part of “Borderlands.” While there are just the typical base guns in the game (pistols, shotguns, rifles, etc.), there are literally hundreds of thousands of permutations of each gun due to different manufacturers,

components, secondary effects and the like. Damage, rate of fire, clip sizes, accuracy, scopes and environmental damage like fire and static shock all vary with each gun. The result is plenty of time spent antagonizing over the perfect arsenal and much more variety in gameplay as in weapons change (if that first part sounds too much like a chore, the player can easily just equip the most expensive weapons they find and n

see BORDERLANDS on page 7

the EAGLE

NOVEMBER 9, 2009

the scene 6

New film goes outside ‘the box’

By YOHANA DESTA Eagle Staff Writer Imagine that with the press of a button, you could easily have $1 million. But there’s a catch. If you press that button, someone, somewhere in the world will die.

You don’t know who it will be, but it will be a total stranger. Still sound worth it?

In the new Richard Kelly film “The Box,” the characters deal with this moral dilemma. Norma Lewis (Cameron Diaz) and her husband Arthur (James Marsden) are a suburban family with a son who one day receives a box delivered by Mr. Steward (Frank Langella), a mysterious man with half a face. He gives them the box with a warning of the consequences should they press the button.

What ensues is a thriller that tests human morals and prompts one to ask what they would do.

Based on the short story “Button, Button” by Richard Matheson and an ‘80s “Twilight Zone” episode, “The Box” has been written and transformed into a full-length film written and directed by Kelly. He is familiar with dark films, having created the cult hit that is equal parts dark and frightening: “Donnie Darko.” What followed was the apocalyptic “Southland Tales” and the sequel to “Darko,” “S. Darko.” Now, with “The Box”, Kelly revisits his old style of filmmaking, but this time its topic is much closer to the heart.

“I read the original story when I was young and the concept of the story left a huge imprint in my mind,” Kelly said in an interview with The Eagle. “I spent many years trying to make it, so it’s been a long journey to finally get here.”

However, the same can’t be said

of Diaz and Marsden, who both said that neither read the story.

“I never read the story, just so I could stay focused on our version,” Marsden said. “But I have seen the Twilight episode.”

For both Diaz and Marsden, the film is unlike any they have done before. Over her vast career, Diaz has painted herself as a comedic actress with box office clout in films like “Shrek” and “Charlie’s Angels.” For Diaz, this film was more an opportunity to work with Kelly.

“I was a huge fan of [Kelly’s], and I just really wanted to work with him,” Diaz said. “When I read the script, I felt that it was one of the very authentic stories that he tells. This film has such an existential quandary, and I just knew that Richard would tell the story uniquely as he does, and I wanted to be a part of that.”

The film takes place in the ‘70s with Diaz playing a typical Southern mother, complete with accent and feathered hair. The character was far away from who Diaz is in real life, influencing her acting style.

“All I have is me,” Diaz said.

“You have to try to understand what other people are going through, even if you haven’t gone through it yourself. But you never really know, so as much as you’re being somebody else, you’re only working from your own toolbox and experience, so I would like to think that it’s none of me in there.”

For Marsden, the process is not exactly the same.

“I can tell you that for me, I know I wouldn’t be responding to the story and the character if there wasn’t a part of me in that,” Marsden said. “There’s always going to be a piece of you that is go-

Courtesy of DALE ROBINETTE

BOXED IN — In the latest Richard Kelly film, currently in wide-release, a couple portrayed by Cameron Diaz and James Marsden face a moral dilemma when given a box that promises them $1 million should they let one person in the world die because of their actions. ing to be inherent in your performance.”

Marsden, who plays the husband of Diaz’s character, was able to use his own experience in the character as well — a native of Oklahoma, he was able to speak with a proper Southern accent in the film.

Marsden, known for being in

several films — among them: “XMen,” “Enchanted,” “Hairspray,” “The Notebook” and “27 Dresses” — is usually seen most often as a comedic or romantic actor. However, when it came to doing sci-fi thriller “The Box,” Marsden said he didn’t have much experience to draw upon.

“It was great to do something

different,” he said. “I guess in ‘XMen’ there was a little bit of science fiction there, but more comic book. It was less of something that I was aware of on a daily basis when we were shooting and more about the script and the characters, because these characters were very human, although surrounded by some supernatural

elements.”

With Kelly at the helm of this sci-fi thriller, it is certain that “The Box” will leave audiences everywhere completely enthralled.

It is now in theaters.

affected by trauma or just generously cast as the stunning Jovovich. As she painfully pronounces each word, she explains that an encounter of the first kind is the sighting of a UFO. The second kind is evidence of alien activity, like crop circles. In the third kind, aliens make contact. An encounter of the fourth kind is abduction.

After her husband’s death, Dr. Tyler continues his sleep study and finds that several of her patients exhibit the same symptoms.

Patients report being awoken at 3 a.m. to find a white owl watching them from outside their window.

After the owl somehow found its way into their bedrooms, they have no memory of what followed. Dr. Tyler’s hypnosis sessions with the Nome residents are split-screened with the reenactments by Jovov-

ich and the other actors.

Most of the “real” sessions show the subjects flailing and breaking furniture in Tyler’s office, describing a horrible smell of “putrid cinnamon.” While some of these scenes do draw laughter from the audience, a few images cause immediate silence. During the hypnosis of one of the patients, the audience catches a glimpse of a man levitating off a bed before the camera blurs.

Viewers later find out that he was left paralyzed.

Tyler herself claims to have been attacked in her sleep and an actual audio recording tries to prove it. After conveniently falling asleep with her tape recorder on, Tyler screams as she is thrashed about her room. In the reenactment, shadows enter Jovovich’s bedroom and drag her

out. Thankfully, there are no bugeyed men in green suits boarding a space ship reminiscent of “Plan 9 from Outer Space” in the film, but the audience does catch a glimpse of Jovovich surrounded by lights and machinery as something drills into her shoulder.

On the tape, over Taylor’s screams, a nonhuman voice recites ancient Sumerian. A language expert equates the language with ancient Sumerian sculptures of “rockets shaped like Apollo” and men wearing headpieces that resemble oxygen masks. The idea that aliens have been contacting this planet for centuries is never really developed, and the comparison of ancient art to Hollywood’s idea of space is insulting.

At one point, the screen flashes frightening police footage of a dark, circular figure hovering over

the Tyler house. However, as soon as the audience is able to realize what it is, the tape cuts out. When this mysterious force again attacks her family, Tyler undergoes hypnosis in an attempt to make contact. Like her patients, Tyler is tossed about, and the aliens threaten her in their so-called Sumerian language. It is hard to accept this as real, since the tapes become static whenever an alien force is present.

The only shocking moments come from the actual footage before it is cut short. Otherwise, the Sumerian-speaking, cinnamonscented aliens of the fourth kind ultimately rouse laughter from the audience.

You can reach this staff writer at ydesta@theeagleonline.com.

‘Fourth Kind’ footage lacks sound proof Alien film tricks instead of convinces

By MAISIE HOOPER Eagle Contributing Writer

THE FOURTH KIND

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Just weeks after the release of the terrifying “Paranormal Activity” comes “The Fourth Kind,” a sci-fi thriller with a large budget, claiming to have real footage of alien encounters.

The film opens with Milla Jo-

vovich introducing herself as the actor who will be portraying Dr. Abigail Tyler, a psychiatrist from Nome, Alaska. Jovovich warns the audience that what they are about to see is a reenactment of actual events and that the footage may be disturbing. With this setup, the audience is excited to explore the world of alien activity, but the viewer certainly leaves unsatisfied.

Over the past few decades, a disproportionate number of the Nome populace has been reported missing. The FBI has visited the town of Nome over 2,000 times and has still found nothing. In an interview with director Olatunde Osunsanmi, the real Abigail Tyler attributes these disappearances to encounters of the fourth kind.

Tyler is a gaunt, fragile-looking woman who was either genuinely

Truth about tanning beds should deter any sun-lover WHOLISTIC HEALTH

KELLY BARRETT The temperatures are dropping.

The sky is starting to get dark at 4 p.m.

Our glowing summer skin has faded away. And many of us are missing the sun and longing for our tan to return.

When I was young, my parents would lather me up in suntan lotion.

In school, we learned you get skin cancer if you don’t wear sunscreen in the sun. Then you hit those rebellious teen years and think, “Hey, I’m young, I’m not getting cancer anytime soon — what’s wrong with a little tan?”

Let me first begin by explaining what a suntan is and what a sunburn is. Basically, a sunburn is an acute toxic reaction to the UVA and UVB rays that the sun emits. These high-energy ultraviolet rays damage the molecules in your skin, mainly DNA. This causes different proteins and enzymes to be synthesized. Next, the blood vessels underneath your skin begin to dilate and inflammatory cells are sent in, which is what produces a sunburn’s characteristic redness and pain. Sometimes, the rays are enough to actually kill your skin cells, which is what has occurred when your skin peels following a sunburn. Gross. Scary, too, right?

What does this mean? Usually, the body has mechanisms to repair this damaged DNA. But the more time you spend in the sun, the higher the chances your body will fall short in its repair processes. This mutated DNA can lead

to skin cancer. You can’t throw all this harm at your body and always expect it to unscrew it up for you.

That’s a sunburn. Now, a suntan is basically the same, but some people tan while their DNA is getting mutated, and others burn. The tanners end up spending more time exposing their skin to UV rays because they feel they are safe as long as their skin isn’t burntlooking. Those who don’t tan easily might visit the tanning salon before a tropical vacation to give them the “base tan” they need to prevent getting burnt. According to Dr. Martin Weinstock from the American Cancer Society, this “base-tanning” only multiplies their radiation exposure, increasing the risk of developing skin cancer.

The ACS has also found that people age 35 or younger who used tanning beds regularly have a melanoma risk eight times higher than those who never have. Even those who occasionally used tanning beds nearly tripled their chances of developing melanoma. We aren’t talking about 70-year-old skin cancer patients — we’re talking about people our age developing skin cancer.

Ironically, and unfortunately as it turns out, tanned skin has become an indicator in our society of a healthier person. Ever heard the expression, “a nice, healthy tan?” According to a 2006 study released in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology, respondents overwhelmingly indicated they perceived a medium tan as healthiest and most attractive, and saw “no tan” as both least healthy and least attractive.

While on the topic of how sun exposure could possibly improve your health, it is important to mention the importance of some UVB exposure, which allows our bodies to produce Vitamin D — an essential vitamin for

healthy immune function and helpful for a slew of other body systems to function normally. However, most doctors agree you can produce enough Vitamin D in just 15 to 30 minutes of sun exposure per week. We get this simply walking from class to class in a day. Also, if you are trying to assert you go to the tanning salon so you can get enough Vitamin D, you are a) lying to yourself and b) wrong — most of the rays that tanning beds provide are UVA, which don’t help us produce Vitamin D. For the past few years, I have willingly made myself tan. I am of IrishSwedish-English-German heritage, have blue eyes and blonde hair and a tan. One of these things just doesn’t belong. I have been asked how I manage to get tan with this pale-skin ancestry. I usually reply, “Not sure, I’ve just always tanned easily.” This would be partially true, if I considered hours trekking to the tanning salon and paying hundreds of dollars to have UV rays blasted at my skin easy. Such a great deal of time, money and effort going toward something that is so bad for me.

I wanted to write this column so I would have a permanent, written vow that I would give up tanning for the next year. Now, I feel confident I could give it up for the rest of my life. If you had any understanding of my love for sun and of having golden skin, you would see how lofty a goal this is. But this is the only skin I’m going to get, so I have to look out for it. I encourage my tanning-obsessed readers to join in and kick their tanning habits too.

Cheers to our skin, and being happy with the color we were born with.

You can reach this columnist at kbarrett@theeagleonline.com.

You can reach this writer at thescene@theeagleonline.com.

NOVEMBER 9. 2009

7

CLASSIFIEDS KUSHAN DOSHI n Business Manager 202.885.3593

Natural sounds carry nostalgia ON THE RECORD

RYAN TANNER-READ In the recent documentary “It Might Get Loud,” Jack White of the White Stripes, the Raconteurs and seemingly endlessly multiplying projects, builds a guitar with little more than a piece of wood, some string, a coke bottle and an amplifier.

Watching the scene, it’s hard not to be reminded of that music class we all had in elementary school where we were taught that we could make musical instruments out of household products. Remember the tissue boxes with strings stretched over them?

Of course, if my experience is any indicator, this project was not terribly successful for most of us. Making a really functional musical instrument, whatever the medium, requires a lot of knowledge and a lot of time.

Still, there are people out there who work tirelessly to create non-traditional instruments to play their music, or just for the sake of having created them. For instance, we’ve all seen drum kits made of recycled materials — but let’s set our sights higher.

About two hours from Washington, in Luray, Va., you will find an instrument of this kind which stretches over three-and-a-half acres. It is, according to the owners, the largest musical instrument in the entire world.

Located inside Luray Caverns, one of the largest cavern formations in the United States, it is called the “Great Stalacpipe Organ” and, despite the rather melodramatic name, it is a fascinating instrument.

The organ, as far as the average guests in the caverns are concerned, is manifested only by an organ console in one of the formation’s largest chambers. However, a careful inspection reveals hundreds of wires trailing away from the console and into the cavern in all directions.

The instrument is electronic and it works by sending tones down these

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from BORDERLANDS on page 5

forget about the exact numbers).

There’s a weak class system in place, but it seems pretty broken since the most straightforward classes — the “soldier” and the “brick” — have special abilities that are so much better than the other two – the “hunter” and the “siren” — that they make the game significantly easier.

Though it was originally revealed with a gritty, realistic aesthetic (as if there aren’t enough of those games already), “Borderlands” now looks like something out of a comic book with cell-shaded graphics that give the game a much fresher look, despite the occasional rusty, boring interior. Though one will spend plenty of time looking at desert wasteland and cobbled bandit camps, there’s enough color and visual variety to make the game shine.

Altogether, these pieces come together to form a pret-

wires to various hammers that strike carefully-designated formations in the caverns whose tones are then transmitted back by microphones throughout the cavern. In other words, the organ literally plays music on the natural rock of the cavern itself.

Leland Sprinkle, a Virginia native, built the organ over a three-year period in the mid-1950s, according to the cavern’s automated tour. He explored the cavern extensively, measuring the tones of various formations (altering a few) to find all the necessary pitches for a full organ. Sprinkle then had a custom organ console made to his particular specifications by Klann Organ Supply of Waynesboro, Va. Since then, the organ has made its way into the recorded medium. In the mid-’60s, the gift shop at Luray sold a vinyl LP of music played on the organ and visitors can now purchase CDs and, shockingly, cassette tapes of the instrument playing (searches on various Web sites unfortunately yielded no results for purchasing the wonderfully ‘60s LP).

The recordings in the gift shop really point to what the organ is today.

Rarely played for visitors directly, we can only hear it as a recording in the room that houses the organ console.

Instead, this massive, fascinating instrument is simply another part of the overwhelming kitsch of the Luray Caverns experience.

Perhaps it is that lowbrow appeal of the whole thing that is inspiring a new generation to go, whether for the comedy or the nostalgia. If you’re willing to make the trek out to the Shenandoah Valley, the organ is really something worth seeing — a monument to our collective love of music.

As both Jack White and your elementary music teacher have tried to teach you, music can be found everywhere you look and almost anything can be a musical instrument. The strange dream of Leland Sprinkle and its bizarre actualization make for one of the most undeniable and compelling examples of that fact.

You can reach this columnist at thescene@theeagleonline.com.

‘Young’ rocks sans Strokes

Jason Mraz “Jason Mraz’s Beautiful Mess — Live on Earth” (Atlantic) JASON MRAZ’S BEAUTIFUL MESS LIVE ON EARTH

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does not disappoint his older fans with his latest effort, making sure to play old favorites (a reggae version of “The Remedy”), little-known demos (an acoustic version of “The Boy’s Gone”) and fresh, unreleased tracks (“Sunshine Song”), as well as current favorites like “I’m Yours.”

Mraz even covers Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long,” a testament to his own frivolity and desire to get the audience moving. The DVD comes with its own set of surprises, including two behindthe-scenes featurettes, as well as some songs not featured on the CD version. “Jason Mraz’s Beautiful Mess — Live on Earth” is set to hit stores Nov. 10.

— CAITLIN E. MOORE

Sounds Like: A happy hippie doing danceable vocal acrobatics Though one may not have remembered him from his 2003 singles “The Remedy” or “You And I Both,” after Jason Mraz’s monster hit “I’m Yours” hit the airwaves last summer (despite originally being released in 2005), one would be hard-pressed to find someone who hadn’t heard of the breezy, island-sounding musician. Two years of touring led to Mraz’s latest release, a live CD and DVD combination of his most recent stop in Chicago. The concert, which took place in August, mostly features songs from his most recent album, “We Sing.

We Dance. We Steal Things.,” including a duet with Colbie Caillat on the sweet, romantic “Lucky.”

Most Mraz fans agree that his live concerts trump his studio albums, and this Chicago concert is no exception. “Coyotes” can seem overproduced and too synthesized on the WSWDWST CD but is one of the standout songs of Mraz’s recent live performances.

The full, thumping bass accompanied with Mraz’s own acoustic guitar provides a contrast that is equal parts Latin-sounding and dance-worthy (not to mention a special appearance by Mraz’s own falsetto opera voice — he’s classically trained — make this song especially unique). Mraz

ticularly bad; there are a few good chorus lines (when he gets around to them), and his mix of passion and lethargy in his singing still works.

The production, however, is even more fleshed-out than any of The Strokes’ albums, sacrificing some of their slick guitar riffs for various keyboards and synths.

Nothing is particularly austere or offensive, though it doesn’t sound like something that would be played on the radio much.

“Phrazes” starts off strong with some solid hooks and somewhat more coherent tracks. But the album soon becomes overly meandering and boring as the few good licks and melodies are lost in the rest of the muck. While it definitely picks up at the end with more powerful songs, Casablancas indulges a little too much for his project to match his previous work, and as a result, a few of the songs sound a little too similar to each other.

While “Phrazes For The Young” is pretty good for a vanity project, it doesn’t have the poppy charm of the Strokes. But anyone willing to listen to Casablancas indulge himself probably won’t be disappointed.

— MICHAEL CONTE

Julian Casablancas “Phrazes For The Young” (RCA Records) PHRAZES FOR THE YOUNG

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Sounds like: The Strokes on synths Given that The Strokes typically keep to short, punchy songs, it was suspicious that the tracks on Julian Casablancas’ first solo record, “Phrazes For The Young,” clock at about five minutes each. It was relatively easy to predict where the album would go from there.

Casablancas certainly utilizes the freedom of going solo to showcase his own lyrics — which, while usually interesting, are nowhere near as tight or as memorable as his best work with The Strokes.

Which is not to say they’re par-

The Cribs “Ignore the Ignorant” (Wichita Recordings) IGNORE THE IGNORANT

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If you’re wondering what happened to punk rock, look no further than The Cribs. Where the Sex Pistols left off, The Cribs picked up and brought a whole new sound to the extreme genre.

In their fourth album, “Ignore the Ignorant,” the Cribs sing songs of love, betrayal and sex, surrounded by grungy guitars and angstfilled screaming.

The former trio, made up of twin brothers Gary and Ryan Jarman and brother Ross, were joined by ex-Smiths guitarist, Johny Marr, for the album. What they created was not only full of punk rock flavor, but also just damn good rock ‘n’ roll.

The album starts off with a bang on the riff-heavy “We Were Aborted,” matched with Ryan’s punky Brit voice. The next track, “Cheat On Me,” brings on the punk sound, with Jarman screaming, “Cause things go together/ Better than others/Like manic depression/And hyper sexuality.”

This song reflects what most of the album sounds like, but on the track “City Bugs,” the Cribs create another dimension with their music.

It starts off eerily with a guitar that sounds more like a chainsaw in disguise and war-patterned drumming. The song is six minutes long, featuring esoteric lyrics like, “I was born out of glass/I’ll return there at last/In a shattering climax.”

Another song that had a different, yet still punk vibe was “Save Your Secrets.” Gary and Ryan share vocals, serenading the listener and singing about hopeless and devouring love. Ryan still manages to scream throughout the song, all the while maintaining a romantic tone. It is sad but beautiful and ends with someone whistling the tune.

On the last track, “Stick to Yr Guns”, The Cribs relay the theme of punk rock music. Do you what you want, feel what you feel, and most importantly, stick to your guns.

— YOHANA DESTA

Sounds like: The Strokes, plus Johnny Rotten’s screaming vocals

ty good single player shooter.

But “Borderlands” stands out thanks to its inclusion of coop (two players split-screen or four players online). The strategizing that goes into the multiplayer experience (since enemies get tougher with more players) exploits the loot system and level design to the fullest, inexplicably turning the game into far more than the sum of its parts. Like massively multiplayer RPGs, “Borderlands” is meant to be a social experience (as long as everyone is roughly at the same level).

So many things can go wrong with a game like “Borderlands,” and the experience is far from perfect. Yet the game goes right just enough, making it fun as long for those who don’t mind a little grinding or inventory management. And if some friends are similarly interested in the game, one can’t go wrong with the co-op experience.

You can reach this staff writer at mconte@theeagleonline.com.

Courtesy of STAN BAROUH

TOO MANY CHEFS — The Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company’s latest on-stage production, Charles L. Mee’s “Full Circle,” will continue through Nov. 29.

The show takes advantage of the entire venue as the cast take their act in a circle around the audience.

Duo complete ‘full circle’

By KIM AURON Eagle Contributing Writer

President Neil Kerwin and Board of Trustees Chairman Gary Abramson invite you to attend a question-and-answer session on Thursday, November 19, 2009 5:30pm – 6:30pm Ward 1

The Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company is known for their innovative and provocative plays, and they certainly haven’t disappointed anyone with their latest production, “Full Circle.” The play is both thought-provoking and captivating, keeping the audience on their feet throughout the performance. The whole facility becomes the stage, making the audience a part of the play. As they travel with the actors throughout the building, the show ends up coming full circle back to the stage.

Playwright Charles L. Mee reimagined the Chinese myth of the chalk circle for this play. “Full Circle” takes place in Berlin in 1989 during the fall of the Berlin Wall, as communism was deteriorating and capitalism was moving in. The audience watches as students riot at the wall, two women flee to save an abandoned baby and many wonder if there is a

third choice besides communism and capitalism.

Naomi Jacobson gives a great performance as Pamela, the New York socialite. Additionally, Jessica Frances Dukes is captivating in her role as Dulle Griet. It is always a delight to watch Jacobson and Dukes on stage together because of their outstanding chemistry and their ability to play well off of each other. The other members of the cast were also excellent; none of the performers were anywhere near disappointing. It was amazing to see the cast act around the audience and use the entire Woolly Mammoth facility in such a unique way.

The costumes were simple yet they reflected the time period well. The set made the audience feel as if they were traveling on a journey throughout the play. It helped to engage theatergoers because the action was always happening in different parts of the building. The idea of using the whole facility was very fitting for “Full Circle” because it told the

story of a journey — by having the audience travel, it made the voyage even more entertaining.

Howard Shalwitz, the artistic director of the play, also put on a remarkable performance as German dramatist Heiner Muller. Shalwitz embodied the part, drawing the audience in during his monologue. Shalwitz said it is especially important for students to come see “Full Circle” because they, in particular, will enjoy it and the message is very significant for them.

“Full Circle” runs through Nov. 29. Woolly’s “25 and Under” program offers $15 tickets with a valid ID. The Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company is located at 641 D St., N.W. (For more information on tickets or the unconventional seating, call 202-393-3939 or visit http://www. woollymammoth.net.)

You can reach this writer at thescene@theeagleonline.com.

8

SPORTS

NOVEMBER 9, 2009

ANDREW TOMLINSON n Sports Editor 202.885.1404

Age does not discriminate in pro sports SIDELINE SCHOLAR TOM SCHAD On Aug. 18, the NFL and its fans let out a collective groan as Brett Favre, the guy who just will not go away, signed with the Minnesota Vikings.

In a sports world where youth is sexy, veteran leadership and solid production have become overshadowed.

You cannot blame the Vikings for such a signing. They would have talked Fran Tarkenton out of retirement before starting Tarvaris Jackson again. You cannot blame the 40-year-old gunslinger, either, for re-signing.

As Favre explained at his first Vikings press conference, “if [the Vikings] are willing to take this chance, then I am too.”

Needless to say, that chance has paid off. Favre leads the NFL with 16 touchdown passes, sports a 106.0 passer rating and is quickly approaching 2,000 passing yards this season. On top of that, he has completed game-winning TD passes against both San Francisco and Baltimore coupled with a season sweep of his former Green Bay Packers. As his stats have boomed, the prosthetic hip jokes have faded away to reveal the startling truth: he can still play ball.

Marvin Harrison is jobless, while guys like Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie are scoring touchdowns. This goes to show that being old is considered a detriment in sports — and for no apparent reason. Across the sporting world, older athletes are putting this unfounded myth to rest and impacting their teams more than ever.

A great example of this is a mile above sea level in Denver. The Broncos are 6-1 and have one of the league’s best all-around defenses, currently ranked second in the NFL. It’s easy to praise Elvis Dumervil and the Denver pass rush defense, but the real source of dominance has been the unshakable coverage of the Broncos’ secondary. Comprised of safety Renaldo Hill, 30; cornerback Andre Goodman, 31; Pro Bowler Champ Bailey, 31, and fiery Brian Dawkins, 36, Denver relies on experience and discipline to shut down opposing passing games.

Football isn’t the only sport where this is happening, either. In San Antonio, the only knock against the Spurs is that they are too old to com-

pete anymore. Most consider Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and newcomer Antonio McDyess to be past their sell-by dates. Yet every year, the Spurs are contending for an NBA Championship — and this year is no different. In baseball, Tim Wakefield is still throwing his knuckleball in his 17th season. The Red Wings just recently said goodbye to Chris Chelios after he turned 47.

New England Patriots linebacker Junior Seau has been around since before I was born and Kevin Faulk looks as though he has been catching screen passes since the Revolutionary War. Yet somehow both are still successful players in a league dominated by youth.

All that said, the best evidence for elderly success is the recentlyconcluded World Series between the Yankees and Phillies. In the decisive Game 6, the Phillies put their championship hopes in the aging right arm of 38-year-old Pedro Martinez.

His counterpart, Andy Pettitte, is no youngster either at age 37. Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon each played pivotal roles in the series, while Hideki Matsui’s seven RBIs won him World Series MVP honors. All three are 35 or older. In fitting fashion, Mariano Rivera closed out the game over two innings to clinch another Yankees championship. He turns 40 in a few weeks.

It is easy to look at rising stars like LeBron James, Adrian Peterson and Derrick Rose and declare that youth is the key to long-term success, but what fans overlook is the value of a seasoned veteran. Fans shrug at the offseason signings of productive journeymen and drool over the potential of first-round draft picks when, in reality, fans should be doing the complete opposite. With medical treatments evolving and technology improving, players can vastly outlive their so called “primes” and remain productive well into their 30s and beyond.

Players like Brett Favre have proven that age is no longer a barrier to athletic success. Some players choose to bow out while they are still relatively young, but a majority stick with it until they are either unwanted or physically unable to play. It is a testament not only to the wonders of modern medicine, but the wonders of the average athlete’s determination and love of the game.

You can reach this writer at sports@theeagleonline.com.

FH claims 7th PL title Eagles down Lafayette Leopards 2-0

By KATE GREUBEL Eagle Contributing Writer After 70 minutes of impressive ball handling paired with solid defense, AU Field Hockey defeated the Lafayette University Leopards 2-0 to clinch their seventh consecutive Patriot League Championship.

Saturday’s win came on the heels of the Eagle’s 7-1 victory over Lehigh University in the semifinal round the previous day.

The match against Lafayette was a rematch of a game AU lost during conference play. With this loss in the back of his mind, AU Head Coach Steve Jennings challenged his team to focus on the future.

“I think if you are only focusing on revenge then it gets really difficult,” Jennings said. “We focused on what we needed to do and made adjustments based on our performance [on Friday]. Fortunately, we were good enough to get it done today.”

Sticks battled early on as both teams attempted to control the game’s momentum. Christine Fingerhuth, Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, came out strong and generated the Eagles’ first scoring opportunity early in the half. Despite three consecutive shots on goal, the Leopard defense held strong.

On AU’s half of the field, sophomore Tatum Dyer denied many Leopard attacks, effectively clearing the ball up the field to teammates. Dyer and the rest of the Eagle defensive were successful in protecting the goal

throughout the first half of play, causing AU goalie Alyssa Poorman to only make a single save.

Possession of the ball continued to shift between the two teams throughout the first half.

It was not until the final minute before halftime that AU’s consistent attacks paid off. After a penalty corner skimmed just wide of the Leopard’s goal, Fingerhuth gained possession of the ball and drilled it passed Lafayette goalie Kelsey Andersen. The goal gave AU a 1-0 advantage heading into the second half.

During the second half of play, the Eagles fought for the ball with new aggression. Continuous pressure resulted in a second goal for the home team in the 27th minute. Freshman Melissa Casale capitalized on a pass from teammate Savannah Graybill to extend AU’s lead with a crisp shot into the goal.

Yellow cards against Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year Anne-Meike DeWiljes and junior Shay Smith gave the Leopards a one-player advantage for most of the second half. The Eagles stepped up to the challenge and responded with increased defense on both occasions.

Lafayette was unable to capitalize on two consecutive penalty corners and the team finished the game with only two shots on goal.

“I would say the key to the win was discipline in the game plan and a balance between being hard when we needed to be,” Jennings said after the win. “I think we were balanced in a lot of different ways, and that made it really difficult for our opponents today.”

In addition to winning the Patriot League Championship, four players were recognized as All-Tournament Team Members and DeWiljes was named Tournament MVP. Although proud of the win,

senior Dewiljes is not ready to retire her stick quite yet.

“Right now [winning the Championship] is the highlight, but I don’t want this to be the highlight,” Dewiljes said. “This is not the end of my senior year.”

The Eagles will face the Northeast conference champions

this coming Tuesday at Jacobs Field. Whoever emerges from the match victorious will continue on to the NCAA Championship Tournament.

front of the net, but the Eagles couldn’t put it in the net and Colgate’s defense sprinted to kick the ball away out of danger.

AU’s defense stood its ground, despite allowing some risky offensive plays for Colgate to execute.

In the 23rd minute, the Raiders offense dribbled the ball shy of AU’s goal box and took a shot that missed just wide right.

“We kind of sat back offensively,” said Coach Todd West. “I challenged them at halftime to go after the Raiders’ defense.”

The Eagles looked to improve their offensive performance while maintaining the strength of their defense in the second half. Unfortunately, it took the offense a while to increase the tempo and get a chance at scoring. Due to AU’s failed attempts to score, Colgate took advantage in the 58th minute.

Alex Weekes received a pass from teammate Mike Carzi and drew AU goalie Matt Makowski out of the net, which allowed him to chip the ball into the back of the net to put the Raiders up 1-0.

The goal looked as if it had sucked the energy right out of the AU team. They were able to cross the ball into Colgate’s goal box, but their shots were either too weak or cleared by the opponent’s defense.

AU’s best chance came in the 27th minute when AU passed consistently to give junior Nick Kapus a shot on goal. In the last two minutes, Makowski left the goal box to desperately help out the offense score a goal. Yet, the Eagles were unsuccessful at notching the equalizer, suffering their third loss at home.

The Eagles had eight corner kicks, compared to Colgate’s mere

two. The Eagles’ Jack Scott, Mike Worden and David Menzie saw little action due to flu-like symptoms. Junior Daniel Shannon took four out of the team’s 10 shots, but couldn’t find the net.

The loss meant the Eagles would not gain home field advantage for the PL tournament next weekend. The team will now have to play at Bucknell.

“This loss is very frustrating — we created chances but didn’t take advantage of them,” West said after the game. “I’m frustrated that our guys aren’t taking care of chances to score a goal.”

The men’s squad will head to the PL tournament with Lehigh, Lafayette and top seed Bucknell.

They will play their first game of the tournament this Friday.

Cross was determined not to fall that easily as they fought back to win 10 of the first 16 points and force AU to take its first timeout.

The Eagles could not get anything going and lost the set.

AU continued their sloppy play coming out of halftime, while Holy Cross jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Following a referee miscall, AU was able to tie the match at 4-4 and traded points until the Eagles pulled away with a 10-0 run. AU took care of business from there, finishing the set off with ease.

The fourth set had the most competitive start of the game, as the teams had to work hard to win a point. After getting an 11-7 lead, the Eagles did not look back, winning the match off a Holy Cross hitting error.

Juniors Angelina Waterman and Cassandra Ricketts led the Eagles with 16 kills, but it was Ricketts who separated herself by contributing four assists, eight digs and two blocks to the effort.

“As the season has gone on,

Krysta [Cicala] and I have gotten used to each other,” Ricketts said.

“We have worked hard in practices together, and it’s starting to show.”

Saturday’s match against Army started with teams trading points back and forth until Waterman took serve at 8-7. She served up three straight points and gave the Eagles the lead they needed in the first set. Despite rallies by the Black Knights, they could never get closer than two points, giving the Eagles a win in the first set.

The second set started with the teams trading points back and forth. However, it was the serving of the Eagles that made the difference in the set. Coming off a time out with AU leading 18-9, Army was able to get some momentum of their own, going for seven straight points to pull within three at 20-17. However, junior Magdalena Tekiel drove a bad pass back into the ground to win the set.

After dropping the third set, things continued to look bleak

for the Eagles. Nothing seemed to be working as Army continued to maintain a four-point lead.

Things turned around for the Eagles after Goldberg subbed in freshman Bianca Richardson.

Following an AU side out, Richardson was handed the ball to serve. Richardson helped the Eagles to a 7-0 run and a twopoint lead. From there, it took good team defense by AU and two errors on the last two points

by Army for the Eagles to take the match.

Magdalena Tekiel led the way with a team-high 16 kills, while Cicala added 42 assists, 7 digs and four blocks to the victory. Claire Recht led the Eagles in blocks for the second straight game with six.

The Eagles will travel to Colgate University on Friday, followed by a match at Bucknell University, to finish up the regular season.

PHILLIP OCHS / THE EAGLE

BUSTING IN — Kirstin Gephart fights with a Lafayette defender during the Eagles’ 2-0, title-clinching victory on Saturday. It is AU’s seventh consecutive PL championship. The win gives them a bid to the NCAA tournament play-in game on Tuesday at Jacobs Field.

You can reach this writer at sports@theeagleonline.com.

Men drop season finale

By ALEX ALBA Eagle Contributing Writer In their final game of the season, AU Men’s Soccer suffered their second Patriot League loss to the Colgate Raiders by a score of 1-0 at Reeves Field Saturday.

The Eagles were looking to clinch the Patriot League Season Championship, but were unsuccessful. Despite the loss the team still clinches a bid to next weekend’s Patriot League Tournament.

AU didn’t come out with the energy they had during the rest of their season, with only two shots on goal in the first half. Both teams struggled, however, thanks to the hard-nosed defense from both sides.

In the 18th minute, the Eagles crossed a ball into the goal box, which was deflected by the Raiders defense. The ball sat dead in

Women lose PL championship in double OT Volleyball sweeps weekend slate

By ANDREW TOMLINSON Eagle Staff Writer

It is only fitting that the Patriot League Women’s Soccer Championship between AU and Colgate University ended in double overtime, but much like the last double-overtime game between these two schools, AU was on the losing side with a final score of 1-0.

There were no late-game heroics for the Eagles like there were in the semifinals when AU scored the winning goal with less than a minute to go.

AU dominated the Raiders on the stat sheet, out-shooting the Raiders 11-8 with four shots on goal. Despite AU’s offensive advantage, it was the defense that proved key in Colgate’s win. In the 105th minute, Patriot League Rookie of the Year Ashley Walsh challenged and stopped Eagle forward Kelsey Brasher to keep the game scoreless.

Eagle goalkeeper Arianna Efstathiou provided an equally impressive showing, making three saves. One of those saves kept AU’s championship hopes alive in the 102nd minute. Efstathiou came up in the box and challenged the streaking Raiders winger, taking away a game-winning goal.

While she didn’t win the Tournament MVP, AU senior forward Brasher was the Championship game’s best player. Brasher, who has been one of the Eagle’s best

players all year, had two shots on goal, with seven total.

Despite being ranked second in the Patriot League standings, AU was the clear underdog. Not only did Colgate hand AU one of their two losses during the regular season, but has now won seven games in a row. To go along with their regular season dominance, the Championship victory gave the Raiders their 11th PL Title.

The Patriot League Women’s Soccer All-Tournament Team was announced after the game.

AU had three players named to the team, including Brasher, sophomore goalkeeper Efstathiou and freshman midfielder Michelle Montilio.

With the victory, the Raiders get an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The selections and pairings will be announced on ESPNews tomorrow at 8 p.m.

Overall, the season has been a vast improvement over last year’s disappointment. AU finished with an 11-10 record with a 52 conference record, a six game improvement from last year’s record of 5-10-4 with only a 2-2-3 PL record.

Sunday’s loss marks the last game of the women’s soccer season. They will resume practice and spring exhibition games next semester.

You can reach this staff writer at atomlinson@theeagleonline.com.

By ELLIOT JEFFORDS Eagle Contributing Writer The Eagles disposed of both the College of Holy Cross and the Army Academy in four sets on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

AU beat Holy Cross Friday night 25-14, 19-25, 25-14 and 2511. They also went on to be Army 25-22, 25-22, 21-25 and 25-21.

AU came into the match riding a wave of outstanding play that occurred over the last three weeks. Since a highly-contested 3-2 loss to Army, the Eagles have only dropped one set.

“We are not thinking about where we are or where we are going,” said Head Coach Barry Goldberg. “We are just looking to get good.”

In the opening set against Holy Cross, AU started with a quick 40 run. The Eagles made use of a 6-0 run following a block to pull away and take the set.

The second set started off with a 3-0 AU lead. However, Holy

You can reach this writer at sports@theeagleonline.com.

You can reach this writer at sports@theeagleonline.com.

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