Issue #4

Volume 1.

Issue 4.

The Falcon

A Keen Eye For News

IN THIS

ISSUE

Monday, September 17th, 2012

A Rapper Rises to the Top. The Catch? He Raps for Jesus. page 2

thefalconat.tumblr.com

Eclipse Show Squeal Day See who shook it up last week, page 8 arts

In Pictures page 6

CAMPUS AMERICA UNDER ATTACK CROSS Ultimate Frisbee Begins September 17 Intramural Field

by Andrew Mechum Associate Editor

Photo: Andrew Mechum

American diplomatic missions came under attack last week when the film, “Innocence Lori Hartof Muslims”, sparked protests that swept the Muslim world.

Greek Speaker

September 18, 6:30

A coordinated attack 8:00pm during protests at the consulPalmer Auditorium ate in Benghazi, Libya left four Americans dead, including U.S. Rasheed Ali Cromwell ambassador to Libya, Chrisleadership seminar topher Stevens. Stevens was the first American ambassador September 19, killed since Adolf Dubs in 1979.

6pm – 7pm Dubs was the American enTBD voy to Afghanistan at the time. lia were targeted by protestors. day night. Going by several

aliases, including Sam Bacile The film that provided and PJ Tobacco, Nakoula is Rioters at the U.S. UPC Open Mic Night embassy in Cairo managed the impetus for worldwide pro- currently on probation and forSeptember 20, to scale the embassies’ out- tests against America depicts bidden from owning or using 7pm – 9pm the prophet Mohammad as a devices with internet access.

Student Life Center er walls, remove the American flag and replace it with a womanizer, impulsive brute Authorities will deblack Islamic flag last Tuesday. and child molester. A trailer Sherlock Holmes for the film can still be found termine if he violated the Interest Meeting The protests and attacks on YouTube, but with less than terms of his probation by started on the eleventh anniver- half a million views it’s un- posting the movie online.

September 22, sary of 9/11 and quickly spread certain how many protestors 7pm – 8pm Friday saw the worst through the Muslim world. actually saw any of the film.

Hill House day of protests against AmeriBy weeks end AmeriThe man believed to can interests as violence eruptcan embassies in Egypt, Libya, be behind the film, Nakoula ed outside embassies in Cairo, Submit announcements Tunisia, Sudan, Iraq, Iran, AfBasseley Nakoula, was taken Tunisia and Khartoum, Sudan. facebook.com/ ghanistan, India, Indonesia, in for questioning by authoricont. page 2 thefalconmontevallo Malaysia, England and Austra- ties in Los Angeles late Satur-

The Falcon

Page Two

Monday, September 17th, 2012

news

“If you don’t change your beliefs, your life will be like this forever. Is that good news?”

-W. Somerset Maugham

Christian Rapper Tops Itunes Charts

by Neal Emby Staff Writer

Christian rapper Lecrae wasted no time letting people know he meant business in his latest album, Gravity. The first line drops like this:

leased Rehab, which also peaked in the top five of the Billboard 200 for Gospel/ Hip-Hop. However, Lecrae had yet to break into the mainstream world and his name remained unknown to most secular hip-hop fans.

killed him. He then began a life dedicated to spreading the gospel.

Lecrae began to follow Jesus at age 19 afIn 2010, Lecrae re- ter a car accident nearly

The rapper often

another in 2006, Lecrae began to pick up followers as Christian rap slowly came on to the scene. His hit song “Jesus Muzik” is still wildly popular, and remains one of his most downloaded songs on iTunes.

“Turn the muIn 2004, he foundsic up inside my ses- ed Reach Records, which sion/These folks got- now features many major ta hear my message.” Christian rappers. Lecrae also founded 116 Clique The world heard in 2005. 116 Clique curhim. After debuting as rently includes Lecrae, the number one album of Tedashii, Trip Lee, Andy any genre on iTunes, and Mineo, PRo, KB and DJ selling more than 72,000 Official. In the past, artists copies in its first week, such as Sho Baraka, Shai Gravity has put Lecrae on Linne and Flame have also top of the music world. been a part of the group.

For those new to the Christian rap scene, this may be the first time they’ve heard of Lecrae. But the Houston-born rapper has been reinventing hip-hop for the last eight years.

After producing his first album in 2004, and

In 2008, Lecrae released Rebel, which held the top spot on Billboard’s Gospel Music for two weeks.

Songs from the album included the hit “Don’t Waste Your Life,” “Go Hard” and the title track, “Rebel.”

ATTACK continued

Three people were killed trying to enter the U.S. embassy in Tunisia, police used tear gas and built barricades to keep protesters from the embassy in Cairo and the German embassy in Khartoum was set on fire before protesters set their sights on the U.S. embassy.

Attacks at Camp Bastion and Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan killed two marines and left several buildings and aircraft damaged.

Sunday saw further attacks against the joint U.S./U.K. base that claimed the lives of four N.A.T.O. soldiers.

Lecrae is the first Christian rapper to reach the top of iTunes. TobyMac, a popular Christian artist that also reaches mainstream Fast-forward a year listeners, has also made to May 2012. Lecrae re- it to the top of the charts. leased the mixtape Church So what does Clothes, hosted by secular this mean for ChrisDJ Don Cannon. The mixtian music, and the mutape, along with Gravity, sic world as a whole? helped Lecrae break into mainstream hip-hop by feaLecrae is able to turing several non-Christian reach an audience that rappers. The biggest nonChris Tomlin, Steven Curtis Christian name on Gravity Chapman and other mainwas Big K.R.I.T. who is featured on the song “Mayday.” stream Christian artists may not be able to reach. Those The commercial that have become disilsuccess of his latest al- lusioned with the church bum leaves Lecrae as the culture and hymns that undisputed king of Chris- seem so traditional may be tian hip-hop, but Lecrae’s looking for something else. focus is on another king. They may find it in Lecrae.

Here at home, the protests became political fodder for the presidential campaigns. On one hand the Romney camp complained the White House’s response was tepid. On the other, the Obama administration says Romney doesn’t possess the foreign affairs background to comment on the situation.

The average American however doesn’t seem to be phased however.

As of Sunday Kim Kardashian, gas prices and President Obama rounded out the top three on Yahoo’s trending now.

continued on page 3

According to Google’s Hot Searches “Innocence of Muslims” topped out at 200,000+ searches on September 12, but topics related to the protests never cracked the top three searches for the remainder of the week.

While the protests calmed down or evaporated over the weekend, the strong anti-U.S. sentiment spreading across the Muslim world isn’t expected to fade entirely as the U.S. stepped up security at it’s embassies and consulates.

The Falcon

RAPPER

Page Three

Monday, September 17th, 2012

continued

rhymes about his hopes for those who live on the street, and his desire to reach his brothers and his culture with the gospel of Jesus Christ. This sentiment is shared among all of those who rap for the name of Jesus.

Consider one of his lines in the song “40 Deep,” a hard-hitting rap that displays his intent to make Jesus known in the projects and areas where the name is not known. “40 Deep” comes from the album “Rehab.”

“While we was younger only had two place to run to/One become an animal, two get out the jungle/So we got our lion on the line bro, that’s what we do/Run up on you and your

crew and tell you Jesus is the truth.”

Lecrae doesn’t care about the money, the cars or women. He wants to make Jesus known. In a world where secular rap is filled with rhymes about seeking pleasure in the things of the world, Lecrae boldly breaks away with lines glorifying God. The impact he can have in his personal ministry is monumental, as he has the possibility to reach an entire culture that may not be reached by traditional methods. He and his colleague’s ministry may change the entire hip-hop/rap landscape.

Having worked with secular

artists, Lecrae has opened the door for future work with mainstream hip-hop and may have found a way to share the gospel with his fellow rappers.

We know that Lecrae’s not giving up until he dies. In the song “Go Hard” from “Rebel,” he says he “doesn’t want to die tonight, but there’s too many people living who ain’t heard about the Christ.”

The question is whether or not the world will recognize him and Christian rap as a whole before he goes. His raps are challenging and encouraging. His work is groundbreaking. And his Lord is using him in a mighty way.

Check Out Our Falcon Playlist

by Kyle Jones Editor-In-Chief

The Falcon is proud to announce another step into the frontier of online journalism. We would like to introduce The Falcon Playlist. Via Spotify, this playlist will allow us to share directly with you the reader.

The playlist gives you a point of reference for the stories you read in these articles and in the future. For example, a variety of songs by Christian rapper Lecrae and punk outfit Useless Eaters, both are mentioned in this issue, are listed in The Falcon Playlist.

All of us being big fans of music, this Falcon Playlist will allow the staff to share what they’re into and showcase new or rising artist. To listen to the playlist simply visit us at our website, www.thefalconat. tumblr.com or if you have Spotify search for “The Falcon Playlist” in the search bar. Here at WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2012 | 9:00PM The Falcon we are determined to push BOTTLETREE CAFE the boundaries and realize the potential of Doors at 8 pm / Show at 9 pm / 18 + online media, if you have a suggestion or / $13 adv / $15 day of an idea please contact us via facebook or e-mail us at thefalconeditor@gmail.com.

THEE OH SEES / TY SEGALL

The Falcon

Monday, September 17th, 2012

campus

Page Four

“News is what somebody somewhere wants to suppress; all the rest is advertising.”

- Lord Northcliffe

Hush Puppies Roll Through Campus

By Rosemary Maguire Staff Writer Students walking by the cafeteria Wednesday, September 12, may have noticed a fourlegged, floppy-eared visitor. A puppy caught the eye of many a student, posing for pictures and exposing her belly for rubbing.

Penny isn’t just any dog, though.

The 19 week-old Bassett Hound is the official Spokes-pup for Hushpuppies Brand Shoes. She is accompanying her mother and Hushpuppies Marketing Manager, Shannon Kennedy on the brand’s very first “Off the Leash” Airstream tour.

Penny and company were set up in a retro-airstream in front of the University of Montevallo’s cafeteria for most of the day Wednesday offering students free goodies (including koozies, keychains, and autographed pictures of Penny), informing them about the new direction Hushpuppies is heading, and helping passersby enter in a contest to receive a free pair of shoes.

Hushpuppies was founded in 1958 and at the time focused mostly on comfort. This year, the company seeks to maintain comfort while reinventing the look of their lines. UM students who missed the tour can still benefit.

Entering the code: MONTEVALLO-OTL20 at hushpuppies.com will get you 20% off full-price merchandise until October 31.

Squealin’ All the Way Home

Photo: Rosie Maguire Photo: Dillon Owens

by Kyle Jones Editor-In-Chief The gauntlet of sorority recruitment ended last week. This now puts most of the sororities back at their member capacity. A total of 168

PNM’s anxiously await to unveil their bids. girls began the process of recruitment but those numbers slowly dwindled night after night due to the process of preference and selection.

The quota based on the amount of women going through the process was set at 22 for continued on page 9

The Falcon

Monday, September 17th, 2012

Page Six

a week in pictures

Squeal Day

by Dillon Owens Staff Photographer

The Falcon

Monday, September 17th, 2012

editorial

Page Five

Lies and Laziness on the Campaign Trail 2012

by Andrew Mechum Associate Editor This November we are all expected to go to the polls and cast our vote for which direction we want America to go in. Or at least that’s how major media has framed the story. It’s a case of us against them, one side or the other, red versus blue.

We are bombarded with the idea that one party will lead us to glory and the other down the road to destruction. Which party is which of course depends on whose side you favor.

But I don’t think there is a right side. There can’t be a right side if the system itself is broken.

If I were to poll every student and faculty member at UM on whether or not they think politicians lie, I’m willing to bet the majority would say yes. Yet, we still vote for them.

It’s widely believed that lobbyists have their hands in politician’s pockets. It’s widely believed this practice is hurting government. Yet, we as a people do nothing about it.

Moreover, the very system we use to elect presidents is ripe for misuse. According to the National Archives and Records Administration’s website: “There is no Constitutional provision or Federal law that requires Electors to vote according to the results of the popular vote in their States. Some States, however, require Electors to cast their votes according to the popular vote. These pledges fall into two categories—Electors

With the advances in techbound by State law and those bound by pledges to political parties.” nology wouldn’t it be possible to tally every American’s vote indiThe site goes on to say: vidually without the Electoral College? After all, if American Idol can “Generally, the political parties do it, why can’t big government? nominate Electors at their State party conventions or by a vote of Our system of government the party’s central committee in has been a beacon of freedom and each State. Electors are often cho- hope since it’s founding. I don’t sen to recognize service and dedi- propose we destroy it, I propose cation to their political party. They we improve it. We have allowed may be State-elected officials, our government to bog itself down party leaders, or persons who have in red tape and unnecessary buera personal or political affiliation acracy under the guise of helping us. with the Presidential candidate.”

I don’t blame any one presiThis, to me, is shocking. While dent or class of congress for the oversight may be in place to pre- $16 trillion in debt our nation is in. vent any misuse of power on the I blame the American people for part of Electoral College mem- continuing to elect corrupt politibers, the simple fact that there cians to an equally corrupt system. is no law requiring them to cast Every election cycle the their vote according to the popular vote leaves room for malfeasance. media trot out the tired line of “the most important election in AmeriCombined with the fact can history”. This year some of that members can be appoint- you may buy that line more so than ed as favors for “dedication to in years past, and you wouldn’t be their political party” the window wrong. This election is important. for abuse widens even further.

What is more important is Regardless of whom you that we as Americans, collectively, vote for in this coming election, and sit down and take an active roll in regardless of the popular vote, the our government. The changes we election will be decided by the num- can bring to this country don’t stop ber of electoral votes the candidates at electing candidate A over canreceive. But is there a better way? didate B. If all 314 million of us stand up and demand real and lastWhen the founding fathers ing change, we just might get it. drafted the Constitution and set forth the laws that govern the electOf course, that would mean ing of public officials communica- putting down your super sized sotion between the states was limited. das and turning of your favorite reToday we have the ability to send ality TV show and actually workmessages in text, video and multi- ing for change. God help America. media across the globe in seconds.

The Falcon

&culture

arts

Review: The Killers-Battle Born

By Matt Sanderlin Arts & Culture Editor The Killers are a strange phenomenon in pop music culture.

Born from a Las Vegas-based cover band, The Killers have kept fragments of their former glitter and glam throughout their shortbut-successful career, whilst threading strands of their major

pop influences (U2, Depeche Mode, David Bowie etc.) through the core of their catalogue.

The band’s fifth studio album, Battle Born, finds the band picking up where they left off four years ago with Day & Age. The soundscapes are even bigger than alreadyexpansive past singles like “Human” and “Spaceman” previously were - Early-album track “Here With Me” as well as opener “Flesh and Bone” both channel dangerous levels of stadium rock with their extra-extra doses of reverb and thundering vocal arrangements.

And now, while this commanding take on the

ageless pop/rock formula bolsters the band’s sound into U2 and Damn the Torpedoes-era Tom Petty territory, the sonic atmospheres of the first half of the album border flippantly on becoming overblown and overemotional. Leader Brandon Flowers is a strong proponent of the “story-song;” and while this is an admirable approach to songwriting, when every lyric cheaply mirrors his formula for hit single “A Dustland Fairytale,” the lyrical narratives quickly become convoluted and nearly contrived. (See “Miss Atomic Bomb,” “The Way It Was,” and even preliminary single

Page Seven Monday, September 17th, 2012

“Runaways,” though it’s less severe than the others.)

The sparser and less-overdramatic “Deadlines and Commitments” is a solid, mid-album refresher piece, and the acousticbased Jackson Browneesque “From Here on Out” is short-and-sweet; giving the record at least a few decent tunes to be proud of.

Battle Born might be produced to fight for your attention, but the excessive production and down-your-throat melodies ultimately backfire and burn before they warm. A “pickand-choose”-er, at best.

“Resident Evil a Resident Nightmare”

By Mandy Steadman Staff Writer times blinking in front of your face. This was the feel on opening day for the newest movie in the Resident Evil franchise: Resident Evil: Retribution.

The feel of a movie theater is like no other. The smell of fresh popcorn in the air, long lines of people and kids jumping with excitement for their tickets, and the casual list of movie

The Resident Evil movies have been known for their precision kung-fu, stellar special-effects, and zombie apocalyptic drama. This current movie, however, was a total disappointment. Going to the movies is supposed to be a fun experience watching a work of art with people you care about. This movie was not worth the 10 dollars.

son, takes place in a futuristic apocalyptic world where a virus is sweeping the globe and turning those infected into zombies with special powers. The human race is close to extinction and it is up to Alice, a woman who once worked for the Umbrella Company that created the virus, to join with the remaining survivors and help the human race regain control.

The whole movie was so extremely fast paced there was no build-up; there was not even a recognizable climax. Every story told has to have a set list of events and a Resident Evil: Retribu- booming climax in order to tion, directed by Paul Ander- keep the audience interested.

It went from an attack, to the main character, Alice, in a holding facility, to another attack, to attempt at escape, to another attack and so on. Quite frankly, it was so fast paced it was hard to keep up and became somewhat hard to watch.

The acting was almost mortifying to watch. Sienna Guillory, who played Jill Valentine, was absolutely disappointing. Her character seemed so unreal; her performance was no more than her reading her lines off of a cue card or off of the top of her head. Her fighting skills were also so below par for a movie like this. continued on page nine

The Falcon

&culture

arts

Sea Shanties and Punk Stomp

By Reed Strength Staff Writer

I’ve noticed a reoccurring motif at an Eclipse live show: a red light. This light sits in the corner of the room, and casts a certain cough syrup-like color over the walls and the bands that play there. Whether this adds a certain ambience to the beauty that is live music, or its just whatever the employees can dig up to decorate, it acts as a signal: the lights get turned down, the red light is cast, and the opening beats of a song start.

Friday night’s show kicked off with a short set from Dommel Mosel, the one man project of UAB student Adam Measle. He told me he normally plays solo, but John-Paul Foster and Chris McCauley from local band Holy Youth joined him to play drums and bass respectively. Adam’s songs ranged from slower, short numbers, to faster ravers, all emotionally packed and smothered in distortion.

While Adam’s vocals were covered in a thick blanket of reverb, what could be made out seemed to mean a lot to him, which really made the songs hit home. Adam seemed extremely happy to play his songs, laughing during certain verses, a grin plastered on his face throughout. “They’re doing awesome!”, Adam told the crowd about his temporary band mates; the two really did drive his tunes, and JohnPaul seemed especially loose compared to Holy Youth’s show two weeks ago. After around 7 songs, Adam cheerily announced the end of his set, packed up his equipment, and dispersed into the crowd to chat with new fans and patrons.

What do you get when you mix psychedelia, sea shanties, and a healthy comparison to the warbled

vocals of Modest Mouse leader Isaac Brock: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. A self-proclaimed “Delta psychedelica” collective from my hometown of Mobile, Alabama, they play an Elephant 6 like brand of homespun rock-ditties, with subjects ranging from the local Mobilian hero of the Peanut Man, to “falling in love with a high-class stripper”.

The band was fronted by the enigmatic David Macclay (AKA Captain Nemo) as singer and guitar player, and was backed by UM student Virginia Phillips on marching bass drum, Jonathon Ashley on snare drum, and Alan Anderson on Hammond organ. This rag-tag band played everything from waltz, to hi-ho pirate tunes, to odes to marijuana (in which they got the entire Photo: Reed Strength audience to join). Nemo wiggled, and stood tip toe while playing and singing, his moves almost as slippery as the tone of his guitar. Fans new and old can pick up the band’s 2011 selftitled CD from our very own Dharma Records.

Snare drummer Jonathon It was around 11:30 by the time headlining Ashley was a must watch. Despite having only one snare and a cymbal band Useless Eaters began to play, and the audience to bash out the required rhythms, members were already well soused with alcohol. I had Ashley really drove and grounded checked these guys out prior to their performance, the songs, equal parts smacking and and had declared the songs from their two 2012 retapping to the pulse of the music. leases as clear, dry post-punk. Guitar playing with While 20K Leagues recorded mate- chiming leads, tight-constraining rhythms, and singer rial relies on brass, acoustic instru- Seth Sutton moaning and pouting in a paranoid call. ments, and watery effects to get their This, however, was not the case live. As a UM point across, their live show was a much more amped up affair, espe- student behind me remarked: “With the jean jacket cially with set closing songs like “I [singer Seth Sutton] is wearing, [the cut off t-shirt] Don’t Call It Livin’” and “Voodoo”. the bassist has on, and the upside down American flag on that amp, I think these guys are gonna be a lot The audience jumped and heavier”. With a few bass throbs and rapid fire drum danced to 20K’s weirdo-waltzes, hits, the show started, and the prediction came true smiling and laughing at Nemo’s I wrote down several made up adjectives that strange banter between certain fit with the word punk while these guys jammed: boulsongs. I’d heard of these guys long der punk, cauldron punk, gravel punk, weight punk, before I came here, and can honestly say that the hype that sur- lightning punk, and finally, clomp punk. Seth’s playcontinued on page nine rounds them is well deserved.

The Falcon

Monday, September 17th, 2012

PUNK continued

ing ranged from frenetic power chords to pin sharp leads. Mustached bassist Chet’s playing was like listening to a miked cannonball being dropped into a pipe; the bass overtook Seth’s guitar leads on more than one occasion.

Drummer Casey really stole the show, his wild hair bobbing and swinging with his frenetic playing. Fills became overflows, cymbal crashes became wrecks, and whatever rat-a-tat-tat snare playing that could be heard on their “Black Night Ultraviolet” EP was given away to machine-gun like bursts. The man literally had his own pitcher of water to cool himself down; a break his drum kit probably appreciated.

The audience was divided in the noise that these guys dished out. Those near the front bobbed, clapped, and shook to the storm. The back half was more docile, sipping drinks and looking mildly disinterested. “Alright guys, this is our last one”, a sweaty Seth announced to the crowd. A few patrons decided to jibe the band, asking just what the band’s name was and calling for tunes from Creed and Green Day. Seth took a few moments, grinned at his band mates, and started a droning chord sequence. With a very classic “1…2…3…4”, the band rocketed into their closer, the patrons’ requests choked by the wall of distorted and explosive instrumentation before them. Cody, one half of what makes up Dharma House Records here in Montevallo told me that the late garage rock saint Jay Reatard was a former member of this band. “Maybe Jay was here in spirit, man.”, he later mused.

I remembered early in the Useless Eater’s set that a beer bottle, originally resting on the bar, had been smashed to the floor. Perhaps it was Jay, attempting to add his noise to his old band’s show.

At the moment, 20K Leagues Under the Sea are working on new material, with a new album arriving soon. Useless Eaters finished their tour on the 15th. They just dropped a new EP “Black Night Ultra Violet”, and it is now available on Manimal Records. A new album, titled “Hypertension” will be released sometime in the Fall.

Page Nine

MOVIE

continued Milla Jovovich, who plays Alice, and Johann Urb, who plays Leon, were the only adult actors who proved they had some acting ability. Although, it was still unimpressive how they carried themselves in the movie, they actually showed some form of emotion in the deliverance of their lines and their reactions to the events around them.

The beginning of the movie, however, was the best part of this entire film. There is this sense of alertness, yet a sudden elegance to the beginning. The audience gets to see an attack on a giant ship take place in total reverse.

The actors ran backwards, the gun shots were pulled back into their guns, the dead came back to life.

It was an extremely cool site to The only actor that was truly see, especially in such great detail. memorable was the young actress Aryana Enineer, who played Becky: This movie thrives on the a clone who believes Alice to be her video games based off of this story. mother. She had so much poten- It seemed to be directed like it was tial, so much charisma she truly fell a video game from the monotone through with her character. She is two-worded banter, to the descripsuch a young actress, but she has the tions and designs of the monsters. It talent to transform herself into her was a basic video game with basic character and be truly believable. goals and strategies, but without the player sitting in a dark room glued The onscreen combat for to the screen and the controller. this movie was good, but it was not great. This movie’s signature Resident Evil: Retribution is showing the action sequences in is an unimpressive feat that failed a very slow motion so the audience in trying to be epic and memorable. can see every kick, every gunshot, It had its few good moments, but it every punch, but also every mistake. is not worth buying a ticket to see There were basic techniques in these it at the local box office. This film sequences, but there was nothing tru- gets a 2.5 out of 5

ly impressive in those movements.

SQUEAL

continued each sorority, meaning that each sorority could only take in 22 girls out of the total 168. With five sororities on campus and 22 spots each, that means that 58 girls would not be getting bids from the beginning.

Though during the process, the number was increased for each sorority based on the amount of girls who were invited back to Pref or Preference Night and the amount of girls that didn’t “suicide” (writing down only one sorority as your preference) them.

A total of 126 women received bids from each of the five sororities on campus, leaving 42 women who either dropped themselves or were left empty handed.

got an idea?

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The Falcon

Monday, September 17th, 2012

SPORTS

What’s All The Fuss About?

10

Labor Unions and the recent rise Of Union Strikes in Professional Sports

By Joey Antonio Sports Editor

When many people think of labor unions, one may tend to think of someone who is blue collar, middle to lower class and just an overall average, working class Joe. This someone probably wears a uniform accompanied by steeltoed boots, a hard hat and carries a lunch pail to work. Not this time.

The Unions that will be spoken of in the coming dialog is white collar and their business is quite lucrative.

That’s right, I’m talking about the unions in professional sports.

During the infancy of professional sports teams, there truly was a need for unions. This was due to the fact that players were seen as property, who could be bartered like cattle at their own expense by villainous, cigarsmoking owners who paid them unbalanced wages, with no rights to pensions, or healthcare benefits.

Nowadays sports unions almost appear asinine, as players make elephantine salaries, not to mention that they can possess contracts with no-trade clauses, or have an option to explore free agency. They also have the benefit of an all-expenses paid hotel and accommodations while traveling to play visiting opponents. All of these luxuries should all but dissolve the need for these unions, but within the past couple of years they have been more active than ever.

Following the 201011 NFL season, many fans, owners and players feared that the following year would be lost to a strike, as owners and players repeatedly failed to find a uniting common ground that

would save the ensuing season.

However, in the nick of time the season was saved as the collective bargaining agreement was signed and all was right and well in the world of the NFL. The NBA was not quite as lucky. During the same year, the NBA also faced a lockout as multi-millionaires sparred with billionaires over what was “fair” and what wasn’t. The lockout, unlike that of the NFL’s, extended into the regular season, forcing the league to shorten the season from 82 games to just 66. This also occurred back during the 1998-99 season as well, as the strike lasted even longer, resulting in a rather lean 50 game season.

If it sounds ludicrous to you to think about cry-baby millionaires and billionaires dabbing their misty eyes and runny noses with 100-dollar bills, then the next part is really going to sound absolutely absurd. Why? Well because the referees think the sports world owes them something as well. It seems everybody wants a piece of the action and the idea that the water boys or the wash workers want to unionize next might not seem much of a stretch for some.

What is going on here is more of the same. In a nutshell it is that management wants to give the union less of something.

The union wants more of it. The union wants less of something.

Management wants more. Yadda, yadda, yadda, now the league is stuck (hopefully temporarily) with referees who possess less than sophomoric job skills who miss

more calls than an answering machine from the 1980’s. Seriously? Refs have beef too?

As crazy as the world as a whole seems to be collectively going, the rich and the brainless certainly appear to be the ones leading the way. Are these people who beg for labor unions and “equality” so blinded by success that they do not realize that they already have it better than most people on this earth? Do they not realize that they have already made it to the top echelon as some of the richest and most elite people in the world? How much is enough for them?

I’ll let Gordon Gekko answer that one. “It’s not a question of enough, it’s a zero sum game, somebody wins, somebody loses.

Money itself isn’t lost or made, it’s simply transferred from one perception to another.”

Just another day in the life, so it now seems.

The Falcon

Monday, September 17th, 2012

religion

Page 11

Ecclesia Welcomes A New Leader

by Neal Emby Staff Writer

get to decide what life’s going to be about. We can help them as they wrestle with their faith,” Maxfield said.

Ecclesia, in the original Greek, means “a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly.”

It is typically associated with the English word “church.”

College offers such a wide range of options when it comes to social circles, and Ecclesia hopes to help students live out their faith. For those who don’t know the gospel, the hope is to help lead them to the gospel. Maxfield emphasized seeing beyond hang-ups and working through doubts.

For some Montevallo students, Ecclesia has come to mean home.

The college ministry at the Church at Shelby Crossings is very active on the campus, and this year the ministry welcomes a new minister.

Jeremy Maxfield, 32, previously served as a student pastor for youth at the Church at Shelby Crossings and also works as an editorial director for NavPress. Now, the Georgia and Samford graduate is serving as the college pastor and leader of one of Montevallo’s Christian ministries.

“When they (the church) started looking for a new leader, I told them until they found that guy, I’d like to help. Then I was asked if I would be that guy,” Maxfield said.

Ecclesia, as he describes it, is “a community of students that gather together for worship and encourage each other spiritually.”

“There’s a really solid, spiritually mature, but really fun group of students already involved. It’s exciting to me to see their ownership, and personal investment in the ministry,” Maxfield said.

of Montevallo. There are people all around us that go to Montevallo that don’t live on campus, or maybe go to another school. This is a community for everyone,” Maxfield said.

Last year, Ecclesia led the campus during Freedom Week, a weeklong effort to help put an end to modern-day slavery and human trafficking, by hosting speakers, fundraisers and raising awareness on campus. Maxfield wants to continue to do things that involve the community as a whole.

Maxfield, and Ecclesia’s students, have one mission, and it’s the gospel.

The reason Maxfield believes so strongly in Ecclesia is because he believes so strongly in the gospel.

“We want to be intentional about saying that Ecclesia is bigger than the campus at the University

“I believe in the gospel that has changed my own life. A lot of that change happened while I was in college.

For me, it’s an honor and gratitude to what Christ has done in my own life to help other students. We really

“Ecclesia’s goal is to help introduce people to the gospel, and to the fact that it is a lifestyle. The real thrust of Ecclesia is helping people, whether they know the gospel or not, to live out their own faith. It’s to help people grow,” Maxfield said.

Jeremy lives in Alabaster with his wife Amanda. They have been married for ten years. They have three daughters: Analyn, 6, Ella, 4, and Katy Jane, 3.

Ecclesia meets Thursday nights at 8 p.m. in Comer auditorium for a time of worship and fellowship. On the first Thursday of every month, they meet at the Church at Shelby Crossings. The group also has a Facebook page: Facebook.com/EcclesiaPage.

Follow me at @nealembry

The Falcon

Monday, September 17th, 2012

technology

Page 12

The Most Amazing iPhone Yet…Hasn’t Changed Much

By Reed Strength Staff Writer

In 2007, Apple released the first iPhone, a revolutionary blend of smooth technology, and advanced engineering that paved the way for the modern smart phone. Every couple of years, Apple has upgraded the product. The models always seem to have faster internet, better camera abilities, sleeker designs, and a slew of new features to make Apple-tech fanatics go wild. While Apple has faced many competitors in the Smart Phone market, it still seems to come out on top, with over 12 million iPhones sold since its initial 2007 release date.

Apple on Wednesday announced the newest model of iPhone to be released, the iPhone 5. Billed as “The Biggest Thing to Happen to iPhone since iPhone”, the catch phrase must refer to its increased screen size.

The iPhone 5 has a 4.87 in. high display, exactly 0.27 in. taller than the iPhone 4; it also measured to be 18% thinner, and is 20% lighter than the 4 and 4S models.

What exactly does this mean for the user?

Apple’s website says that the extra 0.27 in. will enable the user “to see more of every web page, more of your inbox, more of your

calendar, and more apps on your home screen”. I say, so what? The iPhone 4’s screen wasn’t tiny (its 0.27 in. smaller after all), and seeing more of webpages doesn’t mean less pinchzooming and widening.

As far as the extra 4 spaces available for apps, it can total 40 more available spaces for apps on the 10 pages of app space within the home menu of the phone; its more convenience for your favorite icons than functionality however, as the app folder feature introduced long ago made sorting a large amount of apps easy.

The iPhone 5, like all its predecessors, comes with an increased retina display to make that picture of a flower or lake ripples that much clearer. It has 18% more pixels than the iPhone 4s (totaling 326 pixels to be exact), and is purported to “have a pixel resolution so high, that your eye can’t distinguish individual pixels.”

Color saturation is also said to be 44% greater. So: clearer and brighter. I’d say this is a plus, as it is improved; too be honest, though, it’s what everyone expected Apple to do with the new model from the get-go.

For the big changes, the new iPhone 5 comes with an upgraded version

of its central A chip, the A6, which is said to be “twice as fast as the A5”. That means smoother graphics as well.

The battery life listings read as 10 hours of web browsing (one more than the iPhone 4), 8 hours of talk time, and 10 hours of video playback. Standby time (the amount of battery life you phone has when you’re not directly using it) is listed as 225 hours, a disappointing comparison to the original iPhone 4’s 300 hours, and a slight improvement over the 4S’s mere 200 hours.

Another new feature is the “Lightning Pin” dock on the bottom of the phone, where the connector dock is located for charging the battery and hooking up to a computer.

Where the old iPhone models consistently used the 90 pin style dock, Apple has changed the design, detailing the Lightning design as “more durable” and “reversible…there’s no wrong way to connect the cable”.

I personally had no problem figuring which end of the 90 pin cable fit into my Apple device, and which fit into my computer. The Lightning pin cable presents another problem: all old apple accessories (speakers, charging ports, etc.) will need an adapter to work with the iPhone 5, an extra $29.99

added to the purchase of the phone itself. Apple says it is confident that the new style of cable will catch on and revolutionize the market.

In addition to the new features of the iPhone 5 itself, Apple is also debuting a newly designed set of ear buds to come bundled with the phone. The newly named “earpods” is a response to the common complaints Apple has gotten for its earbuds. These new models are designed to fit in any ear, and does away with the gray-single speaker port. Instead, there are 3 smaller speaker ports: one in the back, two on the stem, one on the side, and the larger one on the front.

These numerous ports are said to allow air flow and greater sound frequency. Will it? That’s for the consumer to decide.

However, while I never had a problem with Apple’s original ear-buds, it’s a smart move to update what they used to be so heralded for: sound. It probably doesn’t hurt to throw in whatever updates they can, given that the iPhone 5 isn’t exactly revolutionary looking.

Apps are a feature Apple loves to advertise: “The App Store has the world’s largest collection of Mobile apps” says the Apple

The Falcon

IPHONE continued

site. Apple has improved several builtin apps for the iPhone 5, and one of the biggest seems to be Maps. While the original Maps app had been a useful GPS, it was a dangerous one, as checking just where you as the blue dot were, caused a lot of scary near-accidents.

This new Maps is “built from the ground up”, according to Apple. In addition to an updated design, it features a new turn by turn GPS system, with Apple’s robotic female companion Siri calling directions. It also features a traffic feature, updating you as to just what is causing a slowdown, and supplying you with alternate routes around traffic. The third new feature, and probably the most useless,

Monday, September 17th, 2012

Page 13

is Flyover: a 3D generator of any major metropolitan city that allows you to “zoom, pan, tilt, and rotate” around to “explore cities in high resolution”.

The price of the iPhone 5 is the same as any of the older models with a contract: $199 for 16 GB, $299 for 32 GB, and $399 for 64GB. All in all, I feel what Apple has shown in the iPhone 5, should’ve been with the iPhone 4S upgrade. It doesn’t look like a new model, as much as a taller, faster version of the iPhone 4. Perhaps the features that Apple has explained and showcased will actually revolutionize the market. Though, some early reports say that what Apple has shown doesn’t quite cut it compared to other SmartPhones. The official release date for the iPhone 5 is September 21.

The iSight camera does not get as big of an overhaul as Maps: it’s still an 8 mega-pixel camera; it’s still got the flash, face recognition, and the edit features. The only 2 differences?

The front face camera, used for Facetime and uh..pictures of your face, is now a 1.2 mega pixel camera that can record 720p HD video, and the backside camera now features a Panormaic mode. It’s always been a fine camera, and the new improvements will please those tired of their loved ones faces becoming grainy in Facetime.

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The Falcon

next weeks issue

Monday, September 17th, 2012

the staff

Page 14

Editors

Editor-In-Chief: Kyle Jones Associate Editor: Andrew Mechum

- Falcon Fever Preview - Intramural Pictures -Montevallo Election Update -A Month in Review

Art & Culture Editor: Matt Sanderlin Sports Editor: Joseph Antonio Campus & Local Editor: Joseph Thornton

and more...

September 24th 2012

Staff Writers

Rosemary Maguire Mandy Steadman Neal Embry Reed Strength

Columnist

Davis Hayden

Photographer Dillon Owens

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