Volume 2. Issue 6 of The Falcon

Volume 2.

Issue 6.

The Falcon

A Keen Eye For News

IN THIS

ISSUE

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Monday, February 19th, 2012

Happy President’s Day

News

Sports

Four players Bloch Hall arrested at in state welcomes three football dynasty Alabama Artist page 3 page 4

Iran willing to open talks with US CAMPUS

CROSS

Alpha Gamma Delta He’s a Lady Pageant February 20, 7pm – 8pm LeBaron Auditorium

Guest Artist Kevin Chance, piano February 21, 7:30–8:30pm LeBaron Recital Hal Educators’ Expo February 22, 8am – 9am SAC

National Bannana Bread Day Saturday, Feb 23, 2013

Free Movie February 23, 7pm – 9pm Student Life Center Sherlock Holmes Interest Meeting February 23, 7pm – 8pm Hill House

Submit announcements facebook.com/ thefalconmontevallo

by Reed Strength Arts & Culture Editor

On Sunday, February 10, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced his country was ready to talk with the US about Iran’s development of nuclear power. Despite the concession, Ahmadinejad made clear the U.S, must stop pressuring his country with strict sanctions.

However, as USA Today notes, Ahmadinejad is on his last few months of office with an Iranian Presidential election set for June. While Ahmadinejad is relevant and still has influence in his country, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has final say in all executive orders.

Before Ahmadinejad’s statement, Khamenei forbid “officials in Tehran from holding bilateral negotiations with Washing-

ton,” the Guardian reports. His action came after Vice President Joe Biden stated that the U.S. was ready for direct talks with the country despite its heavy trade sanctions against it.

“You are holding a gun against Iran saying you want to talk. The Iranian nation will not be frightened by the threats,” Khamenei stated.

Nuclear talks continued on February 13 when Ahmadinejad spoke with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a United Nations branch. Iran has previously revealed its development of uranium enrichment machines for further utilization in nuclear power.

The West is worried this “peaceful” development of nuclear power serves a cover for the creation of nuclear weapons, a claim Iran denies. Ahmadinejad has consistently argued for Iran’s right to nuclear power.

The next step in this seven year old debate will be further talks in Kazakhstan on Feb-

ruary 26 between Iran and the P5+1 group.

This 2006 group consists of countries, including the US, which have attempted to democratically negotiate with Iran about proving the harmless nature of its nuclear program and allowing UN nuclear inspections in its facilities. The other P5+1 nations are China, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom According to a Reuters article, the organization will at-

tempt to offer eased gold sanctions against the Republic for the eventual shutdown of one of its top uranium enrichment plants.

The U.S. and European Union have barred trading gold and other precious metals with Iran due to its controversial atomic history.

Despite the eased sanctions, Reuters noted that many officials viewed the possible agreement as “skeptical” due to the upcoming Presidential election in Iran.

Israel, the supposed only other nuclear country in the Middle East, has voiced the highest concern over Iran’s nuclear development. The two countries have long been at each other’s throats.

Israel fears Iran’s nuclear development as a sign of weapon creation. In retaliation, Israel has claimed possible military action to halt all chances of an Iranian nuclear assault.

Follow me at @ReedStrength

“Blade Runner” charged with murder

by Neal Embry Staff Writer

Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee runner from South Africa, has been charged with shooting and killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

The charge of premeditated murder was announced Friday in a South African court. Pistorius, 26, was seen sobbing uncontrollably in the courtroom.

The “Blade Runner” has vehemently denied the allegations, as has his family, claiming that he believed his

girlfriend, a well-known model, to be a burglar.

While local media have reported this as a potential scenario, police are reportedly not considering this as a possibility. According to them, Steenkamp was shot four times through a door in the head and hand, leading them to believe the murder was premeditated.

Recent reports indicate that Steenkamp was alive when Pistorius carried her body down a set of stairs in his Pretoria home.

Officials are also looking at a bloody cricket bat as a piece of evidence.

Neighbors first reported the incident to authorities after “hearing things” a few hours before the

shooting.

According to interviews conducted with David Epstein of Sports Illustrated, neighbors had also heard yelling the night before the shooting.

New reports from a South African newspaper indicate that Pistorius may have tried to revive Steenkamp after the shooting, but authorities have not confirmed these reports.

Police reports show that this is not the first time Pistorius has been investigated for violence.

In 2009, Pistorius was arrested for assault after slamming a door on a woman. The charges were later dropped.

Controversy follows Pistorius on the track, as well. Through-

out his career, the sprinter has faced speculation and criticism due to his prosthetic legs, which some say give him an unfair advantage in competition.

Despite the criticism, Pistorius was al-

lowed to compete with able-bodied athletes in last summer’s Olympic games, and was a crowd favorite, running in several individual and team events.

He won gold at the 2012 Paralympics,

his second consecutive title in the event.

But these new allegations go far beyond prosthetic legs. If he is found guilty, Pistorius may never see the track again, as the charge of premeditated murder continued page 4

The Falcon

news

The Editor’s Desk: No peace for Obama

by Andrew Mechum Associate Editor

He has helped wage war in Libya, expanded drone attacks worldwide, chiefly in Yemen, and claims to be responsible for taking out the greatest terrorist the world has ever known. Oh, and he’s a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2009 by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”

Only a handful of U.S. presidents have been awarded the peace prize.

Among them Theodore Roosevelt in 1905 for his part in ending the Russo-Japanese War, Woodrow Wilson in 1919 for encouraging the U.S. to join the League of Nations, and Jimmy Carter in 2002 for his extensive humanitarian efforts.

Officially, Nobel Prizes can’t be revoked according to paragraph ten of the Statues of the Nobel Foundation.

Moreover, if anyone seeks to question the committee’s decision they must wait 50 years to see the relevant information the committee used to make a decision and only if they are doing it “for the purposes of research in intellectual history.”

The Nobel Committee was either negligent or optimistic in giving Obama the Nobel Peace Prize. If we ignore the fact Obama was deemed, “the most militarily aggressive American leader in decades” by Peter Bergen in the New York Times for his extensive global military actions it might be possible to agree with the committee.

As for strengthening international diplomacy, Obama’s first term saw relations with Russia, China, Pakistan, Israel and others strained to the point of breaking. Instead of promoting “cooperation between peoples”,

he has settled for not getting involved in the Syrian civil war and has stood idly by while the death toll has climbed upward of 54,000.

In the citation for Obama’s Nobel Prize special consideration was given to, “Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.”

The question must be asked: What vision?

North Korea last week successfully detonated its third underground nuclear device and Iran is closer than ever before in developing enriched uranium capable of being used in nuclear bombs.

Iran maintains their enrichment programs are strictly for peaceful purposes despite reservations throughout the international community.

Obama simply hasn’t made progress in making the world free of nuclear weapons, quite the opposite really.

He hasn’t strengthened international diplomacy; rather he has done more to weaken international relationships with America’s top allies through inaction.

If we look internally, he and his administration have brought America anything but cooperation. Congress has been in a virtual stalemate for the last four years. They have failed to set a budget, four years running, and have bickered at every turn on how to handle the sad economic state we find ourselves in.

Last year’s election numbers show a near 50/50 split among voters, lending credence to how divisive Obama is for Americans.

While Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize will never be revoked, perhaps the Nobel Committee will see fit in the future not to give that particular prize to anyone holding the reigns of the largest military machine the world has ever seen. Or perhaps they will wait to see what future presidents do with their power before giving them an award.

If the Nobel Committee continues to give the peace prize to men and women who wage as much war as Obama has, they will only serve to tarnish the award to point of insignificance.

Follow me at @amechum

Monday, February 19th, 2012

Page Two

“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.”

-Michael Jordan

The state of domestic drones

by Teddie Taylor Staff Writer

During last week’s manhunt for former law enforcement officer Christopher Dorner, a source gave a report to UK based newspaper The Express, hinting that drones were being employed. Dorner, who is suspected of killing four people including two policemen, was immediately regarded as the most wanted man in America.

A drone, or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), is a pilotless aircraft that is either computer or remote controlled.

Though mainly used in military operations, the United States is currently planning to expand their domestic use.

The Department of Homeland Security admittedly already uses drones for surveillance in the United States. However, this could expand to include many more government agencies and law enforcement offices if President Obama signs

the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act. Representatives Ted Poe (R-Texas) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif) have sponsored the Preserving American Privacy Act to attempt to limit the use of surveillance drones. If enacted, warrants and notices would be required before drones obtained private information or monitored public areas.

Republican senator Rand Paul of Kentucky has also voiced opposition to the use of domestic drones. Paul has threatened to fili-

buster John Brennan’s CIA nomination if the Obama administration does not answer his questions regarding the use of armed drones on American soil.

On February 14 the FAA proposed six civilian drone test sites be built around America. A 2012 law requires the agency to provide areas where military and civilian drones can be readied for use in U.S. airspace by 2015. The drone industry could become a huge economic booster; according to FAA officials, more than 10,000

drones are expected to be flying by 2018.

Civilian drones lack the advanced GPS capabilities of military drones that prevent hacking and signal loss. The tests at the six proposed U.S. sites are supposed to ensure that the drones would operate safely alongside manned aircraft and for people on the ground.

Whether or not Obama signs the FAA Reauthorization Act, law enforcement is already relying on drones to safely gather information.

Gunman stopped at Chelsea Middle School

by Jake Smith Staff Writer A gunman known to have been a part-time summer employee and former student of Chelsea Middle School held several students hostage at 3:10 p.m. on February 12th.

The gunman’s identity has not yet been released to the public, but it is known that he is 21 years-old, according to Shelby County superintendent Randy Fuller.

The gunman, who was found in the school’s girls’ locker room, was apprehended approximately twenty minutes after being detected and is now being held in custody. A deputy who had formerly served as the school’s resource officer reacted immediately and began speaking to the gunman in order to negotiate with him. This fast action was likely instrumental in keeping anyone from being physically harmed by the intruder.

Sheriff Chris Curry and superintendent Fuller addressed the parents of the

school’s students that night and expressed their concerns that the situation even happened at all. They also commended the quick responses of the deputies on scene and informed parents of their plans for the future.

The Falcon spoke with Jayme Moore, one of the deputies on the scene, in order to get his thoughts on some of the issues at hand since the incident.

When asked about the intent of the shooter, Moore was unable to speak as he said he has “information that is not public at this time”.

However, Moore was happy to answer questions concerning the general safety of the school and community.

When asked what the department plans to do in order to further protect the

school, he responded by saying “we added four deputies to the Chelsea Middle/Intermediate schools.

The sheriff plans to keep deputies in all the schools through the rest of the school year.”

Moore also weighed in on what he thinks it will take for complete security to be achieved in schools.

He acknowledged that a deputy in a school is a “visible deterrent” but also mentioned that “safety is a relative thing.” He followed this by saying, “If you truly want security, you would have to harden the schools to the point that it would be more of a military institution than a school.” With this, he also added the disclaimer, “It all depends on how much people are willing to give up for a feeling of security.”

When asked what parents need to do in reaction to the incident, Moore declared parents, “need to finally get involved in county politics. The county commission needs to hear from parents who are not happy with the commission's lack of funding of the sheriff’s office.” He also added “Until the public puts some pressure on the commission, nothing will change.” The sheriff’s office has been in a lengthy battle with the commission for some time regarding their lack of funding. The case is currently in the Alabama Supreme Court.

Fortunately, no one was harmed in the incident, and schools have returned to their normal routine. It seems, at least for now, there is nothing to worry about.

J

The Falcon

Page Three

Monday, February 19th, 2012

It’s hard out here for a Pope

by Neal Embry Staff Writer

Pope Benedict XVI stepped down due to health reasons, stating that he could no longer carry out his duties as pope. That leads this writer to ask: What are those duties?

We know the pope is the head of the Catholic Church. But what does that mean?

What does the job really entail? Why is being a pope so challenging?

Let’s take a look at what the pope does besides wearing big hats and riding in his Popemobile.

The pope’s first duty is to be the leader of the world’s largest Christian denomination, the Catholic Church.

Teaching and pastoring the congregation is the job of the bishops, but the pope has final authority. He is

recognized as the bishop of Rome, the office Catholics teach was held

by Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ and a leader of the early church.

The pope also has the responsibility to appoint members to his Curia, a cabinet of Catholic officials that carry out administrative and judicial duties.

At the end of this month, the College of Cardinals will meet in a conclave to select the new pope, following the official resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. The pope himself chooses that college.

In the past, the pope has had significant influence on governments throughout the world, mostly in Europe.

In the days of empires, kings and emperors would come to the pope to be blessed and recog-

The evolution of a birthday

nized by the pontiff as the rightful ruler of their respective people.

Today, in a world where empires are no more, the pope still has significant influence in world leadership.

He travels throughout the year, meeting with world leaders, both religious and secular. Pope John Paul II, the pope before Benedict, was praised for his efforts to establish better relations with other faiths, including Judaism, Islam and Eastern Orthodox.

Pope Benedict XVI has written extensively, on many different topics regarding faith, reason and other issues. Whether or not all popes write as extensively as Benedict XVI, the mandate to issue opinions and teachings from the office is one that has been carried down

throughout the ages.

The teachings of the Catholic Church affect the way the world sees the Christian faith and humanity as a whole. For the pope, he plays a major role in determining the church’s position on controversial issues, such as homosexuality, abortion, birth control, war, and the role of government in the world.

In addition to being the head of the Catholic Church, the pope also serves as the head of the smallest country in the world, the citystate known as Vatican City. So in addition to handling religious duties, he is also responsible for helping lead the people of the Vatican.

The pope often addresses the church, whether by

speech or writing, thus influencing Catholic dogma as a whole.

So, to put it plainly, the pope is a busy man.

All of the pressure and expectations certainly weigh on him.

Combine that with the fact that the majority of popes are elderly when elected, and it becomes easier to understand why Pope Benedict XVI is stepping down.

Bloch Hall Art opening for three new Alabama artists

by Mandy Steadman Staff Writer

by Reed Strength Arts & Culture Editor English naturalist Charles Darwin would have celebrated his 204th birthday on Tuesday February 12.

Darwin was known for publishing his study, “The Origin of Species”, the first book to suggest a theory of evolution concerning the origin of humanity.

The University of Montevallo’s branch of the Secular Student Alliance (SSA) celebrated the scientist’s birthday last Tuesday in the Comer-Morgan lounge.

Party food included a cookie cake with “Happy Birthday Darwin!” written on it in icing. SSA member Crystal Vo brought mint iced cupcakes with plastic animals atop them. “Pin the legs on the fish” was the party game of the night, with most members placing the legs in all areas but the bottom of the marker drawn fish.

There was no discussion of Darwin or preaching of secular ideas. Instead, party goers simply ate and talked amongst themselves. Near the end of the night, most pulled up chairs to watch the President’s State of the Union Address.

Amy Hester, President of the SSA here

on campus, explained how the idea of the party came together and the meaning behind it.

She said the party was decided by the group as both a “fun social activity and maybe even a way to bring in new members.” She called the party “a light hearted activity”, but noted that it was meant to, “celebrate the triumphs and progress of science,” calling Darwin, “one of the most important.”

While most know Charles Darwin as a scientist, albeit a controversial one, he was first trained and educated to be a clergyman. He apparently lost his religion upon witnessing slavery and the death of his young daughter.

While the “creationism vs. evolution” argument can still be heard today, the Church of England made amends to the scientist 126 years after his death.

When Darwin first published his book, the Church attacked his ideas because of their contrast with creationist beliefs. In 2008 a letter was posted on the Church’s official website stating that it owed the scientist “an apology for misunderstanding you” later concluding “good religion needs to work constructively with good science.”

Bloch Hall Art Gallery at the University of Montevallo became a host to three new rising Alabama artists. Aynslee Moon, Anne Herbert, and Amy Feger showcased their latest art pieces on Thursday, Feb. 14.

The art show started with an Artists’ talk where the three artists discussed and presented their pieces and explained their processes in creating them. The many art collections in the gallery consisted of woodwork, paintings and prints.

Feger, Moon and Herbert have a huge thing in common: they are or were graduate students at the University of Alabama.

Herbert is still a graduate student and has her MFA show scheduled for next year. She said she cre-

ates her art pieces with the theme of an awareness of experience.

“I make paintings very quickly so that is about being in the moment and the imagery that gets created is a lot about experiencing your environment, being aware of your own environment rather like getting out of your own head and experiencing something,” said Herbert.

Moon recently graduated and got engaged.

She used watercolor and other forms to create her art pieces. She said she used paint drips

as a “drawing mechanism” to create different forms onto her pieces and also used pages of excerpts from books to add onto her art.

Feger graduated in 2012 and is now an adjunct professor at the University of Montevallo. She teaches twodimensional design, art awareness and intro to printmaking. “I divide my time between painting and printmaking. And ultimately I think I make instillations out of paintings and prints,” said Feger.

Feger’s main mediums are printmak-

ing and painting. Feger said, “I think the work is always about recognizing the unique in a pattern as that is a reflection of the individual.”

She said her present and future art pieces will hopefully be shown in a North Alabama art show scheduled for 2014.

The art show concluded with some extra time for students and guests to personally meet these three artists and to ask any questions they might have about their art work or their graduate studies.

UM on gun control

vate security. All guns, registered or not, must be relinquished to the UM police department.

The Falcon hit the bricks of Montevallo to find out student’s ideas on the gun control issue. Senior Eli Fox says he likes Obama’s proposed gun plan and agrees with the weapons policy here on campus. “As an RA I find that many residents have trouble dealing with the responsibility of cleaning their rooms, so I cannot imagine them handling a gun with any kind of sense.”

The biology ma-

jor believes that “dangerous felons and other qualifying criminals shouldn't be allowed to carry firearms” as they “gave up that right after committing the crime.”

Fox states that he believes the Sandy Hook shooting evidenced the need for more awareness concerning mental health issues.

Freshman Jacob Robertson feels the UM weapons policy is “within reasonable” bounds considering our “small, relatively quiet community, espe-

by Reed Strength Arts & Culture Editor

sense” gun reform.

He noted background checks before purchas The phrase “gun ing guns and the removcontrol” has been on al of “weapons of war” the collective mind of from the streets. These the nation. While the reform ideas will be put issue may have started to a vote in congress.

While the Uniwith the Aurora, Colo- rado theater shoot- versity of Montevallo ing, it was certainly is a relatively quiet colbrought to even great- lege town, a look at the er attention after the official weapons policy Sandy Hook Elemen- cites that weapons of tary school shooting. any kind are not allowed

In his state of on campus and cannot the union address, Pres- be carried or used by ident Obama addressed anyone outside of UM the need for “common police and certified pri-

continued page 4

Monday, February 19th, 2012

The Falcon

Page Four

sports

Four of the tide wait to be tried

by Pablo Urbina Contributing Writer

On Monday, February 15, four players from the Alabama Crimson Tide were arrested on a number of charges, including robbery and credit card fraud. Freshmen Eddie Williams, Tyler Hayes, D.J. Pettway and Brent Calloway were arrested.

Hayes, Williams, and Pettway were charged with second-degree robbery, and Williams and Calloway were charged with credit card fraud.

Alabama coach Nick Saban issued a statement: “The young men charged are indefinitely suspended as we continue to gather information and talk to the appropriate people.

“The University and football program have strict guidelines regarding issues of this magnitude. This behavior is unacceptable for any studentathlete at the Univer-

sity of Alabama and not representative of our football program.”

Alabama athletic director Mal Moore has also given a statement: “This is a very serious matter and we are very disappointed in the actions that have resulted in the charges against these student-athletes.

In this type of situation, the Athletics Department works in conjunction with the University.

We will have more to say

at the appropriate time.”

This was Eddie Williams’ second arrest in two days, having been charged on Sunday with carrying a pistol without a license. TideSports. com acquired the arrest warrants for Pettway, Williams and Hayes.

The warrants show that the three punched and kicked a student during the robbery. They also state that the victim suffered cuts to the face, as well as

a mild concussion and severe swelling. In that altercation, a laptop was stolen. Williams told the authorities that in a second robbery that day, he punched a student in the head and face, with Pettway and Hayes watching. He stated that he stole the student’s wallet and used that student’s identification to buy snacks from a vending machine in a dorm.

Calloway, Pettway, and Hayes all

His Airness turns 50

by Pablo Urbina Contributing Writer

On February 17, Michael Jordan celebrated his 50th birthday.

This has sparked talks about Jordan and how he would fare were he to return to the NBA.

In 2009, the iconic basketball star was inducted into the Hall of Fame. During his speech, he joked, “One day you might look up and see me playing the game at 50.”

This gave way to laughter from the crowd.

He responded to this with “Oh, don’t laugh.

Never say never. Because limits, like fears, are often an illusion.”

Now that Jordan is 50, many sports analysts have wondered how Jordan would fare in today’s NBA. Lakers veteran Antawn Jamison, before a Lakers/Bobcats game (Jordan is the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats), stated “I wouldn’t doubt that in the right situation with a LeBron (James) on his team or with a Kobe (Bryant) on his team, he could get you about 10 or 11 points, come in and play 15-20 minutes.

I wouldn’t doubt that at all, especially if he was in shape and inju-

ries were prevented and things of that nature.”

Regarding Michael Jordan’s statement, Jamison has said that “He wasn’t joking.

You hear stories still to this day, especially last year, him going

to the practice facility and playing 1-on-1 with the guys and they can’t stop him.”

Jamison has also said “He believes he can do it. The key is, that’s the guy we wanted to be like. This guy has in-

spired us to try to do it all, the impossible...It’s been what? Ten years since he played? Name me another player that’s been out of the game for 10 years and still has an impact on the game the way he does.”

played in 13 games for the Crimson Tide this past season. Williams, a redshirt freshman, did not play. Calloway, a running back/special teams player, rushed 10 times for 63 yards and also had eight tackles on special teams.

In October 2011 he was arrested on second-degree marijuana possession charges.

Williams was a five-star defensive back recruit from Panama City, Fla.

Pettway was a redshirt freshman defensive lineman. He notched up eight tackles, including four tackles for loss and 2½ sacks.

Hayes was a freshman linebacker who recorded a total of 14 tackles. As of Tuesday, the four players, released from jail on bond, have been indefinitely suspended from the team and university as investigations take place.

tary style arms have no place in civilian hands.” continued In his view, gun shows should have more carries a life sentence. rigorous standards.

A Nike ad featuring Falcon staff Pistorius that read, “I writer and Senior Neal am the bullet in the Embry agrees with chamber” was removed Obama’s move to allow from the athlete’s webgun laws to go through site after the arrest. congress, feeling the isAnthony Pistorius, Ossue is a matter for our car’s uncle, says the Representative Governcouple was happy and ment to resolve “not one had plans together. man.” Embry accepts In South Africa’s legal the University’s weapsystem, there are no ons policy, but asserts juries, which means a that a gun stored in one’s judge will decide Pistocar is personal property. rius’ innocence or guilt.

“As tragic as The next step Sandy Hook is, the will be a plea hearing on problem with all the Tuesday, February 19. heightened awareness

and media coverage is What are your thoughts that we want to make on this story? How does major policy changes this affect your view of based on one event.

Oscar Pistorius? Let us We are too easily led know on our Facebook by our emotions and page or through Twittricked by things like ter @TheUMFalcon. the president surrounding himself with chilGUNS dren and not led by logcontinued ic and educated policy making,” says Embry. cially given the rather

Ultimately Emimpressive presence of bry notes that while our police force.” He stricter gun laws could feels that Sandy Hook help, those that want caused more fervor in guns for illegal reasons both pro and anti gun will acquire them somecontrol camps, but how He concluded that believes those for inas tragic as Colorado creased gun control and Sandy Hook were, “gained more ground.” changing major policies

Robertson says because of two very he’s fine with arming public examples “is oneself for personal sefoolish” when compared curity reasons, but ultito his finds in statistical mately thinks “assault data that show a drop rifles and other miliin U.S. gun violence.

BLADE

Monday, February 19th, 2012

The Falcon

technology

Page Five

Fifteen years to miss the mark

by Michael Artress Contributing Writer

We are in the modern age of gaming: a world in which gamers immerse themselves in vibrant high-definition graphics, heartbreakingly heavy storytelling, and powerfully moving soundtracks. All of these elements are reminders of things that Duke Nukem Forever is not.

To say the game is any less than an atrocity would be giving it too much credit. Going into the game, I had watched the reviews and read the critiques; none of them shed a positive light. But even those didn’t prepare me for what would be the biggest disaster of a video game I have played yet.

Duke Nukem Forever takes place 12 years after the events of Duke Nukem 3D in which Duke must fight off an alien invasion on Earth. Since then, Duke has become a worldwide icon from his heroic deeds. Little boys

want to grow up to be him and women want to be seduced by him. Life is good for Duke, but yet once again, aliens invade and it is up to Duke to stop them the only way he knows how: by “kicking ass and chewing bubblegum” The in-game events take place 12 years later, but in real life, it took 15 years for developers to make this game. And despite a decade and a half of production work, the game still looks like it came from the ass-crack of the 90s.

The graphics and animation are actually funnier than the punch lines. That being said, hardcore fans will appreciate the excessive use of crude humor and one-liners.

It seems Duke Nukem Forever was either developed by or for pre-adolescent, hormone-induced nerds.

On a side note, to spend 15 years on a game that barely surpasses the quality of its

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‘96 release is really quite pathetic. That in itself may have been the greatest joke of the game.

Redeeming qualities come few and far between, but I did like the game’s easy mechanics along with the arcade style of play. That made it feel slightly more nostalgic, once I could get past the blockiness of the graphic design.

On the other hand, gameplay was incredibly glitchy, making some levels nearly impossible to maneuver. The sound effects were as sporadic as the animation and caused an overall displeasing gameplay.

I tried really hard to like the game, but the bads are just plain bad, and the goods are just plain ugly.

I would expect a game like this to be released in the late ‘90s or early 2000’s but with the way that games have exponentially progressed, this game would barely even make an en-

tertaining flash website game nowadays.

It looks like Duke Nukem should have chosen the bubble-

gum this time around, because this game doesn’t do much ass kicking. CMD Entertainment gives it a 1.5/5.

For all your “nerd” news check out http://cmdentertainment.tumblr.com/

The Black Keys troll “Beliebers”

got an idea?

by Teddie Taylor Staff Writer

E-mail us at thefalconeditor@gmail.com

Coming Soon...

The Falcon Podcast

Following The Black Keys’ three wins at the 55th Grammy Awards, drummer Patrick Carney was asked for his thoughts regarding Justin Bieber’s absence from the list of nominees. Carney replied “I dunno, he’s rich, right? Grammys are for, like, music, not for money... He’s making a lot of money.

He should be happy.”

Justin Bieber then took to Twitter and replied, “The black keys drummer should be slapped around haha.”

Initially Carney responded to Bieber with a simple sad face emoticon. As usual, the Beliebers came to Bieber’s defense and bombarded the drummer with hateful tweets.

Carney and his brother Michael, who is the art director for The Black Keys, decided to retaliate by trolling.

Trolling is, more or less, intentionally be-

ing overly sarcastic and aggravating to someone on the Internet in order to provoke them and initiate a response.

The Carney brothers certainly accomplished their goal of riling up every Bieber fan with a Twitter account.

The drummer changed his profile photo to Bieber and began replying to tweets with comments that included versions of the word “swag.” Soon enough he was jokingly telling fans of the singer, who is in Ireland on his Believe tour, that he was Justin Bieber.

The teen pop idol has yet to speak or tweet about the days of mocking that ensued after his first comment about Carney’s statement.

As of February 17 both brothers have returned their profiles to normal, save for Patrick, who has “formerly Justin Bieber” in his Twitter biography.

The Falcon

&culture

arts

Page Six

Monday, February 19th, 2012

Teen Fiction movie stands out

by Mandy Steadman Staff Writer

A new teen fiction phenomena has graced movie theaters across the nation. The new film, “Beautiful Creatures,” is a film adaptation of the novel by the same name, written by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia and has won the hearts of teen readers since its first publication.

“Beautiful Creatures” tells the story of a boy named Ethan Wate, who is from the fictional small southern town of Gatlin, SC. His main goal is to get away from this small, church-loving town and to live life the way he wants to live it.

His life changes when he meets Lena Duchannes, who later reveals she and her family are casters. Casters are basically like witches with fierce powers. Ethan must hold on to his love for Lena because she is about to face her fate on either her claiming of the Light or the Dark (Good or Evil).

The initial question for this film is will it be better than the well-executed film, “The Hunger Games,” or will it be as horrendous in acting and sto-

ryline as the “Twilight” saga? The answer is it is as good as “The Hunger Games” and is leaps and bounds more watchable than the “Twilight” saga.

The first half of the movie is told from Ethan Wate’s point of view. The story told from the point of view of the male character is rare to see in movies based off of teen fiction books and is not what the commercials portrayed.

Alden Ehrenreich is very charming, witty and clever in his portrayal of Ethan.

His performance is very truthful in his nervous banter and curiosity in the new girl, Lena. His chemistry with actress Alice Englert is extremely strong and their relationship is truthful to how any first love relationship should be: Awkward, new and challenging.

Another actress that really impressed audience members is Emma Thompson, who played Mrs. Lincoln/ Serafine. She portrays a christian mother who is possessed by the most evil female caster in the world. Thompson really showed her talent and really had fun with her role(s). She carries herself beautifully on the screen as not just one, but two complete-

ly opposite characters.

This film as a whole is really amazing and is worth seeing over and over again. It is interesting how the movie starts off in Ethan’s perspective, but then migrates to Lena’s perspective.

This subtle transition is done for a reason and is a really clever decision made by director Richard LaGravenes.

“Beautiful Creatures” has a lot of over-thetop moments and characteristics that are hard to overlook.

All of the actors use a very thick and almost fake southern accent to add to their characters’ background and personalities. The mean girls have very southern belle hawty accents, Ethan and his friend have classic southern accents that include improper grammar (ain’t, gonna, etc.), and the caster family uses sophisticated grammar with softer accents.

The accents were a bit more fake than was necessary, but it did allow the director and writers to really bring out their stereotypes and make the audience want to side with the good guys because the bad guys’ accents were so annoying and loud.

“Beautiful Creatures”

Photos: Reed Strength

is an entertaining movie that will cast a spell on its audience. It is also easy for audience members to follow that have not read the book.

It is impressive that a teen fiction film is

this well-acted and very well-executed. The film racked in $9.0 million at the box office during its weekend release.

If you want more information on this film go to www.imdb.com.

If you would like to comment about this movie or have any movie suggestions, please feel free to post on The Falcon facebook page: www.facebook.com/thefalcon.

Album Review: “Push the Sky Away”

by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

by Jake Smith Staff Writer

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are now musical legends and elder statesmen in the industry, and, at least with other groups, this kind of classification often translates to laziness in the recording studio and a lot of touring. Fortunately, with their 15th album, “Push the Sky

Away”, the band has proven that they care just as much about creating quality new music as they do about hitting the road for touring.

The band has gone through several metamorphoses of sound throughout their three decade long career ranging from raw

rock and roll to stately piano balladry, and this trend of musical change continues with this new record. The band has now delved into the sounds of moody and atmospheric shoegaze, and the results are simply stunning.

The album opens with the sarcastically titled “We No Who U R” which establishes the tone well and finds Cave musing on power structures with the opening line “The tree don’t care what the little bird says”. This kind of metaphorical approach to lyrics is nothing new to Cave, and he is in fine form once again on this song and throughout the whole record.

The band also takes some interesting

cues from post-rock groups like Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

For example, the song “We Real Cool” slowly evolves as a drone based around ominous strings and a constant bass thump. This slowbuild approach creates a feeling of tension throughout the record which reaches solemn peaks on the tracks “Water’s Edge” and the 8-minute epic “Higgs-Boson Blues”.

This track in particular features Cave at his finest as he references pop icon Miley Cyrus lying face down in a swimming pool as a symbol for a disillusioned youth. The instrumentation also does well to highlight Cave’s

sense of despair by cascading through a tumultuous faux blues underneath his baritone snarls.

These moments of tightly-wound expression are what really make this album something impressive. Cave has lost none of this theatrical flair in his old age, and he never wastes a moment to create a frightening portrait or a messed up metaphor.

The album also has very few flaws at all. Cave keeps the album at a concise length just shy of an hour which gives it a sense of brevity without feeling like he is ripping the listener off. In addition, the lyrics are abstract but never overly bewildering. Even quotes like “Hannah Montana does

the African savanna” make sense in their context. The album is excellently mixed as well and features some of the finest playing that has recently been heard from a rhythm section.

All in all, what Cave has succeeded in making with this album is not a respectable latter-day album but rather a full-fledged masterpiece. This is the best work he’s done since at least 2001 and should certainly be considered as one of his group’s finest creations.

The sense of cohesion and the expert craftsmanship on display here are just two of the many reasons why The Falcon gives “Push the Sky Away” a 9 out of 10.

The Falcon

next week’s issue

Monday, February 18th, 2012

the staff

Page Eight

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

- Danica and Daytona -Russian Meteor Update - AGD’s He’s a Lady -Fashion -Music -Politics -Comics -Happiness

Art & Culture Editor: Reed Strength

Staff Writers

Mandy Steadman Neal Embry Matthew Lord Clarke Stackhouse Jake Smith Teddie Taylor

Contributing Writers

and more...

February 25th, 2013

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is accepting articles and applications for staff positions contact us at thefalconeditor@gmail.com

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