Brunswick Chronicle - Holidays 2008

The

runswick Chronicle

All The News That Fits We Print

Issue 6: Holidays 2008-2009

Illinois Gov. Scandal

What’s Inside

Headlines

Blagojevich Scandal

By David Blumenthal (P. 1, 19) Making the Brunswick Chronicle

By Pat Doyle (P. 2) Winterfest

By Will Seaton (P.1, 20)

By David Blumenthal ‘10 Staff Writer

I

t seems that this time it is President-elect Barack Obama’s absence that has helped start a commotion. His

Blagojevich, the Democratic Governor of Illinois. Just a few days before, Mr. Blagojevich seemed to be relatively popular, having been last elected in 2006 with over 1.5 million

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How We Make The Chronicle Inside

Around Brunswick

Big Man On Campus Taggie Martin

By Conor Kenny (P. 3) Latin Choral Service

By Gus Ruchman (P. 4) Letter to the President Elect

By Sebastian Vik (P. 5)

Brunswick Sports

Interview With Farva

By Dan Cassidy (P. 6) BCS Mess

By Charlie Gerdts (P. 7) Lance Armstrong Returns

By Jack Williams (P. 8) Apple CEO Spreading Cheer

By Sam Waters (P. 8) Yankees Mets Winter Meetings

By JP Bowgen (P. 9) Harvard vs. Yale Football

By Addison Bennett (P. 10) Plaxico Burress Suspended

By Conor Kenny (P. 11)

Student Editorials

Creating Modern Democracy

By Scott Matthews (P. 12) Terror In Mumbai

By Nikhil Menezes (P. 13) Should the President Resign?

By Jake Matthews (P. 14) Obama’s Appointees

By Oliver Sall (P. 15) Skinfl int Santa

By Alex Jonokuchi (P. 16) Doomsday 2012

By Spencer Dahl (P. 17) Obama The Next JFK

By Michael Marx (p. 18)

vacant Senate seat has led to the sudden arrest of Rod

votes. But his recent ploys to See “Illinois Gov.” Page 19

Winterfest A Huge Success

By Will Seaton ‘09 Co-Editor-In-Chief

I

n what turned out to be history in the making, the members of Dance Corps and members of the Brunswick community itself united to make this year’s Winterfest one for the books.

Members of the senior class, returning members, and professional dance teachers t h e m s e l v e s choreographed all the dances. With a full house and eager anticipation for the curtain, the lights dimmed and the performance began.

Two seniors performed their senior solos at Winterfest, Carson Wos and

Katie Bishop. Carson’s piece, entitled “First Push Forward,” allowed her to show off the skill she has developed in her years on Dance Corps. Played

to the quick tempo song “First Push,” Carson’s dance was brilliant and intense and an outstanding solo. Katie Bishop’s solo was a piece entitled “the world it spins for you” and, with music by Sia,

the piece developed a natural flow that drew the audience in. Katie’s goal was to “find a song that I not only liked, but fit the kind of movement that naturally comes from my body.”

After finding the perfect dance for her style, she said it was “easy to choreograph a dance because everything just came naturally.”

Junior Dance Corps, nicknamed JDC for those in the know, came out in the first half with several outstanding dances that showed they were not to be forgotten. In the dances “Loss” by Marcia Brooks, “Bring it Back” by Sarah See “Winterfest” Page 20

The Brunswick Chronicle Holidays 2008-09

Around Brunswick

The Chronicle Revealed

By Pat Doyle ‘09 Staff Writer

D

ue to the frenetic pace of publication within the Brunswick Chronicle this year, the Chronicle decided to “infiltrate” the organization of an edition of their paper. There was suspected drug use, possible memory enhancements, or even theft of paper considered.

Now, the Chronicle is proud to share the real story between the Chronicle’s successes.

Day 1: New edition is released. Morale runs high among the writers, myself included.

We vaguely remember Scooter Matthews saying something about the next edition. Eh, that’s a while off.

Day 2: Several “tables” appear in the Chronicle conference trying to lay out topic ideas. No one posts in these and they lay sadly empty.

Scooter is still sending them.

Day 5: We are reminded of the deadline coming up again, possibly by Will Seaton this time. Scooter or Will shoots off a vaguely encouraging sounding email to the conference, saying something about “our best edition yet”. No one will read these.

Day 8: Fitzpatrick sends out the deadline for blogs by the end of the week. “Hey guys, got a great reception. Make sure to send in those blogs asap.”

Day 8.5: “Guys, seriously, blogs are due soon” Day 8.99: “Blogs need to be in by midnight tonight” Day 9: “Okay, slight blog extension.

You have till tomorrow.”

Day 10: “somebody, anybody, for the love of god somebody PLEASE WRITE A BLOG. Okay, fine, you guys won’t? Screw you, I’ll !

write my own damn blogs.”

Day 14: Articles are due by midnight tonight. Many writers, myself included, do not remember this little detail until ten o’clock of the night.

Day 15: Yeah, we didn’t get enough articles in, so we get an extra week to figure something out.

Day 17 :Wait… they were due tonight?

Day 18: We somehow miraculously manage to file enough articles together to make the final product. The writers relax, having just barely made the deadline.

Day 23: “Hey guys, blogs due soon.”

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The runswick Chronicle

The Brunswick Student’s News Source

Editors-in-Chief Scott Matthews ‘09 Will Seaton ‘09 Managing Editor

Website Managing Editor

Dan Cassidy ‘09

Connor Fitzpatrick ‘09

Arts Editor

Sports Editor

Turner Smith ‘09

Charlie Gerdts ‘09

Political Editor Tom Cassidy ‘09

Photography Editor

News Editor

Preston Han ‘09

Gates Torrey ‘09

Senior Writer

Senior Writer

Conor Kenny ‘09

Taggie Martin ‘09

Senior Writer Sebastian Vik ‘09 Staff Writers and Photographers

Chris Baldock ‘10 Addison Bennett ‘12 David Blumenthal ‘10 JP Bowgen ‘10 Andrew Camel ‘12 Matthew Cassoli ‘12 Thomas Chronert ‘09 Spencer Dahl ‘11 Pat Doyle ‘09

Bowen Dunnan ‘10 Brendan Gilbert ‘10 Ryan Hagerbrant ‘11 Joe Hull ‘10 Carter Johnson ‘12 Will Jones ‘10 Alex Jonokuchi ‘10 Michael Marx ‘10 Jake Matthews ‘12 Nikhil Menezes ‘11

Faculty Advisor Dr. Brian Freeman “We vaguely remember Scooter saying song something about the next issue...”

“No one pays attention and they lay sadly empty...” <-“Seriously, blogs due soon...” --> “We somehow manage to file enough articles to make the final product...” --> “Make sure you send me those blogs ASAP...” <-“Screw you, I’ll write my own damn blogs...”

--> Photos by Preston Han

Tim O’Leary ‘09 Kyle Radler ‘09 Gus Ruchman ‘10 Oliver Sall ‘10 Matthew Savitt ‘12 Hank Schless ‘10 Sebastian Vik ‘09 Sam Waters ‘11 Jack Williams ‘12

The Brunswick Chronicle Holidays 2008-09

Around Brunswick

Page 3

Brunswick’s “Big Man On Campus”: Taggie Martin

By Conor Kenny ‘09 Senior Writer

B

ig Man on Campus Taggie Martin, is an eligible bachelor, 5 feet 8 inches and 170 pounds of pure man meat. Have you ever stared into his eyes?

It was like the first time I ever heard the Beatles. Whether it’s on the field, or the dance floor, his quick feet and elegant ways are breathtaking. If you’d like to contact this hunk, call him at (203) 536 7009.

Taggie: I wouldn’t know.

Conor: Ok…How does it feel to be the captain

Conor: Any Romance?

Taggie: I don’t mix my private life with my public persona…

Conor: What is your favorite nickname, Waggie, Maggie, Saggie, Armour, Nancy, Colonel, Raggie, Naggie, Baggie…to name a few.

Taggie: I’m going to have to go with Colonel Saggert, makes me feel important.

Conor: Say the first thing that pops into your mind when I say a word: Killers Taggie: Fun times

Conor: What is Michael Furlong like on the ice? !

Conor: So your saying you don’t write for the paper anymore?

Taggie: I’m trying to take more of a prevalent role in the editorials.

(He lies) Conor: How many slices of pizza are you going to buy at the Blue Notes ‘za sale today?

Taggie: None, I don’t support the arts, the arts support me.

Conor: So Tag, you are the first Big Man on Campus, how do you feel?

Taggie: Freaking fantastic, thanks for the opportunity

Conor: What do you think of the Chronicle?

Taggie: Looking a little shaky right now, leadership isn’t up to standards. Won’t name names, but a certain senior editor favors his brother when choosing first page articles. Don’t believe me? Check the issue that came out in Mid-October.

Taggie: Yeah, but that doesn’t really mean much.

of the worst soccer team in Brunswick history?

Taggie: First of all, I’m a co captain, not all the blame is on me. Secondly, we had 3 wins, which is better than our first year in WNEIPSA, in which we had 0 wins. (However, they tied almost every game)

and I’ll leave it at that.

Conor: Why didn’t you write your own article?

Taggie: Why would I ever write a Chronicle article?

Conor: Aren’t you a senior writer?

Conor: Rumors have it your asking Mrs. Warne to prom, how does it look?

Taggie: Well I’m not going to go into an real details, because its kind of a secret, but I’m planning on asking her in a spectacular, romantic way.

Conor: Thank you Colonel Taggie: Ya Welcome Conor.

Charlie Gerdts Contributed to reporting as well.

Photos by Charlie Gerdts’ iPhone. We appologize for the poor quality.

The Brunswick Chronicle Holidays 2008-09

Around Brunswick

Page 4

Brunswick Represented At Latin Carol Service

By Gus Ruchman ‘10 Staff Writer

T

he MOB is taking over Christ Church on December 15!

Well, perhaps that is misleading.

A contingent from the Men of Brunswick, the Brunswick School allmale a cappella group, will be replacing the Madrigals, who have a prior engagement, to sing at the tenth annual Latin Carol Service this year.

The Latin Carol Service is a Brunswick tradition, conducted by the esteemed Father Richard Cipolla. In a dignified atmosphere, Brunswick students and faculty read passages in the classic languages—Latin, Greek, and Hebrew—and celebrate the holiday season with family and friends. Father Cipolla says, “It is a time for the celebration of the wonder of this wonderful season and to celebrate that language that is so central to Western Civilization and the source of all of the Romance languages.”

Known within the general Brunswick and GA a cappella community as “The Twelve,” the newly formed singing ensemble that will perform is an extension of the MOB, and includes seniors Robbie Cortes, Peter Kyriakos, Timmy O’Leary, and Daniel O’Neill. Kyriakos comments !

on the special, intimate nature of the Latin Carol Service, “It’s a different experience. Only a [few] students come each year.”

Musical director

opportunity to prove their mettle. Thomas Rokholt, a junior, echoes the students’ excitement, reiterating, “I think we are all excited to perform in front of people

Mr. Alexander Constantine looks forward to exhibiting the group in a public setting.

For the Men of Brunswick,

who part and

an ensemble that usually appears at school concerts, open houses, and only the occasional outside performance, the Latin Carol Service provides a special

to tackle an unprecedented level of vocal music for Brunswick School, learning Franz Biebl’s Ave Maria as performed by Chanticleer, a beautiful, floating

are not necessarily of the Brunswick GA communities.”

The group also plans

religious piece in seven-part harmony, as well as a Latin version of the thirteenthcentury Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming. As members of a larger singing cohort that perpetually strives to strike a balance between music that is both familiar and challenging, “The Twelve” seek to set a new standard by tending towards the latter.

For those inclined towards Latin, music, or religion, or who are merely Bruins answering, “D: None of the above,” the Latin Carol Service promises to be the ever-pleasant event that brings students, faculty, and family out of the cold of December and into the warmth of music.

Mr. Constantine encourages all to come “in order to experience something very unique within our community that is very different from our other holiday offerings and to witness the participation of their peers in this beautiful and meaningful service.”

As the Latin Carol Service approaches, the singers display a mix of nerves and optimism.

Freshman tenor Reid Breck relates, “I feel like it is going to be a great experience to sing in a church with the group, and I hope that we are invited back again next year.”

The Brunswick Chronicle Holidays 2008-09

Around Brunswick

Page 5

Letter to the President-Elect

By Sebastian Vik Senior Writer

D

ear Mr. President Elect,

Today we find ourselves before yet another crucial point in history. With an economic crisis is full swing and hopes for world harmony in shambles, this is a time for unprecedented action.

Another era of American governmental mediocrity will not be accepted. The American people are and will demand more of your government than it has of a government in a longtime. Two terms of ineffective and inefficient leadership have opened our eyes.

And we are watching.

Yet too many watch today, and see the world’s mishaps as some sort of unconquerable enigma, existing completely outside their sphere of understanding.

Daunted by the problems, they feel helpless to fix them, helpless to stand up and make a difference. This type of thinking is part of the problem and I hope that you, Mr. President, will not accept overwhelming odds as a reason to turn away from the problems. I hope that you, Mr. President, will not accept the excuses of the American people, the excuses of our lawmakers, of our business, of our teachers, of our young and old. The problems before are problems that can be fixed, but the American people cannot be !

allowed to sit by and watch.

Expectations must be placed upon us, and your directions toward solutions must support these expectations.

You ran on a campaign of hope and change, bringing out masses to work for your cause. I sincerely wish for you to continue to bring

waiting to be told how to help, the only thing that they are being told to do is sit back and watch as future tax revenue is poured onto the Street? We have seen neither improvement in the liquidity of the credit markets, nor an increase in investment by the companies receiving the aid.

out those masses. But you must guide them, show them what they can do, make it possible to take action, and make it feel plausible that those actions can make a difference in the world.

While we are waiting for your guidance, however, Federal and State governments are responding to a domestic crisis that has spread overseas by simply throwing borrowed money at poorly run corporations.

Has it come to this that with the rebirth of activism that you’ve inspired, with all the people out there waiting to be told that they can help,

I hope that you, Mr. President, will remember your slogan of change as you take office in January. I understand that government intervention is necessary given the gravity of the situation, but what I look to you to do, as President, is not allow our government not to repeat the mistakes that brought us to this point in the first place. We must throw money at problems, but let us not do it blindly. You must watch these companies and banks. You must oversee what they are doing with our money. And you must ask for the help of your people when you need it. I can assure you

that if each American were told that they had $4000 going to bailout one company or another, they would keep careful track of how that money was being used to make sure they got as much of it back as possible. That is what has happened, and I hope you will give us the power to see how our money is being spent. Of course, the economy is not the only problem facing the world today, but how you respond to the problems it presents will be your first test.

While what I’m asking of you, Mr. President, is that you deliver us the changes that you’ve promised, that you deliver us into a new era of transparency and that by trusting us with the information, you will trust us to use it to the betterment of our nation and world. That is what we have missed under so many administrations to this point. We are a strong, hard-working people, with a potential for generosity that has not been tapped in recent years. We are here for you, Mr. President, to help educate our young, to help care for the old, to help defend our nation, to help protect our environment. We are here to help you do your job, Mr. President, and I hope you will be thereto help us do ours.

Sincerely, Sebastian Vik

The Brunswick Chronicle Holidays 2008-09

Brunswick Sports

Page 6

Exclusive Interview With Peter “Farva” Castine

By Dan Cassidy ‘09 Sports Editor

C

hronicle Managing Editor Dan Cassidy was recently able to sit down with Brunswick Tri-Varsity Athletic star Peter “Farva” Castine for an exclusive interview on how to be “cool” at Brunswick.

We at the chronicle have tried to emulate the distinguished “coolness” of Farva and hope to pass on his secrets to you, our valued readers. And now, we give you, Farva uncensored.

What is the best part of being a tri-varsity athlete?

What’s your secret?

The best part is obviously the stardom that comes with the fact that I’m nasty at sports and well, you…not so much. Haha, but seriously, its

awesome, any person you meet is like you? You’re too fat! My secret is that I tend to eat too much so I like to relax and lay on the couch for extended periods of time. I also like to do palates in the shower.

Favorite part of the hockey team? VB or Kennedy?

Best player besides you?

My favorite part of the team is definitely the locker room conversations. Although no examples can be used, they are !

high quality, ecclesiastical, and very intelligent conversations.

Are we saying VB circa

Taggie. He is an awesome 1-4 shifts per game 4th liner.

Gretzky, Babe Ruth, and Anthony Fischetti together, that’d be me. I’d call myself Maybetony Jetzthetti.

What’s the story behind your nickname?

Why no Mustache?

We all know that story...

I try to look the least like Farva that I can…

If you were a type of drink which one would you be and why?

Oh Totally a Protein Shake. Because its a super manly drink and gets the job done ;) Any sport, what would you play?

Professional Bowling

1985 or VB 2008? The best player besides me? Myself,

What athlete do you think you should be compared to?

Ready, if you were to take

haha no I would have to say

Michael

Jordan,

Wayne

Which sport has the best fans?

F e n c i n g

Commitments in College?

Continue sports?

Don’t succumb to the Freshman 15. Possibly continue sports.

Anything else that you would like to share with your readers?

TABRISKY SURFS MAD SWELLS IN ACK BRAH! Photos By Preston Han and Connor Fitzpatrick

The Brunswick Chronicle Holidays 2008-09

Brunswick Sports

Page 7

The BCS: “Worst Playoff System in History”

By Charlie Gerdts ‘09 Sports Editor

I

t’s clear to most college football fans why the BCS, or Bowl Championship Series, has been a let down.

Since it’s creation in the 1998 season, college football fans are continuously wondering who the national champion truly is. It seems more seasons then not, more then one team is truly deserving of the title in the BCS system. The general public believes a playoff system would be the best substitute for the BCS but a transformation is not easy in the matter of one offseason.

The BCS is set up to have 5 major bowl games: The Rose Bowl, The Sugar Bowl, The Orange Bowl, The Fiesta Bowl, and the BCS National Championship Game, which rotates its location amongst the four bowls. These bowl games were set up long before the BCS was created.

The major conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac10, and SEC) are all guaranteed a spot to their conference champion. Traditionally, the Big Ten champ will play the Pac-10 champ in the Rose Bowl. Fiesta bowl, Big 12 champ versus an at large bid.

Orange bowl, ACC champ versus at large. Sugar bowl, SEC champ versus at large. The Big East Champ automatically takes up one of the at large bids.

The major complaint of the BCS is that every year it seems, one deserving team !

gets left out of the national championship game.

The two top teams play for this game but often three or four teams can make a claim as the best team in the nation before the game. This was

argument and campaigning began for both teams. Some said Michigan, who’s one loss came in the last game against Ohio state deserved a second shot, while others believed they had had their shot and

clear in the 2004 season when USC, Oklahoma, and Auburn finished their season’s perfect.

With three 12-0 teams one was going to be left out. Although even in record, many believed Oklahoma was the weakest and that Auburn was more deserving of a chance for the title. Auburn was left out and USC went on to demolish Oklahoma 55-19. In 2006, another problem arose. This time Ohio State was the #1 and the debate began as to whether Michigan or Florida should take the #2 spot. Both teams had one loss.

The

that it was Florida’s turn to try.

This year brings up another situation in which the BCS will be criticized. Texas could easily say they’re deserving of playing in the national championship but they will not get an opportunity because of the way the Big 12 is set up.

In most regards this was almost a perfect system where two conferences’ championship games would act as semi-final games and the two would play for the national championship.

Unfortunately, Texas did not play in this game and will have to settle for the Fiesta Bowl.

Most that criticize the BCS system promote a playoff system in which BCS and its Bowl’s are incorporated.

As Taggie Martin, an avid college football fan, put it, ”The BCS needs to make a playoff to distinguish one team as the best in all of college football. It needs to follow the lead of every other major NCAA sport and create a playoff.” Ideally the top eight teams in the BCS rankings would qualify for the playoffs.

To finish the season around the New Year, when it finishes now, the BCS would have to eliminate the conference championship games.

Teams with higher rankings would get preferential locations to play their games. This would also help nonpower conference teams prove they are deserving of a place in the National Championship.

The one positive of the BCS is its ability to make every week a must-win.

This however should not be enough to keep this system in place. Big match ups will still have seeding implications and if the quality of the game does not change most will watch just to see good football being played.

I think it is clear to most that the BCS is a horrible way for such a popular season to end. Ultimately, it seems as though a playoff system is more then likely to come about in the next 10 years. Let’s hope…

The Brunswick Chronicle Holidays 2008-09

Brunswick Sports

Page 8

Lance Armstrong to Come Out of Retirement

By Jack Williams ‘12 Staff Writer

I

t’s summer 2005, and Lance Armstrong has made history by coming in first in the Tour de France 7 times. This race began to bring attention to a French sports magazine in 1903, when people cheated by riding the trains across the course with their bikes. That is truly France for you. But never before had anyone won the race 7 times, and it was an American cancer patient who did it.

Armstrong was born an athlete. He began racing in triathlons at the age of 12, and ranked number 1 in the 19 and Under. He then went on to biking, and, after having an amazing start to his career, was diagnosed with cancer almost half way through the 1996 tour. He had cancer in his brain, lungs and abdomen. But, as the world knows, he got back on the bike saddle and won 7 tours for America and for cancer.

It wasn’t all glory, as

he was tested for and accused of doping many times, being the most “tested athlete in the world” and came out positive only once when he used a cream for saddle sores containing a certain class of steroid. It was a true shame to the cycling w o r l d when he an n o u n ced a f t e r winning that he was going to quit cycling in order to focus on his charity foundation, Livestrong. So for the next 3 years, 3 Spanish cyclists won the tour while he was biking with George Bush, considering running for governor of Texas, and actually running in a marathon, which

he said was harder then biking in the Tour de France. It isn’t hard to believe as he came in 856 compared to a first place in 2003.

But earlier this year, after getting bored, it s e e m s , he pulled a Brett Favre and announced to the media “ A f t e r talking with my children, my family and my closest friends, I have decided to return to professional cycling in order to raise awareness of the global cancer burden,” on his Livestrong website. So one of the greatest cyclists the world has ever seen is back.

He almost immediately began

to train with Levi Leipheimer, and has been doing so until 3 days ago with 27 other riders, who seem to have a lot of faith in him as they are saying “even for 2003, he is strong this December”.

Isn’t that great? Is it?

Unfortunately, in that 3 year period, Lance might have done a lot of charity work and gone mountain biking with Bush, but as his results in the New York marathon show, he is not at the physical peek he was once at and hasn’t done a lot of other public exercise. Seeing our great American Cycling hero fall in his “last” race isn’t something Armstrong fans want to see. Also, hasn’t he been trying to show the cancer burden for the last 7 years by winning even after cancer treatment, and his cameo in Dodgeball? So is that his true reason for coming back?

Maybe he’s just afraid of his name dying before he does.

But the best of luck to Lance Armstrong, and get back to training as soon as you can.

Apple CEO Spreads Cheer

By Sam Waters ‘11 Staff Writer

A

n 11th grade student from Greenwich High School recently emailed Apple CEO Steve Jobs asking for a discount on Final Cut Studio 2, the company’s premier video editing software package. The discount is usually only for college students and teachers; however, the student could not afford the software on his own. Final Cut Studio 2 !

normally retails for $1,299, but with the college discount, the price is $700. However, instead of receiving the $600 discount from Apple, Mr. Jobs decided to give out a considerably larger discount. Two weeks later, a new, and fully packaged version of Final Cut Studio arrived at the student’s house, absolutely free of charge. Going into the Holiday season, the story shows that even the overlord Steve Jobs himself has a little giving spirit.

The Brunswick Chronicle Holidays 2008-09

Arts

Yankees & Mets Busy at Winter Meetings

By JP Bowgen ‘11 Staff Writer

I

t has been a prosperous offseason for both the New York baseball teams as the crosstown rivals have made moves that solidify their pitching rotations for the 2009 season. It looks as though the upcoming season should be an exciting one, at least in the NL and AL East. With big name pitchers as C.C. Sabathia and Francisco Rodriguez, the Mets and Yankees are looking to make a big run to the Fall Classic. After disappointing seasons, both teams have had to sit down and prioritize for their upcoming seasons, which includes hauling in big names for a pitching staff that was less than thrilling.

As Wednesday night closed, the Yankees were quite pleased with the name they had just picked up: C.C. Sabathia.

The former Milwaukee Brewer and Cleveland Indian is now in pinstripes for the next seven years for $161 million dollars. With a devastating pitcher like C.C., the Yankees are looking to build a solid starting rotation around the big lefty. While they have succeeded with one of their goals, the Bombers are stopping with just one pitcher. ESPN Analyst Jason Stark says that the Yankees, “…aren’t done yet.” After landing Sabathia, they are merely looking to new pitchers to compose their five man rotation. Possibilities include pitchers like A.J. Burnett, Ben Sheets and Derek Lowe.

Brian Cashman is pushing hard at the former Blue Jay, Burnett. While the Braves are also hard on Burnett’s tail, the Yankees are offering a tempting contract, by adding a fifth year to the off season proposition. The deal in total would come to $85 million !

dollars to have Burnett in pinstripes for half a decade. While Burnett is still in the process of making a decision, the Yankees members are

Sheets held a consistent ERA in the low 3’s. He finished with the fifth best ERA in the NL at a 3.09. Along with pitching five complete games,

all rallying together to influence the crafty righty into signing onto the squad. By the looks of it, Burnett is set to make his decision by the end of the week, and for the Yankees to land yet another big name pitcher, it looks as if they will turn their sights toward Ben Sheets, another

Sheets’ potent pitch combination is enough to make him a top prospect for many teams, both AL and NL alike. If the Yankees were to pick him up, they would most likely be looking for a one or two season contract, as to get Sheets back on his feet and have him throw a good

former

couple of seasons in pinstripes.

With such a wide field of vision for the upcoming season, the Yankees are looking at one more pitcher who could contribute to

Milwaukee Brewer.

Coming off some elbow issues at the end of the 2008 season, Sheets is a hot topic on the free agent market. During the 2008 season,

Page 9

a 27th World Series title for the prestigious baseball club. Derek Lowe, former Red Sox pitcher and current Dodgers pitcher, is a veteran to the game. Lowe went 14-11 last season and held a 3.24 ERA in 35 starts. Consistency is what the Yankees are looking for, and that is what they see in Derek Lowe. His ability to go out and keep games close is a big importance to the Yankees, as their bats can do the job in a tight spot.

The Mets have been working hard over the offseason, landing the new all time saves leader, Francisco Rodriguez. After a terrible season in the bullpen, the Mets are looking for a breath of fresh air, and that is what they have with their two new acquisitions. Francisco Rodriguez is very familiar with the game, and his crafty pitch combinations are enough to leave batters guessing.

With a solid closer in the bag, the presence of a good set-up man is key for the Mets to have late inning success. As of Wednesday, the Mets have acquired former Mariner, J.J. Putz, to set up K-Rod in tight game situations. Putz struck out 56 batters in 46 1/3 innings in 2008, and his solid pitching is exactly what the Mets are looking for.

With more months left in the offseason, teams are still fired up and ready to chase after their top free agent prospects.

As Christmas approaches, and free agents are signed, fans begin to wonder whether or not their team will get an early Christmas (Chanukah too!) gift. The golf clubs are still out and the players are still relaxing, but as loyalties change and uniforms are swapped, the possibility for a new World Series champion becomes a fight to the finish for the player of choice.

The Brunswick Chronicle Holidays 2008-09

Brunswick Sports

Ivy League Football: A Historic Matchup

By Addison Bennett ‘12 Staff Writer

T

his year marked the 125th matchup of the Harvard and Yale football teams. This historic rivalry between the two Ivy League schools dates back to the time when the two schools were first formed.

Over the last 150 years, the schools have had a combined total 26 national football championships, more than any other two schools combined. The H a r v a r d - Ya l e football game has always been full of excitement, and although unlikely to decide national championships more recently, they almost always decide the Ivy League Championship, the highest prize one of the Ivy League football teams can achieve.

I have always tried to plead the case for Ivy League football. It is a high-energy game, full of excitement, and believe it or not, talent. I have attended ten consecutive HarvardYale football games with my dad, and each one has had it’s own defining moment. Together, we have sat through games under zero degrees, and seen some of the best football I !

have ever witnessed. One particularly great game was held at the Yale Bowl in 2005. It was a triple overtime-epic ending with Harvard’s star running back, Clifton Dawson, running in a two point conversion to end the game. Dawson is now a running back for

decade has undoubtedly been Mike McLeod, a running back who will graduate this year. He threatened the Ivy League rushing record set two years ago by Clifton Dawson, and crushed Yale’s previous rushing record.

This year’s game was one of the coldest

the Indianapolis Colts. He was aided in that game by a herculean performance from another current NFL player, Ryan Fitzpatrick, who now starts for the Bengals, and despite his shortcomings in the NFL, was a total beast for the Crimson.

Harvard has won seven out of the last ten meetings of the HarvardYale game, known simply as “The Game”. However, with one exception of a dreadful performance in 2007, in which Harvard won 37-6, Yale has always played well. Their best player of the

meetings of “The Game” ever. It took place this year in Cambridge, the home of the Harvard Crimson. The wind chill was below zero for much of the game, and was a difficult contest for both sides. Harvard scored in the first quarter to take a 7-0 lead, but nobody could score again until late in the 4th quarter. Harvard finally kicked a field goal late in the quarter, and was able to stop a dominating Yale drive late in the game and recovered a fumble on their own 13 yard line to secure a share of the Ivy League

Page 10

Championship with Brown.

Harvard finished the season with a 9-1 record, and a national ranking of 20th.

Yale was able to put together a respectable season, and finish with a 6-4 record, and a national ranking of 34th.

The schools do not allow their football teams to participate in the division 1-AA playoffs, in order to maintain a focus on academics.

However, there would certainly be years in which both teams could contend for the national championship.

There was a time when Ivy League teams were consistently winning national championships in Division I. Harvard has the most Division I sport teams of any college, and Yale is not far behind. Although they have little exposure in nationally popular sports, they have some of the best teams around in many sports. Although the days of Division I football championships are gone, I hope everyone reconsiders their views about Ivy League sports in general, particularly football.

The Brunswick Chronicle Holidays 2008-09

Brunswick Sports

Page 11

Plaxico Burress Screws Up HUGE

By Conor Kenny ‘09 Senior Writer

A

s the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants prepare for another run at the Super Bowl, they will most likely be missing one of the key pieces to last year’s success, Plaxico Burress.

The man who caught the game-winning touchdown of last year’s super bowl will be watching the game instead of participating due to his recent arrest for charges of criminal possession of a handgun.

The Giants proceeded to suspend Plaxico for the remainder of the regular season, and place him on the non-injury reserve list. Being placed on the non-football injury list, he cannot rejoin the team at any point this season, including the playoffs.

On November 28th, Plaxico Burress was in a New York City nightclub.

According to reports, he was walking up a flight of stairs when his handgun slipped off the waistband of his sweatpants, and started to fall down his leg. Reaching to stop it from falling, he accidently pulled the trigger and shot himself in the leg. The injury was not life threatening, and the main problem now is that he did not have a permit for the gun. A few days later, he gave himself up to police, and was bailed out, not having to report to court until March 2009.

There are a few problems I have with Plaxico !

Burress. With the murder of Sean Taylor still on the minds of all athletes, there seems to be fear and need for protection with players throughout the NFL, and all professional leagues for that

are always on the chopping block, and people are always looking for ways to get them in trouble, so why not renew your Florida gun permit and get a New York permit as well? Also, why would you

matter. Just this past summer, NBA players were robbed at their houses at gunpoint in Illinois, adding to the fear that they felt from the death of Sean Taylor. What I do not understand is why would Plaxico Burress purchase a gun, and not get a permit for it. Professional athletes

purchase a gun that doesn’t have a safety, walking around with it cocked and loaded in your sweatpants? He is lucky he shot himself in the leg, rather than in the crotch.

Finally, I do not understand why he says he needs the gun for protection. Obviously, athletes are scared of possible

attacks because of their money and power, but why not have security guards with you that can protect you at all times, rather than carry your own gun. Obviously, he did not really know what he was doing, as he shot himself in the leg, so I am assuming a bodyguard with a gun would be more protection. Not being a professional athlete, it is hard for me to truly understand the mentality that each player has when they decide to purchase a gun for protection, because I am not as vulnerable as these players are every time they step onto the street. That being said, there are both safer and smarter ways to protect yourself than the way Plaxico did. I understand that Plaxico feels like he needs to protect himself, but the law is the law and he broke it, and should expect nothing less than that at his trial. Although Plaxico is a great player, his off-field issues seem like they could end his career.

The Giants, however, will be fine without Plaxico.

With veteran Amani Toomer, and Domenik Hixon, Steve Smith, and Kevin Boss all performing well, Eli Manning will have plenty of target to throw the ball too throughout the rest of the season and playoffs. Even without Plaxico Burress, the Giants look like the best team in the NFL, rolling towards possibly another Super Bowl Championship.

The Brunswick Chronicle Holidays 2008-09

Student Editorials

Creating the Modern Democracy

By Scott Matthews ‘09 C0-Editor-In-Chief

P

resident-Elect Obama promised today to create a public works expansion only rivaled by the interstate highway program created over a half century ago. However, beyond the crumbling bridges, tunnels, dams, and power grids, one of the cost-saving measures that the President-Elect should consider making is to drastically downsize the amount of red-tape that hinders the efficiency of our government. Throughout the campaign we all saw the video clips and pictures of the thenSenator from Illinois with his blackberry, connecting with his campaign staff. In a way, he was symbolically connecting with the people whom he would soon govern. This idea has driven me to believe that maybe we should look beyond the updated power grid and new highways when we think about the stimulus that President-Elect Obama plans to invest in America. This is not to say that we don’t need these things because we desperately do, but the American infrastructure is failing not just in energy and transportation.

We fail in efficiency as well.

The government should invest millions, if not billions, of dollars to keep government officials connected.

I want my government to get the best information technology experts in a room and create a hack-proof network that would eliminate red-tape and downsize the massive bureaucracy.

Take the offshore wind farms proposed in New Jersey, for example. A proposal for an offshore wind farms has been sitting on the government books for months waiting for the proper documentation. The construction of these wind farms !

will not only create jobs for those who need them in the area but will also contribute to our goal of energy independence and zero greenhouse gas emissions. This all sounds great until you realize that the project has been put on hold by bureaucrats who are stuck in an arcane system. The project needs to be approved

unreliable postal system for taxes, allow people the option to pay digitally. Colleges and other cutting-edge institutions do it already. In fact this was the first year in its history that Brunswick has e-mailed home comments and report cards. Not only is this cheaper, it is more efficient; it saves thousands of

by local, state, and federal agencies and officials. It has to be proven not to be detrimental to maritime ecosystems and the materials and labor must adhere to certain regulations due to the harsh working conditions. The federal and local government has held up the project because it is tragically understaffed.

So, what am I really saying… I think that President Obama should increase the scope of government, yet downsize the breadth. It takes weeks if not months to get a passport but what if advanced IT systems could reduce that waiting period to just a week or two. What if the federal government, instead of using the dying and sometimes

pieces of paper, expensive ink and postage costs, and not to mention time. Imagine if our government could implement the same efficiency. We would be able to downsize the actual size of government, yet maintain the wide scope of influence that it needs to be effective.

How about another example. This past November, the government paid billions of dollars to run an accurate election. Yet some states used digital balloting and others still used paper balloting. I think that the system needs to be revolutionized. Remember what I said about digital taxes… well, how about digital voting and digital polling over issues.

Again, if we can be confident

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in our government’s ability to create a hack-proof system, the possibilities for becoming more efficient are endless. Think for a moment about voting from your living room. If this were a possibility I think turnout would explode because the people who were too busy to vote on election Tuesday, and especially those needed to vote in special elections, would have a solution: vote from work. If Congressman-Elect Himes wants to know what his constituents are thinking about a particular issue… he could put up a poll and allow his constituents to voice their opinions immediately.

In the days leading up to the financial bailout this fall, government servers were overloaded with e-mails from constituents to congressmen lobbying for and against government intervention. The e-mail system flooded and became horribly ineffective.

More importantly, many opinions were not ever read by the representatives. Think about how much more efficient the process would have been if a congressman or congresswoman was able to look at a piece of paper saying that X% approve and X% disapprove in a poll launched that morning.

There wouldn’t have been any pollsters or lobbyists, just the people talking directly to the representative en masse.

Overall, it’s time for our archaic industries (yes, government is an industry in this situation) to progress to the cutting-edge of technology. It will not only boost our economy; it will bring the giant government to the fingertips of the citizens.

We should be utilizing and capitalizing more on the Internet and its powers, not less.

The Brunswick Chronicle Holidays 2008-09

Student Editorials

Terrorism in Mumbai

By Nikhil Menezes ‘11 Staff Writer

Mumbai’s 9/11, this is what many people have been calling the attacks on the commercial capital of India. When I first heard of these attacks I found it hard to believe. How could a handful of young men come into the largest city in the country and virtually take control of two major hotels? How could they walk into a crowded café on Mumbai’s busiest thoroughfare and open fire on innocent civilians? How could they walk through India’s busiest railway terminals cradling AK 47’s and take over a Jewish mission house in the middle of the metropolis?

This is not something I would expect in Mumbai, not in the city where more than half of my family lives and where I have visited every year since I was born. To see the Taj and Oberoi hotels, landmarks that have been familiar throughout my life, billowing in flames; to see the bloodstained floors of Café Leopold, where I had an ice cream just last March; and the eerie sight of empty hotel lobbies with abandoned luggage strewn across the floor. The remorseless that accompanies these detestable acts is the most frightening aspect.

To look someone in !

the eye as you shoot them dead is something that must have been inculcated. These terrorists took control of a

this came in the form of Mohammad Kasav, the lone surviving terrorist. He revealed that he was from Pakistan,

city for over three days and when the smoke cleared, close to 200 people were dead and

specifically from a group called Lashkar-e-Taiba. This group, originally formed by

295 were injured and we are still counting. Who were the people who had done this and where had they come from?

The answer to

the ISI, lead insurgencies in the disputed territory of Kashmir.

They were banned in 2002 by the Pakistani government after accusations of bombing

the house

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Indian Parliament in New Delhi.

The events in Mumbai have made me believe that contrary to popular thought, we are no safer than we were in 2001. Going into Iraq has done nothing but distract and divert America from the real problem.

While America has been bogged down financially and militarily in the area, extremists in the lawless Afghan-Pakistan border have been allowed to grow without check. This breeding ground of terror is thriving and can strike at us no matter where we call home.

There is comfort in being able to take some places for granted. For some it’s home, for others it’s school and for yet others it’s their place of work. The places were attacked in the last days of November were places that the entire city took comfort in. Nothing the love of Mumbai citizens more than the crowds that came back to Café Leopold a day after the horrific attacks to show their solidarity. There were still bullet holes in the walls but that did not stop the people of Mumbai from showing that they would not be intimidated. And the greatest tribute to Mumbai’s spirit were the candlelit vigils that were lead by all of India’s divers communities Ð Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Parsi, Buddhist Ð all Mumbaiites to the last.

The Brunswick Chronicle Holidays 2008-09

Student Editorials

Page 14

Should Pres. Bush Resign Now?

By Jake Matthews ‘12 Staff Writer

I

n Washington, politicians make decisions by first examining the facts known to him or her and then acting on them to suit his or her best interests.

Right now, as his term winds down, President George Bush has an extremely difficult decision to make; should he cling to his office despite his waning influence as a lame-duck President, or, should he unofficially step aside, and allow President-Elect Barack Obama to take charge and make the real decisions? Now, while to the American people and the world, George Bush will obviously continue acting as President until his term ends, the American people can only speculate as to who is really making the back-room decisions.

So, let’s look at the facts… under President Bush there have been two economic recessions, America’s budget deficit has doubled in one year alone, and he has the lowest approval rating of any U.S. President in modern history, even lower than Nixon’s right before he resigned. And, oh yeah, America is now fighting two wars in the Middle East due to Bush’s inept judgment.

George W. Bush is clearly not the greatest President America has ever seen, but should he really step aside, and have President-Elect Barack Obama prematurely assume the decision-making powers associated with the Presidency? (Like how to deal with the economic crisis.) The argument for President Bush’s unofficial removal is extremely straightforward, America has gone steadily downhill ever since President Bush took office, so, in !

the interest of America, President Bush should allow PresidentElect Barack Obama to begin changing America immediately.

of two presidents. That is why in the 25th amendment of the constitution, it clearly states the sole person who is in charge of the

However, despite my strong dislike of President Bush, he should not allow Obama to handle any Presidential affairs, period.

If the President-Elect

Executive Branch in all possible scenarios. If the PresidentElect began taking powers not Constitutionally granted to him or her, then the American people

began using the powers of the presidency, then domestically, diplomatically, and especially in times of war, the United States would be internally weak. The United States can never have two Presidents, or the appearance

and foreign leaders would not know who to look to when trying to communicate with America.

After all, a foreign leader would not want to talk to the President, if the President-Elect was calling the shots. However, the truly

nightmare scenario is if the President is forced to fight with the President-Elect for power, especially during times of war.

If the military, for example, did not know who to follow, then, eventually, two factions, one supporting the President and the other President-Elect, would form in our government.

These factions would be lead to bloodshed and the end of the American way of life, as we know it. Therefore, President Bush should remain firmly in charge of his office, until PresidentElect Obama’s inauguration.

The traditions of the office of the President are strongly influenced by precedents.

George Washington started the Presidential tradition of only serving two terms, giving an inaugural address, and he created the idea behind the President’s cabinet; all of these traditions act as precedents and still exist today. However, precedents are constantly being made and followed in politics, so George Bush’s actions during this transition could hugely impact future transitions of power. For example, many compare to FDR’s transition to power from President Hoover in 1933 to our current transition of power today. However, FDR did not infringe upon the powers of the presidency while he was still the President-Elect, but waited until he was inaugurated to begin his New Deal, so President-Elect Obama has a clear path to stay clear of George Bush’s decision-making process during the transition.

America’s very existence could hinge on Bush’s will to lead through these difficult times, and Obama’s ambition for power.

The Brunswick Chronicle Holidays 2008-09

Student Editorials

By Oliver Sall ‘10 Staff Writer

S

Obama’s Appointees: A Shift to Center

carcely a month since Barack Obama officially became the PresidentElect of the United States of America, his Cabinet is already taking full form, with more than a few surprise choices thrown in. Of Obama’s picks so far, likely to be among the most influential are Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense, Timothy Geithner as Secretary of the Treasury, Larry Summers as head of the White House’s National Economic Council, and Congressman Rahm Emanuel as the White House Chief of Staff. A recent poll has found that over 75% of Americans approve of the job Obama has done in arranging his Cabinet and his other appointments, with even a majority of Republicans approving.

Despite the seemingly widespread approval for Obama’s choices, his appointments represent a very interesting paradigm as his presidency comes closer to a commencement. If Obama’s appointments thus far are to be an indicator of how his presidency will be run, many Americans will be surprised, pleasantly or not, with the directions this country is going to be heading.

The pick of Clinton as Secretary of State, while not entirely surprising based on her largely liberal viewpoints, was fairly surprising due to the complicated relationship she has shared with the President-Elect. Clinton’s views are still liberal, and that is not to be misconstrued, but they are more conservative, if only slightly, from what Obama’s voting record has indicated thus far. And if the Clinton pick represented any shift !

towards the center for the überliberal Obama, then the Gates pick solidified that pattern, shocking many in the process.

Robert Gates is the current Secretary of Defense under George W. Bush, and will be the next Secretary of Defense under Barack Obama. Gates as a holdover from one of the most unpopular presidential terms in recent memory was a surprise pick in that it did not appear to be the direction Obama intended on heading, based on his pre-election speeches, with regards to foreign affairs.

Whereas Obama favors the U.S. out of Iraq, Gates represents, if only symbolically, the Bush Doctrine of foreign-affairintervention.

Typically in this case, when the incoming President’s (Obama) views are as directly opposite in tendency to the current administration (Bush), a clean sweep and ‘redo’ of the Cabinet is usually in order. In this case, Obama is making a wise decision, albeit perhaps while sending mixed messages about his stance on the Middle East, in holding over Gates. Given how valuable the Secretary of Defense’s position is, it is a very solid move to hold over Gates given his experience in the field – there would be nothing worse than picking a candidate to simply jump in the middle of a situation they are not widely informed of.

The pick of Geithner as Secretary of Treasury was also a solid pick by Obama.

Similar to Gates with regards to experience, Geithner is very involved with current Treasury Secretary Paulson and Fed Chairman Bernanke and is widely regarded as highly capable. The appointment of Summers as Director of the National Economic Council

is surprising, too, in that it represents a fairly marked shift away from many of Obama’s previously promised policies.

Already having recanted much of his theoretical (and largely ridiculous) income tax increase, one is left to wonder what Obama’s next move will be with Summers as his National Economic Council Director. Summers has in the past been a strong advocate of trade liberalization, which aims to reduce government interference in the economy, almost a polar viewpoint from the one championed by Obama, whose economic views, rightly or wrongly, are so liberal as to have been called ‘socialist’.

Even the selection of Rahm Emanuel as Chief of Staff is an interesting pick given his espousal over the years of economic liberalization as well.

It would appear to you, the reader, at this point that I am fairly impressed with Obama’s decisions thus far; and this is true, for the most part, I am. And given how strongly I opposed an Obama presidency, these selections must have marked what seems to be a significant departure from Obama’s initially stated course of actions, and to me they have been, and that is what is just so interesting about them. Why to this point has Obama striven this much to the middle of both parties, when his record clearly indicates he is actually quite partisan?

If anything, one can conclude that these picks so far do not represent the kind of drastic change Obama became famous for declaring and promising. If this is the case, why are Democrats so enamored with Obama’s picks so far? To me, it appears that the country is confused. While running against

Page 15

McCain, Obama was lauded by longstanding liberal proponents as new bipartisan change needed in America – but it was clear from both candidates’ records that McCain had a long history of bipartisanship when Obama had little or no history to back up that substantiated claim. Furthermore, of the two candidates, Obama’s policies were by far the least centrist and most partisan (given his position as the most liberal senator in the Senate, perhaps that should not come as a surprise).

The somewhat paradoxical situation America is left in is this: we have a Democratic populace that supported Obama’s unsubstantiated claims of bipartisanship with no evidence and supported his policies which gave no indication as to working as bipartisan legislature. Yet this same populace who voted to office the most liberal senator in the entire United States Senate is somehow enamored with more moderate picks to Obama’s Cabinet then anyone expected?

As I’m sure you can see by this point, I am fairly confused as to the developing political situation regarding Obama’s presidency but nonetheless terribly excited to witness its outcome. At this point in time, I am not even sure as to the sole purpose of this article – be it the unexpected shift to the center of Obama, the wise choice (thus far) of his appointments, or the interesting scene in which American voters seem to be confused by what they support. Either way, there is little doubt that this presidency will go down as one of the most memorable and possibly significant in recent times, and I am just glad to be along for the ride.

The Brunswick Chronicle Holidays 2008-09

Student Editorials

Page 16

“Skinflint Santa”: How the Economy is affecting X-Mas

By Alex Jonokuchi ‘10 Staff Writer

T

he recent economic crisis has catalyzed a noticeable shift in the way many Americans will go about holiday shopping this December.

Although signs still abound of marketing gone haywire and crazed consumer activity (including such utter preposterousness as the tragic story of a Walmart employee who was trampled to death in a Black-Friday shopper stampede), many families have come face to face with unfamiliar financial discomfort in the face of economic uncertainty as Christmas approaches this year.

Perhaps in prior years, the key to a successful Christmas was a Budweiser conveniently left on the mantelpiece to get you off the naughty list (though I hear Santa only swills on weekends now). But when money is tight, spending as much as one normally would for stocking stuffers can dig even the big man himself into some financial trouble.

Even though the economic downturn will, in many cases, do nothing to dampen the holiday shopping spirit (see: the Yankees, the Mets), some families are not as fortunate. Or are they?

The truth of the matter is, a little imposed-restraint and prioritization-by-necessity never hurt anyone. For some, !

the state of the economy has provided a much needed reality check. Decreased Yuletide expenditure does not

their gifts count under even the best of circumstances, they would be able to get the most out of every dollar spent, and

necessarily mean decreased Yuletide festivity—Finding cost-effective alternatives and emphasizing quality

streamlined gift-giving would trump wasteful consumerism.

Instead of giving five presents of which only two will be

over quantity can have far greater benefits than enjoying the extra gift or two (which may at first pique your interest, but the novelty wears off in about a day).

If people tried making

enjoyed, take the extra time and put some thought in to choose the two. The best (or worst) example of this would have to be Christmas-themed merchandise, which may well seem like a good idea in mid-

December, but come June even the most eccentric among us have difficulty donning Rudolph boxers. There is a reason that, generally and simplistically speaking, Christmas is bad for the economy— unnecessary spending and unwanted gifts.

And hopefully the current state of affairs will draw attention to and quell the profligate behavior that has become synonymous with this time of year.

Finally, as my parents have made it a point to remind me in the many instances I’ve received a carefully wrapped homemade gift from one of my younger siblings (in best cases, a small, stuffed animalreject that was promptly requested to be returned), it really is the thought that counts. Personally, seeing their fiendish little faces light up with glee as I am stunned to unwrap something I have been trying to find for weeks, folded so cutely in elaborately decorated, colorful tissue paper, fills me with enough ‘Christmas spirit’ to last for another year. I can sometimes take solace in the fact I can provide my family members with such gratification without even trying; gift exchange doesn’t get much better than that. Because in truth, making the most of what you have in a quest for that elusive ‘perfect gift’ for a loved one is that which ideally

The Brunswick Chronicle Holidays 2008-09

Student Editorials

Page 17

Doomsday 2012:Predictions for the End of the World

By Spencer Dahl ‘12 Staff Writer

H

umans enjoy contemplating what will happen when the world ends, or humanity ceases to exist. Movie titles such as I am Legend, The Happening, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and The Day After Tomorrow are all reflections of the doomsday mentality held by many people today. There are a wide variety reasons that people cite in support of the idea that the world will come to an end in 2012. Starting with scientific theories, scientists have noticed that the migration of the magnetic poles has increased over the past decade and many doomsayers have suggested that the poles may very well swap places in the year 2012.

They claim that the reversal of the poles will leave us without the protection of Earth’s magnetic field for a period of perhaps 2,000 years, during which we will be unprotected to the radiation from deepspace particles, leading to an increase in cancer outbreaks, spontaneous fires, and making it impossible to navigate with a compass.

Yet another reason that people use as evidence for the apocalypse is the supposed return of the hypothetical Planet X. After noticing the elliptical orbit of Neptune, scientists theorized that there had to be another extremely large object orbiting beyond the eighth planet. Pluto was then discovered 1930, scientists heralded it as the discovery of the massive planet that !

was responsible for the distortion in Neptune’s orbit.

However, they soon realized that Pluto did not have the mass required to throw off the orbit of such a large planet, and that there had to be a tenth planet beyond Pluto that was causing the effect.

Planet X was supposedly last seen by the Sumerians

believe. Pole swapping is a real phenomenon that the Earth is overdue for, but most scientists believe it will occur in several centuries’ time, not by 2012, as some others believe. Also, when it does occur, the swapping of magnetic poles will not be cataclysmic event. People have predicted that we can

3,600 years ago, meaning it is due to return soon, causing chaos and destruction, and possibly even sweeping the Earth into the sun. Finally the Long Count of the Mayan Calendar ends on December 12, 2012, which doomsayers claim is an indicator of some cataclysmic event that will occur on that day, wiping out humanity and possibly even destroying the planet.

Yet despite the large volume of theories on the end of the world, the apocalypse is not something that you need to be worried about, for two reasons. First off, many of the aforementioned theories are more far-fetched than people would have you

survive with out our magnetic shield for a long period of time. The outbreak of cancer could go up as much as 15 cases per 1,000 people a year.

While certainly tragic, this is not capable of wiping out humanity: more people die from the common flu each year. The reappearance of Planet X is also shaky theory.

First of all, it was actually supposed to show up in 2003 but it didn’t (obviously).

Secondly, Planet X has never actually been spotted with any modern scientific equipment, so there is no actual physical proof of its existence. It is possible that the discrepancy in Neptune’s orbit is caused by the presence of a second

sun, far from the outer reaches of our solar system. Finally, the Sumerians supposedly saw and documented the existence of this mysterious tenth planet.

However, if the coming of Planet X is supposed to spell disaster for humanity, why weren’t the Sumerians wiped out then? The idea behind the ending of the Mayan Calendar is also doubtful theory.

The Mayans were around thousands of years ago and have long since been wiped out of existence so why are we supposed to base conclusions off of their calendar system.

They had several tiers of calendars, and the one that ends on 12/21/2012 is called the Long Count for a good reason. This calendar resets every 5,125 years. It would be entirely probable to believe that the Mayans simply saw no reason to continue on their calendars past then.

The final reason you have no need to worry about the end of the world is that there is nothing you can do to prevent it should it happen. If some phenomenon occurs that is powerful enough to destroy our planet, there is no shelter you can build or online product you can buy that will save you. If the world comes to an end we will all die, so there’s no point worrying about it, as that won’t change anything.

Still, feel free to dump your money into building a sweet backyard shelter. After all, with the financial crisis, it’s not like there’s anything better to do with your money.

That is, if you have any left.

The Brunswick Chronicle Holidays 2008-09

Student Editorials

Page 18

Barack Obama: The Next JFK

By Michael Marx ‘10 Staff Writer

T

hroughout the 22 months of President Elect Barack Obama’s long and relentless 2008 presidential campaign, and now during his preInaugural activities, the young senator from Illinois had been compared to various historical presidents: among them Harry Truman, Abraham Lincoln and Bill Clinton. However, no past U.S. President is more similar to PresidentElect Barack Obama, both in personal and political qualities, than the thirtyfifth president of the United States, John F. Kennedy.

The roots of the two men’s similarities lie in their backgrounds and schooling, as both are the products of Ivy League educations and distinguished themselves to an unusual degree during their educational pursuits.

Senator Obama graduated from Columbia University in 1983 and went on to Harvard Law School where he became Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Law Review. JFK graduated from Harvard University in 1940 after completing his senior thesis, “Why England Slept,” a document which went on to be published and became a bestseller. Both politicians formatted their campaigns around the idea of “Change,” and the desire to !

bring a new global image to the U.S.

P r e s i d e n c y .

Obama’s inauguration will end eight years of a Republican presidency.

Similarly, John F. Kennedy’s winning of the 1960 election against Richard Nixon put an end to eight years of Republican rule under Dwight E. Eisenhower. In both of their campaigns, the opposition charged that they did not have enough experience: neither man had executive experience as the governor of a state, and each had a relatively short tenure in the U.S. Senate.

Both men captivated the youth in America, using their personal differentiating qualities to deviate from the stagnant policies of mainstream Washington.

But the most striking similarity between the two candidacies is that each man faced a barrier of bigotry in his pursuit of the highest office, Kennedy due to his Catholicism and Obama because of his race. The election of Obama as the first African-American president in our country’s history has delivered yet another historic blow to bigotry and discrimination in our society. The election of President Obama can only mean a growing diversity of backgrounds among our country’s leaders and is a promising movement forward in American politics.

The Brunswick Chronicle Holidays 2008-09

Student Editorials

“Illinois Gov” Cont.

Continued from Front Page hand Barack Obama’s Senate seat to “the highest bidder” are just the latest in a long line of scandals and corruption.

Illinois first elected Blagojevich in 2002 on an anticorruption platform as the state’s first Democratic governor since 1976. Blagojevich defeated Republican Attorney General Jim Ryan of Illinois, whose greatest fault in the race was having the same last name as the former, disgraced Republican governor, George Ryan. Ryan was convicted on federal charges of bribery and accepting “inappropriate” gifts. Now, once again, an Illinois governor will face a grand jury, although this time, the road to that grand jury was different.

Blagojevich’s time as governor has been marked by feuding and petulance.

He has enjoyed tempestuous relationships with multiple politicians, many of whom are fellow Democrats. Even his own Liutenant Governor, Pat Quinn, is among them.

David Axelrod, Obama’s chief strategist in the 2008 election, famously refused to work on Blagojevich’s 2002 campaign, skeptical of whether he possessed the necessary experience to be Governor of Illinois. According to the Washington Post, Blagojevich and Obama’s estrangement continues to this day.

Blagojevich even managed to alienate his fatherin-law Richard Mell, a longtime member of the Chicago City Council and a valuable political ally. After shutting down a landfill owned by a relative of Mell’s for environmental reasons, Blagojevich infamously said, “This is the kind of thing that I think frankly separates the men from the !

boys in leadership. Do you have the testicular virility to make a decision like that knowing what’s coming your way? I say I do.” This type of grandstanding, inappropriate for a governor, has been rampant throughout Blagojevich’s career.

In another instance, Blagojevich missed a meeting with the Illinois State Legislature. Not having known the session had been moved from 10 am to 2 pm, he flew into a rage, threatening legal action against those who planned the session.

One can best summarize Blagojevich’s gaffes in the moment when he suggested that, because of his significant support from Illinois’s African American electorate, he was, “Illinois’s first AfricanAmerican governor.” This statement is grossly ethnically and historically inaccurate and insensitive, considering Blagojevich is a Bosnian Serb by descent and Illinois already elected an African American governor in Cecil Partee.

But more serious charges have manifested themselves over his governorship. Blagojevich has already made many suspicious appointments. In 2005, he appointed Claudette Maria Muhammad to the Illinois Anti-

Discrimination Panel. Ironically, Muhammad is a former leader of protocol for the Nation of Islam, which is listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. It was an attempt to secure African-American support. But groups such as the Anti-Defamation League decried the appointment of the member of a black separatist group, best known for the antiSemitic and anti-gay tirades of their leader, Louis Farrakhan.

Blagojevich also formed the infamous “$25,000 Club,” a group of Illinois citizens

and businesses who received special benefits from the State for making donations of at least $25,000 to Blagojevich’s re-election campaign.

These benefits included appointments to state boards and even government contracts.

Most recently, Blagojevich was given the power to appoint President-elect Barack Obama’s replacement in the United States Senate.

His “pay for play” schemes allegedly involved giving the Senate job to whoever would raise the most money for his reelection campaign. Presidentelect Obama’s choice, Valerie Jarrett, would, according to Blagojevich, not get the post because he wasn’t giving the Senate seat “for nothing.” The

Page 19 Chicago Tribune reported on December 10 that Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. was the leading “candidate” for the vacant seat. Reports also included allegations that Jackson planned a $1 million fundraiser in attempt to receive Blagojevich’s support for the Senate seat.

Blagojevich’s travesty finally came to an end when Blagojevich was officially arrested by FBI agents on December 9, 2008 at 6:15am on charges of solicitation of bribery. The urgency of Blagojevich’s arrest was demonstrated by the furious pace at which Illinois’s state attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald completed the arrest process. Illinois’s state attorney, who spearheads criminal prosecutions in the state, had been investigating Blagojevich with federal wiretaps. In most corruption trials, the accused will go through the process of indictment, such as the trial of the disgraced Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska.

That involves sitting before a grand jury of 22 citizens.

The jury will hear the evidence and decide whether there is enough evidence to arrest the accused and start the proceedings of a trial.

However, this case was remarkable in that the Illinois State Attorney, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, did not waste a minute in putting the handcuffs on Blagojevich. Patrick J. Fitzgerald has taken a personal risk in acting quickly—if the evidence gathered so far does not stand up, he will face public embarrassment. However, his swiftness has been necessitated by the impending appointment of President-Elect Obama’s senatorial replacement. Our only solace in this distasteful affair is that the Illinois State Attorney acted as quickly as possible to put this case to rest.

The Brunswick Chronicle Holidays 2008-09

Student Editorials

“Dance Corps” Cont.

Continued from Front Page Phillips, and “Halcyon (II)” by guest choreographer Sydney Skybetter, the girls were able to show the depth that the dance program has to offer. Sarah Phillips loves dancing with JDC because she loves how it is “a great way to know underclassmen that I otherwise wouldn’t meet.”

When asked about the dance she choreographed “Bring It Back”, Sarah talked about her visit to Honduras and an orphanage there. “After weeks of rehearsal, the final night they had a dance competition, in which each team performed a dance. I was so privileged to be there that night; it was incredible.” Without resources, the orphanage only had older pop music, such as Backstreet Boys. She wanted to bring a bit of her memory alive on stage for the audience.

Perhaps the highlight of the night for many of the ladies in the audience was having the chance to see the unknown dancing talents of Taylor Black, Tim O’Leary and Dan O’Neill.

Combined with Laura Quinton, Maddy Leaman, and Annie Munger, these six guys and girls performed a piece entitled “On Rain…” choreographed by Marcia Brooks. Woven through the dancing was music performed live by Joseph Hull and Victoria Jansson and narratives by Jack Carter and Marguerite McHale.

Each individual duet was meant to depict one of the varying levels of love. Taylor Black and Laura Quinton

showed the passionate and romantic side of love, wooing over each other and swaying with passion before

was weird dancing, I never thought I would have done it,” says Taylor Black. When asked what it was like to be in front of the crowd, Taylor

a proposal. Tim O’Leary and Maddy Leaman portrayed the happy and flirtatious side of love, clicking well on stage and exuding a fun-loving energy that bubbled over into the crowd. Dan O’Neill and Annie Munger showed

said “I was freaking out, the last time I was on stage was Fourth Grade and my costume fell down.” Dan O’Neill said dancing was “a good way to let some energy out and entertain. It’s a ton of fun.”

Dan’s experience in theater

the difficult part of love and the challenges a couple must face to be truly happy.

With no training before practice began, all three boys were new to the concept of dance. “It

helped him make the transition because theater requires a basic understand of movement so “there were definitely some theatrical elements, which was comforting.” As for how the girls react to his performance,

Page 20 he’s pretty sure he has a fan base now. “Between the video shown in assembly, the actual dance, and just generally my incredible beauty, I’m pretty optimistic that I have some fans out there.” When asked what it was like working with Tim O’Leary, Maddy Leaman said “he’s really fun to work with because he got really into it. He was dedicated and really made an effort.”

Reaction to the Winterfest concert was overwhelming, with fans being particularly awed by the storylines that wove through the dances. When asked for a comment, Meekie Meberg’s favorite was Annie Munger’s dance “Pro/Con,” which used props such as a chalkboard and chalk to tell a story about what writing means. “It was just so creative and brilliant.

She’s brilliant.”

Laura Quinton’s “Sister Dance” was a beautiful portrayal of a girl protecting her sister from a nightmare and the connection the two sisters had. Maddy Leaman’s dance “Follow Me,” choreographed to the song August’s Rhapsody, perfectly matched each dancer’s movement to the beats of the song. Music and the human form blended in this piece in perfect harmony. Yasmeen Audi’s finale piece “Boiling Point0” ended the concert on a high note, with the girls letting go to “Fuego” by Pitbull.

For those who made the wrong decision to miss Winterfest, Dance Corps has their Spring Concert at the end of the year and it is a must see.