OLD GOLD&BLACK W A K E
F O R E S T
U N I V E R S I T Y
T H U R S D AY, M A RC H 4 , 2 0 1 0
VOL. 93, NO. 23
“Covers the campus like the magnolias”
Program formed for high schoolers
Outside the Bubble...
By Katie Phillips | Staff writer
Top court considers reach of gun rights The Supreme Court appeared likely to extend the federal right to own guns to state and local governments on March 2, but some justices said firearms still could face regulations and restrictions. Gun rights cases have been among the country’s most divisive social, political and legal issues. Some 90 million people in the United States have an estimated 200 million guns, according to a study cited in the case.
The university has announced its plan for the inaugural high school study program during the summer of 2010. Utilizing the acronym LENS, the program will give students a glimpse into the college experience from a liberal arts perspective. LENS stands for Learn, Experience, Navigate and Solve. The purpose is to demonstrate to high school students, rising junior and seniors, that cross-disciplinary study and a balanced multi-disciplinary course load is pertinent in one’s education. And not only for the sole purpose of education is a diverse course load important: it is pivotal in realistic problem solving in our world.
According to LENS, this multi dimensional perspective is something that is often overlooked in a high school education. Kline Harrison, associate provost and professor of business, said, “It’s a holistic experience. It’s about learning what it’s like to be a college student while exploring and helping to solve a contemporary problem. The kind of student we are looking for is interested in taking up these challenges.” In its opening year, the LENS program will examine the challenges of sustainability — specifically in the areas of food and water systems and climate change — from a biological, ecological, political, economical, social and legal perspective. Lucas Johnston, a teacher and post-doctoral fellow in religion and environmental studies and
co-director of the program, says participants will also use technology to tackle climate change questions. “We’ll use existing climate data to do some computer modeling of future scenarios, and discuss how energy production and consumption may or may not be related to shifts in the earth’s carbon and nitrogen cycles.” High school students will not only be applying these critical thinking skills inside the classroom. Activities outside of the classroom are included. Students will have the opportunity to visit a farmer’s market to purchase locally grown foods for a group meal, and visit the Yadkin River, Forsyth County’s primary water source, to meet with representatives
See LENS, Page A7
Local rules lessened to encourage more walking Future development in Winston-Salem could encourage people to walk or bike to shops and restaurants after two decisions made by the Winston-Salem City Council on March 1. The council voted unanimously to cut back on the number of parking spaces required for restaurants, to allow more outdoor seating for restaurants and to shrink the amount of space that had been allowed between businesses and sidewalks or streets.
Post office looks to cut costs as total amount of mail dips The Postal Service, faced with less mail and bigger shortfalls, plans to cut Saturday delivery and overtime, raise prices and trim its workforce by about 30,000, its chief financial officer, Joseph Corbett, said on Feb. 27. Because of e-mail and private delivery companies, traditional mail volume is expected to be down from last year by about 10 billion pieces in 2010 with first class mail expected to drop 37 percent by 2020, leaving the service with a cumulative shortfall that could hit $238 billion by 2020.
In the Triad only 87 cases of H1N1 reported thus far According to a study released by the N.C. Division of Public Health on Feb. 25, the Triad and Northwest North Carolina have accounted for 21 percent of the state’s confirmed cases of H1N1 during the current flu season, which began in October. The 14-county area had 87 of the 407 cases statewide. The division said that 89 people statewide have died from the virus in the past five months.
m to lead hi shed h c i h stabli tees, w of Trus l committee e nnor is a d r a o the B n the initia us. nt. Do o lopme and off camp ill e e v v r e e r s D te on dent and w Staff wri by Stu volved citizenng initiative nt body Phillips | ie t ’s a e K i n y e t n o i B very i s a very exc siastic stud thin the y use of oluntar rove, and/or v his i nthu d wi d n a p ree , “T an already e more involve w students.” m F n i : o , s i t i t i f a e e z c t ge e even “Servi talents to ben roup, organi ole in en fello g becom ty and betwe ayed a large r Picd , o l n t a a u e d i i l m e n p ti iv ian an ind otto, th r commu Donnor also irdies for Br ates in m s t i enrich unity.” B o hon up to articip e said. ent of m or com inually living enting a newof a part h e establishm nament. He p vent and acts Cont y’s implem ster, as part ogni- th o Golf Tour olo related e o a child in e t cc ol rec sit univer ective this sem part service anitate c early every Pi Big Brother ster program i g f m d n f S n u e i n g r , i ga plied to /B oH roll trackin Titled the Pr the programt as a men r BigBrother onnor has ap otto e c i v r f . se e large o mos lem. D ersity m ogram rpose o tion pr Roll, the pu students wh tate, or th Winston-Sa nt to the univ he summer i t Honor elebrate the pro human as also inis commitme onal level. In athematics i e c w h t v m a e o i t n t m h ch ter e, is progra or taug fully a n an in rochur success manity. The ng to the b motto o f 2009 Donn e in Ghana. igently to e g l i for hu hed, accord spirit of th s to our o an orphana ts worked di efore the t s n e n i b a e l a h t t d b e s a m y ju stu ll ate est Other e honor roll enced. Tedd what it nvigor nor Ro d m to “rei y celebrating anitate Ho lethora h e t v m t l o o u rc eb nv m p by trul ity.” Pro Hu raduates. A service d ring semeste ior deeply i rps, got n s g p k r s r o u c j e e a C v d r t n uni n, a vice to all u gun to Aronso olunteer Ser nor Roll pro. y is open ents have be t i V s o s e r e in th d in the H experienc unive of stud ated by Leadership e r king volve is VSC c . s s a r e in am through h “VSC is wor the m w resident’s hou n a r o g s i o r r o r The p at the 2008 P ylor Donn nded g nson says, and publicize ro ou Ta s.” ts te studen ence. Senior e group who f nor was A ard to promo ound campu r r n h h e a t f o f l al Con embers o 8. D presentrogram of 200 e A3 of the mea in the fall in charge of e idea to p e, Pag c i v r ing th placed the id e S
See
Welcome Center draws concerns over trees By Renee Slawsky | Asst. news editor
Artistic Rendering Courtesy of Keith Callahan
An artistic rendering shows what the new welcome center will look like once completed in 2011.
As the new Welcome Center enters the first stages of construction faculty, students, and residents from the surrounding area have expressed worries. One concern is about the number and types of trees that are being cut down to make way for the new building. To help address these concerns a series of information sessions were held on March 2 to address and explain the process thus far. Everyone either entering or leaving the university campus via the main entrance on Wake Forest Road has noticed the large amount of clearing that has occurred in preparation for the construction of the new Admissions and Welcome Center. The amount of forestry has decreased significantly in that area and this decrease has caused concern within the university’s community. The event was hosted by various members of the team with the job of planning and executing the construction of this new building. This team includes members of faculty, administrators and members of
Life | B5
INSIDE: Brieflies
A2
Police Beat
A2
Spotlight
B2
The Hot List
B6
Sudoku
B6
Procrastination has always been a student’s worse enemy – Life has tips to prevent a meltdown.
In Other News
• Michael Hyde publishes a new book | A2 • Lecture on Metaethics of Gay Liberation | A7
the admissions department such as Martha Allman, director of admissions, and Tamara Blocker, senior associate director of admissions. Jim Alty, associate vice president for facilities and campus services, opened the discussion by outlining “the basic sequences of events that led to this decision.” Alty gave a basic timeline: the idea came about in November, 2007, the construction plan was finalized in August, 2009 and the scheduled completion of the construction will hopefully be sometime in February 2011. Moreover, Alty also stated that one of the points of the presentation was also to dispel some of the circulating myths that the construction was totally disregarding the plant life and basically that the constructers “slash and burned” the entire area. Alty then went on to say that the “actual landscape impact was a deliberate process.” Overall, the purpose of the presentation was to “make public” the plan of action regarding the construction of
See Admissions, Page A3
Sports | B1 Olympic Diary University sophomore Laven Newsom shares his personal experience at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver
Council focuses on Greek life By Bobby O’Connor | News editor
The All-Greek council met Feb. 26 in a special session to address the university concerns over the rush process on campus stemming from pledge night. The event, held in the Benson University Center, included the presidents, vice presidents, academic chairs and risk management chairs of each of the fraternities and sororities. The first portion of the event included presentations followed by a question and answer period focused on the pledge night in January. President Nathan O. Hatch, Provohst Jill Tiefenthaler, Director of Student Leadership and Organizations, Steve Hirst, Associate Director of Campus Life, Peyton Risley and Vice-President of Student Life, Ken Zick all participated in the question and answer portion. The main focus during this session was to gather student input on ways to improve safety and academics on campus in terms of Greek life. The largest student concern was related to possibly delay of rush to fall semester of sophomore year. The university has established a committee to investigate and research the benefits and drawbacks of instituting this delayed sophomore year rush. The preliminary information this committee presented from two separate studies stated that a delayed rush, till fall of sophomore year, gave college males more time to emotionally develop and thus they were more prepared to handle the demands of rushing. However during the meeting students were opposed to the possibility of delayed rush. Students argued that in actuality delaying the recruitment process would prevent students from assimilating into smaller niches their first year at the university and that this decision would decrease the revenue of the Greek organizations as well as possibly impact the level of applicants to the university. The university held the All-Greek council special session to try to address what went wrong at pledge night as well as create an open forum for Greek reform. Following the initial session and question and answer the group split into two separate groups. The vice presidents and academic chairs were grouped together and addressed how to combat the trend of lower grade point averages while pledging. The presidents, risk management and social chairs, with Hirst and Risle talked about policy suggestions to improving safety and Greek life in general. The general consensus of the group in finding solutions to pledge night, to prevent some of the issues that arose from last Jan. pledge night, was that bringing parties back onto campus would decrease heavy frontloading of alcohol.
Opinion | A4 God didn’t create a prefect world Kevin Jung argues that the presence of evil is not problematic but rather necessary
A2 Thursday, March 4, 2010
It is the
37th
There are days until the
Day of classes
PAG E 2 62 13 16 There are
There are
days until
days
Last Day of Classes
until
St Patrick’s Day
Wake ‘N Shake
Old Gold & Black News
There are days until
2
Spring Break
Brieflies Original oak tree to be removed from campus During the week of March 8th, one of the original campus Willlow Oak trees will be removed. Currently the tree is located on Wake Forest Road, adjacent to the Poteat Residence Hall. It has been determined that the tree has a significant decay in one of the major branch unions. The tree is being removed to prevent the limb from falling upon passing pedestrians or parked cars. A portion of the main trunk will be stored within the universty Facilities compound for potential use on a future campus project.
Demon Drag stretches “Through the Decades” The event will take place from 8 p.m. to midnight on March 19 in Benson 401. Tickets are $10, cash or credit, and $12 Deacon Dollars. A cash bar will be available for those 21 and over. They are being sold in advance at the Benson Vendor Tables this week and next. The event is presented by GSSA (Gay-Straight Student Alliance) and hosted by Cherries Jubilee. The event will include performances by previous crowd favorites Kelly Powers, Tia Chanella and more. All proceeds from the show will go to AIDS Care Service of Winston-Salem, helping those living with HIV/AIDS in the Triad area. Decades-friendly costumes are welcome at the event.
Lecture on death in medieval London The 14th-century Black Death was one of the most devastating epidemics in human history. It killed tens of millions of Europeans and caused social, demographic and economic changes throughout the continent. Sharon N. DeWitte, a biological anthropologist from the University at Albany, SUNY, will present her research on mortality patterns of and reactions to the epidemic in London. The lecture will take place on March 18 at 7 p.m. in the Museum of Anthropology.
ACC Tournament to play out over Spring Break The 55 Men’s Annual Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament begins on March 11. The university’s Demon Deacons will be looking to win for the first time since 1996, which would be their fifth win overall. The tournament will be in the Greensboro Coliseum this year. For the Lady Demon Deacons, the tournament will begin on March 4 with a game against University of Miami.
School of Medicine does study of fat, sleep Not getting enough sleep may lead to more severe problems than just a lack of energy and alertness, it also could lead to an increase in fat accumulating around vital organs, according to a study released March 1 by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. That could result in higher rates of metabolic disease among minorities, including obesity, insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes, the study found.
Michael Hyde: Communications By Bobby O’Connor | News Editor
Michael Hyde is the distinguished professor of communication ethics, within the department of communication at the university and holds a joint appointment in the Program in Bioethics, Health, and Society at the School of Medicine. He says his latest book, Perfection: Coming to Terms with Being Human, which was published this month by Baylor University Press, offers a critical assessment of how we human beings embody a metaphysical desire for perfection, achieving a state of completeness in our lives whereby, at least for the moment, we feel secure, comfortable and at home with ourselves, others, and our immediate surroundings. “We are creatures who are fated to struggle with the ever-present challenge of ‘getting things right,’ ‘making things better,’ ‘improving ourselves,’ and being as complete as we can be as we grow, mature, and become wise with experience,” Hyde said. “I am especially interested in how human communication and the practice of rhetoric play a role in meeting this challenge: in coming to terms with perfection,” he said. His latest book on perfection is the third part of a trilogy. The first two books in the trilogy are The Call of Conscience: Heidegger and Levinas and Rhetoric and The Euthanasia Debate and The Life-Giving Gift of Acknowledgment. “Sometimes we end up being rotten with imperfection. Other times the result is that of being rotten with perfection. We need to avoid both of these extremes for the sake of our well-being,” Hyde said. Hyde has previously taught at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, and at Northwestern University. He
received his bachelors at the University of Pittsburgh and his doctorate at Purdue University. Since arriving in 1994, he has served as a board member of the Judicial Council, the Honor and Ethics Council, the Capital Planning Committee and the Bioethics Task Force. He has also lectured throughout the United States and at the London School of Economics on Wake Forest’s Technology Initiative. He is the author of over 60 articles and critical reviews appearing in various scholarly journals and texts. He has also additionally published six books, Communication Philosophy and the Technological Age, The Ethos of Rhetoric, Rhetoric and Hermeneutics in our Time, The Call of Conscience: Heidegger and Levinas, Rhetoric and The Euthanasia Debate, The Life-Giving Gift of Acknowledgment and Perfection: Coming to Terms with Being Human. Hyde is teaching a new course titled “The Ethics of Health Communication” for a new masters program at the university and the course is receiving much anticipation. “I also serve as a thesis director for the graduate students and an advisor for planning the program’s activities, especially as they promote the University’s Center for Bioethics, Health, and Society,” he said. This semester he is currently teaching a graduate course in rhetorical criticism, an undergraduate and graduate course in Semantics and “Language in Communication.” So far in his career he has been the recipient of 13 assorted awards for teaching excellence. Hyde is a Fellow of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and a recipient of national, state and university research grants for his work in the rhetoric of medicine. John Turner/Old Gold & Black
OGB DIRECTORY PHONE NUMBERS: Newsroom: (336) 758-5280 Advertising, circulation, subscriptions: (336) 758-5279 Fax line: (336) 758-4561 E-MAIL ADDRESSES: General comments: ogb@wfu.edu Letters to the Editor: ogboped@wfu.edu News Tips: ogbnews@wfu.edu The Hot List: ogblife@wfu.edu Advertising: business@ogb.wfu.edu
POLICE BEAT Property damage • Unknown subject(s) damaged the victims vehicle, a Nissan Rogue, by scratching the drivers side between 11 p.m. on Feb. 26 and 9:15 a.m. on Feb. 27. The damage is estimated at $800. The case is closed because all leads have been exhausted.
Thefts • Unknown subject(s) removed an unsecured Thinkpad laptop, valued at $2500, from a room in the Scales Fine Art Center between 11 p.m. on Feb. 18 and 5 p.m. on Feb. 19. The case is closed because all leads have been exhausted.
• Unknown subject(s) removed an unsecured Blackberry cell phone, valued at $400, from a table in the computer room of Reynolds Library between 9 p.m. and 9:07 p.m. on Feb. 22. The case is closed because all leads have been exhausted. • Unknown subject(s) removed an unsecured wallet, containing cash, from a laundry room of Luter Hall between 9 p.m. on Feb. 21 and 10:45 a.m. on Feb. 22. The case is closed because all leads have been exhausted. • Unknown subject(s) removed a wallet, iPod and cash from an unsecure tote bag, valued at $347, in Winston Hall between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Feb. 23. The case is pending further investigation.
• Unknown subject(s) removed an unsecured phone from a table in the Pit between 12:15 p.m. and 12:35 p.m. on Feb. 26. The case is closed because all leads have been exhausted. • Unknown subject(s) removed an unsecured French text book, valued at $200, from a study area of Reynolds Library between 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Feb. 28. The case is closed because all leads have been exhausted.
Miscellaneous • University Police seized a fraudulent ID from a student, at 11:28 p.m on Feb. 27, while entering the west gate. A copy of this report will be sent to the Dean’s Office.
News Old Gold & Black
Thursday, March 4, 2010 A3
Admissions: Trying to minimize the damage Continued from Page A1
the building and its resulting impacts on the environment, which Alty says will be minimal and less severe than people assume. A representative of Lambert Architecture and Interiors, the firm hire to be charge of the construction of this new building, was next to the podium. One of the first ideas presented was what the team of planners wanted to change from the current admissions building, Starling Hall, in the new building. Currently, Starling Hall’s auditorium seats a mere 60 people. As a result, this occasionally created around four admissions information sessions in a single day due to the growing number of visitors. The new admissions building is proposed to have an auditorium seating around 260 people. Another important aspect that will be changed is the number of parking spots available. Currently, there are 58 parking spots at Starling Hall. The lack of parking available to visitors has led to a lot of complaints that were directed toward the admissions department. With the construction of the new building, parking will be increased dramatically to 138 spots. While the need for enlargement is not the question, the size of the construction is. Due to the
amount of clearing that needs to be done, only about 2.4 acres of original forest remain. The types of trees that were cut down were mostly maples and some poplars and oaks, but none of the uprooted trees were hauled off to landfills. Instead, the majority of them were cut on the spot into mulch and then shipped to manufacturers. Also, around 175 new trees will be planted towards the end of construction. Many of these newly planted trees will mirror the types and number that were cut down. Overall, the impact on the surrounding environment, while it will exist and be negative to a certain and inevitable extent, it is not as severe as many of the rumors suggest. “We do plan on having new Welcome Center to be tucked in among trees,” Alty said. After about five years, all of the projected images show the Welcome Center looking like it belongs on campus. Regarding the current barreneness of the area, Alty says, “time will heal all wounds in a certain sense, but it will take time after construction to make the welcome center look like rest of campus.” On the whole, while the construction of the new admissions building will be severe and bring a temporary weight on the environmental health of the forest, in a few years the campus will retain it’s green and leafy image as a whole once again.
Artistic Rendering Courtesy of Keith Callahan
An aerial view of the new welcome center shows the additional parking and space the new center will have. Starling Hall is shown next to the new center.
Service: Award honors volunteer contributions of students Continued from Page A1
“We are really happy with the progress we have seen already, and we hope to see many more get involved!” Aronson worked with Donnor and sophomore Nilam Patel during the developmental stages, together working out all of the details of the program. Aronson is also involved with Campus Kitchen, Project Pumpkin and Wake Alternative Break. Patel recently participated in the City of Joy service trip to Calcutta, India. She said that service is really important to her and, if able, students should give their time and kindness to those in need. “Students at the university are extremely kind and giving, we just wanted to give them recognition for all of their hard work,” Patel said of the Honor Roll. She has been involved with HOPE and tutors at El Buen Pastor.
An important part of Honor Roll is to recognize the outstanding students who contribute to the community outside of the for-better-or-for-worse named “Wake Forest bubble.” Senior Amy Bachman, another influential asset to the fruition team, had been discussing a way to chart hours and recognize students with the VSC office for a few years before the establishment of the Honor Roll. She was invited to join the organizing committee board in the fall of 2009. She is now a chair of the Volunteer Service Corps, and according to Bachman, “other advisory board members and I have been working to publicize the honor roll to students via student organizations.” Bachman believes that a huge part of the college experience is giving back to our local community. “I think the honor roll is a great way to honor Wake Forest students beyond academics. For me, college life has been about a lot more than just school work,
and I think if you spend all your time in the library you have wasted your four years here,” she said. The Pro Humanitate Honor Roll has a notable list of requirements in order to be eligible. Students must complete 50 or more hours of community service within a semester’s time. These hours must be logged in through the online tracking program. There is a list compiled on the Web site of what does and does not qualify as service. Once accepted, the student may submit a one paragraph reflection about their service; students will automatically be placed on the Honor Roll if this is achieved. Any and all students that make the Honor Roll within a semester will be eligible for service awards throughout the semester and invited to an end-of-the-year banquet. Individuals and student organizations will be recognized for their service commitment at there.
An individual award, the Service Excellence Award, will be given at the ceremony. A committee will review all of the candidates and select the winners who will receive a plaque. Additionally, a $500 donation will be made in the winner’s name to a non-profit organization of their choice. Another Service Excellence Award will be given to a student organization at the ceremony. The winning organization will also receive a plaque. Additionally, a $500 donation will be made in the organization’s name to a non-profit organization of their choice. This award will be given away starting in 2011. In order to be eligible for the Honor Roll and the Pro Humanitate awards, you must track your service hours using the Honor Roll’s on line system. Learn how to join the program and start tracking your service now at: wfu.edu/phhonorroll or email volunteer@wfu.edu.
O PINION O L D
This column represents the views of the Old Gold & Black Editorial Board.
G O L D
&
T H U R S DAY , M A R C H 4 , 2 0 1 0 PA G E
A4 ONLINE
E DITORS:
B L A C K
Greek life meeting yields little results
O
n Feb. 26, the All Greek Council met to discuss the recent concerns about Greek life at the university. In theory, the idea of bringing together executive members of the Greek community with the administration as an attempt to formulate a plan for the future of Greek life would be an effective way of dealing with the situations at hand. However, we felt the meeting ultimately produced no beneficial results. The meeting brought up a few possible “solutions” to prevent another pledge night debacle. One major idea was the implementation
of sophomore recruitment, which we feel would be detrimental. For one, freshmen would miss out on the opportunity to join an intimate community at the university for their entire first year. Additionally, Greek organizations would have significantly smaller budgets, due to the fact that they would only represent three grades of students. We are open to the idea of trying to prevent the events from pledge night from occurring again. Nevertheless, we feel that there haven’t been any great solutions brought to the table thus far.
W
15,797, compared to Wake Forest’s 4,569. Additionally, we chose to submit the last issue printed before the conference instead of going through every issue since the last conference and picking the best one. This means they judged us on a standard issue of the OGB. We have a very young staff, with five new editors to their respective sections, which means that the quality of our paper will continue to get better. We hope that our award will encourage the community to read the paper every week.
OLD GOLD&BLACK The Student Newspaper of Wake Forest University since 1916
CeCe Brooks Editor in chief Caroline Edgeton Managing editor
Stephen Shepherd Business manager
Production Manager: Connor Swarbrick. News: Bobby O’Connor and Nilam Patel, editors. Elizabeth Forrest and Renee Slawsky, assistant editors. Opinion: Hunter Bratton and Hannah Werthan, editors. Kahle McDonough, assistant editor. Sports: Ashton Astbury, editor. Will Johnston, assistant editor. Life: Olivia Boyce and Chantel O’Neal, editors. Photography: John Turner and Rachel Cameron, editors. Production Assistants: Gary Pasqualicchio, Ken Meyer, Meenu Krishnan Online: Elizabeth Wicker, editor. Business Staff: Jake Gelbort, invoices. Circulation: Jake Gelbort. Adviser: Wayne King. The Old Gold & Black is published Thursdays during the school year, except during examinations, summer and holiday periods, by Stone Printing of High Point. Send e-mail to ogb@wfu.edu. To subscribe, please send $75 to P.O. Box 7569, Winston-Salem, NC 27109. © 2009 WFU Media Board. All rights reserved. The views expressed in all editorials and advertisements contained within this publication do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Old Gold & Black. Send guest columns to ogboped@wfu.edu. The deadline for inclusion is 5 p.m. the Monday before publication. To view editorials policies, visit www.oldgoldandblack.com
H a n n a h We r t h a n a n d Hunter Bratton
Submissions The Old Gold & Black welcomes submissions in the form of columns and letters to the editor. Letters should be fewer than 300 words and columns should be under 750 words. Send yours via e-mail to ogboped@wfu.edu, by campus mail to P.O. Box 7569 or deliver it to Benson 518. by 5 p.m. the Monday before publication. We reserve the right to edit all letters for length and clarity. No anonymous letters will be printed.
God purposely did not create a perfect world The existence of evil is not problematic but, instead, actually necessary
experience of perfection should be the end of creation. We may ask, for instance, how Bardon would define perfection and explain its necessary conditions. Is natural immortality, if this is possible, a necessary element of a perfect world? Is the incapacity to experience both physical Kevin Jung and mental pain a necessary condition of Guest columnist a perfect world? After all, if we were to follow the logic y colleague Adrian Bardon has of his argument, God could certainly recently argued that, given the have created a perfect world in which no one has to experience pain and death of human experience of evil in any kind, not just the ones that Bardon the world and God’s apparent inability to stop or prevent evil, God or a morally mentions. But wait a minute. What about many perfect God does not exist. forms of arts and literature whose beauty His argument begins with common and meaning are dependent upon divine attributes: “omnipotent,” concepts and emotions derived from such “omniscient” and “morally perfect” to experience? Would the world without arts refer to God’s nature. The basic line of and literature really be a perfect world? this argument is that if God possesses Thus, back to my main point: Whose these attributes, God must be able to idea of perfection? Which criteria of stop or prevent all evil because the perfection? existence of evil is contrary to God’s Third, Bardon’s critique of (the lack nature so characterized. of ) divine agency in the world seems to In reply, I want to clarify just a few suggest that we should welcome divine things. First, many philosophers argue interference with our freedom in every that it is not the existence of evil that aspect of our life whenever we are about is the problem but the existence of to do a serious wrong. But it is not clear gratuitous evil — i.e. the evil that is not to me why this should be called true counterbalanced, if it exists at all. freedom. For it is logically Would we not resent possible that some evils Perhaps we should remember being controlled in are counterbalanced in that way? Does not his different ways in which that sometimes an adversity, view of divine agency the negative value of whether in society of in amount to a kind of the evils is outweighed science, brings out the best divine manipulation or or defeated by the dictatorship? I personally existence of a greater of human solidarity and credo not think that the good in this world or ativity. best form of parenting another world. is to give our children Suppose that such everything they need a counterbalancing of and to follow every step of their way lest evil is possible. It then should be clear that we humans they err. On a more serious note, Bardon will need to show the kind of connection do not have a formula, much less a between indeterminism and a morally perfect one, for determining the overall perfect world. comparative value of good and evil Fourth, Bardon’s overall argument is involved in a seemingly complex state of premised in a strongly anthropocentric affairs. ethic — i.e., an ethic in which the Perhaps we should remember that standards and the authority of moral sometimes an adversity, whether in evaluation belong solely to human beings. society or in science, brings out the best Insofar as I can see, the assumption that of human solidarity and creativity. we human beings are the measure of all Second, even if there is gratuitous value is just as theological as the opposite evil in this world, it does not follow view that God is the measure. As such, that God’s existence is incompatible his assumption is neither scientific nor with that of gratuitous evil. It is neither epistemically justified. It is not empirically necessary nor reasonable to believe that verifiable that moral evaluation is a solely an omnipotent and benevolent God human affair. Nor is it more reasonable should not or would not have created a world other than a naturally and morally to believe that human beings, not God, should be the measure of all value, since perfect world, if the end of creation it would be hard to generate and justify is something other than the human proper epistemic criteria for answering experience of perfection. this question without running into a Not only may the definition or the circular argument. criteria of perfection differ among human beings as well as between human Kevin Jung is an assistant professor of beings and God, but there is also no Christian ethics in the Divinity School. compelling reason why the human
OGB wins second M place at ACP’s
e were happy to hear that the OGB received second place in the best in show category on Feb. 28 at the Associated Collegiate Press conference in Phoenix, Ariz. This is especially exciting because we did not place last year. We also do not have a journalism major at the university, making this a greater accomplishment. In contrast, the winning school, California State University at Chico, not only has an extensive journalism program but also has a student body of
A T : w w w. o l d g o l d a n d b l a c k . c o m
Do you have opinions?
Do you know what is going on? Would you like to have cartoons published weekly get paid for it?
If so, then send Hunter Bratton or Hannah Werthan, opinion editors, an e-mail at bratrh7@wfu.edu or werthr7@wfu.edu.
Quick Quotes “The beer and cigarettes were ruining him. He would pester passers-by for booze.” - A reporter for the Komsomolskaya Pravda paper, in Moscow, Russia, about a chimpanzee that has been sent to rehab by zookeepers to cure the smoking and beer-drinking habits he has picked up.
“” “God delivered me from evil and placed me in Albion, Michigan.” - A 53-year-old Dearborn Heights man wrote this note after shooting around his hotel room and putting his alarm clock in the microwave at the at the Albion Inn.
“” “He is regretful that any young boy who may see him as a hero might think this behaviour is acceptable and he wants to make it plain that it isn’t.” - Wales flanker Andy Powell’s lawyer Conrad Gadd, speaking for the 28-year-old after he was banned from driving for 15 months and fined 1,000 pounds for driving a golf buggy on a motorway slip road while over the drinkdriving limit.
“” “He’s got horrible luck.” - Bert Rauenbusch, police spokesman for the Nuremburg, Germany, police, about a 26-year-old man who started to line up amphetamines on the roof of an unmarked police car
“” “I thought it could be a bit awkward, but it’s funny because when you’re naked and everybody else is naked, you feel like you’re dressed, because everybody looks the same.” - Steven Anglier, of Sydney, Austrailia, describing his experience as one of the 5,200 Australians who posed naked in front of the Sydney Opera House for a New York photographer on March 1.
Opinion Old Gold & Black
Thursday, March 4 , 2010 A5
Reason and Religion | No Prius for John Galt!
Religious beliefs mandate the denial of evidence Adrian Bardon Staff columnist
“We’ve been attacked by the intelligent, educated segment of the culture.” — The Rev. Ray Mummert (Dover, Penn., pastor and Intelligent Design proponent)
I
have been writing all semester about irrationality. My particular concern has to do with how our continued indulgence of religious belief facilitates a disregard for evidence pointing toward discomforting truths. As discomforting as it is, climate change and resource depletion need to be addressed now. Along comes the Old Gold and Black column from Feb. 25 (“Politicians often use climate research for political gain,” Elliot Engstrom), which offers the view that international bodies and the world’s “elite” are conspiring to manufacture a global environmental crisis so as to seize total power. With his references to Murray Rothbard, individual liberty and minimal government, I am presuming that the author is one of our vocal campus Libertarians. Radical libertarianism has many of the characteristics of a religion: it is internally incoherent, in that it is founded on a notion of absolute property rights that is indefensible according to its own moral principles, and its followers often exhibit the blind fervor of those in the grips of religious mania. But that is an issue for another column. The point is that the poor reasoning, contempt for evidence and paranoid style of this column
provides a perfect illustration of the ideological credulity I have been talking about. The column in question describes a vast conspiracy among all the world’s national and international climate research centers, tens of thousands of individual scientists and the United Nations to consolidate power over those who love freedom. All of the world’s national governments have been duped (they can’t be part of the conspiracy, since the UN is trying to take their power away). The helpless oil, gas and coal industries, along with all the other corporate interests opposed to environmental regulations, are being crushed under the iron heel (panda paw?) of the World Wildlife Federation. Highly plausible. Of course, there is that darned evidence to deal with. The essay claims that the evidence for warming and climate change has been debunked. This is absurd. I could cite a dozen, a hundred, highly authoritative sources showing this to be utterly, laughably false — the IPCC, the WMO, the NCDC, the NOAA — but what would be the point? They are all part of the conspiracy! Even NASA is in on it ... of course, those aren’t weather satellites they have been sending up all these years; those are spy satellites for the international socialist conspiracy to gather information on brave entrepreneurs as they work to make the world a better place. In considering whether to believe the claims in last week’s column, I would encourage readers to walk across campus to the science
buildings, and ask the folks there what they think about the data. I can assure you they will not throw a bag over your head and make you disappear. How about doing your own experiments, if you don’t believe any of the science journals? Get yourself some carbon dioxide and a sun lamp. Like “birthers,” “truthers” and other conspiracy theorists, climate change deniers paint themselves into a corner of irrefutability. Why consider the data, if they have all been faked? This is the same doxastic impenetrability as with religious ideology. Normally, we revise our world view as we are exposed to evidence inconsistent with it. But some world views include, as an essential component, a disregard for countervailing evidence. Religious literalists reject any evidence uncongenial to their views about miracles and the afterlife. Evidence against young-Earth creationism or the geocentric model of the universe involves the direct or indirect hand of Satan. Alleged evidence for evolution is the result of a conspiracy of secularists trying to convert our children to Darwinism and homosexuality, just so these atheists can feel better about their immoral lifestyles. Any evidence contradicting the revealed word of God is, by definition, only evidence of a conspiracy against God. Like that of religious fundamentalism, climate change denialism’s world view, thanks to its “global conspiracy of intellectuals” component, mandates the rejection of any evidence that conflicts with its core tenets: any such evidence is, by
Discovering the Right Solution | Constructive Criticism
definition, just part of the conspiracy, so can be disregarded. The world view itself closes the door to revision of beliefs through exposure to reality. You are entitled to your own opinion, but not to your own facts. Facts are not political, not amenable to punditry and spin. You can, however, obscure the facts though such methods, and delay critical action until it is too late. I don’t want to beat up on a student, whose views, I hope, are still in the process of development. But attempts to obscure or deny the facts about our environmental crisis are no joke. Just as the inherent complexity and uncertainty of all scientific endeavors was exploited for decades by the American Tobacco Institute’s “experts,” conservatives have long employed a delay and confuse strategy so as to protect their corporate constituency. As early as 2002 (as reported by Charles Pierce), Republican pollster Frank Luntz prepared a report on how to confuse the issue of global warming. He hopefully suggested that, while “the scientific debate is closing … there is still a window to challenge the science.” The chief of staff for Bush’s Council on Environmental Quality was Phillip Cooney, long time lawyer for the American Petroleum Institute, and head of the API’s team on fighting climate change science. He was tasked with rewriting scientific reports from bodies like the National Climatic Data Center to water down or muddle their findings. In the meantime, political appointees at NASA
prevented its chief climate scientist, James Hansen, from doing interviews. Recently, we have had the ludicrous spectacle of multiple on-air Fox News personalities joining U.S. Senators and Congresspersons in using the record snowstorm in D.C. to belittle climate science. This storm was repeatedly stated to absolutely refute the science. Never mind that this confuses weather with climate, and ignores the many welldocumented global warming trends. Or that a warmer Pacific Ocean puts more moisture and energy in the atmosphere, leading to the longtime prediction by climate change models of heavier snowstorms in the American Northeast due to warming. The mendacity is breathtaking. A key point, so often ignored, is that one side has a gigantic economic interest in confusing the issue, while the other side would like nothing better than to be proven wrong! Climate experts the world over would be ecstatic if someone showed that climate change doesn’t exist or isn’t a problem. No one appreciates better than they do what great news that would be. Just as atheists would be unbelievably thrilled and relieved to find that they have a shot at an eternal afterlife of happiness. Imagine, no fear of death, and justice for the oppressed in the hereafter! Atheists are just more willing to face the facts, and work harder for a better future here on Earth. Adrian Bardon is an associate professor of philosophy. (His columns this semester are part of a book project.)
Breaking the Wake Forest Bubble | Concerns of a Student
Americans can worry less about Late night studying, a Chinese takeover of the world the graveyard shift Seth Williford
W
Staff columnist
hen listening to commentators analyze China today, many look with awe, and some concern, at the rising Asian power. The Chinese economy continues to grow at a rapid rate, having grown on average at a rate of 10 percent annually over the last 30 years. One can hardly walk into a Wal-Mart today without buying one, if not every, item manufactured in China. The China of today is a paradox. Just looking at the country, one would assess that the Chinese are a people who have the most economic growth while still being under the least political freedom. The best way to describe China’s current system is to call it totalitarian capitalism. This consists of an economy in which the government allows the people to engage in the marketplace; yet, they cannot even vote for the people who represent them. To be frank, totalitarian capitalism is free market capitalism at the barrel of a gun. This system is baffling to many onlookers, especially to economists who believe that political and economic freedom go hand-in-hand. In particular, Austrian economists have long pushed forward this theory, the most famous of them being Friedrich Hayek, who wrote that the erosion of economic autonomy would inevitably lead to totalitarianism. In the age of the greatest political and economic liberty in history, many have a difficult time understanding how the Chinese system continues to succeed. However, the Chinese model is built upon a house of cards. While Americans look at China with interest and concern, they are assuming a model of totalitarian capitalism will continue to produce the results it does now. Americans, as we are often prone to do, are looking merely at the short-term picture of China. Yes, China is emerging and will continue to grow and compete with America as a world power, conceivably through the next decade or longer. But, in the long term, their model of totalitarian capitalism is one that cannot sustain the incredible growth that they have seen recently. As long as they
have an enormous population, one billion people more than the United States, they will be able to produce economic success. However, if it takes over 1.3 billion people to drive their economy, while the United States can produce as much as it does with only 300 million, clearly there is a disconnect between what the Chinese are producing and what they could be producing. While this system certainly can be successful, which it already has, it is difficult seeing how this can continue to be a tenable, long-term policy. Even beyond this, Chinese capitalism has only recently come to resemble American capitalism, and only because of action on the part of the latter. American bailouts of large banks and practical nationalization of car companies are tactics that the Chinese employ. Despite creating a façade that it encourages extensive market capitalism, the Chinese government consistently inserts itself into private industries (the exception being in such special economic zones as Hong Kong). A March 2009 article from The Economist titled “So much for capitalism,” discusses Chinese capitalism, and points out a number of ways in which the Asian power was less capitalist than it likes to project. Looking at the energy, automobile and airline industries, The Economist points out that these industries are dominated by a conglomerate of state owned companies, each industry having started from one original company decades ago. They were split in order to increase competition and efficiency. What The Economist notes is that this is really false competition, as the rampant corruption and government safety net prevent any of these companies from truly competing, innovating and producing. Most fascinating of all, The Economist also found that companies that were nationalized received a boost in share prices. This is, of course, anathema to American investors, who balk at the idea of investing in American companies that have gone under the umbrella of the federal government. Increased share prices for nationalized companies points to a major reason why the Chinese are a long way off from any meaningful, and politically-based, economic reform. Chinese investors cheer on nationalized companies because in China a signal of state intervention is seen not as a failure of the company, but as a sign of faith from the Chinese government. Investors know that buying shares from these companies is a sound financial decision, as it is
highly unlikely that the government will ever allow them to fail. While economic freedom may attempt to make cracks in the “Great Wall of Political Oppression,” it will never make any headway as long as the Chinese government continues to control industries and citizens. While an American visitor may not see it, there is rampant human rights abuse throughout China. There was widespread talk in the United States that President George W. Bush should consider boycotting the 2008 Olympics held in China. This never happened, namely because America relies on cheaply made Chinese goods. However, everyday Chinese citizens are unable to engage in things Americans hardly consider. Google has found itself in hot water because it has assisted the Chinese government in its efforts to block Web sites throughout China; the government is vigilant, and sometimes violent, in its absolute control over the media. Political freedom can only come about if there is a desire for it. Theoretically, additional economic independence would spur individuals to demand greater economic freedom, which can often only be offered as a result of greater political freedom. But go into any elementary school in China, where students are quickly surpassing their American counterparts in math and science, and one will be inundated with indoctrination. Much like American students begin each day reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, Chinese students recite passages of Chairman Mao’s Little Red Book. If a people are thoroughly indoctrinated and fearful of political protests because of almost certain prison time and abuse, how are we to ever assume that the Chinese will stand up in the near future and unleash the economic dragon that China potentially could become? Instead, we are left with a China that has limited economic liberty and no political rights. While their population will continue to fuel expansive growth for years to come, the American system has proven that with fewer people, and a free political and economic system, a nation can far exceed what was once imaginable. Fears of China’s economic strength surpassing the strength of the United States should be quickly done away with, unless the American government continues to push itself further economically down the path of Chinese statism. Seth Williford is a junior political science major from Wilson, N.C.
their upper-level political science paper for the 18th time. Some people just like to wander around, see if they are in fact the only one still on the seventh floor at 4:00 a.m. Others like to perch on the sixth floor balcony, which opens up a whole other plethora of options for passing the time. You can sit and look at the things hanging from the ceiling, and, being a cerebral Wake Forest student, Hamlin Wade attempt to figure out how they were Staff columnist able to suspend a Star Wars Fighter Jet from the eighth floor crossbeam. t doesn’t really matter what Your brain is racked even further doctor you ask, pretty much as you notice the candy cane hung any of them will tell you the precariously over the highest point same thing — young adults need at of the support arches. Next, you least seven hours of sleep a night, preferably somewhere closer to nine. wonder whether the strength of the wire supporting the planet Earth We’ve all sat through the health would be strong enough to support classes that have talked about our your weight. Finally, you realize sleep cycle, how we can’t “catch up” that you could monopolize the on lost sleep and that any overtime sleeping we do on the weekends only opposition in a game of paintball from your balcony viewpoint. hurts our cause, instead of helping Yes, the library is home to many it. We’ve heard the warnings, we’ve opportunities. Not to mention, its been read the side effects and we have consistently been instructed by late night inhabitants are just as our parents to get more sleep. But for exciting. You’re liable to see a variety of some reason, we don’t listen. To the untrained observer, we would simply characters, all slumming through their work, muttering under their be blamed for insolence and an breath and analyzing how much overall disregard for common sense. more sleep they would get and less Yet, to those who know us better, the excuse is much more concise and work they would do if they had gone to another school only an hour and simplistic. We simply look up over a half to the east. From the girl who our eight cups of Starbucks coffee hasn’t slept in four days to the guy and energy drinks and mumble who’s 5 o’clock shadow has turned “Work Forest.” There is something uniquely special into a 4 a.m. moonless night, ZSR accepts all applicants. ZSR is there about ZSR in the wee hours of the for anyone in need of study space or night. At midnight, the library is bustling, people move around, gossip a sofa in which to take a quick nap. The library can be a place full of and exchange horror stories about opportunity and excitement. On the week that lies ahead. Students any given night, you may have the will catch up on the weekend party chance to have a quick conversation stories or move about from table with an estranged classmate, a best to table in the atrium, saying hello friend or a new acquaintance. You to whomever they pass, all in an never know who you will run into attempt to avoid doing any real at 5 a.m. You never know what new work. However, by 12:30 or 1 a.m., study spot you will discover or what the library begins to quiet down. exciting game you will be able to Outlets become available, the noise within the atrium begins to dampen, invent. And finally when you pull and the machines in Starbucks begin yourself together, when you finally click “save” on your paper, it’s time to shut down. The hours become to to leave for a few hours, get a quick move more slowly and the eyelids night’s sleep and get up and get ready begin to get heavier. 1:30, 2:00, to do it all over again. As you walk 2:30 a.m. — the time slips by as if out, you’ll say hello to another poor it is being willed along by the silent hallways of the Wilson Wing. This is soul as they head in for a quick study session at 6:00 a.m. The people may when the excitement of ZSR really come and go, but ZSR remains, begins to take hold. always there, bidding you goodbye, Passing time in the library in only to welcome you home a few the obscure hours of the night short hours later. can be manipulated down to a science. Of course, people will be studying, buried nose deep into their Hamlin Wade is a sophomore political science major from Charlotte, N.C. Philosophy of War book or editing
I
Opinion Old Gold & Black
Thursday, March 4, 2010 A6
Cartoonist Oscar picks may cause controversy gets unfairly targeted Taking a Different Opinion | My Two Cents
Cory McConnell
Matt Moran
K
Staff columnist
urt Westergaard, a 74-year-old Dane, lives in Arhus, Denmark, a city of about 230,000 on the eastern coast of the country. His house is outfitted with reinforced bullet-proof glass on all the windows, steel doors and a panic room, which he has had to use once. Police follow him to and from work and his protection is performed by the Danish Security and Intelligence Service. Two attempts have been made on his life, one was foiled by the Danish security organization and the other required Kurt to flee to his panic room to avoid being butchered by a Somali immigrant to Denmark wielding an axe and a knife. What is this man’s profession? Clearly he lives under constant danger and therefore it would be reasonable to assume he is a controversial government employee or perhaps he rubbed an organized crime group the wrong way. Reasonable as these assumptions might be, his actual profession is far simpler. He is a cartoonist, employed by the Danish newspaper The Jutland Post. Kurt has been an active cartoonist for since the mid-1980’s, but is well known for a single cartoon which appeared, along with 11 others, in The Jutland Post on September 30, 2005. The cartoon in question depicted a Muslim man, presumably Muhammad, looking quite deranged and wearing a bomb for a turban. Offensive and in poor taste, no doubt, but the madness which ensued forces one to side with the artist. The Danish embassies in Iran, Lebanon and Syria were burned, constituting a direct attack on diplomatic immunity, one of the most sacred principles in international relations. Roughly 100 people were killed in riots which included burning of Danish and other flags and featured signs such as “be prepared for the real Holocaust” and “behead those who insult Islam.” It should go without saying that these sentiments don’t represent the views of all or even most Muslims, but the flagrant disregard for freedom of speech, a freedom which fully exists in no Muslim country, is chilling. Further, for an artist in a tiny secular democracy in northern Europe to face death by an axe for a cartoon, regardless of the content, is absurd and barbaric. Where are the riots when cartoons of Former Israeil Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a man I dislike intensely, appear in the Palestinian Authority’s official newspaper showing him chopping up Palestinian children with a swatikashapped axe? Or when a cartoon appears in a supposedly moderate Saudi newspaper, called Arab News, which shows rats with Stars of David on their heads infesting a Palestinian home? The people who burned the Danish embassy in Damascus want for themselves a right they will extend to no other; imagine the reaction if the Israelis burned the Jordanian or Egyptian (the only Arab countries which recognize Israel) embassy any time an anti-Semitic image appears in their press. Fanatical Muslims attacking artists is not new. Salman Rushdie, an Indian author who writes in English, lived in hiding for nine years after the Ayatollah Khomeini issued a death sentence against him. Theo van Gogh, a descendant of Vincent van Gogh, was shot in the streets of Amsterdam and butchered with a knife, which was then plunged in to his chest, pinning a death threat to Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Ali and van Gogh made a short film condemning the rampant physical abuse of women among Muslim immigrant populations in the Netherlands; drawing attention to this, evidently, warrants a death sentence. Recently, and sadly, The Jutland Post has apologized for the publishing of the cartoons. No apologies were made to the Danish government for the destruction of their embassies, nor has a single Arab newspaper apologized for the intense anti-Semitism which is published daily. Perhaps if the reaction had been different, we could have a serious discussion about how disrespectful the Muhammad cartoons were, but given the enormity of the hypocrisy by the Arab press, as well as the governments of Iran, Syria and Lebanon, such a discussion is impossible. That violence should be used against an artist is an absurdity and that the newspaper which published his work should have to apologize is a travesty to freedom of speech. If all sides in a dispute can’t simply say that it is wrong for a man to be killed because of what he says or draws, there is no point in even having a discussion. Oh well, that’s why there are panic rooms. Matt Moran is a sophomore history major from Pittsburgh, Penn.
O
Staff columnist
ver the past couple weeks, being a student and lover of all things film, I’ve been asked by friends and family who I think should win at this year’s Academy Awards. I, therefore, have decided to put my opinions in article form. Now, I realize that not everyone is going to agree with my choices and that’s perfectly OK. This is simply what I view to be the best of the year and all the Avatar fanboys and Julie and Julia-loving fangirls will just have to deal with that (or stop reading now). And remember, these awards are going to who I think should win, that is, who deserves the award, rather than the film/actor/actress/ director most likely to win. I am also only going into the big four categories, that is, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress, as my space here is limited and I tend to ramble a lot when I talk about movies. Best Picture: The Hurt Locker Let me start by saying what this film isn’t. This is not an action-packed CGI frenzy like Avatar. This is not a manipulatively uplifting film that exists only for the sake of uplifting people a la The Blind Side (there is a place for that kind of film but the “Best Picture” category ain’t it, folks). What it is, however, is the best picture of the year. Kathryn Bigelow’s film is a tense, introspective, timely and thoughtful look at American soldiers in Iraq and the effects of war on them. The scenes set in Iraq are suspenseful, powerful and keep the viewer on the edge of their emotional seat as this
study of life on the edge progresses. The scenes Best Actress: Gabourey Sidibe, Precious in the film that take place in America are also OK, admittedly, I haven’t seen four of the incredibly well thought-out, as a soldier, who five performances in this category (sorry), but visits home for the first time in a year, tries to I did see Precious, and the newcomer Gabourey get used to being home. This film is part war Sidibe definitely deserves some attention for movie, part character study, and the direction, her performance, if not an Academy Award. I cinematography and acting (most notably from genuinely hope she continues to get big roles in lead Jeremy Renner) make for the best film of films and that her career isn’t defined by being 2009. If you haven’t seen it yet you are truly “the girl from Precious.” missing out. Though there are other wonderful Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt films nominated for this category, The Hurt Locker Locker will stay with you long after most of the OK, it’s been established already that I love other films have faded from your memory. The Hurt Locker, but there are definitive reasons Best Actor: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart that Bigelow should win for directing other Let me first again address the other nominees than I think she made the best film of the year. in this category. George Clooney was pretty First is growth. You have to keep in mind that good in Up in the Air, but I felt like I was this is the same woman who once directed watching George Clooney, not the character in Point Break. Point freaking Break. After you the film. I know the Clooneywatch The Hurt Locker, ites out there will surely boo that fact becomes almost and hiss, but come on, the unfathomable. The maturity Kathryn Bigelow’s film (The guy is just so smug. Morgan displayed, introspectiveness Hurt Locker) is a tense, Freeman, who plays Nelson and just overall attention introspective, timely and Mandela in Invictus, was to detail (emotional as well apparently “born to play this thoughtful look at American as aesthetic) in the film are role” (Peter Travers). But isn’t incredible. Her ex-husband soldiers in Iraq and the effects that exactly what’s wrong and fellow nominee James of war on them. with the whole thing? It just Cameron has apparently doesn’t seem like a challenging, “revolutionized” movie interesting or ultimately making technology and award-worthy performance. created an imaginative world all his own, which If anything, this was a very safe role for is all fine and great and progressive or whatever, Freeman, and I don’t particularly think that but Bigelow’s direction makes you sympathize, warrants an award. Now, Jeremy Renner gave scorn, rejoice, fear and generally feel in ways that a fantastic performance in The Hurt Locker, Cameron’s heavy-handed Avatar simply doesn’t. but I have to give it to Jeff Bridges by a hair. So those are my picks for this year’s ceremony. The challenging role of “Bad Blake” was so I’d love to say more about all the films and well written and performed that it demands categories nominated, but alas I must stop attention. Whether calling his estranged somewhere. son, vomiting into a toilet in his underwear, Feel free to get in touch if you want to talk performing (yes, actually performing) country about how the Blind Side or Avatar was the best songs or drunkenly wandering the streets movie ever or geek out with me about Haneke’s searching for his mistress’s toddler, this really is White Ribbon (up for Best Foreign Film) or scorn a complete performance from Bridges, who does me for snubbing Inglourious Basterds. Happy everything he can to become his character. It’s movie-watching, readers. one of those old school method performances that you simply cannot imagine anyone else Cory McConnell is a sophomore communications playing effectively, and for that he gets my vote. major from Wexford, Penn.
Rethinking the State | A Critical View of Government
Article distorts Middle East conflict Elliot Engstrom
I
Senior columnist
rarely become truly angry when reading the opinion of a fellow human being. As should be obvious from my libertarian associations, I understand that free speech is inextricably linked with freedom. However, while I would never advocate for the silencing of one whose opinion I find little to no common ground with, I can still say that Thomas Qualtere of the Heritage Foundation’s recent article (“Hawks we are, hawks we must remain,” The Daily Caller, March 2, 2010) concerning the future of both foreign policy and conservatism in our nation deeply saddens me, and reinforces in my mind the importance of helping my fellow Americans gain an accurate understanding of the misguided foreign policy that has led our country into a cycle of perpetual war and violence from which it often seems there is no escape. Qualtere attempts to address the question of where the youth of today should commit themselves in terms of creating the American foreign policy of tomorrow. “We are the 9/11 generation,” he writes. Qualtere states that we are a generation that should understand the cost of not confronting our enemies overseas, and that the lessons of 9/11 should be our call to fight for an American foreign policy that deals with our enemies where they live, rather than lets them come to strike us at home. According to Qualtere, we are children of the ‘80s and ‘90s, the ‘80s being “harmonious, optimistic and thriving,” and the ‘90s being “a time of peace and prosperity that neither our parents nor grandparents ever knew.” It seems that Qualtere believes that the most important things to remember about the ‘80s and ‘90s are that “the music was great, the movies were fun, the new cellular telephones were neat and the World Wide Web was even cooler.” Then, 9/11 came, ending America’s party. I at least give Qualtere credit for admitting his own ignorance. Indeed, one would have to selectively remember only certain aspects of the ‘80s and ‘90s to have as flawed an understanding of the modern Middle East as he does. Let’s not remember the fact that the CIA taught the fighters who would one day be the Taliban how to build and employ suicide bombs in the 1980s. Let’s not remember that during the IraqIran war, the United States supplied Saddam Hussein with many of the weapons that he would use to kill American soldiers just a few years later.
Let’s not remember that it was the official correct? He writes that his concern is “capital-L policy of both Presidents Carter and Reagan ‘Libertarians’ – the anti-government, anti-war, to give the Afghani freedom fighters who ‘we provoked 9/11,’ ‘Lincoln was a tyrant,’ were attempting to keep the USSR at bay just conspiracy-minded squad of ideologues who’ve enough aid to perpetuate the Russian invasion gotten louder, prouder, and increasingly selffor the sake of draining the Soviets, but not righteous over the past several years.” nearly enough to aid to bring an end to the In fact, no, I do not prove him correct, for I conflict, resulting in massive Afghani casualties. am not arguing that we provoked 9/11. I am Let’s certainly not remember that during the arguing that our government has engaged in a ‘80s and much of the ‘90s, Osama bin Laden secretive, imperialistic, war-mongering foreign was receiving a nice fat paycheck from Uncle policy for over 20 years before 9/11 occurred Sam. Let’s not remember that during the ‘80s, at the cost of the peoples of both the United the CIA provided the most extremist Muslim States and the Middle East. groups with weapons, support, training and Our government took a region that was thousands of Korans as methods of support already a hornet’s nest and threw rocks at and recruitment. Let’s not remember that it, hoping to be able to control the angry the majority of the Islamic extremists we are inhabitants that would inevitably emerge. I fighting today are the result of a network of mourn every day for the innocent people that recruitment that was conceptualized, financed died on 9/11, but I equally mourn for the and maintained with American taxpayer men, women and children of the Middle East money. who have endured horrible fates due to what Let’s not remember that it was the Pakistani Qualtere refers to as “the Good War of a new Inter-Services Intelligence that, with American century,” a war of aggression being cleverly backing, organized the Taliban in the brutal disguised as a war of defense. Afghani civil war that followed Soviet Tell me, if an American bomb meant to withdrawal from the target terrorists dropped on region. And, if we are going your home, killing everyone to maintain our simple you love, and the next day an I am arguing that our image of the people we are extremist recruiter attempted government has engaged in a fighting in the Middle East to capitalize on your situation secretive, imperialistic, waras “bad” and ourselves as by handing you a gun and mongering foreign policy for “good,” then it is certainly giving you the chance for important not to remember over 20 years before 9/11 ocrevenge, would you not be that the Taliban was tempted take it? Are you curred at the cost of the peoples that blind to the fact that the receiving U.S. foreign aid of both the United States and up to the very moment people you simplify as the that American forces were “bad guys” share your desire the Middle East. crossing into their territory. to defend your home, family, So yes, if you forget this and country? entire history of American Finally, if you truly care involvement in the Middle East, cite 9/11 as for the soldiers who you attempt to honor, the beginning of our war in the region, and then I implore you to take a second look at simplify your enemy as “bad guys” and yourself the foreign policy you advocate. Through a as the “good guy.” I suppose your argument series of misconceptions, false presuppositions makes sense. and missed history lessons, you are signing However, suppose that young Americans the death warrants of thousands of American don’t forget our nation’s history in this soldiers and residents of the Middle East, both tumultuous region. dead and still to die. Suppose that young Americans look to facts You state that the “9/11 generation” needs to instead of political opportunists basing their “fully embrace and defend the role that history arguments in false presuppositions and scare has bestowed upon us and wear our hawk tactics. feathers more proudly than ever.” Here’s a radical idea: suppose that young Well, I respectfully disagree. Americans consider the fact that the people of I do not define our generation by our greatest the Middle East are human beings just like us, national disaster, but by our greatest national and that the majority of them want nothing hope — liberty. more than to live according to their own And where you have hope that the 9/11 values. generation will wear its hawk feathers proudly, Suppose that a constant American military I have hope that the liberty generation will presence in the Middle East is recruitment wear the eagle feathers of our founders, and fuel for Islamic extremists. Suppose that remember that the greatest enemies of freedom consistently killing exponentially more civilians are not hiding in caves overseas, but sitting in than militants in Afghanistan makes the decadent halls right here at home. Our war will Afghani people increasingly hostile towards be a war of words — and unlike your perpetual the United States. Suppose rigging elections cycle of war in the Middle East — our war will and calling them free and democratic damages be won. the United States’ credibility as a bastion of freedom. However, does my rhetoric not Elliot Engstrom is a senior French major from prove Qualtere’s analysis of libertarians to be Matthews, N.C.
News Old Gold & Black
Thursday, March 4, 2010 A7
Metaethics of gay lives addressed by law professor By Lauren Dayton | Staff Writer
School of Law Professor Shannon Gilreath gave a lecture titled “Gay Lives/Straight Laws: The Metaethics of Gay Liberation” as part of the library lecture series based on his forthcoming book. Buzzing with the activity of midterm week, the ZSR hosted the third installment in its spring lecture series March 2. A graduate of Gilreath the university’s School of Law, Gilreath is nationally recognized as a leading scholar on issues of equality, sexual minorities and constitutional interpretation.
He opened the lecture to a group of approximately 50 university students and faculty with a general overview of his book, in which 11 chapters cover how legal theory operates in the lives of gay people and addresses some of the hot topics of gay liberation. He proceeded to explain his book’s title and his choice of the word “metaethics.” He defined the term as the study and meaning of the terms and judgments of ethical arguments. The term metaethics reflects his belief that the legal issues which face gay people are more sweeping than specific issues like gay marriage or pornography. For Gilreath, suppression of homosexual identity leads to a legal system which does not reflect the real lives of gay Americans. “Gay people are denied the epistemological ‘I am’ that is omni-
scient in the straight world,” Gilreath He called for a shift from reformism said. to radicalism, stated he was “happy to The bulk of his lecture focused on be defined as a radical.” gay marriage, a topic which he believes According to him, gay people have curries disproportionate interests in missed an opportunity by focusing on the discussion of equal rights. marriage: they had a chance to create He was careful a new institution to make a distincbased on sexual tion between equal “Gay people are denied the epis- equality, instead of rights (in terms forcing themselves temological ‘I am’ that is of property or in- omniscient in the straight world.” to adopt a flawed heritance laws) and heterosexual instiShannon Gilreath marriage (the latution. Professor of Law bel). He called for After his prepared gay people to reject remarks, Gilreath marriage as an inanswered a number stitution based on sexual subjugation. of questions on hate speech, which he He decried the aggressive calls for calls anti-identity speech, and pornoggay assimilation into marriage and the raphy. military, two structures which have “I really enjoyed the lecture,” freshhistorically perpetuated patriarchal man attendee Jana Sloane said. “I came dominance. because I’m taking a Women’s and
Gender Studies class: Women and the Law. I thought it was interesting how he applied dominance theory to gaystraight relations. “We’re learning about it in terms of male-female relations, but his use of it makes sense in the context of the legal situations he was talking about,” she said. An advocate of interdisciplinary study, Gilreath teaches courses in sexuality and law, religion and law, and gender studies at the law school. Additionally she serves as an associated professor at the Wake Forest Divinity School and is a member of the core faculty in the university’s women’s and gender studies department. The next presentation in ZSR’s spring lecture series will be “Women in Science at WFU,” at 4 p.m. on March 29.
LENS: Program to demonstrate a liberal arts college experience Continued from Page A1
from the local Riverkeepers chapter. Local baseball games, concerts and a campus scavenger hunt will serve as an orientation to the Reynolda Campus.
Co-director and English professor Anne Boyle says LENS will help students learn how to develop and present well-crafted ideas. “Students will begin to see how they can use writing to learn, to test ideas, and then to persuade others of the value and efficacy of their ideas,” Boyle said.
“What separates Wake Forest’s one-on-one writing tutorials ticipants chosen on a competiprogram,” Johnston said, “from with me and collaborative writ- tive basis. The priority deadline other similar programs is the goal ing workshops with their peers as for the program is March 5, but they work to understand complex applications will be accepted of having students leave with the PCorps_K45x7_SER_Make.pdf confidence and the tools to envi- ideas and translate these ideas through May 31. The official program dates are sion and implement their own into proposals for community action.” July 10 - 31. Students will reside in success stories.” The three-week summer pro- university housing accompanied “LENS participants will have the opportunity to engage in gram will be limited to 36 par- by an experienced Resident Advi-
sor staff. No college credit will be awarded to students although access will be gained to a variety of peers and professors, along with incalculable experience in problem solving. For more information, visit provost.wfu.edu, and click LENS on the left hand side column.
Make a living, or make a difference. You decide.
Why settle for the ordinary when you can challenge yourself, help others and serve your country? Contact the Peace Corps today, and change your idea of what “changing the world” is all about.
Peace Corps Redefine your world. www.peacecorps.gov Meghan Rothschild didn’t think 800-424-8580 indoor tanning would hurt her. She was wrong. UV light from indoor tanning, especially when exposed at an early age, can increase your risk of melanoma... the deadliest form of skin cancer. That’s what Meghan developed when she was 20 after being a frequent indoor tanner since she was 17. Current estimates show that 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer. Do you want to be the one... like Meghan? Indoor tanning is out. To read Meghan’s skin cancer story or to learn more about protecting your skin go to www.aad.org/media/psa
A8 Thursday, March 4, 2010
Old Gold & Black Advertisement
Shane Kroker: The Deacs’ starting third baseman tells why he chose Wake Forest and what he sees in the future for both himself and the baseball team. Page B2.
S PORTS O L D
G O L D
&
B L A C K
T H U R S DAY , M a r c h 4 , 2 0 1 0 PA G E
B1 O N L I N E A T : w w w. o l d g o l d a n d b l a c k . c o m E DITOR: Ashton Astbury
Olympic Diary
{ UPCOMING GAMES } TRACK & FIELD: 3/19 Wake Forest Open 3/26 Raleigh Relays 4/02 Auburn Invit. MEN’S BASKETBALL: 3/07 v. Clemson 3/11 ACC Tournament 3/12 ACC Tournament WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: 3/04 v. Miami 3/05 ACC Tournament 3/06 ACC Tournament MEN’S TENNIS: 3/10 @ Southern Cal 3/19 @ LSU 3/24 v. N.C. State WOMEN’S TENNIS: 3/06 @ N.C. State 3/09 @ South Carolina 3/10 @ Col. Charleston MEN’S GOLF: 3/14 General Hackler 3/28 Hootie at Bulls Bay 4/09 Wolfpack Intercoll. WOMEN’S GOLF: 3/12 Tiger/Wave Classic 3/26 Liz Murphey Classic 4/02 Bryan National
Graphic by Connor Swarbrick/Old Gold & Black
Same medal, different standards
Obama owes Canadian counterpart a beer President Barack Obama owes Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper a case of beer after losing a friendly wager on Sunday’s U.S./Canada gold medal hockey game. Canada defeated the Americans 3-2. Along with pitting the world’s two best hockey teams against each other, the game on Feb. 28 also featured a side bet between Canada’s oldest brewery and the oldest beer maker in the United States. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the President bet a case of Yuengling. Harper wagered 24 bottles of Molson. The Canadian national team avenged a 5-3 loss to the United States in group play with a thrilling overtime win. Trailing 2-1 heading into the final seconds, the Americans got a clutch goal from tournament hero Zach Parise to send the game to overtime with 25 seconds remaining. In the overtime period, Canadian star forward Sidney Crosby indirectly sent his Prime Minister a case of Yuengling by sneaking the gamewinner past American Ryan Miller.
{ BY THE NUMBERS }
28 5 9 20
field goals missed by seniors in men’s basketball loss to UNC seed for the women’s basketball team in the ACC Tournament sets won for the men’s tennis team in a 4-3 loss to No. 2 Tennessee points shy of 1,000 career for L.D. Williams
{ DEAC OF THE WEEK } The men’s tennis team had a big week, with a 5-2 win over Michigan and a narrow 4-3 loss to No. 2 Tennessee. Senior Steve Forman was a major catalyst of the Deacs’ success, winning both of his singles matches over ranked opponents. Forman, ranked 67th in this week’s ITA singles poll, Forman easily handled Michigan’s No. 67 Evan King 7-6, 6-2. He then dismantled the 21st ranked player in the country, Boris Conkic of Tennessee, 6-1, 6-4. For his efforts, Forman was named ACC Player of the Week.
{ SPORTS WORDS } “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.”
~Lou Holtz Notre Dame Football Coach 1986-1996
Rookie writer hangs with the USA women’s hockey team in Vancouver By Laven Newsom | Contributing writer Comparing the stats of the men’s and women’s hockey team reveal very little differences. Both clubs put up an impressive number of goals while limiting their opponent’s shots. Both groups of Americans were undefeated heading into their final game against the lauded Canadians and both teams had recorded easy wins in the semi-final rounds. In fact, the only real noticeable difference between the two teams was the gender of the players. However, when digging deeper it becomes blatantly clear that while
the NHLrs on the men’s team were given everything they could need, the women’s team was left woefully behind. I had the chance to spend a few days with the women’s team and their parents in Vancouver as they soared through their last matches of the tournament. On ice, the girls were unstoppable, putting up gaudy numbers against the best players in the world and making it look extremely easy. Their goals came in a variety of fashions and their excitement poked through every time they ripped shots past an opposing keeper. American hockey officials were quick to heap praise on their proficient women when the cameras were circling however when the red light blinked off it became a completely different story. While the parents of the men’s team were parked in a fancy hotel down-
town with free food and a plethora of drivers, the women’s families were forced to fight for their own lodging in expensive Vancouver. In fact, the family that I became close with was forced to set up shop across the border in Washington as the price of housing was just too costly. Local Canadians, being the smart business people they are, hiked up prices and a small three bedroom house close to the city was available for a measly $14,000 a week. While the millionaire players on the men’s roster could afford such expensive dwelling for their families, the women’s team was composed of mostly college players who didn’t have money to throw around. They were in college not to impress the pro scouts but instead to earn their degrees and get a job in the real world. These are girls from small towns across the country who have reached
the pinnacle of their sport at the Olympic Games. They have no All-Star game, no professional playoffs and certainly no hope of earning a living at their sport. These women take precious time away from their jobs and education to play for their country and we reward them by reminding them they were born without a Y chromosome. Their families don’t have millionaire sons supplying them with money for their coffers and many were on a strict budget for their two week stay in Canada. Thus their families were forced to trek two hours each way, not including time at the border, to watch their daughters succeed on the ice. They were occasionally given free food and an extra ticket to the games but the majority of what they needed was not provided.
See Olympics, Page B4
Deacs drop four consecutive games Tebow’s
draft place debated
By Matt Poppe | Staff writer
Florida State Wake Forest
51 47
Wake Forest dropped two ACC games this past week losing most recently to the Florida State Seminoles 51-47 on March 3. The Deacs suffered only their second home loss on Saturday losing to the North Carolina Tar Heels 77-68. The Demon Deacons have now lost four in a row with only one game left to play in the regular season. The Demon Deacons headed into the Feb. 27 game against North Carolina looking for a season sweep of the Tar Heels after an 82-69 win in January. The Tar Heels, who have had a season far below expectations, had lost three in a row coming into the contest. The Demon Deacons were coming off a tough loss to N.C. State the previous weekend. The Deacs posted a different starting line-up replacing senior Chas McFarland with sophomore Tony Woods. Woods played well early as the Deacs and Tar Heels battled back and forth. McFarland did enter the game at the 16:55 mark, but Woods was forced to come back in as McFarland picked up three quick fouls in less than three minutes. The first half continued to be a battle with neither team leading by more than four. The Deacs were uplifted midway through the second half by freshman Ari Stewart who hit two threes from the wing and really got the crowd involved. “Playing at home is definitely an advantage,” Stewart said. “When people are behind you and believe in you, it’s a lot easier.” The game continued to be a tight one, but Wake Forest was unable to score in the final two
By L.K. Davey | Staff writer
ages 31 points per game combined. Wake Forest looked to rebound in the second half, but so far this season have only posted a 2-5 record when trailing at the half. The Demon Deacons came out focused and Gary Clark’s
As a senior, I’m anticipating spending the rest of my year keeping my grades high enough to graduate and figuring out what where I’m going to be next year. My future location is largely determined on who will end up be willing to hire me for employment. In this way, I actually have a lot in common with senior quarterback for the Florida Gators, Tim Tebow. The 22 year-old from Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. is about to go through his interview process during pro day in March, and then onto the NFL draft. Tebow has spent the last couple of weeks filling out his athletic resume, bringing in 40-yard dash time of 4.7 seconds, as well as a vertical leap of 38.5 inches. The two features of his portfolio that will garner the most attention will be his vertical leap which is tied for the best recorded for a quarterback, and the Heisman Trophy he won in 2007. As far as where Tebow will go next year, that is a topic highly debated. He is a solid quarterback who is able to work running the ball as well as passing, although his passing skills would need to be refined for the NFL. There has been some suggestion that he should switch positions, and potentially work on his game as a tight end. I think that he will probably stay as a quarterback,
See M. Basketball, Page B10
See Pressbox, Page B4
PRESS BOX
FROM THE
}
IN THE SPOTLIGHT:
Kelly Makepeace/Old Gold & Black
L.D. Williams drives past a defender in a 77-68 home loss to North Carolina. The team has lost four straight games. minutes and entered halftime down by a score of 32-28. The first half saw 10 lead changes and four ties. Freshman C.J. Harris, senior Ish Smith and senior Chas McFarland combined to score zero points in the first half. This really hurt the Demon Deacons since the trio aver-
B2 Thursday, March 4, 2010
Old Gold & Black Sports Photo courtesy of Brian Westerholt of Sports on Film Graphic by Ken Meyer/Old Gold & Black
Shane Kroker
By Gary Pasqualicchio | Staff writer After a 2-0 start to the 2010 regular season, the Wake Forest baseball team has fallen on hard times, losing six out of seven games to fall to 3-6 on the year. However, with a new head coach, Tom Walter, and a number of talented underclassmen on the roster, there are plenty of reasons for optimism both this season and in the near future. One of those skilled young players is starting third baseman Shane Kroker. Through nine games, the right-handed sophomore from Westlake Village, Calif. is hitting .259, good for fourth on the team. He has also added a double, three RBI, and a teamhigh two sacrifice hits. Defensively, Kroker has 15 assists from third base and has turned a double play. In the team’s most recent victory, an 8-7 win over Kent State, Kroker was 1-3 with an RBI and a run scored. He has gone as the Deacs have gone, reaching base in all three of the team’s victories. In 2009, as a freshman, Kroker started 51 games, mostly at shortstop, and hit .261 with nine doubles, two home runs and 21 RBI. The third baseman reflects on his baseball past, present and future with plenty of optimism ahead. When did you start playing baseball? I started playing baseball when I was five years old. It was T-Ball and I played a lot of first base. Do you model your game after any professional player?
I saw Troy Tulowitzki of the Colorado Rockies play in college (at Long Beach State) and I thought we played the game very similarly. He plays with a lot of passion and gets the job done offensively and defensively. Why did you choose Wake Forest to continue your baseball career? When I came down for my official visit, a lot of the guys on the team made me feel right at home. They shared their knowledge about the school and the baseball program. I really liked the small campus atmosphere and small class sizes. I knew we were moving into the minor league park too. That was a big part of (my decision). What is it like playing in the ACC and where is your favorite place to play? The ACC is definitely the best conference in baseball. The thirty games we play vs. ACC teams are a great way to get better. As a hitter, you never face a bad pitcher. My favorite place to play is Florida State for sure. They had 6,000 fans each night we played there and the atmosphere was unreal. What have been your early impressions of the new Head Coach Tom Walter? He knows his stuff. Coming in here, I knew he would change this program after hearing good
things about his prior coaching experience at New Orleans (University). I’m sure that we’ll be one of the top ACC contenders in the next few years under him. How has the transition been like from shortstop to third base? The transition has been easy for me because I feel a little more comfortable at third base. That’s the position I played growing up. It’s more of a natural position for me. I also think my defensive skills fit better there. What is your favorite baseball memory? Winning the Bronco World Series as a 12-year old in Monterey, Calif. with my Pony Baseball Team. We didn’t lose a game and beat Chinese Tapei in the final. Later that summer my travel team went to play in Cooperstown, N.Y., for the tournament of Champions and went 12-0. We beat a powerhouse team from Florida in the final who had six eventual D-1 players and some who were drafted last year in the MLB. If you could face one pitcher currently playing in the big leagues for one at-bat who would it be and why? Tim Lincecum — I want to see what his delivery is like from up in the batter’s box and I would just hope I could make contact.
What are your personal and team goals for this season? Hopefully, we have a good year in the ACC and make it to the ACC Tournament. Once you make it in, you have as good a shot as any other team to make it to a Regional. Personally, I want to improve defensively and get on base so the hitters behind me can drive me in. Who’s been most supportive throughout your career? My dad for sure — he was the first one to ever play catch with me and has given me support, driven me to tournaments, gave me baseball lessons growing up and came to all my games, giving me tips on what he thinks I can improve on. He’s just always been there for me. If you could visit one place in the world where would it be? Hawaii — I’ve been to Kauai but I’d like to see one of the other islands. It’s an escape and time to relax. Where do you see yourself 10 years from now? I want to continue to play baseball after my time at Wake Forest and we’ll see where that takes me. If not, having a degree from here will hopefully give me the opportunity to be successful in whatever I choose to do.
Sports Old Gold & Black
Thursday, March 4, 2010 B3
Diamond Deacs face setbacks reminiscent of last season By John Kuchno | Staff writer
Kent State Wake Forest
13 8
The Demon Deacon baseball team continues its struggles from just one season ago. With the start of conference play lingering in the near future, the Deacs are looking for all sorts of improvement. After a tough, well-fought 2-0 loss to 12th ranked Coastal Carolina squad, the Demon Deacons seemed well prepared to embark on their weekend series against Kent State. In the first matchup of the four game series, the Deacs dropped another tough loss. This one came at the hands of Kent State’s David Lyon who hit a gamewinning home run in the top of the ninth off Wake’s Michael Dimock. Dimock had a tough day from the rubber and gave up two runs on four hits in 2.2 innings while tallying the loss. Offensively, the Deacs showed much improvement in production from the Coastal Carolina loss.
Freshman shortstop Patrick Blair smacked his first collegiate home run to lead off the game and went 2-for-5 on the day. “It was one of the most exciting achievements of my baseball career, but my goal isn’t to hit homeruns, it’s to win ball games,” Blair said. Also, senior catcher Mike Murray was able to drive in two runs on the day. The second game of the series proved an even tougher loss to swallow as the Deacs went down in extra innings. After winning his first collegiate game only a week ago, freshman pitcher Tim Cooney continued his success and only allowed three unearned runs on seven hits in six innings pitched. “I was moving the fastball around and changing speeds, which is what I need to do to have success,” Cooney said. With seven strikeouts in the start, Cooney proved that he is a top pitcher in the rotation. “I feel real confident on the mound,” he said. Despite the freshman’s success, the Diamond Deacons fell to 2-5 on the young season. The young talent shined once again as the Deacs broke their
losing streak in the third game of the series against Kent State. In the bottom of the seventh inning, freshman shortstop Mark Rhine looked wise beyond his years as he knocked a go-ahead RBI double in the gap. His RBI was the difference maker and the Deacs ended their late inning woes with an 8-7 win. Continuing on the theme of freshmen success, pitcher Matt Conway saw his first action from the rubber and threw three very important scoreless innings to earn the victory. The Diamond Deacs were unable to build off their momentum and suffered a 13-8 loss at the hands of Kent State in their fourth game of the series that next day. Despite a tough start and a current 3-6 record, this year’s Demon Deacon baseball team has proved its competitiveness. The young freshmen are not only fun to watch, but are becoming more mature with every game. With continued senior leadership and the increasing maturity of the underclassmen, expect the Deacs to win more late inning games.
Rachel Cameron/Old Gold & Black
Sophomore Austin Stadler reaches out to snag the ball. Next up, the Diamond Deacs will take on Xavier on Mar. 5.
Lady Deacs fall in last regular season game to Clemson By Calais Zagarow | Staff writer
Clemson Wake Forest
Michael Crouse/Old Gold & Black
Junior Brittany Waters blocks a shot attempt earlier in the season. The Lady Deacs’ regular season is over, with the ACC Tournament beginning on Mar. 4.
67 62
Wake Forest women’s basketball team honored their seniors with a win against N.C. State at home on Feb. 25 before falling to Clemson in the regular season finale on Feb. 28. Freshman Sandra Garcia led the Demon Deacons in scoring with 16 points in their 66-50 win over the Wolfpack during the last home game of the season. The double-doubles of junior Brittany Waters, who had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and sophomore Secily Ray, who had 15 points and 16 rebounds, also contributed greatly to the team’s success. According to Head Coach Mike Petersen, senior Courteney Morris’ key 3-point basket with just under four minutes left in the game gave the Deacons the advantage they needed to hold their lead for the remainder of the game. “Courteney making that 3-point basket on senior night was huge,” Petersen said. “You can’t tell from the stats, but she makes huge baskets for us. She comes up big when we need her.” Unfortunately the Demon Deacons were unable to secure a win in the
last few minutes of their match away against Clemson on Feb. 28, despite shooting 40 percent from the floor and outrebounding Clemson 38-30. The Deacons were led in rebounding and scoring once again by Waters, who had 14 points and eight rebounds, and Garcia, who had 15 points and five rebounds. A 3-point basket by Garcia with 3:08 left in the game had tied the score at 59-59, but a series of successful foul shots from Clemson senior Lele Hardy and freshman Keyrra Gillespie pushed the Tigers to their fourth win in the ACC. “I think that one of the great things that our team has is that no matter how much we’re down, we never give up,” Garcia said. “After I made the three, we saw that we were still in the game and our confidence definitely went up, but Hardy and Gillespie made their shots and it ended up being a really tough loss.” Wake Forest’s win over N.C. State and subsequent loss to Clemson leaves the team with a 17-12, 7-7 record going into their match against Miami in the ACC Tournament Opener on Mar. 4. The 33rd annual ACC Tournament is set to tip-off at approximately 11 a.m. on Mar. 4 in Greensboro and will conclude with the championship game on Mar. 11 at 1 p.m.
M. tennis split pair of weekend matches, fall to No. 2 Tenn. By Chris Landers | Staff writer
Tennessee Wake Forest
4 3
The Wake Forest Men’s tennis team faced two big matches this past weekend, defeating No. 34 Michigan on Feb. 27 by a score of 5-2 and narrowly losing a heartbreaker to No. 2 Tennessee the next day 4-3. The Demon Deacons got a scare early from the Wolverines, as the 12th ranked team of Iain Atkinson and Steven Forman were upset by Michigan’s Jason Jung and Evan King. The Deacs third doubles team of Carlos Salmon and David Hopkins tried to pick up the slack, winning their match in a tight battle over Chris Zinn Madden and Chris Cha 9-8. However, Jon Wolff and Tripper Carleton were edged by George Navas and Mike Sroczynski 8-6, giving the doubles point to Michigan. The singles matches, however, were a completely different story. Freshman Tripper Carleton, who just arrived on campus in January, continued his outstanding singles play by upsetting the 33rd ranked Jason Jung in resounding fashion, 6-2, 6-4. Steven Forman also
came through for Wake, defeating the No. 76 ranked player Evan King 7-6, 6-2. Iain Atkinson, the No. 117 singles player, survived a three-set battle with Mike Sroczynski 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (3), to help put Wake Forest ahead for good. Jon Wolff and freshman Zach Leslie also won their singles matches for the Deacs to salt away the victory. On Feb. 28 Wake Forest took on the second ranked team in the country, the Tennessee Volunteers. Again, the Demon Deacons struggled with their doubles play against a Volunteer team boasting two top 10 pairings. Atkinson and Forman dropped their second straight match, falling to the No. 3 ranked of Davey Sandgren and John-Patrick Smith, 8-5. Atkinson and Forman were behind from the very start, and could not pull even despite numerous pushes and close games on Tennessee’s serve. Tennessee’s sixth-ranked team of Boris Conkic and Rhyne Williams pulled away from Salmon and Hopkins to win 8-3 and secure the point for the Vols. But, as on they had on the day before, Wake made their charge in the singles matches. First, Steve Forman upset No. 21 Conkic 6-1, 6-4, and was followed swiftly by Atkinson, who easily dispatched Tennys Sandgren 6-4, 6-0. Jonathan Wolff gave the Deacons a 3-1 lead with a hard-fought 6-3, 6-3 victory over No. 30 Rhyne Williams. And so for the Deacs the match came down to two freshmen, Tripper Carlton at first singles and Zach Leslie at fifth singles. Leslie came out firing against
No. 86 Matt Brewer, taking the first set 2-6. However, unforced errors and controversial calls did in the emotional rookie, who dropped the next two sets 6-3, 6-3. Carleton went up against the second best player in the country in John-Patrick Smith. The first set was a quick one due to sloppy play by Tripper, who lost 6-1. The freshman found his groove in the second, however, battling toe-to-toe with Smith and winning 7-5 after a big break of Smith’s serve. The third set began evenly, but then a break by Smith and more unforced errors from Carleton gave the former the win, 6-1, 5-7, 6-3, thus spelling defeat for Wake Forest. Head Coach Jeff Zinn was still pleased by the weekend, understanding that tough losses like Sunday’s will pay off come tournament time. “These experiences against top teams will help tremendously. “Our three freshmen lost their matches, (but) Tripper has been one of the best players in all of college tennis. They have to keep working to get better, and our hope for them is to have them ready to play these kinds of matches in April and May.” Zinn was, however, concerned about the lack of consistency from Wake’s doubles pairs, who dropped doubles points in both the weekend’s matches. “In our two losses, we lost the doubles point. We have two solid teams out there, but we can’t rely on them every match, we need to find a third team.”
Michael Crouse/Old Gold & Black
Iain Atkinson fires a serve for the men’s tennis team. The Deacs have several tough matches coming up, including at USC.
Riley Skinner blogs about experiences at NFL Combine
Catcher named to 2010 Johnny Bench Award Watch List
Ray, Waters earn 2009-10 All-ACC honors for their performances
Former senior stars Riley Skinner, Chris DeGeare and Brandon Ghee are currently at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. The trio are three of 329 draft hopefuls at the event. While auditioning in front of pro scouts, Skinner has blogged about his experiences at the Combine for wakeforestsports.com. In his first entry, Skinner describes how he is grateful to have the opportunity to be at the combine, and how he thinks that his performance there has gone well overall. So far, he has met with 25 NFL teams. To read all of Skinner’s entires, fans can log on to Wakeforestsports.com.
Wake Forest senior catcher Mike Murray has been named to the watch list for the 2010 Johnny Bench Award, as announced by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission. This is the second straight season Murray has been named to the list, which is composed of 53 catchers across the nation. Named after 17-year veteran and Hall of Famer Johnny Bench, the award recognizes the most outstanding catcher in the country each season. The list will be narrowed down to 10 semifinalists on May 19, with the winner announced on July 1. Through nine games this season, Murray is batting .300 with eight RBIs.
Sophomore Secily Ray and junior Brittany Waters have been named to the Third Team AllACC and Honorable Mention teams, respectively, for their performances in the 2009-10 season. Ray became to first Lady Deac to earn All-ACC recognition since Cotelia Bond-Young achieved the feat in 2006. The sophomore started every conference game, averaging a team-leading 12.6 ppg and 8.1 rpg in those games. Waters averaged a team-best 13.6 ppg throughout the entire year, and grabbed 5.5 rpg as well. The fifth seeded Lady Deacs will face off against 12th seeded Miami Hurricanes in the ACC Tournament on March 4.
l
B4 Thursday, March 4, 2010
Old Gold & Black Sports
Deacs run away from ACC Champ. with honors By Maggie Cancelosi | Staff writer
Men Women
10th 11th
Competing in the 2010 ACC Indoor Championship hosted in Blacksburg, Va., from Feb. 25th-27th, the Demon Deacon track and field program showcased strong performances from both the men, who received 10th place with a total of 21 points, and the women, who placed 11th with 32 points. Most impressively on the opening day of the championship, senior Caroline Vaughn set three personal bests as well as the pentathlon school record with a total of 3,758 points. The high score also surpassed the NCAA Provisional mark by 28 points. One of Vaughn’s strongest Vaughn events was her personal record time of 2:19:11 in the 800m, which allowed her to place fourth overall in the pentathlon. “Going into the championship the goal was to compete; emphasis was not placed on specific times or marks, but on beating the person in front of you,” Vaughn said. “It felt great to set the pentathlon record and was almost unexpected,” she said. “The first two events (hurdles and high jump) set a great tone for the rest of my pentathlon and I went into the 800 with an ambitious race plan and made sure to leave everything on the track!” Competing in only her second pentathlon, senior Alex Gove excelled under the pres-
sure by setting four personal records, most impressively in the 60m hurdles at 8.78, in the high jump with a mark of 4-9.50., and the 800m with a time of 2:15:00. Gove finished ninth with 3, 602 points. On the men’s side, senior Brent LaRue continued the momentum of his great season in the heptathlon particularly with a 7.04 in the 60m dash, a heptathlon-best 41-3.75 in the shot put and second place in the long jump with 6-7.50. Sophomore Alex Hill started the day with a personal best 7.17 in the 60m and placed third overall in the event. In the finals of the men’s heptathlon, La Rue placed fifth with 4, 935 points and Hill took eighth with a personal-best of 4,846 points. Among many strong performances by the Demon Deacons, the second day of the championship showcased junior Anna Nosenko, who won second place with an indoor-best time of 16:20. 19 in the 5,000m race and received all-ACC honors for the second year in a row. The following day, Nosenko earned allACC honors in the 3,000m after achieving an NCAA Provisional time of 9:29.50. On the final day of the championship, senior Jon Reid placed second in the men’s 400m dash for his second year in a row to earn All-ACC honors. Reid later competed in the 800m, and then joined teammates LaRue, Tyler Dodds and Allan Lunkenheimer for the 4x400m relay and placed fourth. Nicole Castronuova, Gwen Rico, Vaughn and Gove created a cohesive women’s 4x400m relay team, and placed sixth overall in the event and set the school-record with a time of 9:43.66. With the indoor season coming to a conclusion, the Deacons will kick off the outdoor season by hosting the Wake Forest Open on March 19th.
Photo courtesy of Media Relations
Junior Anna Nosenko separates from the pack. Nosenko took second place in the 5,000 meters and received All-ACC honors. The women’s team finished 11th overall.
Final round of Seahawk Invite canceled Olympics:
Unequal team
treatment exists Continued from Page B1
File photo/Old Gold & Black
Lee Bedford follows through and watches his shot land at the Seahawk Invitational. Bedford shot a 73-75 to finish 16th place overall, while the team finished in a tie for sixth with VCU. The final round was cancelled due to weather. By Joe Maugeri | Staff writer
Brendan Gielow 11th Lee Bedford 16th After posting opening round scores of 294 and 301, the men’s golf team sat in sixth place, poised to make a run to the top of the leaderboard on the second day of play. Unfortunately, inclement weather made conditions unplayable and forced the cancelation of the final round of play. With only the first day’s scores counting, the Deacon squad finished tied for sixth place at the Seahawk Invitational in Wilmington, N.C. on March 1-2. The event, which was held at Landfall Country Club, saw the Deacs get off to a good start in the first round of play on March 1. The team shot a combined six-over par score of 294 and was led by senior Brendan Gielow, who posted a team-low one-under par score of 71. The second round of the day, however, was not as successful for the Deacons. After getting off to a strong start in the first round of the day, weather conditions deteriorated and helped result in the second round team score of 301, which placed the Deacs tied for sixth place
with Virginia Commonwealth University. Gielow, who led the Deacs in the first round, shot a second round score of 75 to finish the day two strokes over par and tied for 11th place as an individual. Sophomore Lee Bedford had a successful day as well, posting scores of 73-75 to finish the day four strokes over par and tied for 16th place overall. Freshman Evan Beck also had a strong showing for the Deacs, rebounding from a first round score of 76 to shoot a 74 in the second round and finish the day six strokes over par and tied for 24th place. Freshman Charlie Harrison and senior Travis Wadkins both finished the day eight strokes over par and tied for 33rd place. With the first two rounds out of the way, the Deacons were looking to recover from the first day of play and make a day two run at the podium. As the team started its final round of play on March 2, several Deacons began a climb up the leaderboard, but inclement weather conditions caused the final round to be canceled, with only the first two rounds of play counting towards the final standings. With the cancelation of the final round, the Deacon squad finished the Seahawk Invitational with a two-round score of 595, which was good enough to earn them a sixth place tie. “We were playing pretty well today, so we probably would have moved up,” Head Coach Jerry Haas
said. “We are getting better and will hopefully peak at the right time.” It was clear, though, that the weather played a key role in the event. As conditions deteriorated on the first day of play, the Deacs were forced to play their second round in harsh conditions, leading to the team posting a second round score of 301. Despite the second-round trip-up, Haas was pleased with the way the team played. “I like their attitudes and the way they are approaching things,” Haas said. “When you are a competitor all you want to do is get out there and prove you are better.” The Deacon squad continues to be led by Gielow, who, after winning the individual crown at the JU Invitational on Feb. 9 and leading the Deacs to a team title at the Wexford Intercollegiate on Feb. 23, was named the ACC Player of the Month. “(Brendan) works extremely hard on his game,” Haas said. “He is a grinder with a lot of talent and those are the guys who are successful and turn into great players.” The Deacons will finish the spring season with four events in the Carolinas before the NCAA Regionals begin play on May 20. The team will be back in action on March 13-14 when they travel to the General Hackler Championship in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
While the women’s families were fighting for tickets, the family of our men’s team was supplied with tickets for both the opening and closing games. The relatives of the women were forced to pay the five-hundred dollar face value to watch their daughters walk around waving our flag. How such blatant sexism slipped through the cracks is beyond me. As I sat and listened to the parents gripe about how they were being treated, I was shocked that such a story had not been made more public. The Olympic Games are about peace, hospitality and equality. Men and women from around the world are placed on the biggest stage with an equal opportunity to win a medal. Yet when they step off the rink, all of a sudden this “equality” is forgotten and their families slink to their parking garage to remove their car and pay their grossly inflated ticket. The point of this article is not to pass judgment on the men for receiving too much, it is to criticize the Potter American Olympic Committee with unashamed prejudice in a such a clear manner. They know that the women will not bring in the revenue the men do just like they know the women don’t produce the draw that a group of professional males will. However the least they could do is to extend the same luxuries to the women’s families that they do to the men’s. The Olympics afford these women a chance to captivate our country for a few short weeks and what they did on the ice is nothing short of extraordinary. Their families should not be punished for producing women instead of men by flying back to their homes with a pile of debt and a mountain of incredulity. I can only hope some mainstream media source picks up this story and causes a change in the Olympic organization because last time I checked a silver medal is still a silver medal no matter the gender of its owner.
Pressbox: How Tebow will fare in coming NFL draft
Continued from Page B1
and will probably be picked up during the second round. Albeit popular, Tebow is not an elite enough quarterback that will be swept up in the first round, he will need some serious coaching once he gets into the
NFL to clean up his game. The other major issue is what team to place Tebow with. Obviously, it would make sense to place him with a team that needs a solid back-up quarterback like the 49ers or the Cardinals. On the other hand, a team might pick him up to develop as a future player,
like Mike McCarthy, head coach of the Packers, has suggested. In terms of regional divisions, ESPN writer Kevin Seifert suggested that Tebow should expect to get drafted fro m a NFC North team, particularly the Vikings or the Lions. He reasoned these two teams by mentioning that one of Tebow’s teammates,
Percy Harvin, is already a player for the Vikings; and that the Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan “is wellknown for his work with young quarterbacks”. I would agree that the Lions would be a good fit, but I would replace the Vikings with the Patriots for the other major team to pick up Tebow. As of this year, the
Patriots only have two quarterbacks, and considering that Tom Brady is reaching his prime, it would be a good year to start conditioning another quarterback. Overall, the next few weeks will start to pick up for Tebow as the rest of his combine stats are released, but I would be extremely surprised if he was not drafted in April.
L IFE
Comedy Act gives students plenty to laugh about. Page B9.
INSIDE: CALL OF THE WILD: Wolfman transforms from the 1941 classic to a cliche horror film. Page B6.
O L D
G O L D
&
B L A C K
T H U R S DAY , M A R C H
4,
2010
PA G E
B5 ONLINE E DITORS:
A T : w w w. o l d g o l d a n d b l a c k . c o m Chantel O’Neal and Olivia Boyce
I’ll write this later...
By Katie Mahone | Staff writer As the English poet Edward Young once said, “Procrastination is the thief of time.” Indeed, it is a merciless thief, ready to strike anywhere and at any time — quite often when you have a huge exam looming on the horizon or a 10-page paper due in less than 24 hours. Most people would deem the results of procrastination to be unfavorable — does anybody actually wake up and wish for a day full of cramming, stress and sleep-deprivation? After hours of avoidance, the procrastinator rushes to complete, in an hour and a half, tasks that really required a few days’ attention, and defends his adrenaline addiction by saying that he works well under pressure. Sound familiar? Of course, not everyone relies on procrastination as a form of compulsive task avoidance, but in such cases it can be a pretty serious issue. All too often, especially during those late nights in ZSR, we let ourselves get tricked into thinking that procrastinating is a good idea. While it may produce an increased level of focus on rare occasions, the process required to reach such a state comes at much too high a cost. Let’s be honest, are all of those venti coffees, heavy dosages of taurine and guarana, stressprovoked mental breakdowns and all-nighters really good for us? I don’t think so. And what’s more, I don’t think you do either. On average, most university students procrastinate between 1-2 hours per day (although a few extremists admitted to being guilty of as much as 3-5 hours a day). The most popular procrastination enabler seems to be the Internet. If you’ve ever procrastinated (or even used a computer), then you’re probably familiar with Facebook, Hulu, fmylife.com, mylifeisaverage.com and textsfromlastnight.com. Other favorites include freerice.com, africam.com, awkwardfamilyphotos.com, CNN, Perez Hilton’s blog and similarly addicting sites. Watching TV, Skyping, listening to music, texting, taking naps, and “piddling around” are also common activities for the
procrastinating soul. “I check my e-mail over and over and over and over again, or watch TV,” freshman Matty DiDomenico said. Freshman Elizabeth Meyer adds that she procrastinates “By being social, instead of doing work.” A lot of people can sympathize with junior Madhura Manjunath, who said, “When I have too much to do in a week, I just do nothing … I just sit there and watch YouTube.” Wake Forest is a university laden with overachieving, high-accomplishing students who, like Manjunath, frequently fall prey to this kind of “perfection paralysis.” Michael Shuman, associate director of the learning assistance center, has even had students tell him that they would rather not turn an assignment in at all than risk receiving a grade below an “A.” One of the most basic points that Shuman makes is that oftentimes, students simply don’t want to do their work. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that hanging out with friends is more fun than taking tedious notes or studying for an exam. He also says that by procrastinating, students are simply reinforcing bad behaviors. Like many things in life, procrastination can become a habit. If a student has done it before and been successful, he or she will most likely do it again. Many college students were procrastinators in high school, and after four years of reinforcing the bad habit, they simply don’t know what it’s like to begin writing a paper or start studying for an exam in advance. As you’re undoubtedly aware, the Wake workload is heavier than most high school programs, and can require what Shuman calls “a refined approach to college level learning.” He also said, another main reason why students procrastinate is the fear that they won’t be perfect. Perfectionism can be both a blessing and a curse. Now, imagine that it’s Sunday afternoon, and after spending the weekend doing anything other than homework, it’s finally time to start thinking about Monday. If you find yourself tempted in times like these to fall into a pit of procrastination, pay attention to the following tips offered by Shuman. His first piece of advice is to find an ideal environment. By “ideal,” he means a place with minimal distractions (a.k.a. not your dorm room, lounge or the Pit at 7 p.m.) that you associate
Preventing Procrastination - MAKE A PLAN: start with a simple, straightforward to-do list - PRIORITIZE: it’s obvious, but do the most important things first — write the due dates next to your tasks so you don’t forget - BITE SIZE: break up time, nothing over 30 minutes - SWITCH IT UP: alternate tasks so you don’t get bogged down - BALANCE: put least favorite tasks between ones you enjoy - TAKE A BREAK: plan breaks so you don’t waste time - HAVE AS MUCH FUN AS POSSIBLE: open a window or listen to some music — it’s work, but it doesn’t have to be painful - CLEAN UP: you might not want another thing to do, but a clean work space helps you focus and minimizes distractions - REWARD YOURSELF: if you stay on track give yourself a small reward every few steps — even if it’s just a quick nap, a stroll outside, or a cup of coffee - GIVE IN TO PEER PRESSURE: it can be a good thing — use your friends as accountability checks, so you can make sure you stay focused and vice versa - ASK FOR HELP: if you just can’t stop your procrastination, don’t be afraid to meet with someone from the learning center — that’s what it’s here for with work and studying. If you feel depressed by the thought of the library, fret not! Campus Grounds, Reynolda Hall, Benson and many academic buildings have a number of good study spots, and if you can get off campus, find a bookstore or coffee shop (if you haven’t been to Krankies, check it out) where you can focus. His second suggestion is to break big projects down into smaller ones. As he explains, “the self esteem we feel from accomplishing smaller goals can help with motivation and achieving our larger goals.” One of Dr. Shuman’s favorite tools in beating the procrastination bug is called the 10-Minute Rule. He explains how you can try it for yourself: “Work on an assignment for 10 minutes (set a timer) and if you still don’t feel like doing the work after the 10 minutes are up, then stop. Hopefully, the
momentum and progress you started will keep you going. Getting started (walking to the library, getting all the materials you need, figuring out where to start) is always the hardest part. Running is a good analogy. If you’ve decided to go for a five mile run, you may not be too enthusiastic at the start, but, after the first mile, how likely are you to stop running now that you’ve started (your heart rate is up, you’re in your running clothes, etc.)?” Finally, if you still need an extra push to break free from the chains of procrastination, try asking a friend to study with you and hold you accountable, or arrange to meet with someone from the Learning Assistance Center (117 Reynolda Hall). Good luck, and remember — you’re not alone!
Abroad Column | The Road Less Traveled
Tourists attracted to unique city under special law Caitlin Brooks Staff columnist
In the summer of 1971, or as one resident affectionately remembers it, “the happy days of the hippies,” the Freetown of Christiania was established with just one rule: “No private cars.” Located in the heart of Copenhagen, in an abandoned military complex that once formed part the medieval city’s defensive ramparts; Christiania has developed into a community simultaneously in opposition to and dependent on Danish society as a whole. A strong reminder of the separatist mentality of the residents is the playful arch across the main entrance to Christiania. The side facing the street simply reads “Christiania.” The words on the reverse displayed as one exists the state: “You are now entering the EU.”
The sign isn’t exaggerating. Entering Christiania means entering a world apart; one that is only comparable to the fantastical land of The Shire in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Those wishing to settle in Christiania after all the existing structures filled up with workshops and apartments simply drove in a wooden wagon, parked it on the grass or near the canal, and turned it into a permanent residence. Over the years, these gypsy caravans evolved into large wooden homes that live alongside houses that seem to be built to the highest standards of ever-demanding Danish design. Alongside these highly personal dwellings, children and dogs run free on the well-worn bike paths throughout the 85-acre settlement. Christiania is an amazing place to be a kid. Two clubhouses that look like they popped out of a children’s adventure book and a private horse stable are only a few of the amenities that keep the little Christianites in mind. In the 40 years since its inception, the number of rules in the free city has increased to nine, largely the result of tumultuous activities that have rocked the peace-loving, eco-friendly, alternative-living community. The 900 people, young and old, and predominantly male, who call them-
selves Christianites, still acknowledge that all of them, even the immigrants, are Danes. This identification hasn’t stopped them from living according to their own laws. Among the new rules are several pertaining to drugs and violence. As one resident put it, “The hard drug junkies just made this a terrible scene,” a ban on violence, weapons and illegal explosives followed in the wake of drug wars over the once open marijuana market on the city’s main street: Pusher’s Street. The blatant sale of marijuana in town hasn’t only attracted the attention of regional drug dealing gangs. On the day of my visit with my Introductory Danish class, no less than 40 Danish police officers patrolled the streets of Christiania confiscating drugs and demanding that individuals turn out their pockets. There is no need for “reasonable cause” for search in Denmark. If the police tell you to turn out your pockets, you do it. It is partially the drug sale that has led to all the trouble in Christiania and partially the fact that technically, the third generation residents of this bazaar Shire-like town, don’t own the land on which they live, work and exercise consensusbased democracy.
The barracks that compose the basis of the village were, and still are, property of the Danish military. Though the community of freethinkers is mostly self-governing (every decision made concerning Christiania must be made by consensus, not majority rule), they are still subject to government regulations, and have been fighting for the rights to their land for more than twenty years. The current residents, many pushing 60 and 70, are currently embroiled in a six-year legal battle over the future of the community, a future that is increasingly uncertain as the right-wing party in the welfare state continues its reign. Under this rule, no one new is allowed to move into Christiania and construction of new buildings has completely halted. The once ever-evolving village exists in stasis until the court verdict in January 2011. Even under these uncertain conditions, the vibrant community continues to flourish. Tourist dollars hugely contribute to the $4 million the residents of Christiania pay to the state in taxes each year at the local modern art gallery, regular musical and theatrical performances, markets, and artisan workshops that operate seven days a week.
B6 Thursday, March 4, 2010
Old Gold & Black Life
He Said | Demon Deacons, let’s talk about sex
Get to know and love your body Superhuman Survivors
The Chinese invented and wore the first nail polish in 3000 B.C.
Director Ronald Emmerich’s unrealistic film 2012 was released to DVD on March 2. The film starred well-known actor, John Cusack, as an unfocused writer and recent divorcee who attempts to save his family as the world comes to an end. Such ridiculous scenes include; a car scene in which Cusack drives a limousine through a collapsing glass skyscraper during an earthquake, as well as one in which Cusack is able to escape from a mobile home engulfed in flames. Real believable.
10 Weird Products Found in Cosmetics The next time you get all dolled up for an important event consider the following! Maybe it’s Maybelline. Maybe it’s whale guts.
1. Human placenta 2. Urea 3. Whale guts 4. Human foreskin 5. Bull semen 6. Cochineal dye 7. Fish scales 8. Chicken bone Marrow 9. Oleoresin Capsicum 10. Waste cooking oil
Student Union
Student Union Leadership Applications Due Fri. March 5 Benson 344 Get involved! Tuesday Trivia Every Tuesday night 8 p.m. in Shorty’s Compete to win prizes Check back each week to see upcoming events hosted by Student Union
Drink of the Week Absolut Savings
Daylight savings is right around the corner and after a drink like this you’ll be using that daylight for sleep! 15 oz Absolut vodka 7 1/2 oz triple sec 7 oz 7-Up soda 4 oz lemon juice sweet and sour mix 1/2 - 1 cup sugar 1/8 oz grenadine syrup Pour vodka, triple sec, 7-Up, and lemon juice into a 64 oz container. Slice a lemon, add, then almost fill with sweet and sour mix. Add sugar and a touch of grenadine. Shake well. Serve in highball glasses. Enjoy!
Ae’Jay Mitchell Staff columnist
Over Christmas break this year, I went to see the hit Broadway musical Hair. From the beginning of “The Age of Aquarius” to the end of “Let the Sun Shine In,” I sat in my orchestra left seat in tears, mesmerized by every moment of self-exploration offered by this revolutionary musical of the sixties. This show forced me to fall into a deep love with my body once more. It allowed me to shake off the societal and personal negativities of the past, and I became liberated. There is something in this liberation, Wake Forest. So, let’s talk about sex. I know that many of my readers may consider me, in both negative and positive connotation, as
a liberal-minded hippie of sorts. I don’t completely disagree with that label, but the importance of loving your body is not an idea that should only be tangible to the liberal-minded. This idea extends beyond self-esteem and confidence in one’s self. It is not about rating yourself as hot-or-not on a virtual survey. It is not even about whether or not you practice self-gratifying sexual acts. No, it is about becoming intimate with every dimple and fold of your body. This intimacy allows you to enter yourself with judgment-free acknowledgement of the good and the bad. It draws a map to your sensual identity and it orchestrates our emotional symphonies. In a society where quick drunken sex and emotional circumcision is becoming a norm, it becomes even more important to fall back in love with your body. In having and witnessing many relationships, it has become apparent that without personal intimacy, no intimacy can successfully exist. The utterance of “I love you” becomes a ritualistic tradition and not a personal exclamation. In a past article, I discussed the uselessness of labels in discussion of sexuality. However, as I have grown
deeper into a relationship with my own body, I realized my opinion was flawed. Sexual labels are useful to hide behind when a person does not have the security of self- intimacy. With an understanding of personal intimacy, one does not have to “come out of closet” because their body is never hidden. With an understanding of personal intimacy, government does not have to be involved in issues of love because our flesh and blood dictates our sensual legislature. Wake Forest, at the core of our sexual journeys lies a strong relationship with our own bodies. Let’s seek that uninhibited freedom to love our body. When you reach that point, you can exclaim that “my body is walking in space. My soul is in orbit with God face to face.” Fall into love with your body and let the constricting chains of sensual identity and interpersonal growth melt away. Keep talking, demon deacons. “He Said” is a bi-weekly column that presents one guy’s perspective on the college sex scene. You may contact him with your feedback or ideas at mitcaa7@ wfu.edu.
Surrender to Sudoku 4 6 7 9 5 2 3 8 5 9 7 6 9 3 3 7 2 1 3 2 3 8 4 5 7 6 4 2 8 5 8 3 6 9 5 4
Check back next week for the solution to this week’s problem. If you hadn’t noticed, we like to keep people waiting in suspense.
1 5 7 2 4 3 9 6 8
4 3 2 6 8 9 7 5 1
9 8 6 5 1 7 4 2 3
8 6 9 3 7 1 2 4 5
5 2 1 4 6 8 3 9 7
7 4 3 9 5 2 8 1 6
3 7 4 1 9 5 6 8 2
2 9 5 8 3 6 1 7 4
6 1 8 7 2 4 5 3 9
Puzzle by websudoku.com
Solution from 2/25
Puzzle by websudoku.com Difficulty Rating: Easy
Movie Review | The Wolfman
Classic horror remake fails to impress By Caroline Murray | Staff writer
Classic supernatural beings and creatures seem to be the craze nowadays. In our age of sequels, remakes and original creative adaptations (save the joke known as Twilight), it is nearly impossible for such a classic horror figure as the Wolfman to escape the gothic monster frenzy that has swept our culture within the past three years. Regardless of an artist’s intentions, something new must be brought to the table when tackling any infamous character such as the Wolfman. Unfortunately, Joe Johnston’s The Wolfman, a 21st century inspired by the 1941 B-movie horror legacy, fails to deliver any modernity to his chilldeficient and unemotional gorefest. The Wolfman Academy Starring | Benicio Del Toro, Emily Award winner Blunt and Anthony Hopkins Benicio Del Director | Joe Johnston Toro plays the lead characWho’s it for? | Fans of old ter, Lawrence school horrors Talbot, fillRunning Time | 1 hr. 42 mins. ing the shoes Rating | C — or maybe hide — of Lon Chaney, the actor who made the Wolfman the Wolfman. Set in 1890s rural England, the film opens with the gruesome murder of Lawrence’s brother Ben at the hands (or claws) of some foully violent beast. Ben’s beloved fiancé Gwen (Emily Blunt) writes a letter to Lawrence — who has exiled himself to the States as a stage actor — pleading him to return to England to help solve the mystery of Ben’s disappearance. Lawrence reaches England only to learn that his brother’s devoured corpse has been found. Determined to catch the beast responsible, Lawrence stays at the grand estate of his father, Sir John Talbot (Anthony Hopkins), whose unattached affection is somewhat less than obvious. Lawrence’s search leads him to a gypsy camp, where the beast attacks in the dead of night, and Lawrence is attacked and bitten by a large manwolf. Claimed by a gypsy to have been cursed, Lawrence, sure enough, finds himself at the mercy of the full moon, where he transforms into a grand wolf beast and escapes the estate on a quest for blood and viscera. The story respectively follows the character of Lawrence in the same manner of the 1941 film, but that is all the screenplay does. The script fails to evoke suspense and terror for the audience, something absolutely and conspicuously essential for the success of a horror film. With the exception of one or two jumpy, split-
Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures
Inspired by the 1941 horror movie, The Wolfman stars acclaimed academy award winners Benido Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins. second shots, the film seems appropriate as a gothic period piece with gore more so than a horror film. Johnston attempts to mix modern with oldschool, but he goes down in flames. The graphic gore is Johnston’s sole method of incorporating a new flair onto the classic story of this creature, pulling in a younger audience, but it does nothing to make the film better. Aside from the modern attraction to excessive bloodshed, the ancient techniques create a drastic imbalance in Johnston’s creation. The special effects are often subtle but create an innocuous and literally unbelievable picture when used during the wolfman transformation, which is inarguably the key feature to successfully pull off this film. And even after, the costumed Del Toro looks as if he’s about to go trick-or-treating. Horror is ageless; it lives and breathes in any film, regardless of the time during which the film is made. There is a very fine line, however, between terrifying and the cheesily ridiculous, a.k.a. the look of The Wolfman. Let’s use some of that wizard technology and improved makeup techniques to create something that frightens the audience instead of insulting their intelligence. The film’s gothic surroundings and
cinematography are possibly its strongest and most respectable characteristics. The set design is gorgeous in its dank 1890s accuracy, and the foggy, candlelit shots, especially at the Talbot estate, are appropriate in creating such a gorgeous yet unfortunate physical atmosphere. Like horror, black and white is also ageless; perhaps that would have been a more advantageous stylistic choice (maybe not a strong marketing choice, though) on Johnston’s part. The picture, combined with Danny Elfman’s unsettling score, still creates the majority of the little suspense of the film more than the Wolfman himself. The performances are less impressive. Del Toro may be sulky, disturbed, and brooding, but he lacks the emotional connection that Chaney evoked so easily in the original. Hopkins performs with a hint of Lecter-esque chill about two-thirds of the way through the film, but it grows tiresome. And Blunt, with perhaps the most underexposed role, does nothing but hope to romantically contribute to the picture. Johnston’s The Wolfman fails to deliver a bankable horror film that mixes the greatness of the original with modern-day appeal. The members of the audience may find themselves howling at the mediocrity of the production rather than at the full moon.
Life Old Gold & Black
Thursday, March 4, 2010 B7
Restaurant Review | Caffe Prada
Caffe compensates so-so coffee with tasty gelato By Caroline Halleman | Staff writer
cookie I sampled, again, was sub-par. Though it only cost $.99, it tasted like it was store bought. The gelato however, is another story and comIf your typical study routine of Starbucks and ZSR Gov. Docs has got you in a rut, you might want to pletely made up for any fault in the other cuisine check out Caffe Prada – a coffeehouse, wine bar I sampled. Handmade in house each day, the frozen Italand gelateria on the corner of Fourth and Broad in ian treat had me begging for downtown Winston-Salem. more. Comfy seating, soft music and Caffe Prada I wasn’t adventurous in my free Wi-Fi create an environflavor choice, but sometimes ment suitable for group projects, Location | 390 N. Broad St. tradition is what’s best. a tutoring session or students Hours | 11:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. Tues Thurs. I sampled a few flavors and who like a little background 11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat. after an internal debate eventunoise while they work. ally decided on peanut butter. Exposed pipes, vibrant paint, Serving | Cafe and Gelateria The gelato was just sweet interesting light fixtures and an Dress | Casual enough with a creamy texture overall industrial decor create Price Range | $5-$15 that emphasized a light peanuta restaurant that seems like it y flavor. belongs in a cosmopolitan Euro- Rating | B + My small brightly colored cup pean city, rather than downtown was plenty filling, and at $3.48 Winston-Salem. I would expect nothing less. Prices at Caffe Prada are on Larger sizes are available, but in all honesty, a the steep side, and it’s hit or miss whether you get small satisfied my snack needs. your money’s worth. The restaurant also offers an undersized sandwich Unless you’re freezing, I recommend skipping the espresso drinks that will run you upwards of and salad menu, smoothies and assorted baked goods for those who need a bit more substantial $3 and are average at best. I tried the mocha ($3.58 for a small), made with dining experience. If you require a bit of a buzz to get your studyespresso, milk and Ghirardelli chocolate sauce. It was no better than one I could pay for with ing done, don’t worry – Caffe Prada offers a wide selection of beer and wines. Wines are available Deacon Dollars at the Starbucks on campus. However if you’re a coffee purist, they do offer by the bottle or glass. Their real pride and joy is $0.88 cups of standard brew. The chocolate chip their traditional Venetian Bellini. While I don’t
Photo courtesy of Caroline Halleman
Caffe Prada offers a modern, fashionable ambiance with a myriad of drink selections, mediocre cookies and delicious handmade gelato. recommend indulging in one while studying for midterms, perhaps it can be the reward for a paper well done. While the restaurant is only ten minutes off campus, it can seem like a major inconvenience
to travel downtown just to grab a cup of coffee. However, I highly recommend venturing to the Italian café just for the atmosphere. For more information about Caffe Prada and daily gelato selections, visit cafeprada.com
Book Review | The Girl Next Door
Girly novel intertwines stereotypical character’s lives By Samantha Hoback | Staff writer
Having grown up in Great Britain, author Elizabeth Noble has a good sense for attracting audiences from both sides of the pond. Her novels usually center around English transplants, like herself, living and working in America. With this idea in mind, her latest novel, called The Girl Next Door, follows the personal and professional lives of residents of a plush, New York apartment building on Park Avenue. The characters for the most part each fit one stereotype or another. Eve Gallagher and her husband, Ed, have just moved from Surrey to the Big Apple because of Ed’s promotion. Though she was hesitant to leave her beloved England behind, along with her family and friends, Eve puts on a brave face for her husband. She works to become like the other New York women. With Ed working all the time, Eve begins to feel lonely and
decides that it is time to start a family — at least she will have someone around the apartment. Kim and Jason Kramer’s once enviable relationship took a sharp turn south when Kim finally conceived. Years of trying for a baby has put their marriage on hold, and with baby Avery, Jason feels like Kim doesn’t need him anymore. The Schulmans are the most glamorous couple in the building. The perfect family with three children, aged six, four and two, living in the perfect New York apartment, working perfect jobs and always looking perfect. But there is more to the Schulmans than anyone would know from what they see on the outside. The son of a prominent West Palm Beach family, Jackson Grayling III is struggling to live his own life in the
bustling big city away from his prominent family. Although he is unemployed and continues to live off of his family’s name, he soon discovers what he wants out of life: a family of his own. Emily Mikanowski becomes the center of Jackson’s attention when she moves into the building. She is the classic girl next door, although Jackson discovers that despite his flawless pedigree, this girl may be out of his league. Charlotte Murphy became friends with her neighbor, Madison Cavanaugh, when she moved in. She begins to realize, though, that the fashion magazine writer may not be as true of a person as she originally hoped she would be. Luckily, Charlotte meets Emily, and they become good friends, leaving Madison jealous and angry.
Although they are the most unconventional couple traditionally, Todd and Gregory Emerson-Cole actually have the healthiest relationship out of all the married couples in the building. 82-year-old Violet Wallace is the mother hen of the apartment building. She and Eve bond over their mutual English heritage, and she is in charge of a Gardening Committee that brings many of the female residents (and the Emerson-Coles) together. The stories of the different tenants of the apartment building intertwine very early in the novel. As his marriage begins to deteriorate, Jason Kramer looks to the Schulmans’ perfect relationship to guide his own. Eve and Violet develop a motherdaughter relationship when Eve learns that her husband is more committed to his job than he is to her. Jackson allies himself with the three Cuban doormen who know everything about everyone in the building.
a e v a H u o Y
y r e V
His plan is to learn as much as he can about the new “girl next door,” Emily, so he can make his move. The Girl Next Door is Noble’s fifth novel released in the United States. Her previous bestsellers include The Reading Group, The Friendship Test, Alphabet Weekends and Things I Want My Daughters to Know. In all of her novels, Noble skillfully develops complex storylines that bring together many different types of characters seamlessly. Her natural English vocabulary is delightful, although it may take a few tries before readers can translate “sniggered” and “blimey.” As the residents to the Park Avenue apartment building discover, perfection does not always equate to happiness. The Girl Next Door is a fun-loving story about the trials and tribulations of “perfect love” in New York City. Perfection is hard to find and impossible to achieve.
! e t a D t n a t r o p m I
don’t be late!
Wake ‘N Shake registration ends March 4 (TONIGHT) @ midnight WAKENSHAKE.COM
Life Old Gold & Black
Thursday, March 4, 2010 B8
CD Review | Ya-Ka-May
Album showcases sounds of New Orleans By Grace Beehler | Staff writer
With the recent Superbowl win of the Saints and Mardi Gras festivities, the release of Galactic’s Ya-Ka-May could not have better timing. For the band’s newest release, Galactic goes back to its roots for the New Orleans-inspired funk album. Ya-Ka-May serves as a tribute not only to the old New Orleans — a culture nearly demolished after Katrina — but also to the New Orleans that changed significantly five years ago. And through the course of the 15-track album, we see that these two periods are actually one in the same. Ya-Ka-May, released Feb. 9 on AntiRecords, is the sixth studio release for five-piece New Orleans-based jazz-funk ensemble, in addition to several live
recordings. After experimenting with acid-jazz, jam and electronic, Galactic moves back to the beginning, focusing on a funky, hip-hop bluesy style that seems to encapsulate the Crescent City music scene so well. The band is made up of Stanton Moore (drums), Robert Mercurio (bass), Ben Ellman (saxophone, harmonica), Richard Vogel (keyboard) and Jeff Raines (guitar). While Galactic has traditionally focused on the live music scene with a rigorous touring schedule, this record is clearly made to be listened to not in concert. It takes advantage of all the opportunities a studio has to offer and also enlists many musical guests, from up-and-coming horn players to bounce rappers. With guest appearances from the likes of Irma Thomas, the Rebirth
Brass Band and Allen Toussaint, among many other small, virtually unknown artists, the album is centered on New Orleans musicians making New Orleans music. Galactic decided to put organic drums and established instrumentation as the sonic backdrop to the bounce rappers’ vocals and beats. Bounce is a fresh, New Orleans take on standard rapping. It focuses on call and response hip-hop rather than traditional lyricism. Galactic recruits bounce artists Cheeky Blakk, Big Freedia, Katey Red and Sissy Nobby to be featured on the album. It is the combination of bounce, organic drums, brass instruments and gospel vocals creates an entirely new sound landscape while remaining true to the vibe of the city. It opens with the bizarre yet funky
“Friends of Science” and then moving Toussaint) has liquid-like instrumentainto the fast paced, jazzy, jungle-like tion and the simple clapping underneath “Boe Money” (featuring the Rebirth the syrupy vocals of Toussaint. Other notable tracks include “Katey Brass Band). Galactic really starts the album swing- vs. Nobby,” which most clearly illustrates the hip-hop sound of bounce ing with this combination. In “Double It,” Big Freedia’s vocals artists – definitely something you don’t hear every day — and full of catchy repetitions “Speaks His Mind,” a layered over an eerie but Ya-Ka-May smooth and slow testamelodic whistling and ment from blues vocaltribal drums, nodding to Artist | Galactic ist Walter “Wolfman” go-go style. Genre | Jazz Washington. In a change of pace, While the album fea“Heart of Steel,” featur- Best Song | “Boe Money” tures copious special ing Irma Thomas, flashes Letter Grade | A guests, there is a definite back to an older time. It unified sound to Ya-Mahas powerful gospel vocals Kay that takes the listener straight to the and simple clapping beats. “Wild Man,” featuring Big Chief Bo Crescent City. Visit galacticfunk.com for a free downDollis, has a more electronically centered beat, while “Bacchus” (featuring Allen load of “Heart of Steel.”
CD Review | Play On
Underwood’s new country release proves unoriginal By Lauren Rustowicz | Staff writer
Down home country girl turned idol diva, Carrie Underwood has proven herself to be a great artist beyond the realm of reality television through her first two best-selling albums, Some Hearts and Carnival Ride. With over seven number one hits in the past decade, Underwood was expected to continue her thrilling climb up the country music ladder. However, with her third album Underwood takes a regrettable turn down a newer, safer road towards pop-country paradise. Although Underwood co-wrote seven of the 13 tracks on the album, Play On displays a lack of both the range and the depth that we have seen from Carrie during her American Idol glory days. Although she doesn’t fully allow her vocals to shine, the sweet love songs that seem to be a staple in the album are somewhat endearing.
“Quitter” is a perfect example of the with pink balloons and overpowering cologne. ever-present fairy tale theme. While the younger generation will With lyrics like, “When I believe that nothing lasts forever / you stay with appreciate the adolescent issues, older me keeping us together,” Underwood listeners may get tired of the exceedingly keeps up with the effervescent, delicate sunny, cliché lyrics. It seems that as Carrie becomes older, motif. there is an inaccurate Another song that illureflection of her newminates Carrie’s romanPlay On found maturity in her tic side is “Look at Me.” music. Although slightly more Artist | Carrie Underwood This is especially prescloying, lyrics such as “I Genre | Country/Pop ent in “Songs Like This,” tell myself I'm in too deep, which overflows with then I fall a little farther, Best Song | “Change” incredible boy-hating every time you look at me” Letter Grade | B teen drama. “Songs like just add more sugar to the this one that tell the album. However, Underwood seems to have whole world just what a jerk you are” fallen slightly too hard, as there are a are just some of the lyrics that add to few songs that are reminiscent of a pre- the disappointment in the CD. Perhaps listeners are suddenly more teen romance at the stereotypical middle prone to listening to catchy, stereotypischool dance. With songs such as “Undo It,” we are cal songs. The conventional single “Cowboy thrown back to our childhood experiences with a stuffy gymnasium teeming Casanova” has a familiar theme in that
it vindictively reprimands any interaction with low-life men. However, it quickly became a number one hit single after its release this past September. Play On isn’t a complete disaster. There are instances by which we are relieved of the sappy love songs and given a chance to feel both motivated and empowered. Probably the most impressive song on the cd is “Change,” which has both profound meaning and depth. The song is more vocally oriented, allowing Underwood to prove to the pop-country world that she does, in fact, still have the awe-inspiring vocals that gave her fame in the first place. Although seemingly written for the next “Idols Give Back” telethon, this song deserves nothing but praise. Another song that breathes both brilliance and fervor is Play On, which clearly has enough strength to carry the title of the entire album. “Mama’s Song” has also
proven to be a great hit, as its harmless story line about leaving the nest gives an emotional, yet upbeat, perspective on life. All in all, Play On is a step back for Underwood in the country world. The pop aspects in the album far outweigh the country, just as the insignificant emotional lyrics far outweigh the depth. The album is most disappointing due to the fact that listeners have heard the incredible level of magnitude of Carrie’s voice in her previous music. She simply downplays it in this album in favor of more easily understandable, uncomplicated lyrics. If fans of Underwood don’t mind listening to transparent, folksy country songs sung by this sweet southern belle, then Play On will certainly be clogging their cds and ipods. Despite there being very few chances taken, Play On will undoubtedly bring her success, even if it does still leave listeners begging for more.
Life Old Gold & Black
Thursday, March 4, 2010 B9
Event Review | Eric O’Shea
Comedy act pokes fun at common university stereotypes By Meenu Krishnan | Staff writer
“I’m Jewish, and not even for showbiz purposes,” sophomore Elliot Lerner said, as he opened for comedian Eric O’Shea, renowned comedian currently on a 63-city tour. On Feb. 27, Lerner, student comedian and member of the Lilting Banshees Comedy Troupe, along with O’Shea, transformed the multiuse conference room into a lowlit, relaxed comedy club. Lerner told amusing jokes that probably made some of the audience unsure whether or not they should laugh, which fit with his Lilting Banshees background. For example, in reference to the recent earthquake in Chile, Lerner commented, “God is like James Bond — he likes this continent shaken.” But for the most part, Lerner (who does all his voices with a British accent— he says it gives them more authority), offered a hilarious lead-in to O’Shea’s later performance.
The main act of the Comedy Club was O’Shea, who was named Camps Activities Magazine Comedy Performer of the Year. The comedian, who has had over four million hits on YouTube, recently performed in Los Angeles at the 2009 Creative Emmy Awards. Sponsored by Student Union, the show featured a beer garden, a topic of mockery for O’Shea, who poked fun at the stereotypical upper class, wealthy image of Wake Forest. According to O’Shea, WF actually stands for well-financed. “Why do they call it a beer garden? Do you water the beer kegs? That’s ridiculous,” he said. In reference to the glittery rocks that had been placed on the tables as decoration, O’Shea said, “Well, I took a diamond, bitches!” He also mocked the dining services on campus, implying that students complained about the prime rib, because “it didn’t
have shallots.” Characterized by strange segues (or rather, a lack thereof ) and “a little A.D.D.,” the show was hilarious because it revolved around such familiar topics. It dealt with both childhood and adult situations we’ve all been through, from the ridiculous pieces in a game of Monopoly (“you know you’re screwed if you get the iron or the thimble”) to those infuriating drivers doing 45 mph in the left lane. “Have you ever noticed, that the weirder the driver looks, the more it makes sense?,” O’Shea said. “You never overtake the slow car without doing this deliberate slow head turn to see who the idiot was.” There was a whole section of bits dedicated to mothers. His anecdotes had the audience in fits of laughter, who undoubtedly had experienced similar situations with their own mothers.“My mother was slick — half Italian, half Anti-Christ. She could
beat my ass and make dinner at the same time, with the same wooden spoon,” O’Shea said. One particularly hilarious bit dealt with the generic products that our mothers have all made us use in an attempt to save a few dollars. Cheerios? Nope, O’Shea’s mother indulged in “Oh Hell No’s.” But O’Shea’s most hilarious bit, aside from his creepily cute Elmo voice, was the closing one — pairing commercials with songs. Preparation H was paired with “Ring of Fire,” Immodium with “Move, B****, Get Out the Way,” and Bladder Control with “Should I Stay Or I Go.” The commercials sketch, lauded by Steven Spielberg (no joke), was the perfect ending to a hilarious show. But O’Shea has some advice for the university. “Could you guys get some better toilet paper? That stuff is like a porcupine. It should say ‘Watch Out’ on it.”
Meenu Krishnan/Old Gold & Black
Student Union brought renowned comedian Eric O’Shea to Pugh auditorium Feb. 27.
It’s Not Your Fault.
1.800.656.HOPE
National Sexual Assault Hotline Free. Confidential. 24/7.
(Operated by RAINN—the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)
B10 Thursday, March 4, 2010
Old Gold & Black Sports
M. basketball: Deacs fall to Tar Heels, Seminoles
Continued from Page B1
three-pointer tied the score at 36 with a little over 16 minutes to go. Wake Forest even took the lead 42-41 on sophomore Al Farouq Aminu’s free throw. This, however, was the last lead the Deacons would have as the game started to slip away. Wake Forest had some difficulties, particularly with fouls. The Tar Heels were able to make a push and took a 10 point lead with seven minutes to go. The Demon Deacons made a run of their own cutting the lead to three on senior L.D. Williams’ three-pointer. Despite their efforts, the Deacons continued to struggle shooting the ball and missed five threepointers in the final minute of the game and the Tar Heels were able to seal the deal with a nine point victory 77-68. “We’re extremely luck,” North Carolina Head Coach Roy Williams said. “We feel fortunate that Wake missed a lot of shots.” Freshman Leslie McDonald led the Tar Heels with a season high 16 points off the bench. Junior Will Graves added 13 points for the Tar Heels. Ari Stewart was the Deacons leading scorer with 16 points and seven rebounds on four of eight shooting from behind the arc. L.D. Williams added 14 points and nine rebounds. The Demon Deacons struggled shooting the ball only shooting 29.7 percent from the field. “We had a lot of looks at the basket, but we missed 52 shots,” Head Coach Dino Gaudio said. “We were putting too much pressure on our defense because of a lack of offense.” Wake Forest also committed 28 personal fouls in the game with three players fouling out. “We had a great crowd and the student section was great,” Gaudio said. ‘We just let them down.” The Deacons were hoping to rebound in their matchup against Florida State on March 3 as they looked to better their conference record for the ACC tournament, which is set to begin next week.
The Deacons traveled to Tallahassee to face the Seminoles for the only time of the season. Both teams were coming off losses to ACC opponents and both are battling for position in the ACC standings as the season comes to a close. The Deacons led early on, but the Seminoles took the lead late in the first half leading by as much as nine. The game was very physical and saw many players battling tough down low and on rebounds. Wake Forest trailed 31-25 at the half, but gave the Seminoles trouble the entire game. The Deacs took the lead 36-35 on C.J. Harris’s free throw at the 9:44 mark, but the game went Florida State’s way down the stretch. The Deacons leading scorer, Al-Farouq Aminu was held to zero points in the game and fouled out with nearly six minutes to go. Wake looked to tie or take the lead with under 30 seconds to go, but Seminoles managed to force a jump ball on a drive by Ari Stewart. Seminole freshman Michael Snaer hit two clutch free throws and closed the door on the Deacons with a final score of 51-47. Snaer led the Seminoles with 14 points and four rebounds to go along with 6 of 6 from the free throw line. Ish Smith led the Demon Deacons with 14 points and five rebounds in a losing effort. C.J. Harris added 12 points of the bench with seven of his points coming from free throws. The game was a low scoring affair, but Wake Forest shot 43.6 percent from the field, a vast improvement from their loss to North Carolina. This was the lowest point total Wake Forest has recorded since a 62-40 loss to Duke on Jan. 18, 2007. Wake Forest now falls to 8-7 in the conference and 18-9 overall, as well as their fourth straight loss. The Deacs hope to rebound with a win over conference opponent Clemson on March 7. The game is the final regular season game and the final home game for the team’s five seniors. The game is at 6 p.m. March 7 at the Joel Coliseum.
Kelly Makepeace/Old Gold & Black
Sophomore Tony Woods throws down a dunk against North Carolina. The Deacs would go on to fall to the Tar Heels, their third in four straight losses.
Sports Old Gold & Black
Thursday, March 4, 2010 B11
Lady Deacs boost record to 5-4 with win over FIU By Lauren Howell | Staff writer
Wake Forest Fla. International
4 3
Chalking up their second-straight victory on home turf, the women’s tennis team boosted their record to 5-4 in a solid match against Florida International on Feb. 28. The Deacs fought tooth-and-nail for the 4-3 win, which ended up coming down to a battle over a single decisive point during doubles. Senior Aileen Davis and junior Emilee Malvehy breezed through an 8-3 victory at the number two doubles position, but since the number three doubles match belonged to FIU, the Deacs needed to win the number one doubles match. Senior Sasha Kulikova was paired with freshman Kathryn Talbert to try and procure the deciding point. “I think we both played our very best at the most crucial times, and
worked well with each other during the scrappy points that we knew we needed to win,” Talbert said. “Every single match counts — no matter what court you are playing and no matter how far down you might be, the team needs you on every court. We have had some pretty close matches and it’s come down to miniscule mistakes, so I think I’ve definitely learned how important it is to win every match.” Kulikova and Talbert sure delivered an exciting match — while the duo initially fell behind 3-1 to FIU’s 48th-ranked team of Liset Britton and Priscilla Castillo, they quickly bounced back to take a 5-3 lead. Then, it was the Golden Panthers’ turn to recover as they tied the Deacs 5-5. The women carried the head-to-head challenge into an 8-point tiebreaker set, during which FIU came out with an intimidating 2-0 lead — but a focused Kulikova and Talbert hung with them and returned consecutive points of their own to end the tiebreaker with a score of 8-6.
“During my career at Wake Forest so far, I have not yet been in the position where the whole day was riding on the outcome of my match,” Talbert said. “So it was definitely very tense, but I usually play better when the pressure is on anyway and I thought Sasha and I took control of the match when we needed to.” In the singles events, Kulikova stayed consistent at the number one position with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over FIU’s Christine Seredni. Playing in the fifth spot, junior Katarina Reveche scored a solid 6-2, 6-4, and senior Aileen Davis beat out FIU’s Magali Holt at the number six position with a score of 6-2, 6-1. Talbert lost a considerable amount of steam after her doubles performance, and was beaten 6-4, 2-6, and 6-2 in singles. “Personally, I think I need to improve my doubles skills and aggressiveness at the net,” Talbert said. “Overall, I want to be able to compete as best as I can in every match for the rest of the season.”
Michael Crouse/Old Gold & Black
Junior Emilee Malvehy returns a ball in the Deacons’ win over FIU. Malvehy teamed up with senior Aileen Davis in doubles.
B12 Thursday, March 4, 2008
Old Gold & Black PSA