Volume 39 Issue 6

Meet the Magic Man details on pg. 8-9

i n s i d e t h i s i s s u e :

University of Maine at Presque Isle Volume 39 Issue 6

Stephanie Corriveau STAFF WRITER

Sitting on a shelf in a glass case in the campus center is the 2010 Second Nature Leadership Award for Institutional Excellence in Climate Leadership. This prize, which is a few inches in height, is sculpted from not metal, but wood. Although it may be of a smaller size, the award is a huge symbol for all of the initiatives that have been taking place on campus.

O n O c t . 1 2 - 1 3 , M r.

D ave S t . Pe t e r, d i r e c t o r o f U M P I ’s p hy s i c a l f a c i l i t i e s, t r ave l e d t o D e nve r, Colorado to accept this

Journalism for Northern Maine

NOVEMBER 19, 2010

A Win-Win Situation

prestigious award.

St. Pe t e r attended the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment Climate Leadership Summit along with other individuals whose institutions were recognized for their environmentally conscious efforts. While at the summit, St. Peter said he attended a workshop about greenhouse gases and listened to a presentation by James Woolsey, who has served as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency in the past. St. Peter was also a part of the summit’s awards ceremony.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle was chosen as the winner for the award’s “baccalaureate college” category. St. Peter said that an application was completed and sent to Second Nature for consideration. He mentioned that the application required a short essay and that UMPI’s “Wind 101” DVD was also sent to the organization.

President Don Zillman said that he discovered that the campus had won the award through an e-mail from Second Nature. He was quite pleased about the news and thought that it paid off for all of the efforts UMPI

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has taken to become more environmentally-friendly.

“It was a very, very nice recognition of the work that we’ve done,” Zillman said.

St. Peter also thought that winning the award was a great accomplishment.

“It was good for the university, too. It helps to keep us on the map,” St. Peter said.

The award was a great way to honor not only UMPI’s initiatives, but all of the positive impacts that the campus’s efforts are having on the environment.

No matter how you look at it, it’s a win-win situation all around.

Generous Donation for Solarium

UMPI gave thanks to Farm Credit of Maine for their generous donation of $5,000. that was given on Tue., Oct. 26. Pictured is the new solarius, which will assit in UMPI’s biology and ecology cirriculum. The solarium

provides a location for growing and drawing plants, seeds, and fungi, as well as a small area for the meterology classes to work. Many faculty turned to check out the grand opening of the solarium.

University Times

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The University Times Staff Editor Lanette Virtanen Assistant Editor Ben Pinette Sarah Graettinger Staff Writers Kayla Ames Stephanie Corriveau Michael Greaves Stephanie Jellett Julia Lunn Patrick Manifold Mika Ouellette Henry Pelletier Ben Pinette Dione Skidgel Lanette Virtanen Contributors Lindsey Blackstone Chris Corsello Laura Fantasia April Flagg Dick Harrison Cameron Huston Kyle Huston Dakota Koch Kim McCrea Todd Russell Sarah Sjoberg Jim Stepp Don Zillman Adviser Dr. J

The U Times welcomes submissions from the campus campus.

Send digital versions of articles, photos, etc., to utimes@maine.edu and jacquelyn.lowman@umpi.edu

Campus

November 19, 2010

Dear Readers, I recently had the chance to take a fieldtrip with some other students from my Photo III class. We saw several art galleries and had the perfect day for a drive. We had a chance to stop at different sights along the way to take photos and even got to see a field being burnt to help with the growth of blueberries.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and finals are coming up. That means that this semester is almost over. Take the time to study, finish up projects and have a safe Thanksgiving break.

Lanette Hi Everyone, This is certainly the time of year to give thanks. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our community for the great support you始ve given the U Times and WUPI over this past semester. We始re planning to close out the semester strong, as I hope you will, too.

Be sure to keep reading the U Times and listening to WUPI, particularly our U-Radio interview program that airs Sunday at 6 p.m., Tuesday at 7 a.m. and Wednesday at 9 p.m.

Have a good Thanksgiving, Ben Hello, I am hoping that everyone is having a great semester so far. I would like to thank everyone who始s written for the paper. We appreciate your input.

Thank you for your close, careful reading. We urge you to take some of that time and come on down and give us a hand. We could use your support.

I hope that everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

Sarah

Dates for Submissions to the U Times

Nov. 29 Any submissions recieved after a deadline will be published in the following issue.

If you have any questions please contact Dr. Lowman at 768-9745.

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University Times CAMPUS November 19, 2010

From Don’s Desk Some Gave All: What Have We Given?

I write on Nov. 10. Later today we will celebrate Veterans Day one day early.

Veterans Day began to be recognized at the end of World War I in 1918. At 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918, the guns ceased firing in France, ending the bloodiest war in the history of the world. Up to then.

Our remembrance of our veterans of all wars will be specially honored by the official reception of two remarkable paintings into the University of Maine at Presque Isle collection. The painter is UMPI graduate Lulu Pelletier, class of 2010.

Pelletier was also the winner of this year’s Robert Wanbaugh Award for the outstanding work of student art.

The subjects of the paintings are two of the veterans of the Vietnam conflict whom Pelletier painted as part of her senior art show last spring.

The paintings are on the wall in the president’s office. Stop by and see them along with

Julia Lunn

STAFF WRITER

to those expectations. But an extraordinary number do.

And we honor them for their service on Veterans Day. The news of the last week included the deaths i n Afghanistan of two Mainers.

Such news reminds me of the most sobering part of my four years of active duty as an Army Judge Advocate (lawyer) officer. We served as Left to right: Lulu Pelletier, winner of this yearʼs Robert Wanbaugh Award, the death Linwood Monteith and Way;ne Mosher, the subjects of the paintings. notification ers—business people, legisla- dedication to matters beyond officers when a military death tors, athletes, medical profes- self or wealth, organization— occurred in our community. sionals, etc. Every year mem- speak to matters deeply felt The protocol is strictly prebers of the armed forces lead by most Americans. Not scribed, and for good reason. the list. The military obvi- every soldier or sailor lives up Two uniformed officers visit the other recent UMPI centered work in the office.

Each year, pollsters ask the American people about the most admired groups of lead-

ously represents the one job that everyone expects government to do. Less obviously, the virtues that the military stands for—courage,

the next of kin. The expectation is that they will provide the first report of the worst news the family or spouse of a service member could expect.

Often the next of kin knows precisely what the presence of two uniformed officers at the door means before the doorbell has been rung. We offer a simple statement of the death, or some of the circumstances (but not too many), and of the thanks of a grateful nation for the ultimate sacrifice. We ask whether we can call anyone for the bereaved. We then leave.

The whole ceremony should be done in five minutes.

Larger questions about why we are fighting and who should be doing the fighting are for other s to decide. I would only wish that their per spective on those decisions could be infor med by having some under standing of what it means to make the ultimate sacrifice.

A Native American Blessing

Culture is something we hold on to. It’s who we are; how we act; how we talk; how we dress; and how we live. Culture is something to be proud of, and when someone displays it, it’s truly something to admire.

November celebrates Native Heritage Month. To honor it, UMPI held a series of events in Weiden on Nov. 2. To kick off the events, John Dennis of the UMPI community performed a blessing in the gym.

Everyone was asked to form a big circle in the middle of the gym. Dennis gave a little introduction explaining what the blessing is.

“The blessing gets rid of negativity,” Dennis says. “There is so much negativity that gets on us daily.” Sweet grass and cedar

bark is burned in a small basin.

The sweet grass and cedar bark are medicinal and used to signify purification.

As he walks around with the basin, the smoke emitting from it is “poured” over the body to rid it of all the negativity.

First, the people bring up the smoke into their faces and cover their head, shoulders, arms, and upper torso. Then they turn around and Dennis wafts the smoke onto the backs of the people using a feather. He spoke a silent prayer as he spreads the smoke down their backs and to their legs, and back up again.

As all of this negativity gets on us daily, blessings can occur whenever they wish to do it.

Typically they do it before any event, gathering, or social time.

After Dennis went all the

way around the circle, he spoke a little more about the blessing.

“Native spirituality is sometimes taken for granted.” He gave a remembrance to the elder Native Americans who had to fight to keep their spirituality and culture alive.

“That’s why we honor the elders. They fought to bring it back for us.” Then he said a prayer, and the people went back to their seats to enjoy some drumming and social time.

The drumming and singing is a form of prayer, like many things in their culture. For example, piped tobacco is a form of prayer. You don’t breathe in the tobacco, but you hold it in your mouth as you say the prayer. Then when you release the smoke, it symbolizes the prayer being sent out.

Five men and three little boys

sat and formed a mini circle this till further events carried on around a big leather drum. for the evening.

Each had their own stick and together they sang and made rhythmical patterns hitting the drum.

After they were done, six ladies stood and formed a mini circle each holding their own drum. They sang while making rhythmical patterns with their drums, like the men. They went back and forth from the men to the women, sharing the time they had to display their John Dennis performing culture. They did the blessing in Wieden.

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University Times CAMPUS November 19, 2010

C hr is’ Cor ne r

Paid in Full with One Glass of Milk

There was a poor boy named Howard Kelly who was going through some very difficult times. Howard wanted to attend school but had no monetary support. To make ends meet Howard started to sell goods from door to door in order to pay his school fee. But selling is a hard job and one day Howard found himself with just one thin dime left and he was very hungry.

Howard wondered around for a while and then decided to ask for a meal at the next house.

When Howard knocked at the door, a pretty lady came out and he felt nervous. Instead of asking for a meal he just asked for a drink of water.

The woman could feel and see pangs of hunger on the boy’s face so she brought him a large glass of milk. The boy was astonished and yet he could not resist his hunger. He drank the milk slowly and asked the lady, “How much do I owe you?” The lady replied, “You don’t owe me anything. I have been taught never to

accept pay for an act of kindness.” The boy was extremely touched and thanked her from the bottom of his heart. This incident left a profound effect on the boy’s psyche and his faith in God and man further increased.

Many years passed after that small incident. The young lady became critically ill and local doctors were clueless about her illness. She was sent to the big city where specialists were called upon to diagnose and treat her problem.

The mystery surrounding the illness forced doctors to call Dr. Howard Kelly.

When Dr. Kelly first heard about the town she came from, he instantly remembered the entire incident and rushed his way to check the patient.

Howard Kelly immediately recog-

nized the young lady and started doing everything in his capacity to save the young woman’s life. After giving special attention to the case for quite some time, the lady

started getting better. When it came to the matter of bill payment, Dr. Kelly requested hospital authorities to pass the final bill to him.

After carefully examining the bill details, Dr. Kelly scribbled something on the edge of the paper and passed the bill to the patient’s room. The young lady was scared to look at the bill knowing it would take her the rest of her life to pay for the expensive treatment. When the young lady finally opened the bill, she saw something written on the side of the bill, “Paid in full with one glass of milk” Signed, Dr. Howard Kelly.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving

season and embrace the meaning of thanks. To give thanks means to be thankful for something, to appreciate and be grateful for the good things in your life.

Interestingly enough, being appreciative and thankful has been found by psychologists to make people happier. People who stop frequently and think about all of the good things that they have are usually happier and more positive about the future. Some psychologists recommend doing this on a daily basis, stopping for five minutes each morning or evening and thinking about three or four things you can be thankful for – your health, your job, your house, your family, and so forth.

So – give thanks, be thankful for what you have and remember those who may be in need…give a glass of milk…it’s sure to make your day and that of someone else! Happy Thanksgiving!

Vampires, Zombies and Politicians, Oh My! Mika Ouellette STAFF WRITER

As a part of UMPI’s Faculty Noon Seminar Series, the second lecture of the semester was held on Thursday, October 28th in the Faculty Lounge of Normal Hall. This month’s lecture was presented by Professor of English and Chair of the College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Raymond J. Rice.

The title of this lecture, in the spirit of both Halloween and the upcoming election, was “How Paul LePage serves as the Symptom of Maine’s Hunger or Why Paul LePage Would Rather be a Vampire Than a Zombie”.

Rice began his lecture with a disclaimer stating that, “ I’m not saying that Paul LePage is a vampire”.

In fact, LePage or any other gubernatorial candidate was hardly mentioned throughout the lecture. Instead, it was mostly about how vampire and zombie films and novels can be seen as both political satires and statements about human nature, especially human desires. Rice also explained how political campaigns use the same techniques to attract voters as these film and novel genres do fans, by presenting appealing ideals.

Among the films and novels referenced were; Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”, Stephanie Meyer’s “Twilight” series and Rick Moody’s latest zombie novel “The Four Fingers of Death”. The lecture even

ended in a reference to “Twilight” with the showing of a photograph of LePage next to one of actor Robert Pattinson who plays the vampire, Edward Cullen in the

“Twilight” films. This contradicted Rice’s opening disclaimer by essentially calling LePage a vampire as well as evoking many laughs around the room.

Governor elect Paul LePage.

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University Times CAMPUS November 19, 2010

Ben Pinette STAFF WRITER

I f yo u h ave b e e n walking near the Library at UMPI in the past

Revamping UMPI

use the side stairs at all.

T he handrails will be going up on it will be granite, so the salt on that should eliminate the need

The library steps before renovation. m o n t h , yo u ’ve c e r t a i n l y noticed a lot of construction and activity n e a r t h e e n t r a n c e. S i n c e e a rl y O c t o b e r, t h e f ro n t entrance of the library has been under construction for construction of n e w e r, safer steps.

C h a rl i e B o n i n i s U M P I ’s vice president for administration and finance and was in charge of foreseeing the project and found that the project n e e d e d t o b e d o n e.

“We’ve repaired the librar y ste ps five or six times and the re pair s seemed to have only survived on a temporar y basis. We do it one year, and within a year, we’re back to the same problem again, so we tur n around and look for a per manent solution ag ain.

We changed the front stairs in the Campus Center to g ranite, which in tur n should eliminate a maintenance problem. We also decided to the library at the same time. We made the stairs smaller then they have been in the past. We found most people don’t

to keep repairing it every year,” Bonin said.

Money for the project became available t h i s s u m m e r.

“We h a d a g o od summer last ye ar so P re side nt Zi llm a n approved m e o f doing some of th e m ainte nance t hat nee d ed t o be d one, such a s the h o t t o pin g, fi x some o f th e ho les in th e g r o u n d s, fix some of the stairs because t h a t ’s b e e n a p o t e n t i a l p ro b l em.

For those of you thinking that the new ste ps will be similar to the older ones, guess again.

“The old ste ps will be made of concrete, and when the librar y was fir st built in 1975, it had heat under neath the steps. For years, we used to heat the ste ps and eliminate the ice

under neath.

Eventually, that deteriorated so we had to shovel them and use salt.

Also, the triang le shaped steps is no longer going to exist. The left hand side as you exit the library will also be gone.

Eventually, we expect that area to be planted and seeded.

U n f o r t u n a t e l y, thanks to a few bumps, t he project ha s ta ken l ong er than expected.

“There is been ultimately two problems.

One, the weather has not cooperated totally so they have missed several days. Another aspect is one piece of granite did not make it on site on one of the top stairs, which just came in the week of Nov. 1 so we expect the project to finally be completed on the week of Nov. 15.

Along with the Library entrance, work is also planned for the multipur pose room in t h e C a m p u s C e n t e r.

“The dividers that divide the Campus Center into three will

around Januar y break.

We ’ r e t r y i n g t o e l i m i nate most of our differed maintenance as much as possible,” said Bonin.

It can be an eyes o r e n o w, b u t w h a t

Library steps in progress.

be replaced. They are over 12 years old and there becoming very difficult to move, so they will be replaced

is to become of the library’s new entrance will be worth the long anticipated wait.

Library steps nearing completion.

University Times CAMPUS November 19, 2010 6 Inspiring Music from Africa Julia Lunn

STAFF WRITER

UMPI was proud to showcase the Jabali Afrika troupe Wednesday, Oct. 27. This traveling team performs their own composed music and dance choreographs.

Earlier that afternoon, before the performance, members of the troupe sat down on the edge of the stage of the auditorium in Weiden to share their background with the audience.

Jabali Afrika originated from Kenya, Africa.

Members of this traveling troupe were originally performers of the National Institute of Music and Dance of Kenya. They’re a theatre dance troupe that travels around Kenya performing traditional musical numbers and dances. Some of these younger members (at the time) desired a change from the traditional music, and were let go by the troupe. However, they knew what they loved doing, and decided to follow their hearts.

They formed their own traveling troupe in 1993, performing all over Kenya. They per-

form their own compositions based off the traditional tribal music. One of their main goals is to make the music more understandable for people.

“Our music is a story; we feel it from the inside,” one member explains. “Our lifestyle affects the music.” He described how every society in Africa affects the music of their tribes. Even their instruments reflect the daily lives of the people. A harp’s strings are often made from the same nets they used to catch fish. Drums were, and

One of the drummers of Jabali Afrika.

often still are made from common trees and animal hide.

Jabali Afrika brought their music internationally, debuting for the first time in the U.S. in 1995. They performed for festivals, colleges, and finally making their big debut on television on Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.

They’ve been traveling around ever since.

When they opened up for questions, one audience member asked, “Do you come up with [the songs and dances] collaboratively, or does one person come up with it and share it with everyone else?” One member took on the question and said that everyone is aspired differently.

The final production is never final. There’s a lot of improvising, because it has to do a lot with feelings. How you feel one day performing the piece could be different from another day, so you play it differently. It comes from personal experiences, social and political backgrounds, and issues going on where they’re from.

They shared how being on the road a lot is a hectic life.

“It’s hard for significant others to accept that lifestyle. And it’s a challenge, but we go by faith.”

They discussed how faith influences their lives. “We believe the music comes from heaven,” one ends. “The music is Godgiven. It’s a noble thing; it comes from a special place. And we enjoy blessing other people with it.”

They travel to share it with everyone else hoping to find people who appreciate and support it too. It’s a good thing, when you’re doing something you love; and they’re doing it.

Judge Graydon Nicholas

Judge of the New Times Sarah Graettinger STAFF WRITER

On a cloudy night on Nov. 2, many people crowded into the Wieden Auditorium to listen to the Judge Graydon Nicholas. He is LieutenantGovernor for the Province of New Brunswick. He was welcomed by project compass to talk about the problems with education and culture in schools today.

Many people don’t know about the problems that exist in classrooms today. Students interact with each other without a clue about how hard it is for native students to be with them. In honor of the Native Heritage Month, Nicholas talked about this problem.

“We need to learn about how people lived and how traditions are being passed on. We need to have language preservation in order to get children to learn about how culture is preserved,” Nicholas said.

Nicholas was born and raised in the Tobic First Nation Reservation. He went to school to earn a law degree,

and then went to get a masters in social work. He knows how to work with people and what to do to help with the classroom today. He has received many human rights awards.

“In order to get First nation kids to graduate then we need to help them. We need to have teachers with credentials like language, culture and know how students live in the reservation,” Nicholas said.

One of the most important things to do is for the students to be secure with themselves.

If they are, then they will succeed in whatever they want to do in life.

“Eighty people have graduated through teachers certification programs. They know how a first nation student lives and what to do to help them out. They take on a hard role as light of society,” Nicholas said.

Judge Nicholas Grayson brought new ideas to UMPI, and gave insight on how to fix some of the problems. Thank you for your consideration and wisdom in this matter.

7 Candidates Take Center Stage in Presque Isle University Times CAMPUS November 19, 2010

Ben Pinette

STAFF WRITER

The scene at Presque Isle Middle School on Tue., Oct. 26 was anything but typical.

All five of the candidates vying for the seat of governor took center stage in the auditorium that night.

Elliot Cutler (Independent), Paul LePage (Republican), Libby Mitchell (Democrat), Shawn Moody (Independent), Kevin Scott (Independent) were all in attendance. Local radio

stations WCXU 97.7, WBPW 96.9, and our very own WUPI 92.1 were all simulating the debate, as well as WAGM-TV. Jason Parent, NMCC’s Coordinator, Development hosted the event.

WUPI’s own Donna DeLong, Angie Paul, and Ben Pinette were at the debate getting interviews that aired on WUPI on Oct. 31. DeLong got interviews with Cutler, LePege and Mitchell, while Pinette interviewed Moody and Scott after the debate.

The debate started off with Parent going through the rules, including no cheering for any of the candidates, no clapping, no picture taking, and to remain s e a t e d t h ro u g h o u t the entire e v e n t .

WAGM-TV and Parent w o r k e d

Independent Kevin Scott.

Ben Pinette

together to pick out the questions submitted from the public. Parent then explained to wait as WAGM-TV will be starting their coverage in progress.

Immediately, all the candidates firmly stating the need for change in the Blaine House.

“You can’t run the state like a business, but you can’t afford not to,” exclaimed Moody during his take of the opening question.

In the debate, Mitchell was the only candidate honest enough to state that she has changed her vote about school consolidation in the state.

“Cutler thought that I ran the school consolidation like a status-quo, but I didn’t say that,” said Mitchell.

On the minds of many people in the community and UMPI was the thought of LePage possibly shutting down one or more of the campuses at UMFK, NMCC, or UMPI. LePage was quick to justify his comment made.

“We have 14 campuses in the state; they are all resources that go into the classroom. I am not

Left to right: Paul LePage, Libby Mitchell, Shawn Moody and Kevin Scott.

looking to close any campuses in the state or Aroostook County. I also want to implement a five year high school year where students can get an AA in their choosing.

Mitchell spoke highly of keeping the schools in Aroostook County still open.

“I would never dream of closing down any college campus. Education will always come first. By closing down a college campus, you are losing the town’s heart.”

Cutler, Scott, and Moody also spoke of the same idea.

In the end, Maine chose to vote in Paul LePage as our next

governor. In Presque Isle, around 1,344 voted for LePage, the biggest was Cutler with about 957 votes. Mitchell took in around 581 votes, and Shawn Moody gained around 253 votes.

No matter who you voted for, it was an exciting time just to know the candidates were in your backyard, and the fact that you could ask them the questions you would want answered.

The next four years are certainly critical for our state, we hope that LePage can do the job he promised and focus on the things that matter most to us, including job creation.

Through the Eyes of a First-time Voter

STAFF WRITER

Many typical college students wouldn’t think this, but the mid terms election can be very crucial. For one UMPI student, this was her first time voting. Kamrynn Thyng is a sophomore here at UMPI majoring in criminal justice with a minor in pre-law. She found her first voting experience at the Presque Isle Recreation

Department to be somewhat of a humorous situation.

“I came in with my card already filled out, and the lady was like ‘well, you need to fill out a white card, because we use those here. The green cards are for… um…’ and she just stopped talking,” Thyng said.

Thyng found the voting process initially much easier than she originally anticipated.

“Yeah, it was a lot easier than I thought, except when I got to the huge machines, and I

was like ‘what goes where’ and the lady just stared at me,” Thyng said.

Thyng’s main reason to vote in this election was to prevent Paul LePage from becoming the next governor because of rumors of his recent proposal to shut down schools such as UMFK, NMCC and UMPI. “If UMPI shuts down, I’d be pretty angry cause I’ve already paid money to that institution, unless I’m getting my money back. I also think it’ll bring a

lot less money into the county, and we need to boost tourism and everything when people come up with their parents,” Thyng said.

She also came to vote because she wanted to prevent a casino from coming to Maine.

“I think it’s a horrible idea. Casinos lead to violence, prostitution, and all that stuff. I also think it could lead to an increase in crime.”

Did you vote on or before Nov. 2? If not, did you stop to think that all around the world, people are literally dying to vote? Think that one vote doesn’t make a difference? There are innumerable contests where a single vote has been decisive. So if you didn’t vote Nov. 2, please consider doing so when the next election rolls around. And if you did vote, thank you and please keep it up.

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University Times CAMPUS November 19, 2010

Magic

Henry Pelletier STAFF WRITER

Jumping and dancing all over the stage, magician Jay Mattioli, makes the large crowd roar with laughter. After the crowd settles down, Mattioli tells a few jokes and receives minimal applause.

“Just the kids on medication” Mattioli said as yet another joke.

Soon after, former Americaʼs Got Talent percipient, decided to preform a very simple trick where he could pull anyoneʼs baby picture out of a hat. Of course he had pictures of random babies in his hat and just pulled them out.

Another trick he later preformed was a very simple one that many people know.

Mattioli had pulled a woman from the audience and had her pick a card from a deck, then jokingly had her place the card in a deck with much larger cards. Next he drew the card and magically pulled it out of the paper.

After some more joke-like magic tricks, and verbal jokes, Mattioli called up a young boy to “teach” him some magic. What happened was Mattioli put a coat on the boy, Isaac, and put his own arms through the sleeves. Tricks were done and Mattioli made it look like Isaac was preforming magic.

There were many students and family members that showed up to the event, and anyone could tell that everyone enjoyed it. Laughter filled the auditorium whenever Mattioli let loose a good joke, so it must have been good.

Students and young children went wild trying to be chosen whenever Mattioli asked for a volunteer. Sometimes, even when Mattioli was not asking for a volunteer, people would talk and become a part of the show.

“I brought my children and they really enjoyed the show. It was a great experience for all ages!” said Julie Knight after the show.

If you did not go to the magic show, you can catch Jay Mattioli on his tour in 2011. You can check out his tour dates and locations at http://www.jaymattioli.com/newsite/tour.htm.

University Times CAMPUS November 19, 2010

Mattioli

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University Times CAMPUS November 19, 2010

Henry Pelletier STAFF WRITER

Every year the University of Maine at Presque Isle welcomes the Red Cross to come and take the blood of the public and the students. This year it was on Oct. 26.

“There were 45 people in the first hour,” Red Cross staff member Kelly Gallagher-Izzo said.

If you have never been to a blood drive, you know that 45 people within the first hour is a lot.

Another great thing about this drive was that there were very few people who needed to be turned away.

The UMPI blood drive had a great turnout. The blood drive reached the expectations

Blood Flow

of the staff, and even exceeded them. This news is very good because the nation is at a critically low point for blood donations right now.

One flaw that this blood drive suffered from was the lack of staff from the Red Cross.

Many people needed to wait in uncomfortable chairs for a free booth to answer the personal questions. This was no problem to the donors for they were determined to give their blood for the good cause.

This year was a great drive for the Red Cross, and if you didn’t donate this year, you should consider donating at the next blood drive in 2011.

When you donate blood, the and sterilizes your arm. After Red Cross has you read a pack- you feel a pinch and a light et of information. Then they burn, you’re donating blood. poke your finger to draw a tiny Minutes later, you’ll be eating blood drop to test your iron pretzels and drinking juice, level. After that, they ask you personal questions, which remain confidential, to know whether you’re at risk of any harmful diseases.

These precautions are taken so that a patient will not get sick from a blood transfusion.

Once you pass the test, the Red Cross staff member has you lie down on a table The scene at the blood drive held

talking with your friends.

Donating blood is a great community service that everyone should try at least once while at UMPI.

in the Campus Center.

Candy, Costumes and Kids Galore!

Kayla Ames STAFF WRITER

What’s your favorite part of Halloween? The candy, the costumes or the excited kids who flock to your doorway with smiles and cuteness aplenty?

Whatever part you like best, Trick or Treat Night in the UMPI dorms has it. The Trick or Treat Night that took place on Oct. 28 was no exception.

Children arrived a little before 7 p.m., obviously eager. Parents, siblings and friends accompanied them, a few even dressing up besides.

Before they arrived, UMPI students were busy putting the finishing touches on their halls.

Plastic skeletons, streamers, black trash bags and other decorations appropriate for kids 10 and up covered the walls. Fake cobwebs hung from the ceiling, so low at points that some of

the taller visitors had to duck and got caught on more than one occasion. Residential Advisers bought candy then passed it out among the students on their floors, checking regularly to see if anyone needed refills. Music played in the background as attendees crowded the halls. A chorus of “trick-or-treats” and “thank yous” mixed with Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” the Ghost Buster’s theme song and “Monster Mash” by Dr. Demento.

“We started the program here at UMPI in 1991,” Director of Residential Life James Stepp said in reference in the Trick or Treat Night. “It was an idea I brought with me from my last school.”

In Frostburg, MD, where Stepp is from, it is illegal to trick or treat. As a result, a lot of

people threw parties, including Stepp and his colleague, who decided to throw the biggest block party in town. Thus, Trick or Treat Night was born.

This year’s costumes reflect-

ed the times. Several kids came dressed as Toy Story and Star Wars characters, including Jesse the Cowgirl and Darth Vader.

Others came as the classics, including vampires, clowns and princesses. A mad scientist, a

dinosaur, a dalmatian and Harry Potter roamed the halls, asking questions and collecting candy. Their parents joined in on the excitement, pretending to be scared while they snapped a picture or two. Most had to remind their kids at some point that there were candy-servers on both sides of the hallway rather than just one.

As for the college students, they appeared to enjoy themselves at least as much as the children. They sang along to the holiday songs, complimented the young visitors and tried to guess what they were, all the while filling plastic jack-o-lanterns, Wal-Mart shopping bags and small nylon sacks with an enthusiastic “Happy Halloween!” Many feasted on candy and dressed up as everything from a purple crayon to a Native American, proving you’re never too old to

enjoy Halloween.

“Here at UMPI we usually see about 50 students participate in the freshmen halls...This year we had about 140 kids pass through the lobby of Park Hall.

We usually average between 140 and 170 children each year,” Stepp said.

About 60 or so kids showed up in Merriman Hall. The halls quieted down a little before 8 p.m. Knights, SWAT members and ghouls disappeared, as did handfuls of college students headed to parties of their own. The music stopped and cleanup began.

Some decorations remained, as did the festive atmosphere.

Happy chatter drifted from the rooms as the 14th annual Trick or Treat Night officially drew to a close. Young or old, dorm resident or child, witch or Yoda, everyone seemed to have had a good time.

University Times

Kim McCrea CONTRIBUTOR

If you are looking for adventure and love the outdoors, then OAPI is the club for you!

The Outdoor Adventure Program International club is a student-organized club whose mission is to offer exciting and safe outdoor experiences for the students, faculty, staff, and the surrounding community. OAPI has already offered many exciting outing opportunities this semester. This fall kicked off with an adrenalinepumping whitewater rafting trip down the Penobscot River! A group of 12 brave students were treated to sunny skies, turbulent rapids, and breath-taking scenery courtesy of New England Outdoor Center rafting guides.

Despite a few people taking a swim in Class V rapids, everyone had a fulfilling and exhilarating experience!

OAPI’s next adventure was set in the picturesque Gulf Hagas region of Maine where students were led on an overnight backpacking trip around the Gulf Hagas gorge, aka “The Grand Canyon of Maine!”

After fording a frigid river and setting up camp, the group hiked along the canyon rim and was witness to some of the most outstanding natural features along the entire Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine! After the day’s hike, everyone satiated their appetite with a delicious backcountry meal and huddled around the campfire on the chilly Maine night. At dawn in the crisp autumn air, the group broke camp, ate breakfast, and embarked on the day’s journey of hiking to the summit of Chairback Mountain (2,219 ft.) an 8mile out- and- back hike

SportS OAPI Adventures

along the Appalachian T r a i l .

Although the 4-mile uphill hike was strenuous, the views from the top were well worth the effort!

The following weekend, OAPI offered a day trip in outdoor rock climbing in Clifton, ME. Lenny Cole, PCIA rock climbing guide and Jen S t e e v e s , S t u d e n t Tyler Hutchinson belaying, L-R: Rachel McGlinn Assistant set a number of and Jen Steeves climbing routes on the steep cliffs varying in difficul- the urge to fire a biathlon planning some exciting events ty. The trip provided oppor- rifle, sign up for the FREE including dog sledding, wintunities for beginners and Dec. 3rd outing at the ter camping, a winter mounexperts alike to challenge and Nordic Heritage Sport Club tain ascent, outdoor rock ski/snowboard hone their outdoor rock in Presque Isle. Elite Maine climbing, W i n t e r climbing skills on the steep S p o r t s granite wall.

The latest OAPI adventure C e n t e r was a high-flying jaunt over a t h l e t e s n d the dramatic Grand Falls a c o a c h e s Gorge in New Brunswick, will proCanada! Thrill-seeking students and community mem- v i d e bers donned harnesses and instruction helmets and clipped into the and activizip line to experience the ties on the of spectacular waterfalls as few sport b i a t h l o n have seen before! Shrill cries and give of excitement echoed across an the gorge as members of the you opportunigroup zipped across the steel ty to test cable line to the other side. your tarIf you missed any of get-hitting these adventures, no worries…there are plenty more skills with to come this semester and b i a t h l o n next! On November 20th, rifles.

Looking OAPI will be leading a cavahead to ing expedition, where parthe spring ticipants will explore the caves of La Pocatiere, s e m e s t e r, is Quebec.

If you ever had OAPI

November 19, 2010

11

weekend getaway, snowshoeing, and possibly another zip line trip! These outings are made possible through support from Student Senate.

If you are interested in learning more about OAPI, please feel free to attend one of our biweekly meetings held the first and third Thursday of each month at 12:30 pm in the OAPI office in Gentile Hall. You can also become a fan on our Facebook page to have access to the latest trip info and posttrip pictures or visit us at our website www. umpi.edu/gentilehall/oapi.

For more information on any of these outings or to register for one of these trips, please contact Kim McCrea, Manager of OAPI at 7689401 or kimberly.mcrea@umpi.edu.

Mark Payne taking off on the line

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University Times SPORTS November 19, 2010

The Native Voices group is selling raffle tickets for a chance to win $1,000 to be drawn on Nov 29 at 6 p.m. Tickets are sold in bundles of five for $10. If you or someone you know is interested in buying some tickets and winning a little bit of cash before Christmas, stop by the Native Center at South Hall 311 or contact Myrth Schwartz at 768-9792.

A New Season for UMPIʼs Hockey Team Julia Lunn

STAFF WRITER

It was an anticipated event. Word spread fast by members of the hockey club team, getting students rallied up. The hockey season was opening up, and the debut was scheduled for Oct. 25 at 9 p.m. against our school’s biggest rival – NMCC. At only quarter till 9, the parking lot was filling up fast. Students and friends filled up the waiting room as they anticipated the game.

When the doors finally opened, everyone flooded in.

Even without seating, viewers didn’t back down, and stood around the arena wait-

quarters. With every goal UMPI made, loud hooting and cheers echoed in the air.

Player number 4, “We had the crowd on our side and it really helped that the majority of people who said they would come on Facebook actually showed up,” Chris Moore said.

UMPI’s team spirit and enthusiasm definitely kept the players going.

In the last quarter, UMPI was 2 behind. Unfortunately, they couldn’t keep up. With many new members on the team, it takes a while for them to get used to playing with each other.

“There will be a lot of

UMPIʼs hockey team in action. ing to cheer on their team.

Nine o’clock arrived fast and the game began. The crowd was surging with energy tantamount to the players on the ice. Only 5 minutes into the game, UMPI made the first score thanks to number 20, Josh MacKinnon.

NMCC wasn’t far behind, though. Just several minutes later, they took on the challenge to tie it up.

Scores went back and forth throughout the first two

getting used to each other,” Moore said. “But we can only get better the more we play with each other.

T h e g a me e nded 7- 5 N M. I t w as a well fo ugh t g a me, a nd it he l ped h avi n g so m any frie n ds an d st ude nt s o ut th ere t o su pp o rt t he team . “ I t ’s g o i n g t o b e a n i n t e r e s t i n g y e a r, a n d I’m looking forward to the way it plays out,” Moore said.

University Times COMMUNITY November 19, 2010

Community

13

Leave it to the Beavers

April Flagg

An Andy Warhol Throwback

WASHBURN DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL

Students walking into A pril F lag g’s room this week noticed a drastic change!

Lindsey Blackstone, a senior and GT student at Washbur n District Elementar y School, recently completed her first quarter project for the Gifted and Talented Seminar class at the high school.

Quarter one for Blackstone was all about studying a few of what she called the “art masters” to develop some knowledge and comprehension of art history. Blackstone looked over a few master s, but finally settled on Andy Warhol, noted artist and photographer of pop art, most famous perhaps for the work he did with the Campbell’s Soup labels.

Blackstone selected

Wa r h o l f o r s e v e r a l d i f ferent reasons. “I choose him mostly because I was familiar wit his art and it really appealed to me.

I decided that I really wanted to know more about his life and what he did when he created works of art.”

Blackstone read an biogr a p hy t i t l e d “ Po p : T h e G e n i u s o f A n d y Wa r h o l ” a n d t h e b o o k “ Fr o m A - B and Back Ag ain” by Wa r h o l himself discussing his philosophy on life and art.

For her final project, Blackstone was initially fascinated with the work “Ethel Scull 36 times.”

His use of a photo booth picture developed with several color s and poses caught her attention immediately, “His use of photo booth pictures that

were silk screened on canvas was so cool.” Warhol also did another work, a self portrait, with four silk screened pictures. That’s w h a t Blackstone selected to mimic.

The final project contains candid shots of ever y student in the Gifted a n d Ta l e n t e d Seminar and the instruct o r s .

Blackstone used an original backdrop to set up

the “photo booth ef fect.”

She took the photos back to her computer and used a photo program to edit and tint each picture.

The result was 28 pictures in the order of the rainbow.

She acknowledges that her process may be dif ferent due money and access, but that the intent was similar: to create an imitation piece that contained a little of his process and a little of hers.

The end result is nothing short of amazing.

Students in the school even stop into the room just to take a quick peek.

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University Times COMMUNITY November 19, 2010

The Return of Greatness Kyle Huston

WASHBURN DISTRUCT HIGH SCHOOL

Second year teacher Mike Waugh took on a big task in August, the revival of Washburn District High School’s Cross Country Team.

The last time the school had a team was the 2003 season. The program was discontinued due to low numbers, little student interest and the retirement of the coach, Mike Hartford.

After a seven year absence, interest began to grow again.

Mr. Waugh, a WDHS history teacher, agreed to coach the team. He is a former runner and coach from Presque Isle High School. Mr. Diette, MSAD 45’s music instructor and a former cross country runner, is the assistant coach.

The team ran in the Class C division. Runners Nick Bragg and Carsyn Koch both placed 1st place in several division races. Other members of the team include Anna Carlson, Kevin Carlson, Kyle Huston,

Cameron Huston, Carmen Bragg, Kyle McLaughlin, Garth Kinney, and Nicole Olsen.

The team has had a successful year so far, with all runners finishing with very good times at their races. At the Eastern Maine finals held on October 23rd, freshmen Carsyn Koch finished 1st place, and freshmen Carmen Bragg finished in 3rd place. Two of the star male runners were unable to attend due to a conflicting soccer game. Even with their absence, they boys did well. Koch and Bragg will compete at the state meet on the October 30th.

The team will graduate four seniors, Anna Carlson, Cameron Huston, Garth Kinney, and Kyle Huston. After a strong first year, the program is strong and will be very competitive in the years to come.

The coaches and the runners are preparing for the state meet and are excited to see the future for this program.

Cartoon by Laura Fantasia

Drawing by Lindsey Blackstone

The Newest Addition to April Flaggʼs Classroom Lindsey Blackstone

WASHBURN DISTRUCT HIGH SCHOOL

April F lagg of Washburn District High School took on a new teaching experience this year, a s t u d e n t t e a c h e r.

Shauna Lyons is from Mapleton and is currently attending the University of Maine at Presque Isle.

Her previous experience with teaching was at Presque Isle M i d d l e School, where she taught the seventh grade class for eight weeks. Lyons will be teaching here at Washburn for eight weeks as well.

When asked why she has chosen teaching as a

career, Lyons said, “Even though I enjoyed the middle school, I’ve always pictured myself as a high school English teacher. I think that teaching would be a

rewarding career, and I’ve always loved being in a school setting.”

Flagg is also very enthu-

siastic about having a student teacher in the classroom. She is excited to be giving back to the school where she learned so much about teaching.

F lagg said, “It’s definitely a new experience, and I really e n j o y sharing my passions w i t h another p e r s o n who shares the same passion for English that I do.”

Lyons is settling in well and is looking forward to getting to know the students and learning the techniques and methods of another teacher.

University Times COMMUNITY November 19, 2010

Sarah Sjoberg

Greek God and Goddess Attend High School

ing like Rhea (a Greek goddess) helps you get to know your character and see how other gods and goddesses treat you. You really get to

live her life with the time period and the way it took to be a god.”

Another student, Ta y l o r T h o m p s o n , s a i d ,

“If I could go back in t i me, I wo uld h ave loved t o h ave li ved h er life. ” The project definitely helped the students dive deep-

er into Greek mythology and taught them a lot about the time period.

Flagg was thrilled with the learning that took place all over the school throughout the day.

“Just imagine the conversations that will occur in the years to come!

T he students asked the freshmen all day which god or goddess they were, what that person did to be famous. It was really amazing. I couldn’t be more pleased with the result,” F lagg said.

The project was so big that the school even received a front page stor y in the Star Herald. With the success of this year, the extra credit assignment will certainly be carried out for many years to come.

play that they performed in elementary school.

Advisors April Flagg and Robin Thurston were eager to jump on board. With most of the cast maintaining the part as they played over 5 years ago, it will be interesting to watch and see how they’ve grown and changed over the years as they take on a repeat performance of

“Heaven Help the Po’ Taters.”

Many of the members now have a number of years with Destination Imagination under their belts, which will no doubt assist them as they perform on stage. “We’ve noticed that many of the students are already comfortable with projection and stage position. We are really just

working on entrance, exit, lines, and speech.”

Ms. Flagg, a senior play veteran, needed some assistance this year. “I was so pleased the Mrs. Thurston was willing to help me this year.

With everything I have going on, senior play was really something I wanted to do, but worried about how I could do it.

With an assistant director,

things are much easier. We can cover for each other, discuss plans, and really work as a team. It’s great.”

Students began rehearsal November 8th, and will perform the play Friday, November 19 at the Doc Albert Gymnasium in Washburn at 7 o’clock.

Admission is $3 dollars at the door. Come and join the fun!

WASHBURN DISTRUCT HIGH SCHOOL

Students in April Flagg’s freshman English class dressed the part of Greek gods to learn more about the ancient Greeks myths told many centuries ago. The students just finished the book “The Lightning Thief ” by Rick Riordan. Most thoroughly enjoyed reading about Greek gods and goddesses. Flagg wanted to figure out a way to actively engage the students in Greek mythology. It finally just came to her-- let the students dress up as Greek gods as an extra credit assignment.

A majority of the students were thrilled with the idea: excited to lear n more about specific gods and goddesses. A few days before Halloween, students arrived at school decked our with j e w e l r y, g o w n s, a n d w i l d outfits portraying the my t h i c a l g o d o r g o d d e s s o f t h e i r c h o i c e.

When asked about the project, one student, Shanae Burtt, said, “I think that act-

April Flaggʼs English class dresses up for the occasion.

Photo by Scott Johnson, The Star Herald.

WDHS Students See Taters in a Whole New Light

Cameron Huston

WASHBURN DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL

With soccer and cross country seasons now over and basketball not yet started, students at WDHS are busy yet again with Senior Play. This year the class of 2011 decided to mix things up a little!

Instead of selecting a brand new play to perform, the class decided to choose a favorite

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16

University Times VOICE November 19, 2010

VOICE

Queer News

Dick Harrison CONTRIBUTOR

• MAINE NEWS The Maine Human Rights Commission ruled in September that the Orono Middle School unlawfully discriminated against a sixth-grader by not letting the male-tofemale transgender student use the girls’ bathroom. The school had forced her to use a unisex, gender-neutral bathroom and her peers picked on her. The ruling said “the school was implicitly isolating and alienating her from other students.”

The student was subjected to derogatory remarks made by other students, and allegations of stalking by a boy who called her “faggot.”

• DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL A federal judge r u l e d September 24 that a decorated flight nurse discharged from the USAF for being a lesbian should get her job back ASAP. • MARRIAGE EQUALITY - A federal court dismissed a lawsuit by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) filed in September in Rhode Island. NOM, a leading anti-LGBT force in the country, argued that it should be able to run ads on behalf of a Republican candidate who strongly opposes marriage equality without having to comply with campaign finance laws.

NOM has challenged Maine’s election laws in an effort to keep voters from knowing who is financing their anti-gay campaigns in this state.

- In an August poll conducted by the Associated Press, 58% of Americans believed same-sex couples should be entitled to the same government benefits as married heterosexual couples.

This reflected a steady increase from 51% in 2008 and 54% in 2009.

• ADOPTION A Miami appeals court has upheld a ruling overturning Florida’s law banning adoption

by gays.

The Court of Appeal issued its decision Sept. 22 affirming a lower court’s decision that the ban is unconstitutional.

•EMPLOYMENT A Christian school in New Zealand was ordered to compensate a former coach who was fired based on their belief that homosexuality is a sin; the coach is gay. The school offered to rehire him, but he rejected the offer. As part of the settle-

ment he was paid an undisclosed amount of money and school board members will undergo human rights awareness training.

• THE SENIOR PROM A Mississippi high school that cancelled its prom because a lesbian teen wanted to bring her girlfriend has agreed to pay $35,000 to settle a discrimination lawsuit. The high school cancelled the event rather than allow the same-sex couple to attend, despite a nondiscrimination policy already in existence. “I knew it was a good cause, but sometimes it really got to me,” said the 18-year old student.

“I knew it would change things for others in the future and I kept going and I kept pushing.”

• DEFINING “FAMILY” New research from three surveys on how “family” is defined by Americans shows a significant shift towards counting same-sex couples with children as a family, from 54 percent in 2003 to 68 percent in 2010.

The change is linked to a 10 percent increase in the number of respondents who have a gay friend or relative. One third of those surveyed said they considered same-sex couples without children to be a family. In 2006, when asked if gay couples and pets counted as family, 30 percent said pets count but not gay couples. “The sheer idea that gay couples are given less status than pets should give us pause,” said a researcher.

Douglas MacArthurʼs Sport Connection Todd Russell CONTRIBUTOR

Douglas MacArthur (1880–1964) is most famous for his military contributions during WW II. He systematically led US troops in the Pacific Theater. Shortly after, General MacArthur was “fired” by President Harry Truman for being too independent and not being in concert with the chain of command. Rarely, however do we connect the General with the world of sport.

In 1928, Douglas MacArthur was the President of the United States Olympic Committee. The job was to oversee the task of assembling a team to compete in the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, Holland.

In my living room, I have a certificate signed by Douglas MacArthur and photo of an upand-coming Olympic high jumper. The high jumper was my father, Cecil Thayer Russell. On the signed certificate is the following notation; “C. Russell was a competitor in the try-outs at Boston held by the American Olympic Committee to prepare a team to represent the United States of America at the IX Olympiad.”

In this competition, May 18, 1928, Russell won first place in the running high jump.

Although my father did not “pursue the Olympic

dream,” as we commonly say today, he was an excellent candidate for the team. His best jump was 6’ 4”, nearly the same as the winning jump in the 1928 Olympics. Robert King won the gold medal in Holland by jumping 6’ 4 3/8”. In that era, the Olympics were less glamorous than today and necessitated a long arduous ship ride across the Atlantic Ocean.

My father ultimately finished his economics degree at Brown University and went on to a career in business. Russell’s professional career was quite successful; he did not experience the misfortune of MacArthur.

As you st udy c on t e m porar y h ist or y a n d rea d o f D o u g l a s M a c A r t h u r, thi n k o f h im as m o re t han a m ilit a r y fi gure. T h in k of h i m a s th e Pre si den t o f the US Olympic Co mm itt e e in 1 92 8 .

University Times LIFESTYLE November 19, 2010

Lifestyle

The Reel Deal: ʻRedʼ

Michael Greaves STAFF WRITER

PG-13 111 Minutes *****

movies since “Die Hard.”

RED has some great action scenes in it as well as some

“RED” is a movie based on the DC comic book of the same name.

This movie stars Bruce Willis as Frank Moses, Morgan Freeman as Joe Matheson, John Malkovich as Marvin Boggs, Helen Mirren as Victoria, and MaryLouise Parker as Sarah Ross and is directed by Robert Schwentke.

It’s about a retired CIA agent named Frank Moses (Willis).

As he’s trying to adjust to retired life, he finds out that he’s on a hit list along with his former CIA friends. Now they have to come together for one more mission to find out who made this hit list, why them and why now.

The movie is one of Bruce Willis’ best

comedic scenes, especially the old timer jokes.

It’s rated PG-13 for vio lence and stro ng la ng uag e. “R ED” is playing at the Braden Theater in Presque Isle.

Show times are M o n d a y through Friday at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. and matinees on S aturdays and S undays at 2 p.m.

The film is great for action m ovie fa ns or p eopl e who l ove a g oo d B ruc e Willis m ovie or fa ns of th e DC comic. With an all-star cast of a ct or s and g reat com edy a nd a cti on scenes, this movie gets a 5 out of 5.

In the Kitchen:

ʻBanana Supremeʼ

Sarah Graettinger STAFF WRITER

Have you ever wanted to try something differe n t ? I n yo u r d o r m o r apartment this recipe can be an interesting way to have a quick meal. There are several things that you will need. Two pieces of bread, one banana, and some peanut butter. What yo u w i l l d o i s t a k e t h e

banana and cut it in circles width wise. T hen take the pieces of bread and spread peanut butter on e a ch p i e c e. A f t e r t h e peanut butter is spread, put as many bananas in the middle as you like. If yo u w a n t e d t o a s t t h e bread you can do that too!

So many exciting things c a n b e m a d e f ro m t h e banana supreme. Enjoy!

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The Reel Deal: ʻOld Dogsʼ

Stephanie Couriveau STAFF WRITER

PG 88 minutes *** Well, it just goes to show you that you can’t judge a movie by its DVD cover. Or the actors that appear in that film, for that matter. Robin Williams, John Travolta and Seth Green may appear in “ O l d Dogs,” but don’t let that fool you.

It’s not the kind of comedy that y o u ’ d hope for f r o m these tale n t e d actors.

When you first hear the title, “Old Dogs,” you have to wonder if it’s supposed to be a spinoff of another Travolta movie, “Wild Hogs.” But, they’re really on completely different levels. “Wild Hogs” was one of those movies that kept you laughing throughout the entire viewing. “Old Dogs,” on the other hand, tries to be funny, but you often end up wincing at many of the jokes.

It’s almost as if the characters try too hard. It should be a heartwarming film, but it just comes off as cliché. All of the movie’s messages have been heard in many other films, many times before.

But, everyone has different tastes. It’s possible that you could really enjoy this movie

after all. If that’s the case, then you might be curious to know just what “Old Dogs” is about.

The film begins by focusing on Charlie (Travolta) and Dan (Williams), who are in the middle of making a huge business deal. Just when things look promising and it seems that deal will go through, a huge bomb is dropped. Dan discovers that he has two children and the moth-

er of these children wants to start a new life with him. But, after she gets out of prison, of course (it’s a long story). Dan is left to figure out if he should continue his work with his friend, Charlie, or focus on his family.

“Old Dogs” is somewhat disappointing, but this is probably because you have such high expectations for the actors.

Most of the film’s best parts are those that were shown in the previews. If you end up watching this film, you’ll probably find that it’s an okay movie.

But, if you find yourself in the movie store debating about what DVD to get, maybe you should consider renting “Wild Hogs” instead…

18

University Times LIFESTYLE November 19, 2010

Jim Stepp

Finding Information on Astronomy

CONTRIBUTOR

Astronomy has been a hobby of mine since the 6th grade. In the spring of 1973 (that makes me 49 for those of you doing the math) Ms Beth Young, presented a two week lesson on astronomy in my science class at Annunciation Grade School in Pittsburgh, PA. The graining black and white posters that she hung up on the walls in my class room showed pictures of the Moon, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter. Only telescopic pictures of the other planets were available, no probes had made it to these planets yet.

As an 11 year old, I began reading everything about astronomy I could get my hands on. When I was a kid, the only sources of information available to me were from the handful of astronomy books in the school’s library and the local Public Broadcasting System channel. As I got older I began to visit the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh and the Buhl Planetarium.

About five year ago my son Jimmy, age 11 at the time, began to take an interest in astronomy. Today there are many other sources of information available to him. For those of you who are interested in astronomy today you can utilize the library and PBS, but you can also have the Discovery Channel, the National Geographic Channel, or you can go on line and look up various sites on astronomy. By clicking a few links you can watch videos from NASA or look at the latest pictures of the Sun. For those who are interested in astronomy, please check out the following links.

For beginners and education students, check out these sites for lesson plans and other activities in astronomy: The Science Spot: www.sciencespot.net/Pages/cla ssastrolsn.html - The Lesson Plan Library: http://school.discovery.com/le ssonplans/astronomy.html - Instructional Material in A s t r o n o m y : www.cln.org/subjects/astrono my_inst.html Kid’s Astronomy: www.kidsastronomy.com/ General astronomy sites: - Best Astronomy Calendar on the web (you can program your home site for more accurate times: www.calsky.com/cs.cgi - Sunrise, Sunset Calculator: www.sunrisesunset.com/ Free Skymaps: www.skymaps.com/ NASA’s Homepage: www.nasa.gov/ Space News: www.space.com/ - Space Weather: spaceweather.com/ - This Week’s Sky Events: skytonight.com/observing/ataglan ce - American Meteor Society: www.amsmeteors.org/ - Space Imagery on the web: www.ambitweb.com/nasacams /spacepix.shtml - Hubble Space Telescope site: Go to http://hubblesite.org/ for Local sites of interest: - The Francis Malcolm Science C e n t e r : http://www.malcolmsciencece nter.org/ The Northern Maine Museum of Science: www.umpi.maine.edu/info/nm ms/museum.htm THE NIGHT SKY

The ISS is visible in the morning sky after Nov. 25. Go to www.heavens-above.com for exact times and locations.

You’ll need to register at this site and load your location to be able to get exact times. The University of Maine at Presque Isle is located at 68d00m7.8s west longitude and 46d40m45.6s north latitude.

To get a free sky chart go to www.skymaps.com. * All of the times and dates below are calculated by http://calsky.com. You must do the free registration in order to get accurate times.

Sun and Planet Rising and Setting 11/20 Sunrise 06:41 Sunset 15:53 Mercury 16:06 – 16:36 Venus 04:06 – 06:42 Mars 16:24 – 16:48 Jupiter 16:06 – 00:54 Saturn 02:42 – 06:06 Uranus 17:24 – 23:42 12/01 Sunrise 06:55 Sunset 15:47 Mercury 16:00 – 16:48 Venus 03:30 – 06:54 Mars 16:18 – 16:36 Jupiter 16:00 – 00:12 Saturn 02:06 – 06:24 Uranus 17:18 – 23:00 12/10 Sunrise 07:05 Sunset 15:44 Mercury 16:18 – 16:48 Venus 03:18 – 07:06 Mars 16:18 – 16:30 Jupiter 16:00 – 23:42 Saturn 01:36 – 06:30 Uranus 17:18 – 22:24

THE NIGHT SKIES OVER AROOSTOOK COUNTY All times are listed in Eastern Time. Please add 1 hour for Atlantic Time.

11/12 1980 – 30th Anniversary of the Voyager 1 flyby of Saturn 11/13@11:38 First Quarter Moon 11/14@01:00 Nov. IotaAurigid Meteor Shower, best seen 17:06 – 05:18, 4 per hour 11/15@01:00 Nov. IotaAurigid Meteor Shower, best seen 17:06 – 05:18, 4 per hour 11/15@06:42 Moon at Apogee – Farthest from the Earth (251,503 miles or 404,669 km) 11/16@00:36 Jupiter 7.1 degrees south of the Moon 11/16@01:00 Nov. IotaAurigid Meteor Shower, best seen 17:06 – 05:24, 5 per hour 11/16@05:00 Leonid Meteor Shower, best seen 22:18 – 05:24, 5 per hour 11/16@16:00 Uranus 6.2 degrees south of Moon 11/17@01:00 Nov. IotaAurigid Meteor Shower, best seen 17:06 – 05:24, 4 per hour 11/17@05:00 Leonid Meteor Shower, best seen 22:18 – 05:24, 10 per hour

11/17@16:00 Leonid Meteor Shower Maximum 11/18@05:00 Leonid Meteor Shower, best seen 22:18 – 05:24, 10 per hour 11/19@05:00 Leonid Meteor Shower, best seen 22:18 – 05:30, 5 per hour 11/20@19:50 Mercury 1.7 degrees south of Mars 11/20@22:53 Moon eclipses Zeta Ari 11/21@12:27 Full Moon 11/23@20:41 Moon eclipses Propus, ends 21:37 11/26 1965 France launches its first satellite – Asterix 1 11/28@15:36 Last Quarter Moon 11/30 Earliest Launch date for the Space Shuttle Discovery 11/30@13:47 Moon at Perigee – Closest to the Earth 229,581 miles or 369,396 km 12/01@05:12 Moon 7.69 degree south of Saturn 12/01@10:42 Mercury at greatest eastern elongation 21.5 degrees – evening sky 12/02@12:18 Moon 6.8 degrees south of Venus 12/05@12:35 New Moon 12/06@16:18 Moon 6.5 degree north of Mercury 12/06@16:18 Moon 0.8 degrees north of Mars

University Times LIFESTYLE November 19, 2010

Answer Key:

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Answer Key:

Can you Spot the Difference?

Answers will be in our next issue!

Photos by Dione Skidgel

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University Times LIFESTYLE November 19, 2010

WIN $100.00 Design the cover of the 2011 University Day Booklet The booklet includes a schedule of events and descriptions of each session.

The winning cover art will also be used on posters, advertisments and other related University Day items

University Day is Wednesday, April 13, 2011 Art submission deadline is Monday, Feb. 28, 2011 The UDay theme is A Decade of Learing: Showcasing 10 Years of University Day, 2001-2011

For complete details about dimensions, format, etc., go to:

www.umpi.edu/uday

Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!