THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010 VOL. 87, NO. 19

Congressional campaign returnsSmall-business owner Kerry Rob-

erts contended that the exorbitant amount of money being spent by the United States government is fi s-cally irresponsible during a speech Tuesday night, hosted by MTSU’s Raider Republicans.

“America is on the verge of bankruptcy,” said Roberts, who owns the Bike Peddler, a chain of bicycle stores in the Middle Tennessee area.

Roberts is among fi ve candi-dates competing in the Repub-lican primary race for a chance to run in the general election this fall for Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District.

The Springfield native ad-dressed several issues, ranging from the national unemployment rate to the recent health care leg-

islation, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama last week.

Roberts, who is a certifi ed pub-lic accountant, said he felt run-ning for public offi ce is the right thing to do, referring to the av-erage American’s participation in politics.

“What kind of credibility do I have to tell my kids to do the right thing if I don’t – so I am running,” Roberts said.

Matthew Hurtt, political strat-egist and MTSU alumnus, said Roberts’ experience as a CPA will be beneficial to the people of Tennessee.

“He’s a down-to-earth small-business owner who knows what

it takes to balance a budget,” Hurtt said. “He’s not afraid to say no to more government and more spending.”

Roberts said he believes the United States cannot solve spend-ing problems with more spending, debt problems with more debt and problems created by politicians by sending more career politicians to Washington.

“The defi nition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different out-come,” Roberts said. “Politicians need to go.”

Hurtt said Roberts is the kind of conservative needed to repre-sent Tennesseans’ best interest in Congress.

“He understands that we can’t fix problems created by politicians, by sending more politicians to Washington,” Hurtt said.

Roberts said it is impor-tant for a politician to re-member that they represent their constituents.

“The key here is to be a part of the solution without getting sucked in,” Roberts said.

Roberts said Americans are resilient.

“There are many stories of people who overcome in his-tory,” Roberts said. “Our proudest moments in Ameri-ca have always been times of spiritual renewal.”

By E.J. HIRSCH, MARIE KEMPHContributing Writer, Campus News Editor

The defi nition of insanity is doing the

same thing over and over ex-pecting a different outcome.”

KERRY ROBERTSCONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE

Orators bring campus Japanese language

Japanese will replace English as a second lan-guage Saturday when seven MTSU students com-pete in a Japanese speech contest in the Business and Aerospace Building’s State Farm Lecture Hall at 11 a.m.

The Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville and the Japan-America Society of Tennessee, Inc., along with the main sponsor, American Airlines, will be presiding over the event.

“We want the audience members to have expo-sure to the Japanese language, and the opportunity to hear speeches in Japanese,” said Terry Vo, Japa-nese Exchange and Teaching Program coordinator in the culture division of the Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville. “We want to encourage every-one to become fl uent in a second language.”

Others will join MTSU’s Japanese language stu-dents from 11 universities from across Tennessee.

The contestants will stand before a panel of three judges, Consul General Hiroshi Sato, Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville; Norio Inaba, direc-tor of sales at American Airlines; and Noriko Faust, Japanese language professor at the University of Southern Mississippi.

All the judges are native speakers of Japanese and chosen accordingly.

The contestants will be competing on three different levels based on the amount of hours of study: Level 1 at 150 hours or less, Level 2 at 300 hours or less, and Level 3 at 300 hours or more. MTSU students will be competing at the fi rst and second levels.

All levels have a fi rst, second and third prize. However, Level 2 and 3 are eligible for the grand prize, a round-trip ticket to Japan provided by American Airlines.

“The students and the teachers have been work-ing very hard to prepare the speeches in Japanese,” said Priya Ananth, professor in Japanese at MTSU. “I am sure the participants will come out with fl y-ing colors this year as well.”

All participants are required to memorize their speeches.

“I’m looking forward to presenting my speech be-cause it’s a challenging way to develop speaking in Japa-nese and recitation skills,” said Jesse Burks, undeclared freshman who will be participating in the contest.

By SARAH HAMACHERStaff Writer

Honors society granted charter

Omicron Delta Kappa Honors Society has been approved to form a chapter at MTSU to rec-ognize students for their scholarship and leader-ship achievements during their academic career

An initiation and chartering ceremony is scheduled for April 30 at 6 p.m. in the Tom H. Jackson Building.

“It is exciting,” said John Vile, dean of the honors college. “I think this would be a very propitious time for establishing such an orga-nization on this campus.”

Vile said school administrators feel that such an organization could benefi t the university.

“President Sidney McPhee, as well as Vice President and Provost [Diane Miller], both see the establishment of such a chapter as a fur-ther way of enhancing student scholarship and

leadership on campus,” Vile said. According to the petition, ODK’s mission

is to recognize outstanding leaders, provide a network for current and future students who aspire to be leaders and to carry out the mission of MTSU.

“Honors societies like ODK provide ample tools and opportunities to excel, but it is ulti-mately up to individual students to make the most of the experience and continue to pursue excellence beyond graduation,” said ODK Pres-ident Merranda Holmes, senior biology major.

Students recognized for scholarship and leadership meritsBy E.J. HIRSCHContributing Writer

HONORS, PAGE 2

Winter’s pushing daisies

Photographs by Jay Bailey, photography editor

(Top) Daffodils stretch through the hardened winter ground preparing for the long-awaited summer. (Left) On East Main Street Japanese magnolias shed their winter coats and bask in the warm spring air.

(Above) Dogwood trees bloom on East Main Street near campus, the first signs of spring after a grueling winter.

Opinionspage 3

A&Epage 4

Featurespage 5

“Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom and a little fl ower.”

Hans Christian Anderson

SUNNYNO CHANCE OF RAIN

HIGH 77, LOW 55

Check out our new crossword puzzle and get the solution for last week’s puzzle.

page 5

Missing Thursday’s sports section? Cure that by reading articles and columns online.

2 SIDELINES THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010 www.mtsusidelines.com

Stylish students to produce show

Models will grace the MTSU catwalk, featuring at-tire created by students ma-joring in textiles, merchan-dising and design, April 9 to raise money for the American Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development fund.

This year’s theme is “Ret-ro-fashion: In Search of Lost Time” and will focus on three categories: memories of child-hood, power of subculture and pop music from previous de-cades and tributes to legendary fashion icons.

The event is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and will be held in the Tennessee Ballroom of the James Union Building.

The spring fashion show is presented each year. Next

month’s fashion show com-prises 60 original outfi ts, all designed and created by stu-dents, and will feature 25 models, most of whom are from MTSU.

Catalina Cristancho, senior apparel design major, will be one of the models during the show. She said she was enthu-siastic about being a part of the show.

“We just want to use our talents to help someone else,” Cristancho said.

Jasmin Kwon, TXMD profes-sor and director of the fashion show, said students would see outfi ts inspired by superheroes, Coco Chanel, Michael Jackson, the ‘20s through the ‘80s, and even Barbie and Ken.

Kwon said students from the College of Human Sciences are putting on this event to share their talents with the commu-

nity, however, the main goal is to provide funds for Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development because they wanted to be able to help people while sharing their talents.

Kwon said she hoped that students would be able to see the talents that TXMD majors have and in the future might become interested in taking a class as an elective.

“We want people to admire the students’ creativity,” Kwon said. “There are a lot of beau-tiful things they have come up with.”

Christy Boner, senior fash-ion merchandising major, said music would also be used to enhance each category’s theme. She said that they were taking popular songs identifi ed with each category, and then updat-ing and “technofying” them.

Boner said the models’ hair and makeup would lean toward a more dramatic style, but would still be used to “enhance the gar-ments but not overtake them.”

Boner said that any money

raised would be a success, but knowing that the money was going to a good cause moti-vated them to organize and plan better.

“It makes you want to go big or go home,” Boner said.

The fashion promotion class, which is producing the show, consists of juniors and seniors and is a required class for all TXMD majors. The class is divided into various categories, including fundraising, ward-robe selection, modeling, hair and makeup, staging and mu-sic, and publicity.

“This [fashion show] is just like a puzzle,” Boner said. “Individually we are just a bunch of puzzle pieces, but once we all come together you can see the end result and completed picture.”

Tickets are $7 in advance or $10 at the door. Students can purchase tickets or fi nd out more information about the fashion show by contacting Jasmin Kwon at kwon@mtsu.edu or at 615-904-8340.

By HANNAH HOPKINSContributing Writer

Fashion show set to benefi t Haitian earthquake victims

According to the ODK Web site, requirements for membership in-clude a prospective member to have a 3.25 GPA or higher and be in the top 35 percent of scholarship at their school.

The Web site also states students must show that they have distin-guished themselves in one of five ar-eas of achievement that the national association recognizes – academics, athletics, campus or community ser-vice, mass media, and creative and performing arts.

“We are looking for people who have been leaders in their area,” Vile said.

Holmes said that among the ben-

efits of being a member of ODK are external scholarships, study abroad opportunities, member dis-counts for graduate school prep courses and popular retail stores, and some even have databases for finding internships.

In addition to the induction of stu-dent members, some faculty and staff will also be joining ODK.

“President Sidney McPhee will be one of the opening charter mem-bers,” Vile said, adding that Roy Martin will also be an honorary member. Martin is the brother of Paul W. Martin Sr., who was an in-strumental part of the University Honors College founding and con-tributed much of the needed funds to pay for college’s building.

According to the ODK Web site, the cost for a lifetime membership

is $70, in addition to a $10 charge to pay for university chapter dues, which is used to fund programs and events.

“Cost and the amount of time dedi-cation concern me,” said Rachel Sisk, sophomore education and behavioral major, who is an honors student.

But Holmes said one of the main purposes of the fraternity is to alle-viate those sorts of problems.

“The benefit of honors societies, particularly ODK, is that they also offer academic and leadership recog-nition and opportunities to students whose majors or time constraints do not allow them to participate in the honors college,” Holmes said.

“I would need to know the benefits of being in the society before I would join,” said honors student Laura Brake, freshman liberal arts major.

March 25, 11:40 a.m.BurglaryRutherford Parking Lot

A complainant reported a

vehicle burglarized.

March 25, 4:10 p.m.TheftJames E. Walker Library

A wallet was reported stolen.

March 25, 5:01 p.m.TheftBoutwell Dramatic Arts

A complainant reported a handbag

stolen.

March 26, 3:12 a.m.DUIRutherford Boulevard

Benjamin Damico, 21, was arrested for

fi rst offense DUI, traveling north on

Rutherford Boulevard.

March 26, 1:14 p.m.Traffi cJames E. Walker Library

A complainant reported he was the

victim of a hit and run.

March 26, 4:45 p.m.VandalismJudd/ Simms Hall Lot

The back window of a red Chevy

Cavalier was reported to have been

broken in.

March 26, 7:15 p.m.VehicleMiddle Tennessee Boulevard

Kesha Thornsbury, 19, was issued a

citation for driving an unregistered

vehicle without proof of insurance.

March 27, 1:43 a.m.DUI Greenland Drive

Kristopher Fish, 26, was arrested for

second offense DUI.

March 27, 3:27 a.m.BurglaryGore Hall

A complainant reported an

aggravated burglary.

March 27, 5:06 p.m.VandalismSigma Alpha Epsilon House,

Greek Row

A window was reported damaged.

March 28, 3:46 a.m.BurglaryDeere Hall

A complainant reported a burglary.

March 28, 4:20 p.m.TheftGore Hall

Something was reported stolen from

Gore Hall.

CRIME BRIEFS

HONORSFROM PAGE 1

File photo

Two models from the 2009 spring fashion show, “Circus,” cross paths on the runway. This year’s show will raise money for the American Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development fund.

The health care bill was signed into law last week. The new law requires calorie infor-mation be provided on vend-ing machines and chain res-taurants such as McDonald’s and Starbucks.

It is long past the time that Americans become more health conscious. If we do not change, some of us won’t have to worry about health care being offered.

Consumers should be allot-ted information about what they are putting into their mouths. The Food and Drug Administration already re-quires labeling on food, so why not put calories on menus as well? If the FDA and the rest of the government are really seri-ous about health reform, this is a great place to start.

Obesity is an ongoing health problem in the United States. Mississippi, Alabama and Ten-nessee are the three most obese

states, according to the latest fi gures from Centers for Dis-ease Control and Prevention.

Mississippi holds the crown of cellulite king with about 32.5 percent in adult obesity for the fi fth year in a row. Ala-bama and Tennessee are fi ght-ing each other for second place with about 30.2 percent.

In Mississippi, child obesity surpassed that of adult obesity with 44.4 percent. Colorado had the lowest rate of obese adults with about 18.9 percent.

Providing calorie informa-tion is a matter of public health. It can be a burden on society when people do not consider the consequences of their health choices.

Some may argue it is too ex-pensive for restaurants to redo their menus; however, legisla-tion could require a deadline in which restaurants have to meet, or they should not be allowed to operate. It is the same for when restaurants have health inspections and either fail or have subpar scores.

Another thing that could be argued is that if restaurants change their menus, food costs would increase. There are many excuses. Excuses build the house of failure.

This is not another band-wagon issue, nor is this saying that requiring calorie label-ing will solve all of America’s obesity problems. This is just a start, and slow motion is better

than no motion. Panera Bread announced

last week that it will be the fi rst nationwide restaurant to voluntarily post calorie info at all of its company-owned restaurants. McDonald’s and Chipotle are among other res-taurants that already provide calorie information.

New York already has a law requiring calorie informa-tion, and that will continue because a federal judge upheld the decision last week requiring some chain restaurants to post calories on menus. California, Nashville and Seattle are con-sidering similar bills.

People will eat what they want regardless, but at least they will be provided with the information to perhaps make a better decision.

Jessica Harris is a junior journal-ism major. She can be reached at jh3y@mtsu.edu.

We’ve all had them: The professors who decree that their courses need to be your full-time job, and the instruc-tors who bumble and stut-ter through their lectures like they themselves just read the material for the fi rst time that morning.

Occasionally, you fi nd one who’s enjoyable, personable and approachable without making you feel like an idiot for having a question. This species, how-ever, appears rarely and may be considered endangered.

In our age of mass commu-nication, old-school word of mouth is as obsolete as the Be-tamax – Google it or ask your parents. The Internet gives us a wealth of different places telling us which professors to seek and avoid.

Sites such as ratemyprofes-sors.com and whototake.com give us an idea of what to ex-pect from university professors across the country. However, we have our own tool at our fi ngertips at MTSU, one spe-cifi cally tailored to our current roster of professors.

I didn’t know about mtsure-view.com until late last fall. By then, I had formed my own opinions about the teachers I had signed up for, and luck-ily, I’d stumbled into a pretty good group.

Reading a review site, how-ever, can offer a fresh per-spective on each professor’s idiosyncrasies.

Last semester, a classmate claimed that she had bluntly called the professor a “sexist pig” on the site. That must have crossed MTSU Review’s line of good taste; the said review has never been posted, while mine, submitted only days later, sits there for the world to see.

When I was starting my higher-education career at Purdue, there was no Web site offering such feedback. Back then, even the student e-mail system was awkward.

We had to seek our own answers by talking to people with similar majors in the blind hope that they had taken the course we wanted to join. A classmate who now works for Purdue has told me that the university still has no in-dependent site of its own dedi-

cated to professor feedback, although Purdue’s own review system was put online in the spring 2009 semester.

Of course, any feedback collection service is only as effective as the responses it receives, and it doesn’t appear that MTSU Review gets nearly as many as it should.

Some of the professors I took last semester hadn’t been com-mented on in two years before I toured my schedule. A lot can change in that time, so 2-year-old feedback may as well be no feedback.

It’s easy to write off a posi-tive reviewer as someone who received – or expects – a good grade as an apple-polisher. Likewise, the ravings of some-one who withdrew early may just be sour grapes from a lazy student crying about hav-ing to actually work to earn a degree.

However, when you’re sit-ting down to research which classes you’d like to sign up for next semester, almost any information is good informa-tion. If the guy who took a “W” is ranting about a profes-sor knowing he’ll have to take the course again, maybe there really is a valid reason why.

I’m convinced that MTSU Review needs to enter into an actual partnership with

the university. The clumsy Scantron paper review system currently in place could be re-placed by mandatory feedback to MTSU Review.

The student could receive a confi rmation code in return for reviews of each instructor, and once each code is submit-ted to the instructor’s depart-ment head, the student can get his or her semester grade.

Also, Purdue’s online review system is estimated to save ap-proximately a million pieces of paper every semester. A school trying to boost its envi-ronmental credentials would do well to reduce the current wasteful process.

With registration just around the corner, the information on a site like MTSU Review can save many students the head-ache of having to retake a class simply because a professor is not what they expected. The odds are good that people have already suffered that migraine for you; all you need to do is learn from their pain.

And perhaps you might fi nd one of those professors from that endangered species who can actually change your life.

Scott Henry is a junior elec-tronic media communication major. He can be reached at 4quartersradio@gmail.com.

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010 SIDELINES 3www.mtsusidelines.com

Proof professors prior to classStudents should use MTSU Review to avoid regretful scheduling, term

Back in my day againScott Henry

Calorie info in restaurants a good move toward a healthier country

PerceptionsJessica Harris

I am writing in response to the health care debate in Mon-day’s issue (“A lawful, necessary cause or a constitutional vio-lation?” Sidelines, March 29).

I want to point out the biggest weakness in Dustin Evans’ argument. Evans lumps all those opposed to the health care bill into the piece of trash, neoconservative wing of the GOP.

Clearly they, along with the Democrats, have played a vital part in ruining our country and straying from the vision of our founders. But to imply that all those opposed to the health care bill belong in bed with the neocons is the same as saying that all liberals supported the health care overhaul.

In fact some liberals, like the bloggers from fi redoglake.com, are opposed to the bill. One of their big reasons for opposi-tion is the fact that the bill very closely resembles one written by American’s Health Insurance Plans, an insurance company trade association.

–Christopher Burks, senior economics major

Be careful when grouping by party

My vote from Monday’s health care debate goes with Marie Kemph over Dustin Evans (“A lawful, necessary cause or a con-stitutional violation?” Sidelines, March 29).

Americans, students, taxpayers – most do not even know what is embedded in this bill. What I do know is that the health care bill is an infringement of your rights. The government is making it illegal to not purchase insurance.

With that being said, it is illegal to live in this country un-less you buy insurance. This is not the same as purchasing car insurance, which is an appropriate comparison according to Democrats.

Car insurance lets you have the privilege to drive. It is not a requirement that you drive, only a privilege, one that many people are willing to spend to have that luxury. If you don’t want to drive, you don’t have to pay.

Also, your boys in Washington aren’t exactly playing fair ball here.

Mr. Evans, let’s talk about bipartisanship? Democrats couldn’t get their own bill passed until paying off the votes. Ask Bart Gordon. He voted no to the bill until a magical $3 billion was allocated to his funds for the check mark “go ahead.”

Why do you think this “violent, diluted, angry army” exists Mr. Evans? This is the American people speaking out! This is their voice being heard.

–Olliver Teston, senior business major

Dems paid for votes on health care

Americans in their 20s pay more for car insurance because they are considered more risky to insure. Americans in their 50s pay more for health insurance because they are considered more risky to insure. Not anymore.

According to an AP story from Tuesday, the federal govern-ment will impose price controls on health insurance premi-ums charged to older Americans.

The ratio will be 3-to-1. For example, an overweight 55 year old who is borderline diabetic and also has high blood pres-sure and cholesterol will pay no more than three times what the young, healthy, slim 20 year old pays for health insurance.

This mandate will cost-shift the burden of insurance onto the backs of younger Americans. The modest prediction is that younger Americans in their 20s and 30s will see their health insurance premiums spike at an average of 17 percent.

–Todd Malone, 1998 graduate

New mandate to shift cost to young

For Nashville, it pays to recycleOn a trip last semester to the recycling center in Nashville,

our environmental studies class at Belmont (I’m a transfer student) learned about the costs associated with recycling.

The city of Nashville receives $10 per ton of recycled goods from the recycling company who operates the facil-ity, whereas the city pays $40 per ton to dump trash at the landfi ll in the next county over.

Of course, the funds represent taxpayer dollars. So there is actually a $50 difference for taxpayers between recycling and dumping trash in landfi lls.

–Whit Ashley, senior RODP student

Middle Tennessee State University1301 East Main Street P.O. Box 8

Murfreesboro, TN 37132

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OpinionsMichael Stone*slopinio@mtsu.edu

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Asst. NewsChristopher Merchantslcopy@mtsu.edu

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Sidelines is an editorially independent newspaper affi liated with Middle Tennessee State University and the College of Mass Communication.

Answers for March 25, 2010

4 SIDELINES THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010 www.mtsusidelines.com

She & Him return with more sunshine jams

In 2006, Zooey Deschanel was asked to record a duet with singer-songwriter M. Ward for the fi lm, “The Go-Getter,” a movie that she was also starring in. After hit-ting it off in the studio and bond-ing on similar musical tastes, the two kept in touch. One year later, they released “Volume One,” a collection of dreamy ‘70s Cali-fornia pop. Now, She & Him are back with similar musical stylings on “Volume Two,” though more noticeably fi ne-tuned.

This time around, Deschanel and Ward went straight for the Cham-ber Pop jugular, lacing all the tracks with heavy amounts of reverb and

a lot of fl owery guitar licks. De-schanel’s lyrics are a cutthroat take on love, cleverly hidden by her en-chanting melodies and M. Ward’s masterful production.

On albums and in genres like this, the public often ignores guys like M. Ward because they aren’t in the im-mediate forefront of what the listen-er hears. We see this with M. Ward previously in the indie super group, Monsters Of Folk. On “Volume Two,” Ward’s arrangements and musicianship is what really keeps the songs interesting and makes the record worthwhile.

The duo clearly tried to be more creative its their second attempt, but the best moments on the album are the simple songs such as, “Brand New Shoes,” the Skeeter Davis cover “Gonna Get Along Without You,” and “Lingering Still.” These songs come off as the most believ-able within a genre that has long since passed.

There are some tracks like the lead single “In The Sun” and the album opener, “Thieves,” that are purely

irresistible. They groove perfectly and are bound to be on everyone’s summer mixes.

However, the album starts to fade off about midway through. Songs like “Sing,” “Over It Over Again,” and “Gonna Make It Better” are for-gettable tracks that should have been left out. Cliché country arrangements make this cluster of tracks seemingly trite, though the weak moments of the albums only make the stronger moments sound even stronger. Over-stuffi ng any album doesn’t make it better.

Deschanel’s song writing has cer-tainly improved, but by 2010, her rosy-cheek style feels a bit overdone. It helps that M. Ward’s musician-ship and production skills shine all throughout “Volume Two.” But while the album is an improvement from “Volume Two,” at the end of the day it ultimately fails to bring anything new to the table.

But at the end of the day, the al-bum brings nothing new to the table, making “Volume Two” less interest-ing than it could be.

By GARRETH SPINNContributing Writer

Photo courtesy mbvmusic.com

ARTISTS YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

Beach Boys“Pet Sounds”

Surf Rock

Fleetwood Mac“Rumors”Folk Rock

Mama Cass“Dream a Little

Dream”Folk Rock

Photo courtesy of robertobernabo.wordpress.com Photo courtesy of Comcast.comPhoto courtesy littlepatchofyellowwall.wordpress.com

The ‘70s are reborn with ‘Volume Two’

Superior PairingsEarthquake Cabernet, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel and Syrah – Lodi, Calif.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Down1- Bar bills; 2- Bunches; 3- ______ colada; 4- Solitary; 5- Central American monkey; 6- Between ports: 7- Steps down to an Indian river; 8- Birthplace of Muhammad; 9- Respira� on disorder; 10- Le� erman rival; 11- Langston Hughes poem; 12- Like Hawaiian shirts; 13- B & B; 22- Bloody confl icts; 24- Airport abbr.; 26- Switchblade; 27- Merchandise; 28- _____ Gay; 29- Actor Epps; 30- Salk’s conquest; 32- Chow down; 33- Ruhr city; 34- Capital of Tibet; 37- Winter Pear; 39- Collec� ve word for intellectual pursuits; 41- Cad or heel; 43- Not a direct hit; 46- Biblical trio; 48- Hindu � tle; 51- Narghile; 53- Set on fi re; 55- Playing marble; 57- Patriot Nathan; 58- “The Time Machine” race; 59- Mown grass; 60- Dominion; 61- Asian sea; 63- Roman poet; 64- Canoeing body; 65- Ge� ng _____ years; 66- Georgia, once: Abbr.

Across1- Knocks lightly; 5- Molten material; 10- Taylor of “Mys� c Pizza;” 14- Et ___________; 15- Barbecue le� overs?; 16- Collar type; 17- Beethoven’s birthplace; 18- Hit back, perhaps; 19- Person, place or thing; 20- Adult male deer; 21- Fragments of wood; 23- “Seinfeld” uncle; 25- Doc bloc; 26- Sugar apple; 31- Staggering; 35- A dynasty in China; 36- Brit’s discharge; 38- “Peter and the Wolf” bird; 40- Camaro model; 42- Claw; 44- Boris Godunov, for one; 45- So� palate; 47- Ascends; 49- Cornerstone abbr.; 50- Mother of Isaac; 52- Musical instruments; 54- Indian holiday resort; 56- Manipulate; 57- Message sent by mirrors; 62- ________ contendere; 66- Room in a casa; 67- New Zealand evergreen tree; 68- Lendl of tennis; 69- Gradual; 70- Collec� on of maps; 71- Polynesian carved image; 72- Bridle strap; 73- Backs of feet;74- Biblical garden

If wine bottles could speak, this one would sing like full-bodied Pa-varotti or maybe more like John Cusack with a boombox outside your bedroom window.

The vines of Earth-quake wines were plant-ed about the time of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, leaving the palette a quivering heap of taste buds after con-sumption. With only one date to prove your love, or one glass of wine to enjoy in a third trimester as a pregnant woman, this is your juice.

Earthquake first started with its Zinfandel vines, which produce a wine that’s over 15 percent in alcohol, and seems to be their most popular. Ac-companied by balsamic, fig, parmesan, lamb, a sirloin with brown mushroom sauce or cherry cobbler with vanilla ice cream, this purchase falls in the range of $24 to $30, as do most of the Earthquake wines. They drink like an Opus, but are cost-efficient enough for a student loan budget.

The Petite Sirah will pair with anything in-tense – triple cream Brie or a rich, red meat. The heavier and fat-ter the food is, the bet-ter, as far as pairings are concerned. The Syrah is great for all meats that can be grilled. This wine can handle ribs and steaks and kabobs with peppers and onions spiced with sage, fennel, cum-in and other out-spoken spices, competently.

Definitely let this wine breathe for 30 minutes in order to allow the oxygen to

do some work. Think of it in terms of chemistry – when oxygen is added to any chemical com-pound, it changes. The same goes for wine.

Last, but certainly not least, is the Earth-quake Cabernet. Take this glass to the tub or to the table and it’s equally appropriate. Velvety cinnamon, ba-con, coffee, milk choc-olate and clove can be

detected as this wine slathers the tongue. Let it sit on your palette and roll it around. It’s romance incarnate.

Good wine purchases are part gastrointestinal and part therapy. It’s important to know the mood of the meal and the desires of person to match the experience. Earthquake wines are just as good with

no food as they are in a fine restaurant with an

expensive plate. There’s a hyperbole

on the back of each bottle that’s fun to read after a glass or two. My favorite is the one on the back of the Petite Sirah with a line reading; “Hail the victor, the king without f law, salute your new master...Petite Sirah.”

Aimeé Schmittendorf is a senior at MTSU and a wine steward qualifi ed by the Court of Master Sommeliers. If you have any wine-related questions or would like recommen-dations, you can reach her at itsnotjustthewi-ne@yahoo.com. She also conducts private

wine tastings.

It’s Not Just The Wine

Aimeé Schmittendorf

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010 SIDELINES 5www.mtsusidelines.com

FEATURESWHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR EASTER?

ARE YOU GOING TO SEE GZA ON WEDNESDAY?

Not your average beauty pageant

The ladies of the Delta Iota Chapter of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority stray off the beaten path when it comes to beauty pageants, as they conveyed Tuesday night in the 4th Annual Miss Universal Pageant.

Held in the Wright Music Building’s Hinton Hall, six contestants from the so-rority gathered with the purpose of cel-ebrating women of different cultures in an unconventional pageant.

Contestants included Cassandra Carris, soph-omore electronic media communication major representing the Philippines; Stephanie Steed, senior sociology major representing Ghana; Cas-sandra Lucatero, environmental science major representing Mexico; Sarah Elizabeth Ayache, ju-nior public relations major representing Lebanon; Ana Linares, freshman speech pathology major representing El Salvador and Lynsie Paul, senior social work major representing Martinique.

Competing for a scholarship to be used next semester, the six women spoke about the culture that each was representing, performed a cultural dance, played an instrument and sang or recited poetry before an audience that appeared to be mainly composed of family members.

“Our organization believes in being cultur-ally active as well as academic, and therefore we’re giving a scholarship away to the contestant that is crowned, which will be around $200 to $300,” says Shabnam Etemdadi, one of the co-ordinators of the event and sorority member, as the contestants did last-minute preparations and run-throughs before the pageant began.

“Rather than having a bathing suit portion, we have an ethic/cultural-wear portion, so con-testants wear whatever they want for the specifi c culture they’re representing,” Etemdadi adds.

As Etemdadi said, in lieu of a swimsuit competi-

tion, contestants donned colorful garments tradi-tional for the women of each country. Hosts Bran-don Batts and Melina Rodriguez emphasized the pageant’s goal of wanting to “break away” from stereotypes of traditional beauty pageants and in-stead promote diversity and cultural awareness.

“It’s a way for us to celebrate diversity, because nationally, our sorority is very diverse. We have sisters from India, the Middle East, African-Americans and Caucasians,” Etemdadi says.

The pageant also featured two acts between contestants’ performances. MTSU graduate An-gela Martinez performed Selena’s “Bitty Bitty Bom Bom” dressed as the late Mexican-Amer-ican singer, and MTSU student and neo-soul singer/songwriter Alexis Nicole sang a tune of her own.

Contestants closed the pageant in formal wear, each defi ning who she thought the “universal woman” would be, which most described as a woman who embraces her own identity and pos-sesses the desire to learn about other cultures.

The judges, who included Teresa McBreen and Oscar Diaz, both professors in the department of Foreign Languages; Angela King, director of Greek Affairs and MTSU alumni Shatina Marshall, se-lected Steed, Ms. Ghana, as fi rst runner-up and Ay-ache, a.k.a. Ms. Lebanon, as Miss Universal.

Ayache performed a piano piece titled “Love Song” and described the “universal woman” as one who “embraces her own culture with pride, has a desire to learn about other cultures and re-alizes each individual’s diversity is what makes them special.”

“My dad is Lebanese, so I’m half Lebanese, and I heard about this pageant a few years ago and thought it would be really exciting to rep-resent my culture, because I’ve never really been able to do that before,” Ayache says. “I really didn’t think I was going to win, but I just feel really blessed.”

Students support individuals’ unique heritage for scholarship

Photo by Chris Donahue, staff photographer

Sarah Elizabeth Ayache, Ms. Lebanon, was crowned Miss. Universal 2010 Tuesday night at the Delta Iota Chapter of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin sorority’s 4th Annual Miss Universal Pageant.

By JESSICA PACEStaff Writer

Which should you choose, a Mac or a PC?

For the technologically impaired, shopping for a new computer can be about as fun as getting randomly selected for a strip search at the airport.

Needless to say, a lot of research is required to help make an informed decision. Hours of desperately searching the Internet, talking to friends and shopping in stores fi lled my life for two weeks. Not only did I have to fi gure

out how much memory and what kind of processor to get, I had to fi gure out whether I am a Mac or a PC.

Most of us have seen Apple and Microsoft engaging in a no-holds-barred advertising feud over the past couple of years. Apple tries to portray its users as hip, young people by casting actor Justin Long to play the part of a Mac in recent commercials.

On the other hand, Apple tells us that PC users are, well… nerdy. This is made clear by the actor who plays the role of a PC, John Hodgman. While Hodgman may be hilari-ous on “The Daily Show,” he is a far cry from cool in his tweed suit.

Microsoft fought back with commercials featuring everyone from astronauts to NBA star Tony Parker claiming they are PCs. So which company should you side with?

Ralph Butler, a computer science professor, believes that Apple’s operating system allows for better communication between other machines. He was also quick to defend the bigger price tag a Mac often comes with.

“Mac comes with dozens of software pack-ages pre-installed [like] compilers, databases, etc., that all have to be purchased for the [PC],” Butler claims. “When you buy a PC, you get a box with [Windows] Vista or 7 on it and not much more.”

Other programs like iMovie and iPhoto also come preloaded on Apple computers.

So, Apple is the clear winner, right? Not so fast. Offering an opposing viewpoint

is Richard Detmer, chair of the computer sci-ence department, who prefers PC or Microsoft-based computers.

Detmer lists “better business applications, less expensive to purchase, [and] less expensive peripherals and software” as being some ad-vantages of the PC.

Detmer goes so far as to call Apple’s system “dumbed-down” and cites “one mouse button instead of two” and “some software requiring the user to click when a simple keystroke would be more effi cient” as being examples of that.

For those keeping track at home, that’s one vote for Mac and one vote for PC. Another

option, while it may not be cost feasible, is us-ing both an Apple and a PC side by side. You may be thinking, “Did he really just suggest that? Using a Mac and a PC together in perfect harmony? That’s blasphemy!”

Trust me, it can be done. Just ask Jacob Smith, the technology adviser at Project Help on campus.

“I switch back and forth between the com-puters a lot,” Smith declares. “I use the PC mostly for graphic design stuff – I use the Of-fi ce Suite on the PC, mostly for Publisher, which to the best of my knowledge doesn’t have a Mac version.”

Smith says that for audio and visual needs, he uses programs for Mac like Logic and Final Cut.

When asked to make a choice between Mac and PC, Smith chooses Mac, although he be-lieves that both are capable of doing a lot of the same things.

By JASON GOUCHERContributing Writer

Consumers left choosing between two products that both have beneficial features

6 SIDELINES THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010 www.mtsusidelines.com