Campus Events

Wed Feb. 25, 2009

Grad Finale

(10am-2pm)

-Baird Chapel

FCA Bible Study Luncheon

(12pm-1pm)

-Football Locker Room

Black History Vigil

(7pm-9pm)

-Baird Chapel

Banana Splitz & Board Games

(9:00pm-10:30pm)

-Labry Hall Atrium

iWednesday Workshop

(12:30pm-1:30pm)

-Library

Thur Feb. 26, 2009

Eating Disorder Screenings

(1pm-4pm)

-Labry Hall 206

Commons II Quad 2 Wingstop

Night

(7pm-9:30pm)

-Wingstop Downtown Nashville

Spring Drama Production

(7pm-10pm, Thurs. Fri, & Sat.)

-Fine Arts Center

Fri Feb. 27, 2009

Baseball vs. Missouri Baptist

(2pm-5pm)

-Woody Hunt Stadium

Spirit Rally for Trevecca Game

(6pm-7pm)

-Dallas Floyd Gym

Sat Feb. 28, 2009

Baseball vs. Missouri Baptist (12pm-5:30pm))

-Woody Hunt Stadium

Sun March 1, 2009

Love Rides The Rails

(2pm-5pm)

-Fine Arts Center

Mon March 2, 2009

Spring Break

All Week Events

National Eating Disorders

Awareness Week

More information on any

of these events can be

found online at,

http://www.cumberland.e

du/campuslife/calendar.

The Cumberland ChronicleThe Cumberland ChronicleThe Cumberland ChronicleThe Cumberland Chronicle

February 25, 2008 Cumberland University, Lebanon, Tennessee Vol. IV Issue 5

The Specter of Abu Ghraib

From the Margins By Rick Brown

On February 21st, Abu Ghraib reopened. Renamed

Baghdad Central Prison, the facility is run by the Iraqi

government, who hopes to eventually imprison almost fifteen

thousand detainees within its walls. According to Mohammed al-

Zeidi, the assistant director of the Iraqi Rehabilitation

Department, the Iraqi government has changed it “to something

like a resort, not prison.” The new facility will be modernized,

complete with a library and recreational areas, as well as plastic

flowers and new paint for its auspicious reopening. As a place of torture under both the Hussein and Bush

regimes, and the virtual seat of infamy for the American occupation of Iraq, however, one cannot help but

wonder if the poison heritage of Abu Ghraib will not influence its reincarnation.

Long before the degeneracy of Lynndie England or Charles Graner, Abu Ghraib had already achieved a

formidably horrific reputation. According to the BBC, the prison was built in the 1960s, ironically by Western

contractors. The size of a small town, it was divided into five walled enclosures for different classifications of

prisoners. Under the Baathist Hussein regime, it rapidly became a bloody political prison, renowned for a litany

of human rights abuses and its surrounding mass graves. Prisoners there were held in spartan, overcrowded

conditions, with rooms as small as four by four meters housing up to forty inmates. The regular torture

experienced by detainees there – including electrocution, the use of drills, and vicious beatings – was only

accentuated by the perverse décor of the facility, which was covered in murals depicting the glory of Saddam

Hussein. According to Amnesty International, Abu Ghraib was nothing less than a center for “torture and mass

executions” for the dictatorial regime.

In April 2003, however, the prison was captured by forces of the American-led Coalition during the

invasion of Iraq. By that time, however, the prison was a shell of its former self, having been looted and partially

burned by prisoners pardoned in the last days of the Hussein regime. (Continued on Page 4)

Play at the Fine Arts Center

Thursday-Saturday 7pm

Love Rides The Rails

The Phoenix Players are at it again in the

Spring ’09 production of Love Rides The Rails, a

melodramatic, western comedy, complete with

villains, heroes, and damsels in distress.

Taking a break from all the seriousness and

tragedy that have highlighted the last several plays

such as: Oedipus Rex, Crimes of the Heart, and Frankenstein, the Players will do

their best to deliver some side-splitting comedy.

Dr. Larry Menefee, professor of theatre here at Cumberland, has directed

the Players in this particular play once before in the Fall of 2001. Then, as it is

expected to do this weekend, the play received great attendance, thunderous

applause, raucous laughter.

Menefee is not the only one working with this show that has experience

with it. Christopher Byrd, assistant to the professor has been called in to once

again lead the cast (listed below) in this hilarious theatrical production.

Cast List

Simon Darkway------------------------------------------------------------------Chris Byrd

Truman Pendennis------------------------------------------------------Nicholas Williams

Prudence Hopewell---------------------------------------------------------Charley Hodge

Mrs. Hopewell--------------------------------------------------------------Brendan Tramel

Harold Stanfast------------------------------------------------------------------Jack Yatsko

Dirk Sneath--------------------------------------------------------------------Josh Brandon

Carlotta Cortez--------------------------------------------------------------Chelsea Raines

Fifi-------------------------------------------------------------------------Brittany Morrison

Fred Wheellright-------------------------------------------------------------Martin Cooper

Dipsy--------------------------------------------------------------------------Tara Crawford

Beulah Bell------------------------------------------------------------------Amanda Harris

Officer------------------------------------------------------------Melony Stamps-Andrews

Editors’ Corner: Open Forum Wed.

7:30, Baird Chapel

By Ben Briscoe

A third open forum

will be held this

Wednesday at 7:30pm in

Baird Chapel. Food and

drink will be provided.

If you haven’t

already heard about the

first two open forums, let

me be the first to say that

they went extremely well

and that the current

Student Government

Association (SGA) is as

active as it has been in

quite some time

The SGA

sponsored event features a

panel of Administrative

Personal, usually

including President Eaton,

Mr. Joe Gray, and Dr. Pete

Peterson, that answer

questions presented to

them at the time by the

audience.

Some adjustments

have been made. So, if

you had a problem with

the last two, come by and

give it another shot.

Quote of the Week

“Not to know what happened before you were born is to be a child forever.”

-Marcus Tullius Cicero

The Cumberland Chronicle February 25, 2009 Page 2

Fashion, Relationships, & Sage Advice

Dear Betty Bulldawg

Have Problems? Let Betty help!

E-mail Betty at:

cumberlandchronicle@gmail.com

Q: Dear Betty,

My girlfriend of 3 years broke up with me the day after

Valentine's Day - I'd spent a lot of money too. How do I get back

at her? I want to make her feel as bad as I do.

Signed,

Pained

A: I definitely am not going to encourage a person to hurt

or harm another human being. Look at it this way, if you loved her,

then you wouldnt want to hurt her, even now. Chill out, I know break

ups hurt, especially a day after valentine's day. But at least you had a

fun run, and did the best you could. If you ever cared about her at

all, have no regrets, no matter how much money you spent. just be

happy that you made her happy, even if it was just for that evening.

Q: Dear Betty,

I heard that taking Ritalin can make normal people

smarter. Is this true? I can use it to get through my Spanish

test?

Signed,

Needing a Boost

A: I suggest you get through you Spanish test with good

old fashioned studying. Whether or not Ritalin makes those without

ADHD have a boost of brain power, I am pretty sure the only way

you could get your hands on it is illegally. Steer clear of breaking the

law, a Spanish test is really not worth it. Besides taking a drug like

Ritalin can be hard on your body, it has plenty of unwanted side

effects and can even cause an addiction. Also, if you take the Ritalin

you still have to study your Spanish to get the answers right, its not

like Ritalin is a magical drug that just downloads the Spanish

language into your system. Ritalin helps your mind from wondering

away from the subject at hand.

Fashion Corner With Sabrina Garrett

Oscar Fashion

The Oscars are now over and the

fashion world can finally calm down. No

more asking, “Who are you wearing?”- well,

for now anyways. This past Sunday the stars

came out and put on their best for a truly

memorable awards show.

Elegant cream-colored gowns were a huge hit this year for

everyone from Penelope Cruz to country songstress Carrie

Underwood. Jessica Biel’s wrap-around Prada was a favorite of the

night, as well as Best Supporting Actress nominee Taraji P. Henson’s

tiered Roberto Cavalli stunner. Anne Hathaway added a bit of

sparkle to the trend in a Swarovski crystal embossed Armani.

For Kate Winslet, who took home the gold in the Best Actress

category, the night was all about old Hollywood glamour. She was

reminiscent of Grace Kelly in Yves Saint Laurent, which the actress

accessorized with Chopard jewels.

Although the print on her dress over the top, Beyonce still

managed to look gorgeous by flaunting her famous curves and toning

down her makeup. The singer/actress/designer wore a simple low

ponytail and went sans jewelry, allowing her brown eyes to take

center stage and adding a splash of black liner to complete the look.

Hollywood’s golden couple, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, stole

the show although neither of the nominees took home an award. The

brunette bombshell looked ethereal in a flowing Elie Saab number

and emerald drop earrings from Lorraine Schwartz while her leading

man wowed in Tom Ford..

Editorials Raising the Dead By Jeremiah Donnell

A sharp increase in sexually

transmitted diseases has recently occurred

among a specific demographic of society.

Old people, or more correctly, senior citizens

are contracting various venereal diseases at

an accelerating pace due to the introduction

of a single type of medication, Viagra. This

little blue pill, and its twisted spawn Cialis,

Levitra, etc. have generated an entirely new

industry based on a flawed premise. I have

already railed against having children beyond

a certain age, and the next logical step in this

revived acceptance of natural occurrences is

for men to “let it go.” Stop allowing this

single, biological aspect to rule your lives and

at least try to look for something more

meaningful. Beyond the obvious, this issue

has several layers each containing its own

fallacies (no pun intended).

First of all, I cannot consider it a

“serious” pharmaceutical, but instead a

recreational drug. For example, one rather

delicate matter I must question is how exactly

can one get this prescription? I understand

cholesterol medicines can only be prescribed

after blood tests, blood pressure pills are

given after that test with the

sphygmomanometer, but I fear to speculate

on what a tumescence exam may constitute.

One can only hope it is a simple

questionnaire bereft of pictures or the

presence of a specific type of nurse. This also

raises the question of what sort of man could

stoop to ask for such assistance. The very

idea that a man would admit to being

impotent is an idea that conflicts with many

almost sacred stereotypes of masculinity. The

first of which being an unshakable, though

often naive, sense of virility. I realize the

overwhelming marketing campaign may

convince a few to suppress their pride, but

not the sort of numbers that have been

reported. Frankly, I suspect the women in

these relationships of requesting a

prescription for their own benefit, so they can

derive some modicum of pleasure, or at least

stop reassuring their men that “it’s okay.”

Furthermore, no matter how lucrative

it may be, some of this effort and research

has been misplaced. I cannot even speculate

on the millions and millions of dollars and

man hours that went into the research and

development of this drug, not to mention the

aforementioned advertising. Granted, given

the volume of sales, they have surely

recouped their costs, but couldn’t that money

have went to better use in say, cancer

research. AIDS, indeed all viral infections, a

whole host of developmental disorders, the

list of incurable maladies goes on, but our

best and brightest are dedicated to curing

baldness and impotence first and foremost

Perhaps once they get those finally settled,

the others will just work themselves out.

However, that is not to say some good

has not come out of this, the rhinos for

example. The rhinoceros, particularly the

now very rare African white rhino, was once

vehemently hunted by poachers who could

sell the horn as a legendary aphrodisiac. I can

only assume a rather tasteless visual pun

inspired that myth. Tiger bones, priceless

Chinese dinosaur fossils (creatively referred

to as dragon teeth), powdered Egyptian

mummies, etc., are among the exotic,

valuable, and repulsive cures used

traditionally for what Viagra treats in the

modern period, so from an ecological and

culturally historic perspective, it has helped

preserve some rare specimens. These

ingredients also pay testament to how

seriously this problem has been treated across

time and space. But this is no excuse for

continued behavior, human societies are

supposed to evolve, after all.

Sadly, some men’s entire sense of

self-esteem is contained within this

pathetically limited domain, without either

spiritual or intellectual realms to fall back on.

Even in one’s communion with others, if sex

is the only way you can relate to your loved

one, you may not be in a healthy relationship.

Of course the desire will always be there, but

just because the spirit may be willing, do not

drag the flesh along. If your noble cause is

simply to pleasure your partner, there are

other ways of accomplishing this, and even

you gentlemen with fully operational systems

may wish to look into these. Before this

dissolves into a particularly vulgar “Betty

Bulldawg” specimen, I should wrap this up

by simply saying that the fact of the matter is,

nature is just trying to do you a favor. When

this organ loses its ability to control you,

consider it a blessing and move on without

resorting to the

desperate hope of

a chemically

induced

resurrection.

The Cumberland Chronicle February 25, 2009 Page 3

Reviews & Backtalk

Des Cabinet des Dr. Caligari A Film Review by Rick Brown

German Expressionism was one of

the shortest-lived movements in film, but

also one of the most influential. Produced

largely during the early 1920s, German

Expressionist films were renowned for their

surrealism, bizarre aesthetics, and often

macabre plots. A number of classics

including the iconic Nosferatu (1922)

emerged from the genre, but the movement

itself died quickly as a form, ironically only

to have its themes and artistry emerge as

prime influences on the film noir and horror

genres. The latter genre owes a particularly

profound debt to the movement, and

perhaps especially to one of German

Expressionism’s finest productions, Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari, or

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a 1920 silent film directed by Robert

Wiene. Gorgeous and grotesque, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a

beautiful, singular film.

Seemingly simplistic, the film’s plot resembles that of a dark

fairy tale. Told in flashback, the film concerns the journey of two

friends, Francis (Friedrich Fehér) and Alan (Hans Heinrich von

Twardowski), to a carnival in the German town of Holstenwall.

There they meet the strange Dr. Caligari (Werner Krauss), a

specialist in somnambulism (sleepwalking) who speaks of the

prophetical power of his patient Cesare (Conrad Veidt), a man who

has slept for twenty-five years. At the doctor’s bizarre sideshow,

Cesare slowly awakens from within a cabinet, and soon begins to tell

the fortunes of all those who inquire. When Alan receives a

disturbingly grim prophecy, however, the two friends and their love

interest Jane (Lil Dagover) suddenly become entangled in the dark,

even murderous machinations of the doctor and his “sleeper.”

The film is indeed dark, but perhaps even more so ethereal.

The storyline unfolds with a strange simplicity that belies its twisted

ending, and the tale itself has the feel of a dark Germanic fairy tale.

The acting is uniformly strong, especially on the part of Krauss,

whose diabolical gazes and demonic smirks imbue Caligari with a

fiendish presence, and Veidt, whose lithe form and pale, corpselike

visage give Cesare a quietly menacing presence. The film’s sets,

designed by Hermann Warm, are grotesque and absurd as well.

Courtyards are portrayed with slanting, geometrically impossible

columns that thrust darkness in every direction, houses are rendered

with bizarrely shaped doors, and prison cells become weird

cathedrals of light. Every scene’s background is rendered in

beautifully odd, Escher-esque angles and painted shadows, and the

gorgeous interplay of light and shadow give many scenes the

ambience of a fever dream.

So too does the music contribute to the film’s atmosphere.

The fact that the film is called silent is actually rather ironic, as The

Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is rarely so. The film’s score, composed by

Giuseppe Becce, overlays every scene in the film, and combines well

with the film’s stylistically overwrought acting and bizarre sets.

Simultaneously Wagnerian and occasionally quietly beautiful,

Becce’s music is the heart of the film, and it artfully conveys the

emotions and nuances that dialogue cannot. The score’s shining

moment comes in scene where Cesare’s prophecy is fulfilled, a

beautiful scene that uses a simple combination of shadows on a wall

and sheer music to portray a disturbingly dark sequence of events.

The film is also remarkable for its stark difference from

modern cinema. Artistic and expressionist in nature, the movie is

singular in its synthesis of direction, cinematography, design, and

music. Scored wall to wall with music and given only the textual

dialogue of intertitles, the film communicates almost all of its

meaning through allusion and mood, something far removed from

today’s rapid, dialogue-driven films. The tempo of the film is also far

slower than modern cinema in terms of cinematography, as the

movie lingers at length on a succession of beautiful or disturbing

images, from Jane’s quiet beauty to Cesare’s silent creeping. Indeed,

some modern audiences may be utterly bored by the film’s

wandering pacing and slow, deliberate plot. Nevertheless, the film is

a gem for any fan of older cinema, silent films, or especially horror,

as the film might as well be completely founded on the creeping

terror and unearthly unease tropes of golden-age horror. In films like

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, one wonders not only at how much has

changed in cinema, but, perhaps, at how much has been lost.

Speak Up &

Talk Back

By You, the Reader

This is the one section of

the newspaper, and maybe the

one section of your life, where

you can feel free to say what is

on your mind. Feel free to sass

us about a review that told you

to go see a bad movie. Tell Betty she doesn’t know what she is

talking about. If one of our bozo reporters got a game score

wrong, let us know. Even comment on school facilities, policies,

and such like that you have a problem with.

Please keep your remark’s as tasteful as possible, and send

your comments to cumberlandchronicle@gmail.com

This week students responded to the prompt: “If you had a bull

horn and you could walk around yelling whatever you wanted at

whoever you wanted, what would you say?”

Here is what you said:

Get out of my way!

-Courtney Schaub

Go dumpster diving. Save the environment!

-Amanda Harris

Give back, do more community service.

-Sam Green

Blu Phi!......You Know!

-Joel Hall

Put your hand down in lecture. No on cares!

-Savannah Nix

Jesus is life!

-Tim McCord

If a crazy person threatens to commit suicide, is it considered

a hostage situation?

-Megan Peterson

I want to go home to Rancho, California, because there is

nothing to do here.

-Anne “Cali” Blai

Go Gators!

-Derrick Howard

Everyone needs to grow up.

-Jahnee Caples

Students that come from Commons II need to stop blocking

the road in the morning. There are crosswalks available.

-Anonymous

The Cumberland Chronicle February 25, 2009 Page 4

Athletics & Issues

This Week’s Featured Sport: Wrestling

CU Wrestlers Bring Home

Three Silvers From The

Eastern National Qualifier

Sophomore Mikey Davis finished second

at 141 and junior Corey Bleaken and

sophomore BJ Stewart both placed second at

149 and 285, respectively, leading the

Cumberland wrestling team at the NAIA

East Qualifier Saturday in St. Charles, Mo.

Davis, the No. 4 seed, won a pair of

matches at 141, defeating King College’s

fifth-seeded Shad Rissler, 3-1, in the

quarterfinals and Notre Dame College’s top-

seeded Adam Koballa, 6-5, in the

semifinals. The Columbus, Ohio, native lost

to Campbellsville’s Zach Flake by Fall in

the finals. Flake was the 2007 national

champion at 141.

Bleaken lost his first match at 149, 7-

2, to Notre Dame College’s third-seeded

Jeffrey Pelton, but the Clifton, N.J., native

rebounded with three straight victories to

claim third place. Bleaken won by Fall over

West Virginia Tech’s Shawn Sexton,

defeated Notre Dame College’s Brett

Freeman, 8-5, and posted a 10-7 victory

over Lindenwood’s second-seeded Ryan

Moyer. Moyer was the national champion at

149 last year.

Stewart lost his first match as well, a

7-6 decision to McKendree’s Cedric Powell.

The Rome, Ga., posted a 4-3 victory over

Campbellsville’s David Coffey and then

won by Fall at 1:15 against Missouri

Baptist’s third-seeded Mike Wakim for third

place.

Sophomore James Casadaban went

3-2 at 157, placing fifthoverall. The

Metairie, La., native lost his first match, 7-3,

to Lindenwood’s third-seeded Brian

Oeschner. Casadaban rebounded with a win

by Fall at 2:44 over University of the

Cumberlands’ Silas Burchett and then

posting a 10-0 Major Decision against King

College’s Ethan Gunter.

Casadaban was defeated by Fall at

2:25 by Missouri Baptist’s top-seeded Matt

Collum but defeated King College’s fifth-

seeded Shayne Funk, 6-2, in the fifth-place

match.

The following wrestlers that were

not mentioned in this article will be

competing in the 2009 NAIA National

Wrestling Championships.

Trey Myers174 lbs.

Deshaun Willis125 lbs.

Neil Birt-133 lbs.

Anthone Melillo141 lbs.

David Wiest165 lbs.

Nick Safsy165 lbs.

Eric Metzlerr184 lbs.

Andrew Blackwell 157 lbs.

Athlete Spotlight

The Specter of Abu

Ghraib (Continued from Page 1)

Unfortunately for Iraqi prisoners,

the American occupation forces

and Iraqi government soon began to

renovate the site in the following

months, renaming it the Baghdad

Central Detention Center. Inmates

were soon funneled back into the

prison by the occupation, which

used portions of the prison, which

Americans referred to as the “Hard

Site” to hold “troublesome”

prisoners. Though thousands of

prisoners lived in tent facilities outside the prison, however, it was in

the so-called “Hard Site” of the prison itself that the prison’s bloody

heritage reemerged.

Within the rebuilt walls of Abu Ghraib, torture soon resumed

under the new name of “enhanced interrogation,” the new faces of

American torturers like Lynndie England, Charles Graner, and the new

administration of officers such as Janis Karpinski. While the occupying

forces changed, however, many of the practices remained unchanged,

and as is well known, untold numbers of new prisoners were beaten,

tortured, sexually humiliated, and murdered for the amusement of

American prison guards in much the same fashion as they were before.

When the now infamous photographs emerged in 2004, the American

Bush administration became known as the newest perpetuators of Abu

Ghraib’s venomous legacy. Like the Hussein regime, Bush-led

America perpetrated a plethora of other human rights abuses, but such

policies were, perhaps, crystallized into the icon of the dark, now

infamous prison.

Such was the situation, however, in 2004. Now rebuilt,

renewed, and rechristened, Abu Ghraib stands to reopen as the symbol

of a newer, healthier Iraq. One wonders, however, if the specter of the

prison’s past as a bloodstained abattoir for enemies of the state will not

infect the facility’s latest incarnation. Indeed, even without the

infamous facility, the post-2003 Iraqi government is certainly not

known for its strong record on human rights. Nevertheless, the

publicity-conscious Iraqi government felt it was their “duty to

rehabilitate” Abu Ghraib before they could reuse it, according to al-

Zeidi. Such a policy seems ostensibly sound, and would lead many to

have high hopes for the newly renamed Baghdad Central Prison. As al-

Zeidi stated, “the first step was to change the name.” After all, it

worked for the Americans.

Article Addendum: In Defense of Torture

In last week’s issue of the Chronicle, I wrote about how the

Obama administration was shutting down torture inquiries into the

Bush regime. In the article, I mentioned the specific example of

Ethiopian prisoner Binyam Mohamed, who was then on a hunger strike

at Guantanamo Bay. Since the article was published, negotiations

between the American and

British governments over

his status have actually led

to a breakthrough.

According to the BBC, the

British Foreign Office now

reports that Mohamed will

likely be released to

Britain “as soon as

practical arrangements can

be made.” Unfortunately,

his likely release will come only after having suffered seven years of

allegedly extensive torture and imprisonment for charges that have now

been dropped.

“Mikey Davis

defeated last

year’s national

runner up in the

semi-fina round

to take second

place this

weekend.”