ROBERT MORRIS UNIVERSITY

Arlington HeigHts • Bensenville • CHiCAgo • DuPAge • elgin • lAke County • orlAnD PArk • PeoriA • sCHAumBurg • sPringfielD

Dec/Jan 2012

winterissue

Rotten eggs: RMU's new stanD Up CoMeDy ClUb pg. 5

RMU aDDs woMen's FielD HoCkey to tHe RosteR pg. 6

CRystal Castles Releases tHeiR tHiRD albUM pg. 9

He Says // She Says PG. 14

2012: End of the World PG. 15

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THE NEWS

Content teamLindsay Dahl [Editor-in-Chief]

Richard Connolly [Executive Editor]Kim Martinez [Editor]

Dan Ciaglia [Writer]Joe Looney [Writer]

Stacy Zamskaya [Writer]Adrian Saucedo [Writer]

Tyson Bosco [Writer]

Contributors

Design team

advisory board

David Belotti • Lake CountyDBelotti@robertmorris.edu

Beth Gainer • BensonvilleBGainer@robertmorris.edu

Nicole Hager • SpringfieldNHager@robertmorris.edu

Gerard Wozek • DupageGWozek@robertmorris.edu

Jane Wendorff-Craps • PeoriaJWendorffCraps@robertmorris.edu

eagle advisor

Campus Faculty

Paul GaszakPGaszak@robertmorris.edu

Blake Whitmore [Art Director]Richard Connolly

Tyson BoscoKyle Ashley

David PyleMick McMahon

Aaron Wilson

By Aaron Wilson

At the end of October, the official unveil-ing of the Peoria Riverfront Museum took place at its new location, just across the street from the Robert Morris University in Peoria, Illinois. Aside from it being a natural lure for students of RMU locally, it really is a globally themed marvel that ties all of the city's best-known attractions into one bundle. Now more than ever, global economics is affecting all culture, and it serves as a jewel that sheds light all over the city, generating jolts for all busi-

ness, art, and social organization. The most prominent aspect of the whole museum is its joint connection to the Cat-erpillar, Inc. (CAT) Visitor’s Center. This company has long been a driving force for the city's entire net worth and employ-ment opportunities. Recently celebrating more than a century of accomplishments that were tailored toward global com-merce from the start, CAT is campaigning toward the next generation of innovation and profit. During the next five years, the company plans to establish itself as a se-cure long-term investment dwelling. They

new peoria Museumsustainable and aesthetic

attempt to promise shareholders solid returns in the top 25% of the S & P 500. Employees, and the workplace itself, are being invested in to create a climate that breathes best air for earnings. And true to what has already been instituted through their long-stand-ing practices, they look to become leaders in worldwide business. Again, their big-gest selling point is, and has been for a very long time, their ability to guarantee far more profit than competitors. While in the CAT merchandise store, a small portion of the museum dedicated exclusively to Caterpillar, I actually had the privilege of speaking with an associate from Wolverine boots and shoes. Wolver-ine merged with the CAT Corporation to produce a shoe line being marketed all over the world. He stated that the CAT brand is a "massive brand globally." The section of the physical museum itself is about half dedicated to Caterpillar history and trade. Besides CAT's massive chunk of funding for the arts center, local munici-pal funding and other art associations col-laborated toward the construction. Some other local corporations, labor unions, and private donors also chipped in. The art portion of the attraction is heavily connected to globally recognized profes-sionals affiliated with the official Smithso-nian Institute, one of the most prestigious names in art preservation and archiving. The building site itself is one of wonder. Materials used for construction were part-ly from the former building that resided at the location. Around 90% of materials were recycled from its demolition. Local employers provided most of the labor that went into the building. The structure is positioned for ideal use of natural light. Buffalo grass, which requires no irrigation or cutting, was planted in the lawns. Wa-ter runoff from wet weather was designed for both practical and aesthetic purposes. Also, charging stations were placed in the parking deck for use with electric cars.

This center is everything that "going green" should

mean. The actual exhibit and art display side of the museum

holds its own as well in show-ing some of the best of what Peoria has to offer. There is

an International Features gal-lery, an Illinois River Encounter section, a children's interactive

room, and an area called "The Street" that delves more into the history of the city itself. A giant screen theater that is five stories high and seven stories wide, with 3D capabilities, offers regular show-ings of art and intercultural shows. It can also be used for other business purposes as well. A planetarium with a portable Skylab is another segment of the museum for use in astronomy and related presenta-tions. Of course, there are still studios and class spaces for a multitude of community projects the building could be used for. Many area citizens took great pleasure in taking part in the inauguration of a pivotal piece of Peoria's ongoing history. Senses were overwhelmed by everything offered. It is definitely worth visiting, both to natives of the city and visitors. There is so much to see and learn and be-ing just across the street from the RMU campus, it is cohesive with the ideals of experiential learning. v

Photos by Aaron Wilson

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By Stacy Zamskaya

Over the past several months, the fac-ulty of Robert Morris University’s Col-lege of Liberal Arts, have been sharing their thoughts about the world through an online blog called, “The Flâneur’s Turtle”. The blog focuses on posts by faculty to deal with class discussions which were not fully expanded on in class or to discuss topics which go be-yond the teaching syllabus, including anything from current events to movie reviews.

Many readers wonder about the sig-nificance of the title and the story be-hind it. “The Flâneur is a French term for upper-class city dwellers that made a trend of walking slowly through the city and thought about whatever caught their fancy... and to show the amount of time and thought these people had, they would walk turtles on leashes,” explains Michael Stelzer-Jocks, RMU History faculty member and the cre-ator of the site.

“The Turtle” is not just limited to the College of Liberal Arts, but is open to all faculty. Some contributing writers include Michael Stelzer-Jocks, Paul Gaszak, Tricia Lunt, Jenny Jocks-Stel-

It’s been a year since I started at RMU and as the time has passed I’ve had my ups and downs. At first I was a struggling newlywed, then I lost my apartment and had to live with my in-laws but despite my exhaustion I kept pushing forward. Now I have a new place, finished my undergraduate coursework and I am wondering how I managed to do it. As I approach my first full quar-ter as a graduate student I feel scared because I have this overwhelming feeling that I will be as miserable and exhausted as when I started. Howev-er, I have learned that everyone has motivation and it is all about letting something or someone push you for-ward. For me it’s my husband and de-spite the daunting next year for me,

working three jobs and full time grad school, I must find the strength to push through the exhaustion and re-member what motivates me. I guess the moral to my little story is that ev-eryone has something that motivates them just make sure y o u don’t lose sight of it.

Lindsay DahlEditor in Chief

NotE from tHE Editor

The eagle's visionArysAys gooDBye

the Flaneur's turtleThe College of Liberal Arts Faculty Gets to Blogging

By Richard Connolly

The Eagle has gone through quite a few no-table changes in the last couple years. Were you to look through the archives at past is-sues, it is easy to see that almost everything to do with the look of the newspaper besides the name has changed. The fresh new look has been the collaborative effort of many, but none more so than former award-win-ning art director, Nate Daubert, who said his farewells after last month's November issue. Since December of 2010, Daubert has been working on the tedious and time con-suming process of layout design for The Eagle. He began under the direction of an-other former art director, but within two months took the reigns and began to take charge of the newspaper's design. Within his time here he has worked with three edi-tors-in-chief and witnessed years of Robert

Morris news, sports, and everything else that has found itself within the folds of The Eagle. Designing the layouts has become second nature to him now, but the process used to involve quite a bit of coffee, count-less late nights and upwards of 50 hours an issue. The evolution of The Eagle is a perfect reflection of Daubert's progression as a de-signer, and tangible proof of just how far he has come during his time at Robert Morris. It's still hard to say exactly what The Eagle's former visionary's next move will be, but you can expect great things. "I'd really love to move to New York or Lon-don," says Daubert, "I don't know what the future will hold for print publications, but working for a magazine like Esquire or GQ is my dream." The Eagle may never be the same without his eye for design, but thanks to Nate Daubert the bar has been set very high for the next generation of Robert Morris designers. v

zer, and Paula Diaz. These fac-ulty members have written on

topics such as the nature of writing letters, the impor-

tance of having fun, and the benefits of organic farming. The blog posts flow from current news stories, phil-

osophical discus-sions, and critical

reviews of pop culture.

The opportunity of ed-ucational discussion is even being of-fered to current RMU students. “One of the things I have been offering in my classes is for my students to do an ex-tra credit writing assignment for ‘The Turtle’. The topic is up to the student, but it has to be full of thought and high quality writing,” explains Stelzer-Jocks.

Several readers share their comments about each blog post, helping fuel fur-ther dialogue by creating an open fo-rum among faculty, students, and any other people who stumble upon “The Turtle” on the Internet. Some faculty members even write blog posts in re-sponse to other blogs featured on “The Turtle”.

The creator sees “The Turtle” staying as a project made by faculty and stu-dents with no plans of expanding into anything more than an open discussion blog. The main idea behind each post is to blog about “whatever you want to write about...fun, deep, annoying, and whatever else the case may be,” states Stelzer Jocks.

You can find “The Flâneur’s Turtle” on www.theflaneursturtle.com or by liking the blog on Facebook. v

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By Tyson Bosco

As turkey decorations are taken down and your neighbors cement duck is dressed with a new ridiculous costume, it’s safe to say that the holiday season is in full swing. Sadly enough though, it seems as technology grows more per-tinent to the everyday culture, the de-mographic “young children – teens” has changed their wish lists to be more like that of the more computer savvy. What used to be Ferbies, Razor scooters, and light up dartboards has now been re-placed with iPhones, tablets, and things that predominantly have touch screens. With that, the Holiday wish list category has become the shiny new gadgets cat-egory. Here’s a list of the most wanted items of 2012’s holiday season:

Vuzix Virtual Wrap 920VR Wide Screen Video Eyewear- The closest thing technology has come to literally injecting LCD screens into your eyes. With these glasses, one can watch mov-ies, TV, and essentially anything a com-puter screen emits. Simply plug the cord jutting out of the glasses into any mobile device, whether it be a phone, smart phone, PC, laptop, iPod or even DVD/Blu-Ray players and portable me-

dia players like the Zune. The Vuzix Wrap 920VR has almost limitless com-patibility because of the expansion port sold with it. Get ready to enjoy “the big screen” feeling regardless to where you are. Listed Price $389.99

Polaroid Z230 10 MP Digital Instant Print Camera- Ever wonder why people were shaking it like a Polaroid picture? It was, at the time, the really cool thing

to do; that’s why. Polaroid is bringing this sensation back with the Polaroid Z230. It’s a camera that allows one to

take a 2x3 picture, manipulate it, then print it out in seconds. SD cards can save photos as well, so there’s no need to immediately print out every photo you take. Also, the pictures are smudge-proof, water-resistant, tear resistant, of great photo quality, and with sticky backsides. Although there is no need to shake it, feel free to shake it anyway for the sake of tradition. Listed Price $159.99

Doxie Go- Everyone can agree that scanners are incredibly helpful in to-day’s change from physical publications to digital media. The one setback to the

scanner is its size, which is about that of a microwave oven or printer. For some-thing so useful, that is a gigantic short-fall; well not anymore. The Doxie Go is a portable scanner that connects to PCs as well as Apple products. As well as the ability to scan pictures and papers on the fly, Doxie Go also includes software to help you organize your newly copied files. Listed Price $196.27 3M Streaming Projector- Who needs a gigantic flatscreen when one can turn an entire wall into a crystal clear view-

ing surface? Created by Roku, the 3M Streaming Projector features the Roku Streaming Stick in it's design. This de-vice has built-in-dual-band Wi-Fi and functions essentially the same as the standalone Roku box, which includes streaming apps like Hulu Plus, HBO Go and Netflix. It also comes with a built-in rechargeable battery, making it the most

portable and versatile projector of it's kind. Listed Price $299.99

Harmony 1100 Advanced Universal Remote Control- You may never lose your remote ever again. At least if you own the Harmony 1100 from Logitech you will be more careful than ever. This remote can control up to 15 separate components including LCD TVs, audio receivers, satellite receivers, Blu-Ray players and much more. With so much at your disposal, controlling the gadgets

in your house couldn’t be easier even if you had Clap-on lights. Listed Price $237.99. v

**All images are from Amazon.com**

THE NEWS

gadgets, gizmos, tech, and toys Ring in the New Year!

Most people do not think about it, but by the time Chicagoans enter 2013 some countries have already been there for hours!

Place

Christmas Island

Sydney, Australia

Tokyo, Japan

Hong Kong, China

New Delhi, India

Moscow, Russia

Athens, Greece

Cairo, Egypt

Brussel, Germany

London, UK

United States

New York City, NY

Chicago, IL

Denver, CO

Los Angelos, CA

Anchorage, AK

Honolulu, HI

Time in Chicago

12/31 4:00am

12/31 7:00am

12/31 9:00am

12/31 10:00am

12/31 12:30pm

12/31 2:00pm

12/31 4:00pm

12/31 4:00pm

12/31 5:00pm

12/31 6:00pm

12/31 11:00pm

1/1 12:00am

1/1 1:00am

1/1 2:00am

1/1 3:00am

1/1 4:00am

Happy New Year!

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By Joe Looney

Robert Morris University hosts over a thou-sand students throughout all their campuses. While many enjoy the atmosphere of going to school in the heart of the third largest city in the US; as a consequence we are all very sus-ceptible to becoming victims of holiday crime. Downtown Chicagoans and college students are faced with acts of criminality. Be sure to keep in mind a few important tips to stay safe this holiday season. Shop in groups. As the holiday season ap-proaches, so do shoppers and students with money. Every holiday season shop-goers are harassed and even mugged by criminals who specialize in holiday thievery. These criminals prey on would-be shoppers in the downtown area. The best way to make sure you don’t be-come a victim is to try to travel with a com-panion or a group of people. In most cases traveling with a companion is still not enough to ward off muggers but it helps to make an attacker think twice about going after two people instead of one. Avoid the scams. Another form of holiday criminality is the act of scamming. Young men and women are easy targets for these practic-es as the scammers try to lure us in with imi-

tation or fake versions of things that we might need as college students such as jobs, books, and easy money plans. These people watch you as you enter banks and stores and usually go after potential victims who have wallets. The best thing to do to avoid scammers is to ignore them, and if they approach you keep

your valuables like your wallet and credit or debit card out of view. Watch what you buy. Another form of hol-iday criminality is counterfeiting, or by sell-ing products that are fake rip-offs of popular holiday items. Counterfeit items are usually bought from street vendors and in some cases you find fake items in non-credible stores as well. The sure-fire way to avoid purchasing fake items is to buy at accredited places such as Best Buy, or from the products official on-line store. v

Holiday SEcurity

By David Pyle

The first time that RMU Junior Blake Whit-more stepped onstage for an open mike night at Fornelli Hall, her dorm at the time, she felt like her stomach was going to “fall out of her [butt]!” Shaky at first, the comedy act—deliv-ering humorous material while facing an au-dience with the confidence that you’re actually funny—gained strength and laughs halfway through. And, Whitmore caught the bug; af-ter this first show a year ago, she’s appeared in public 20 more times, including additional dorm shows and at Stage 773’s weekly open mike nights on Chicago’s Belmont Ave.

Whitmore is now bringing her interest in stand-up comedy to RMU, with the devel-opment of a new student club: Rotten Eggs. And, she’s looking for funny people (or: people willing to work to be funny!). “To me, there’s two types of excellent candidates to perform

Rotten eggsRMU's New Stand Up Comedy Club

stand-up comedy,” Whitmore says, “and that’s the ‘class clown,’ who are naturally outgoing, and the ‘shy’ ones, who are usually very good at watching and observing the world. We’re looking for both to join Stand Up, RMU.” She sees the club as a “social performing arts club,” with meetings focusing on writing, viewing and discussing comedy, and performing for other members. Of course, there will be shows as well, possibly allowing Stand-Up RMU members to perform at the University to raise money for various charities or not-for-profits.

Seeing both a social and professional advantage to stepping on stage, Whitmore states that stand up comedy “helps overcome shyness, build confidence, and is a tool to teach or educate others in an entertaining way. Comedy can also get one through tough times.” Whitmore references the cast of Sat-urday Night Live after 9/11, when the country needed something to take our minds off the tragedy.

Wednesday, December 19th, at both 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Whitmore will be on hand at the Chicago campus in room 624 to discuss interests, goals, and direction for Stand Up, RMU. All are welcome! If you’d like further information, or would like to express inter-est, students can email Whitmore at bwhit-more152@robertmorris.edu/ Who knows? Maybe you’ll be the next Conan O’Brien or Sarah Silverman. v

Downtown Chicagoans and college students are faced with acts of criminality. Be sure to keep in mind a few important tips to stay safe this holiday season.

2012 Year inReviewby Blake Whitmore

2012......started on a Sunday....was a leap year....is subject to theories about the

apocalypse.

January 23 – The European Union adopts an embargo against Iran in protest of that nation's continued effort to enrich uranium.

February 11 – Whitney Houston, American singer and actress passed away after a drug over dose.

March 13 – After 244 years since its first publication, the Encyclopædia Britannica discontinues its print edition. Welcome to the digital age!

April 18 – Dick Clark, American television host and producer most famous for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, passed away. New Year’s Eve might never be quite the same on ABC.

May 18 - Popular social network Facebook went public.

June 5–6 – The century's second and last solar transit of Venus occurs. The next pair are predicted to occur in 2117 and 2125.

July 20 - During a midnight showing of the Dark Knight Rises at the Century 16 cinema in Aurora, Colorado, a gunman wearing a gas mask opened fire inside the theater, killing twelve people and injuring 58 others.

July 27 - Opening ceremonies for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London took place.

August 6 – Curiosity, the Mars Science Laboratory mission's rover, successfully lands on Mars.

September 11-27 – A series of terrorist attacks were directed against United States diplomatic missions worldwide. In Libya, among the dead is US ambassador J. Christopher Stevens.

October 14 - Austrian skydiver, Felix Baumgartner, set the world record for skydiving an estimated 24 miles, reaching an estimated speed of 834 mph, or Mach 1.24, and became the first person to break the sound barrier without vehicular power on his descent.

November 6 - President Barrack Obama was reelected to office.

December 21 - The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, notably the Mayan civiliza-tion among others, completes a "great cycle" of thirteen b'ak'tuns (periods of 144,000 days each) since the Mesoamerican creation date of the calendar's current era.

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SPORTS & HEALTHRMU Welcomes Field Hockey to the Family

Walking Among Us

This past year Robert Morris has added Women’s Field Hockey to it's Athletics family. On October 6, 2012 for the first time ever, the Robert Morris University Women’s Field Hockey team took the field against Notre Dame. Despite being defeated 2-0, the Eagles played with intensity and began the establishment of a program that that will eventually be one of the most successful at the University. The program, led by Head Coach Allison Galindo, was started in order to attract female athletes from across the country to Robert Morris. Galindo, who is also the head coach of the Women’s Lacrosse team, said “we have had a lot of success in bringing talented female student athletes to the University and hope to have the same success with the Women’s Field Hockey Team. Field Hockey is a common crossover sport for Lacrosse meaning a lot of Women’s Lacrosse players play Field Hockey in the fall and vice versa, so we noticed that we would have more success in both sports allowing those dual athlete recruits to have the ability to play both.” Although there are not a lot of Field Hockey programs in the Midwest, Coach Galindo and the Eagles

hope to start a trend of new programs throughout the area. This season, the team competed in the National Field Hockey League against Midwest teams such as Notre Dame and the University of Missouri and even traveled as far as Nashville to play against Vanderbilt University. Although the season got off to a rough start, Coach Galindo

believes the foundation of young players, which includes 11 freshmen from states as far as California and Connecticut, is in place for a bright future. Assistant Coach Dawn Pederson brings a lot of experience to the coaching staff as a former All-American from The Ohio State University and currently coaches the Windy City Field Hockey club team in Chicago. The

program also brought in Amanda Care, an All-American who plays for Northwestern University, to assist in helping the team prepare for competition. As for the futvure of the program, Coach Galindo said, “We are focusing on building a strong defensive foundation first and working from there.” When the books are closed on this season, Galindo and Pederson will spend a lot of time on recruiting and continuing to build the foundation for the program. 10 recruits were brought in on November 27 and December 4, where they had opportunities to get a tour of the campus, meet with Admissions, practice with the team, and even spent the night in the University Center. With any brand new program, the inaugural year is always tough because there is nothing to act as a guide. However, if everything goes according to Coach Galindo’s plan, the future of the Women’s Field Hockey team is on the rise.

A harsh reality for many high school athletes is that competing on the collegiate level for their particular sport is nothing more than a dream. Once on the collegiate level, it is uncommon to find a multi-sport athlete. In fact, a lot of schools across the country do not even

allow athletes to compete in two sports. However, here at Robert Morris University, Mary Prunte has defied all the standards and is a standout athlete for two sports. Prunte, a 19-year old freshman from Columbus, Ohio, came to RMU to play Lacrosse as an attacker, but when a Women’s Field Hockey team was created, Coach Allison Galindo took on the responsibilities of coaching both teams. Since Lacrosse and Field Hockey are very similar, Galindo brought over many of her Lacrosse players, including Prunte, in an effort to field a competitive Field Hockey team, which just finished up its inaugural year. According to Coach Galindo, Prunte is well on her way to making a name for herself at RMU for both Lacrosse and Field Hockey. In her hometown of Columbus, Prunte made a name for herself on the Lacrosse field. She lettered all 4 years of high school on the Varsity team and led her team to

back-to-back Central Catholic League Championships her junior and senior years, where she led the team in goals scored both years. Her senior year, Prunte was the captain of the team. Throughout her high school career, she received many awards and recognitions, some of which include Offensive Player of the Year her sophomore year, the Coaches Award (for Lacrosse and Field Hockey) and 1st Team All-League her junior year, 1st Team All-District and 2nd Team All-State her senior year. When asked about the Field Hockey season that just ended, Prunte said “Given the fact that this was the first year and we had players who had no experience in the sport, we did extremely well. We laid down a strong foundation for the future of Robert Morris Field Hockey, and it just goes up from here.” She will begin competing with the Lacrosse team in March. When she is not competing on the field, Prunte is very strong academically and plans to graduate with a degree in Graphic Design. Robert Morris University is very proud of its student-athletes on and off the field, and with standouts like Mary Prunte leading the way, the future is very bright.

men’s Sports

Nov. 11, 2012- Football season ends with an impressive record of 8-3

Nov. 21, 2012- Fourth ranked Eagles Basketball team knocks off Trinity International 90-76

Nov. 26, 2012- Bowling team wins Na-tional Team Match Games for seventh straight title this season

Women’s Sports

Nov. 27, 2012- Soccer team, ranked 20th, eliminated from NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championships by 14th Ranked Embry-Riddle

Nov. 30, 2012- Basketball team wins fourth consecutive game with a 79-74 overtime victory against Clarke

Dec. 2, 2012 - Basketball team defeat Indiana Northwest 79-73 to raise record to 8-3 on the year

By Dan Ciaglia

Sports reportwinter 2012

By Dan Ciaglia

mary Prunte

7

SPORTS & HEALTH THEDESIGN DEPARTMENT

EAGLE

DO YOU WANT TO:MAKE EXTRA MONEYWHILE EXPANDING YOUR PORTFOLIO?

BECOME A DESIGNER FOR THE EAGLE!

CONTACT BLAKE WHITMORE FOR DETAILS:eagleeditor@robertmorris.edu.

8

ARTS & CULTURE

did you know?You can get AMC Tickets at the RMU Book-store for a fraction of the cost!

The CampaignNew to dVd

By Kim Martinez

With the passing of the 2012 presidential elections, it is more than certain that ev-eryone has been exposed to an election of some sort at a given point. As heated and controversial as campaigns and debates are, everyone more than likely has dropped in to listen to what the candidates have to say. Luckily for these two, congressman Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) and runner up Mar-ty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis), everyone in and around North Carolina is listening. With the help of two powerful CEO’s, Mar-ty Huggins, the town tourism coordinator, has been propped to rival Cam Brady in the upcoming election with him being unaware, the purpose of the CEOs is to bring foreign manufacturing companies into a small town in North Carolina to enhance profit rather than help the people.

At the beginning of the campaign, congressman Cam Brady does not seem to take his opponent seriously; after all, Mar-ty was the town tourism coordinator, whose father practically disowned him for his, one can say, “immature ways” and not being

nearly as manly as all American celebri-ty Cam Brady. But with the help of one of the CEO’s guys, Marty quickly transforms into a worthy candidate and Cam Brady’s career starts to take an embarrassing turn. Of course some of the extremes that these two go to in order to win or keep the spot for Congressman cannot compare to real elections, but there are some similarities. Noticing that Marty actually has a chance, Cam Brady and his team quickly begin to generate a multitude of ideas to bring Mar-ty down, but unfortunately, they all end up backfiring. At one point, Cam Brady loses control and charges toward Marty in some scenes but ends up doing things like punching a baby and a dog in front of the cameras; they both engage in just absolute ridiculous acts for the position in Congress. They both disregard the fact that their job is to ultimately represent the people instead of it being a chance at celebrity status which unfortunately, many have witnessed such public figures in the real world.

Both Cam Brady and Marty Huggins eventually end up so wrapped up in their fight for Congress that they lose focus,

which eventually hits home pretty hard, lit-erally. Cam Brady was already an immoral and unscrupulous person who was so used to the fact that no one had challenged his position in some years. As for Marty, he is the one who at the beginning of the cam-paign was honest and descent, but most importantly, his family meant the world to him. Although Cam Brady’s family had gotten to the point where they were props used in a scene in his campaign, he had never experienced being without them. In the end, the true intentions of the wealthy CEOs comes to light, as Marty comes clean and exposes the truth, and Cam Brady, after being announced as a congressman, makes an ultimate decision which can be said was the most honorable decision he could have made in order to regain some integrity. Foremost, the film is very entertaining and hysterical in most scenes, although there are a lot of sexual references and acts, though it is expected knowing the type of films both Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis have participated in, so be advised if this taste of comedy is not for you.v

www.imdb.com

9

By Stacy Zamaskya

The Toronto based group, Crystal Castles, always manages to create a chilling blend of macabre and conflict filled soundscapes. Their first two albums brought out unpre-dictable, violent, and dark themes, with spine-tingling screaming vocals of front woman, Alice Glass, and catchy driving beats, made by producer Ethan Kath. The duo has grown from underground base-ment-punk to summer festival headliners in just a short time, paralleling the rise of other similar artists, like Aphex Twin.

The duo has experimented with differ-ent facets of sound in their three albums. Their self-titled debut album can be characterized by Glass’s shrieking vocals and Kath’s 8-bit pulsing computer-made beats. The 2008 release brought Crystal Castles to the forefront of music blogging mania with hits like “Crimewave” and “Untrust Us”. Crystal Castles’ sophomore release, known as (II), took on a new di-rection of more melodious songs. The al-bum received positive reviews from critics

By Joe Looney

Lately the hip hop scene has been seeing a rise in young and new fresh faces. Maryland based rapper Phil Ade is perhaps one of the most pol-ished of the new era of hip hop taking over the music scene. Born to a Grenadi-an mother and Nigerian father Phil has a lot of culture, with a unique and genuine rhyme scheme that makes him standout even more than most vet-eran rappers. At the age of 22 he has already released four major underground mix tapes and was signed to a record label, 368 Music Group, by Grammy nominated singer and songwriter Raheem Devaughn. Ade’s clean and concise lyricism got him a gig on Black Entertainment Television’s Music Matters Tour. However, his first headline show was an ode to fellow DMV rap artist Wale. Still a young and maturing artist Ade is known for reusing the same instrumental from past proj-

ects and incorporating them into his new work with different rhymes. He uses this technique to show his fan base and

himself how he progresses, unlike any other artist. Ade has stated that his parents have had a big in-

fluence on how he rapped in his earlier work because he was asked by his parents he used no profanity on his first two projects. He later changed the format of

writing rhymes without profanity as he reached his twenties and his parents felt that he could

now use foul language. As a young artist Phil Ade is maturing and getting better everyday. As he contin-ues to perfect his craft, under the guidance of his Grammy nominated mentor, look

for Phil Ade to surely have an impact on the hip hop world. v

Crystal Castles (iii)New Music

pHil aDeArtist to Know

for its bold and dramatic sound, and was voted as one of Pitchfork’s “Top 50 Al-bums of 2010”. (II) features Crystal Cas-tles’ most popular song, which is surpris-ingly a cover of Platinum Blonde’s “Not in Love”, featuring vocals by Robert Smith of The Cure. With both extremes being covered in the first two albums, many did not know what to expect from the third al-bum, wondering if it would take on a more pop-punk direction or the classic maca-bre-punk style of Crystal Castles.

Crystal Castles is as dark as ever on (III), with aggressive lyrics taking on a new cul-tural implication, focusing on topics of in-justice and corruption. Glass takes on the role of a spokeswoman for the unfairness and a protector of those who cannot speak up. (III) is soothing in its bleak overtones, with Glass no longer just shrieking indeci-pherable lyrics, but instead actually sing-ing the melodic words. The tracks bury

havoc and chaos in their subtle bass and synth beats provided by Kath. The album shows a transition from the earlier punk hard-edged signature sound of Crystal Castles to a new macabre goth style.

The album starts off with the single, “Plague”, featuring a static noise intro, which creates an eerie atmosphere for the album with its hidden heavy bass beats, standing out in a live setting and evoking pure energy from the crowd. The duo is definitely influenced by the popular dance scene, with tracks like “Affection”, fea-turing swirly melodies and dubbed drum beats. Classic Crystal Castles aggression is heard on “Pale Flesh” and “Kerosene”, as the songs layer noise with shrieking Alice Glass providing angry vocals. Glass uses these signature tracks to convey her new guardian attitude, as she sings “I’ll protect you from all the things I’ve seen”. The final track, “Child I Will Hurt You”, provides

the only instance of an uplifting mood to the album, with its lullaby feel, convey-ing hope for ending the world’s darkness through action.

Crystal Castles has definitely matured in their sound over the years, but (III) shows that the duo has not yet reached their full potential. The album is tied with the cohe-sion of dark themes and aggressive lyrics, but seems out of balance at times. The duo have a message to deliver, the presence of an overall loneliness and emptiness of this world, but it transfers more as an individ-ual feeling of depression. Overall, (III) creates a new take on dance music, par-alleling artists like Sleigh Bells, but loses the group’s onslaught chaotic emotion present in their earlier works. v

did you know?You can rent Kindles in the RMU Library!

10

ARTS & CULTUREARTS & CULTURE

5 CLASSIC

holiday flicks

One of Arnold

Schwarzenegger’s few

comedy movies; he plays

a dad on the hunt for a

specific toy on Christmas

Eve. Unsurprisingly he

ends up being the hero but

watching his escapades,

like wrestling women over

balls, are hilarious.

This classic story from

1983 is heavily played

throughout the holiday

season. This comedy is

based around Ralphie,

a young boy, who tries

desperately to convince

everyone to get him a BB

gun and the crazy events

leading up to the big day.These movies are for the

action junkies who want

to see gun fights and ex-plosions. Starring Bruce

Willis as a stereotypical bad ass, detective who

acts as a 1 man swat team.

Starring Will Ferrell, this

flick is based around a

man raised as an elf in

the North Pole who tries

to reenter the human

population. His intense

love for Christmas causes

some havoc and lots of

laughs.

Adam Sandler wrote and acted in this sad but funny story about Chanukah in a small town. Despite the sad back-story to Sandler’s character, this odd ani-mated musical is still very funny.

Jingle all the Way

a christmas Story

die Hard i & ii

Elf

Eight crazy Nights

11

By Adrian Saucedo

Lawless is a film based on the true sto-ry of the Bondurant brothers in Virginia during the prohibition era. These three brothers, Jack (Shia LaBeouf ), Forrest (Tom Hardy), and Howard (Jason Clarke) are responsible for the mass production of moonshine. After selling their product to the local community they soon realize that in order to be more profitable they need a major buyer. Eventually, they encounter Floyd Banner (Gary Oldman) a gangster from Chicago who becomes the brothers’ major source of business. Local law en-forcement soon recognizes the lucrative business of moonshining and demand contribution from the Bondurant broth-ers. Needless to say, the brothers refuse

to be subjugated. Authorities, relying on special agent Charlie Rakes (Guy Pierce) to remedy the situation, turn a disagree-ment into a war. One of the most interesting things about this movie is that it is based on the book The Wettest County in the World, which is written by Matt Bondurant the grand-son of Jack Bondurant. The director of this film, John Hillcoat, is famous for his macabre drama which is prevalent oth-er films such as The Road (2009) and W (2005), but it is played lightly in this film. Perhaps one of the pitfalls of this film is the insufficient use of dark drama. This does not imply it lacks any drama; merely it could have been more prevalent in the film. Overall the film was good; however with

a cast like this, one would expect the film to be great. Besides the downplay of dra-

ma, the film lacked some character devel-opment. Perhaps because of the amount of great actors, there was less time for each of them to develop. This is not to suggest that the film attempted to compress the storyline. However, there are no memora-ble characters. Regarding the cast, most actors did su-perb regardless on how little screen time

they had. Perhaps the best example is Dane DeHaan a young up and coming ac-tor who portrays Cricket Pate, producer of the liquor the Bondurant brothers sell. Ul-timately the two main stars of the movie were Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy por-traying Jack and Forrest Bondurant re-spectively. The downside is that the third brother, Howard Bondurant portrayed by Jason Clarke, seems to be left on the sidelines. Guy Pearce was great as special agent Charlie Rakes but at times felt a lit-tle over the top with his performance, to the point of becoming the cliché villain. Ultimately this is a good film. Regardless of its pitfalls, the film makes up for it by having a great cast and a well-developed storyline. v

...based on the book The Wettest County in the World...

Must See Movie

Lawlesswww.imdb.com

12

ingredients:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13-inch rectangular baking dish.

2. Scrub potatoes well and slice them very thinly (1/8 inch thick) Place them in a bowl of cold water and set aside.

CUISINE

Scalloped Potatoes

~ 6 medium potatoes (2-1/2 to 3 lbs.), peeled if desired

~ 2 medium onions, sliced~ 1/4 cup (1/2 a stick) butter or

margarine~ 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour~ 1-1/2 cups chicken broth

(homemade or canned)~ Salt and black pepper to taste~ 2 cups bread crumbs (coarse)

Serves: 6-8 Prep time: 15 minutes cook time: 100 minutes

directions:

The holiday season brings many things to our doorsteps; most of the time it’s traditions that have been followed for generations. It seems as though with winter comes everyone’s need to go gaga (the emotion not the pop star) over drinks that taste like apple cider but have the kick of stronger alcohols. The Apple Blitz is not a good drink because it’s easy to make or even that just about any bar has the ingredients

to make it; it’s a grand choice because the recipe can be had in just about any form: as a shot, a martini, on ice, or even served at room temperature. One could drink it out of a teacup if he or she felt so inclined. What makes this drink so versatile is the ingenious concoction of alcohols that make this drink taste so festive, yet so warm. It’s the equivalent of drinking the most delicious apple flavored fire.

By Lindsay Dahl

By Tyson Bosco

3. In a medium skillet, sauté sliced onions in 2 tbsp. butter over low heat until evenly golden, 10 to 15 minutes.

4. In a small saucepan, melt together the remaining 2 tbsp. of the butter or margarine and the flour over medium heat. Whisk in chicken broth, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens and bubbles. Continue to simmer for a minute or two, remove from heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Drain potatoes and layer them as follows: 1/3 of the potatoes, 1/2 of the onions, salt and pepper; 1/3 of the potatoes, remaining onions, salt and pepper; and finally all the remaining potatoes. Pour the sauce evenly over the potatoes and cover the baking dish tightly with foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake for an additional 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender and crumbs are crisp and browned.

apple Blitz cocktail

ingredients:

1. In the spiffiest glass you can find to make all your friends jealous, throw in crushed ice if needed.

2. Pour in Whiskey, Apple Pucker, and Coca Cola.

3. Mix drink contents with stirring wand, straw, finger... honestly with whatever you've got.

4. Add splash of Goldschlager.

~ The spiffiest glass you can find to make all your friends jealous

~ 2 parts Green Apple Pucker (any Apple flavored Schnapps will do)

~ 2 parts Bourbon Whiskey~ 1 part Coca Cola (Optional)~ Crushed ice~ Splash of Goldschlager (or any

cinnamon flavored Schnapps)

directions:

13

Lindsay Dahl: Editor-in-ChiefBeef wellington, risotto, and chocolate cake martinis till I drop!

Rich Connolly: Executive EditorA lobster, vegetable lasagna, Reese’s Easter Eggs, and 4 fingers of Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve.

Blake Whitmore: Art DirectorRare Filet Mignon and Goldfish Crackers with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Stacy Zamskaya: WriterBaked mac & cheese and some chocolate cake for dessert.

Adrian Saucedo: WriterEnchiladas suizas with a sangria.

Dan Ciaglia: WriterA porterhouse steak smothered in sauteed mushrooms and onions with a side of grilled vegetables and a very tall glass of chocolate milk.

Tyson Bosco: WriterOreo's, Vanilla Pudding, a slab of Baby Back Ribs.

Dylan Broll: DesignerPapa johns, Fazolis, a Cinnamonster, and chocolate milk.

Joe Looney: WriterPepperoni deep dish pizza from Lou Mal-nati's, a red lobster cheddar biscuit and a side of Welch's fruit snacks with a bottle of smart water to wash it all down.

last mealmenuWith the end of the world just around the corner, we asked the staff of The Eagle what would be on the menu for their last meals. Bon appétit!

Meatballs~ 1 yellow onion small dice (or shredded

through a cheese grater)~ 2 Tbsp butter~ 3-4 slices toasted white bread, with

the crusts removed~ ¾ c milk~ 2 eggs~ 1.5 lbs ground beef~ 1 lb ground pork or veal~ 1 tsp Cardamom~ 1 tsp Nutmeg~ 2 tsp ground black pepper~ 2 tsp salt

Sauce~ 6-8 Tbsp butter~ 1/3 c flour~ 4 c beef stock or broth~ ½ c sour cream~ Lingonberry or raspberry jelly to taste

Serves: 8-10 Prep time: 30 minutes cook time: 50-60 minutes

By Lindsay Dahl

ingredients:1. Saute the onions in the 2 Tbsp of

butter and set aside to cool.

2. Toast the white bread and cut into cubes, mix with milk and let stand 15 minutes or until milk is thoroughly absorbed by the bread.

3. Mash the milk and bread mixture with a fork or process in a food processor until smooth. Add the cooled onion, pork, beef, eggs and spices. Then mix with your hands until completely incorporated.

4. Use a spoon to measure out the meat mixture and roll into balls. Set them aside on a tray or plate. Should make 40-50 meatballs.

5. Melt the remaining butter and brown the meatballs. Do not cook them all the way through, just brown them and set them aside. You may have to do this in batches.

This is a long-standing family recipe that my family has had for generations, since before they came to the US. It is about

as authentic as you can get and while it takes some time to make they are well worth it. If you're looking for something new to bring to the table this holiday

season, these swedish meatballs might just become a tradition in your home, as it is in mine. Best of all, you don't need to be Swedish to savor this authentic dish.

6. Begin heating stock or broth in a pot and continue simmering until needed.

7. Check to make sure butter is not burned, if it is start with fresh butter. Add flour to melted butter, stir continually, and cook to light brown color.

8. Slowly ladle in hot stock/ broth, continue to stir. The mixture will seize up and be slightly difficult to stir. Continue adding the stock and stirring until all of the stock has been added.

9. Add meatballs to the gravy and simmer 5-10 minutes, until done. Again this may have to be done in batches.

10. Remove meatballs from the sauce add sour cream and jelly. Return meatballs and serve over noodles, mashed potatoes, or just eat them on their own.

directions:

Swedish meatballs

14

COMMENTARY

There has been much debate over the political correctness of the phrase “Mer-ry Christmas”. Many businesses have fa-vored the phrase “Happy Holidays” be-cause it is religiously neutral and more inclusive of other religions. However, many people prefer the phrase “Merry Christmas” because of tradition or the belief that people should not be so over-ly sensitive. The reality is that Christmas is an exclusively Christian holiday and should not be imposed on anyone just because the majority of people favor the phrase “Merry Christmas”. Popularity is not even a good reason to argue a term is politically correct.

There is no reasonable argument why anyone should be offended with the phrase “Happy Holidays” because it is an inclusive term for all religions. It includes Christmas, while “Merry Christmas” leaves all religions out except for Chris-tianity. It is not always in the best inter-est of all to have a majority decide for us because it leaves minorities without a choice. Because this is a multicultural so-ciety, it is better to include everyone rath-er than impose the ideas of a majority on minorities.

It seems more offensive for a Christian to say “Merry Christmas” to a non-Chris-tian, not only as an imposition, but also as a form of secularizing a religious holiday. By not acknowledging it as a Christian holiday, non-Christians might be offend-ed that their religion is being excluded or not acknowledged. There is a genuine ef-fort to try and not make anyone feel left out, but the movement has met with re-sistance and ill feelings which are not jus-tified. The movement has been treated as

a war on Christmas and Christianity, but it is really about respecting all religions.

Our nation was founded on freedom and diversity. Why anyone would have such negative feelings about defending the principles this nation was found-ed upon is not justified. The argument is that Christmas is for Christians and “Happy Holidays” is for everyone, Chris-tian and non-Christian. If people want to save the Christmas spirit which is about being happy and in harmony with others, then they should support the religiously neutral term. This should not have to be a war about who is wrong or right or about boycotting a store because they prefer to be neutral.

Saying “Happy Holidays” to a person whose religion you do not know or to a non-Christian is a way of being polite. Not everyone celebrates Christmas or like the holiday and there are many cultures and religions that celebrate holidays around the time of Christmas. Another way to look at it is that by acknowledg-ing Christmas as the only winter holiday, people are acting prejudiced by assuming all Americans celebrate Christmas.

The majority of people say “Merry Christmas” because they grow up with that imposition, but it has no religious at-tachment to them. It is more of a material thing, a time to buy gifts for friends and family. The truth is that as secular as we want to make it, Christmas is a religious holiday and should be treated as such. Just because we grow up saying “Merry Christmas” does not make it right. We have to acknowledge and respect each other, even if that means changing a few things to improve everyone’s lives.

It wasn’t long ago that people would walk down the streets during this holiday season saying Merry Christmas to every person they passed, but now you could get a dirty look and a slap on the wrist. Well, you probably will not get a slap on the wrist, but it is considered politi-cally incorrect anymore to tell people Merry Christmas. Not everyone celebrates Christmas, so apparently it is offensive. Bah! Humbug! Whether or not people celebrate Christmas no one should get offended. Christmas is not even what it used to be. Christmas is technically the annual celebra-tion of the birth of Jesus Christ and it takes place on December 25th. It is celebrated by billions of people around the world and granted it is a feast central to the Christian church year, but it is also a civil holiday in most of the world’s nations, including the United States. A civil hol-iday, or a national holiday, means that it is a non working day during the year and is established by law. Christmas is celebrated by an increasing num-ber of non-Christians and it is an integral part of the holiday season. Christmas has become commercialized and it even has a secular fig-ure. Although Santa Claus had Christian roots he has become a secular representation of the

holiday. Christmas Day is even a national holi-day in countries that are mostly non-Christians, including India. Out of the 208 sovereign states in the world only 39 do not recognize Christmas as a national holiday regardless of religious be-liefs. Possibly the world’s most famous atheist, Rich-ard Dawkins, celebrates Christmas and he even admits to loving Christmas carols. Dawkins told Jarvis Cocker at Radio Four’s Today Program back in 2008 that, “We [my family and I] are not kill joys; we are not scrooges. We give each other presents and when my daughter was a bit younger we would have a tree.” Whether you are religious or not you can celebrate Christmas. Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, for religious or secular reasons, most people get the day off of work or enjoy the decorations, the gifts, and the music. Saying Merry Christ-mas is not rude and it is not politically incorrect. Christmas has changed, and for the better. A holiday that encourages charity, generosity, and a cheerful mood should not be limited to Christians. I still respect Christians that go to Church on Christmas and celebrate it for reli-gious reasons, but why should anyone get mad at non-Christians for wanting to celebrate too.

Happy Holidays or Merry Chirstmas?

He Says // She SaysAdrian Saucedo Blake Whitmore

have a great

Winter Break!

from: The eagle staff

15

By Adrian Saucedo

For the majority of people, winter is that joyous time of the year when family and friends get together and demonstrate their love or appreciation through gift giving. Those who like the cold weath-er and snow, also enjoy the quiet streets and warm beverages, the fireplace and layering clothes. After all, in the win-ter you can layer as many clothes as you want to stay warm, but in the summer how many clothes must you take off to be comfortable.

Although winter seems to be a happy season for some, for others it is a time of great distress. The shorter days and longer nights as well as the cold weather and snow are factors that can heighten stress levels. According to some studies in the United States, between 10 to 20 percent of individuals experience the “winter blues” which are mild symptoms of depression such as fatigue, oversleep-ing, overeating, antisocial behaviors and other negative feelings such as boredom or dullness.

For those of you who look at winter

with dread, here are a couple of tips that will help you ease your winter depres-sion symptoms. The most recommend-ed treatment to beat the “winter blues” is light therapy. The lack of light in the morning can really affect not only your energy levels but also how well you will perform throughout the rest of the day. It will be the difference between sleep-ing well. It will also determine how well you eat and give you time to complete tasks in a timely manner.

The first thing you have to do if you have difficulty waking up in the morning is to connect a lamp to a timer and set it up at least 15 minutes before your wak-ing alarm goes off. This will help moti-vate you to get up from bed. Secondly, make sure your house is bright by turn-ing on the lights if it is not sufficiently bright outside. Open the shades or cur-tains and let the light come in the house, stand in front of the window or go for a walk. Take advantage of the sunlight as much as possible this will benefit your physical and mental health as well as lengthen your day. By using bright lights before waking up, early in the morning,

and throughout the day as needed and getting sufficient sunlight you will see improvement in your mood, productiv-ity and energy levels. Some stores sell light bulbs that simulate sunlight, which are a good investment if the lack of light is affecting your performance.

Next, watch your diet. Humans don’t hibernate like other animals do, so we have to be careful not to overeat. We need to be especially careful with carbo-hydrate cravings especially those high in sugar. Also, it is always important to ex-ercise so don’t give up on it because the weather is not plausible. Perhaps winter is the best time to begin exercise because it is when it is most needed for our over-all health. The best way to do this is to take up an activity that is fun or that you can only do in the winter such as skiing or ice skating.

If the weather is what you dislike the most about winter then be prepared for it. Make sure you have in your wardrobe all you need to stay warm and dry. Stay social, do not abandon your social life. Contact a relative that you haven’t seen or an old friend. Visit friends and fami-

ly or have them come over your house. If you have time, organize a fun activity with them or invent a winter tradition. If the weather forces you to stay home take advantage and do things that need to be done around the house or that you have been meaning to do for some time. Give yourself some time to relax. Serve yourself a warm beverage and watch a movie or do something that helps you re-lease stress. Plan ahead and have some-thing to look forward to, your mood will improve greatly. And lastly, make the best out of the winter season. You have the power to make it good or bad. It all depends on how you will approach the winter season.

Find out what it is about winter that you dislike and make it a goal to change that negative feeling. There are many ways to prevent winter depression and overcome it. You can always take extra steps to make sure things work out for you and to better adapt to changes be-yond your control. v

The Winter Blues

By Richard Connolly

Well, the time has come, December 21, 2012 - the end of the world. It has been a good run everyone, but let's be honest; we should have seen this coming. Humankind has been messing with this planet for long enough. We've bombed entire cities during worldwide wars, caused the climate chang-es which according to Al Gore are drown-ing polar bears, and Nikki Minaj is topping the charts; all of these are pretty clear indicators that the world is going to shit. The Mayan calendar, which ends on the 21st of this month, is the source of all the hubbub about the world's approaching demise, but it's still too early to say exactly how it is all going to go down. According to a couple smart-sounding people's blogs on the internet, a few likely scenarios are: black-holes, polar shifts, or a global pandemic (possibly resulting in a zombie

it Has Been a Good run...

uprising). I don't know about the rest of you, but I've watched enough zombie mov-ies and Walking Dead to be quite certain that I would realistically survive two weeks maximum if corpses start reanimating. No matter how it all goes down, it's im-portant that we all take a look back at our lives and make things right while we can. While the opportunity is still present, I'll be writing a few long Facebook messages to people apologizing for my actions at last years Christmas party, and I plan on mail-ing back the Pokemon cards I stole from Chris Duncan in 5th grade. He could never love that Bulbasaur card like I did though… We should all look on the bright side of things, if it is the end of the world, that means it's the end of lots of crappy things too. There will be no more dealing with unhygienic folk next to you on the train, no more terrible movie remakes, no more pay-ing rent, no more online pop-up ads about sexy singles in your area, and no more "Bieber fever". Considering all the terrible things that won't be around anymore, the

world might actually be better off getting destroyed. When December 21st comes around and it all goes down, if there are any survivors, lets try to look out for each other and make a fresh new start. Everyone's personal strengths will really start to de-velop when we all need to rely on each other, and by going out of your way to save some-one, you might end up with a valuable group member in your post-apocalyptic party. I'm a halfway decent cook and carpenter, so should you see me running from a pack of flesh-eating zombies, please lend a hand and maybe I can someday return the favor. I will even promise not to steal any of your Pokemon cards. Should December 22nd end up rolling around with the world still intact, I'm sure that like with Y2K there are going to be a few of us who will look a little silly and over cautious, but that's okay. Let's say “I-told-

you-so”, learn to enjoy the freeze-dried meals we bought 20 years worth of, and walk away from this as a learning experi-ence. The sky might not fall today, but that big blue bastard is coming down one of these days. v

16

PUZZLES

No class by richard connolly

Unscramble the letters to make meaningful words and write them in the space given at the bottom. Use the letters entered in the circles, as well as the hint provided, to unscramble the answer phrase.

wordScrambleinstRUCtionsinstRUCtions

HINT: OUR YEARLY LIES

Sudoku Fill in the grid with numbers so each

row, column, and 3x3 block has every number from 1 to 9.

R T O T E N

C N M P A g I A

S E d R O E I P N S

L A E T b M A L

L H d I A O Y

_ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

A f E N L R S U

O T T P O E S A

U E U M S M

M A R N d g d A E O

H R C A M I T S S

8 2 9

1 8

5 6 2 8

7 2 3 5

8 1 4 6

5 4 3 1

8 3 5 1

3 9

1 6 8

Puzzle 1 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.50)

Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/~jdhildeb/software/sudokugen/ on Tue Dec 4 22:33:03 2012 GMT. Enjoy!