“Kick-Ass”

“Kick-Ass” is the story of Dave, a gawky teenager who sucks at talking to girls and has two friends who are just as socially inept. One day, Dave decides to become a superhero. No reason. Just for the fuck of it, basically. He doesn’t have superpowers and his costume is a flamboyant wetsuit and Uggs. Like any perfectly sane teenager, he names his superhero Kick-Ass, and despite the fact that he clearly gets his ass handed to him on several occasions, he still finds a way to get famous, prompting two real-ish superheroes, a father-daughter pair, to court him. He then continues to fuck everything up, blah blah blah, drama.

You see, “Kick-Ass” isn’t your average superhero movie, at least at the start. It’s a very real look at a kid who decides to become a superhero. It explores the consequences of such exploits in the most brutal, gut-wrenching ways possible.

First things first: “Kick-Ass” is rated R for a reason. There’s blood. Lots of it. Some of it hilarious. A scene where a mafia squealer is put into a giant microwave (I’m not kidding) makes the whole film look like something out of the mind of Quentin Tarantino. It’s darker than the cute and colorful posters make it seem, and most of the humor is cruel (but still pretty damned funny).

Aaron Johnson plays “Kick-Ass,” the title character. He has glasses, a jew-fro and jerks off multiple times a day (seriously). Nicholas Cage plays Big Daddy and is surprisingly adept at his role, remaining likeable all while shooting his daughter in the chest (seriously). Hitgirl, played by Chloe Grace Moretz, is one of the movie’s more interesting characters and also seems to be the most brutal, going around and chopping off drug dealers’ legs (seriously). And finally, we have Red Mist, who’s played by McLovin (seriously.) And no, I will not refer to McLovin as Christopher Mintz-Passe, because that would be like referring to Spongebob Squarepants as Tom Kenny. He’s McLovin, dammit! And he always will be.

As the story progresses, things become much more complex as the lines between heroes and villains are blurred even more so than they were in other “gritty” superhero movies. Every character in the film is innately likable, even the ones we know are douchebags, which actually creates this very satisfying emotional connection to them. The consequences of Kick-Ass’s actions are far-reaching, and the film, though on the surface but a gory slasher, actually provides a very intelligently-written social commentary on friendship, relationships and the social order, all while never taking itself too seriously, resulting in moments where I actually laughed. I never laugh in movies. Checkmate, “Kick-Ass.”

I do have a few complaints, however.

First of all, the movie sort of spits in the face of its own “anyone can be a superhero message.” Consider this: McLovin is only a “superhero” (there are quotes for a reason but I don’t want to spoil anything for those who haven’t seen it) because his father, who’s also the film’s main villain, gives him a few hundred grand to buy a costume, Web site and tricked out Mustang (I still think Mustangs are girls cars, though). Hitgirl and Big Daddy are superheroes because of their seemingly unlimited access to bazookas and machine guns. And finally, Kick-Ass is only a superhero because he got fucked up in a parking lot and had metal plates installed in his bones, making him impervious to most pain.

What the fuck? I thought the message of the movie was “Anyone Can Be a Hero,” not “Anyone Can Be a Hero as Long as They’re Rich, Have Access to Unlimited Heavy Weaponry or Have Bones Made of Fucking Titanium.” Thanks a lot, “Kick-Ass.” There I was ready to don a cape and mask and go around fighting crime in Radford, but then you go and laugh in my face and tell me I can’t. Looks like the closest thing I’ll ever come to being a hero is providing the last ten bucks for a fresh keg at a party. Oh well…

I’m also a little pissed off that the title character is actually the least-interesting character in the movie, yet we’re stuck with him for pretty much 80 percent of it. He’s boring, nerdy, with no family problems and his only redeeming quality is that he pretends to be gay to pick up girls (I wish I could pull it off, but I’m just so damned hetero). I don’t want to watch someone just like me for two hours; that’s boring. I can watch myself at home. It’s like watching a (hetero) porno that focuses more on the guys than the girls. I have a penis, I can look at it any time I want. That’s not why I’m watching the damn thing! That’s what “Kick-Ass” does. It has five primary characters, including Mark Strong, who plays a fantastic villain in the form of Frank Domico and the father of Red Mist, yet the movie sticks us with the least-interesting one for two hours.

McLovin is actually the most complex character in the whole thing. Even now, I’m still not quite sure what side he’s on (it’s actually been bothering me). His motives are originally evil, as he’s planning to lure Kick-Ass in so his father can execute him, but then a friendship blossoms, a friendship he’s obviously been craving, but then there’s betrayal, but then there’s just who-the-fuck-knows. He may be good, he may be evil, he may just be trying to impress his dad, who obviously loves his son (the chemistry between Mark Strong and McLovin is great; they really do feel like a true father-son dynamic). I can’t even imagine what’s going through Red Mist’s mind, and the result is one of the most authentic characters ever in a superhero movie, and it’s disappointing that he isn’t more fleshed out.

I cannot believe I’m saying this, but “Kick-Ass” is probably the most emotionally resonant superhero movie of all time. I mean that. More emotional than even the immortal “The Dark Knight.” The characterization is great, the action scenes are bloody and fun, and the story is satisfying to the very end. Go see it. Now.

Also, Hitgirl, call me in about five years, sweet pea.

Cover and story photos from Creative Commons

Later, Madoz began his concentration on object photography in the year 1990. This realm of photography is where he found his niche in the world of great artists. Since then, Madoz has received numerous awards ranging from the coveted Kodak Award in 1991 to the National Photography Award of Spain in 2000.

So what makes Madoz’s art so appealing and so worthy of recognition? There are many different factors, like the simplicity of his work. The photos Madoz takes are easy to admire, but they usually take a second glance to really understand. His photos make a statement, and unlike the many other artists of our time that statement is not necessarily meant to be political, religious or satirical. However, there is definitely a message behind each photo. Each photo is meant to spark a thought in the mind of the viewer that makes each person look just a little harder at the things we see and ignore around us every day. This is another factor in Madoz’s great popularity. He makes society take a second look at the things we take for granted every day; for example, a pair of shoes.

So far it’s not really that interesting, so let’s add some detail. What about a pair of men’s leather wingtip dress shoes? Still not that exciting? What if we seamlessly laced those shoes together? Does that make a statement? Our minds flare and thoughts just start spewing out. In the photograph described, the shoes look like they are holding on to each other, as if they need each other, like one without the other would be nothing at all. Suddenly, the shoes take on personalities of their own. They are not shoes at all, but conjoined twins, living and thriving because they are together. The sight is somewhat unnerving at first, a little off, and all we can do is stare. That was Madoz’s purpose: he makes whole worlds out of single, simple changes in the norm.

Another example? How about we take a more popular picture of his: a ladder, mirror and a blank wall. Now imagine the mirror is hung on the wall and the ladder is leaning on the mirror at about a 15 degree angle. The mirror reflects the ladder and the empty room behind it. Because of the angle of the ladder in the mirror, an illusion is created, one that makes the scene look as if we could walk up our side of the ladder and climb over into the mirror. Again, our minds race. We begin to understand how Alice must have felt when she realized she could actually climb through the looking glass. We begin to wonder what life would be like in the world of our reflections. We begin to yearn for that world, for that place we don’t know. Our mind is in a state of quandary from the simple placement of three ordinary objects we encounter in our lives day in and day out.

This leads us to the best part of Madoz’s photos; the fact that he does not force his ideas on us. Instead, he leaves his art open to the interpretation of the viewer, as if each piece is asking, “what do you see?” or rather, ” what can you see?” With this freedom, Madoz makes a deep impact on his viewers. Once we see his art, we will never look at an apple, a stack of books or a bobby pin as anything less than extraordinary. And somewhere in the back of our busy minds, it clicks; these simple objects are extraordinary because our world is anything but ordinary.

Cover and story photo from Creative Commons

Growing up in the 90s, I clung to groups like Gin Blossoms, Goo Goo Dolls and Sister Hazel. Their beautiful harmonies gave each sunny day a new light. Remember with me as I reminisce on the glories of last weekend’s iTunes shuffle list: the 90s.

“Einstein on the Beach:” This Counting Crows song found its way to number one on the American Billboard Charts. The funny thing is that the song lacks any real meaning whatsoever. Frontman Adam Duritz eventually told the press that the song was not meant for any album and was meant to be more clever than meaningful. Still, it remains one of the most well-known and favored today.

“Hey Jealousy:” This could be one of Gin Blossom’s best songs, but then again… I’m a bit biased. It’s hard to say after seeing them perform live, many years after they hit it big back in the 90s. Their sound was exactly as they  recorded years prior. Even through the obvious aging, they were able to perform better than most of today’s performers. The smooth lyrics always capture me. “You can trust me not to think and not to sleep around. If you don’t expect too much from me, you might not be let down.”

“MmBop:” Yes, “MmBop.” The 90s means the glory of three blonde, long-haired brothers captivating the female gender with harmony. They really were talented, whether you’d call them gay now, you probable sung along with them during every MmBop-ba-doop-e-dop-ba-doo-wop. Needless to say they went on to bigger and better things. Their CD release, The Walk, brought Isaac, Tyler and Zach back into the spotlight once again. They took it to a new level really using the new deeper voices and emphasizing as much funk and bluesy attitudes as their white, American-made bodies would allow. It’s a new twist on the Hanson of yesterday. Look for their new album, Shout It Out, set to release on June 8.

“3 A.M.:” The meaning of this song used to escape me, but now I can’t escape it. Rob Thomas did a wonderful job as he poetically conquered his life-changing experiences as at 14 he dealt with his mother’s battle with cancer. “3 A.M.” is the story from his eyes. The band went on a hiatus in 2004, lost a guitarist but came back stronger than ever in 2007. Their newest album, Exile on Mainstream, re-released half of their old hits along with some new ones. “How Far We’ve Come” really brings it all together with emphasis on their past.

“Semi-Charmed Life:” Recent Radford University performers Third Eye Blind had an overwhelming response from students as they sang along to many of their 90s favorites. “Semi-Charmed Life”’s upbeat and catchy melody tells nothing about its dark lyrics hinting to a crystal meth addict. The quick, spoken words of Stephan Jenkins were an overnight hit, but listeners can’t quite identify with the song’s meaning.  The songs original lyrics read “I want nothing else to get me through this…” before changing to “I want something else to get me through this…”

So on the sunny days, bring it back a little, put on some music and reminisce. The meanings of your favorite songs may have changed a little, but they’re still worth listening to, even if you have a different view of them now.

Bands that should make your playlists:

- Toad the Wet Sprocket
- The Wallflowers
- Spin Doctors
- Sister Hazel
- Matchbox 20
- Hootie & the Blowfish
- Green Day
- Goo Goo Dolls
- Hanson
- Gin Blossoms
- Ben Folds Five
- Del Amitri
- Counting Crows
- Eagle-Eye Cherry
- Blues Traveler
- Blind Melon
- Barenaked Ladies

Story photo by Katherine Wilk

Cover photo by Alex Morgan

10 a.m.

Will’s iHome begins to sound on a normal Thursday morning, so he rolls over and presses his snooze button. This battle to wake up usually continues until he finally hops up out of his bed at 10:30 am, knowing that he has class at 11 and needs to take a shower. Will Robitaille is a Resident Assistant on the fifth floor of Muse Hall. He is finishing up his sophomore year here at Radford University and is pursuing his bachelors in criminal justice. Fresh out of the shower at 10:40 and his residents are already being rowdy, a typical Thursday. The whole hall is ready for the weekend to start. Will throws on a pair of dark green shorts and a gray t-shirt as he grabs his books and jets out the door. On his way to the elevator, Will quiets down his residents in hopes of a peaceful weekend.

12:30 p.m.

Will is out of his first class of the day, so he heads to his favorite and most convenient lunch spot, the New River Grill, aka Muse Dining Hall. After a tasty meal and a scoop of coffee ice cream he’s off to his room to check out the day’s current events on his laptop and enjoy a little bit of down time.

1:45 p.m.

Will gathers his books and prepares to make his way over to Powell Hall for his last class of the day, but before he can leave he hears a knock on his door: a resident forgot their key; typical. He hurries down to the office, grabs the resident’s key and unlocks their door, warning them that the next time they need to be let in they may not be so lucky to find him. Now he’s in a hurry. He bounds down the stairs and out the front door, the whole time checking his watch constantly to make sure he won’t be late to class.

3:30 p.m.

Out of class and ready to relax for a while, Will lays down on his couch with a book. He begins to read, but finds himself dozing. Finally, he gives in and decides to take a nap.

5 p.m.

Will wakes to his phone ringing. His girlfriend is out of class for the day and is calling to see what he’s up to. They make plans to have dinner in about an hour and Will gets up and puts on his shoes. Hoping to gain a little bit of energy from the sunny weather and the hustle of campus, Will heads outside for a walk. On his way out he hears two of his female residents laughing hysterically and he decides to investigate, but it’s just girls being girls gossiping about their weekend plans.

Will thinks over his experience so far as an RA: ” Sometimes it can be difficult to balance my school work and the job [RA] while still leaving some time to myself. Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t,” he laughs lightly. “Really though, I know some people who have huge issues with burnout because they don’t know how to schedule some time into their day to just relax.”

7:15 p.m.

Stomach full and happy, Will and his girlfriend make their way back to her room for a little bit before he must depart back to muse for his duty.

“We usually end up at Dalton for dinner, there’s bound to be something we can both or all (depending on who joins up for dinner) agree on food-wise. Some days it’s the only time I get with my friends and my girlfriend. Thursdays, for instance, are usually pretty busy. Today was abnormally chill.”

8:30 p.m.

Will is on duty in Muse starting at 8 p.m. and ending at 12 a.m.

“Duty isn’t that bad, it’s really good time to get homework done seeing as there isn’t really anything else we can do. We can’t sleep, and we can’t go anywhere, so it leaves little to choose from in the way of activities. We also have to be visible in the building in case there is a problem and our residents need us for something.”

11 p.m.

The staff in Muse take shifts down at the front desk in the lobby, and Will tends to take the last one.

“It’s like a backwards fashion show. Everyone walks in a huge mess! I love Thursdays because people come back from parties stumbling around trying to look sober, but it’s so obvious that they’re not, so I tend to mess around with them a little bit for fun. It’s always harmless though, and they usually end up laughing with me.”

12:30 a.m.

Will returns to his room, tired from the day but not quite ready to go to bed. Call of Duty time!

“I know that face. My girlfriend hates it too, but it’s guy time! Time for a little bromancing in the world of Xbox. We joke around and catch up with each other on stuff. It may seem like it’s just a video game, but it’s more like hanging out without actually hanging out,” he chuckles. “I yell a lot in the game, and some nights we get really obscene, but it’s definitely what I need at the end of the day. A good laugh will make any issues you have vanish.”

2 a.m.

“I’m such a night owl,” he says of himself. “That’s why I always make sure I make time for a nap, because I know I’m not going to get to bed early no matter how hard I try.”

It’s true, Will does a final sweep of his hall checking to make sure he isn’t going to be woken up by a cranky resident complaining that someones music is too loud at 3 a.m. He then returns to his room, drinks a big cup of water and hits the sack.

“Some days I go to bed clutching my pillow thanking God the day is over, and some days I fall asleep laughing at the day’s events, but I love my job, and I’m so lucky for the experience I’m gaining for whatever the future has for me.”

Cover and story photos from Anna Sacks

One such company following down the path of bio-printing is Organovo. Their bio-printer is in the early stages of clinical trials and shows much promise for the future. Organovo’s printer works in 3D, allowing it to print organs fully and complete in a matter of minutes, theoretically speaking. It is a long ways off before it is capable of doing that. The early models are only able to show proof of concept. All this means is that they are able to print some genetic material. The reintroduction of stem cell research has allowed for bio-printing to really take off.

The main concern with transplants of organs is the body rejecting the foreign organ. With bio-printing, the body would be more likely to recognize the organ as its own, since it will be shaped based off information taken from bone marrow or fat cells. This will allow them to mesh better with the recipient body, with less trauma overall. The only issue is while being more likely to see the organ as the patients own, there is still a chance the body might reject it all the same.

Organovo’s printer works by gradually layering up cells upon cells, creating gaps in one layer for the next to fill up. This causes each layer to become interlocked with the one before it. This is vital to having a viable organ, opposed to just a mass of flesh. This layering technique also allows for the hollows in organs to be created without much hassle at all.

A researcher at Wake Forest has taken an off-the-shelf ink jet printer and made his own type of bio-printer. This bio-printer focuses more on printing out skin graphs. Currently this technology is being funded by the US military. They hope this technology can be applied to soldiers who receive severe burns on the battle field, lowering the risk of infection during healing. The printer uses a cartridge full of skin cells. This version of bio-printing requires a scan of the wound, allowing the printer to know how much and what type of skin cells to print.

All of this is really exciting technology! Where will we see it in actual use? In hospitals is any one’s guess. This is just evidence of how science fiction is becoming less fiction and more science every day. There is no telling what the future will hold for this new development.

Cover and story photo from Creative Commons

One of the worst excuses I’ve ever heard about why a student didn’t do an assignment was because they didn’t even realize we had class the day before. How difficult it is to remember when you have class? If there’s any question about it, then ask a classmate or e-mail your teacher. There’s absolutely no reason to miss work because you didn’t think you had class. Especially on a relatively small campus where you could easily show up anyway.

Also, don’t kill your grandma or any other member of your family to get out of class. A teacher will notice when your grandma has died four times in the past ten weeks. It really isn’t cute to the classmates that show up to class either. If we know that you’re just going to come up with some lame excuse every time you don’t feel like showing up to class then we won’t want to help you later. Beware of any help you might get; it could be fake.

When it comes to not turning in homework on time because your printer is acting up, shame on you. If an assignment is of any value to you, you’d get it done in time to find out that your printer is on the fritz. When you finish things in a timely fashion, problems like this don’t exist because you could easily go to a friend to print out your work, or the library. The worst case scenario is that you have to do a little walking to print your work out. Not a big deal.

On top of the printer issues excuse, I hate hearing that you lost your flash drive and couldn’t find it in time. We have this thing called a home drive for a reason. You can even access your home drive through MyRU. See that little “My Files” tab? That’s it. Just click on it and you can make your work accessible from just about anywhere with Internet. Thank you, Radford University for making it nearly impossible to not be able to access our work.

If you made one of these mistakes and realize that you won’t be able to get your work turned in when you’re supposed to, don’t go telling the professor that you’re sick. I know people who are “sick” once every couple of weeks, and I really despise telling them what they missed in class.  I could just as easily use that excuse and get away with it, but I don’t. Why? Because I know how ridiculously annoying it is.

When you think about it, showing up to class and doing your work on time can be a real stress reliever. In the long run, it also prevents you from looking like a complete fool in front of your teachers and classmates. I don’t see a down side to just getting things done. It’s what we’re paying for after all.

Cover photo by Alex Morgan

Story photo from Creative Commons

Cover and story photos from Leah Whittaker

Besides the economy, graduating college students are facing a lot of jobs requiring prior experience. This is another reason they could have trouble getting a job after graduation. However, there are jobs out there that always need new employees.

“There is always a need for veterinarians like most medical fields, especially in equine, wildlife and zoo medicine,” said sophomore Rachel Cohen.

After going on to graduate school Rachel wants to become a veterinarian in equine medicine or specialize in zoological medicine.

Other fields besides medicine that always need new workers are education, information technology and paralegal fields. Kaitlyn Rast, sophomore at RU, also wants a job in a field that always needs new people: an elementary school teacher. According to Careercast.com the top five jobs are actuary, software engineer, computer systems analyst, biologist and historian.

If experience is something you need for the job you want after college, look for internships. They are a good way to get job experience and will help further a career in the field you choose. Also, volunteer work will give you experience. When looking at resumés a lot of people look for volunteer jobs from a prospective employee. Volunteer hours show employers experience and that the employee is hard working.

Some problems that graduates must face are simpler ones than the economy, like local job listings. Katy McCracken, a recent graduate from RU, has been looking for a job in the book publishing industry but has had no luck because there aren’t many job listings in the field. Her hope for a job after graduation was just to find one. She has given this advice for those looking for a job after graduation.

“Start applying right away and keep applying. Don’t give up or get discouraged even if you’re rejected a million times.” McCracken said. This is good advice for anyone that wants to apply for a job, not just those that are graduating. Some other sound advice is to have a back-up job in mind. In times like these it helps to be optimistic and keep trying until you succeed.

Cover graphic by Rochelle Taguba

Story photo from Creative Commons

The Little Lady series starts with “The Little Lady Agency.” The first book follows Melissa Romney-Jones, whose father is a member of British parliament. She has had all the right training in manners and schooling but still cannot seem to find a decent job. She has had various temp jobs but can’t seem to keep one long enough to even consider it temporary, more like momentary. She decides she can market her skills of manners and impeccable training to single men who don’t have a wife to help them out. To keep her family from being in a scandal, she puts on a blonde wig and becomes the feisty Honey Blennerhesket. She can plan a party, help men with shopping, or even be their date when they need to impress their boss.

Some people might confuse her with a refined prostitute, but that isn’t the case at all. She is more of a consultant who can help men with all their questions on how to plan a posh British party. Things seem to be going great with her new business until she falls for one of her clients, American business tycoon Jonathon Riley. Riley recently moved to London and needs help finding great places to take clients to eat. In steps Honey Blennerhesket. She becomes his date to keep clients entertained, and she takes it upon herself to show him all the sights worth seeing in London. Things are going great until she discovers she loves him, but it’s Melissa that loves him and Honey can’t let on that she has feelings.

This sets the two of them off onto various adventures together, and I won’t give away whether or not they end up together or not. The two books in the series after “The Little Lady Agency” is “Little Lady, Big Apple” and “The Little Lady and the Prince.” Throughout the series, Melissa struggles with different problems she gets into that she can only get out of by taking on Honey’s personality. Melissa is much more quiet and reserved while Honey says and does whatever she wants. It’s great to read about the way a blond wig can change someones personality.

I enjoyed the books because it’s a series that you don’t have to think too hard about. After spending a long year reading books that were forced on us by professors to try and teach us something, it’s a nice break to read a fun book series that doesn’t require CliffsNotes to understand. The first book is the best, but if you can’t get enough of Melissa and Honey, you’ll continue to read the other two. The final book in the series brings twists that you would never have expected.

Melissa’s family in the books do tend to get on your nerves. They are annoyingly dysfunctional. The grandmother is the only one with good intentions, even though she’s a bit crazy. The father is hardly present due to his important parliament duties. Her sister is a bimbo who is only concerned with her money and her husband’s money. Luckily, they aren’t present in the books enough to not read them.

If you’re looking for a summer romance to read without werewolves, vampires or even a perfect happy ending, this book series will keep you entertained. The Little Lady delivers big laughs and big fun.

Rating: 4/5

Cover and story from Creative Commons

It peeves me when teachers don’t have a legitimate syllabus in the first place, but when they decide to spring all new assignments on my ass at the end of the semester, especially spring semester, it makes me want to cry. Within the last four to five weeks of class, I usually plan out exactly when I’m going to have things done by so I can have a little bit of down time before I dive into finals week. Spring finals are twice as stressful as fall, not because of the amazing weather, but the monumental amount of crap I have to pack and move out of my room.

I’m not fortunate enough to live nearby or have more than one vehicle in which to move my stuff, so the last week of school is really a mixture of trying to find time to think about my finals while I’m attempting to fit a semester’s worth of junk into small plastic tubs. But I digress.

I don’t like coming to class within the last few weeks to find that I have another project to do. It throws off my whole schedule. By that, I mean that I go into hyper drive and end up accomplishing things that I didn’t mean to have done until the last week. Anyone with a workaholic personality such as mine understands that this causes a lot more stress than it’s worth.

On top of that, please don’t assign things that will force us to have to use the library. Last spring I found out that the library practically becomes home to half the student population toward the end of the semester. This makes finding space to work and a computer much more difficult than usual.

If anything, the end of the semester should become easier. You had a good 14 or 15 weeks to teach whatever it is you were supposed to be teaching, and if it’s necessary to cram things in at the last minute, then maybe you should reconsider your lesson plan. Nothing that I’m supposed to be learning really sticks in the last few weeks of school. Mostly because at that point I’m totally burnt out and I’m only showing up to class because I’m under the illusion that I might still be able to absorb something.

I also beg teachers who have Tuesday and Thursday classes to let students out early if there isn’t much left to say. Last week I sat through 45 minutes of just looking at graphs in ITEC 100. This is something I already understood and really didn’t care about. I really don’t feel cheated if I’m let out of class early. It’s actually greatly appreciated.

So teachers, just do me one favor and chill out at the end of the semester. I’m sure you’d enjoy the little break before finals, too.

Cover and story photo by Thomas Bowman

The Alex has a very similar design to the Nook, from Barnes & Noble. It has a large ePaper screen and a smaller LCD touch screen at the bottom. Where the Alex stands apart from the Nook is the ease of use. All of the navigation aspects take place on the LCD, where with the Nook the navigation is split between the two screens. This confused first time users and lacked an intuitiveness to use.

Like the Nook, the Alex is run off of android. However, compare to the Nook ,The Alex is a lot more practical. Built into the Alex is a Web browser and a number of other Droid applications. Users of the Alex can also download more apps if they choose to do so, with a micro SD slot that allows users to add up to 32 gigabytes of space. It is hard to see how this eReader will fill up with books and apps alone.

The Alex brags on its ability to stream video from the Internet. It also makes note of the built-in headphone jacks, allowing users to discretely listen to the audio from their favorite videos. The Alex is a much more open and versatile reader when compared to the Nook, and other eReaders found in its class. Though with a price of $399 it falls between the Nook and the iPad. The only real advantage the Alex has over the iPad is the ePaper, which works much better in direct sunlight than LCD screens. It might be too tempting for people to dish out the extra $100 to get an iPad instead of this all-in-one droid run device. How well it does will all depend on whether or not the Alex can live up to expectations.

Cover and story photo from Creative Commons

This conflict has been building for the past couple years as these two companies have begun growing distant. Adobe has started releasing Microsoft-only versions of certain software, as Apple bundles in similar programs with their OS. The refusal to allow Flash onto the iPhone or iTouch only added fuel to the fire. Apple claims that Flash was too demanding of resources and would drain battery life too quickly. Apple followed by an utter refusal to allow Adobe to try and remedy the issue.

Shots have been fired both by Steve Jobs and several executives at Adobe. Each claim the other at fault for this current situation. There is unlikely to be any sort of remedy in site for this argument. Most news sources say that if any suit was filled, Adobe would ultimately end up losing out.

There is nothing preventing Apple from denying the right to prevent Adobe from having Flash-based apps on their device. The question shouldn’t be one of legal consequence, but ethical consequence. Does Apple have the right to say no to certain things being allowed in their store? Yes, they have that right. However, when they allow nothing but what is in their store to be put on their devices and then take a 30 percent cut of the profit, it begins to look like that dreaded ‘M’ word. Based on that logic, it is perfectly fine for Microsoft to prevent Google, Mozilla or Apple from running their own Internet explores on Microsoft run PCs. They might make the computer more prone to viruses, but it is ultimately the buyer’s choice as to what goes on the computer after they buy it.

Hopefully, Apple and Adobe will work over this rough patch. Their relationship, which was founded in 1980, has been strong and has provided users with great software to make image/program editing and designing so much easier. This recent bump in the road will hopefully be a short one and one that users of products provided by these companies can benefit from. Apple will hopefully lessen its restrictions on the App store, and Adobe will hopefully make a smoother version of Flash that everyone can enjoy.

Cover graphic by Alex Morgan

Story photo from Creative Commons

Cover and story photo by Amber Estes

The center, which worked hand -in-hand with environmental clubs like the Green Team on campus, attempted to increase awareness of environmental issues on campus.

“Our purposes are: to raise the level of environmental awareness and appreciation within the university and the community beyond and to foster collaborative projects and research that will improve the quality of our environment and support the identification and adoption of environmentally sustainable practices in our everyday lives,” as stated by the Environmental Center’s Mission Statement.

The center was founded by former RU president Dr. Douglas Covington and  Guinan and volunteers from the RU community staffed it.

“The Environmental Center’s work was education/academic. We organized lectures, movie events, and projects,” Guinan said. ”While I was director, one of the projects that I helped organize was the NSF-funded RU Wetland Curriculum Project.”

The center’s support and foundation lay in Guinan, volunteers and students. The center’s actual main office and center of operations was Guinan’s on-campus office.

“The center never had an operating budget. In other words, we had no regular source of money,” Guinan said. “I was given some release time from my normal duties as a faculty member to devote to the work of the Center. For some special events, the College of Arts and Sciences would contribute some funding.”

The center also received funding for the special events from campus groups like student organizations and the Honors Academy. Even Verizon, the multibillion-dollar cell phone provider, helped fund an event.

“We worked closely with student groups [like the Green Team] and with other campus groups interested in the environment on these projects,” Guinan said. “We also tried to tie these events into class activities by alerting faculty across campus and by working with them to involve their students.”

Remnants of the center however, still remain despite its overall inactivity like the center’s Web site, which has not been updated since October 2008. That update was for a Sustainability Awareness Event that was scheduled for Tuesday, October 21, 2008.

As of right now there are no plans at reorganizing the center around a new director, according to those close to the situation and for at least the foreseeable future the Environmental Center at RU will remain inactive.

Cover and story photos from Creative Commons

I really do appreciate exam week. There aren’t any classes, and all I have to worry about are tests. Sometimes the tests are harder than usual, but sometimes they’re exactly the same as all of the others we’ve taken during the year. On top of that, without classes there is oodles of time to study and pack. It is amazing how much more time to relax you get during exam week.

However, this also comes with some down sides. This time you are leaving for a few months and could possibly forget some important things in your apartment, or dorm if you’re not the last one leaving. On top of that, the packing list tends to be too long and a much bigger burden than the one for winter break. Frankly, the packing list should probably be started within the last week of classes and then be subject to scrutiny after that point.

On top of that, we are pretty much fed up with the semester, but studying is still important. Knowing when you have your exams is the key to having a study plan. You don’t necessarily need a plan that is set in stone, but it is good to have some sort of idea. It is always better to study for the most difficult and most immediate finals first, but sometimes the most difficult tests are not the first ones you have to worry about.

The worst problem with studying during finals is the attraction of spending more time with friends. After all, there is more free time during finals week and you won’t be seeing many of your peers during the vacation, but it is still more important to study and not spend your time goofing off. Unless they are not the most academically-inclined people, your friends will be here again when you get back. There is no reason to risk a bad final grade just to spend more time with them.

As for the keeping of the dorm rooms, it is a smart idea to start cleaning sooner rather than later. Also, talking to your suitemates about bathroom duties can be a great help. If you do not communicate with them then there is always a good possibility that you will do all of the cleaning by yourself. The same thing goes for the room. If you do not talk to your roommate about who is leaving first and what is going to be done, then most of the work could fall into your lap. With all of the studying and packing going on, it is not reasonable to put off the cleaning or to take on all of it.

Most importantly, remember to relax, but be safe over summer break. Break is always more fun when you come back healthy and ready for another long, busy semester.

Cover photo by Kasey Sutphin

Story photo from Creative Commons