The Crestiad - Cedar Crest College

THE CRESTIAD
Vol. 89 No. 10
Cedar Crest College, Allentown, Pennsylvania
November 29, 2007
President meets
campus community
during recent visit
Brea Barski
LIFESTYLES EDITOR
Acting President, Dr. Blenda
Wilson, made a series of appearances on campus recently.
She addressed faculty and
staff before holding a 12:00 meeting for students on Thursday, Nov.
15.
Unlike the student forum to
discuss the resignation of Jill
Sherman which attracted a standing room only crowd at Samuel’s
Theatre, the meeting was attended
by about 35 students, with some
wandering in and out throughout
the course of the 45 minute session.
The atmosphere of the meeting was relaxed, with an open
floor for questions.
Wilson joked with the students, individually introducing
herself to the students in the front
row and saying that “People in the
first row get A’s and everyone else
gets C’s.”
To start the meeting, Wilson
explained that serving as the acting president was not in her plan,
as she is retired.
Wilson is a Cedar Crest graduate from 1962.
When Wilson was in high
school, she decided to attend the
school on the advice of others.
“Somebody told me at that time
that women’s colleges were giving
away lots of money to Negro students with good grades,” Wilson
said.
If it had not been for scholarships at Cedar Crest, Wilson said
that she would not have graduated.
Lori Gallagher | Editor in Chief
Approximately 35 students gathered in Samuels Theater at noon on Thursday, Nov.
15 to meet Acting President Blenda Wilson.
Wilson’s attachment to Cedar
Crest did not end with graduation.
In October, she first became a
member of the Board of Trustees.
Her attachment to Cedar
Crest, Wilson said at the meeting,
is because of three reasons: “the
emotional link that I have with the
college,” because she considers
herself to be “fundamentally an
advocate for women’s institutions,” and her love of the college.
After she discussed her past
and continuing relationship with
Cedar Crest, Wilson discussed her
immediate future as the acting
president.
“I’m happy to come, honored
by the invitation, humbled by the
responsibility,” Wilson said.
While serving as acting president, Wilson said she will be
working to raise money.
She will also be continuing to
hold the President’s Listening
Moments that were instituted at
the beginning of the fall semester.
Beyond these plans, though,
Wilson said she has none. “I’ve
been here like four hours, so I
don’t have grand plans yet.”
When asked if she intends to
apply for the thirteenth president
of the college, Wilson immediately answered “No! Did I answer
that fast enough?”
Wilson, 66, said that Cedar
Crest needs a young president
with lots of energy.
Wilson, who lives in Georgia
with her husband, will not be
moving to Allentown full-time,
but announced that she wants to be
available to the college community and that students should feel
free to call or e-mail her.
Christa Hagan | Managing Editor
James Shackelford shows those who attended his energy workshop how to
find air leaks in window seal them with plastic.
Workshop educates
campus on energy
efficiency
Christa Hagan
MANAGING EDITOR
“All of this your grandmother knew, by the way, and
her grandmother before her,”
said Cedar Crest custodian Jim
Shackelford during the second
of his weekly Home Energy
Workshops.
Simplicity and common
sense were two running themes
in the many environmentally
friendly tips he shared with the
college community on Tuesday,
November 27, 2007. “One of
the things we are bad at,” said
Shackelford, “is common
sense.”
He went on to point out
that frequently today, many are
quick to resort to technological
answers instead of resorting to
simple knowledge that they
might already know. While
continued | page 3
Women’s Studies Conference submissions due
Christa Hagan
MANAGING EDITOR
Women from the Lehigh
Valley are encouraged to submit
research and original work to the
14th Annual Undergraduate
Women’s Studies Conference.
Dances, videos, poetry,
speeches and more that deal with
the lives of women and the study
of gender are currently being
reviewed for the annual event.
The conference is sponsored
by the Women’s Studies Coalition,
and each year one of the Lehigh
NEWS
3
Vialotti named
region’s best RA
Valley Area Independent Colleges
hosts the Women’s Undergraduate
Conference.
According to the website,
work by undergraduate women
that “examines women’s lives,
women’s issues, or gender issues is
welcome for submission.”
Those interested in submitting
their work are asked to include a
completed submission cover sheet
and three hard copies of the presentation without the name of the
presenter.
Elizabeth Meade, Chair of the
Department of Humanities and
FEATURES
Behind the
Legend
5
OP/ED
Professor of Philosophy, is one of
Cedar Crest’s representatives for
this conference.
Alice Wilson, Assistant
Professor of Management and
Director of the Healthcare
Management Program is Cedar
Crest’s other representative. As far
as the variety and kinds of submission that are accepted, Meade said,
“We will consider any original
work that considers women's
issues, women's lives or gender
issues. A majority of submissions
are papers, but we have also
accepted dances, poetry, and per-
7
The Beatles feel
alright at the top
formance art pieces. I would
strongly urge anyone with a high
quality
project
concerning
women's issues or gender issues to
submit it to the conference.”
The conference will take
place at Muhlenberg College on
March 29, 2008, but submissions
are due by Friday, December 21,
2007.
Submissions can be delivered
to either Meade or Wilson via email ([email protected] or
[email protected]).
Questions may be directed to
either Cedar Crest representative,
LIFESTYLES
9
Dance your way to
a fitter body
A&E
or to Coalition Coordinator Karen
Hicks ([email protected]).
Meade encourages students to
submit to conferences such as this.
She said that they “are tremendous
experiences.”
Meade also highlighted the
importance of students using experiences like this to reach out of the
Cedar Crest community to see
(even further) what they are capable of accomplishing.
She also pointed out that
experiences such as this are “great
training for many kinds of professional life.”
10
The Sound Booth
SPORTS
12
Indoor floor
hockey tournament
2NEWS
www.cedarcrest.edu/crestiad
Students bring awareness to
homeless through Box City
Nadine Brosnan
STAFF WRITER
Another Thanksgiving has
passed by, leading into the holiday
season of gift-giving and family
time. But there are people in the
world who don’t get to indulge in
the warmth of the holidays. There
are those who spent this
Thanksgiving sleeping outside,
with no money, no food, and no
family.
Box City is an event in which
students sign up to participate as
either a resident or a donator.
Residents of Box City had to
spend the night on the TCC terrace. They were allowed to wear
only two shirts/sweaters, two pairs
of pants, socks, and shoes.
Cardboard boxes were available
on the terrace, which were then
used by residents to construct
some kind of shelter for the
evening. Everything else was provided by the donators.
Those who signed up to be
donators could provide anything
else for the residents. People who
volunteered to donate brought
everything from blankets to food
to extra clothing. And some people went above and beyond.
Bekki Tutino, a Cedar Crest
sophomore, donated her entire bed
set, along with all of her jackets,
some scarves, hooded sweaters,
hot chocolate, and tea. “I even
brought towels because I thought
that would be useful,” said Tutino.
All together, she donated four bags
of various things to the event.
Tutino said the event had a big
effect on her. “I feel bad about
how much stuff I have,” she said.
The night itself happened to
be especially frigid, with temperatures in the 40s and 30s. But students huddled together to try and
make the best of the 12-hour out-
door experience. MariAnn Getile
commented that she “expected it to
be worse.” Gentile had participated in other Hunger and
Homelessness events that week,
including volunteering at Victory
House and donating meals.
Transfer student Kate Walsh
had participated in Box City last
year at Merriack Community
College. When asked if the event
had impacted her in any way,
Walsh commented that she “definitely got more active in community service.” Walsh also said that
Tutino’s help with Box City was
exceptional. “She’s being our
angel,” said Walsh.
The events of the week were
planned and carried out mostly by
junior Janice Elizabeth Kreh, who
was the Hunger and Homelessness
program coordinator at the Lutz
Center for Community Service.
Kreh said this was one of her
favorite sections of community
service. “I get a lot out of it. I try
to contact as many agencies as
possible in this one week alone,”
she said.
Kreh ran the events of Hunger
and Homelessness week last year
as well, with the help of Libby
Steimel. When asked if it was hard
to organize everything on her own,
she said that it was “not very different from having a partner. We
had planned it together and ran different sections. It’s just more of a
commitment [this year].” Kreh
has participated in Hunger and
Homelessness events since high
school through her church organization, making this her sixth year.
As the night progressed, the
residents of Box City settled in for
a cold night, relying on the kindness of others. Around midnight,
everyone gathered for a reflection
piece, talking about the experience
so far and what they’ve learned
from it. At 9:30 a.m. on Saturday,
everyone was permitted to pack up
and leave, hopefully taking a lot
from the event. Kreh is hoping to
organize a similar event in the
spring, possibly changing the location to a grassy area. “It’s gone
beyond my expectations,” said
Kreh.
November 29. 2007
THE
CRESTIAD
Fall 2007
Editor in Chief
Lori Gallagher
Managing Editor
Christa Hagan
Front
Page Editor
Lori Gallagher
News Editors
Christa Hagan
Leann Pettit
Features Editor
Lori Gallagher
Op/Ed Editors
Jess Dominiczak
Liz Skoczylas
Lifestyles Editor
Brea Barski
A&E Editor
Gillian Maffeo
Sports Editor
Lizz Nagle
Copy Editor
Lauren Sanders
Photo Editor
Leann Pettit
Adviser
Elizabeth Ortiz
Staff
Thersia Ault
Nadine Brosnan
Rachel Edgar
Erin Furstnau
Christiana Gibson
Shannon Haberzettl
Erica Hawkey
Cara Nicholl
Charley Ortiz
Amanda Osborn
Amanda Patterson
Stacey Stangl
Nadine Brosnan | Staff Writer
Students gathered on the terrace of the Tompkins College Center to stay in boxes
for one night in order to shed light on homelessness. This annual event is part of
the Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.
Head of Trustees addresses SGA
on current Cedar Crest issues
Nadine Brosnan
STAFF WRITER
The Student Government
Association meeting, held Nov. 14
provided an inside look at recent
events at Cedar Crest, including
the resignation of former president
Jill Sherman.
Cyndi Blaschak, chair of the
Board of Trustees, spoke at the
meeting, saying that she loves
Cedar Crest and looks forward to
its advancement.
Blaschak began by recapping
the major points of the student
forum held in order to discuss Jill
Sherman’s
resignation.
Biographical information on
Acting President Blenda Wilson
was also provided.
“Her credentials are absolutely outstanding,” said Maynard
Cressman, Chair and Associate
Professor of the Social Sciences
department and SGA advisor.
Blaschak then described the
responsibilities of the Board of
Trustees. In order to become a
member of the board of trustees, a
person needs to be involved in the
college. Alumnae, community
members, and people interested in
the mission of the institution and
in higher education are considered
for the board.
Blaschak explained that the
Board of Trustees has approximately thirty members and meets
three times a year. One member is
a current student and president of
the SGA, Lauren Hetrick.
Wilson was a member of the
Board of Trustees, before taking
this position this fall. “We had
been wanting Blenda to come to
the Board of Trustees before, but
she couldn’t due to her other
boards, committees, and commitments,” said Blaschak.
Wilson’s time on the board
was short-lived, however, when
she was given the position of acting president. “We did accept
[Wilson’s] temporary resignation
so she could do this for us,” said
Blaschak.
According to Blaschak, even
had Wilson not been on the Board
of Trustees, she would have been
asked to fill the position.Wilson
will be considered for the full-time
president’s position if she “puts
her name in the hat,” said
Blaschak.During her time as acting
president, Wilson will be living in
the President’s House.
Blaschak also announced that
Linda Weimer will be heading the
accelerated presidential search,
adding that hopefully a president
will be named by the end of the
academic year.
This presidential search, like
the last one, will remain confidential. “The best candidates don’t
want their current employers to
know they are looking elsewhere,”
explained Blaschak.
While the Student Forum for
discussion on Jill Sherman’s resignation was determined after the
student leaders’ meeting, all students were the first to know who
the presidential search chair was.
“I can tell you that Linda is quite
knowledgeable and students are a
top priority for her,” Blaschak said
of Weimer.
Weimer, a Cedar Crest graduate from 1968 and Board of
Trustees member, has previously
donated money to both the SGA
and the Kayhart Chair in Science
Center.
Blaschak assured those in
attendance that trustees are available to students. The trustees are
“going to try to make a better
attempt to get to know all of you
better” said Blaschak.
The national tour that
Sherman was taking to meet alumnae, is continuing, with Blaschak
doing the visits.“One person does
not make Cedar Crest,” Blaschak
said, “We all make Cedar Crest.”
It was also determined that
plans for Butz Basement will not
be complete until after a meeting
with senior staff and Dr. Wilson.
The intent of SGA is to have the
meeting before Winter break so
that renovations and moves can be
complete before the Spring semester.
The Crestiad is a student run newspaper
organization. It publishes one edition
every week throughout the Fall and
Spring semesters, available both in print
and online at http://www.cedarcrest.edu
/crestiad. Its primary goals are to keep
students informed about events and
issues of concern to the Cedar Crest
community, and to provide staff members with an on-campus internship-quality media experience.
Students participating in The Crestiad
may receive academic credit for their
participation. The final responsibility for
news content and decisions rests with
the editorial staff.
The Crestiad welcomes Letters to the
Editor on any subject as long as it is
tasteful, responsible, and signed with the
full name of the writer. The Crestiad
reserves the right to edit for content,
length, language, and grammar.
Questions or concerns
If you have any questions about The
Crestiad or concerns regarding content,
please call the editorial staff and leave a
message at 610-606-4666 ext. 3331 or email [email protected].
Cedar Crest College is located at 100
College Drive, Allentown, Pa 18104.
Guest columns and letters to the editor may be submitted for publication by
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CCC.
Columns should be e-mailed to the
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Letters to the editor may be e-mailed as
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position and title.
November 29, 2007
ENERGY
continued | page 1
people might already know
basic ways of lowering energy
bill costs, Shackelford said that
“it is not getting applied. People
are not using their arithmetic
and basic science.”
Shackelford
reiterated
throughout the workshop that
many of the changes that can be
done to lower the cost and usage
of home energy are not extremely technical and advanced, but
rather remain at a “second to
eighth grade level.”
Every
Tuesday
from
4:30p.m.
to
5:30p.m.
Shackelford can be found in the
Hartzel Lounge, leading discussions and providing tips on lowering energy bills and carbon
dioxide reduction.
One of the reasons
Shackelford chose the Hartzel
Lounge over common meeting
places (on campus) such as one
of the Alcoves in the Tompkins
College Center, is the resemblance that the lounge bears to a
common living room.
In the November 27 workshop, Shackelford used the similarity of the lounge to personal
homes when he asked the attendants of the session to get up and
walk around the room. He asked
them to pretend that the lounge
was a room in a home that they
had recently purchased, and that
they were on a fifty-dollar budget to fix elements of the room
that might be lending themselves to increased energy costs.
This is a suggestions that
Shackelford recommends to all
home owners and renters. He
stressed that it is important to do
this to discover things such as
places in the home where air is
getting in and getting out.
One energy costly mistake
that is commonly made is that
people tend to turn up the thermostat when they become cold.
Instead, Shackelford recommends putting on sweaters and
jackets, and adding to the
humidity in the room.
This can be done by hanging up wet laundry or purchasing a humidifier. Doing this can
not only help with costs, but
also, can be better for your
health. Shackelford said that
one things that he does is put a
wet wash cloth over his radiator
before he goes to bed.
It is a misconception that
homeowners have to sacrifice
aesthetics
for
efficiency.
Shackelford emphasized that
comfort and attractiveness of a
home should not be given up. A
personal example he gave is
when he sealed up a door in his
home to make it more efficient.
His landlord was not able to figure out which door Shackelford
fixed. “If you take the time [to
do it well], your most critical
landlord won’t be able to find
what you did.”
Every week Shackelford
will be holding his Tuesday
evening
Home
Energy
Workshops. He encourages people stop by “for ten minutes or
the whole hour.” “It’s for you,”
said Shackelford, “If you’re
sleepy or bored…you can leave,
I won’t ask why.”
3
www.cedarcrest.edu/crestiad
NEWS
Angela Vialotti named
Region’s Best RA 2007
Christa Hagan
MANAGING EDITOR
When she was selected as an
alternate RA for her sophomore
year at Cedar Crest, the idea of
receiving the MACUHO (MidAtlantic Association of College &
University Housing Officers) "Our
Region's Best" award probably did
not cross the mind of current
Forensic Science graduate student,
Angela Vialotti. When she became
RA midway through her sophomore year and continued throughout her junior and senior years and
over a summer, it was still not likely a serious consideration. But
even while performing in plays,
studying Forensic Science and
being pledge master for Alpha Psi
Omega (National Theater Honor
Society), Vialotti showed her dedication to Residence Life as Head
RA of Moore and Curtis Halls her
senior year.
Though she may not have
imagined it throughout her time
involved in Residence Life at
Cedar Crest, Vialotti was named
RA of the year. Twice. She was
nominated for Cedar Crest College
RA of the Year for the 2006-2007
school year. This was decided by
her fellow RAs. Angela Kramer,
Vialotti’s Resident Coordinator
(RC) who nominated her for the
Mid-Atlantic Award, said that “she
was selected from the entire MidAtlantic region (PA, VA, WV, DE,
MD, NJ, D.C.) as the region's best
undergraduate paraprofessional
staff member.”
In order to receive this award,
Vialotti had to demonstrate
(through her experiences as an
RA) four elements of success. She
had to prove to have a balanced
and healthy lifestyle, show evidence of sound academic pursuit,
show that she had been great at
role modeling and ethical decision
making, and also show evidence of
being an effective team player.
When nominating Vialotti for
the award, Kramer was asked to
describe Vialotti with three adjectives. For one of the three, Kramer
wrote, “Passionate:
Angela
approaches all of her commitments
with such passion that she always
dedicates the time and energy
Christa Hagan | Managing Editor
Vialotti holds her award that was presented to her from MACUHO.
needed to excel. She truly is a force
unto herself, able to incite action
from others, motivate herself, and
create impressive results.”
Vialotti said that the award
was “absolutely amazing...I was
incredibly honored that [Kramer]
nominated me and that I also got
it.” She said that even though she
has not left the Crest, she misses
being a part of Residence Life. She
even said that if she “was not in the
Masters program, [she] would
have considered applying for the
RC position” at Cedar Crest.
Vialotti said that she learned a lot
by being an RA, but one of the
most valuable lessons was dealing
with conflict. “I was never very
good with conflict...being an Ra
helped me deal because you cannot let things slide.”
The War on Iraq, or the War on Iraqis?
Women in the news
Mary Snyder
Most of us think of the war in
Iraq in terms of its cost to us as
Americans. Most of us don’t
know the toll it has taken on the
civilians of Iraq, especially Iraqi
women and children. First, let me
provide some statistics that are not
easy to process by any means.
According to a report released in
October of 2006 by the British
medical journal, The Lancet, the
war has wiped out 655,000 Iraqis
since the U.S.-led invasion began.
President Bush quickly dismissed
this study as inaccurate.
However, professionals familiar with this type of research told
CNN that the survey’s methodology is sound. The study was led by
Gilbert Burnham of Johns Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public
Health in Maryland, and the
Center for International Studies at
Massachusetts
Institute
of
Technology cooperated.
On
November 27, 2006, the number of
U.S. servicemen/women killed
since March of 2003 was 2882, a
far cry from the Iraqi fatalities.
What the war in Iraq has done
to Iraqis is devastating. A correspondent for Radio Dijla, Iraq’s
first talk radio station, began work
in 2005 to find out issues that concerned women in Iraq. Omar,
whose name was changed to protect her identity, received 16,000
calls on the first day of the radio
show’s broadcast.
With women making up well
over 60 percent of Iraq’s population and with only 24 percent of
women being literate, talk radio
has been a way to reach women in
Iraq. Although the women listening want to hear hopeful news,
Omar has reported on more serious
cultural issues, ranging from
rooftop snipers to how women are
being kidnapped.
Last year, in March of 2006,
Dr. Rashad Zaydan, an Iraqi physician and advocate for the women
and children of war-torn Iraq, was
interviewed by the Ground Truth
Project of the Education for Peace
in Iraq Center (EPIC). The Project
promotes the firsthand perspectives of Iraqis, aid workers, returning soldiers, and others who have
lived in Iraq.
In June 2003, Dr. Zaydan
founded K4IWS, the Knowledge
for Iraqi Women Society. The
organization focuses mainly on
women, though they also aid
orphans since their numbers are
greatly increasing. Branches of
the organization are located in
Baghdad, the city of Abu Ghraib,
and Fellujah, among others. The
aim of the organization is to
relieve the suffering of Iraqi
women by providing financial,
occupational, medical and educational resources.
Dr. Zaydan states that the
Iraqi children are suffering from
the same things that all civilians of
Iraq are suffering from, like water
and electricity shortages, but the
children are especially sensitive to
fear.
Dr. Zaydan is more specific
when she says, “When American
soldiers blast open the door and
inspect your home, the children
become so frightened. When that
is repeated time and time again,
the children become traumatized.”
She fears for the young of her
country. Many young people have
lost their homes, their families,
and the people that they love.
When Dr. Zaydan meets
Americans who have lost their
children in Iraq, she sheds tears
with them, because to her they all
feel the same way. “We are human
beings with the same feelings.”
One American father who lost his
son in the war put out his hand to
her and said, “I’m sorry that my
son was helping to destroy your
country.” Dr. Zaydan sees us all as
victims of the wrong policy.
Perhaps she is right.
In a May 2007 article in The
Guardian, Katha Pollitt writes that
although the statutes of women
were never as high under Saddam
Hussein as opponents of the war
sometimes asserted, the Iraq of
today is even worse for women:
more repressive, more violent,
more lawless. “As if car bombs
weren’t horrific enough, criminal
gangs, religious militias and death
squads kidnap, rape and kill with
impunity, with special attention to
women professionals, students and
rights activists.”
In August of this year, CNN
continued | page 12
4FEATURES
I’m Here Because...
www.cedarcrest.edu/crestiad
In my fifth grade yearbook the graduating class was asked to leave a will to
the underclassmen, and to predict what we
would be doing in the future. Most of the
boys wanted to be professional baseball or
football players, while most of the girls
wanted to be teachers. “I want to become
the first professional women’s soccer
player or a zoologist.” I’m pretty sure, at
that time I believed that zoologists played
with animals in the zoo. Sounded like a
sweet career move. This all intensified
when my family an I went on a trip to the
San Diego Zoo. I had always wanted to
work with animals, perhaps be a veterinarian or save the environment “Captain
Planet” Style.
In high school I took every science
elective that I could fit into my schedule
senior year: Marine Biology, Anatomy &
Physiology, Environmental Science, and
Animal Behavior.
When I was a junior there was a
career fair at a surrounding school. I
walked around talking to different
schools, without an idea in my mind of
what I was subconsciously looking for (a
small, personal college with the intensity
and knowledge of a large university). I
spoke to a representative from Cedar Crest
College; she was so energetic and passionate about the school. She spoke of the
schools’ Biodiversity and Conservation
Biology program, which seemed to be
right up my alley. I then decided to stop by
and check it out for myself. I applied to
other schools, but nothing fit quite like
Cedar Crest. Additionally no other school
incessantly called and left me messages.
Dear Carrie Wiragh, your dedication to
this beautiful campus is what has brought
me here.
Even before I took my first class, my
career interest changed to the up and com-
ing Forensic Science concentration. While
in the science department I couldn’t quite
get a fit for where I belonged. I loved animals, but I also enjoyed Microbiology. I
also briefly considered a career in
Chemistry. I couldn’t figure out where I
belonged, where I fit.
It was during the summer between
sophomore and junior year that I had a
revelation. Perhaps science was a triangle
and I am a circle. As much as you may try
to fit the circle in the triangle, it is just
unfeasible. It was from there that a few of
my friends suggested that I might enjoy
the Business department. I then had several life changing conversations with
Professor Gaeten Giannini and decided I
would be switching from my major in
biology, to the newly formed marketing
major, with a biology minor. It wasn’t that
I didn’t love biology – I do. It just wasn’t
where my heart was.
It was during the fall semester of my
junior year that I made dean’s list. I had
two classes with Professor Arlene Peltola,
who taught me how to express my innate
creativity that was just itching to get out.
She taught me to go from writing scientific papers, to developing concept boards
and marketing plans.
It was this same semester that I joined
this wonderful paper, as a timid staff
writer. With encouragement from
Professor Elizabeth Ortiz, I have joined
the paper this year as an editor, and additionally declared a Communication minor.
I am so happy where I am. I love
what I am doing. Would I change anything…? Well my college experience
would have been a lot easier, but where is
the fun in that? To quote Lucas from
Empire records, “I do not regret the things
I’ve done, but those I did not do.” If it
weren’t for these trial experiences I would
Uncovering
en Sa
Laur
“I knew I was missing something,” Ed Christine says, flipping on
the television. Whether he’s talking to
me or himself, I’m not sure: “I get to
complain to myself a lot in here. ”
‘Here’
is
Ed
Christine
Watchmaker, a tiny shop and service
center tucked inside a corner of 515 N.
19th Street, a building that is also
home to First Step Child Daycare and
The Brewlab, which sells beer and
now - my career goals have varied drastically, I am still grateful for the diverse
knowledge that came with each interest.
So in answer to the original question,
“I am here because…” put simply I can’t
imagine myself anywhere else.
-Jess
Dominiczak
Underground
Allentown
Lau
ren
itor
y Ed
Lauren Sanders
COPY EDITOR
have never found my niche. I would not
have met the different amazing students,
staff, and professors that I have been fortunate to encounter, and I would not possess the different skills I have learned
from each. Although through my years in
middle school, to high school, to even
November 29, 2007
| Cop
nders
winemaking
supplies.
“You’re not going to find too
many of me around,” Ed reveals – at
this point, I’m fairly certain he’s not
still holding a one-sided dialogue – and
he settles in on the far side of the room,
underneath a brilliant lamp pulled
close to his face, with a black loupe
attached to his right eye.
The work is tedious, delicate and
precise, and Ed continues to murmur to
himself – I hear snippets of “All right”
and “that makes sense” as I’m taking
in the turntable of thick-strapped and
slender chain-linked Speidel bands in
silver and gold. A sepia-toned photograph of an old man fixing a watch as
a young boy looks on hangs in a
cracked picture frame on the green,
pink, and silver-striped wallpaper.
A second rack of bands holds
padded gator, stitched calfskin, alligator grain and genuine lizard in tan, in
navy, in black and mahogany. Ed startles me with, “It’s loads of fun during
the day,” as I’m bent over a case of
Seiko and North Star vintage watches.
I’m not sure he expects a response.
Ed’s rates are outlined on a white
sign in front of his workbench:
Answers, $1.00. Answers which
require thought, $2.00. Correct
answers, $4.00. Dumb looks are still
free. Prices subject to change according to customer’s attitude.
Ed Christine Watchmaker
San
ders
| Co
py E
dito
r
Clearly,
Ed,
who has been in business
for 22 years, has developed his own
sources of amusement.
Peering at an oversized Mickey
Mouse watch that hangs on the wall
opposite a colossal pocket watch-style
clock, I ask Ed if he gets lonely during
the day. The room’s only two windows
are set high, and a pair of cacti sit upon
one sill.
Ed looks up from his work.
“It can get pretty quiet,” he understates. “That’s what the TV is for.”
Ed Christine Watchmaker is open
Mondays and Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m.
– 3 p.m., and Thursdays and Fridays
from 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
November 29, 2007
www.cedarcrest.edu/crestiad
5
FEATURES
despite popular belief, the library is not named after him, however
Maynard Cressman has become (in)famous for his own reasons
Behind the
LEGEND
Leann Pettit
NEWS EDITOR
Each year Maynard Cressman,
Associate Professor of the social sciences
and the chair of the Social Work department, makes it a point to tell as many
incoming first-year students as he can that
the Cressman Library is named after him.
From this, he has become the self-proclaimed “Living Legend.” Exactly how
many students believe that Maynard is the
library’s namesake? “The force has a powerful influence on the weak minded,” he
said.
the PAST
Cressman finished his undergraduate
work at Muhlenberg College in the 1960s
and his graduate work at Washington
University in St. Louis, Missouri.
While in college Cressman was
involved in some longitudinal experiments
related to controlled substances, “and
unlike Clinton, I inhaled,” he commented.
“However, I am not endorsing the use of
drugs in this or any generation of students.”
“You call this teaching?”
“I have been boring students to death
for nearly 30 years,” says Cressman, and all
30 of those years have been spent here at
Cedar Crest.
He has always been a full-time professor; however, at first he spent half his time
teaching at Cedar Crest and half his time
teaching at Moravian.
When the founder of the social work
department realized what kind of situation
they had given Cressman, they let him
choose where he wanted to teach full-time.
He chose Cedar Crest because the
founder of the program was here and it
made sense to him to also be here.
When Cressman first began teaching,
he claims to have been “really hilarious in
the classroom, but now it’s devolved into
the same old worn out jokes that can only
work with a fresh audience.”
Here at Cedar Crest, Cressman teaches in the Social Work department, teaching
classes such as Minorities and Human
Relations, Community Organization and
Social Planning and, a topic which he is the
Pictured at top of page:
-Maynard takes a nap during lunchtime at the Habitat
for Humanity in Pittsburgh, PA in the 1990s.
Pictured left to right:
-Maynard’s door is decorated with signs from that represent the 1960s and photos of him.
-Maynard served as the basketball coach in 1979.
-At the 2007 Mocktails, Maynard, adviser of Student
Government dressed as Captain Planet.
most qualified to teach: Special Topics:
The Sixties.
He teaches the upper, middle and
lower classes at Cedar Crest, his favorite
being the upper class:
“The upper class has been extremely
generous in their donations for the
Cressman Early Retirement Fund and have
been instrumental in enabling me to get tax
exempt status for that fund,” said Maynard.
On campus, Cressman is Dean
Laffey’s proxy as advisor to the Student
Government Association. He is also a charter member of the Mickey Mouse Club.
the LEGEND
Cressman is driven by his 1996
Chrysler Cirrus that he bought from a little
old lady who used it to to play beach blanket bingo.
“I once tried to take care of a peeve,
but I got tired of feeding it and taking care
of it, so I decided no more pets,” Cressman
said about pet peeves he has.
“For faculty frolic one time, I, and others, were dressed as nuns and I was forced
to wear a weird habit,” but that was all that
Cressman would disclose.
Each year, Cressman organizes the
annual Beggar’s Run. The winner of the
race wins a can of baked beans.
He is also a “long-suffering fan of
Philly sports,” he said, “through which I
have learned that pain no longer holds any
terror for me.”
Cressman’s office is decorated with
his tacky gift collection; however, he says
that it is too hard to choose just one of the
items that graces his office to be his
favorite.
Once, during a fire drill he did grab his
cardboard cut out of Elvis and started leaving the building with it.
Cressman likes listening to classic
rock and blues, however he said, “I do
embrace some of the new rock” that his son
has turned him on to, such as The White
Stripes, Between Buried and Me and Fall
of Troy. His taste in music has changed
over the years.
“Back in the 60s I was into classic
rock and blues,” he said.
Upon further questioning, Cressman
only responded, “Under the current provisions of the Patriot Act, I have probably
already revealed too much.”
6OP/ED
www.cedarcrest.edu/crestiad
November 29, 2007
Have a heart during this
holiday season
Jess Dominiczak
OPINIONS EDITOR
Imagine being confined to a
cell only slightly larger than yourself, for the remainder of your life.
Even worse, imagine being sentenced to this situation – without
committing any crime.
According to the Humane
Society of the United States, each
year it is estimated that animal
shelters care for between 6–8 million dogs and cats every year in
the United States, of whom
approximately 3–4 million are
euthanized. Most of these animals
are victims of circumstance, not
abuse. Allergies, landlords not
allowing pets, deceased or relocat-
ed owners, among many other reasons.
Heidi, a wonderful retriever
mix is not only a victim of circumstance, but a victim of cancer. She
was a stray that was brought to
Peaceable Kingdom on Macarthur
Road. She has a malignant tumor
on her nose that is about the size of
a tennis ball. She has an estimated
2-6 months of life left.
Not only does Heidi not have
a warm home, and a loving family,
but she is now forced to spend the
rest of her short life in a cage.
I got the pleasure of meeting
Heidi recently, when I volunteered
at Peaceable Kingdom with the
Impact Project. I remember first
walking in and seeing her; I immediately started to cry. Without even
Courtesy | Petfinder.com
knowing her story, she broke my
heart. She was so excited to see
people, and even more excited to
take a walk. She reminded me of
my dog, because she would take
the leash into her mouth and lead
people around. She had so much
energy, so full of life.
I understand how difficult it
may seem to take in a companion
that you know will only be around
for a brief amount of time. It may
seem almost more heartbreaking
to adopt an animal that you will
inevitably become attached to,
only to know there is an expiration
date. However, you must think
about how this winter, you could
be providing a loving home to a
much deserving animal. Her final
days will be much brighter,
because of you. Please stop by
Peaceable Kingdom and meet her,
I guarantee you will immediately
fall in love.
There has been an advertisement campaign for the Animal
Care & Control Center for New
York City, with animal mug shots.
These pictures represent the millions of animals sent to shelters,
and sometimes death because of
circumstances unrelated to them.
These advertisements really did
shed light on the topic. Most people are misconstrued about shelter
animals, thinking they are abused,
damaged pets. This is why puppy
mills and other places are so popular, because people want pure-bred
‘undamaged’ animals. Some of
these animals you may run into at
a shelter will shower you with
kisses, make you smile with their
personality quarks, and most of all
they will find a place in your heart
and your family with their relentless affection.
Please consider adopting an
animal from the shelter, even if the
companionship is only for a short
while. Pets have a way of impacting our lives forever, now it’s time
for you to impact theirs.
If you are and individual looking for a dog with a huge heart, please call Peaceable
Kingdom at 610-360-7709.
Ode to Eleven
Submitted by: Stacey
Stangl
Courtesy | nycacc.org
NYCACC advertising campaign featuring mug shots of innocent animals being sent
to shelters.
Life after college
Gillian Maffeo
A&E EDITOR
Here I am. Here you are –
thinking of what to do with your
life. Thinking of what happens
next, what challenges, what paths,
what obstacles you are going to
conquer next. Certainly, most of
us do not know, or maybe have the
slightest idea, maybe even are on
the brink of something.
These questions, thoughts,
ideas and dreams hinder over my
head, along with why Britney
Spears still is not wearing panties.
Here I am, a senior, ready to
graduate in May. Scary huh?
Graduation. The word gives me
chills. Is it Grad school after, or
the working world?
This moment in my life, as
well as many seniors, we have to
start asking ourselves these questions. What do we want to do with
our lives? Ultimately, I would
love to see Britney Spears in person and ask her, “Miss Spears,
why do you flood our tabloids
with your nakedness?” But I cannot do that because one, she may
run over my foot with her
Mercedes, and two, she might scar
me for life.
You hear it everywhere from
people. “What are you going to do
after college?” And if your reply
is, “Oh, I don’t know? Haven’t
gotten there yet,” then people give
you this shroud look, as if you’re
some kind of unmotivated failure.
Our culture has become
obsessed with jobs, money, economy, global warming, saving this
and that, helping him and her, that
if we do not come up with some
certain answer to either achieve
one of these, then people ultimately think we are going to be a bum
on the side of the street begging
for change. I feel as though whenever people ask me that question,
they have high expectations for
me to say something nonchalantly
like, “Oh, well you know, I plan
on becoming a multi-millionaire
entrepreneur. Dur.”
Recently I picked up the most
brilliant book while traveling in
London called, Whatever You
Think Think the Opposite by Paul
Arden. Not only was this book a
motivating, go getter, but a book
that explains the benefits of making bad decisions. Yes, bad decisions. At that moment of picking
the book up, I saw the white
clouds part above me, and heaven
shine down on my dirty soul.
Arden states, “It’s the wrong
way to think, but the right way to
win.” Nonetheless, the book is a
great toilet book and does not
have any heavy text, although it
does take the demons away when
continued | page 7
November 29, 2007
Not
Your
Typical
Female
Lizz Nagle | Sports Editor
Long
sleeves
aren’t for
summer
My sister Beckie and I have
a habit of following each other to
jobs. My first job as a bus girl at
Youell’s Oyster House became
her first job less than a year after
I started there. When we tired of
Youell’s, we left together to
work at a children’s play and
party center. She left there to
work at a ‘paint your own pottery’ studio, and I soon followed
in her footsteps. You get the picture…
So, when Beckie left our
previous job, at a travel agency, I
should have known I would leave
soon after, to start working at
White Orchid’s Thai Cuisine, our
fifth shared place of employment. I started my new job over
Thanksgiving Break, and I
couldn’t’ be happier with the
change of pace, and that I am
once again working with my sister.
Anyway, aside from changing jobs over break, I also got
some more ink added to the halfsleeve tattooed on my left arm.
It’s a work in progress, nearing
completion. I love it, as I love all
of my ink. Well, I got to thinking
about the highlights of my break:
tattoo, new job... And then the
conflict surfaced in my mind.
It’s cold outside. I’ve been
wearing long sleeves to work.
My boss doesn’t know I have any
tattoos. In fact, I’m pretty sure
none of my new co-workers
know about my ink, except
Beckie. And I have a feeling
they’re not part of our all black
uniform. So what do I do? Do I
casually come in on one of my
days off, sporting a tank-top and
wait fro my boss’s reaction, see if
he comments on my skin art? Do
I show up one day in short
sleeves and hope no one will
notice the rainbow of colors covering my upper arm? Do I confront him about it and hope that
we come to an understanding?
Do I wear long sleeves all year
round?
I know my tattoos are not
something I can be fired for, and
I know I’m going to have them
forever. I’m glad they are forever. They are part of what makes
me Lizz. I wouldn’t take back
any of my ink if I could. I can’t
wait to get more of them.
So I think I have come to a
conclusion. When the time
comes for short sleeves, or if my
boss finds this issue of The
Crestiad in the parking lot of the
restaurant, I’ll deal with it then.
Until that happens, until my ink
is finally revealed, my tattoos are
for me, and if someone I work for
has a problem with them, then
clearly they are not someone I
should be working for.
7
www.cedarcrest.edu/crestiad
OPINIONS
The Beatles feel all right
at the top
Erica Hawkey
STAFF WRITER
It was about three years ago on
a night in September when my
entire world was flipped upside
down: I went to see a Beatles tribute band in concert. I never expected that when I walked out of there,
my life would be changed forever. I
became obsessed with the Beatles,
and along with this came my fascination for the Sixties, enthrallment
with other classic rock bands, and
the development of a deep appreciation for all kinds of music.
Despite that, this article does
not include my dismissing of every
other band in order to claim that the
Beatles are the best.
Of course, there are numerous
other bands that are really talented
as well, each of them locked inside
listeners’ hearts. The Beatles,
though, are inside my heart, and
there is something to say about this
“fab four” because it is a fact that
they are the best band.
A list on msnbc.msn.com
shows that the Beatles beat out
other bands to be crowned the
number
one
rock
band.
Rollingstone.com has a list of 500
albums and, of course, the Beatles
hit number one with Sgt. Pepper’s
Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Moreover, classicrock.about.com
features the band at number one
again with 49 other classic bands
lining up behind them. Why were
they named number one on these
lists?
First, there is something to be
said about the Beatles themselves.
Each member was equally attractive in his own way; it was a ritual
among young women to choose
their preferred Beatle. If two
women cherished the same one,
they would brawl over him until
they settled their little clash. Young
men also wanted to be like each of
the Beatles, sporting Nehru Jackets
or “Beatle Boots.”
Yet it is still a mystery as to
how this band outshined all of the
others that developed in the time
period. It might be their lovely
“mop-tops.”
LIFE
continued | page 6
someone looks at you like you are
going nowhere with your life.
Arden also states, “It shows
how risk is your security in life,
and why unreason is better than
reason. It’s about having the confidence to roll with the dice.”
After reading the book carefully, while taking notes, underlining and re-reading, I honestly
think I have such a better outlook
on life (I am also contemplating
shipping the book to Miss Spears,
that is, if she still remembers how
to read).
It is a scary world out there,
and I have heard so many of my
friends talking about their decisions, plans and setting goals. But
for some of us, we just do not
know what to expect after college.
Beatles Calendar
Even though other bands of
the 60s were talented and extraordinary, the Beatles will always be a
distinct part of rock and roll.
Rollingstone.com states that “as
personalities, they defined and
incarnated 60s style: smart, idealistic, playful, irreverent, eclectic.”
Not only were the Beatles
themselves amazing, but their feats
were outstanding as well. They
began with flying to America in
what became known as “The
British Invasion.” They were the
forerunners for this ongoing event
in the 60s.
Along with their many successful albums, they also performed on the Ed Sullivan Show,
and rollingstone.com notes that
there were approximately 70 million people in front of their TV sets.
Another remarkable concert was
the 1965 Shea Stadium show that
drew about 50,000 fans, a significant amount for the mid-60s. 1965
was also the year that they received
their MBEs (Members of the
British Empire).
They starred in many movies,
including A Hard Day’s Night,
Help!, and Yellow Submarine.
Rollingstone.com also states that
You cannot take other people’s views of the ‘after-college’
life because we each experience
different things and have different
perspectives. It is this time in the
semester where not only I, but
other seniors have to start sending
out resumes and grad school
applications.
Just like Arden states, “The
world is what you think of it. So
think of it differently and your life
will change.” I wish everyone
good luck and I am sure that any
Cedar Crest student will succeed
in their life. Do what you want to
do, and follow your heart. Who
cares what other people think.
So the next time someone
asks me what I am going to do
after college, I am simply going to
reply, “Oh, you know, I plan on
building my cardboard box next
week.”
they were “one of the first rock
groups to write most of its own
material…”
However, the most important
reason that the Beatles are the
greatest band is because their
music is still influential. Something
about these songs enchants the soul
and makes the listener feel a part of
the music.
So many people attend Beatle
tribute band concerts, as well as
movies, including the recent popular flick, Across the Universe, and
the classic I am Sam.
The Baby Boom Generation is
passing their enthusiasm for the
Beatles on to newer generations.
Although many other bands are
influential, the Beatles’ songs outlast so many others because they
find a place in each person’s heart
and experiences. Rollingstone.com
testifies that “no group has so radically transformed the sound and
significance of rock & roll.”
All of these reasons give light
to the fact the Beatles are the best
band and always will be.
Captain Pancake’s House of ROFL’s
Submitted by: Rebecca Pancoast
8LIFESTYLES
Culture
Shocked
Emily Pulham
FOREIGN
CORRESPONDENT
The first Thanksgiving...
Of no Thanksgiving
I thought I was used to
being abroad, but I was in for
another surprise this month. I’ve
always known that the British do
not celebrate Thanksgiving (the
fact that a bunch of people chose
to leave the country actually
made it to another land and they
didn’t die isn’t high up on the list
of priority celebrations for the
English), but this was my first
Thanksgiving spent not in
America. It was really strange.
I’ve celebrated American
holidays here before—they also
don’t celebrate the Fourth of July
(again, not something the British
are fond of remembering). The
Fourth of July I’ve gotten good at
dealing with—I buy burgers and
make potato salad and invite
everyone I know over to eat. I
don’t have to deal with getting
invited to multiple parties
because I’m having the only
party in England!
But Thanksgiving was very
different—and harder to deal
with. It’s just another Thursday
here. There are no advertisements for turkey, no pumpkin
pies, the stores aren’t closed, and
I had class! Class! On
Thanksgiving!
My professor (from British
Guiana) had never seen anyone
draw a turkey from a hand tracing before, and laughed when I
drew some and hung them up in
the classroom.
All around it was pretty
depressing, until I remembered
what Thanksgiving actually was,
and why we celebrate it. It’s not
the day itself that matters, it’s
what it means that’s important.
It’s a day you spend with people
you love and are important to
you. When you have to take time
off to slow down, smell the
Turkey and share a day with your
loved ones. What a beautiful concept.My boyfriend knew I’d be
upset at missing it and e-mailed
my mom to get our family
recipes so he could make me my
own Thanksgiving dinner.
Coming home from school to a
house that smelled exactly like
my Grandmother’s on Turkey
Day was amazing, and reminded
me of how thankful I was to be
able to have a Thanksgiving with
him.
It’s been hard to not share
this day with my family this year,
and to see the happy photos of
laughter, relatives that have
passed out after excessive
amounts of tryptophan, and halfeaten turkeys (yes my mom actually e-mailed me a photo of a
turkey carcass). But for whatever
reason we choose to celebrate it,
it’s nice to have a day to be grateful for good things in our lives,
and it’s nice to know that no matter where I am in the world, and
even if it’s just Thursday, I can
still be thankful.
www.cedarcrest.edu/crestiad
November 29, 2007
The Crestiad guide to great gifts
Brea Barski
LIFESTYLES EDITOR
Do the words “Christmas
present” make you cringe? Does it
seem that other people have the
perfect ideas for gifts, and your
gifts just aren’t up to par?
There’s absolutely nothing
worse than being without a gift
idea for someone at this time of
year. Whether it’s a parent, sibling,
significant other, or your greatgreat-aunt, a fun, unique gift can
be just the thing to make them light
up like Rudolph’s nose.
Read on for some great suggestions.
Magic Beans: Several gift
and plant companies have started
selling “magic beans” within the
past year. Some have words printed on the bean, and when planted,
the word is still visible. Other versions of the same product will
magically display the message
after the growth has taken place.
The time for growth also varies by
brand from a few days to two or
three weeks. The messages on the
beans, based on company of purchase, range from inspirational
words like “Love,” “Hope,”
“Believe,” and “Heal” to symbols
such as hearts and dollar signs.
Based on where these beans
are purchased, they can cost anywhere from $5.95 to $11.88 over
the Internet on Amazon.com or
from Spilsbury.
Water Buffalo: If you’re
looking for a gift for the animal
lover in your life, perhaps a cow,
pig, lamb, bees, or a duck is the
gift for you. Heifer International
allows people to purchase livestock for people in third-world
countries. These people use the
livestock in farming and to make
an income for their families.
Gifts range in price from $20
to thousands of dollars. Some larger gifts can be split between multiple people, so rather than purchasing a pig in honor of someone,
you could buy a portion of that pig.
Fair Trade Gifts: If you’re
still interested in giving an economically friendly gift, but you
want something more tangible, fair
trade gifts may be for you.
Chocolate, coffee, jewelry, soap,
clothing, and ornaments
can all be purchased through
fair trade companies and many other
things, too.
Fair trade products are items that are
sold from completely
fair working environments. There is no abuse
or child labor in the making of the product and
everyone receives a fair payment for their services.
Fair trade objects can be
found many places, including
http://store.gxonlinestore.org.
Drinking Games: A fun twist
on traditional beer pong: there are
dozens of board games and card
games on the market that involve
alcohol. An example is drinking
darts, where a hit to the center of
the board allows the player to create new games, and the outer rings
make the player take up to four
drinks. Other games resemble
Monopoly boards, but rather than
Chance cards, players pick “Pass
Out” Cards.
Drinking board and card
games are available at Spencer’s
for a variety of prices.
Board Games: For those on
your gift-giving list too young or
innocent for drinking games, traditional board games are always a
favorite.
Board games can be sold individually, but box sets are also
available and leave room for more
options. One box set ranging in
price from about $45 at Sam’s
Club to $79.95 on elitedeals.com
has eight games: Monopoly, Clue,
Chess, Checkers, Dominoes, a
wood cribbage board, playing
cards
and
five
poker dice.
T-Shirts: As cheesy as it
sounds, some gifts of clothing can
be really fun to receive.
Randomshirts.com sells tshirts for as little as $10. Some of
the shirts include sayings like “I x
my cat” and “TREES the real
cause of forest fires.”
David and Goliath tees are
also known for their creative tshirts. They are the most known
for the “Boys have cooties” tshirts, but there are dozens of other
options, like “I’ll polka your eye
out” with a picture of an accordion
player and a “Thanks a latte” shirt
with a picture of a cup of coffee.
David and Goliath tees range in
price from $18 to $24 and can be
found at davidandgoliathtees.com.
Monthly Clubs: The “item of
the month” genre is not only limited to fruit anymore. You can sign
up your recipient for multitudes of
these clubs.
People can receive a different
type of chocolate, peanut butter,
Bloody Mary, olive, or beef jerky
each month for three, six, nine, or
twelve months from monthclubstore.com. The prices vary for each
club and based on the number of
months signed up for.
rious
November 29, 2007
9
www.cedarcrest.edu/crestiad
LIFESTYLES
Dance your way to a fitter body
and other fun exercises
Everyday
Religion
Dr. Allen Richardson
Finding your place
The Cedar Crest campus is known for its
cadre of squirrels. They hide out in campus
trash containers, boldly drag entire pieces of
pizza to their nests, and in every way possible
proclaim that they are the primary residents
of the campus.
The other day while on my way to class,
I spotted a squirrel across from Blaney Hall
that made me pause in my tracks. He was
attempting to bury a nut and created a hole so
deep that when a paw was inserted it reached
his shoulder.
When he could not reach down any further he grabbed the nut in both paws and with
a determined shove inserted the nut deeply
into the hole with a final, convincing twist.
No one was going to take his meal!
What made this unusual, however, was
that no matter how close I got, the squirrel
was so intent on performing his job that he
didn’t seem to notice that I was there. In
Buddhist terms, he was mindful.
The quality of mindfulness is a value that
is common to both Mahayana and Theravada
forms of Buddhism. Mindfulness is more
than focus.
It is the ability to become so absorbed in
a single task that all of one’s mental energy is
completely brought to bear on a single movement. Some schools of meditation such as
Vipassana emphasize mindfulness and practice it through walking meditation.
Vipassana practitioners are mindful of
each step, and are aware of each muscle that
makes walking possible. The purpose of
walking meditation is not to get anywhere.
To think about purpose or meaning would be
to drift away from the practice.
Our society has not learned how to cultivate mindfulness or to understand the freedom that it can provide.
Instead, our culture perpetuates the myth
that we can do many thinks at once.
Multitasking is taught to most of us from the
time that we first learn how to use a computer. We are persuaded that efficiency is
achieved by doing several things at once.
While at the keyboard we send e-mails,
work on a paper, surf the net and instant message a friend - all without batting an eye. At
home we keep a television set turned on while
we do homework without ever giving it a
thought that the focus of our energies is dispersed.
Our situation has gotten so bad that not
only do many Americans talk on their cell
phones while driving, but even worse, do not
understand that without being mindful about
what they are doing, they are truly at risk.
Within our cluttered, multitasking mindsets a
walk in the woods is no longer about seeing
the colors of the leaves or enjoying a brisk
fall day.
Instead, it becomes a mental gyration of
impulses, conflicting images, and unrestrained thought which, together, prevent us
from truly being aware of our environment.
Instead of gaining efficiency we really lose it
since each task we perform involves something less than our total selves. We also forget
how to smell the flower s along the way.
I doubt if the squirrel understood that he
was being mindful. I also doubt if he knew
that his rodent behavior could teach us much
of anything.
Nevertheless, he was mindful about what
he was doing. But I wonder if in the next few
months, when the snow covers our campus,
he will be mindful enough to remember
where he buried the nut.
Liz Skoczylas
OPINIONS EDITOR
I hate running on a treadmill. To me,
there is nothing more boring than running,
and sweating and not even going anywhere!
No, the thought of eventually becoming
more healthy and having a trimmer body
does not inspire me.
This doesn’t apply to just running. I
don’t lift weights, I don’t cycle, and I definitely don’t know how to work any of those
uber scary workout machines. I am
Generation Y, and it takes a lot to engage
me when it comes to a workout.
Enter alternative forms of exercise,
that don’t involve expensive gym fees, (or,
in the case of Cedar Crest, corby tabs), and
everyone watching you as you walk at a
speed of 2.3 on the treadmill, or get yourself
tangled up in complicated equipment.
Dancing
Depending on the type of dancing, and
the intensity of the dance, a full thirty minutes of dancing can burn anywhere from
100 to 175 calories. And dancing works out
your entire body, especially your legs, abs,
and glutes. Not to mention it’s an amazing
form of stress relief.
Dancing can be done alone or in a
group, and anywhere that there is an open
space. Tuning your television to Cedar
Crest’s WCCC Radio Station, channel 17,
and dancing in your dorm room works just
as well as signing up for a professional
dance class.
If you’re feeling adventurous, grab
your iPod, and rock out on the quad. If
you’re not that adventurous, sign up for a
dance class. Cedar Crest offers several
beginner dance classes, including those in
Ballet, Jazz, Modern and Tap, all for next
semester. There are also African Dance and
Pilates courses available through the dance
program.
The Allentown area also offers a
variety of dance classes, including lessons in Hula, Salsa, Swing and
Ballroom dancing, all of which can be
found with a simple Google search.
Jazzercise, Yoga,
and Pilates
Going along with dance are jazzercise,
yoga and pilates.
Jazzercise combines the classic moves
of jazz classes and aerobic exercise, hence:
jazzercise. It is a cardio workout that
strengthens and tones muscles, improves
flexibility and balance, and (my favorite
part) improves your metabolism.
Yoga trims and firms all sections of
your body, and is also known as a spiritual
way to help free your mind. It involves very
deliberate movements that allows for
stretching and also helps to lower your levels of stress hormones and increases insulin
sensitivity, which tells your body to burn
fat, rather than store it.
Pilates focuses on the trunk of your
body, your abs and spine, rather than on
your extremities. Pilates also focuses on
your breathing. And, aside from being
relaxing, a thirty minute class will burn
roughly 65 calories.
Cedar Crest offers both Yoga and
Pilates classes weekly, and all three can also
be found in the Allentown area.
Hula Hooping
Everyone remembers Hula Hooping as
a child, or, if you are anything like any of
my friends, as a young adult. But who knew
that it was such a great form of exercise?
With circular trunk movements, it
directly works abdominal muscles, hips and
waistlines. As a result, Hula Hoopers get
both
cardio
a
n
d
strength workouts.
One minute of Hula Hooping burns as many
calories as running an eight-minute mile or
high impact aerobic class, according to the
Cooper Institute, a health-based, nonprofit
research and education center.
Weighted Hula Hoops are best used for
a quality workout, and can be found online
at sports-hoop.com
Strippercise
Strippercise is rapidly becoming a
more popular form of workout, due to the
fact that it allows women to step out of their
box, and do something that isn’t exactly the
norm.
Strippercise, also called “Strip
Aerobics” or “cardio striptease,” is considered a low-impact workout, and burns
around 400 calories per hour. Aside from
this, Strippercise tightens and tones your
upper body, including your torso and arms,
due to constant movements. Not to mention,
it’s a great way to feel sexy, and put on a fun
show for your partner.
Unfortunately, of all of the Strippercise
classes that I was able to find, the closest
ones were located in Philadelphia.
However, there are several instructional
videos on the topic, including Carmen
Electra’s Striptease. These can be rented
from Blockbuster, bought from stores such
as FYE or Barnes and Noble, or purchased
online at aerobicstriptease.com.
Pole Dancing
Pole dancing is huge with celebrities
right now; it has obviously been done by
the Pussycat Dolls, and also by Christina
Applegate, Angelina Jolie and Daryl
Hannah. Oprah has even featured pole
dancing on her show.
Pole dancing frequently overlaps with
strippercise, as many strippercise classes
also use poles. However, pole dancing tones
and strengthens your body overall, and also
helps to build muscle, as you have to be
able to support your own body weight on a
pole.
The closest pole dancing class to
Allentown is in New York City. However, if
public pole dancing isn’t exactly your thing,
Malibuseductions.com offers everything
you need, from the instructional video to
the pole, to learn in the safety of your own
home.
Leann Pettit | News Editor
Lizz Nagle demonstrates use of a weighted hula hoop. Hula Hooping for one minute burns the same
amount of calories as running an eight-minute mile.
In order to get a quality workout, no
matter how you are achieving this, it is suggested to exercise in thirty minute sessions,
at least three times a week, although exercising more times than this offers more benefits.
The more intense your workout, the
more health benefits you will achieve. And
the more you exercise, the more progression you will make, and, eventually, the
bigger your outcomes will be.
As always, make sure that before you
begin any workout, you stretch and warm
up for five to ten minutes.
Happy working out!
10A&E
www.cedarcrest.edu/crestiad
Six days of deliberation led
to 12 Angry Women
Lizz Nagle
SPORTS EDITOR
12 Angry Women, directed by
Marion McCorry and produced by
The Cedar Crest stage company,
brought tension, controversy and
reasonable doubt to center stage in
Samuels Theater at Cedar Crest
College.
Based on the 1957 movie, 12
Angry Men, the play featured 12
fantastic Cedar Crest students
playing an all-woman jury for the
trial of a young man accused of
murdering his father. Christa
Hagan, a senior who played Juror
8, said that “during the early days
of rehearsals, we actually watched
the film 12 Angry Men to get a better understanding of the situation
and to get a better grasp on our
characters.”
The play began with the 12
women gathered in the jury’s
deliberation room, left to decide on
the guilty or not-guilty fate of the
boy. After six days of trial, the
women on the jury are exasperated, exhausted and want to return to
their lives. They hastily decide to
take a vote, and 11 of the 12 jurors
initially say the boy is guilty of
killing his father.
But juror 8, is not ready to
decide on the boy’s fate so quickly.
She wants to talk. And after
yelling, frustrations and closer
looks at some key evidence to the
trial, more and more jurors feels
there is reasonable doubt that the
boy did not kill his father.
The play drives home a mes-
sage that the person concerned
with justice will be the one who is
ultimately listened to and respected. Juror 8, who voted against
every other juror, was this person.
“Even from the beginning, it was
really easy for me to see my character’s sides of things. Having a
similar view point helped when
actually acting it out on stage. I
T HE S OUND B OOTH
think that it probably made the role
more believable for the audience,”
said Hagan.
The play ran from November
15 through the 18. The two months
the cast had to rehearse was made
clear through flawless performance and obvious emotional
investments in the characters they
were portraying.
Courtesy | Tom Amico
Metro Station makes big break with electro-pop mix
Charley Ortiz
STAFF WRITER
Having never heard of Metro
Station, I wasn’t sure if I would
like their music. The case for their
self-titled CD didn’t look like anything I would be interested in. But
with an open mind, I popped it into
the player in my car and turned the
volume up.
The first song came on and I
was pleasantly surprised. The electro-pop sound that filled my car
was interesting and enjoyable. I
was not sure just yet if I liked the
vocals, which is something that
can make or break any music in
my mind. Sure, you can have a
great beat and great instrumentalists, but the vocals are key. The
first song “Seventeen Forever”
was still up in the air for me.
Song two, “Kelsey” was the
band’s first single to be released
and, as it was more sincere than
most of the songs, it was one of my
favorites on the CD. “I’ll swim the
ocean for you…” are some of the
catchy lyrics that this song will get
stuck in your mind.
We have all felt like someone
we were crushing on was totally
out of our league, right? Okay, I
www.myspace.com/metrostationmusic
may be the only one, but this song
hit it close to home. Song four,
“True to Me,” with lyrics, “She’s
such a rush, She’s such a
crush….She’s pumping through my
veins…she’s too good to be true…”
If your crushing on someone out of
your league, this could be your
song.
“California,” the title of the
fifth song, brought the thought to
my head, “Oh no, another song
about California.” But once again,
Metro Station surprised me. The
song is about a boy convincing his
girl to run away with him, to outer
space, to California. He wishes
they were older, as to leave it all
behind and he asks her to take his
hand.
Song six, “Control” got my
feet bouncing in the car (a possibly
dangerous side effect of good
music) and I really liked it. The
music was once again an interesting electro-pop mix and the vocals
really lit up the song. The song
talks about losing control and letting go, something I’m sure the
majority of our college students at
the Crest yearn to do. By now, I
would like to mention that I have
fallen for the vocals, though they
are a little different than what I
normally listen to. They catch you
and make you want to dance.
Number seven on the CD was
by far my favorite song. “Shake
It” made me want to get up in the
middle of driving and ‘shake it,’ as
in shake my little behind on the
dance floor.
Talk about regretting breaking
up with someone - song eight,
“Now That We’re Done,” follows
a guy who breaks someone’s heart
again and again, but really starts to
kick himself when he sees her with
another guy. This song is catchy
and fun to sing, and its techno
effects make it fun to dance to as
well.
Even though I do not dislike
any song on the CD, “Tell Me
What To Do” is probably my least
favorite. Drugs are not something
I think we should sing about, especially when pushing someone to
do them. But its beats are still
danceable.
The final song on the CD - yes
there are only ten, which is short,
but this is also their debut album is called “Disco.” It makes me
want to run out to a disco and
dance! Even if the words ‘suicidal'
and ‘poison’ are in the lyrics, it just
does not take away from the overall feel of wanting to dance, which
is something much more alive than
feeling suicidal.
It usually takes quite a few
times of listening to a CD for me to
really understand and like the
music. For this CD, that wasn’t
the case. I really enjoyed it from
song one throughout the entire CD.
The music will be great for clubs
because the beats are easy to dance
and swing your body into motion.
I do recommend this CD. Some of
the vocals could be stronger, but
the beats and instrumentals behind
them more than make up for it.
November 29, 2007
TINSELTOWN
LIZ SKOCZYLAS
Shocking news! I just found
out earlier this week that Linda
Bollea, wife of wrestler Hulk
Hogan, has filed for divorce,
asking for half of all of Hulk
Hogan’s assets, plus alimony.
Apparently, the relationship was
strained, partially because Linda
had an obsession with buying
houses, but I see no problem with
that at all, so obviously it can’t be
right. I’m just worried about
what reality TV is doing to all of
my favorite couples – First, it
ended Nick and Jessica, and now
the Hogans! Who’s next, Kim
Kardashian’s parents, Kris and
Bruce Jenner?
Speaking of Kim, a bunch of
her stuff got stolen from the JFK
airport in NYC last weekend,
including $50,000 worth of diamond jewelry, her laptop, and her
digital camera. Now, I’d be pretty upset about all of the diamonds getting stolen, because,
well, I cry at diamond commercials - I love them so much. But
Kim was most upset about the
camera being gone. Could there
be some pictures on there that
she doesn’t want getting out? We
can only hope!
Since I’m on a kick about
my new favorite channel, E!,
let’s talk about Kimora Lee
Simons, who’s show is called
Life in the Fab Lane.”
Apparently, Kimora is being
sued by Macy’s, for overcharging
them on items from her Baby
Phat line, and then refusing to
pay back the difference. Oh, so is
that what it takes to be fab? I
thought it was just the ability to
bark directions at anyone who
looked your way, and throw a lot
of hissy fits. Silly me!
In fabulous mommy news,
everyone’s favorite mother,
Britney Spears, has the kids for
Christmas! How exciting for her!
And, how gracious of Kevin to
actually allow the hot mess to
actually visit with the kids. I
wonder what Sean and Jayden
will be getting for Christmas this
year; maybe copies of Britney’s
new Blackout album, and their
own little frappicinos. Although,
that may be too nice of presents
for either of them, coming from
Britney at least.
Finally, Details Magazine,
which I’ve never actually heard
of, has put out a list of the
“Power 50: Most Influential Men
Under 45.” According to them,
these are the men that influence
our lives, and the things that we
think about. Number one on the
list is Zac Efron, Shia LeBoeuf,
and The Disney Kids. Creator of
Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg,
comes in at number three, school
shooters at five, and Larry
Birkhead and K-Fed himself at
number seven. Kinda makes you
nervous about the world, doesn’t
it?
November 29, 2007
11
www.cedarcrest.edu/crestiad
A&E
Re el Rev i e w
Nightmare Before Christmas 3-D
Stacey Stangl
STAFF WRITER
I really thought I was in for an
exciting, new experience when I
sunk down in my chair and donned
my 3-D glasses to watch the 3-D
remake of my favorite movie, Tim
Burton’s, The Nightmare Before
Christmas. However, I cannot
express what a disappointment it
was.
The movie, for those that have
not seen it, is about a Halloween
Town with a pumpkin king known
as Jack Skellington.
Jack realizes he is becoming
wary of celebrating Halloween
every single year, and decides to
venture outside of town to see
what he can find.
He ends up finding Christmas
Town, and disappears for a few
days, only to return to his home
with presents and news of the
strange land. It is decided that
Halloween Town will celebrate
Christmas, and Jack will play the
role of Sandy Claws.
To do this, he creates a plan to
kidnap Sandy Claws from
Christmas Town and give him a
vacation for the year, and recruits
the people of Halloween Town to
make some nice “gifts” for all the
kids of the world.
They end up making horrific
toys that torment children upon
their receiving of the gifts. Jack is
then shot at by the police for being
a known imposter and is thought to
Genre: Animation/Family/Fantasy/Musical
Ratings: Rated PG
Duration: 76 Minutes
be dead. The plot progresses from
there, and I don’t want to give
away the ending so you might just
want to go see it yourself - or
maybe not.
Do not get me wrong, the
movie itself is great. The music is
catchy and playful, the character
and scenery design is hauntingly
gorgeous, and the voice acting is
perfectly cast.
Tim Burton has produced and
directed some amazing movies
(Beetle
Juice,
Edward
Scissorhands, Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride
and of course Nightmare Before
Christmas), however, this 3-D
remake proves to be nothing special.
It’s basically the same exact
movie with probably five minutes,
at best of added 3-D material in the
76 minute-long film.
In fact, the previews before
the movie probably had more special features than the main feature
did. And just for kicks, I took off
my glasses at points to see if I
found the movie to be any different, and it was not.
All I can say is if you would
like to relive your childhood and
go see The Nightmare Before
Christmas on the big screen again,
make sure you either have a free
ticket, or if you just want a really
cool pair of 3-D glasses.
Otherwise, it is just a repeat of
the video cassette gathering dust
on your movie rack and an 8 dollar
hole in your wallet.
Calling
all
Drama
Queens!
Do you have a great singing
voice? Have people told you that
you are a drama queen? If you
answered yes to any of those
questions, you might be a great
candidate for the upcoming audition for Cedar Crest Theatre
Company’s musical production,
Spitfire Grill.
The audition requires the
actress to prepare and sing sixteen measures of her own choosing, and will be judged by Tim
Brown, Assistant Professor of
Theatre and Marion McCorry,
Assistant Professor of Acting &
Directing. Singing will be
accompanied
by
Musical
Director Dorothea Hemerly.
Upon the completion of these
auditions, a callback list will be
posted in the Fine Arts hallway,
listing the people who will come
back to try out on the different
cast parts.
Auditions will take place on
December 10th and 11th from 7
to 10 p.m., and they will be held
in the Samuels Theatre.
Spitfire Grills’ publisher,
Samuel French Inc., claims that
"A feisty parolee follows her
dreams, based on a page from an
old travel book, to a small town
in Wisconsin and finds a place
for herself working at Hannah's
Spitfire Grill. It is for sale but
there are no takers for the only
eatery in the depressed town, so
newcomer Percy suggests to
Hannah that she raffle it off.
Entry fees are one hundred dollars and the best essay on why
you want the grill wins. Soon,
mail is arriving by the wheelbarrow full and things are definitely
cookin' at the Spitfire Grill."
The film that inspired this
Broadway show first appeared in
the 1990’s. It was brought back
around the time of the September
11th tragedy, which is part of the
reason Brown decided to do
Spitfire Grill as this year’s musical. “I chose this musical as the
female roles are truly wonderful,
and because the musical is one
that is truly beautiful,” he said,
“and [this musical is] one that is
not remembered well by many
people, largely due to the effects
that 9/11 had on the theatre community in New York City.”
There is also something new
and exciting about this musical –
there will be a Guest Artist for
this production. The actress is
Vicky Montesano, who has been
working as an actress in the
Lehigh Valley and has been in
roles at the Pennsylvania
Playhouse, Civic Theatre, and
Municipal Opera Company
Music Theatre. She will be playing the role of 70 year-old
Hannah Furguson.
For more information, or to
borrow a cd of the music from
the show, contact Tim Brown
([email protected]).
Compiled by Stacey Stangl
12SPORTS
www.cedarcrest.edu/crestiad
Die Hard Fan
Cedar Crest student flips
as U.S. women’s team
prepares for olympics
Amanda Osborn
STAFF WRITER
On July 23, 1996, I sat and
stared at the television in amazement as the United States
women’s gymnastics team won
the Olympic gold medal in
Atlanta, Georgia. Since that day
when I was nine years old, I have
never stopped admiring and
appreciating the United States
gymnastics team.
As a sport that has gained
most of its popularity through the
Olympics, the gymnastics world is
beginning to heat up as the 2008
Olympics in Beijing, China, are
less than one year away.
Almost every gymnast’s
biggest dream is to compete in the
Olympic Games. As the Olympics
approach, top level gymnasts
begin to mentally and physically
prepare. They know that just
about everything they do in the
year leading up to the Olympics
can make an impact on their ultimate dream.
The U.S. women’s team has
very high chances of success in
Beijing, as they are the current
world team champions. The six
members of the gold medal-winning team include: Ivana Hong,
Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin,
Alicia
Samantha
Peszek,
Sacramone, and Shayla Worley.
Along with the 2007 team
members and alternate Bridget
Sloan, the U.S. has many other top
gymnasts who will be vying for
the six spots on next summer’s
Olympic team.
Some of these gymnasts
include members of the 2006 silver medal-winning world team,
Jana Bieger, Natasha Kelley,
Chellsie Memmel, and Ashley
Priess, as well as U.S. National
Team members Geralen StackEaton, and Amber Trani, who both
train locally at Parkettes in
Allentown.
When choosing the team
members who will represent the
United States in world or Olympic
competitions, the selection committee (usually comprised of the
national team coordinator and two
or three other qualified individuals) typically makes up a team of
not only gymnasts who excel on
all of the apparatus, but also some
gymnasts who may be particularly
strong on only one or two.
While Johnson, Bieger, and
Kelley are very strong all-around
gymnasts (vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise),
Sacramone shines on the vault and
floor.
Liukin and Memmel are also
excellent in the all-around, but
they are especially strong on both
the uneven bars and the balance
beam, and can bring in very high
scores for the team on those
events.
The United States men’s team
has made huge improvements
over the past year. At the 2006
World Championships they finished a mere 13th place.
Determined not to finish that
low again (because only the top 12
teams at world’s the year before
the Olympics qualify for the
Olympics), they competed fiercely at the 2007 worlds to finish 4th.
Not only did they easily qualifying for the Beijing Olympics, but
they came close to winning a
medal.
2008 Olympic hopefuls
include the 2007 world team
members Guillermo Alvarez,
Alexander Artemev, Jonathan
Horton, David Durante, Sean
Golden, and Kevin Tan, as well as
2006 team members David
Sender, Justin Spring, and Clay
Strother. Horton and Alvarez are
top all-around competitors (floor
exercise, pommel horse, still
rings, vault, parallel bars, and high
bar), while Artmev performs particularly well on the pommel
horse.
From the women’s team’s
endless hard work paying off with
a world title to the men’s team
overcoming a rough year to make
a satisfying improvement, the
United States gymnastics team is
an inspiring group of individuals
that I am proud to call my favorite
sports team.
November 29, 2007
Indoor floor hockey
tournament offers fun
and pizza, win or lose
Amanda Patterson
STAFF WRITER
Floor hockey was the fourth
and final intramural tournament
that was organized for this semester. The tournament took place
over four nights, with a championship tournament on the fourth
night.
Valerie Donohue, Assistant
Director of Athletics & Wellness
and organizer of the tournament
said that “each team played each
other once prior to the championship games... and then they
played another team based on how
they were seeded. All teams had
either one or two games each
night.”
At the beginning of the
semester, a survey was done to see
which sports would be the most
popular. From this survey it was
determined that this semester’s
intramural competitors would
have a chance to show off their
skills in volleyball, dodgeball,
indoor soccer and floor hockey.
There were five teams that
came out to play, “Peanut Buttah
Jelly Time,” “The Dominators,”
“Bomchickawahwah,” “BAMFs,”
and “Brick House.” The tournament was won by the BAMFs,
who led throughout, entering the
championship as the first seed.
“Win or lose - it seemed like
everyone had a great time playing,” said Donohue. Everyone
seemed to love playing in an
atmosphere with fewer pressures
than traditional intercollegiate
sports. There was not even an official referee, just a whistle from
Donohue when there was a blatant
foul, most of which were accidental.
Despite the friendly atmosphere, intramural sports here at
Cedar Crest have become a lot
more competitive in the last year
or so, according to Donohue. They
have also become a lot more popular.
One possible reason is that, in
the survey done, students were
also asked what time they would
prefer that the tournaments start,
which resulted in a time change.
Donohue “moved the start time to
9 p.m. to help accommodate class
conflicts.” Donohue stated that
she could not be sure why so many
more people are coming out for
intramurals this year, but she did
have a few ideas. “... it could be
the time change,” she said, “or that
students realize how much fun
they can have…or maybe it is the
pizza awarded to the champions??!” I don’t know about you
but having fun, making friends,
and getting fit sounds great to me,
add the chance to win free pizza
and I don’t know how anyone can
resist.
For those who were unable to
play in this tournament for one
reason or another, have no fear, the
details of next semester’s tournaments are already being worked
out. Newcomers to the world of
intramural sports are always welcomed, as well.
While Donohue said that
many girls do return tournament to
tournament, she also said that
there are, “new teams and participants for each tournament.” So if
you’re nervous about playing,
bring a friend. Making exercise
more fun is always a good thing.
Courtesy | Liz Skoczylas
Team Bomchickawahwah, dressed in team apparel, poses for a photo right before their first indoor floor hockey game.
WAR
continued | page 3
reported on women in Iraq, many
of them mothers of several children, prostituting themselves to
have money for food for their families.
One of these women
remembers “as a young girl she
dreamed of being a doctor, with
her mom boasting about her
potential in that career. ” Now she
lies awake at night, unable to
sleep, thinking about what she
must do for her family to survive.
Some Iraqi female journalists
are putting their lives in danger to
report on the lives of women and
Iraq.
children
in
today’s
According to Women’s eNews,
these journalists have one major
advantage over their male and foreign contemporaries; they can
gain access to these women’s
lives. As women, they can enter
homes and break silence on taboo
subjects such as rape and domestic
violence. As journalists, they can
privatize the pain of women in the
hope of influencing policymakers.
One such woman, unnamed for
her own protection, claims that
she is safer on the streets of
Baghdad than is any man, as long
as her identity as a reporter is not
known. Only her children know
what she does, as she successfully
juggles motherhood with journalism in the most dangerous war
zone today.
“A lot of people would say I
have betrayed my family because I
am putting them and myself at
risk,” she says. “But if it is not
done, if I stay silent, it is not just
my family that would be at risk. It
is everyone’s family.”