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Arts & Life Review Television

Another ‘Jersey Shore’ success

By Michelle Joline

Writer

MTV has fostered the birth of reality TV for the past few decades, with the fame of shows like “The Real World” and “Laguna Beach” feeding off popular demand. These programs have showed what viewers consider to be realistic portrayals of society, and MTV perpetuates this tradition with the hit show the “Jersey Shore.”

The final episode of the show’s third season aired this past Thursday. Viewers greeted the completion of the third season with sadness. Critics, who predicted the show to be a flop in its first season, remain surprised by its success.  The not-so-realistic portrayal of New Jersey’s shoreline features eight New Jersey “locals” spending their summer months in Seaside Heights, N.J. To the dismay of many fans, only two cast members, Sammi and Deena, are true New Jersey natives. The premise seems ridiculous, but the show managed to break records with 5.3 million viewers tuning in in its second season and 8.87 million in its third season. The reality show incorporates the lives of these eight people as they live and party at the shore for an entire summer, but what contributes to show’s growing popularity?

Perhaps the extreme personalities that cause the many catfights and blow-ups attract most of its viewers. Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi seems to have gained the greatest success since the premiere, becoming a New York Times bestselling author and a well-known character. She has consistently sold her image as a “Jersey girl” since the first episode and has successfully proven herself to be an entrepreneur. The fiery New Yorker brings comedic relief as romantic turmoil suffocates the greater part of the one-hour time slot, with Sammi and Ronnie’s romance crumbling throughout the past three seasons.

Ordinarily, a show based on “GTL,” or “gym, tanning, laundry,” would not seem like an interesting premise for a hit TV show to executives at production companies, but as the economy falls, the production of reality TV rises. After many network budget cuts, reality TV has become even more popular due to its economical production without a need for expensive sets and actors. Luckily for network executives, shows like “Jersey Shore“ are just as popular as other hit series that air on NBC and Fox.

MTV executives are not the only ones basking in the benefits of the hit show; it has attracted attention to New Jersey, but many natives don’t feel that it is the best representation of the Garden State. Despite complaints from shore locals, the rise in tourism the show’s fame has caused is a welcome relief during the economic crisis.

As the success of the show continues to heighten, so does that of the show’s cast members, who get to shoot their fourth season in Italy. The new location will be playing off of the show’s Italian stereotype, adding just a little more intrigue and plotline to their upcoming episodes. The airing date has not yet been set, but the time remaining before it airs leaves just enough time for its viewers to realize they can’t live without these reality stars.

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Arts & Life Books Review

‘Weird Sisters’ bogged down by allusions

By Carolyn Williams

Staff Writer

Eleanor Brown’s debut novel, “The Weird Sisters,” attempts to bring the language of and love for Shakespeare to a more mainstream audience. The title is an allusion to the witches of “Macbeth,” and the connections do not end there.

The story revolves around the lives of the three grown Andreas sisters. Their father, a professor specializing in Shakespeare at a small liberal arts college in Ohio, has named them each after one of the Bard’s heroines, and each suffers under the weight of her namesake’s legacy. The eldest, Rosalind (“As You Like It”), feels enormous pressure to find her Orlando. Although she is happily engaged to a fellow professor, she balks at the idea of change, hating the notion of feeling unneeded after a lifetime of being responsible. She leaps at the opportunity afforded by their mother’s newfound breast cancer to move back in and care for her. She must eventually face her fear of moving outside of her own comfort zone or lose her fiancé.

The second sister, Bianca (“The Taming of the Shrew”), called Bean by her family, has no trouble finding a date but realizes that her glittering New York City life is empty when she is abruptly fired from her job on grounds of financial fraud. A failure, she slinks back home, making the excuse of helping the family when she is in actuality licking her wounds and attempting to extricate herself from the crushing dual burden of her debt and her guilt.

The youngest of the three is predictably named after King Lear’s favorite daughter Cordelia and is called Cordy. She is a lovable college dropout, nearing 30 but still following bands and living a carefree nomadic lifestyle until she realizes she has accidentally become pregnant. Never having dealt with any real repercussions for her irresponsibility, she too returns home under the guise of helping her mother cope, while really seeking solace and guidance for herself.

Throughout Brown’s novel, the family members quote Shakespeare back and forth to each other, alluding to the works in a way which, though certainly clever, eventually becomes tiresome. Though Brown clearly has a firm grasp of the Bard’s vernacular, the overall effect feels somewhat forced. The book’s plot, simple enough that it should work well, is tired and, at times, unbelievably cliché. As Bean chases a married man, Rose obsesses over the idea that her family may not need her as much as she needs them, and Cordy falls conveniently in love with a local businessman she knows from her college days who is fine with dating a pregnant woman.

“The Weird Sisters” is by no means a bad book, but at times it suffers from its constant internal comparisons to Shakespeare’s works. Still, Brown delivers a diverting read and, as expected, all’s well that end’s well by the novel’s finish.

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Arts & Life Columns Cooking Corner

Cooking Corner : Pooh Bear French Toast

By Emily Fry

Staff Writer

Pooh Bear French Toast

This is a great twist on classic French toast. The peanut butter melts while cooking and complements the honey nicely. Try sprinkling a little bit of powdered sugar on top for a decadent breakfast treat. Happy baking!

Ingredients:

Bread slices

Honey

Peanut Butter

1 egg

Splash of milk

Dash of cinnamon

 

Directions:

1. Spread peanut butter and honey on a slice of bread and top with the other slice.

2. Mix together the egg, a splash of milk and a dash of cinnamon.

3. Dip the sandwich in the egg mixture, being sure to coat both sides.

4. Cook in a skillet over medium heat, flipping once.

 

Source: Helen Kennelly

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Arts & Life Review Television

‘The Biggest Loser’ plays weight-loss game

By Laura Crowley

Arts & Life Editor

“The Biggest Loser” has gained immense popularity nationwide while raising awareness about the poor health of our nation. Now in its 11th season, trainers Bob Harper, Jillian Michaels, Brett Hoebel and Cara Castronuova are helping 24 more obese Americans shed hundreds of pounds with the hopes of inspiring the greater overweight American population.

Producers have designed the show such that these obese contestants compete for the $250,000 grand prize. As the show’s format fosters drama-laden episodes, it has raised controversy among health experts who question the intentions of the producers. One such expert, Dr. Charles Burant, finds the show “exploitative” as producers “are taking poor people who have severe weight problems” and shifting their focus towards “trying to win the quarter-million dollars.”

With the show’s competitive format comes painstaking game playing between contestants as they attempt to lose or gain weight to some competitive end. In episode 12 of this season, Kaylee “threw the weigh-in” by losing no weight because she felt it was her time to sacrifice her place on the show to protect heavier players, such as her father, who may have a better shot at winning the whole competition.

Such competitive strategy undoubtedly stokes drama between players and trainers. In week 12, Hoebel excited audiences by openly losing his temper as he reminded contestants that “game play” is not constructive toward achieving weight loss and long-term health.

While such actions make for exciting episodes, they paint over the heart and good intentions that try to shine through each episode. When Arthur was sent home at a life-threatening 390 pounds due to greedy game-playing in week nine, hopes of such “heart” were completely lost and a sense of injustice was left. Host Allison Sweeny expressed this injustice with her first tear shed in “Biggest Loser” history.

This sense of unfairness was expressed in the first contestant to be sent home. In week one, Ana was sent home when her nine-pound weight loss could not hold its ground next to the steep weight losses of her competitors. On the Today Show, Ana expressed that she felt her elimination was unfair as she left before she had any knowledge of diet and exercise. As a result of her elimination, she says has had very limited success at home.

Perhaps more frustrating than competitive game play is the advertisements that are forcibly interwoven into dialogue throughout the show. Any fan of the show knows well that Subway, Brita, Ziploc, Extra Gum and Gortons are all sponsors of the show from the several staged scenes that promote these brands. “Biggest Loser” fan Reilly Price ’13 says she knows advertisements are coming on “when the scene becomes brighter and cheesy music comes on.”

The promotion of health and well-being on “The Biggest Loser” is refreshing and relevant. In 2009, 63% of Americans were overweight or obese, and related health costs soared into the billions. In past seasons, Michaels and Harper have made this very clear with their catch phrase “Well America, you did it. You hit rock bottom.” It is my hope that this message is blunt enough to pierce through the show’s twisted design.

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Arts & Life Featured Study Abroad

Adventures Down Under : Living Life in Australia

By Julie Kohn

Contributing Writer

“Root” in Aussie lingo means to have sex, “thongs” are flip flops, “lollies” are candies and girls with bangs have “fringe.” Stepping foot off the plane into the country of boomerangs, roos and koalas, I had a lot to learn. On my plane ride to the “land down under,” I held a feeling of uncertainty far greater than any I’d ever faced. I heard the “ding” as the “fasten seatbelt” sign lit up above me. The clouds broke and the deep teal water slapped against the fine white sand. I was looking down at my new home for the next five months. “Is this real life?” the guy behind me asked, and all of the Americans around me laughed. We were all astounded that we were not only privileged to visit this oasis, but that we were going to be exploring it for months.

My studies in Australia were structured so that I was able to travel often–and I did, stopping in New Zealand on the way home. I’d been on 26 flights within six months by the time I got home. Ask any of my University friends, and they’ll tell you I am a safe person, but something about being in another country made me feel like I was in a fairytale. In Australia I hopped with hundreds of wild kangaroos, jumped 14,000 feet out of a plane, held a fuzzy koala, scuba-dived the Great Barrier Reef, cliff jumped in the rainforest and slept for eight nights in the wild Outback. In New Zealand I whitewater rafted down a 21-foot waterfall, climbed a volcano, got pushed down a hill in a giant hamster-ball (zorbing), learned how to play underwater hockey and visited the Shire from “The Lord of the Rings.”

In Australia I was at first confused by the style of learning. But having little homework allowed me to understand that in Australia, living your life took a priority over studying every single night until 1 a.m. and fitting fun in on the side. The Aussies really do live life with “no worries.” Once I was able to understand their accents a little better I met a great group of girls who became my family there. I think they were just as interested in learning about American ways as I was in learning about theirs. What are squirrels? Reese’s peanut butter cups? Are there really fraternities? What’s a sorority? Sharing my culture became a part of our relationship as much as my learning about theirs. For Halloween I helped them carve pumpkins and one night we made (makeshift) s’mores.

Fast-forward to spring break: the Australian Outback. With my program of about 15 Americans we spent eight nights sleeping under the infinite night sky of the Outback: no civilization, no tents. This is when I began to taste the communal feeling the Australian Aboriginal people feel with their country. I sniffed in the red dust and gazed at the land stretching in front of our truck, layered in sharp spinifex grass, vast gorges filled with the magic of water and in the distance the sacred rock of Uluru.

When I had finally settled into my Aussie life, it was time to leave for New Zealand. I explored the north island of the great sheep country with friends from Germany and Taiwan. Our cheap rental car zipped (on the left side of the road) through mountains, along the coast and through the famous Lord of the Rings background. While eating Tim Tams (the famous Australian chocolate cookie) and looking towards the south island on our last night I began to hum “Hallelujah”–you know, that song from “Shrek.” To my surprise my friends began to join in. Three friends all from different continents, together in New Zealand, humming the same song. The world really is a small place.

When I got back to Lewisburg the administration asked what we had learned, and this is what I said: Vegemite on toast is equal to eating straight salt. If you don’t know what it is, don’t touch it, because it might kill or paralyze you. You need to be happy both independently and when with friends. Live your life first and do your work second.

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News

2004 crisis impacts world

By Eliza Macdonald

Writer

The Washington D.C. lead water crisis of 2004 impacted the world of civil engineering and trust in government agencies, a visiting civil engineering professor from Virginia Tech argued last week.

On Thursday, March 24 in the Elaine Langone Center forum, Dr. Marc Edwards lectured on his research on the baffling findings from the water crisis in the D.C. area.

“Lead in water is an unusual contaminant,” Edwards said. He explained that there are three main sources that can add lead to water: lead pipes, lead solder and leaded brass. All three can be found in many homes across America.

Edwards further explained that due to a change from adding chlorine in the water to a new chemical called chloramine, the residual rust on the lead pipes leading into each D.C. home leaked slowly into the water systems.

Chloramine was used instead of chlorine due to a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation, but the EPA was unaware that the chlorine in the water had been keeping the lead rust on the pipe and out of the water.

The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) ran its regular tests in several homes and found an elevated level of lead in the water. WASA officials decided not to inform anyone of the elevated levels.

This original lie created a snowball effect through the EPA and the CDC in their tests of the D.C. water systems in homes. In all of these tests of the lead in water levels, each organization said that there was no danger to these levels.

Edwards decided to do his own research on this claim and found that the levels of lead in water were five times the level set by the EPA as hazardous waste. This was after three years of lead poisoning.

After extensive research, Edwards, dubbed the “plumbing professor,” was able to formally reject all of the evidence put forth by the CDC in their research on the crisis.

In his paper “Public Confidence, Down the Drain: The Federal Role in Ensuring Safe Drinking Water in the District of Columbia,” he proves each statement given by the CDC to be wrong.

Edwards concluded that, while it took him years to finally prove his findings to the CDC and the EPA, scientists have known for many years that lead in water was bad for health and that the denial of the CDC was redundant.

Lead poisoning affects every vital system in the body, and the damage done is irreversible. In some studies, average IQ levels dropped in people exposed to lead.

Edwards reminded those in the room, specifically those studying civil and environmental engineering, to remember the canon they will pledge to when issues like this arise: The engineer shall hold paramount the health, safety and welfare of the public.

“It did make me think about what the government is hiding from the U.S. population because I would think that lead-contaminated water would be an important issue, but they apparently don’t seem to think the same way,” Catherine Cowie ’14 said.

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News

Four new majors to be offered in School of Management

By Katherine Schotz

Contributing Writer

Beginning with the class of 2015, students will have four new options in the School of Management. The new majors are Accounting & Financial Management, Global Management, Managing for Sustainability and Markets, and Innovation & Design.

“We want to be the best,” said Michael Johnson-Cramer, co-director of the School of Management and associate professor of management. “The average company 10 years from now faces four problems—how to be financially viable, how to become more global, how to be environmentally sustainable and how to be innovative.”

The new majors address these issues. The class of 2015 will have about nine common classes. From there, the students will take three to four requirements for the major track and then electives from other departments that they decide best fit with their focus.

The Accounting and Financial Management major still allows students to follow the CPA track but also prepares those students who want to go into the financial services area, such as a Wall Street firm. The Global Management major is aimed to help students understand the global business system and the challenges they will face in an international business. The Managing for Sustainability major deals with the environmentally-friendly but still economical ways to run a business. A possible topic within this major could be where a company’s carbon footprint fits in and understanding the triple bottom line, Johnson-Cramer said. The Markets, Innovation & Design major will teach students how to create and introduce a new product.

In creating the new curriculum, which began about five years ago, the faculty looked at where they saw the business world headed in 10 years. From there, the goal was to create a new curriculum that would leave students better suited for life after graduation. In the Global Management track, for instance, students will be taking a language course, said Tammy Hiller, associate professor of management who is also in charge of the curriculum committee.

The transition has started with some of the new classes already offered. Global Manager as Diplomat (MGMT 335) aims to make students aware of the challenges that they might face working in a company overseas and how to address these problems.

“I feel like this class will be one of the most helpful I have taken at Bucknell,” management major Michael Milstein ’11 said. “It wouldn’t just be helpful if I went abroad to work, but also if I worked with anyone else from another country. Inevitably at some point in my career, some of the work I will be doing will relate back to another country, and understanding the importance of cultural differences will prove to be very valuable for me.”

One of the main challenges in implementation of this new system is that there will be two sets of curricula in place until the transition is complete three years from now.

“All current students will still have the other classes that are required, but hopefully the new higher-level classes can be electives,” Hiller said.

The decision to change the curriculum also involved student surveys, focus groups and discussions with alumni to determine where there was a need for and an interest in new topics. A Management Technology track was discussed, Johnson-Cramer said, but there was not enough interest. In making the changes, the school hopes to address areas where the curriculum was either outdated or not covered.

The department was able to higher new professors to fill the need for specialized and more specific classes.  There is also overlap between the School of Management and the other colleges. One of the challenges, Hiller said, “was getting people to participate in programs that were thinking across different disciplines.”

The cooperation has been working. There is a class that incorporates Russian studies and teleconferences people in Russia, Johnson-Cramer said.

One of the other improvements in the curriculum is that students have more freedom with their classes.

“I really wish I could have been a student here under the new management curriculum,” Milstein said. “Although I do appreciate the depth of understanding I gained from all aspects of management, I would have liked to take more courses in areas that I was specifically interested in.”

Milstein is doing a radio show about the changes that will air Saturday at 3 p.m. on 90.5 FM or on WVBU.com.

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Sports

Bison Athlete of the Week: Kyle Feeney ’13

By Cooper Sutton

Sports Editor

Kyle Feeney ’13

Biography

Position: Goalie

Class: Sophomore

Hometown: Old Greenwich, Conn.

Major: Civil Engineering

 

Stats

Minutes: 120

Goals against: 15

Saves: 22

Result: 2 wins


Kyle Feeney ’13 played all 120 minutes and made 22 saves in the men’s lacrosse team’s huge wins this past week against two ranked opponents. Against Penn State Tuesday, he recorded a season-high 14 saves to secure a win over the No. 20 team in the nation.

Feeney essentially iced the game for the Bison against Penn State, making two consecutive difficult saves with his team ahead by one at the end of the game. Those saves capped off a seven-save second half.

Against Albany, Feeney also shut the door, recording five saves in the fourth quarter in a close 11-9 win.

Overall, with his solid play all-around and his fantastic play down the stretch, Feeney was instrumental in his team’s two victories.

Categories
Featured Sports

Goalie DeLorenz ’11 leading nation in saves

By Cooper Sutton

Sports Editor

 

Alyssa DeLorenz ’11 has started every game for the Bison women’s lacrosse team in goal this year, only missing seven and a half minutes of game time in the team’s 11 games. As a result of her hard work and persistence in goal, she currently leads the NCAA in saves with 139. Overall, she is sixth all-time in Bison history in saves.

Though her number of saves is very high, so too is her goals against average, standing at 15.17 goals per game. She does not refute that some bad comes with the good.

“I’ve seen a lot of shots, so I’m going to have to make a lot more saves,” she said. “I have to play differently when I’m facing more shots than I would when I face less. If I make a mistake here or there it’s a lot less noticeable. Then it also gives me chances to make saves that I shouldn’t make to make up for the other ones I let in.”

DeLorenz has been resilient in more ways than one in goal so far in her career. Beyond staying persistent after letting in shots, she also continues to play to the best of her abilities despite her team’s losing record.

“I just love lacrosse in general,” she said. “Being from Texas, there aren’t really that many opportunities to play at the collegiate level, so I’ve just been enjoying playing here.”

The high quantity of shots that DeLorenz sees stems in large part to the youth of her team, comprised of 70 percent first-years. As a senior on this team, she has, aside from taking a huge quantity of shots, had to serve as a leader for the young team. She is a co-captain for the team and someone that the young members of the team look up to.

“[DeLorenz] plays with intensity and makes everyone want to work harder,” midfielder Sophie Klienert ’14 said.

She leads by example: when she was struggling earlier this year, she actively sought to make herself better. She spent time working with a former all-American from Duke, who, DeLorenz said, significantly improved her play.

“Right before the Penn State game, she showed me some pointers and some things to work on that I had never thought of before. I’ve been really focusing on those and they have helped me improve significantly. I’m still not quite to where they’d like me to be, but I think I’m getting there,” she said.

Continuing to improve, even as a senior, DeLorenz exemplifies persistence and hard work on a team that is continuing to improve itself. It seems that she may be one of the building blocks that the young team builds on as it attempts to move forward in the future.

Categories
Sports

Women’s crew sends three boats to finals

By Thomas Walter

Contributing Writer

The women’s rowing team opened up its spring season this past weekend in Philadelphia at the Murphy Cup. The Bison faced tough competition including Delaware, Saint Joseph’s and Rutgers, managing to send three Bison boats to the finals.

The varsity eight boat won its heat with a time of 6:48. With an experienced team leading the boat, the Varsity A ended up finishing fifth in the final. In a tight race, the Bison only finished behind first-place Rutgers by 10 seconds. The strong finish by the upperclassmen set the tone for the rest of the day.

“The team overall did really well considering we were unable to practice on the Susquehanna due to flooding and lightning for a few days last week,” Ally Rivard ’14 said.

The junior varsity team also competed very well, finishing first in its heat with an impressive time of 6:49. In the finals of their meet, Saint Joseph’s edged out the Bison women for first place by a slim two seconds.

The novice team, a group of four rowers and a coxswain, also won its heat with a time of 7:52. Once again another team barely edged out the Orange and Blue for first, as Duquesne won by four seconds.

The Bison return to action this weekend in New Rochelle, N.Y. at the Orchard Beach Lagoon against Columbia.