Looking at the USM women’s hockey roster, one thing becomes clear: hockey is a geographical sport. Unlike basketball which has gained almost universal appeal, hockey’s most die-hard fans and players still reside in isolated pockets of the country. One of those pockets, Michigan, has been kind to the team.
Greil Marcus riffs on Rock ‘n Roll photography in Portland
It was 1968 and he saw something in the window of a California record store that as a fan, he was thrilled about; a copy of The Who on Tour.
Griel Marcus paid the $1.99 and rushed home to discover that that album was not a live album at all but a studio recording with a misleading title.
Peak oil and climate change for our generation
How old are you? Do you know how old your district’s City Council representative is? One clue: the youngest is 30. And why do I ask? I have to answer that question with another question: have you heard of peak oil, or permaculture?
As young people, we will live with the consequences of peak oil and climate change longer than any older generations.
University cuts Lifeline
According to Cecilia Ziko, the first time that the Lifeline Fitness Program saved her life was in 1983, one year after her first child was born.
“I needed to make a change,” she remembers. “I needed to make a life for myself.”
After reading an article about the popularity and success of Lifeline’s programs, Ziko decided to give the program a try.
Men’s hockey jostling for playoff position
The playoffs have started early this year for the men’s hockey team. With all of the playoff teams set and only seeding to be decided, Coach Jeff Beaney’s squad is trying to ascend the seeding ladder, in hopes of advancing to their first ever NCAA tournament.
Maine pulls in grant dollars for local Rock ‘n Roll
Joshua Loring, singer and guitarist for the rock group Brenda, pledges a strong allegiance to the veiled music culture of Portland-or, rather, to its unveiling. He is Portland’s adamant champion, its believer, and most recently, its spokesperson.
With a grant of $7,500 from the Maine Arts Commission, Loring, a resident artist at the Space Gallery, is creating a multi-platform audio-visual project to document the art and lives of a thriving yet largely hidden treasure trove of Portland musicians.
Committed to fear
Humanity is separated. We are separated by our “individualism”, and at the heart of individualism lies a culture and, most often, its religion.
When a society creates a particular institution, such as a religion, its community is conditioned to uphold that establishment in order to survive in the battle against other cultures and their establishments.
Police report rise in thefts
Students and faculty who bring their laptops to campus may want to be more cautious. Last week, three thefts were reported within a four-day period on the Portland campus- two of which were laptops.
These thefts are part of a trend over the last few weeks, during which USM Police have seen an increase in thefts of electronic items such as laptops and iPods.
On the clock
For those of you who like the latest in outdoor gear, but find the prices to be more cumbersome than stage five rapids, there’s new hope. A new set of websites that offer amazing deals, one at a time, appeals to the adrenaline seeking personality of outdoorsy folk.
Featured Artist
As a growing artist, Fletcher Keene takes in all that he can in hopes of portraying his truely unique and interesting artistic vision.
Keene was recently interviewed for The Free Press by Kathleen Wilber.
ajor and concentration?
Fletcher Keene: Technically I’m an English major, but I’m switching it to art as soon as I can get through my art history requirements.
Late Night with Jimmy Fail-lon
College students watch a lot of late night television. This is because college students stay up late, own TV’s, and drink Red Bull when they’re bored.
The college student is wise when awful things appear on the screen in front of them, and change the channel before the dire information can stew.
Bayside update
Alex Wallace has been living at Bayside Village, Portland’s only independent student housing complex, since its inaugural semester last fall. And while he thinks the building has calmed down since those chaotic first few months, sometimes that’s not quite enough.
Get out!
If there’s one thing that Maine has plenty of during these winter months, it’s snow. Just when you think we’re going to get away with a relatively boring (but very cold) winter, Mother Nature decides to dump another 8 inches on us overnight. The recent snowfall we saw during winter break had me itching to get outside and enjoy the snow as much as possible.
Epicurean Epics
There is something about the onset of winter and the desire for a morning bowl of oatmeal: the real deal kind, not the quick-cooking variety or the multi-flavored sugary rip-offs in little brown packets that barely serve a finicky kid. The oatmeal I thrive on is plain old rolled oats that are tossed into twice as much boiling water and left to plump up and play nicely with surrounding oats.
SMCC enrollment spikes
In recent years Southern Maine Community College’s enrollment has spiked to unprecedented levels. Showing an 8 percent increase in students, and a 13 percent swell in credit hours this Spring means that more students are taking more credits, and the growth doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
Hangin’ with Mr. Tardiff
Last week I wrote about the importance sports in communities. Never did I think my argument could be taken to an unhealthy degree, but it has been. That’s because students in the Pittsburgh area will be given an extra two hours sleep today thanks to the Super Bowl.
Brew review
After last week’s foray with stouts, my taste-buds needed a reawakening. To me that means one thing: hops – and lots of them. That’s why this week I’ve chosen an array of beers all of which are centered more on their use of hops than on their delicate use of specialty grains.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Pattenaude announces task force members
University of Maine System Chancellor Richard Pattenaude announced the members of a 12 person task force assigned to address the $42.8 million shortfall projected for the next 4 fiscal years.
The task force is part of Pattenaude’s plan to restructure the state university system, the outline of which he presented to the UMS board of trustees on January 11th.
DVD Battle: Stand-up edition
Carlin vs. Rock
The Razzies, the other side of Hollywood
The Golden Raspberry Awards, aka the Razzies, were created in 1980 with the sole purpose of balancing out the Academy Awards. However, you never want to receive or become nominated for this anti-prestigious statue. It dishonors, (or honors, depending on personal taste) the worst acting, screenwriting, songwriting, directing, and most importantly filmmaking that the industry produces every year.
The unfortunate passings of the year
This year brought cinema-goers some of the most unique and entertaining movies since, well, perhaps last year depending on who you talk to. But with this great time also came great losses to the entertainment world. A great deal of these were shocking, emotional, unexpected, and also reminded us that life is only temporary, as depressing and obvious as that sounds.
Five albums to get snowed in with
Bon Iver
For Emma, Forever Ago
After breakups with his band and girlfriend and a bout with a liver ailment, Justin Vernon sojourned in a tiny cabin in northern Wisconsin during the winter and created this minimalist masterpiece. Catharsis at its core, Vernon’s falsetto and mellow guitar strums portray the fragility of beauty with a sound too delicate for words.
University cuts Lifeline
According to Cecilia Ziko, the first time that the Lifeline Fitness Program saved her life was in 1983, one year after her first child was born.
“I needed to make a change,” she remembers. “I needed to make a life for myself.”
After reading an article about the popularity and success of Lifeline’s programs, Ziko decided to give the program a try.
Oats, blankets and humor
When most people attempt to do something new for the first time; whether it be playing an instrument, learning to surf, running a marathon, or jumping over a bar that stands anywhere from four to five and a half feet tall, they generally are not very adept at it.