8
BY ASA JAMES CARR Centurion Staff What should have been a day filled with love turned fatally tragic for the campus of Northern Illinois University, when a man armed with three guns opened fire from a lecture hall stage, killing five students and wounding several others, before committing suicide. Although police are unsure of the motive behind the Valentine’s Day shootings, it was determined that the attacker was a former NIU graduate student not currently enrolled at the school located in Dekalb, Ill. According to University Police Chief Donald Grady, the gun- men hid behind a large projec- tion screen in the campus’s Cole Hall, before he appeared armed with a shotgun and two hand- guns and began firing shots among the class of 160 students. Four women and one man were fatally shot during the attack, which left another 17 stu- dents critically injured. Surviving students inside the hall during the shooting described the incident as a “brief, rapid-fire assault,” followed shortly by a stampede of terrified students running for their lives. University police surrounded the lecture hall only to discover the gunman dead, and the bodies of four other people lying on the ground, The Associated Press reported. The 17 wounded victims were promptly transported to Kishwaukee Community Hospital in DeKalb. According to the hospital spokesperson Theresa Komitas, two of the injured students were admitted and three were dis- charged; five were being evalu- ated and six others were airlifted to other surrounding hospitals that deal with more severe injuries. One male victim died shortly after being transferred. This was the fourth shooting at a U.S. school within the past week. On Feb. 8, a woman shot two fellow students to death before killing herself at Louisiana Technical College. On Feb. 11, a 17-year-old was accused of shooting and critically wounding a fellow student during a high school gym class in Memphis, Tenn. In addition, a 15-year-old junior high school student in Oxnard, Calif., was declared brain dead after being shot. This is also the second major college shooting in the U.S. since an armed gunman claimed the lives of 32 people on the campus of Virginia Tech. Although the causalities are much lower, the shooting had a devastatingc effect on the 25,000- student campus 65 miles west of Chicago. NIU officials have already can- celled classes and are urging their students to contact their parents “as soon as possible.” This is not the first time that NIU has had to cancel its classes. The school was closed during exam week in early December after campus police learned of threats, involving racial slurs and references to the shooting earlier in the year at Virginia Tech, etched into a bathroom wall. Campus police concluded after a lengthy investigation that there was no imminent threat and classes resumed. Grady released a statement saying he believed the incident in December had no connection to this attack. As for the weapons used in the shooting, Alcohol Tobacco Firearms agents, who were on scene assisting local police after the shooting, said they will immediately trace the history on all the guns. Some TV networks labeled the shooting the new “Valentine’s Day Massacre.” T T he he C C enturion enturion The week of February 18, 2008 www.bucks-news.com Volume: 43 Issue:9 INSIDE WEATHER All the news--about Bucks--that’s fit to print. Potholes problem- atic at Bucks. PAGE 2 The political race is gaining speed. PAGE 3 New Humanities class being offered. PAGE 4 A Modern Hypocrisy: Why are you here? PAGE 7 SPORTS Bucks professor on “Pros vs. Joes” PAGE 8 Tuition hike, a yearly trend BY JAY JONES Centurion Staff A tuition increase may mean students are going to be feeling it in the pit of their wallet more than ever come fall 2008. On Feb. 14, 2008 the Bucks’ Board of Trustees unanimously voted to raise tuition $2 per credit and $3 per credit for technology support fees. Why this time? According to the board,: to deal with the rising costs of textbooks and students attending the college. This year, Bucks educates more than 9,444 students, which is almost 100 individuals over budget. For the out-of-state students, who are already are dishing out the $279 per-credit fee, the increase for per credit amount has not been discussed, however, it is almost certain to follow suit with the rise for in-state. Does hearing about another Bucks tuition hike sound famil- iar? It should; it has been been on a steady increase since at least 2000. In 2003, The Centurion report- ed tuition was increased $3 per credit and $7-$9 per credit tech- nology support fee. In 2004, the increase was $4 per credit. In 2005, it rose another $4 per cred- it and $3 per credit technology fee. And in 2006, tuition jumped another $4 per credit. And last year? Tuition increased another $1 per credit and $2 for technolo- gy fee. That’s $18 in five years per credit and $15-$17 per credit technology support fee. The tuition increase could adversely affect many students and the Financial Aid Office is preparing for the influx of fraz- zled students. By providing tax returns, pay stubs and W2 forms while com- pleting a Special Condition Form with the Financial Aid Office, students can find help to deal with the pressure that comes with paying for an education. According to the Financial Aid website, approximately 2,287 students received some form of financial aid in the 2005- 2006 aca- demic year, exceeding nearly $7.8 million in all. In the March 7, 2005 edition of the Centurion, B u c k s President Dr. James Linksz was quoted as saying that the he believes it is fairer to increase the tuition now rather than to have to suddenly cut pro- grams, staff and services later. He would rather make small adjustments each year rather than a large increase every cou- ple of years. “It makes better financial sense, and it’s better for students,” he said. And Linksz has been keeping his promise of a slow and steady tuition increase. The hike is due to a state legislature funding agreement, Act 46, that altered the way Pennsylvania’s 14 com- munity colleges receive funding; this put Bucks in major debt. Hopefully, the approximate $33 increase in five years has set- tled the debt, what with the increase in students attending Bucks. The Board of Trustees unanimously approve a ‘modest increase in tuition,’ but the expense for students has been steadily rising for years. Five dead after Valentine’s Day shooting Tuesday: A slight chance of snow showers before noon, then a slight chance of rain and snow showers between noon and 3pm, then a slight chance of rain showers after 3pm. Partly cloudy, with a high near 44. Wednesday: A chance of snow showers between 11am and 3pm, then a chance of rain and snow showers between 3pm and 4pm, then a chance of snow showers after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 36. Friday: A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Saturday: A chance of snow or rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43. WEATHER COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. PHOTO BY LAURA IRWIN NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AT A VIGIL. PHOTO COURTESY OF WWW.NIU.EDU BY SEAN ROGERS, AGE 12

The he Centurion enturion - Bucks County Community …faculty.bucks.edu/rogerst/Vol 43, Issue 9.pdfspokesperson Theresa Komitas, two of the injured students were admitted and three

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BY ASA JAMES CARRCenturion Staff

What should have been a dayfilled with love turned fatallytragic for the campus ofNorthern Illinois University,when a man armed with threeguns opened fire from a lecturehall stage, killing five studentsand wounding several others,before committing suicide.

Although police are unsure ofthe motive behind theValentine’s Day shootings, it wasdetermined that the attacker wasa former NIU graduate studentnot currently enrolled at theschool located in Dekalb, Ill.

According to University PoliceChief Donald Grady, the gun-men hid behind a large projec-tion screen in the campus’s ColeHall, before he appeared armedwith a shotgun and two hand-guns and began firing shotsamong the class of 160 students.

Four women and one manwere fatally shot during theattack, which left another 17 stu-dents critically injured.

Surviving students inside thehall during the shootingdescribed the incident as a “brief,rapid-fire assault,” followedshortly by a stampede of terrifiedstudents running for their lives.

University police surrounded

the lecture hall only to discoverthe gunman dead, and the bodiesof four other people lying on theground, The Associated Pressreported.

The 17 wounded victims werepromptly transported toKishwaukee CommunityHospital in DeKalb.

According to the hospitalspokesperson Theresa Komitas,two of the injured students wereadmitted and three were dis-charged; five were being evalu-ated and six others were airliftedto other surrounding hospitalsthat deal with more severeinjuries.

One male victim died shortlyafter being transferred.

This was the fourth shooting ata U.S. school within the pastweek.

On Feb. 8, a woman shot twofellow students to death beforekilling herself at LouisianaTechnical College. On Feb. 11, a17-year-old was accused ofshooting and critically woundinga fellow student during a highschool gym class in Memphis,Tenn. In addition, a 15-year-oldjunior high school student inOxnard, Calif., was declaredbrain dead after being shot.

This is also the second majorcollege shooting in the U.S. sincean armed gunman claimed thelives of 32 people on the campusof Virginia Tech.

Although the causalities aremuch lower, the shooting had adevastatingc effect on the 25,000-student campus 65 miles west ofChicago.

NIU officials have already can-celled classes and are urgingtheir students to contact theirparents “as soon as possible.”

This is not the first time thatNIU has had to cancel its classes.The school was closed duringexam week in early Decemberafter campus police learned ofthreats, involving racial slursand references to the shootingearlier in the year at VirginiaTech, etched into a bathroomwall.

Campus police concluded aftera lengthy investigation that therewas no imminent threat andclasses resumed.

Grady released a statementsaying he believed the incidentin December had no connectionto this attack.

As for the weapons used in theshooting, Alcohol TobaccoFirearms agents, who were onscene assisting local police afterthe shooting, said they willimmediately trace the history onall the guns.

Some TV networks labeled theshooting the new “Valentine’sDay Massacre.”

TThehe CCenturionenturionThe week of February 18, 2008 www.bucks-news.com Volume: 43 Issue:9

INSIDE

WEATHER

All the news--about Bucks--that’s fit to print.

Potholes problem-

atic at Bucks.PAGE 2

The political race

is gaining speed.PAGE 3

New Humanities

class being offered.PAGE 4

A Modern

Hypocrisy: Why

are you here?PAGE 7

SPORTS

Bucks professor on

“Pros vs. Joes”PAGE 8

Tuition hike, a yearly trend

BY JAY JONES Centurion Staff

A tuition increase may meanstudents are going to be feeling itin the pit of their wallet morethan ever come fall 2008.

On Feb. 14, 2008 the Bucks’Board of Trustees unanimouslyvoted to raise tuition $2 percredit and $3 per credit fortechnology support fees.

Why this time? According tothe board,: to deal with the risingcosts of textbooks and studentsattending the college. This year,Bucks educates more than 9,444students, which is almost 100individuals over budget.

For the out-of-state students,who are already are dishing outthe $279 per-credit fee, theincrease for per credit amounthas not been discussed, however,it is almost certain to follow suitwith the rise for in-state.

Does hearing about anotherBucks tuition hike sound famil-iar? It should; it has been been ona steady increase since at least2000.

In 2003, The Centurion report-ed tuition was increased $3 percredit and $7-$9 per credit tech-nology support fee. In 2004, theincrease was $4 per credit. In2005, it rose another $4 per cred-it and $3 per credit technologyfee. And in 2006, tuition jumpedanother $4 per credit. And lastyear? Tuition increased another$1 per credit and $2 for technolo-gy fee.

That’s $18 in five years percredit and $15-$17 per credittechnology support fee.

The tuition increase couldadversely affect many studentsand the Financial Aid Office ispreparing for the influx of fraz-zled students.

By providing tax returns, paystubs and W2 forms while com-pleting a Special Condition Formwith the Financial Aid Office,students can find help to dealwith the pressure that comeswith paying for an education.

According to the Financial Aidwebsite, approximately 2,287students received some form of

financial aidin the 2005-2006 aca-demic year,e x c e e d i n gnearly $7.8million inall.

In theMarch 7,2005 editionof theCenturion,B u c k sP r e s i d e n tDr. JamesLinksz wasquoted assaying thatthe hebelieves it isfairer toincrease thetuition nowrather thanto have to suddenly cut pro-grams, staff and services later.He would rather make smalladjustments each year ratherthan a large increase every cou-ple of years. “It makes betterfinancial sense, and it’s better forstudents,” he said.

And Linksz has been keepinghis promise of a slow and steady

tuition increase. The hike is dueto a state legislature fundingagreement, Act 46, that alteredthe way Pennsylvania’s 14 com-munity colleges receive funding;this put Bucks in major debt.

Hopefully, the approximate$33 increase in five years has set-tled the debt, what with theincrease in students attendingBucks.

The Board of Trustees unanimously approve a‘modest increase in tuition,’ but the expense forstudents has been steadily rising for years.

Five dead after Valentine’s Day shooting

Tuesday: A slight chance ofsnow showers before noon, thena slight chance of rain and snowshowers between noon and 3pm,then a slight chance of rainshowers after 3pm. Partlycloudy, with a high near 44.

Wednesday: A chance of snowshowers between 11am and 3pm,then a chance of rain and snowshowers between 3pm and 4pm,then a chance of snow showersafter 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with ahigh near 39.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, witha high near 36.

Friday: A chance of snow.Mostly cloudy, with a high near36. Chance of precipitation is30%.

Saturday: A chance of snow orrain. Mostly cloudy, with a highnear 43.

WEATHER COURTESY OF THENATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

PHOTO BY LAURA IRWIN

NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AT A VIGIL.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WWW.NIU.EDU

BY SEAN ROGERS, AGE 12

News2 Monday, February 18, 2008

Bucks County Community College’s Student Newspaper

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News, Website Mark Bennett

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Register at www.Bucks-News.com and a .PDF version of the newspaper

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Cones, spray paint warndrivers of road hazards

BY ASHLEY WUNDERCenturion Staff

Cold temperatures andexcess rain is making it diffi-cult to fix the dozens of pot-holes, forcing Bucks driversto run an unwanted gauntletaround campus roads andparking lots.

Traffic cones and whitespray paint are being used tohelp drivers avoid hitting thenumerous potholes foundthroughout the parking lots.

There are over 20 craters onLinden Lane, the main roadthat leads to the parking lotson campus, andmany

are in need ofimmediate attention.

Students worried aboutbeing on time for class orsearching for a parking spaceforget the potholes are there.

“I noticed the pothole at thelast minute; I had to veertoward the left lane to avoidit. I was afraid an oncomingcar could have hit me,” saidVanna Choi, 20, businessmajor of Langhorne.

There are two large pot-holes in the middle of studentparking lot A, with no cone orspray paint marking them.

Bucks has received manycomplaints about the pot-

holes and considers repairingthem a top priority.

Physical Plant DirectorMark Grisi is trying to gettemporary gravel patches.

H o w e v e r ,the coldw e a t h e rm a k e sr e p a i r i n gthe pot-holes byapply ingt h e s ep a t c h e sdifficult.“ W h e nit’s

w e tbeneath the surface it’s hardto make anything stick,” saidGrisi.

Potholes are created whenwater freezes underneath thepavement; the water expandsand applies pressure on theasphalt, causing cracks.

As cars drive over thecracks, pieces of gravelbecome loose and break apartforming the pothole.

The potholes were fixed lastyear, but preventing them isdifficult.

Hitting a pothole can causedamage to a vehicle’s align-ment and even flatten tires.

If the pothole is deepenough, the car can lose con-trol and veer off the road orinto oncoming traffic.

Melissa Hiller, 20, graphicarts major, has already had toshell out big bucks for hittinga Bucks pothole.

“I hit one last year; it endedup messing up my entirealignment and I had to payalmost a hundred dollars tofix it. I get nervous every timeI have to drive around thepotholes at school.”

Some people are unaffectedby them.

Bucks student Diana Costa,2 0 ,

nursingmajor from Bensalem

said, “The potholes don’tbother me; I like to countthem while I drive on LindenLane.”

No damages to vehiclesfrom potholes have beenreported to security. Stayingalert and watching for conesand spray paint that indicatepotholes are the best ways toavoid them.

Any incidents or damage tovehicles involving potholeson school grounds should bereported to the Safety andSecurity Department.

They can be reached by call-ing (215) 968-8394, or juststop by their offices located inCottage no. 4.

Changes to student log-ins cause confusionBY STEPHANIE THOLEYCenturion Staff

A new semester at Bucksusually means new books,new teachers, new classesand, recently anyway, anoth-er new log-in name and pass-word?

The spring semester hasonce again brought a change

in the Bucks computer sys-tem’s log-in scheme, causingsome students confusion andfrustration.

“It just gets confusingsometimes,” said CaitlinMcLaughlin, 18, educationmajor from Holland,“because I don’t know whichpassword to put for which[log-in].”

The information systemsteam, as well as the safetyand security department,determined that the old log-in scheme, using studentnumbers as user names, wasa security risk.

Katelyn Cipressi, 20, educa-tion major, from Newtownagreed. “It was stupidbecause everyone knew

[everyone else’s] passwords.” Students should expect

additional changes their log-ins next semester.

“We try to make really bigchanges in the fall,” saidMarilyn Puchalski ofLearning Resources.

According to Puchalski, theultimate goal is to have a sys-tem that allows students to

log-in to one web portal inorder to access everythingthey need, including e-mail,WebAdvisor and CE6.

If you are experiencingproblems with your log-in,you should contact the infor-mation systems departmentat (215) 968-8400.

3Political NewsMonday, February 18, 2008

BY SEAN MCGOVERNCenturion Staff

Mike Huckabee is trailing inthe Republican primary race,lagging behind breakawayfront-runner John McCain.

Mathematically, Huckabeehas little chance of winningenough delegates to be thenominee.

However, Huckabee hasn’tthrown in the towel yet. Nowthat Mitt Romney has steppeddown, Huckabee seems to bethe only competition McCainhas left.

The former Governor ofArkansas and ordainedSouthern Baptist Ministerentered the race Jan. 28, 2007.Since then, he has gained sup-port and primary wins in themajority of southern and mid-western states.

Huckabee has been a support-er of President Bush’s domesticand international policies; cit-ing Middle-Eastern terroristgroups as a threat to the UnitedStates’ culture and way of life,Huckabee wants to continuemilitary action in Iraq.

“I believe this is the definingbattle, not only of our time, butfor Western civilization itself,”said Huckabee.

Running on a conservativeChristian platform, Huckabee isagainst same-sex marriage andcivil unions. Calling homosex-uality “an unnatural and sinfullifestyle,” he has no plans tochange the Armed Forces’“don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

Huckabee is also pro-life andhas said that he would have to“think long and hard” aboutbecoming vice president to acandidate who takes a pro-choice platform.

Huckabee was also one of theevangelical leaders to approvethe statement “a wife is to sub-mit graciously to the servantleadership of her husband evenas the church willingly submitsto the headship of Christ.”

This controversial statementculminated in a full-page ad inUSA Today where he and 128other leaders supported thestatement. Huckabee also sup-ports plans for a 700-mile fenceat the Mexican border. On theissue of border control, he hassaid, “Policed, yes. Militarized,no.”

On the topic of immigration,he breaks some conservativepatterns. As governor ofArkansas, Huckabee supporteda bill to allow some illegalimmigrants college scholar-

ships.This adds to his image as an

“education forward” candidate.His belief in character educa-tion and the Individuals withDisabilities Education Act hasgiven him a base with teachersand parents alike.

Backing up his educationpolicies are his religious convic-tions. Huckabee has endorsedthe displaying of the TenCommandments in schools,and he supports home school-ing and the teaching of cre-ationism alongside evolution asanother view of science.

A supporter of the deathpenalty, Huckabee is alsoagainst gun control. His viewson the second amendment werehighlighted when one of hissons entered Little RockNational Airport with a gun inhis briefcase.

Huckabee is still far frombeing out of the race. Havinggained the support of actorChuck Norris, and throughappearances on ‘The DailyShow’ and ‘The ColbertReport,’ Huckabee has toutedboth his pro-education stanceand his interest in fair tax, thusresulting in a sizable youth fol-lowing.

Huckabee trailing, but not out yet

BY ALISSA ROTHCenturion Staff

The presidential campaignis the focal point of Americanpolitics.

Candidates have been fight-ing and campaigning sincethe day they announced theirdecision to run. But as thecaucuses and primaries cometo a close with only a fewremaining, the pressure is on.The primaries, which havebeen going on since earlyJanuary, are the official startto the race for the WhiteHouse. The candidates, cam-paigning against other mem-bers of the same party, must

win enough state primaries togive them a majority of dele-gates at the party convention.The party conventions areheld by each party followingthe primaries. Each statearrives at the hall with itsown delegates and bannersdeclaring which presidentialcandidate it supports.

Usually by this stage, theparties already know whohas won. This election, how-ever, is very different.

The race is so close betweendemocratic candidates BarackObama and Hillary Clintonthat the nomination is still upfor grabs and may remain sountil the convention. Kristin

Calciano, journalism majorfrom Fairless Hills, is veryexcited about the race. “Thecandidates make the raceexciting. The possibility of awoman or an AfricanAmerican to be in the WhiteHouse is incredible.”

After this point, the candi-dates are running to winparty support, but also towin the national vote. Thismeans the candidates mustrun on platforms and issuesthat appeal to more people.Policies are refined, often totake into account the support-ers of the candidates whohave been eliminated.

In the final weeks, the con-

tenders typically concentratetheir attention on the big so-called “swing states” as theybattle it out for the criticalElectoral College votes.

Electoral votes are won bythe candidate with the major-ity of the popular vote fromeach state. But, each state’selectoral vote differs. Stateswith higher populations havemore electoral votes thanthose less-populous states.There is a lot of preparationand work to get to the WhiteHouse. The 2008 election isone of epic proportions andon Nov. 4, the American peo-ple will speak. On ElectionDay, all registered voters

have an opportunity to votefor a candidate.

From the time the first voteis cast until the last poll clos-es in Hawaii, the nation willhold its breath. Whetheryou’re an Obama, Clinton,McCain or Huckabee sup-porter, it is important to getyour voice heard.

If you’re not registered tovote, there are many fast andeasy ways to register.Officials come to Bucks andwill register you. Or, go toyour local Driver’s LicenseCenter, visit www.rock-thevote.com and click “regis-ter to vote.” It’s that easy!

Election, from start to finish

MIKE HUCKABEE

PHOTO COURTESY OF WWW.MIKEHUCKABEE.COM

Huckabee can’t have ‘More Than a Feeling’By The Associated Press

(AP)_The chief songwriterand founder of the bandBoston has more than a feel-ing that he's being ripped offby Mike Huckabee.

In a letter to the Republicanpresidential hopeful, TomScholz complains thatHuckabee is using his 1970ssmash hit song "More Than aFeeling" without his permis-sion.

"Boston has never endorseda political candidate, andwith all due respect, wouldnot start by endorsing a can-didate who is the polar oppo-site of most everythingBoston stands for," wrote

Scholz, adding that he is sup-porting Democratic Sen.Barack Obama. "By using mysong, and my band's nameBoston, you have taken some-thing of mine and used it topromote ideas to which I amopposed. In other words, Ithink I've been ripped off,dude!"

Fred Bramante, who waschairman of Huckabee's NewHampshire campaign, calledthe allegations ridiculous. Hesaid he attended dozens ofHuckabee rallies in NewHampshire and other statesand never heard Huckabeeplay "More Than a Feeling,"other than when Goudreaucampaigned with him in Iowa

in October."Governor Huckabee plays

'Sweet Home Alabama.' Doesthat mean Lynyrd Skynyrd isendorsing him? He plays'Louie Louie.' Does that meanThe Kingsmen are endorsinghim? To me, it's ridiculous,"he said. "Never once has hesaid, 'The band Bostonendorses me.'

Scholz, in a telephone inter-view Friday, said "Whenevera campaign publicly exploitsa well-known song, there issome inference of support" bythe band or artist, he added.

He recommends thatHuckabee "stick to musicrecorded by far-rightRepublicans."

Centurion Publication

ScheduleThe Centurion is published weekly on

Mondays.

Deadline for advertising is noon on the

Wednesday before publication.

Publication dates are as follows:

2/212/283/6

3/274/3

4/104/17

4 Monday, February, 18 2008Student Life

Hicks Art Center plays host to ‘Disasters’BY SARA CROUSECenturion Staff

The Hicks Art Gallery isproud to present “TheDisasters of War” byFrancisco De Goya, a collec-tion of prints depicting scenesfrom the Peninsular War.

Beginning in 1808 in Spainbetween occupying FrenchTroops and Spanish guerillaforces, Spain’s royal courtpainter was sent to Saragossato document the brutal victo-ry of the Spanish and wasconfronted with faces ofdeath and famine.

Goya became the first mod-

ern, visual reporter on war-fare.

With such titles as, “Truthhas Died,” “Perhaps TheyAre of Another Breed,”“Ravages of War,” and“Bitter to be present,” one canenvision the horror present in“The Disasters of War.”

Rape, famine, death, andcreatures of the night aside,the etchings are impeccablydetailed and admirable.

“If he was alive today, hissubject matter would be moregruesome,” said CaseyLynch, film major fromLanghorne. “But his tech-

nique of stippling with smalllines is appealing to the eye.”

Goya’s collection is createdusing a type of printmakingcalled intaglio printing.Intaglio comes from theItalian word “intaliare,”which means “to cut.”

Opposite of relief printing,in intaglio the areas that holdink are below the surface ofthe printing plate. Artists usesharp tools and acid to makegrooves in metal plates andthese depressed areas belowthe surface of the plate holdthe ink. The surface of theplate is then wiped clean anda dampened paper is appliedwith pressure to the plate andthe inked grooves create theimpression.

Engraving is the oldestform of intaglio printing andwas developed in 1420. Goyaused a wedge shaped toolcalled a burin to physicallycarve into the plate. Theburin gouges clear, sharp rutsinto the plate.

Drypoint, which createslines with a slightly blurredeffect, is done using a stylusor needle to scratch the sur-face of the plate.

In the technique of etchingthe plate is covered with alayer of acid-resistant varnishcalled the “ground.” An etch-ing needle is used to scratchthrough to the metal beneath.

Next, the plate is dipped intoan acid solution which eatsaway the lines of the exposedmetal to form grooves for ink.

Goya also practicedaquatint, by first applyingparticles of acid-resistantrosin to the plate which isthen heated and the rosinmelts into the plate. Whenplaced in acid, the particles ofrosin are bit into by the acid,creating tonal effects.

When asked to comment onGoya’s etchings, Sonya Ral, ahigh school student atCentral Bucks East said, “It’shard to believe an artist in myhistory book is on exhibit atBucks. With Goya, it’s all inthe details. I really enjoy the

balance between the light,dark and negative, positiveareas.”

After failing his first twoattempts to enter art school,Goya began his art career cre-ating designs for tapestries.His dynamic handling ofpaint has inspired bothManet and Picasso.

“The Disasters of War,” aseries to support peace, wasnot published until 35 yearsafter Goya’s death in 1828.

Forty of the 82 etchings inthe series are on loan from theGeorgia Museum of Art andis available to see until March19 at the hick’s Art Center.

Class explores holy war Students use film tolearn new languages

BY MATTHEW FEDORCenturion Staff

Holy War, Holy Peace in Islam,Judaism and Christianity is now aclass at Bucks; Holy HumanitiesBatman!

“Holy War is not a concept that wasrecently invented by the Muslims, asmany people today believe, but hasbeen a human practice for thousandsof years, and is seen in the JewishBible and the Christian scriptures aswell as in Islam,” said Dr. DavidBrahinsky.

Brahinsky, 63, is teaching the newHumanities elective Holy War, HolyPeace in Islam, Judaism andChristianity starting in fall 2008.

Brahinsky was born in Greensboro,N.C. and raised in Brooklyn NewYork, marking his speech with a hintof a New York accent.

Brahinsky has been a professor atBucks for “almost 20 years” and hasbeen teaching in the Department ofSocial and Behavioral Science since1969. His office is full of books on theworld’s various religions, posters anda Buddhist statue in the corner.

When asked why he wanted toteach this course, Brahinskyanswered, “I wanted students toknow more about the three religions.”He also added that, “9/11 was thestimulus of this class.”

Brahinsky also teaches Humanities120: Survey of World Religions. “Inthat course we get to focus on Islam,Christianity and Judaism for threeweeks.”

According to the course’s introduc-tory letter, “This course focuses on the

three main monotheistic religions ofthe Western world, Islam, Judaismand Christianity. The focus is on howthe three religions dealt in the pastand continue to deal in the presentwith Holy War and Holy Peace.Students will discover that all threereligions contain elements of bothHoly War and Holy Peace in their his-tories, holy books and overall philoso-phies. Students also will come to seethat the three religions have had andcontinue to have great influence overone another in terms of these twoideas and ways of being”.

“This is a revision of an old course,but I’m thinking of it as a new courseplan on offering face-to-face coursesin the fall and online courses in thespring,” said Brahinsky. “What’s newabout the class is the focus on thetimes the three religions were at warwith each other and the times they getalong very well.”

The courses covers a range of topicsincluding the Origins of Holy War,20th Century Holy War, TheCrusades, Jihad, Zionism andSurvival of Holy War habits to thePresent.

There are also several benefits fortaking this course. It’s a transferablecredit, students learn about the pastand how it affects events in the pres-ent or as Brahinsky said, “A realunderstanding of why three monothe-istic religions fight with each otherand can also live in peace and harmo-ny.”

For more information onBrahinsky’s class visitwww.bucks.edu or contact him at(215) 968-8276.

BY SEAN MCGOVERNCenturion Staff

The Department of Language andLiterature will be showing “Volver”and “Cashé” this semester as a part ofthe Foreign Film Series.

“We try to have films our classescan attend and learn from,” saidSpanish Professor Carol Smolen. “Ithelps to expose students to nativespeakers.”

With 10 language courses to choosefrom at Bucks, the selections alwaysoffer a unique cultural experience inaddition to the academic benefits.These films represent two of thelargest subjects of enrolment in theDepartment of Language andLiterature, Spanish and French.

This year’s selections were reward-ed handsomely at both the CannesFilm Festival and the European FilmAwards.

Volver, meaning to return, starsPenelope Cruz and Lola Dueñas assisters dealing with loss and the costsof secrets in the wake of their parents’deaths, and has some heart-warmingmoments as Dueñas speaks to the lug-gage-bearing ghost of her mother.Winning at Cannes in 2006 for BestOriginal Screenplay and Best Actress,Volver is a touching and, at times,humorous look at how death isviewed in the La Mancha region ofcentral Spain.

Writer-Director Pedro Almodóver,who grew up in La Mancha, has said

the film talks about “the rich culturethat surrounds death in La Mancha …It is about the way various femalecharacters, of different generations,deal with this culture.” He wasawarded with the Best Director prizeat the 2006 Goya Awards.

Cashé, meaning hidden, staringJuliette Binoche and Daniel Auteuil, isa film in a claustrophobic vein.Family secrets are once again centerstage, as a family begins to receivevideotapes showing their home to beunder surveillance and crayon draw-ings depicting Auteuil’s character’sdark past. With a view of theAlgerian War of the 50s and 60s, andhealthy doses of paranoia and thingsleft unsaid, Cashé is a twisting ride.

Cashé won the Best Director prize atCannes in 2005, and is noted for nothaving a film score. If there is music,it comes from “natural” surround-ings, be it the radio or television, andthis heightened realism adds to thefilms seductive qualities, drawing theviewer in closer to the family’s plight.This sense of reality serves its pur-pose, becoming a haunting work ofart.

So for free food, a different view ofthe world and topics in our everydaylives, be sure to drop by the libraryauditorium on the Newtown Campuson March 31 and April 22, withrefreshments at 6:30 p.m. and theshow beginning at 7 p.m. All are wel-come to attend.

ABOVE: CON RAZON O SIN ELLA (WITH OR WITHOUT REASON)BOTTOM LEFT: Y NO HAI REMEDIO (AND THERE'S NOTHING TO BE DONE)

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14

Valentine’s Day

15 16

17 18

President’s Day

19Blues guitarist K.J.

James plays in the cafat noon.

20

Full Lunar Eclipse

21

Check out Goya’s“Disasters of War” inHicks

22

Hear “Out of Reach”play at SacredGrounds

23"Memorial Hall: A

Centennial Treasure"by Stacey Swigartat9:30 a.m.

24

“Out of Reach”plays the Trocodero

25Red Cross Blood

Drive at AscentionLutheran Church inNewtown at 2 p.m.

26

Newtown CampusTransfer Fair 4:30-7p.m.

27

“Beauty Undressed”in the auditorium atnoon.

28

Watch “LOST”

29

Leap Year

Monday, February, 18 2008 To Do 5

February Calendar of Events

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1- Shifts; 6- Consecrate; 11- Sever; 14- Negatively charged particle; 15-Lofty nest; 16- Tree used to make baseball bats; 17- Rigid; 18- Growlangrily; 19- 17th letter of the Greek alphabet; 20- Prepares for publica-tion or release; 22- Enthusiastic; 24- Pertaining to the shoulder; 28-Innate; 29- Mingling with; 30- Mum's mate; 32- Kind of cod; 33- Ages;35- Snakes; 39- Ornamental fabric; 40- Furrow; 41- Arab sailing vessel;42- Slant; 43- Shoelace tip; 45- River in central Switzerland; 46- Fool; 48-Having hands; 50- Tendentious; 53- The ___ Falcon; 54- Peaks of Peru;55- Small yeast-raised pancake; 57- Partially opened flower; 58- Lucid;60- Convocation of witches; 65- Before; 66- Way to cook; 67- Snare; 68-Roulette bet; 69- Early life; 70- Reptile;

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Entertainment6 Monday, February 18, 2008

Bucks book club

meets againBY GEORGE ROBINSONCenturion Staff

English ProfessorMichael Hennessey islooking forward to a newsemester of the college’sbook discussion group.

He brings his love ofnovels –and the writtenword – to the group.

“Most books are notwritten in such a way thatwe can isolate a singlevoice in the same way wewould in a conversation,”he began. “In a novel, or inany text, you often havemultiple varying voicesthat you can sort of dissectand discuss individually.That’s what we really tryto aim for with the group.”

Hennessy was quick tocontradict even thevaguest suggestion that heis somehow the ‘leader’ ofthe discussions. Thewords ‘democratic’ and‘consensus’ kept resurfac-ing as he explained themeetings.

The former head ofBucks’ Language andLiterature Department,Dr. Annette Conn, found-ed the book discussiongroup in 1988. It has beengoing strong for 20 years,and is held at 7:30 p.m.once a month on

Thursdays. The group varies

between about 20 and 25members, who meet togive their interpretationsof selected books.

The main agenda of eachmeeting is a book, whichthe members decideamongst themselves toread.

According to Hennessy,the book club takes abouta month to digest thematerial and then they gettogether and consider the“different perspectives onthe work.”

Characters, their per-spectives and differentwriting techniques are allcommon topics.

Novels being discussedover the course of thissemester include “Run” byAnn Patchett and“Thirteen Moons” byCharles Frazier.

The group has alreadymet twice this semester,but newcomers are alwayswelcome.

Remaining meetings willbe held on the followingdates: March 13, April 10,May 8 and June 12. If youare interested in attending,contact MichaelHennessey at (215) 968-8164.

BY JAY JONESCenturion Staff

It’s Friday night and outside thelibrary auditorium a modest crowdhas started to gather, all movinginside to take their seats before theshow begins.

Bucks hosted a night of poetry, aprogram presented by the BucksCultural Programming Committee.This event kicked-off Black HistoryMonth on campus with readings byfamous poets Gerald Stern and RossGay.

The lights dimmed and the crowdhushed as they entered the crisp, hal-lowed halls of the auditorium.

“This feels like a homecoming tome,” remarked Gay. “I used to skate-board here and get chased by whatwe liked to call the rent-a-cops.”

The audience erupted in laughter asthe atmosphere instantly becomeslight—even the most serious facecracks a smile.

Gay is a graduate of NeshaminyHigh School and author of “AgainstWhich,” a book of dark-humored andmorbid poetry. For a happy youngman with a bright green shirt and abig smile, his poems are gritty anddark.

“Taught you cursing…need to mur-der…hands strong for strangling orpraying,” are piquant lines fromGay’s poetry.

Dark and highly original words, butas a skilled speaker Gay knows whento pause and when to yell; he can

keep an entire audience mesmerizedwith the level of description he uses.

In the third row one patron couldonly remark ‘whoa’ before breakingout in applause.

“His is a poetry that slams the atten-tion of the reader with considerableforce wrought with linguistic elo-quence,” according to a book reviewfrom the Midwest Review.

The audience chatted ideally amongthemselves as they wait for the nextreader to come up on stage, dis-cussing the daily hub-bub aroundcampus, laughing at inside jokes andwondering how the next writer willlive up to Gay.

One lady giggled, as she talked withher friends. “Thank you for bringingme!” she whispered to her three girl-friends beside her. All of them gosilent as the next man assumes thepodium.

Stern, on the other hand, is an oldergentleman wearing a golfer’s cap anda professors jacket that every teacheron this campus over 50 seems to loveto sport. He does not disappoint withhis reading; Stern kept the high thatGay began.

“My wife is in the audience so I’lltry to keep it cleaner,” Stern said toheartfelt chuckles from the audience.

Stern, who has written 14 books, hasbeen on many campuses as a profes-sor, not a poet.

From the University of Pittsburgh toColumbia, the 83-year-old native ofPittsburgh has led an amazing life,winning awards for his books, such as

“Everything Is Burning,”“American Sonnets,” “LastBlue: Poems,” “This TimeNew and Selected Poems,”which won the NationalBook Award, “Odd Mercy”and “Bread Without Sugar,”winner of the PatersonPoetry Prize.

Recently, in 2006, Sternwas named Chancellor ofthe Academy of AmericanPoets.

Gay, a native ofLanghorne, has poems thathave appeared in“American Poetry Review,”“Atlanta Review,”“Harvard Review,” and“Columbia: A Journal ofPoetry and Art.”

“Quit a resume,”remarked Professor JimFreeman as he introducedthe two men. “I’ve been try-ing to crack that one for 15years.”

The program, put togetherby Freeman and Ross Mann,is just another way Bucks issupporting cultural heritageon campus.

The next event, forWomen’s History Month, isFriday, March 7 in theOrangery with a reading byMaria Mozeti and LindsayHaywood. Visitwww.bucks.edu for moreinformation.

Dark, funny poetry wows Bucks students

BY JIM WEBER Centurion Staff

John Cassidy makes a livingblowing things up.

On Nov. 14 2007, Cassidy set arecord on the Bucks campus forinflating up 747 balloons in onehour.

He is a man of many talents:magician, comedian, entertainerand, of course, balloon artist.

“Hi! My name is JohnCassidy. I do weird things withballoons,” is the speedy andbrief introduction he gave him-self during a recorded perform-ance at an MDA telethon lastyear.

His hands then became a bluras he produced a balloon fromhis pocket, inflated it and beganto contort into the shape of adog in a matter of seconds.Cassidy holds the record for thefastest balloon sculpture aswell; creating latex creatures at6.4 seconds.

To Cassidy, however, his deeprouted passion for the art ofinflation is no laughing matter.The entertainer lost both of hisparents to lung cancer and nowuses the medium of balloon artto teach others about “ThePower of Lungs.”

The PaSwat, PennsylvaniaStudents Working AgainstTobacco, sponsored event wasset to also coincide with anotherwell-known national event, TheGreat American Smoke Out.

Cassidy’s unique blend ofcomedy, magic and art has

gained him quitea bit of publicity.

He hasappeared on“Live with Regisand Kelly,” andhas performed asan opening actfor the stand upcomedian TheA m a z i n gJonathan, andhas even per-formed at TheWhite House.

Since 1999, hehas been in aconstant rivalrywith SalvatoreS a b b a t i n o ,another balloontwister, for theworld record. The two are in aconstant state of rivalry.

But, don’t make the mistake ofthinking it is all fun and gameswith Cassidy. He puts on agreat show, but like any otherprofessional entertainer hetakes his job very seriously.

“Most of the balloon sculp-tures I create are my owndesigns,” said Cassidy. And likea good magician, he’ll neverreveal his secrets.

Cassidy said that he has putlots of time and energy into cre-ating his magic tricks and sculp-tures and has even had themcopywrited.

After seeing some of his moreelaborate designs, like a replicaof a Formula 1 racecar largeenough to fit a small child; it is

an easy claim to believe othersare after his secrets.

Cassidy will always take timeout of his busy schedule, whichis already booked months inadvance, so he can to talk aboutthe dangers of tobacco use.

He hopes he can make animpact in anyone’s life, and ismore than happy to break a fewrecords along the way.

Cassidy hopes that throughrelating his own personal expe-rience and by demonstratingwhat the lungs are capable of,he may be able to make thatmessage even clearer.

If he can make a few peoplelaugh along the way, even bet-ter. To find out more about JohnCassidy visit his website atwww.johncassidy.com.

POET GERALD STERN.

‘Balloon freak’ breaks record

POET ROSS GAY

7Op/EdMonday, February 18, 2008

A Modern Hypocrisy

A weekly column by Laura Irwin, Centurion Editor-in-ChiefThe start of a new semester

is an absolute headache forme.

Not because I don’t likebeing in school, it’s quite thecontrary. I am an academicnerd through and through.It’s those students that wasteme and my professor’s timethat pushes my buttons.

What are you doing hereanyway?

You are taking up a perfect-ly good parking space tocome to Bucks and not doyour homework. You are fill-ing a perfectly good seat tolisten to your iPod during lec-tures.

This is college; you don’thave to be here if you don’twant to be. Go and get a joband do something construc-tive with your time and yourparent’s money, than dis-hearten my learning experi-ence.

I want to be here, I paygood money to be here andthose students that walk intoa 50-minute class 20-minuteslate are a waste of space.

Those students that don’tpay attention then askalready answered questionsare wasting my time andmoney, not to mention theother students that actuallycare about their grades.

You want to put downBucks? Aren’t you the onethat drops out of a classbecause your grades are inthe toilet from not showingup or not doing any work?

Oh right, you have to work,and life is so tough.

Not to put you all to shame,by my 4.0 GPA is achievedwhile supporting myself by

working seven jobs. Yes, Isaid seven.

So, it’s just a little ridiculousto me that you dropped aclass because you are onlyallowed one unexcusedabsence before your grade isaffected. Are you for real?

You think this is a joke, per-haps, that your parents wantyou to go to school and youhave no choice. Well, I was 18once, and I know my parentswould have loved to hear mesay I don’t know what I’mdoing with my life right now,so save your dollars and I’mgoing to go get a job until Ifigure my life out.

That’s right, I was 18 andclueless, I was 20 and cluelessand I was 22 and clueless.

No one ever said you needto know what you want to dowith the rest of your life at theculmination to your highschool years, but grow upalready.

If you’re here, write yourpaper.

If you’re here, go to class.If you’re here, move toward

something, anything, andstop making my professorspull their hair out.

They talk about you. Theyhem and haw over how theywish you would shut up inclass, stop texting and grow abrain. You’re not kiddinganyone. They know you weresleeping, hanging out withfriends or, most absurdly,were on campus, but just did-n’t go to class.

So here are my 25-years ofwisdom culminated specifi-cally for the Bucks slacker:Keep moving forward and dosomething constructive.

A Piece of my MindA weekly column by Centurion Editor Mark Bennett

The beginning of a newsemester is usually met bymixed feelings from most stu-dents at Bucks.

You’re happy because youget to see all those people thatyou don’t feel like keeping incontact with during thebreak. You’re sad becauseyou know that some of yourclasses are going to be a seri-ous headache. And you’reworried that the major youhave selected might not bethe thing you would like todo for the rest of your life.And just about all of us areworried about that, I’m noexception.

I hear about it all the time.People change their majorhalf a dozen times before thesemester is over, or they picksomething that someone elsewould like them to pursueeven though they know thatthey don’t really have aninterest in the subject. It’skind of sad, but I can’t talkdown on those that areunsure about where theirfuture might take them,because it’s scary, it honestlyis.

We hit 18 and all of a sud-den we’re supposed to knowwhat we want our careers tobe; we’re still kids! We don’tknow what we want, most ofus haven’t even hit that matu-rity level yet where we realizethat we need to start takingactions now to secure ourplace in the future.

The college supposedly hasa solution for this. It’s calledliberal arts, which translatesinto a…well, pretty muchnothing but a degree.

What this does is allow youto take all of the basic classesthat everyone must take tograduate first, which givesyou a year or so to figure outwhat you really want yourmajor to be.

I have a bunch of friendsthat choose a liberal artsmajor when they first gothere. And what happenedwhen it came time to pick amajor? Yeah… they droppedout. When I hang out withthem they sit there and say,“Dude, you’re so lucky youknow what you want to dofor the rest of your life.”

Do I now. Do I really?When I first came to Bucks

with my high school on atour, do you think I knew Iwanted to be a journalist? AsI sit here writing this do youthink I know if I want to be ajournalist? Truth be told Idon’t know if I want to dothis for the rest of my naturalborn life; I’m just as unsureand scared as the rest of thestudent body. As a matter offact, I’m more scared thenmost of you because I justpicked something and wentalong for the ride and so farit’s been working out OK forme.

The sad thing is that thispressure makes a lot of peo-ple crack, they end up drop-ping out and wasting theirtime and money and end upwith no education or direc-tion. To say it’s sad that somany people won’t reachtheir potential is a lie; veryfew people reach their fullpotential. But it is sad that thesystem discourages so many

people from doing what theydesire because they don’toffer that major; or their advi-sor doesn’t recommend tak-ing a class they’re genuinelyinterested in because it does-n’t count towards the majorthey’ve been forced into.

Do something you love, it’sa lot easier said than done.

The best advice I’ve evergotten on career choosingwas from my friends’ dad. Iforget where he works but Iasked him if he knew hewould be doing that for therest of his life because he hadbeen working there for morethan 20 years. He laughed atthe question and said, “I hadno idea I would be doing this,but it’s good money, not thathard to do and I don’t minddoing it.” And that’s the pieceof advice I’m leaving all ofyou with. If you can’t findsomething you love, don’tsweat it, just try and findsomething you’re good at.I’m good at writing and Idon’t mind doing it, so Ipicked something that wouldlet me write on a regularbasis, if only the decent paywas there too.

When you’re considering afuture career, try and picksomething you don’t minddoing and that you’re goodat. If you’re naturally good atwhat you do it will makethings easier for you and youprobably won’t mind doing itbecause you’re already goodat it. So, you shouldn’t minddoing it and if you’re goodenough the pay will be goodtoo.

Random Photo of the Week

BY KRISTIN CALCIANO

Monday, February 18, 2008

BY PHIL COLESCenturion Staff

Arturo “Thunder” Gatti is ahousehold name in boxing cir-cles. Professor Mark Bohling is ahousehold name if you’re aBucks physical education stu-dent.

Gatti has a career boxingrecord of 39-7, with 30 wins com-ing by knockout. As far as weknow, Bohling’s professionalboxing record is 0-0.

Gatti has fought the likes ofOscar De La Hoya, FloydMayweather Jr. and MickeyWard. Bohling has sparred withhis brothers on a few occasions.

Thus one of the greatest mis-matches in boxing history is set:In one corner we have Gatti, oneof boxing’s most celebratedbrawlers of all-time, and in theother corner, Bohling, the headcoach for Bucks baseball andwomen’s volleyball.

“Pro’s vs. Joe’s” is a televisionshow that airs on Spike TV. Inthe show, regular guys, “Joes,”compete against world famousathletes who, at one time oranother, were at the top of theirrespective games. On pastepisodes, Joes had a chance tocover NFL great Jerry Rice one-on-one, try and tackle former prorunning back Bo Jackson, andreturn a Robbie Ginepri fore-hand tennis shot. It’s a chancefor amateur athletes to see howthey stack up against the profes-sionals, and often times, theresults can be hilarious.

Not just anybody gets toappear on “Pro’s vs. Joe’s.”

Being a fan of the show, Bohlingchecked on-line for the closesttry-out date. He applied to be onthe show, was called back andasked to head to New Jersey for atry-out. At the try-out, therewere 150 Joes attempting to beon the show. Three days later,Bohling received a phone callthat he was selected and wouldneed to head to RFK stadium inWashington D.C. for the taping.

Prior to the taping of the show,Bohling and the other contest-ants got to have lunch with thePros; they included Gatti, andformer New York Knicks for-ward Charles Oakley and formerMiami Dolphin running backRicky Williams. “Off-camerathose guys were super cool,”said Bohling.

Then, reality sank in forProfessor Bohling.

“Once I got in the ring withhim, I realized that this was forreal,” said Bohling. “Gattiseemed larger than life, the guy

was coming at me full-throttle.”Not a very tall man in stature,

Gatti’s presence is much biggerin the ring. “Meeting him in per-son he did not look that impos-ing, but once we got into thering, I couldn’t believe how widehe looked. He was huge!”

The fight did not last that long,1 minute 33 seconds to be exact,and can be viewed onSpikeTV.com. Gatti knockedBohling down twice in the firstround, with the second timebeing the finishing blow.

“I’ve never been hit that hardin my life,” said an awestruckBohling. “I’ve worked construc-tion and have been hit by two-by-four’s and that didn’t evencompare to the punches Gattithrew.”

After the first knockdown,Bohling courageously got back tohis feet. The second knockdown,however, left him down for thecount. He struggled on his kneesfor a while and didn’t make itback up. Bohling had just expe-rienced something only 30 otherpeople in the world have everfelt; he got knocked out by Gatti.

“After the fight I had thatglazed look in my eyes,” recalledBohling. “I think I got a mildconcussion because when Iwatched the show later on, Icommented to my wife that therewere parts of the fight I didn’tremember.”

It’s not like Bohling isn’t athlet-ic. The man played baseballuntil he was 23, trying to get ashot in the minor leagues. Afterthat didn’t work out, he switched

his attention to volleyball. Heplayed competitively in the AirForce, earning military MVPhonors and being selected toplay on an Armed Forces squadthat played in Europe. He staysin shape during the year bydoing the training exercises hedid in the Air Force, a mix ofpull-ups, sit-ups and lots of run-ning, among other things.Bohling is an accomplished ath-lete, no question, but even hecould not stack up to the likes ofGatti.

Gatti lives in Atlantic Citywhere he is somewhat of a culthero, known for his brutal fight-ing style that has endeared himto east coast boxing fans. Hislegendary trilogy of fights withMickey Ward were some of thehardest fought bouts in history,and he has been included in box-

ing’s “fight of the year” threetimes.

In one bout against Ward,Gatti broke his hand in thefourth round yet continued tofight, eventually winning.Considering all of this, it tookamazing courage for Bohling toenter into the ring with such anaccomplished fighter.

Bohling had nothing but goodthings to say about the experi-ence, despite the pounding hetook.

“It was a once in a lifetimeexperience. People say, ‘Ohyou’re nuts,’ but I tell my stu-dents to try out [for the show],you’ll never regret it. It was myfive minutes of fame.”

PROFESSOR MARK BOHLING AFTER HIS FIGHT WITH ARTURO “THUNDER” GATTI.

Professor takes on a ‘Pro’

BY TOM ROWANCenturion Staff

As the rest of Philadelphiaslept in the wee hours of a wetand ominous Thursday morning,a congregation gathered in anempty parking lot on the cornerof Pattison and Lawrence.

Entering the lot of tractor trail-ers and abandoned shippingdocks, women were dancing ontop of cars, fading chants of “E-A-G-L-E-S” could be heard andsmall bonfires dotted the scene.

Sports Radio 610 WIP, the ven-erable radio station inPhiladelphia, has hosted theannual Wing Bowl for the past 16years. The event is a cornerstonein the calendar of every blue-col-lar man who lives for toughsports, cheap beer and scantilyclad women. This tradition hasgrown from a hotel publicitystunt into a nationally recog-nized platform for the fastestconsumer of chicken wings andthe woman who does the mostwith less.

Matt Schneider fromPhiladelphia, a Holy FamilyUniversity student, describedWing Bowl in one word:

“Chaos.” This reference, however, is not

to the competitors who gorgethemselves on hot sauce andbeer at 6 a.m. Schneider is refer-ring to the mob scenes thatbecome South Philadelphiabefore 1 a.m.

Within a matter of hours, thelots become the target of everypolice officer and firefighter thisside of the Delaware respondingto the frantic phone calls of inno-cent bystanders viewing the tail-gaters jumping through fires andusing everything but the kitchensink to compete with the rivalblaze 10-feet away.

“We were the little fire thatcould,” said John Peterson, anintoxicated web designer fromthe Somerton section ofPhiladelphia. He was speakingof the tiny fire he helped con-struct of cardboard, textbooksand notebooks, pallets, a woodendoor, a lawn chair and brush.

Viewing these events in realtime could only be entertainingwhile intoxicated. Why elsewould so many watch somethingso barbaric and actually enjoythemselves? What pleasurecould be derived from a parking

lot with more violence than astate penitentiary?

Kevin Robinson, a Bucks stu-dent and criminal justice major,finds Wing Bowl highly enter-taining. Robinson sees this eventas the culmination of his wintermonths, driving his friends toand from the parking lots andwatching the ridiculous actionsof grown men acting like adoles-cents.

With these acts of vandalismcorrupting the streets of Phillyjust before the actual day begins,serious concerns about the futureof Wing Bowl have surfaced.There are those who see thisevent as a time to be with friendsand enjoy the pandemonium thatWing Bowl has brought to theWachovia Center. But the major-ity seems to side with the nega-tives rather than the positives.When asked why the Wing Bowlfans have gotten bad raps inrecent years, Philadelphia WaterIce factory employee NickFerrara said, “Stupid peoplethrowing bottles at cars.”

Leave it to the Philadelphiafans to come up with a reason sosimple, yet so stupid.

Wing Bowl, destruction a norm

CC enturionenturion SSportsports

I think I got a mildconcussion becausewhen I watched the

show later on, I commented to my

wife that there wereparts of the fight Ididn’t remember.

“Visit

http://www.spike.com and search ‘Arturo Gotti Beat-down’ to see Bohling’s fight!

Helms fails PhilliesBy The Associated Press

(AP) _Given the chance to bean everyday player, Wes Helmsstruggled so much his first sea-son in Philadelphia that he prob-ably won't stick around foranother.

Until the Phillies find a newhome for their former startingthird baseman, though, Helmssays he won't sulk or demand atrade.

"I'm out there to do what I cando," Helms said Monday. "If itcomes down to being on theteam and being the backup or ifit means going to another team,that's what I'll do."

Helms' future with the Philliesbecame uncertain after the teamsigned third baseman PedroFeliz.

The Phillies pursued WorldSeries MVP Mike Lowell early inthe offseason, but he re-signedwith Boston. So, they went afterFeliz instead of sticking with aplatoon of Helms and GregDobbs.

"They called me. They werereal professional about it," Helmssaid. "They told me they weregoing to sign him and that it

would affect my playing time,but they wanted me to be a partof the team unless somethingcame down that they can moveme."

Helms got a two-year, $5.45million contract from the Philliesafter he hit .329 in 240 at-batswith Florida in 2006. But heslumped early in Philly, lost hisstarting spot and finished with a.246 average, five homers and 39RBIs in 112 games.

Helms had a long homerlessdrought to start the season,going 151 at-bats until he finallyconnected in the 66th game."When I didn't hit the home runright away, I started to hearabout it," Helms said. "I startedtrying to hit it and that messedup my whole season. I got longwith my swing and I have toshorten it. I've always had ashort, compact swing. I've got toget back to that."

If Helms finds his stroke,there's a good chance it will bewith a new team. The Phillieshave Dobbs and Eric Bruntlett asinsurance behind Feliz, makingHelms an expensive pinch-hitter.