Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The Griffin, Vol. 1.4 December-January 2010-2011
The Griffin, Vol. 1.4 December-January 2010-2011
Fitness Center to
Open August 2012
Kelly MCkay build a fitness center where the
‘12 “old gym” currently is. It is a
_________ 5,000-square-foot space with
On Nov. 15, College Presi- relatively high ceilings. The
dent Sister Carol Jean Vale, gym is located in the basement
Ph.D., held a quick presenta- of Fournier near the indoor
tion for an enthusiastic audi- pool, and is rarely utilized. It
Erin Barnes ‘14 holds up one of the many snowflakes crafted by the freshman class ence of primarily student-ath- has continued to deteriorate as
letes on the proposed fitness years pass.
for the Dining Hall. The themes were, in reverse order: Fifth Avenue Christmas, A
center renovations. She dis- The “old gym” will be con-
Classic Christmas, Gingerbread and Dr. Seuss/Whoville. Photo by Kirk Martyn ‘14.
cussed that after meeting with verted into a two-story facility
For the generation of tweeting, Beiber Fever and “Skyping,” crafting a holiday wish
Good and Evil: A Review
list is an art form. The perfect list blends practicality and retail knowledge, lending
thought to what essentials will carry you into the new year. We’ve compiled a list of ELIZABETH CAMPBELL
bare essentials that will surely please every table in the Fournier Dining Hall. ‘12
For pop-country crooner Taylor Swift lovers, her new album is now available and
can be added to your list. On October 25 Swift came out with her fifth album, Speak An accent speaks for itself. An accent denotes the temperament of the speaker,
Now, featuring fourteen new made-for-radio singles including “Mine” and “Sparks where they are from, their personality, their demeanor—if you think about it, an ac-
Fly.” Before we risk any “Kanye moments,” we’ll swiftly move to the next item... cent says it all. To many Northerners, the South is a land of bizarre accents.
Apple has released yet another iPod Touch, the umpteenth product in their lineup What they fail to realize is that an accent is a reflection of a culture. In this case,
that competes directly with iPhone. The new Touch is the “thinnest and lightest iPod it is called a “Southern Drawl” for a reason. A true Southerner will not talk quickly,
ever made” at 7.2mm wide. (For the record, it’s thinner than a candy cane.) Users may and they will never have a short supply of words.
now FaceTime their friends over a retina display at the supersonic speed of an A4 pro- Northerners have never been quite sure what to think about people from the
cessor while recording (and editing) HD video. The iPod Touch starts off at $229 for South. This is what makes the concept of a New Yorker, John Berendt, moving to
8GB, $299 for 32 GB, and $399 for 64 GB. In case we’ve forgotten, Apple has branded Savannah Georgia, such an interesting event. Naturally he would want to write about
iOS4 with the tagline, “The Most Advanced Mobile Operating System in the World.” the strange new world he encountered.
The practical and Arctic-friendly Australia-born “Classic Tall” UGG boots are the Georgia, Savannah in particular, is rich in history and tradition. Savannah is a city
go-to gift for the chic and the chilly. The boots, which began their career as a winter sta- based on an individual group temperament, an unbreakable community, which can-
ple for Australians, trickled from the feet of fashionastas to department store shelves. not be found anywhere else in the world. Berendt captures the spirit of a city, no easy
They come in a pull-on style, which is available in six different colors: black, grey, navy,
task; especially for a city like Savannah which thrives on a certain eccentricity and an
sand, chestnut, and chocolate. The boots’ Eva sole adds extra support for slipper-like
eclectic vibe that makes it that much harder to replicate. However, Berendt is success-
comfort. UGG boots are only available in whole sizes and are priced at a cool $179.95.
ful in this daunting task. The essence of Savannah is portrayed through the eyes of
If you’re in the market for a thinner, faster, and more portable laptop to replace a
an outsider, making it all the more poignant.
decrepit Dell, Apple has released a new MacBook Air available in either an 11” or a 13”
This compilation of vignettes details the real lives of a selection of the memo-
model. Apple CEO Steve Jobs has sung its praises in his signature black turtleneck, but
rable residents of the river side city. A sassy and sweet talking drag queen, a proud
we can’t argue: it’s equipped with an iSight camera, surprisingly crisp resolution, and
and affluent man at the center of a murder investigation, a lawyer turned shyster
has a multi-touch track pad that mimics the iOS touch experience. This 0.19” laptop
piano player, and a woman who practices Voo Doo in the cemetery at midnight are
has up to five hours of power on the 11” model and 7 hours on the 13” model. Save
yourself an anxiety-inducing trek to an Apple retail store and order the new Air on just a few of the of the fantastic and hilariously true characters of this (surprisingly)
Apple’s website. non-fiction bestseller.
For Call of Duty video game fanatics, the newest game in the series, Black Ops, is The personality of each character shines through Berendt’s writing so much that
now in stores. Missions are set around the world with plausible deniablity, where forces each of them becomes a physical presence. They become tangible figures; standing
fight in secret wars set during the Cold War era. Series devotees may appreciate its new with their Mint Juleps while finding relief from the hot summer sun under the sway-
features, including CoD points to purchase new equipment; new wager matches; and ing Spanish Moss that engulfs every tree—mouths and minds at the ready to discuss
a new theater mode. Call of Duty: Black Ops is available for PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, the latest gossip in their sweet, deep-South way, bless their hearts.
and DS. The game retails at $59.99. This book outlines the real lives of real people, the citizens of Savannah Georgia
This holiday season, ask for the youth lifestyle market’s watch du jour, a Nixon, in the 1980’s. It is that aspect that is the clincher for the story. Fiction is easy, captur-
available in both analog and digital styles. Depending on the display you choose, the ing the essence of reality is hard; and Berendt did that masterfully. He captured the
band material ranges from canvas to leather and comes in an array of colors. View the accent of the place, the time, and the people, and filtered it into a book that you will
collection at www.nixonnow.com. not be able to put down.
Opinion
6 The Griffin
Subjective Scrutiny
HP7:P1 For Readers Only? vious movies. Director David part of the movie, but they
Aizaz Gill Yates and writer Steve Kloves happened to be as jumbled and
‘14 fail miserably in providing any confusing as the actual plot of
________ semblance of a decent nar- the film. Simply put, the regu-
SPOILER ALERT rative structure to the movie. lar audience is not familiar with
Chestnut Hill College was Moreover, the duo ends up background characters (from
gracious enough to provide violating the cardinal rule of the books) such as Grindelwald,
the winners of Potter Trivia film-making, which is “show Olivander or Gregororvitch.
Night with free tickets to a pre- rather than tell.” The best ex- Consequently, there is no con-
screening of Harry Potter and ample of their contravention, nection or understanding, for
the Deathly Hallows Part I. As in both instances, is the role of the audience to make when we
a fan of the series, I was ecstatic the Elder Wand throughout the see Voldemort interrogating the
about getting an early look at a movie. The ending shot of the wand makers [Ollivander and
film that was widely anticipated film displays a triumphant Lord Gregorovitch] or when Grin-
across the nation. Upon leaving Voldemort raising his prize to delwald finally discloses the lo-
the movie theater, the bus full the heavens and basking in the cation of the prize that Volde-
of Potter enthusiasts was abuzz power that it offers him. Fans mort was chasing after. In
with how the penultimate Pot- of the book understand the order to increase the impact of
ter film was an absolute mas- magnitude of the scene be- their chosen ending, the direc-
terpiece. Surrounded by Potter- cause they are already familiar tor and writer needed to flesh
mania, I agreed with the general with the background. On the out those scenes. For those who
sentiments and comments re- other hand, the movie audience argue time constraints, one can
Travis Wolfe ‘12 lating to one of the film’s final is never really shown why the easily debate the necessity of
scenes being absolutely heart-
Video Game Regulation breaking. Nevertheless, the film
enthusiast inside of me (having
Elder Wand is so significant for
Voldemort to possess; they are
the time devoted to the camp-
ing scenes. The characterization
Kyle Bachmann products. Typically, any video simply told through a strange for Harry, Ron, and Hermione
game that involves minimal vio- taken a screenwriting course at animation. Instead of coming had already been set up dur-
‘11 the Philadelphia University of
___________ lence will be rated “T” for teen up with a creative way of dem- ing the first forty or so minutes
the Arts) kept on asking the onstrating to the audience why of the movie. The time from
Violent video games may be or “E10+” for everyone 10
question of what if I hadn’t the chosen ending is significant, the camping scenes, which ap-
all the rage, but many parents years-old and older. read the book beforehand.
refuse to purchase or allow their With these restrictions in Yates and Kloves rely on expo- peared to go on entirely too
After another viewing, I sition as much as James Cam- long, could have been devoted
children to play them. In many place for certain ages, retailers realized the answer is that the
video games, the player can kill, eron relied on visual spectacle to fixing the film’s narrative is-
support the rating system by de- movie would have made abso-
dismember, and sexually assault when it came to Avatar. sues and actually making the
manding an I.D. to be presented lutely no sense. The fact of the Fans will cite the fact that film’s ending matter. Left in its
opponents. The video game in- for certain purchases. It seems matter is Harry Potter and the
dustry rates the game, which Yates and Kloves did include place is a movie that had the
to be a stretch to make sure that Deathly Hallows Part I is utterly the “visions” as Voldemort’s potential to be something spe-
stores use to decide whether to inaccessible if you haven’t read
all of the U.S. retailers are work- pursued the powerful item. It’s cial but just couldn’t resolve its
sell a particular game to a minor the books or watched the pre-
with or without parental consent. ing to help ensure that children true that those scenes were a issues.
Earlier this year, a California are not exposed to violent video
law that regulates sales and rent- games by enforcing these restric-
als of video games to minors was
reviewed by the Supreme Court.
tions. Through my own experi-
ence, a video game store did not
Decorations After the enchanting rotun-
da experience, I made my way
like rats by the senior team of
decorators. After cautiously ex-
Coninued from 1 to the cafeteria. There I found plaining that we only needed
Parents determined whether allow the sale of a violent video tables of first-year students decorations, we were granted
graceful intention: if the stu-
their children should play violent game to an adult with a child working diligently to decorate the right of passage as long as
dents were not scattered across
video games or not; the parental present. This store did not want the dining hall. Some were we temporarily blinded our-
the floor filling tiny ornaments
controls, ratings awareness and to risk the adult handing the in- stringing lights and streamers selves from the seniors’ opera-
with ribbon, they were by the
retailers’ support all provide so- from one end of the cafeteria tion.
appropriate game to the child. entrance adorning the molding
lutions to prevent children from to the other. The theme of the The night eventually drew
There are parental controls with delicate poinsettias.
playing violent video games. decoration extracted scenery to an end as all of the anger,
on most video game systems to Junior class president Alyssa
The myth that video games from Dr. Seuss’ “The Grinch” frustration, secrecy, and care-
help ensure “family-appropriate” Miller and vice president Anna
cause violent behavior in chil- and several other animated ful contemplation laid to rest, if
gaming. This enables parents to St. Hilaire both agreed that dec-
dren is undermined by scientific schemes. The only thing that only until next year. Christmas
block video games they do not orating the rotunda has, by far,
research. If this were the case, seemed to be out of place was Decorating Night is a beloved
want their children playing. In been the greatest experience.
violent video games would not the worried look on freshman tradition for the College’s un-
“We have been very anxious to
be available for purchase at all. order to play a violent game, you class president Stephen Wolf- dergraduates and is a continued
decorate the rotunda since our
These games have been accused would need to be on the parent’s ert‘s face. He explained that he way of encouraging the dedica-
first year here. Alyssa and I feel
of influencing children to inflict account and know their pass- couldn’t find the large figure of tion and perseverance of stu-
incredibly privileged to be put-
pain on their opponents and win word. With this technology in the Grinch that was necessary dents involved.
ting all of this together for a
at any cost. The video game rat- place, parents are given more op- to complete their masterpiece.
wedding next week,” St. Hilaire Make your opinion heard by
ing system is similar to the movie Wolfert and I decided to make
portunities than before to watch said. submitting letters to the editor
rating system and helps inform our way to the “decoration
what their children are playing. It seemed the only conflicts or contributions to The Griffin.
parents what games their chil- closet” near the old gym.
As the production of video the juniors faced, with the ex- Submissions are subject to
dren should not be playing. Most students know that the
and computer games increase, ception of creative limitation editing for style, clarity and
The Federal Trade Commis- only feasible way to arrive at the
the protection in these games is due to wedding details, was the space concerns.
sion rates the games appropri- old gym is to take the steps in
decreasing. Even though video lack of elevated support. While Submissions represent the
ately based on the gameplay and Fournier across from the se-
games are all around us, no child one staff member requested opinions of the author(s) and
material. Avoid mature-rated curity desk. As frantic as we
that he be given a ladder, Travis do not necessarily represent
products for children which should be exposed to violent were, we stepped into the main
Wolfe ‘12 stated that “as one of The Griffin’s position.
are clearly and prominently dis- gaming due to graphic nature. entrance to Fournier without
the tallest people in the class, I Please send all letters or ar-
playing rating information and Parents have the right to monitor a second thought. Before we
feel as if my abilities are being ticle ideas to Olivia Marcinka
restricting children’s access to and prohibit their child’s use of knew it, we were shooed away
taken advantage of.” at marcinkao@chc.edu.
playing or viewing mature-rated violent or inappropriate games.
The Griffin 7
JESSICA VEAZEY
‘13
The holiday season can bring a new sense of beauty to the word winter. In
these photos one can see just how beautiful a time so cold can become. With
festivities such as Carol Night and the legendary Christmas Decorating Night,
winters at Chestnut Hill College are all that much better.
photos submitted: Jessica Veazey ‘13, Liz Campbell ‘11 and Kirk Martyn ‘14
sports
8 The Griffin
Current Record Women’s Basketball 3-6
Also, Previous 2 Contest Results On 12/11 vs. Goldey-Beacom
Men’s Basketball 2-7 L 49-63
On 12/11 vs. Goldey-Beacom On 12/9 vs. Georgian Court
L 64-84 W 77-63
On 12/7 vs. Philadelphia U For more information, visit:
L 71-74 griffinathletics.com
*Current as of 12/12