JCU needs capitalizes on green capabilities of recycling and energy reduction that will allow students to see better qualities of living and embark upon eco-friendly practices long after graduation.

JCU has made progress in promoting recycling. As of September 1, the University contracted with Landmark Disposal to handle its trash and recycling program. Landmark Disposal separates the trash from recyclables at its facilities in Medina County.

Additionally, JCU has instituted green recycling dumpsters replacing the former brown dumpsters.

While beneficial strides have been taken, there is still much progress to go that involves everyone’s cooperation. An established green campus allows students express concern about recycling and the environment.

Other universities such as Oberlin College have already well-established themselves as green inspirations complete with solar panels to generate energy.

JCU needs to observe the practices of other institutions by conducting an energy audit. This audit will allow the university to make the necessary changes it needs to reduce energy consumption in offices and classrooms around campus.

JCU cannot accomplish its goal without the unequivocal support of the local community—the University must be able to create beneficial relationships with the city of University Heights.

The $850,000 is the largest sum ever returned by a candidate because of questionable fund-raising methods. Businessman and Democratic fund-raiser Norman Hsu is responsible for the interest and inquiries into Clinton’s monetary policies.

Paul’s felony charges led to Clinton returning a $2,000 contribution that he had made to her campaign. Attorney of the Clintons, David Kendall has said that “Mr. Paul, as a three-time convicted felon, has no credibility…He is the Picasso of con artists,” according to The WSJ.

Regardless of accusations of foul play, the image of Hillary Clinton and the Democratic party will most likely not take as detrimental of a hit as the scandals that have plagued the Republican party over the past year.

The latest of the Republican scandals includes Idaho Senator Larry Craig being accused of soliciting sex in a men’s room in a Minneapolis airport.
Regarding the Hsu-Clinton matter, Larry Schwab, professor of political science at John Carroll University said, “It’ll hurt a little bit. It’s the last thing they would want to happen, but in the long run it won’t have too much of an impact on the results of the primaries.”

This impending primary election is very important to the Democratic party. Frustration from the American public towards Republicans is higher than it has been in decades.

This dissatisfaction was prominent in the 2006 election, where the Democrats took control of the House and Senate. The war in Iraq, along with highly publicized scandles like the one involving Mark Foley, were disasterous for the Republican Party. According to The AP.

As the Democratic front-runner for that party’s nomination, Hillary Clinton will continue to be a lighting-rod for criticism from critics from all sides of the political spectrum. Fellow Demcratic presidental nominee Barack Obama has a strategy of continual reiteration towards Senator Clinton’s vote in favor of the Iraq war.

The Illinois candidate who was recently endorsed by media conglomerate Oprah Winfrey, has yet to bridge the gap with his competitor in political polls despite Clinton’s vote for the war and her ties to Norman Hsu. Winfrey recently held a star-studded fundraiser for Obama which banked more than $3 million for his campaign.

However, even with the publicity boost from Oprah and other high-profile celebs, Clinton still holds a commanding lead in the polls.

“Most candidates won’t hold this against her,” says Schwab, of the Hsu fund-raising matter. “They’ll continue their own strategies.” In fact, within the last two months political polls have shown that Clinton has actually stopped Obama’s rise and reversed it, said Schwab. “It’s going to be competitive, but Senator Clinton is the front runner.”

Standing approximately nine feet tall, over 50 Fender Stratocaster guitars have been sponsored by different corporations, organizations and individuals, to be designed by both local and celebrity artists.

While some may be purchased back by their sponsors prior to the event, most of the guitars will be auctioned off at the GuitarMania Gala Auction on Saturday, Oct. 20 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

The guitars have been dispersed throughout the city of Cleveland since June.

However, they were recently moved to the front of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum where they await their October auction.

Some artists choose to creatively paint the guitars or simply decorate them, while others went as far as sculpting their own add-ons.

For instance, Gregory Glueck, the artist responsible for the “Cleveland Rock Garden Hybrid,” sponsored by the Saint Luke’s Foundation, went a little further than decorations. Glueck’s design incorporates flowers, leaves and insects by adding vines around the guitar.

Brandon Woodle and Mike Discenzo, creators of “Forward,” which was sponsored by Hyland Software, also had a very inventive approach. Their design includes a computer monitor being impaled by the over-sized guitar, as well as a mess of computer printouts at the base of the structure.

These designs, as well as many others, make for extremely pleasing artwork. Not to mention, the art is for a good cause.

United Way of Greater Clevleand is a local, independent non-profit organization that raises money to support over 130 agencies in Cuyahoga and Geauga counties.

These agencies offer health and human care service programs for those in need. They also raise money for Vision Councils, which is a community-wide health and human service agenda, according to Cleveland.com.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum funds various educational programs that are very beneficial.

GuitarMania 2007 has raised over $1.5 million for these two beneficiaries. The event will start at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 20, with the auction begining at 8:00 p.m. at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Tickets start at $75.

You have to go back to last season, and JCU’s 31-14 loss to Mount Union to find the last team to score a touchdown on the Blue Streaks.

Both JCU and Heidelberg played a sloppy game which both teams totaled 17 penalties for 175 yards.

The 21-6 win marked the Blue Streaks’ third in a row dating back to last season and was the fourth game in the last five where they did not allow a touchdown.

More importantly, the win moved coach Regis Scafe into sole possession of third place on the list of all-time wins for a JCU football coach with 60. He was previously tied with Herb Eisele.

Junior quarterback Mark Petruziello found senior tight end Chuck Sroka on a 45 yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.

The defense continued their dominant ways as they blocked a Heidelberg field goal attempt late in the first quarter.

While JCU’s offense was potent in the first quarter and it looked like they were setting up for a route, things would not be so rosy for JCU for the remainder of the first half.

Heidelberg defensive end and last week’s OAC defensive player of the week, Matt Grieves, blocked a JCU field goal attempt and JCU’s next two possessions would end in fumbles.

Each of their tailbacks, junior Tyler Gingrich and freshman Rai Stover, lost a fumble. The latter fumble led to a Heidelberg field goal that cut the score to 7-3.

JCU would miss out another scoring opportunity as Heidelberg penalties pushed JCU into the red zone, but senior Josiah Kedzior’s field goal attempt clanged off the crossbar.

The Blue Streaks were able to put the struggles of the first half aside and find the end-zone twice in their first three drives of the second half.

Stover hauled in a Petruziello pass for a 17-yard score, and five minutes later Petruziello called his own number on an 11-yard touchdown run.

The defense continued to clamp down, holding Heidelberg to just one more field goal the rest of the way. Junior defensive end Ken Bevington was disruptive again, notching 16 tackles, five for a loss and three sacks.

Petruziello’s final numbers were also gaudy. He completed 19 of 30 passes for 246 yards and three total touchdowns.

JCU looks to extend their unbeaten streak to four games and improve their 2007 record to 3-0 as they travel to play Ohio Northern this Saturday. It will be a tall task for JCU this week as ONU beat up on the Blue Streaks last year 23-9.

The grandson of a former prime minster and son of a foreign minister Shinzo Abe looked like a reasonable choice to succeed the immensely popular, reform-minded showman Junichiro Koizumi.

Having held previous government positions, and riding the wave of popularity of his predecessor, Shinzo Abe took control of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Sept. 20, 2006, and was elected prime minister six days later, according to The Associated Press.

Vowing to carry on the reforms begun by Mr. Koizumi, and even restoring relations with Japan’s long-time rival China, Shinzo Abe’s term as prime minister began on a high note. This early success would not last.
Doubts surfaced early about Mr. Abe’s competence as a politician when scandal and public furor began to plague his cabinet. Even before his highly publicized trip to meet with prime minister of China, Abe’s minister for deregulation was forced to resign amid accusations about fraudulent expenses.

His health minister then aroused public anger when he referred to women as “breeding machines.” These incidents were only the beginning of Shinzo Abe’s ministerial woes.

Mr. Abe’s agricultural minister committed suicide when he became embroiled in a financial scandal, and the next two men he appointed to the post would both go on to resign as they became involved in financial and political funding scandals of their own. A June 4 survey in the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun showed that the support for Abe and his government had fallen by half, from 60 percent to 30 percent since his September election, according to The AP.

One more minister would find himself in hot water before Shinzo Abe’s cabinet struggles abated. This time, Abe’s defense minister enraged the public and politicians on all sides by making remarks that seemed to justify the United States dropping the atomic bomb on Japan at the end of World War II. He would resign shortly thereafter. The miserable term of Shinzo Abe did not, however, end there.

Public anger would once again be focused on Abe when it came to light that his government had lost 50 million pension records. Had he come out on the offensive against the pensions agency, the issue may not have caused Abe so much harm.

Instead, he tried to cover it up, and when the situation was finally exposed, Abe claimed he did not understand why it caused so much anger. Gerald Curtis of Columbia University in New York called the issue “Abe’s Hurricane Katrina.”

The final blow against Shinzo Abe and his government would come at the hands of the Japanese people.

Enraged by the incompetence of their government, Japanese voters took to the polls on July 29. In elections for half of the seats in the upper house of Japan’s Parliament, Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party was handed its worst electoral defeat since its foundation in 1955.

The LDP lost its majority in the upper house in a parliament that it has dominated almost continually for more than 50 years. Abe vowed to soldier on and remain prime minister, despite his humiliating defeat.

However, on Sept. 12, Shinzo Abe bowed to the pressure and resigned as Prime Minister of Japan, thus ending one of the most unimpressive political terms in recent memory.

Roger Purdy, who is the coordinator of East Asian Studies at John Carroll University, said Abe’s difficulties come from the fact that he’s not as charismatic as his predecessor and that he lacked power base within his own party.He went on to say that Abe was a new young figure who was supposed to heal all wounds but instead caused them.

General Petraeus believes that the situation in Iraq is extremely complex and sometimes even frustrating.

Nonetheless, he believes that it is still very possible to achieve the objectives planned in Iraq; however it will not be easy and it will take some time.

In a joint meeting of the House Foreign Affairs and House Armed Services committees, Petraeus laid out his vision for reducing U.S. troop levels, beginning this month. He said the recent buildup of U.S. troops has lead to good results and that he predicts a transition to Iraqi security control. However, he does not guarantee that this will be a success.

In the testimony before Congress, Petraeus said that, “The fundamental source of the conflict in Iraq is competition among ethnic and sectarian communities for power and resources.

“This competition will take place, and its resolution is key to producing long-term stability in the new Iraq. The question is whether the competition takes place more or less violently.”

According to The Associated Press, the main points of General Petraeus’ testimony to Congress were met with extensive agreement among soldiers. It seems that the American troop buildup is working. It also seems that Petraeus solidified President Bush’s support among Republicans in Congress.

Few Democrats expressed anger that Moveon.org, an anti-war group, placed an ad in The New York Times, titled “General Petraeus or General Betray Us?” that criticized Petraeus on the day of his first appearance before Congress.

The strain on the military, with thousands of troops having served multiple combat tours, helped “inform” Petraeus’ decision to recommend to President Bush that force levels be reduced. Petraeus’ plan calls for troop reductions to begin this month, according to The AP.

The plan Petraeus outlined is predicted to leave at least 130,000 American troops in Iraq through next summer.

Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces have achieved progress in the security arena.

In his testimony, Petraeus said that he could have waited until April to start sending home the five Army brigades that constituted the bulk of President Bush’s troop buildup.

However, the main reason Petraeus chose to start the drawdown earlier was because he recognized the enormous strain that the troop buildup has placed on troops and their families yet, Petraeus believes that the progress our American forces have achieved with the Iraqi counterparts has been quite substantial.

“I thought Petraeus was sincere, professional and composed inlight of all the negative press,” said Sarah Schiavoni, professor of political science at John Carroll University.Petraeus plans to build upon the security developments the troops and Iraqi counterparts have fought to accomplish in recent months.

Petraeus also stresses the importance of securing the population and the vital transitioning of responsibilities to Iraqi institutions and Iraqi forces.
As for political implications of Petraeus’ testimony, Schiovoni said, “I think John McCain wants more troops and Petraeus’ testimony validates McCain’s knowledge of foreign relations. Petraeus’ testimony is going to greatly help McCain’s campaign.”

Continental Airlines, Governor Ted Strickland and Mayor Frank Jackson announced that a $50 million expansion was under way, as well as a capacity increase through the next two years.

“Continental Airlines is making a significant investment in the City of Cleveland and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport,” said Jackson. “This strategic investment is designed to maximize Cleveland’s assets, create a positive environment for business, and serve as a vehicle for tourism to the entire Cleveland Plus region.”

The investment will be funded, in part, by the state of Ohio, which has promised $16 million from a combination of sources such as tax credits, grants and loans.

State officials used this money as a financial incentive for Continental Airlines in order to attract the business expansion to Cleveland, rather than to other possible candidates such as Newark, NJ, or Houston, TX, where the airline is based.

The expected changes include the addition of 50, mostly regional flights, and 20 nonstop destinations by this summer. In the year following that, there will be several additional mainline flights added to expand the global route network, according to The Associated Press.Also, new ticketing and passenger reception areas will be added.

“I think it’s a good thing overall because it provides an improvement in transportation both to and from Cleveland,” said Thomas Zlatoper, professor of economics and finance at John Carroll University. “By making it more convenient to come to Cleveland, it should enhance our area’s image elsewhere.”

Cleveland is Continental Airline’s Midwestern base, currently employing about 2,000 people. Along with the approval of a 10-year tax credit for Continental in July, the whole proposed project can be expected to add 711 full-time Ohio jobs. With the tax credit, the jobs would pay $24.76 per hour on average, beginning in January.

The credit would be conditional to the maintenance of Continental’s extra operations for 20 years.

“Obviously, we’ll see more people working,” said Dennis Roche, president of the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland, according to The Plain Dealer. “It also makes us more attractive as a destination because we’ll be more accessible. It’s one good thing layered on another.”

Christopher Rodgers, the director of strategic development at Erie International Airport said, “When a hub grows, it is good for all the spokes that feed into it.. When a hub gets bigger, it creates additional connecting opportunities.”

These connecting opportunities include the possibility of the Erie airport being linked to the New York market. They have long wanted to be connected to bigger ports such as the Continental Branch in Newark.
However, Newark’s airport has always had too much traffic to take on more routes.

The Cleveland port’s expansion will likely be the thing to relieve Newark traffic so that Newark will add more routes and expand to the Erie port.
It will mean an overall expansion of business to affected ports because the increased capacity in the Cleveland area will be better able to satisfy the demand for flight connections.

If you guessed those were President Bush’s words – you’d be wrong. Those are not even the words of a Republican, those were spoken by Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

She supported the war at one point, voted to give the president the authority to use force back in 2002, and bragged when we captured Saddam Hussein.

Now she is against the war, and has even voted to de-fund our troops while they are still in harms way.

We were once united as a nation at war, however now, divisive politics have made this country more polarized than I have ever seen it.

The war in Iraq has not gone the way we wanted to, and by we, I mean people like me who want the United States to win over there.

Unfortunately, there are many people in this country who are actively rooting for us to lose this war. To me, that’s treason.

Those people want us to lose because they have a hatred for President Bush and want him humiliated. Moreover, they want a Democrat to win the White House next year at any cost, even if that means us being handed a defeat to al-Qaeda.

Senator Harry Reid, a Democrat and Majority Leader in the Senate said earlier thisyear that the war is lost.

There’s nothing like telling your military that they have lost while they continue to put their lives on the line. Not to mention giving the enemy a moral boost. The Democratic Party seems to have an identity crisis. There seems to be a contest to see who can be the most against the war.

Last week, the commander of all U.S. military personnel in Iraq, General David Petraeus, reported to Congress about the state of the war. In January, General Petraeus implemented a policy of sending more U.S. troops into Iraq temporarily to stop the violence that gripped the country in 2006. The “surge” as it has come to be known, reached full strength only in June, and has already shown great success in defeating terrorism throughout Iraq.

Anbar Province, which is basically the entire western half of Iraq, was once considered lost to the insurgents. Now, after an extra 4,000 marines went in there and did what they do, Anbar is almost completely pacified. In Baghdad, a city of around eight million, most areas have been cleared as terrorists have either been captured, killed, or have fled.

This is not my assessment of the surge, this is what General Petraeus told Congress. And how was he repaid for his great service of this country? A liberal group called Moveon.org put out a full page ad in The New York Times on the first day of the general’s testimony calling him “General Betray Us.”

Moveon.org is a prime example of those who have politicized this war, and they have done it in the most disgusting way possible by spitting on an American war hero who has earned in his decorated military career the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, two awards of the Defense Superior Service Medal, four awards of the Legion of Merit, and a Bronze Star.

Every politician, on both sides of the aisle, should have denounced this personal attack, however not one Democrat presidential candidate would do so. Not one.

To me, that is considered guilt by association. If you don’t condemn it, you must agree with it. And any person who would smear the leader of our troops in a theater of battle who did not deserve it, does not deserve my vote to be the Commander-in-Chief. Our military deserves better – America deserves better.

The event, which took place last April 21 and 22, raised $100,356.86. This exceeded the JCU Relay leadership team’s goal of $40,000. Based on the amount of JCU students, it was determined that $25.76 per capita was raised. Gettysburg College, located in Pennsylvania, came in second place, almost $2 behind JCU’s per capita.

In a press release, JoNell Peterson, Ohio’s vice president for Relay For Life, said, “This was John Carroll’s first year to Relay and they set the pace for the nation.”

JCU’s first Relay had 832 participants on 65 teams, with 30 survivors participating as well. It is estimated that 1,200 attendees came to partake in the festivities during the 18-hour event, and only $18,250 of the over $100,000 raised came from sponsorships.

The University of Dayton and JCU were the only two Ohio schools to be nationally recognized. Other Jesuit universities, such as Georgetown University, Saint Louis University and Loyola College also ranked in the top five of their enrollment brackets.

Event Chairperson Joel Mullner ’07 and Co-Chairperson Patrick Kelly ’07 led the first Relay for Life.

Mullner, who is now a graduate assistant in the JCU Office of Student Activities and will be the staff advisor for this year’s Relay, said he was thrilled with the news of JCU’s ranking.

“We didn’t even know that Relays were ranked until we received word of this recognition. This just reiterates what I’ve known deep in my heart for the last four years – that the people of JCU, when called upon, really come together when it counts,” said Mullner.

This year’s event co-chair for mission, junior Samantha Cocco, said she was proud of everyone who had a part in Relay last year. She was especially proud that the Relay had so much success after being planned in 90 days.

“I am still amazed by how much we accomplished in 90 days as far as planning, and how much money all of the participants were able to raise in that short period,” said Cocco. “I really think the amazing enthusiasm and dedication of our participants was what made our Relay such a success.”

Cocco added, “The leadership team was phenomenal. We all took the initiative to complete our own tasks, and also helped one another out.”

According to the American Cancer Society, The Relay For Life “aims to celebrate survivorship, remember those we’ve lost to the disease, and give everyone an opportunity to fight back against cancer.”

All money raised during the event benefits the American Cancer Society and its work with cancer patients.

Cocco said that this year, the 20-person leadership team has seven months to prepare.

“I have no doubt that our second annual Relay will surpass that of last years in so many ways. We would like to have more participants, survivors, volunteers, money and even more fun than last year,” she said.

“We hope to use the skills we developed and all of the experience we gained from last year to ‘wow’ everyone again with another phenomenal Relay.”

Mullner added, “After gaining the national spotlight, there will be a lot of eyes on the 2008 Relay to see if last year was a fluke or if we are truly building something special here at Carroll. I think we have the focus and leadership to become consistently known for hosting one of the nation’s best Relays.”

JCU’s second Relay For Life will start on Saturday, April 26 and end on Sunday, April 27. For more information, go to www.jcu.edu/relay.

One has to do with cortisol, a stress hormone. When a person is under stress, the fight or flight response is triggered in their bodies, leading to the release of various hormones. Cortisol contributes to weight gain in several different ways.

According to www.medicinenet.com, too much cortisol can slow your metabolism, causing more weight gain than you would normally experience.

Whether it’s because of boyfriend/girlfriend problems, school or demands at work, the body responds as though it is about to be harmed.

To answer this need, the body experiences a burst of energy, shifting the metabolism and blood flow, and other changes.

If the body remains in this state for a long time due to chronic stress, a person’s health becomes at risk, according to www.advance-health.com.

People experiencing chronic stress tend to crave more fatty, salty and sugary foods. These foods are typically less healthy and lead to increased weight gain.

Prolonged stress can alter blood sugar levels, causing mood swings, fatigue, and conditions like hyperglycemia.

Too much stress has even been linked to metabolic syndrome, a cluster of health concerns that can lead to greater health problems, like heart attacks and diabetes.

Too much stress even affects where the body tends to store fat. Higher levels of stress are linked to greater levels of abdominal fat.

Another way that stress and weight gain are connected is through emotional eating.

Increased levels of cortisol not only makes the body crave unhealthy food, but excess nervous energy can often cause people to eat more than they normally would.

Eating fast food and being too busy to exercise can also cause weight gain.

Fortunately, there are things that can be done to reverse the pattern of weight gain and actually reduce stress levels and waistlines at the same time.

Do things like go for a walk, call up a friend and go somewhere, walk instead of drive, eat more fruit, drink more water and less soda and bake food instead of fry it.

Over the weekend I had the good fortune of dining at Cleveland’s Oldest Irish Pub, The Flat Iron Cafe, located in The Flats since 1910.

The bar was gorgeous, done very much in the style of an old Irish pub with extravagant wood work and more Celtic sayings than you could read in a sitting.

You may have heard of The Flat Iron in the news recently because of a fire that happened in the upstairs banquet hall.

It put the bar out of commission for only ten days while repairs were done to the ceiling and air vents. But, it will take a little bit longer to repair the upstairs

Although the location itself wasn’t the best, the environment inside of the bar was very welcoming. It was made complete with a large bar, a spacious dining room, and plenty of TVs for anyone who wanted to watch highlights from the stadiums located just down the road. In fact, the bar offers a shuttle service before and after games at both the Jake and Cleveland Brown’s Stadium for fans looking to grab a bite to eat.

The menu is pretty typical of your average bar food done right. Everything from chicken fingers to pierogues to fish and chips are all sold at a reasonable price and in very large portions.
I ordered a cup of French Onion Soup, a Chicken Philly and a drink for just south of $20 but probably could have made it out of there for less htan $12. The food was great and I would definitely eat there again, but I’m not sure the ride would be worth it unless I was going out in The Flats.

If I were to compare it to a place closer to school, I would have to say that you could grab the same thing at either the Winking Lizard or Panini’s for a bit cheaper.

I had a good time speaking to the bartender, which was very fortunate because I was the only one there. She told me that business was usually stronger but most people probably thought that they were still closed.

Judging by the patrons that were there, the regular crowd seems to be in the 30-40 range.
I would recommend The Flat Iron only if you went with a group of friends or happened to be in the flats only because it was so empty when I went. I’d say overall that I would give it a 3 out of 5 but that’s based mostly on the dullness of the atmosphere.

According to The Associated Press, the charges against Simpson will include robbery with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery and burglary with a firearm, which are all felonies, said Las Vegas Police Captain James Dillon. More charges could be brought against him, he said. Police said two firearms and other evidence were seized at a private residence early Sunday.

Simpson, 60, has said he and other people with him were retrieving items that belonged to him. Simpson has said there were no guns involved and that he went to the room at the casino only to get stolen mementos that included his Hall of Fame certificate and a picture of the running back with J. Edgar Hoover.

Simpson was reportedly very cooperative as he was taken into custody. At least one other person has been arrested and police said Sunday that as many as six people could be arrested in connection with the alleged armed robbery that occurred in a room inside the Palace Station casino-hotel on Thursday, according to The AP.

Besides his impressive football career, O.J. Simpson is also well known for his 1995 trial after being charged with the double murder of his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Simpson was eventually acquitted in one of the most famous trials of the last century.

He was later found liable in civil court and was ordered to pay the families of those killed $30 million dollars, which he has yet to pay off. A judge ordered Simpson be held without bail, police said. If convicted of the booking charges, Simpson would face up to 30 years in state prison on each robbery count alone.
“He is facing a lot of time,” said Clark County District Attorney David Roger. Simpson’s arrest came just days after the Goldman family published a book that Simpson had written under the title, “If I Did It” about how he would have committed the killings of his ex-wife and Goldman had he actually done it. After a deal for Simpson to publish it fell through, a federal bankruptcy judge awarded the book’s rights to the Goldman family, who retitled it “If I Did It: The Confessions of the Killer.”

During the weekend, the book was the hottest seller in the country, hitting No. 1 on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com, according to The AP.  “I think he will probably get away with it,” said John Carroll University student Sarah Bals. “He should have gotten busted the first time.”

Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) is a public radio personality who reads her own essays and stories on a New York City radio station. With a calm, thoughtful and carefully measured voice, Erica speaks to the city one listener at a time.

The movie starts off with Erica believing that her city, in her words, is “the safest big city in the world.”

Then comes that fateful night, when Erica’s paradise turns into a nightmare. As Erica and her fiancé, David, (“Lost’s” Naveen Andrews) are taking an evening stroll through Central Park with their dog, they are mugged by a trio of young thugs.

After being brutally attacked, Erica is left in a coma and her fiancé ends up dead, with everything caught on tape.

Weeks later Erica awakens from her coma to learn that her love is dead and buried.
As she lies in her hospital bed, slowly recovering from the punishment dealt by the hoodlums, she can do nothing but grow fierce with anger as she longs for vengeance. She is now a nobody, a stranger and her once beloved city has become a terribly hostile environment.

Once released from the hospital, she immediately seeks protection for herself.
After being turned away for not having legal documentation, she purchases an automatic pistol from the guy hanging around outside the gun store, who kindly throws in a free box of bullets. With her arsenal packed in her purse, it’s only a matter of time before she finds the opportunity to use it.

Fate provides her first victim, a crazed gunman in an all-night grocery store where Erica shops. A first-time shooter, Erica finally kills the man after firing a few stray shots.
In shock, she quickly grabs the surveillance tape and hightails it home, leaving top detectives Mercer and Vitale (Terrance Howard and the hilarious Nicky Katt) to inspect the scene.
Soon bodies start piling up everywhere, each exterminated by the same gun.
After spotting Erica near a crime scene, Detective Mercer becomes suspicious of the meek radio personality.

Before long, Mercer and Erica empathize with each other’s struggle and Mercer discovers his new friend’s secret. Knowing that Mercer is hot on her trail, she must decide whether her quest for revenge is truly the right path, or if she is becoming the very thing she is trying to stop.

Although the film does have some slow parts, like Erica and David’s horrible chemistry, the movie offers a very enjoyable experience. Indulging herself in the film’s character, Jodie Foster delivers the performance of her career (arguably her only good one), and matches up perfectly with the likable Terrance Howard.

Just like its predecessor, “The Brave One” allows the audience to decide who should win, the seemingly innocent, or how about the bad guys for once.

The 2007 season has been a turn around of sorts as the team has started 3-4. This is why senior captain Alex Bernot is not ready to jump on the panic button.

“This team has the potential to be great. Everyone, including the coaches, feel that we have a very talented group of guys right now. The only thing holding us back is our unfamiliarity playing next to one another on the field,” said Bernot.

The Blue Streaks split this week, going 1-1 in a pair of exciting matches played at Don Shula Stadium.

On Wednesday night, the Blue Streaks trailed Allegheny College 1-0 in the 88th minute when junior Mike Pinter tied it at one.

The game went into overtime, and six minutes into the extra period junior Louis Kastelic put in a rebound off a shot by Bernot to give JCU the win.

“It was a win we needed to prove to ourselves that we can compete against anyone on a given day as long as we put the work in,” said Bernot. “I feel that this win is the turning point of the season and it will lead to a lot more hard fought wins.”

On Saturday night, the Blue Streaks jumped out to the early 1-0 lead against Wooster after Scott McKinney scored in the 14th minute

Unfortunately, that was all the Blue Streaks could manage, Wooster went on to take a 2-1 halftime lead. They would add an insurance goal in the second half to claim top JCU 3-1.

The Blue Streaks will go on the road for the rest of the month but return to action at home on October 2.

After falling to 0-3 to start the season, the women’s team have won their last two contests, both by scores of 1-0.

On Saturday, in the Blue Streaks staked an early lead over Oberlin in JCU’s home opener.

Junior Lauren Wilson found the back of the net from 25 yards out in the 11th minute, her tally would turn out to be the game winner.

Although Oberlin fired nine shots in the game, all nine were turned away by sophomore goalkeeper Natalie Humphreys.

The shut out came in her first collegiate start.

Head Coach Tracy Blasius described Humphery’s performance as fantastic, noting the many big saves Humphreys made throughout the game.

JCU, now 2-3 on the year, has four remaining matches until they enter Ohio Athletic Conference play.
Aside from the stellar play between the pipes, the young squad should start to gain some familiarity with each other and begin to gel just in time for league play.

The women’s team will play at home twice this week, Thursday night at 6 p.m. and then again Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.

Though the distance may be inconvenient, Ballentine’s atmosphere, food and drinks are a good excuse for a Saturday night trip to Willoughby.

The restaurant opened earlier this year bringing the gastropubs trend of New York to Cleveland.
“Gastropub” is simply a fancy word for a pub with good dining, something Ballentine achieves quite successfully.

Ballentine blends elegance and comfort well in their cool, relaxed vibe. It is dark like a typical pub, but also has a classy interior design that reminds one of a newer Geracie’s.

The place is friendly and casual with good bar music (DMB, classic rock, and country) and nice comfy booths, as well as tables and the bar.

There are a few TV’s around the bar for a good view of the game if you wanted to watch it.
Being a pub, the place is geared to those of legal drinking age, however, because it is also a restaurant, anyone can find something. For those who are 21 years old they have an amazingly large selection of alcohol.

They have 29 draught beers on tap and over 56 available in bottles. That’s not including beers like Miller and Heineken, which they also serve. Their wine and cocktails list are also quite extensive. They offer over thirty wines by the glass, ranging from $5 to $14.

Even the coffee is spiked. But don’t get me wrong, as I said before, there are options for those of us who are underage. If you’re looking for festive drinks they offer “The Four Virgins.”

These drinks are fruity concoctions varying from the “Not So Bloody” Mary to the Sparkling Berry Bellini. Ballentine also offers the usual soft drinks and iced tea options. And they have root beer on tap.

Even though the drink menu is bigger than the food menu, there is still plenty to choose from.
They serve everything from burgers and pizza to linguini and steak. The pizza choices were endless, with over five specialty pizzas to choose from in either 10” or 16”.

If you enjoy spicy food, the “Hot chicken and lots of peppers” pizza is for you. It’s a colorful pizza that looks nice and innocent at first, but then attacks your mouth with fire. The pizza is crazy kickin’ because the chicken is sautéed in Tabasco sauce and then joined on the pizza by jalapeños and other spicy surprises.

But, not all the specialty pizzas are hot. In fact, if none of the specialty options sound quite as delectable as you would like, you can build your own choosing from fresh vegetables, various sauces, and meats.

Not a pizza fan? They also have sandwiches, salads and both large and small platter meals as well.
With names like “Peeky Toe Crab Cakes,” “The Po’boy Sandwich,” and “Spinach and Pear salad,” there are many interesting things to try.

There were also dinner entrees serving chicken, fish, pasta and steak, all at reasonable prices ranging from around $13 to $24. The tomato-basil fettuccini was the preferred dish at our table. It was served with spinach and the option of adding salmon or chicken for a fee.

When choosing the added salmon you receive a whole fillet, which is heaven to a salmon fan like me. The dish had good flavor, most of the basic food groups, plus it supplied a great escape for the mouth after trying the “Hot chicken pizza.”

The service is friendly and on task, never leaving a glass empty for long and Manny, the manager, comes to check on how your meal is going and tell you a little about the place.
By Manny’s description of the five other bars that are owned by the same people, my bias opinion says that Ballentine is by far the best.

Sophomore Laura McRickard said, “I really enjoyed the upscale restaurant/bar. Its friendly atmosphere and tasty food created a cool hangout for my friends and me. I’d definitely go back.”

Esparza was in just seventh grade when his mother abandoned him.
Ties with his father and other family members had been severed by his mom and at just 12 years old, Esparza was left to fend for himself on the streets of Tampa.

He lived with friends, but the hardships of being left at such a young age did not escape Esparza.

In his freshmen year of high school, a football coach sat him down and handed him a note with his GPA on it.

“With this GPA, you can’t play football,” he said. Esparza said that was the turning point for him.

“I couldn’t imagine not playing football,” he said, “From there on I didn’t care about anything – friends or girls or anything – I just cared about getting good grades so I could play.”

That goal is just one of many that Esparza has put his mind to and accomplished.

With a new outlook on life, the Play It Smart program came to Robinson High School in Tampa and encouraged Esparza to succeed in school and on the playing field.

“Going through everything I went though, being at the bottom and then the top, it gives me the drive to never want to be there again,” said Esparza, “To not take anything for granted.”

Play It Smart helped him work harder at school and get some attention from recruiters.

In his junior year of high school his life got even brighter. His father was released from prison and became Esparza’s biggest supporter.

“I’m really close with my dad. He works hard, really hard, and does manual labor every day just to help me pay for school costs,” Esparza said.

He also re-connected with the rest of his family as he got older.

“My mom had cut off all ties with the family before she left. I was 12, I didn’t have a cell phone or anyway of getting in contact with them,” he explained. “The rest of my family supports me 100 percent now. My aunt and uncle are like my parents.”

His family only expanded when he came to John Carroll University. At a recruiting fair, JCU was one of the schools Esparza took an interest in.

JCU Coach Andy Hoffman was responsible for getting Esparza here.

“At these recruiting fairs, there are about 600 kids looking for schools,” said Hoffman. “The Play It Smart Academic Coach Kent Wilson grabbed me and showed me Chris. He knew JCU was a place that would take care of him.”

After visiting a few schools Esparza said, “John Carroll was the best school for me. It has great traditions, a great background and the football team has become like a second family to me.”

“Chris is what JCU is about – the Jesuit ideals of reaching out and serving,” Hoffman added.

Hoffman also explained that getting Esparza to JCU wasn’t easy.

“There was a lot of difficulty with financial aid and recruiting. As a coach I didn’t want to be too involved in his personal life, but in this case I had to be.”

With a past behind him, but not forgotten, Esparza has more big goals to achieve.

He is currently pre-law and hopes to go to law school back in Tampa.

“Chris is going to be successful no matter what he does. He’s basically lived on his own his whole life,” Hoffman said, “He could have easily gone the other way if it weren’t for football. When he’s successful, he’ll give back to the school.”

His football and tough academic schedule keep him busy, but Esparza also participates in Multi-Cultural Affairs activities.

“Everything I went through has pushed me to succeed,” Esparza said about his future. “I don’t take anything for granted and I want to give my kids a better life.”

In the past few decades, modern changes on the view of marriage have taken two dramatic turns. One end deals with young, married couples and the other end concerns the rising trend in America to wait before saying I do.

Statistics prove that young adults are indeed waiting to get married. According to a USA Today poll in 2006, 73 percent of men ages 20-29 said they had never been married, compared with 64 percent in 2000. For women, 62.2 percent had never married in 2006, compared with 53.4 percent six years earlier.

According to Ad2000.com, from 1970 to 2004 the annual number of marriages per 1,000 adult women in the United States plunged by nearly fifty percent.

At JCU, 80.5 percent of graduates who applied for Federal Financial Aid from fall 2007 are not married and 19.5 percent are either married or remarried according to Vice President for Enrollment, Brian G. Williams. Out of the undergraduates, 99 percent are not married, .9 percent are married or remarried and .1 percent of them are divorced or separated.

Someone who has no desire to get maried young is JCU sophomore Crystal Uvalle. “If I found the love of my life now, at 19, I would still want to wait because I still have a lot of growing up to do and I’m sure he does too.”

However, just because people are marrying later doesn’t necessarily mean they are not going to get married at all in life. According to Findarticles.com, an estimated 90 percent of young women will marry at some point during their lifetime.

Society is starting to view marriage in a different way.

JCU sociology faculty member John Klein said, “Society’s view of marriage certainly has changed dramatically post World War II and has evolved with increased diversity. For instance, greater acceptance of divorce, greater acceptance of remarriage, and the changing role of what it means to be a husband and a wife are quite different from the 1950s TV shows such as ‘Leave It To Beaver,’ ‘I Love Lucy’ and ‘The Donna Reed Show.’”

Klein also says these changed roles have to do with an increased acceptance of premarital sexual relations.

Wives are beginning to excel in society and do not have to depend on their husband in order to be successful.

Klein’s words seem to focus on how wives’ roles have changed. Society has opened up a myriad of options for women as wives to prioritize other commitments on their own such as a career, education and stability, instead of solely being a housewife.

Even though several statistics show that people are waiting longer to get married, this is not always true with celebrities.

Celebrities rush into a marriage, which is followed shortly by a divorce. Recent examples include stars like Britney Spears, Pamela Anderson and Angelina Jolie.
This also shapes people’s view of marriage, whereas many years ago, it was unheard of to get divorced.

Klein believes that there is a greater acceptance of divorce and remarriage. According to Chicagolandmarriage.org, in the early 1980s, the United States witnessed the highest number of divorces ever granted; over one million.

Today, more than ever, society is extremely comfortable with such ideas of divorce and remarriage.

Therefore, many couples find themselves submissive to society’s drastic changes.

However, the idea of finding your soul mate early on in life still exists. Young couples do still marry at an earlier age; it is just less common nowadays.

At JCU, senior Arielle Simpson decided to tie the knot at the age of 20. Against the rising trend in society, she and her family have found much joy in spending their new life together.

There are several opinions and many different views on marriage. It changes depending on the person and the couple.

However, many couples discover their own view on marriage and their own meaning of love in a personal way.

And despite society’s views and the influence of the media, they will know whether it is worth waiting two years or ten years for it.