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FEATURES

New grads to devote summer serving others

Petra Canan  and  Julie Baker
April 17, 2007

Once the graduation ceremony is over and the last set of books have been returned, it's time to face the next step of life as an official grown-up. Before stepping into their careers, students are taking part in unique activities during the transitional period from pupil to full-time employee. Lucas Fowler, a communication senior, will be thinking green as a member of the Green Corps Class of 2008, taking on environmental concerns across the nation. Fowler was chosen from 1,500 applications to be part of the class of 25 graduates from around the country for the one-year program. "To be selected was extremely exciting and it was definitely a big honor; and just to work with these leaders from all across the country is a very exciting prospect for me," he said. Fowler will travel to Boston for three weeks of training before being assigned to a specific campaign. After working on that cause for a few months, he will return to Boston to plan and run his own campaign with a group of his classmates. "I am definitely looking forward to getting to work on whatever campaign they have lined up for me and just meeting the other 24 people that are in my class next year," Fowler said. After the program, Fowler hopes to continue his work with nonprofit environmental groups — focusing on wildlife protection, water safety and protecting green space. Abby Caskey just wanted to see the African countryside before she had to step into the "real world." Since she will be starting work at Shell Chemical Company in Houston, Texas, in August, she won't necessarily have the time to travel in the future, she said. That's why the finance senior will be driving from Kenya to South Africa as a part of a 31-day tour with Intrepid Travel this summer.

FEATURES

Sports fanatics

If you told Jeff Ghiringhelli he was a sports "fan," he would stare directly at you until that phrase was properly reworded. To him, there is the sports "fan," and then there is the sports "fanatic." Don't get them confused. "A sports 'fan' cares about their favorite team, follows their progress and goes to some of the games," the journalism sophomore said.

FEATURES

Sports movies, music give pop culture game

Zack Colman  and  Trey Scroggin
April 10, 2007

Y'all ready for this? For all you sports fanatics still reveling in the glory of old with Jock Jams and "Space Jam," here is a comprehensive list of the best sports and stadium songs and movies of the modern era and even a few throwbacks. Jack Norworth — "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" The year is 1908.

FEATURES

SN Style: New way to sport it

Petra Canan
April 10, 2007

Spring fashion is taking inspiration from the court, track and field this season, showcasing the clean lines and bright colors of athletic gear. Whether it is a bright-colored pair of Nikes, light Windbreaker — yes, they're back — short track shorts or a visor, designers are adding an athletic touch to their collections, turning warm-ups into high fashion. In their collection for Target, the men behind Proenza Schouler layered a short-sleeve sweatshirt, $17.99, adorned with a school logo over a long-sleeve button-down shirt with a skirt. Armani Exchange offers the sporty knit trim jacket in gray and black with an extended collar and wide waistband for $130. Victoria's Secret PINK adds a sporty touch to its signature line of loungewear with new polos for $32.50. The simple styles of American Apparel also can be layered and arranged a thousand different ways and paired with your favorite sneakers or pumps for a sporty twist. Try the thick knit pageboy shorts for $28 with the summer shirt, a deep V-neck T-shirt for $18 and a unisex flex fleece zip hoodie for $40. Feeling adventurous?

FEATURES

Fantasy sports programs make big-league dreams imaginable

It was Aug. 10 last year, and I had just holed out on the par four ninth hole. I looked at my watch and quickly hurried home for my big event of the night — my fantasy football draft. I had been preparing for the draft for weeks by crunching numbers for every position watching ESPN's NFL Live and reading numerous fantasy guides.

FEATURES

Searching for the perfect pair of jeans

Elizabeth Swanson  and  Petra Canan
April 9, 2007

Finding the perfect pair of jeans is like looking for a needle in a haystack — especially when that coveted needle is extra curvy, short, tall or shapeless. "It is really hard, especially because I have to love them," said Sarah Jane Lesinski, an interdisciplinary studies in social science and health studies freshman.

FEATURES

'Supper' gains pop culture recognition

By Mary Louise Schumacher McClatchy Newspapers It would take nearly 15 centuries for an artist to come along and create an image synonymous with the Last Supper, the final meal Jesus shared with his disciples. Leonardo da Vinci's "L'Ultima Cena," as it was originally known, was far from the first depiction, but none of the works that came before it embodied the Christian mystery as fully. In the five centuries since, the mural, painted on the end wall of a dining hall in Milan, has proliferated to a degree that even da Vinci, with his famous powers of imagination, could not have envisioned. "The Last Supper" has become one of the most universally recognized artworks, hanging in countless dining rooms around the world. It also is one of the most perpetually imitated and copied works of art. In it, Jesus is seated in resigned sadness at the center of the long table, having just uttered the news: "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me" (John 13:21). Emotion jars the disciples to either side of Christ, emanating outward from that core of calm in uniquely human waves of confusion, shock, outrage, fear, denial, rage and heartbreak. Almost immediately upon its completion in 1498, it was clear that something was singularly numinous about this artwork. As if trying to come to grips with its potency, painters and draughtsmen began scrutinizing and copying it, with the artists influenced as varied as Rubens, Tintoretto, Rembrandt, Poussin, Dali, Warhol and a spate of contemporary artists. More recently subsumed into popular culture and kitsch, the image can be found on lunch boxes and bread plates, in needlework kits and jigsaw puzzles, on lacquered wood and velvet, and in films such as Robert Altman's "M*A*S*H" and Luis Bunuel's "Viridiana." What would Leonardo have thought of the dusty men in leather vests, with bare chests and feet, sitting in the grass imitating his composition in the rock opera "Jesus Christ Superstar" before singing, "What's that in the bread, it's gone to my head"? His painting has endured indignities, much like his "Mona Lisa," with Jesus and the apostles flippantly or satirically swapped out for Hostess Twinkies, feminist icons, the cast of "The Sopranos," a Homer Simpson Pez dispenser paired with "Star Wars" action figures, comic book superheroes, Israeli soldiers, corporate icons such as Mrs. Butterworth and Tony the Tiger, and portraits of Mao Tse-tung, among many — many — other things. Distributed by McClatchy Tribune Information Services.

FEATURES

Online shopping continues to see rise in popularity

Petra Canan
April 3, 2007

The trip to the mall has taken on new meaning with online shopping bringing convenience and quality right to the front door. With new retailers going online every year, the shopping possibilities seem endless for bargain hunters looking to avoid a trip across town or across the globe for those must-haves. Everything from Britney Spears' hair to car parts can be purchased on the World Wide Web. However, costs for shipping, and inconsistency of sizes and quality have made some shoppers wary of spending online. Alex Muscatelli, a prenursing freshman, said she rarely shops online. "I have bought stuff online, I just don't like to usually," she said.

FEATURES

Secret shoppers challenge businesses

Petra Canan
April 3, 2007

For every employee who has ever felt like they were being watched on the job or had to sit through a less-than-exciting training video, there may be a secret reason why. Companies across the country are hiring everyday citizens to become "secret" or "mystery shoppers," by posing as customers to test their employees and competitors. These positions are either part time or full time and offer to pay shoppers for their time and expenses. AboutFace is among the nation's most successful secret shopping companies, with more than 210,000 shoppers nationwide and a wide range of clients. "Everybody from restaurants, retail, automotive, banking — it is pretty much any industry," said Jenny Schmitt, public information coordinator for AboutFace.