1. finance
2. grants, scholarships and financial aid
3. financial aid

FEBRUARY 2011
THE PENNON IS
ONLINE AT:
northshore.edu/pennon
Toward Arming Campus
Police
Should I get a
Verizon iPhone 4?
• A Monthly Publication For The Students of North Shore Community College, Danvers, Lynn & Beverly, Massachusetts •
BY NELSON BAKER
An officer is hired to
protect others from danger and
campus police, but it is, of
course, a controversial issue.
“Many colleges don’t arm their
police simply because of the
are already trained through the
state police academy, the next
logical step may be to arm them.
When the shooter at
BY SHELLY PALMER
“Should I get a Verizon
iPhone 4?” is the number one
question I’ve been asked this
week in person, via email, on
the web, via smoke signals and
by carrier pigeon. The short
answer is, no. The long answer
is, if you love your existing
iPhone 4 but really, really hate
AT&T, then yes -- but otherwise, no. Here’s why:
Verizon’s iPhone 4 is
going to be almost exactly the
same as AT&T’s iPhone 4. The
key difference is the network.
Continued on Page 14
Extreme Winter Cold
BY CHRIS RICCI
secure a safe environment.
Their presence alone can help
maintain order, and many
believe that order and sense of
safety would be greatly
improved with the arming of
campus police. Though many
campus police officers still do
not use firearms, the process is
becoming more widespread,
now even with Salem State
University following suit. If
things run smoothly, North
Shore Community College
could be next in line.
In a survey, NSCC students highly support arming
INSIDE:
NSCC Campus Police
symbolism of it, but for any
employee, if we give them an
assignment, we need to provide
them with the tools to complete
that
assignment,”
stated
President Wayne Burton. “We
are asking them to protect the
safety of the college.”
Around the country,
there seems to be an increase in
campus shootings and related
violence. “Right now, if there is
a shooting on campus, our
police are ordered to immediately exit the building and then
call local police. That takes
time,”
President
Burton
explained. Since NSCC officers
The Risks of
Medical Tourism
Page 4
Virginia Tech chained all the
doors shut, the police used a
shotgun to destroy the chains
and get into the building.
“Shortly thereafter, the shooter
took his own life. The police
intervention caused this to happen,” said Campus Police Chief
Doug Puska. They ended what
could very well have become an
even deadlier situation.
Chief Puska has a lot
of confidence in his team and in
the school. “Generally speaking, we are a very safe institution. We have, in my opinion,
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
Valentine’s Day
Survival Guide
Page 7
Every winter, Mother
Nature seems to catch us off
guard with the sudden change in
weather. As of the end of
January, New England has
already been hit by four separate winter storms and has fallen
victim to below zero temperatures and wind chills. Seeing
that the harsh winter weather is
common for us New England
residents, one would expect us
to be prepared for such a drastic
change. However, as made evident every year, we are not as
prepared as we think. Every
year, dozens of deaths are
reported that result from inadequate winter protection. Here
are a few things to help you
when the cold weather starts to
set in.
The Top Albums
of 2010
Page 9
For starters, it’s always
good to have a few supplies
handy around your house to
combat the cold weather. An
alternative heat source is a pretty good investment to make just
in case the primary heating in
your house dies out due to a
power failure, such as a
kerosene heater (however, you
should only use one of these
devices if you have a working
carbon monoxide alarm, which
will be discussed below). Other
heating elements to help your
current heating situation are
also a good investment to make.
Portable space heaters are relatively cheap investments and
can easily warm a room, and
electric blankets are also helpful
when it comes to personal comfort. However, one should be on
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
New Short Story:
Wedding Day
Page 11
Dean’s
Corner
PAGE 2 – NSCC PENNON
This month’s Dean’s
Corner features important information from three of the Deans
in Student Enrollment Services.
News from the Dean of
Enrollment, Dr. Joanne
Light:
Regardless of our very
snowy and cold scene outside
our windows, I urge you in the
next couple of weeks to think
sun and summer!!! By the end
of February you will be able to
peruse on the Web summer
offerings here at NSCC.
Registration will begin on
March7th. Some summer classes fill in that very first week or
two of registration. Summer
classes will run from May 23rd
through August 18th with
opportunities to take classes
during various sessions within
these dates. For example, we
offer six-week, eight-week, and
ten-week sessions to allow for
maximum flexibility. We also
offer numerous online courses
as well as morning and afternoon class times. This will
enable you to find a class time
and modality that meets your
work, child care, and/or beach
schedule.
Our Enrollment Team
encourages you to consider
summer courses seriously. This
is an opportunity to prepare prerequisites for courses for the
fall, to get ahead in your degree
or certificate completion or to
try a new discipline and explore
new interests. Remember if you
are a 12 credit full time student,
you will not finish in two years
at that rate. Summer is the perfect time to accelerate and move
to successful completion in the
two year time frame. Advisors
are on hand to help you make
sensible academic and financial
decisions about summer study.
Be sure to read about new summer financial resources provided by the Dean of Financial
Services and his colleagues; you
may be surprise d that this year
you can afford to enroll in the
summer! As always stop by the
Enrollment Centers with questions and concerns…
News from the Dean of
Student Financial Service,
Stephen Creamer:
Attention North Shore
students who are using
Financial Aid! We have worked
with the book store to extend
the deadline for book store credit to February 11, 2011.
Remember that in order to use a
book store credit you must have
a complete file, either paid or
waived your health insurance (if
applicable), have completed an
authorization allowing us to
post a credit and finally have
financial aid for the semester
that is greater than your balance
due for Spring 2011. We notify
eligible students by e-mail
nightly as they become eligible.
Once the semester gets underway, your professors are
required to report on your
progress. In order to receive the
financial aid you have been
awarded, your professors must
submit the first attendance alert
which is due near the end of
February 2011.
We are planning to
communicate with those students who alerts have not been
s a t i s f i e d .
To provide an opportunity for
you to touch base with the
appropriate professor(s) that
may still need to satisfy this
requirement. Financial Aid cannot be paid unless this requirement is met. The College plans
to disburse financial aid awards
in early March 2011 to those
students who are eligible.
This is the year to
enroll in Summer classes! The
Government
has
Federal
increased the Pell Grant
Program to help students finish
their degree programs sooner.
They call it, “Year-Round Pell.
As a result, if you are a Pell
Grant eligible student, you may
be eligible for one if you decide
to enroll in the Summer 2011
semester. Stafford Loans are
also available to students who
have filed a FAFSA, but are not
eligible for a Pell Grant. Both
of these are great options to help
students who wish to catch up
on their degree requirements or
accelerate the time it will take to
complete your degree program
at NSCC. Please stop by our
offices on either the Lynn or
Danvers campus if you have
questions about how we can
help you with Summer enrollment or with any other questions about your financial aid.
News from the Dean of
Retention, Dr. Martha Brine:
Don’t forget there are
all kinds of Student Support
Services to assist you and insure
success in college. Go to
www.northshore.edu and click
on “Current Students” to see a
page full of Student Services
links that will lead you to more
information on
Advising,
Tutoring, e-tutoring, Disability
Services, career planning, transfer counseling, TRiO Student
Support Services and more
services available in both
Danvers and Lynn. These services are free of charge to you
and often play a major role in
students succeeding in their
coursework and reaching their
academic and personal goals.
$F$ On the Money
By now, you have hopefully
begun to gather your tax documents from 2010 and are
preparing to renew your FAFSA
for 2011-2012. North Shore
Community College has a priority filing deadline of May 1,
cards, depending on when they
applied for these documents.
Students also get married and
may change, hyphenate, or add
on to their existing name. You
want to be sure to submit your
FAFSA with your name as it
appears on your social security
card. This is the first place
FAFSA looks when confirming
your identity and your eligibility for financial aid. An incorrect
ping it altogether.
Not answering if you
5.
plan to file taxes. The FAFSA
can be done early enough when
people may have not yet filed
taxes for 2010. That is why they
ask if you filed taxes already,
plan to file taxes, or do not plan
on filing taxes at all. Again, do
not leave this field blank.
Indicate whether or not you plan
on filing taxes, so FAFSA
2011. This also happens to be
the deadline for the State’s Mass
Grant programs. In this month’s
column, we’ll outline some
common FAFSA filing errors so
that you can be sure you file
correctly, avoid processing
headaches, and receive your full
eligibility in financial aid!
Last month, FAFSA launched a
new and improved FAFSA on
the Web (www.FAFSA.gov),
which is modeled as a “onestop-shop” for FAFSA access.
The new design will provide all
of your FAFSA options in one
location, so that you can better
navigate where you stand in the
application process. You will
notice the new look when you
sign on to start your 2011-2012
FAFSA. But remember to avoid
these mistakes:
1.
Forgetting to sign your
FAFSA. In order for the FAFSA
to be considered complete, it
requires an electronic signature
called a PIN, from both you and
your parent (if you are a
dependent student). You and
your parent can each apply for
one, or be reminded of an existing PIN, by visiting the FAFSA
website. Once you have a PIN,
keep track of it, because it will
remain the same every year you
apply for aid.
2.
Using the wrong name.
This item may seem selfexplanatory; however, students
can have names that differ on
their social security cards, passports, or permanent residency
name could result in a mismatch
and a hold up in processing.
3.
Reporting
wages
equal to taxes paid. A common
error for students entering tax
information is to put the same
dollar amounts for wages and
taxes paid. When you think
about it, you wouldn’t earn
$10,000 and pay that full
amount back to the government
in taxes – you would only pay a
portion in taxes and keep the
rest. By reporting that you
earned the same amount of
money as what you paid in
taxes, FAFSA would see this as
an error and reject your application. If you are unsure, FAFSA
gives on-screen instructions
pointing you to the tax return
line you should look at, for each
question.
4.
Leaving items blank.
When FAFSA prompts you to
answer a question, it usually
prevents you from moving forward if you forget to select a
required answer. However,
sometimes there are questions
where leaving the field blank
will actually cause a miscalculation and result in a FAFSA
rejection. An example of this is
not reporting your assets if you
filed a 1040 tax return. For
questions like this, if the answer
is zero, or does not apply, please
enter a “0.” This way, the
FAFSA processing center
knows that you read the question and are providing a valid
response, as opposed to skip-
understands where you are in
the process. In addition, if a
FAFSA is completed using estimates, students are required to
go back and update the FAFSA
with final data once their taxes
have been filed.
6.
You think you “don’t
qualify for financial aid.”
Remember that financial aid
comes in many forms. While
you may not qualify for Pell
Grant funding, you may be eligible for federal student loans,
or even institutional financial
aid. Using federal loans can be
cheaper than paying for classes
with a credit card. If you do find
out you do not qualify for grant
funding, and decide to opt out of
loans, at least you are making
your decision based on your full
range of options. It doesn’t cost
anything to file a FAFSA,
except your time, and you could
benefit more than you realize.
BY ZACH ANDERSON
inevitable banning of smoking
at all campuses. Both of these
topics will have an impact on
you the student, and the staff
and faculty as well.
However, without the
student giving his or her opinion, we find it hard to know
exactly what their needs and
concerns are. Admittedly, some
of you took the time to complete
surveys about the smoking policies here at North Shore, but
less than 10% of the student
body responded. I feel this is
unacceptable. So in response we
will be doing a lot of recruiting
for senators for this semester
and we will also be pushing for
more involvement on campus
activities from our fellow students.
This is your college,
your experience to learn from.
Take advantage of it and let
your voice be heard if you are
dissatisfied with something.
That is the purpose of SGA, we
are here to aid you if you have a
problem with what is going on
at the college.
Student Government
hopes to hear from you this
semester.
By the way if you see us in the
hallway, stop and talk to us. We
wear the SGA sweatshirts and
we don’t bite, I promise.
BY AMANDA ABREU
February is Financial Aid
Awareness Month!
Even if you plan to attend a different school in the Fall, you
still want to renew your FAFSA
using your new school’s FAFSA
code. You may even keep
NSCC’s school code if you are
unsure where you will enroll.
There is no penalty for submitting your FAFSA to more than
one school. Just make yourself
aware of each school’s financial
aid deadlines, as these may vary.
North Shore’s FAFSA code is
002173.
A Word From Student Government
Welcome to North
Shore Community College for
the Winter/Spring semester! I
hope you all got what you wanted for Christmas, Hanukkah, or
any other holiday you celebrated over break and had a happy
and safe start to your new year.
Time to get back into the grind
and back into class. With the
start of the New Year there are
also new issues that your
Student Government will be
taking on as well. Two of the
major topics are the arming of
Campus Police, and also the
PAGE 3 – NSCC PENNON
Eye Spy
BY AMANDA WORONECKI, MEGAN PEPIN, AND CHRIS RICCI
Eye Spy is an interactive exhibition that features the
artwork of various artists that is
open to the public June 19, 2010
to May 22, 2011. The work is
created to challenge the perception upon viewing art and the
world. Jane Winchell, the director of the PEM's Art& Nature
Center, says, “Visitors to the
tured). The viewer must gaze
into a crystal ball which mimics
the human eye. It becomes
clear that the spools make a portrait of a girl. This portrait is
actually referencing Renoir's
painting “A Girl With a
Watering Can.” Sperber is commenting on how the impressionists worked with illusions. After
DEVORAH SPERBER’S “AFTER RENOIR”
exhibition will delight in the
beauty of these mind-stretching
objects.” Much of the artwork is
not contained by a wooden
frame and placed on the wall;
there are dynamic sculptures
made with metal that cast a
shadow to the floor to create
cohesive images. There is a
video camera connected to a television on the wall that cleverly
captures the movements of the
viewer. However, the image is
not so clear. The viewer transforms into millions of black and
white dots as if the world has
become a George Seurat painting, with a twist. The black and
white dots spin around.
A large piece of artwork that is placed on the back
wall behind the partition wall is
a piece to marvel at. The artist,
Devorah Sperber, created the
work titled After Renoir (pic-
Renoir is playing off of a painting that was created during a
time period that became the
beginning of understanding that
painting is an illusion. Through
the way they used color and
brushstrokes with large strokes
of color, they make an object
that blends into our eyes to create a solid image. They studied
the effects of color and exaggerated the colors they saw, yet
their paintings still had a very
clear subject matter.
Artists have to become
inventors to create something
different in a world already
filled with similar ideas and
concepts. This art transcends the
“norm” because this has the
power to truly draw the viewer
to become part of the artwork
such as the piece with distorted
mirrors.
DOES THIS PIECE MAKE YOU THINK YOU ARE THE ARTWORK?
DANIEL ROZIN’S “SELF CENTERED MIRROR”
“Las Fallas De Valencia”
BY JOSEPH STERRETT-ALARCON
The “Fallas” is an
international celebration where
it is celebrated in some cities
and towns in the “Comunidad
Valenciana” from the 15th to
19th of March, in homage to the
patron saint of carpenters, Saint
Joseph.
The fallas are monuments which are formed by one
or two gigantic figures surrounded by groups of smaller
figures; these smaller figures
are called “ninots.” They can
represent a criticism of society
such as politics, society, celebrities, etc. The main Fallas can
reach heights of 65 feet and are
made of paper mache, cardboard, or Styrofoam (Originally
they were made of wax).
In Valencia, each town
builds two fallas, one for children and one for adults and they
have a contest for each category.
The winners from each category
put one “ninot” and one falla
from the adults into a museum
where all can see the work done,
and the others are put on fire
(foc signifies fire in the dialect
from Valencia).
It is traditional to walk
through the city, eating snacks
made of pumpkin and looking at
the quantity of almost 400 fallas
throughout the city, in each
town square, and on every
street.
Each one has some sort
of sign which explains the fallas
significance and personality.
They are written in Spanish and
Valenciano, which is the dialect
that is spoken in the Valencia
Community.
On Saint Joseph’s day
all of the Fallas are burned at
night - this is also called “The
Burning Night.” This is traditionally the way to welcome
spring, with fire and explosions.
(which is where the word “fallas” comes from). The city, at
this point, can be seen plenty of
bonfires burning. This is where
the celebration ends. Shortly
after, they begin to prepare for
the coming year’s fallas. The
people that want to participate
in the coming years fallas begin
their work a year in advance in
order to have their fallas in next
years’ celebration. So when the
time comes to burn their fallas,
obviously there is some sadness
associated with it. When the
participants are ready to burn
la, sing, dance, and play games.
Tourists are more than welcome
to participate if they want.
Valencia is known as
the City of Fire. During the cel-
their fallas they put holes in
them and pour gasoline all over
their work. When they are ready
to burn the them, the princess of
the fallas (much like the grand
marshal of Mardi gras) comes to
set them ablaze. This is a sad
moment for the “fallera mayor.”
The public is amazed by the
sight of seeing a 65 foot figure
being burned right in front of
them. When the Falla has been
consumed entirely by fire, the
public waits to see it fall to the
ground. When it does, the public
shouts and applauds in awe.
After a few minutes all
that is left of the fallas is ashes
and its print on the ground. All
of the participants celebrate the
end and at this point more workers come to remove what is left
of the Fallas.
The origin of the Fallas
was during spring when carpenters built bonfires on the streets
in front of their workshops to
clean them of all the remaining
cardboard, wood, and other
materials. This is how the tradition of bonfires began. Time
passed, and the society began to
burn things in protest until the
actual Fallas as you see now
came to existence.
At each site where a
falla is located, a group of
neighbors have a tent where
they make a little club during
this 4 days. There they eat pael-
ebration the people from
Valencia throw firecrackers into
the streets. Furthermore, each
day the town celebrates “The
Mascleta, in the town square,
precisely at 12 noon. What the
“Mascleta” consist of is firecrackers and explosions that
leave the city completely full of
smoke. At 10pm, they light fireworks. The people of Valencia
love the noise from all the firecrackers and explosions.
All of the events that
happen are presented by the
princess of the Fallas and her
court. The court is for young
girls and young ladies. The
dresses that they wear are very
heavy and are made by local
seamstresses. Not only do the
princesses and her courts wear
traditional attire, it is not
uncommon to see other people
wear traditional attire during
this celebration.
Much like the rest of
Spain during a celebration, a
“Corrida de Toros” (bullfight) is
organized. Since this is a special
event, only the best bulls and
matadors (bullfighters) are presented.
All of this together
with the joy and enthusiasm the
people of Valencia give during
this memorable week make it an
unforgettable event that nobody
should miss.
(http:// www.fallas.com/, http://fallasfromvalencia.com/, http://mural.uv.es/pareva/fallas.html,
http://escuelai.com/spanish culture/fiestas espanolas/lasfiestas.html, http://usuarios.multimania.es/falla
castellon/2002/historia1/historia.html, http://fallaslw.fallas.com/F-valencia.html)
PAGE 4 – NSCC PENNON
February 14-20 is
NATIONAL CONDOM WEEK!
At Health Quarters, we’ve heard many reasons for not using male
condoms: “They slow things down,” “My partner won’t wear
them,” and “They don’t feel as good,” are just a few. But there are
some pretty compelling reasons to use them, too. In the spirit of
David Letterman, here are:
THE TOP TEN REASONS TO USE CONDOMS!
10: Condoms are 98% effective when used correctly.
9: Condoms protect against both pregnancy and most STDs. The
only other method that is this effective is continuous abstinence!
8: Condoms are ready when you are: You don’t have to start using
them before sex in order for them to work.
7: Condoms can be used by anyone without any harmful side
effects. Choose polyurethane if you have a latex allergy.
6: Condoms come in all varieties. Experiment with your partner to
find the one that suits you best.
5: Condoms do not have to interrupt sex – they can be incorporated
into foreplay.
4: Condoms can be purchased without a prescription.
3: Condoms can help to extend lovemaking.
2: Condoms are thinner today and offer sensation and prevention at
the same time.
And the number one reason to use condoms: They’re FREE at
Health Quarters’ table on February 14!
1: Stop by, get some free stuff, and learn more about our reproduc-
tive health services at 19 Broadway in Beverly!
Birds Dying Around the Globe
BY NELSON BAKER
In an unexpected series
of occurrences, birds have fallen dead out of the skies in large
numbers. The event has happened not only in the United
States, but in various parts of
the world including Sweden,
Thailand, Brazil, Italy. This is
something that has happened
before, only not in conjunction
with as many other similar
events. People are growing concerns as some have seen the
ground become stained from literally thousands of blackbirds
smashing into it from above.
Patrik Jonsson of The
Christian Science Monitor
noted that The US Geological
Survey listed 90 mass deaths of
birds last year from June to
December. In addition, “over
the past 30 years, it counts 16
events in which 1000 birds or
more suddenly died,” Jonsson
wrote.
There are different reasons that these deaths happen. It
could be from an unexpected
cold blast of weather, from pesticide poisoning, or even from
the mass killings from people
who live in a state where this is
not illegal.
It appears that the different cases that have been
reported are unrelated. One of
the first reports came out of
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
Medical Tourism and the
Spread of NDM-1
BY MIKE BORODA
RICCI
AND
CHRIS
You’re standing at the
mouth of a long and dark alley,
staring at the black letters of
newspaper. You look at your
watch. In ten minutes you are to
meet somebody in the belly of
the alley. The sign is a series of
barks arranged as the popular
Christmas song “Jingle Bells.”
You try to convince yourself
that you’re waiting for the bus
in order to complete the illusion
of ‘nonchalance’. Nine minutes
later, you hear the sign and,
thinking fast, release a monstrous sigh while eyeing your
watch. Maybe you let loose an
“unbelievable!” before tossing
your hands in the air. Then you
turn and slink into the alley.
You’re overcome with tunnel
vision and deaf from your echoing footsteps in the cramped
alley. Eventually you reach
what can only be assumed as the
halfway point, marked with an
out-of-place lamp post that’s
only missing a few decrepit,
wooden signs jutting out from
the sides. Next to the post is a
metal door, discolored with rust
and misuse. You knock to the
tune of “Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer” and it lurches
open before you finish, revealing a short and pudgy man clad
in a tweed suit. He takes you
down a spiral staircase into a
hazy room with couches and
operating tables. You tell him,
“I’m here for the liver.” Though
slightly exaggerated, this reproduction essentially describes
medical tourism.
A term coined by the
mass media and affiliated with
travel agencies, medical tourism
is all about travelling overseas
for a view of the Taj Mahal and
a new kidney on the side. With
exorbitant healthcare costs, people have begun leaving the
country on vacation to enjoy a
cruise, spa treatment or a cheap
rhinoplasty. It almost sounds
like a science fiction novel. Fed
up with your two left feet?
Come to Ecuador for new ones!
Of course, medical
tourism isn’t a perfect business.
In most cases, the risks heavily
outweigh the benefits. Overseas
surgeons can often carry phony
credentials or none at all. If
working with another person
who will volunteer an organ, it’s
very possible for that person to
simply take the money and run.
Though relatively inexpensive
by healthcare standards in
America and the UK, there are
certain necessary precautions
immune to antibiotics. There
have already been a few cases in
the United States, in addition to
England. Why is the bug
immune? When doctors constantly prescribe antibiotics as a
means for treating all ailments,
one cannot overlook and most
times with medical tourism,
these precautions are, in fact,
overlooked.
The UK has been experiencing problems first hand
with medical tourism, especially
from India and Pakistan. A new
“superbug” gene has been discovered that is resistant to some
of the most powerful antibiotics.
The gene, called New Delhi
metallo-ß-lactamase-1,
or
NDM-1, can jump from different bacteria strains, effectively
immunizing them all. If that
doesn’t sound horrifying, it gets
worse. Scientists fear that
NDM-1 may combine with
another bacterium that is
already resistant to other antibiotics. Quoted from the BBC
online:
no matter how small, bacteria
slowly gain immunities to that
antibiotic, eventually leading to
the development of more powerful antibiotics. Reuters on
antibiotics:
NDM-1 (or more precisely the
DNA code for this enzyme) can
easily now jump from one strain
of bacteria to another. Experts
are worried that it may end up
in another bacterium which is
already resistant to many other
antibiotics. Ultimately, it could
produce dangerous infections
that would spread rapidly from
person to person and be almost
impossible to treat. (Roberts)
An article on Reuters
presents the problem very
straightforwardly:
medical
tourism gives bacteria a chance
to travel the world and see the
sights, and now, become
Almost as soon as the first
antibiotic penicillin was introduced in the 1940s, bacteria
began to develop resistance to
its
effects,
prompting
researchers to develop many
new generations of antibiotics.
But their overuse and misuse
have helped fuel the rise of
drug-resistant "superbug" infections like methicillin-resistant
Staphyloccus aureus, or MRSA.
(Kelland and Hirschler)
Creating and prescribing new antibiotics becomes a
photo finish after every superbug infection and there is often
a long development period
wherein the infection can quickly spread and harm hundreds.
In the movies 28 Days
Later and 28 Weeks Later, there
is a similar situation when a
virus is let loose in England,
effectively turning those infected into very agile and angry
zombies. Fortunately enough,
the rage virus wasn’t spread by
medical tourism, unlike NDM1. Food for thought.
The superbug gene
was reported to have spread
from people travelling back
from India after undergoing
CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
Extreme Winter Cold Continued
the lookout for versions of these
items that feature an automatic
shut-off option; there’s a real
possibility that you could neglect the convenience of these
items and the last thing you
want is a house fire in the middle of winter.
Batteries are also an
important assets to have, as are
battery powered items such as a
clocks and a radios. Battery
powered phone chargers are
also a good thing to keep around
in case of an outage. Most of the
battery chargers average around
twenty dollars and feature multiple outputs that can fit just
about any phone.
The worst part about a
winter storm is clearing out after
it’s finished. There are plenty of
shovels available but only about
half are worth owning, especially if there’s a deep freeze. The
best investment you could make
is a steel-tipped plastic shovel.
The plastic body makes it easier
for you to lift the snow up while
the tip can easily break the ice
beneath the snow and help thoroughly clear things up. Stocking
up on excessive amounts of rock
salt as opposed to one small tub
is more worthwhile seeing that
nighttime freezing is an almost
nightly occurrence after a big
storm.
When the weather is
extremely cold, staying outside
is always a risky thing to do
because of frostbite. Frostbite is
the freezing of bodily tissue
(generally the extremities like
the nose, the ears, and the fingers) which can range from a
light numbing sensation called
“frostnip” to a severe blackening of the skin which requires
surgical attention and could
result in amputation. Depending
on the weather, the amount of
exposure that can result in frostbite can range from a half an
hour to five minutes. Generally
when the weather is below zero,
one should not be outside for
longer than thirty minutes at a
time.
If you have to be outside during subzero tempera-
tures, layers of clothes that isn’t
skin tight can provide insulation. Extremities such as your
head and hands should be covered, seeing that heat exits the
body quicker. A ski-mask is a
good all-around form of coverage when it comes to your face
while mittens work better as an
insulator than gloves.
Pipes pose a major
problem around this time of
year. Water expands when it
freezes and the compression
caused by piping systems in
your house could turn this
expansion into an explosion.
Generally speaking, most piping
systems in New England are
located inside the building’s
insulation, assuring that the
pipes won’t freeze easily.
However, it will be in your best
interest to have a good idea as to
the location of the pipes in your
house and the area surrounding
them. Check if there are any
holes in the walls and, if the
pipes are exposed in the basement and/or the attic, check and
see if both areas are insulated. If
the pipes are exposed in uninsulated areas, a plumber could
possibly re-route the location of
the pipes. Though not entirely
practical, this change could be
beneficial in the long run.
Letting faucet’s drip
during the winter months can
help prevent a potential disaster
with your piping. Contrary to
popular belief, the drip of the
faucet does not prevent the pipe
from freezing, but relieves the
pipe of any excessive pressure
that could cause it to burst if it
does freeze. The drip also doesn’t have to be a constant stream;
so long as there’s some form of
pressure being pushed through
the pipes, you’re all set.
Another problem that
is intensified during the winter
months is the risk of carbon
monoxide poisoning. Carbon
monoxide is an odorless and
tasteless gas that is produced by
any fuel burning source.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide
exposure are similar to that of
the flu; headaches, exhaustion,
vertigo, fainting, vomiting.
Prolonged exposure to carbon
monoxide can result in death
and since it has no taste or odor,
it’s very hard to tell if you’re
being exposed to it. Due to our
reliance to fuel sources during
the winter, the risk of carbon
monoxide exposure is heightened. Carbon monoxide alarms
are the only way to detect carbon monoxide in your home. Be
sure to buy one with a battery
back-up just in case the power
goes out. If the alarm sounds, be
sure to exit the house immediately and call 911; you don’t
want to risk anymore exposure.
Overall, though sometimes a pain, the winter months
are manageable. If nothing else,
they serve as a reminder that
spring and summer are just
around the corner.
Cold Weather Means Increased Risk of Dehydration
BY TANYA GREEN
Although associated
with heat and summer months,
dehydration is still a risk, even
in cold weather. Those who
exercise in the cold and/or work
outdoors in the cold are at an
increased risk for developing
this potentially life threatening
condition. Dehydration is more
serious in the cold because the
symptoms and onset are different than in the warmer weather.
In the warmer weather
the first sign of potential dehydration is thirst, followed by
feeling overheated, having a
headache, etc. In the cold, our
bodies struggle to maintain
homeostasis (a consistent regular body temperature usually
above 97 F). This struggle causes the brain to have to prioritize
its duties. In doing so people do
not feel thirsty as quickly as
they would in the summer. Due
to the cold, people do not feel
overheated, and a headache or
any ill feelings are disregarded
as those associated with just
being in the cold, the first symptoms of a flu or other winter ailment.
According to a study at
UNH the reason for cold weather dehydration is that the thirst
sensation is both delayed and
altered. The thirst sensation is
delayed because as the body
struggles to maintain homeostasis, the brain does not send a
message to the kidneys to
reduce
urine
production.
Increased urine in the blood can
help maintain blood volume at
the core of the body, thus not
signaling the hypothalamus to
secrete AVP (the hormone that
causes the thirst sensation).
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
PAGE 5 – NSCC PENNON
North Shore Uncensored
Question: I may have a sexually transmitted infection from a
previous partner and I am not
sure how to tell my current partner that I may have infected
them. I am going to the doctors
next week to make sure but I
would really like the support of
my partner and family. What
should I do?
NSU: Thank you so much for
bringing up this really important
topic
for
North
Shore
Community College students,
faculty, and staff. Potential sexually transmitted infections and
communication with relationships, monogamous or casual,
seem very difficult and
advanced. However, you have
already taken the right steps by
making an appointment to see
your doctor, which will already
benefit your health and the
health of your partner.
If you happen
to find out that you have tested
positive for an STI you should
seriously consider telling all of
your past and current sexual
partners. If you are infected
with an STI that does not have a
cure it is especially important to
tell your future sexual partners
about the STI before engaging
in sexual behavior. Telling past
and current partners can be
hard, however it is very important that they find out so that
they can be tested and prevent
additional spread of the infection.
If you feel ready to talk
to your partner, here are some
suggestions:
Practicing: You may want to
practice what you are going to
say to your partner's possible
reactions and responses. This
can help you prepare for their
questions and concerns.
Timing and Place: Telling your
partner as soon as possible is
important; however, you should
do it at a time that is considerate
by finding a quiet, private place
and a time where you will not
be interrupted can help calm
emotions and keep the conversation respectful. Avoid telling
your partner right before having
sex.
Honesty and Sensitivity: Your
partner may express emotions
such as distrust, self-blame, and
anger when you tell him or her
about your diagnosis. These are
common responses so try to be
sensitive and listen to your partner's concerns and fears. Try to
think that if the role were
reversed, wouldn’t you want
your partner to be honest and
sensitive toward you if he or she
were telling you about an STI?
Resources and Referrals: Your
doctor’s office or NSCC Health
Services should have brochures
about your STI to give to your
past, current, or future partners
so that they have correct medical information. You may also
want to give them an STI hotline number or the phone number to your doctor so that they
do not delay making a doctor's
appointment and they can get
their questions answered. You
may also want to offer to
accompany your partner to the
doctor's office to be tested.
Sexual Violence: If you feel
that a partner will be violent
toward you if you disclose your
STI status, you do not have to
tell your partner. Or you may
choose to tell your partner with
the support of a family member
or close friend whilein a public
setting. If you are in an abusive
relationship, you should consider contacting the National
Domestic Abuse Hotline (1800-799-SAFE).
If you still do not feel
ready to talk to your past or current partners about an infection
you can:
Send an anonymous
letter, you can use the telephone
or internet, or talk to a health
professional. A doctor can ask
the public health authority to
take care of warning your partner. They won’t say where the
information comes from, but
that they need to be treated.
I hope this information
was helpful to you and your
partners, if you have any further
questions about STI’s or talking
to your partner, please visit
www.birdsandbees.org for more
information. For immediate
care please call the American
Social Health Association's
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Hotline at (1-919-361-8488).
The North Shore Uncensored column in the North Shore Community
College Pennon Newspaper provides educated harm reduction responses
and alternative options to students who have any questions related to sex,
drugs, alcohol or any other health concerns sent anonymously to
(NSUncensored@hotmail.com). All responses concerning harm reduction,
health, and safety follows NSCC’s commitment to their students and their
well being. If you have any questions please send them to the column
address. Your personal information will not be shared with anyone and you
have the choice whether or not your question will be published.
“Imagine That”
PAGE 6 – NSCC PENNON
Lost and Found
BY NELSON BAKER
Sitting in the back row,
purposely positioning himself
so that he was mostly hidden
from the sights of Mrs. Fisher,
Edgar Rollins stared in disbelief
at the long list of homework
assignments that was handed
out to the class. It was the first
day of 11th grade for the students at Banesville High, and
Edgar was already wishing he
had spent the day on the basketball courts instead.
“How are we supposed
to have time to do all this?”
Edgar asked his teacher.
glow dissolving until his eyes
brought it into focus. It was a
diamond ring. He quickly
picked it up, making sure no one
saw him. Jackpot.
Edgar knew a ring like
this had to be worth some
bucks. It was what his mother
and her friends called a rock. He
started to get excited as he
thought of all the things he
could buy with the money.
Finally, he could get some good
clothes, instead of wearing
shirts from two years ago. He
did his best to fit in, but he was
pushing it with his fading
clothes and grungy looking
“It’s really not that
much,” she answered. “Just do
your best. That’s all I ask.”
Edgar shook his head.
It’s not that he was stupid. He wanted to be a good student – it was evident from his
complaint – but it was difficult
for him to admit it, even to himself.
The bell rang, and even
though he was in the back,
Edgar was the first one to leave.
He laughed with his friends as
he crumpled up his homework
list and decided it was going to
be another year with average
grades. It didn’t bother him, that
much.
As his friends veered
right, Edgar continued down the
hall toward his next class. With
the crumpled paper still in his
hand, he noticed something
shining on the floor. At first, he
thought it was the sun beaming
in from outside, but then realized he was in a corridor with no
windows.
He approached it, the
sneakers.
A smile came over his
face as he imagined maybe even
having enough money for his
first car. He would be the first of
his friends to have one. His
adrenaline was flowing, maybe
more than it ever had. His first
day of school was going to be a
good one after all.
Jogging toward him, a
woman he had never seen
looked as if she was being
chased. She had a look of horror
over her face. She was looking
left and right, and then scoured
the floor. “Oh no. Please God.”
Edgar quickly stuffed
the ring into his jeans pocket.
“Did you see a ring
anywhere by any chance? I
think I dropped it.”
“Nope. Sorry.”
The words he said
seemed to pierce into her, as her
face crunched together even
more.
As she continued to
search, Mrs. Fisher came out of
her classroom to help. “You lost
When the salt content (from the
urine) becomes higher than the
fluid in the blood, the body is
slower to react to the change
due to the other stresses it is
placed under because of the cold
environmental
temperature.
This means that the hypothala-
mus secretes AVP at a slower
than normal rate, which alters
the thirst sensation. When the
thirst
sensation
becomes
extreme in the cold weather, the
body is 10% to 20% more dehydrated than it would be in the
warm weather with that intensi-
something, Ms. Green?”
“Yes, my engagement
ring. I can’t believe this. He just
gave it to me over the weekend,
and now it’s gone.”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure
we will find it.”
Edgar was looking
down as he slowly walked, listening to their conversation. He
looked at his torn sneakers,
while Ms. Green started crying
behind him. Shaking his head,
he stopped. I can’t do this, he
thought.
He reached down to
the floor, pretending to pick
something up. “Hey, I think I
found your ring.”
Ms. Green shouted so
loud that it made him jump. “Oh
my God! You’re kidding me!
My ring?”
Edgar felt a sense of
loss, but overpowering that was
a feeling of satisfaction from the
happiness Ms. Green felt at this
moment.
She carefully took the
ring and gave Edgar a hug that
was tighter than any he had ever
known. “You’re a sweetheart. I
owe you big. What’s your
name?”
“It’s nothing, really,”
he said, without telling her his
name. Having almost walked
off with her ring, he knew he
wasn’t owed a thing.
The two teachers
began a conversation that
looked like it could go on for
hours. Ms. Green described her
weekend where her fiancé had
proposed, and together, their
emotions ran wild.
Edgar walked to his
next class, not sure how he
should feel about what had happened. He took the first vacant
desk, without paying much
attention to its distance from the
teacher.
He knew one thing; he
was happy with his decision.
With his hands on the
desk, he noticed he still was
holding onto the crumpled
homework assignment he had
planned to throw in the trash.
Somewhat reluctantly, he flattened it out as best he could.
Dehydration Continued
ty of thirst.
Although easier said
than done, it is important to
drink a significant amount of
fluids when out in the cold,
especially if working or exercising. It is important to drink
when not thirsty in these conditions and as soon as the slightest
bit of thirst is felt, get inside to a
warm place and drink. Another
important thing to remember is
that both humans and animals
can develop cold weather dehydration, so it is equally important to monitor a pet’s intake of
fluids in the winter.
Thom Yorke’s Human Sculpture
BY CHRIS RICCI
Radiohead frontman
Thom Yorke posted an advertisement on his website asking
for fan support for a different
type of side project. The post on
Radiohead’s “Dead Air Space”
blog asked for “2,000 people
who want to be part of a human
King Cnut type image facing
the sea that is visible from space
as part of the Earth350.” There
is a classic legend regarding
King Cnut (A.K.A. Cnut The
Great or King Canute) that
Thom believes fits the climate
situation perfectly.
The story of King Cnut
starts in Denmark where het
decided to set his throne up next
to the ocean. In an attempt to
prove his power, Cnut tried to
control the waves and prevent
them from soaking his throne
and his cape. His attempt failed
and, taken aback by this, he
wanted to “let all men know
how empty and worthless is the
power of kings, for there is none
worthy of the name, but He
whom heaven, earth, and sea
obey by eternal laws.” He then
took his crown off and never
wore it again; showing that he,
in reality, wasn’t the king of
anything relevant in the world.
Thom’s project was a
part of the “350.org” movement
who’s objective is to construct
environmentally conscious and
relevant images that are visible
from space. The movement corresponds with the UN Climate
conferences taking place in
Cancun, Mexico.
Over 2,000 people
showed up to participate in
Thom’s project while braving
the harsh weather in Brighton.
As significant as his project
was, Thom’s wasn’t the only
one occurring at that time.
Dozens of other human sculptures were formed across the
globe and were photographed
via satellite. The images will be
on display soon at 350.org.
Thom used the image
of Cnut on the cover of his 2006
solo album “The Eraser.” The
image shows a Cnut-like figure
trying to stop the waves which
have consumed various historical landmarks including Big
Ben and the houses of
Parliament. Thom believes that
the image of Cnut sums up our
views on the environment and
the issues we face perfectly; in a
2006 interview, Thom stated
how “we’re all King Canutes,
holding our hands out, saying,
‘It’ll go away. I can make it
stop.’ No, you can’t.”
Bird Deaths Continued
Arkansas, where over 5000 redwinged blackbirds fell from the
sky on New Year’s Eve. The
International Herald Tribune
reported that the initial testing
results of the birds found that
the cause of death was not disease.
One factor that could
have played a key role in this
particular event is stress. The
Tribune’s Campbell Robertson
wrote, “pyrotechnics are used to
scatter blackbirds for bird control, though only during the day,
given the birds’ poor vision.”
Though very odd,
there are always explanations
that may at first be unseen, but
are eventually uncovered.
Thousands of birds dropping
out of the sky may seem surreal,
but in actuality, events like these
can usually be explained in the
end.
PAGE 7 – NSCC PENNON
We need your written opinions to fill up this page.
Send us your opinion about anything! Up to 500 words. Preferably in MS Word Document. Send to pennon@northshore.edu or drop off at any Student
Life Office or The Pennon Office (DM 124). It will be edited for spelling and grammar. Opinions and editorials are not necessarily those of The Pennon.
Valentine’s Day Survival Guide: For the All the Single (and
Tentatively Solo) Ladies
BY BARBARA HAYES, MS, MFT
Valentine’s Day seems
to create more distress for couples and singles than any other
holiday. For singles it is an inyour-face reminder of their solitary status with hearts and
cupids as far as the eye can see.
For couples there is often a rift,
if not a chasm, between the partners’ desires and expectations.
One partner, often the female,
may feel that it is the most
important day of the year, or at
least in the top five, and should
be celebrated with elaborate rituals and gifts.
On the hand, the male
partner may feel, with some justification, that it is a day that
historically signifies little and is
not in the same league as birthdays, anniversaries, or religious
celebrations. The holiday was
apparently inaugurated in a
1382 poem by Geoffrey
Chaucer to commemorate the
anniversary of the engagement
of England’s King Richard II to
Anne of Bohemia, both fourteen
years old. Even if you find that a
charming beginning for a holiday, Chaucer actually got the
date wrong since their agreement of marriage was dated
May 2. Oh, well. Needless to
say, this gender-based difference of opinion about the day’s
significance can be a recipe for
disaster.
I know of cases where
the female partner has ended a
long-term relationship because
of events involving Valentine’s
Day. One middle-aged woman
left her partner of several years
because he asked if they could
celebrate the holiday a day early
due to pressing obligations concerning his family business. He
had even planned a lovely dinner and had already procured a
suitable present. I was taken
aback when I heard this story. I
thought that I might be out of
touch with “normal” female
sentiments since this situation
would not even generate a small
blip on my partner-transgression
radar. So I asked a group of
younger women what they
thought. All of their responses
were similar: “That’s ridiculous!” or “You’re kidding!”
From the very young to those of
my (middle) age, there seem to
be a lot of women who are more
pragmatic and down-to-earth
than the hopelessly-romantic,
advertisement-driven
(oxymoron intended) media would
like us to believe.
As grown-ups, we can
choose what meaning we assign
to events; we are not stuck having to think or feel the way that
our parents, our friends, or the
media dictate. It takes considerable thought, energy, and time
in order to reframe our disappointment or dissatisfaction
with the situation, but it can be
well worth it. One way to
change your view of this or any
situation is to ask yourself scaling questions, which are one of
the tools that therapists use
when helping clients put their
thoughts and feelings in a more
appropriate perspective.
For almost any woman
considering a long-term commitment, qualities like being a
strong and stable emotional,
financial, physical, and social
partner would easily earn five to
ten points on a ten-point scale of
desirable traits in a partner.
These are the big issues that
make or break a long-term relationship during difficult times.
The minor misunderstandings
that get blown out of proportion
should pale in comparison to
having someone who: is financially responsible; is there for
you in times of crisis (health
problems, death of family or
friends, etc); is a warm, attentive, and respectful companion;
is committed to you; and lets
you know he cares about you in
his own ways. (Unfortunately,
studies indicate that men show
affection and caring in ways that
don’t always work well for
women. Men feel close to their
partners when they watch television with them, for example.
Men show caring by doing or
fixing things for women. They
express their feelings of closeness sexually!!) In ten or twenty
years, you will remember if he
comforted you at your mother’s
funeral, but a tiff over
Valentine’s Day will seem trivial.
If you have very
strong, specific desires for your
Valentine’s celebration, tell
him!! Studies also show that not
only are guys bad at reading
minds (kind of like the rest of
us), they are also not as good as
women at picking up facial or
verbal clues -- no surprise there!
If he has good reasons why he
can’t accommodate your wishes
even after you express them
directly, realize that it should
not be a deal-breaker as long as
he meets your needs in truly
important ways. A less-thanperfect Valentine’s Day is at
most a two or three on serious
scales of desirable traits. Try to
focus on all of the other things
that make you feel good about
the guy. Pay attention to his signals that he loves and cares for
you. (He let you control the
remote for the evening! He
fixed the garbage disposal –
yay!)
For singles who feel
sad on this day, think of all of
the bad Valentine’s Days that
you have had with Mr. SoWrong and all of the poor
women who are having them
now. Pamper yourself by staying home and luxuriating in silly
soap operas, or taking a long
bubble bath, or by doing any of
the things that you never did
because your ex didn’t want to
do. Remind yourself that the
next relationship you get into
will be with someone kind, caring, and considerate because
you are committed to never
again settling for Mr. Will-Dofor-Now. Then smile!! Research
also shows that smiling sends a
signal to your brain that you feel
happy, which causes you to
smile some more, which causes
you to feel even happier, and so
the cycle perpetuates itself!
So for women everywhere, have a very Happy
Valentine’s Day (or “Chaucer’s
Poem Day,” for the historically
accurate)!!!
Barbara Hayes, MS,
MFT, is a licensed marriage and
family therapist. She wrote this
book to help women understand
how to determine the difference
between the petty issues that
plague most relationships and
the big red flags that tell you the
relationship is headed for disaster. In doing so, she incorporates
both Western and Eastern psychological disciplines into her
work.
Hayes attended
University of California at
Berkeley
and
Dominican
University of California. She is
a proud mother, her ‘status’ is
single and she currently lives in
northern California. Hayes’
new book, Beware of Dogs:
How
to
Avoid
Dating
Disastersis is available for purchase as an eBook, hard cover
and perfect bound soft back
through Borders.com, Barnes
and Noble.com and other book
sellers.
Medical Tourism
Continued
medical procedures. Though
purported to have begun in
India, the gene has been popping up around England and
may spread even more, due to
the booming medical tourism
industries in India and Pakistan
(Huffington Post).
India, however, has
labeled these claims as “malicious propaganda.” Indian
members of Parliament have
denied allegations regarding
Indian hospitals as unsafe and
argue the gene can be found in
any environment around the
world. There are layers upon
layers of finger pointing and
blaming. Who is really to
blame? The bureaucratic pile of
forms and regulations and laws
is so densely packed that it
would be counter-productive to
even attempt to censure a country, an industry or an organization. One could find foul in the
high healthcare costs which
lead to medical tourism, and
one can also blame the superfluous application of antibiotics
in treating small illnesses.
Though, it hardly matters now,
since two of the most potentially dangerous practices have
begun working together.
Medical tourism will
not die down soon. In fact, the
industry is growing rapidly. In
case this becomes a new sensation; the least tourists and surgeons can do is exercise
extreme caution and safety. In
some cases, a decision including medical tourism can be a
life or death one but for the case
of cosmetic surgery it is an
incredibly selfish endeavor. To
go overseas in order to find a
new nose for cheap and risk
spreading a superbug should be
illegal. Endangering oneself is
one thing but to put thousands
of lives at risk is practically
murder.
WANT YOUR OPINIONS HEARD?
WRITE TO THE PENNON AND BE INCLUDED IN NEXT MONTH’S ISSUE!
PAGE 8 – NSCC PENNON
The Cassette Revival: A Futile Effort
ly superior to that of CD’s.
Obviously, the audio quality of
vinyl records is relative the
quality of the speakers themselves but, with a good pair of
headphones or speakers, the
superiority of records is evident.
However, the only problem with
records is the size of them.
Records are generally 12 inch
LP’s and, at smallest, are 7 inch
EP’s, making them hard to carry
around. Obviously, this means
that vinyl records are strictly
restricted to home use.
Unfortunately, enjoying music at home nowadays is
a rare commodity. This restricts
most of our music listening to
various MP3 players. This is
why the download culture is
gigantic nowadays; people just
want to grab two or three songs
to throw on their player so they
can take it on the go. The record
companies don’t particularly
care for this; major amounts of
ways to listen to CD’s on the go
(CD walkmen, car CD players)
are slowly vanishing and priorities are shifting to the download
market. This is something that
the companies don’t particularly
care for.
In response for the
increased demand for portable
music and as a means to combat
the download culture, certain
record labels are slowly beginning to release certain albums
on cassette. The concept behind
the release of cassettes has an
interesting basis. For starters,
cassettes are relatively cheap
and are even cheaper to sell. The
cost of CD’s average at around
12 dollars while the average
cassette would cost around 7
dollars to the customer. Due to
the minimal cost of cassette production, most artists are making
them themselves. This assures
that more money would go
directly to the artist themselves.
Unlike a vinyl record, cassettes
are portable and are less “high
maintenance,” which makes
them friendlier and more useable for the general public. The
last major benefit that the industry sees is the industry’s belief
that cassettes are a LOT harder
BY NICK STILIANOS
New York: “The city
that never sleeps” is also the
place where numerous fictional
catastrophes occur within City
Hall. From the creators who
brought you Family Ties, Spin
City (1996-2002), revolves on
Workaholic Deputy Mayor
Michael Flaherty (Michael J.
Fox) who is in charge of running the biggest cities of the
world and trying to keep the
mayor looking and appearing
professional towards the people
of New York and not a complete
embarrassment to have been
elected as mayor. Even if the
mayor told a boy that there is no
Santa Clause in front of the
media during the holidays or
when a statue of “the bird” was
constructed as a symbol of his
administration and placed in the
lobby of city hall, Spin City is
still a laugh a second comedy
that will have you laughing even
harder on the outcome of every
problem that is being solved.
The four time Golden
Globe television show wining
for best performance in a comedy/musical show by both
Michael J. Fox (1996-2000) and
Charlie Sheen (2000-2002) is
coming out with even greater
challenges to resolve and with a
much bigger focus on Mayor
Randall Winston (played by
Barry Bostwick) when he
decides to run for Senator. With
something this important, they
BY CHRIS RICCI
The
rise of illegal downloading has
prompted the recording industry
to figure out alternative forms of
releasing music. Though “legal”
downloads are steadily popular
(even becoming more popular
than CD releases), internet piracy has found plenty of ways
around the “legal” digital releases. This has forced the industry
into a tight corner; either impose
stricter restrictions regarding
online and CD releases, or start
to release things in an alternative format.
In the past six years,
vinyl records have become
increasingly popular. A seemingly rustic way of listening to
music has quite a few benefits;
vinyl audio quality is surprising-
to pirate.
though
Cassettes,
invented in the mid sixties,
gained severe popularity in the
80’s (a popularity that outweighed that of vinyl) due to the
release of Sony’s Walkman. The
size of the Walkman was about
the same size as the cassette
itself, making it more compact
and convenient for the user if
they wanted to take their music
on the road. However, this revelation was short lived due to the
release of portable CD players
and, eventually, MP3 players.
Though the record
company has some sort-of basis
when it comes to their cassette
argument, the cons of cassettes
strongly outweigh their potential pros. As stated before, cassettes are relatively cheap to
produce. One of the major reasons is because they aren’t using
a Hi-Fi audio transfer. This
makes cassettes relatively cheap
in audio quality, similar to that
of an audio file on Youtube,
whereas the quality of CD’s is
meant to be a higher quality
transfer. Since CD players are
slowly fading out of existence,
it’s easy to assume that cassette
players are fading out of existence at a more rapid pace. Even
less cars have cassette players
and a Sony Cassette Walkman is
even harder to find than a CD
player. Out of all the ways to
Spin City Season 4
must call Caitlin Moore
(Heather Locklear), the new
campaign manager for the
Mayor; with this new addition
to city hall that means either a
new women to harass at work or
to ask out.
Season 4 of Spin City
is very special because it was
Michael J. Fox’s final season
before his farewell and was
replaced with what was a clean
and sober Charlie Sheen who
lasted for only two seasons.
When Fox was diagnosed with
Parkinson’s Disease- a degenerative disorder of the central
nervous system characterized by
tremor and impaired muscular
coordination in 1991, he was
scared of how it would be at
play music, cassettes are the
ones that are the most susceptible to weather. Since cassettes
are just a form of reel-to-reel
tape, the thin tape can easily be
warped in the heat and condense
in the cold, making the music
slower and causing strain in the
cassette. Even though records
are susceptible to wear due to
excessive playing, cassettes are
more so. The constant rotation
of the tape causes the tape to
slowly expand and, unlike the
wear most records can face, the
wear to cassettes is irreversible.
Lastly, cassettes are
surprisingly easy to copy. Most
cassette decks are compatible
with some of the vinyl-to-digital
converters, making the argument that converting cassettes
and eventually pirating them is
hard hold no merit.
Overall, it seems kind
of ridiculous to revert back to an
older median to combat a modern day problem. There are
plenty of clever people fully
capable of finding or making a
device to easily rip a cassette to
a computer and then to a download website. Fighting this culture is seemingly futile. The
only way to fight the download
culture is to focus more effort
into legal downloading, not by
dusting off the old cassette deck.
first to the public. Fact: if you
watch him on this show you
would notice that he would
occasional hid his left hand in
his pants pocket whenever the
tremors started to set in his hand
to hide any suspicion. In actuality, the real reasons for his
departure from the show was
because he wanted to spend
more time with his family and
also to promote further research
for Parkinson’s.
In closing, Michael J.
Fox will always be remembered
on Spin City for his looks, personality, and comic relief on the
show. The last season of Spin
City starring him in full comes
out in a 26 episode collection on
February 15th.
The Top Albums of 2010
BY CHRIS RICCI
(In No Particular Order)
Dead Weather: Sea of Cowards
The sophomore release from this Jack White side project was a tad bit safer than
their booming first album (2009’s Horehound) but still proved to be one of the
best blues albums of 2010. The Dead Weather’s sound is a sort-of melting pot of
all the members respective bands; the dingy garage rock feel of guitarist Dean
Fertita’s band (Queens of the Stone Age), the well orchestrated and sometime
over-the-top feel of bassist Jack Lawrence and drummer Jack White’s group (The
Raconteurs) and the minimalism of Jack White’s first band, The White Stripes.
However, the member that definitely stands out the most on this album is vocalist and keyboardist Alison Mossheart. Mossheart is the primary vocalist for the
indie-rock group The Kills and, as made evident by Sea of Cowards, is given more
vocal freedom with The Dead Weather. Her whines and singing are reminiscent of
Captain Beefheart (an obvious influence on this album) and competes perfectly
with her vocal partner Jack, who has a similar vocal range. Sea of Cowards is
more consistent than the previous album but, because of this, the album lacks the
sort-of “surprise” feel that the previous one had. However, in the time between the first album and this one, it’s clear
that the band became more comfortable playing with each other.
Gorillaz: Plastic Beach
It’s pretty hard to believe that a band that doesn’t technically exist can not only
meticulously craft two albums, but also manage to score multiple Grammy nominations and reach platinum on both of them. With Plastic Beach, Gorillaz (the
brainchild of Blur’s Damon Albarn) tried to push the envelope further and create
something that could completely outdo his first two albums. To do this, Damon
enlisted an impressive group of collaborators, ranging from rap icons Snoop Dogg
and Mos Def, to classic rock giants like Paul Simonon (from The Clash) and Lou
Reed. Unlike the previous albums, Plastic Beach decided to stay away from a
harder rap feel and, instead, took up a more trip-hop feel. The album plays different than its predecessors; featuring more instrumental tracks and more borderline
rock-and-roll tracks. The album overall is one of the most accessible that the
Gorillaz have released and provides an incredible amount of replay value..
Arcade Fire: The Suburbs
Unlike most of the albums on this list, Arcade Fire’s third album is far from minimalist. Densely produced and incredibly glossy, The Suburbs’ is easily their most
adventurous and pretentious outing. Every song on this album is masterfully crafted, each taking cues from their first two albums but, at the same time, keeping
each song unique. Songs like “Surburban War” and “We Used to Wait” contain a
strong David Bowie feel while the title track and “Wasted Hours” seem to be Neil
Young tracks. The album was crafted in a very unique manner: each track was
separately pressed to an acetate disc then replayed back, making the CD and the
vinyl versions of the album sound almost identical. In the end, the album is easily the most interesting in their discography and, on the whole, has a similar feel
to Radiohead’s Kid A or OK Computer, an adventurous genre-bending outing that
could either make or break the band. Fortunately, this makes the band even more
noticeable and only heightens the anticipation to The Suburbs’ inevitable follow
up.
Grinderman: Grinderman II
With over twenty albums under his belt and three separate bands, Nick Cave
proves that he isn’t too old to rock hard. Cave, now 53, went back to his punk
roots in 2007 with the formation of his third band named Grinderman. This group,
featuring members from his most popular venture (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds),
is easily the loudest and hardest group Nick has played with in over twenty years.
Unlike The Dead Weather, Grinderman did not tighten their sound up for their
second self titled album, and Nick wouldn’t have it any other way. The experimental insanity that is Grinderman II features some of the best lyrics Nick Cave
has provided since the Bad Seeds’ 1997 album The Boatman’s Call. Focusing now
on themes regarding mid-life crisis and other relevant ideas bothering him, Cave’s
cynicism has grown increasingly funny. The unrelenting sonic assault on this
album give Cave the white-hot rock and roll sound he’s been missing the past
twenty years, feeling more like a Stooges album than an album from the guy who
formed The Bad Seeds. One of the other things that makes Grinderman wholly different from other hard garage rock
bands is the eclectic array of instruments featured on each album. You won’t likely hear a violin, a bouzouki, or a mandolin play louder and harder than a guitar on anything other than an album created by Grinderman.
The Greenhornes: Four Stars (****)
Modestly titled, the Greenhornes’ fourth album is defiantly one of the most memorable rock albums released this past year. The indie garage rock trio is better
known for their sideprojects; The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather, both of
which also being projects of virtuoso Jack White. However, The Greenhornes
prove time and time again that you don’t really need star-power to make an
impressive album. One of the biggest draws to The Greenhornes is their truly
unique sound; channeling some of the old 50s and 60s pop rock bands and blending the garage sound of The Ramones and The Stooges. “Four Stars” not only
does this, but also sounds like it was produced by Brian Wilson. Impressive vocal
harmonies give this album a retro feel while Craig Fox’s classic yelp brings this
sound to the 21’st century. Incredibly produced and impressively played, “Four
Stars” was a personal favorite album of mine last year, and it’s hard to imagine
someone NOT liking what The Greenhornes bring to the table.
PAGE 9 – NSCC PENNON
The Black Keys: Brothers
The Black Keys have made a pretty
strong name for themselves despite the
fact that they’ve been around for less
than ten years. Brothers, the band’s sixth
album, is not only one of the best albums
of the year, but is also one of the best
albums ever put out by this band.
Guitarist and lead vocalist Dan
Auerbach is at his best on this album,
seeming to channel Howlin’ Wolf and
John Fogerty on a number of tracks.
Patrick Carney’s drumming is intensified by the raw production provided by
studio auteur Danger Mouse. The raw and minimalist feel of this album gives
the Keys a more in-your-face sound while, at the same time, makes it seem
like a full band is playing when in reality, it’s only a duo.
Neil Young: Le Noise
Neil Young’s most adventurous album to date is easily his strangest.
Dropping the classic feel of his other albums and taking up a darker sound,
Neil’s “Le Noise” is as interesting as it is
dark. The album’s producer, Daniel
Lanois (whom Neil named the album
after), definitely took creative control
with this album and created an incredibly dense and impressively layered masterpiece. Lacking a proper band, Neil
plays alone on this album. However, the
way Lanois mixed this album makes it
sound like there’s an entire orchestra
backing him. The lyrical content is
Neil’s most personal and is is impressively intensified by the masterful
Production.
Kanye West: My Beautiful Dark
Twisted Fantasy
“My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” is
not only Kanye West’s magnum
opus, but is arguably one of the best rap
albums since Jay-Z’s “The
Black Album.” The thing with Kanye is
that he isn’t the best rapper
ever; his quality is in his writing and his
production. However, Kanye
has matured over time and he’s finally at
the point in his career
where he can practice what he preaches.
“Fantasy” has a wide array of
samples ranging from Black Sabbath’s
Iron Man to King Crimson’s 21’st
Century Schizoid Man that, though incredibly strange, work flawlessly.
This album also features an incredible amount of guest artists
including RZA, Kid Kudi, Jay-Z, and Nicki Minaj (who makes a memorable
cameo on Monster), who give some of their best performances alongside
Kanye. Lyrically, “Fantasy” is Kanye’s most cynical and maniacal;
referring humorously to his incidents with Taylor Swift and Barack
Obama while still retaining an impressive flow. Overall, “Fantasy” is
the product of a brilliant madman who has finally reached the pinnacle
of his craft and really doesn’t care who he’s offended along the way.
Of Montreal: False Priest
What started as a run-of-the-mill indie pop band has, over the past four years,
turned
into
a
schizophrenic
pop/R&B/psychedelic hybrid with a
sound unlike anything else. After 2007s
“Hissing Fauna,” of Montreal has turned
into a very funky and almost unclassifiable band. The band continues this interesting trend on their tenth album, “False
Priest.” Much more accesable than
2008’s “Skeletal Lamping,” this album
features some of their best work since
1999 and, at times, sounds like a completely different band. It’s very hard to
directly pinpoint what makes “False
Priest” such a good album; it’s definitely meant to be experienced as opposed to explained.
Cee-Lo Green: The Ladykiller
It’s a real shame that it nearly took CeeLo Green ten years to make a big name
for himself musically. Though his work
with Gnarls Barkley and The Goodie
Mob is widly popular (resulting in a few
awards), he never really made it big as a
solo artist (though his previous two
albums were incredibly successful critically). Thankfully, 2010 saw the release
of his third album, “The Lady Killer,”
which nearly made him a household
name. This impressive album is surely
his finest effort and easily rivals some of
his group work. The album features an interesting 50’s soul vibe and, at
times, plays like a doo-wop album. “The Lady Killer” also features some of
the best singing Cee-Lo has ever done in his career. After releasing such an
impressive homage to soul and funk, it’s a wonder what Cee-Lo is going to
do next.
PAGE 10 – NSCC PENNON
Fires and Desires
BY NELSON BAKER
These things burn into me
Body temperature rises sky high
Face flush
Holding back my fists so that I don’t go too far
Can’t I pick and choose what to leave behind?
Why must I force myself to live among these miseries?
These things burn into me
My heart is on fire
My thoughts greatest desire
Eyes carry the weight of the storm
Can’t I spend all my time perfecting this?
Why must I push aside these dreams every single day?
POEMS BY JAMIE CICCIO
Still on our minds….
My thoughts suffer transgressions, yet
My thoughts contain so much motivation
It is so hard to follow my heart when it is picked at and smothered by
the ones I am forced to walk beside
More than just a picture in a frame but a memory that shall never turn
vague,
Your voice still like a melody in my ear,
Your jokes still laughed at as if you were still here,
Still your name well known and respected,
An angel looking down who allows me the ability to push forward in the
right direction,
Your passing we have now accepted,
Though your not here in sight our love for you is endless.
I just want to live my life with my head high
So that the fire does not consume me
I want to angle into a new dimension
Feeling the effects of my greatest achievements
I want to live while I am alive
Leaving behind all the rest
My other half…
I confide in he together it is we,
I'm tangled in his web,
he's a gift in which I was blessed,
a portrait of pure bliss,
riches in every kiss,
Compatibility is in the air,
My heart beats rapid without fear,
Vivid is our direction,
Deep in your eyes I see Heaven,
This connection is our future,
Until our time I'll keep it moving.
Look Beyond…
BY ROZI THEOHARI
ONE DAY AFTER ONE CENTURY
(TEN YEARS AGO)
01.01.2000—Good Morning, New Century!
Under the cement-frame of my balcony—hang
Long crystal icicles—like the tufts of the open curtain’s scenery
Of the theater’s upcoming century.
All night—the TV set gave endless scenes of the New Year celebration,
Around the globe—lights, applause, songs, cheers ,champagne…
In Times Square in New York—invaded by myriad people
The ritual fiery ball climbs up…10-9-8…1—to “2000,” a bright number
A thousand girls laughing and crying put on “2000” model sunglasses,
The dizzy planet twirls around fast with “the masque ball” dance.
We all have dreams, visions and truths,
We are all worth more than materials; like fancy clothes and pricey shoes,
Make change don't ignite your own fire,
At 10:00 AM—walking on the Atlantic Shore—I freeze with my camera
Be who u wish to be not who they desire,
The first-white-hazy- sun of the 21st century
Praise one & cease all jealousy,
Behind me , doing the same, Multilingual Boston residents
As for your life it shall be fulfilled when u alleviate all grief,
Are taking an uncompleted salutation from the sleepy Sun!
Prosperity is a challenge and not destined for those who are not willing, Thank you orb, fireball, that will guide our world
mind over matter & your circumstance is no longer overwhelming
For another millennium!
In my pocket the radio broadcasts the church service
From the little town of Bethlehem
Where 2000 years ago Jesus Christ was born.
Later the sounds of the traditional Vienna Concert fill the skies.
New Year 2000!
A day full of hopes, good tidings, optimism and prayers
The world goes straight, forward and up!
And Y2K came smoothly …no problems!
01.01.2000—I am not accustomed to writing the year!
A new hundred years—to build, restore ruins of generations.
Oh colors of the 21st century’ s face
Please, don’t repeat the tears from the years of our ancestors!
Give a chance to the Icon of Mankind
Bring “Fire” to the people—
Take a vow and commit to civilization.
PAGE 11 – NSCC PENNON
A SHORT STORY BY
SHANNON HORGAN
I arrived at this church
with the purest of intentions; to
set her free. For four years I’ve
saved a place for her in my
heart. I’ve carried her with me
through my accomplishments
and I’ve kept her with me for
my failures as well. The space
was constantly present, a void in
my heart that never left but was
occupied by hope instead. She
looks simply breathtaking, as I
always imagined she would. I
picture myself standing up at the
altar waiting for her and I try
unsuccessfully to push this particular image to a dark corner in
my head. I’m just torturing
myself by being here and I
know it.
She looks so happy
without me; it hurts to associate
that happiness with anyone but
me. It was supposed to be us.
She has made her way down the
aisle to stand beside her very
soon to be husband. Sunlight filters in through the stain glass
windows and illuminates the
bride in all her beauty. Each curl
of her hair sparkled in the
warmth the sun was bathing her
in. I can still remember the scent
of her hair when it was spread
out over my pillow. I could even
smell it now in this spacious
church as if I were standing
right next to her. Her hair
smelled of fresh strawberries
and
roses
intertwined.
Memories start to play themselves like a home movie; the
day I laid eyes on her, the day
we moved in together, the day I
failed her and the day I failed
myself.
I was studying my
class schedule to make sure I
was in the right classroom,
when a girl walked by me into
the room. I took the seat next to
her and smiled. She politely
smiled back and went about getting out her notebooks. It was at
this moment that I knew I could
Wedding Day
love her. Her eyes crinkled
around the corners when she
smiled and it was the cutest
thing I had ever seen. The professor walked in, and to my
embarrassment, never called my
name during attendance because
I was indeed in the wrong room.
She giggled a little as I left the
room, realizing my mistake. I
didn’t even care that I couldn’t
find my own class because I
knew I had just found the girl I
could spend my life with. I
eventually waited outside of her
class one day and found the
courage to ask her out.
My first apartment was
with her. We had so much fun
painting the rooms. Outfitted in
some of my old clothes, she
looked amazing. Even the paint
thing. The only difference now
is that her stuff doesn’t live
there anymore. Her heart doesn’t live there anymore.
I hid the ring in my
section of the closet the day I
brought it home. In a small
satin-lined box, it glittered with
a promise. It was a promise of
forever with each other. A promise that had somehow gotten
broken beyond repair. I was
waiting for the perfect moment
to ask for her hand in marriage.
I wanted her to have the pictureperfect proposal every girl
dreams about - the kind of
romantic moment that gets
passed on in stories to our children. We never got to have that
moment; we never made it that
far.
smudges on her face just
seemed to add to her natural
beauty. We spent two wonderful
years in that apartment. I’ve
spent the last year living with a
ghost in that same apartment. I
used to come home to her studying in my old jersey or sitting,
curled up on the couch, reading
and waiting for me. Now I come
home to a ghost; her ghost, her
presence that I can still feel
there. The ghost of what we
used to be. I didn’t change a
She said I was never
home. She said she didn’t even
believe I loved her anymore.
Lies. All of it was lies. I worked
extra hours to hide away money
for the wedding I had hoped we
would plan together. It would
have been a wedding fit for a
princess, because that’s what
she was to me; a precious, beautiful woman who deserved to be
adored like a princess. I had
loved her more than anything in
this world. I still do. It was the
worst to be away from her but I
figured I could afford to sacrifice some time when we were
going to have forever together.
The fights only got
worse after that night. I tried
everything in my power to make
her stay so I could get down on
one knee, but I knew better.
Everyone hears tales of love
surviving anything that blocks
its path; don’t let these tales fool
you. I am a walking example
that love doesn’t always survive
anything. Sometimes love takes
you places that you are unable
to navigate your way home to
and it is in those places that love
is lost.
I could see it I her eyes,
I had done irreversible damage.
I could tell that our love, which
once was a powerful compass in
our lives, was now lost. My
heart broke that night. It broke
the instant I saw the hurt that
seemed to reside in every last
piece of her - the hurt that I had
caused. My intentions were
never to hurt her; my intentions
were to love her with every part
of my being. Forever.
She left after that, of
course. The part of her that I
killed was gone for good - the
part of her that loved me. I must
have apologized a thousand
times and begged for her to stay.
It was no use; she packed her
stuff, left, and took a piece of
me with her on her way out. The
ring is still in the place I left it. I
have never had it in me to get rid
of it. I guess I was still saving it
for our picture perfect story. I
was saving it for the only hand it
was meant to be worn on. I can
still see the look on her face on
the day that she left. I’ve tried
for years to erase that look but I
can’t rid myself of the memory.
My little version of a
home movie stops and I’m still
in the back of the church. I look
up and once again admire her
beauty in that wedding dress. I
admire the man staring into her
eyes, the same man who will
share his life with her forever,
till death do them part. With
each promise and vow they
make to each other, my heart
breaks a little. I sit on this
church bench and it takes all of
my being to refrain from shouting my feelings through the
masses of people. I would stand
up and step out into the aisle. I
would shout her name across the
church to catch her attention. I
would give a brilliant speech to
profess my love for her. I would
make my way to her and take
her face in my hands before
leaning in to kiss her. I would
win her heart in that moment
and wisk her away in my arms.
Instead I keep silent and listen
to them say “I do.”
I watched her marry
him as everyone watched a
piece of me fade away - a piece
of me that would most definitely be lost for good. They turned
toward the crowd and walked
hand in hand out of the church
towards their future. She passed
my pew and I took a mental
photograph of every feature on
her face. This is how I wanted to
remember her face; happy and
excited, not hurt and sad. For a
second, I could have sworn she
made eye contact and if so, she
showed no clear sign of it. I
made my way out of the church
and felt free.
I understand a piece of
me is gone but somehow that
doesn’t matter anymore. What
matters now was the miraculous
strength I seem to possess on
this day. I had the strength to let
her go, the strength to let her be
happy, and the strength to watch
all of this with my own eyes.
Now, I can move on
and know this is what she truly
wanted. I took a deep breath and
made my way to my car. I think
I’m going to find a new apartment, maybe something more
small and cozy. Yes, definitely a
new apartment. I’m sick of living with a ghost.
PAGE 12 – NSCC PENNON
NSCC Students Earn
Certificate in Alzheimer’s
Care
Twenty three Human Services students earned a Certificate in
Alzheimer’s Care last semester in Introduction to Gerontology taught
by Brianne Duff, trainer for the Massachusetts Alzheimer’s
Association. The Alzheimer’s Care Certificate program provides an
overview of Alzheimer’s and Dementia care and skill development,
including communication techniques, tools to provide appropriate
L-R front row: Brianne Duff faculty, Katy Dion, Karen Derry, Samah
Ragab, Crystal Smith, Ryan Santosuosso, Letita McGhee, Lisa Hall.
L-R second row: Desiree Ginepra, Ashley Sigmon, Yessica Fiorella
Via, Ulaine Espaillat, Gislene Hart, Maria Ortega, Pricilla Brea,
Jacqueline Reyes, Andrew Ulman. L-R back row: Daniel Bansfield,
Richard Garcia, Yimi Alvarez. Not shown: Michael Hiland, Marie
Valme, Vera Mazina
and compassionate care, and interventions to address disease related
concerns. This additional training on dementia not only benefits the
health care facility, it assists with job advancement. Congratulations
to the following students:
With the rapidly aging baby boomer population, the number of people diagnosed with Alzheimer ’s Disease (AD) is projected to rise
dramatically.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association:
•
Approximately 140,000 people in Massachusetts and NH
are living with AD
•
1 in 8 people age 65 have AD
•
Every 70 seconds a new individual is diagnosed with AD
•
AD is the 6th leading cause of death
•
More than 5.3 mil Americans have AD
•
By 2050, up to 16 million Americans will have Alzheimer’s
Disease
You’re Invited to Kitty’s
Restaurant
You are invited to Kitty's Restaurant on February 5th 9 pm - Country
Music Recording Artist Brandon Lepere will be playing locally at
Kitty's in North Reading, MA. Brandon is from NH and he is excited to be back at Kitty's. Come out for a fun night of live music and
hear songs off his upcoming album 'She Drives Me Country.'
For more info: www.brandonleperemusic.com
Student Government
Association
SGA is the official voice of the
student body. The Association
encourages self-government,
promotes responsibility, loyalty, and cooperation among students, faculty, and the administration. Meetings are open to
all students and are held
biweekly. Now is your chance
to get involved or stop into a
meeting and test it out. We
touch on all issues from campus comfort to campus safety,
whatever is on the minds of the
students.
BY TANYA GREEN
Meetings are on the second and fourth Monday of
the month @ 3PM
The dates are as follows:
1/31
2/14
2/28
3/14
3/28
4/11
4/25
5/9
Attention Club
Advisors and
Members!
Information about
your club
can be featured here
and on the club
page!
If you want other
people to know
about your club or
what your club is
doing, then contact
us!
PENNON
@NORTHSHORE.EDU
Program Council Goes to
New York City
During winter break
the Program Council celebrated
a fabulous fall semester by
going on a day trip to New York
City. We left South Station at
6:00am and arrived in the Big
Apple by 10:30am. Our day in
the city began at Battery Park
followed by a viewing of the
Statue of Liberty and being able
to see the coastlines of
Manhattan and Staten Island.
Our next stop was the
Empire State Building where
we went on the New York City
Skyride, a recently added attrac-
tion at the Empire State
Building for parties of six or
more people. During the skyride
we learned about the history of
NYC and all about the construction and history of the city’s
greatest landmarks such as the
Brooklyn Bridge, The Empire
State Building, and the Statue of
Liberty, just to name a few.
After the skyride we went up to
the 86th floor where we were
able to look down upon the city.
Afterwards, we had
lunch in the theater district at
Dallas BBQ. Dallas BBQ is a
prime example of a NYC restaurant; it is two stories of dining
with staff that communicate via
walkie-talkie. The food there is
really something too, well worth
checking out if ever in the city.
After lunch we toured both
Times Square and Rockefeller
Center.
Our night ended with a
late dinner at the Hard Rock
Café in Time Square. Following
our dinner we ran eleven blocks
to ensure that we would make it
back to the bus stop on time for
our bus back to Boston.
The trip was both
exciting and educational. If you
want to enjoy an experience like
this one then come join Program
Council. We are always looking
for new members.
Time To Friend the Fasfa
Sallie Mae Assists Students With Videos, Tips and Online Chat
Basking in the glory of
having finally submitted college
applications to your dream
school, safety school, and a few
others? Wait, there’s more. It’s
time to get your financial house
in order, too, and that means the
FAFSA should be at the top of
your list, says Sallie Mae, the
only financial services company
specializing in education.
Universally dreaded by
college-bound students and
their parents as a time-consuming and tedious financial chore,
the Free Application for Federal
Student Aid is nevertheless a
must-do for students looking to
tap not only federal aid but also
most state aid offerings. To help
make it easier for students,
Sallie Mae offers free tips and
how-to
videos
at
www.SallieMae.com/fafsa.
Sallie Mae will host an
online chat with members of the
Financial Planning Association
to answer your money questions
on how to save the most for education and live by other smart
money habits. The free chat,
open to the public, takes place
on Thursday, Jan. 27, from 9 to
10 p.m. EST. To participate in
the live chat with Certified
Financial
Planners,
visit
www.Facebook.com/SallieMae.
According to a national study from Sallie Mae and
Gallup, 28 percent of families
did not submit the FAFSA last
academic year. Half said they
did not complete the form
because they were not aware or
did not think they would qualify
for aid.
While the form for the
2011-2012 academic year asks
virtually the same 100-plus personal and financial questions as
in the past, the Department of
Education and IRS have made
the form easier: beginning Jan.
30, families may transfer 2010
tax form data from the IRS to
the FAFSA form.
Though the FAFSA
requires students and parents to
submit the information using
2010 tax information, families
can use their 2009 tax info or
other best estimate to get started
and then later update the form
once 2010 taxes have been filed.
This is important particularly
because the IRS has recently
announced that some taxpayers
will need to wait till mid-to-late
February to submit their tax
forms because of recent changes
to the tax code passed by
Congress.
FAFSA deadlines differ by state, with the earliest on
Feb. 15 in Connecticut, quickly
followed by California, Idaho,
Indiana,
Maryland
and
Michigan in early March, to
name a few.
PAWS Picks of the Month
PAGE 13 – NSCC PENNON
BY TANYA GREEN
Club Directory
A F R I C A N S O C I E T Y : LOVE MAYA
A V I A T I O N : JOHN BOSCO
B G L A D : TIFFANY MAGNOLIA
B I O L O G I C A L S C I E N C E C L U B : SCOTT STIMPSON
C H R I S T O N C A M P U S : JOHN TOBEY
& LORA CONNELLY
C I V I C E N G A G E M E N T : LAURIE MESSINA
C R I M I N A L J U S T I C E : CONSTANTINE SOURIS
& ANN KOSHIVAS
E C O N O M I C S & F I N A N C E : MOONSU HAN
E N G I N E E R I N G : MARY BETH STEIGERWALD
F O O D S C I E N C E & S A F E T Y : ERNIE VIEIRA
F R E N C H & S P A N I S H C L U B : IRENE FERNANDEZ
M A R K E T I N G : PATRICIA MANNINEN
M EDI A C LU B : J IM H A RR ING T O N
M U L T I - C U L T U R A L S O C I E T Y : ESPY HERRERA
& SUE DOWNEY
M U S L I M A S S O C I A T I O N : YUSEF HAYES
N U R S I N G C L A S S 2 0 0 9 : LORINDA LATZA
P H I T H E T A K A P P A : FRED ALTIERI
P H I L O S O P H Y C L U B : FRED ALTIERI
P O E T S & W R I T E R S : JOE BOYD
P S Y C H E D F O R P S Y C H : TBA
R E S P I R A T O R Y C A R E : LEN LEBLANC
S O T A : PATRICIA BANKS
S T U D E N T A R T C L U B : JAMES CHISHOLM
S U R F C L U B : SEAN HANLON
V E T E R A N S : DAWN WENDELL
W O M E N I N T R A N S I T I O N : MARGARET FIGGINS-HILL
Y O U T H G R O U P U N I T E D : ALEXANDER GUZMAN
LE219
DB366
LW229
LW288
DB367
LW321
LW366
DB366
DB367C
DB367
LW321
DH216
DB367A
LE306
LE307
LW113
DB236
DB367B
DH206
DB267H
DB267H
LE232
X.6693
X.5592
X.6622
X.6288
X.5585
X.6292
X.5512
X.5419
X.5418
X.5456
X.6650
X.4322
X.5442
X.6665
X 2159
X.6274
X.5529
X.5414
X.4427
X.5556
X.5556
X.6238
DH203
DH 203
DB366A
DB367E
DH106
DB366B
LW157
X.4170
X.4174
X.5548
X.5467
X.4368
X.5515
X.6601
Organizations
P E N N O N : VICTORIA PASCIUTO
P E R F O R M I N G A R T S C O U N C I L : MATTHEW WOODS
P R O G R A M C O U N C I L : VICTORIA PASCIUTO
S T U D E N T G O V E R N M E N T : VICTORIA PASCIUTO
W O M E N ’ S C E N T E R : VICTORIA PASCIUTO
To find out more information about these and the numerous other pets that PAWS currently has up for
adoption please call (781) 246-6111 or go to pawswakefield.rescuegroups.org. We can also be found on
Facebook.
Please, give a deserving feline couple a happy home. In honor of Valentine’s Day I am doing a special
couples edition of “PAWS Picks of the Month” featuring two feline couples from PAWS in Wakefield
who must remain as such. Without further ado, it is time to meet the couples.
DB125
LW172
DB125
DB125
DB126
DB125
x.5471
x.6228
x.5471
x5471
x.5490
x.5471
Guinness Lordan and Murphy Lordan
About Us:
We are both: declawed house-trained, good with kids and other cats, 7 years and 1 month
old (best estimate), male, and neutered MUST BE ADOPTED TOGETHER
More About Guinness
Species: Cat
Rescue ID: C100139
General Color: Brown Tabby
Color: white with brown tiger
saddle, tail, head, white c /
Tabby
Current Size: 22 Pounds
Catch Of The Day
Love comes in all shapes and
sizes. My love, like me, is defi-
More About Murphy
Species: Cat
Rescue ID: C100139
General Color: Brown Tabby
Color: brown tiger with black
stripes, declawed / Tabby
Current Size: 18 Pounds
I Am Not Lost, But I Do Want
To Be Found
I appear to be the quiet type at
first, somewhat reserved, but
nitely of the large variety. I am
an outgoing teddy bear in personality … a guy who likes to
live large and love large, it’s that
simple. I consider myself a
human being lover and a fledgling expert on human behavior.
I do know that if I show you my
belly, there usually is a rub or
two in it for me. I am an equal
opportunity attention seeker and
that is only for strangers. I do
warm up quickly and happily.
I easily provide that safe, comfortable, relaxed feeling you get
when you have met someone
special. Being a simple guy
with simple needs sometimes
makes things work in the easiest
way.
I am a strange combination of sports enthusiast and
Thing 1 and Thing 2
quite social with my human and
related friends.
My hobbies are dining
in, sunning myself, and working
out. I particularly like wrestling
with my brother, Murphy. I
think I can beat him paws down.
It would be purrfect if we were
adopted together. There is
always something nice about
family staying together.
affectionate lover as I will
watch sports while I drape
myself around your neck. Your
favorite teams will become my
favorite teams. I cherish the
time we can spend together.
The only thing consistent in my life is my brother,
Guinness. We are a bonded pair
and do need to be adopted
together.
We are both: spayed, house-trained females who are good with cats. We are both 7 months
old (best estimate) and MUST BE ADOPTED TOGETHER.
touching and sleep curled up
storm the minute I see you walk
More About Thing 1
together. I am not a loud lookinto a room. While I am not a
Species: Cat
rambunctious kitten, I do like
at-me kind of girl but rather a
Rescue ID: C100126
my playtime like any other cat
sweet and gentle lady who has a
General Color: Black
in good standing in the feline
big heart full of love for you. I
Color: Black with white locket
species.
am not looking for a fairy tale
/ Solid
I am very bonded with
ending - just my dream come
Current Size: 2.5 Pounds
my BFF, Thing 2, and need to be
true, which would be you, me
Lady in Waiting
adopted with her. Don’t worry
and Thing 2.
I consider myself pretty friend… We don’t take up a lot of
ly, and will definitely purr up a
room as we are almost always
About Us:
More About Thing 2
Species: Cat
Rescue ID: C100126
General Color: Gray
Color: Gray with white locket /
Solid
Current Size: 2.5 Pounds
Sugar And Spice and Oh So
Nice
Sweet and gentle gal with warm
heart and even warmer disposition is on the prowl for her forever home. I hold my closest
friends dear to my heart and that
is why I need to be adopted with
my BFF, Thing 1. We are an
extremely bonded pair that is
always in tandem on things.
Once you meet us you will see
what I mean. I enjoy a good
catnap in the sun, a good
Sunday newspaper on which to
perch while you attempt to read,
and a good human to call my
own.
If you are looking for
happy, healthy and well-adjusted without the drama, then look
up me and Thing 1; we will definitely be your type.
PAGE 14 – NSCC PENNON
BY LISA MILSO
The 2011 New Orleans
Service Team would like to
thank Dr. Wayne Burton, the
Alumni Association, and the
Council
for
International
Education and all those who
supported our fundraising activities. With your assistance we
were able to raise over $8,000
toward the cost of this trip.
You may find yourself
wondering, why New Orleans?
Almost six years have passed
Hurricane
Katrina
since
wreaked havoc in the Gulf.
Have not all of the houses,
schools and businesses been
restored by now? Eleven students, one faculty member and I
were privileged to recently represent North Shore Community
College and sadly discover
through our service that
although some have been
restored, there is still a large
amount of work that needs to be
done.
Over the course of ten
days from January 5th through
the 15th we worked with
Beacon of Hope, the Green
Project and Rebuilding Together
assisting residents, restoring
neighborhoods and protecting
the environment. We measured,
drilled, sanded, nailed, painted,
A Valuable Trip to New Orleans
salvaged and recycled. We listened, observed and learned just
how resilient, optimistic and
grateful the people of New
Orleans are for not being forgotten. We also found them to be
understandably frustrated and
angry at the Federal and local
government officials for their
lack of preparedness, intervention and funding.
The following are a
few excerpts from some of the
student reflection papers. Their
words capture the emotions and
experiences we felt and encountered. Post-trip information sessions will be held for those who
wish to learn more about our
experiences, and see our photos
which document the current
state, traditions, and soul of
New Orleans.
“My first time on the
trip, it was very upsetting to tour
the lower ninth and see that it
was the only part of the city that
seemed untouched. It was even
more upsetting this year touring
through the same part of the city
with a majority of neighbors
still missing and homes still
untouched. The city of New
Orleans definitely improved
from last year. There are more
cars on the road, more homes
being built. The down side is
that it took years to rebuild the
city and to see the improvement.
We will never know how long it
will take until the city is actually finished (Mirna Portillo).”
“I expected nothing
from the city and it gave me
back a life experience and a lesson that will influence every
decision I make for the rest of
my life…. Because I never
expected anything in exchange
for my service, every lesson
became a great gift. I have confidence in the unknown reasons
for our free service to the people
we helped; be it simply giving a
hand or a greater impact for
some of us whose eyes are open
to injustice and will fight it in
the future (Sara Barrientos).”
“I was amazed by the
enthusiasm of the people. We
met a lady who we were not
assigned to help. She told us her
story and thanked us for helping. Her story was sad but she
was strong and she kept saying,
‘it is alright, I am blessed. I
learned to survive (Farah
Ahmad).’”
“One of the things that
had the biggest impact on me
was not the large amount of
houses that were destroyed, not
the big empty spaces that look
like baseball fields, but the hope
people have… We got to talk to
a woman who had her house
affected by Katrina. She was
saying that even when she did
Verizon iPhone Continued
AT&T uses a GSM
(Global System for Mobile) network and Verizon uses a CDMA
(Code
Division
Multiple
Access) network. This is ignorable geek speak except for one
fact: you will not be able to
browse the web while you are
engaged in a voice telephone
call on a Verizon iPhone 4.
Because these phones
are substantially identical, you
may be tempted to immediately
switch from AT&T to Verizon.
After all, advertising and propaganda aside, the Verizon
Network is known to be the
best, most far-reaching mobile
network and it rarely drops
calls.
But, here’s what you
need to consider:
1) AT&T is not letting you out
of your contract without an
early termination fee. AT&T’s
wireless customer agreement
says the fee is $325 minus $10
for each month of service paid
for. The AT&T iPhone 4 came
out at the end of June 2010, so
do the math.
2) The aftermarket for your
existing AT&T iPhone is going
to be non-existent, so you will
also be eating the cost of your
$200-$300 iPhone 4.
3) Your Verizon iPhone 4 is
going to set you back $200$300 depending upon which
one you select.
4) You must make a two-year
commitment to Verizon -- and
this is the big one -- REMEMBER -- the Verizon iPhone 4 is
a3G, EVDO, CDMA device.
This means that is will work on
the existing Verizon 3G network, but it is not 4G compatible.
Verizon has been busy
shouting as loud as it can about
LTE (Long Term Evolution), its
new 4G network. It will not be
long before Verizon starts to
offer 4G mobile devices, like
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 4G,
Motorola’s Xoom, any number
of Android smartphones and a
ton of other 4G LTE stuff.
Which begs for the
question: With 4G around the
corner, why would you commit
to a two-year contract in
February 2011 for a 3G device?
It makes no sense at all.
If Apple continues its
MO of one new iPhone per year,
you can expect the iPhone 5 to
debut this spring/summer. Will
it be a 4G LTE compatible
device? I hope so. If it isn’t, it
will have no chance competing
with the Samsung, HTC, Moto
and other 4G LTE devices that
will be everywhere by then.
When you look at the
cost of switching, the cost of the
commitment to 3G and the sunk
cost of purchasing two iPhones
that are obsolete, switching is
not a great idea and signing up
for a new Verizon iPhone 4 is,
well … dumb.
For those of you who
are still not convinced that you
should sit this one out, here are
a few facts you need to know:
1) A Verizon version of Apple’s
iPhone 4 will be available for
pre-order on February 3, 2010
3) The Verizon iPhone will act
as a five device mobile hotspot.
It’s like having a MiFi 2200
WiFi hotspot built into your
phone. Awesome feature!
4) Pricing. The 16GB model is
expected to cost $200, the 32GB
model is expected to cost $300
(Both require a 2-year contract).
5) You cannot take your AT&T
iPhone, walk into Verizon and
ask them to switch it over, you
must purchase a new Verizon
iPhone.
6) If you switch, all of your apps
will still work. Apps are a function of the iPhone and have
nothing to do with the network.
If you cancel your AT&T
iPhone and purchase a new
Verizon iPhone, iTunes will just
restore your apps to your new
Verizon iPhone
Shelly Palmer is the host of
NBC Universal’s, Live Digital
with Shelly Palmer
not have a safe roof, she was
still grateful because she knew it
could have been worse for her.
She said she has no volunteers
helping her fix her house, even
though it stills needs work, and
she was thankful that others
were getting help. This was not
the only time I heard people
saying this during the trip. The
hope people have shown really
helped me to get strength even
when I was very exhausted during the trip (Gisell De La
Cruz).”
“New Orleans was
everything I expected it to be
and more. I did not think that I
would be as moved as I was. It
changed my character and
helped change my already
developing outlook on life….. I
was not expecting the heartshattering pain that I felt when I
saw the lower ninth…. I was not
expecting to fall in love with
New Orleans… It does not matter how we helped or who we
helped, just that we helped and
made a difference (Roberta
Leal).”
With media and public
attention fading from reports of
newer disasters, we cannot
again thank you enough for giving us the opportunity to continue our commitment to serve and
assist the residents of New
Orleans.
Campus Police Continued
the best equipped, the best
trained, and the best staff of all
of the community colleges out
there,” he said. “We know the
building, we know the people,
and we are here.” If something
went wrong in Danvers, Puska
and his team have the skills and
the tactics set in place to “neutralize the threat.” Being armed
could ensure that the campus
police could quickly initiate
action and possibly prevent
even the most extreme acts of
violence.
One former NSCC student was caught with the trunk
of his car full of weapons. He
had reportedly drove to
Madison, Wisconsin and waved
a gun in a woman’s face
because her son owed him
money. The student had previously made some comments in
class, which got the attention of
the instructor. He had warned
campus police about him, which
ultimately led to his arrest.
Most of the campus
shootings have been by a single
shooter, but Chief Puska raises a
good point. “They always talk
to somebody,” he said. Either
through an email, Facebook, a
conversation, or simply by hearing it in the background, you
know when you hear comments
that could lead to some sort of
violence, just as the instructor
did in class to keep the campus
police aware of the former student’s possible intentions. It is
important to report it, if not to
the campus police themselves,
at least to an administrator or a
faculty member. If you’re not
sure, just tell someone you trust.
No harm can come from that.
The world is always
changing. Some of it is good,
and some is inevitably bad. As
long as we change with it, we
will be ready for the future. If
arming our campus police is
recommended by the Board of
Higher Education, voted on by
over 80% of NSCC students,
and backed confidently by
Chief Puska himself, then
maybe we are on the right track.
In all facets of life, we
should be ready and able to
move forward, even if there are
obstacles in our way. “I want to
be prepared,” said Puska. The
best way to do this is to be one
step ahead, at all times.
PAGE 15 – NSCC PENNON
February 2011
MON
SUN
TUES
1
Performing
Arts Audition (Sign
up in Student Life)
LW 329
3:00pm-5:30pm
6
13
20
27
7
8
14
15
Program Council
Women’s Center
Meeting
Meeting
DB208&LE307
DB130
2:00pm-4:00pm
11:30am-12:45pm
Queer, Straight Alliance
Meeting DB130
1:30pm-3:00pm
SGA Meeting
DB208
&
LE307
3:00pm-4:30pm
P C M e e t i n g
DB208&LE307
2:00pm-3:00pm
PC Lecture
Lynn
Gym
TBA
SGA Meeting
DB208
&
L E 3 0 7
3 : 0 0 p m 4:30pm
21
28
2
Performing
Arts Audition (Sign up’s
required) HP109
3:00pm-5:30pm
Game Day DB129
10:00am-2:00pm
Game Day DB129
10:00am-2:00pm
22
Women’s
Center
Meeting
DB130
11:30am-12:45pm
Important Numbers
CONNECTING ALL DEPARTMENTS: Lynn: (781)
593-6722 Danvers: (978) 762-4000 Beverly
Cummings Center (978) 236-1200
Math & Writing
Lab
Lynn x6254
Danvers x5417
Hawthorne x1544
Computer Lab
Lynn x6296
Danvers x5569
WED
Library
Lynn (781) 477-2133
Danvers (978) 762-4000
x.5526
Book Store
Lynn (781) 477-2127
Danvers (978) 762-4046
Weather Hotline
(978) 762-4200
PC = PROGRAM COUCIL
WC = WOMEN’S CENTER
PTK= PHI THETA KAPPA
SGA = STUDENT GOVERNMENT
PAC = PERFORMING ARTS COUNCIL
Events are Subject to
Change
9
16
23
THURS
3
Pennon Meeting
(School Newspaper)
DB208 & LE307
2:00pm-3:00pm
Performing
Arts Audition HP109
3:00pm-5:30pm
FRI
4
SAT
5
11
12
17
18
19
24
25
26
10
Game Day
DB129
10:00am-2:00pm
Pennon Meeting
DB208&LE307
2:00pm-3:00pm
Game Day
DB129
10:00am-2:00pm
NSCC Spring 2011 Schedule
* Deadline to change
from audit to credit
or credit to audit
Feb 11, 2011
* President's Day no classes
Feb 21, 2011
* Deadline to petition to graduate to
ensure name in May
Commencement
Program
Mar 10, 2011
* Evacuation Day no classes
Mar 17, 2011
* Spring Break
Mar 21, 2011 to
Mar 27, 2011
* Classes resume,
day and evening
Mar 28, 2011
* Final Exam
Schedule posted
under Pipeline
Announcements
Apr 15, 2011
* Patriot's Day - no
classes
Apr 18, 2011
* Deadline for IP
Contracts from Fall
2009
Apr 22, 2011
* Last day to drop a
course or withdraw
from college with a
"W" grade
Apr 23, 2011
* Day classes end
May 13, 2011
* Evening classes
end
May 16, 2011
* Final Exam period,
day classes
May 16, 2011 to
May 18, 2011
* Commencement no evening classes
(4 p.m. and later)
May 26, 2011
* Memorial Day - no
classes
May 30, 2011
PAGE 16 – NSCC PENNON
Alumni Corner 1987
Alumni Author Sharon Love Cook
NSCC grad Sharon
Love Cook ’87 is a woman of
many talents who has found a
way to incorporate her various
skills and interests in her career.
An author, cartoonist and occasional stand-up comic, Sharon’s
new mystery entitled “A Nose
for Hanky Panky” combines
these skills in a novel one
reviewer described as “an entertaining novel about a murder in
a quaint coastal community on
Boston’s Cape Ann; a story
punctuated by a witty undertone
that will have you chuckling all
the way to the climactic final
chapter.”
Sharon’s book was
released by Mainly Murder
Press, a publisher specializing
in mysteries by New England
writers. Cook, a resident of
Beverly Farms, also illustrated
the cover. The book’s setting,
Granite Cove, a “sleepy fishing
village,” was inspired by Cape
Ann where Cook grew up and
now has a studio at Gloucester’s
historic Blackburn Building.
Sharon graduated from
North
Shore
Community
College in 1987. She is also a
graduate of Montserrat College
of Art, Salem State University
and has an MFA in literature
from Bennington College. In
addition to her work as an
author and cartoonist, Sharon
has taught writing at NSCC and
is a volunteer and Vice
President of Friends of Beverly
Animals (FOBA), an all volunteer organization helping homeless animals.
Are you graduating? Need money to continue your education?
The Alumni Association awards $1000 scholarships every year to students completing a certificate or degree program and continuing on to a 4-year school. Awards are based on merit, academic scholarship and campus/community service. You must
have already completed a program or be graduating in May or August of 2011 to be eligible.
Let us help you reach your academic goals! Scholarship information and applications are available now in Student Support,
Financial Aid, and Alumni Office located at DB 330, as well as online on the NSCC Alumni webpage.
Application deadline is March 1, 2011. For more information, contac Sandy Rochon in the Alumni Office at (978)762-4000,
ext 5481 or at srochon@northshore.edu.
Would you like to submit an article or interview for the next Pennon issue?
Do you have a cartoon, drawing, photograph, short story or poem you’d like to see in print?
EMAIL IT TO THE PENNON:
PENNON@NORTHSHORE.EDU