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GreatestMultiplayer
of all time• Turks and Caicos• South America
Exclusive Interview with a Rising Star
a story of Heroism &chiseled abs
a story of Heroism &chiseled abs
CRYSTAL HUNT
Students ExploreExotic Locales
So, you want to
be aDoctor?
College Cost Reduction ActCollege Cost
Reduction Act
2007_Fall_Umagazine_32page_ver3.e$S:Layout 1 10/4/07 11:33 PM Page 1
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Spring2007_UMAG_020_V2:Layout 1 2/24/07 4:46 PM Page 2
4 September / October 2007 U. The National College Magazine
PUBLISHER & EDITOR John Carrieri
ART DIRECTORTony Carrieri
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONSNancy Kennedy
ASSISTANT EDITORStephanie Golubski
CIRCULATION MANAGERGabriel Jacobs
CUST. SERVICE MANAGER Kaustav Acharya
CIRCULATIONDavid Weishaupt De Lima
CAMPUS CLIPS
TRAVEL
CRYSTAL HUNT
EDITORIAL & PHOTO CONTRIBUTORS
Rita CabralDawn Powell
Dr. Andrew SeefeldAllison Bond
Candice AguilarKaustav Acharya
April Howard
FRONT COVER/INSIDE SHOTSCrystal Hunt© Milazzo© Pascal
TURKS AND CAICOS
Who’s doing what in the“Green” scene? Sustainabilty is in. Whathappened to Duke’snetwork and the iPhone,College Cost ReductionAct gets the Presidentialsignature.
Fall 2007
Want to write for a national
magazine?Get published and havea great addition to your
resume.
We’re looking for studentsto write for bothU. Magazine & OnlineTimes
Photographers too :
For Info: www.colleges.com/umagazine/student/
6 CAREERS
TECH TALK
ROCK AND REEL
14
26
24
12
16
SORE THUMB
8
Meet rising star CrystalHunt. She’s the nicest,“girl-next-door” moviestar you’ll ever meet,and a major player incollege movie, “SydneyWhite.”
Case Western Reservesophomore Rita Cabralgives us an inside lookat an exclusive summerschool in a far awayplace.
USC student Dawn Powell takes us southof the border on hersummer trip to SouthAmerica
We get a raw, honestlook at what it’s reallylike to be a doctor.
19
30
Amazing pictorials ofmovies 300 andRenaissance, a sci-fioriginal. We review apowerful true story calledBeyond the Gates andother bits of pop culture.
Noise-cancelling head-phones block out thesmallest noises and weget an in-depth look atAdobe’s Creative Suite 3.
PUZZLES
We review Halo 3, thegreatest multiplayer of alltime and whole slew ofother games on almostevery platform - dare wesay Mac?
8
12
14
16
26
19
Strain your brain with ourpuzzles section! 24
Inc.
12250 El Camino Real Suite #100 San Diego, CA 92130Tel: (858) 847-3350Fax: (858) 847-3340
MAIN EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING OFFICE
2007_Fall_Umagazine_32page_ver3.e$S:Layout 1 10/4/07 11:46 PM Page 4
A GIVING HEARTWVSOM GRADUATESProudly Meeting a Vital Healthcare Need in West Virginia
David Carr, DOFamily Medicine PhysicianTug River Health AssociationGary, WV McDowell County
DETERMINED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
www.wvsom.edu1.800.35OSTEO
A COMPASSIONATE SOULDr. David Carr is West Virginia through and through. Raised
in Parkersburg, educated at Marshall University, attendedmedical school at WVSOM, and a lifelong medical practitioner inthe Mountain State.
Dr. Carr arrived in McDowell County in 1982, possessing aWVSOM medical degree and intent on making a difference.Twenty-five years later, his impact on healthcare in thecommunity is undeniable.
At the rural Tug River Clinic, Dr. Carr treats patients in anarea of the state suffering from a lack of health professionals.Many of his patients have little or no insurance. Carr realizes hewon’t get wealthy practicing in tiny Gary, WV, but to him it’s notabout the money. “You can’t put a price tag on the value of ahuman life,” he says.
A giving heart...a compassionate soul...and determined tomake a difference.
WVSOM graduates like Dr. David Carr embody these valuesin caring for the residents of rural West Virginia.
Summer2007_Umagazine:Layout 1 4/23/07 2:41 PM Page 7
6 September / October 2007 U. The National College Magazine
Allison Bond
Vats of old cooking grease may sound likean unlikely environmental tool, but forNorthwestern organic chemistry professorOwen Priest and students in Engineers fora Sustainable World, the oil may hold thefuture of fuel. They hope to power campusvehicles with the 7500 gallons of used veg-etable oil the schoolʼs cafeterias discardannually, eventually bringing bio-dieselmainstream.
Northwestern isnʼt the onlycampus lessening its envi-ronmental footprint throughrenewable energy. SinceOctober 2006, more than400 capuses nationwidehave signed the President'sClimate Commitment, thefirst long-term pledge toeliminate emissions. Otherschools, such as NYU andBates College, purchaseclean, renewable energyequal to their overall poweruse. “Far-reaching sustain-ability plans help the environment morethan smaller efforts like recycling or com-posting,” says Sierra Club's Student Coali-tion National Director Jared Duval.
But even the most extensive “green” prac-tices start small. Colleges should approachenvironmentalism based on the resourcesavailable, location and interests of its pop-ulation, says Julian Dautremont-Smith, As-sociate Director of the Association for theAdvancement of Sustainability in HigherEducation (AASHE). “If you're in Arizonawhere it's dry, you mightstart managing water con-sumption because it's anissue in your community,”says Smith.
Northwestern University;Evanston, Ill. The 100 to 150 gallons ofused cooking oil collected
from Northwesternʼs cafeterias every weekmust be purified before they can power acar. After students collect oil from sevensites on campus and combine it into a cen-tral batch, the oil settles and goes througha series of paper and ceramic pressure fil-ters. Now the oil is ready to fuel vehiclesequipped with a converter or can be chem-ically converted to bio-diesel.
Unity College; Unity, MaineUnity College, an environmental college,
is ahead of the sustainabilty curve. Theschool cut its carbon footprint by nearly
20% since 2001 and has the lowest emis-sions of any school nationwide. The col-lege also hopes to reduce emissions by5-10% a year until 2010.
Also, 2007 graduate Stephenie McGar-vey started a shuttle and carpool serviceafter she was “astounded” at how often stu-dents hopped into their cars instead ofmaking the five-minute walk around cam-pus. And senior Sara Trunzo aims to makethe schoolʼs food system more earth-friendly by expanding its quarter-acre gar-den to provide students with organic food.
St. Olaf College; Northfield, Minn.St. Olaf students have taken the green
movement into their own backyard. Theschool is constructing a sustainable180,000-square-foot “green” science com-plex and has a $1.9 million wind turbinethat reduces the collegeʼs electricity use byone-third. But the schoolʼs tastiest innova-tion is the student-run St. Olaf Garden Re-search and Organic Work (STOGROW)farm project. Founded by Dayna Burtness(ʼ07) in fall 2005, the organic farm providesthe collegeʼs 3,000 students with vegeta-bles prepared by the collegeʼs food service.
Starting STOGROW proved chal-lenging. At first, school adminis-trators rejected Burtnessʼsrequest to start the half-acre farmbecause students had failed atsimilar attempts in the past. “Ijust sneaked around them,” plant-ing a few seeds in a corner of thecampus. Today, STOGROW is asource of pride for the school,with a volunteer base of morethan 100 students that harvestthe 1.5 tons of tomatoes and ¾ton combined of summer squash,zucchini and winter squash the
farm produces. “Itʼs really great to see myfriends eating the food that I grew,” shesays. “Itʼs kind of a miracle.”
Swarthmore College, PennsylvaniaStudents in environmental studies pro-
fessor Mark Wallaceʼs class know reducingSwarthmoreʼs impact on the earth meansadjusting student attitudes. “The culture ofSwarthmore needs to change for sustainability to become a part of the campus,” says Colton Bangs, a 2007 graduate and
Campus Clips
Unity College students operate a mobile bio-diesel generator
Northwestern oil filtering process
Medill School of Journalism Northwestern University ‘08
2007_Fall_Umagazine_32page_book_1-1020873884_1-1020873561_1-1020860696.e$S:Layout 1 10/3/07 4:45 PM Page 6
one of nine students who penned a school sustainability plan to guide Swarthmoreʼs“greening” effort. Students are interestedin environmentalism but donʼt know thatsomething as simple as turning off a laptopat night can save energy, says 2007 grad-uate Kristin Leitzel. “Students donʼt knowhow in their daily life to reduce their envi-ronmental impact,” Leitzel says.
The college also recently installed two“green roofs:” plants growing on a thin layerof soil, which absorb the excess stormwater that can overwhelm sewer systems,bypassing treatment plants and runninginto rivers. Green roofs are expensive to in-stall, but their longer lifetimes and the en-ergy saved in heating and cooling thebuilding saves money in the long run, sayscoordinator of horticulture for SwarthmoreʼsScott Arboretum Jeff Jabco. Most impor-tantly, the roofs are a step toward fulfillingSwarthmoreʼs “green” plan. “I hope thatmore people will be talking about the envi-ronment around campus and will be excitedabout new initiatives,” says Bangs.So when your neighborhood gas station of-fers the chance to fuel up with vegetableoil, you may have college students tothank.
A few weeks after it’s re-lease, the iPhone wasblamed for jamming DukeUniversity’s wireless net-work. At first, it wasthought to have happeneddue to the flood of con-nection requests the cam-
pus-wide network was recieving from theiPhones, but later Duke’s chief informationofficer, Tracey Furthey, said that it wasn’tthe phones, but in fact it was, “The deploy-
ment of a very large Cisco-based wirelessnetwork that supports multiple networkprotocols.” No one quite knows the exactproblem as parties involved are being veryhush-hush about the specifics, but sourcestell us that Cisco worked closely with both Apple andDuke Univer-sity to resolvethe problem.
Campus Clips
The iPhone found Innocent!
College Cost Reduction ActThe Most Student Aid available since 1944
Stoyan Smoukov, Ph.D uses filtered oil topower a 1979 Mercedes. He used this car to re-locate over 1000 miles across the US withoutstopping for gas
As of October 1, 2007, the College CostReduction Act goes into effect. This isthe single largest increase in student fi-nancial aid since the GI Bill was passedin 1944. After threatening a veto on thisbill, President George W. Bush finallysuccumbed to pressure from manyspecial interest groups and over-whelming public support.
With college costs rising nearly 40% inthe last five years, many families areunable to afford college for their chil-dren. By putting the College Cost Re-duction Act into effect, both loan andtuition costs will be reduced and theamount of money going into scholar-ships and Pell Grants will be boosted.
These measures will be paid for bymaking the financial aid system moreefficient rather than taking money outof the pockets of taxpayers.
How does this benefit you?
• Students that take out need-basedstudent loans will see their interestrates cut in half over the next fiveyears.
• Students who pursue jobs asschool teachers in the public sectorwill recieve up-front tuition assis-tance. More up-front tuition assis-tance will go into these teachers whochoose to work in high-povertyplaces or high-need subject areas
• People who go into fields of publicservice such as nurses, public de-fenders, military, police and fire fight-ers will recieve loan fogiveness after10 years of service.
• More than 600,000 additional stu-dents will become eligible to recivethe Pell Grant, expanding financialaid to more families in need.
• Student loan payments will be-come more managable for borrowersand federal loan limits will be raised,making students rely less on privatelyowned companies.
• Loan repayment will be will becapped to 15% of borrowers income.
U. The National College Magazine September / October 2007 7
$
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CrystalHunt
rystal Hunt is one of Holly-
wood’s fastest rising young stars.
Talented, beautiful, self-assured
and exuding a zest for life, she is
simply a breath of fresh air.
In the limelight most of her 22
years performing in pageants, TV
commercials and movies, it was her
juicy role as teen villain Lizzie
Spaulding on the daytime drama
Guiding Light that soared her to
stardom. In 2005, Crystal earned a
Daytime Emmy Nomination in the
Outstanding Younger Actress cate-
gory and was nominated that same
year for Soap Opera Digest's "Best
Villainess" award, as well as being
named one of their "Hottest New-
comers.”
Crystal has taken a stand on living
an alcohol and drug-free life as her
personal lifestyle choice, which in
2001 landed her an anti-drug TV
commercial with *NSYNC.
Her new movie in theatres this
month is “Sydney White” a college
comedy, in which she co-stars with
Amanda Bynes, Sara Paxton and
Matt Long. Her next project,
“Brooklyn to Manhattan” is sched-
uled for release in 2008.
Join us as we talk with Crystal about being a positive role model in a very
tough industry, her strong work ethic, her love of family and some great
decisions she’s made on her journey toward success.
by: Gabe Jacobs
8 September / October 2007 U. The National College Magazine
C
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ORGANIZERESEARCH& LECTURE
NOTES
ASSIGNGROUP
PROJECTTASKS
COORDINATEEVENTS
MANAGECONTACTS
TRACKTO-DOITEMS
Campus Productivity KitManage people, projects and campus life - the easy way!
For a FREE Campus Productivity Kit signup for a FREE membership on
FileMaker®
Offer good until 12.31.2007
10 September / October 2007 U. The National College Magazine
U: You played a spoiled
teenager and villain on TV, is
that your true persona?
CH: No definitely not. It’s a lot
of fun to be able to play someone
who is so opposite of you.
U: So what are you like in real
life? Are you a sweet girl?
CH: I’m more like my charac-
ter Dinky, in Sydney White. I’d
say I’m more bubbly and outgo-
ing. I’m pretty talkative.
U: What sort of advice can you
give to young troubled teens,
like your character on the soap
opera?
CH: It’s important to know that
the people you meet are just
your acquaintances for that
amount of years. School is an
institution you’re in for a few
years and after it’s done, you’re
onto real life. So all the conse-
quences from the things that
you’ve done during that time
are going to either carry over
into your life or you’re going to
be proud of what you did.
You’ll get into your real life and
high school will have nothing to
do with who you are now. A lot
of people make big mistakes in
high school and its sad. So
many people are affected by
what other people think, or
what other groups think or how
they can fit in. Really, it doesn’t
matter if you don’t fit in, be-
cause the truth of it is, it’s only
four years and then comes real
life and that’s what matters.
U: You started so young, have
you ever really had a regular job
outside the entertainment in-
dustry?
CH: I started on the soap
opera when I was 17, so not re-
ally. I’ve worked at my dad’s
construction company.
There’s a program called “Pay
Dirt” and I was young and re-
ally into computers and my
parents said “We’re going
teach her how to do that,
you’re working at the office
when you get out of school!”
So I learned how to put blue-
prints into the computer and figure out
how much dirt you need to level off a job-
site. So, that’s my back-up plan!
U: Tell us about the role you played in
Sydney White.
CH: I play Dinky, but her real name is
Dimetria Rosemead Hodgekiss. I play the
roommate of Sydney (Amanda Bynes) as
her best friend throughout the film. I re-
ally tried to think out my role before we
actually shot the film. How can I make this
girl her own person so she’s unlike anyone
else? Dinky has a southern accent, little
sayings and a quirky personality. I think it
was really cool to play a character, not just
somebody who is you with some alter-
ations. It was a great role to play and I was
very confident in my portrayal.
U: Well, you have to be confident in what
you do, so that’s great. What was it like
working with Amanda Bynes, Sara Pax-
ton, and Matt Long?
CH: They were all really awesome. I was
a little nervous going into the whole thing
because Amanda Bynes and Sara Paxton
were both child stars, and Matt is just re-
ally good looking. In Ghost Rider, he
played young Johnny Blaze. You never re-
ally know how girls will be, so it was a big
weight off my shoulders when we got to the
table to read. We rehearsed with each
other and everybody was just so real and
so cool. They’re all on the same level as
me, they don’t party, and it was so cool
when I heard, “You and Amanda are going
to get along great, she doesn’t drink or
party or anything.”
U: Do you prefer characters that are more
like yourself or just completely opposite?
CH: I like playing a character that is not
like me, because it’s a challenge.
U: Who are your heroes?
CH: In acting, my heroes are Lucille Ball,
Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon. I was
never the typical child, I never watched
Nickelodeon until it was Nick at Nite and
I’d watch Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, I Love
Lucy and Sanford and Son. Lucille Ball
has always been the person that I want to
be like one day. I’ve always been just fas-
cinated by her. But in life, my biggest hero
would be my mother, how she handles her
two daughters, my father, my father’s
business, my dog clothing line, my pet bou-
tique, my career and my puppy Roxy. God
only knows how she does it. And eight
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www.umagazine.com/interviews/crystalhunt
View Crystal’s complete interview video on
grandchildren with the ninth due this
week. She’s a product of my grand-
mother who had eight children and
was a really strong woman. She’s an
extremely selfless woman.
U: How would you want to be
remembered?
CH: By being a real person and a self-
less person. Someone who was always
there for you. A true friend, whether
it’s friend or family. I
don’t really care about
the fame. I just want
people to appreciate
what I do and to like my
work. I think that’s the
most rewarding thing
when you have little kids
running up saying, “You
were so good!” and their
parents say, “Really, you
were great.” That makes
you feel good.
U: All right, well you’re
a very sweet, beautiful,
and talented young
woman, and I can see
you’re a rising star.
Both myself, and the
folks at U. Magazine
wish you the best in act-
ing or whatever you
choose to do in life!
CH: Thank you very
much!
On the set of Sydney White: (L to R) Sara Paxton, Amanda Bynes, Ashley Edner, Ashley Benson and Crystal Hunt
2007_Fall_Umagazine_32page_book_1-1020873884_1-1020873561_1-1020860696.e$S:Layout 1 10/3/07 2:07 PM Page 11
What did thissummer by Rita Cabral
CASE WESTERN
RESERVE UNIVERSITY ʻ10
12 September / October 2007 U. The National College Magazine
The School for Field Studies: Center for Marine
Resource Studies in the Turks and Caicos Islands intro-
duced me to the wonderful world of marine research. I am
a biology and geological sciences major but I have always
been interested in marine sciences and wanted to know
what it would be like to be a marine biologist. Since my
home university doesn’t offer much in the way of marine
science courses, I began exploring some sort of field study
that would meet my needs and I came across the School
for Field Studies. They offer programs across the globe
for budding field researchers including one in Australia
for rainforest studies, Kenya for wildlife management,
Costa Rica for sustainable development, and Mexico for
conserving marine mammals and coastal ecosystems.
They offer both semester and summer programs and the
credits you receive are accredited to Boston University,
which means they are able to be transferred to most other
universities.
The Center on South Caicos is perched on a cliff
overlooking the ocean, a fitting spot for a marine research
center. We would see the most beautiful sunsets and a
dizzying amount of stars. Logistically the Center is lo-
cated in an excellent area as well; most of the population
is employed through the fishing industry which makes
South Caicos a fine place to study fisheries management
and see the direct impact of humans on the surrounding
ecosystems. The goal of our semester was to investigate
the effectiveness of marine protected areas and how zon-
The beaches were beautiful, the vistas were breathtaking, the locals were welcoming,
and I’m not talking about a vacation: this was my school.
The School for Field Studies:Center for Marine Resource Studies
in the Turks and Caicos Islands
ing helps maintain a healthy marine ecosystem. Everyday
we would wake up at the crack of dawn and begin our
studies and research. This included three morning classes
followed by some sort of field work such as a snorkel or
dive in the afternoon. I now know the Latin names of over
100 different coral, algae, and fish species, the life cycles
of marine organisms, and the interconnectedness of the
coral reefs, sea grass, and mangroves. We also researched
the impact certain developing resorts would have on the
locals and indigenous marine populations. We were
shown the benefits of ecotourism and learned the value
of conservation.
Not only did I learn more in a month than in a
whole semester at my home school, I was living with 19
of my best friends. Everyone on the trip became so close
I2007_Fall_Umagazine_32page_book_1-1020873884_1-1020873561.e$S:Layout 1 10/1/07 3:21 PM Page 12
U. The National College Magazine September / October 2007 13
that we’re having a
reunion this com-
ing summer in
Chicago. We even
became close with
the professors.
When we weren’t
in the classroom
we were snorkel-
ing with them, eat-
ing with them, and
even doing chores
with them. Some
of the most intelli-
gent and competent professors I’ve ever known live and
teach at the Center. The interns were awesome too. They
were so funny and demonstrated to me what I could do in
the future. Internships are an amazing way to learn the
necessary skills and knowledge for your career while ex-
periencing a completely new culture.
On the weekends and after dinner we would have
free time to explore the island and get to know the locals.
They are an amazing group of people. Everyone was
friendly and welcoming to us. We were able to go to the
elementary school a few times and play with the kids.
They were curious and excited to have new people on the
island. Everyone on the island seems to know at least a
little bit about the center. The center opens up to the com-
munity every Saturday for swimming lessons in the salt
water pool we have. During the semester I heard that they
host dinners for the community to welcome them in and
understand why the center is on their island.
Sundays the students have a day off of research to
explore the island and recuperate from the week. We took
advantage of this
day by swimming
out to the nearby
cays and exploring
nearby beaches
and old buildings.
Quite often we
would be able to
have a special ac-
tivity during the
week which helped
break up the gruel-
ing schedule. Night
rodeo was one of
our favorites. We
would catch sea
turtles, measure,
and tag them be-
fore releasing them back into the ocean. Everyone also got
to experience a night of sharking as well. We’d set up gill
nets, wait, and then as soon as we heard a splash go and
get the pup from the net. We’d weigh, measure, and tag
them as well before releasing them again.
The experiences I had through the School for Field
Studies are irreplaceable. I have learned so much about
marine ecosystems, the impact humans have on them, and
myself. This experience was the single most amazing ex-
perience of my life and despite the long hours, long nights
and dehydration, I would do it a million times over.
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Been to one of the New 7 Wonders of the World? Send in your pics to [email protected] so we can publish them on ourtravel section - www.colleges.com/travel
14 September / October 2007 U. The National College Magazine
With hopes of improving my
Spanish skills and visiting some places
I’d seen in pictures and learned about in
school, I decided to go to South America.
Summer turned into a journey beyond
my wildest dreams.
I landed in Buenos Aires, Ar-
gentina, where I would study Spanish
and live with a host family for the next
seven weeks. I got to know the city inti-
mately, visiting the distinct barrios,
studying at corner cafes and learning how
to tango. I ventured out on weekends to
hang glide, dance samba all night, and
horseback ride in the sierras of Córdoba,
Argentina’s second largest city. I ambled
through the cobblestone streets of Colo-
nia, Uruguay, relaxed on the breathtaking
beaches of Florianópolis, Braziland hiked
around the powerful and expansive
Iguazu Falls. A week in Rio de Janeiro to
visit one of the new Seven Wonders of
the World, the statue of Christ the Re-
deemer, was the high point of my trip.
I said my goodbyes to Argentina
and Brazil and got on a bus to Santiago,
Chile with nothing more than a backpack
in tow. I had three weeks to get to Lima,
Peru, which I thought would be sufficient
time. Then I got to Bolivia, where five-
hour bus trips turned into 13-hour fiascos
because the miners were on strike, block-
ing all roads in the country. The circum-
stances allowed me to slow down and
fully witness the natural beauty, learn
about their current politics and make
some amazing friends. I navigated the
Salt Flats in an old Land Cruiser and
never paid over a dollar for a three-
course lunch. While visiting the Island
of the Sun in Lake Titicaca, where the
Incas believe the world was born, one ex-
perience sticks out above them all; bik-
ing 64 km along the World’s Most Dan-
gerous Road, which descends 11,800 feet
from the biting cold of the mountains to
the humid heat of the jungle, with a 1,000
meter sheer cliff threatening me along the
way. To say I had an adrenaline rush is
an understatement. The crosses along the
side of “Death Road” speak volumes. I
fortunately made it out alive and contin-
ued traveling on to Peru and eventually
back home to southern California.
Two and a half months of ex-
ploring only left me wanting more. A
continent filled with unsurpassable
beauty, seeping with culture and driven
by the human spirit of resilience, South
America is calling me back. I am already
planning a trip to Ecuador this winter.
by Dawn PowellUniversity of Southern California ‘10
South Americain
Ileft m
y
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employment.com
16 September / October 2007 U. The National College Magazine
Sitting at my desk, a year after having sur-vived my internship and currently workingas an Emergency Department (ED) Resi-dent Physician, I was looking up labs andx-ray reports on a patient that I had justexamined with anemia and chronicheadaches. I was approached by one ofthe ED secretaries, a young man in histwenties, who informed me that he hadjust taken the MCAT, an exam required toenter medical school, and was excitedabout the application and interviewprocess. “Are you glad you went to med-ical school and became a physician?” heinquired with a grin. What a question. I amthirty years old, I have been in schoolmost of my life, and I make less moneythan my twin brother did right out of col-
lege. My brain is worthtwo hundred thousanddollars, yet my medicalservice, according tothe government, is onlyworth forty thousanddollars a year (with an80 hour work week.)With the amount ofdebt incurred, no mat-ter how I feel aboutmedicine, I am compelled to stay thecourse so I can pay back my loans. Thataside, I do remember the excitement ofbecoming a medical student, a futurephysician. Opening the letter and seeingthat I had been accepted to medicalschool was exhilarating. In retrospect, Iwish I had known more about the journeyrequired to reach this destination.
And itʼs been quite a journey. Your first twoyears of medical school involve learningabout disease processes through lecturesand textbooks. The second two years arespent applying this knowledge to real pa-tient care. On the surface, this sounds likean ideal system. But at a deeper level, onemust realize that it requires significantquality-of-life concessions in terms of per-sonal time, commitments and activities.The never-ending evaluations, alwayswondering how you are doing and whetheryour superiors are satisfied with your workdarken your dreams. The feeling that youhave to stay longer, work harder and studymore, so you can get the grades that mayultimately determine your ability to get themedical residency of your choice, con-stantly looms over your head. This pres-sure can take quite a toll on the humanspirit.Many medical students complain aboutbeing “emotionally abused” by their supe-
riors, constantly made to feel inadequate.This is not a productive type of learningenvironment. Even those students whoare fortunate to find good teaching still en-dure considerable stress. The longer youare in the field, the thicker your skin mustbecome to cope with the criticism, at timesdestructive rather than constructive. De-moralization and humiliation are twowords that adequately describe many ex-periences during medical student training.I remember being referred to as “bookie,”during a surgery rotation, a derogatory ref-erence to my “job” of keeping track of allthe patients on the service in a “book” car-ried in my pocket. I spent two months onthat service and donʼt even think my su-periors knew my actual name. We tend tolaugh it off, pretend that weʼre having fun,but deep down, we feel less like humansand more like machines - training for aprofession that requires as much humanityas medical knowledge and skill.These aspects donʼt improve much duringinternship. The only true differences: yourwhite coat is two feet longer, you can writemedical orders and you are called “Doc-tor.” The condescension and denigrationby superiors is still there. On an IntensiveCare Unit (ICU) rotation, I watched a col-league get yelled at in front of the wholestaff, simply because he didnʼt get an ac-curate daily weight on one of the twelve
So, you want to be a Doctor?
Andrew W. Seefeld, M.D.UCLA Medical CenterDepartment of Emergency Medicine
Careers brought to you by
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have very limited free time. And the time thatyou do have outside the hospital is usuallyspent catching up on sleep or staying up todate with current medical literature. I oftenjoked about being a “homeless physician-in-training,“ living in the hospital and without anapartment. I could simply sneak from callroom to call room each night, finding anempty bed for some sleep. If all the bedswere taken, then the backseat of my Volk-swagen Jetta would work fine, as it had manynights in the past during previous rotations.Yes, I actually slept in my car overnight! Moreimportantly, my hospital provided free food tothe interns, and I knew where all the showerswere, hence, I had my own motel, without thevibrating beds and late checkout privileges.
Healing patients and coupling medical sci-ence with patient care were the reasons Ichose this career. Had I known what would berequired to achieve this goal, I might have puta little extra thought into making my decision.I never imagined how radically the demandsof medical education and training would altermy lifestyle. I was not prepared for the emo-tional impact of making mistakes and thestrength required to cope with them. Unfortu-nately, nobody was there to tell me the reali-ties of medical training, the hardships ofmedical school, and the mental as well asphysical fatigue of residency training.
So the question resurfaces... am I glad I am adoctor? Looking at the energetic young manwho had asked the question, full of excite-ment and desire to learn and obviously ad-miring my position as a current resident, Iwanted him to appreciate the effort it took toget to this point: the pain I endured, the cop-ing with mistakes, the sleepless nights, thealienation from family and friends. So, I toldhim to expose himself to the field, talk to cur-rent medical students, interns, residents andattendings, get an idea of what it is like,lifestyle outside the hospital included. Thiswould at least allow for a truly informed deci-sion, something I wish I had done. I told himwith certainty not to base his decision on adesire for the status that the “M.D.” denotes.Itʼs not worth it, if your heart is not committed.Happiness in life is far more important than adoctorate in medicine. Lucky for me, I chosethe right profession, despite my lack of knowl-edge of the realities of training. Not everyoneis so fortunate. The cost is worth it to me; butwill it be for everyone?
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300 is out on DVD, and if you missed it in the theatres, thenyou’ll definitely want to buy it. 300 is based on Frank Miller'sgraphic novel about the historical Battle of Thermopylae in 480B.C. in which a small number of 300 Spartans led by KingLeonidas (Gerard Butler) stood against the massive invadingPersian army of Xerxes.
The Greek historian Herodotus had estimated Xerxe’s armyincluding his “10,000 immortals” at 1,700,000 not including hisnavy. It is generally accepted that this number is exaggerated;there is more historical consensus that the number was prob-ably between 100,000 and 200,000 soldiers, not counting sup-port personnel, which would be about double the number oftroops. Regardless of the exact number, the fact is, few stoodagainst many, against insurmountable odds to protect their freedom.King Leonidas made a stand with his 300 elite soldiers, 700 Thespians,500 Tegeans, 80 Myceneans, and several thousand fellow Greek coun-tryman totaling approximately 4,900 at Thermopylae or ‘Hot Gates.’The gates were named after hot springs in the area, for their narrow 35-50 foot passage between mountains. This small contingent of Greeksled by Leonidas and the Spartans used the geography to their advan-tage and repelled wave after wave of the Persian troops including “theimmortals.” It will never be known if the Spartans could have beatenthese impossible odds because they were betrayed by a Greek traitorEphialtes, who showed Xerxes a hidden mountain pass that led theenemy behind Thermopylae. When scouts let Leonidas know that thePersians had discovered the pass and were advancing towards theirvulnerability, he let the rest of the Greek troops leave so they could fightanother day. As for himself and his Spartans, they prepared for theirfinal battle as Spartans never retreat and never surrender.
The Spartans were eventually overrun, but went down in history asvaliant heroes who resisted tyranny and defended their freedoms. Ul-timately, it was their heroism and courage that inspired their fellowGreeks that transcended any military significance of the battle. TheGreeks did go on to eventually defeat the Persians in the Battle ofPlataea in 479 B.C.
As for the movie, Director Zack Snyder created a brilliant and dra-matic adaptation closely following Frank Miller’s excellent graphic novelabout the event. Gerard Butler (King Leonidas) drove the movie withan indomitable and lionhearted performance that made me want totake up a spear and join the effort. Additional kudos go to the menwho got into incredible physical shape for the film; certainly an inspira-tion to get into the gym. Also, the makeup artists and costume de-signers deserve an award for their artistic brilliance; just look ateveryday photos of Butler and Rodrigo Santoro who played Xerxes tosee their transforming work.
18 September / October 2007 U. The National College Magazine
By: John CarrieriRock-N-Reel
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er
ntsd
e-
p-t.
n-t.edatir
All Photos courtesy of Warner Home VideoClockwise from top:
King Leonidas battles Xerxe’s soldiers
King Leonidas roars in defiance
Spartan Phalanx
Queen Gorgo
Spartans drive Persians off cliff
Young Leonidas surviving Spartanmanhood ritual - man against nature
Spartan attacks a boastful Persian leader who trys to whip him
Frank Miller illustration of final battle
Movie close adaption of Miller’s work
Director Zack Snyder talks withGerard Butler who plays Leonidas
My only complaint is that the demonizing of thePersian army in the sense of adding some mon-strous characters detracted from the historical sig-nificance of this epic battle. One could not write amore compelling story than what actually hap-pened.
In the end 300 is a classic, which I imagine willbe in many guys’ essential movie collections.
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20 September / October 2007 U. The National College Magazine
Rock-N-ReelRenaissance Miramax FilmsDVD Review by John Carrieri
Renaissance is a groundbreaking, animated, avant-
garde film created completely in black and whiteusing motion capture technology. While the thoughtof black and white might make you think of early 20thcentury films, the story takes place in the future, inthe year 2054 in Paris. Reminiscent of the futuristicclassic ‘Blade Runner’, the movie touches on the in-triguing topic of immortality.
The story begins when Ilona Tasuiev a 22 year-old highly intelligent scientist is kidnapped. Her em-ployer, Avalon, a big-brotherish corporation hirespolice taskforce Inspector Karas (voiced by DanielCraig, James Bond, Casino Royale) to find her. Heenlists the help of Ilona’s sister, Bislane (voiced byCatherine McCormack, Braveheart) to unravel themystery and the plot turns and twists into a surpris-ing end. Jonathan Pryce (Pirates of the Caribbean)is the voice of Ilona’s determined, yet unhelpfulemployer.
The animation technique in itself is worthy of anaward and although the plot is completely original,Director Christian Volckman not only created some-thing unique, but also masterly delivered a multi-di-mensional experience that is nothing short of purebrilliance. There are so many scenes of this movie,that are admirable for the way they are able to por-tray the on-screen experience in black and white,that it’s hard to single one out in particular. It’s safeto say the film is a masterpiece and anyone appre-ciative of art will appreciate this movie.
Art aside, I wondered if I would be bored by theblack and white within a short while; however, I sur-prisingly found that the movie had a riveting plotwhich immediately drew me in and kept me engagedto the end.
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Photos: Courtesy of Buena Vista Home Entertainment
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Airheads
22 September / October 2007 U. The National College Magazine
Back To School Box Sets
Maybe it’s been
in his blood
since birth (his
grandparents
were in Vaude-
ville) or maybe
it was the way
he was brought up (practicing Subud,
a religion incorporating all religions)
but David Arquette has been placed
here to entertain us. His new movie,
“The Tripper” is total B movie camp
destined to reach cult status. Enter an
all-star cast comprised of Jason Mews,
Balthazar Getty, Paul Rubin and Jamie
King, add sex, drugs and a serial killer
obsessed with Ronald Regan and put
them all together at a college music
festival in the middle of woods and
you’ve got yourself a surefire horror
hit. The Tripper is David’s creation
(writer, director and producer) and it
is good. We caught up with David and
had the chance to talk about a few
things, including his career in profes-
sional wrestling and why he chose to
make apolitical horror film. He said
Generation X at it’s Finest
Heeeeere’s Ronniewar and death on the battlefield are all too real, but
when you watch a completely over-the-top horror
movie like The Tripper, you know the deaths you
are watching are fake. The victims in the movie are
clueless that death is coming for them just as we are
completely clueless when it comes to the informa-
tion the media chooses us to see. It’s time for us to
buck up and pay attention to where the facts are
coming from. When asked his advice for college stu-
dents, Arquette said, “...you can make what ever you
want happen. Just have some goals. Put in the time,
do your work and although rejection is all over the
place, we do have a responsibility to make this
world a better place.” To read the full interview go
to www.umagazine.com/interviews/arquette
Showgirls
The Girl Next Door
Sex and the Teenage Mind
GPA: 1.43
Hoosiers
Kingpin
Bull Durham
GPA: 3.1
Platoon
Windtalkers
Dances with Wolves
GPA: 3.9
The Usual Suspects
Leaving Las Vegas
Escape from New York
GPA: 3.9
Bill and Ted’s Excellent
This is Spinal Tap
GPA: 2.8
BioDome
PCU
Back to School
GPA: 2.5
WarGames
AntiTrust
Hackers
GPA: 3.1
David watches recently shot footage, directing The Tripper
Chris Nieratko is an underground legend. Before Jackass
was even a twinkle in MTV’s eye, Chris watched PJ Clapp
shoot himself with a .38 while wearing a kevlar vest way
before Clapp was Johnny Knoxville. Chris found out just
how many eggs he could eat in one the earliest episodes of
the famed TV show and exactly how much eggnog he
could chug before throwing up. One of his first jobs in the
limelight was as an editor for Big Brother magazine, a
risque skate mag later bought by Larry Flynt. Big Brother
was basically about skateboarding, but contained carefully
crafted articles by Nieratko and others that gave his sub-
scribers hints on how to be cool. He then moved on to
writing a hit column for Vice magazine after Mr. Flynt
“toned down” Big Brother. It was Vice who
would go on to later publish Skinema, a collec-
tive of Chris’ life, written under the guise of re-
viewing “dirty movies.” He rarely describes the
videos he reviews, instead using them to account
hilarious true life stories which according to
Chris, are 100% true. This book is laugh out
loud funny and so is our interview. If it’s all true,
this guy has had one really crazy life. Check out
Chris’s hilarious interview with one of our own at
www.umagazine.com/interviews/chrisnieratko
2007_Fall_Umagazine_32page_ver3.qxp:Layout 1 10/4/07 3:23 PM Page 22
The Milwaukees
American
Anthems Vol. 1
City Desk
Records
Genuine Rock ‘n
Roll which we
don’t see a lot of anymore. This album is stock
full of good old fashioned American rock. A
combination of hair-raising guitar licks, heart
pounding drums and bass, paired with lead
singer Dylan St. Clark’s amazing vocals, the
album is sure to satisfy. Check out great song,
“Moonshaker,” “Bullet Train” and “Rich and
Famous.” - CA
A.i.
Sex and Robots
A.i. Music
This hot new band out
of LA is made up of
brothers Nick and
Zack Young and friend Milan Kirov. Deter-
mined not to let a record company tell them
how to make their music, this band is unsigned
and proud of it. While essentially rock band,
the guys make their music with an electronic
twist, using unique equipment both cutting
edge and older gear from the ‘60’s and ‘70’s.
The band has a totally experimental sound,
sometimes sounding like Prince, sometimes
Bono and all the time like A.i. Check them out
at aimusic.com or myspace.com/ai or log on to
collegeradio.com to watch our exclusive inter-
view with the band. - SG
1408
Dimension
Films Genius
Products
Based on a short
story by Stephen
King, Mike Enslin
(Cusak) is an fa-
mous author of
“Haunted” books
and as of yet, has never actually been in a truly
haunted place. He gets a mysterious postcard
telling him about the Dophin Hotel in NYC and
against grave warnings from the hotel manager,
decides to stay the night. This 2-disc set gives
you bonus features and includes an alternate
ending. 1408 is sure to give you some great
scares and is perfect for long nights in a dark
dorm room. - SG
Reign Over Me
Sony Pictures
Alan Johnson (Cheadle)
runs into his old college
roommate Charlie (San-
dler), on the streets of
Manhattan and quickly
learns that five years
after 9/11, Charlie has
still not dealt with the loss of his entire family
on that tragic day. At the same time Alan, who
leads a seemingly perfect life, struggles with
overwhelming feelings of responsibilities to his
family and career, missing his more carefree
college days. The two men rediscover their
friendship, and help each other to find happi-
ness in their present lives. - CA
The Dollyrots
Because I’m
Awesome
Blackheart
Records
A pop/punk band
out of Florida, the
founding members of this band decided to
throw caution to the wind when they found
out George W. Bush had won the 2000 elec-
tion. They moved to LA to start their musical
career. “The world is probably going to end
anyway, so let’s just do the band.” Killer
tunes include “My Best Friend’s Hot” and
“Brand New Key.” - SG
Beyond the Gates
BBC/IFC Films
This award-winning
film is powerful and
worth watching for
several reasons.
Based on the true
story of the 1994
Rwandan genocide
where 800,000+ people were massacred in a
100-day period, the film was made on the
very grounds the horrific events actually took
place. Residents of Kigali candidly told their
stories to the producer, director and cast
members creating a deeply moving, detailed
account of the three-month horror. A large
group of the production crew are actual sur-
vivors of the genocide. They are living proof
that nothing is impossible. When asked,
“What can I do to help?” survivor Jean-Paul
Sagahutu told me “Tell our story, let people
know, so it may never happen again.” May it
never happen again. -NKC
The Universiy of San Diego will
be hosting a free screening and discussion
of Beyond the Gates at The Institute for
Peace & Justice in November, 2007. To be
a part of this event, please contact
U. The National College Magazine September / October 2007 23
ipper
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24 September / October 2007 U. The National College Magazine
Creative Aurvana X-Fi Noise Canceling Headphones Creative Labs has createdan excellent set of head-phones that rivals anyoneout there, including ʻbosseyʼcompanies that think thatcollege students donʼt ap-preciate fine audio. Theseover the ear headphonescompletely screen out audioannoyances including air-plane drawl and as much as90% of ambient noise. Cre-ativeʼs X-Fi technology alsohelps restore clarity to yourMP3 files by intelligently en-hancing the high and low
ranges of your music. In addition, their X-Fi CMSS-3D recreates 3D sound whenlistening to movies or audio with surround sound features. I tested this featureby watching Gladiator on my computer and the clarity was amazing - the shrillof the arrows flying by was hair-raising.
If you travel often via plane, then these are the headphones for you. But evenif you donʼt travel, the sound quality is exceptional. They fold flat (althoughtheyʼre still a little bulky) and they come with a sturdy carrying case and an air-plane adapter. Street Price: $299
Tech TalkLooking for ʻPeace of Mind?ʼ Need a mental rest from your roommate? Looking for your own musical co-coon? Where ever your music takes you, youʼll find either of these two headphones excellent companions.
JVC HA-NC80JVC has also engineered a sweet piece of
hardware with their HA-NC80. The audiosounds great and the noise canceling workswell. I really like the form factor of the HA-NC80ʼs because they are both stylish andcompact. They cover the face of your ears,but not your complete ear which I believe formost situations, gives you a perfect balancebetween screening outside noise, but still re-maining small and nimble. They are an ex-cellent value. Street Price $35
Cardo S-800 Bluetooth® Headset
Sick ofholding your phone up toyour ear? Sick of endanger-ing others while talking onyour phone while driving?(We are!) Then get a Blue-tooth® headset, but donʼt justget any headset, get theCardo S-800 which is thebest Bluetooth® headset Iever tested. The S-800 notonly sounds good, but looksgood, which is usually thedownfall of these devices.The S-800 is the smallest
headset I have ever used and it fits in you ear withoutneeding an over the ear brace, even though it includes oneif you want to use it. The device also includes other tech-nically advanced options like the ability to store three dif-ferent phone numbers which you can ʻhot-dialʼ right fromthe S-800 instead of looking them up on your phone. www.cardosystems.com Street Price $39 - 45
Crucial MemoryIf your computerseems slow, there is agood chance that you couldbreathe new life into it costeffectively by adding extraRAM. RAM (Random Ac-cess Memory) is the sys-tem main memory whichamong other things allowsyou to have more programs open and store more information si-multaneously while it is running. Crucial Technology is actually amanufacturer of RAM and the only company in the world that bothmanufacturers RAM and sells it direct to individual computer users;therefore, you can buy direct with factory level pricing. You canalso get free shipping right now on orders over $40. Also, to notethey are headquartered in the U.S.A. in Idaho.
Their Memory Advisor™ on their site can help you find the rightmemory for any computer system and compatibility is guaranteed100%. I got to try a Crucial 1 GB memory upgrade which broughtmy Mac G5 from 1.5GB to 2.5GB and it made a huge difference.Now I can keep the twenty programs I like to run, all open at thesame time not to mention a million browser windows. www.crucial.com
2007_Fall_Umagazine_32page_book_1-1020873884_1-1020873561_1-1020860696.e$S:Layout 1 10/3/07 5:09 PM Page 24
U. The National College Magazine September / October 2007 25
Tech TalkAdobe’s CS3 Rocks our world and our computers
Adobe CS3 Design Premium – PC ReviewReviewed by:Kaustav Acharya
Adobeʼs Creative Suite 3 Design Premium(CS3 Design Premium) is nothing short ofspectacular. This bundle of software encom-passes everything a graphics/web designerneeds, and Adobe has really showcased itstalents.
Tested on a Toshiba Satellite Laptop run-ning an 1.6 Ghz Intel Centrino Duo Processorcombined with 2GB RAM and Windows XPMedia Center, we confirmed the obvious no-tion that CS3 Design Premium does need ahigher end system to run effectively. The inter-faces on Adobe Bridge, Photoshop CS3,Dreamweaver CS3, Flash CS3 Professional, Ac-robat 8 Professional, and Illustrator CS3, havegotten a bit of a facelift, but have not changedmuch from CS2.
The flexibility of juggling one document amongthe programs listed has really been streamlinedby simply exporting the file you are working on toanother application (e.g. InDesign to Flash orPhotoshop to Flash) and Bridge CS3. Best no-ticed however is the Flash CS3 interface, whichhas the familiar the Adobe toolbars based madefamous by the original Adobe programs. One isalso able to import layered Photoshop and Illus-trator files into Flash, animate them, and exportthem automatically as ActionScript 3.0 to hand offto developers. Bridge CS3 allows all your mediato display (with previews) in a very modern (darewe say ʻMacʼ-like?) interface. In essence BridgeCS3 gives users the ability to have a central con-
sole from which to send files to a particular ap-plication. This comes in handy when you are try-ing to manage a large group of design files andyou need to send them to different applications.
New this year is the more compelling mobilegraphics in Illustrator and Photoshop Extended.With Adobeʼs Device Central CS3, one is able todesign and test the latest and coolest mobilemedia with very little guesswork as all the mobilestandards are built into it.
In conclusion, Adobeʼs CS3 Design Premiumis undeniably the production standard for GraphicDesigners and Front-End Web Developers alike.This ʻstandardʼ does come at a ̒ premiumʼ (no punintended here) price: $1,799 for the full versionand $599-$1,599 for the upgrade versions.There is no doubt that the bundle is rather pricey,but with itʼs familiar interface and rock-solid per-formance (even though a little sluggish on thetest machine), this is one bundle we would wewould highly recommend despite the price tag.
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2007_Fall_Umagazine_32page_book_1-1020873884_1-1020873561_1-1020860696.e$S:Layout 1 10/4/07 11:36 AM Page 25
The newest editionof the Halo franchise is finally here and itʼsworth every dollar. Itʼs not surprising that ittopped the gaming charts, but whatʼs reallyastonishing is that it has become the topgrossing entertainment production on itʼslaunch, grossing $170M, of any entertain-ment property; yes, that means movies, too.Bigger than ʻSpider-Man3ʼsʼ opening week-end of $151M, and bigger than last sum-
merʼs ʻPirates of the Caribbean: DeadMan's Chestʼ and bigger than Halo 2
which also opened with a healthy $125M. Yes, there are dif-ferences between comparing a movieʼs opening weekend,which has three days, to a gameʼs opening day, and the prod-uct price point is different, but does that really matter? With agood multiplayer like Halo 3, itʼs easy to enjoy 200 vs. 2 hoursfor a movie and thatʼs being very conservative on the 200.
So letʼs move beyond the discussion of sales. Is it worth thehype? In my humble opinion, yes. The game takes a twist asMaster Chief, the main character, and the humans find them-selves allying with part of the alien race that first attacked Earth,the Elites and their leader – The Arbiter. The Flood is out ofcontrol as well as the ʻProphet of Truthʼ and all looks despair-ingly bleak unless you, as Master Chief, can pull out one heroiceffort to save mankind. As far as the rest of the plot, I donʼtwant to spoil it, but suffice to say itʼs gratifying. Also, to note,Cortana is back; however, she has been captured by
Gravemind and the Flood. All I cansay about Cortana is, she receivedone heck of a fine graphic upgrade.No wonder Master Chief wants tosave her – but isnʼt she just a com-puter program?
With respect to features andgraphics, there are new vehicles in-cluding a Mongoose, which is a quadATV and a Hornet, which is a singlepilot hovercraft with two jump seats.Both are fun to pilot, as the Mon-goose is great for jumps and smallplaces the warthog canʼt go - such asup narrow staircases. The Hornet isequipped with both a machine gunand a two-silo missile launcher.
As for weapons, there is a new Spartan Laser, which is in-credible. Pick something with the laser, and five seconds laterwhen it charges to full power, that target is gone. On the alienside there is a new dual wielding Brute Spiker, which is like theNeedler (on steroids,) the dual wielding Mauler, which is a crossbetween a shotgun and a pistol, a deadly spike grenade andFirebomb Incendiary Grenade. On the heavy side are threeturret weapons that can now be unleashed (broken) from theirturrets for devastating damage; Middle Pod - which carries 8rockets that can be fired in sequence without reloading, aHeavy Machine Gun (gatling-style) and Plasma Cannon whichfires 300 rounds per minute.
There is also new equipment such as a Bubble Shield, whichstops all projective weapons, a power drainer, a trip mine, aportable gravity lift, a radar jammer, a flare, a regenerator, anda deployable Cover or force shield.
Letʼs talk Multiplayer since this is the best part of the game.The reason Halo has the best multiplayer engine is that it hasbeen developed over 12 years with the launch of Marathon byBungie on December 12th, 1994, followed by Marathon 2: Du-randal and Marathon Infinity. The whole Marathon trilogy wasdeveloped and ran only on Macs; itʼs network multiplayer wasgroundbreaking. We used to play with 5 or 6 players everydayafter work. As soon as 5 PM rolled around, the battle soundsechoed through our office. I bring this up because #1, it
26 September / October 2007 U. The National College Magazine
Halo 3Publisher: MicrosoftDeveloper: Bungie
Review by: OrionX
“It’s all about the Multiplayer. If you haven’t played themultiplayer, then you haven’t
really played Halo.” – OrionX
Cortana
2007_Fall_Umagazine_32page_ver3.qxp:Layout 1 10/4/07 2:35 PM Page 26
Battlefield 2142
EA Games
MacPro Intel
Core Duo 2, 2GB RAM
We are very excited to bring you EA’s
MMO, Battlefield 2142, tested on, yes! a
Mac platform. It was only a matter of time
until EA released a set of their latest games
for the new Macs. Battlefield 2142 is among
them and is truly a remarkable game.
An ice age threatens to completely
take over earth in the year 2142. The land is
up for grabs and it becomes survival of the
fittest. The game swoops from the icy lands
of Europe to the boiling terrain of Africa,
where you can pick from a Recon, Assault,
Engineer or Support team depending on
your gaming style. As you progress, you are
able to unlock over 1500 special weapons
and accessories.
The game ran flawlessly on the test
machine, but installation time took about 20
minutes and the initial launch took another
15 minutes. Once launched, the submenus
and the in-game animations ran exception-
ally well and didn’t have the millisecond
hiccup, common on running a high end
game like this. Game play is fun once the
controls are mastered, although the level of
difficulty seems higher than games in the
same genre.
The Mac version won’t run if the
processor is slower than a 1.83GHz Intel
Core Duo processor with less than 1GB of
RAM, so high machine specs are a must.
We’re quite pleased with the game
stability and wowed by the Mac’s perform-
ance running it. The game deserves our
highest rating but because it doesn’t allow
for the older generation 1.66GHz Core Duo
to run it (the PC version allows for lower-
end hardware to run) we had to kick it a
thumb. Price: $39.95
U. The National College Magazine September / October 2007 27
By Resident Game Guru
Kaustav Acharya
demonstrates how many hours ofenjoyment can be realized out ofthese games and #2, why Microsoftbought Bungie, because it was sim-ply the best network multiplayerever developed. So now whenplaying Halo 3 and reflecting on theprevious Halo, itʼs not that it is to-tally new, but a continued refinementon the incredible existing engine thathas continued to mature over the lasttwelve years. The most notablenew feature in Halo 3 is the Forge,which now allows you to edit multi-player levels. You can add all kindsof objects such as weapons, equip-ment, vehicles and even trans-porters. Each object is worth acertain amount of points, and youhave a budget as to how manyitems you can allocate. The Forgeopens the game up for a whole ad-ditional layer of playing and is veryfun to play and create. You can lit-erally fly through the level when ed-iting. You can see and put things inplaces you might not normally everbe able to see. When editing, youcan really see just how great thephysics are of the Halo engine. Tryplacing a ghost or large object on apointed cliff or metal beam andyouʼll see it not only fall due to grav-ity, but also fall and bounce off ob-jects just as you would think itwould in real life. You can also trycreating new and exciting playabil-ity, such as putting one gravity lift atthe top of another gravity liftʼsrange, giving you double the heightboost to reach places your charac-ters wouldnʼt normally reach. Es-sentially, you get to be the artist ofthe chess game that keeps you andyour friends coming back for more.
In the end I give ‘Halo 3’ six out offive thumbs on our 1-5 scale; theonly game we have ever giventhis lofty of a score. (6 out of 5?)
“But mine goes to eleven.” - Nigel, Spinal Tap.
For a great reference on every-thing Halo, check out:http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Halo_3
2007_Fall_Umagazine_32page_ver3.qxp:Layout 1 10/4/07 2:36 PM Page 27
NBA ‘08
Publisher: SCEA
Platforms:
PSP/PS2/PS3
B a s k e t b a l l - s i m s
have always fallen
into the ‘play one and you’ve played them all’
mentality. It will take SCEA a lot to break
that mentality; however, we tested on the PS3
& we were impressed.
The game’s backend has been altered to
take into account the SIXAXIS™ Controls.
According to Sony, “...the expanded SIX-
AXIS functionality provides an all-new and
deeper set of control options including spe-
cific dribbles as well as high and low offen-
sive and defensive moves.” Seeing it in
action is even more impressive. The anima-
tions have been varied up as well allowing for
a more realistic feel of the game. The AI has
been made significantly more intelligent and
the positions they play are a lot more realis-
tic than previous years. The fluidity of game-
play is really where the PS3 showcases it’s
potential. The court is crisp and clear, and an-
imations suffer no lag. The character models
are well designed, but it seems that the light-
ing was over emphasized in the development
studio causing for the reflections off the
player’s skin to look fake. Aside from that
though there is little to gripe about as the
game outputs at 60 frames per second and at
a full 1080p. The game also features brand
new NBA commentary that flows perfectly
into the game, but doesn’t distract the player.
In short, the commentary is well incorporated.
Newest in NBA ‘08 is the Progression Sys-
tem. As the player is progressing through the
game, certain challenges are presented which,
upon completion, you can trade in for expe-
rience points. These points are used to
progress your player statistics and enable him
to line his virtual trophy wall with all kinds of
goodies.
The controls learning curve is relatively
short; however, mustering the plays on the
other hand, is a bit difficult. Although it takes
a while and it’s a great feeling watching your
player spin around and dunk on the defender,
the whole game gets a little monotonous.
Still, despite that, the game is fun, probably
even more so in multiplayer.
Price: $39.99/$39.99/$59.99 PS3
Command &Conquer
3: Tiberium Wars
Publisher: EA
Platforms: PC/Mac/
XBOX360
The Command and
Conquer franchise has
been out for a while and has revolutionized
wartime strategy games. With a futuristic
feel of both the interface and the in-game
graphics, Tiberium Wars sets itself apart from
the others with fluid animations and great
sound quality. With over 30 single-player
missions, this newest installment will keep
you occupied for hours. The game primarily
focuses on wise strategy and deployment of
units to vanquish the enemy. While this may
seem elementary, friendly units will be lost if
the attack isn’t carefully planned. Tiberium
Wars is a great game that focuses on brains
rather than brawn and we like that. Game
play is smooth, although we recommend a
higher end processor, approximately 256mb
of Video RAM, and about 2GB of system
memory. Price: 49.99
NCAA Football 08
Publisher: EA
Platforms: PS2, PS3,
XBOX, XBOX360
The NCAA Football
franchise has gotten
better with each year and EA has delivered a
phenomenal product once again. For fans
looking for the ‘wow’ factor, the new Cam-
pus-legend mode enables you to create a
player and guide him to stardom. An inter-
esting feature, although not new from last
year, is a focus on academics. Upon selec-
tion of your character, you’ll need to choose
a major to pursue. After practice, you’ll have
a choice of mingling with peers or studying
for tests.
Standard features such as mascot game,
rival-game, scrimmage, practice, and spring
drills are all there. The latter is good for begin-
ners to learn the game controls and get familiar
with the interface. You are able to practice all
kinds of plays along with a few new trick plays.
Smooth transitions paired with insightful and
comedic commentaries from Brad Nesler and
Lee Corso provide for countless hours of fun.
Offensively, it’s business as usual: nudge the
trick-stick to avoid the heavy tackles and finish
the play. Defensively, you’re actually able to
block field goal attempts if the defensive-line is
positioned correctly.
NCAA Football 08 is an instant hit, but it
is hard to justify the extra $10 for the PS2
version. The XBOX version retailing for
$40.00 has a cleaner look and feel than the
PS2 version so EA’s reasoning for the in-
creased price is lost on us. Despite that, we
love the game, and highly recommend it.
Price: Varies by platform.
Syphon Filter:
Logan’s Shadow
Platforms: Sony PSP
When playing stealth
games, we tend to think
back to the Metal Gear se-
ries, the benchmark in tactical and covert-ops
games. The developers at Sony have really
stepped up to the plate with Logan’s Shadow,
which we feel is one of the best third person
shooter games for the PSP. You are Gabe
Logan, dispatched to the USS Mt. St. Helens to
stop a terrorist mastermind who is after some
hush-hush cargo on the ship. Gabe’s secretive
contact in Washington interferes with the mis-
sion by killing off a major character then black-
mails Gabe.
Game play is seamless and has multi-
player capability. The controls are right where
you expect them to be, although the control
stick is sensitive. This is really evident when
you get into the game and perform sudden
movements such as trying to aim at the bad guy
shooting at you. The graphics are so sharp you
easily forget you are playing on a hand-held de-
vice. Sony Bend has done an amazing job at
mastering game detail and special effects. Did
we mention that it’s really cool to sneak up on
a bad guy and take him out with stealth tactics?
Do that successfully and you’ll see a very cool
animation of the takedown. Price: 39.99
28 September / October 2007 U. The National College Magazine
2007_Fall_Umagazine_32page_ver3.qxp:Layout 1 10/4/07 3:33 PM Page 28
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30 September / October 2007 U. The National College Magazine
Puzzles1. Nobel Prize city
5. Troubled former
Hokie's QB
7. Sweet bowl game
9. Wine bottle stopper
14. OJ trial judge
15. Big Apple school,
for short
16. Without a doubt
18. At capacity
19. Pitt and Renfro
23. Got up
26. "Gold, to Jose"
27. Put on
28. UCLA nickname
29. MTV reality show
31. Frac. of a min.
33. Madonna's signature
dance, or fashion
magazine
34. Band instrument
36. On the ___
38. Mouthwash
40. Oklahoma nickname
42. Elizabeth
44. Teach
45. speedily
47. LSU nickname
48. Scottish Game
49. Grade
2. Apostle
3. Sports announcer
Costas
4. Talent
6. 2008 Olympics locale
7. Michigan State nickname
8. Pistol
10. Indiana U nickname
11. WVU nickname
12. Apple-like fruit
13. Knowledge
17. Kimono sash
18. NCAA bowl held in
Arizona
20. Show concern
21. Pump part
22. _____ goes the weasel
24. Yankee's Torre
25. "Bad," en espanol
27. U of Arizona nickname
30. Superman nemesis Luther
31. Florida State nickname
32. Breakfast staple
34. Devilish grin
35. Actor Wilson
37. strange
39. odd
41. Instrument
43. First woman
46. Sound of a clock
Across DownCollege Sports Spectacular
Sudoku
For answers to puzzles, please log on to www.colleges.com/umagazine/2007fall/32.html
2007_Fall_Umagazine_32page_ver3.qxp:Layout 1 10/4/07 5:26 PM Page 30
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