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Written by Aaron Wallis
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Thursday, 24 September 2009 00:00 |
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Jennifer Love Hewitt is known as the Ghost Whisperer these days. And it looks as if she’s going to have her hands full this year. That’s because she is writing her first book and working on a comic book series. Now, if you’re a fan of Ghost Whisperer there’s no need to worry; she will continue to help the dead cross over to the other side. I’m guessing Hewitt is just looking to follow in the footsteps of other celebrities trying to make it as published writers.
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Written by Nick Stinson
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Thursday, 11 September 2008 00:00 |
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One of Tech’s own professors released a novel this summer, both to critical praise and controversial debate.
Paul Lake, an English and creative writing professor, released "Cry Wolf: A Political Fable", an animal fable in the vein of "Animal Farm". While Orwell’s satire concerned communism, Lake turned the looking glass toward America.
“It’s an animal fable, so it can be interpreted in various ways, but it’s about Western civilization and where it’s going right now,” Lake said. “It’s a political fable but it’s also a fable about much deeper things.”
"Cry Wolf" concerns a peaceful farm, Green Pastures, run by farm animals after their owner’s death. When a wounded doe arrives on the farm seeking shelter, the domesticated animals must decide whether to allow the wild animal to pass. From there, the animals are presented with an increasingly difficult set of decisions, all with political undertones, which threaten the animals’ way of life.
Despite the label on professors for liberal-mindedness, Lake’s novel defends conservative viewpoints throughout, symbolized through the degradation of the farm through outside sources—and even some within.
“[I wrote "Cry Wolf"] because it was what I felt and thought at the time,” Lake said. “The perception of all professors is that they’re of the left, but that’s not necessarily the case.”
Lake wrote the novel in a seven-month period between July of 2006 and February of 2007, writing in the evenings after work or after taking his son to cross-country or wrestling meets.
“It’s the easiest, fastest book I’ve ever written,” Lake said. “I guess because it’d been brewing in my mind for a while. But for some reason I just felt a sense of mastery and control over the novel in one sense. In another sense, I felt like I had no control whatsoever—it was just coming to me, almost like a movie I was transcribing into words.”
"Cry Wolf" was published to solid reception from media outlets. "Booklist" gave Lake a positive review, citing the superiority of Cry Wolf to its Orwellian predecessor. “Lake writes vividly and characterizes shrewdly, producing an anti-immigration fable more polished than Orwell’s anti-Communist satire.”
Laurie Morrow, a political columnist for "The Montpelier Bridge" says, “What seems, at first, a gentle fable about farm animals who enjoy a kind of ordered liberty, turns quickly into a grim allegory about man’s dark impulse toward the collective.” The "New England Review" praised the book, calling it “a modern classic deserving wide recognition.” The Reverend John Newhaus, editor-in-chief of "First Things", calls it “A charming and chilling fable,” and Chronicles Magazine regarded Lake’s novel as “Cleverly devised and well developed.”
"The Nebo" will be hosting a book signing on Thursday, September 25, at 6:30 pm in room 275 of Witherspoon. The book will be available for $12.
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Written by Ashley Schurtz
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Thursday, 24 September 2009 00:00 |
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"Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand frequently asks the question, "Who is John Galt?" and trust me, reading the 1,000-plus pages to find out the answer to that and many other themes is worth it.
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Written by Savanna Knight
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Thursday, 11 September 2008 00:00 |
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Jim’s Razorback Pizza, most well known for its University of Arkansas football memorabilia, opened its 20th location, the Hog Wild Family Fun Center, in Russellville this summer.
Jim’s Razorback Pizza is located on South Arkansas Avenue and the Family Fun Center is location on East Main Street. Both places share similar qualities, such as the same food and same theme, but there are notable differences among the two that may sway a Tech student to choose one before the other.
First, the location on South Arkansas Avenue offers a Tech discount. The 10 percent discount allows two college students to easily dine for approximately $20. The atmosphere is friendly and welcoming, with flat screen televisions at each individual booth.
The Family Fun Center location does not offer a Tech discount. The atmosphere was created for children and young teenagers due to its arcade-style game room. If going to the restaurant to eat dinner and not to play, it may be helpful to let you know the food entrance is the door on the far left. If going after dark it may be difficult to determine which entrance is correct, as they are not marked.
The arcade is located in a room adjoined to the restaurant and easily accessible for children to run in and out at their own leisure. The fine line between food and play is definitely crossed at the Family Fun Center.
After soaking in the football-surrounded atmosphere, the food is next on your plate. At the South Arkansas location customers are seated and their orders are taken. At the East Main location, you wait in line to order and then it is brought out.
Dining at both restaurants on week day evenings around 7 p.m. garnered surprisingly different wait times. At the South Arkansas location, the wait time from order-taken to order-delivered to the table was between 10 and 15 minutes. At the East Main location, the wait to order was about 15 minutes and delivery time after that was more than 20 minutes. It would not be recommended to go to the East Main location in a hurry.
The food at both locations was equally desirable. One of the most popular orders at both locations is pepperoni pizza and Razorback sticks with cheese. The presentation of the food is better than that of most local pizzerias. The taste of all components is clearly authentic to Jim’s Razorback Pizza.
The menu says, “Where you can expect Great Pizza Every Time.” In addition to pizza, Jim’s serves sandwiches, hot wings, and more.
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Written by John Post
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Thursday, 18 September 2008 00:00 |
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The rise of gas prices has become a major crisis over the last few months, and it’s affecting college students—and universities—more than ever.
Even in Russellville, which boasts some of the lowest gas prices in the United States, according to <http://www.cnnmoney.com>. Russellville is listed as the 10th most affordable place to live in the nation. College students are feeling the pinch in their pocketbooks and dismay when driving by gas stations posting heightened prices.
The surge of gas to almost $4 a gallon has led many students to consider alternate ways of getting to school.
“I ride a bike to school because it cuts down on gas cost,” junior Stephen Herford said, who is a native of Russellville and an English education major. “I can get to school cheaper that way,” Herford said.
According to the Department of Energy’s update of gas prices on Sept. 8, the average price of gas in the U.S. is $3.64 a gallon, up 83 cents from last year. The update also showed that the West Coast, specifically California, spent the most in gas, while the East and Gulf coasts both enjoyed the lowest gas prices in the nation.
Hurricane Ike’s rampage through the South is responsible for a recent surge in gas prices of up to $4 a gallon in certain parts of town.
The rise in gas prices isn’t just affecting travel, It’s also affecting students’ lifestyles. For sophomore Jared Reano, a health and physical education major from Ozark who lives on campus, the gas prices are causing him to leave campus less often.
“I go to the cafeteria more and I don’t eat out as much,” Reano said. “I don’t really do anything as much as I used to.”
Reano's forgotten activities include going to high school football games, parties and outdoor activies such as hunting and fishing.
“I drive a truck that tops at 19-20 miles per gallon, so I don’t go home much,” sophomore Josh Thomas, a pre-med biology major from Ozark, said. “I go home maybe once a month now.”
The cramping of Tech’s style is seen even more from students living off campus.
“It’s harder for me to go places and spend money on things like movies and video games when I’m spending it on gas,” junior Ben Smith, a mechanical engineering major from Russellville said.
“It also makes it harder to attend class when it’s costing you to drive back and forth,” he added.
Students aren't the only ones concerned about the rising cost of living. Dr. Kevin Mason, head of the business and economics department at Tech, is concerned about the impact the gas prices could have on the student body. For example, higher gas prices could lead students to seek out more online classes to reduce transportation costs. Higher energy prices also affect university operations, Mason said.
Tech has taken action to lower energy expenses by raising the thermostat in campus buildings (including classrooms) across campus in an attempt to cut costs, said Mason.
Mason cited other, more serious consequences of higher living costs, such as students taking longer to graduate and less summer school attendance.
“Higher cost could lead students to take fewer classes (to keep costs down) and to allow
more time to work or maybe deciding to forgo taking summer classes in order to work full-time and thus it may take students longer to graduate.”
Mason’s concern is also that some households will miss the opportunity to earn a college education.
“Many students are at a vulnerable state and anything that increases the cost for students could create hardship.”
Faculty members are trying to help students with these costs. For example, some faculty have created their own text for classes or use more online material.
Mason also said that other solutions for Tech could include offering more web classes.
But regardless of monetary solutions, they all remain temporary. Gas prices could still reach points where it affects a broader scope than simply students, but athletics, also.
"It might affect how many football or baseball players ride to games," Mason said. "Or changing the schedule, choosing opponents that are closer to Tech to save gas mileage."
"Make no mistake, when you're putting more money in one place you're taking it from somewhere else," Mason said.
"So yeah, I see this as a serious potential problem for students." |
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Written by Molly Fleming
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Thursday, 17 April 2008 00:00 |
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For more than two weeks now, "21" has topped the box office, earning more than $46 million since its release at the end of March. Based on the best-selling novel "Bringing Down the House," the movie was sure to be a clear winner in the theaters, especially with the growing popularity of card games.
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