With their 10th studio album, “All That You Can’t Leave Behind”, U2 has crafted soul, rock and a waft of spiritual enlightenment in 11 packed tracks. They have diverged from their progressive pop sound of the late 1990s to come back to the roots of who U2 is: passion and beauty. Apprehensive to brand such a magnificent album with a long title, U2 reveals to the buyer that their is a outward theme on the cover: beauty, love, life and death.

“We just have to find beauty in unexpected places. Their is beauty to be found in everyday things … but really, its about being honest and real with people. Just keeping it real,” said Bono in a recent interview with Dublin’s BBC.

Focusing around a person who has lost everything and has never been happier, the first single “Beautiful Day” set the stage for a monumental album of rock, rhythm and insightful lyrics on Oct. 9, 2000.

People in the entertainment business have been stating that the new album is a return to the old U2, reminiscent of the days of “The Joshua Tree” and “Achtung Baby” which emulate pure passion and unadulterated music. They are correct in terms of the mood of the album and the ability of it to elevate one’s soul. The music touches a basic part of each person that listens to it. And, this album is a progression from the last, presenting a similar mood with new music.

This album is full of crisp guitars and lyrics that get the heart beating faster and speak about intangible human experiences. Having so often written his lyrics on the spot while recording, Bono found writing lyrics before entering the studio an introspective process making things more clear in U2`s music.

“We wanted to write songs … just tunes. We love pushing the envelope but we wanted just to make tunes that want to make you get out of bed in the morning,” said Bono.

The song “Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” is a heartfelt tribute to INXS’s Michael Hutchence who committed suicide in 1997. The track holds a sense of unbridled fear for the uncertanties of life but delight for the unknown. This spirit is seen again in “Kite” and “Wild Honey.”

Comparatively speaking, “Wild Honey”, although an excellent track, is the weakest on the album. It does not fit the mood of “All That You Can’t Leave Behind.” Although it is a weak track musically, there is depth in its lyrics.

“Elevation” is the quintessential track, epitomizing the feel of the album. The quick song is a far cry from hollow leaving the listener overflowing.

On a more serious note U2 has developed a sense of passion for life’s highs and lows. “Walk On” delivers a message of perseverance through persecution. The song’s inspiration is Aung San Suu Kyi, a politcal patriot who is under house arrest in Burma.

U2 has a history of politcal commentary in their music. In the later tracks on “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” they use the music to question whether their past comments have made a difference in the world. At the same time they pledge, through music, to continue remarking on world conflicts. “Peace On Earth” leads the listener into a world of ever changing politics and doubt in the fact that individual people can make a difference in the struggle for world peace.

“When I Look At The World” questions people’s motivations for analyzing the world while “New York” analyses mid-life crisis’. U2 ends their spiritual journey with “Grace,” showing that beauty can be found in life and love.

U2 has delivered a powerful punch of beauty, relentless passion and substance both musically and most of all, lyrically with “All That You Can’t Leave Behind.” The musical muse has blessed the band with an album exploring feelings about purpose and beauty. Their wild passion for life is reflected, culminating in an amazing accomplishment for any band going into the 21st century.

The Department of Public Safety will be hosting a week long Child Safety Seat Checkpoint.

People are encouraged to bring vehicles and child seats to Public Safety between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. During the week of Feb. 11-17, 2001. A trained Child Passenger Safety Technician will check safety seats for proper installation and prior recall. This program is in recognition of the National Child Passenger Safety Week.

It is a fact that 93 percent of all child safety seats are not installed properly.

The check will take about 15 minutes and could save a child’s life.

For more information, please contact Officer Deb Mitchell at Public Safety at 581-4040.

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Sisters Ardeth Platte and Carol Gilbert, both Dominican nuns from the Jonah House in Maryland, presented their views in the Bangor Lounge of the Memorial Union Thursday afternoon. Their talk was part of the on-going Socialist and Marxist Studies luncheon series.

Platte and Gilbert took the opportunity to speak about their opposition to the Ballistic Missile Defense Initiative revived by the Bush administration. They also outlined their work as part of the Plowshare movement.

The movement, predominantly active in the United States and Europe, is an affiliation of independent members of Christian churches. Their primary goal is to end the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, both on earth and in outer space.

To that end, the movement has taken direct aim in opposition to the deployment of a national missile defense system. The initiative fully endorsed by the Bush administration.

The sisters, both members of the “Sacred Earth and Space” Plowshares group, discussed their opinions in response to the “Vision For 2020,” an official report issued by the U.S. Space Command. The report outlines a plan to establish a permanent military presence in outer space.

Platte opposes the missile shield.

“They [the U.S. government] claim that the deployment of missiles in outer space is for a means of defense-that’s not true,” Platte said.

She went on to outline the opinions of several Noble Prize laureates who have said it would be impossible for such missile technology to protect America and its allies from foreign attack.

“What this is all about is the owning, exploiting, and conquering of space by the military industrial complex,” Platte said.

As an educator, Platte expressed her disgust in the U.S. government for instilling in young children that the use of military force is necessary in preserving peace.

“We really are building another empire like Rome,” Platte said, “in that we are exploiting the environment and poorly spreading our resources as a means of serving cooperate interests.”

Gilbert described an action taken by their group last year, when members vandalized a F-18A Hornet on display at the air force base outside Colorado Springs, which is the primary center of operations for the proposed missile defense shield. As a means of nonviolent protest, the group performed a Novena, or nine days of prayer in opposition to build-ups at the complex.

At the conclusion of the Novena, they used hammers to damage the plane’s exterior and spilled containers of their own blood before they were apprehended by authorities.

She explained that the spilling of blood was an allusion to the blood Christ spilt in defense of his followers. According to Gilbert, it’s the sort of nonviolent protests the Plowshares have carried out for the past 20 years.

“I believe that [the movement for peace] has to be a people’s one, as was the civil rights movement,” Gilbert said. “But just like that movement, it will be completely nonviolent.”

The luncheon series, coordinated by philosophy professor Douglas Allen, is sponsored by the Socialist-Marxist Studies Interdisciplinary minor, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the Maine Peace Action Committee.

The series will held every Thursday in the Union throughout the semester.

Sometimes it’s fun to sit and think back to our first make out session when we were kids. For some people their first make out was at recess on the merry-go-round, for others it was under the bleachers in high school. Or for many people from northern Maine, it was in the potato field when your cousin came to visit.

A lot of us have those funny “make out mishap” stories too. Like drooling on the other person or getting your braces stuck together. Or how many of you can remember making out with your miniature collie and having your mom walk in the room. Well, neither can I.

And fellas, we can all recall those painful relationships. For three years your girlfriend would only let you make out with her. I was there with you guys, I can remember the pain in my jaw after a 49-hour make out marathon. I can also remember the pain I felt after my girlfriend slapped me when I tried to feel for boob. I realize now that those make out sessions were merely a test. It’s a right of passage and all guys must go through it-unless you managed to hook up with the biggest slut in middle school. Long make out sessions just make you appreciate the boob and its presence that much more.

As we get older, though, making out becomes a little less special. We may go to a party and have as many as one or two make out partners in one night and not feel any remorse, as you shouldn’t. It’s no big deal to be called a make out “slut.” Who cares?

These days making out has become a great way to meet new people. You can talk and really get to know a person while making out. And it’s a great way to introduce yourself to a chick, guys-try it next time.

I think making out is better that sex. It definitely is better for the girls I date. You see, because I’m a bit “overweight” I have a tendency to “suffocate” or “badly hurt” girls I have sex with. Making out keeps my girlfriends out of the hospital and keeps me from getting a lawsuit-again.

So there you have it. Think about what I’ve said before you decide to fire up that tongue for some make out. Just think about one thing fellas: Making out is a privilege, not a right. Remember that, and after three years you might get to feel some boob.

Travis Cowing has been making out for several years.

The quasi-holiday is traditionally observed on Feb. 2 and finds its rich origins buried in European myth. The tradition of the weather predicting groundhog stems from beliefs associated with Candlemas Day.

On this day it was customary for the clergy to bless candles and distribute them among Christians. According to an old English song if Candlemas Day was sunny, a second winter would follow. However, if the day was stormy the winter would be nearing its end.

Roman legions, during northern conquest, passed the tradition onto Germany. The people of the country concluded that if the sun was present on Candlemas Day an animal, the hedgehog, would cast a shadow predicting six more weeks of winter.

The earliest settlers of Pennsylvania were Germans who found groundhogs abundant in the area. They decided the animal was the most intelligent and sensible so that if one saw a shadow on Feb. 2 it would return underground to wait out the rest of winter.

Another Feb. 2 belief held by American 19th century farmers was: groundhog day-half your hay. Farmers knew that February is the heart of winter and that if a farmer didn’t have half his hay remaining there would be hard times ahead before the spring.

The most famous hedgehog is Punxsutawney Phil. The first recorded observance of Phil’s forecasting is from 1886.

Over the ensuing years, Phil has become a star and has occasionally commented on the state of American affairs.

During Prohibition Phil is recorded as threatening to impose 60 weeks of winter on the community if he wasn’t allowed a drink.

In 1958, Phil announced that a “United States chucknik,” rather than the Sputnik to be the first man-made object to orbit Earth.

Again, in 1981, Phil had a political comment. He wore a yellow ribbon around his neck to honor the American hostages being held in Iran.

The 1990s were Phil’s media era, however. In 1993, Columbia Pictures produced “Groundhog Day” starring Bill Murray and featuring Phi. And, in 1995, Phil debuted on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Since the movie release and Oprah appearance crowds numbered as high as 30,000 have been present at Gobbler’s Knob to see Punxsutuwney Phil give his annual weather report.

They may choose to sign up for free life-time e-mail at the university’s alumni association’s Web site at www.mainealumni.com.

The portal site, which may be customized and personalized based on content options like news and financial information, could be the perfect home page for Maine alumni, said Bob Potts, the university alumni officer.

Alumni can always stay in touch with university news using the site, Potts said. Links to UMaine Today, the university’s daily newsletter, as well as stories by the Bangor Daily News, give alumni living out of state daily information about the university community.

E-mail has been a big issue for the alumni association since May of last year, after UMaine President Peter Hoff approached the association’s president to see if they could do anything to help graduating students who wanted to continue using the FirstClass intranet system.

Graduating students had six months after commencement ceremonies before their FirstClass account would be terminated. Those who complained stated they liked the feel and atmosphere the FirstClass interface had, and that they wanted to stay in touch more easily with fellow students left behind.

While the Alumni Association’s e-mail service is Web-based and free, it is not affiliated in any way with FirstClass.

However, students don’t need to graduate to register for a mainealumni.com e-mail address.

“My wife was not a graduate of UMaine and she has one as well,” Potts said.

The Alumni Association does not spam its e-mail users, Potts said, although the association does send e-mail to promote site features like online contests, if the registered user so wishes.

This type of customization was what won the hearts of the alumni association members when they went shopping for suitable site companies. MyPersonal.com was the only company they found that had a suitable feature that worked, Potts said.

Potential options the alumni association is considering is a Web cam of the university, merchandising products to benefit student alumni groups, updating online polls and a feedback section.

“The page is continuing to grow,” Potts said. “We do feel it’s a good service to bring the alumni together.”

Marked as one of the biggest career fairs in the state of Maine, the Alfond Arena was brimming with people as they wandered between the tightly packed rows of tables and employers. Pencils, pens, trinkets and freebies scattered across the tables tempted those looking for jobs to take a peek and speak with the available representatives.

Patty Counihan, director of the Career Center, said 1,500 people, including 1,000 UMaine students, faculty and staff, were joined by college students from other Maine colleges and universities to explore job opportunities. Even parents attended the recent fair. All of this doubled the number of people who have attended in the past. Last year, only 700 people went to the annual fair.

In addition, 126 employers were on hand to talk to fair attendees. Again, this was more than double the number of employers compared to last year. Counihan said the increase in the number of employers was in response to students who wished to have their major represented at the fair.

“We wanted to try to build a good representation of employers from many career fields,” she said. “The majority of employers at last year’s fair represented business, engineering and technology. While we wanted all those employers to return, with the added space that Alfond offered, we were able to invite and include many more employers. I think our efforts paid off.”

Counihan is pleased about the decision to hold the Career Fair in Alfond Arena. In the past, the fair had been held in the Farley Field House and, most recently, in Wells Commons. Both locations were inadequate to house large amounts of people and employers. She said that by using Wells, they actually had to stop accepting applications from employers once the commons had reached capacity. But by using Alfond, more students from across the university were able to find employers which fit their interests.

For Chrissy Thibodeau, a senior accounting major, the move to Alfond was a positive one.

“It’s much better than when it was in the field house,” she said. “The lighting is more inviting and the high ceilings make it less claustrophobic.” Thibodeau said this year’s career fair had more people and employers available and brought more students in their freshman and sophomore year-years when many students don’t think about looking for a career.

Senior business majors Kristin Todd and Brian Bell both agreed the Alfond Arena location was by far a better choice than the fairs held in the past. They also said the increased number of employers was an added bonus.

Counihan attributes this year’s success partly to the increase in publicity for the fair. They used FirstClass conferencing, posters, faculty and staff members and the Career Center Web site to help promote the fair. They also offered tips on how to successfully navigate a career fair.

In addition, the Career Center teamed up with students from the Society for Microbiology and the American Marketing Association to target employers of interest and to maintain those contacts. Faculty members from the Department of Communication and Journalism were asked to consult on customized letters to biotechnology firms about their firm’s interest in attending the fair.

Combined with using their Web site as well as other Web sites, the Career Center was able to find a broad variety of employers to staff the fair.

The fair took five hours to set up but only a half-hour to take down. Counihan said the only major problem they encountered was a miscommunication between the Career Center and Grand Rental who supplied the tables for the event. The tables, which arrived late Tuesday evening were finished being set up around 1 a.m. Wednesday morning with the help of Grand Rental and their employees. At 7 a.m., members of the Career Center and Alfond operations were back on the job finishing the set-up process.

Counihan says they intend to continue using the Alfond Arena for the fair. She said that as long as they are able to keep employer sponsorship they will be able to continue getting a varied representation of employers.

Counihan said the help from the seven Career Center staff members was a major contributing factor to the success of the fair. She also credited Unicel for their loan of cell phones to help keep staff in touch with each other and MBNA New England for providing refreshments throughout the day.

The fair was sponsored by Bath Iron Works, Envisionet, IBM, Irving Woodlands LLC, Kiewit Construction Company, MBNA New England, MUNIS, National Grid U.S.A., Unicel, Wright Express LLC.

First of all, who does Clinton think he is? If you saw his farewell address the Thursday before the Inauguration, you know what I am talking about. Not only did he interrupt must-see TV night (at eight o’clock no less, when “Friends” is on!) but he spent the entire twelve minutes bragging about how great of a president he was. He relayed statistic after statistic that showed how great his administration had made the country. It was pretty nauseating.

Even though the speech made him look like a saint (which I think we can all agree he wasn’t) Clinton did manage to give almost as much praise to the American people as we deserve. With all his grand and mind-boggling statistics, Clinton repeated several times in his speech that the role of president, while honorable, pales in comparison to that of the role of citizen. Although it was obviously a political tactic used to make Clinton look humble, he actually made it sound believable. Clinton has been known to be an amazing speaker, and he showed it with the farewell speech.

There has been a lot of debate over what the “Clinton legacy” will be and how our 42nd president will be remembered in the history books. When you think about it, his farewell speech was a lot like his presidency: arrogant, brilliant and really badly timed. Just how Clinton will be remembered.

In all honesty, Clinton was a good president. He did his job and he did it well. Scandals aside, in the eight years that he was president, the economy improved, crime and unemployment rates went down, and approximately 8 million people went off welfare. As annoying and conceited as Clinton’s list of statistics was, it was all true. He did some things that really did make our country better.

So bravo for Bill, right? Well before you put him up on that pedestal, remember he caused a pretty ugly scene not too long ago. I can’t think of any other way to describe the Monica Lewinsky scandal than lousy timing. It wasn’t what he did, it was when he did it and how he tried to cover it up that caused such uproar. At the time the scandal broke out the budget was producing surpluses which could have financed some much needed social programs.

Instead, the Clinton administration was too occupied with saving Bill’s tush to even think about running the country to the best of their abilities. Personally, the whole thing was an annoying waste of time that dimmed the glittering light surrounding Bill Clinton. It wasn’t what he did in his personal life that upset me (because frankly I didn’t care- what he does with his personal life has nothing to do with his presidency) it was the politics surrounding it.

Brilliant, arrogant and always on the wrong cue. That is how I will remember Bill Clinton. Now I’m signing off officially from the Clinton discussion. That is until Hillary decides to run for President.

Julia Hall is a first year journalism major.

In almost every dorm room across this country there are certain artifacts that just scream college life. One of the best examples would be the black light. But did you know that cat urine glows like nuclear waste under such a groovy light?

For those who feel going to the dentist is about the most painful experience in their life, take heed because the electric chair was invented by one. Dr. Albert Southwick saw how an elderly drunk touched an electrical generator in Buffalo, New York and was amazed at how quickly and painlessly the lush was killed. The rest is history.

Today is, argueably, the strangest holiday this side of Arbor Day and has gained a cult following. Concentrated mostly in Punxsutawney, PA patrons have flocked to see whether Punxsutawney Phil, the town’s highly touted groundhog, sees his shadow. In fact, following the year of the Bill Murray hit movie, “Groundhog Day,” more than 30,000 people crowded on to Gobbler’s Knob. Sadly, Phil saw his shadow that year. But Punxsutawney Phil is more than a weather-rodent, he’s also a patriot and activist. During 1981 and the Iran Hostage controversy, Phil emerged from his small cavern with a yellow ribbon tied around his neck, symbolizing his support for the hostages. You go, Phil!

But seriously, folks, by paying attention to these next few nuggets of truth, a fortune in trivia games could be achieved:

Black Bears have blue tongues and Des Moines has the highest per capita of Jello consumption in the U.S. Hamsters only blink one eye at a time and if you stretch out a Slinky straight as possible, it would measure 87 feet.

Okay, so maybe none of these “important facts” will ever be the Final Jeopardy question but don’t fret about filling your head with useless facts because they’re great pick up lines.