HGBs have proven themselves time and time again to provide great services for all on campus students. Balentine has successfully put on a Haunted Hall for two years in a row. Penobscot, Stodder, Aroostook and Balentine Hall recently joined together this holiday season to collect toys for needy children in the area. Both Hancock and Stodder Hall have recently held successful ping pong tournaments, and several halls also regularly put on Midnight Breakfasts, or Grocery Bag Bingo, so that their residents may continually come together as a community.

If you have concerns about your hall, then attend your HGB meetings. You have the right to attend these meetings and speak up for changes that you want to see. Residence halls elect ROC representatives, who then represent the students’ concerns in the General Assembly. The people who run are stepping up because they care about life on campus. We all know what our jobs entail, and we do them well. We will certainly not be ashamed of ourselves for trying to help students.

To say that we are involved in ROC to gain a sense of importance is simply ridiculous. ROC has not received good press from The Maine Campus this year and ROC representatives are certainly not in this for the glory of saying that we were ROC representatives. We are in this for the general good of the student body, many of whom didn’t even know ROC existed until biased media reports started dominating The Maine Campus.

The entire ROC constitution is public and has been voted on by the student population. If any student would like to view a copy of our constitution they may find it via FirstClass in the general ROC folder. Also, any student is welcome to view the minutes from each weekly ROC meeting via that same folder.

Furthermore, ROC has been criticized for hiding our proceedings from the public by entering into Executive Session. The truth is that no business goes on during Executive Session; it is solely discussion. We moved to Executive Session because the impeachment of our ROC president was a very delicate matter. We didn’t want to have all of our personal opinions printed in The Maine Campus and have the issue blown totally out of proportion. We were not withholding information. The public knows what the charges were and they know the outcome of the vote.

Part of the responsibility of being a journalist, or therefore even a contributor to a paper, is knowing the facts before you write an article or even form an opinion. So, to answer your question, yes, we are serious. We are serious about representing all halls on campus well in the General Assembly. We are serious about passing resolutions that benefit the student body. We are serious about speaking with the heads of several different departments to make sure that services for students are improving. And we are certainly serious when our ROC President is threatened to be removed from office. We suggest that you, and all other critics of ROC, be serious about representing us fairly and honestly.

This defense was written by ROC representatives Justin Labonte, Emily Harris, Christina Soyden and Christine Clark.

Pattie Barry’s article “Sick of slow downloads and incessant searching” from Dec. 8, 2005 seems to suggest that torrents are a safer alternative and “less risky” to traditional P2P networks. One may dispute the numbers, but it is common knowledge that the majority of file sharing over P2P and torrent networks are illegal and the article implies a higher degree of protection from the MPAA and RIAA by switching to torrents. In a very recent incident on Dec. 5, the chair of a UMaine department received an e-mail from the MPAA regarding an illegal torrent download from a machine in the department threatening legal action if the incident repeated. The e-mail contained an incredible level of detail including the name of the file, the Web site where the original torrent was downloaded, IP address, DNS records, times of download and file sizes. The student was called up, given a day to completely clean the machine and asked to submit a signed letter promising not to download illegal files in the future. If anyone thinks they can beat the system, think again. It is simply not worth the risk.

Vijay Venkataraman

Old Town

Protect your pets

Since most of you students will be leaving campus during all or part of the break, it is a great time to check your things for items that are better left at home. Some of the items that should be taken and then left at home are paintball, air soft, or bb guns; cooking appliances with an open coil; candles or incense. In addition, a resident hall room is not conducive to raising and maintaining a pet. If you have hamsters, rabbits, dogs, snakes, well actually anything that is not a fish, be sure to take them home with you. Unfortunately, every year we find dead pets in our halls as they can’t live for two weeks without food and water. Please be kind and take them home.

On behalf of the Department of Residence Life and Programs, I would like to wish you a safe and wonderful break. Please be sure to secure your room, close your windows so that pipes don’t freeze and turn off the lights to your room before you leave. I look forward to seeing everyone again as the new semester begins.

AnneMarie Reed

Associate Director

Residence Life and Programs

Residents on Campus and the Off-Campus Board have made a great decision by adding space to the Quebec trip reserved for off-campus students. Demand for the trip this year was so high that spots filled up before off-campus students had a chance to register. It’s good to know that ROC and OCB can work well together to resolve the space shortage.

Yesterday the Maine Masque announced that its trip to New York this February will be cancelled due to lack of student interest. It’s a shame that this opportunity will no longer be available to students. So what does Quebec have that New York doesn’t?

Sadly, the reason for the popularity of this trip comes down to one thing – Quebec’s drinking age. Quebec is a wonderful cultural desination. There are plenty of great things to do there this time of year, such as Winter Carnival. It’s a shame that most students representing our school will be too hung over to take advantage of them.

Give back whatever you can spare

Helping the less fortunate should be part of everyones celebration of the holiday season, even college students.

Although students aren’t able to make as large a monetary donation to charity as those with established careers, we’re still better off than the needy children in our community.

Even donating something as inexpensive as a toy for the UMaine Black Bear Volunteers toy drive, happening this week at donation stations in residence halls and in the Union, is helpful. The same organization co-sponsering the event, Crossroads, also needs assistance for its operations this year, and the crew from Alternative Spring Break will be camping out in the Union this week to round up fiscal support for the project.

If a financial donation is impossible to make, a donation of time is always appreciated. Contact the Black Bear Volunteers or another charitable organization to find out how you can make a difference in the Bangor-Orono community this holiday season.

“And we’re back…”

This is how the unremarkable opening of the UMaine TV phenomenon “Mouthguard” segment is executed.

The Maine Channel’s show “Mouthguard” has quite a simple premise: Four wise-cracking college guys, sitting in a row at a talk-show-style table, going at it for a half-hour on camera.

Shooting each segment is an exercise in traditional television production: Three cameras are set up in the basic positions required for a show. However, the show has proved itself to be far from an ordinary debate show.

A typical segment of dialogue among the show’s four wisecrackers – John Enkosky, Mike Hartwell and two guests of the day – runs something like this:

Enkonsky: “Our next topic is HBO: Is it worth all the goddamn money?”

Guest Kiernan McMorrow: “I don’t have HBO.”

Guest Kevin Paul: “I think you’re wrong, let’s fight!”

On “Mouthguard,” topics both cultural and political are introduced by host Enkosky and debated among the the four of them. At any point during the “debate,” an individual can issue another individual an “unrefusable” challenge which is resolved through a boxing match. Although the topics often cover popular subjects such as Google and HBO, the discussions range from “Roots,” to an incarcerated actor on “The Sopranos,” to Anne Frank.

The crew has shot about one episode per week, and this Monday the crew was shooting episode number seven. Several spectators sat behind the scenes in the spacious Maine Channel room in Alumni Hall to watch their friends in front of the camera go at it. Show director and Maine Channel President Andrew Eldridge comes in and out to check on the progress of the show. Otherwise, he is in the adjacent room, deciding which cameras will be recording and which will not at any given time.

After about 20 minutes of footage is captured, there is a water break in which the four anchors have a drink and joke about the things that were just said. They tell each other their honest opinions, but still maintain the jovial atmosphere. Of course, the show is a comedy and the opinions expressed are meant to be taken lightly, such as when it is concluded that Kiernan is a jerk, or that killing people is OK because of “The Sopranos.”

Matters became more serious, however, during the second and final boxing match. The cameras start rolling, Enkosky shouts, “Ready, set, debate!” and the two guys who strongly disagree on something – Hartwell and Paul, in this case – go at each other for exactly two minutes with boxing gloves. Hartwell has already been in one match this episode, and had some trouble holding his own in this fight. Still, it seems that all is well until the last ten seconds on one of Paul’s final blows, when Hartwell’s nose is hit so hard that blood spills out on to the floor.

Within the next several minutes, paper towels have been brought out to clean up the blood, Hartwell has had a picture taken of himself grinning with blood all over his mouth and a camera is still rolling – not that this footage will be used in the actual episode. Hartwell takes the incident with a sense of humor and is able to stop the bleeding with several paper towels, but there is still a genuine feeling of shock that runs beneath the virile glee.

“I take it there’s not gonna be a third round,” Enkosky said. He said that this incident is unusual; normally, anchors or contestants who fight will suffer a small cut at most.

But these particular anchors are televised troopers: they carry on the final segment of the show, albiet hurriedly. From where he sits, it is not apparent that any damage was done to Hartwell’s nose by now. The four have a brief discussion about raisins and conclude that nobody likes them. Shooting wraps.

The way Andrew Eldridge tells it, “Mouthguard” came to fruition by way of a simple progression of ideas.

“I was friends with Mike [Hartwell] and I wanted to do a political debate show,” he said. “Mike wanted to do a boxing show and so we combined the two ideas.” He and Hartwell thus created the show, but Eldridge likes multi-tasking himself. He not only serves as the director of the show but the executive producer as well.

John Enkosky, on the other hand, is the host of the show and serves just that purpose, as he admits with a keen hint of self-deprecation:

“It was Mike’s idea, and I am a giant coward and don’t wanna box … so they made me the host.”

They may seem to be in on one joke shared between themselves and their friends. They may seem to be doing nothing more than tickling each other’s egos throughout each episode. But “Mouthguard” intentends to be open to and appreciated by the public.

“Everyone I’ve shown the DVD to so far has liked it,” Enkosky said – the DVD he refers to being a compilation of each episode before it was broadcast on television. It is not available to the public.

But the Maine Channel hopes to have a DVD that will be for sale at the end of the first season. The station presently receives very limited funding, but because of the positive reception so far, the creators are optimistic about its future.

If the boxing sounds tough and the humor dry,then being a guest on the show is the most accessible element of “Mouthguard.” You just have to ask.

From the opening of each game, it’s like you are watching the NBA on TNT or ESPN. There is an overhead fly-by of the arena on the screen, the players are introduced, and the game is then underway. Now, compared to last year’s version, the game play is still roughly the same. But what shines this year are the graphics and presentation.

The 2K Sports engine for “NBA 2K6″ is just incredible. It is literally like watching a game on television. You can see all of the on-court details, right down to the stitching on the jerseys and the player’s sweat. As the game goes on, you can see the sweat start to soak through the jerseys, making it a truly incredible experience for the casual gamer. The obvious goal that 2K Sports had in mind was to simulate the entire NBA experience. Even the sports arenas are done correctly, you look over the BankNorth Garden as they do a fly-in for a Celtics game and say to yourself, “Wow.that really is the BankNorth Garden.” It used to be that in a sports game, except for baseball and some football games, the arena would be nothing more than a randomly generated arena, with the floor and fans in the style of each individual team. This time around, each arena has been recreated in painstaking detail, so you can say, “Yes, that’s the home of the Lakers,” or, “That’s the home of the Celtics.”

As far as presentation goes, 2K Sports has done well since ESPN was gobbled up by EA Sports. Instead of being the NBA on ESPN as it was last year, it’s the NBA on 2K Sports. The announcers are very engaging, unlike the NHL title this year where the announcers were painfully making each call, as if the game of hockey was the most boring thing a man could watch. Adding some spice to the game is the Toyota Key Matches Up sponsored by Toyota Tundra, and the Toyota Player of the Game. There is real signage from various companies advertising their products as well.

Finally, in a major boost to player customization, this year just about everything on a created character can be customized to your liking, right down to the fasteners on their shoes. In all, there are at least a thousand different combinations that you can set to a created player, and really breathe life in to them. Speaking of players, each NBA player is painstakingly modeled after their relief counterpart. Shaq looks like Shaq, Kobe looks like Kobe. Not only are the players accurately modeled, but so are the coaches. Doc Rivers looks like Doc Rivers, and Larry Brown looks like Larry Brown.

If you are looking for a quality basketball game that takes the presentation and other aspects to the next level and doesn’t skimp on the gameplay, NBA 2K6 is the game that you are looking for.

Madeleine Peyroux

Rounder Records

The title may have the word “careless” in it, but the album itself is anything but.

After returning from a nine-year hiatus while traveling across the globe, jazz vocalist Madeleine Peyroux recently released her second album entitled “Careless Love.” Despite her long removal, Peyroux has made some noticeable differences compared to her debut effort, “Dreamland.”

With this album, the Georgia native has more of a jazz sound as she provides a voice that eerily sounds like Billie Holliday. Unlike Holliday, Peyroux plays acoustic guitar on most of the tracks.

Even though the album has not gotten much airplay one of her songs has already had some success. The second track is “Don’t Wait Too Long,” was used in the Dockers “San Francisco” advertising campaign. Not only has the clothing company used her sound but for those who saw the summer flop “Monster-In-Law,” the track was also used.

The track itself has steady beat that mixes Peyroux’s voice and guitar with an organ and snare drum. With the consistent beat that only changes when the chorus comes, the lyrics stick to the title about how certain things can last for a while before time changes everything. One thing that does not change is the influence of the guitar on this song. Although her voice is prevalent, there is a point where for 20 seconds, the sounds gives it a blues-like feel. The track was produced by Grammy-award winner Jesse Harris. Harris also worked with another jazz vocalist, Norah Jones, on her breakout album, “Come Away With Me.”

On “Careless Love”, she brings a remake of “J’ai Deux Amours” translated in English to “I Have Two Loves.” a song that Josephine Baker performed to French troops during World War II. When asked about why she chose to cover the song, Peyroux stated that Baker embodied the song because she represented an alliance between the U.S. and France during the war.

This album is a must-buy for anyone wanting to see how good vocal jazz can be.

-Ryan Clark

“Curtain Call”

Eminem

2005 Aftermath Records

Eminem’s new CD “Curtain Call” hit the shelves on Dec. 6. This CD is a collection of Eminem’s greatest songs, including nearly every single he has ever released.

If you own his previous CDs there is really no reason to snatch this one up, even though it does contain three new releases – “Fack,” “Shake That,” featuring Nate Dogg and “When I’m Gone,” all of which are sad representations of Eminem’s career.

“Fack” is a tacky, disgusting song about, well, by the name you can just guess. It lacks Eminem’s hilarity and the skillful obscenity that has become one of his main trademarks. It seems as if he’s trying too hard to push the limits.

“Shake That” has a catchy beat, but it sounds just like any other song you’d hear at the club. This song is missing the flow and edginess that Eminem has incorporated in his earlier work.

The third, “When I’m Gone,” is the one new release that has earned praise. This song demonstrates Eminem’s flawless flow and masterful beat that rocketed his rap career in the first place.

You can’t please everyone, and this rings especially true for the most controversial artists of the past decade. His following is divided between those who love the hits and those who feel the true artist can be found only on more obscure album tracks. Allan Wigney, journalist for Ottawa Sun, said, “For those who want a handy one-stop-shopping overview of the career of one of the most important artists of the past decade, ‘Curtain Call’ holds the answers to all your questions.”

This CD is mainly for people who have yet to witness Eminem’s legendary career, with classics such as ” My Name Is,” “Lose Yourself” and “Stan.”

It’s still uncertain as to whether this larger-than-life artist is really putting down the mic, but if he is, this CD is the perfect representation of the highlights of Eminem’s career. He’s sold over 65 million albums worldwide and, from the looks of it, “Curtain Call” promises to add to his overwhelming album sales.

-Hillary Dugas

Since 1992, the groups have traveled the East Coast as well as Europe, but hip-hop duo 7L and Esoteric will be playing at Ushuaia on Friday night.

“They are the top of the line in the Boston acts,” said Sean Smith, CEO of Queen City Entertainment. “These are the kinds of shows that I do want to bring here, and we want to bring solid acts like this so we have kids coming to our shows.”

The duo first formed in the outskirts of Boston in 1992 when the group emcee Esoteric deejayed at a college radio station. At the time 7L was a DJ and producer who heard the show, and from there the two started working together. In 1996, they released their first piece of work, which was well received in places such as Los Angeles, New York and parts of Europe.

Besides garnering respect across the pond, they have also been commended in America by people such as Eminem and Jay-Z. In 1998, after they had released the single “Def Rhymes.” The song recieved so much praise that the duo was mentioned in Source Magazine. It was then on a hip-hop radio show where Slim Shady and Shawn Carter came up with lyrics while hearing the actual track.

In addition to being praised by some of the industry’s best known names, they have worked with a couple as well. In 2001, they collaborated with the Wu-Tang Clan’s Inspectah Deck on their debut LP “The Soul Purpose.” The album won the Boston Music Award for “Best Hip-Hop Album.”

Smith and Ushuaia owner Alexander Gray have collaborated over the past few years to bring hip-hop acts to the Orono area. Some of these acts included headliners such as Talib Kweli, Juelz Santana and the Pharcyde. According to Smith, some of these acts have sold out while others have received crowds around 50 people.

Outside of the duo, others that will be there, including Bangor native Cojaxx. After a six-year stint in Pensacola, Florida, the emcee moved back to Maine. Cojaxx has toured with names like Digital Underground and Slick Rick.

For those interested, the show will start at 9 p.m. Friday.

Just like previous events held at Soma 36, there will be the hottest local DJs, live MCs and the SpecialBlendz holiday dancers, said event organizer Ben MacDonald, event organizer. Artists such as MC EMC, Benny Blendz and 2 Toes, among others, will be performing and spinning “the best club music around,” MacDonald said. From live hip-hop to funky house music, there will be a wide variety of music, he said.

Legal Blendz, consisting of Benny Blendz and Legal Limit, will be putting on a live performance of visual and laser technology. According to the SpecialBlendz Web site, “Together they will bring you a performance that includes a combination of live audience feed, mixed with stunning visuals and 3-D animation on multiple projection screens and flat screen TVs throughout the club.”

The Web site describes that the air will be filled with green and red laser beams to match the Christmas theme of the event. This production has been getting booked at some of the largest clubs and events all around New England, according to MacDonald.

There will also be a Sexy Ms. Claus Dance Contest, with a first-place prize of $200 for the best dressed lady in the club.

The third floor is the VIP room ,which VIP members can drink Top Shelf liqueurs for a penny per drink. VIP passes can be bought at the third-floor entrance; ladies are $15 and guys are $20.

This Christmas event is about having a good time and giving back to the less fortunate this holiday season, MacDonald said. Soma 36 will be accepting donations for Manna Ministries and Toys for Tots.

MacDonald said, “I chose Manna Ministries and Toys for Tots because they’re great local charities right here in Bangor that do a lot for the community. I’m hoping to raise 500 – 800 food items and a large amount of toys.

” Anyone who donates two nonperishable food items or a new child’s toy will pay a reduced admission price of $5. This also applies to anyone who dressed up in Santa or Mrs. Claus gear. If you don’t donate or dress up then the cover charge will be $10.

The event starts this Friday at 9 p.m. For more details on the Christmas Benefit Party check out the Web site (www.specialblendz.net).

Well, I can’t say I’m all that surprised. After being off the market for the last three years, I guess I’ve just fallen out of practice.

But I had no idea I’d be in such a state of confusion, getting caught up in a whirlwind of mixed drinks, skimpy outfits and late-night phone calls. I started to seriously question what motivated people to become and remain single.

It took one night out with the girls to make me realize that I needed a change. For once in my life, I felt like doing something that just didn’t make sense. I craved spontaneity; unpredictability.

So I took the plunge, ended a long relationship, and traded in security and comfort for, well, I wasn’t really sure.

While my heart told me I was looking for something new – a new way of life, perhaps – I wondered if I was subconsciously looking for someone new.

Because the fact of the matter was, I’d gone from the occasional bar hopper to a Thursday night regular at all the local hotspots. I guess I was trying to get the full college experience.

Most people get it out of their systems early on. You know, freshman, maybe sophomore year. Flirting with that certain someone they’ve had a crush on. Giving them their number. Stumbling back to their place in a drunken haze in the early morning hours, arm in arm.

But I couldn’t help but think that these actions completely contradicted what the single lifestyle was supposed to be all about.

The whole concept of singledom means being able to do what you want, and not becoming emotionally attached to another person. So why is it that most singles often get caught up in pursuing someone new?

“Saying you are single is a code word for saying ‘I’m available. Let’s couple up,’” said Sasha Cagen, author of “Quirkyalone: A Manifesto for Uncompromising Romantics.”

Some of my friends were recently reliving the days when they weren’t tied down, and suddenly Cagen’s theory began to make sense. There was a recurring theme to their stories: Playing a round of strip poker and waking up naked in a pile of cards; telling the cabbie there’d only be one stop that night; somehow winding up in a tent; and – wow – what was his name again?

Every memory revolved around a random hookup. At the end of the night, was it crucial to take someone home in order to say you belonged to the single culture? And why was it so hard to be on our own?

“Both men and women are made to feel inadequate if they don’t have somebody,” said Cagen. “They are inundated with messages that something is wrong if you don’t have somebody.”

The other night at the bar, my friend approached me and discreetly pointed out a head-turning hottie she’d been chatting up. There was no doubt in her mind they’d be leaving together – come on, she wasn’t wearing those lace panties for nothing.

As I watched them grab a cab, I found myself wondering: What happens next? Do you call, or wait for them to call you? Or do you just assume it was a one-night thing?

That depends on what you’re after.

It’s pretty hot when somebody wants you as much as you want them. A person could get hung up on that feeling, and become addicted. If you’re okay with having no strings attached, then by all means go for it.

It seems that most glorified singles try to ignore or downplay their emotions, knowing that seriously involving themselves would put their single status at risk and cause them to get hurt if the other person didn’t feel the same.

Honestly though, who are we kidding? Developing bonds with others is inevitable. It’s human nature.

With that said, is anyone ever truly single? It’s so easy to get lost in one big cycle of feeling lonely, finding someone and then pushing them away. Is the theory of being alone, without a love interest or even a mild attraction, really attainable?

Cagen would say “yes,” even though her book points out that only about 5 percent of the population ever gets to that point.

What about the rest of us? Are we destined to continuously lapse into patterns of one-night stands and awkward periods of “sort-of seeing” someone?

Probably.

But I have a hard time accepting that. While I’ve been enjoying the spontaneity and unpredictability of single life, when it comes right down to it, I’d be lying to myself if I said I didn’t care what happened.

Then again, I guess I still have a lot to learn.

Generally, one would not think of the Fab Four acting as narrators to Ebenezer Scrooge’s story of self-discovery and change. However, in this adaptation of Dickens’ novel by Leslie Bramm, the crew at the Penobscot Theatre Company is aiming to deliver just that, and add a more comedic tone to the play than most of the somber film and theatrical adaptations people are accustomed.

It has been a tradition for the Penobscot Theatre Company to perform a version of “A Christmas Carol.” This year, art director Scott Levy is hoping to change things a bit and create a new and fun experience for the regular theater goers, as well as those who do not go on a regular basis.

“It makes it a little more fun, and a little more palatable for people who have seen it before,” Levy said about this new adaptation.

Ken Stack will be returning in the role of Scrooge, which he has played a number of times with the Penobscot Theatre Company, topping off a cast that includes a total of 15 actors, 12 of whom are local actors and three from New York. Allen Adams, Lacey Martin and Rebecca Bailey, who are all actors in the show, are also students at the University of Maine.

What separates this adaptation from all the other performances of “A Christmas Carol” is the fact that the narrators of this tale bear a remarkable resemblance to the Beatles. This may sound different to people at first, but the Beatles-Charles Dickens team-up was likely to occur at some point.

“Since a Christmas Carol takes place in London, it seemed a natural fit,” Levy said. If you are still having a problem wrapping your brain around the idea, Levy can give you a better visual of what you can expect. “Imagine the Beatles in ‘A Hard Day’s Night.’ It is these four individuals who don’t work individually unless they are a group. They keep stepping on each others lines and they finish each others sentences.”

With the idea of the Beatles as narrators, of course, comes more music than most productions of this play. “We also added more music into this production than in years past.” Levy said. It was decided that the play would contain more modern Christmas music as opposed to the traditional 19th century Christmas carols that many adaptations would use. “The music that we have added in are standard Christmas carols from the past 30 years,” he added.

The idea of the Beatles-like narrators and the addition of modern music also make this a play that is suitable for families. It is a light take on the classic, so it will not scare the children and will not give Grandpa flashbacks from Vietnam. When comparing it with other plays, Levy said “It is potentially more entertaining for the kids.”

Levy wants it to be known, that while they have made some changes to the story and characters, the play still remains true to the source material. “We’re keeping Dickens story, we’re keeping his actual words, and the message that he wanted to give.”

The story of “A Christmas Carol” was a novel originally, so Levy wants viewers to realize that a definitive play version does not exist. “It didn’t exist as a play, so I’m not sure there is a pure ‘A Christmas Carol’ play out there.”

The play runs from Dec. 14-23 with afternoon and nighttime showings. In addition, they are putting on four student matinees, all of which are already sold out. Rush tickets for students are available with a student ID a half hour before the performance at the price of a $5. Seats, of course, cannot be guaranteed at that point, as the show may be sold out.

For tickets and showtime information, call the Penobscot Theatre Company box office at 942-3333 during normal business hours.