Adele Adkins, Associate Director of the Maine Center for the Arts, said she is excited about the event and expects the audience to enjoy the wit of Simon’s play as well as the talent. “I hope there will be lots of laughter! L.A. Theatre Works provides a great opportunity to bring top-level performers here at a reasonable fee. Because the production portion is less than usual, the money goes to the talent. We rarely get actors of this quality.”

Though the play will be recorded for radio, Adkins promises a “top-notch event” that will provide a level of audience engagement rare for this kind of performance. While there will be limited stage and props, the L.A. Theatre Works has a reputation for being a more unique, spontaneous kind of theater compared to traditional plays.

The Prisoner of Second Avenue is a play that explores the psychological costs of unemployment in a modern world where self-worth is linked to productivity. The play deals with heavy ideas in a light way that has earned Neil Simon a reputation as one of Broadway’s funniest writers of tragedy. Simon himself says he has always asked of his own writing, “What is a sad situation and how can I tell it humorously?”

The performance will take place Wednesday, March 8 at 7 p.m. at the Maine Center for the Arts. Students can get tickets for $5. Call 1-800-622-8499 for additional information on pricing.

Don’t worry. I see an international road trip in your future.

I’m sick of New England

Despite the fact that we Mainers are painfully close to the Canadian border, I find that many students only consider going south when it’s time for a vacation. While Boston might be the largest metropolis within a six-hour radius, it certainly isn’t the only place to go. There are many Canadian cities which are not only closer but offer way more in both culture and price.

Maybe you’ve lived in New England all your life; maybe you’ve only been here since you started at UMaine. Even though we Mainers pride ourselves in our unique attitude, you have to admit it can be pretty homogeneous up here. We all root for the same Boston sports teams, we all drink at Irish pubs and we all shop at Wal-Mart.

In less than three hours, you can go somewhere that has a completely separate linguistic and political climate. Not to mention, there’s more stuff to do.

It’s all about the money

Taking a trip to Canada might not be as cheap as it was five years ago, but your dollar definitely goes further there than it does down south. At the current exchange rate, every American dollar gets an extra 15 cents on the Canadian dollar. Make sure that you exchange your cash at the bank, because you get a better deal there than you do through a credit card or an exchange service. Also, it’s best to exchange in the largest amount you think you will use, because most exchange services charge a flat rate as opposed to a percentage.

There are some services, though, that cost a bit more in Canada. The taxes on gasoline, tobacco and alcohol can seem staggering to the U.S. citizen. A pack of cigarettes is about $10 CAD, and a fifth moderate-range liquor costs about $15 CAD. Don’t try to save any money by buying these products before you enter the country, however – they’ll make you pay taxes at customs, on top of the taxes you already paid in the States.

Canadians pay roughly 150 percent of the price that Americans pay for gasoline. It’s in liters, so even though they might pay about $1 CAD per unit, it is actually much more expensive than our $2.50 per gallon.

Make sure you fill your gas tank several miles before you cross the border – the closer you get the U.S. side of the border, the more expensive the gasoline is. If you have a gasoline-efficient car and fuel up before you cross, you can probably get away with never filling up in Canada when traveling to Quebec or St. John.

But don’t let the taxes get you down – the taxes you pay on lodging can be completely refunded to you on your return trip home, assuming that you fill out the proper paperwork and spend at least $200 CAD staying in the hotel. And, even if you don’t spend that much on this trip, you can file for a return at the end of the calendar year with the total costs of other stays.

Crossing the border

So are you sold? The hardest part of your journey will be crossing the border – and for the rest of this year, you don’t need a passport to do it.

Make sure you bring with you your drivers’ license, or another state or government-issued photo identification card. The Canadian Embassy recommends that you also bring proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate.

If you have a criminal record, including some misdemeanors like operating under the influence, there are restrictions as to whether or not you can enter the country. Also, if you aren’t an American citizen, there may be other requirements to cross at the border. In either case, make sure to call that specific border crossing and check first. Nothing feels worse then getting psyched up to go on a trip, driving 2 hours, and then getting rejected at the border.

Try to avoid bringing alcohol, tobacco or firearms, because there are special requirements and taxes bringing certain items into the country. And – obviously – don’t bring anything illegal.

French vs. fish

So you know you want to go. You’ve got everything ready. Now, the ultimate question: Where?

You can head west, to the province of Quebec – pronounced KAY-BEC by the natives – or you can drive east to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. West, you get the trendy French-European bars and clubs; go east and you’ll feel the salty spray of great shopping and seafood restaurants. Quebec City and St. John are both relatively close, but offer dramatically different venues for both shopping and entertainment.

Of course, if you don’t speak French you’ll have a much easier time in the Maritime Provinces. However, as most people who have visited our north-westerly neighbors will tell you, a large of the Quebecois speak English, especially in the food service and tourism industries. Montreal in particular has two English-speaking universities, McGill and Concordia. If you’re patient, you should have no problem with your ninth-grade French.

So grab that road map and get off mom and dad’s couch. And, don’t forget the best reason to go to Canada: tasty, tasty poutine.

The majority of the media aren?t publishing the cartoon because of the unthinkable responses it has sparked across the world this year.

It?s sad to think that the fear of violent protest is what?s holding back different media sources from reprinting this cartoon. However, a student newspaper has the same responsibility that any other media has over what it publishes.

While we at The Maine Campus do support freedom of speech, we also believe in weighing the pros and cons of publishing certain speech. In this particular situation, the risk of harm to innocent people does not warrant showing a picture that most people have already seen and that is widely available on the Internet.

Patches is an acclaimed mezzo-soprano who has been singing for 40 years. Tschanz is a pianist who debuted with the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra at age 11. Both are music department faculty at Colby College in Waterville.

Art song, unlike folk music, “demands some understanding of the composer’s intentions in order to appreciate it,” according to Patches. That’s where she and longtime colleague Tschanz come in.

An Encounter Concert helps the audience gain a deeper understanding of the work presented. According to Patches, she and Tschanz “will step into the composer’s world to explore some of the ideas that characterize his music.” Patches wrote in a newsletter that in addition to Schonberg’s song cycle, she and Tschanz will perform music by composers who influenced Schonberg, including Brahms, Mozart, Schubert and Wagner.

“Schonberg is right up there with Mozart, Schubert,” said Patches, “and is probably the most significant composer of the 20th century.” Schonberg was one of the first composers to embrace tonality, and Patches calls “The Book of Hanging Gardens” his “first atonal masterpiece.” Patches has written word-for-word English translations of the songs for the audience. Those interested in attending the concert and learning about Schonberg’s work should expect to put in some effort: Patches recommends that audience members bring a pencil and take notes.

Tschanz said she and Patches first met 20 years ago on Long Island before either of them moved to Maine. The two will also perform the concert at Colby. Tickets for the show at Minsky Recital Hall are $26 and are available at the Maine Center for the Arts box office.

Last weekend, the University of Maine men’s and women’s rugby teams competed in a barn when they played in the Shameless Rip-Off tournament at the University of New Hampshire’s campus.

“It was a ton of fun because whenever you play down there it’s always a good time,” men’s team captain William Dow said. “It’s smashmouth rugby: a lot of hitting and there were a few fights.”

Because of the limited space available in the barn, the teams were forced to play 7-on-7 instead of the normal 15-on-15.

The tournament started on Saturday for the men and on Sunday for the women. During the first day of the competition, the men’s teams were split in two. The ‘A’ side was comprised of veteran players, and the ‘B’ side full of new players.

Although the ‘B’s’ were eliminated after losing their first two matches, the ‘A’ side came back after an opening round loss to advance to the playoffs on Sunday. In their playoff game, they came from behind as Dow and Stefan Scarks scored two tries to tie the game. The match-winner was scored by Tony Desjardins.

Even with the edge of narrowly winning their last game, the team’s luck ran out as they were defeated in the next round.

“We played them very tough but they came out on top in the end,” Dow said. “I am very pleased with how we played. We played very tough and gave it all our effort.”

As for the women’s team, they garnered a win and a tie in their first two games but were forced out of competition by the University of Maine-Farmington.

Even though the team did not get the outcome they wanted, according to co-captain Kylie Newman, this game proved vital as it helped ready the Black Bears for the Maine Cup.

“We knew they were a tough team and we scrimmage with them as well,” Newman said. “They had a couple key players we could not stop. I think going in for the Maine Cup, we know their strong players and know the people who they have that really stand out.”

The Maine Cup is an annual tournament open to both the men’s and women’s teams where schools such as Bates College, Bowdoin College, Maine Maritime Academy, UMF and UMaine compete to see who has the best team in the state.

You also may not be aware of this man’s recent promotion to second lieutenant.

Martin grew up in Lewiston. His father, Andrew, was born and raised in the area and met his wife, Suu Le, during the Vietnam War when he was stationed there with the Air Force. The two married and returned to Lewiston, where they raised their three children.

After graduating from Lewiston High in 1996, Martin wanted an “exciting occupation with travel and adventure” and opted to join the Marine Corps in December of that year.

“Of course I wanted to be with the ‘best military service,” said Martin, “and everyone was saying how Marine Corps boot camp was the toughest.”

After completing his three-month boot camp training at Paris Island, N.C. and spending four months at Infantry School at Camp Geiger, N.C., Martin was stationed in California for three and a half years with the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines as an infantry mortar man.

“I went overseas twice, for six months each, to Asia. I was able to see several different countries such as Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei,” said Martin.

After returning from his deployment, Martin knew that he wanted to stay in the Marine Corps for the long haul- the full 20 years until retirement- but he figured if he was going to do this, he’d better do so as an officer.

He was accepted at the University of Maine and started college in the spring semester of 2001. Though he was unaware at first of what degree he wanted to pursue, Martin decided to major in philosophy after taking a few courses in the subject to satisfy the general education requirement.

During college he remained part of the military in the 1st Battalion, 25th Marines, a reserve unit out of Topsham.

Under the command of Major Kinsella, the unit was deployed for the entire year of 2003, delaying Martin’s college career by a year.

“I longed to return to school,” said Martin, “but it gave me a chance to see Okinawa, Japan for the third time, as well as South Korea and the Philippines for the first time.”

Stationed with Martin was the recently commissioned 2nd Lt. Matthew Allen, and Cpl. Randall H. Perry.

“He is a good Marine who I had the pleasure of serving with during portions of the last four years,” said Perry. “He was a good non-commissioned officer, and I am confident that he will use that enlisted experience to become a good commissioned officer of the Marines as well.”

The promotion could seem overwhelming for Martin, a 27-year-old recent graduate of UMaine, but his former military cohorts have the utmost faith in his promotion.

“I think he will do well to transition from enlisted to officer and make his life composed of taking care of those same men he was shoulder-to-shoulder with,” commented Allen.

Martin’s family, however, had concerns when a Marine recruiter came to their house when he was 17 to recruit him for the delayed entry program.

“My folks were upset by this; it was the first time I saw my dad cry.” said Martin.

Ten years later, they are a little more settled with the idea of the military being their son’s career choice.

“My mom never stops telling me to be careful. Like any concerned mother, I don’t think she’ll ever stop worrying about me,” he said.

Currently, Martin is working for the officer selection office as a recruiter’s aid until he goes to Virginia on April 6. Once there, he will attend The Basic School in Quantico for 6 months.

After TBS, it will be off to flight school in Pensacola, Fla. for about 18 months as a student naval aviator. He will specialize in an aircraft, though which exact type remains a mystery to Martin.

“I won’t know until I go through the school. They will assign me by demand. It could anything from an F-18 fighter jet to a CH-46 helicopter.”

Once he completes flight school, Martin will be stationed in one of three places- the East or West Coast, or possibly overseas- with a contract that could range from six to eight years, depending on the type of aircraft he’s issued.

Martin was given his “Oath of Office,” by 1st Lt. Sean Bennett during his commissioning ceremony on Dec. 22 at the Orono Community Church.

“I knew I wanted to be in the military since I was 12-years-old,” said Martin. “I plan on retiring from the military; I already have five years of the 20 done, so I might as well finish out another 15.”

She finished the race in 2:10.00, breaking a 13-year-old UMaine school record by well over a second.

In addition, the Black Bears’ ladies 4×800 relay took home a silver medal while Amanda Virgets was fifth in the 500, Erin Hatch was fifth in the high jump, Heather Zavaduk was eighth in the pole vault and Stephanie McCusker garnered sixth place in the triple jump.

UMaine’s ladies totaled 30 championship points, good for fifth place.

On the men’s side, junior Kirby Davis continued his outstanding season by placing second in the 5,000 meter run.

Other notable finishers for the Black Bears included Eric Libby at fifth in the 500, Donnie Drake at eighth in the mile and Maxwell Ludwig at eighth in the 55 meter hurdles.

The men’s 4×800 relay team was third overall, while the men totaled 20 points to finish twelfth among New England teams.

Both the men’s and women’s teams will be competing in the ECAC and IC4A Championships at Boston University next week.

- Staff reports

The Black Bears’ 15 from behind the arc were a season high and fell one short of the school record, set in 1998. The win marked the team’s first three-game winning streak of the year as UMaine concludes the regular season campaign 7-9 in America East play and 12-15 overall.

That mark places coach Ted Woodward’s troops as the No. 7 seed in next weekend’s America East Championship Tournament. As a result, the Black Bears will face No. 2 and host Binghamton at noon on March 4.

“The whole thing about the tournament is who comes in the hottest,” said junior Chris Bruff. “We’re going to go in there with our heads held high and a whole lot of confidence.”

Seniors Ernest Turner had 19 points and classmate Freddy Petkus added 13 as the duo shined in their final regular season contests at UMaine..

The Black Bears got out to another slow start, falling behind 8-3 before Rashard hit two straight treys to put UMaine on top 9-8.

With the Seawolves struggling to score, the Black Bears went on a 23-7 run sparked by nine three-pointers, putting UMaine ahead 32-15. On the run, Rashard Turner and Freddy Petkus each had three treys, while Jon Sheets added two and Ernest Turner had one.

Ernest Turner then scored eight straight points, sending the Black Bears into the locker room up 45-28. He had 19 on the afternoon.

The Black Bears would lead by as many as 21 early in the second half before a Stony Brook run cut the deficit in half. UMaine made 13 free throws in the final minutes to keep the cushion intact and preserve the win.

Now, the Black Bears turn their attention to Binghamton, who handled UMaine in their match-ups this season by scores of 71-53 and 84-56 and have won four in a row over the Black Bears overall.

Further complicating matters, Binghamton is hosting the championship tourney and went 6-2 against conference opponents at home this season.

Lingering just outside the three-point arc, Rashard Turner raised his fists to his mouth, leaned back and looked to the heavens beyond the roof of Alfond Arena in a silent moment of thanks and then joined the swarm of hooting and hollering Black Bears congratulating each other.

“When the going gets tough, we stick together,” Turner said. “We don’t really pay attention to our record because that doesn’t define a person’s heart or who’s going to fight the longest.”

Turner’s first season in Orono has been one of the most trying of his basketball career. His Peekskill High School teams went 79-18. He played a year at Kent State after their Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Division I Basketball tournament. He led Munroe Junior College to the Region XV National Junior College Athletic Association Championship. Working hard to keep his team over the .500 mark isn’t something he’s used to.

“It’s been tough,” he said. “In high school and ju-co, you win 20 games, and now you barely win 10. It’s a big shock. You go home at night wondering if you can do more.”

But the hard times haven’t discouraged Turner and the Black Bears. Adversity has brought them together and pushed them to get that much more out of each other.

“If we were winning 20 games, I don’t know that I’d have the relationships I have with my teammates,” Turner said. “We’ve bonded. That’s where we’re starting to get it. We know we can fight with these teams, and we’re trusting each other.”

Team chemistry, team trust and Turner’s outstanding play have led the Black Bears to three straight wins and a 7-9 conference record despite a 0-4 start. The 5’10” New York native scored a career-best 25 points in the season finale Sunday and has been in double figures the last three games.

“Rashard works so hard,” UMaine head coach Ted Woodward said. “In the fall he was in here all the time working on his game. He’s been a leader for us on and off the court.”

As recruiting coordinator for former UMaine head coach Dr. John Giannini, Woodward himself worked hard to get Turner to attend UMaine in 2002, but Rashard opted to attend the higher profile Kent State in Ohio.

“Really, I was chasing the hype instead of going where the support would be,” Turner said. “I had friends telling me, ‘You’ve got to go to Maine. Coach is showing you the most love. You’ve got to go where the love is.’ But you want to go to the big school.”

After practicing with the Golden Flashes as a red shirt at the end of the 2003 season, Turner began to grow weary of Kent. Though he saw action in 11 games as a freshman, he also saw the strength in the team and the continued recruitment of guards. He decided it was time to move on.

“The year at Kent changed my life,” Turner said. “It gave me a competitive edge and showed me what it takes to survive at a division one program.”

Instead of transferring to another division one program and sitting out a year because of NCAA rules, Turner opted to spend a year back home in New York at Monroe Junior College in the Bronx.

“A friend of mine is an assistant coach there and we got talking, and I got to be home around my family,” Turner said. “I wanted to go to school and play, and I knew if I did well in school, I’d be able to go to a division one program. It was like coming out of high school all over again.”

Woodward, whose own fortunes had changed as he became head coach in Orono, saw a second opportunity to land the prized point guard.

“He was one of our top recruits. We always liked his game,” Woodward said. “We had a good relationship with the Peekskill family. They let us know what was going on, and we knew he was going to be someone we would follow and continue to recruit.”

Turner signed a Letter of Intent to play at UMaine last July, beginning his first season with the Black Bears in October. But the transition back to the college game wasn’t as smooth as Turner had hoped.

“I struggled early with reading the defense,” Turner said. “I would try to score when it called for me to pass. Now I’m learning to take what they give me. If they give me a shot, I shoot. If they let me drive or pass, I pass.”

Despite the growing pains, Turner adjusted. He took higher percentage shots. He dished out more assists to get his teammates involved. He made smarter reads.

“At high school you can dominate with your physical aspects,” Woodward said. “It’s harder in college. It’s more mental.”

“The style of basketball is different,” Turner said. “It’s a big adjustment. Before, you know any given night you’ll score 20. At college, you come off an eight-point game and you might get six. It’s not that the defenses are any better or worse. It’s just reading.”

With nearly a full season under his belt, Turner is making nearly 40 percent of his shots, he’s the team’s second leading scorer and on the floor, he’s an emotional leader.

Turner’s performance off the court warrants as much praise as his performance on the court. He was recently named an academic Rising Star for attaining a grade point average better than 3.0 in his first semester. Majoring in child development, he feels his outgoing personality will be great for working with children. And he’s mindful of and grateful for the way his grandmother raised him.

“I look at my grandmother and the things she sacrificed for me. Just money for sports when it was needed in other places, she would put it aside for me,” Turner said. “She just taught me for life never give up, just keep trying hard.”

But Turner’s success in his first season at UMaine hasn’t satisfied him.

“I’m not in my best shape,” he said. “To me, being in shape is playing 40 minutes baseline to baseline. I’ll condition myself this summer to never come off the floor.”

Woodward knows Turner will continue to grow. He knows he hopes to be a part of a championhip team in the conference tournament this season, and to have a better regular season next year.

“He’s a kid I think a whole lot of,” Woodward said. “He looked at this as a real opportunity to have a good career and an impact on the campus community.

“He’s the type of person everyone ultimately wants to see become a success, and he’s put his heart and mind into making that happen.”

The study, which is scheduled to continue into 2007, is an attempt to determine what relationships exist between the scallop populations of different areas.

Nolan and Rawson have taken scallop samples from various areas along the coast and have been examining their genetic structure and the chemical composition of their shells. The pair hopes to find out if the same stock of scallops migrate from one area to another.

The goal of the study is to provide the scallop industry with useful information about the populations, which will be used to develop management strategies for keeping the industry afloat.

The scallop research is a bit of a departure for Rawson, who works mostly with bivalves.

“We work primarily in shellfish genetics,” he said, but added that the lab is well suited for their current research.

“Scallop fishing is very important to the state of Maine,” he said.

Population control is and has been a slight problem for the scallop fishery because it is not as easily regulated as other types of fishing.

“Much of the scallop fishery is in federal waters,” Rawson pointed out. This means that depending on where they are, the guidelines are different for the fishermen.

Understanding how the populations are related over geographic areas is very important in developing intelligent management structures for the region.

“We aren’t the managers, and we’re not the fishermen,” Rawson said, “but we’re trying to help them both.”

Scallop harvests have been getting smaller and smaller over the past few decades, dropping from more than $15 million in revenue in 1981 to less than $1 million in 2004.

It is sometimes thought that these kinds of figures are indicative of over-fishing, leading to management decisions to restrict the rules for the fishery.

“Too often, fishermen are distrustful of scientists,” Rawson said. The fishermen often resent these sorts of measures, which are economically stressful.

“We want them to know we’re trying to make the fishery stronger,” he said.

One of the many goals of the research is to prevent the necessity of putting a freeze on scallop fishing, which would deal a huge economic blow to the state.

The research that Rawson and Nolan are doing is the result of a $110,000 grant from the Maine Sea Grant Project.

The idea for the research, Rawson said, was primarily Nolan’s.

“She’s the driving force behind this project,” Rawson said.

Nolan began working with scallops and scallop research in 2001, when she was involved with the Stonington Fisheries Alliance.

She said that many of the fishermen she met there were interested in knowing where the scallops they were catching came from.”

She is working to develop geo-chemical methods for determining which waters scallops have traveled through.

The scallops take in minerals from the water, many of which are used to build the shell.

They hope their research will determine if the genetics of the scallop and the chemistry of the shell can indicate the waters of origin.

“We’re hoping to have a result by 2007,” said Nolan.

The Maine Sea Grant project is a federally funded organization. It works along similar lines as the Maine Land Grant project, which also has offices at the University of Maine.