I understand that people usually substitute “happy holidays” for “merry Christmas” to be sensitive to those people who do not celebrate Christmas. Well, I have it on good authority none of them actually care, and those who do have way too much free time. The day we start letting a commercialized pagan-based greeting disrupt our daily lives will surely be the end of us. Even if you take comfort in the idea that you are being wished a happy holiday instead of a merry Christmas, has anything changed? In America, the majority of people celebrate Christmas, so even when someone in a store tells you to have a happy holiday, it’s pretty clear which holiday they are talking about. Why go through all this effort to hide which holiday you are speaking of when statistically, it’s likely that they are in fact talking about Christmas and New Year’s?

If you wanted to be truly sensitive, you’d have to wish everyone a happy holiday year round because Christians and a few others are really the only religions that have major events within the month of December. Even a faith such as Judaism, which has a major holiday in December, has many other important holidays throughout the year. So if you’re going to wish someone a happy holiday in December, you may as well do it every day of your life.

Although I tried so hard to escape this holiday cheer, it was a seemingly impossible goal. That is until I arrived at Wal-Mart. I was pleased when I went into Wal-Mart and they wished me a merry Christmas. Now, I couldn’t care less if they wished me a merry Christmas specifically. I was just so pleased that they at least knew what they were wishing toward me. I respectfully declined their wish, but I was pleased all the same. Even if I don’t want to celebrate Christmas, I can at least respect the fact that they are wishing me a merry Christmas.

I am just too suspicious of those who wish me happy holidays because I have no idea what holidays they are telling me to be happy with. For all I know they are wishing me to celebrate some ancient pagan holiday in which people are sacrificed. While this is an extreme, I couldn’t care less if someone in a store wanted to wish me a happy Hanukkah, a krazy Kwanzaa or even a respectable Ramadan. However, if you are going to wish me anything, at least tell me what it is so I can decide if I want to accept it.

Justin Chase wishes you all a Super Saturnalia.

Last week, I was upset to read Justin Chase’s narrow-minded opinion piece, “Currency for Blind Unnecessary.” Chase’s argument basically boils down to A) life’s not fair, get used to it, B) this “equal-treatment” thing has gone a little too far, C) our money’s too awesome to change and D) the U.S. Treasury’s argument that the new money would be too expensive and vulnerable to counterfeiting, which judge Robertson already rejected. A quick glance at these arguments shows how utterly preposterous and transparent they are. Since all but one of the more than 180 countries that print currency differentiate their bills for the blind, clearly this is not something that is and always will be unfair. It’s well within our power to remedy this situation.

Chase’s next argument, in which he claims that treating everyone equally simply goes too far, is similarly ridiculous. He says that now we’ll have to start printing money in all languages to accomodate those who don’t speak English. However, the language one speaks is well within his or her ability to change. Those who are blind cannot simply “learn” to not be blind. Not to mention that many people who speak different languages comprehend Arabic numerals, and even if they don’t, they can see the difference in the shape of the numbers. If I go to Germany, I can still tell what a “5″ is even if I can’t read the writing on their currency. If you’re like Chase you might think, “Hey, but what about the short people who can’t change their height?!” If my 6-year-old sister can manage to fit paper bills in her pocket, you can deal with it. A piece of paper can fold into a nice, small, manageable size.

The most absurd point by far is Chase’s argument that, basically, we shouldn’t change our money because it already looks good. If you hadn’t noticed, our money has been undergoing some pretty big changes over the last few years anyway. Each year it seems to look sillier and sillier. It’s now some sort of striped pattern of tan and green, when it used to just be a tannish-green color. I’d rather we go all out and have some cool, outlandish color combinations that might actually help quite a few people in the process than continue on our current course.

Likewise, the U.S. Treasury’s argument that changing our currency would be too expensive is merely a red herring to protect the status quo. The estimates I’ve read put the cost somewhere between $50,000 to $150,000. Let’s be conservative here: The ACB estimates there are somewhere around 1.3 million legally blind people in the United States. If the cost of updating our currency were $150,000, that would add up to $8.67 per legally blind person. In 2005, the federal government gave out $223 million to Alaska to build a bridge for a county of 14,070 people to an island with 50 people, at a cost of $15,793 per person. If you want the federal government to curtail its wasteful spending, there are literally thousands of better places for them to cut corners than this simple, relatively inexpensive change that will help millions of people. I also fail to see how making our bills more complex would make them easier to counterfeit.

Changing our currency for the blind seems like a very simple request. None of the arguments in favor of the status quo seem convincing to me at all, and if we can take this relatively simple step to help out quite a few people, then by all means, I believe we should.

Derek Dobachesky once was blind, but learned to see.

Hey Fogler fanatics, get ready: It’s time to get your drink on.

In a long-awaited announcement, the library has issued a change in its “No Spill or No Way” policy allowing students the opportunity to bring any type of nonalcoholic beverage into the library. That’s right folks, forget water – we’re drinking Kool-aid on the third floor.

To be honest, the change is long overdue. Since the creation of the “No Spill or No Way” rule, Fogler has developed into the ideal place to catch a snooze – besides the women’s ice hockey games at Alfond Arena. With its perfect combination of cozy studying areas and CIA-quietness, the library is more likely to get you ready for early retirement than an early morning exam. Yeah, OK, so that’s a little lame. But make no mistake about it, there is nothing lame about this new policy. With your new study beverage of choice in hand, whether it be coffee to keep you awake or pink lemonade, there is no stopping you when it comes to getting some hardcore exam cramming done. And that is something we can all raise our steins to.

How to keep first-years at UMaine

This year’s freshman class may have been the biggest yet. However, statistics predict that less than 60 percent of incoming freshman will graduate with a University of Maine diploma in six years or less. On Tuesday, Provost Syzmanski held a well-attended open meeting to discuss improving the university’s retention rates.

Other universities offer successful required programs for incoming freshmen. While some departments at UMaine have similar orientation activities, there are no large-scale programs to help new students meet each other and adjust to the new environment.

Another problem discussed at the meeting is that eager students are getting shut out of certain programs, such as new media and art, which do not currently have the faculty to admit and sustain the number of students who wish to enroll.

The provost and other faculty are heading in the right direction by publicly addressing low retention rates. If our university wants to become one of the top schools in the nation, more must be done to actively combat the issue.

The exhibition, motivated by the close community of 15 sculpting students with high-quality work, will be open to the public Friday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The students, ranging from sophomores to seniors, include Ashley Alexander, Laura Giorgio, Stephanie Hare, Peter Hedstrom, Sylvia Herbold, Birch Hincks, Kevin Jewett, Laura Mackey, Kevin MaClellan, Elizabeth Maloney-Hawkins, Ashley Martin, Alicia Mullins, Randy Rackley, Skylar Richardson, and Steven Schlipstein. They will present pieces constructed from a variety of materials including plaster, steel and wood. Recently the sculpting facility acquired glass-casting capabilities that have replaced, in many projects, the traditional bronze and aluminum forms.

The open house will feature approximately 60 pieces, all class projects diligently completed by each student during the semester.

For one project, the students studied contemporary sculptors Isamu Naguchi, Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth, and they created plaster interpretations of their work. From there, students used their plasters to produce a wax creation then made into glass form. In a second project, the students constructed wooden boxes known as “memory boxes.” Another project involved students researching an artist of any medium and producing a metal interpretation of his or her work.

One particular student, according to Greg Ondo, adjunct sculpting instructor here at the University, researched a dancer as an unorthodox inspiration for his metallic sculpture.

Two graduate students, Tyler McPhee and Renaud Patard, will also be hosting several specimens at the open house. Unlike the other students, however, McPhee and Patard will be presenting sculptures developed from their own independent graduate studies, apart from the previously mentioned students’ projects.

Patard, a student recruited from the National School of Art in Paris, has exhibited sculptures in galleries on an international level and believes in the importance of sculpting in contemporary society. For him, it increasingly becomes “very important to make 3-dimensional projects” in a world dominated by the digital and immaterial. He said that it helps to “control your body and your work,” and “understand physical boundaries and limitations.”

Ondo, excited about the prospect of the open house that may continue in future semesters, hopes that the event will increase the connection between the art department and the remaining student body and faculty. For him, the open house provides a means for students to “see the environment where art is made and learn how they can potentially get involved.” Most importantly, it portrays “art as a communal form that can bring people from different backgrounds together,” to gain “a new viewpoint of the world.”

2 The Decemberists The Crane Wife

3 Beck The Information

4 Whitey The Light at the End of the Tunnel is a Train

5 My Chemical Romance The Black Parade

6 The Zutons Tired of Hanging Around

7 + 44 When Your Heart Stops Beating

8 Tom Waits Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards

9 Grey Does Matter Your Job Will Kill You

10 Rotary Downs Chained to the Chariot

11 The Hidden Cameras Awoo

12 The Hold Steady Boys and Girls in America

13 Persephone’s Bees Note from the Underground

14 Robin Hitchcock Ole! Tarantula

15 The Ettes Shake the Dust

16 Clinic Harvest

17 Josef K Entomology

18 The Films Being Bored

19 Brand New The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me

20 The Horrors The Horrors EP

“Many people think of ‘The Nutcracker’ when they think of dance. I think our showcase will show other students that dance is more than that,” said Petra Lehman, a dancer with 10 years of training under her belt.

This Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Hauck Auditorium, new and experienced UMaine dance students will share their passion for performance.

“Dance allows you to share what’s inside of you at a [gut] level,” said Shelby Stevens, a dancer in the show who has been dancing since she was a toddler. “When we move, we’re doing what we were meant to do. Human beings were not designed to sit still, nor communicate their emotions that way.”

“In a place where people are often forgot[ten] about in the masses, dance allows them to shine as individuals,” said Christopher Whitcomb, another performer in the show. Whitcomb is a newcomer to the dancing community, but in a short time he has been able to see why so many dance. “It’s important to me because it allows me to be myself and show the rest of the world that I am a beautiful person who doesn’t need their approval to do what I want,” he said with a smile.

The Fall Dance Showcase highlights the works-in-progress from established choreographers, faculty and emerging choreographers throughout campus. Many of the pieces are still unpolished, said Ann Ross, the artistic director of the dance department.

The show is made up of 20 pieces in many forms and all dance levels. It includes solos, duets, small groups, classes and large groups such as the UMaine Dance Club, the Swing Club and the Hip-Hop club.

Faculty members in the dance department such as Ann Ross, Terry Lacy and Lauren Lynn have helped students with their modern, contemporary and jazz pieces. All other pieces are choreographed by the students themselves, and will demonstrate the complex moves of ballet, jazz, modern, hip-hop, Middle Eastern, contemporary and tap.

“Those who are more experienced benefit from being able to teach others and those who are new see the more experienced dancers and are empowered to dance more and learn more things,” said Caitlin Holmberg, a ballroom dancer who has been dancing for two years. “Everyone has something different to bring to the table, and it is a great feeling to get so many people working together for the passion of one common interest.”

Because of its informal, intimate setting, the Fall Dance Showcase is traditionally held in Minsky Recital Hall. This year, however, it will take place in Hauck Auditorium, as the audience has outgrown Minsky’s capacity. Hauck seats slightly more than 500 people, while Minsky only seats 250. Trying to maintain the informal atmosphere that has characterized the recital in the past, minimal stage lighting will be used in Hauck, Ross said.

“The showcase is important because dance is growing at the University of Maine. With more than 400 students per year and increasing dance minors, it is vital that we celebrate the vitality and enthusiasm that our dancers bring to UMaine. And since we are in the performing arts, performing is one of the ways in which our students can share their artistry and choreographic visions,” Ross said. The school of performing arts schedules the Fall Dance Showcase at the end of the semester because it “is a nice way to finish the semester and to send people off for the break.”

The Fall Dance Showcase won’t be the only time you can see the dancers from the school of performing arts. On Feb. 10, the dancers will return in the International Dance Festival, and a more refined Spring Showcase will be held in late April.

The annual showcase will take place this Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Hauck Auditorium. Admission is free for students, and $6 for the public.

Naughty or Nice

9 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 23

Club Gemini

Bangor

$5 cover before 10:30 p.m.

ARTS

Sculpture Studio Open House

4 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 15

Sculpture Studio

FUSE

2007 Art Senior Capstone Exhibit

Through Jan. 26, 2007

Artist Talks

7 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 12 and Thursday, Dec. 14

Lord Hall Gallery

Bernard Langlais: Wood Reliefs, Richard Estes: Prints, and John Marin: A Print Survey

9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Through January 13

UMaine Museuem of Art, Bangor

Students free, public fee

2006 Waponahki Student Art Show

Through Jan. 31, 2007

Hudson Museum

“Of Dwarf Wizards and Ravens: Robert Shetterley and the Hudson Museum”

Through Dec. 31, 2006

Hudson Museum

DANCE

Fall Dance Showcase

7:30 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 15

Hauck Auditorium

Theater

“A Christmas Carol”

Through Dec. 23

Penobscot Theatre

Bangor Opera House

For tickets and showtimes, call the box office at 942-3333

“The Santaland Diaries”

Opening

Friday, Dec. 15

Penobscot Theatre

Bangor Opera House

For tickets and showtimes, call the box office at 942-3333

If you would like your event posted in The Maine Campus Style calendar, send time, day, date, place and fee information to Pattie Barry on FirstClass.

I’m not particularly fond of the entire organization, and anyone who’s followed this space at all over the past few years is well aware of that. However, this one particular debacle threatened what little legitimacy and validity the General Student Senate & Co. have, and could have very easily moved it from ineffective boondoggle to outright fraud.

For those of you not following the story, there are two names you need to be aware of: Eben Strout and Amanda Mullen. What’s so important about Strout and Mullen? Eben Strout and Amanda Mullen are, by all reliable sources [that's right - here at Rambling Fool, Inc., we're not above doing a little leg work] both friends, or at least pleasant enough acquaintances with a different one of Chandrasekar’s opponents in the recent election. They are also the individuals who filed complaints about the almost nonexistent, unofficial attempts by Chandrasekar that were eventually considered violations of “the rules.” The rest of us had to weigh in on whether or not Chandrasekar should be disqualified.

Eben Strout and Amanda Mullen should be thoroughly embarrassed.

For starters, the complaints themselves are ludicrously transparent. There was enough buzz around the school the day of the elections that many were able to predict Chandrasekar’s victory well before it was announced. I have every belief that the complaints were motivated by nothing more than an effort to push a win for “their guy,” and point some of Strout’s own statements show this.

Strout: “I was searching through folders on First Class, and noticed that Priyanth Chandrasekar was still campaigning [student forum]. Not being completely familiar with the FEPC guidelines, I looked it up and found this clause.”

Why? Who does this? Someone who knows a friend is about to eat it in the election, that’s who. It literally smells of desperation.

From Mullen’s statement:

“He was told about the existence of the poster in that location on several occasions, yet did not do anything to remedy the situation.”

Which, of course, contradicts Chandrasekar’s statement [to say nothing of the holier-than-thou, "he-should-be-omnipresent-because-that's-how-I-interpret-the-rules" attitude that covers the statement].

Bottom line? The whole attempt was just weak. Lame. Sad. Pathetic. Petty. Time-wasting. Trivial. Small. How long do you want this list to be?

While I don’t buy the “they were just doing it because rules are rules” argument for a second, Strout and Mullen should still be ashamed of themselves due to the results their actions are likely to have in the future. Buying into the fantasy that they were doing it for the sake of “the system,” “the system” they were trying to defend is now in serious jeopardy. Nothing in GSS’s recent history suggests they will be able to correct it in a manner appropriate to the problem or within a time frame short enough for it to help.

The problem is this: For whatever reason, the commission that monitors the elections here has decided that those up for election are not to be allowed to campaign on the day of that election. The ordeal was caused by people unofficially throwing up material on Election Day. This thereby threatens a candidate that, through the voting on whether or not to disqualify him, has shown himself to be immensely popular with those students who care enough to vote. In this case, supporters put up the material. However, what’s to stop people from putting up material that violates this rule in favor of candidates they oppose?

You can probably see where this is going. Any one of us can thoroughly screw up every future election here and I have little-to-no faith in Student Government to rectify the problem in such a way that it can no longer be exploited, at least not now that so much attention has been drawn to it.

So, Eben Strout and Amanda Mullen, thank you. Thank you for turning an organization that an overwhelming percentage of those it serves are either apathetic towards or actively dislike into an even bigger waste of time. Thank you for dragging the entire school down with cronyism and petty rule mongering. But, above all, thank you for showing me how to absolutely tank every single election at UMaine from now until eternity.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Holley is the most recent in a long line of women who have attempted to break into the ranks of men’s professional sports. She joins such company as Billie Jean King, who in 1973 won the “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match against Bobby Riggs. Annika Sorenstam and Michelle Wie have both attempted to win a men’s golf tournament, and Danica Patrick quested for a checkered flag in the IndyCar series.

When it boils down to it, can women really cut it in male-dominated sports? The answer is never a completely clear or satisfactory one. Let’s be honest, there are a lot of males who can’t cut it in male-dominated sports. When I think of the two major contact sports I think there’s not a chance in hell for a woman to find success, but it doesn’t escape me that there are mental aspects of many games that could allow a woman to excel.

Why is Danica Patrick so good at driving? It’s not because she’s any stronger than Dan Wheldon or Helio Castroneves or any other man out there, because racing is not about physicality. All that is required is a substantial helping of courage and a functional brain. The rest is strategy. Whoever has the best strategy – and a good deal of luck – will likely win the race.

The way I see it, a woman could certainly find a way to succeed in a sport requiring some deal of critical thinking. Why did Billie Jean King win the “Battle of the Sexes?” Because she studied her opponent’s weaknesses and exploited them. Some sports do not require the ability to smash your opponent to the ground – simply the ability to outwit them. In a game that is more mental, a woman could certainly gain an advantage. That’s not to say that every woman could beat every man at a sport if it was based on strategy, I’m just throwing it out there as a possibility.

The problem is that most women aren’t even given the opportunity to try. In many poorer schools, one of the first things to go are the athletics programs, particularly girls athletic programs, where people are under the impression that there will be less interest. So it’s not that women can’t play as well as men, but how will we ever find the ones who can if they’re not given the opportunity to try?

Not only is funding an issue for women’s sports, but there is a stigma against female athletes on traditionally male teams. Players don’t want to hit them as hard, don’t want to slam them to the mat, don’t want to accidentally touch them “there,” and most importantly, don’t want to risk letting their friends see them get owned by a girl. Male pride sometimes gets in the way of rational thought, and that is perhaps a woman’s greatest advantage. Male pride will force too much effort or not elicit enough, which leads to mistakes. Did Billie Jean King win the “Battle of the Sexes?” because Bobby Riggs was unprepared? She was, after all, “just a woman.”

So can a woman make it in a man’s world, a world where cross-checking and swearing at Rex Grossman from your comfy chair reign supreme? It’s hard to say. Don’t rule out the possibility of gender-neutral sports. I for one would be extremely intrigued by the idea. Let’s see if Lisa Leslie really can beat Kobe Bryant. Let’s let Danica Patrick go a few laps with Little E. The results just might surprise you.

The Friends of Maine Hockey presented the opportunity for fans of any age to participate in the free event that was open to the public. Parents took pictures of their children as they met their favorite players and had them autograph hockey sticks, pucks and jerseys.

“We do this because it’s good for the community and there are so many supporters that we want to give back to,” said senior forward Keith Johnson. “These kids idolize us and it’s a chance for them to meet and skate with us.”

Johnson has been doing this for a couple years now, but he still feels that it’s gratifying when the kids ask for his autograph.

Although attendance for the men’s and women’s team is required, Vince Laise commented that there was no doubt he wanted to come.

“It only takes about two hours of our time to give back to the community,” Laise said. “It gives our team a positive image.”

UMaine women’s hockey goalie Lundy Day and her teammate Jenna Cowan were excited to give autographs to their admirers.

“This is more for the guys, but we like meeting our supporters too,” Day said.

Many of the children who attended were part of hockey teams themselves. Nick White plays for the P.V.H.C. Navy team and has been coming to the “Skate with the Bears” event for about 10 years now. He follows UMaine hockey and enjoys coming out every year. His teammate, Trevor Tash, comes to the event for the players’ autographs.

“They love this – they eat it up,” said a parent, Rachel Melanson, of Lewiston, Maine. Her son was here for a hockey game later in the afternoon at Alfond. “I bring them because the team has such a big influence on my son.”

“They look up to the players hoping to be like them on the UMaine Hockey team someday,” said another mother who brings her son for similar reasons.

The sponsors of the “Skate with the Bears” event were Machias Savings Bank and UNICEL. Machias Savings Bank was set up at the entrance giving fans hockey pucks to have signed by the Black Bears. The bank donates about $1,500 for it, and has enjoyed sponsoring the event for the past three years.

“It’s a great opportunity for the fans to see their favorite players. We also love UMaine,” said a representative from Machais Saving Bank.

Radio station Z107.3 broadcasted live from Alfond Arena, giving the skaters a beat for the event.

The University of Maine Men’s hockey team will travel to Portland next to play Mercyhurst College on Saturday, Dec. 16 at 7:00 p.m. The women’s hockey team does not have another game until Jan. 12, at the University of New Hampshire at 7:00 p.m.