By Meghan Kelly
As Joanne Darrigo a junior at Bridgewater State College, leaves her house at 6:30 AM, she has checked her purse twice to make sure she has multiple number two pencils, two forms of identification and her admission ticket. Driving down the highway she is anything but calm. She fidgets with the radio, singing along to any song she knows as she is closely following her MapQuest directions to Randolph High School. She is doing anything in her power to avoid thinking about her fate for the next four hours. Throughout the years people have questioned whether or not standardized testing is appropriate to determine a person’s level of success. For many high school students these exams are the SAT’s and the ACT tests that determine whether or not a college will accept them. For many students at Bridgewater State College the dreadful exam is the Massachusetts Test for the Education Licensure better known as the (MTEL). This exam determines whether or not a student is prepared to enter the teaching field.
By Alice McAuliffe
For Michele Morris, her work days are full of different events, filled with drying tears, giving hugs, and making children feel loved. Most days, she sits with children at the small, colorful tables, helping them paint and glue papers together, she settles arguments between two children who want the same toy and she tries to remember every detail of each child’s day. and she recounts every detail to parents who wonder about what their child did all day, and for Michele, it’s all part of job, to not only care for these children but to make sure they have a good time in daycare while their parents are at their own nine to five jobs.
Michele has been in this line of work for nearly seventeen years, and has worked a many different kinds of daycare, from major corporations like Mulberry to more modest, privately owned ones. But this time, she left her previous daycare center for another reason. “I moved from a private daycare to another because they had no pre-kindergarten program,” she said, “and I’m glad Kelly’s in a new place.”
Having her daughter in a daycare center is nothing unusual, considering how many childcare centers there are, and how many kids are being enrolled in these places every year. While daycare can seem like a convenient, easy choice for working parents, picking the best place can be very difficult. This is because there are many styles and types of daycare out there, but the three most basic kinds are corporations with multiple centers, home daycares run from someone’s house, and private ones that are own by someone, but are in a separate building. Each different kind of daycare offers many different services and programs, and sifting through that can make parents wonder, what’s best for us? Where can I find a daycare that not only gets my child ready for school in a few years, but works best for my schedule? Shifting through all that is hard to decide, but looking at the different daycares and talking to people who’ve been through it already can shed some light on the choice.
By Alicia Holland
The glare of the fluorescent lights reflected upon the automatic sliding doors of Border’s bookstore. The persistent tapping of footsteps reverberated off the outside pavement and filled the entranceway with a song of the comings and goings of customers. The shelves of the main display section were packed with bestselling books just waiting to be snatched up by a passionate reader. Among these many bestsellers were a grouping of books that can be found displayed in any store that carries books.
Kate Dlugosinski curiously gazed at the staggering centerpiece display of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga that was packed with a variety of merchandise. The display flaunted t-shirts, key-chains, bookmarks, stickers and so much more. The four novels Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn all have a midnight black cover, each centered with their unique cover image that sparks the imagination to new heights and stirs the curiosity of even the most disinterested of consumers. An apple, a bloody flower, a frayed piece of ribbon, and a white chess piece are the book covers that have captivated so many readers. The thick pages of each book provide a window into the intoxicating world of an epic, supernatural love story. The series follows the forbidden relationship between Bella, a human starting at a new high school and Edward, a fellow student and mysterious vampire who becomes a huge part of her life. Their worlds collide and a chain of events are set into motion due to their unusual and intimate relationship.
by Emily Donnelly
Three family members crowd around a large clay-like structure. It appears to be a creation intended for some giant fish tank, like a castle of sorts. It stands about 2 feet tall and will easily fit your average saltwater fish. In time, this creative memorial will house saltwater fish off the Gulf of Mexico. The family members eagerly slap clay onto the sides of the strange looking structure. They are smiling as they add in the key ingredient, the remains of their lost loved one.
The family decided to call Eternal Reefs, an alternative memorial company, specializing in creating these natural reefs, when they lost their loved one. At a time when the natural environment of wildlife is dwindling fast, this family took a bold step in choosing the right memorial and it looks like many others will be following in their wake. Alternative burials and memorials are steadily gaining popularity in the United States these days and many people are skipping the traditional cemetery burial which has dominated the world of the dead for thousands of years.
By Jack Donovan
The man came in with a puzzled look and asked for a Western Union money transfer form; I gave how the form and he started to fill it out. He seemed confused but filled it out and handed it to me. He was sending $400 dollars to a man in Nigeria. After the information was punched into the computer, a test question was needed. I asked the man what the test question was going to be. He gave me a puzzled look asking “what the hell is a test question” That’s when I realized that this could be a possible scam. I asked him if he knew the person that he was sending the money to, he said that he didn’t, and his voice became shaky. He went on and explains that he had received an e-mail from a man asking him to receive and sends the money back to him; he would then be able to keep 10% of the money he received. This is called money washing and it’s one of many major scams that many people end up falling for.
“People are just looking for away to get free money” Says Josh Green, employee at Foodmaster “because of that, people can be stupid” Internet scams are still in this day and age a major problem. Many people are scammed every day with the prospect of free money. The increases of communication technology is what is causing people into being tricked into giving up information or money to people they don’t really know.
By Adilson Tavares
This year at Bridgewater State College there is a total of 123 international and exchange students, who are divided in 89 long term international students and 34 short term exchange students. This amount of international students appeared as Bridgewater State College takes of a program named “The Exchange Program” that involves nine partner institutions throughout the world. It has reciprocal programs with universities in England, Ireland, Cape Verde, Brazil, Beijing, Hong Kong, Kansai and Wakayama Japan, and Canada.
Mrs. Mary Delgado, who is the responsible officer for the external affairs and for this program, said that their hope is to have an equal amount of students going to the various universities as those that come to BSC. The question is if this program is worthwhile to the American students that live in a low-context society, and so are not used to being exposed to a different culture, and if they would be interested in applying for an exchange program to study abroad.
The American students share the idea that this program is good for them. Asked about how good the program should be for the American students, Lauren Connelly, an American student, said “I definitely think there should be an exchange program for the American students. American students are very naive, and it would be great learning experience.” She also said that she would like to have the opportunity to be part of an exchange program.
By Cathy Krug
The campus is silent during the early morning. It’s 7:15 on a Saturday in September on a college campus, so the majority of the population is either at work or still in bed. A large group of students head toward the other side of campus, where the Kelly Gymnasium stands waiting. Their soft chattering and the crunching of leaves is all that can be heard. Ali DerMarderosian walks through the tunnel leading under the commuter rail. It’s covered in bright paper advertising off campus housing, among other ads. The ground has Greek symbols written in chalk, proclaiming the greatness of the sororities. She exits the tunnel on the west side of campus, where the gym looks up ahead. The activity around her picks up as cars pull into the parking lot, depositing more sleepy eyed college students. Ali smiles and waves as she catches up with other clinicians, ready for a busy day at the clinic. They walk into the gym and are greeted by several people in red shirts; the group leaders. It’s Ali’s first taste of the Children’s Physical Developmental Clinic, and she can’t wait to get started.
The Children’s Physical Developmental Clinic, or ‘CPDC,’ is a program that addresses the physical, motor, and social needs of children with disabilities (www.bridgew.edu/cpdc). It has been on the campus for thirty-four years and has served hundreds of children. The students who take part in it are volunteers; it’s not a requirement of the college. Even so, it draws at least one hundred students a semester, and the wait to join is long. As a current clinician, I have my own experiences that keep me involved. Only 50-60 children are admitted into the program each semester, so it’s understandable that only one hundred students would be invited as clinicians.
By Ricardo Fidalgo
August 28, 2008 is a new day for Yang Shang’s life. After 24 hours of suffering on a boring and monotonous flight from China, the plane finally lands at Logan Airport. Among hundreds of Chinese passengers, Yang gets off the plane and looks around with high expectations. It is her first contact with Western culture. She is impressed by the environment. The blue sky and the fresh air seem to foreshadow a great experience for her at Bridgewater State College. Her first thought was “will I feel safe at Bridgewater State College?” Trying to conquer her fears and anxieties she maneuvers her way through the large Boston airport.
A profile of Humans vs. Zombies
By Ian Marsan
Four brave survivors, Steve, Joe, Daywalker, and Matt, slowly work our way across East Commuter Lot at Bridgewater State College. A cold realization of their own deaths overcomes them, but the group has a mission to accomplish. Their objective lies a mere 100 yards away. 100 yards away over a wide open parking lot, infested with the living dead. Ahead, the horde of ravenous zombies sizes up their quarry; it’s only a matter of time before the four humans reach the commuter underpass, a choke point where the MBTA Commuter Rail crosses overhead. There, the humans will surely be ripped to pieces. The stage is set for a four on fifty fight for survival…
To most, this sounds like a scene out of a Hollywood zombie apocalypse. For some though, this was Wednesday night.
A strange new game is springing up on college campuses across the United States. The apply named, “Humans verses Zombies,” or, “HvZ,” has been gaining in popularity for the last three years. The idea of this game focuses on two groups of players acting the parts of humans and zombies. Essentially, it is a game of tag where the zombies must “kill” all of the playing humans. Originating in Goucher College, MD, Brad Sappington and Chris Weed (who could not be reached for interview) started the game which began gaining popularity on other local campuses. Slowly, HvZ has moved from colleges to other groups, including: “high school students, businessmen, children, and active military on U.S. bases,” (source: wiki.humansvszombies.org). At Bridgewater State College’s campus alone, there are 179 registered players (source: Humans vs. Zombies BSC chapter Facebook).
The game’s coming to Bridgewater State was the brain child of Caleb Lopez. A sophomore at the time, Caleb insisted that, “I wasn’t really into the school’s offered sports. That’s the reason I play Ultimate Frisbee too. But I saw this clip of kids running around shooting at their friends with Nerf guns and thought how bad ass would this be!?” Apparently he was not alone. The first game of HvZ at BSC was played during the spring semester of 2007 with around 20 people participating. Since the first game, the popularity has caused the number of players to balloon to nearly 6 times as many registered students in less than two years. “It certainly makes walking to class more interesting,” said one player, bedecked in camouflage, spying out a door.
By Hernidia Tavares
Eight o’clock in the morning and Luis Lima arrives at his office in a school in Brockton where he has been working for his last four years as a teacher. These past few years he has been thinking a lot on his homeland Cape Verde. Winter is the hardest time for him. “I hate the cold,” he says running to his black Mercedes bought two months ago “I can’t avoid thinking on CV every time I feel this chilling weather!” As we get in the car he starts the engine and turns on the heater. He is giving me a ride to my apartment when he decides to talk about his life, something that strangely he tries to avoid. “I came here to study… and now I’m living here.”
Many come with this idea, though as they got here “it seems that they pass through a brain drain process and forget all their goals… they just don’t study or if they do, they don’t go back to CV!” says Lenny Cabral, a descendent of Cape Verdean immigrant whale fishers. The last possibility happened to Luis who left his country when he was eighteen years old and came to the United States of America where he would late have his degree at the English Language. The reason why he didn’t go back only he knows.
It has been like this with a great number of Cape Verdean youths who leave the country to study abroad, especially to those who come to study in the United States of America. They leave Cape Verde with the main reason of studying for a higher education. After finishing their studies, circumstances trap them and they just can’t go back.
By Christina Hickman
Theatre 16 at the Providence Place Cinemas is sold out for the 12:01 am showing November 21st. Every seat is taken, even the first row seats that no one ever wants to sit in. This inconvenience is well-worth it to finally see the book Twilight come to life on screen. The audience is diverse: slightly more females than males, ages ranging from middle-aged down to those around ten. All have their eyes glued on the screen. The anticipation builds as Kristen Stewart, or the fictional Bella Swan, and Robert Pattinson, the vampire Edward Cullen, lean in precariously close to each other. Someone from the middle of the audience yells, “Kiss already!” Their shout is returned with a muttered “I hope everyone just shuts up for this,” from a man that is clearly annoyed with the amount of screaming that has gone on throughout the movie. Already lines like “I don’t have the strength to stay away from you anymore” and “When a lion fell in love with a lamb” have elicited group effort “awwwww”s from many females. Now, however, the theatre silences. Only the crunching of popcorn and crinkling of candy bags can be heard. The actors on the screen move closer and closer, their lips finally meeting in a long overdue kiss. The audience erupts in a wave of claps and whistles for the fictional onscreen pair. Welcome to Twilight Mania.
Within the past few months, the hype surrounding book series by Stephenie Meyer called Twilight or the movie based on the first book has been inescapable. Stores advertise the phenomenon endlessly: a walk through the mall might bring you past an F.Y.E. music store with life size cardboard cut outs of Bella and Edward, a trip into Borders bookstore will bombard you with the series and other miscellaneous paraphernalia, and Hot Topic has the soundtrack blasting through the stereo as you peruse their Twilight shirts, bags and other goodies.
“I haven’t seen anything like it since Harry Potter,” said one mother of a fan while shopping,
By Lauren Saldi
The electricity had been out for a little over thirty minutes when I arrived at Magic Years Nursery School. The parking lot was pretty empty and there were several teachers standing outside in the freezing cold, some with coffees in their hands and others with their heavy winter jackets on.
The school was pitch black inside and there was a constant beeping of the alarm with an orange light flashing. A few other teachers came out of the building, with the telephones to their ears and contact cards in their hands calling parents to tell them school has been cancelled. Other teachers were outside meeting cars just as they came in the entrance to inform them that school was off.
Just as the lost call had been made, the lights came back on. Everyone let out a sigh and shook their heads. In a matter of moments, a decision was made by the owner of the school to call all the parents back and tell them school was back on. Before anyone could even pick up a phone, the school telephone began ringing with parents wondering if school was back on. The answer was yes and minutes after that, students began arriving. The once empty parking lot began to fill with SUVs, Vans and Trucks all with pre-school students in them.
A story of overcoming fears and hiding under coffee tables.
By Patrick M. Correia
She stands at the top of the stairway peering down to see who exactly has entered her new home. The jingling keys or footsteps would sell out any new comer before they ever had the chance to realize what was going on. She waits panting, flashing off her pointy teeth and slathering jaw below her gleaming eyes and propped, attentive ears.
She is agile and appears ready to pounce at the oncoming intruder. She stands and waits with pique composure, ready for anything. Her collar’s jingling ceases and her panting stops abruptly. Her mouth takes on a serious expression as the person’s head peeks around the corner of the creaky wooden stairwell. She is startled momentarily.
There is usually a brief second where eyes meet and neither party wishes to make the first move. After this initial awkwardness, I take a step forward and she darts back in a white flash underneath the coffee table to await her savoir. There is no noise as she waits for her owner to arrive home and save her from the lumbering beast that I am, unless I bring food that is. This is Zorra, named for the black spots around both her eyes resembling Zorro’s mask. She is a corgi mutt and she is actually afraid of me.
I have been terrified of dogs, especially shitsus that were able to sneak under my neighbor’s fence, since I can remember, but I have never actually seen a dog so terrified of me. I have no particular recollection of what might have caused this fear, though I am sure it came far before the neighborhood mongrels were the scourge of my existence.
By Megan Kelly
It is a cold wintery morning; everyone is still trying to resist the urge to get up because they know that it is still going to be a while before their parents are awake. Seven o’clock finally comes, let the craziness begin! Zachary, a fifteen year old boy, begins to run through the hall way banging on the bedroom doors of his siblings’ rooms to assure that he gives them a mild heart attack before they go down stairs to see what was left for them. Two of his sisters awake from their slumber in excitement of what is to come. They are aware of what is about to happen, but leave it up for Zachary to see what is to come next. A child at heart, Zachary now has the oldest sister’s door left to obnoxiously bang on and wake her for the morning festivities. Unresponsive, the boy enters his sister’s room; as the little toy Yorkshire terrier barks like crazy at him for startling her, he makes his way into her bedroom he begins to call her name, “Adri…. It’s time to wake up… Adri…” suddenly he is then ransacked by his sister with cans of silly string. Surprised by the attack, his two other sisters laugh hysterically as they watch his brother get what was coming for him.
Here is the scene of a typical Christmas morning in the Abburzzese/Kelly household and being a blending family of nine children one will never know what to expect during the holidays. No matter how old each of the nine siblings gets, there is always some type of prank in the midst. It would not be a holiday without one. Although for some people pranks may not be the typical holiday tradition, there are many types of traditions that are just as important to others.
Traditions can mean many different things for different people, whether it is for a holiday like Thanksgiving or even Christmas, a tradition is a tradition which must be up held no matter what. Traditions are more than just a text book definition, they are what someone creates for themselves to make the holidays memorable. When it came time to talk about traditions, the one person that I thought would be important to go and talk to was my mother. As holidays come and go, especially the Christmas holiday, there are many types of traditions that take place in both my household and those around me. The most important source in which I could to talk about the importance of traditions is my mother, someone who has been instilling traditions from her childhood on both me and my other siblings.
By: Jennifer Morgan
If you stop by and peak into the picture windows of 1143 Broadway Street in Hanover, you would see a shop that looks as if it is under renovation. The crumbling drywall lay on the floor from where the walls have been taken down. New cans of paint sit unopened, ready to make their debut on the freshly dry-walled walls. In one corner of the shop black and white tiles have started to be installed. However, this shop is no longer under renovation, in fact it will never have the opportunity to open. Some of the residents of the small town of Hanover, Massachusetts would make sure of that.
The dream she spent eight years making was finally about to come true. Dawn Fazio, of Randolph, Massachusetts, had planned on opening Ink Haven Tattoo Studio. Fazio, a tattoo artist has been saving her money for nearly a decade so that she would be able to open her own tattoo studio. “I worked so hard to save that money. I have been working as a tattoo artist for more than fifteen years. It took me ten years to support myself and be able to save enough money to start my own business. It has been a goal of mine for such a long time and it was taken from me, just like that,” said Fazio.
A look into an attempt by TheQuad.com
to rival the giants of online social networking
by Jacqueline Dixon
The weather called for spurts of rain and it was particularly warm for a Saturday evening in November. The theatre district was crowded as usual, but cars began to slow down in curiosity as they passed through, hoping to catch a sneak a peek as to why there was an unusually long line, of about two hundred chicly dressed young women, forming down Boylston Street. Directly across the street, the Boston Commons offered a scenic view for all who stood in the line enduring heel-induced pain for over an hour.
With umbrellas as far as the eye could see, the line crept slowly towards the front door of the popular nightclub, The Estate. The path was laid with cobblestones and thesound of hundreds of heels clicking closer to the entrance seemed to get louder as many of the girls became anxious to get out of the rain. Stepping through the, rather small, entrance to the club, the intensity of the music, a blend between hip-hop and remixed techno tunes, began to pulsate through your body as you moved up the staircase and into the main part of the venue. The florescent, multi-colored revolving lights flickered throughout the club giving the atmosphere a disco-esque flair as eager faces searched the crowd for the nights’ most anticipated guest to appear.
This evening was especially exciting for the fashionistas of the city of Boston — the savvy club was hosting The Lauren Conrad Collection College Tour. But The Estate was merely the physical host of this extravaganza — TheQuad.com was the primary sponsor for the show, along with Aldo shoes and Mark cosmetics.
TheQuad.com, which was created by College Tonight, Inc., a publicly-traded social media company based in Los Angeles that develops and operates various properties focused on the college demographic, signed an endorsement deal with Lauren Conrad in April 2008, officially making her the national spokesperson for the company. The Quad chose Lauren because she is the star of the popular TV show, The Hills, on MTV, as well as a hit within the demographic that they are attempting to target — 18-24 year old college students.
By Pablo Dalton
The lobby of the Church of Scientology on 448 Beacon Street in Boston is rustic and tacky. Every surface is covered in plastic-shelled gift packages of books, videos, and other propaganda, one of which is specifically devoted to explaining the ills of psychology and psychiatric medicine. An early-generation flatscreen television with a built-in DVD/VCR player (the door to the VCR slot had broken off) bubbles quietly with a recruiting video displaying stereotyped youths of every ethnicity declaring abstract motivational sentiments. A Caucasian girl dressed like a Native American with paint on her cheeks declares serenely, “I believe in peace,” and then the video’s ambient music peaks, a Scientology logo popping up onscreen followed by information on the Church’s youth program. A woman named Carol with glossy eyes and big lips in a black pantsuit would not speak to me unless I filled out a “Routing Form,” allowing the Church access to my name, physical and email addresses, and other personal information. Their receptionist said, “The Church doesn’t have a stand on the issue. There’s nothing we can tell you that you can’t find out on your own.” The information that there would be a protest in 15 minutes seemed to startle her, and as I left, the lobby began bustling with Scientologists as though they had materialized from every corner of the three-story brownstone.
Anthony Simone represents a movement called Anonymous. This opposition to the Church is without leadership or centralization, and its wrath is viral. Appropriately, the logo for the “group” is a suited figure with no head. Their cause is perpetuated by individuals united only by their computers and blunt desire to dismantle the Church entirely. On November 15th, 2008, Simone and the Anons gathered as they do, once a month, to remind the Church that it was still under attack.
It was overcast around 11am when Simone arrived in front of the Church. He wore a black ballroom mask that he later removed, a sharp double-breasted charcoal overcoat and jeans.
“[I’ve been involved] since the beginning,” he said, and his exposure to the movement was through flyers and online threads. He is the closest thing to an administration that Anonymous has in Boston.
By Paulo Borges
By all appearances, Christian religion is losing its illumination on the campus of Bridgewater State College over the course of the years.”Christian church is annoying and boring…I was forced to go to Catholic Church when I was kid, but I’ll never go there again!” said Jared Ingersoll, a 22 year old student, living on Campus at Bridgewater State College. Jared reported that, after coming to college he got the freedom of choice and lots of different life realities that he was not exposed to when he lived under his parents’ authority.
Ingersoll is one among thousands of Christian students at Bridgewater State College, who replaced their Christian religious belief for other new college choices. There are Churches on campus; however Christian beliefs are fading away in their lives progressively to the point that some of them say they don’t know what they are when the issue of religion is brought up. Naturally, there is always an exception to the rule. There are others who choose to be in church. They maintain their firm Christian beliefs and keep going to church. Christian church attendance is diminishing day by day particularly on campus where the Catholic and Christian Fellowship church are struggling for survival.
By Paul Daveport
“Maybe you have a good career, family, success, everything is together except for one thing that you need,” Person no. 924902369 on craigslist personals predicts, “you crave cock and want to be treated like a slut.” Person no. 924902369, whose real name is anonymous and pretty much untraceable on craigslist’s massive and always changing personal’s database, is “Married – Looking for Older Married,” is 50, and is a man looking for a lady. He will probably find such a friend on craigslist judging by the frequency and variety of users with similar interests who flood the site daily. One will generally find people searching for a “first time encounter” with another married individual, or an old pro who’s scouring the field for some “new tail”, in numbers and variety that show this site is doing something right in providing a space to solicit something society generally views as morally wrong.
With around 40-60 posts under “miscellaneous romance” in the Boston area craigslist on any given work day, a little more than half of them involve married people looking for some kind of satisfaction outside of their legal spousal commitment. The internet has always been a place where people are free to anonymously air their indiscretions without fear of judgement, and usually to find friends. But the anonymity of most scandalous internet industries has long been in tact throughout the general public, especially during the daytime. All this is changing, though, as other internet sites devoted to just this specific secretive activity have started emerging, taking the position that everyone should know this is happening, but no one has to know who’s participating.
By Shayna Curran
Christine took a very large dosage all at once. “Ahh, these fuckers show up every fucking time”, is the last thing she says before her face goes completely blank. She looks at the ground as if it is water swallowing her up; her neck sways rapidly back and forth as she avoids something coming up from the floor that no one else can see. She curls up her knees in horror, trying to get her feet on the couch. Mark is next to her, and in her flailing, she latches on to Marks thigh for dear life. Mark and Christine are friendly when sober, but certainly not on a thigh grabbing basis. They have both lost their sense of propriety completely. After she stops moving, Christine is still clearly out of it, but more catatonic than manic.
English 280: The Journalistic Essay 