Three ballerinas of the performance pose for pictures

The Nutcracker Ballet warms hundreds of hearts

University students enjoy the Oregon Ballet Theatre’s opening night of The Nutcracker

On December 12, 2009, thirty University of Portland students boarded a school bus to head to the much-anticipated Nutcracker. As the big yellow bus drove up to the Keller Auditorium in Downtown Portland the students warmed with excitement. Just two weeks prior to this day dozens lined up in St. Mary’s to claim a ticket. Those who failed to be there at least 20 minutes prior to the 8 am opening would soon find out that there would not be enough tickets for them.

Organized by Student Activities, Eva Hortsch, the administrative program assistant, stated that the Nutcracker tickets “cost $15, but that the school pays for $7 of it,” in hopes that more students will attend.

“Honestly, I would have still gone even if the tickets did cost $15,” attendee Stephanie Doolittle said. “In fact, I bet nearly everyone who went would have paid more…I still would have got up just as early too.”

“I got there 25 minutes early and there were already at least 20 people in line,” attendee Robyn Gentry recalls. “I was fortunate to get a ticket. I’ve wanted to go to the Nutcracker for years. I hear it’s a beautiful performance.”

Beautiful it was according to attendee Krista Morasch, “Although I loved all the Christmas decorations, I especially appreciated the European look of the theater. Everything was lined in gold and red, even the painted curtain on the stage.”

The Keller Auditorium, originally built in 1917, holds nearly three thousand people in the three-tiered room. Upon opening night of The Nutcracker, nearly two-thirds of those seats were filled.

“I felt overwhelmed,” Vicky Morehead, an attendee, said. “There were so many people.”

Many people there were. Hundreds filled the hallway where Christmas decorations loomed. Door greeter Ed Philips said, “It’s expected that opening night will yield a lot of people.”

Upon entering the auditorium, one would see a long line of tickets holders waiting to order a cocktail. On the left side, lied a snack bar. What was in between these two stations, though, was most noteworthy. Straight ahead stood a 10-foot Christmas tree surrounded by characters from The Nutcracker. For $15, one could have their picture taken with a princess ballerina, a nutcracker, and a mouse. Although this would have been a coveted treasure, the price was too steep for the University of Portland students who paid only $8 for their tickets.

As the curtains parted, the audience fell silent. One by one, the children and adult ballerinas floated onto the stage. In the following two hours countless dancers migrated on and off the stage. In Act One, snow fell from above, covering the floor with white flakes.

Doolittle’s favorite part was the snowflake ballerinas. “They were so graceful,” she said. “The best part, though, was when the snow turned into a blizzard. That was spectacular.”

“I was impressed by the children’s agility and poise,” Morasch said. “They never missed a step.”

By the end of the performance, the audience remained silent until the ballerinas returned for applause. Afterwards, the attendees slowly filed out of the auditorium.

“It certainly was packed,” student Marks Combs, said. “Surprisingly…though, it only took a few minutes to get back to the bus after the performance.”

As the crowds flooded from the outside of the auditorium, many lingered behind in the hallways to enjoy their tranquil state for a moment longer. Some rushed outside, into the freezing cold night, to rush the actor’s exit door in hopes of sneaking a peak of the ballerinas. Others picked up last minute souvenirs. The students of UP, though, headed back to their big, yellow bus planted directly in front of the theatre. For only $8 they were able to experience an evening of grace and tranquility. Attendee Jessica Stacey said, “…For less than $10 I had such a great night. I was in no hurry to get back on that frigid bus. The show warmed me from the inside out and I wanted that feeling to last.”

The Nutcracker Admission Ticket

Audience members await in the Keller Auditorium for the start of the performance

Opening curtain of The Nutcracker

This article discusses the ethical realms of the Standard-Times publishing photos of those accused of drug charges. Although many support the papers publications, some argue that it renders the defendant’s right to a fair trial since they are not yet deemed guilty. An ACLU lawyer says it violates journalism ethics to photograph people only accused of crime.

I believe the Standard-Times are right to publish photos of the accussed. This city is fighting a war on crime and the easier it is to put these drug deals behind bars, the better.

Sounding an alarm on AIDS:

A newspaper in Key West published the names of AIDS victims and those associated with AIDS programs, hoping to alert the community of the rising problem.

Although, I believe the paper was doing a good thing in letting the community know of the AIDS spreading in Key West, I question if it was worth it it the end. The paper burned a lot of bridges and lot valuable sources that could have been used for further investigation. Furthermore, exposing Noreen Sofranac, who says her credibility was ruined, perhaps hindered AIDS victims from coming forward in the future.

Katie Chapman at age 18

Katie Chapman died last Saturday, December 9th, at the age of 101. On her final birthday she accomplished one of the last items on her “bucket list,” to go hot air ballooning. The accomplished elementary school teacher turned philanthropist failed to return with the deflated balloon after a fateful thunderstorm in Napa Valley, California.

“She never failed to surprise us,”surviving daughter Noel, 75, states .” For her 85th she decided to go on an African safari then stopped in Uganda to teach a basic science class at a local elementary school. There’s no surprise that her last day was in the air.”

After graduating from Sutter High School in Yuba City, California, Chapman moved to Portland, OR to attend the University of Portland. Her sophomore year she spent her time in Salzburg, Austria where she hopped from one country to the next. “That’s where her passion for traveling and learning of new cultures first started,” son Orion, 73, states.

Upon graduation, earning a B.A. in communication with minors in theology and education,  Chapman endured another year of schooling to obtain her masters in education. From there, she spent another year abroad, this time in Tokyo, Japan where she taught English at a small elementary school.

The following ten years Chapman spent her time between Portland, teaching first through fourth grade, while spending nearly every summer abroad, or on Oahu, Hawaii where her mothers’ side resided.

Within that time, Chapman, age 25, met her to-be husband Kevin Fields, an international pilot. Within seven years they married and had two children, Noel and Orion.

The family remained in Portland till the children were in grade school. In 2028, Fields accepted a job in London, England where the family remained for the next 25 years. “It was great because we got to travel to different countries for every holiday,” Orion recalls.

Chapman took up a teaching job at her children’s school, Brook’s Elementary.  While there, she founded a school program called Carrots Over Carbs, aimed at educating children and parents about proper, healthy eating and exercise. “That program saved a lot of children from the risk of obesity,” kindergarten teacher Amy Elms, 85, said.

Not wanting her children to take their life luxuries for granted, Chapman had each child participate in community volunteer work each weekend. Chapman herself fed the homeless, helped build homes, and even traveled to Africa three times to help build an elementary school there.”I never took anything for granted, I saw how fortunate we were.” Noel said.

Just before her 70th birthday, Fields and Chapman decided to move back to the states where their children resided. They retired in Napa Valley, less than an hour away from Noel and Orion. They remained there till Fields passed away in 2085 and Chapman in 2089.

In addition to children Orion and Noel, Chapman is survived by brother Tyler Chapman, and six grandchildren, Lucy, Virginia, Max, Rose, Autumn, and Charlie.  Funeral arrangements will be held at 11:00 am on December 15th, in Ala Moana Cemetary, Oahu, Hawaii, followed by the scattering of ashes on Kualoa Ranch at 1:00 pm.

The Salzburg Yearlong Program offers students the opportunity of a lifetime

Waking up to the sound of chirping birds outside her frosted window, Cat Rechsteiner hurries to turn off her alarm clock before it wakes her roommate. From there she closes the quarter-opened window, typical of Europe, to warm up the room. After a quick shower, the UP sophomore heads downstairs to consume a bland, but adequate bowl of rice flakes. After the uneventful first meal of the day, Cat hurries outside, walks 50 feet across cold cement from her residential building into the classroom situated between the computer lab/library and a floor of more housing. She finds her seat and takes a deep breath prior to breaking open her Kontakte German book. She is about to endure yet another hour of German class where she’ll be expected to produce fluid sentences composed of correct punctuation and articulation. Although Cat dreads it, she realizes how important speaking the language is for her current situation. There is just no way to avoid it, she must speak German, at least to get by while living a year in Austria.

Cat was one among 40 University of Portland sophomores who participated in the 2008-2009 yearlong Salzburg program. For the past 45 years, forty ambitious students have been selected each year, lately by Father Art Wheeler, director of the Salzburg Abroad Program. From there, they are thrown into a world of diverse and eye-opening experiences that will alter their lives more than they could have ever imagined.

“After getting past the language barrier,” said Melissa Craig, a past Salzburger, “It became easier to navigate around the country. That’s when I realized all the history that was it this place. It’s not like the United States: Sites and buildings aren’t a couple hundred years old, they’re thousands.”

Experiencing new things and emerging oneself into new cultures is the primary goal of the Salzburg Program. Along with a regular curriculum, including 16 hours of fine arts, music, English, philosophy, political science, statistics, theology, and German, the students participate in two tours, one in the fall to France, and the other in the spring to Greece and Italy.

“Being in France for a week was amazing,” said Nick Etzel, “The best part was traveling up the unsteady elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Although freezing, the view of the city was magical.”

“The best part about spring tour was the food,” said Jessica Stacy, “I literally developed an obsession with baklava.”

Besides the organized tours, students were awarded three-day weekends, intended for independent travels. Robyn Bruton’s favorite country was Egypt. “Even though I got sick for three miserable days because I ate contaminated lettuce,” said Bruton, “having the opportunity to ride on a camel to the pyramids, made it all worth it.”

Over the three-week Christmas break, students had even more time to develop a deeper understanding of a country’s culture. Annie Medrzycki seized the opportunity to spend a week in Ireland. “Because I had a greater length of time,” Medrzycki recalls, “I was able to see and experience more than I would have been able to over a three-day weekend.”

Although most students visited at least ten countries over the course of eight months, they all agreed that they shared their deepest connection with Salzburg. “After spending such a long period of time together, we became a family and Salzburg was our home,” said Jamie Kerr, current student coordinator of the Salzburg Yearlong Program.

Spending such a long duration of time with one group of people, left many memories behind. “I miss walking over the bridge and seeing the Salzburg Fortress upon the hill,” said Liz Vogel.

Gullian Keller expressed her fond memories of walking with fellow students to the local Irish Pub, O’Malley’s, and then stopping for a kebap on the way home.

Although eight months may seem like a long time, students agree that it flies by. “Although I was nervous about leaving my family for so long, the time was gone in a blink of an eye,” said Krista Morasch.

“I will forever be grateful for my time abroad,” said Rechsteiner, “I have see things I never imaged and experienced things that have changed the way I see the world. Salzburg was the best time of my life.”

The best chocolate in town is finally here! Nadine Horne opened her business Truffle Love last year and it’s booming. “All truffles come from organically grown cacao beans-“ Horne says. But don’t be fooled, these organic truffles are anything but cheap, costing $50 a pound, with each truffle weighing about one ounce. “Compared to other brand chocolate, they are more expensive, but the quality is worth it-“ Horne says. Obviously others agree, Truffle Love sells more than $10,000 worth of truffles each month”
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New York Times: B1: Sober Mood at New York Post As Circulation Spiral Lower

The New York Post struggles like all

The New York Post is finally feeling the hit that nearly all other newspapers are feeling. As technology climbs, and the internet become the place to go to hear the latest celebrity gossip or breaking news, daily papers are struggling to find their niche.  Even The Post editor, Col Allan, admits to the hardships that all newspapers are facing. Financially depending upon advertisers, Allan says, “We believe greater circulation would improve the paper’s financial performance.” How this will end no one knows, for technology and media are constantly changing.

Hello I’m Katie Chapman, standing with Michelle Cole who’s coming to you live from Oregon school, Mount Bachelor Academy, to explain the reasons surrounding the school’s suspended license after a seven-month investigation. The Oregon Department of Human Services found numerous violations including nine allegations of child abuse and neglect.

The private school, which caters to troubled teens ages fourteen to seventeen and a half years old, costs six thousand, four hundred dollars a month in which children are expected to stay fourteen to sixteen months.

State officials have found that students were expected to engage in sexualized role-play, enact past abuses, were deprived of sleep and usage of the bathroom, and were given week-long bans on talking. These “harsh” realities were all a part of the school’s “emotional growth” workshops.

Coming live from Southern California, Nancy Bishop discusses the reality check she obtained from hearing the news about her daughter’s school: “I’m in shock. I feel like they pulled the rug out from us. The last thing these kids need is to be yanked around (:10).”

Mount Bachelor Academy has been given ninety days to correct a list of violations or see its license permanently revoked.

Thank you Michelle, we look forward to hearing what happens next.

# # #

The New York Times: A12: Leader of Mormon Sect Tried on Charges of Sex With Girl

James McKinley Jr. comes to us live from Eldorado, Texas, reporting outside of the courtroom of Raymond Merril Jessop, a Fundalmentalist Mormon, who has been convicted of sex crimes inside his Yearning for Zion ranch. The victim is a twenty-year old girl who allegedly gave birth to Jessop’s son, four years ago, at the age of sixteen.

More so, the state has dozens of documents proving that Jessop was not legally married to the girl at the time of her impregnation, but rather living with her in a polygamous lifestyle.

The defense team has fired back, casting doubt on the authenticity of the DNA of the child from the state’s genetic expert.

Like Jessop, prophet Warren Jeffs is also awaiting trail,  on counts of child molestation and the arrangement of under-age marriages.

In all, twelve members of the church have been arrested since the camp was raided in 2006.

Nearly all are awaiting trial, like Jessop and Jeffs.

1)internet dial-up

2) sound of old computer

3) Bob Taylor-gardening sounds

4) Taylor-naming computer stuff

5) 1960′s music-communication revolution

6) Man explaining dialing

7) Computer system sounds

Taylor and his budget

9) collegues speaking

10) Charlie Klein

11) Klein again

12) Bagaul speaking

13) login launched

14) Bob Taylor