The Phoenix

Mastodon:

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

4.5 STARS

Remissions, Leviathan, Blood Mountain and now � Crack the Skye. There isn't any other way to preface a review of Mastodon's new record, an album written by a band of musicians who define themselves by progression - devastating progression. Before continuing, I must issue a warning to the indie community who might feel the urge to claim Mastodon as their own: Although they are influenced by enough throwbacks to writhe your button down shirt into a plaid pattern (it's OK, I wear them too), Mastodon is not an indie band.

Michio Kaku:

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Men are simple creatures: they like meat, heavy metal and, above all, perpetual motion machines. With that in mind, it's likely that a great wave of malaise will pass over men everywhere when they finally get to the chapter in Michio Kaku's Physics of the Impossible, on why a perpetual motion machine can never be.

Mouthful

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

You know the drill, right? We've got, like, no days until summertime/livin' easy (despite this bone-chilling drizzle outside insisting otherwise); as insurmountable as these last few class periods seem, we all know that as soon as they're over it's nothing but blue skies for a solid stretch.

University prepares for summer construction

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

The closing of Cudahy Library's doors came as a surprise to many Loyola students. So here is a brief description of the future construction plans for the two campuses.

Water Tower campus

2024 Chicago Avenue Project (Present - Spring 2010)

The former home of Dunkin' Donuts on Chicago Avenue is currently under construction.

Students push for change in sexual assault policy

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

In Campus Safety's weekly incident reports for the 2008-09 academic year, only three sexual assaults have been reported on Loyola's campus, but according to the Department of Justice one in five women in college has been sexually assaulted.

Throughout this academic year, the College Advocates of Reproductive Education have worked with various departments at Loyola to improve Loyola's policies and to raise awareness of where sexual assault survivors can turn.

LU hosts globalization conference

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, Francis Cardinal George and Illinois Senator Richard Durbin will be the keynote speakers at the eighth annual "Globalization for the Common Good" conference, which will be held at Loyola from May 31 to June 4.

This is the first time the seminar has been held in North America, and Loyola was chosen based on its mission and vision of serving the common good and the strength of the school's religious faith.

Loyola names new VP of Student Affairs

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

As of July 1, 2009, Robert D. Kelly, Ph.D., will assume the position of Loyola's vice president of Student Affairs. Kelly will replace the current vice president, Richard Salmi, S.J., who announced this past fall that he would be leaving Loyola at the end of the 2008-09 academic year to be the president of Spring Hill College.

He means business

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Winner of NBC's first season of The Apprentice, star of A&E's We Mean Business and Loyola alumnus, Bill Rancic, spoke at Loyola April 8. The Style Network recorded Rancic as he told students about his successes and struggles in the business world; the taping will air as part of a college-themed segment in August.

Lobbyists advocate reform

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

"The fact that I was [Blagojevich's] first ethics appointment is obviously not going to be the first item on my resumé," joked Scott Turrow, J.D., author and first chair of the Illinois Executive Ethics Commision.

Turrow was the headlining speaker at the Ethics Town Hall Meeting at the Mundelein Center on April 16.

Bikes ready to rent and ride

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

A newly approved program on campus that allows students to rent out bikes is under way.

Borrow-A-Bike is a new service introduced by the Loyola Bike Club that allows students to rent out a bike for up to three days with a Loyola student ID.

Within the short time it has been available, the program has already found success:

"The program has only been going on for a week or so, and we've been sold out almost every single day," said senior Tony Giron, founder of Borrow-A-Bike.

SAE nominated for award

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Loyola's chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon is a finalist for the National Chapter Zeal Award, which honors the top SAE chapters in the nation. The nomination came late last month, but members will not be notified of the final decision until June during the fraternity's leadership school.

A shining example of student activism

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

One in four college women has experienced sexual assault. This disturbing (and debated) statistic was revealed in a survey conducted for Ms. magazine in 1985 and has been supported as recently as 2005 by a survey from the American Association of College Women.

"Don't f**k it up" (and other words of wisdom)

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Our mothers all told us when we were little: Share and share alike. Generally speaking, it's a good habit to get into, even when we're far beyond the point in our lives when splitting the last package of Little Debbies at lunchtime will boost us up the social ladder.

Point Counter-point: Is 'right-wing extremism' a threat to national security?

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

On April 15, timed to coincide with the more than 2,000 tax day "TEA Party" or "Taxed Enough Already" protests [Ed.: a largely conservative movement reacting to increases in taxes and government spending], Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano released a new report citing the supposed increasing "threat" of right-wing extremists.

Point Counter-point: Is 'right-wing extremism' a threat to national security?

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

The Department of Homeland Security has acknowledged what the American people have suspected over the past eight years: The extreme religious right's stranglehold on the country is slipping, and with that loss of power comes the possibility that this group will radicalize and try to hang onto its influence through more violent means.

Parting Shots

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Looking back at my four years at Loyola University Chicago, I find that my one-year stint at the Phoenix as photo editor this year helped me get involved in college life. In my first three years, Loyola was just another entry in my daily planner: I came to classes, chilled at the lakefront on those marvelous benches that no longer exist (thank you very much IC) and then I commuted back to my apartment.

Op-Ed: The Handshake that Shook America

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Kennedy and Khrushchev. Nixon and Mao Zedong. Reagan and Gorbachev. And now Barack Obama and Hugo Chavez. David Shuster of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann last night highlighted the momentous handshakes in history between American Presidents and the leaders of what were at the time enemy nations:

"Are we so damaged from eight years of Bush foreign policy," asked Shuster, "that a handshake could create such an uproar?"

It certainly seems so.

Art Brut:

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

After only one listen to Art Brut vs. Satan, it's clear that front man Eddie Argos still hasn't learned how to sing, Black Francis' production presence goes entirely unnoticed and the group's guitarist seems to be the only member with any sense of melody. However, none of this could ever detract from the overall likability of Art Brut vs.

Bat for Lashes:

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

4.5 STARS

From Shakespeare's Iago to recent epics such as There Will Be Blood, Western culture loves to offer cautionary tales against unchecked ambition. To harbor restless hunger for a higher station, the timeless warning of this archetype goes, is to risk coming undone by one's own machinations.

Charles in Charge

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Sometime this semester, I've stopped writing list columns, which was freeing, but nevertheless felt like selling out. Now, I will return to my roots for my last "Charles in Charge" and give you a list. I was very close to making a column-equivalent of a clip show: a retrospective of the better moments of my column over the past year.

Cut to the Quick:

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

It's good to know that Chicago's blessed with plucky small-scale theaters like the Side Project that are dedicated to the production of heavy-hitting and ambitious short theater projects such as its current show, Cut to the Quick. It's even better to know that such a theater is so close to our Loyolan home, just two skips and an el jump away in Jarvis Square.

Hop Haus:

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

A member of the Leona's chain of pizza restaurants, the Hop Haus is clearly a sports bar: The servers wear jerseys of various teams and only two of the 21 televisions weren't tuned to a game when I was seated on Saturday night. While the menu features a variety of appetizers ranging from fried calamari rings to tomato bruschetta and toasted jalapeno ravioli, Hop Haus rightfully bills itself as a burger joint, but not your typical kind.

Twelfth Night

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

William Shakespeare will turn 445 this week, and as Chicago is celebrating with "Talk Like Shakespeare Day," daring productions of one of the Bard's best comedies can be seen here in the hippest theater city in the country. Shakespeare's Twelfth Night at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre is a decently straightforward production with one major exception: Some members of the audience might want to bring ponchos.

Grapes of Raf

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Don't be fooled by the competition - the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune have a lot more in common than you might imagine. There's the blatant bankruptcy resemblance, with both newspapers succumbing to the economy and making every young journalist cry themselves to sleep.

Of Mice and Mack

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Ahhh, soak it in. It's the best time of the year.

Sure, the weather isn't quite summeresque. Public Enemies remains months from its theatrical release. And next week's finals and term papers will be more unbearable than that ubiquitous "What can I get for a dollar?" McDonald's commercial.

No Future in the Past:

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Following Shannon Reidy's abrupt resignation from her position as head coach of women's basketball, the team and the program found themselves swept up in the winds of change and uncertainty. On April 6, after nearly a month of wondering, the Ramblers were finally informed of their new coach, Eric Simpson.

First global warming, now Loyola

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Eyeing a strong close to the season, the No. 15 Loyola men's volleyball team won for the fourth straight time in its regular season finale vs. Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (12-13, 3-6 MIVA) 3-0 (30-20, 30-19, 31-29) Friday night in Alumni Gym, improving their record to 16-9 overall and 5-5 in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association conference.

Thumbs Up/ Thumbs Up

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Up to history

In 1775 Patrick Henry told his fellow Virginians, "I know of no way of judging the future but by the past." Men's volleyball plays IPFW on Friday in the first round of MIVA playoffs. They split the season series, with the home team winning each time.

It's Show Time

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

For the drawing, painting, photography and visual communication students graduating from Loyola University Chicago this spring, the Senior Exhibition is a culmination of the creative and imaginative abilities these students have honed over their four years spent on campus.