The Woods

By Jade Scott
Editor-in-Chief

As the end of the 2010 semester approaches both Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Equestrian teams, Hunt and Western, have wrapped up their fall season and look ahead to their first shows of the New Year.
The Hunt Seat team ended the season at a show on Nov. 20 and 21, hosted by Taylor University and Ball State University at Black Dog Farms.
Since both days of shows were located in an in-door arena, weather was not a problem.
“As a whole it went really well because it was run very well,” said Jennifer Kieras, freshman. “It made a difference that we were all there together as a team instead of being separated like we are when we host a show.”
The Nov. 20 show resulted in SMWC as the High Point Team.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Open Fences:  Alex Amos-3rd

Intermediate Fences:  Whitney Mahloch-1st, Darby Hall-2nd, and  Hannah Reeley-3rd

Novice Fences:  Chelsey Sears-2nd, Ali Mahloch-  3rd, and Hannah Bardo-6th

Open Flat:  Whitney Mahloch-2nd, and Alex Amos-5th

Intermediate Flat:  Darby Hall-5th and Hannah Bardo-6th

Novice Flat:  Chelsey Sears-1st, Ali Mahloch-2nd, Bethany Erli-2nd, Cortni Bigley-3rd, and Lauren Broderick-5th

Advanced Walk-Trot-Canter:  Abigail Paul-4th

Beginning Walk-Trot-Canter:  Tracey Dykstra-1st

Walk-Trot:  Whitney Damron-3rd

The Nov. 21 show once again resulted in SMWC as the High Point Team.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Open Fences:  Alex Amos-3rd and Whitney Mahloch-6th

Intermediate Fences:  Hannah Reeley-3rd and Darby Hall-4th

Novice Fences:  Lauren Broderick-2nd, Ali
Mahloch-2nd, Bethany Erli-5th, and Hannah Bardo-6th

Open Flat:  Whitney Mahloch-2nd and Alex  Amos-6th

Intermediate Flat:  Hannah Reeley-1st and Hannah Bardo-3rd

Novice Flat:  Ali Mahloch-1st, Chelsey Sears- 2nd, Jennifer Kieras-3rd, Cortni Bigley-3rd, Lauren Broderick-4th, and Bethany Erli-5th

Advanced Walk-Trot-Canter:  Abigail Paul-2nd

Beginning Walk-Trot-Canter:  Tracey Dykstra- 3rd

Walk-Trot:  Whitney Damron-2nd

“With this season ending I feel that it has overall gone well,” said Paul.  “I have personally pointed up into a new division, qualified for regionals in Western, and I am close to qualifying for regionals in Hunt Seat.”
Several members of the Equine teams ride in both Hunt and Western shows.  Those riders would be Karen Cannon, freshman, Tracy Dykstra, freshman, Ali Mahloch, freshman, Whitney Mahloch, junior, Abigail Paul, senior, Jordyn Perrott, junior, and Chelsey Sears, senior.
“Sometimes it is annoying to switch back and forth between Hunt and Western because of the different body positions,” Paul said.  “But in the end I am getting more experience and more riding time.”
The Western team ended their fall season on Nov. 13 at a show in Brookston, hosted by Purdue University and Purdue-Calumet.
The weather seemed to cooperate for the morning show but as the day went on it began to rain.
“We had to make sure that the horses were taken to either the barn or back to the trailer if they were already done for the day,” said Katrina Muhs, freshman.  “This was because we didn’t want the saddles getting wet and we just wanted to make sure the horses were in good condition.”
In the morning show Purdue University came away with the High Point Team with 22 points, SMWC came in right behind with Reserve Team at 18 points, and Morgan Purdy was named the High Point Rider.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

Reining: Morgyn Purdy-1st

Open Rail:  Morgyn Purdy-5th

Advanced: Chelsey Sears-2nd and Ashley Bruner- 4th

Novice: Erika Stanley-2nd, Victoria Toy-3rd, Jordyn Perrot-4th, and Ali Mahloch-6th

Intermediate II: Tracey Dykstra-1st, Karen Cannon-2nd, Emily Theising-2nd, Katrina Muhs- 3rd, Abigail Paul-3rd, and Madison Haruff-6th

Walk Trot: Jena Thralls-2nd, Logan Fry-3rd, and Kaitlyn Wainscott-5th

The afternoon show once again resulted in Purdue University coming away with the High Point Team with 26 points and SMWC with the Reserve at 16 points.

The individual results are as follow:

Advanced: Whitney Mahloch-3rd

Novice: Jordyn Perrott-1st, Erika Stanley-1st, Ali Mahloch-5th, and Victoria Toy-5th

Intermediate II: Katrina Muhs-1st, Karen Cannon-1st, Abigail Paul-2nd, Tracey Dykstra-4th, and Maidson Haruff-6th

Walk Trot:  Logan Fry-1st and Kaitlyn Wainscott- 2nd

Western will return in January with its first show of the new year hosted by SMWC on Jan. 29. The Hunt Seat team will have its next show on Feb. 5-6 at Black Dog Farms, hosted Taylor University and Ball State University.

Popularity: 58% [?]

By Allison Foster
Staff Writer

The Pomeroys were unable to bounce back against the College of Mount St. Joseph in a weekend tourney game Nov. 19 and 20. The final score was 55-74.
On the weekend of Nov. 19 and 20 Saint Mary-of-the-Woods basketball took on the host team, College of Mount St. Joseph. The Pomeroys took a three-hour ride to Cincinnati, Ohio for this game.
“It was an easy trip down to Cincinnati,” said Head Coach  Deanna Bradley.
There were about 100 people in attendance for the game.
“After coaching for more than 20 years, I rarely get nervous before games,” Bradley said.  “If we prepare well in practice, the team should perform well in games and that is our goal.”
Once halftime came around on during the Nov. 19 game, the Pomeroys found themselves down by 10 points, but there was still time.
One important factor about the SMWC team is that they never give up and that is what helps them win their games Bradley explained.
Luckily after halftime the team played a very good second half and they were able to get the victory for the game within the last 36 seconds by three points.
“Mount St. Joseph has a good team, and the players are very aggressive. We were evenly matched,” Bradley said of the MSJ team players.
On Saturday Nov. 20 at 5 p.m., the Pomeroys went up against United States Corporate Athletic Association (USCAA) opponent Spalding University from Louisville for the championship game. SMWC is a long-standing rival of Spalding’s women’s basketball team. At halftime, the Pomeroys were behind by 13 points.
“This early in the season, teams are figuring out what they can do,” Bradley said.  “We still have a long way to perform at the pace level we would like for the entire game.”
Chelsey Barron, junior, and Jordan Barton, freshman were named to the All-Tournament team at the end of the game.
“It’s always nice to have players awarded for their performances, yet everyone on this team knows, those two would give up the award to have won the game,” Bradley explained.  “That’s what I really like about this group, they are so unselfish.”

Popularity: 31% [?]

By Eileen Vera
Columnist

“When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.” – Kahlil Gibran

My 84-year-old mother passed away just weeks ago, on Veteran’s Day, after many months of suffering.  My father, who passed away nine years earlier, was a veteran of World War II and Korea.  I’d like to believe he greeted her with a patriotic parade!  Although this is a very comforting thought for me, Thanksgiving was very sad this year.   There were no family get-togethers.  None of us felt like celebrating.  It just felt wrong.
I’m sure many of us can relate to this.  How do we cope with our grief during the holidays when everyone around us is celebrating?  Even though we may put on a brave face, inside we may feel sad and alone.
Grief, for whatever reason, can make the holidays difficult to endure.  Maybe a loved-one recently passed away, or perhaps a parent, sibling or spouse is serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, and you miss them terribly.
Whatever the cause of your grief, it’s important to know that you are not alone, and there are some constructive ways to cope.  Sutter Children’s Center in Sacramento, Calif., offers some good advice for coping with grief during the holidays:
• Pace Yourself:  Eat right and get plenty of rest and exercise.  Resist the temptation to get caught up in a hectic schedule of meaningless activities.
• Make a Plan:  Look ahead to where, how and with whom you will spend your family holidays.  It’s okay to create some new traditions (e.g., volunteer for a good cause).  This will help the healing process.
•  Be Open to Support:  Allow others to help you with the holiday duties.  Delegate and don’t feel as if you have to create a picture-perfect holiday.
• Express Your Feelings:  It is normal to experience “grief triggers” during the holidays such as hearing a favorite song, or remembering a cherished tradition.  It is much better to express your sorrow than to hold it in.  Don’t be afraid to share your feelings with a trusted friend.  At your family celebrations, reminisce about your loved-one in your conversations, pull out the old photographs, say a special prayer, light a candle.
• Be Creative:  Engaging in artistic activities helps to heal the heart and soul.  Make a special ornament to hang on the tree.  Create a “gratitude bowl,” writing down on slips of colorful paper all of things you are grateful for, and all of the happy memories you have of your loved-one.  Place the bowl as a centerpiece on your table.
Although it’s a tough assignment, it’s important to allow yourself to have fun during the holidays.  Don’t feel guilty about it.
In the words of Psychologist Dale G. Larson, who spoke about holiday grief to The Washington Post, “You honor your loved-one by allowing joy.  They would want that.  It doesn’t weaken your connection.”
On Thanksgiving night, I called my Aunt Edna, my mother’s only sister, who lives a hundred miles away in Philadelphia.  My aunt also decided to spend Thanksgiving alone this year, even though she had multiple offers for dinner.
“It’s just too soon,” she said, but she remained optimistic about the holidays.
I understood.  I explained to her that I had been looking through treasured old photos, which brought me great comfort and joy. I especially loved the photos of her and my mother with their parents, my grandparents.
Aunt Edna explained to me that her father, my grandfather, died suddenly a few weeks before Thanksgiving, when she and my mom were young teens.  One of her cherished memories was of her father staying up all night on Christmas Eve to set-up the trains under the tree.
Her heart was heavy reminiscing about being traumatized by her father’s sudden death and mother’s overwhelming grief.  She confided about how she never forgot the feeling of an empty house – with no family celebrations for Thanksgiving or Christmas that year.
Remembering the happy years, before her father passed away, with loud family gatherings with music and laughter filled her with joy. Her message to me was simple and clear – celebrate life – and do not feel guilty about it because that’s the way our loved-one would want it.
I’m looking forward to having my traditional Christmas Eve dinner this year with all of the trimmings, with my entire extended family present.  I’m sure mom will be looking down and smiling at all of us!

Eileen Vera is a professional writing major in the Woods External Degree program at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College.

Popularity: 27% [?]

By Danya Long
Editor-in-Chief

As the search for a president continues at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, the search firm of Witt/Kieffer has compiled the information from their on-campus interviews with students, faculty, and staff and has put together a packet of information that will be given to qualified candidates.
A group of semi-finalists for the position is anticipated to be selected by mid-January from the applications that are received. If all goes as planned, a selection of finalists would be chosen by early February and on-campus interviews with the candidates would follows by the end of February.
The SMWC presidential search committee and Witt/Kieffer are hoping to have a president for SMWC chosen soon after the interviews at the end of February.
The search firm and committee asks that if anyone has an ideas about specific candidates for the position of president to contact Dennis Barden, at 630-990-1370, or Kate Will, at 603-748-4399, of Witt/Kieffer.

Below is the advertisement SMWC is running for the presidential position.

“Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College near Terre Haute, Indiana is the nation’s oldest and most historic Catholic institution for women.  Its founder is, quite literally, a saint – Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, founder also of the college’s sponsoring order, the Sisters of Providence.  After 170 years of offering an outstanding liberal arts education for women, the college now boasts programs of distinction, graduate programs that serve significant needs in the marketplace, and a robust distance education program.  To catalyze its continued development as a singular institution of higher education in the Catholic tradition, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods seeks a president
Located on 1,200 spectacularly beautiful acres shared with the Sisters of Providence, The Woods (as it is popularly called) is truly a peaceful and contemplative environment in which to learn and to grow.  So significant is the sense of spirituality that imbues the institution that it somehow transcends the physical campus to affect the students of the college’s sizable distance learning programs, as well.  Much of the permeation of the environment must be credited to the Sisters of Providence, whose central missions of social and ecological justice, human services, and education are intrinsic to the college with whom their motherhouse shares a campus.
The president will lead this historic institution to a new standard of performance and service for the 21st Century.  Doing so will require a leader of vision who balances the internal and external responsibilities of the office, adding significant value on both counts.  He or she will be active in a Christian faith tradition and will resonate deeply with both Catholic and women’s higher education.  The president will have a broad understanding of the issues facing higher education, combined with the leadership qualities necessary to address those issues.  Of particular import is the ability to lead a process of strategic visioning that results in a widely-embraced plan for the college’s future and the ability to provide leadership for the execution of that plan, including the ability to assist the college in adding resources.  An earned terminal degree is required, as is a significant track record as a relationship builder and as a successful advocate internally and externally.
[SMWC] finds itself in need of compelling and inspirational leadership at a moment of significant opportunity.  Its next president will be in a position to make a personal impact on this historic institution.”

Popularity: 29% [?]

By Stephanie Dolan
Columnist

Today is Samantha’s sixteenth birthday.  It is morning, and she is preparing for another day at school.  The genius that is John Hughes has Molly Ringwold (playing Samantha) looking in the mirror, searching for even the most miniscule sign that today shows somehow on her face or person.  She searches, she fumes in frustration and disgusted dejection.  We feel her pain because…there is no visible difference.  Not even the slightest most subtle sign that, today, she is transformed.
Now, exit movie-land and join me in a much more black-and-white reality.  I am Samantha in this scenario.  I am returning to college for the first time in 16 years.  I awoke my first day with the sharp knowledge that this is big.  This year is the first year of my intentionally choosing to veer off on a completely different life path.  Five years ago, when
I graduated from massage school, I was sure that I had life “figured out”.  I was sure that massage was what I was supposed to be doing.
Then my favorite massage instructor asked if she could read my exit essay during graduation.  As soon as she finished reading my words aloud, announcing my name to the crowded room upon completion, an older gentleman sitting two rows behind me said very quietly but very clearly, “Stephanie Dolan should be a writer.”
I gasped.  This stranger had caught me off guard, but as soon as he made the statement I knew he was right.  I never got a chance to meet him as he slipped out as soon as the ceremony was over, but that perfect stranger changed my life with his six quiet words.
Those few words unlocked my own voice.  Fast forward a few years, and here I am back in school… something I never thought would happen. But I will not be attending classes on a campus, with a group or in the physical company of a professor.  I will be completing all of my classes online.
For me, this is added pressure.  There will be no comforting glances across the classroom at classmates.  There will be no professor to immediately answer questions on the other side of a raised hand.
Because of the diaphanous nature of my “attendance” in class, I am “free” to attend at will, or not.  I can log on to the D2L website in between clients, after work, on my day off, on a lunch break or during a lazy trip to Starbuck’s.
Amazing freedom, right?  My first day – all day – I’m thinking surely I’m supposed to be doing something – something specific – of which I am moronically ignorant.
What about Webinars?  I don’t believe there are any scheduled for today, but this whole thing is online.  Surely there are things happening online that I’m missing by not being online at this very moment!
Could it really be as simple as just logging on, checking out the assignments due at the end of the first week, and getting to work on my own? For lack of a better plan, this is what I will do.
I received an email from my advisor telling me that all was well.  No, I hadn’t done anything wrong.  Yes, I should just begin completing assignments. I should breathe. And, most importantly, I should stop freaking out.  Good advice, if I can take it.
When I read her advice for the first time, I’m at work and things are, at the moment, slow.  As a massage therapist, my schedule can swing back and forth between frantically busy days and days so slow as to be mind-numbing.  My mode is currently “set” to mind numbing – a good thing, for once, because there are only so many things I can focus on without making Xanax a big part of that day.
That was roughly 95 days ago.
I’m still alive, still passing (although my English professor is, I believe, wondering how the heck a girl majoring in Journalism can be doing such pitiful work in Research & Composition) and somehow – thus far – managing to work two jobs and “attend” school simultaneously.
My secret?  I carry my laptop with me pretty much wherever I go.  If I have a spare moment I power up, I log on and get to work.  By the time I finish the two classes I’m currently taking I will have amassed 25 credits (counting the meager few that were transferrable when I enrolled this past September).  Then, I’ll only have around a 100 more to go.
Can I maintain my momentum and my motivation on my own for that long?  If my current progress is any indication, bring it on! I am completely bound to a life that is little more than coursework, massage clients and sleep (when I can get it).

Stephanie Dolan is a student in the Woods External Degree program. She lives in Indianapolis.

Popularity: 23% [?]

By Jena Thralls
Columnist

Remember the story about squishing a deer with the loser’s truck I told you about? Well it’s about time for another one. Except this story not with a deer, but a pony instead.
Don’t worry, I didn’t hit a pony with a truck. In fact, I didn’t get behind the wheel at all! Same place, same shit, and a different day. I was working at a local business and had a pretty close relationship with my boss. A husband and a wife owned the business, and at least one of them was always in and out of the office.
Jim always gave me a hard time when he came in. He was a funny guy, who over-analyzed everything. I’ve always been independent and have never really relied on a significant other for any reason. He over-analyzed this into a false assumption that I was gay.
I was taken aback by this, and I argued fervently with him that I was not gay. I explained to him that I was looking for the right person, and that he was going to be pretty much perfect for me. He’d be smart, have a good job, be able to support the family, and so on. When I finally finished rambling, there was a moment of silence, where Jim just stared at me.
Finally, he questioned, “So, you’re telling me that if a man showed up on a white horse, with roses and candy, you’d go on a date with him?”
During my explanation, he’d apparently made a lot of other assumptions too. I couldn’t even argue with him anymore. So, I just laughed and said, “Sure.”
The day went on and I didn’t think anything of the conversation we’d had. It was hardly out of the ordinary. Come four o’clock it was time to go home.  Just as I was walking out the door reality hit me like a stack of bricks. I had completely dismissed the fact that Jim had a son, who was a graduate from Rose- Hulman, working as a full-time chemical engineer. A genius. Very nice. Computer-junkie-never-had-a-girlfriend kind of guy.
And there he was standing right in front of me. Riding a stick pony with roses and a candy bar. My face turned white. I’m pretty sure I looked up to the sky and thought, “Really?”
Cody smiled behind his glasses, “So you want to go on a date?” And he was dead serious.
What could I say? Seriously, think about it. This guy went to Toys ’R’ Us, walked straight down the stick pony isle, looked for a white unicorn, picked it up, waited in line with it, and paid for it. Then he rode his brand spankin’ new stick pony to the nearest flower shop to buy flowers. And then with his flowers and stick pony he took time to pick out the best candy bar ever invented—which was a Carmello, by the way.
So yes, of course I went on a date with the kid.
Of all places, Cody chose to go to Indianapolis. I have to say it was really classy, but still not my cup of tea. We went ice-skating and then out to eat at a nice restaurant afterwards. It was the most awkward experience ever. First, he wanted to hold my hand the entire time we skated. And I mean the entire time was a long damn time. Circle, after circle, after another stupid circle. I didn’t even care that we were holding hands. My ankles were on fire. My skates were splitting them in half.
The car ride home, he (not I) talked about math equations. I never thought I’d be engaged in such a conversation. Except, I wasn’t really engaged in it at all.
When he finally brought me back to my car, I’ve never moved fast enough in my life. Nothing like trying to avoid that completely unnecessary first date kiss thing. Yikes!
Anyway, Cody and I were still on good terms at least. I mean, at least I didn’t wreck his car.  He was a very nice guy, and I actually enjoyed the date more than I thought I would. Aside from the fact that my ankles are still scarred to this day, I guess it was fun while it lasted.

Popularity: 27% [?]

By Danya Long
Editor-in-Chief
Everyone knows what it is, and most of us have probably experienced it at one point in time or another. For some, it can be a fatal disease. Okay, maybe not fatal, but it can sure seem like it! It can come on at any time, out of the blue, and knock you flat on the couch. A lot of people experience it around their junior or senior year of high school and then again as early as their sophomore year in college. Some rare, lucky individuals never experience it at all. That’s right, it’s none other than senioritis!
As for me, I contracted a mild case of senioritis in high school at the end of my junior year. It’s hard to have really bad senioritis in high school, knowing that at least four more years of college are lurking in the distance. It went away when I started college. I thought I was in the clear for awhile at least…I was definitely wrong.
This time, my senioritis came back with a vengeance my sophomore year. I still had three more years of college, but my mind was ready to graduate right away. Now that I’m a senior, I have learned to work through the disease that affects me every day of the week, that is until now.
I’ll be graduating in May and even though I have about 6 months left, my mind says now! I know I’m not the only one feeling this way. I think the excitement of graduating hits everyone, and then the realization that there will be no more homework, no more staying up until 4 a.m. working on papers, and no more going to classes all day long. This is enough to make anyone ready to leave now!
“Senioritis in college is definitely worse than it is in high school. You have the same lack of motivation, but there’s a lot more homework to do now versus high school,” said senior Paige Gill.
For some students like Gill, they have graduate school to look forward to after they graduate here. However, some don’t go straight into it because they need a break from all of the stresses of school.
“I’m looking forward to having a break from homework,” said Gill. “Grad school is definitely in my future, but it will be nice to not have to deal with school for a year or two.”
If you’re suffering from senioritis and don’t know what to do, join the club. The only advice I have is to breathe and maybe watch a movie. Take a small break…it may not help but you might feel a little better afterwards! I suggest a comedy, the laughs usually make people feel better!

Popularity: 20% [?]

By Jade Scott
Editor-in-Chief

Zahra Adni, junior at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, was born on July 28, 1990, in Algeria.  The majority of Adni’s family is from the Berber Mountains and the Roman area of Algeria.
In the 1700’s Algeria was colonized by the French and stayed for more than 200 years.  Most of Algeria’s language and educational system is heavily influenced by the French.
Adni’s mother, who is from the Roman area of Algeria, is a French Muslim who has three bachelor’s degrees in French, Arabic, and Biochemistry.  Even though she was born in Algeria she spent most of her younger years as a nanny in Paris for a Jewish family that were close friends of the family.
When Adni was only a toddler they were driven out of Algeria due to the civil unrest and the terrorist organizations that were corrupting the country.
“We were on our way to France to spend the Christmas vacation when the plane we were in got hijacked,” she said.
Her family was not able to go back to Algeria and her mother did not want them living in Paris.  So, the alternative was to come to the United States where they settled in West Lafayette with an uncle that was teaching at Purdue University.
Even though Adni has spent the majority of her life in America, she still adheres to the many traditions, customs, and beliefs of her country and religion.  Most of the citizens of Algeria are Muslim but there is also a large amount of Catholics and Jewish citizens.
Weddings are a major event in the Islamic religion.  They are very detailed oriented and last for about a week.  There are several days where all of the families gather for lunches and dinners are different houses.
They eat a lot of lamb, put parsley, olive oil, garlic, and cilantro in everything they cook, and all of their meat must be all natural.
Since Algeria had been occupied by the French for so long, and the Spanish before that, their language, Algerian, is a mix of Arabic, Spanish, and French.
Adni admits that since she has been in American for so long she is not used to the customs in Algeria.
“I have been back to visit family twice and I always feel like a foreigner,” Adni said.

Popularity: 36% [?]

By Jade Scott
Editor-in-Chief

Every single day Zahra Adni, junior at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and young Muslim woman, covers her head with a hijab.  She has several colors and even different patterns.  She has been doing it since she was 13 and she does it by choice.
In the United States every citizen has basic human rights that allow them the freedom of speech, freedom of expression, etc.
But in December 2003 in France, a ban was proposed to outlaw all religious symbols and was backed by Parliament.   This ban came into effect on Sept. 2 and forbidden items include Muslim headscarf, Sikh turbans, Jewish skullcap, and large Christian crucifixes.
“We look at issues of religious liberty from within the bounds of our Constitution – peaceful religious express is simply a given here and no federal, state, or local authority gets away with burdening it for very long,” said Pat McIntyre, professor of theology.  “France does not have the same conceptual framework or the same commitment to multiculturalism that we have.”
According to BBC news, at the time when the ban came into effect it affected more than 12 million children in France and The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life estimates that France has about 3.5 million Muslims, or about six percent of the population.
Most Islamic legal systems require women to be fully covered with only their face and hands visible in public and in front of non-family males.
“It is like making people choose between their religion and their work or school,” said Adni.
Many countries debate whether or not the Islamic women should be required to be fully covered like Iran and Saudi Arabia, while France and Turkey argue that is should be banned from public all together.
“I don’t think that it is fair that a government can tell its people what they are allowed to wear,” said Adni.  “I knew that France had a complete separation of state and church, but when I read about what was going on I felt like they were trying to get rid of all religious symbols.”
On Sept. 14, the French senate approved a law banning any veils that cover the face — including the burqa, the full-body covering worn by some Muslim women — making France the first European country to plan such a measure.
The law passed by a vote of 246 to one, with about 100 abstentions coming essentially from left-leaning politicians and it will go into effect in the spring of 2011.
The ban is designed to maintain France’s tradition of strictly separating state and religion as well as for security reasons and to bring sexual equality.
“The burka represents not a piece of fabric but the political manipulation of a religion that enslaves women and disputes the principle of equality between men and women, one of the founding principles of our republic,” Fadela Amara, French Minister for Urban Regeneration, told BBC News on Aug. 15.
But in 1905 when the law of separation of church and state was passed on Dec. 5, it was based on three basic principles: the neutrality of the state, the freedom of religious exercise, and public powers related to the church. This law is seen as the backbone of the French principle of laïcité, which is a concept of a secular society, denoting the absence of religious involvement in government affairs as well as absence of government involvement in religious affairs.
“In Islam, the women have every right to choose if they want to cover or not,” Adni said.  “I have a friend that lives in Saudi Arabia and she chooses to cover her face even though she doesn’t have to.”
While it does ban the wearing of the burqa is does not ban wearing the hijab or chador (covers the body but not the face), unless worn in school because of the ban in 2004.
“The French are very protective of their cultural heritage, their European sense of themselves, and of their social liberties,” said McIntyre.
The French Constitutional Council said the law did not impose disproportionate punishments or prevent the free exercise of religion in a place of worship, finding therefore that the law conforms to the Constitution.
“I really do not know what I would do if I were to go back to France right now,” said Adni.  “A part of me feels like I would leave it [hijab] on because I don’t think that one country can tell me what I can and cannot wear but at the same time I would take it off because I wouldn’t want problems.”
In an article done by CNN in September, the law imposes a fine of 150 euros ($190) and/or a citizenship course as punishment for wearing a face-covering veil.
The French government said forcing women to wear a niqab or a burqa is a new form of enslavement that the republic cannot accept on its soil.
“Under the leadership of women like Simone de Beauvoir, France produced some of the foundational tenets of feminism and that society has worked very hard to figure out how to be a modern, socially equitable culture,” said McIntyre.
Whether or not the ban is for sexual equality, the growing need for separation of church and state, or for security reason it will be enforced starting in the spring.
“The outcome could lead to total chaos,” Adni said.  “There is going to be an outcry because I feel it would take away their freedom to wear their religious symbols.”

Popularity: 100% [?]

By Shelby Becker
Staff Writer

Most people do not think too much about the chocolate they eat, but without the intervention of science there would no be no chocolate in anyone’s Christmas feast.
Currently scientists are racing to create a genetic copy of the cacao plant, from which we get chocolate.
Without the genetic copy the scientific community believes the plant could die out and hurt an already fragile global economy.
The cacao plant was first used by Mayans over 1,500 years ago as a crop and sacred drink, but disease like the fungus Witch’s Bloom has driven it to near extinction in the Americas.
As of right now, more than 70 percent of the world’s supply of chocolate is derived from West Africa, specifically Cote D’Ivoire.
If the diseases were to cross the Atlantic Ocean and infect Africa, even just a few pods, the cost would be devastating.  At least 1/3 of the total world production would be no more.
The Cacao plants in West Africa have no immunity to the diseases like Witch’s Bloom and Frosty Pod. The spores of the infected plants would be spread by wind and accidently by famers.
Besides copying the genetic sequence, scientists are breeding Cacao plants resistant to the diseases, but the process is slow.
Until then, quarantines on chocolate crops in West Africa and testing done by the FDA will slow the disease until science finishes the genetic code and keys to resistant the disease.

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