text:
Shelf-Rockin' Beats for Skinflints
By Brendan I. Koerner
There are really two types of stereo users in this world: those who will settle for nothing less than all-tube pre-amps with speakers bigger than a fat man's coffin, and those who make do with all-in-one shelf systems. The latter group is by far the larger, as most folks don't see the need to drop $2,999 in order to better enjoy the nuances of that Bob Marley: Legend disc they bought in 1997. Audiophilia is an exceedingly rare affliction in our society, for better and for worse.
Yet shelf systems, even on the low end, are a lot mightier than a few years back, 100 watts of power and dual tape decks were enough to make your dormmates jealous. And while the geek fixed-audio buzz is all about massive iPod docks, the store windows on 125th Street are all about shelf systems with Buck Rodgers looks and price tags on par with a 1-gig iPod Shuffle. After the jump, Low End Theory checks out the shelf-system scene at Record Shack. PLUS: One more chance to share your tales of Sharper Image excess.
First, a little preface about where the shelf-system market's at right now. After a few years in the doldrums, sales have picked up significantly over the past two years; in 2004 alone, U.S. unit sales increased by 15.4 percent to 7.06 million stereos. A lot of that's attributable to manufacturers making the systems CD-R and CD-RW compatible, as well as adding easily accessible AUX inputs for playing digital devices.
Alright, enough drab industry speak. On to the goods.
Though the shelf systems of days gone by were typically priced for the broke-ass college set, there's been a recent upward trend toward—or sometimes above—the perilous $500 mark. Take Yamaha's MCR-E600, which adds DVD playback to the mix. Or my personal favorite, the JVC EX-A1, with its wooden speaker cones treated with (I kid you not) sake.
But Record Shack, thank God, likes to keep its price tags below $200. Hey, you'd expect nothing less from a store that sells a $19 black-and-white TVs, right?
Low End Theory was tempted by the Sharp XL-MP150 Microsystem, which was on sale for $129.99. The five CD changer was pretty snazzy, and, yeah, I was hypnotized by the flashing blue LED that syncs to the music. Great bell/whistle there, Sharp! But 220 watts of power? Weak sauce, my friends. Weak sauce.
The better deal, for just $10 more, is the 360-watt JVC MX-KC4, which Record Shack had proudly displayed in the window. Not only does it look like something from the bridge of an Imperial-class star destroyer, but it's also got (per the hype sheet) "RHYTHMMAX function to intensify music." As best as I can tell, this is a simple bass booster. But points for creativity go out to JVC's copywriters.
The Record Shack clerk was gracious enough to cue up some DMX so I could test out the sound. The verdict? Loud. Very loud. Beyond that, there isn't too much to say in this unit's defense, except that it delivers plenty of oomph for the buck. Let's do the math: 2.57 watts per dollar. Not bad, considering that in 2003, the rule of thumb was more like 1 watt per dollar for brand-name shelf systems.
The bottom line is that, as long as they can adapt to new music formats, shelf systems ain't going nowhere. What would the dorm-room experience be, after all, without them? The bedrooms are too small to accommodate full-blown stereos, and making love to the tinny sounds of a clock radio just doesn't cut it.
LAST CHANCE FOR GLORY: In last week's column, I asked for reader submissions regarding the zaniest Sharper Image products they could recall. The appeal attracted a few top-notch entries, but not nearly enough. So let's add another week to the contest, and see if anyone can earn the twin prizes: ever-lasting fame (i.e. an adoring mention in this space), plus a copy of Roller Coaster Tycoon 3. Drop me a line at firstname.lastname@example.com, and share your tales of Sharper Image gadgets that probably should've been left on the drawing board. Extra points for gizmos released before 1989.
Brendan I. Koerner is a contributing editor at Wired and a columnist for both The New York Times and Slate. His Low End Theory column appear every Thursday on Gizmodo.


text:
George Osborne extends council tax freeze
Money to extend a council tax freeze in England to 2012-13 has been unveiled by Chancellor George Osborne.
The government cannot force councils to freeze bills but it is offering to give those that limit spending rises to 2.5% the money they need.
Money would also be offered to the Scottish and Welsh administrations, which will choose how it is spent.
The £805m move will be funded by efficiency savings but Labour said it would save people just £72 a year.
A similar pledge was included in the coalition agreement and resulted in all local authorities in England freezing or reducing their council tax bills in 2011-12.
'Not awash with money'
Mr Osborne, who is making his big speech to the Conservative Party conference in Manchester at about midday, had promised to freeze council tax for two years when the party was in opposition.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the government was showing it could help families "where we can" in difficult times, despite the government not being "awash with money" as it tackles the budget deficit.
He said, halfway through the financial year, it was apparent Whitehall departments were going to spend "a little way short" of the £350bn expected.
"This is often the case but sometimes government has just sat on that money because it hasn't mattered so much. I think at times like this if we've got anything spare, we should spend it."
Scotland will get an extra £67.5m in its block grant but ministers are still deciding how to spend it. The SNP has already pledged to freeze council tax for five years.
The chancellor is under pressure to spell out detailed plans to get the UK economy growing again amid mounting criticism from Labour and senior figures in his own party.
He told the BBC he would also be announcing "major investment in cutting-edge science", involving the material graphene in high performance computing, as well as a programme to extend mobile phone coverage to six million people and transport infrastructure investments.
'Can-do attitude'
The government had "activist" policies on dealing with the deficit, keeping interest rates low and cutting corporate taxes and more investment in apprenticeships, he said.
He cited the increase in time an employee has to work before they can claim unfair dismissal as an example of how the government will lift the burden on business.
But in his BBC interview he reiterated that his "substantial strategy to deal with Britain's debts in a global debt storm" was essential to keep interest rates down.
Mr Osborne, who will leave the conference early to attend a meeting of European finance ministers in Luxembourg, also said a resolution to the eurozone crisis "would do more to boost the UK economy than anything else in the world at the moment".
With business groups calling for further help, Mr Osborne said his corporation tax cut from 28% to 23% - announced in March's Budget - was a "real sign of our commitment to getting business growing."
The Institute of Directors has called for corporation tax to be cut to 15%.
And on Saturday senior Conservative backbencher Andrew Tyrie said the government was not doing enough to promote economic growth.
The bulk of Mr Osborne's plans will not be announced until November in the second phase of the government's growth review.
For Labour, shadow Treasury minister Chris Leslie said: "Out-of-touch ministers don't seem to understand that people are struggling with rising prices and energy bills now, but this policy means no help for another six months.
"It would mean just £72 for a typical household, which is a fraction of the extra £450 a year the Tory VAT rise alone is costing a couple with children."
And Dave Prentis, head of the union Unison, accused the Conservatives of "playing to the gallery".
"They have found millions by making public sector workers tighten their belts. Workers who have had their pay frozen for two years and are being forced to pay more for a smaller pension. These workers are council taxpayers too."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Distance Between Berrien Center and Paradise = Miles
Calculated driving distance between Berrien Center, Michigan and Paradise, Michigan is miles, this equals kilometres. Estimated driving time is in current traffic conditions. With an average car, this trip would cost around $ in gasoline, since you would need about gallons of fuel.(Based on current US Gas prices and average mileage of 3.6 gallons gas per mile).
Leaving from Berrien Center, Michigan located in Michigan - United States you would reach Paradise, Michigan (Michigan - United States) in about driving an average speed of miles per hour to cover the miles, assuming traffic conditions stay unchanged and you don't take any breaks.
Map Overview
The map overview below shows the best driving route from Berrien Center, Michigan to Paradise, Michigan as a blue line on the map, with starting point (Berrien Center) marked A, and destination point (Paradise) marked B. You can zoom in on the map to view road numbers, street names and other details both in Berrien Center, Michigan and Paradise, Michigan as well as every other town near or on your route.


text:
Jennifer Eggers, Class of 1994, marketing; Bill Lane, Class of 1975, accounting; and Mike Piwowar, Class of 1998, finance; were welcomed into the Penn State Smeal College of Business Hammond Society at the March 28 Smeal Alumni Society Board Awards Program and Hammond Society Recognition Dinner.
Induction into the Hammond Society serves to honor alumni who have demonstrated commitment to Smeal and to foster their continued involvement in the college. Membership is offered to alumni of the college who have served out their maximum term on the Smeal Alumni Society Board (ASB) as an at-large director.
Eggers is president of Leader Shift Authentic Insights. She served on the ASB from 1999-2008 and again from 2009-14, serving as president in 2012 and 2013.
Lane is senior director of global government and corporate affairs for Caterpillar. He served on the ASB from 2005-14 and was chair of the Recruitment Task Force for part of that time.
Piwowar was appointed by President Barack Obama as commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and was sworn in on Aug. 15, 2013. He served on the ASB from 2007-13.
"Induction into the Hammond Society is our way of recognizing the years of outstanding service these alumni have given us through the Alumni Society Board," said Jennifer Crispell, director of alumni relations at Smeal. "The members of the Hammond Society remain engaged friends of the college and their fellow alumni."
The dinner also serves to recognize current Hammond Society members. J. D. Hammond, former dean of Smeal for whom the society is named, was in attendance along with his wife, Marian. In addition, Hammond Society members Larry Griest, Class of 1979, master of business administration; Patrick Mazzolla, Class of 1969, management; Carol Shaffer, Class of 1974, finance; and Ed Wilson, Class of 1970, marketing; also attended.
The Hammond Society is named in recognition of Hammond, who served as dean of the college from 1989-99, for his support and profound influence in the development of the ASB.


text:
The rhythm, every seventh or every twentieth breath, is best set at each individual's favorite number (seven happens to be mine). The point is not so much to count breaths as it is to become conscious of the breath and to initiate repeated deep breaths throughout the day. It could as easily be 10 or 12 full breaths per hour or a deep breath every 5 minutes. The primary feature of this particular technique is to spread the dramatic value of deep breathing throughout the whole day.
For example, a number or patients (health seekers) who have digital watches have set their alarms to remind them to take this breath. Another technique is to place colored sticker dots (available at office supply stores) to phones, mirrors, doors, etc. as constant reminders . Not only does the successful practice of this method give excellent physiological results but it also enhances consciousness or awareness.
It is very evident in the clinic that those people who become conscious enough to allow new health practices into their lives often have results that would be defined as dramatic by medical science. Note that the application suggestions for this breath technique tie it to awareness and consciousness. This is a truly extraordinary practice. When you master it authentically, you will literally be a new person. There is nothing but our inability to remember and our compulsive addiction to complexity and business that would keep one who is in need of healing from doing this practice constantly throughout the day. This method is truly the profound within the simple.
Application Suggestions:


text:
Vol. XLIII—No. 13
Bethel College, St. Paul, Minn. Thursday, December 12, 1968
Dwight Jessup (front, center) , political science instructor
poses in New York with his "U.N. delegation" of eleven Bethel
Manhattan Island as seen from the United Nations Plaza,
where a group of Bethel students spent 2 days during Thanksgiving
Festival proclaims "Joy Unspeakable"
Welds music, art, drama
into unique production
C. Edward Thomas, will both be
coordinated with slides from the
art department.
The exhuberant version of "Joy
To The World," accompanied by
brass, tympani and piano, presents
a bombastic and fitting close for
"Rejoice with Joy Unspeakable."
The art department has provided
the mural and slides. Elliot Don-nels
has compiled an excellent
script of poetry and scripture, nar-rated
by Sandra Holyer, Janet
Hurt, and Roger Inouye.
crown for a panoramic view of low-er
Manhattan and the harbor. The
leaves still blew around the 'num-erous
parks and squares scattered
throughout the city.
The thought of a full broadway
production became a reality as
many of us saw the performing
theater at its best. Even the musi-cal
and TV stage performances
were realized in their full dimen-sion
at one of the largest musical
halls in the world where we at-tended
a premiere.
As if the city of New York was
not enough, we traveled to Fair-field,
Connecticut, for a Sunday af-ternoon
and evening where the
cont'd on page 2
Four Bethel students particpiate
in institutional racism conference
Bethelites see U.N. in operation
by Linda Sparks
"Rejoice with Joy Unspeakable"
dominates Bethel's Twelfth Annual
Festival of Christmas this weekend,
December 13-15. As theme, it has
become a major concern for those
in music, speech, drama, and art.
As chill infiltrates the air and
tinsel and colored lights begin to
twinkle across the city, and as
dorm decorations gradually take
shape from tissue paper, glue,
paints, general disorder and hilar-ity,
preparations for Bethel's year-ly
Christmas pageant are speedily
being brought to a climax.
Having begun in September, the
long hours of preparation will cul-minate
this weekend in four Festi-val
of Christmas performances rep-resenting
a joint effort of music,
speech, drama, art, and hard work,
to produce a program of praise to
God for the Saviour's birth. For
students, faculty, staff, parents, and
friends of Bethel, it has become
one of the main highlights of the
This year, an atmosphere of joy
is set by a prelude of carols and
Christmas songs played by the
Bethel Band.
The Festival Choir then marches
into the darkened Fieldhouse, col-ored
candles aglow, on the trium-phant
note, "The King Shall Come."
The choir, a combination of College
Choir, Women's Choir, Male Chor-us
and extras, directed by Oliver
Mogck begins the program with,
"What Strangers Are These?",
written by Purvis. Soloists are Lin-ae
Sunberg, Patricia Sandberg, and
Dan Wickman.
Next is a sweeping piece by But-ler,
"Jesus Is Born, Alleluia," ac-
While fellow students were eat-ing
turkey on Thanksgiving day,
a group of 11 Bethel students and
political science instructor Dwight
Jessup headed for New York City
by jet for an extended weekend of
activities. The major intent of the
tour was to see the United Nations
in action and attend the Interna-tional
Affairs Seminar sponsored
by the Church Center For The
United Nations.
Upon arrival the $2 bus ride
from JFK airport to the downtown
bus terminal conditioned us for the
next five days of cramming into
subways, standing in buses, wait-ing
for trains and ferries, walking,
and catching taxicabs. This was
often half the fun of getting a-companied
by brass and piano.
Christianson's "Lullaby On Christ-mas
Eve" follows with Nola Port
and Sylvia Wilkinson as solosists.
Women's Choir performs "Noel,"
by Kirk. an English carol, accom-panied
by flutes and piano, and "To
Shepherds Fast Asleep," by Davis,
directed by Oliver Mogck.
The spotlight now centers on the
Male Chorus, directed by C. How-ard
Smith, doing "Shepherds,
Awake!" by Davis and a selection
of Deis', "Christus Natu Est." The
men then give way to the most uni-que
part of the program.
"Amahl and the Night Visitors,"
written by the American, Gian-Car-lo
Menotti, so long rehearsed and
perfected by the College Choir;
adds a new dimension to this year's
Festival of Christmas. The opera
includes all the members of Col-lege
Choir, most as shepherds, vil-lagers
and acrobats, with leads
played by Jane Ahlquist, as Amahl,
Lois Lehman as the mother, P.
David Waite, Jonathan L. Larson
and Jon Nordstrom as the Wise-men,
and Richard Trinity as the
Dale Rott, as Producer-Director.
has had the job of making these
excellent singers equally excellent
actors. Dr. Robert Berglund, as Mu-sic
Director, has elicited that same
sound from the choir to which
Bethel has become accustomed.
Following Bonelli's "Tocatta,"
performed by the Brass Choir, the
Festival Choir returns for the tri-umphant
conclusion to an excellent
program. "Lift Up Your Heads, 0
Ye Gates," done in double choir
arrangement, and "Joy To The
World," arranged and directed by
by Dan Johnson
round to see and do things. Due
to the headaches and expense of
parking it was a pleasure not to
have any cars, but it also created
some pains after a few days of
roaming around.
Arrangements for lodging were
made at the Trinity Baptist church
right in Lower Manhattan where
they somehow provided Red Cross
cots for our added comfort. It is
really a unique Conference church
complete with a German Shepherd
dog living in the church with the
Our first major excursion took
us on the Staten Island Ferry for
a roundtrip for ten cents. The
Statue of Liberty even quivered
in the wind as we climbed to the
participants who felt that the NSA
staff had structured the conference
poorly and really wasn't telling
them anything about racism that
the group wasn't cognizant of it-self.
That night general dissatisfaction
with the running of the conference
was augmented by Father Hes-burg's
(President of Notre Dame)
speech dealing with civil rights in
which he engaged in a great deal
of paternalism and double-talk in
order to justify the discriminatory
activities of himself and his Board
of Trustees.
After Hesburg's speech, a third
of the audience left the room to
attend a question-answer session
with Father Hesburg. The other
two-thirds stayed to generally rap
Hesburg's speech and more specifi-cally
the direction (or lack of it)
that the conference was taking.
The NSA agenda for the confer-ence
then completely broke down
and a free university type situation
was planned. Anyone who felt they
had something meaningful to teach
cont'd on page 2
Cuts in funds
hit campuses
(ACP)—Chronicle of Higher Ed-ucation.
Programs under the first
education act signed by President
Johnson are becoming atrophied.
Shrinking funds for grants and
loans under the Higher Education
Facilities Act of 1963 mean serious
dislocations on the nation's cam-puses.
Two years of deep cuts in U. S.
Office of Education facilities grants
and loans have pared funds far be-low
the amounts needed to provide
adequate academic space to meet
burgeoning enrollments.
For many institutions the cut-backs
mean more years of over-crowded
classrooms, inadequate li-braries,
increased student fees, re-luctantly
raised admission stand-ards
to ease the pressures on space,
faculty recruitment difficulties,
curtailment of curriculums, and in-ability
to offer new courses.
The Office of Education expects
more of the same in fiscal 1970.
by Marjorie Rusche
Four Bethel students, Kathy An-derson,
Dean Pearson, Duane Per-kins,
and Marjorie Rusch partici-pated
in a National Student Asso-ciation
conference on institutional
racism held at Notre Dame during
Thanksgiving vacation.
In preparation for this confer-ence,
the members of the group
did research regarding the extent
of institutional racism existing on
Bethel campus. The research and
conclusions were presented in a pa-per
which was mailed to the NSA
two weeks prior to the conference.
Thursday night at the confer-ence,
the film, "No Vietnamese
Ever Called Me Nigger" was shown.
Then participants divided into
groups of fifty for Microlabs.
In the microlabs, a series of ex-ercises
loosened the tension within
each group so students could more
profitably work with each other in
the following days. Exercises in-cluded
verbal and non-verbal com-munication
in both large and small
groups, such as two people alter-nately
leading each other around
with the follower's eyes shut.
Friday morning David Steinberg
of the NSA staff lectured on the
"Introduction, Definition, and Anal-ysis
of Racism in America." Discus-sions
of the analysis extended into
late afternoon. Dissatisfaction, how-ever,
was being expressed among
Page 2
the CLARION Thursday, December 12, 1968
Maximum use of facilities
loosens grip of limitations
An important distinction, too often blurred, should be kept
in mind by those who, through their close proximity to the func-tioning
of Bethel, occassionally feel prompted to weigh the
shortcomings and strong points of the college. An evaluation,
to be meaningful, must distinguish between Bethel's resources
and facilities and the utilization of them.
Sometimes dissatisfaction with Bethel can be traced to a
failure to understand the inherent limitations of the college's
resources or facilities. For the most part these limitations are
ones with which Bethel must live; they need to be recognized
and understood in that context.
Such limitations, however, make optimum utilization of
what Bethel does have at its disposal imperative. This is a very
legitimate concern of all members of the college community,
and no one should refrain from according generous praise or
from voicing criticism when a situation calls for it.
This year Bethel has taken some progressive steps, both
small and large, towards extracting maximum mileage from
that which is available. The library, in opening its doors on
Sunday afternoon, has met a dire campus need for expanded
weekend study facilities. Student Services, by conveniently
centralizing campus notices in the Daily Calendar, has stopped
a monumental waste of paper and eased the endless cluttering
of P. 0. boxes with varied notices.
Whether it is something which meets an important student
need (like Sunday library hours) or something like the Daily
Calendar which smooths some of the bumps in the day to day
grind of attending school, students appreciate such action and
would like to see the same spirit carried into other areas.
For instance, it seems wasteful to close the gym Saturday
evenings and Sunday afternoons after seeing the bustling ac-tivity
there during the week. For a few more dollars, Bethel
could make the fieldhouse facilities available to those who desire
some weekend relaxation or to those who are unable to use
the gym during the week.
The student center could also be used more extensively.
The college has permitted students to remain in the area until
midnight this year, an extension of an hour from last year. An
unreasonable closing time of six o'clock on Sundays has been
maintained, however.
By changing one or two locks, the student center area
could be sealed off from the rest of the college building and
left open all night. This would provide an all night study area
for desperate students as well as 24 hour access to Student
Senate, WBCS, SPIRE, and CLARION offices. The area could
be closed off periodically for cleaning purposes.
Other possibilities for increased service could also be ci-ted.
The Accounting Office has carried the proverbial bankers'
hours to an extreme in only opening their window three hours
a day, come registration or high water, and more than one stu-dent
has complained of having the door slammed in his face
promptly at closing time.
Window hours could at least be extended, with a minimum
of exertion, to coincide with those of the post office. During
periods when students are making financial arrangements for
semester expenses, a special extension of hours would seem
Such flexibility should be evidenced in many areas, includ-ing
extended library hours and increased access to other study
areas (such as classrooms) during exam periods. Limitations of
existing facilities only emphasize the need for flexibility.
The Bible teaches us to be good stewards, whether en-trusted
with little or much. Each individual at Bethel has a
certain degree of responsibility, to which he must measure up,
and each individual has the right to demand optimum utiliza-tion
of Bethel's facilities and resources by the college and
other individuals.
Using what we have in the best possible manner or putting
out a little more effort to provide better services ought to be
goals held by all segments of the Bethel community. A modest
start has been made this year in furthering such objectives;
let's hope that the "start" is precisely that—a start.
1M ALL FOR RAISING THE ACADEMIC STANDARDS, B1J T I've
55EN SIGNS A FEW STUDENTS MAY CE ASOUT To CRACK."
(from Rev. Maurice Lawson)
Chapels this coming week should add a depth dimension to our
Christmas of 1968. On each of the first three days choral groups will
sing a Christmas number, followed by a Christmas message.
Monday Dr. Webster Muck will answer the question, Why should we
keep Christmas? What values are associated with it? On Tuesday, Dr.
Walter Wessel will present a theology of Christmas in a message
on the incarnation. Wednesday Pastor Lawson will relate his message
from Colossians to the Christmas theme as he speaks on the subject,
"The Reason for It All."
"The Ant-keeper," a film produced by Rolf Forsberg (remember
"The Parable," also by Forsberg?) will be the Thursday feature. Filmed
among the ants in an old Mexican crater, Forsberg has created a re-markable
interpretation of the incarnation and redemption in parable
form. No one should miss it. Friday Christmas carols will be interspersed
with nativity poems read by Gerald
We pray God's best to everyone
who at this season will be acknowl-edging
the Gift above all.
New York trip
con't from pg. 1
whole group participated in a dis-cussion
for an evening church ser-vice.
The following two days were
spent at the United Nations Plaza,
either in the U.N. general assem-bly
or at the Church Center for
International Affairs. Many cur-rent
world problems such as the
Biafra relief, Vietnam, the Middle
East, and trends in Latin Ameri-ca
were discussed with individuals
from the specific areas.
Racism parley
from page 1
on the topic of white racism signed
up for a room and a time slot, and
designated the topic.
For the Bethel delegation, Sat-urday
was by far the most fruitful
and educative day. Courses rang-ing
from "Urban Studies Curricu-lum—
White Identity Courses" to
"Youth Culture as a Revolutionary
Base" to "Tactics," were attended.
A Midwest regional structure
was formed with Dave Goldfarb,
student body president of the Uni-versity
of Wisconsin, at the head.
Within this structure is a more in-clusive
Twin Cites coalition which
will be integrating efforts among
Twin City colleges to combat ra-cism.
Beneath the surface rhetoric, the
overall tone of the NSA confer-ence
was one of pragmatism. Most
of the student delegations there
were already involved in fighting
discrimination (overt and covert)
and swapped ideas with one an-other
concerning specific programs,
tactics, etc. The conference offered
a unique opportunity for this type
of information-gathering.
Although the NSA structuring
of the conference on institutional
racism broke down and things be-came
chaotic at times, the Bethel
delegation greatly benefitted from
the experience. It served an educa-tive
function for members in the
group and as an impetus for devel-opment
of programs which could
be implemented on Bethel's cam-pus.
A more detailed report of what
was learned at the conference and
specific proposals relating to Beth-el
will be forthcoming from the
four Bethel students who attended
the conference.
Meanwhile, anyone interested in
learning more about the conference
and how institutionalized racism
operates in American society in
general and on Bethel's campus in
particular is encouraged to contact
Kathy Anderson, Dean Pearson,
Duane Perkins, or Marjorie Rusche.
Survey finds Viet Nam strife
prime cause of student disorders
(ACP)—Chronicle of Higher Education.* If the bombing halt in Viet-nam
leads to an end of the war there, the principal cause of student
protest in this country will have been removed.
A nationwide survey by Educational Testing Service showed that the
war now ranks first—ahead of dormitory regulations and civil rights is-sues—
in causing unrest among students.
The survey showed that during the 1967-68 academic year, protests
directed at American policy on Vietnam were reported by 38 percent
of the responding institutions, while dormitory regulations were said
to have caused protests at 34 percent of the institutions.
In contrast, civil rights issues, which a few years ago were by far
the leading cause of student demonstrations, last year dropped to third
place—accounting for protests at 29 percent of the institutions.
Berglund 'critiques' draw indepth reply
To the editor,
Dr. Berglund's recent "indepth
critiques" of the New Folk and
Ylvisakers' concerts and concert
reviews was a well-written and ev-en
sometimes logical argument.
However, there were several points
that I would personally take issue
with. Perhaps the best way for me
to do this is to draw parallels be-tween
the New Folk and Bethel
College Choir.
The New Folk's purpose as a
group is to win people to Christ
through the medium of folk music.
The choir's purpose, (along with
training young people musically)
I would imagine, is to honor and
worship God through the medium
of sacred music.
The individuals in both groups
become polished performers in
their particular area of music and
the style of performance that re-lates
to it. Who is to say that the
New Folk, by being used of God
to win people with Christ's good
news, are not honoring and wor-shipping
God just as much as the
Dr. Berglund asks why "the per-formers
themselves seemed com-pelled
to inform us that they do
not present their 'program' in
churches" and goes on to suggest
that this is because they think it
allright to use a medium of enter-tainment
in college auditoriums
but not in the church.
He seems to have forgotten that
Dennis of New Folk East said that
they quit bringing this program
into the church because of too
much criticism; not because they
themselves thought it wrong, but
because others were judging their
program out of context and not
realizing its purpose or seeing its
I saw the New Folk East at Rich-field
High School on Thursday of
the same week they were in chap-el.
The students responded enthu-siastically
to the music and the
message both. To see each of the
N.F. members talking to small
groups of interested students after
the concert, explaining the claims
of Jesus Christ, should convince
anyone that God is using them in
a very real way to change lives
with His message.
I had the privilege of seeing
New Folk West in concert six times
last school year. Four of these
concerts were at secular institu-tions:
one at Northwestern Univer-sity,
one at the high school from
which I graduated, and two at
Great Lakes Naval Training Cen-ter.
At all these concerts the audi-ence
responded with thundering
applause, at three of them, stand-ing
ovations. I would like to think
that this applause was not only
for their musical performance, but
was also a way of showing the
respect the audience had for a
group of sharp Christian young
people who were not ashamed to
tell others about something they
deeply believed in.
My assumption is held up by the
response—at one Great Lakes con-cert
over 500 sailors were coun-selled
with by the N.F., and other
Christians present. 400 of these
sailors accepted Christ. Some of
these have since been killed in
con't on pg. 3
the CLARION
Published weekly during the academic
year except during vacation and exami-nation
periods, by the students of Bethel
college, St. Paul, Minn. 55101. Sub-scription
rate $4 per year.
Editor-in-chief Lynn Bergfalk
Layout Editor Sue Bonstrom
News Editor Margie Whaley
Entertainment Editor Chuck Myrbo
Sports Editor Wally Borner
Business Manager Bill Goodwin
Circulation Manager Pat Faxon
Proof Reader Karen Rodberg
Advisor Jon Fagerson
Opinions expressed In the CLARION do not
necessarily reflect the position of the college
or seminary.
Thursday, December 12, 1968
the CLARION
Page 3
Vedee4em Ea 'at aete%
Snelling Manor 8:10 & 9:10
Bodien 8:15 & 9:15
Returning 10:50 & 12:00
Snelling Manor 6:25
Bodien 6:30
Pastor—Robert Featherstone
Assistant Pastor—Bill Malam
College choir members apply makeup
in preparation for Festival of Christmas performance. Some 6,000
people will attend the four performances held this weekend.
A scene from "Amahl and the Night Visitors"
shows Lois Lehman(mother), Jane Alhquist (Amahl) , Jon Nordstrom and David Waite (Wisenien),
Richard Trinity (page) , and Jonathan L. Larson (wiseman).
Father-son combo earns
degrees simultaneously
by Marie Watson
"It's a little strange!" is the re-action
of the only father-son corn-bination
in Bethel's student body.
This coming June, Arthur Boyd,
40, and his only son, Lanny, 21,
will complete their college careers
and receive their diplomas togeth-er.
Most students are probably ac-quainted
with Mr. Boyd because
of his association with the record-ing,
"Sounds of Bethel," which he
produced for the school year 1967-
68. He has his own recording com-pany
which rates high among his
He finds that his studies as a
psychology major are very de-manding.
Going back to school has
never been regretted by Mr. Boyd
—"My son is doing the same thing
I am, only I'm a few years late,"
he said.
Boyd served twenty-two years as
an Army colonel. It was in 1962
while he was in this position in
Alaska that he was confronted by
a former Bethel student, Chaplain
`Bud' Peterson, who led him to a
personal acquaintance with Jesus
The next year, Boyd said, God
spoke to him at an officer's organ-ization
through Dr. Bob Smith, a
member of Bethel's faculty. He
recalls this meeting on top of one
of Alaska's mountains in a ski
lodge as a paramount experience
in his life, for it was there that
he felt called to the ministry of
Jesus Christ and yielded his life
for that service.
Through the influence of Chap-lain
Peterson and Dr. Bob Smith,
he decided to come to Bethel for
his college education and seminary
training. With college almost over,
Boyd anticipates attending the se-minary
where he will train for
the evangelistic ministry into
which he feels the Lord has called
Lanny Boyd also finds its un-usual,
as he hurries to his next
class, to meet and greet his father
as they pass each other on the
crosswalks. Lanny's main interest
lies in the field of Ecology and
the study of the Biological sciences.
His plans for the future include
graduate work at the University
of Minnesota.
The women of the family, Mrs.
Boyd and a junior high-age daugh-ter,
will be doubly proud as the
masculine half of the Boyd house-hold
march with Bethel's 1969
graduating class.
from page 2
Dr. Berglund would argue, how-ever,
that the end does not justi-fy
the means. In part, I agree. I
disagree, however, that the New
Folk's program is sensual and re-lies
on "aesthetic gratification" to
glorify God. With the possible ex-ception
of one girl, who many
people thought overdid it on the
"dancing," I thought their chore-ography
was done in good taste
and fit their music well.
I don't think, though, that we
should be overly critical of newer
Christians in the group who are not
yet to that level of Christian be-havior
which we would consider
"proper." Let God and other mem-bers
of the group deal with them
in real Christian love, changing
them through His power.
Dr. Berglund misquotes the New
Folk concert review by Chuck Myr-bo
as saying, "Their voices weren't
the best, bin they were outstand-ing
showmen." The article said,
"Their voices didn't always match
up, but they had good enough voic-es
to make them an exciting
group." I've heard New Folk East
in practice—they have fine voices
and a full, well-balanced sound
when they're relaxed.
The concert at. Bethel was this
group't, third concert together, and
they were nervous and not yet
used to doing their program in
front of a large crowd. Add to that
the fact that one of their original
girls (who had practiced with them
all summer) came down with mono
nucleosis and had to be replaced
just a few weeks before starting
their tour, and this is a pretty good
explanation for any lack of blend
or musical coordination that was
evident. That Thursday at Richfield
H.S. they already sounded better,
with only a few more concerts be-hind
The New Folk will be ministering
to hundreds of thousands of young
people on military installations
and college and high school cam-puses
this school year. They will
be telling this world unashamedly
of the message of Jesus Christ—
something that we often have too
little time for or are afraid to do.
They will see thousands respond.
I sincerely believe that criticism
like Dr. Berglund's can be of great
use to them, and promise that it
will be. Even more than this, how-ever,
they need the support of
Christians in general through pray-er.
Bill Van Wambeke
Campus Vagaboma's
by Dan Johnson
A unique European travel experience open to all Twin City private
college students has been planned by two Bethel students for next sum-mer.
While traveling with the History Study tour last summer, Dan
Johnson and Bob Boone contemplated returning the following summer
with other college students.
They spent the last couple of months talking with other students and
laying out a basic itinerary for travel. The whole idea was then presented
to a Minneapolis Travel Agency which specializes in student travel ar-rangements
for traveling abroad.
The itinerary includes departure on June 5th from New York to
London by way of Trans World Airlines jet. After four days in swinging
London the group will fly to Amsterdam, the surprising city of canals.
A chartered bus then takes the group through Holland to Denmark,
Norway, and Sweden, for almost two weeks of Scandinavian enchant-ment.
The tour continues for another week through Germany and Switzer-land
including visits in major cities but also the smaller towns and
villages. Following the Swiss and German environment they venture into
France for a week, with Paris and vicinity as the major point of interest.
The tour then flies Iberia Airlines to Madrid, Spain, for a two day
visit and shopping spree. The last three days will be by the sunny coast
of Portugal in Lisbon and vicinity.
In 41 days the itinerary covers 10 countries and their capital cities
besides smaller towns and villages. As a group students benefit with
cheaper travel arrangements and hotel accommodations but are not con-fined
to any rigid sightseeing tours. There is ample free time for indi-vidual
interests and visits.
Complete travel arrangements, hotels and breakfasts, with limited
dinners and sightseeing is only 370 pounds or 888 dollars depending upon
your form of currency.
Dan Johnson and Bob Boone check travel flyers
while formulating plans for European jaunt.
Rehash of New Folk virtues
Father and son, senior classmates
register together for second semester. Arthur Boyd and his son Lanny will both march with Bethel's
1969 graduating class.
.41111•■•1111110.--.0••■•■■=, Nrgpvvrwirrn., v-,'-vvywr
Gordy Dean feeds a small tiger cub
during his stay in Ethiopia. A former Bethel student,
to return to Bethel for graduation.
Dean plans
What's For Your
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Try: Bethel Bookstore
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Craig Tape Recorders
Bethel B 00/24143143
Garnet's Standard Service
and Snelling
Take your wash to KING KOIN
where you get 25c of washing for a quarter
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at Snelling and Larpenteur
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Mountainside view shows some of Ethiopia's rugged
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J. Leonard Carroll, Pastor
9:25 A.M. and 6:40 P.M.
Page 4 the CLARION
by Gordy Dean
( Second of three articles)
Haile Selassie I University (HSIU)
is located in Addis Ababa, Ethio-pia
and is owned and operated by
the Ministry of Education, a branch
of the Imperial Government of
Ethiopia. Approximately 3,000 stu-dents
attend the University, most-ly
Ethiopians, although other East
African countries are represented
along with some Indians and a
handful of Americans.
My home while attending HSIU
is Good Shepherd School, an Amer-ican
school operated by four prot-estant
mission groups, including
the Baptist General Conference. I
am a dorm "brother" to 105 board-ers
in grades 1-12. The majority
of boarders are MKs although a
few come from military, embassies,
United Nations, and other higher
class occupations totalling a rep-resentation
of 13 countries.
As I hop on my small motor-cycle
for school and leave the gate
of my middle class American dwell-ing
I am greeted by African life,
which is so varied and complex
that I marvel at what I see, smell,
and feel on my seven mile trek to
school each morning. Because I
have an interest in existing social
conditions of today's world and
am studying this at HSIU, my tra-velling
experiences have opened
my eyes to the "other half" of hu-manity.
Only 100 feet from the Good
Shepherd gate I pass the first mud
and cow dung hut. Although the
view is interesting, my eyes are
usually "glued" to the road, for
rocky chuck holes along with donk-eys,
sheep, goats, cows, horses, and
masses of humans in the street
make a very interesting and chal-lenging
obstacle course.
As I drive through Makanissa, a
small village, the road narrows. I
Thursday, December 12, 1968
look over the bridge I am cross-ing
and see women washing clothes
in the muddy water; a few feet
away children are taking a bath.
The shoreline is cluttered with gar-bage
from the last garbage truck
whose driver was too lazy to locate
the public dump. As I enter the
city limits of Addis, the road be-comes
wider, and I can now pass
that smelly city bus I have been
following through Makanissa.
Morning rush hour is now in
full swing. Thousands of little Fiat
Taxis crowd the streets. People
rich enough to afford the 10 cents
for a ride hop in until the taxi is
full, while the rest walk. Most ev-evrything
they carry goes on their
After I pass the first congested
"square" and head for the next,
Addis takes on an entirely differ-ent
dimension—the rich. Here I
pass the Ghion Hotel, a lavish
building with a warm-spring Olym-pic
size pool. Across the street a
Mercedes sits along a driveway
lined with bana trees. The chauffer
is waiting to pick up the Captain
for Ethiopian Airlines. The "sa-bunya"
or property guard opens
the huge gate as he antcipates his
master's orders, and customarily
bows as they drive onto the busy
I have now passed the rich sec-tion
and am now on a little "short-cut"
road to the University road.
Because this short-cut is steep,
narrow, and well-known, it is
crowded and traffic moves slowly.
Street salesmen take advantage of
this by soliciting passing cars, sell-ing
everything from birth control
devices to African drums and
Because bargaining is an art in
Ethiopia, nothing is bought quick-ly
and many times a salesman will
follow me for a mile or more if he
thinks I will buy something. Their
quick humor and persuasive sales
pitch usually makes me fall prey,
and I often arrive at school with
my pockets bulging.
Also along this short cut I see
sights which make me turn my
head—street beggers. These poor
and diseased will find a spot along
the sidewalk and sit all day dis-playing
misfortunes, ranging from
amputated leprocy-diseased limbs
to mothers with starving babies.
Reaching the end of the short
cut road, I turn onto the wide
street leading to the University;
traffic is moving faster. As I look
ahead I see a number of special
police forcing every motorist to
stop. Wondering why they are
clearing the street, I wait and
watch the crowd as it gathers along
the sidewalk.
Suddenly everyone ) becomes
deathly still; a small motorcade
drives by and sitting in a Landrov-er
is His Imperial Majesty, Haile
Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia. Af-ter
the motorcade has passed and
everyone has bowed respectfully,
the police motion traffice on and
the street becomes alive again.
Since I pass His Imperial's Majes-ty's
palace every day, meeting the
Emperor on the street is not too
rare an occurance.
Only a few hundred yards up
the street, I turn into the University
complex, one of Haile Selassie's old
palaces, usually exhausted from the
rigorous drive.
&Mei &zokilxftite
Rides cycle to school
Trip reveals flavor of Ethiopian life
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St. John's 83
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Muller 9 7 25
Weber 3 I 7
Bernabel 3 8 14
Dady 2 4 8
Blavat 3 2 8
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Bethel 73
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Two Locations
719 Nicollet Ave. 27 West 4th St.
Mpls., Tel. 332-5681
St. Paul, Tel. 224-5212
(across from Dayton's) (Lowry Med. Arts Bldg.)
Faculty mouse hears earful
"Students are people too" but-tons
worn by some Bethel students
suggest that they want to be recog-nized
as people. But it seems to me
it would be to their advantage to
he mice.
Take me, for instance. I'm a
mouse who spends enjoyable hours
eaves-dropping in faculty offices,
finding out all kinds of information
which will help me should I ever
want to become a student.
During the pre-vacation rush of
exams and papers, I find it bene-ficial
to be on the faculty-mouse
staff. Students come into profes-sors'
offices with excuses for turn-ing
in a paper late or for missing
Last Friday night, Bethel drop-ped
the first of two weekend bas-ketball
games. The Sioux Falls
Braves held off a late Bethel rally
to defeat the home team 67-63.
In the first half, both teams play-ed
basic basketball and nothing out
of the ordinary happened as Sioux
Falls built up a four point half
time lead. Coach Jack Trager did
a lot of substituting to try to put
together a combination that could
overtake the Braves, but the at-tempt
fell short.
- Bethel was plagued by cold shoot
ing throughout most of the game,
and especially at the free throw
line where they failed to score on
more than 50% of the gift tosses.
In the second half, however, the
Bethel defense tightened up and
Sioux Falls had to start shooting
from the outside. Kregg and Bak,
the Brave guards were equal to the
task, however, as they hit on a
number of occasions to keep the
lead from the fighting Royals.
With about three minutes left in
the game, Bethel put on a full
court press and started forcing
Sioux Falls to turn over the ball
on errors. At that point, the Roy-als
had a ten point deficit and
Bethel 63 Sioux Falls 67
fg ft tp fg ft tp
Pederson 10 3 25 Buckner 7 7 21
Larson 5 2 12 Friese 5 2 12
Feldman 4 0 8 Kregg 4 I 9
Renwick 3 0 6 Bak 4 I 9
Brodin 2 I 5 Odom 3 I 7
Weko 12 4 Papinau I I 3
Richardson I 0 2 Ziemba I I 3
Nordmark 10 2 Wilke 0 2 2
Johnson 0 I I
an exam. We mice could never
think of such convincing alibies.
Can you imagine the predicament
of a student who has slaved for
many hours doing research for a
paper, finished the rough draft,
and is about to type it (five hours
before it is due), and the only
available typewriter slips off the
desk, crashing as it hits the floor?
Or how about a student who has
left ample time for cramming the
last night before the exam. He
finds a perfect, secluded spot to
study in the custodian's closet,
leaves to get a pen, and returns
only to find his notes and books
could not quite overcome the mar-gin
by the time the final buzzer
Following Friday night's loss, the
Royals took on a tough St. John's
squad on the opponents' home
court. Bethel came out on the short
end of a 83-73 score in a hardf ought
St. John's won the game at the
charity line, as Bethel outscored
its opponent by a slim margin from
the field. A rabid group of fans
backed the Johnnies, who sport a
remarkable winning record on
their home court.
Bethel will meet St. John's in a
rematch in the last scheduled game
of the '68-69 season.
13 Basketball, Pipers at Oakland
14 Hockey, North Stars vs. New York
14 Wrestling, Bethel at Morris
14 Basketball, Bethel at Morris
14 Basketball, Gophers at Loyola
15 Hockey, North Stars at Detroit TV
15 Basketball, Pipers vs. Indiana
15 Football, Vikings at Philadelphia
16 Basketball, Bethel at Northwestern,
16 Basketball, Gophers at Notre Dame
17 Hockey, North Stars vs. Oakland
17 Basketball, Pipers vs. Indiana at
17 Basketball, Gophers vs. No. Dak.
19 Basketball, Bethel vs. Hamline
19 Hockey, North Stars at Philadelphia
20 Basketball, Pipers at Houston
20 Basketball, Gophers at ULCA
20, 21 St. Paul Classic Hockey Tourna-ment
21 Basketball, Pipers at Miami
locked safely in the closet. What
does a guy do when no one will
unlock the door and there is no
other way to retrieve his great
Thanks to alarm clocks not being
heard by overly-exhausted students,
many have received extended study
time for exams. (This is a particu-larly
good device for students who
prefer a make-up essay exam to
objective tests.)
Being a faculty mouse, I have
found that most professors at Beth-el
are much wiser than we mice in
sifting out the legitimate from the
absurd. They are to be commended
for their "human" understanding
and flexibility, (would you believe,
Christmas spirit?), especially dur-ing
this time when Festival of
Christmas rehearsals and other ac-tivities
make conflicting demands
upon students' time.
St. Mary's College in Winona,
Minnesota fell victim to Bethel's
wrestling team Monday night as
the Royals picked up their fifth
straight win after an opening night
St. Mary's jumped to a quick
11-0 lead, but then five pins
brought Bethel storming back into
a 25-11 lead.
Bill Kunde opened the meet
struggling against one of St. Mary's
better wrestlers and succumbed to
a pin in the second period. He was
followed by Jeff Mourning who
could not manage to score but was
able to avoid being pinned. Doug
Warring then fell victim to a deci-sion
to set the stage for the Bethel
Greg Ekbom, one of last year's
more consistent performers, pinned
his man in the first period. Greg
was followed by Barry Anderson.
Barry needed a little more time,
but the end results were the same
as Bethel closed the gap to one
In the waning seconds of the
Bethel 31 Concordia 10
I23—Kunde (B) pinned Matz (C), 1:58
130—Mourning (B) pinned Gorentz (C),
I37—Warring (B) pinned Schmidt (C)
145—Eckbom (B) dec. Herda (C), 4-0
I52—Anderson (B) dec. Roth (C), 6-I
160—Jolsen (B) pinned Dierks (C), 1:00
167—Neal (C) pinned Berry (B), 4:00
I77—B. Olsen (B) pinned Corrie (C),
Hvwt—Lilleberg (C) pinned lnouy (B),
Thursday, December 12, 1968
by Jim Youngquist
With their game against Macales-ter
tonight, the Royals will be
playing the first of three games
within five days. Sporting a 2-4
record, a sweep of all three would
give them a winning record. It
will be a tough road, however, as
the Royals were dumped by all
three foes last year.
Tonight Bethel will be facing
Macalester. Thus far Mac has a 1-2
record, losing to Wartburg a n d
Wayne State. Their lone win came
against Midwestern in Iowa. Last
year the Royals bowed to Macales-ter
Mac has two outstanding players
in Mark Campbell and Tom Hardy.
Hardy is out with an injury, how-ever,
and is a doubtful starter for
tonight's game. Commenting on the
the CLARION Page 5
game Coach Bolstors of Mac said,
"We know Bethel had a good team
last year and there is no reason to
believe they should not be even
better this year."
"We know Bethel has one of the
better players in the state if not
the best," he added. This was of
course in reference to Ron Peder-son
who is averaging 26.7 points
a game this year. As things shape
up it would seem the Royals have
a good chance of coming away with
a close win.
Saturday night Bethel will travel
to Morris. Beaten twice by Morris
last year, the Royals will be out
for revenge. Monday the team tra-vels
to Iowa for a game with North-western.
Both Morris and North-western
will be at Bethel later in
the season to conclude the two
game series.
Anderson, had no trouble in clinch-ing
the meet as he put his oppen-ents
shoulders to the mat in the
frist period.
The string was broken at heavy-weight
when St. Mary's salvaged
the last match with Randy Inouye
falling victim to a pin.
dual meet last week
Bethel vs. Macalester
I23—Turner ( M ) pinned Kunde ( B),
130—Mourning ( B) dec. Erickson (M),
I37—Warring ( B) dec. McFalland ( M ),
I45—Eckbom ( B) pinned Carlson ( M I ,
152—Bethel forfeits
160—J. Olsen (B) pinned Newell (M),
167—Bethel defaults
I77—Hellackson ( M ) dec. B. Olsen (B),
Hvwt.—Inouye (B) pinned Butler (M),
Sioux Falls, St. John's top
Bethel in weekend games
first period of his match, Jim Ol-sen
picked up his fourth pin in five
matches. Dale Berry, who wrestled
for the first time last year, showed
that he is coming along fast as he
pinned his man to almost put the
match out of reach.
Bob Olsen, co-captain along with
Box scores from triple
Bethel 23 St. Olaf 18
123—Maim ( SO) pinned Kunde ( B),
130—Mourning ( B) pinned Gyenthner,
I37—Nyquist ( SO) dec. Warring ( B),
145—Eckbom (B) pnned Johnson (SO),
I52—( Bethel forfeited )
160----J. Olsen (B) pinned Golder (SO),
I67—Berry (B) dec. Hoeman (SO), 8-4
I7—B. Olsen (B) pinned Lunder (SO),
Hvwt.—Johnson (SO) pinned Inouye (B)
Cagers challenge
Macalester tonight
5 consecutive pins down St. Marys;
grapplers extend win skein to five
Page 6
the CLARION
Thursday, December 12, 1968
• '
. .
Just a friendly family squable ..
finds big brother riding tough as his kid brother tries a sit-out in an attempt to escape. Bob Olsen
(back) , three year wrestling ace for the Royals, boasts a career mark of 37 wins, 2 losses, and 2
ties for a .926 winning percentage in collegiate competition.
Joining Bob on the Bethel squad this year is his younger brother Jim, a freshman. Jim has opened
his collegiate career by reeling off five straight wins, including four pins. Brother Bob posted a
perfect 16-0 mark in his freshman year.
Olsen duo sparks wrestlers;
brothers terrorize mat victims
by Barry Anderson
Bethel wrestling is heading for
the most successful season in the
school's history. Part of the pres-ent
success can be attributed to
the fine coaching of Doug King
and the fine student support which
has accompanied every match this
year, both home and away.
But a major portion of this year's
achievements is being provided by
two brothers—Jim and Bob Olsen
of Davenport, Iowa.
Bob, a junior, has been the
strength of Bethel's team for the
last two years and is repeating his
role this year. His all-time college
record to date is 37-2-2.
Bob attended high school at Dav-enport
West, where he began his
wrestling career as a 9th grader.
As a senior, he finished the season
with a 10-9-1 record and a third
place in the district tournament.
Here at Bethel, Bob is majoring
in sociology with a related field
in psychology. He plans to use his
education in some area of social
Bob also finds opportunity to
participate in football and track,
although he finds his home on the
mat. As he puts it, "there is no
sport like wrestling. You are on
your own. If I make a mistake, I
am the one who has to make up
for it. Wrestling teaches you self-dependence,
self-discipline, and
gives you a sense of self-confi-dence."
Jim, a freshman, has begun his
college wrestling career in a fash-ion
which promises to equal, if not
surpass, his brother's. In his first
five matches, Jim registered four
pins and a decision for a 5-0 rec-ord.
Although hampered by a pre-season
ankle injury, he has turned
in some fine performances and is
already establishing himself as a
team leader.
Jim also attended Davenport
West High School, where in his
senior year, he sported a 13-7-1 rec-ord
and kept with family tradition
by finishing third in the district
tournament. Jim has tentatively
planned on a physical education
major with a related field in ed-ucation.
Something rather interest-ing
is Jim's love for classical mu-sic.
Commenting on wrestling, Jim
says, "wrestling, unlike football or
basketball, is a sport of guts. It
is a contest between just you and
your opponent. It is not entirely
a sport of muscle, although a little
does help. It is mainly a sport of
speed and moves. It gives you co-ordination
and above an, pride in
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Sure. Kids love eating out, tool At the ARDEN INN we welcome the whole
family. The food is extra good and reasonably priced to fit family budgets. Call
for reservations or just come out and surprise us.
N. Snelling and Co. Rd. B. OPEN for Lunch, Tuesday thru Saturday,
Sunday Noon to 9 PM, Daily 5 PM to 10 PM. Closed Mon. 631-1414.
by Wally Borner
Last week we rationalized away the Royals' cage loss to
St. Cloud as a valiant effort against a . superior team which
had given us a bad drubbing the year before. Sioux Falls al-most
fits into the same category as they beat Bethel by about
forty last season.
But I say almost. We can't rationalize this one away be-cause
Bethel should have won, whether they lost by one or
one hundred last year. Emotions are highly mixed because Beth-el
played some very good ball, but they also "blew" a few to
lose the ball game.
The half-time score showed Sioux Falls ahead by a 33-29
margin, however, in the second half, they padded that a little
despite a tough Bethel defense. Shooting was the key. Bethel
was cold, and virtually frozen at the free throw line, shooting
9 for 19, and the Braves guards were hot.
Kregg and Bak were casting from no man's territory when
they consistently found that they could not work the ball in
close. The way a couple of the forwards looked, we might
have been better off to give them the shorter range shot.
In the late part of the half, specifically with about three
minutes too, the Royals finally decided to do something about
their ten point deficit. They then proceeded to stultify, surprise,
and run ragged the Braves. Herb Buckner appeared to be giv-ing
tooth paste commercials during all the Brave turnovers
in the last few minutes, but it was about one minute too late.
When the Royals did not get the ball on a turnover, Buckner
was at the line making a free throw to keep the game just out
of reach.
To be blunt, Sioux Falls looked really bad against Bethel.
And don't think that it was because they have a bad team, but
that the Royals gave them a real rough time. That is the crime
of losing.
If we really want an excuse, maybe we can say that part
of the reason was that one of our guards was ill. But we have
more pride than that. And we have more bench than that.
Bethel probably has one of the better benches that 'it
has ever had.
WE, and I mean we because the whole school is behind the
team, just had an off night. On any other occasion, we could
possibly beat Sioux Falls by over ten points. Bethel has a good
team this year. Maybe they just haven't realized it yet.
Last week I said that I did not want to make any predic-tions,
but now I want to. The Royals will end up with a 15-10
record and that will include a winning streak of six games near
the end of the season.
Sports Shorts
Joe Kapp is really a great guy. When he was in Canada,
he was known as Peanut Butter Joe. He did peanut butter
commercials on several occasions. He also led his Vancouver
team to the Gray Cup Bowl one year. Anybody that is a peanut
butter fan can (can, not will) pull through when it really
Prediction: If the Olympics are ever held in Holland,
Tiny Tim will be an entrant in the walking competition and
tip toe to a gold medal.
Beethoven's birthday is December 16.
KSTP broadcasts all of the Minnesota Piper Basketball
WBCS broadcasts all of the home and many of the away
games of the Bethel Royal Cage team.
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em
Says "Mom" Peterson, Edgren housemother, who donned a black derby and
joined "The Mob" to cheer for the Royals' basketball squad last week. (Members
of "The Mob" make their home on Third Old of Edgren. They are well known
for their hearty cheering at sports events.) Despite their combined efforts, Bethel
lost a heartbreaker to Sioux Falls 61-57 (story on page 5).
For those with a hankerin' for more basketball action, its just a short
piece down, the road to Macalester, where the Royals will tangle with the Scots
Click tabs to swap between content that is broken into logical sections.


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How to Quit
- Benefits
- How to Quit
- Quitline
- Helpful Links
Once you decide to quit, you will need to choose a method that is right for you. Fortunately, there are many helpful resources available. Talk it over with your doctor or other health care provider. They should be able to make some recommendations that can help you quit using tobacco.
You could also look for help online. Check out http://smokefree.gov/ and http://teen.smokefree.gov/?utm_source=cdc&utm_medium=button


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Emma Roberts: Airport Beauty
Emma Roberts shows off her big smile as she arrives at LAX Airport on Saturday (July 7) in Los Angeles.
The 21-year-old actress pulled her Louis Vuitton luggage behind her as she made her way to her boarding gate.
PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Emma Roberts
Emma is currently working on her upcoming flick, Empire State, which also stars Liam Hemsworth.
The flick is about two childhood friends who plan to rob an armored car depository.
FYI: Emma's toting around a Christian Louboutin Justine shopping bag.
10+ pictures inside of Emma Roberts at LAX Airport…
Posted to: Emma Roberts


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[lastfm]Ray LaMontagne[/lastfm], [lastfm]Ben Harper[/lastfm], and [lastfm]Beady Eye[/lastfm] all announced today that they will be performing free, streaming concerts from The Ed Sullivan Theater as part of the Live on Letterman series. With a giant stack of awards, sold out shows, and armies of loyal fans between them, these three critically acclaimed acts represent the hybrid of unique talent and widespread success that Live on Letterman has become known for.
GRAMMY award winners, Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs will take the stage on May 11th for the full length streaming show, just before they take off on a national tour. In addition to blasting out of your radio, you've heard Ray's music on countless television placements. Here he is performing "Trouble" off his first album by the same name.
Ben Harper has also raked in a couple of GRAMMYs over his almost 20 year career. Ben will be hitting the stage at the Ed Sullivan Theater on May 18th. The man has an uncanny ability to bring both laid back jams and full out rockers in his high intensity live show. Here's the video for the first single off his upcoming album "Give Till It's Gone."
You probably know this by now, but Beady Eye is made up of three former members of Oasis, featuring one of rock's greatest front men, Liam Gallagher. On June 22nd they'll be rocking the Ed Sullivan Theater and your computer with their first live streaming concert from the legendary venue. Here's their video for "Bring the Light."
You can watch all of three of these live, streaming concerts right here. Keep coming back for more updates, and for more info on the series, you can check out Live on Letterman.


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It's easy to complain about small apartments in New York. I live in one; you probably do, too. They're cramped, the air's stuffy, you're always eating dinner on the couch. We live in these tiny boxes because they're often the cheapest option available. The question at hand: if you could pay even less, would you go even smaller?
In an effort to combat a shortage of studio and one-bedroom apartments for its 1.8 million one- and two-person households, the City announced an initiative today to create a residential building composed primarily of what it's calling micro-units–275 to 300 square foot apartments smaller than city regulations currently allow. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development is issuing a request for proposals to design, build, and run the building, which will be located on a city-owned site at East 27th St.
"Research has shown that stable, affordable housing can have a positive impact on health and well-being," said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Linda I. Gibbs in a statement. "[The program] will allow us to better meet the changing housing needs of New Yorkers."
The emphasis seems to be on cheap, efficient, and modern housing for recent college grads and people who've recently relocated to the city, which is good–it's easy to hear this plan and worry that it's a thinly-veiled scheme to stuff the urban poor into ever-more-cramped quarters. All units in the 27th street building will have kitchens and bathrooms, and the request for proposal guidelines will "encourage the development of a mixed-use building with apartments that have a substantial access to light and air to create a sense of openness."
Mayor Bloomberg will waive zoning regulations to allow the pilot building to be constructed, but there are no immediate plans to permanently change building codes. "The pilot will help inform potential regulatory changes that could allow the as-of-right development of micro-units in appropriate locations," reads the city's statement.
The deadline for proposals is September 14.
(Photo: Barbara Krawcowicz/Flickr)


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Nestled against the iconic Flatirons of the Rocky Mountain foothills, Boulder is home to the main campus of University of Colorado and has long been regarded as a bastion for forward thinking activists, world-class athletes, and entrepreneurs. Despite enormous growth, Boulder's commitment to open space provides residents who value an active, outdoor lifedata-style a world-class outdoor playground.
Home to several national science institutes, tech companies, and a wide variety of start-ups, most Boulderites subscribe to the "work hard, play hard" attitude. Ecologically conscious, Boulder is the 17th U.S. city making the pledge to be powered by 100 percent renewable energy by 2030.
Boulder is home to one of the largest telecommuting work forces in the United States, with about 12 percent of the population occupying a work from home career. It is also interesting to note that the largest segment of Boulder's population is made up of the 18 to 24-year-old demographic.
Boasting a booming economy, the median household income for the Boulder metro area was $72,009 in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Boulder stands as one of the most educated cities in Colorado due to 72 percent of its residents having a college level or higher education. This growing city is certainly a one-of-a-kind college town, yet offers much more.


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Monster Flip for iPhone and iPad
Today's Best Tech Deals
Picked by Macworld's Editors
Top Deals On Great Products
Picked by Techconnect's Editors
Generic Company Place Holder Monster Flip
There's nothing particularly earth-shattering about Monster Flip, an iPhone and iPad puzzle game whose mechanics will be instantly recognizable to anyone who's ever played a match-three-style game. So why do I have such a hard time putting the game down? I think that's a testament to the efforts of developer Launching Pad, which worked hard to add the little details that transform a standard game into something truly engaging.
Published by PikPok, Monster Flip features a grid made up of five different species of cube-shaped monsters. Using a finger, you draw a ring around at least three of those monsters, either horizontally or vertically. That causes the targeted monsters to flip around. Your goal: Flip the monsters so that you manage to match up at least three similar-looking critters. The matched monsters will disappear, and new ones will drop into the grid to take their place. Plan out your moves properly, and you can make multiple stacks of monsters disappear with one flip; you might even get lucky and have the monsters falling into the grid drop into groups of threes, scoring you bonus points. Again, this isn't anything that will shock anyone who's ever played Bejeweled or the many match-three games that it inspired.
Monster Flip would be pretty rudimentary if it just involved matching up different kinds of creatures. Launching Pad has thrown in a twist: Occasionally, angry monsters will drop into your grid, twitching and growling and generally acting out. You've got six turns to make those monsters disappear from the grid, or else they'll explode, bringing your game to an end. The further you progress in the game, the more angry monsters appear with greater frequency. It adds a degree of difficulty that keeps you on your toes.
The angry monster twist is nice, but it's not the only way that Monster Flip stands out. The monsters have personality, bouncing happily in the grid or sticking out their tongues while waiting for you to make a play. Tap on a monster to start drawing a box, and the monster will squeak or squeal. Even the angry monsters make charming growls or grunts when they appear. The noises made by the brown-furred Fleens are particularly delightful. (Yes, the monsters all have names and backstories, which you can find in a Wikipedia-style reference guide in the app.) Throw in a soundtrack that's actually kind of soothing, and you've got a game where the developer put a lot of thought into each and every detail.
Monster Flip also keeps things fresh with four different different gameplay modes. In addition to Classic—your basic "match three" game in which you progress to new levels as you rack up points—Countdown gives you two minutes to score as many points as possible while Sequence allots you 50 moves to tally a high score. Puzzle mode places the monsters in assorted shapes, and challenges you to clear them out of the puzzle in as few moves as possible. You're awarded stars based on the number of moves it takes you to complete a puzzle. Be warned—puzzles start out seemingly easy, but get pretty complex pretty quickly.
Monster Flip doesn't exactly break new ground for an iOS game, but that's OK. What it does do is get every element of the match-three game right, putting its own unique and delightful stamp on the genre.
[Philip Michaels is the editor of Macworld.com.]
Updated on March 24 to correct the number of monsters featured in Monster Flip.
Generic Company Place Holder Monster Flip


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Are teachers unions the reason America's schools are failing?
According to one increasingly popular narrative, they are. It's hard to think of a time in recent decades when teachers unions have been more under attack, not only from those on the right but also from many on the left, including President Obama and Arne Duncan, his Education secretary.
The recent documentary "Waiting for 'Superman,' " by liberal filmmaker Davis Guggenheim, cast unions as the "bad guys," fighting to help even incompetent teachers retain their jobs. Michelle Rhee, the former District of Columbia schools chancellor and frequent union foe, just launched Students First, an organization that directly opposes the positions of many teachers unions. In numerous cities and states, lawsuits and legislative battles are being fought over tenure, seniority, and teacher evaluations – with the union-backed position often losing.
And in December, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called the local teachers union the "one unwavering roadblock to reform" – a statement that would have been unthinkable several years ago coming from a major Democratic politician, himself a former organizer and lobbyist for teachers unions.
Yes, the recession has been a factor in the clamor against unions. But the attacks are unfair or oversimplified, say many education experts and teachers, and the reality is far more complex. For one thing, teachers unions and their attitudes vary drastically from district to district and state to state.
Still, the attacks have put teachers unions overall in a defensive position, and soul-searching has ensued as they consider how to best shape their vision and priorities going forward. Increasingly, unions are breaking with tradition and endorsing new laws and policies that they would have considered anathema a decade ago.
"The unions are suddenly finding themselves scrambling to establish their position," says Eric Hanushek, a frequent union critic and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University in California. "Their traditional role as strong labor union is running into the opinions of parents and policymakers about the need to fix our schools."
The anti-union story line, among other things, says that unions refuse to allow student test scores to be a factor in major teacher evaluations. It also says that unions make the process of firing so onerous – even for the worst teachers – that few districts see it through.
In fact, however, unions don't always have control over all the pieces for which they're attacked.
"I get angry when criticisms are targeted at unions that should be placed on poor administration," says Susan Moore Johnson, a professor at Harvard's Graduate School of Education in Cambridge, Mass. Districts, for instance, would have a far easier time firing incompetent teachers if they did the thorough evaluations they are supposed to do, she notes. "Unions get blamed because it's too hard to understand," she says.
Moreover, when unions are taken out of the equation – in charter schools or in the South (most of which is nonunionized) – the educational results aren't any better, says Richard Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation in Washington. "There's very little evidence that the existence of a strong teachers union or collective bargaining has a negative impact on student achievement," he says.
Still, Mr. Kahlenberg agrees with most education experts that as unions look to their future, they need to shift their outlook. "The biggest problem for unions is that they're perceived as defending incompetent teachers," he says, noting that better evaluation systems, including peer review, could help.
While teachers unions are often referred to as a monolithic body, that is far from the reality. At the national level, there are big differences between the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers, with the AFT generally considered more willing to embrace reform. Locally, the differences are even more extreme.
Across the country, many examples can be found of unions collaborating with districts on groundbreaking reforms.
In Colorado last summer, the AFT surprised many by endorsing a controversial new law that made it easier to dismiss ineffective teachers and overhauled teacher evaluations, making them largely dependent on student achievement.
"I truly believe that we need to be leaders in education reform," said Brenda Smith, president of AFT Colorado, at the time. The law was bitterly opposed by the NEA, which represents most Colorado teachers.
In cities like Baltimore; Washington; Pittsburgh; New Haven, Conn.; and Memphis, Tenn.; districts have been able to work out agreements with unions that have been lauded by reformers, often including more emphasis on thorough teacher evaluations based at least in part on student achievement.
"It's tough because you have a tough economy, but I think more and more if people actually look at districts that are working and the common ground we've made with these progressive new contracts ... then there's going to be a competing narrative," says Randi Weingarten, president of the AFT. "We've held up a mirror: We've tried to see the things that haven't worked, and we're trying to change it."
It's also worth pointing out that unions are made up of individuals – many of whom want the reforms that are supposedly "anti-union" and have no problem changing the way evaluations, pay, and tenure are decided.
One loose network of progressive teachers is the Teacher Union Reform Network, which is committed to redefining "who the clients of the teacher unions are" to include students as well as teachers, says Adam Urbanski, founding director of TURN and president of the union in Rochester, N.Y.
Depolarizing the debates, Mr. Urbanski says, can help find solutions to even the most contentious issues, from tenure and pay to charter schools.
"The work of one irresponsible union can ruin the life's work of so many other unions," he says. "But if we're actually going to make all schools better for all kids, it will be tough enough even if we all pull in the same direction. We are dead in the water if we don't."
But these instances of collaboration are the exception rather than the rule, critics say.
"Us versus them is still the predominant paradigm, unfortunately," says Jonah Edelman, cofounder and chief executive officer of Stand for Children, which helped push through the Colorado legislation and is locked in a bitter battle with unions in Illinois over a similar bill.
In California in 2005, notes Mr. Hanushek of the Hoover Institution, unions spent millions of dollars in advertising to get voters to reject a lengthening of the tenure process. In 2010, California unions fought efforts both in Los Angeles and in the state to change seniority rules.
"For a large number of teachers, these policies hurt them," says Hanushek. "If the unions could find a way to get behind the idea of not protecting the worst of the worst, they could dramatically change their position in the world."
Critics like Hanushek and Mr. Edelman take great care to emphasize that criticizing unions is not the same as criticizing teachers, but many teachers feel under attack just the same.
"We all know in every profession, not just teaching, there are plenty of people who have the job who shouldn't have the job," says Eric Cohen, a social studies teacher at the Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics, a high school in East Harlem, N.Y.
Mr. Cohen, a union rep at his school, says he'd be happy to work toward a solution that is fair to teachers and gets the worst ones out, but he adds that the current political climate is tough to take: "It does seem like the whole world is attacking teachers."


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With two weeks until the 2012 NFL Draft, it's way past time we brought FanBlog: Texans readers a look at this year's prospects. Before we jump that off, a quick and hearty 'hello again' to my good folks out there from your friendly FanBlog super-sub, BigRon. It's been way too long and, regrettably, real life has kept me from bringing the type of draft-related content I'd like this year. Still, I'm well loaded with opinions about this year's crop of NFL hopefuls and our man Crimedog got me in off the pine to bring a few draft takes to the blog.
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Though there's much more to the draft than just the 1st day, the majority of debates I see (and mix it up in) center around the direction the Texans could/should go with their 1st selection. As such, I thought I'd go with a discussion of some of the options the Texans could be looking at as the clock ticks toward pick #26 on Thursday night. As I'm sure many readers have, I've consulted more mock drafts and big boards than I care to disclose to you fine folks. Now, I could care less what some yahoo who's not as familiar with the squad as our average Fan thinks the Texans pick should be. Primarily I use those references to get an idea of what the board might look like. There are always shocker picks in each draft, and the forecast for the available options at #26 is much cloudier than last year when there were only 10 picks before the Texans turn. In any case, I'll give it a go. After looking at myriad scenarios, I've compiled a list of 22 players I think are most likely to be off the board and thus not considerations for the Texans, barring a trade up of course…
Off the board
QB Andrew Luck
QB Robert Griffin III
OT Matt Kalil
RB Trent Richardson
CB Morris Claiborne
WR Michael Floyd
WR Justin Blackmon
LB/DL Melvin Ingram
OG David DeCastro
DL Fletcher Cox
QB Ryan Tannehill
DE Quinton Coples
CB Stephon Gilmore
OG/OT Cordy Glenn
LB/DL Courtney Upshaw
DT Dontari Poe
CB Dre Kirkpatrick
OT Riley Reiff
LB/DL Whitney Mercilus
LB Luke Kuechly
DL Michael Brockers
S Mark Barron
Again, I'm sure there will be surprises among this list of players, but for the purpose of this entry, I'll go with it as the group of players that will be unavailable. Among the remaining players likely to comprise the rest of round one, here's a look at those I see as the most practical options for the Texans…
Targets at #26
LB/DL Nick Perry – Southern California: Sporting an impressive combination of explosiveness and strength measures (4.64 40yd, 38.5″ vert, 10'4″ broad, 35 reps), Perry rates at the top of the 2012 group of 3-4 OLB projects in terms of pure athleticism. As an OLB prospect, I think Perry is among the most stout holding the edge, which is something to factor in when envisioning an eventual strong side starter. There are negatives one might see with Perry in that he might be too much of a linear player without the flexibility and movement skills to play from a 2-point stance with LB responsibilities. Analysts' opinions vary from the movement standpoint, but both 4-3 and 3-4 teams will be interested. Many pundits think he should remain at DE, and Perry has said himself that though he could transition, 4-3 DE is where he prefers playing. His 'motor' has also been questioned, which certainly wouldn't look good to the Texans. My question in watching him is Perry's natural 'feel' as a pass rusher, especially when he needs to change direction or is stopped on his initial rush and has to recoil and disengage. He sometimes lacks balance or is out of control once into his rush, but once he sizes up the target, he finishes to the QB swiftly and violently. I would like to have seen more production from Perry at SC, but they rotated very frequently in their front, which is a factor in Perry's numbers not being prolific. Overall view – I like what I see in Nick Perry from an upside standpoint as well as his chances to contribute quickly, and I believe he could successfully transition to OLB with the coaching he'd get from Wade Phillips and Reggie Herring. Makes me think of a lighter weight version of Mario Williams, however one might feel about that comparison.
WR Rueben Randle – LSU: With prototypical size and speed, Randle might offer the best combination of physical gifts and readiness to contribute of any WR the Texans could select. He has played against top competition throughout his NCAA career and stood out while doing so despite unsteady, inconsistent QB play at LSU. The thing I like most about Randle is his ability to play both outside and as an option in the middle of the field and out of the slot. He has the speed to win one-on-one matchups on the outside while still having the quickness, body control, and courage to make catches inside the numbers. He is also a serious threat to break big plays after the catch when operating on shorter routes like digs, drags and slants, which is where I think he could do significant damage as a rookie. One knock on Randle is a lack of physicality, which is key when facing NFL press corners looking to chuck him in the backfield on the snap, or in blocking in the run game, which any WR has to do to get on the field for the Texans. He also may lack some production and experience, but I attribute that to deficiencies in his QBs and coach at LSU more than I see it as predictive of Randle's future. Overall view – I really like how Rueben Randle's skill set and physical attributes fit with the Texans WR corps. I would expect him to bring a playmaking spark to the WR corps fairly early. This is the prospect that would actually be my 'betting favorite' to be the Texans' 1st round selection.
WR Stephen Hill – Georgia Tech: One of the more polarizing prospects in this entire draft class at any position. Hill possesses extraordinary athletic ability to go along with tremendous stature for a WR. His jaw-dropping Combine workout numbers in the 40 (4.36), vertical & broad jumps (39.5", 11'1") together with his 6'4" height and substantial wingspan give Hill a physical profile that not many receiver prospects can match. Just imagine the range on the field he can cover with that speed and what kind of catching radius his length and jumping ability could create. Hill defines 'upside' at the WR position. However, taking Hill in the 1st round is also considered by many to define 'boom or bust selection'. Coming from Georgia Tech's midline option offense, Hill's exposure to NFL route concepts or any kind of 'route tree' is slim to none. His ran almost exclusively deep routes, most of which were verticals involving few breaks, as a function of the Tech offense. In many cases, he was wide open with teams so focused on stopping the option. His hands have come into question courtesy of a few notorious drops of catchable, even wide open, passes. His production was extremely limited also with only 28 receptions with 5 TD his final season in college and less than 50 in his GT career. At the same time, those 28 receptions went for an average of 29.3 yards, which led the nation by 8 ypr and speaks to Hill's big play potential. Another feather in Hill's cap of particular interest to the Texans is he's well versed in run blocking from the WR position courtesy of that Tech option game. Overall view – I've read all the criticisms and perceived limitations in Stephen Hill's game, but in my humble opinion, his shortcomings are all coachable and all indications are that Hill has the football character to make the most of his potential. That and you just can't coach the physical gifts Hill possesses. I'm a fan and would be excited should he be the Texans 1st round pick.
WR Kendall Wright – Baylor: Many draft pundits consider Wright the most explosive and dynamic playmaking receiver in this class, and I've read that some NFL talent evaluators believe Wright's film surpasses that of any other WR prospect available. I do take any such comment with a large grain of salt, but it's tough to argue with Wright's productivity as one of the most prolific NCAA wideouts over the past few seasons. While his combine workout was underwhelming, with Wright appearing unprepared and running a much slower than expected 4.6 in the 40, he bounced back with a solid Baylor pro day where he timed in the low 4.4s and caught the ball well from his own QB and top-2 prospect Robert Griffin, III. Wright's special traits in my mind are his foot quickness, acceleration, and field awareness. This is a guy who takes very few steps to get to his maximum speed and is the case whether he's coming off the line, making a break in his route, or after the catch. It's where he gains his advantage and separates from defenders. It's not just Wright's flat out speed, it's his 'suddenness' of movement that often leaves defenders in his wake on the way to the house. However, at only 5'10" and facing much better coverage players and schemes in the League than he did at Baylor, my concern is the advantages Wright enjoyed in college won't be nearly as prevalent as a pro. I also have reservations as to whether Wright will be able to consistently win matchups playing outside as opposed to the slot at the next level. Of less concern, but worth noting, is how well Wright will function as a blocker in the run game. Overall view – I think, as most observers do, that Kendall Wright profiles as a very effective flanker/slot WR in the NFL from day one. The big question is: If that is all, do you take that guy in the 1st round? If the answer is no, then you would hope Wright can be like Steve Smith, to whom some compare him, and has a chance to develop into that kind of multifaceted receiving threat despite his lack of size. I'm lukewarm on Wright for the Texans, but folks with opinions I respect would approve of the selection.
OT Jonathan Martin – Stanford: Martin is the only OL I'm including in this discussion, as he's the only OT prospect I see as a fit for the Texans' zone-blocking scheme that also has a chance of being an option at #26. I doubt the Texans would value a center/guard prospect in the 1st among those not on the 'off the board' list above, and I actually question the idea of using 1st on a tackle considering the options they have in-house. At any rate, Martin is a very solid prospect with experience as the blind side protector for presumptive #1 pick Andrew Luck. He is able to mirror and redirect on the edge against pass rushers and also has the requisite movement skills to make 2nd level blocks in the run game and be able to reach and make backside cuts, which are keys to effectiveness as a ZBS tackle. Core strength to anchor against the bull rush and competitive demeanor (read: nastiness) are among the things that leave something to be desired in Martin's game. However, all the physical traits you look for in a zone-scheme OT are there to be molded. Overall view – Aaron Wilson of Scout.com reported recently that the Texans were among the teams on Jonathan Martin's pre-draft visit list . It might just be due diligence on Smithiak's part, or maybe they'd actually consider Martin a best player available (BPA) type selection contingent upon how the board falls. Ultimately, I would expect there to be someone else on the board at another position that the Texans would covet more than an OT. They have Butler penciled in at RT and all indications are they're high on Derek Newton, the 2011 7th round steal, as a swing OT and future starter. However, Rashad Butler's run blocking is questionable at this point and he's also in a contract year. It's reasonable to think they could end up valuing Martin enough not to pass on him, could shuffle the line around a bit for a year, and then have two young, talented OT prospects ready to step in should Butler bolt next spring.
LB/DL Andre Branch – Clemson: Branch is another 3-4 OLB project that the Texans might consider should Perry be off the board, which is certainly possible. He isn't nearly as strong holding the edge as other highly rated prospects like Perry and Whitney Mercilus, but I think that Branch is actually a more fluid, natural rusher off the edge and has shown a more explosive 'get-off' than either of them. And unlike Perry, I have actually seen Branch take a zone drop from the line of scrimmage. He's also shown more ability to make a few plays in space on smaller, quicker players. Now, coverage drops and checking RBs isn't how Branch will earn his keep in the League, but after seeing criticism of his flexibility and change of direction ability, I felt more comfortable seeing him at least be functional when asked to move around like an OLB will need to. Concerns come with the fact that Branch's production is somewhat limited, especially in his junior season (2010), and there's a thought that some of the plays he did make were a function of playing with other talented D-Linemen like DE Da'Quan Bowers in 2010 and DT Brandon Thompson in 2011. Overall view – I like Branch as an alternative to Perry, but I do wonder if he could be available a bit later in the draft than pick #26. His play against the run needs quite a bit of work, especially if the idea was to play him on the strong side. He does have good size and length, and some natural feel to his game to the degree that he could come in and contribute in the OLB rotation. I also think there's upside to Branch as an eventual starter with experience in Wade Phillips' scheme and NFL strength training.
TE Coby Fleener – Stanford: Another of Andrew Luck's top-flight teammates available for the 2012 Draft, Fleener is projected by many to be the next in the line of seam-stretching, nightmare-matchup tight ends in the mold of Gonzalez, Gates, Graham, and GronkNandez (see what I did there??). With sub-4.5 speed, great length and an outstanding set of hands, Fleener is an instant zone buster who is also capable of terrorizing smaller DBs and slower LBs in one-on-one matchups. I've gotten into some spirited twitter debates over whether Fleener would be a good pick for the Texans. Many Fans think he would destroy in the Texans offense. With Joel Dreessen having left for Denver, Garrett Graham unproven, and Fleener being firmly in the discussion as BPA at #26, the idea of adding such an exceptionally athletic prospect to the TE corps makes sense. My main qualm with the idea of selecting Fleener in the 1st is that I don't like the value of any TE in round one. None of the recently successful, mutant TEs was a 1st round selection, and I believe there will be guys to develop available later in this draft that would yield better value. I also think that if you take a TE in the 1st he had better also be a fairly steady in-line blocker and be able to function well in every aspect that he's asked to in the offense. I don't see Fleener being as good a blocker or as physical a presence as his size/strength numbers would indicate. Doesn't mean he can't push guys around more as he transitions to the NFL, but just that I haven't seen enough from him in that regard. Overall view – I have reservations about Fleener, primarily from a value and opportunity cost perspective, but there's no denying his status as a top tier TE prospect. However I'm just not convinced that he's so rare a commodity compared to the rest of this TE class that the Texans would eschew other closely rated players at positions that are as, or more, valuable in the grand scheme.
DL Jerel Worthy – Michigan State: A consensus 1st-team All-American, Worthy may not be the wide-bodied nose tackle that Texans Fans have coveted since the Smithiak regime came to H-Town, but he's certainly a load to place in the middle of Wade's defense. Not a conventional 34 nose prospect, but in Coach Phillips' more 1-gap, hybrid 5-2 scheme Worthy could be an effective upgrade for the Texans. He would also be able to play some 3-technique when the Texans shift their front with the DE bumping over a gap in certain alignments, which is something they did last year depending on the offensive look. One of his greatest assets as a DT is his quickness off the snap and ability to penetrate gaps and disrupt plays in the backfield. Worthy is polished as far as his use of his hands, arm length, and leverage to fend off blockers. He has also faced some of the best offensive linemen in the NCAA playing three years in the Big Ten and still dominated in many cases. Concern with Worthy arises as his technique and other positive attributes can begin to slip when he's fatigued. Consistency questions, much like many DT prospects, related to stamina and motor are the main knocks that pop up with Worthy. Overall view – I've liked Jerel Worthy as a prospect since early in the 2011 NCAA season. My main quandries were whether he would fit Coach Phillips' mold as a NT and whether the Texans would be interested as early as would be required to select him. Interestingly enough Worthy recently mentioned during an in-studio interview on NFL Network's Path to the Draft that he had been in contact with the Texans, among several teams. Other than Dontari Poe, Worthy is the only NT I could see the Texans eyeing in the 1st round. I certainly like the idea of adding Worthy's abilities to the DT rotation, though I question how serious the Texans' interest would be with their depth issues in other areas.
LB Dont'a Hightower – Alabama
DL Kendall Reyes – Connecticut
DL Devon Still – Penn State: Three other prospects I considered adding to these profiles but chose not to for various reasons, not the least of which is this bad boy is llloooonggg enough. Hahaha. I did want to at least make mention of these players as what I'd consider 'outside shots' for the Texans' 1st pick. Hightower is a very solid, big, aggressive 3-4 ILB prospect that would be a reasonable selection. The idea of inserting Hightower next to Brian Cushing as a replacement for DeMeco Ryans in lieu of Darryl Sharpton is pretty appealing. However, I think the same issue that led to the devaluation of Ryans would prevent the Texans from taking Hightower at 26. He's not a 3-down ILB, and I haven't seen enough pass rush ability to be confident enough in using Hightower as an OLB to really want him at #26. I wouldn't be upset in the least were he the selection though. Still and Reyes are both better fits as 4-3 under tackles and I question how well they project as fits in Wade's D. Could either play DE for the Texans? Might either an upgrade over the Cody & Mitchell tandem of nose tackle greatness?? I don't know, but they're both very active players who can put pressure on the QB and get in the backfield, which is why they're included here.
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Many thanks to anyone who has read this far. That's all for my first crack at the 2012 Draft for our Texans. I'm interested to know your thoughts. Is there anyone from the 'off the board' list who you think is likely to slide that you'd prefer? I'd love to see Poe or Mercilus available, but I think those ships have sailed. How about those who are available in the eight profiles? Anyone you would add or eliminate there? I'll leave it to you all to ponder at your leisure and fire off your feedback as you see fit in the comments or @BigRon281 for the Twitterati. I hope to be able to get a couple more entries together before the draft kicks off on the 26th, but I wanted to drop a post with some general thoughts and go from there. As always, let us know what you're thinkin'!