text:
I am a Lord Jeff. I am a first generation Amherst student. I am not writing this because I have a long connection to the history and tradition of Amherst College. This is truly what I believe, and I think there are plenty of Amherst students who share my beliefs, but fear voicing their opinion.
I had never heard of Amherst before my brother enrolled at Williams when I was in the eighth grade. He told me that the Williams' mascot is the Ephs and Amherst's, Williams' biggest rival, is the Lord Jeffs. At first I didn't think much of either mascot. Then my brother explained that Williams was given their mascot because the benefactor of the school was named Ephraim Williams. Similarly, Amherst called themselves the Lord Jeffs because the namesake of the town Amherst where the college was founded was Lord Jeffery Amherst. I gained appreciation for both mascots, as they were both historical figures and they were both a refreshing change from the overused Tigers, Panthers, and Cardinals. Both schools having unique mascots is part of the great history of the rivalry.
Figures from history must be treated within the context of their time and circumstances. Yes, the mascot refers to Jeffery Amherst, and no one denies the fact that he treated Native Americans as enemies, which to Amherst is exactly what they were. It was during Pontiac's Rebellion when Amherst used biological warfare against the Native Americans by way of blankets infected with smallpox. This is a fact, but we must take it with the proper perspective. Weapons of mass destruction were used by both sides in both World Wars, but we must recognize and understand that the generals in these wars were operating in a situation that had no morally correct solution. Furthermore, many of our greatest heroes, including the Founding Fathers, conducted themselves in ways that today would be considered abhorrent.
Context is important. This is true for famous figures of history, but it is also true for every single student here. Don't we want future generations to keep context in mind when forming their opinions of us? To judge a man such as Amherst for his actions by today's standards, more than 200 years later and in a time of relative peace, is shockingly hypocritical.
If the mascot must be changed because it is offensive to the Native American community for us to be called the Lord Jeffs, then the name of the college must be changed as well if we are to have any semblance of ideological consistency. Why stop at the mascot? This seems like a pathetic and superficial response. We are called Amherst College because of Jeffery Amherst. Changing the mascot doesn't rid us of the association with Lord Jeff, which a few people think is a problem. Far more meaningful activities are things like the Admissions Office inviting Native Americans to the Diversity Open House and spending extra time with them, in an effort to increase the amount of Native American applications sent to the college.
The Moose? Really? We want to be called the Moose because a moose wandered onto our campus last spring? Ask student-athletes if they want their team mascot to be the Moose and you will hear a resounding no. The students pushing this change are not the ones who would walk out onto the court, field, or pitch with "MOOSE" in big letters across their chest. I'm not saying student-athletes should be the ones making the decision, but they definitely should be involved in the decision. The Moose sounds more like the mascot of a created team in a video game than a prestigious institution. Some students at Amherst get wind of the idea of change and jump on board. It seems like everyone needs to be protesting something at all times. Let's take a step back and really think about the things we are supporting.
When I think of a Lord Jeff, I don't think of Lord Jeffery Amherst. I think of excellence, in the humanities, science, music, theater, art and athletics. I think of all the past alumni and administrators that worked to make Amherst the great place it is today. I think of sporting events and orchestra concerts, late nights in Frost and football practice. And I think of all the students of Amherst, some of whom will be groomsmen in my wedding, and godfathers to my children. The mascot Lord Jeffs provides a common ground for all of us with past and future generations of Amherst students. Changing the mascot loses this connection. They were Lord Jeffs. We are Lord Jeffs.
Lord Jeff never actually gave Native Americans blankets contaminated with smallpox. He merely included in a letter of his intent to do so. The letter was received after the blankets had already been given to the Native Americans.
Thank you for your comment; I wholeheartedly support your points.
Frankly, I think the Lord Jeff is a stupid mascot anyways. Seriously now, who could possibly be proud to be a 'Lord Jeff.' Have you seen how dumb the mascot looks??? I don't really care about any of the other stuff (history, blankets, Natives, etc.). It's just a really dumb mascot that makes Amherst College look bad.
This has GOT to be the most ignorant thing I have read in a while on this page... Amherst College is failing its student body if after two and a half years of studying there, this is what comes out from their students.
"Some students at Amherst get wind of the idea of change and jump on board. It seems like everyone needs to be protesting something at all times. Let's take a step back and really think about the things we are supporting."
Besides the mascot situation, in the past two and a half years, we have protested:
-The gross mishandling of sexual assaults on campus
-Violence against the black community by the police
-Climate change, pushing for divestment
Yeah… I guess we are just pulling stuff out of our asses; we must be REALLY bored huh?
Get your head out of your ass dude, or go back to living a life where the biggest injustice is whether we become the Amherst Moose or Squirrel.
And for the record, I really don't even care what new mascot we choose... we can be the Amherst Potatoes for all I care, as long as it is not some genocidal psychopath.
You lose all credibility when you anonymously blast someone's opinion. To tell Mike that he should think more about what he is supporting is pretentious and incorrect, and to attack someone's opinion in your manner is as hypocritical as it comes. Sign your name next time you want to contribute anything to this debate, it's embarrassing that your thoughts may gain traction on any level.
Also the moose didn't choose us. The moose didn't choose shit it was wandering around our campus and had to be shot with tranquilizer darts, and then for a reason I don't understand people glommed onto it as mascot.
With all due respect, I believe you're missing the point, Greg. First of all, your "claim" about anonymity detracting from a statement's credibility cannot be plausible. Frankly, the fact that you argue this here displays the very arrogance and dismissiveness that you apparently demonize. By not engaging with someone's perspective rationally or critically, you're discrediting them merely on the basis of two names not accompanying them.
But it's not even likely that you support this premise. If I constructed a counter-factual in which Mike had published this article anonymously, I doubt you would have thought it didn't warrant praise or serious consideration. You only cite it here as an insidious tactic to dismiss dissent.
Secondly, you should focus less on the adoption of the moose and more the dismissal of Lord Jeff as a mascot. I don't think anybody seriously opposing the Lord Jeff mascot (which we shouldn't mistakenly assume is a small number) would be opposed to pursuing other options for a mascot. If your objection truly lies with the moose, then I expect you to be attentive to any conversation in the future that surrounds the election of a new mascot. But it seems that your issue stems not from the former, but the latter. You don't dislike the moose, you dislike the dismissal of the Lord Jeff. You refuse to sever ties from its history by selectively recalling the "positive" aspects of that history. And that's most likely a symptom of being an athlete. Or being the spawn of privilege. Or not knowing what it's like to face the celebration of your people's subjugation everyday. If the only argument is really that you don't want to be known as the moose, the appropriate response that fits the concern is to galvanize a discussion of the mascot, not to blindly retain our current one.
It's embarrassing that you can be so hypocritical in a post meant to identify the alleged hypocrisy of someone else. Seriously consider the issues at hand, come up with a calculated and critical response, and then post here.
Until then, you're just pretentious noise. And worry not, I signed my name so that it's plausible that my opinion "may gain traction on any level." (That's also some pretty weird word-choice, since "traction' may as well be synonymous with friction. Almost seems like an oxymoron.)
Kobina, thank you for signing your name. Now I can say something to you instead of addressing nothing. And in your eyes I missed the point of the debate, but the point I was addressing is just how detrimental anonymity and accusations are to the argument for or against mascot change.
Perhaps saying you lose credibility was partially inaccurate. You can still make a good point as many have. But I since signed my name, and you can go on Facebook and see white male athlete and now I lose credibility (any hypocrisy there?). I still say you lose the ability to have any form of reasonable debate. I have read what the anonymous posters have been saying, and I have been considering their points, and then I realize where I have the problem. I still think the moose is absurd and that will never change, but for me the issue is no longer the mascot. It is the way everyone goes out of their way to demonize Mike for supporting the Lord Jeff mascot, someone who has been accused of genocide (something I disagree with, see Sam Seham's argument, but that's another issue...), a clearly unpopular opinion if the internet is a true representation of everyone's thoughts. And once again it comes back down to race and my inability to comprehend anything but a painless existence, because everyone knows that everything I've ever gotten was handed to me on a silver platter.
And, don't you need friction a.k.a. traction to get anywhere? Not quite an oxymoron when you think for a second realize what traction and friction are...
Hey Kobina- Your words are very scary. "that's most likely a SYMPTOM of being an athlete. Or being the SPAWN of privilege"
It would seem to me that people are being too liberal with their use of the word "genocide" and their comparisons with the holocaust of the Second World War. When Lord Jeffery mounted his infamous biological campaign it was in the context of an all out war between combined French and Native American forces versus British colonialists. The Native Americans, unlike the Jews, were enemy combatants. Lord Jeffery's actions are more similar to the tactic of "total warfare", a strategy characterized by the targeting of civilian populations along with enemy forces. Such a strategy is regrettable but has existed since the invention of armed conflict. If Lord Jeff committed genocide then so has every general in modern history.
You're not right about this, Michael. The Lord Jeff is surely one of the worst mascots in collegiate history. It has the unfortunate combination of being incredibly offensive (other historical figures also acting abhorrently in no way alleviates this) and of completely failing to rally any school spirit/common ground. L.J.A was a relatively unimportant, old, racist person completely unaffiliated with the College and certainly unaffiliated with any of the values the College claims to hold. What a shitty and ridiculous figure to try to center school spirit around.
What's most important, though, isn't that the Lord Jeff is an awful mascot. And it isn't that the historical grounds to keep it are shaky as hell. It's that having it makes many of your peers uncomfortable. And what makes them even more uncomfortable is when their well-being isn't regarded by fellow students. I'm Jewish, and if I came to Amherst to find out that the mascot was some colonist who was known for having written a letter supporting a massacre of Jews, I would have felt confused and a little threatened. And if I saw classmates discounting my concerns by writing that institutional tolerance of anti-semitism is permissible because "many of our greatest heroes...conducted themselves in ways that today would be considered abhorrent" I would be terrified. And if I was an African American student attending Ole Miss, hearing my peers defending the unconscionable Colonel Reb mascot for these same reasons (as it still actually is), I would be feel legitimately terrorized. I would tell you to check your privilege, but reading your article I don't think you know how. So instead, let me leave you with some advice:
One of the things learned by just about everyone who comes out of Amherst is how to improve the strength of their argument. Debate is central to many courses, and often the incentive in class discussions is to "win" the argument. What I'm asking you to try, Michael, is to cool your instincts to 'debate,' and instead to converse. Be sure that you understand before you try to 'win.' Even if you insist on having an argument over a conversation, your goal is to convince the other party of the rightness of your point of view. And that can hardly be achieved without your first empathizing with theirs.
You really don't have anything new to say. This reads like an article from a 60+ alumnus. I think before you wrote this, you could've really stood to do more research. The idea that the founding fathers are "many of our greatest heroes" is extremely ignorant, considering how many Amherst students are painfully aware that, for example, Thomas Jefferson raped his female slave(s). Our greatest heroes? I think you mean your own. You are a white man, trying to speak for the women (keep in mind that one of the smaller problems with "the Lord Jeffs" is its exclusion of women), PoC, and other marginalized groups on campus. You even mention that when you're thinking of "all Amherst students," you're specifically thinking of men—future groomsmen and godfathers.
You try to make it sound like you're doing something radical and brave ("I think there are plenty of Amherst students who share my beliefs, but fear voicing their opinion") when really you're just stepping on the voices of people who have been silenced for years. Your argument does not read like one made after careful consideration of the "opposition". Hint: the only people agreeing with you in the comments are other white people, and only white people of a very specific background.
I can't believe you think this is "taking a stand." I'm glad you affirmed the bigoted opinions of other Amherst students, some of whom I'll admit are probably more bigoted than your intended audience. Unfortunately, the only people agreeing with you are those who are either as close-minded or even more close-minded than you, and that means quite a few racists. I'm not saying you're a racist for this article (yes, you are being racist), but there are certainly racists on campus, and they're the ones thanking you so profusely in the comments. The poor souls.
"It seems like everyone needs to be protesting something at all times."
"I'm a privileged white man who has never faced serious oppression in my life. When I see people protesting because they feel dehumanized, threatened, or humiliated, I automatically assume they're protesting because it's hip and trendy. Oh, First Nation people on campus have objected to the Lord Jeff? Ok, but I feel very strongly that a moose is more humiliating. I mean...there are two Os in that word!! It sounds silly! Why would they spell it that way? Oh. Because it's derived from an Algonquian word? Hmm. Still sounds pretty silly."
its obvious
If being a "Lord Jeff" makes you happy that isn't an evil thing, but at least recognize that many people at Amherst find it really uncomfortable and embarrassing that our symbol is someone who committed genocide. So your last point about "common ground for us all" is just wrong. As for historical context, it's true that no one can completely transcends the weaknesses of their century, but there are plenty of historical figures (from any era) who don't fail as abysmally at that test as Jeffrey Amherst does.
I'm pretty sure that the link you apparently feel with the Amherst past is strong enough to survive a change in symbols. If the community actually falls apart because we decided it might be better if we choose a mascot who didn't hate and kill people, then Amherst isn't really such a good place.
Anyway, even before I knew who Lord Jeff was I thought he was a silly mascot, mascots ought to be animals (since you brought it up, I'd personally prefer squirrels over moose. This is partly because of the pluralization issue, but also because squirrels seem nimble and crafty while moose are a bit brutish).
James Baldwin writes, "There are so many ways of being despicable it quite makes one's head spin. But the way to be really despicable is to be contemptuous of other people's pain." This article, which vacillates between incoherency and absurdity without ever finding anything that resembles a thesis statement, is despicable because it is contemptuous of the suffering of others -- of the historical suffering of millions of indigenous persons who were dispossessed by white supremacy, and of the dispossession and alienation lived by students of color on campus at present. It is despicable to attempt to equivocate and trivialize genocide, and it is intellectually and morally offensive to reduce the gross violence of white supremacy to the nihilistic, insouciant shrug of relativism.
by the way, google exists. we know that your hometown is 82.21% white. did you realize that in 2010 there were 16 NA people living there? did you ever have a conversation with any of them? I wonder how enlightening that would've been.
Was this satire?
Mike, I want to say it is bold to post your opinion and by no means do you say it in a negative light. You want what you think is best for the school.
However, as another Anonymous poster has suggested, you seem to make this Moose issue a student-athlete/non-student divide. I don't feel comfortable with that statement. There are plenty of non-athletes who wish to keep the Lord Jeff and plenty of student athletes who wish to get rid of it. In the end, what I see this issue as is one of tradition vs. change.
In addition, you fail to consider the club athlete's opinions; for example, Water Polo extensively uses a penguin as their mascot. I as a club student athlete, am in full support of changing the mascot. I am not proud to symbolize Lord Jeff on the field, pitch, or court. Whether or not the Moose is a proper mascot is a whole different story. But I want something that doesn't require increased Native American recruitment to compensate for an offensive mascot or one that requires extensive debate.
Club sports are stupid lol so nobody cares about your opinion when it comes to athletics
Even if you are from Germany, anyone one would agree it's not ok to say "Heil Hitler"
Why then, even as Amherst students are we made to say "go Lord Jeff"
I want to be able to cheer on my team without it leaving a bad taste in my mouth.
(and hey, we could keep tradition alive by naming our moose Lord Jeff, just replace the murderous man that the name 'Lord Jef'f represents to a majestic moose)
Seriously, if you want to change the mascot, don't make it a moose that once wandered onto campus that we shot and killed. We can come up with something better.
So it's 'superficial' for people to want a man who committed genocide upon Native Americans to not be the symbol of their academic institution, but it's not superficial for the athletes to not want to wear moose on their chest because it looks like a 'video game'? Every reason you are making for denying the moose as a mascot is itself superficial.
Another thing, why is the history of Lord Jeffery so important? You say many of 'our' heroes committed crimes on the lives of others, but I would never call the founding fathers my heroes, even as an American citizen. You are telling the Native American students and other POC who may feel alienated or even threatened by this mascot to take Lord Jeff into context, and realize that he was just doing what he thought was right. Why doesn't Amherst take Lord Jeff into context and get rid of him entirely? I'm not taught about Lord Jeff in any class and that mascot provides nothing in this present moment. At least with moose one could wear antlers for fun. POC are told everyday to simply let go of their history, no matter how scarring it may have been, so maybe it's time that someone tells Amherst the same thing, and we let go of Lord Jeff.
The Moose and the Lord Jeff will both provide common ground for Amherst students because that's what a mascot does. People are just as upset with Lord Jeff as they would be with Moose, so how about we choose the mascot that didn't murder anyone?
I believe he was referring to it being superficial when the name of the town and the college still bear the surname Amherst. Would you not agree that the mascot is the most superficial of those three and thus warrants his use of the word?
great name!
It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you know for sure that ain't so...
"Logic, a better understanding of smallpox itself, and another look at the evidence call into question much of the standard rendition of the story and the ways that historians for more than a century have misrepresented the evidence...Neither Amherst nor Bouquet actually tried germ warfare. The attempt to disseminate smallpox took place at Fort Pitt Independent of both of them."
-- The British, the Indians, and Smallpox: What Actually Happened at Fort Pitt in 1763? by Philip Ranlet
I am confused by the multiple comments with deletions and insertions by the author of the post. It is pretty easy to change the meaning of what someone is saying by substituting your own words. Despite what you might think, it's not very clever and doesn't prove a point. Additionally, it only took a few comments to invoke Godwin's Law... Must mean that this is something worth discussing... Good job, Michael for bringing it up!
If you want the mascot to be a moose, go model for Abercrombie.
Definitely not in favor of changing the mascot, but I understand how some can take the other side.
That being said, I really can't respect the arguments I've seen saying that the school was named after the town, therefore it's somehow different from the mascot.
Give me a break.
If you're going to go on this crusade, go all the way. Change the name of the College, one of the best and most respected in the world.
Change the name of the town, because who do you think the town was named after?
Then you can go ahead and get UMASS to change their affiliation with the tainted suburb. Even get the high school changed.
And then, when someone is offended by Moose in 200 years, you can change that too.
I say this partly in jest, but I'm still waiting to hear a legitimate argument that doesn't make this defense.
Why not stand for an issue that is really affecting the people of this country - like the shocking movement against women's rights, the marginalization of minorities, or the staunch support of firearm ownership that happens every day.
We're talking about a mascot.
No frats. No socials. No athletics. No spirit. No tradition....just the bittersweet joy of Frost Library.
You got the president's office to fund a giant moose in Frost without anyone's consent.
If you're going to have it your way, at least be decent (democratic?) and put it to a vote.
Include the Alumni too -they're the ones paying half the school's tuition. See how much money you get from them when they have to replace all their old college gear and apparel.
Michael's article is a symptom of a bigger problem.
Write us a 100 page novel on how to fix that...
What even is "Tradition"?
The kind of "traditions" you refer to are so secondary.
Our primary tradition should be effective transmission of our values to each new class of students. We should organize and bond with each other based on our shared devotion to our motto: we should feel connected, not because of silly mascots or greek letters or some ambiguous "spirit" but instead because we share a desire to collectively work to make the world a better place. There is value and meaning in that, much more than continuing to worship some random dude or wear a shirt with greek letters and a lobster pun on it.
"Purple is associated with royalty. It symbolizes power, nobility, luxury, and ambition. It conveys wealth and extravagance."
Hi MJ,
This was indeed brave. You will receive a lot of attacks, but I know you didn't mean any harm. With that being said, I do not agree with your position, and I ask you to consider how much a mascot really matters (if it doesn't matter to you, then, let the people who care about it have their way.)
Mainly, I just came here to say that being a "first-generation college student" does not automatically grant you an enlightened stance. I wish you had opened your debate differently.
I find this article refreshing and respect the author for voicing his opinion. The reactions are truly unbelievable. Some of you seem to have trouble thinking for yourselves and choose to be liberal for the sake of being liberal. I applaud the writer for pushing you to consider his viewpoint. Isn't that why you go to Amherst- to push your thinking? Also, if you have something to say, have the balls to sign your name as Mike did.
Mike- bravo...
I just stumbled across your article on the old inter-web and enjoyed reading it. Thanks for speaking your mind and having the courage to sign your name to it.
As I read the comments to your post what becomes apparent is the lack of inclusiveness from the progressive, Marxists that infect the prestigious institution you attend. It seems that diversity of thought only exists if the 'institutional elites' agree or approve of the topic or person in question. The real issue that you and those who agree with tradition and history is the diseased mind of those among you. You see Mike these folks are so brilliant that they feel they can correct all the ills of the past with these arguments that prove some self-proclaimed compassionate, inclusive, don't offend any one moral ideology. These are the same folks Mike who argue with the adoption of a carbon tax they can change climate and a billion years of the earths natural changes. Real smart people among you Mike!
What is important Mike is that your opionion matters and matters more than the wanker who writes a war and peace response and signs it Anonymous. Typical coward, who argues like a Frenchman fights.
In other words, when you think of Lord Jeffrey Amherst, you think of things that conveniently erase history of minority struggle and marginalization. Pretending this history is no longer relevant and that perpetuating the use of the mascot is horribly ignorant.
This is incredibly racist and the epitome of a speech from one who lacks knowledge about what it
means to be marginalized.
If the mascot is such a problem for some, why did they apply to this school. Apply somewhere else, get accepted and go there. The admissions department needs to stop admitting so many overly sensitive, self-important and emotionally combustible young people.
In response to backlash it seems like the author of this article is now deleting chunks of his argument to defend himself from the more discerned of readers. Setting all else aside, I was most disappointed by your original statement (one that I can't seem to find anymore...this is why you need to think hard and write well before publishing an article like this, for future reference.):
"It seems like everyone needs to be protesting something at all times."
It saddens me a lot that anyone in this Amherst community would trivialize and make fun of incredibly serious and wholehearted efforts of the community to strive for issues such as 1) Environmental sustainability 2) Sexual respect and Title IX and 3) the systemic injustice and racism rooted in our society, most recently (and most blatantly) illustrated by the Eric Garner case. Please tell me these are NOT trivial issues. People on this campus care and are proud to show that they care. I do not believe that anyone (let alone someone who writes articles that are logically unsound, and then does not have the guts or the intellectual precision to address the counterarguments, and so has to resort to deleting chunks out of his original text as the only means to defend himself) would daresay these are issues to be overlooked.
I am grateful that my Amherst education taught me to think critically, write perceptively, and stand by my arguments in a constructive but confident manner. I thought that all students benefitted from this wonderful education, but clearly it seems like we've missed a few people here and there.
If people aren't open minded enough to respectfully listen to his opinion then this is the issue we should really be addressing. This article was well written and deserves none of the disrespectful comments it has been given. Disagree all you want, I'm sure the author expected controversy, but some of the comments from our elite Amherst students are really disappointing me. Changing the mascot isn't a horrible idea, how about ANYTHING but the moose. Amherst Falcons?
Pity the poor admissions officer who has to explain to a South Asian prospective student in a meeting in Mumbai or a South African prospective student in Johannesburg that Lord Jeff was an early/earliest proponent of germ warfare against a native population -- and he is the Amherst mascot. I bet that goes down well.
"This article was well written and deserves none of the disrespectful comments it has been given."
Did we read the same article? This is one of the most poorly written pieces I have seen in the Student and frankly it's embarrassing to both its author and anyone supporting the "logic" of his ill conceived argument. Many people have already completely destroyed Mike's inherently ignorant and absurdly dense points, so go ahead and read those comments if you're confused.
To address another aspect of your comment though, you state that "people aren't open minded enough to respectfully listen to [Mike's] opinion."
What about the people that are speaking against Mike's opinion and being public attacked or ridiculed on Facebook by the rest of the football team, with the same "vitriol" they are rallying against? See the Amherst College 2016 group if you don't know what I'm talking about. You may also refer to a comment on this article by another football player defending Mike and spewing hatred towards those who do not. (To anyone that claims that the number and tone of those comments don't constitute social assault, don't kid yourselves.) An embarrassing amount of Amherst students (read: other football players) are ganging up on their peers speaking out against the article (even those presented in an acceptable tone) because they have the social power to do so and get away with it. I would argue that those are the students that aren't "open minded" enough to engage in a critical and respectful debate, because they are too blinded by their own social privilege to acknowledge that someone else might have a valid point.
It's not a secret that the majority of the people supporting Mike's argument are his teammates or fellow athletes (or students who are/wish to be accepted by athletes ... just go through the list of likes on his status)-- a population that inarguably has incredible social power and privilege on this campus. To express a dissenting opinion is truly intimidating when you are faced with an entire population of people supporting Mike because he's a good-guy athlete with a lot of friends. (That's why, I assume, many people decide to stay anonymous, including myself). It is the socially acceptable and beneficial position to support this argument, because that's what most athletes support, and they are the in-group of this college. That in itself is incredibly disappointing.
(As a side note... I acknowledge a critique of my argument is that it perpetuates and exacerbates the athlete-non athlete divide. But in anticipation of that response, I assert that this debate is inherently polarized. If you think I'm just a slighted non-athlete that I wished I played a sport, I would disagree. But regardless, there is a far larger issue at play here.)
For the most part, the people speaking out against this article are using intellectual, critical, and thoughtful critiques of Mike's argument (sometimes relaying them with rightful frustration or resentment). These students, however, are met with an army of peers (many of them athletes) pushing back against them, not with equally insightful and critical arguments but rather with popular support as justification for their correctness. Clearly, in light of my assertions in the above paragraph, we should conclude that popular support means very little in this debate, and take his Facebook likes with a grain of salt.
If you truly believe that the people arguing against a mascot that celebrates oppression are the "elite Amherst students" rather than the people IN FAVOR of keeping an overtly racist figure as a representation of our school, I beg you to take a step back and reconsider. (And maybe take a history, anthropology, sociology, LJST, black studies, or political science class that teaches you how to think critically about the world and the institutions you exist in relation to).
I'm a white male member of a mostly white male varsity athletic team.
White males need to read, and hopefully consider, the following:
No matter how uncomfortable we feel as white males when a white male mascot is challenged, or when the portrait of a white male pool player is removed from Val, or when a white male police officer is questioned for the killing of an unarmed black man, WE WILL NEVER, AS WHITE MALES, EXPERIENCE THE INJUSTICES --OR DIFFICULTIES, WHATEVER YOU FIND MORE ACCESSIBLE-- THAT MEN OF COLOR FACE DAILY IN AMERICA SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THEIR COLOR. That is all.
In conclusion:
It's time for white males to progress.
I find it surprising and discouraging that the vast majority of comments made in this post are anonymous. Is Amherst College now a place where you can only express your point of view behind a shield of anonymity? If so, it is certainly not a community that I would be proud to be a part of.
I think you're onto something, Mark. It's a sad reality.
Well said Mark. We come from a time when everyone signed their name to an article or a comment, for better or worse. The upside of social media is everyone feels included, but the downside is anyone and everyone feels entitled to participate ANONYMOUSLY. That's weak and worthless. The discussion doesn't work if no one knows who's talking. For the Amherst Student to be a legitimate publication they should exclude anonymous posters.
Good word, Mike. Thanks for taking the time to write.
Lol, you're a fool.


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It was a match made in Heaven: The groundbreaking gay sitcom Will and Grace is coming to the groundbreaking gay network, Logo! Starting September 23, Will Truman, Grace Adler, Karen Walker and Jack McFarland will be beaming into your living room every day of the week.
To celebrate the occasion, we've gone back through the W&G vaults and put together a list of our favorite celebrity appearances on the Emmy-winning show. And there were a lot: Everyone from Britney Spears (right) to Michael Douglas—and that's not even including the stars (J-Lo, Kevin Bacon, Janet Jackson) who just played themselves.
The 11 Best Celebrity Guest Stars On Will & Grace
The late great Brennan played caustic acting teacher Zandra Zoggin, who finally kicked Jack out after five years of torture. She was unintentionally responsible for the launch of "The McFarland Method."
In the Season Two episode "Girls Interrupted," a still technically closeted NPH plays Bill, the leader of the ex-gay group Welcome Home. "Well, that's what we're here for, to support you in your new life. Girls! We've got a slider." Jack pretends to be ex-gay to seduce Bill—and it works!
Shannon played Val, a confirmed nutjob and one of our favorite recurring W&G characters. "Hi. Oh, I'm sorry. I was just doing a little something for the security camera. Little gift for the boys in the basement. "
It was a shock to see little Kevin McCallister as snot-nosed lawyer Jason Towne but Macauley made it work. Our favorite part was when he tossed Karen a $20 and told her to get a Brazilian wax because, "I like a clean work place."
As Tina, Will's dad's mistress, Warren takes ditzy sluttiness to new heights. In one episode, Grace is forced to endure an awkward dinner where Will, his dad and Tina refuse to address the elephant in the room. Tina loves Seussical the Musical because "I love rhyming!"
The comedy legend played Will's ball-busting boss, Margot, in later episodes. "Hector, I've only got five minutes before I have to get back to the office," she barks at an underling in the Season 8 episode "Forbidden Fruit". "I want what I had yesterday. I don't remember what it was, and you weren't working, but I want it anyway."
Close plays a thinly veiled parody of celebrity photographer Annie Leibowitz named Fannie Leiber. (Okay, very thinly veiled.)
When Will becomes too demanding about his shoot, Close barks, "You know, I'm not in the business of minimizing foreheads. I'm in the business of maximizing truth. You have a big forehead, and that's the truth!"
As Grace's mother, Bobbi, Reynolds is the perfect balance of smothering and withholding: "Oh, let's go shopping. We'll spend your dowry. Might as well put it to some use." And who doesn't love a woman with her own accompanist?
As Karen's mincing closeted rival Beverley Leslie, Emmy winner Jordan turned a pint-sized part into comedy gold: "This is a gay bar?! Why, I had no idea! I'm-a half a mind to storm out of here right this minute. But my other half wants to stay and finish my refreshing lemon drop."
Madge is always being knocked for her lack of acting prowess but she nailed it as Liz, Karen's flaky roommate: Hey, Karen. I like your friend. He's very 8 Mile." Someone give her a sitcom!
Do you believe… the Queen of the Gays made not one, but two appearances on W&G? Of course, one was in a fantasy sequence, so we're not sure it counts.
CHER: You know, don't talk to me about rejection, ok? I mean, look how many times I've gone down in flames. Remember, I lost the Oscar for Moonstruck.
JACK: But you won the Oscar for Moonstruck!
CHER: And don't you forget it!
Oh who are we kidding, of course it counts!
Will & Grace airs weekdays on Logo, starting September 23


text:
(BLOOMINGTON) - The Superintendent of the Indiana State Police, Doug Carter, has announced the promotion of First Sergeant Kevin Hobson to the rank of Lieutenant.
Lieutenant Hobson will serve as the Drug Enforcement Section Commander. Lt. Hobson will primarily direct the activities of personnel assigned to the Drug Enforcement Section (DES) and perform administrative and staff actions required to properly coordinate and supervise the DES operations.
A native of Bloomfield, Hobson is a 1991 graduate of Bloomfield High School. He graduated from Indiana University where he studied Health Administration before being accepted to the Indiana State Police Recruit Academy in June of 1995. In December of 1995, he was appointed as a Trooper and assigned to the Versailles Post where he worked Switzerland County.
During his career with the State Police, Hobson worked the road for two years as a Trooper in Switzerland County before being re-assigned to the Drug Enforcement Section, where he worked for the next nine years. Lt. Hobson then served as a Crime Scene Investigative Sergeant for the Criminal Investigation Division and was posted at the Bloomington District. In 2009, Hobson was promoted and served as the District Investigative Commander at the Bloomington District where he assisted the District Commander to determine crime problems and action plans, among other duties.
Lt. Hobson and his wife Penny, reside in Greene County.
Have a question or comment about a news story? Send it to email@example.com
1340 AM WBIW, Bedford's Place To Talk. Serving Lawrence and surrounding counties since 1948!
© 2019 Ad-Venture Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. WBIW.com and Listen Live Powered by HPC


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Creatures & Monsters, Real & Imagined
Hey you! Reader! Want to be a part of the GREATEST COMIC BOOK AND GEEK COMMUNITY on the web?! Well, they're not accepting new members, but we'll take anyone here, so why not sign up for a free acount? It's fast and it's easy, like your mom! Sign up today! Membership spots are limited!*
*Membership spots not really limited!
Hey you! Reader! Want to be a part of the GREATEST COMIC BOOK AND GEEK COMMUNITY on the web?! Well, they're not accepting new members, but we'll take anyone here, so why not sign up for a free acount? It's fast and it's easy, like your mom! Sign up today! Membership spots are limited!*
*Membership spots not really limited!
by sdsichero » Tue Oct 05, 2010 12:26 pmWell since Greg was mentioning the lack of Halloween spirit here... and I was musing about the upcoming Gamma World revised game from WotC, I thought I'd start a thread. It's not strictly a Halloween thread but it involves monsters.
I'm a big old kid. Almost anything I like today has a basis in my childhood. One of the things I know I was fascinated about ever since I was a kid was monsters/creatures.
I remember when I was a young boy, my grandma reading to me old tales of Japanese folklore. Sure I liked the heroes like Momotaro, but I think I was more interested in the pictures of the oni and tengu and all the stuff that was in the chest in the Urashima Taro story. When I started reading about dinosaurs and creatures of the abyssal plains it made me want to study monster-like creatures even more. I would wait in anticipation for the weekly kaijin to show up on the late afternoon tokusatsu shows to watch Kikaider & Kamen Rider V3 beat them up. And my mind almost exploded in '77 when I saw the Monster Manual and the Star Wars cantina scene in the same year.
So I thought I'd start a thread about creatures and monsters; both real and imagined. If any of you like that sort of stuff (I hope there are other folks besides me here) please post.
Funny, I love old cheesy monster films and comics (though I really love the designs of the old Marvel monsters more than their stories), dinosaurs, deep sea creatures, weird insects, kaijin and kaiju... but never got into vampires or zombies both currently popular...
Well hope some other folks have some they'd like to post about.
by sdsichero » Tue Oct 05, 2010 12:29 pmI saw this dinosaur a little while ago and thought... "Hey, that's X-23!" Heh.
by Strict31 » Tue Oct 05, 2010 12:56 pmGoddamn Goblin Sharks, man.
Their fucking entire jaw extends forward. Normally, they look like a fairly regular shark until those jaws whip out. The first I ever heard about these things was on some Sci-Fi channel monster movie shitfest, and I said to myself. "No. No, there's no way that's an actual thing." But it is.
Then, there's the Frilled Shark, which sounds like some wussy bitch-tittied shark that favors ruffles and lace, but which looks like a cross between a shark, an eel and a much more fucked up looking shark:
and which has teeth that look the fuck like this:
It's creatures like this that prove there is no God, because I don't know who in the fuck could have created this shit, if they were all loving and what-not. Don't even get me started on Architeuthis Rex. A giant goddamn squid with swiveling hooks instead of suckers?
Are you shitting me?
The entire reason I started eating fried calamari was just so I could say I ate something that preys upon humans. If i ever get devoured by a giant squid, my last words will be "Yeah bitch, but I ate more of you than you ate of me!"
Why does this muthafucka need hooks? That swivel?
That's why sperm whales are cool. Not because they have an awesome name that caused me no end of amusement as a kid. But because they throw the fuck down with the Architeuthis Rex and whup its ass. And eat the giant fuckfaced bastards.
So, I dunno. Those are some real-ass monsters. Even Godzilla looks at these muthafuckas like, "Dude. Serious?"
by misac » Tue Oct 05, 2010 3:43 pmHow can someone not like vampires? What's the matter with you? They're probably my favorite monsters but at certain times when I was a kid I liked werewolves just as much or maybe a little more.
The problem with werewolves is that their look is very inconsistent in movies. They rarely look cool. I think I prefer when they just turn into wolves.
My favorite giant monster is Gamera. I always liked the huge defensive value his shell gave him. And he can fly!
by sdsichero » Tue Oct 05, 2010 5:56 pm
Speaking of cool/freaky jaws, the dragonfly nymph has a kick ass set of jaws...
(about 2:20 in)
And of course there's a god silly...
by sdsichero » Tue Oct 05, 2010 6:00 pm
What't the matter with me? I'm not lame I guess.
Dunno, just never got into them. Guess my first exposure was the old Universal monsters type... guy with a white face, fangs and a tux. *shrug* boring. Only cool vampire is Dracula from Billy and Mandy.
I like Gamera too. He was death blossom before death blossom was cool.
I also liked the designs of Gigan and Megalon. Ghidora has a cool design too.
by sdsichero » Tue Oct 05, 2010 11:58 pmI love models but were never really good at making them.
I don't think I had any of these, but I remember wanting them...
by Strict31 » Wed Oct 06, 2010 3:59 am
by Mike Faille
Goddamn land shark...
by sdsichero » Wed Oct 06, 2010 12:18 pm
by sdsichero » Wed Oct 06, 2010 12:22 pmOh yeah and misac, I forgot I do like another vampire. The vampire squid!
by Chubbles » Wed Oct 06, 2010 12:25 pmscariest monster to me as a kid was the Blob. That fucking thing could go under the door, up the sink, hide in the ceiling and keeps getting bigger the more it eats...that's some scary shit
my favorite monsters were the ants from Them, i dunno why but i love those things
by misac » Wed Oct 06, 2010 12:26 pm
There was always Tomb of Dracula! And the Hammer Dracula movies.
by misac » Wed Oct 06, 2010 12:29 pm
I remember seeing these at K-Mart.
by Chubbles » Wed Oct 06, 2010 12:34 pmif they ever make a film about giant cockroaches i may just kill myself
by sdsichero » Wed Oct 06, 2010 3:12 pm
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|2010-01-21, 23:12
|Link #281
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: East Cupcake
|2010-01-22, 01:29
|Link #283
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 61
But if you take them off due to nausea, etc .. its okay you can watch it just fine without the glasses.
|2010-01-22, 10:26
|Link #284
Sensei, aishite imasu
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Hong Kong Shatterdome
|2010-01-24, 04:24
|Link #285
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: The dog gossips too much.
"Mighty Whitey saves the day" is supposed to be the story behind this flick, but according to my friends who watched this, first off
Spoiler for ending?:
|2010-01-24, 08:18
|Link #286
Join Date: Jul 2009
That is just a miss applied and cliched idea used by some people that really does not fit well with the film.
I asked one friend would he spout the same nonsense if the main actor was black ?
He then says : "Well we would just say that the film plot was simply bad. People would alsp be more sympathetic to the actor too if he wasn't white."
In other words, the negative mass would never dare comment on the race of the human in the film, if that human was not a caucasian.
I asked him "If the main military villan was black man what would happen"
My friend says "Jesse Jackson would call for a boycott?"
My conclusion is... Humans are hypocrits who have a serious level of self hate"
Perhaps if the main villanious horde of humans were replaced by another species the film wouldn't be so controversial?
However controversy sells so... its Billions of dollars in the bank for a film that is supposed to be "bad"
In the end...
"Mighty Whitey" has nothing to do with it.
Tree hugging has nothing to do with it.
America bashing has nothing to do with it.
Human bashing has nothing to with do it.
Preachy story line has nothing to do with it.
The film can be seen as asking the question: What would you do if you found a new life in another country or a whole other world and it is much better than the one you had before ?
|2010-01-24, 11:43
|Link #287
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: East Cupcake
Additionally, I was unclear on just how bad off Earth was (obviously, there could never be a real time cut to Earth, because of the 4-6 year difference between the 2 planets). There were only 1 or 2 mentions of the decaying planet in the movie (and they were just enough to know that hyper-inflation and overpopulation had taken over) and really only one shot (I think, I actually forget if there was a real sequence showing Earth besides the brief morgue scene). Consequently, besides Sully's loss of legs, I was not very sure as to how bad off Earth was. If there is a sequel, I hope Earth is shown at least once, so we can have a better understanding of the motivations of the human characters.
|2010-01-24, 15:43
|Link #288
Join Date: Jul 2009
If you ever worked oversease from your native country, you might understand.
You may choose to stay in the new country because the odds are in your favour.
I know of people who have chosen to leave life and roots in the United States to take up permanent residence in Japan. they originally went to Japan just to "Teach English" after they "lost their job back home"
They eventually renounce US citizenship and become Japanes citizens with their name in the registry.
Life for them in Japan is better overall... and if they could change their outward appearance from "gaijin to japanese" they would in a heart beat.
This group of people include both male and female.
The odds for their story were stacked in their favour.
Translate this theme into Avatar and you really have no problem.
The story happens all the time, it just that we need a whole lot of bells and whistles to make it "believable"
|2010-01-25, 02:46
|Link #289
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: East Cupcake
By having the character start out as a emotionally and physically broken individual, Cameron, more or less, made the decision for Sully by the first time he "set foot" in his avatar. If a story starts with a character already having lost everything (including their body) and then being offered everything (especially a new body), then the emotional impact of the decision of choosing the offered prize is not as relevant or "deep" as it could have been (unless you take a negative route ala The Devil and Daniel Webster, in which case a downtrodden individual begins to regret the decision they made in their moment of weakness). Rather, the story would have been far more dramatic, even meaningful, if Sully wasn't so destroyed when he first arrived on Pandora - a fully functioning, albeit emotionally damaged, soldier deciding to become an "alien" and betray his home is a far more interesting story...which is probably why Dances with Wolves won the Best Picture Oscar .
Last edited by james0246; 2010-01-25 at 03:18.
|2010-01-25, 03:52
|Link #290
Srsly ?
Join Date: Apr 2008
Age: 31
This film...was a mix between FernGully, Pocahontas, and Princess Mononoke.
Didn't like it. You could guess from the start what was going to happen and this kind of plot have been reused to death.
Thanks God it was beautiful when it comes to the graphic part, or I might have ended up sleeping during the whole movie.
And not impressed at all by the kinds of navvi's rituals. African tribes do it better :/
|2010-02-07, 03:43
|Link #292
Pretentious moe scholar
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Age: 31
This actually gives me hope that Cameron may do something interesting with the second film.
|2010-02-08, 02:50
|Link #293
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: event horizon
I really wish they hadn't cut the urban stuff out -- and the hole explanation on the "unobtanioum" being a joke name for some room temperature super conductor and the bulk of it in the mountains, actually makes the sci-fi look believable not just cheesy. The World war going on with the planet seems intriguing as well. I don't quite agree with the other changes, particular character settings, although the political/military/economic gig in 880 sounds way better then in Avatar; in particular the reasoning for attacking the tree and other details.
|2010-02-15, 16:43
|Link #296
✖ ǝʇ ɯıqnɾl ☆
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Mortuary : D
Terrorism & Avtar
Continued from here
|2010-02-15, 17:03
|Link #297
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 61
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If available, see below for a list of known police frequencies for Douglas County in Wisconsin. Or, navigate to your city or town to view your local police frequencies.
Below is a list of cities located within Douglas County, Wisconsin. Click the link to your city or town to view any available police frequencies.


text:
Please read description carefully.
Do not base your order on the picture presented.
Features of the Clinton Classic Wood Upholstered Mat Platform with Adjustable Backrest: • Features 6-position, all-steel, adjustable backrest.
• Table has a split backrest.
• 500 lbs. load capacity.
• Width: 6'.
• Length: 8'.
• Height: 18".
• Backrest Dimensions: 3' x 30" each side.
This product is non-returnable.
Medex SKU: CLI-241-68-3SP


text:
Wall Tapestries designed by independent artists from all over the world.
High quality Stephen Moffat Cumberbitch inspired Wall Tapestries by independent artists and designers from around the world. Three sizes. Many uses. Hang 'em on walls, drape them on beds, divide a room, hide your secret stuff. Wall Tapestries let you cover your world in large-scale independent art without breaking the bank. All orders are custom made and most ship worldwide within 24 hours.


text:
Brad Pitt: LAX Arrival!
Brad Pitt is greeted by a mob of fans at LAX Airport on Friday (March 23) in Los Angeles.
The 48-year-old actor flashed a smile for onlookers as an escort led the way through the airport.
"It was a bit of a blur because New Orleans will do that to you," Brad said to Ellen DeGeneres on her show (via People) about his first trip to the city in the 90s. "I fell in love with the place. The people. The music. It's in the air."
Brad recently hosted a fundraising event for his charity the Make It Right foundation in the Big Easy.


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My Peaceful War Tellerbarret
Added May 18, 2011
by angelical
Århus, Denmark
This hat is but fit for an reiklandish highborn! Yet, I, a simple country maiden, will wear it with pride, as I, with needle and tread, aid the soldiers in their bloody fight over gold and honor.
The hat, called a "tellerbarret" or a "platter hat" is made to be worn at Krigslive VII (War LARP seven), where I will play the cheerful, young seamstress in a peaceful village, close to the battlefield where the armies of Reikland and Marienburg have met to fight over gold and honor. Who will return to their master with news of victory? Who will stand in first line as the cannons enter the battle? And – most importantly – who will ruin their clothes and be in need of a kind seamstress?
Only time and the GM will know!
The hat is made of the same blue linen and currant nettle as my "Peaceful war kampfrau dress", and will get 3 big, blue ostrich freather on top of it.
It is stiffened with 2 layers of heavy Viledon (the same as peltex) and a ring of thick cobber wire and is fastened with 2 ties. The hat is 50 cm in diameter.
Sorry about the bad pictures, it was 1 o'clock in the morning and have no time for better pictures. They might come later.
Material Notes
Royal blue linen, currant colored nettle, viledon, cobber wire
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May 1, 2018, 06.27 PMby Anna Mullinaux
This is awesome! Did you make up your own pattern or follow some resource or inspiration elsewhere?
Add to Favorites no one added it


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Quinnipiac University: Freedoms of Press and Association in Jeopardy
Category: Cases
Schools: Quinnipiac University
Quinnipiac University (QU) threatened a student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists with expulsion from campus if the group associated with The Quad News, an independent student newspaper formed in response to QU's attacks on students' press freedom. The trouble started when QU prohibited the student editors of The Quinnipiac Chronicle from publishing news online prior to the same news appearing in print. QU President John Lahey defended this prior restraint by saying he wanted to be able to read the news in print "before the external world hears about it." After then-Chronicle editor-in-chief Jason Braff challenged the policy, Vice President for Public Affairs Lynn Bushnell stated that "student leaders, especially those in paid positions, are expected to generally be supportive of university policies." When QU went so far as to take control over the selection of this year's Chronicle staff in an effort to better control the paper, the paper's editors and applicants abandoned the Chronicle and founded an independent online news source, The Quad News, which began publishing this semester.When students in QU's chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and student members of The Quad News jointly participated in activities held on campus, Daniel W. Brown, Director of QU's Student Center and Student Leadership Development, wrote to Jaclyn Hirsch, who is both SPJ president and managing editor of The Quad News saying that "any further interaction or endorsements with The QUAD News [sic] could result in the Quinnipiac University Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists losing its recognition status." Although QU is a private university, they should still be expected to hold certain values in high regard, freedom of association being one of them.
FIRE Letter to President John L. Lahey
FIRE criticizes QPac letter to SPJ chapter
September 24, 2008
Quinnipiac University Vice President for Public Affairs Lynn Bushnell may have spoken up two weeks ago about the student-journalism controversy that occurred on her campus. But a national group still wants more answers. College student First Amendment rights watchdog group Foundation for Individual Rights in Education sent a letter last week to Quinnipiac President John L. Lahey expressing that the group is "gravely concerned" that a letter sent from the administration to the school's Society of Professional Journalists chapter represents a threat to students' "freedom of speech and … association." In the letter, sent two weeks ago to SPJ president […]» Read More
Student newspapers react to media policies
December 5, 2007
At the start of the spring 2007 semester the Quinnipiac University administration instittuted a policy restricting The Chronicle Web site from being updated at any given time. The policy stated that www.quchronicle.com can only be updated simultaneously with the hard copy. Later in 2007 another policy issued by the university's Office of Public Affairs stated that members of the administration are required to instruct any member of the media, including the university's student media, looking for an interview to send their questions to Lynn Bushnell, the vice president for public affairs, or John Morgan, the associate vice president for public […]» Read More
FIRE's Top 3 Free Press Cases
January 31, 2013
Over the years, FIRE has repeatedly gone to bat for student newspapers and student journalists faced with censorship. Student press censorship comes in many forms, ranging from newspaper theft, reduced support from student activity funds, and the firing of faculty advisors, to prior review and editorial control of content. Since it's Free Press Week, here, in no particular order, are three of the most egregious examples of free press violations from FIRE's case archives. 1. Prior Restraint at Quinnipiac University Prior restraint was the censorship tool of choice for administrators at Quinnipiac University (QU) from 2007 through much of 2008. Back […]» Read More
'Quinnipiac Chronicle' Just As Free As 'The Quad News'
February 23, 2012
On Tuesday, I wrote that The Quad News at Quinnipiac University (QU) has started printing physical copies of its once-online-only publication. The Quad News was born out of problems with the administration trying to stifle the speech of the student newspaper The Quinnipiac Chronicle. In an editorial yesterday, the Quinnipiac Chronicle recognized the new publication's presence on campus and pointed out that it has not had any issues with the QU administration since the incident in 2008: Like The Quad News, the Chronicle has the right to free speech in its content and there is no censorship from any level […]» Read More
A Free Press at Quinnipiac: 'The Quad News' to Begin Printing
February 21, 2012
An online-only newspaper for nearly four years, Quinnipiac University (QU)'s The Quad News has begun printing physical copies as of today. The Quad News was created in 2008 in response to the QU administration cracking down on press freedom within the established student newspaper, The Quinnipiac Chronicle. At the time, the QU administration prohibited The Quinnipiac Chronicle from posting its articles online before they had been printed, citing concerns about wanting to review the content "before the external world hears about it." The dispute escalated, resulting in the QU administration hand-picking Chronicle staffers. In response, the then-editorial staff abandoned the […]» Read More
FIRE's Will Creeley to Speak at Quinnipiac University Tonight
November 18, 2009
The Young Americans for Liberty at Quinnipiac University will host a lecture by Will Creeley, FIRE's Director of Legal and Public Advocacy, tonight at 6:45 p.m. in the Grand Courtroom. In addition to discussing speech codes on campus and Quinnipiac's "red light" rating, Will will discuss the importance of a free student press and the problems Quinnipiac has had in the past with its student newspaper. Last year, the university threatened student organizations that associated with The Quad News, an independent student paper formed by former editors of the official school paper who resigned over an administrative takeover, with expulsion. The […]» Read More
Quinnipiac President Thinks Free Speech Violation Not a First Amendment Problem
December 18, 2008
The Quad News reports that at a question and answer session with the Student Government Association (SGA), Quinnipiac University (QU) President John Lahey denied that his censorship of The Chronicle, the QU student newspaper, violated the First Amendment. Lahey's right. Technically, it's not a First Amendment problem, since QU is a private school, but it was definitely a major free speech problem and an embarrassment to the institution. Let's reexamine that case briefly. At a previous student government meeting, Lahey complained that Quinnipiac's student media were breaking stories on their website, which then were picked up by outside media sources. […]» Read More
'The Quad News' Controversy and the Corporatization of Quinnipiac University
November 11, 2008
What does the ongoing dispute between The Quad News and the Quinnipiac University (QU) administration have to do with the construction of a new, $52 million sports facility on campus? More than you might think, suggests Andrew Bartholomew in The Yale Daily News. Bartholomew's thoughtful article ("Fast Times at QPac") depicts QU as a university flush with money and a surge in applications. Bartholomew notes that QU's current freshman class is the largest in its history, and that QU's enrollment has doubled since current president John Lahey began in 1987. But as his experience writing the article shows, QU's rise […]» Read More
Student Newspapers Stand Up for 'The Quad News'
November 3, 2008
Torch readers by now are well aware of the troubling state of student rights at Quinnipiac University (QU), particularly in light of the administration's treatment of the newly formed Quad News, an independent, online student publication. The Quad News formed this summer after a series of controls on the press imposed by QU led to the exodus of the staff of the QU-controlled Quinnipiac Chronicle. Once QU threatened to punish the campus chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) for merely interacting with The Quad News, first FIRE and then The New York Times and the Associated Press weighed […]» Read More
Greg in 'The Huffington Post' on 'A Tale of Two Universities'
October 31, 2008
FIRE President Greg Lukianoff has a new post at The Huffington Post comparing FIRE's recent cases at the University of Oklahoma and Quinnipiac University. Greg begins his comparison by mentioning our recent victory at the University of Oklahoma, where the college president recently rescinded a campus-wide ban on political emails. Greg explains that "it is rare that one sees a college president flatly and publicly reverse him or herself" which is why "President Boren should be commended for clarifying this murky policy." But as Greg is quick to mention, the positive development at OU stands in sharp contrast to the […]» Read More
A Tale of Two Universities
October 31, 2008
Earlier this month, I posted about the crazy trend on college campus to ban political speech by students and faculty during this exciting election cycle. Since the fall semester kicked off, colleges across the country have banned everything from window signs to bumper stickers, squelching all political expression on campus in a misguided attempt to protect their school's non-profit status. One of the worst examples of this kind of blanket censorship occurred at the University of Oklahoma ("OU"), where students were informed by the administration that they could not use their college e-mail addresses to forward "political humor/commentary." Obviously, OU's […]» Read More
'New York Times' Criticizes Quinnipiac University's Treatment of Student Press
October 29, 2008
Echoing FIRE's press release, the editorial board of The New York Times criticizes Quinnipiac University's treatment of its student press on its pages today. The whole editorial is well worth your time, but here's a worthy excerpt: First, the university tried to stonewall student attempts to report stories by imposing a gag order on administrators, coaches and athletes. Then last month, the institution, in writing, threatened to ban from campus the student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, a nationwide media advocacy group of working journalists that includes about 200 student chapters. Apparently the university became irate when an […]» Read More
Quinnipiac University Threatens Student Group with Expulsion for Associating with Off-Campus Newspaper
October 29, 2008
Today's FIRE press release summarizes the poor state of freedom of the press at Quinnipiac University (QU), which threatened its student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists with expulsion from campus if the group associates with The Quad News, an independent student newspaper formed in response to QU's attacks on students' press freedom, which we have covered several times before. The ordeal for the QU student press began in spring 2007, when QU prohibited the student editors of The Quinnipiac Chronicle from publishing news online prior to the same news appearing in print. QU President John Lahey defended this […]» Read More
Quinnipiac University Threatens Student Group for Associating with Off-Campus Newspaper
October 29, 2008
NEW HAVEN, Conn., October 29, 2008—Quinnipiac University (QU) has threatened a student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists with expulsion from campus if the group associates with The Quad News, an independent student newspaper formed in response to QU's attacks on students' press freedom. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) is calling on the university, known for its political polling operation, to either permit freedom of association on campus or publicly declare that it no longer guarantees basic student rights. "After driving last year's editors of the primary student newspaper off campus, QU has declared the students' […]» Read More
Quinnipiac University Newspaper Editors Go Independent
August 27, 2008
Last academic year's struggle between the editorial staff of the university-controlled Quinnipiac Chronicle and the Quinnipiac University (QU) administration has birthed a new independent paper, The Quad News. Once Chronicle editor-in-chief Jason Braff and his editorial staff announced their plans to form an independent, online publication, all twenty QU students who had applied for editorial posts at the Chronicle withdrew their applications. The conflict began in September 2007 when Braff, in response to a racially charged incident on campus, sought permission to publish a web exclusive on the incident since the Chronicle had not yet started printing for the fall […]» Read More
At Quinnipiac, Editors of Student Paper Resign Over Administration's Takeover
May 7, 2008
Over the winter we reported on a rash of press censorship at universities across the country. One of the most troubling incidents occurred at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. As we stated at the time: Quinnipiac University, for its part, has defended its restrictive policy of preventing the Quinnipiac Chronicle from publishing any new stories or updates on its web site until a new print issue appears. Moreover, Quinnipiac has threatened the student editor with discipline or even termination for publicly challenging the policy-since, the university's spokesperson says, the editor is an employee of the school and therefore is expected to […]» Read More
Quinnipiac U. editors leave en masse to start independent Web outlet
May 2, 2008
The returning editor in chief, other returning editors and new applicants for editorial positions at Quinnipiac University's student newspaper withdrew their applications en masse over the past week in protest of a new selection process that will allow the dean of students to select The Chronicle's editorial board. Jason Braff, who had planned to reapply as editor in chief for next year, said he received 20 applications for editorial positions by the original April 7 deadline but was told by administrators to hold off on the normal selection process. In the past, the faculty adviser and student affairs adviser selected […]» Read More
Free the Press in 2008
December 31, 2007
Freedom of the press remains endangered on U.S. college campuses. Even at public universities, where the school acts in the name of the government, student newspapers and their editors often face disciplinary action for exercising their constitutional rights. Two recent cases that come to mind arose at Colorado State University (CSU) and Central Connecticut State University (CCSU). In The Rocky Mountain Collegian at CSU, a staff editorial used an expletive in very large print. The editor-in-chief faced disciplinary action but, after FIREand his attorney intervened, the editor-in-chief received only an admonishment. Like almost all such cases, there should not even […]» Read More
Student newspapers react to media policies
December 5, 2007
At the start of the spring 2007 semester the Quinnipiac University administration instittuted a policy restricting The Chronicle Web site from being updated at any given time. The policy stated that www.quchronicle.com can only be updated simultaneously with the hard copy. Later in 2007 another policy issued by the university's Office of Public Affairs stated that members of the administration are required to instruct any member of the media, including the university's student media, looking for an interview to send their questions to Lynn Bushnell, the vice president for public affairs, or John Morgan, the associate vice president for public […]» Read More
Free speech, press battle at Quinnipiac U
December 1, 2007
The editor of The Chronicle at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut is locked in a battle with university administrators over student journalists' First Amendment rights, according to an article in Sunday's edition of The New York Times. Jason Braff, the 20-year-old editor of The Chronicle, has said the university administration threatened to fire him after he criticized a university policy in an interview with The Waterbury Republican American in late October. Braff was quoted in the Oct. 30 article as saying the university's policy prohibiting the student newspaper from posting articles on its Web site before running them in print was […]» Read More
Lahey: Student media hinders progress
October 24, 2007
President John Lahey expressed his displeasure with the current state of journalism last Wednesday at the Student Government Association (SGA) meeting. Lahey specifically mentioned his discontent with how outside media sources pick up stories from student media, especially The Chronicle. "So I guess the challenge for us now is how in today's world we can really have a good discussion with the students about important topics, but not have it be a press conference to the world, where I have absolutely no control," Lahey said. "I am less worried with personal liabilities and more with institutional liabilities. When the president […]» Read More


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The Emmys went for a family-friendly theme Sunday. The big-hearted romp "Modern Family" claimed the best comedy trophy for the second year in a row, while AMC's "Mad Men" won its fourth consecutive best drama series award.
"Modern Family" producer Steve Levitan, whose picture of the American family today includes gay couples and interracial families, told of being approached during shooting by a real-life gay couple who wanted to say thanks.
"They said, 'You're not just making people laugh, you're making them more tolerant,'" said Levitan, whose show received a total of five awards.
While "Mad Men" gained the top comedy award, it couldn't pull honors for stars Jon Hamm or Elisabeth Moss. It also lost in the supporting drama actor and actress, and writing categories.
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Kyle Chandler was the surprise winner in the best drama actor category for the last season of Texas football drama "Friday Night Lights," blocking odds-on favorites among his fellow nominees, including Hamm.Story: Emmy Awards show felt like a rerun
"I knew for a fact I would not be standing here. I did not write anything and now I'm starting to worry," said Chandler, who also beat out Steve Buscemi of "Boardwalk Empire."
It was a fitting victory for Chandler and "Friday Night Lights," which was critically acclaimed but struggled for an audience, and whose high school football team's motto was, "clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose."
Julianna Margulies won top drama acting honors for "The Good Wife." Margulies, who navigates politics, law and family in the show, added to her Emmy stash. As part of the "ER" medical drama cast, she won a supporting actress Emmy in 1995.
Melissa McCarthy of "Mike & Molly" was honored as best lead actress in a comedy series with an Emmy and a glitzy prom queen's crown, while Jim Parsons of "The Big Bang Theory" earned his second trophy in the best actor category.
"Holy smokes. Wow, it's my first and best pageant ever," said a beaming McCarthy. "I'm from Plainfield, Ill., and I'm standing here and it's kind of amazing."Story: Sheen wishes 'Men' cast well from Emmy stage
Moments earlier, she and her fellow nominees had broken with tradition by jumping up on stage as their names were called, led by Amy Poehler of "Parks and Recreation."
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They earned a standing ovation from many in the audience, which seemed fitting in a year in which TV shows and movies are giving women edgier leading roles. Among them is the box-office hit "Bridesmaids," which featured McCarthy.
Parsons looked genuinely surprised at his victory. "This is so odd for so many reasons. I was assured by many people in my life that this wasn't happening," he said.
The first awards in the drama category went to Jason Katims of "Friday Night Lights" for outstanding writing, and Margo Martindale, named best supporting actress for the show "Justified."
"Sometimes, things just take time. But with time comes great appreciation," said the veteran actress.
Peter Dinklage, the winning actor in the category for sci-fi fantasy "Game of Thrones," was awed by another winner, filmmaker Martin Scorsese, who received a directing trophy for "Boardwalk Empire."
"Thanks. Wow. Wow. I followed Martin Scorsese. My heart is pounding. You are a legend," Dinklage said.Story: Emmy red carpet sees some bold moves
The ceremony aired by Fox opened with a pre-taped comedy sketch that generated controversy because Alec Baldwin's part was cut after he included a joke about the News Corp. phone hacking scandal. Fox is a unit of News Corp.
Baldwin tweeted that Fox killed the joke about the hacking scandal in Britain involving the now-closed News of the World tabloid. Fox said it believed the joke was inappropriate to make light of an issue being taken very seriously by the company.
Leonard Nimoy stepped in and the bit was retaped. It featured host Jane Lynch celebrating television in a musical number, singing about TV as "a vast wonderland, a kingdom of joy in a box."
"Oh, there's Betty White. She's the reason we start the show at 5 p.m." Lynch cracked during her opening monologue.
Charlie Sheen presented the lead actor award, using his time onstage to make nice with his former "Two and a Half Men" colleagues. He was fired from the show after bitterly clashing with its producer and studio, and was replaced by Ashton Kutcher.
"From the bottom of my heart, I wish you nothing but the best for this upcoming season," he said. "I know you will continue to make great television."
"Modern Family" won the first four Emmys, capturing best supporting comedy actress, best supporting comedy actor, best writing for a comedy and best direction for a comedy series.Story: Kathy Griffin forces Ryan Seacrest to kiss her
Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell, who play husband and wife on the series, won best supporting actor honors for a comedy series.
"Oh, my God, I don't know what I'm going to talk about in therapy next week," said a shocked-looking Bowen. "I won something."
Burrell spoke of his own father in accepting his best supporting actor award.
"I actually got kind of a late start in acting. My dad actually passed away before he ever saw me perform and I can't help but wonder what he would think about all this ... going to work in full makeup," Burrell said.Story: Memorable quotes from the Emmys
Steve Carell of "The Office" made his last Emmy stand for his fifth and final season as clueless manager Michael Scott, but lost again.
A new category, which combines the previously separate best miniseries and made-for-TV movie nominees, included the miniseries "Mildred Pierce," with Kate Winslet nominated in the role of an embattled mother, and the movie "Too Big to Fail," about the U.S. fiscal crisis in 2008.
Film star Winslet, an Oscar winner, captured the trophy for lead actress, while her co-star Guy Pearce won the award for best supporting actor.
Barry Pepper, who played Robert F. Kennedy in the controversial miniseries "The Kennedys," won the best supporting actor award. Maggie Smith won supporting actress honors for the miniseries "Downton Abbey," which also was named best in its category.Story: What you didn't see on the Emmy telecast
In the reality-competition category, perennial winner "The Amazing Race" returned to triumph Sunday after losing last year to "Top Chef." "American Idol" lost its ninth shot at winning, this time for a season in which it successfully navigated the loss of key judge Simon Cowell.
HBO had a leading 19 awards, including trophies given Sunday and at last week's creative arts awards for technical and other achievements. PBS, which had a hit with "Downton Abbey," earned 14 to shoulder past the commercial networks and come in second, ahead of CBS with 11, Fox with nine, ABC with eight and NBC with six.
Peculiar photos from the red carpet
After hitting an all-time viewership low of 12.3 million in 2008, the Emmys rebounded somewhat in the last two years and drew a 2010 audience of 13.47 million, compared to 26.7 million for this year's Grammys and nearly 38 million for the Oscars.
Which show do you think will be the big winner at the Emmys? Share your thoughts on the Facebook page for our TV blog, The Clicker.
© 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Zen 100mm Dome...
Posted 01 February 2010 - 05:48 PM
I guess I'll be contacting you soon about a 6" or 8" dome then...
Posted 01 February 2010 - 08:46 PM
Posted 02 February 2010 - 05:45 AM
Here are two samples shot with the Tokina 10-17 behind the Zen 100 in a general WA situation showing that in a pinch it can do the job should you be shooting something like a Super close WA of a clownfish and a manta shows up.
The first is at 17mm @ 125sec/f8
with the second at full 10mm @ 200sec/f11
Posted 02 February 2010 - 01:52 PM
I decided to not go with the Zen 100mm and instead picked up a S&S Optical Dome. A bit more money but I think it will serve my needs better and hopefully (with some care) last a long time. The S&S is a bit smaller than typical 8/8.5" in. domes, so still packable in my current setup for travel.
Olympus OM-D
Posted 02 February 2010 - 03:19 PM
Using a Nikon D200 with Sea & Sea YS 110a
Posted 07 February 2010 - 04:02 PM
A small dome, like the Zen 100mm, will allow you to take photos you cannot with a larger dome - the urchin shot above is good example - with the small urchin being the whole width of the frame even at 10mm. It is cheaper, lighter and easy to travel with. But it has some limitations, which are not specific to this dome, just a consequence of its shape.
Wow, that is a small urchin!
Looking forward to your report. I hope that it will include shots of your strobe set-ups.
Using the Seacam 6" dome (effectively an intermediate size between 4 and 8 inch FE domes) I try to use the dome's shade to minimize flare while using mainly one WA strobe centered over the port. I posted a set-up shot in your slave thread.
Thomas C. Kline, Jr., Ph. D.
Oceanography & Limnology
Currently used housed digital cameras: Canon EOS-1Ds MkIII, EOS-1D MkIV, and EOS-1DX; and Nikon D3X. More or less retired: Canon EOS-1Ds MkII; and Nikon D1X, D2X, and D2H.
Lens focal lengths ranging from 8 to 200mm for UW use. Seacam housings and remote control gear. Seacam 60D, 150D, and 250D, Sea&Sea YS250, and Inon Z220 strobes.
Posted 09 February 2010 - 06:53 AM
I received my Zen dome last week (Thanks again Alex!) and have been playing with it a bit.
I got it for close focus wide angle (CFWA) and wide angle macro (WAM) to get round the problems of trying to light things that are very close to the dome port. I'm shooting DX with my D2Xs in a subal Housing and have been using a Tokina 10-17 for some time. I've set the dome up with a 30mm extender, which seems OK, but this may well need additional adjustment.
My first impression of the dome was quite how small it is! When compared with an 8" dome it seems really tiny! It also seems very well made and finished.
In use, for CFWA, with a Kenko 1.4x converter, you can really feel the magnification working! You can get the front of the dome so close to the subject that you really can feel the magnification "pulling" the subject in:
Practically, this means as long as you can physically get the strobes in close enough, that lighting is fairly easy! With dry gloves, the strobes want to be where my hands are! The reduction in distance between the front of the dome and the subject helps with colour and sharpness.
For more general wide angle, I took the following series of shots. These were all shot at 1/60th which may be a bit slow, and I am getting used to the set up-so please don't take them as anything like definitive! The full image looks like this:
I've then taken crops of the left hand bottom corner, and zoomed them to 100%
1/60th at f5
1/60th at f6.3
1/60th at f7.1
1/60th at f8
1/60th at f9
1/60th at f10
Corner sharpness seems to suffer at large apertures!
I'll do some more playing-please note that these aren't definitive.
Hope this is of interest
Adam Hanlon-underwater photographer and videographer
web | Flickr | twitter | Linkedin | Facebook
Posted 16 February 2010 - 09:35 PM
Life is a beach and then you dive.
My Website
Posted 17 February 2010 - 06:20 PM
Has anyone tried this 100 dome with a macro lens?
Life is a beach and then you dive.
My Website
Posted 17 February 2010 - 10:24 PM
There is an interesting post from Steven Frink about using small domes (in this case a seacam one) with the Nikkor 60mm one in this post
I've got acold, but as soon a sit clears, Im going to have a play with the Zen one
Adam Hanlon-underwater photographer and videographer
web | Flickr | twitter | Linkedin | Facebook
Posted 18 February 2010 - 08:23 PM
Life is a beach and then you dive.
My Website
Posted 27 February 2010 - 01:12 PM
The port gives really nice results-sharp and it corrects the parallax that you get with conventional flat ports. I will definitely try it some more
Adam Hanlon-underwater photographer and videographer
web | Flickr | twitter | Linkedin | Facebook
Posted 27 February 2010 - 02:28 PM
Exclusive official importer of Nauticam products into the UK and Ireland
Posted 27 February 2010 - 03:22 PM
Nice photos too. Especially like the first one. You're a brave man with those temperatures.
Sony HC7, Gates Housing
Visit My Website
Posted 27 February 2010 - 07:41 PM
Life is a beach and then you dive.
My Website
Posted 28 February 2010 - 03:36 AM
Yes on my ND2, I added a 33mm one.
Hi Adam,
With your 60mm and the 100mm dome / 33mm ext is the 1:1 focus point of the lens inside the dome ?
If so are you going to be concerned of getting too close to a hard object & trashing the expensive dome (or indeed subject) ?
Paul C
kudos for you going in at 4C BTW
Edited by PRC, 28 February 2010 - 03:37 AM.
Water Temp (just cold & Nasty)
My Pictures
Posted 28 February 2010 - 04:41 AM
I haven't experimented per se!
Ken Rockwell gives the minimum focus distance (1:1) as 48mm for this lens. From the front of lens to subject.
With the Zen port and the 33mm extension, the lens does protrude into the port say 10mm. Given that the corners are less of a problem with a macro lens, getting the nodal point perfectly in line is not as much of an issue.
The port itself is also very shallow so the lens only has about 20-25mm in front of it.
So it is just about OK! Given that though-I don't see this as a replacement for a conventional flat port (or dome port for that matter!). I see it as an alternative, that is great for fish portraits etc, but would stick to a flat port for "true" macro. I think it gives a subtly different look to some types of picture, and that is exactly what I am after!
Adam Hanlon-underwater photographer and videographer
web | Flickr | twitter | Linkedin | Facebook
Posted 28 February 2010 - 05:10 AM
I think it gives a subtly different look to some types of picture, and that is exactly what I am after!
OK thanks for that Adam - To be honest myself I can't justify the price tag for CFWA - just have to hope someone else is around at the time for a loaner!!
I know I have hit the front of my flat port a couple of times and would just cry if it were a $900 dome....
Paul C
Water Temp (just cold & Nasty)
My Pictures
Posted 31 March 2010 - 11:27 PM
Did you try the set up with a 10-17 and 1.4TC on the D700?


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Australia's Melges 24 East Coast Championships - Adelaide SC Top Brass To Attend
4 November 2011
Melges 24 East Coast Championships - Some of Adelaide Sailing Clubs Top Brass has made the trip to the RPAYC, Newport for this weekend's event, sponsored by Slam, to be held in conjunction with the Pittwater Festival of Sail.
Apart from the National Titles this event will be the largest fleet of Melges 24's racing in Australia to date. The lure of awesome one design racing to Australian Yachties is becoming more apparent as the National Fleet grows. Adelaide competitors have discovered the Melges 24s and are keen to embed the class locally and build a South Australian fleet.
Two boats have made the trip to Newport, long time ocean racer Gary Shanks will race Outrage Us with his crew including son David and Adelaide Sailing Club Board Member Antony Mitton.
Adelaide Sailing Clubs Rear Commodore Dan O'Connell chartered a boat in January and has just taken delivery of US boat Foxtrot AUS 133. Its first float in Australian waters is to be at RPAYC in the East Coast Championships this weekend. Although the hull arrived in Australia in great shape, it's needed a lot of effort to put it together and another long road journey from Adelaide to Pittwater to complete the fitting out. As owner Dan O'Connell said, 'If we manage to get it into the water this weekend, I will be very happy! At this stage we just want to get Heath (Melges Asia Pacific) to check it out and make sure we are ready for the NSW State Titles and the rest of the major regattas around the country. Given the chance, though, we do want to get out there this weekend and really give it its first go!'
The boat will be jointly campaigned by experienced M24 and sports boat sailor, Dave Alexander and owner Dan O'Connell. The enormous depth of experience onboard Foxtrot will hold the Melges 24 fleet to account.
Dave, a sail maker for over 27 years has competed in over 20 world championships and has ranked in the top three in International 14 World Championships; he is currently ranked third in the I14 Australian Titles. He achieved a first in the Extreme 40s team at Cowes week in 2008 and was the Australian Sports Boat National Champion (tactics). Dave is a current member of the ASC Board and committed to growing the fleet in SA via the ASC.
Dan O'Connell started sailing in Middle Harbour as a junior aged 7 in Flying Ants & Cherubs, as an adult had stints in SA in high performance catamarans, keel boats including 3 S2Hs, at the same time owning and competing in an Australian Sharpie, a class represented highly at Adelaide Sailing Club where Dan currently holds the position of Rear Commodore. With many at Adelaide with similar backgrounds and looking for the next exciting and competitive fleet, the Melges 24 is a natural fit.
Team captain Donna Evans has a very strong background in high performance catamaran sailing with many State Titles and several successful offshore keel boat races, and as the long-term position of President of ASC for many years, Donna is very keen to introduce the competitive class of the M24 to Adelaide to provide the SA competitive members with a new challenge and great interstate rivalry. Donna is taking on the position of PR to the Melges class in SA where the interest is strong from local high calibre sailors.
International crewmember Matilda Ajanko is a visitor to Australia, Matilda met ASC Board Member, Anthony Mitton, in Germany at the recent Int Cadets Worlds and was invited to Adelaide to holiday. Matilda is a sailing instructor in her native Finland and has spent many a campaign in M24s in Europe. In her brief visit to Australia we have managed to convince her to take part in the East Coast Champs and show her what it is like to sail in warm waters!
Game on Melges 24s ...