A Dialog on Theater

By Danny Niederberger


Matt Cavallo is a senior at Saint Thomas Aquinas College. He is a Communication Arts major and he is involved with the Laetare Players, STAC’s theater group. Last month he directed the fall play. The play Matt chose to direct this semester was 12 Angry Jurors.

12 Angry Men, or 12 Angry Jurors, as it was retitled due to the presence of female actors, is a courthouse drama written by Reginald Rose. It was originally broadcast as a television play in 1954. In 1955 it was adapted for the stage, and a film was made in 1957. The story takes place in the jury room of a courthouse. The jurors must decide the fate of a 19-year-old kid who was accused of stabbing his father by unanimously voting whether or not he is guilty. Eleven jurors voted guilty almost immediately and the last juror is left to convince them all otherwise.

Dr. Evan Matthews, the head of the theatre program at STAC and advisor of Laetare Players, was the producer of 12 Angry Jurors. Sean Feeley was the stage manager and Jared Miller, Laetare’s Secretary, operated lighting and sound for the show.

Danny: So Matt, what are your thoughts about directing as compared to acting as you have done in the past? 

Matt: Well it was challenging, and it was certainly something I wasn’t used to. But I’m glad I did it nonetheless. It was an experience I enjoyed, especially for my last year of college.

Danny: Why did you choose to direct?

Matt: Last semester I played my biggest role so far, Mark Cohen in Rent. So I figured it was something that I wanted to try and I wanted to step back and let others get on the stage.

Danny: What kind of reactions did expect from the audience and how do they compare to reactions he show actually got?

Matt: Well there was one scene in particular I recall. There was a heated up moment between Juror #8 [the main protagonist] and Juror #3 [the main antagonist]. I don’t want to spoil anything so I won’t go into detail. Anyway, I expected a huge shock from the audience in this one scene and it turned out exactly as I expected. Outside of that, I haven’t really thought about audience expectation, but the house was bigger than it was for last year’s fall play, so that’s good. 

Danny: Speaking of past fall plays, this leads me to my next question. How was this show in comparison to the fall plays you’ve done in the past? 

Matt: I actually haven’t been involved in the fall plays at STAC until last year so I can only compare to that one. I mean I found the experience much more fun this year than I did last year. We had a much bigger audience too.

Danny: Well, I have seen and/or been involved with plays since my first year here and I can tell you this was definitely the biggest audience we have had for a fall play. With that said, congratulations Matt Cavallo on a job well done. You should be absolutely proud of yourself. And thank you very much.  


Danny Niederberger is a senior studying Communication Arts at St. Thomas Aquinas College.

Scott Muscat: Many Memorable Baseball Seasons

STAC Baseball Coach Scott Muscat

By Samantha Soto                                      


In 1989 a young pitcher was the 18th draft pick for the Milwaukee Brewers. After pitching just two short seasons in the minor leagues, a shoulder surgery ended his professional career in baseball. After this rough patch, he decided to avoid the game entirely and went on to be a teacher and even do some ministry work for 3 years. 

Almost like a sign, in 1999, he saw a newspaper article for a college looking for a new head baseball coach. Suddenly he found his love for baseball again and took on the role of St. Thomas Aquinas College’s head coach. The Spartans' dynamic diamond commander for the past 16 years is none other than Scott Muscat. 

When Muscat first arrived in 2000 he was determined to change the whole baseball program, but did not exactly have a plan as to how he was going to do it. He started by requesting scholarship money so that the team could get better players and that the school increase the recruiting program. He was successful and in just one short year, by 2001, the team went from NAIA to NCAA DII. 

In 2002, STAC played for the first time in the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference and finished in 5th place. It was in this same year that Muscat’s player Brian Flynn was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals. By 2003 STAC’s record was becoming increasingly impressive, as they now placed 2nd in NYCAC tournament and number 1 seeding in the ECAC Tournament. The team continued to rise above and prove that Coach Muscat was truly just the man they needed. 

As the years have passed, Muscat has lead the team to 10 of its 12 conference tournaments, 3 ECC tournament titles, 3 regular season titles, an NCAA East Region Championship and other honors. Muscat has personally received a few awards for his amazing coaching including NYCAC Coach of the Year, ECC Coach of the Year twice, East Region Coach of the Year twice, and ABCA East Region Coach of the Year. 

After having the pleasure of meeting and talking with Coach Muscat, I learned a lot about him, especially when it comes to baseball. During his early years, pitching in college, he kept thinking to himself “If it’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen. It’s not my job to draft, it’s my job to pitch.”

When he thinks back on that time in his life, his only true regret was not pitching more innings in his junior and senior year after his first arm surgery. He even feels if it wasn’t for his injury he could’ve even gone on at least to the double A. 

Muscat even stepped back into the game briefly to play for the Nyack Indians but refused to pitch. He instead played center field and enjoyed every moment, pushing himself to play until he was 41. But now at the age of 48, he has realized he can definitely never play again and takes a lot of pride and joy in coaching. He has learned how important it is to be a mental player and now takes more pressure off himself and lets his boys be the stars. When his players are down, it affects him as well but he gets through it by reminding himself “You can’t give up on your game plan or coaching philosophy” and “Can’t forget how difficult the game is.” 

Now looking back on his life, he’s enjoying just being a coach and stepping back so his players could be the stars. Muscat said the number one thing he hopes his players get out of STAC is “Sometimes you have to put others before yourself; you’re not always going to be the star. The results will eventually come.” 

After further discussing how important it is for his players to maintain a high GPA, his coaching styles, Spartan volunteer work, and even his children and their love for little league, he let me in on what professional teams he would love to coach if given the chance: “Dodgers or Cardinals. Teams with a lot of history, or maybe the Pirates. I’m not sure, but either way that would be an amazing opportunity.” 

Muscat left me with this motto he personally likes to live by: “Preparation leads to the results. The results kind of lead to themselves and they will take care of themselves.”


Samantha Soto is a junior majoring in Communication Arts at St. Thomas Aquinas College.

 

Pool Cue Massacre




Photos by Brendon Padilla

 

By Brendon Padilla

There are many recreational activities available for students at Saint Thomas Aquinas College. They can participate in a club sport, practice music in our various artistic clubs, or do something as simple as hang out with friends in the Romano Center. The issue with the Romano Center being an option for recreation is that fewer students are looking forward to going there. Why? If you would look at the condition of the pool cues and tables, you would understand. Someone or a group of someones have been destroying the pool room equipment in the Romano Center.

Tension amongst the students has been stirring for the majority of this semester. Dave Eng, the faculty member in charge of the recreational activities, purchased new pool cues for the tables and within a week, the majority of them were broken in half or broken into shards. Of all the questions that this raises, one thing is certain: STAC is running out of ideas.

One table itself has extensive damage. The felt is tearing off the table, the pockets are falling out of place, the wood is chipping and you can lift the entire side wall off of the table. Dave Eng came up with an alternative and decided to put one of the ping pong tables on top of the damaged pool table. All of the students were under the impression that this was a good idea. Ping pong has even become tremendously popular at the Romano Center. Until recently, when a student decided to rip off the rubber from the ping pong paddles. Some of the ping pong balls and paddles were even ripped in half.
 

Most of the students were under the impression that the pool tables were considered crossing a line. It turns out that a mysterious someone wanted to take his vandalism to the next level. Someone used a blunt object to make a hole in one of the walls by Dave Eng’s office. Students keep asking: when will the destruction end? What will happen if the objects are replaced? Will the same destructive pattern repeat itself?

Bryan Mannine, one of the freshman students, had an interesting opinion on the matter. I asked Bryan “How many pool cues did Dave Eng. purchase this year?” he responded “I think it was 12 or something along those lines; at least all of them have been broken in some way, whether it be the tips or in half.”  

I asked him “How do you feel about the fact that STAC has replaced the pool sticks so many times only to find them broken the next day?” He stated “I honestly hate the fact that people have no respect for things that aren't theirs, so they think it is okay to break them when it's not.”

“How often would you say that you go to the Romano Center to play pool?”  He stated “I’m almost always at the pool tables. People like me who commute love spending time in the Romano Center because there is no dorm for us to go and stay in while we wait for our classes to start. Pool helps pass the time and I really enjoy the game.”

Akiel Andrew, treasurer of Student Government, also had a strong opinion about the tables. “The pool tables are the first thing you see when you walk into the Romano Center. Their condition conveys to all of the students and the visitors what kind of stature we hold ourselves to.” I then said, “I never took that point of view into consideration. Do you have any advice to give the students who most frequently use the pool tables?” Akiel responded by saying “Take care of the pool sticks and the pool tables. If you’re at home, you would take care of your belongings. STAC is basically like your second home; so treat it as such.”

I asked Akiel if there were any other points that he would like to add to either students or faculty. He responded with this statement. “The Romano Center is one of the main places students can go to have fun; might as well fix it up a little bit.”

Both students and faculty members have been brainstorming for possible solutions that could solve this endeavor. This situation is actually becoming more serious than people are anticipating. For starters, whoever is doing this damage to the school is technically getting away with vandalism. When the culprit goes unpunished, we as a school give the impression that we don’t care.

The main objective is to prevent another pool cue massacre. Just like Akiel stated in the interview, STAC is our home. We grow as individuals here. Years from now, the students who are attending STAC will either be graduated, in grad school, or continuing the rest of their lives. What kind of impression do they leave behind when they choose to ignore what is going on in their own backyard?


Brandon Padilla is a junior studying Communication Arts at St. Thomas Aquinas College.

 

Meredith Vieira: TV Newswoman on the Go

By Sarah Hogan


Meredith Vieira was born on December 30, 1953 in Providence, Rhode Island. She graduated from Tufts University in 1975 with a degree in English. Vieira immediately began pursuing her dreams of a career in broadcast journalism. She started as a news announcer for a Worcester, Massachusetts radio station, but soon started working as an on-air reporter for WCBS-TV in New York City.

 In her early years she reported on the 1980 Republican National Convention in Detroit and an award-winning series on child molestation. In January 1982, Vieira became a reporter for CBS News in Chicago. Two years later she was named a correspondent. In 1987 Vieira moved back to New York and began working as a principal correspondent on CBS. In 1989, Vieira won four Emmy Awards for stories she reported on.

For the next two years Vieira would work as a co-editor of CBS's 60 Minutes. During this time, she worked on the award-winning segment "Ward 5A," about the first AIDS ward in San Francisco, and won an Emmy Award for "Thy Brother's Keeper." During this time, Vieira was anchoring CBS Morning News and worked as a contributing national correspondent on CBS Evening News With Dan Rather. In June 1991, she also became contributing correspondent for the CBS News primetime series Verdict, reporting on courtroom trials.

Then later in 1991, Vieira became pregnant with her second child; 60 Minutes producer Don Hewitt informed her that the show needed a full-time correspondent. Their dispute became public, and Vieira left the program. 

In 1993 she joined the ABC News crew as chief correspondent for Turning Point. After that she won her sixth Emmy for the report “Inside the Hate Conspiracy: America’s Terrorists.” In addition, Vieira worked on stories like “Framingham Eight”-- eight women who were fighting for a second chance after killing their partners they say abused them; for this she won an award from the Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television. 

Eventually Vieira decided she wanted to step down from the intense work she was doing and spend more time at home with her children. This led to an opportunity more suiting of her time-- a position as co-host of ABC’s The View. This early morning talk show launched in 1997 with newswoman Barbara Walters and cohost Debbie Matenopoulos. The show offered a diverse, multigenerational look at topics ranging from entertainment to politics and legal issues.

After her success on the talk show, Vieira decided she’d found her temporary niche and would move on to hosting the game show Who Wants to be a Millionare. Then in the spring of 2006 she joined the team at NBC for The Today Show. 

Today Vieira is now hosting her own show, The Meridith Vieira Show, on NBC. Needless to say this is one talented woman and her efforts to continue capturing and reporting news are endless. I can’t wait to see what she’ll bring on next!

 
Sarah Hogan is studying Communication Arts at St. Thomas Aquinas College.


Sources:
wikipedia.com
nbc.com
cbs.com

 

Ella Fitzgerald: Singing Out from Mean Streets to Carnegie Hall

By Jessica Mizzi


Ella Jane Fitzgerald was born in Newport News, Va. on April 25, 1917. Her father, William, and mother, Temperance (Tempie), parted ways shortly after her birth. Tempie and Ella went to Yonkers, N.Y, where they eventually moved in with Tempie's longtime boyfriend, Joseph Da Silva. Ella's half-sister, Frances, was born in 1923 and soon she began referring to Joe as her stepfather. Their apartment was in a mixed neighborhood, where Ella made friends easily. She considered herself more of a tomboy, and often joined in the neighborhood games of baseball. Sports aside, she enjoyed dancing and singing with her friends, and some evenings they would take the train into Harlem and watch various acts at the Apollo Theater.

In 1932, Tempie died from serious injuries that she received in a car accident. Ella took the loss very hard. After staying with Joe for a short time, Tempie's sister Virginia took Ella home. Shortly afterward Joe suffered a heart attack and died, and her little sister Frances joined them. Unable to adjust to the new circumstances, Ella became increasingly unhappy and entered into a difficult period of her life. Her grades dropped dramatically, and she frequently skipped school. After getting into trouble with the police, she was taken into custody and sent to a reform school. Living there was even more unbearable, as she suffered beatings at the hands of her caretakers.

Eventually Ella escaped from the reformatory. The 15-year-old found herself broke and alone during the Great Depression, and strove to endure. Never one to complain, Ella later reflected on her most difficult years with an appreciation for how they helped her to mature. She used the memories from these times to help gather emotions for performances, and felt she was more grateful for her success because she knew what it was like to struggle in life.

In mid 1936, Ella made her first recording. "Love and Kisses" was released under the Decca label, with moderate success. By this time she was performing with Chick's band at the prestigious Harlem's Savoy Ballroom, often referred to as "The World's Most Famous Ballroom."

Shortly afterward, Ella began singing a rendition of the song, "(If You Can't Sing It) You Have to Swing It." During this time, the era of big swing bands was shifting, and the focus was turning more toward bebop. Ella played with the new style, often using her voice to take on the role of another horn in the band. "You Have to Swing It" was one of the first times she began experimenting with scat singing, and her improvisation and vocalization thrilled fans. Throughout her career, Ella would master scat singing, turning it into a form of art.

In 1938, at the age of 21, Ella recorded a playful version of the nursery rhyme, "A-Tisket, A-Tasket." The album sold 1 million copies, hit number one, and stayed on the pop charts for 17 weeks. Suddenly, Ella Fitzgerald was famous.

By the 1990s, Ella had recorded over 200 albums. In 1991, she gave her final concert at New York's renowned Carnegie Hall. It was the 26th time she performed there. 

 In September of 1986, Ella underwent quintuple coronary bypass surgery. Doctors also replaced a valve in her heart and diagnosed her with diabetes, which they blamed for her failing eyesight. The press carried rumors that she would never be able to sing again, but Ella proved them wrong. Despite protests by family and friends, including Norman, Ella returned to the stage and pushed on with an exhaustive schedule. As the effects from her diabetes worsened, 76-year-old Ella experienced severe circulatory problems and was forced to have both of her legs amputated below the knees. She never fully recovered from the surgery, and afterward, was rarely able to perform.

On June 15, 1996, Ella Fitzgerald died in her Beverly Hills home. Hours later, signs of remembrance began to appear all over the world. 

Dubbed "The First Lady of Song," Ella Fitzgerald was the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century. In her lifetime, she won 13 Grammy awards and sold over 40 million albums. Her voice was flexible, wide-ranging, accurate and ageless. She could sing sultry ballads, sweet jazz and imitate every instrument in an orchestra. She worked with all the jazz greats, from Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Nat King Cole, to Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie and Benny Goodman. She performed at top venues all over the world, and packed them every time. Her audiences were as diverse as her vocal range. They were rich and poor, made up of all races, all religions and all nationalities. In fact, many of them had just one binding factor in common - they all loved her.


Jessica Mizzi is a senior majoring in Communication Arts at St. Thomas Aquinas College.

Luke Bryan: Kicking Up

By Sarah O’Malley  

If one has not seen country music phenomenon Luke Bryan perform live, it’s something to look into, especially if you’re a teenage girl who enjoys a country boy who knows how to dance! But there is a lot more to the life of this country star who is known for shaking his hips on stage in front of millions of fans.

Bryan’s current fame comes from his album that he dropped in the last year called Kill The Lights. Luke Bryan has been a country favorite since the second he signed with Capitol Records in Nashville and they released his first widely distributed album, I’ll Stay Me, in 2007. But with all of the success that he has had over the last several years, fame has not gone to his head. Bryan is known to be one of the most down to earth people that has crossed the media in a long time.

Luke Bryan, whose real name is Thomas Luther Bryan, grew up in the small town of Leesburg, Georgia on his family's farm, where at the age of 14 he received his first guitar and country music became an instant obsession. Artists like George Strait, Conway Twitty and Merle Haggard caught his ear and become some of the people he looked up to in terms of his musical career. Alongside being in his high school musicals, Bryan began writing his own songs at a young age.

Early Set-Back

He planned on going to school for music in Nashville but, unfortunately, the night before he planned on leaving for school, his brother died in a tragic car accident. Instead of going to Nashville, he attended the local college of Georgia Southern University so he could remain close to his family. But just because Bryan did not go away to school did not stop him from pursuing his music, he resorted to just playing in small, local venues with his band. Five years later his father told him that if he didn't get his act together for Nashville to start his career, he was going to be fired from working on his family’s farm.

In 2001, Bryan finally moved to Nashville and kicked off his successful career by writing "My Honky Tonk Career" for Travis Tritt, and before he knew it, in 2004 he was offered a solo record deal with Capitol Records Nashville. Capitol released Bryan's album I'll Stay Me in the summer of 2007, followed by Doin' My Thing in 2009. The album peaked at number two on the country charts and at number six on the Top 200. It also generated two number one singles, "Rain Is a Good Thing" and "Someone Else Calling You Baby.”

His success at such an early age led to an Academy of Country Music nomination for Top New Male Vocalist. It was known that Bryan’s career was going to be successful when Billboard and Country Weekly called Bryan an “artist to watch” so early in his career. Unfortunately, Bryan was struck with more family related tragic news when he found out his sister Kelly died suddenly in 2007. Medical officials were unable to determine what exactly caused her death.

Despite this tragic news, Bryan returned with his third album, Tailgates & Tanlines, in the summer of 2011. Before the release of the album, he gave fans and country music listeners a preview of this album with the song "Country Girl (Shake It for Me)," which still plays on the radio today. This song was the first of four Top 5 singles on the country chart. His hits "I Don’t Want This Night to End" and "Drunk on You" both went to number one, while "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye" remained at number three. Well into 2012, Tailgates and Tanlines remained on the top of charts.

Bryan kept his successful standing in country music by winning ACM's Entertainer of the Year award in June. That August, he released his fourth studio album, Crash My Party, which hit number one on the country charts and the pop charts. Each of the first four singles from the album, the title track, "That's My Kind of Night," "Drink a Beer," "Play It Again," steadily climbed to number one on the country charts during 2013 and 2014.

Enduring Another Tragedy

About a year ago, Luke Bryan was faced with yet another family tragedy. Bryan’s brother­-in-­law died unexpectedly and he and his wife Caroline topped headlines when they took in their three nieces and nephews to live with them alongside their two children, Bo and Tate. While having to deal with these tragedies and taking on an even bigger family than he already had, Luke Bryan did not fail to keep his career path moving. He released his fifth studio album, Kill the Lights, in August 2015.

Although its first single, "Kick the Dust Up," became a chart­-topping anthem, the rest of the album mostly showed the quieter, genuine side to Bryan. Kill the Lights sold 345,000 copies its first week and beat out Dr. Dre’s Compton to debut at number 1 on the Billboard 200. “Strip It Down” went number one in October 2015, making this Luke Bryan’s fourteen cumulative chart topper. The album’s third single, “Home Alone Tonight” was released on country radio stations on November 23, 2015. This song became an instant hit after Luke made an awesome performance with Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild at the American Music Awards on November 22 of this year.

Luke Bryan is definitely one of those artists where people are constantly looking forward to seeing what he has in store for us next. His increase in popularity over the years is proven by him never failing to keep his fans and others on their toes because each and every album is different and seems to get better and better over the years. Bryan kicks off his “Kill the Lights” tour on February 18, 2016 and everyone should be on the lookout for hits from his latest album hitting country radio stations nationwide.

Sarah O'Malley is a Communications major and senior at Saint Thomas Aquinas College. "I will be graduating in May and am still not 100% sure which direction I want to go with my major. I am a huge country music fan and for the Spring semester I will be interning at Cumulus Radio, which is affiliated with NASH FM, New York's most popular country station!" 

Works Cited:

 http://www.biography.com/people/luke­bryan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luke_Bryan

 

Justin Bieber: On the Circuit, Making Amends

By Emily Kopac                                                                                    


Justin Bieber’s 2016 Purpose world tour will be at Madison Square Garden on July 18 and 19. The tour will also be in our area May 4 and May 5 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and July 9 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. 

The Purpose world tour starts March 9, 2016 in Seattle, Washington and will end in New York City at Madison Square Garden. Justin Bieber has not been on tour since his Believe tour, which started in September 2012 in Glendale, California and ended in December 2013 in Perth, Australia. 

On August 28, Justin’s new single “What Do You Mean?” was released, followed by “Sorry,” which was released on October 23. The full album, Purpose, was released on November 13. Tickets went on sale for the Purpose world tour on November 20. 

The Purpose tour is to stop all around the United States and Canada, including Vancouver, Los Angeles, Nashville, Orlando, Miami, Chicago, Baltimore, New York City, and many others. Justin has been all over promoting this album and tour; stopping at the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, The Late Late Show with James Corden, and even doing the first ever Justin Bieber week on the Ellen show. Justin was a guest on all of her shows during that week, Monday through Friday. Justin ended the week by doing an outdoor concert for the audience. 

Along with promoting his album and tour Justin Bieber has been talking, wanting people to know that he has changed and he is sorry for everything he has done in the past and is truly grateful for his fans and everything they do for him. The tour was originally scheduled to end on July 18, 2016 at Madison Square Garden but because of the popularity of the ticket sales another date was added for Madison Square Garden on July 19. As of now there are announced to be a total of 64 shows around North America.


Emily Kopac is a sophomore majoring in Communication Arts at St. Thomas Aquinas College.

President Barack Obama: Speeches that Resonate

Photo: WhiteHouse.gov

By Tatiana Golden                                                                 

Our first black and 44th president, Barack Obama, has broken barriers and become one of the most successful presidents in American history. The one thing that many people love most about Obama and the primary reason he became president is his beautiful public speaking. Many feel he is the best speaker in the world. His speeches captivate audiences in ways that still resonate with us till this day. To most people and politicians the speech he gave at the Democratic National Convention on July, 2004 in Boston, Massachusetts was the best speech in politics.

He starts off his speech talking about where he came from. His father, who was born in a small village in Kenya, moved to America to have an education and the American dream. His mother, who was born in Kansas, set an example of work hard and working for your dream. Obama talks not about our economy, or our military, but how we are all equal. That our founding fathers who wrote the Declaration of Independence said, all men are created equal.

It’s almost like Obama pointing out don’t forget what America is all about and what it stands for, by showing and expressing it. Obama said something that speaks to politicians, government, and the country of the United States, “There is more work to be done.” Americans live and breathe hard work, to have a stable job, a good education and a home. But Obama added that we need somebody that will help change our priorities.

He then talks about John Kerry, who was the Democratic presidential candidate of the 2004 election, but later lost to George Bush. He talks about John Kerry as a president who will represent that change. The one thing that Obama said that caught my attention was “He will never sacrifice our basic liberties or use faith as a wedge to divide us. And he will not put war first. He would work to make sure that the troops come back home safety, to win the war, and to end with peace and respect throughout the world.”

There was one thing he always talked about during the convention and throughout his presidential career, that we are all connected as one people. If a child is poor, a black man is prosecuting wrongly, or a military man is homeless, it will affect me too, because "I am my brother’s or sister’s keeper.” He points out that this is the United States of America. We have to be united as black, white, Latinos, and Asians, because we all have the same dream and the same purpose.

Obama also talks about something he said throughout his presidential career, hope. Hoping that we will find freedom for all people and hope for the middle class, where they could find a stable job. American’s greatest gift and anchor is belief. Obama said “a belief that is unseen.” We could make the right choices as Americans. Barack Obama ends his speech, “Out of this political darkness, a brighter day will come.”


Tatiana Golden is a sophomore from The Bronx, New York at St. Thomas Aquinas College. She is majoring in Psychology with a minor in Journalism..

Descending into the Dark with King Diamond

King Diamond in concert  (photo:brooklynvegan.com)

By Christopher Silva


Upon parking and walking to the PlayStation Theater, a lit up sign acknowledging the show and a line to get in wrapped around the block greeted us. The line we stood in was uniformed in black and leather, as were we. As the line began to move, a man walked up holding a sign and a bible, yelling at us that we must repent and turn away from the darkness.

Repent, All Ye Who Enter Here

This was obviously someone who either did not grasp the fact that this was a show and not meant to be taken seriously or was paid to draw attention to the venue. When we got inside and went down the escalators, we were immediately greeted by a packed house and the sound of music booming through the walls.

It was a little past 8 when we finally got inside, so we witnessed Exodus transition from one song into the next. Along with playing a bunch of classic tracks, they also performed a few new tracks from their new release, “Blood In, Blood Out.” Regardless of the fact that they had not performed with Steve on vocals since 2004, he clearly remembered all the lyrics and timing wise was on point with the band. The band seemed full of energy and genuinely excited to be there, as well as being able to hype up the audience for the main event, King Diamond.

They played for a total of 50 minutes, which for those unfamiliar is almost double the usual amount of time an opening act will get. All in all they sounded great, played well, and the general vibe from their performance was intense and energetic.

Haunting Presence Looms Out of Smoke

After 30 minutes of set up in between the bands, King Diamond and his band emerged from red lights and smoke to the crowd’s applause and cheers. King Diamond, being very much into stage shows, had staircases and a walkway erected on stage as well as lit up inverted crosses and a lit up pentagram.

His set list, along with his promised entire sophomore album, “Abigail” includes a few classic songs. One thing I was certain of by the end of the show was that everything I had heard about him was true. His stage sets were elaborate, his stage presence was haunting and creepy, and his vocal range is unreal. His music touched on themes of evil, possession, and witches, all which worked well with his presence and set design.

Although he has often been labeled as evil or a Satanist, he at least to me is very clearly a stage performer and based on how he talked to us and what he said I would say that this belief is invalid. Even after 30 years, he can still hit all the high and low notes and very clearly has put effort and care towards protecting his vocals. After this show, I can also say it is clear why this event sold out and his legacy is as big as it is. When the band performed, everything sounded clear and crisp even more so than on the studio recordings. Speaking as someone who has seen a number of bands whose albums were great but could not pull it off live, this is a huge achievement and should be acknowledged. Also even after touring for so long, he still seemed excited and happy to be there, with the band not stopping till 11.

The only negatives that I have for this show is being two stories underground there was absolutely no cell phone service. It took longer to get in than I feel it should have, taking around twenty minutes, even though we all had our tickets. Also a number of people were dropped attempting to crowd surf, and even seeing this more people kept attempting it. It got somewhat dangerous for individuals. My uncle and myself ended up getting kicked in the head by someone falling.

However, the positive way outweighs the negatives. After this event I would highly recommend seeing either band to anyone, even if they do not regularly listen to metal. They both put on spectacular performances as well as being true accurate examples of the bond and brotherhood that an interest like music can cause in people. As I always say, never say no to a show, you never know what and whom you will miss out on.


Chistopher Silva is a junior studying Graphic Design at St. Thomas Aquinas College.

Matisse Chocolatier Joins Global #GivingTuesday Movement

By Stephen Saulpaugh

[December 2015 - Orangeburg, New York] – People of Rockland County should prepare themselves for a sweet celebration. Matisse Chocolatier has joined #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide. 

 On Tuesday December 1st, people who attend “Matisse Chocolatier’s Winter Wonderland” at Orangetown Center will enjoy free homemade fresh chocolate, a meet and greet with Elsa from the hit movie ‘Frozen’, coloring contests, and fun raffles with grand prizes that include chocolate for a year and decadent holiday platters. Owner Lucille Skroce will give all proceeds raised from her event to Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital. #GivingTuesday aims to inspire people to collaborate in improving their local communities and to give back in impactful ways to the charities and causes they support.

Lucille Skroce, owner of Matisse Chocolatier, said, “This is my first year participating in #GivingTuesday, but my store and I have always tried to go above and beyond for causes that mean a lot to me, like Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital. During this event, I hope that the chocolate we give and the memories we help others make will encourage everyone to lend a helping hand.”

CA 213 students at St. Thomas Aquinas College have been working with Matisse Chocolatier all semester, developing an extensive Public Relations plan and bridging the gap between the classroom and the real world. The #GivingTuesday event represents the culmination of their efforts. “This project has been challenging, but the reward will be to see this event come together,” said CA major Nicholas DeGiorgio. “Lucille Embodies giving. She's allowing us to practice PR and event planning, providing invaluable experiences, and in turn we want to help make her #GivingTuesday event a huge success.”

Students are sending news releases and pitch letters to various media outlets and bloggers to promote the event. “I pitched the blogger “Rockland 411” and they ran the story!” says CA major Timothy Herasimtschuk. “It’s rewarding to use the skills from class and apply them to a real client!” Students have also garnered PR from Nyack Hospital, The Rockland County Times, and Patch.com.Media outlets such as News 12, LoHud, Rockland 411 will all cover the event being run by Matisse and the student of STAC.

By joining the #GivingTuesday movement, Skroce hopes to raise funds and awareness for Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital in an effort to aid in research for cancer cures. Matisse Chocolatier is using their homemade fresh chocolate to give sweet treats to everyone attending their winter event, in hope to encourage others to take a more active role in helping others in society. In addition to hosting a variety of fun activities, the event will focus on helping others around the Holiday season.

Those who are interested in joining Matisse Chocolate's #GivingTuesday initiative can visit 32 Orangetown Center, Orangeburg, New York 10962. For more details about the #GivingTuesday movement, visit the #GivingTuesday website (www.givingtuesday.org), Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday) or follow @GivingTues and the #GivingTuesday hashtag on Twitter.


Stephen Saulpaugh is studying Communication Arts at St. Thomas Aquinas College.

Bleacher Report: A Sports Fan’s Best App

By Clint Walker                                      


My favorite media is sports journalism, which focuses on reporting both amateur and professional sporting news and events. Sports journalism works in all types of media including print, television broadcasting, and the internet. 

Sports journalism in the print medium provides a much detailed preview of various upcoming events and post-game analysis (as well as extensive box scores, team standings and player statistics). There are broadcast journalists that give real-time reporting and commentary of sporting events for the television and the radio. Sideline reporters get chances to interview players before, during, and after games. Sports media contains production teams to direct, edit, and produce sports telecasts. There are also sports photojournalists who take pictures of sporting events to capture the game experience.

My favorite sports media is the Bleacher Report, an American digital media company based in San Francisco and covering hundreds of teams and sports around the world. It is owned by Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting Systems. The company, also known as B/R, specializes in creating and curating content about trending news topics, with an emphasis on delivering opinion-oriented analysis and multimedia programming via varied content formats and mobile technologies.

Bleacher Report was founded in 2007 by David Finocchio, Alexander Freund, Bryan Goldberg, and David Nemetz, four friends and sports fans who had been high school classmates at Menlo School in Atherton, California. Finocchio remains at B/R as the unit's General Manager. Goldberg and Nemetz transitioned out of their respective VP roles during the integration process. Freund left the company in 2009. 

I have the Bleacher Report app on both my smartphone and my iPod to really stay up to date on what’s happening sports wise. ESPN is currently the largest sports broadcasting in the country, but I feel soon Bleacher Report can give them some good competition. Everything Bleacher Report does is web based because they do not have a television channel. I feel like they will soon. 

When you first download the Bleacher Report app, you can either sign in through your Facebook account or create a profile. From there, you can not only pick your favorite teams but also your favorite players to follow, which I think is pretty cool. Whenever there is breaking news, the Bleacher Report app will send you a notification on what the latest story is from trades to injuries. Now that we live in a society where everything is high tech, Bleacher Report and sports fans should have a beautiful relationship. Sure, ESPN is also fun and exciting but Bleacher Report is on the uprise and ready to take over.


Clint Walker is a junior majoring in Graphic Design at St. Thomas Aquinas College.


 Sources:
"Bleacher Report." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2015.
"What Is Sports Journalism?" What Is Sports Journalism? N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2015

 

Why I Love Instagram

 By Daniel Wilson


My entire life I have always been in love with photography. To be able to capture a moment, a memory forever is incredible. When I found out about Instagram, I knew that I was going to be using that social media a lot.

Instagram is a social networking app made for sharing photos and videos from a smartphone. Similar to Facebook or Twitter, everyone who creates an account has a profile and news feed. When you post a photo or video on Instagram, it will be shown on your profile. Just like twitter you have a certain amount of followers and any one of your followers can see and like your photos. 

The reason I love Instagram so much is because you can tell so much about a person by the types of photos they post. You can tell someone’s style, hobbies, and lifestyle by the pictures they post. Another thing I love about Instagram is that you can post just about anything you want. There are people that just post objects and nature and there are people that just post pictures of themselves or other people. 

The first time I started using Instagram was the middle of my freshman year in high school. At first I didn't know what my first picture was going to be of. I didn't know if was going to be of myself or of something else. I finally decided to post a picture of myself because I want people to know that it was my Instagram. 

As years passed I started posting more and more photo on my page. I posted pictures from events, going out, etc. It almost seemed like every weekend I was posting a picture. In a way I was becoming addicted to Instagram. I was following more and more people everyday. As of today I have 1,500 followers and I’m still gaining every day. In the beginning I only followed people that I know or that I know of but eventually I started follow anybody. It’s always interesting to see pictures of different people all over the country and even world. I love to look at different lifestyles and fashions. I love to express my self through photos because some things can’t be explained, they have to be shown. 

Looking at Instagram as a whole it’s crazy to see how much of a impact it has on the world. Pretty much everybody I know has an Instagram and we all communicate to each other through it. Whenever they post a pic I like it and whenever I post one they like it, too. The most amount of likes I ever got on a photo is 224 and that's an accumulation of my friends, non-close friends, and complete strangers. Recently I think I have been using Instagram the most in my life. Whenever I go out or dress up I’m always excited to post a picture. 

I don't think I’ll ever outgrow Instagram because I love posting pictures and I don't think I’ll stop anytime. Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat are all cool but Instagram will forever be my favorite media.


Daniel Wilson is a freshman studying Communications Arts at St. Thomas Aquinas College.

 

Snapchat: Unique, Creative, My Favorite Media

By Stephen Saulpaugh


There are countless forms of media through various platforms that are ever present in our world. My generation in a particular has found a way to make these media forms into a way of life. While these media forms can be involved in a person’s professional life, a lot of the time they are used as forms of entertainment and as means for interaction with one another. Most recently Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have been the “Holy Trinity” in the social media world. However, a new media has come to the forefront and has many users all around the globe engaged with their unique and creative app. I am of course referring to my favorite form of media: Snapchat. 

The best way to describe Snapchat is as a video messaging app in which users can take photos, record video, add text and drawings, and send them selected people off their friend list. The sent messages are known as “Snaps” and users are able to set a time limit of 1-10 seconds after which the photo/video will be deleted for good. According to Snapchat, in “November 2015 the app's users were sending 6 billion photos and videos per day, while Snapchat Stories content was being viewed 500 million times per day. The company has a valuation of $10-$20 billion, depending on the source.

Bobby Murphy and Evan Spiegel, the creators of Snapchat, developed the app as part of a college project at Stanford University. According to the two men, “Snapchat isn’t about capturing the traditional Kodak moment. It’s about communicating with the full range of human emotion—not just what appears to be pretty or perfect.” I believe this to be the most charming part of this app. The ability to share a candid portrait of your daily life, on the other side of the spectrum, be able to witness a friend or loved ones’ experiences through this app is a great tool. It puts the creativity into the users’ hands and I am such a proponent of that as a fan of media.

Building Consumer Relations

Recently, companies have been using the Snapchat app as a way to showcase company culture to consumers. It is a fun way to connect businesses and consumers and build relationships. The consumer feels more like a friend because of the personal connection, and not just a target. 

Perhaps my favorite part of the app are some of the new features added in 2015, such as the ‘Discover’ and ‘Live’ sections. The ‘Discover’ section belong to many entertainment, news, and media outlets that are able to publish daily content for Snapchat users. The content is highly informative, concise, and interactive. The fact that is fresh every day makes users anxious to see what new content will pop up on their phone everyday. 


The 'Live' section often highlights countries and cities around the world and also major events such as sporting events, music shows, political outings, etc. They are real time videos being uploaded by different users all around the world. When users take a photo/video they are able to add it to these sections, and stand a chance of having their content shared with the rest of the Snapchat community, which I think is awesome.

Snapchat’s ability to embrace new trends, implement new strategies, and innovate ways to engage with its users is remarkable. It formed a bond with users through their candid practices of sharing experiences with one another, and it is for that reason that I think this app will continue to innovate for years to come.

 Stephen Saulpaugh is a junior studying Communications Arts at St. Thomas Aquinas College.

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snapchat
https://www.snapchat.com/

Video Games' Impact on Society

By William Decker


Video games bring great joy to people young and old alike. One of the companies that make video games is Nintendo. Some of the genres are shooters, racing games, platform, adventure, puzzle solving and fighting games. One of the most played genres is platforming adventure games like Super Mario Brothers. Video Games made by Nintendo have a rich history and have made an immense impact on society that affects children of all ages.

The company has an interesting history: “Nintendo started in September 1889 as a card making company” (Nintendo History). Then in 1980 the first hand held game system Game and Watch was first sold in Japan (“8 Bit Blog” 2012). Then in 1986 came the first console, the Nintendo entertainment system, and three years later in 1989 came the Game Boy (“8 Bit Blog” 2012; Steenbergen, 2011). Then in 1992 came the Super Nintendo Entertainment system, and four years later in 1996 the Game Boy Pocket was being sold (“8 Bit Blog” 2012; Steenbergen, 2011). 

In 1997 came the N64 and in 1998 the Game Boy Color came out, then in 2001 the Game Boy Advanced was introduced (“8 Bit Blog” 2012; Steenbergen, 2011). In 2002 both the Game Cube and Game Advanced SP were both being sold (“8 Bit Blog” 2012; Steenbergen, 2011). In 2004 the DS was invented then in 2005 the Game Boy Micro came to life (“8 Bit Blog” 2012). In 2006 the DS Lite and Wii were both introduced to the public (“8 Bit Blog” 2012; Steenbergen, 2011). 2009 the DSI was introduced then a year later a much larger DSI XL came out, and in 2011 the 3ds came out (“8 Bit Blog” 2012).

Then in 2012 the most current platform console, the Wii U, came out, and later that year the 3DS XL (“8 Bit Blog” 2012; Steenbergen, 2011). This is just a small part of Nintendo’s vast gaming history that has made a major impact on the gaming industry.

Impact on Society

The impact Nintendo video games have had on society is that they help relieve stress for some people. They also give people young and old hours and hours of fun and entertainment. Another thing about video games that impacts society is they can influence a child’s behavior, like some games could teach inappropriate or bad behavior, but most games teach good wholesome values that support good behavior. Some bad behavior that stems from video games are violence, crime, and theft. Some good things that come from video games are they can teach you how to do math. They can also teach you how to be social and make friends by playing with other people. They can also help you learn how to solve puzzles, accomplish goals, and complete challenges.

This impacts my life because it gives me hours of fun and entertainment. Another thing that video games have brought to my life was introducing me to one of the most iconic gaming mascots of all time - Mario. The first system I ever played on was an N64; that was one of the most exciting thing that videogames ever brought into my life. They can help me relax and destress for hours and hours at a time. Videogames are my happy and fun place that can help me blow off steam, have fun and give me hours of entertainment and excitement. Videogames also help me calm down after a long and hard day. Videogames also bring hours and hours of replay ability for most games.

The invention of video games has made a huge impact on society. Because they are a huge part of my life, they helped me through some tough times. They are important because they have impacted society by changing the way people play games and they continue to change each and every day.

William Michael Decker Jr. is a Graphic Design major and junior at St Thomas Aquinas College. "After I get out of college I want to find a job in the field of Graphic Design. Someday I would like to advance far enough in my field to work for Nintendo."


Works Cited:
8 Bit Blog. N.p., 19 Oct. 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.            .
Steenbergen, Max. Nintendo Timeline. Dribble, 8 June 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.
            Nov. 2015. https://dribbble.com/shots/188073-Nintendo-Timeline.
"Nintendo History." Nintendo.co.uk. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.
            https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Corporate/Nintendo-History/Nintendo-History-625945.html

 

Facebook’s Impact on Society

By Sarah O’Malley


In February 2004, Mark Zuckerberg, a student of Harvard University, launched the social media website we all know and love as “Facebook.” When it first originated, “the facebook” was meant for the campus of Harvard but within 24 hours of existence, 1,200 students had already signed up and before he knew it, Zuckerberg’s creation had the attention of all United States universities. 

In 2006, Facebook was extended to the point where anyone with an active email was eligible to sign up. It remains free to sign up for this website but it still gains profit through advertising revenue. According to Zephoria, as of October 2015, worldwide, there are over 1.49 billion monthly active Facebook users, which is a 13 percent increase year over year. Also, there are 1.3 billion mobile active users. Five new profiles are made every second and the highest traffic rate of users logging onto their Facebook usually occurs in the middle of the week between the hours of 1 pm and 3 pm. 

Another interesting statistic that was stated by Zephora was that every 60 seconds on Facebook, 510 comments are posted, 293,000 statuses are updated, and 136,000 photos are uploaded. It is evident that the success of Mark Zuckerberg’s original idea has made a huge impact on society all over the world. 

Being that at first Facebook gained the attention of students in college, it generally caught the eyes of younger generations. But over the years, this has changed because now parents and even grandparents are connecting on facebook to get in contact with people they have not seen since high school, college or even someone they grew up next door to. 

Social Groups and Job Groups

Aside from the fact that Facebook has become just another addictive social media website, there are so many reasons for one to enjoy this website. One of the great things that stands out to me about Facebook is the usage of groups that people create. In particular, people use Facebook groups to get jobs. For example, there are many families and college students that belong to groups that will help with different babysitting opportunities. Personally, I have put these groups to great usage and was honored with seeing a post that gave me a job for the entire school year in 2014 and 2015.

I also love the idea of being able to keep in touch with my family in Ireland for free, being that if we were to text message or call each other, it would cost money being that we are so far away. Not only are you able to connect with family, but also friends that one may not be able to see as often as they may like. Stemming off of that idea, Facebook allows one to chat with one another without everyone seeing their posts. 

Another huge idea is, seeing as when one gets a new computer, one may lose all of their pictures that they had saved, when one has a Facebook account, they are able to see pictures they’ve posted and pictures they’ve been tagged in as long as they’ve had their account. Being that you have one account on Facebook, your pictures save over the years and so do all of the pictures that everyone tags you in.

Overall, Facebook has remained popular, and is even becoming more popular for people of all different generations. Even though all these different addictive social media sites are on the rise, like Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter, people still decide to make use of their Facebook pages for many different reasons.


Sarah O'Malley is a senior studying Communication Arts at St. Thomas Aquinas College.


Works Cited:
https://zephoria.com/top­15­valuable­facebook­statistics/
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2007/jul/25/media.newmedia

Facebook: From College Dorm to Global Network

By Brian Quinn


Facebook is a social networking website that allows people to connect and stay in touch with other people. Facebook communication can be done through the written word, photos and video. Facebook headquarters is located in Menlo Park, California. As of March 2015, Facebook has 1.44 billion users around the world. 

All a Facebook user needs is access to the internet. Access can be done with a computer, smart phone or even a game system. People can connect to all of their friends no matter where they are. They can see what their friends are up to any time. College students can stay in touch with the people from high school that they no longer see or cannot see because they are at different colleges. Fans are able to stay connected to their favorite sports teams. Users can also connect with their favorite companies to know what they are doing. Users get to see the latest trending videos or sport highlights. Perhaps, most important of all, family members can stay in touch no matter where they are located. People are able to see the photos of family and friends on vacation. They can see the places that people have logged from. They can also see what their friends are into.

In February 2004 Mark Zuckerberg, with the help of his college roommates at Harvard University, created Facebook. There are many different theories about why they created Facebook. Some say it was so they could meet girls. Some said it was for the money. But Zuckerberg himself said, “When I made Facebook two years ago my goal was to help people understand what was going on in their world a little better. I wanted to create an environment where people could share whatever information they wanted, but also have control over whom they shared that information with. I think a lot of the success we've seen is because of these basic principles.” (Gerber 1) 

Facebook was a website at first just for Harvard students, and later it expanded to other colleges. Facebook gave access to high school students in 2005. In 2006, Facebook agreed to allow anyone 13 years or older to have an account. Today many college students have joined not only Facebook but several other social media platforms, such as Instagram and Twitter.

Facebook contributes a great value to society. It unites people from around the world. It allows family members and friends to stay in touch despite long distances or busy schedules. A value cannot be put on bringing people closer together. It is useful to businesses and other organizations. It allows them to communicate, network and market to their customers and other businesses. Customers who may feel uncomfortable talking in person can ask their questions on Facebook and the businesses can answer the question that they receive anytime. The business and the customer do not have to find a mutually convenient time that the both of them can be on the phone. 

Facebook has come a long way from a Harvard student communication system to a worldwide social networking website that keeps our world connected.


Brian Quinn is a Communications Major and sophomore at St. Thomas Aquinas College.


Works Cited:
Eler, Alicia. "Study: Why Do People Use Facebook?" ReadWrite. N.p., 16 Jan. 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.
Evans, Keith. "What Are the Benefits of Facebook?" Small Business. Chron, n.d. Web. 11 Dec.2015.
Gerber, Lauren. "Why Did Mark Zuckerberg Create Facebook?"
Http://www.zimbio.com/Why+Did+Mark+Zuckerberg+Create+Facebook/articles/irW6fWzojv2/Mark+Zuckerberg+Create+Facebook. N.p., 21 Apr. 2011. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.
Udan, Brad. "The History of Facebook and Real Facts." Internet Marketing in 5 Mins. N.p., 21 Aug. 2014. Web. 11 Dec. 2015. .  

  

The Era of the Cell Phone

By James Diamond
                                       
Imagine a dark, cold night on a desolate road, when suddenly your car stops running. If this took place before 1973, the only choice you would have had is to hope that another car stops to help you or that you are athletic enough to walk many miles to the closest gas station. All of this changed when Martin Cooper, General Manager, of Motorola’s Communications Systems Division invented a handset that was 9 inches long and weighed 2.5 lbs.

The date was April 3, 1973. Cooper called a rival, Joel Engel, Head Researcher of Bell Labs, another telecommunication company, and told him that he was speaking to him via a mobile phone. It only had 30 minutes of talk time and it took 10 hours to charge but it did work. Although still in the first stages of life, a new era of communications was born.

Many early cell phones were considered to be car phones because they were too large to carry. However, for the next ten years, Cooper and his team of engineers worked on many different designs. In 1983, the first commercially available cell phone was produced by Motorola called the DynaTAC that weighed only 16 ounces. They were, however, extremely expensive and cost $3,500. Therefore, the average person did not have access to them. This product was primarily available for use in communications in the sales and business world.

Seven years later, after much research and design changes, one million United States citizens were now able to purchase a cellular phone and subscribe to the service. These earliest models allowed users access to e-mails, use the phone as a fax machine, pager, and address book. This trend has continued today with the purpose of cell phones shifting from a form of verbal communications to a multimedia tool. This mobile device or “smart phone” can be used to access the web, check e-mails, snap photos, update your social media through face book, twitter, etc., text or even what it was originally invented for - to talk! 

The invention of the cell phone and its evolution has changed our lives forever. The original flip phone is now considered ancient history. They are much smaller, and the keyboards on most phones are now being replaced by the touch screen. The top companies competing for your business by upgrading their products are Samsung, Nokia, Apple and 2G. They certainly have a lot to compete for. Statistics show that from 1983 to 2014, worldwide mobile phone subscribers grew to more than seven billion.

Cell phones contribute a great value to our society. They enable us to keep in touch with family members at all times. They are used to conduct business anywhere and for any emergency. Unlike years ago, one can stay in touch with anyone, anywhere, at any time. Our parents may have had to walk to that gas station on that cold, desolate road in the 70’s, but luckily ,thanks to this great invention, we do not.

James Diamond is a senior studying Graphic Design at St. Thomas Aquinas College.

                                         Works Cited:
The History and Evolution of Cell Phones. n.d. http://www.artinstitutes.ed/the history-and-
evolution-of-cellphones. Web. 7 Dec. 2015
Martin Cooper – Inventor of the Cell Phone. n.d. www.cellular.co.za/cellphone_inventor.htm
 Web/ 7 Dec. 2015

 

Twitter: My Kind of Media

By Danni Waterman

My favorite media is Twitter. It informs people of incoming, breaking news, it allows people to stay in touch with each other at an immediate pace, and it gives people hours of entertainment.

Personally, Twitter has allowed me to stay close with my friends back in California. Because of its immediate timeline, people communicate much faster on Twitter than an email or text message. It’s entertaining, too. There are hilarious videos, photos about people and their lives, poetry, and now news is offered. There are trending topics which allow people to talk and discuss about important topics in their circles.

Breaking news is also a feature that helps people. Never has a social media allowed faster information than the news. There also isn’t too much bias in how the news is presented; although there is a lot of commentary added, a lot of it is constructive for the future. Twitter is a message board that allows people to be creative, emotional and voice their opinions. Millions of people on the forum help each other every day.

Twitter is really an amazing tool for today’s society. People are more connected and involved with socio-cultural problems because of twitter. And it greatly influences American culture. Not only is news broadcasted but art is. Poetry is being shown on Twitter all of the time. As well as paintings, videos of people performing, singing or other artistic displays. It’s something that will enable people to be seen or become stars because of their talent. Sports are also broadcasted on Twitter and provide hours of entertainment for sports lovers.

All in all, Twitter is a great tool for society and communication. It allows people of this generation to communicate and be a part of something greater than themselves. It’s great for entertainment, eye-opening for artists, and welcoming to people of all sorts of background.


Danni Waterman is a sophomore studying Graphic Design at St. Thomas Aquinas College.