How is BP able to make immense profit, but when it comes to cleaning up the mess in the Gulf Coast, the company is only responsible for most of the damage caused by the Deepwater Horizon.  This legislation has not passed, thankfully, or there would be many unhappy individuals in the fishing market and others that are being negatively affected by this disaster.

The disaster that the poorly regulated company -BP – has created; has the Exxon oil spill completely dwarfed. This disaster is now looking into the legality of the issue, rather than looking into how this mess is going to be cleaned up.

The Deepwater Horizon was said to have a faulty EAP (emergency action plan) whereby the individuals on the ship were unable to cease all action when ordered to do so. How is this machine drilling? The company was not regulated properly. Due to the lack of regulation, the individuals surrounding the Gulf Coast are now suffering.

This disaster has yet to be taken into the government’s control. The government will take control of AIG or GM at the drop of a hat; but when it’s absolutely imperative, the government drags its feet. The question posed to the readers is this: Do you feel BP should be completely responsible for their actions? If so; should BP have to pay the proposed 1 billion to clean up their mess and the 75 million in damages?

This situation is subject to change at a moment’s notice. As for now, these are the current issues. If there is anyone with a different view, or someone that would like to elaborate on my article, please feel free to comment.

Kevin Coyne

Editor-in-Chief

The incurred advertisement costs are speculated to be in the millions. Everywhere you turn, Ironman 2 is coming… the hype for this movie is out of this world. This film must take home an academy award or the incurred costs will cause this movie to be a complete flop at the box office.

So, here’s your chance to voice your opinion (in text of course). I have yet to see Ironman 2, so I would have a completely impartial hypothesis with regards to the overall content of the movie. I will speculate though, based off the first Ironman, whereby the innovative and action packed thriller amused audiences all over the country the second Ironman should have the same conceptual ideas and innovation. Without seeing Ironman 2, I would expect this movie to be a fashionably upbeat summer hit.

It’s incredibly obvious that the movie industry will continue to progress with as technology continues to advance. In recent years, notable changes with regards to graphics, sound effects, and overall clarity of the picture have taken the movie experience to a whole new level. The technology we posses now would absolutely shock and amaze great directors such as Alfred Hitchcock or Michael Curtiz.     

Now, I am a huge advocate for the movies seen by some as “classics.” I would prefer an older Clint Eastwood film or an ambiguous Scorsese film as opposed to a modern “shoot ‘em up” action film.  Would it be absolutely asinine to assume that most movies in 2010 are being produced purely on shock effect or tantalizingly appealing content? Technology is opposed in every facet of life or function in business.  The reason for the opposition is due to the fact that some individuals do not like change. Also, with technology; people lose jobs to machines that can produce a product more effectively and efficiently.

There is a point to bringing business and technology into this article. The point is; there seems to be more and more movies with a “shock effect” tactic throw into plot and not as much ambivalence. An older director did not have the technology that is seen in today’s movies. For example; the older Batman movies used captions along with sound effects. The old Batman movies would have huge caption bubbles to show the audience the sound effect. Most of the time, simple words like “BOOM” or “POW” would be used to show a fight of some sort.

So I pose a question to you. Do you feel technology is creating less interesting movies or has technology gotten us out of the “BOOM” and “POW” era?  Personally, I feel movies rely too much on shock effect and special effects than an ambiguous storyline.  Hopefully Ironman 2 has a nice mixture of both an ambiguous plot and an action packed “shoot ‘em up” thriller. But; that’s the best part of going to the movies; everyone has their own opinion. So, essentially, the ambiguous aspect of seeing a movie will never be replaced or completely depleted.   

Kevin Coyne

Editor-in-Chief

“Open all the doors and let you out into the world”

The Becker College commencement ceremony will be held at the Hanover Theatre in Worcester, Massachusetts. The event begins at 11:00am and will take place on Saturday, May 8^th, 2010. The commencement ceremony signifies the conclusion of one’s academic journey through an educational institution.

The monumental importance of this event will create an atmosphere of overwhelming accomplishment. The graduating class of 2010 will be honored by friends, family, and the professors that molded each individual into a productive member of society. The graduating class is being recognized for not only the academic mastery that they have displayed, but also, for the developmental growth that has been sustained throughout their academic career at Becker College.

There are certain aspects of college that are overseen until later in life. Once an individual has completed their tenure at Becker, that person has not only sufficed the academic requirements, but also; they have taken enormous steps towards adulthood.

The academic success of being a college graduate is immensely oblivious. The unforeseen factors of graduating from college reach far into how that individual has grown as a person. While attending college; people change into who they will become once they have completed their stay at school. This final ceremony will signify the conclusion of one voyage and the beginning of a new voyage.

To those who will be walking across the stage on Saturday: I wish all of you the very best of luck with all of your personal endeavors.

You may ask yourself what the quote at the top of the page means or how it is relevant to this story. Well the song Closing Time by Semisonic came to mind when this article reached the drafting stage. The gist of the song and meaning is based on the inevitable ending of one journey and how that end will create the start of a new beginning.

-Kevin Coyne-

Editor-in-Chief

Robert E. Johnson, Ph.D., Becker’s newest president, is an expert in enrollment management and has extensive experience in higher education. He has served as Senior Vice President of Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio since 2006. He has held leadership positions at University of Dayton, Oakland University, Rochester, Mich. and Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio.
Dr. Johnson feels Becker College has a wealth of potential and strongly believes that an optimistic outlook on his part will put Becker College on the map as an overall excellent institution. Dr. Johnson also feels that the students of Becker College are the future of the institution.

Dr. Johnson is more than just a suit in an office. With an idea of experiencing Becker as a full-time student, he plans to fully partake in everyday Becker life. He plans to have immense student interaction.

If you are a Becker student, you know it is not a common occurrence to see the president eating lunch in the cafeteria. Well, with Dr. Johnson “normal” occurrences will no longer control school convention. Becker College will begin to see change in a very positive manner.

For a moment, imagine this: you wake up for an 8:00t a.m. class and come to find the president of Becker College brushing his teeth and getting ready for his day in your residence hall. As silly as that may seem, you just may witness Dr. Johnson walking through your residence hall to experience the living situation of a typical full-time Becker student.

Dr. Johnson has many innovative concepts that will positively affect the admissions department, financial aid department, and the overall outlook of the college. Dr. Johnson’s job title grants him the ability to make changes to Becker College, changes that are intensely needed and will be made to further better the school.

The students and faculty of Becker College are very excited for President Johnson’s arrival and welcome him to the Becker College family. The Becker Journal Online wishes to welcome him and his family and wish him the very best of luck.

-Kevin Coyne

The alternative rock band Guster became immensely popular around the Boston area in 1992 when the group formed at Tufts University. Two acoustic guitarists and one individual playing the bongos contextualize the group’s sound. This very unique style for an alternative rock band shocked, amazed, and baffled audiences on the East Coast and whereby spread the group’s unique sound around the United States.

The Concert date and time can be found on the group’s webpage www.Guster.Com. The show at the Hanover Theater will begin at 7:00PM on Sunday, April 14^th. The tickets are available for $10.00 to Consortium students and $5.00 though Becker’s SGA.  Please contact a member of SGA for more information or for ticket sales.

Top 4 Guster songs to check out:

1). Amsterdam – Keep It Together – 2003 – 3:43

2). Satellite – Ganging Up On The Sun – 2006 – 4:34

3). Careful – Keep It Together – 2003 – 3:41

4). One Man Wrecking Machine – Ganging Up … – 2006 – 4:15

This is how to fail Public Speaking.

1.) Don’t take the class seriously – There’s no reason for commitment when you’re trying to fail a class, so goof off and make this your study hall.
2.) Don’t bother showing up for class- It’s only important that you’re there to speak, right? Actually, scratch that, just don’t go at all.
3.) Don’t do the work- This means any work. Don’t write an outline, and don’t do your student evaluation or practice. Think (briefly) of your topic, walk up to that lectern, and discuss it!
4.) Don’t take advice- Ignore any suggestion given by your partner or the professor, it’s useless information that won’t make you more successful.

Although this might be the perfect guide to failure, it seems the real concern students have upon enrolling in public speaking is how do I pass? Many students have asked me about the class as I am currently enrolled, and they’ll ask me how to simply pass the course so they can move on to the rest of their program. Of course, if this is your concern, then you already know my guide above is meaningless and wrong. Well, thankfully, Professor Deitrick was willing to offer empowering information for those anxious students who want to get this course over with on this upcoming registration period.

1.) Professor Deitrick explained that the key piece of knowledge when entering this class is that anxiety is natural. All the students entering this course are in the same boat. Students enter this class with lots of anxiety and concerns. However, these students all have the same goal: to get through the class. So don’t worry about stuttering in a sentence or shaking too much, because it’s just a reflection of the fact that everyone gets anxious over a speech! Professor Deitrick suggests you use your anxiety constructively. Recognize that you’re anxious and make it your reason for practicing more and preparing for your speech. Professor Deitrick explains that to this day, when he does his commencement speech, he spends much time practicing and rehearsing his notes in preparation of speaking. He’s worked one on one with some students with extreme social anxiety and is willing to work with others for their success. He wants to see you succeed! Just keep in mind that practice will guarantee you to be more comfortable when you approach the lectern to speak. Knowing you have control and power over your words will help you successfully deliver your speech. If you’re still uncomfortable, ask for help!

2.) His next suggestion is to do the work! Research your topic when you need to, write out the outline, and keep that rehearsal at the top of your priority list. Remember to be in class when your evaluation partner is speaking, because evaluating that partner is also part of your work.

3.) Come to class! Professor Deitrick explained that there has been times when students excel in their work, develop great speeches and perform well in class, but simply do not attend. It is essential to be in class, even if you’re not speaking. Class participation is indeed part of your grade, and being there to support your classmates (who are again, nervous to approach the front of the room) and participate in asking questions or giving comments at the end of the class period, makes a big difference. Having excessive absences will almost nullify the work you have put into your speeches, so be there!

4.) Heed advice. The advice is given as constructive criticism and is not made to be offensive. Feedback is important to make you a better speaker and to help you improve the next time you speak. Don’t feel offended, let it empower you to be more aware of your mistakes and change them. It can only get better when you do!

5.) Finally, take the class seriously. If you try, you’ll succeed. This tip is true for any class, but especially for this one. Public speaking could be the easiest course you’ll face in your program next to First Year Experience. As long as you do the work and attend, you can succeed.

Public speaking is not a class to be feared. The work is not difficult or excessive, and people aren’t going to throw rotten tomatoes your way if they aren’t fond of your speech. If you take your time and do your best, you’re sure to succeed. Professor John Deitrick has had experiences with several different kinds of students, and he has assured me that there have been no deaths from anxiety in his class and that most people make it through. So if you’re considering public speaking as one of your class choices for the fall, let this guide encourage you.

The professor is there to help, not hurt, and you will make it through. Your classmates will inform you about things you’ve learned nothing about, you will get through the class altogether, as almost a team, and although you’ll be nervous the during the first couple of speeches, you will become more comfortable as time goes by. Perhaps the most important bit of information I can offer is that you need to develop your own opinion of the class when you get there. Don’t allow others’ input to make you afraid of the course. It’s not that bad!

Good news everyone! There’s a romantic comedy out there that isn’t horrible! After wading through all the awful, formulaic rom coms that have flooded Hollywood in recent years, it is very refreshing to see one that knows how to be funny.
First, a quick aside. If you don’t know the romantic comedy equation, here it is: boy meets girl, they interact in some way and start dating, usually with some sort of crazy hijinks, they have a fight, and they get back together in some contrive way. Some movies swap roles around a bit, and they do each thing differently, but it’s an equation just as much as a^2 + b^2 = c^2. Ever notice how many movies have the girl about to marry some jerk when the guy breaks it up to confess his love? Yeah.

Anyway, this movie is not your typical romantic comedy. Mostly. I’ll get to that though.

Things this movie did right: first of all, it was not sleazy like it could have been. There is no nudity in this movie, something they could have done for the money but would have just made it a cheap flick. Not including nudity made this movie much more respectable.
It’s also very funny, something I hear is important for a comedy. It’s not cheap laughs either; a lot of the dialogue is witty, though I wouldn’t call it intelligent, exactly. A lot of the laughs come from Kirk’s friends, the usual ragtag group you’d expect to band together at an airport. It’s the humor that comes from a night of hanging out with your good friends and letting go. Fortunately, most of the characters in the movie have that same natural feel that makes them believable as people. Even the relationship that develops isn’t completely far-fetched, especially given the circumstances.

What was probably one of the most exciting things about the movie was that it wasn’t formulaic! The opening and middle of the movie were witty, engaging, and believable. At this point, it would have made at least a 4.0, if not 4.5. but then the ending happened.
You can probably guess what happened here. Huge fight and break up. Which was really, horribly contrived. I really can’t believe that it happened the way it did. It was like they had to force it into the movie just to end the movie. Which, of course, is done by way of an unlikely plan. It seems that they didn’t trust themselves to be able to end the movie without some sort of major conflict happening. But upon more thought, there was one possible mitigating factor; it could be a parody of all the other romantic comedies! After all, the ending is seriously unlikely and touches upon a lot of the unlikely things that happen in rom com endings, like planes that never leave the runway. Not in this movie! So hopefully, that’s what they were going for. Sadly, even if it is, it still doesn’t mesh well with the rest of the movie, and just feels very forced.

Overall, it was a good movie going experience, and something that I’m glad I saw. Hopefully, directors will learn their lesson from this movie and move away from that tired and stale formula.

How is this relevant, or more importantly, why is this worth writing about?  Well, the defendant is requesting a new hearing; claiming now that the Toyota Camry accelerated, due to a manufacturer malfunction rather than human error. The defendant’s attorney feels his client is innocent and the Camry was the vessel of death as opposed to the driver of the vehicle.

Here is the part where the readers own speculation will run wild with different outcomes. With that being said, should the defendant be permitted to restate his case in front of a grand jury? The facts of the story, including a known acceleration problem in that year Camry, have been connected to other Camry incidents around the country. Does the United States Government really expect to give clemency to those who crashed a Camry into another car? It’s beyond my own comprehension to reasonably assume that any individual that has killed someone in a Camry is due to a brake or accelerator malfunction.

As long as you kill a family of three in a Camry or some sort of Toyota it’s no longer your fault. This is an absolutely outrageous request. The individuals behind bars are there because 12 credible individuals felt that it was necessary in order to preserve the safety of others.

So, I’ll pose the question to others. As most writing and especially journalism has a good amount of ambiguity; what do you think should happen in this case and others similar to this one?

-Kevin Coyne

You heard me. Think that I’m positively bonkers? I’ll explain.

What does Tim Burton + Johnny Depp + popular intellectual properties equal? The highest grossing opening weekend in march, beating out 300. It also means that it doesn’t really matter how good your movie is, people are going to see it. And this movie? Way overhyped.

First, the plot…. which was all over the place. Basically, Alice stumbles back into Wonderland, and they expect her to slay the jabberwocky, the Red Queen’s champion. But that honestly tells you nothing about the movie. The Red Queen keeps going on about her jealousy issues, the Mad Hatter is upset over Alice leaving (there are some awkward moments that imply some sort of attraction here that I can only describe as creepy), and various other happenings occur that also have almost nothing to do with the movie. Things that could have been expanded upon would have possibly given this movie an interesting plot.

Instead, we follow Alice as she rediscovers Wonderland, much like the intended audience. Wonderland itself is actually quite nice looking, the parts that aren’t war-torn. I’d say the CG was top notch – that is, if it weren’t for the existence of another movie dealing mostly in CG, Avatar. With Avatar setting the bar so high, (It’s still in theaters for a reason, people) it’s difficult not to compare them, and Alice loses. I’ve also been told that watching the movie in 3D is a painful experience, as the graphics weren’t meant for it.

There are some good things too, though. The acting is rather good, though Johnny Depp truly does swing between being Captain Jack and Willy Wonka. Imagine those two fused together, and you get his portrayal of the Mad Hatter. The voice acting is great, and there are a few big names lending their voices to Wonderland’s creatures, with the wondrously monotone Alan Rickman voicing the hookah-smoking caterpillar. Overall though, I think Helena Bonham Carter steals the show as the Red Queen. She makes the bulbous headed queen simultaneously ridiculous and frightening, silly and dangerous, and is probably the most amusing character in the movie.

Thematically, the movie really suffers. There’s been a trend in movies lately where the themes are just far too heavy handed, and Alice is an unfortunate victim. The movie has a strong “girl power” tone, with two queens vying for power, and Alice leaving her oppressive Victorian life behind to become the champion that saves Wonderland. Hope that’s not a spoiler by the way; it should be pretty obvious. Sadly, the children that would benefit most from that message probably shouldn’t see this, and everyone else will probably be put off by how in your face it is. Honestly, the strongest theme is the most underplayed, that of facing your responsibilities. Alice realizes that she has things she has to do, and that’s the turning point in the movie.

Before I sign off, I do have one admission to make. I’ve never seen the original Alice in Wonderland. I imagine that that plays a large part in people’s enjoyment of the movie, since this is basically one big fanservice movie. So if you’re gunning for the nostalgia factor, bump that score up to a 3 or 3.5. Truth be told, I wish he had delivered for you guys, because he had a lot to work with, and made a pretty place, but just couldn’t tell a decent story. One last thing though – Why is a raven like a writing desk?

After four, and in some cases more, years of hard work, we finally see that light at the end of the tunnel, and we’re ready to be done. Many of us are finding it difficult to keep up. We’re doing anything we can to just finish this battle and start a new chapter of our lives.

Many of us are searching for the easiest way to pass and succeed in our classes. It’s difficult to find the motivation we need to pull through some of these difficult classes.

However, as we struggle through our final semester, we can’t help but feel a slight sadness as our undergraduate journey comes to a close. What will happen to our friendships? Where will we go from here, and when will we see all these people in our lives again, if ever?

For many of us, this is the second time in the last decade that we’ve had a bittersweet goodbye to some strong bonds and friendships we’ve worked so hard to develop. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say these past four years went by faster than the four high school years.

So what do we do now in the two-month period we have left? It’s time to start making those final college memories. Live, be with friends, and enjoy every memory you make. Hang tight to those good friendships and let go of any hardships and grudges you’ve had with anyone.

While we plunge into the final lap of the semester, don’t let your symptoms get the best of you. Keep your priorities and push through for that degree. Work hard, and on those days that it’s difficult to get out of bed, remember college is an opportunity millions of people only dream about. We’re almost there. Senioritis is a tough illness, but we’re halfway now and would be foolish to give it all up after so much work!

-Sarah Garretson