Creator of “PostSecret” to give lecture at UK

The University of Kentucky’s Student Activities Board will host an intriguing lecture from world renowned author and creator of “PostSecret,” Frank Warren. Warren will share inspirational stories about how people’s lives have been changed through the simple act of sharing a secret.
Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. in UK’s Worsham Theatre, Warren will talk about the dream that sparked his idea to start a community art project where participants anonymously write down a secret and mail it back to him. This simple act of sharing a secret has now gained national and global attention. He will share his own secret of 30 years and never before seen postcards of secrets that were censored from his first book.
Warren started the “PostSecret” project in 2004 and has received more than 20,000 postcard secrets since then from all over the world. The postcards appeared in an All-American Rejects music video for the song “Dirty Little Secret,” and “PostSecret” made a donation from the proceeds to The National Hopeline Network, a suicide hotline.
The postcards, each one more intricately hand-crafted than the next, can be seen on an updated blog, in any of Warren’s three books, and for a limited time in the Rasdall Gallery. Over 200 authentic postcards from the collection will be on display in the Gallery in the UK Student Center. The exhibit can be viewed, free of charge, daily from 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. starting Nov. 5 and ending Nov. 20. Paired with the exhibit will be UK’s own version of the art project with students creating postcards to be displayed along side the exhibit.
Behind the “PostSecret” project is the notion that, “You will find your answers in the secrets of strangers.” In an interview with Wikinews, Warren says people have different motivations for sending him their secrets, “I think some people are looking to share a funny story, others want to talk about a secret kindness they performed but most people, I believe, are looking to better understand their own secrets and perhaps use this project as a first step in taking action upon their secrets” (www.wikinews.org).
Come view the exhibit of authentic postcards from the “PostSecret” collection and join Frank Warren, creator of PostSecret.com for an unforgettable lecture of humorous and haunting stories about people’s secrets, a book signing of his newest book, “A Lifetime of Secrets” and maybe even share your own secrets. Admission is free. For more information, please contact Callie Hanks, Cultural Arts Director, at 859-257-8867 or by e-mail at SABCulturalArts@yahoo.com.

Press Release

Radiohead’s new album ready for download

By JACKSON SILVANIK
Staff Writer

When Radiohead’s “In Rainbows” was released, it wasn’t available in stores or through mail-order, though eventually it will become available in December. It was released strictly online, through a site dedicated to a new concept in marketing. Fans of the band were permitted to access a special webstore in which customers were allowed to set their own price for a digital download of the album.

Of course, that means that all it takes to get the new album for free is to enter a generous “$0.00” in the price blank, and there you go. Like many, this was the route I took. Surely, I told myself, if the album is good enough I’ll have no problems purchasing a copy when it is released in a physical format in a few months. Besides, with all the recent debate over downloading, wouldn’t this provide a good example of people that legitimately use the internet as a means to preview songs before purchasing a record?

Time will have to be the judge. The numbers haven’t been released yet, but I know for a fact that a healthy number of people chose to pay $5.00 or more for the album, which is remarkable considering that the fan making the purchase gets no physical cd, artwork or information other than the actual digital files of the songs. Are we going to see a movement towards “digital-only” releases? This may be the first step, though I think that too many people still enjoy having a tangible product to justify a digital-only release for somewhat popular artists. Besides, at current prices, most albums in digital format in online mp3 stores are still at least ten dollars, which is the same price as most albums currently in stores.

The download-only option proves to be an interesting strategy in the sense that one can download the album for a small or optional price, then purchase a tangible and physical copy if they still desire. What is the obvious deterrent for record companies thinking about trying this strategy? If the album isn’t quite up to the listeners’ expectations, they won’t be purchasing a copy in stores. Honestly, though, it’s only fair to the listener. Don’t libraries operate on a similar principle? I really have no reason to actually own a book, I can just check it out at a library. But I do, because while I enjoy a vast amount of literature, owning a physical copy makes my appreciation seem more sincere and increases my enjoyment of the book. Should the same not apply to music? Why be forced to pay ten to fifteen dollars for a disc of songs you might not like? The expectation of the record company for the customer to have blind faith in the quality of the product is unfounded.

Did Radiohead start a revolution with their new marketing technique? Probably not, and that is unfortunate. More bands should take this step as it offers several advantages. Should they not be widely popular, it provides a way to get their music heard without the label support needed to put together a physical album. It also means that their fanbase can increase incrementally. Radiohead isn’t taking any risks with this new release, they are already a vastly successful band both in terms of money and fame. However, one can hope that by putting their product out there, they will influence other artists to at least try the same. We’ll see how it works when the album sales return numbers in December.

Prepare for a scare with “30 Days of Night”

By CHRISTINA COLEMAN
Staff Writer

Can you imagine being in a town beset by darkness for 30 days? Better yet, can you imagine your town being plagued with blood sucking vampires for 30 days? This is exactly what happens to the town of Borrow, Alaska in director David Slade’s “30 Days of Night.” Being so far north geographically, there is a point in time where, for a whole month, the entire settlement is blanketed in darkness.  For whom is this atmosphere more suited than evil, blood-sucking vampires? “30 Days of Night” is a good old-fashioned horror flick, but the plot is only so-so (as most horror movies tend to be).
At the beginning of the movie you meet the town sheriff, Eban Olsen. Eban is played by Josh Hartnett, who has been MIA in the movie business lately, and it was very refreshing to see him again. As the small town’s sheriff, he is the man of the hour and the town hero. But he is in a rough spot with his fellow sheriff wife, Stella Olsen, played by Melissa George. Stella tried to head out before the darkness, but missed her flight and is stuck in Borrow with her husband. Good thing too, because it’s doubtful whether Eban could have handled the town without her. And of course they have to attempt to repair their rocky relationship.
Before the darkness hits, the majority of the town’s population heads for brighter territory and the rest left behind are blind as to what is approaching them. A string of unusual occurrences seem to be a warning of what is to come, but when a stranger arrives by surprise, the towns folk are frightened and confused as to what exactly he is doing there. Between the rotten teeth, scraggly beard and Cajun accent, the stranger declares death is coming and there is no way to stop it. Eban and Stella are skeptical as to how credible he is, but when they discover some grisly murders they begin to suspect the stranger.
Viewers are in for a surprise when the vampires finally rear their ugly heads. This is where the movie does excel. Numerous times I jumped in my seat as the vampires seized their prey and then cringed at what they left behind. As far as blood and gore goes this movie is definitely full of it. One scene in particular was very intense and let’s just say I saw way more blood then I ever expected to see.
Congrats to the makeup department working on the film, because these vampires were the freakiest, weirdest looking creatures I have ever seen. They were not human-acting at all. They would move their heads side to side as eerie screams erupted from them, and it was absolutely spine-chilling. I’m not sure what language they were speaking, but maybe I was not supposed to know. I liked how the director used both the townsfolks’ perspective and also the vampires’ perspective. Even with the vampires’ point of view, I still had trouble understanding why exactly they picked Barrow, Alaska. The obvious reason, of course, was the lack of sunlight, but why would they have not chosen a town more populated with people to feed on? This was only a minor problem.
The acting was fairly good. Hartnett looked like he was ready to cry during the majority of the film and George had a look of stricken terror on her face most of the time. Overall they acted as most people would if vampires were hunting them down. You felt sympathy for the victims and hope for the remaining survivors. The ending is not typical. This surprised me and made the movie much better. It actually was sad in several scenes and this evoked even more empathy from me for the characters. Family was an underlying theme throughout the movie which is rather strange considering the fact that it was a vampire movie and all. However, it did work to the film’s advantage because it created a contrast between the community of humans and the group of vampires.
I definitely would not recommend this to younger audiences due to the blood, gore and horror content. If you are looking for a deep plot that will make you think, this is probably not the movie for you either. But if you are all about the blood, guts and repulsion of dismemberment, neck- sucking and being ripped up mercilessly then this is the film for you. “30 Days of Night” was tops at the box office and released just in time for Halloween. This is a great Halloween flick and really puts you in the mood for terror. I walked out of the theatre looking over my shoulder, and hoping there were no vampires around. No, just kidding. But overall “30 Days of Night” was a great horror picture and I would certainly like to see it again. So, if you are looking for a movie that will send chills up and down your spine, go see this movie and prepare to be scared.

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Examining the fine line between church and state in America

By ZAC BAILES

Staff Writer

Alarming to me is the zeal and fervor with which the leadership of our country promotes the Christian God, and that God’s powerful judgment. I have no problem with this, except for the fact that it’s being done within the government’s way being granted to Christians in a display of bigotry and arrogance. However, the religious pluralism of America is not something to be taken lightly or looked over because we don’t want to deal with it. Nor should we become religious fanatics because we claim to have a stranglehold on truth. Revision is needed at the highest levels of leadership to examine what we are promoting and how we are suffocating our First Amendment rights.
Georgetown College attracts Christians from across the Bluegrass and from surrounding states in remarkable numbers. The religious atmosphere on campus is nearly homogenous. No, your denomination does not denote a different religion—both Catholics and Protestants worship the same God. However, while statistics are not readily available on religious diversity, I would wager that there are only a small number of students representing other religions. The talk of religious freedom is relatively non-existent on campus and deserves our attention as scholars and future leaders of the world.
Many of us grew up in areas where religious speech was gratuitous, well, Christian religious speech. When 9/11 occurred, the level of bigotry increased. It was through 9/11 that Christians pushed through ideas like the posting of the Ten Commandments in public buildings. The level of evangelical speech skyrocketed, and speech degrading other religions spread like a San Diego Wildfire.
Believe it or not, there are people within this country, state and institution believing in a different religion. What a revelation, eh? The separation of church and state is not something at which we should scoff, nor should we think of it as Satan. Those who are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist or whatever, must realize the importance in their ability to freely practice their beliefs. Shall I remind you of the war our nation is involved in? Religious freedom is a joke in Iraq. Even more, if you should you claim a different sect than your neighbors, death may be your fate. We have taken for granted our ability to freely practice, and to do so with a clear conscience. When we begin to make laws and decree actions that favor one religion over another, we instantly begin to erode the freedom with which Christians are allowed to practice.
One day, (for some of us that day is rapidly approaching), we will be leading and working within institutions. We already vote and make decisions affecting not only ourselves, but this nation. We have a responsibility not only as an Americans, but as educated people to be informed of our rights. In a survey released by the First Amendment Center entitled “State of the First Amendment,” only 19 percent knew that the First Amendment covered freedom of religion. Don’t be one of the 81 percent. Know and exercise your right.

Americans gung-ho for American Idol

By MICHAEL GILKISON

Staff Writer

Why is it that  we, as Americans  find it more interesting to vote for “American Idol” or “Dancing with the Stars” than we do for our actual government officials who make decisions that that can change our lives?

The Store hosts annual pumpkin carving contest

The Store’s annual pumpkin carving contest took place on Monday, Oct. 29 and Tuesday, Oct. 30. 

MRSA staph infection preventable, treatable

By HEATHER JOHNSTON
Staff Writer

The MSRA staph infection has swept the nation into a state of panic.  After the “Washington Post” headline, “MRSA may be responsible for more deaths per year than AIDS, CDC finds,” who wouldn’t go into a state of panic?  So what should Georgetown students think about this overwhelming news?

Maskrafters announce first production and cast

Georgetown College Maskrafters, Kentucky’s oldest collegiate drama group, will present the musical, “She Loves Me” by Joe Masteroff, Jerry Bock and Sheldone Harnick on Nov. 9-11 and 16-18, in the Ruth Pearce Wilson Lab Theatre.
George McGee and Dr. Heather Hunnicutt will serve as stage director and musical director respectively for the romantic comedy.  “She Loves Me” is the third adaptation of the play “Parfumerie” by Hungarian playwright Miklos Lazslo, following the 1940 James Stewart-Margaret Sullavan film “The Shop Around the Corner,” and the 1949 Judy Garland-Van Johnson musical version “In the Good Old Summer Time.”  It would surface again in 1998 as the Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan feature “You’ve Got Mail.”
Tickets for “She Loves Me,” $5 for students and $10 for adults, go on sale in the Georgetown College Store Oct. 22.  For group rates and more information, please call George McGee at (502) 863-8162.
Press Release

Dan Brown’s Top Ten Safety Hints

Congratulations to Lester Abner, of Campus Safety and Groundskeeping, who was chosen by Coach Cronin and the football staff to be this week’s Honorary Football Coach at our home game this Saturday, Oct. 6, against Lambuth University, a Mid-South opponent.