'The Madwoman of Chaillot' Offers Student Viewers a Window into Insanity and Farce

The problem with finding oil is that cities like Paris can get in the way.

This weekend CUA Drama presents The Madwoman of Chaillot, a comedy from another time and place that seems to apply all too well to our current economic situation.

The townspeople of Chaillot are lead by Madwoman Countess Aurelia (Elizabeth Sibley) while they try to save their corner of the Earth from headstrong businessmen.

"It's the end of free enterprise as we know it," exclaims the Ragpicker (Whalen J. Lawrence). He, among many other distinct characters, dwell and play together at the Café Francio in the district of Chaillot, Paris. The stage is ornate with intriguing subplots and character growth.

The conflict begins when we meet the President of the International Substrate of England Inc. (Brian MacDonald), a Baron (John Robert Keena) and Broker (Brian Hackman) as they discuss ludicrous business proposals and stock quotes when all of a sudden they meet our stereotypical American Prospector (Tom Carman). The Prospector introduces them to the newest phase in making the big bucks (or francs, for that matter); petroleum wells. The businessmen's approach to their barriers is quite comical.

"Human sentimentality. Now how am I supposed to do business with that?" The Prospector asks his new associates.

The Countess, however, knows exactly how to deal with these sorts of people. Simply put by the Countess, "If they're greedy, they're stupid." Not to mention, she has anyone and everyone in Chaillot on her side. Her solution, however, is certainly mad. and absolutely perfect.

Aside from the business issue, the characters live in a world they have each created to defend themselves from the changing real world around them. At Countess Aurelia's home, the loveable Constance (Rachel Holt) and Gabrielle (Elizabeth France) delight the stage with their imaginary pets and bourgeoisie-like ideals. This threesome of awkwardly pleasant old women will certainly entertain.

Make sure to check out Madame this Friday and Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday at 2:00. Student advanced admission is $5, student rush is $3 an hour before each performance and University staff and faculty is $8.

Visit Makes Papacy Real for University Students

As the lovely spray-painted CUA's that have popped up all over campus slowly fade away, so too does the 15 minutes of fame that Catholic has had over Pope Benedict XVI's visit. But for us students, the pope's visit to campus will have a more lasting impression.

It has now been a week since the campus was lit afire with papal festivities and I would have to say that the thrill of having the pope on campus has not gone away. Every time I see my friends we always wind up talking about the pope. "Hey. . . guess what. . . the pope came Catholic!"

I think that we are still in shock that a figure as influential as the pope would choose to come to our little campus. Out of all the Catholic universities across the country (and the district) he chose to come to CUA.

It is humbling to think that the pope wanted to come here to see us, the Catholic youth. This was felt most when the pope "boarded" the popemobile after his speech in the Pryz. He entered the car and sat down, looked towards the lawn of students and waved at us. Perhaps the most powerful moment was when the window of the popemobile was lowered. Benedict did not simply wave at us; he placed his hands on the window, as if to make it open faster, in a way that indicated to me that he was open to greet his people. It was at that moment that I truly felt that Benedict was our pope.

Looking back on the Papal visit as a whole, I realize why it is so important that Benedict visits not only our campus, but the United States as well. By making this visit, he has in a way validated his papacy for Americans. Until we had a chance to see him, Benedict was just a figure in Rome and not a reality. By being able to see him up close, we as Americans were able to look at Joseph Ratzinger and finally see him as Pope Benedict XVI.

As young people, this visit was much more important than for people of older generations. For our entire lives the only pope we have ever known was John Paul II and it has taken time to adjust to our new pope. In many ways JPII set a standard that made it hard for Benedict to look personable and to be as well liked as he was. The apostolic journey to the United States has seemed to make Benedict more personable and likeable, especially to young people.

Alas, we must face the reality that pope week has ended and finals week is quickly approaching, but I do not think that the excitement of being able to see Pope Benedict XVI in person will ever leave the minds of Catholic students.

Three Tough Games Lead to Hardened Resolve

The men's and women's lacrosse teams continue to maintain their ground at the midpoint mark of the season. The men's team has an overall record of 4-5, while the women's team is currently 7-4.

The men's team fell hard to Marymount at home on Tuesday, with a final score of 2-10. Freshman Kyle Brant scored both of the team's goals, with assists from sophomore Mike Groh and junior Matt Barbieri. "We are playing very inconsistent right now," says Brant. "I think the most frustrating thing this season is all the injuries. We have lost a lot of guys to some bad injuries, especially on our midfield units."

A loss to Marymount on Tuesday marked the third consecutive loss for the men. Despite this set back, Brant thinks that their team has played well so far this season. "These past three games have been a tough patch for us, but we're working together to improve."

On Wednesday, the women's team outplayed Mary Washington, winning with a final score of 13-8. While Mary Washington started off strong, Catholic caught up and began to pull away within the first half. Even as the gap in the score began to close at the beginning of the second half, Catholic quickly responded with 5 consecutive goals. Sophomore Kate Robinson led the Cardinals with 5 of the team's goals. Freshman Meghan Sabo and sophomore Laura Haring each contributed 3 goals. Offering solid support, senior Marcy Cuneo had 3 assists during the game. "The game today was great," says Cuneo. "Everyone played awesome; it was an all around great team effort. Mary Washington is a great team but so are we. I had no doubt that we could go in and beat this team."

Cuneo has been a midfielder on the girl's lacrosse team for the past four seasons. "Every year that I have been on this team, we have been good," says Cuneo. "We have always had a lot of potential and just really didn't use it to the best of our ability." With this being her final season playing for Catholic, she is as motivated as ever to finish strong. "I want [it] to be different this year, to not just have our best season yet because I am a senior, but to set that mark for our team. I want other teams to look at us as a threat."

As for the remainder of the lacrosse season, Cuneo says that their goal from here on out is to focus on winning the Landmark conference. "[It is] something I know we can do," says Cuneo. "We really just need to work together."

Both teams will host Susquehanna this Saturday.

Student Spotlight on Anna Zaros

A person could only dream that one day they would be rewarded and recognized for the hard work they devoted to their senior thesis. However, for senior Anna Zaros this dream is a reality. A theology major, Zaros just received the Theta Alpha Kappa reward for the best undergraduate paper. Hailing from Huntersville, NC, Zaros is truly unique.

Zaros' main motivation in coming to Catholic was her desire to study theology at a Catholic school. "I wanted to go to a school that taught me what the Church truly believes while also being open to other opinions in the world. Catholic's theology department does just that, you learn other viewpoints about theology."

In regard to her on campus activities, Zaros is involved in President's Society, is a Resident Assistant in Unanue, and works in the Dean of Student's office. She also lead Junior retreat and went on Mission Belize. "My boyfriend jokes that I'm free-lancing with different organizations now," said Zaros of her on campus involvement. Most recently, a person that Zaros interviewed for her paper expressed a desire speak at Catholic. "I had to find an organization that could sponsor the speaker, so its been interesting trying to put an event together on my own." Her efforts paid off, and Ron Young, an expert on interreligious efforts in the Middle East is speaking on April 23.

Zaros is also the co-founder of the Social Justice Committee (SJC), an endeavor she began this year with fellow senior Joel Yablunsky. "SJC's mission is to educate the campus on Catholic Social teaching, modern social justice issues, and hopefully work to become a more socially just campus," said Zaros. This year, the committee's events included tabling in the Pryz, an Easter egg hunt, and planning Hunger and Homelessness awareness week.

The award Zaros received was from Theta Alpha Kappa, the honors society for Theology that she was inducted into last year. "I decided to write about the significance and place of Jerusalem in the Israeli Palestinian conflict and what interreligious dialogues have done to help move the situation more towards peace and what more they can be doing," stated Zaros. Her professor, Fr. Wiseman, encouraged her to send it into the journal of Theta Alpha Kappa. Since Zaros won for best undergraduate paper, her paper will be published in the Fall 2008 issue.

After she graduates in May, Zaros will be working with a domestic long-term service organization, St. Joseph Workers, beginning in August. "SJW is run by an order of nuns in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. It is a program just for women, and the goal is to give women the skills and experience necessary to empower them to work for social change." Next year, Zaros will be working with an organization called Civil Society, which provides legal services to victims of human trafficking. "I'll be helping these victims get apartments and take care of the needs they have outside of the legal realm."

Denzel's 'Gangster' Is in My Crosshairs

With the recent surge in the number of crime dramas to hit the big screen (don't forget last year's "The Departed" and the recently released "We Own The Night"), I knew that "American Gangster" had a lot to live up to. Luckily, "American Gangster" surpassed all my expectations.

Based on a true story, "American Gangster" is the story of Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), the driver of Harlem's black crime boss in the late 1960's. When his boss suddenly dies, Frank takes over and creates his own empire by ruling the drug trafficking business with a purer product that is twice as good as any other product on the market, at half the cost. Lucas' million dollar drug business allows him to live his version of the American dream. All the while, detective Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) is out to stop the drug trading market. Roberts is the first to recognize a shift in power in the drug market, believing Lucas is the new power player. He starts a complex undercover task force to take Lucas down.

Although the plot seems relatively familiar and unoriginal, the acting is clearly what makes the movie. Washington and Crowe are arguably two of the best actors in Hollywood and together they make an unstoppable force. In "American Gangster," Washington does what he does best as he returns to his award winning roots as a bad-guy. He gets to the heart of Lucas's character. He believably portrays the tough exterior, the strict work ethic and the take-nothing-from-nobody attitude that Lucas portrays. Even the audience knows never to cross him. Crowe similarly does his character justice. He does a great job mixing the emotional aspects of Robert's life (namely his divorce and losing custody of his son) with the intensity of his job.

Although Crowe and Washington did a great job in the film, the actor who made the best impression was Josh Brolin, who played Detective Trupo, a corrupt cop who takes bribes from Lucas. The obnoxious character was well performed; he was bad and gruesome enough to be believable.

Surprisingly, the movie was also fun, resulting in the audience bursting out in laughter many times. There were plenty of witty lines and humorous clashes between Lucas and his brothers.

The soundtrack was also a surprising treat. Since the movie takes place in the late 1960's, early 1970's, the disco era music was perfectly integrated into the film. It was catchy and upbeat, but still added to the drama of the movie.

I would definitely recommend seeing this movie. It is worth the two and a half hours. Also, who doesn't love a movie with Denzel Washington in it?

Editorial: Spellman Curfew is Excessive and Ineffective

Recently it came to the student body's attention that visitation hours in their own rooms had been cut back by two hours. With no effective form of representation to lodge their complaints, students are effectively left defenseless against an administration that has overstepped its bounds.

This week it was declared by Dean Sarah Daniels that visitation hours in Spellman Hall are cut back once again, this time to hours that remind one of their time as a toddler. On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays no on is permitted inside the south side freshman hall after 8 p.m.

At first glance it appears to be a typo. Why on earth any office would see fit to effectively end cram sessions on Thursday nights, or the ability to socialize with your friends on the weekend who happen to live in a different building is beyond us.

In the short run, the freshman class is most harmed by this decision. Their numbers, already thinning and contributing to a low retention rate are sure to recede farther when they figure out that CUA is not interested in their opinions on how to solve problems.

Was there any effort on the part of administrators to seek a fair solution to this problem? Were meetings held during which those most familiar with how damage is done to their residence, students themselves, could offer solutions that would assuage Dean Daniel's office? We have found that no such meetings or attempts at a mature discourse were attempted.

In the long run, the entire student body will surely feel shockwaves resulting from this move. If action is not taken beyond a few poorly circulated petitions, then hopes of curbing the authoritarian tendencies of the University will dim, as will our experiences while attending.

The risks of losing more and more students seems to be one that the University is willing to take, but can the student body assume the risk of inaction? We hope that student leaders, wherever they are, strive in conjunction with the

University to find a solution that does not smack of overreaction. Knock on a few doors, send an email or two, let CSA, the administrators involved, or anyone know that this type of rash action is not acceptable.

Beantown Sports Finally Come Of Age

What a great time to be from Boston.second championship in four years, what's next?

The Boston Red Sox finished off their sweep of the Colorado Rockies this past Sunday, the second championship for Boston in the past four years. The Red Sox are only the second franchise in history to sweep both World Series in the past four years, joining this exclusive club with no other organization than the New York Yankees.

The Sox dominated in the 2007 playoffs, storming back against the Cleveland Indians in the American League Championship Series after being down three games to one. The ALCS aside, the Red Sox's dominance of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim should not go unnoted either.

The Red Sox, according to ESPN, outscored their opponents this postseason 99-46, the greatest run differential ever for postseason play. There were contributions one through nine from the all stars like Josh Beckett, David Ortiz, and Mike Lowell, but also young talent like Jon Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury, and unknowns like Bobby Kielty..Bobby who?

The depth and young talent of the Red Sox lineup has and will continue to prove that the Red Sox are here to stay. The Red Sox continued labeling as the new "gold standard" in baseball is no stretch. However, this is far from the only story in New England.

The Patriots are 8-0, the best team in the NFL. Tom Brady is looking better than ever - on pace to throw 60 touchdowns this season - eleven more than the single season record. The real test will come this weekend against the Indianapolis Colts, however their 52-7 crushing of the Washington Redskins leaves little to the imagination. The story continues.

Coming off a tough (WC) comeback win against Virginia Tech, Boston College is one of the best college football squads in the country, currently ranked number two in the BCS standings. The number two ranking is their best since 1942.

And after a busy off-season, the Celtics are favored to represent the Eastern Division in the NBA finals as all star and former most valuable player Kevin Garnet joins Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to bring the Green back to glory. "The big three" as they have been labeled have a lot to prove - but the forecast is certainly promising.

These are the glory days, as the Boss might say. Lets not get obnoxious - we've all been there before. Just remember it, cherish it - this is something we will probably never see again.

What a great time it is to be from Boston.

Let "Gone Baby" Go

When one considers the many movies Ben Affleck has starred in, I'm almost positive one would not go as far to say, "Man, he knows how to touch your heart!" (Not that marching animal crackers across someone's stomach isn't the most romantic thing anyone could do). His range in films is notable, because anyone that can pull off Dogma and Pearl Harbor has my mark. But let's face it; Ben Affleck is fun to look at, but when we try to see him as more than eye-candy, it can not be done so easily.

Imagine my surprise at discovering that he would be directing a film he would not be starring in; a crime drama, no less. He directed, produced and co-wrote the screenplay for the film Gone Baby Gone, based on the book by Dennis Lehane. The story takes place in Dorchester, a hard-knock neighborhood of Boston, where recently, an adorable four-year-old girl has been kidnapped. Although the police are working on the case, agents (who also happen to be in a passionate relationship) Patrick Kenzie (Ben's younger brother Casey Affleck) and Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) have been asked by the young girl's aunt and uncle to do further investigation. The search takes us to sketchy bars, child molesters' homes and other places where one would expect a kidnapper to lurk. However, as the film continues, the not-so-suspicious characters suddenly become, well, suspicious.

The reason why we go to see these films is because we feel some type of sympathy for the characters and build a relationship with them, hoping one day proper justice will be served. Somehow, Affleck forgets to incorporate this vital idea in Gone Baby Gone.

The characters are pretty impossible to care about. We do not even see the girl until the last 15 minutes of the film. She is only a girl in a picture the whole time. In addition, the girl's mother is a drug-addict who never took good care of her daughter in the first place. Who is going to be concerned if she gets her daughter back anyway? The audience stops caring about 15 minutes into the movie, as we begin to meet the mother and her low-life friends. Sadly, children are kidnapped all the time, which is an issue Affleck tries to present in this film. On the other hand, why would anyone choose to discuss a topic this heart-wrenching if the characters do not ask the audience for any compassion?

Any other producer would not feel so comfortable about having Affleck direct this film. Luckily, he produced it himself. And, as mentioned earlier, Affleck's younger brother is the main character of the film. How convenient. I cannot for the life of me figure out how he got Morgan Freeman to star in this film (he plays the unsuspecting chief of police). It seems obvious that the adage, "It's not what you know, but who you know" is all too appropriate here. Yet, it has a new addition: ". and how much money you have to begin with."

In conclusion, I'm honestly not sure if I would recommend this film to anyone. I could suggest renting it, but then again, we all get the news on TV for free, where I'm positive there are more interesting stories about young blondes suddenly disappearing.

Brit's Comeback Train Wreck Has Viewers Pleading "Gimme Less"

Millions of viewers tuned in to watch Britney Spears' first performance ever since her. what shall I call it, emotional/parental/mother-daughter relationship/post Kevin Federline downfall. She performed her upcoming single "Gimme More" as the first performance of the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards in Las Vegas on September 9. Many critics felt that this performance would be the beginning of a successful comeback for Britney. Upon watching this performance, however, I cannot help but be frightened for the continuation of her career.

Most people recognize that Spears is, or was, a talented dancer. If someone has been hiding under a rock for the past eight years and does not know who Britney Spears is, this person could easily make the statement that she could not dance at all. If gyrating one's hips side to side is considered entertainment, she hardly had entertainment value. In addition to the gyration of hips, wearing sparkly panties and a bra on stage can never make up for the lip synching body wearing them.

It's hard to tell if Spears had any aspirations to give the audience a good show; it did not look like she was having a good time herself. Anyone that is involved in theater or dance will tell you that an entire aspect of performance is acting like you want to be on the stage. Britney had more important things on her mind; it's not like her career is at stake or anything.

One may make the claim that Spears has had a tough year. She is now a mother of two young boys, she divorced her beloved Kevin Federline, her mother and she are not on great terms, and by the way, she's bald. There was a great deal of pressure riding on this performance. I do not buy these excuses for one second. We cannot forget the infamous Michael Jackson, who in the early 1990's faced accusations of child molestation, and still was able to sell out arenas world wide. Granted Michael Jackson has several more problems than Britney should encounter, it must be agreed that he could still entertain. Also, Mariah Carey was one of the pioneers of the rehab movement, and was still able to have one of the most successful comebacks with her album "The Emancipation of Mimi."

My standards may be harsh. Luckily, I have found some form of sympathy. I genuinely like the song "Gimme More." It is catchy and I have a weakness for a good dance beat. My sympathy is clouded with anger at the thought of the performance. There was so much potential. The audience was ready for a mind blowing performance; Britney has done this before with her bare-all performance of "Oops. I Did it Again," in 2000. She tried to compensate her lack of enthusiasm with a large screen of women dancing and a bunch of pole dancers scattered throughout the audience. If anyone caught it, 50 Cent's reaction said everything I just said in this column in a two second clip.

Students with Pax Christi March on Pentagon, Protest the War in Iraq

University students, including many from Pax Christi, a Catholic peace organization, participated in the March on the Pentagon last Saturday.

The march, which drew thousands of participants, commemorated the 40th anniversary of the 1967 March on the Pentagon in protest of the Vietnam War. It also marked the fourth anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq.

Jordan Manuel, a junior and member of Pax Christi who attended the march, stated, "Whenever there is a big march, Pax Christi tries to get a good group of people to go." He was arrested on Saturday for violating a DC law that prohibits people from standing in front of the White House and holding a vigil.

The anti-war march began at approximately 1 p.m. at the Constitution Gardens. The protestors then proceeded to the Pentagon where speakers voiced their anti-war sentiments. The march was organized by both United for Peace and Justice and Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER). Manuel described the participants as "black, white, old, young; it was fairly diverse." A large number of organized counter-demonstrators also participated.

"This is the most important time for there to be a show of people in the streets, marching, voicing their opinion and at the same time organizing around other methods to get us out of Iraq," said Maneul.

The march had a number of well-known participants, including antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan and Ramsey Clark, former U.S. Attorney General, and the Rev. Thomas Gumbleton, Bishop of Detroit and former President of Pax Christi USA.

Pax Christi also participated in the Christian Peace Witness, which was organized by faith groups including Sojourners, a social justice group. This event took place on March 16 and included a prayer service at the National Cathedral and vigil at the White House. An estimated 3,000 to 4,000 people attended this event and 222 were arrested.

Manuel criticized the lack of formal University support in the anti war protest. "I never hear the University coming out in support of us. There is never anything organized that supports us in any real way. I find it very interesting that the University will allow pro-life marchers to stay here, give them food and basically support them and basically roll out the red carpet for them," said Manuel. "I have been here for two-and-a-half years, and I have never seen support for causes other than abortion."

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