The library gallery’s new exhibit features the work of renowned graphic designer Abbott Miller.

Internationally renowned graphic designer and artist Abbott Miller comes to the library gallery. His exhibit mixes form and content in a unique art display.

Versatile, internationally renowned, award-winning graphic designer and Baltimore resident Abbott Miller opened an exhibit in the library gallery this weekend. It is the world premiere of the exhibit, called Abbott Miller: Design and Content, which coincides with his newest book of the same name. Reminiscent of Andy Warhol and pop art, Miller’s pieces fall into four design categories: books, exhibitions, magazines and identity.

The show offers completed pieces and works in progress, which provide insight into the creative process. Vertical banners line the walls with pieces from Miller’s various books and magazines. A disheveled man in a blue and white gingham suit chews on a daisy on the cover of 2Wice magazine, which Miller co-edits. Ten feet away, the actual gingham suit is displayed on a metal mannequin.

The banners were once a limited form of the exhibit, which was displayed in Mexico City. More pieces were added for the current exhibit. Eight display tables house books that Miller created or contributed to. Some are accompanied by sculptures such as three resin egg yolks and whites. Each egg is in a various state of being cooked.

At one end of the exhibit is a large, temporary wall with video being projected on it. A video is projected on it featuring the creation of the app DOT DOT DOT. The app is interactive and allows the user to choreograph a dancer on the screen.

A colorful reading table is situated in the middle of the display. The table is bold in blue and yellow, while eight small red stools surround it. Six desk lamps point downward, shining light onto Miller’s books. Everyone is welcome to sit down and read through the books.

No space is left unutilized. Even the support columns in the gallery are covered with what looks like jumbled typography. It is wallpaper Miller designed for Knoll, a store specializing in modern interior design and furniture.

Few students are in the gallery. Many are passing through to get to the Serials department. Still, in the short time it has been open, the exhibit is well received. Emily Hauver, the curator of exhibitions, has already heard positive feedback.

“Everyone’s saying it’s their favorite exhibition,” said Hauver as she hung a display sign on the wall, putting a few finishing touches on the show.

Abbott Miller: Design and Content will be on display through June 30. Miller will be on campus to talk about his work in the library gallery on April 22 at 7 p.m.

Photo credit: Shannon Carney

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As UMBC softball continues their run at a conference championship, freshman Tori Alexander is remaining effective after a fast start.

Thanks to excellent play from Alexander, her fellow freshman and team veterans, the Retrievers are seven and two in the America East conference. That record good enough for second place just behind Stony Brook University who has five wins and one loss. Alexander is batting a team high .424 out of the leadoff role and is leading the team in runs scored with 27. She has played in 29 of the team’s 31 games, which is solid for a first year player.

“It is easy to get a big head when you are succeeding, and to lose confidence when you are struggling. Our team environment helps keep Tori and everyone grounded,” Senior Catcher Taylor Hall said.

Alexander is listed as a shortstop, but has spent time filling holes around the diamond. She has played mostly centerfield and has locked down the position with a 1.00 fielding percentage. She has also filled in as the designated hitter when she needs to. The stellar frosh. hailing from Woodbridge, VA leads the team with 13 stolen bases, and is third with a .475 on base percentage.

Being able to get on base and then steal a base is crucial for any good leadoff hitter. Being able to turn a single or a walk into a double makes driving in runs much easier for the middle of the lineup. Alexander has walked nine times and only struck out eight times making her one of only four players on the team with more walks than punch outs.

“The most important thing we need to succeed is two out hits, early on we were not getting those hits, but it is great that Alexander is getting early success in her career. The more she does this, the more confidence she will get,” Coach Joe French said.

It is not all about getting on base for the freshman though, she is third on the team with a .533 slugging percentage and had driven in 17 runs over 29 games. To go along with those numbers, she has knocked 39 hits and two home runs.

The conference has recognized her success in her first year in collegiate play, awarding her America East Rookie of the Week three times, including twice in a row the last few weeks.

“Sometimes when you take longer to be successful you can lose some confidence, you see it in the Major Leagues even. Early success builds your confidence and your team’s confidence,” French said.

One of her career highlights came during her April 3 match up against University of Massachusetts Lowell. Alexander hit her first career home run in that game, and then followed it up with her second career shot. She drove in four runs total, which was the difference in a five to one win over the Riverhawks.

There is plenty of time left in the season for Alexander to continue to put up excellent numbers, but there are only two conference series left. The Retrievers need to take care of business against Binghamton University, then their final matchup comes against the first place Stony Brook Seawolves.

The final series matchup should be interesting and could decide which team wins the conference. Alexander is going to have to continue succeeding if they want to beat Stony Brook on the road.

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The UMBC men’s tennis team will compete in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship tournament this upcoming weekend. They will do so in impressive fashion as they enter the tournament the number one seed despite it being their first season in the Missouri Valley Conference.

The teams success is due in large part to junior transfer Jaan Kononov, this week’s Athlete of The Week. Kononov, a decorated transfer from Armstrong State University, had a 7-4 record coming into last week and improved to 8-4 after defeating Stony Brook University’s number one player Raphaell Termet.

Kononov has been exceptional the whole season, starting off the 2014-2015 campaign with a statement victory over Mount Saint Mary’s Adam Salam, defeating him 6-0, 6-0. He followed up with a victory over George Mason University’s Tanner Baine at the GMU Invitational.

Kononov came to UMBC with impressive accomplishments already under his belt. In his time spent at Armstrong State Kononov earned Peach Belt Conference honors in two seasons. In his sophomore season he earned Peach Belt Conference most valuable athlete and during that campaign took his team to an appearance in the the Division II National Championship. He finished ranked nationally in the top 15 in singles and top five in doubles.

With Kononov coming off his recent victory competing at the level he is presently the Retriever’s tennis team has a good shot at claiming the MVC championship crown this upcoming weekend in St. Louis, Missouri.

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Crisis pregnancy centers in the U.S. revealed as non-medical clinics

Crisis Pregnancy Centers are non-medical, faith based clinics dispensing inaccurate information to pregnant women looking for help and false counseling related to their pregnancy.

Crisis Pregnancy Centers disguise themselves as abortion clinics, but they are not part of Planned Parenthood. They are part of the pro-life movement. Often, in an attempt to keep women from getting abortions, they employ scare tactics and give false medical information. These centers exist in Baltimore and young people in need of real pregnancy information should be aware of what they’re getting into by going to a CPC.

CPCs are not licensed medical providers. In order to appear professional, volunteers wear white lab coats and clients are required to fill out paperwork before they can see a counselor. They offer clients free pregnancy tests and ultrasounds. What women don’t know is that the pregnancy tests are the generic ones available at drugstores.

If these centers do manage to become licensed to operate in a state, it allows them to appear more legitimate to clients. However, they are prohibited from practicing medicine. Instead they will have the woman administer and read her own test results.

These clinics say they offer unbiased counseling for unplanned pregnancies, but often make judgments about clients. They force women to sit through graphic presentations about abortion in order to scare them out of getting one.

CPCs are against contraception; in fact the only birth control they recommend is abstinence. According to the investigation of CPCs done by National Abortion Rights Action League and published this year, “one investigator in Maryland specifically requested a referral for birth control, a CPC volunteer stated she could not help because birth control is ‘next to aborting your baby.’ Nothing could be further from the truth—birth control is not, and never has been, an abortifacient.”

The centers also provide inaccurate information about abortions. Many of these “clinics” make outrageous claims that abortions lead to heavy bleeding, perforated uterus, sepsis, scarring, breast cancer, pelvic inflammatory disease, depression, miscarriages, infertility and death.

They even make claims about a disorder called post-abortion syndrome which isn’t recognized by any medical journal. They paint abortion as a dangerous procedure when, in actuality, abortions during the first trimester have a 0.05% risk of any long-term complications.

One example of false claims was found in a CPC in Maryland where they had brochures alleging a link between cancer and abortion.  According to the NARAL the brochure reads, “if you have a family history of breast cancer and have an early abortion at a young age, your chances of getting breast cancer before the age 45 are increased by 800 percent.”

When being counselled at a CPC, clients are told that there is no need to rush to get an abortion because they are legal at any point during pregnancy. This is false. According to NARAL’s investigation, “Roe vs. Wade protects the right of women to get an abortion only until viability, and 42 states prohibit some abortions after a certain point in pregnancy.” Delay tactics like this are designed to make it impossible for women to get abortions.

Some CPCs are backed by state governments. Nationwide, there are exactly 2460 CPCs according to statistics given by the NARAL. 43 of those CPCs are in Maryland. In contrast, Maryland only has 14 abortion clinics. Nationwide, the number of abortion clinics is 438.

Many women who go to CPCs don’t realize that they are not stepping into abortion clinics. If they were aware, they probably wouldn’t go. That’s why CPCs strategically locate themselves near Planned Parenthood or in medical buildings.

Baltimore has put laws in place that require CPCs to provide more disclosure about what they do. If they don’t refer clients to use birth control or abortion, they must post signs disclosing that. Many other states have adopted similar laws, but CPCs are actively lobbying against restrictions that these laws place on them.

UMBC students seeking any pregnancy related care should be aware of the nature of facilities they go to, and thankfully Baltimore specifically has limitations that might help shed some light for the community.

Sources:

Macmillen, Hayley. “A Crisis Counselor Told This Woman Her IUD Was Her “Baby”” Refinery29. N.p., 16 Mar. 2015. Web. 20 Mar. 2015. http://www.refinery29.com/2015/03/83932/naral-crisis-pregnancy-center-report.

NARAL. CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTERS LIE: The Insidious Threat to Reproductive Freedom (n.d.): 1-24. Prochoiceamerica.org. NARAL Pro-Choice America, 2015. Web. 20 Mar. 2015. http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/assets/download-files/cpc-report-2015.pdf.

Tang, Joyce C. “A New Fight Over Abortion Access.” The Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, 1 Aug. 2010. Web. 20 Mar. 2015. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/08/01/crisis-pregnancy-centers-mislead-women-new-laws-fight-back.html?via=desktop&source=facebook.

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The potentially beneficial Red Card Program is under advertised to students

The Red Card Program at UMBC is a good program to promote off campus businesses and save students money, but is often unsuccessful because some students have never heard of it. Advertising for the program needs to be improved and its benefits should be shown to the student body.

The Red Card Program at UMBC is majorly flawed — not by design, but by lack of awareness. Many students are unaware of the potential benefits of this program.

The program allows for UMBC students to receive discounts at off-campus businesses by simply showing their red card. For example, students can receive discounts at popular restaurants such as Pho Saigon, Grilled Cheese and Co. and Taste of Aloha. They can even pay for Papa John’s pizza with their flex dollars.

Other businesses part of the program are Little Abner’s liquor store and Penguin’s Bar. The program’s potential is obvious — it helps students save money and promotes local businesses in Arbutus and Catonsville.

The main issue is that students are unaware of the program, as there is virtually no advertising of it around campus. A single post on myUMBC from October 2014 is the only real promotion of the program. The post then provides a link to a Facebook page, but that is only helpful if the user can find the post on myUMBC first.

“If no one had told me anything about the red card program I wouldn’t have known,” said Dylan Nathan, a junior graphic designs major. “They should make it more known or advertise more about it. If I was going to a place that offered it I would definitely use it, I mean why not?”

UMBC should want to create a good relationship between its students and its surrounding business communities. The Red Card Program has potential to help with these relations and was even created for that reason.

It was created by the Student Government Association as a program to positively affect the local economy from the UMBC Community. The program is now overseen by the Service and Community Department of SGA.

“We are still in progress of advertising to the entire campus,” said Ally Yang, sophomore biochemistry and molecular biology major and head of the department facilitating the Red Card Program. “There is a Facebook group right now, UMBC Red Card Program, and it has all the businesses participating in the program.”

UMBC often has a difficult time getting students to participate in events on-campus, so organizations need to work extra hard to advertise for a program that focuses on off-campus businesses. There should be more advertising on myUMBC that would also have frequent updates and reminders for students.

New students, whether freshman or transfer, should be told about the Red Card Program when they come to the university. This way, they can start off knowing about the program. It appears that most knowledge of the program is through word of mouth, but could vastly improve if the SGA works to spread the news even more.

Some restaurants, like Pho Saigon and Taste of Aloha, cater to a good amount of UMBC students. In some cases, the program has been successful, but it still needs a lot of work.

“Red Card Program is just more [sic] than getting discounts at different stores,” said Yang. “Next time anyone uses the the Red Card to get a discount, think about how this is possible. You are able to do this because of the impact UMBC has on businesses around campus. We rely on them for dining, they rely on us for customers. To me, that is successful community outreach.”

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An argument for police accountability

Body-worn and dashboard cameras keep the police accountable for their actions as government officials are sworn to keep the public safe.

Recently, some police forces have been questioned due to their officers’ actions. From Ferguson to Baltimore City, police officers have been accused of using excessive force, and with these accusations comes the debate of the use of body-worn cameras.

A new video has surfaced depicting a man, Walter Scott, being shot eight times while he was running away after being stopped for a broken taillight, according to an article by CNN.

Slager claimed that Scott grabbed his taser, so he shot him. Little did he know that his story would eventually put him in jail for homicide.

The video brings into question his story. Slager “felt threatened after Scott allegedly took his stun gun during a scuffle.” He fails to mention that Scott is unarmed and running, with his back to him.

Slager, after he cuffs a lifeless Scott, then goes back to the point Mr. Scott ran from, picked up an object before ‘accidentally’ dropping the object next to Mr. Scott on the ground.

The incident in question occurred on the morning of Saturday, April 4, and the video of the incident was posted the following day. After the video was posted, Slager lost the representation of his attorney, was fired from his job and was denied bail on April 7, according to CNN.

Body-worn cameras as well as dashboard cameras in police cruisers need to be provided as a non-biased piece of evidence in police conduct cases. Consequently, jurors and police chiefs will not have to solely rely on the subjective police officer’s account of the incident, as in the case of Michael Slager.

In the case of Eric Garner, it was true that his death was caught on camera and many felt outraged that the outcome seemed similar to other cases in which nothing was caught on film. Body cameras might catch something on film that still doesn’t have the proper outcome, but it seems like a necessary step in holding law enforcement responsible for what they do.

Cameras not only keep police accountable, but they also work as a preventative action. In Rialto, California, where police cameras have been implemented for a year, officers have reported an 88% decline in the number of complaints, as well as a 60% decline in the use of force.

In the case of Michael Slager, a body-worn camera could have shown exactly what happened with the Walter Scott encounter. Viewers could have seen if Scott did indeed grab for the taser or not. The current video is about 50 feet away and it only captured about half of the incident.

Police accountability is of the utmost importance and must be upheld by body-worn cameras. Without a video taken of the incident between Michael Slager and Walter Scott, the public would have trusted. Slager’s account of the incident, which simply could be false.

Sources

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/08/us/south-carolina-cop-shoots-black-man-timeline/

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/08/us/south-carolina-officer-charged-with-murder/

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/07/business/wearable-video-cameras-for-police-officers.html?_r=2&

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/08/us/south-carolina-officer-is-charged-with-murder-in-black-mans-death.html

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Compiled by the Retriever Weekly News Staff

April 9

Theft from buildings – ITE

April 9

CDS possession (not marijuana)//controlled substance, distribution// CDS paraphernalia possession – Patapsco Hall

April 11

Theft from buildings – The RAC

April 12

Sick student/Alcohol violation – Erickson Hall

April 12

Theft from buildings – Dining Hall

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Compiled by the Retriever Weekly News Staff

April 7 Maryland health and environmental advocates supported a national petition to Walgreens, calling on the company to reduce the use of toxic chemicals in their products. The group specifically addressed the retailer’s alleged use of formaldehyde in child care products.

April 8 Baltimore’s Board of Estimates reported that the city-owned Hilton Baltimore convention center lost $5.6 million last year. 2014 marks the seventh consecutive year that the hotel underperformed.

April 9 US Representative Dutch Ruppersburger (D-MD) asked the FBI for more disclosure of the Baltimore Police Department’s use of controversial cell phone surveillance technology. The BPD currently uses the device under public nondisclosure conditions from the FBI.

April 10 An Anne Arundel police officer was shot at a 7-11 store in East College Parkway. The officer was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma in Baltimore, though he has not been publicly identified.

April 11 The Maryland House of Delegates passed a bill decriminalizing the possession of marijuana paraphernalia. The bill had already been passed in the state Senate.

April 12 Police arrested and charged a 23-year old man with murder of his father in the Washington Village/Pigtown area. The young man was reportedly in an argument with his father and stabbed him repeatedly.

April 13 Maryland Democrats rejected Gov. Larry Hogan’s budget compromise proposal. Remaining points of contention include funding for public schools and healthcare initiatives.

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United States & Cuba

US Secretary of State, John Kerry, met with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez in Panama City on Thursday in what was the highest-level meeting between the two nations in several decades.

Secretary Kerry and Foreign Minister Rodriguez reportedly spoke for several hours in a hotel restaurant on ways to continue moving forward and improving relations.

Their meeting precedes the Summit of the Americans, where US President Barack Obama is expected to meet with Cuban President Raul Castro. Because of President Obama’s announcement this past December to begin restoring ties with Cuba, many expect the two presidents to shake hands – a symbolic gesture that could be potentially controversial.

Ahead of the summit, United States officials have been signaling that Washington is ready to engage with Havana.

On Thursday, the State Department recommended removing Cuba from the list of countries that are known sponsors of terrorism. Removing Cuba from the list would ease financial sanctions and allow US investment in the country. For a move like this to be final, Cuba would have to pledge to not support terrorism in the future.

Pakistan

Pakistan’s parliament voted unanimously in favor of a resolution that “Pakistan should maintain neutrality” in Yemen on Friday.

Last month, Pakistan was asked by its ally Saudi Arabia to contribute ships, aircraft and troops to the military campaign to restore President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi in Yemen.

“The parliament of Pakistan expresses serious concern on the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in Yemen and its implications for peace and stability of the region,” the resolution said.

The resolution also backed the Pakistani’s government to aid in protecting Saudi Arabia’s territorial integrity and the Islamic holy sites inside the kingdom.

Japan

The United States and Japan are close to concluding a set of bilateral defense rules that if finalized would give Japan’s military powers to act when US forces are threatened by another state, US officials said Wednesday.

Under the previous bilateral agreement, Japan could only protect the US military if it was operating in Japan’s direct defense in areas close to the country.

The new rules, which would broaden the geographical and operational scope of the agreement, appear to be safeguards against the missile threat from North Korea and China’s aggression in the waters off of Japan’s coast.

According to a senior defense official, the new rules are significant because they are intended to empower Japan to use its missile defense systems to protect US military assets under a greater range of circumstances.

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Future-pop duo capture with lyrics and haunting sound

Purity Ring’s sophomore album debuted at number 26 on the Billboard 200 because they really do bring the listener into another eternity.

Purity Ring are known for creating more ethereal futurepop music than the tunes that their peers produce. Rather than having the end goal of making fans dance, it seems as though the duo wants fans to drift away and get lost in their music.

According to a GQ interview with vocalist Megan James and instrumentalist Corin Roddick, much of the inspiration for Purity Ring’s thought-provoking songs come from James’ childhood diaries. James said, “a lot of the time whatever I’ve written down happens to fit perfectly over [Corin’s] melodies.”

James and Roddick grew up in Edmonton, Alberta and were a part of different bands when they first decided to work together. They released their debut album Shrines in 2012 with the record label 4AD, which reached number 32 on the Billboard 200 chart.

As for their most recent release, Purity Ring’s sophomore record Another Eternity was released on March 3, 2015, and debuted at number 26 on the Billboard 200. On the new record, the duo stayed true to their electronica sound, and this time they have produced especially captivating songs.

The album starts off with “heartsigh,” which begins on a soft note but quickly progresses into a more powerful sound that contrasts with the gentle quality of James’ sweet voice. The chorus is full of unusual imagery that still manages to make sense, with phrases like, “hidden breath beneath the floor,” and, “your tears drip from the drawers.”

The third track on Another Eternity, “push pull,” was the first single from the album. The inexplicably bittersweet instrumentals add to the reminiscent words of a song that, on the surface, suggests different activities one partakes in at the park.

A personal song like “push pull” may have James reliving old memories, but she told GQ that doing so isn’t difficult. She said, “I’m writing a journal [now] and I never expect people to be singing those words … back to me [either].”

Though Purity Ring’s talents are exhibited in most of Another Eternity, no song captures Roddick’s and James’ ability to complement each other better than “begin again.” Roddick has come up with a way to build up the song by starting off with a slower beat and then wrapping it up to become even slower still, while James sings in the chorus, “you be the moon I’ll be the earth, and when we burst start over oh darling, begin again.”

Roddick then enunciates the meaning of a new beginning by launching into an overpowering mix of melodies that ends when the second verse starts. Their seamless cooperation makes their music seem well put together, and helps create an atmosphere of wonder that flows from one track to the next.

Currently, Purity Ring are on tour in Europe and will be coming back to play in the US in May. Their show on May 29 at 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. has already sold out, but with their success, it’s safe to say the band will be back soon.

Photo Credit: amazon.com

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