Richard Ramsey's smile is infectious. But his passion for the old El Toro air base's turkey vultures, palm trees and warehouses is even more catching. Ramsey '89 is the chief of staff of the design team working to build the Orange County Great Park on the site of the former Marine Corps facility in Irvine, Calif. The job "is part design, part management and part politics," he said, noting that "it has the three essential elements: civic significance, public and private support, and the design matters." He added, "The site is also just amazing." Ramsey, who studied 20th-century American history at Bates, wrote his final paper on the history of nature conservation in America. His goal with this project, he says, is "to see a master plan come to reality."

In Maine, the least ethnically and racially diverse state, it can be a struggle for families to observe Kwanzaa. Nationally, though, Kwanzaa's message of solidarity has begun to resonate with more households, said John H. McClendon III, program chair of African-American studies at Bates. McClendon attributed this in part to the rise of a middle class among African Americans, who no longer live in predominantly black neighborhoods. "They now live in suburban areas among larger white communities and are finding that they and their children are not having that sense of identity that was at one point taken for granted," McClendon said. -- In January, McClendon also appeared three times on the Auburn radio station WCNM-AM, discussing Martin Luther King Jr. Day and this year's observance at Bates.

The Kansas City Star gave "visual arts kudos" to the multimedia exhibit Cryptozoology, co-curated by Bates College Museum of Art director Mark Bessire and Raechell Smith, director of Block Artspace. The Star called Smith one of 10 notable Kansas City individuals and institutions that in 2006 "demonstrated vision, backbone and generosity." The article said that the exhibit, which ran from October to December, was "the talk of the town," and that it "struck the perfect balance between fun and thought-provoking." In addition to commenting on the relationship between human and nature, both fantastic and fictitious, the show introduced to the K.C. area such artists as Mark Dion, Joan Fontcuberta and Jeffrey Vallance.

Producing fresh, good food and contributing to the economic vitality of a community is a huge benefit for young farmers. One of a rising number of young farmers with college degrees, Brooklyn native Alex Utevsky '02 works with a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program at Phillies Bridge Farm Project in Gardiner, N.Y. In this type of farming, customers become shareholders who invest in the winter or spring and are rewarded with a share in crops throughout the growing season. Benefits include direct-to-consumer supply, reduced transportation costs and, according to Utevsky, the relationship formed with the community. "There's a social aspect to the CSA model," said Utevsky. Phillies Bridge, where the 180 customers volunteer to pull weeds and help with the harvest, is "a community resource — a place to gather," he says.

The record-tying start by the Bates men's basketball team has visions of playoffs dancing in Bobcats' fans heads. The Bobcats have matched their 8-0 start to the 2004-05 season despite having to replace two graduated starters, losing another to injury and starting their preseason later than most of the other teams they've played. "It's due to the great leadership that our veterans and new guys have blended so well together this quickly," said Joe Reilly, Bates' head coach, pointing to senior co-captains Zak Ray and Rob Stockwell, who "have been leaders since they arrived on campus." Throw in returning starter and junior guard Bryan Wholey and immediate contributions from guard Chris Wilson '10, and you can understand why the Bobcats are off and running.

Jason Buxbaum '08 was inspired to become an emergency medical technician after his dad, Steve, became an EMT and joined the Hillsdale Volunteer Ambulance Service a few years ago. Buxbaum took EMT courses during his first year at Bates, joined the school’s Emergency Medical Services team and has been a member ever since. Buxbaum, a Maine-licensed EMT, is enthusiastic about the team and its work. "It gets anyone on the campus emergency medical attention five minutes sooner than otherwise," he says. "And it's good for us to be there for our peers." The willingness to give back is evident in the Bates EMS, as it is at all such services. "Only about half the members are pre-med students," he says. The others "are doing it in the spirit of community."

John Strassburger '64, president of Ursinus College, remembers the day that the chairman of the board of trustees told him the college was losing applicants because of its tuition: It was too low. After the college raised tuition and fees 17.6 percent, to $23,460, Ursinus received nearly 200 more applications than the year before. Within four years the size of the freshman class had risen 35 percent. Applicants apparently concluded that if the college cost more, it must be better. "It's bizarre and it's embarrassing, but it's probably true," Strassburger said. Ursinus also raised student aid by nearly 20 percent, meaning that a majority of its students paid less than half price. And with the race for rankings and choice students shaping college pricing, Ursinus is not unique.

I4 Commerce seeks to displace credit cards as a means of paying for goods online. I4's Bill Me Later service is like asking the butcher to put the steaks on your tab: Online shoppers click the Bill Me Later button and, if their credit is good, I4 pays the merchants and bills the shoppers. Credit card issuers typically charge online retailers up to 3 percent per transaction, often twice what they charge real-world retailers. Bill Me Later provides the convenience of plastic but charges only 1.5%. "That puts pressure on Visa and MasterCard to lower their fees," says Brad Wolansky '86, head of e-commerce at outdoors outfitter Orvis. "Before Bill Me Later there wasn't anything from a free-market point of view to keep the credit card companies in check."

Members of Somalia's Bantu population lost their homes and suffered other serious traumas during the country's civil war. The United States began admitting them as refugees in 2003, and some 500 have settled in Lewiston. The smooth surface of relations between the city's Somalis and its Somali Bantus began to change last January. During 2006 Martin Luther King Jr. Day activities at Bates, Somali Bantus took part in a panel discussion of Lewiston's refugee populations, as did Catherine Besteman, an anthropology professor at Colby who had done research in a Somali Bantu village years ago. Soon after she met the other panelists at Bates, mutual recognition slowly dawned — she had met the Bantus as children in the village. It was "a true goose-bump moment," said Bates anthropologist Elizabeth Eames.

Kim Gamel '90, a veteran correspondent and editor for The Associated Press, has been appointed to the new position of news editor in Baghdad. Gamel, 38, who reported from Baghdad earlier this year, has served as news editor in Stockholm, Sweden, and covered the United Nations during two tours on The AP's international desk in New York. She began her assignment in Iraq on Dec. 1. Gamel joined the AP in 1996 as a reporter in Des Moines, Iowa. A native of Boise, Idaho, Gamel holds a master's degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, and before joining the AP worked for Russian and Mexican newspapers.

When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Winston Greaton '43 recalls, a sense of disbelief pervaded the Bates campus. He also remembers the feeling that his life had suddenly changed as the country headed into war. "I knew I'd be going sometime soon," Greaton, now 85, said. He fought in the China-Burma-India Theater, which came to be known as the "Forgotten Theater." "It didn't make the news," said Greaton, who served with the Army in India. "All the news was concentrated in the other areas." Greaton still wears the lapel pin identifying him as a CBI veteran, though few recognize it. "Once in a while, you come across someone who knows. They'll say, 'Oh, you served in CBI,'" he said. "That's pleasing."

Bates Trustee Thomas Renyi P'97,P'04 is presiding over the merger between Bank of New York and Mellon Financial, a $16.5 billion transaction that will create the world's largest securities-servicing firm. Currently Bank of New York's chairman and chief executive, Renyi will serve as executive chairman for the first 18 months of the new company. "Mellon is going to have the opportunity to accelerate what are very compelling growth rates for the company," he said. "This is a combination that has extraordinarily similar and very complementary businesses." While the deal ends a longstanding rivalry for both companies, it will unite institutions whose heritage is tied to two titans of business history: Judge Thomas Mellon and Bank of New York founder Alexander Hamilton, the first U.S. Treasury secretary.

After months of suspense, the top-level commission probing U.S. strategic options in Iraq this week unveils a report seen as the last, best chance for President George W. Bush to change course. So acute is the gloom over Iraq's slide into chaos, the Iraq Study Group cochaired by veteran U.S. operator James Baker has generated feverish expectations that will be tough to meet. Eric Hooglund, an Iran expert and professor of politics at Bates, said that whatever the commission comes up with, the key question will be how much influence the United States has left in Iraq. "The United States has been reduced to a passive role, unfortunately . . . [and] has been gradually losing its influence and authority," he said.

Don Riegle and Doug Coupe '92 have launched a new entertainment show on the Internet. Each week, "The 6Pack" highlights six of the World Wide Web's best in worldwide music, art, culture and worthy causes. The show is intended to give a boost to new talent. The show was recently ranked second among hundreds of thousands of videos on YouTube. The pair have a combined 30-plus years of experience in the entertainment industry. Don is a former executive of Sony Pictures Digital Networks, Disney and MGM. Doug worked as a television and film actor, appearing on "The Young and the Restless," "Baywatch" and "Beverly Hills 90210," among other titles. "The 6Pack" airs every Thursday. Recent episodes can be viewed at www.sixpackshow.com and all episodes appear on YouTube and MySpace.

For her video works, performance artist Kate Gilmore '97 has jumped rope in stilettos on a perforated platform and cemented her leg inside a bucket. Now she is making her Brooklyn solo exhibition debut with new videos at Pierogi that continue her exploration of pain, desire and endurance. In ''Main Squeeze,'' Gilmore crawls through a tapering tunnel while cameras at both ends capture her squiggling and squirming through. Another video shows her standing as the camera swings back and forth, punching her in the stomach. Laugh-inducing at first, the action becomes disturbing as Gilmore begins to grunt and groan in pain. It's hard to watch, though her clever incorporation of the camera into the work suggests a possible new direction. (''Hopelessly Devoted,'' through Dec. 23 at Pierogi, Williamsburg, 718-599-2144)

Wildcat Mountain ski area's director of mountain operations, Alexa Bernotavicz '94, was recently named this year's sole female recipient of a SAMMY Future Leadership Award, presented by Ski Area Management Magazine. The awards honor four individuals whose strong, innovative leadership demonstrated at mid-career shows exciting promise for even more accomplishments and leadership in the future. Last November, at the start of her eighth season at Wildcat Mountain, the 34-year-old Bernotavicz became the first female mountain operations director in Wildcat's history. She first came to Wildcat in December 1998 as director of the children's ski school and nursery programs, and has gradually taken on greater responsibility across mountain operations, so that she was the natural choice to fill the mountain operations director position when it opened early last winter.

When it comes to family, Kate Spencer '01 goes the distance. When her mother, Martha, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on June 14, the news came as a shock to her family. Kate's response was to raise funds for pancreatic cancer research by running a half-marathon. "I didn't know what else to do, because after that kind of diagnosis, it's so overwhelming," Kate said. She launched Running for My Mom, a project that raises money and awareness, and ran the Maine Half-Marathon Oct. 1, raising a little over $19,000. Inspired by that success, Kate is in training again for the ING Miami Half Marathon in January 2007. Kate writes comedy and performs with Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York, founded by Amy Poehler of "Saturday Night Live."

Students from Toddy Pond School in Swanville visited Bates to share experiences from a geology field trip to Baxter State Park. The informal Bates "Geo Lunch" gave the visitors an opportunity to ask questions about their Baxter trip. "I'm psyched!" said seventh-grader Daphne Kos after talking to Peter, a Bates junior. From Peter and his professor, Mike Retelle, she learned how enormous Katahdin once was and how it was originally formed. The geology department shared pizza and soda with the visitors, who in turn shared a demonstration that a Baxter naturalist showed them: Take a tub of ice cream and cups and spoons for everyone and practice gouging cirques out of the ice cream mountain, just as glaciers do. "Who wants to make The Knife Edge?" asked a Bates student.

Long-term studies exploring addictive behaviors produce tremendous amounts of data. To help analyze those data and characterize critical processes underlying addiction, Theodore Walls '90, an assistant professor of behavioral science at the University of Rhode Island, has received an American Cancer Society grant to develop new quantitative models, to be based on the integration of models used in engineering and the physical sciences with statistical approaches used typically in behavioral science. The five-year, $594,000 grant will support the development of new models to describe self-regulation in addiction, particularly in the case of smoking. Walls, who joined the URI psychology faculty just over two years ago, has established a lab devoted to the study of behavioral processes.

In November, Wal-Mart discontinued its layaway program nationwide, forcing shoppers either to pay in full up front or to use other means such as a credit card. James Hughes, a Bates economics professor who has written about Wal-Mart, said that for retailers, layaway programs typically are the most expensive kind of purchase plans they offer. Layaway ties up merchandise before the retailer makes money, he said, estimating that at some large stores as much as $100,000 worth of merchandise may be set aside in layaway at any one time. Some consumers may have trouble getting lines of credit, Hughes acknowledged, but those who can use them often do, regardless of whether it's best for their long-term financial stability. "Humans tend to like instant gratification," Hughes said.

There's a closer connection than one might think between Bangladesh and New Hampshire, one highlighted by the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus. Yunus pioneered microcredit, the now-common practice of making small loans to poor entrepreneurs. Rob Riley '95, director of Concord-based MicroCredit-NH, says that while MicroCredit-NH's mission is different, the same principles of small-scale development apply. Even more crucial in Riley's view is how MicroCredit-NH is helping to foster the state's growing sector of "microenterprises," businesses employing up to five people. According to 2002 U.S. Census figures, 19.1 percent of total employment in the state was in the microenterprises -- that is, more than 150,000 residents own or work for such concerns. "The importance of these microenterprises often goes unappreciated," Riley said.

College students could get more financial aid as a result of the power shift in Washington, said college leaders from across the nation who attended an annual gathering with media in New York, hosted by Arizona State University. Bates President Elaine Tuttle Hansen was one of nine college presidents and educational leaders who answered questions from the media on topics ranging from rising tuition to the cutthroat competition for national rankings. Addressing the latter topic, Hansen said that she recognizes that the many college rankings are part of our societal competitiveness, but "we all know the most valuable things can't be measured very precisely."

Maine's two U.S. senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, could emerge from Tuesday's election with greater clout than before, even as they're poised to lose their committee chairmanships and begin to take on the appearance of an endangered political species. Centrists will play a pivotal role in a Senate where Democrats and the two independents aligned with them hold a 51-49 majority. Indeed, the Democrats' margin is so slim that any individual senator has the potential to decide the outcome of a vote. "This is especially important for the remaining members of the 'Gang of 14' who had already shown a willingness and an interest in working across party lines to prevent stalemate," said John Baughman, a politics professor at Bates.

A native of Massachusetts, I was brought up on a very simple political syllogism: Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves; Abraham Lincoln was a Republican; therefore, vote Republican. . . . Thus, it was no small thing to abandon the party of Lincoln, and I did so not simply to vote for Deval Patrick but to affirm that the values I have always held, that stood for the best in Massachusetts, are now to be found in this non-Yankee from Chicago. Ronald Reagan, at whose second inauguration I offered the benediction, once said that he hadn't left the Democratic Party but that it had left him; I must say I feel the same way about the Republican Party. -- The Rev. Peter Gomes '65, in an op-ed

The worst part of coming home from Iraq was the waiting. Michael Philbrick '04, a Charlottesville native in the Marine reserves, was told he was coming back about three weeks ago -- then there was a stint waiting in Iraq, waiting in Kuwait and then debriefing in California. "You develop this image in your head" of what homecoming will be like, he said at his parents' home Saturday, sitting surrounded by family and friends celebrating his return. "When you get back home, it's not necessarily going to be like that." Philbrick didn't want a big party, didn't want lots of friends to ask him about what it's like in Iraq. The truth is, he said, you can't know it unless you've been there.

The Kansas City Art Institute's exhibit "Cryptozoology: Out of Time Place Scale" exhibit, which ran at Bates through summer 2006, makes a mash-up of science and mythology. And that's exactly what the planners hoped to accomplish. Sixteen artists with a particular interest in the cryptozoologic -- basically the study of creatures whose existence remains unproven -- submitted pieces. Joan Fontcuberta provided photographs documenting a fictional German scientist hot on the trail of fantastic animals. Members of the Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists offer stuffed beasts that evoke mythical animals like the chimera. Marc Swanson provided a life-sized sculpture of himself as a yeti. Bates College Museum of Art Director Mark Bessire said the show evokes a 19th-century science museum. "The whole exhibition almost looks like a diorama," Bessire said.

"The SAT is optional because we're looking for students who have an intense desire to take advantage of what we offer: small seminars, work in the lab with a full professor -- and we have admissions officers who read holistically and individually. The SAT could help a student, and that's great, but if it's not the best indication of your academic desire, we can live without it." -- President Elaine Tuttle Hansen on NBC's Today program, Oct. 20, 2006. Hansen appeared in two segments aimed at advising parents about getting their children into the best colleges. Also taking part were administrators from Princeton, Washington University in St. Louis and UCLA.

When Acer Nesbitt and Melanie Nesbitt '04 met in high school, they knew they'd have a home together someday. But they had no idea what they'd go through to get there. After graduation from high school, Melanie chose Bates to study chemistry while Acer joined the Army. Melanie graduated from Bates after only three years, returned to Memphis and started teaching high school chemistry. Acer, based in Seattle, married Melanie the summer before his deployment to Iraq, in December 2004. He returned safely last Christmas Eve, and in February the couple found their long-awaited home, in the Bishop Hills neighborhood. It's 1,200 square feet with three bedrooms, two baths and garage. "We knew as we entered that this was it, because it was so spacious," Melanie said.

A growing number of the best liberal arts colleges have dropped the SAT requirement for admission. Bates was one of the first to do so, in 1984. "The SAT wasn't telling us about students who performed well on a variety of other measures," said Bates President Elaine Tuttle Hansen. "It very often masks the background of kids coming from different cultures," added Vice President Bill Hiss '66, who was dean of admissions when Bates went SAT-optional. Her score on the SAT verbal component would have kept Lien Le '99, a Vietnamese immigrant, out of many top colleges. But, accepted at Bates, she graduated magna cum laude as a biology major and today is a doctor finishing her residency. "Being accepted to a really good college had tremendous consequences," Le said.

As the roster of schools dropping the standardized testing requirement in admissions continues to grow, this hot topic permeated the recent gathering in Pittsburgh of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. During a session on testing that drew a capacity crowd, officials of some schools with test-optional policies said applicants who chose not to submit scores did about as well academically as those who submitted scores. Once enrolled, non-test-submitters at Bates had "nearly identical" grades, said dean of admissions Wylie Mitchell, and they "actually had a slightly better percentage of graduation," he said. Mitchell was struck by the large show of hands from admission officials in the NACAC session indicating their schools were rethinking use of tests.

Lynne T. Johnson '00 of Milton joined the Peace Corps in May. A graduate of Milton High and Bates, she had worked in a variety of positions, including acting director of the Non-Profit Finance Fund of Boston. During the summer, she and 35 other Peace Corps volunteers went to the Republic of Moldova. Johnson is staying with a host family in the village of Gura Galbeniei, where she teaches health to high school students and works with the nonprofit Center for Health. Moldova has rich agricultural resources, and is making strides to catch up technologically, Johnson reports. She describes seeing a man coming into town in an old hay cart, complete with wooden wheels -- and the man was using a cell phone.

"John Lahr makes painfully clear how anxiety can prey on stage actors and destroy performances ("Petrified," August 28th). But actors may actually benefit from being just nervous enough. The Yerkes-Dodson Law . . . suggests that for any given task there is an optimal level of arousal linked to good performance. . . . [A]cting is a very demanding task and it is no surprise that stage fright can literally cripple it. Yet, as anyone who has seen a sluggish performance towards the end of a long-running production can attest, the Yerkes-Dodson Law suggests that being able to continually muster some anxiety may imbue actors' performances with the spark and energy that make live theater so special." -- Jonathan Adler '00, a graduate student in psychology at Northwestern University

"I was a very curious person because of my parents. They encouraged me to be as curious about as many things as I wanted. I had no idea when I went to college what I'd be doing. I took organic chemistry and did terribly, but I was good in English and art. I took many courses and participated in as many activities as I could. I learned a lot about every single thing." -- Martha Stewart, in response to a question by Emma Twombly '08. Twombly's two-page CosmoGIRL! interview with the lifestyle guru came about through the magazine's internship placement program Project 2024. Twombly focused on entrepreneurship in the interview, conducted in Stewart's New York office.

In the installment of Nick News with Linda Ellerbee that premiered Oct. 1, six kids set out on a Wild West adventure along the Laramie River near the Colorado-Wyoming border. The Laramie River Dude Ranch, owned by Bill Burleigh '86 and his wife, Krista Kaplan, was the scene for an experience that gave these youngsters from across the country new skills in everything from horseback riding to wrangling cattle. In their off time, the young cowpokes hiked, fished, tubed the river and watched real cowboys at work.

The growing mental health crisis on campus is no longer confined to the students. "All the structural changes affecting today's students -- overwork, competitiveness, technological shifts, commercialism -- extend to the lives of faculty," says Rebecca Herzig, associate professor in the women and gender program at Bates. She heads a committee on faculty issues for the pioneering Bringing Theory to Practice Project, which seed-funds innovative solutions to the college mental health crisis. So far, Herzig says, the evidence is largely anecdotal. But at every campus she visited while conducting research for a new book during her recent sabbatical year, Herzig says, she was approached by presidents and deans describing such problems as an increase in suicidal thoughts among colleagues.

Mermaid anatomy dissected! Loch Ness Monster captured on paper! Yeti face revealed! For Cryptozoology: Out of Time Place Scale, an exhibit at Maine's Bates College Museum of Art, 16 artists explore cryptids -- creatures only rumored to exist. The menagerie includes a resurrection of the extinct Tasmanian tiger, which some believe still roams the outback. The graphite-and-foam model was created by Rachel Berwick, who captured the predator's form by putting an 80-year-old film of the last known living specimen through a digital imaging process. "The artists are more interested in the stories behind cryptids," co-curator and museum director Mark Bessire says, "than in actually finding them." The bestiary departs Maine on Oct. 8, bound for an extended sighting at the Kansas City Art Institute.

Pat Grater '08 went from being too small on the junior varsity men's soccer team last season to starting varsity midfielder, and now he's second on the Bobcats with two goals and five points in six games. "I wasn't even looking to go here," says Grater, who was originally thinking about bigger schools. "But when I decided I wanted to play sports, my dad took me up here and I stayed over one night with the soccer team and loved it." That's how the kid his friends always identified as the perfect teammate found a niche that fits him like a tailored suit. Tom Doyle, recently retired from Fitch High, coached Grater in baseball, basketball and even against him once in soccer. "He just knew how to play. Everything."

Tonight, Taylor Hicks and the other fifth-season finalists from the popular show "American Idol" perform in Portland. Why is this talent show such a phenomenon? Stephanie Kelley-Romano, assistant professor of rhetoric at Bates, theorizes that its immense popularity comes from the show's feel-good effect and the audience's ability to express its personal connection to the performers by voting. The show presents "young, fresh-faced Americans using their talents," says Romano, so that its audience "can go to bed happy about the state of the world." The "will of the American people" makes possible the American dream for at least one contestant, and that's empowering, she points out, especially in a time of war when everyday Americans are seeking something to feel good about.

NBC's "Nightly News with Brian Williams" on Sept. 20 showed the Bates wordmark and Web pages containing research on Bates' 20 years of optional SAT testing by Vice President for External Affairs William C. Hiss ’66 and Prem R. Neupane ’05. The study shows virtually no difference in the grade point averages and graduation rates of students who submitted SATs and non-submitters. Bates encourages prospective students to include with their application evidence of various forms of intelligence, academic skills, discipline, productivity, values and contribution to a community. Admissions officers say that 20 years of data show the optional SAT policy allows them to make better decisions about who will succeed at Bates –- to consider factors like internal motivation, intellectual curiosity, creativity and the ability to work well with others.

Maine's younger voters could play a more decisive role in this November's election than in past years, says a newly released report. "Young people can be mobilized," said Mark Lopez of the University of Maryland's Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, which conducted the study. "It's not hard to get them to the polls. It's as simple as asking," he said. In Maine, where youth voter turnout consistently tops the national average, both major parties are asking. "There was actually a line to get to our table," Nathaniel Walton, a Bates junior and chairman of the Maine College Republicans, said of a recent membership drive at the University of Maine. More than 100 freshmen enlisted as new members -- a one-day record, Walton said.

Denenberg became chief curator of the Portland Museum of Art in June. He is responsible for the museum's historic buildings, the management of the collection of American and European art, and supervising the curatorial department. Denenberg oversees preservation, the publication program, and the use of the Winslow Homer Studio, acquired by the museum in January. His favorite Web sites include www.mobicapping.com, ("a manifesto on the state of photography in the digital age"); www.americanart.si.edu, ("the inventory of American paintings at the Smithsonian American art museum is my first stop when thinking about an artist"); www.ebay.com, ("all of my hobbies seem to require spare parts"); and www.srracing.com, NASCAR's site devoted to selling racing jackets ("the Web is a great way to indulge those Walter Mitty moments").

Boston University College of Communication graduate student Malinda Gilbert's summer included a mission to Israel and Palestine with the Interfaith Peace Builders to see the conflict firsthand and help promote peace in the region. Gilbert, a 2003 Bates graduate who is planning to study journalism with a focus on Middle Eastern politics in the COM graduate program, traveled to Israel and Palestine with 17 other IFPB participants aged 21 to 83 in July. Her eyewitness perspective, Gilbert said, showed her aspects of the conflict that people in the United States are not exposed to. "In Western media, it is printed in a black-and-white manner," she said. "The thing that strikes me most about the conflict is that we don't really get the voice of the Palestinian struggle."

As director of dining services at Bates, Christine Schwartz typically observes a dramatic spike in "salad bar intake" around the spring semester. That's when students start to notice the infamous weight gain called the "Freshman 15." It's all part of the college experience, she said: "Mom and Dad aren't there to control what you do anymore. The Freshman 15, in my opinion, is a rite of passage." But it's a rite that some view as an undocumented myth. A recent study of Rutgers University freshmen revealed an average gain of only three pounds between September and April. But it's also a rite that colleges are taking seriously as students arrive this week. Many colleges are promoting fitness, providing healthy dining options and educating students about overall health.

Increasing numbers of liberal arts colleges are making admissions exams optional. At Bates, William Hiss '66, vice president for external affairs, said that adopting an SAT-optional policy in 1984 helped attract exceptional students who might not otherwise apply -- such as Lien Le '99, a Vietnamese refugee who applied without submitting her scores, earned a biology degree magna cum laude and then a medical degree at Brown. "We hope that now that there are more test-optional schools, students will think about not taking it and putting their time and money into other activities, like music or writing or community service," said Jane B. Brown '69, vice president for enrollment at Mount Holyoke, which dropped the SAT requirement in 2001. "We hope they will have more interesting lives."

With the Hezbollah terror group gaining acceptance among many Middle Easterners, Saudi Arabia's Western links could hamper its continuing dominance in the region, warn Mideast policy analysts. The Saudis have a fine line to walk between the United States, with its unflinching support for Israel, and Muslim nations that have close ties to Saudi Arabia and want to see Israel disappear. Having a leading voice in the region is imperative to the Saudis, said Eric Hooglund, a professor of Muslim politics at Bates. He said Saudis fear that Hezbollah's growing acceptance among Arabs could diminish its moral authority over its centuries-old regional rival Iran. Saudi Arabia and Iran's relations remain tense, with centuries of aggression between the two and religious oppression of Shiites in Saudi Arabia, Hooglund said.

Miami-based decorator Evette Rios '99 has only one day to pull a room together as the on-camera designer for an HGTV show on low-budget makeovers that use furniture and objects already in homes. Her latest endeavor takes even less time: giving decorating advice based on photographs taken by do-it-yourselfers who want professional tips for fast, inexpensive makeovers. Rios honed her design tactics on HGTV's no-cost design show Freestyle, on which she recreates rooms in an afternoon using only existing furniture, art and other objects in a home. ''The idea is to work with young people who can't afford to go out and buy new stuff," says Rios, 27, whose decorating company is called Sitio (''place'' in Spanish).

Maine's congressional delegation is supporting legislation that would regulate trading in oil futures via such electronic markets as the InterContinental Exchange, which is not overseen by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Not all economists believe the regulatory effort will address fluctuating oil prices that are reflected at the gas pump. Jim Hughes, an economics professor at Bates, is not sure the measure will affect oil prices. "As oil is the most heavily traded of global commodities, whatever you can't do here, you can do in other world markets, so the capital will just flow elsewhere," he said. Hughes said the futures market has been working properly. He suggested a better way to address the price issue would be policies that remove more of the risk from the marketplace.

As Charles Antin '02 taps the keyboard, typing in the letters and words of his favorite short stories, he absorbs their content. With each stroke, he learns more about grammar, diction and syntax. "Your fingers start to get used to where to put the words," Antin said of his time spent physically copying the works of esteemed authors such as Hemingway and Fitzgerald. His progress as a writer, which he attributes to this method, hasn't gone unnoticed. Antin, a 1998 graduate of Needham High School, took first place in the annual Very Short Fiction competition for Glimmer Train Press Inc. His piece "Fat Cooling," which won the prestigious award in the short fiction journal, is his first chance to showcase his newfound sensibilities about the craft.

[S]tories about 9/11 aren't told just by filmmakers like Oliver Stone. Every American has a story about that day. As psychologists interested in ways people make meaning of their experiences, we have been studying stories people tell about 9/11. In our nationwide sampling of Americans, collected within two months of the terrorist attacks, we found that individuals who crafted stories of national redemption—a style of storytelling that recent research suggests is particularly American—were psychologically better off than those who storied the events differently. This work reminds us that we all shape national myths, and that the way in which we tell these myths matters for our psychological well-being. -- Jonathan Adler '00, Northwestern University, and Michael Poulin, University of California

The hunger to reach the top, despite the obstacles in your way, remains fundamental to the success -- and, at times, the dark side -- of the human race. In a BusinessWeek poll of 2,500 American workers, two-thirds said "a modestly talented but extremely competitive person" would be more likely to get ahead at their companies. Only one-third gave the edge to "an extremely talented but uncompetitive person." Members of today's connected generation increasingly are driven to do better than their peers. Katie Nolan '06 notes that when her rowing mates at Bates agreed to stick together in a charity run, it didn't work. "We all started racing against each other," says Nolan. Teamwork is great, but "we've been raised to believe we'll succeed in a big way."

David Curley '10 has been synonymous with St. John's basketball. A hardnosed player with a strong work ethic, Curley epitomized what coach Bob Foley wants to see from his players. "The kids play hard, aren't selfish and genuinely like one another. Dave epitomizes all of that," Foley said. While Curley looks forward to basketball at Bates, he's even more excited about the academic challenges awaiting him at one of the country's top liberal arts colleges. He plans on concentrating on business and finance. "I haven't exactly picked a major yet, but I wanted to go to the best school I could. That was a big reason I chose Bates," Curley said, adding that he felt at home as soon as he stepped onto the small campus.

For the husband-wife team of Doug '88 and Carol Damberg, the Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge is the latest stop in a series of remote and wild way stations all over the country. Doug, a biologist, is an assistant manager for the Klamath National Wildlife Refuges complex, while Carol serves as refuge manager at Klamath Marsh. For the Dambergs, Klamath Marsh truly is a backyard refuge. Their house sits in the pines about 150 yards from the refuge office. They're sharing the office for a few more months with three members of a resident fire crew, but soon they and their Jack Russell terrier, Pika -- "She keeps tracks of all the rodents" -- will be the only night-time residents.

Canton High graduate Capt. Jason P. Schauble '97, an elite Force Recon Marine, received the Silver Star, the nation's third highest military honor, in recognition of his bravery in Iraq. Schauble was shot 10 times while drawing fire from Iraqi insurgents during the rescue of one of his men in January 2005. "I wanted to make sure I got my guy out," he told The Patriot Ledger of Quincy. Upon entering an Iraqi farmhouse, one Marine immediately fell to enemy fire. In order to get him out, Schauble went in, killing two insurgents as enemy fire struck him in both legs and an arm. A nine-year Marine Corps veteran, Schauble formally retired from the service for medical reasons on July 28, the day he received the Silver Star.

When Elaine Tuttle Hansen became Bates' president, she faced a daunting task: finding $120 million. Last week Hansen announced the job was more than complete, as the campaign surpassed the goal by nearly $900,000, with some 18,813 donors. Although the campaign is over for now, fundraising at the state's 34 public and private degree-granting institutions never really stops. If a college is not raising money for a special campaign, it is trying to fatten its endowment in the face of soaring costs and competition for the best students. With New England's college-age population expected to peak in the next year or two and then decline for the next decade, that competition is expected to only increase.

Ariel Levin '08 made a deal with her mother: If there were no new State Department travel warnings for Israel or a war there this summer, she could spend a semester in Jerusalem. But that was before fighting erupted in July. Levin still wants to go to show support for Israel and had to decide whether to attend the Hebrew University. Some Americans studying in Israel left and a few expected for the fall semester in October canceled. "I think what scared my mom the most was watching the Lebanese students get evacuated," said Levin, an economics major at Bates who is also considering becoming a rabbi. "I'm very grateful that my parents would let me go at all, and still are considering letting me go," said Levin.

Dee Akiyama '08 was one of the student canvassers who recently worked for the organization Environment Maine in the coastal town of Brunswick. Using the proposed Plum Creek development on Moosehead Lake as a talking point, Akiyama and three others worked the hot summer streets trying to raise money and membership for the environmental advocacy organization. Akiyama, who is originally from Indonesia, said that she wanted to spend a summer in the United States, and that the job seemed to be a natural outgrowth from her environmental studies major at Bates College. Despite frequent brush-offs and other frustrations, Akiyama enjoyed the work. "They're very informative conversations, and I like that," she said, speaking of the debate and discussion with people she canvasses.

She grew up in Hawaii, attends Bates and studied last year in Japan, Brazil, South Africa and France. On Saturday, though, Jodie Clark '07 was at Yale, taking part in a conference dedicated to a problem that she called increasingly apparent and troubling -- the inability of the American press to thoroughly and fairly cover world affairs. "If it's not entirely skewed, it's at least limited," Clark said during a break in the event, sponsored in part by Americans for Informed Democracy, a group working to raise global awareness on a variety of issues. Billed as a "young global leaders' summit," the event featured workshops, panel discussions and a workshop on how to organize a town hall event that "educates and activates your community."

NYSE Group Inc. said Wednesday that it bought MatchPoint Trading Inc., a financial services technology company specializing in call-market trading and technologies. Mike Cormack, a New York Stock Exchange vice president, said the deal would give the NYSE a "strong platform for technological growth in benchmark trading." MatchPoint specializes in "crossing system" technologies. Crossing sessions occur after the stock exchange closes, allowing traders to execute trades after 4 p.m. Jim Ross '85, MatchPoint's trading founder and CEO, will join the NYSE Group as vice president of crossing technology, the NYSE said. “By bringing our innovative, point-in-time benchmark crossing services to the NYSE Group we can now offer the advantages of the MatchPoint engine to investors, issuers and market professionals around the world,” Ross said.

How can you show your best buddy you care? The approach most guys take, by giving him crap, has gained a cool new tactic: "One Ring." Let's say your friend in Houston is a Texans fan. Any time the Texans do something stupid, you simply call him, let the phone ring once and hang up. Guys are one-ringing their buddies all over the country. Anytime your team blows it, get ready. One Ring started in 1991 among graduates of Bates College who needed a way to torment each other about their teams without piling up phone bills. "I get One Rings at two in the morning," says Chris Carson '91, a rabid Dallas fan who, with Graham Ivory '89 and others, helped come up with the idea.

Winfield Brown '89, vice president of administration at Lowell General Hospital, recently advanced to fellow status in the American College of Healthcare Executives, an international professional society known for its credentialing and educational programs. To obtain fellow status, candidates must demonstrate their education, experience and leadership in the health care field for several years. Brown joined Lowell General last September. He holds a master's degree in health administration from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor's degree from Bates College. He is a Westford resident.

The men's Montana Mile at the Big Sky State Games at the MetraPark track produced a repeat champion, as Justin Easter '03 of Bozeman edged Patrick Casey of Laurel by one second for the win. Easter finished in 4:23.3. Easter had to push hard on the final lap to hold off Casey for the second year, and the second win in this event was just as sweet. "Thankfully I had enough in the tank on the last lap," said Easter, who took the lead on the final 250 meters. Easter, a two-time NCAA Division III steeplechase champion during his career at Bates, said he hasn't been running much lately as he's been busy training for the cross country ski season. He proved he was up for the challenge, anyway.

Medco Health Solutions, Inc. Chairman and CEO David B. Snow Jr. '76 of Darien has been awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2006 Award in the distribution services category for the New Jersey region. The award, produced by the professional services firm Ernst & Young, recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic and growing businesses. Snow received the award during the program's 20th anniversary gala, held June 22. "This award is a testament to the success of Medco's foundation, which is based on innovation," said Snow, who has been in the field of health care administration for more than 25 years. "I feel a great sense of pride on behalf of all of our employees and their tireless commitment."

Six Bay State Summer Games athletes were chosen as recipients of the 2006 Future Leaders Scholarship. The $2,000 scholarships were awarded by the Massachusetts Amateur Sports Foundation and one of its sponsors, Verizon. The athletes, high school seniors-to-be from six different communities and six different sports, were selected from a competitive pool of more than 100 applicants, selections based on leadership skills, academic excellence, athletic achievements and community service. Last year's scholarship recipients are planning to continue their athletic endeavors at the college level, including Stow's Connor Hogan at Bates College.

For their graduation gifts, Brendan and Colin Nangle -- recent graduates of Bates College and Staples High School, respectively -- got a trip to the World Cup. The idea was a no-brainer. Both young men are former Staples varsity captains, and soccer is their passion. What better way to celebrate graduation than by heading to Germany for the greatest sporting event on the planet? Showing far more luck than the hapless U.S. team, Brendan and Colin scored tickets to perhaps the most exciting of all 62 matches: the Germany-Argentina quarterfinals. "The atmosphere was incredible," Colin said earlier this week, from Berlin. "For 120 minutes, and then penalty kicks, the people around us never stopped screaming, blowing whistles and horns, and waving flags. It was electrifying."

One of the definitive spots of English-language literature in Budapest, Treehugger Dan's secondhand bookshop stocks classics, sci-fi, history, political science, and gay and lesbian books as well as guide books, psychology and Agatha Christie, one of the best sellers. Dan is an American called Daniel Swartz '90, an environmental activist, writer and translator. At Bates he studied Chinese, but when he decided against going to China following the 1989 events at Tiananmen Square, he somehow ended up in Hungary. His environmental activism earned him the "Treehugger" name, and the shop also sells fair-trade organic coffee, purchased from small growers at a guaranteed price, as opposed to fluctuating market prices that often result in extreme hardships for the farmers. "I thought coffee and books go well together," Swartz said.

Though he claims the rough-and-ready Woody Guthrie as an influence, Mark Erelli '96 plays a kind of pop-folk that's so polished and ear-friendly that one wonders why he isn't famous. Erelli estimates that he has sold more than 20,000 copies of his five CDs, including the new "Hope and Other Casualties," on which he played a dozen instruments. Erelli has been billed as "one of America's most promising singer/songwriters," but "I don't dwell on that stuff," he says. "You know, it's not how I think of myself. I'm part of this really great community of singer-songwriters, kinda folk people. A lot of 'em are on my record label, Signature Sounds. And they're really a community, in the sense that we're all huge supporters and fans of each other's music."

Jeffrey Porter of Wayland was named in the 2006 edition of Lawdragon's "500 New Stars, New Worlds," published in the summer 2006 issue of Lawdragon Magazine. This quarterly guide features attorneys recognized through a combination of online balloting and independent research. Less than .01 percent of attorneys in the United States are listed in the guide. Porter leads the environmental law section in the Boston office of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo P.C. He has been recognized as one of the nation's leading environmental lawyers by "The Best Lawyers in America," "Who's Who in American Law" and the "Guide to the World's Leading Environmental Lawyers." Porter received his bachelor of arts degree (cum laude) from Bates in 1985 and his J.D. from Cornell University in 1988.

Dominick Pangallo '03 has opened his own political consulting firm in Salem, Mass. The Northfields Group will focus primarily on polling and research for Democratic campaigns in the New England region. The firm will also provide general consulting and campaign management, message development, targeting advice and writing services. Most recently, Pangallo worked as the legislative aide to Massachusetts state Rep. John Keenan (D). Pangallo also worked on the Maine Democratic Party's 2002 coordinated campaign and on two local races in Salem in 2005.

Why would a young Jewish Israeli woman travel unaccompanied into the heart of unfamiliar, sometimes openly hostile, Israeli Arab villages during the violence of the second intifada? "One reason I wrote this book was my ignorance about the Israeli Arab issue," 30-year-old Smadar Bakovic '03 says of the experiences that led to her to write Tall Shadows (Hamilton Books, 2006). "I needed to learn what was going on." Researching Israel's Arab population with the support of a Phillips Student Fellowship, she discovered deep resentments against a society that makes Israeili Arabs feel like second-class citizens. "Israel is a country that I love, and want to be proud of," she says. "I speak of the less popular things in our society with hopes that we can change them."

Summer 2006 is a serious season for five interns studying the marine habitat at the Rutgers University Marine Field Station. Intern Greg Henkes, a junior this fall at Bates, is majoring in biology with an unofficial concentration in ecology. Henkes said that although he could have interned at other institutions, he knew the field station was "the right spot for him." "The internships set you up so you can gain experience," he said. "You get a chance to walk in the shadows of scientists that are the top of their field." Henkes is watching weakfish, observing where they eat and what they chase. Tom Grothues, a scientist at the station, says that there is a bigger intern pool every year that allows Rutgers to select the finest students available.

By 1964, poachers seeking the world's most valuable wool had reduced Peru's population of vicunas to 12,000. Today, Peru has some 200,000 of these smaller cousins of llamas and alpacas. That's thanks in part to the "chaccu" -- an annual ritualistic vicuna roundup, shearing and release that is both a renewed expression of indigenous culture and a triumph for an international campaign to save the animals. Allison Caine '07, a Maine native who is writing her senior thesis on the vicuna, came to witness this year's event from Ecuador, where she is studying. "I didn't think it was going to be so ceremonial," she said. "I just thought they would just round up the vicunas and shear them and I would have to dig for that cultural aspect."

Estuarine and coastal transformation is as old as civilization yet has dramatically accelerated over the past 150 to 300 years. Reconstructed time lines, causes, and consequences of change in 12 once diverse and productive estuaries and coastal seas worldwide show similar patterns: Human impacts have depleted more than 90 percent of formerly important species, destroyed more than 65 percent of seagrass and wetland habitat, degraded water quality, and accelerated species invasions. Twentieth-century conservation efforts achieved partial recovery of upper trophic levels but have so far failed to restore former ecosystem structure and function. Our results provide detailed historical baselines and quantitative targets for ecosystem-based management and marine conservation. -- 10 authors including Bates anthropologist Bruce Bourque

The Black Factory held a 1960s-style happening in Rochester on Monday, engaging visitors in heated dialogues about race, power and poverty. The consciousness-raising group, launched by famed artist and Bates faculty member William Pope.L, is on a national tour. The performers travel in a battered white van that serves as a backdrop for their skits, songs and exchanges with pedestrians. Before a multiracial crowd, the performers raised specific-to-Rochester issues and collected visitors' objects representing blackness: for example, a Martin Luther King protest button and a watermelon-shaped pocketbook. A performer from Azerbaijan had a unique perspective on the symbolism of watermelons: "The Azeris [the majority ethnic group in Azerbaijan] are discriminated against in Russia," said Rufat Hasanov '09. "We're told that we're only fit to sell watermelons on the street." (Other publications covering the tour included The New Yorker, whose listing included an illustration of Pope.L performing an earlier piece.)

Marines taking a refresher course in "Core Warrior Values" say they understand the need to go back to basics in response to allegations that fellow Marines killed 24 civilians in November in the Iraqi town of Haditha. The course highlights the tough decisions Marines say they face every day. "We get all these classes, and it's put out there that you treat an insurgent the same as a wounded Marine," said Cpl. Malcolm Gray '03 of New York, who attended Sunday's course in Haditha. "I'd like to say I'd go along with that. We'd all like to say we would do the right thing. But it's not a normal situation you're put in." The mandatory refresher course for all U.S. service personnel in Iraq was ordered this month.

As students and parents raced to consolidate their federal student loans before rates jumped on July 1, many believed that one must have more than one loan to consolidate. Students actually could consolidate just one loan at a new fixed rate -- but most lenders required the loan or loans to total at least $7,000. Adria Leach '01 of Lynn discovered that when she tried to lock in a low rate. "I found out that I had to combine my Stafford and Perkins loan to qualify," said Leach, who earned a bachelor's in psychology from Bates and her master's in elementary education from Salem State College in May. "They give you more time to pay, but they make more money that way," Leach adds.

Some dedicated moviemakers are regularly turning the cameras on their favorite subject: Maine. This independent spirit is personified by Craig Saddlemire '05, who, in collaboration with three other Bates students, last year co-directed and produced an award-winning documentary about Maine agriculture. Determined to establish a more progressive filmmaking community here, Saddlemire and classmate Ryan Conrad created the Maine Video Activists Network to support fledgling Maine filmmakers. Meanwhile, Bates theater professor Paul Kuritz is finishing "A New Life," an ambitious film adaptation of Mary Ward Brown's celebrated short story. "The excitement that used to be in theater and drama when I was in college just isn't there for the current generation," Kuritz says. "I think all of the talent and inspiration in narrative writing has gone into film."

A competitive swimmer who survived the 2003 Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island and spent a year of rehabilitation before returning to his college swim team is being honored tomorrow at the National Sportsmanship Awards dinner. Phil Barr '05 was among more than 200 people injured in the fire at The Station. One hundred people died in the blaze. He'll be honored at the dinner in St. Louis along with several other athletes, including Olympic speed skater Joey Cheek. Barr was a student at Bates when he was badly injured in the fire. He joined with several other nightclub fire survivors and volunteers to organize a fund that has raised nearly $750,000 for survivors and families. Last year, Barr won the male NCAA Sportsmanship Award.

"[E]ver since the Janet Jackson episode, [complaints about indecency on the air] certainly have skyrocketed, but there has been some analysis out there that shows that most of these complaints are coming through e-mail-generated systems from parents groups, like the Parents' Television Council and the Christian Coalition. . . . There was fines legislation prior to that incident. It just did not get very much traction, so the Janet Jackson incident absolutely pushed it ahead and really put a lot of steam behind it to move it forward." -- Jeremy Pelofsky '97, who covers telecommunication and media policy for Reuters, discussing U.S. House of Representatives approval of increased fines for broadcast violations of decency standards

Bates professor of biology Will Ambrose and his protege Kelton McMahon '05 are two members of a Norwegian-American team researching the effects of reduced Arctic ice cover on organisms that dwell on the ocean floor. The team, led by oceanographic researcher Michael Carroll, has found that the consequences of reduced ice cover could be substantial. While phytoplankton form the basis of the food chain in other oceanic regions, in the Arctic that role is played by ice algae -- algae that grows within or on the underside of the ice sheet, and falls to the ocean floor when it dies or when the ice melts in the spring. "Arctic ice algae is a valuable component of the Arctic food chain," says Carroll.

"If you don't have rates that are based on risk, you find yourself in a situation where people will not have any incentive to invest in loss-prevention measures. . . . If you have insurance protection before a disaster coupled with loss-reduction measures, you will avoid the enormous amount of disaster relief that comes after a major disaster because people will have had safer houses and we will not have the federal government and state governments having to come to the rescue -- as they did after Katrina and after every large-scale disaster that we've had in this country in recent years." -- Howard Kunreuther '59 of the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, discussing hikes in homeowners insurance in the Northeast in response to the 2005 hurricane season

Bates is using a biodiesel fuel mixture to heat some of its residential buildings. In March, Bates agreed to test heating oil mixed with 5 percent biodiesel in 12 buildings. Around the same time, a professor and her students started developing a way to produce biodiesel on campus. And since Bates will soon build a new dining facility, it's looking to install a biofuel conversion system so that the waste oil created by Dining Services each year can be recycled as fuel for heating and vehicles. "To educate students about the possibilities of using renewable fuel, as well as recognizing there's a move on campus to make it happen, it's very exciting," said Bates geology professor Beverly Johnson, whose environmental geochemistry class made biodiesel from vegetable oil.

Grains like barley, spelt and whole wheat are more often associated with hearty breads than with fudgy confections or flaky pastry. But King Arthur Flour is out to change that perception. In the wake of new awareness of the benefits of whole grains, the bakers at the nation's oldest flour company are determined to find appetizing ways to bake with them. As they finish a comprehensive whole-grain baking cookbook, to be published this fall, Susan Reid '79 and her colleagues have mastered tweaks and tradeoffs on recipes as diverse as zucchini bread, apple cake, and even pies and croissants. The team was intent on contradicting the perception of whole grain baking. "You know, all those hippie nasty desserts that people remember from Mom's days in the '60s," Reid says.

Actor David Chokachi '90, a four-year veteran of the TV series "Baywatch," braved most of the ferocious waves in Hawaii himself while filming the new teen drama "Beyond the Break" -- and sported the cuts and bruises to prove it. "There's a lot more energy in the water in Hawaii," said Chokachi, who has been surfing for about nine years. "The ocean is so humbling. You have to respect it all the time because as soon as you don't, it could change your life." "Beyond the Break" premiered with an hourlong special on The N, the nighttime network for teens. In the series, four women with diverse backgrounds pursue their dreams of becoming professional surfers while sharing a house with Chokachi's character, who acts as coach and confidant.

Students from the Maine-based Bates College lent a helping hand to residents of Mountain View Avenue in Kingston on Tuesday -- Labour Day. Members of the group, which is scheduled to leave Jamaica next Thursday, said they wanted to follow through with the theme of this year's Labour Day "Jamaica's Beauty, Our Duty." "We have been in Kingston for a month studying at the University of the West Indies," said volunteer Christine Wicks '08. "We just wanted to give a helping hand to a community, and we wanted to contribute towards beautifying Jamaica." Courtney Hull, one of the local organisers, told the Observer that the Labour Day project was part of a programme to help unite the violence-torn community.

Lenoir-Rhyne College recently presented awards to its faculty and staff for outstanding performance. Among them was Ann Marie Blackmon '76, administrative associate for administration and finance, who received the Jeff L. Norris Non-Teaching Employee of the Year Award. The award honors people who have made significant contributions to the mission of the college, most notably in the area of developing and improving the student experience as it relates to academics and personal and spiritual growth. Blackmon has been with the college more than 25 years in huma