Spinnaker [Distributed: Wednesday, February 7, 2007]

Spring is just around the corner and along with spring flowers blooms new fashions to rock around campus for both men and women.

After a long cold winter of grays and browns, spring is a time that embodies beautiful weather and bright colors. The must- haves of spring colors always include sea-foam greens, corals, sky blues, khaki and more. These colors not only are synonymous with springtime but also with spring fashions.

For women, like the rest of the year, everything is about shoes. From platform wedges and ballet flats to everything in between, many different styles are in fashion this spring.

Patent leather is a big trend for spring along with wedges, espadrilles and peak-a-boo toes, according to Joanne Wilkins, owner of Carla Shoes & Accessories in Baymeadows. These fashions may have been done before, but they are quickly making comebacks.

"Everything is reminiscent of things of the past," Wilkins said. "There are inspirations of the past, but also tweaked retro looks."

The same modern twist to old favorites hold true for women's clothing. The fashion seen at markets, in magazines and soon in stores, blends bold colors with soft fabrics. Bright florals, pale prints, peasant sleeves, straight-legged jeans and casual dresses are some of the most notable spring fashions, according to Kallen Cornell, manager of Luna clothing store in San Marco.

"We're still seeing a lot of tunic tops worn with tights [...] a very feminine [look] without being too cutesy," Cornell said.

Each of these styles has a vintage feel and is a throwback to a specific time period but has a more tailored and sophisticated flair, Cornell said.

As for men's fashion, the same modern-vintage clothing is seen on spring fashion runways.

Crisp clean khakis, nautical inspired sweaters, and of course the bright spring preppy collared shirts were featured in the Lacoste men's spring runway show, according to www.men.style.com.

Men's shoes seen on fashion runways for spring included clean white sneakers, funky bright-colored sneakers and the classic dress shoe.

If being up-to-date on fashion scares you or shopping for trends is daunting, try www.shoppingthetrend.com. Shopping The Trend allows you to discover trends, search for designers and even has links where you can shop online.

The important thing to remember about fashions is that they come and go. Chanel pearls do last forever but some wedge shoes might not always be in style. Stores like Target and Payless ShoeSource are now letting people, most importantly college students, buy the fashions for less.

Payless offers women's peek-a-boo toe ballet flats for only $14.99. For men, a square toed and modern slip-on dress shoe is $34.99.

With trends costing less, it is easier to integrate them into daily campus life. However, one must remember not to overdo the them. Don't wear five trends at once or it can be overpowering. Just rock them like the celebrities and remember to have fun and enjoy the season.

Thursday showcases intense sound on local stage

Jen Quinn

Thursday has two more tour dates in the states, then will finish its tour in Europe through late April.

The Spinnaker recently spoke with Geoff Rickly, the lead singer of post-hardcore band Thursday during a recent tour stop in Jacksonville. Rickly discussed everything from music and touring to presidential candidates. The band played Jan. 28 at Freebird Live with supporting acts Fear Before the March of Flames, Murder by Death and Heavy Heavy Low Low.

SP: How did Thursday first get involved in the local music scene in New Brunswick, NJ?

GR: Before Thursday was together, I was putting on shows at my house, in my basement. I had a bunch of crazy, punk rock-kid roommates and we would put on all kinds of shows with bands like Hot Water Music, Poison the Well, Orchid, the Locust, Kid Dynamite and At-the Drive in. We basically were having all these great local shows and we wanted to play one of them. We were at an Ink and Dagger show one day and we were just talking about playing music, and that's how it started.

SP: What bands do you attribute to the development of Thursday's sound?

GR: I ended up living with a few of the guys from a band called You and I from New Brunswick that were totally amazing, and a band from New York called Saetia. Both those bands played their last shows in our basement.

SP: Starting at an independent, local level, how has that influenced the choices you make musically and professionally?

GR: Well, I think that it has really shaped everything because we never really had an ambitious career arc. We never thought this was going to be a job. Where other bands make a lot of decisions based on what is going to bring them to the next level, we just tried to do what we believe in, what we felt was right. It's strange because we came from this really DIY [do-it-yourself], punk rock scene and here we are.

SP: I respect that because many bands lose that independent aspect of their music and their ties to the fan base. With Thursday, that doesn't seem to be the case.

GR: I just feel like some of those bands aren't getting the chance to have as much fun as they could be having. They'll probably end up being in jobs eventually where it's like a rat race, and they're kind of making punk rock into a rat race.

SP: After signing to Island Records, was there any pressure from the label to put out the record they wanted on their timeframe?

GR: The timeframe was a huge pressure. The label wanted us to finish now, now, now. That was also the first time where we didn't have any other jobs and we were like, "If we stay home for a long time, we're going to be broke." So we agreed to write it as fast as possible to get back on tour because we don't know what else to do with ourselves. Even though we didn't want the pressure for the same reasons they wanted it, we both wanted to put the record out fast.

SP: What did you want to do differently for your first major label release?

GR: We thought if we're going to put out a major label record, we should make it more political, more subversive, and more intense. I think some of our hardcore fans were taken aback by War all the Time because we came out of the gates swinging. There wasn't as many ups and downs and soft parts, we just turned it up to 11 and were like, "Let's go." I think the label was wondering, "What are these guys doing?" because this is the time to tone it down a bit and make it more commercial. The label is now a whole different staff of people, so for our newer record [A City by the Light Divided], they didn't know what to do with us. They were like, "We don't know what you were doing in the first place, so have fun."

SP: With the name of the record [War all the Time], some reviewers misconstrued it as a really political album. What was your take on how the record was interpreted?

GR: I think that the reviewers went more overboard with the politics and I underplayed it. I was just frustrated that people only noticed the political stuff, so I would try and steer it the other direction just so people wouldn't focus only on one topic. At the time, I thought that the album used political conflicts and war as a metaphor for the personal, but I think that in some ways it was more about using the personal as a means to understand the political.

SP: Considering the political aspects of the album, do you follow what's going on in the government?

GR: The state of the nation is kind of depressing right now. We have our fingers crossed for Obama, because he seems like such a charismatic speaker that would be an exciting leader.

SP: I read that you attended Rutgers. What was college like for you?

GR: I was lucky because I was in an honors program where I didn't have a core curriculum. I just picked all the classes I liked and thought were interesting. A lot of what I learned I use with Thursday, in particular one class I had called Poetry, Dance and the Body. It was all about translating the hypothetical into the concrete. That helps me involve everyone when we're playing a show and I'm singing. I was thinking about dropping out to tour full-time and my thesis adviser told me, "Don't be boring, drop out, and go do your thing. What is a lit degree going to get you?"

SP: Thursday tours extensively, and from what I've seen, you put on a physically and emotionally intense show. How do you feel after you get off stage?

GR: I'm so exhausted, man. I'm so tired right now. Two or three nights ago, I got off stage and I was like, "I feel like I'm going to die." That's something that I guess a lot of people don't think about, that we tour for months and months and play every night and everybody thinks that their show is the only show. I've broken my nose on tour, I've gotten cuts and scrapes. But, that's the romantic part of it.

SP: Have you started working on your next album?

GR: Not really. Each of us has ideas but we haven't gotten together yet. When you're still doing tours, it sort of gets lost in between. It's good to get home and say, "We're done with that record" and move on to the next.

Percussion concert to benefit alum

For University of North Florida graduate Melissa Humber, a wheelchair has only recently become the main way to move. The 36-year-old frequently competed in local surfing contests until her lower body was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident last May. Now the mounting medical bills threaten to keep Humber out of the water.

Humber's life partner, music professor at UNF Charlotte Mabrey, is conducting a benefit concert to help Humber's accumulating bills, featuring the UNF Percussion Ensemble and the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra (JSO). "Percussion, Performance Art & the Power of Beethoven" will take place Feb. 8 in downtown Jacksonville.

Mabrey, who is JSO's principal percussionist, said the support raised will help cover Humber's medical expenses to date and hopefully allow her to seek further treatment.

Support has been one thing the symphony has had little trouble obtaining so far.

"It's just been amazing, the response that we've gotten," said Rhonda Cassano, adjunct professor and JSO flutist who helped organize the event. "The symphony has been tremendously supportive. Everybody has come together and jumped on board and said, 'Yes, let's do this. We'll help.' I didn't have to beg anybody or ask twice."

And the generosity didn't end there.

"Everything is being donated," Mabrey said. As a result, almost every dollar given through ticket sales and donations will go to Humber and will help cover her medical expenses, Mabrey said.

Also notable is the concert's two-part program. The first half will showcase various percussion pieces, courtesy of Mabrey, the percussion ensemble and Robert White.

"We're playing one that's a trio, but it's neat because we all play on the same marimba," said Matt Wardell, a UNF senior and two-year member of the percussion ensemble. "The other piece we're playing is called 'Please Pass the Beats.' You speak a lot; use your body to play - [It's a] pretty eclectic selection. Melissa actually picked that out. It's one of her favorites."

The second act will feature the JSO performing Beethoven's 5th Symphony, and with good reason.

"The piece itself is sort of about overcoming adversity," Mabrey said. "It has that sense that fate is knocking on Beethoven's door. By then he had become deaf, and is struggling with all these feelings, [...] so as the symphony moves forward it transforms itself into this brilliant, triumphant march as if to say, 'Yes, we can overcome adversity.'"

Although Humber knows her chances of walking again are slim, she remains positive.

"I'm not gonna give up hope. I'm not gonna sit here and wait either. I know the odds aren't in my favor, but I just have to think positively because I always did. I'm not stopping now. I'm pretty upbeat, people say."

Tax-deductible donations can be made to: Sisters of the Sea for Melissa Humber, 416 Lower 36th Ave, Jacksonville Beach, Fl. 32250. The concert will take place in the Robert E. Jacoby Symphony Hall of the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Jacksonville. For more information or tickets call (904) 354-5547 or visit www.jaxsymphony.org. Tickets cost $35 or $15 for students with a school ID. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m.

Study Abroad program offers many options to learn

University of North Florida senior Phuong Ngo's face lights up as she recounts the most memorable experiences she's had while studying abroad. Ngo has been to China twice and France once.

North Florida students have many options for studying abroad including faculty-led trips, exchange programs, and programs offered outside of the university. Trips are available to many different destinations, and students can find a tour that will help fulfill their programs of study.

Faculty-led trips usually occur during spring break or over the summer. Students interested in trips for this summer can contact the professors leading the programs to find out about openings, said Megan Murphy, a study abroad coordinator at UNF's International Center.

This summer's programs include trips to Germany, China, Japan, Spain, France, Turkey and Ghana. Murphy said trips led by faculty usually focus on a specific major, with the department and professor in charge of what credit the trip counts for. Faculty-led trips range in length from one to six weeks.

One alternative to a group trip with other UNF students and faculty is to take part in an exchange program, usually for a semester or year, with one of several universities abroad.

There are many places to go, but the most popular exchanges are with universities in France, Spain and Morocco, said Murphy.

"The same amount of money you're paying to go to school here at UNF is the same amount it will cost to go on an exchange program," Murphy said. Students' only additional cost would be a plane ticket. Financial aid and scholarships still apply.

A third option is to choose a trip from a company outside of UNF, which provides additional options for destinations and courses.

The best part of Ngo's experience has been the companionship of her fellow travelers, she said.

"You get to know people in a different way, see them in a different light, when you are going through a program together," Ngo said. "People rely on one another, and protect each other."

Murphy said studying abroad "opens up a lot of opportunities and gives you a greater perspective on yourself and the world."

Additionally, she said studying abroad is a great addition to a resume or graduate school application.

Ngo, who is an international business major and Asian studies minor, said traveling helped to solidify her program of study.

"After my first trip to China, I took what I learned and used it in my International Marketing class," she said. "In a classroom, if you ask the students how many of them have studied abroad, I don't think many will raise their hands. Those that do raise their hands have a real advantage, especially now that the world is getting so global."

Studying abroad can seem daunting, especially when you focus on the price, according to Ngo. The International Center's Web site provides scholarship opportunities, and Murphy said the center is always willing to help a student find a scholarship.

Also, different academic departments may offer scholarships to students studying abroad.

When asked about any downsides to studying abroad, Ngo said she doesn't like the rushed feeling of short-term trips, when as much as possible has to be packed into a short time frame. She would rather have more freedom to explore than be with a formal guided tour.

"Everything outside of that box is the real deal, something which you won't be able to see," Ngo said.

Students interested in studying abroad should set up an appointment with Murphy at the International Center. They can discuss different programs and destinations to customize a trip to fit their needs.

"What's best for one student is not necessarily best for another," Murphy said.

"Studying abroad has always been my dream," Ngo said. "It's an idealist dream, but it's the kind of dream that can come true when you want it hard enough. People tend to make price the No. 1 factor, but studying abroad is priceless."

Information on faculty-led trips, exchanges, and programs led by companies outside of UNF, and information on scholarships can be found at the International Center's Web site at www.unf.edu/dept/intlctr.

'Pan's Labyrinth' deserving of recognition

Released to the rest of world prior to 2007 Pan's Labyrinth, or El Labertino del Fauno, has only recently made its way onto the screens of American movie theatres.

The latest creation from Mexican writer and director Guillermo del Toro, "Pan's Labyrinth" is a film which plumbs the depths of human cruelty and the powers of imagination.

The film takes place in 1944 northern Spain where Franco and his Fascists are firmly in control of the country following their victory in the Spanish Civil War. Del Toro centers his movie around a young bookish girl named Ophelia, her pregnant mother Carmen, and the cruel Captain Vidal, a fascist officer whom Ophelia's mother married after her first husband's death in the war.

The young Ophelia is fascinated with fairy tales, and upon moving out to the country with her mother to be closer to Vidal for the impending birth, Ophelia discovers an ancient labyrinth near her home.

Ophelia is told to stay out of the labyrinth, but as her mother's pregnancy starts to get complicated and communist guerrillas begin attacking Vidal's encampment, the labyrinth becomes a means of escape for her. Whereas books once served Ophelia as diversions from the real world, the labyrinth becomes an obsession for her; a catalyst that drives her imagination as conditions around her worsen.

Once inside the labyrinth Ophelia discovers a faun, a magical creature of the forests born out of ancient Greek mythology, and the story's narrative makes a split between Ophelia's adventures in her imagination and events happening in the real world around her.

Interestingly enough, the world Ophelia creates for herself isn't one characterized by happy times and carefree adventures.

Instead, Ophelia creates a world much like the one she already lives in, full of danger and monsters far worse than Captain Vidal. It is in this split that del Toro shows brilliance as a filmmaker. He creates two separate worlds, characterized by completely different color schemes, creatures, and realms of possibility, and yet he is able to seamlessly pass from one to the other without jarring his audience.

In creating these worlds, "Pan's Labyrinth" he also connects the vastly different genres of fantasy and war into one cohesive film.

Del Toro is also adept at making his audience feel the emotions his characters are playing out on screen.

In one scene Ophelia is being chased by a monster known as the pale man, a bipedal creature with eyes in his hands and a thirst for the blood of children.

Though it is obvious the scene is being taken from Ophelia's imagination, one can't help but feel the tension in his or her own stomach increase as the pale man extends his bloody hands towards her. This scene, along with taken from Ophelia's perspective, effectively blur the line between reality and imagination not only for the film's protagonist, but for the audience as well.

The movie is emotionally exhausting, leaving audiences with a cathartic experience they may not have bargained for when they first sat down.

Del Toro has created a film which shows his audience what the outcome will be from the opening shot. However, through his steady advancement of the two-fold plot and incredible use of colors and costume, del Toro is able to lull his viewers into a trance of amazement before they realize they already know what must happen.

Nominated for one Golden Globe and seven Academy Awards, "Pan's Labyrinth" has already been acclaimed as one of the best movies of the year; a title of which it is most certainly deserving.

Although the United States' version uses subtitles to translate the film's original Spanish into English, language in the film becomes a secondary concern as del Toro imbues countless meanings into the films visual art through manipulation of mise en scene.

If subtitles and violence aren't your thing, "Pan's Labyrinth" probably isn't your kind of movie. But if you're willing to do a little reading, Pan's Labyrinth will reward you with an aesthetic depth not often seen in either of the two genres that it spans.

Oddball Antics

I KNOW IT'S YOU! CRASH! SLAM! BAM!
A teenager had a lover's quarrel with his girlfriend at a party in Bay City, Mich., which ended when she left. He remained agitated, however, and later decided he wanted to continue the discussion and get a goodnight kiss, so he called her on her cell phone and took to the highway in search of her. He spotted what he thought was her car, but he should have known it was the wrong one when he told her on the phone to stop and she said she was stopped. In spite of this, he then rammed the wrong vehicle 15 times and pushed it through intersections at stop signs until he was arrested.

IT'S A MIRACLE! THANK YOU LORD!
A man who has been receiving disability payments in England since 1994, claiming he needs round-the-clock care, a wheelchair and two canes, was photographed by a TV crew running the London Marathon.

I'M FREE! I'M FREE! THANK GO ... CHOMP!
A woman put her pet parrot's cage on the front porch of her home in Alexander City, Ala., but the bird escaped, flew off and settled in a neighbor's magnolia tree. While she tried to coax the parrot down, a red-tailed hawk swooped down and ate it.

ONE WAY TO THIN OUT THE COMPETITION
A man applying for a job at a cabinet store in Bryan, Texas, encountered another man outside the store who was applying for the same job, so he stabbed him.

HOLD ON, SIR, I'LL BE RIGHT BACK
Police arrested thieves who stole lottery tickets from a convenience store in Houston after one of them returned to the store to cash one of the tickets. The clerk told the man to wait, then went to the back of the store and called the cops.

OH, DARLING, THAT BREEZE FEELS SO NICE
A middle-aged man on vacation with his girlfriend at a family resort in South Carolina took an erectile dysfunction drug and immediately put it to good use. He took the lady out onto the balcony where he proceeded to make her feel like a natural woman. Their loud moans attracted the attention of the other guests who looked up and saw them and asked them to stop. They refused. As the man was being put into a police cruiser, he told a cop that he "didn't see the problem."

THE LORD WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS
A pastor was arrested for selling his church in Ripon, Calif., without telling the congregation.

WE USUALLY EXPECT THIS OF THE STUDENTS, BUT YOU?
A couple, who showed up to register their children into the Texas school system, was arrested for possession of marijuana. School officials observed that the two were behaving suspiciously and called the sheriff's department to report a "possible intoxicated parent."

OOH, LOOK, A STAIRLIFT, WHEEE!
A company in England was fined for refusing to install a stairlift for a disabled employee, because "everyone would want to ride on it, and no work would get done."

The flu vs. colds - how to determine the difference and ways to avoid them

How many times have you heard someone say they "have the flu" but probably do not?

"Flu" mistakenly has become a general, catch-all phrase for people who have a virus they believe to be worse than a common cold but not pneumonia. If, however, they're still able to walk around, there's a good chance it is not "influenza," commonly shortened to "flu."

Semantics, you say? Maybe, but understanding the difference helps us better understand the possibilities of infecting our family, friends and work colleagues and how to better take care of ourselves.

Cold, flu and pneumonia should not be interchangeable words. Each has a specific diagnosis.

"A common cold is caused by a cold-type virus and people usually have congestion and sneeze and probably a cough and maybe no fever," said Dr. Robert Travnicek, who heads the Mississippi Department of Health's Coastal Plains Public Health District. "They don't have any real constitutional symptoms, which means 'sick all over.'"

Constitutional symptoms would be the case for influenza.

"When you really get the flu, you will never forget it," said Travnicek. "You will remember the hour and the day you got it. These people are horribly ill in an instant. They get incapacitating, shaking chills and almost every part of their body hurts.

"If they're still walking around, they probably have a cold, not the flu."

But the South Mississippi physician concedes that the word "flu" has become a "garbage bag diagnosis" by the general public.

"I'm not going to the Supreme Court and say they don't have "flu" because it has become a lay term for a lot of people," Travnicek said. "But if you have influenza you are desperately ill, and you'll never forget what it was like. We wouldn't give a vaccine for something that is not consequential."

People with flu are desperately sick for at least a week and terribly weakened for an unspecified time after that. No two people are sick in the same way, or affected in the same way.

"There could be levels of this," Travnicek said. "We don't know everything. Medicine is still in transition."

One thing medical researchers do know is the flu vaccine can also help against pneumonia, because pneumonia can be an end result of the flu. If influenza is avoided or lessened because of the flu vaccine, then pneumonia possibilities are lessened.

"Pneumonia is completely different from colds and flu," Travnicek said. "It's often bacterial and has a productive cough, often coughing up pus and blood."

There's a pneumonia vaccine, suggested about once every 10 years, especially for the elderly and immune-compromised. The flu shot is suggested annually. As for colds, there is as yet no widely prescribed vaccine or sure-fire cure, although there are plenty of natural and pharmaceutical remedies advertised.

YOU GET SICK
So you've taken the proper precautions with vaccinations, health etiquette such as washing hands frequently and using handkerchiefs to slow germ spread, but you still manage to get sick.

Here's time-tested advice thousands of doctors give:

-With a cold or other bad virus, drink plenty of fluids, get rest, avoid spreading it to others and treat symptomatically. If you are not consistently improving, seek medical advice.

-If it's influenza, (you'll know by the constitutional symptoms) call your health care provider about ordering a prescription for an anti-viral drug such as Tamiflu. If administered ASAP but no later than 48 hours, the anti-virals are thought to lessen the severity of symptoms.

-If you suspect pneumonia, seek medical attention immediately.

ACCORDING TO WEBSTER
Cold: An acute disease of the upper respiratory tract that is marked by inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose, throat, eyes and eustachian tubes and by a watery, then purulent discharge and is caused by any of several viruses (as a rhinovirus or an adenovirus).

Flu: Short for "influenza."

Influenza: An acute, highly contagious virus disease that is caused by any of three orthomyxoviruses (Influenza virus A, Influenza virus B, and Influenza virus C) and that is characterized by sudden onset, fever, extreme physical weakness or exhaustion, severe aches and pains, and progressive inflammation of the respiratory mucous membranes.

Pneumonia: A disease of the lungs that is characterized especially by inflammation and consolidation of lung tissue followed by resolution, is accompanied by fever, chills, cough and difficulty in breathing, and is caused chiefly by infection such as bacteria and viruses.

Rock, Flock and Swoop 2007

'Whose Line' improv antics light up arena

Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood from the popular ABC improv comedy show "Whose Line is It Anyway?" performed before a full house at the University of North Florida Arena Feb. 3 as part of the Homecoming festivities. The act involved many well-known skits from the TV show along with some new material, and several audience members were invited on stage during the show to participate.

Homecoming 2007 kicked off this weekend with a variety of events. Highlights include the comedy show featuring Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood from ÒWhose Line is It Anyway?Ó Feb. 3. More than 3,000 people attended the show in the UNF arena Ð the highest attendance of any homecoming event ever, said Lindsay Bryant, advisor for Osprey Productions.

The Homecoming Pageant and the Day of Fun on the Green also had a high attendance, Bryant said. The festivities will continue through the rest of the week with a lip sync contest Feb. 7 and an Ô80s themed dance Feb. 9, among others. A full schedule of homecoming events can be found at www.unf.edu.

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EXPRESSIONS

Step into spring fashion