Make the most of Florida / Georgia

By Laurel Wright
ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR

The Florida-Georgia Football Classic is about as close as University of North Florida students come to being a part of college football.

The game, which takes place on the last Saturday in October every year, has been bringing thousands of football fans together for 85 years.

Since Jacksonville is located between the two schools, it was chosen as neutral territory for the University of Florida Gators and the University of Georgia Bulldogs' annual battle.

As a result, UNF students don't have one school they are obligated to cheer for. They have a choice of colors to wear.

This year the Florida-Georgia (it switches between Georgia-Florida and Florida-Georgia every year) game takes place Oct. 27 in the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.

Jenna Polemeni, a sophomore education major and Gator fan, plans on attending the game, but says she doesn't plan on partying.

"I don't partake in the whole partying after the game," she said. "I will probably be the D.D."

Ellie Mapes, a sophomore art history major, skips the downtown scene completely.

"We usually just party at someone's apartment," she said. She said she has a friend who comes in town from Georgia for the event.

There are also some UNF students like Melinda Watkins who don't participate in any activities related to the game.

"I just don't have time," the senior community health major said. "I like Florida, and if I have time I will watch the game, but I don't have time to go anywhere."

For those who do venture into downtown, there are a plethora of activities associated with the Florida-Georgia weekend that stretch far beyond the time on the field.

Tailgating for both teams occurs all weekend near the stadium, and Suncoast RV City holds tailgating events like rolling karaoke. Entertainment runs Oct. 25-27 in the courtyard at the Jacksonville Landing until 2 a.m., and features performances by various artists such as the Calling Allstars, Chain of Fools and the Jay Garrett Band. The Casadora stage downtown at the intersection of Hogan and Water streets will also have live performances throughout the weekend.

Four athletes between the two teams will be inducted into the Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame during the Oct. 26 ceremony, and the Chevy Silverado lounge will display the match on television and giving away prizes.

The End Zone Sports Bar will have interactive games, and there will also be face painting and temporary tattoos downtown.

There will be three Sideline Student Safety Zones set up around the Jacksonville Landing as safe places for students who have lost their friends or need medical aid, transportation, directions, phone service or other assistance. Students who come to the stations intoxicated will not be subject to legal action.

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Soul Shopping

The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V once remarked "How absurd to try and make two men think alike on matters of religion when I cannot make two timepieces agree!"

It isn't a stretch to say religious forces have significantly directed the course of ethical, cultural and even political development through history. Entire civilizations have waxed and waned with the shifting tides of religious sentiment.

In modern collegiate culture, it's a safe bet that institutions won't tumble down around students under the sway of radical new ideological movements. Instead, what once threatened to redefine entire cultures has manifested itself in more immediate questions on an individual level: With so many religions to choose from, how do I know which one is right? What's the big deal with religion, anyway?

To help answer these and other questions, the Spinnaker has put together a handy guide to five University of North Florida religious groups from across the philosophical spectrum. Without further ado, here it is: your guide to "soul shopping."

BAPTIST COLLEGE MINISTRIES
Robert Ramirez, president

What is the ultimate cumulative purpose of life? To know God and praise him through the way we live.
What is the biggest problem facing college-age people today? How people are forgetting about college students. You really don't hear much, even among churches, being directed toward college students.
Can you sum up your religious philosophy in one word? Relationships.

FOCUS (CATHOLIC)
Dave Staples, UNF team director

What is the ultimate cumulative purpose of life? To give the gift of self: first back to God, and secondly to one another.
What is the biggest problem facing college-age people today? Peer pressure, which isn't a specific problem, but it underlies a lot of problems.
Can you sum up your religious philosophy in one word? Love.

JEWISH STUDENT UNION
Russ Levine, president

What is the ultimate cumulative purpose of life? The one thing that is common among all Jews is belief in the importance of being kind to your fellow human beings.
What is the biggest problem facing college-age people today? Jewish students often suffer from a lack of established Jewish community, which can lead to a loss of identity.
Can you sum up your religious philosophy in one word? It's impossible to explain a 4,000-year-old religion in a nutshell.

STUDENT ALLIANCE FOR FREE THOUGHT
Matt Gromen, co-president

What is the ultimate cumulative purpose of life? Our purpose is to lead responsible and ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity. Basically, be happy and live life to the fullest.
What is the biggest problem facing college-age people today? Not thinking objectively - this includes political stances, religious views, and general outlooks on life.
Can you sum up your religious philosophy in one word? Rational.

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS
Dr. John Young, reverend

What is the ultimate cumulative purpose of life? To celebrate the miraculous gifts of our lives and this world in ways that nurture a just and sustainable civilization based on love and nonviolent activism.
What is the biggest problem facing college-age people today? Too many choices and too little time.
Can you sum up your religious philosophy in one word? No, but "joyful altruism" and "loving responsibility" are probably useful summaries.

SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES OF YOU OWN? Had an encounter with any of the on-campus religious groups? Write in your opinion or experience to the Spinnaker and we might feature your story in our next issue. Send your copy to discourse editor Jenna Strom at discourse@unfspinnaker.com.

NEED MORE RELIGION? Still haven't discovered your cup of doctrinal tea? Don't fret - there's more than 15 other faith-based clubs on campus not represented here. For more information, including a full list of clubs, call the UNF Interfath Center at 620-2837 or visit the Web site at www.unf.edu/dept/interfaithcenter.

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Drunk driving could spell death, unemployment, incarceration

By Laurel Wright
ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR

It's Friday night. You're driving home from the bar. All of a sudden, you see flashing blue lights in your rear-view mirror.

"No big deal," you think. "They are going to pull over that guy you saw swerving earlier. They can't pull me over. It just doesn't happen. And so what if they do? I only had three beers."

But you do get pulled over, and those three beers ended up putting you over the .08 blood alcohol concentration limit.

You've officially earned your first DUI.

While this situation might seem unlikely, it's not far from the truth.

Three drinks within two hours can put a person weighing 150 pounds over the legal alcohol limit for driving.

The first DUI is considered a misdemeanor.

People who earn DUIs are arrested and can receive up to nine months of jail time and up to $1,000 in fines.

They can also lose their driver license for up to a year.

"I have heard of DUIs costing up to $10,000, once court fees are added in," said Mark Foxworth, University of North Florida Police Department chief.

In Jacksonville, about one-third of traffic-related homicides this year were attributed to DUIs, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Web site.

Foxworth said there have been two DUIs on campus so far in 2007 and there were four in 2006.

There are relatively low numbers of DUIs on campus because there are few roadways, he said.

"Lots of people don't take DUI seriously, because they don't think it can happen to them," Foxworth said.

Mark Lathrop, a sophomore computer science major, said he knows many people who have gotten DUIs.

"It screwed their lives up," he said. "They had to pay lots of money in lawyer fees and they lose their drivers license."

He said students shouldn't get into cars when they know they are going to have drinks.

Lathrop said he avoids the problem by riding his bike or taking cabs.

"A designated driver doesn't work," he said. "No one wants to drive people around."

Sophomore mechanical engineering major Tyler Benner said one of his friends almost lost his job because of a DUI.

"He works for Budweiser, and they have a rule where you lose your job if you get a DUI - but luckily, he got out of his DUI," Benner said.

Benner said he doesn't have to worry about DUIs because he doesn't drink.

He does help his friends who drink by being a designated driver for them.

"When they drink at the house and then want to go out, I will drive them," he said.

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Dying coral reefs show no immediate sign of recovery

By Emagazine.com
MCT

According to marine scientists, the world's coral reefs - those underwater repositories for biodiversity that play host to some 25 percent of all marine life - are in big trouble as a result of global warming.

Data collected by the international environmental group WWF (formerly World Wildlife Fund) show that 20 percent of the world's coral reefs have been effectively destroyed and show no immediate sign of recovery, while about 50 percent of remaining reefs are under imminent or long-term threat of collapse.

Most scientists now agree that global warming is not a natural phenomenon but a direct result of the continual release of excessive amounts of CO2 and other "greenhouse" gases into the atmosphere by human industrial and transportation activity.

But researchers working with the Coral Reef Alliance have found that while coral reefs do store CO2 as part of photosynthesis, they tend to release most of it back into the ocean

Recent findings indicate that the Antarctic Ocean is getting less efficient at storing CO2, and this raises serious questions about the ability of our oceans to handle everything we throw at them.

The study's authors fear that "such weakening of one of the Earth's major carbon dioxide sinks will lead to higher levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide in the long-term."

Not everyone is forecasting gloom and doom.

Some Australian researchers believe that coral reefs around the world could expand in size by up to a third due to increased ocean warming.

"Our finding stands in stark contrast to previous predictions that coral reef growth will suffer large, potentially catastrophic, decreases in the future," says University of New South Wales oceanographer Ben McNeil, who led the controversial 2004 study that was published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal, Geophysical Research Letters.

In spite of such theories, the majority of marine scientists remain pessimistic about the future of coral reefs in a warmer world. One can only hope that the optimists are right.

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Jimmy Eat World doesn't blaze new trails with latest album

By Ace Stryker
COPY EDITOR

Courtesy of Interscope Records

"Chase This Light" falls short of the accomplishments made by Jimmy Eat World in their first two albums.

When Jimmy Eat World's sixth release hit shelves Oct. 16, Features Editor Ross Brooks and I decided to do something a little different.

In lieu of a traditional review, replete with pretentious haberdashery, dry cliches, and highbrow comparisons to impossibly obscure musical acts, we thought it would be fun to try a stream-of-consciousness-like review that evolves simultaneously as the music is listened to for the first time.

So here it is, unfiltered, fresh from this reviewer's brain to your eyes: impressions during the first listen of Jimmy Eat World's "Chase This Light."

Track 1: "Big Casino" Kind of a hard intro. The band seems to be getting harder as they get older. It's all relative, of course - I doubt they'll ever be much more than mildly obnoxious. There's that classic tight harmony we're used to.

Wait a minute - this sounds like a song about turning jaded as a result of achieving much-sought-after fame. Just a personal thing, but I tend to tune out songs like this because they're completely irrelevant to anyone un-famous.

Track 2: "Let It Happen" A cool rolling beat. This kind of thing always reminds me of horse riding for some reason. Unfortunately, the rhythm of the melody isn't quite as smooth - it's got that shameful feel like when white guys get excited and try to rap. "I can laugh it off, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha-a"? I'm not so sure about that, Jimbo.

Track 3: "Always Be" Ooh, snaps. That's fun. This song hearkens back to the really great early JEW stuff from "Clarity." It's not really the sound, but the feeling of wistful nostalgia mingled with bare emotion. Shoot, there's that haberdashery. The claps in the chorus take me right back to a song by my favorite band of all time, The Format's "The First Single" - albeit with slightly diminished get-caught-in-your-head-and-make-you-hum-it-all-day potential.

Track 4: "Carry You" Kind of an ominous chord progression in the beginning - and not in a good way (I'm looking at you, emo). The melody turns out to be pretty fun. It seems like there's a little too much breathy singing going on so far on this album for my taste, though. This song's real strength is the bridge. I always admire a good bridge, because it seems like a lot of bands view it as a throwaway between a song's midsection and its climax. Speaking of climax, where is it? A bridge to nowhere - that's poetic.

Track 5: "Electable (Give It Up)" Wow, this one sounds sucky. OK, I guess the "Oh, oh, oh" thing is kind of cool, but that's it. And a sucky outro rounds this one out.

Track 6: "Gotta Be Somebody's Blues" I'll be napping if you need me, Jimbo. Do you ever run across the occasional song that sounds like it was written to play during the closing credits of a movie? I just did. Another one of Ace's Rules of Music Appreciation: Any song with lyrics like "Where ya gonna run when they come for you?" automatically screws itself.

Track 7: "Feeling Lucky" I like this one. Both the music and lyrics have got kind of a neo-50s vibe to them. This one definitely has potential to be one of the album's keepers. A good "Yeah!" ending is always appreciated, too.

Track 8: "Here It Goes" This one's good, too. Initially, it reminds me of something Sting would do if he were backed by the guys from Better Than Ezra or someone like that. The little descending electric guitar riff throughout gives the song a nice backbone. Whoa, the bridge on this one is pretty trippy. "High School Musical," anyone? There's something I never thought I'd say about JEW.

Track 9: "Chase This Light" Ah, the title track - always an important benchmark for the album as a whole. It's OK. It sounds like something produced to capitalize on the recent success of bands like The Fray.

It also begins to sound like something that's being made up as the band goes along later in the song. Like a couple songs earlier on the CD, it doesn't really seem to go anywhere and eventually sputters to a stop.

Track 10: "Firefight" I could tell by the name of this song I probably wouldn't like it. It's just easy sometimes. "This is now the moment after next." Then something about a temptress. Woohoo.

No doubt in my mind this one is a filler track I'll be skipping in the future. I wonder if bands can tell any time during the writing, recording or producing process that they're making a song nobody will care about. Surely it must occur to someone.

Track 11: "Dizzy" The last track - perhaps an album's second-most important, after the title track. It starts well enough, but is kind of slow to build. The chorus, though, is very catchy. Definitely one of the tunes I'll have trapped in my head tomorrow. This one's a keeper, but I wouldn't put it in the same category with the best songs from "Bleed American."

Last first thoughts: Jimmy Eat World seems to have damned itself by producing two records of exceeding brilliance early in the band's career that it can no longer improve upon.

While there's nothing particularly wrong with "Chase This Light," it's not likely to woo any new fans or particularly please old ones. It's just kind of one of those CDs that sounds as if it were created to say, "Hey, we're still here, people still buy our albums - right?"

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Bottled-water labeling proves anything but clear

By Julie Deardorff
CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Don't be fooled. Just because it's called "water" and comes in a bottle, doesn't mean it's "bottled water." Most fortified drinks are actually "water beverages."

If you really want "bottled water," it must be "intended for human consumption and sealed in bottles or other containers with no added ingredients," according to the Food and Drug Administration.

We know it's confusing. So here's what to look for if you want old-fashioned bottled water, according to the FDA: Artesian water

Comes from a well that taps a "confined aquifer," or groundwater below a layer of solid rock or clay. The water level stands at some height above the top of the aquifer. Examples: Evamore, Fiji.

Mineral water

Contains dissolved minerals or gases and must have at least "250 parts per million total dissolved solids," according to the FDA. It has to originate from a geologically and physically protected underground water source. Ironically, The FDA stipulates that no minerals may be added to mineral water. Example: Evian.

Purified water

Produced by distillation, deionization, reverse osmosis or other suitable purification processes. Also look for "demineralized water," "deionized water," "distilled water" and "reverse osmosis water." Example: Perfect.

Sparkling bottled water

After treatment and possible replacement of carbon dioxide, contains the same amount of carbon dioxide that it had at emergence from the source. Examples: Perrier, San Pellegrino.

Spring water

Groundwater that may rise to the surface through a natural opening in the earth or rock. Note: The water is not necessarily collected in a bucolic setting. Example: Ice Mountain, Poland Spring.

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Hookah finds a home among Jacksonville residents

By Robert Orndoff
STAFF WRITER

Illustration: Erin Weiffenbach

A tradition in the Middle East, the hookah has gained ground among young Jacksonvillians.

In Jacksonville, several businesses are cashing in on the growing hookah smoking trend.

The hookah is a water pipe used to smoke tobacco and is most often used in a social setting.

Ansar Owais, manager of Hala Cafe and Bakery, a grocery store and restaurant on University Boulevard that sells hookahs, said most of his sales are to students of the University of North Florida and Jacksonville University.

"We get a lot of college students," Owais said. "It's really blown up. I guess in Jacksonville, it really started with places like Hala's cafe and Bakery and the Casbah Cafe."

Cafes like the Casbah in Avondale and the Sahara on Beach Boulevard sell different flavored tobaccos to be smoked in their hookahs.

"Arabs would always buy it, but Arabs traditionally are not into all these different flavors that we have," Owais said.

"But now that we have different cultures exposed to it, they like to try all the new flavors, especially the younger generation. They like coconut, lemon, mint, vanilla, pistachio, chocolate - you name it, it's there."

Tyler Henehan, a freshman majoring in physics, said his favorite flavor is mint.

"It doesn't get a bad aftertaste and it's refreshing," he said.

Henehan goes to the Sahara about once a month with friends. He said he was introduced to it by friends in school and has been smoking hookah for about two years.

"It's a place to hang out and have a fun time," he said.

Demir Hasic, a junior computer science major, has smoked at the Casbah with friends, but more often is only there for the food and belly dancing.

"I could care less if I smoke it again," he said.

Hasic has a hookah at home but has never smoked it, because he bought it for a decorative piece.

Though the hookah is most popular in the Middle East, it originated in India.

Now it can be found throughout the world. Argeelah, narghile, shisha, ghalyoun, and hubble-bubble are all fairly popular names for the device, depending on where it is smoked.

Hookah establishments in jacksonville
Casbah Cafe, located in Avondale, offers a cherry-flavored hookah with a cola filter.

Sahara Cafe located on Beach Boulevard has 20 flavors of tobacco and $6.99 hookahs all day Thursday, Hookah Bars Kabob House offers an upscale atmosphere in Jacksonville Beach.

Layla's of San Marco offers a daily lunch buffet, and a patio area where patrons can smoke and relax.

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When friends become foes

Just Ask Jess

Dear Jess,
I recently moved in with my best friend, and we fight all the time. Before we lived together, we would do everything together. Now all we do is bicker.

She's always leaving lights on and I can't even leave my stuff around for a day without her getting mad.

It just feels like we are picking on each other now. I want my best friend back. How can I stop the fighting?

Missing My Friend

Dear Missing My Friend,
The first step is to admit there are things that both of you can do better. Whether it is picking up after yourself a bit more or leaving a note by the light switch to remind her to turn off a light, you can help the situation.

When you live with someone, it's easy to notice all the things they do wrong.

Try making an effort to notice all the good things about her - which are probably why you became friends to begin with - and the bad things won't seem so big.

This is your best friend we're talking about here, and I know you don't want to lose her because of something so small. Either way, you both need to learn how to be better roommates and better friends.

Jess

Dear Jess,
I think I'm losing my best friend. We haven't hung out in a while, and she won't even return my phone calls.

This is someone who I confide everything in and I thought she confided everything in me, too. I really miss her, and I'm starting to worry about her. How do I get my friend back? Worried

Dear Worried,
There's nothing you can do to make your friend return your phone calls.

The best thing to do is leave her a voicemail, and let her know that when she's ready she can come to you. Sometimes friendships change over time, and there really isn't anything you can do about it.

People change, and relationships change.

What's important is that you are coming from a place of real concern, and anybody would be lucky to have a friend like you.

Jess

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Oddball Antics

By Mike Pingree
MCCLATCHY TRIBUNE

But darling, I thought we had something special
Faced with divorce from his wife of 35 years, a wealthy London businessman went on a $15 million spending spree to keep his ex from getting any of his dough. He bought land and homes, spent more than $200,000 for a car, and embarked on an extravagant lifestyle that cost more than $150,000 a month.

He showered his mistress with very expensive gifts, dinners and designer clothes and moved her into a $665,000 house she had chosen. His downfall came when he tired of her and had her evicted. She testified against him.

Just relax and put yourself in my hands
A dentist in Woodland, Calif., was brought before a judge after 26 women complained that he fondled their breasts while he was working on their teeth.

They'll never catch me now ... aieee!
After stealing groceries from a store in Parchment, Mich., a man fled the scene and ran right into an area where police K-9 officers were training their dogs.

A bomb? Say, is that you Bill?
A man in New Florence, Pa., phoned in a bomb threat to his place of employment so he wouldn't have to go to work. He made two key errors: He called from his cell phone and he failed to disguise his voice, so the employee who answered the call knew immediately who he was.

You, sir, are a cad and a bounder
A 31-year-old British woman, on the rebound from a relationship, met a man in a bar who charmed her, and soon talked her into bed. Unbeknownst to her, however, the man filmed their lovemaking and made DVDs of it. Court proceedings have resulted.

Change for a million at register three
A man tried to pass a counterfeit $1 million bill featuring a picture of President Grover Cleveland at a supermarket in Pennsylvania. The manager recognized the bill as bogus and refused to give it back to him. The man flew into a rage and began smashing things.

Anybody got a big eraser?
As a loving tribute to his common-law wife of 15 years, a Welsh steelworker had a life-size image of her tattooed on his back, which took 20 hours and cost about $1,800. Shortly thereafter, she ran off with a 25-year-old Latvian fitness instructor.

Intoxicated? Me!? What evidence do you have of that?
After finding the wreckage of a boat on the beach at Baerum, Norway, at 2 a.m., rescue workers launched an air and sea search for the owner of the vessel. They finally found him sleeping on the sofa of his mother's home nearby. Police said, "We have a suspicion of intoxication."

We're not who you're looking for officer
Police searching for a man who stole a jar full of change from a restaurant in South Carolina, came upon a pickup truck parked on the side of the road. When the cops pulled up, two guys ran from the vehicle and were arrested. They had nothing to do with the theft. They had fled because they were fugitives from Ohio.

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