The basics of rugby

The South Sydney Rabbitohs and the English Leeds Rhinos rugby teams are coming to UNF for an Australia Day match. Although the sport is common in the teams' respective countries, to many Americans, a scrum and a try are as foreign as vegemite. The Spinnaker put together a guide to make the game somewhat understandable.

Rugby League

Rugby league is one of two different types of rugby, the other being rugby union. Rugby is a full-contact sport where little or no protective gear is used. The objective of the game is to move the ball forward by running or kicking.

Positions:

Each team has 13 players on the field. Of the 13 players, there are six forwards and seven backs. Forwards strive to obtain and maintain possession of the ball, backs concentrate on taking the ball forward and scoring. All players are allowed to run, kick and pass, although forward passing is not permitted. When a forward pass occurs, play is stopped and the other team gains possession of the ball.

The Basics:

There are two 40-minute halves and play starts with a kick-off. The defending team is able to stop the opponent by tackling or stripping the opposing player of the ball. Tackling stops the play only for as long as it takes the player to return to his feet. After six tackles, the defending team gains possession of the ball at the point on the field where the last tackle was made.

To restart play, a player must have stopped forward progress, have both feet on the ground, have the ball on the ground and roll the ball backwards with the foot. Play is restarted as soon as the ball is rolled backwards. A teammate will then pick up the ball and resume the attack.

Another way to restart play is a scrum. A scrum is when the forwards come together in rows and the ball is fed through the legs to the back where it is retrieved. The scrum used to be a way for the teams to compete for the ball by pushing against each other, but now there are uncontested scrums where the ball is fed into the second row of forwards to eliminate competition.

Four Ways to Score:

1. A try is worth four points and occurs when the ball is touched to the ground in opponent's try zone.
2. A conversion is worth two points and occurs when the ball is kicked through the goalposts after a try is scored. The ball is kicked from a point perpendicular to where it was grounded to score the try.
3. A penalty kick is worth two points. When a penalty against the attacking team occurs, the team has the choice of kicking the ball from the point of the infraction or continuing their attack with a new set of six tackles.
4. A field goal is worth one point and occurs during general play with a drop kick.

Compiled by Lori Bero
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'Cloverfield' rough on stomach despite sales success

By Matt Coleman
EDITOR IN CHIEF

Paramount Pictures

"Cloverfield" takes viewers' senses on a ride during a New York City monster attack that is documented by a jerky handheld video camera.

The Good: Despite a $25 million budget, the film's CGI is spot on.
The Bad: Jarring camera angles test viewers' intestinal fortitude.
The Ugly: The acting. The no-name cast manages to act bored as a monster decimates New York City.

The cinematic enigma "Cloverfield" was unleashed on an inquisitive public last week, and the film has already broken box-office records for the month of January.

It might have trounced the competition, but this filmic ode to mega-monster flicks is a hollow riff on better films.

A cast-iron stomach is required to keep up with the frenzied on-screen action.

The film's director of photography emulates the camera technique of a hyperactive 6-year-old that recently snorted a line of pixie sticks.

The camera jerks around with reckless abandon as it follows the protagonists on their journey through the bowels of an embattled New York City.

The character manning the camera documents an onslaught of nightmarish crab-spider monsters and doesn't even drop the lens to protect himself from imminent harm.

Journalists in Fallujah should take notes - the only way to cover a story is to put yourself in mortal danger.

The film's bare bones plot serves as a flimsy backdrop to allow the main monster to mangle the city.

There is no motivation for the attack or background on the creature. The movie manipulates viewers' lingering fears of terrorist attacks with the faceless monster supplanting masked hijackers.

It's a transparent ploy, and the 9/11 parallels are startlingly heavy-handed.

This choice almost makes sense when considering the film's protagonists. Instead of presenting well-rounded characters to carry the emotional weight of the story, we are treated to a sampling of vapid twenty-somethings making unbearably stupid survival choices.

The film also requires an astonishing level of audience naivety to accept certain plot points.

While the suspension of belief is integral in most popcorn cinema, the ridiculousness of some occurrences will rapidly transport viewers back to reality.

Helicopters crash from thousands of feet in the air and don't explode. A re-bar wound through the shoulder won't bleed out if it's wrapped in a shirt.

The real star is the indestructible camera, which can survive drops from incredible heights and has a battery life of 12 hours. Best Buy needs to jump on the "Cloverfield" bandwagon and start marketing this model pronto.

"Cloverfield" is a triumph for viral marketing and guerilla advertising, but the film lacks any semblance of heart.

The concept of found footage supplying the body of the narrative has been used to great effect in "The Blair Witch Project," but "Cloverfield" doesn't have the emotional center to propel the drama.

Main characters die at random intervals - but they are just window dressing for the monster's rampage.

Plot development and believable characters permanently take a backseat to the computer-generated beast's temper tantrum.

The carnage and mayhem in "Cloverfield" is top-notch, but everything else in the film is distinctly lacking.

As the previous entry in the "Godzilla" series made blatantly obvious - a computer-generated monster does not a good film make.

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Shows premiere, return despite writer's strike

By Alissa LaGesse
ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR

January is a busy month; the ambitious make resolutions, students begin a new semester and television viewers anticipate a new season of shows.

This year the writer's strike is causing many television shows to reevaluate and regroup. Despite the lack of writers in the television industry, the shows continue, some promising to be better than ever.

A new show that premiered in January was ABC's "Cashmere Mafia" starring Lucy Liu, Frances O'Connor, Miranda Otto and Bonnie Somerville. The show follows four successful businesswomen through their comedic business and personal adventures, a spin-off of the HBO program "Sex and the City."

Those who like tournament-style television shows hosted by female boxers and tan men with white hair will enjoy "American Gladiators." The show is a round-based tournament in which contenders face-off in challenges against gladiators and finally the ever-intimidating Eliminator. The winner gets the title of Gladiator, $100,000 and a new car.

Whoever thought the Terminator saga truly ended when Arnold Schwarzenegger became California's governor is in for a surprise; FOX came up with a continuation of the epic story with "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles." The show follows stars Lena Headey and Thomas Dekker as they go on the offensive against the Terminator.

New series "Eli Stone," starring Jonny Lee Miller, follows San Francisco attorney Eli Stone who finds that he has prophetic powers and decides to use them for good, despite the loss of his "normal" life. The show premieres Jan. 31.

As for returning favorites, "Jericho" will come back to the prime-time schedule Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. on FOX. The station also boasts "American Idol" which will air at 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and "Prison Break," which will show Mondays at 8 p.m. The long-awaited return of "LOST" will air Thursday, Jan. 31 in a two-hour season opener on ABC.

Producers of the show "24" hope to air the seventh season of the series sometime in 2008, though they can't estimate when the exact date will be because of the ever-unpredictable Writers Guild of America strike.

The fifth season of CW's "Beauty and the Geek" will return on Tuesday, March 11 at 8 p.m. with an all-new group of nearly-brainless beauties and charisma-lacking men as they compete to win $250,000. The CW is also home to Tyra Banks' "America's Next Top Model." The 10th cycle premieres Wednesday, Feb. 20 at 8 p.m.

New TV Shows
"Eli Stone," Thursdays, 10 p.m., ABC.
"Cashmere Mafia," Wednesdays, 10 p.m., ABC.
"American Gladiators," Mondays, 8 p.m., NBC.
"Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," Mondays, 9 p.m., FOX.

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Alcoholic drinks may lack carbs; calories still present

By Laurel Wright
FEATURES EDITOR

Jen Quinn

* Serving size is average beverage volume, energy denotes the calories in each drink and alcohol is the amount of alcohol contained in each drink. Source: USDA Nutrient Data Lab.

Alcohol consumption is common among students, but some are oblivious to what drinks are doing to their waistlines.

Many drink brands advertise being carbohydrate-free, which can be true, but carb-free doesn't mean calorie-free, said Joey Quinlan, senior nutrition major and co-volunteer coordinator of the student nutrition club.

What these alcohol companies fail to mention is all alcohol contains seven calories per gram, which is more calories than carbohydrates and protein - each at four calories per gram - and only slightly less than fat - nine calories per gram, Quinlan said.

"The body recognizes these calories as calories coming from fats," said Dr. Nancy Correa-Matos, registered dietician and assistant professor of nutrition. "Even though alcohol produces calories, the process of alcohol metabolism reduces the ability of the body to use these calories as a source of energy. Instead, this process induces lipogenesis - generation of fat molecules in the body."

This process is what leads to the beer belly.

It is impossible to have a calorie-free alcoholic drink. Despite this, some drinks are better than others.

Almost all alcohol has about 100 calories per serving. The calories begin to add up when you start mixing it with things, Quinlan said.

"Mixing alcohol with diet soda will have a lot less calories than regular soda," he said.

Fruity drinks usually have more calories because they contain extra sugar, while clear liquors usually have the lower amounts because they contain no carbohydrates, Quinlan said.

Juices are usually better than regular soda, but still contain sugar.

Quinlan noted calories are not the only thing to be concerned with when drinking.

"There is no way to drink healthy because alcohol is toxic to the body," he said.

Correa-Matos agrees.

"It takes one to two hours to detoxify the body from one drink of alcohol," she said. "The accumulation of toxins - acetaldehydes - in the blood can cause nausea, vomiting and headaches, what is commonly known as a hangover."

When drinking, drink in moderation, which is about one drink a day for women and about two drinks a day for men, according to the American Heart Association.

Binge drinking can also damage one's health. A binge drinker is someone who drinks more than four drinks in one to two hours, Correa-Matos said.

Long-term alcohol consumption has been linked to liver disease, cancer risks and cardiovascular disease.

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Chicken pie heats up dorms, layered dip add spice to life

College Cooking with Lori

Chicken Pie

What you need:
2 c. cooked chicken (2 breasts or 8 strips)
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/3 c. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. flour
2 c. chicken broth
1 1/2 c. peas
1/4 c. pimiento
Bisquick dough for 9 biscuits

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Boil chicken until tender. Cook onion in butter until tender, but not brown. Blend in flour and salt. Add broth all at once.

Cook and stir until thick and bubbly; add remaining ingredients. Heat until bubbling and pour into a casserole dish.

Make biscuit dough. Place uncooked biscuits on top. Bake for 10 minutes, until biscuits are golden brown.

Cost: About $9.00

Layered Dip

What you need:
1 jar of salsa
2 cups shredded lettuce
3 cups grated cheese
1 can refried beans
1 can whole kernel corn
1 chopped onion
1 can black beans
1diced tomato
8 oz. sour cream
1 can olives
Bag of tortilla chips

Preparation:
Drain each can.
Add ingredients to a large bowl in relatively equal layers. Do not mix.
Sprinkle grated cheese on top.
Serve with tortilla chips.

Cost: About $12

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Oddball Antics

By Mike Pingree
MCCLATCHY TRIBUNE

I THINK HE WENT THIS WAY
A drunk driver in Durham, N.C., crashed his car into the home of a man who owns four dogs. He stepped into a big pile of dog poop and fled, leaving a trail for police to follow.

AND, TO MAKE ONE FINAL POINT ABOUT HOW I FEEL ... CRASH!
A Chattanooga, Tenn., woman drove to the home of the woman her husband was having an affair with, and confronted him at 5 a.m. After a spirited discussion, she rammed her Lexus SUV right into the house.

OH, NEVER MIND
A man went into a police station in Pretoria, South Africa and reported his cell phone stolen. A cop asked for the phone number and dialed it up causing the phone to ring in the man's pocket.

OTHERWISE, IT WAS THE PERFECT CRIME
A man, who burglarized a carwash in Clearwater, Fla., wore socks on his hands so he wouldn't leave fingerprints. But he didn't bother to put on a mask. As a result, his face could be clearly seen on the surveillance tapes. In addition, the manager recognized him because the guy had just filled out an application to work there.

SO YOU'LL BE NICE AND SAFE, MY 12 LITTLE PALS
A drunk driver, who crashed his car into a tree in Citrus Heights, Calif., was seriously injured because he was not wearing a seatbelt. However, he did have a seatbelt around the 12-pack of beer he had put on the passenger's seat.

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