For the first
time in nearly three and a half years, oil prices have dropped below $50
a barrel. As concern about the economy grows, the weak demand for
energy caused sale prices to plummet on Thursday.
On the final trading day of December, contract crude futures fell to four dollars,
leaving the price of a barrel of oil at $49.62. This was the lowest settling
price since May of 2005. A week of negative economic reports, combined
with falling stock prices, have led to the extremely low sale price of oil.
Experts say that by the end of 2009, the price per barrel will reach
around $107 and by the end of this year oil prices are expected to
reach upwards of $149 a barrel.
Russia
will send ships to Africa to crack down on pirate
attacks
The Russian frigate Neustrashimy is already in
the region and has helped saved two ships from piracy attempts. Admiral
Vladimir Vysotsky told the official news agency Ria Novosti that more ships
would be joining Neustrashimy soon.
A NATO-led
fleet has also entered the region. On Tuesday an Indian frigate battled a
pirate ship off the Gulf of Aden. The ship was set ablaze and likely sank, according to the country's defense ministry.
So far this year there have been over 90 reported
attacks off the coast of Eastern Africa. The pirates that operate out of
Somalia still have a reported 17 vessels afloat. This is including the
Saudi-owned Sirius supertanker, the larger vessel captured to date.
HE SAID/SHE SAID
In this
"He Said, She Said"
column Audra Clark and Nick
Marro recall their first
experiences watching sports
and why they love it so
much.
HOME TOWN HERO
This week's hometown hero is Colby Callery!
He was the one that started co-ed housing, he's a peer
leader and senator for his class, and he is a huge fan ofLegally Blonde.Check him out!
Wednesday night was Pierce Pride Night at the Fieldhouse, and
both the Men's and Women's Basketball Teams played their
home openers
in front of a large and supportive crowd. The Women's team
continued to impress, while it was business as usual for the
Men.
PROFS INTO PEOPLE
Mass
Communications professor Ukumbwa Sauti talks about his
interests outside of teaching, who he'd want to have dinner with
– living or dead, who has been the most influential person in
his life and other facts
uncommon to know about a professor.
THE UNITED STATES OF
SHENANIGANS
In
this week’s Really
America, there is a hungry FP bandit on the loose, a man
mistakes a police car for the bathroom and a little boy attacks his
mother with a saw.
(Cartoon by Alma Bjelic of
Rocky the FP Bandit)
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Bob
Hope to be commemorated on postage stamp
Not just anyone can get their face put on a postage stamp that
will either be put on a letter, signed, sealed, and delivered,
or held between the pages of a book and cherished for years as a
collector’s item.
Bob Hope, who entertained troops from WWII to Desert
Storm, is being commemorated by the United States Postal
Service, and they are saying, “Thanks for the Memories,”
according to the Boston Globe.
A ceremony is taking place on Ellis Island, located in
New York, on Monday November 24, to unveil the design of the
stamp.
The stamp will hold special meaning to Hope fans and
immigrants throughout the United States. Hope was born in
England and then moved to America. He was “the first person
recognized by the U.S. Congress as an 'honorary veteran of the
United States Armed Forces,' " according to the Globe.
Hope passed away in 2003 and is the first person to be
commemorated on a stamp by the United States Postal Service five
years after their death. According to the Boston Globe,
anyone other than ex-presidents used to have to wait ten years to be eligible to
be on stamp.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Kirsten Gallagher discusses your
Thanksgiving dinner
in the latest food for thought.
WEEKEND'S BEST BETS
-On Friday November 21, Pierce Activities Council is having a
comedian come to our school. Tracey Ashley, from
“As seen on TV: Last Comic Standing” will be performing
at 8:00 p.m. in Pierce Hall. The event will last until 9:30
p.m. Bring your laughs and join the show!
-Show your Franklin Pierce Pride Saturday November 22 as the
Franklin Pierce Women’s Basketball team takes on
Stonehill College, at Stonehill in Easton
Massachusetts. The game starts at 1:30.
-Also on Saturday November 22, head down to Harlow’s Pub
in Peterborough New Hampshire and hear a new local band
called InFormNation. They play rock, funk,
and reggae; an interesting mix!
-Get your name, or even a cool phrase airbrushed onto a
hat or a backpack this Friday, November 21, for another
Frankie P Friday! The airbrushing will take place from
3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. in the glass foyer of the campus
center.
-If you’re in the mood to travel a little, drive to Marlow,
New Hampshire, about an hour away, for their 6th
Annual Christmas on the Pond! It’s a holiday fair in
the historic buildings, and will include a craft boutique,
silent auction, live music, and lunch! All proceeds
benefit the Women’s Christian Fellowship. The event
lasts from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
*"If
you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out
how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.." -Michael
Jordan (NBA superstar).
Imagine for three weeks having to study
for your comps when you didn't know if they
were even going to take place... and neither did your
teachers. Well that's just what happened to the
History
Dept. this year.
Franklin Pierce is holding its first
Relay for Life
in February. The idea was thought up by sophomore Caitlin Smith.
"Relay for Life is the American Cancer Society’s trademark
fundraising event where students form teams and run around a
track, all in order to raise money and awareness for cancer."
Read about how to sign up and form your team
Franklin Pierce hosted its own suicide
awareness day yesterday by asking participants to write
the word "love" on their arms, an idea inspired by "To
Write Love on Her Arms," an organization
which promotes suicide awareness globally.
This
Sunday,
Black Student Alliance (BSA) is hosting its
annual Soul Food Dinner for the price of a dollar, on
Sunday at 8 p.m. in Pierce Hall.
History
professors Mary Kelly and Doug Ley took 26 students from
two history classes to New York for an all-day trip to experience first-hand
the life of early twentieth century immigrant workers.
News Briefs:
Residents at Monadnock were evacuated Saturday morning at 3 a.m.
when a heater of a pottery kiln was not turned off, which led to
over heating, and released carbon monoxide throughout the
building. The students waited for
the toxins to be aired out for two and a half hours in
the cold leaving a lot of the residents angry. (Reported
by Andrea M. Garcia)
Wednesday’s women’s and
men’s basketball games marked the start of the “Pierce Pride”
events coming this school year. 570 students attended the
event, which is supposed to increase support for our athletes
and create a friendly and fun environment for everyone to enjoy.
T-shirts and pom-poms were given out to the first 100 students.
There was also a free pre-game turkey dinner for students with
meal plans.
GSA hosts their first
Pride Bingo tonight at 8 p.m. in the Cheshire Community Room.
Students will get the chance to win gas cards, gift
certificates or boas, along with many other prizes. Along
with
the free food and bingo there will be a drag show.
This past Monday, four students
showed PowerPoint presentations based on their summer
internships in the field of environmental science.
The presentation, attended by 23 students, was called
"Turtles, Whales, and Goats, Oh My!" One of the
presenters, senior Tyler Brian said, “If I could do it all over
again I would.” (Reported by Elizabeth Squire)
Don't forget to print
out the Raven's Nest coupon in this issue. It will save you a dollar off your next $5 purchase.
Sports fans have the worst dietary habits, according to a study by the
University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
UALR
researchers Daniel Sweeney and Donna Quimby conducted an e-mail survey which
asked questions regarding diet, exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption,
and weight. While one study showed that sports fans tend to be
psychologically healthier, physically sports fans are no better off.
Of the 515
people who participated in the survey, results showed that those who
consider themselves to be avid sports fans “consume more fast food and
alcoholic beverages year-round, skip breakfast, and eat fewer vegetables
than those who take little interest in football, basketball or other
competitive games.”
Among those
surveyed, 45 percent of sports fans eat fast food at least two to three times
a week, compared to 36 percent of non-sports fans. 11.9 percent of sports
fans have four or more drinks when they drink, compared to 3.2 percent of
non-sports fans.
Of the
515 participants, about 70 percent were students, 12 percent staff, 11
percent faculty, and 2 percent administrators. The study was released
earlier this month at the Arkansas Association for Health, Physical
Education, Recreation, and Dance Conference.
According
to the Fox News article, Sweeney stressed that non-sports fans did not
necessarily have healthier routines; they simple had fewer unhealthy habits
than sports fans. “It doesn't mean that the low-identified fans, the
non-fans were pictures of health. Both groups together are very inactive,"
he said.
Sweeney
said that there would be many benefits of educating and advertising health
awareness to sports fans. Venues could offer healthier foods and
advertisements, such as Europe’s “Get Active” public service announcements,
that could reach out to those who consider themselves sports fans.
"You
can follow your teams. Make better decisions, though," Quimby said.
Oil
prices fall below $50 a barrel Thursday
Russia
will send ships to Africa to crack down on pirate
attacks 
