MULTIMEDIA

New firm consults on aggregation

Electric aggregation efforts in Athens County will soon begin to move forward as the Athens County Commissioners hired a consulting firm at a meeting Tuesday.

The man behind the art

Chris Biester, sweating bullets on the Porch Stage at the 2013 Nelsonville Music Festival, with a guitar hanging around his neck, a towel in one hand and a bottle of generic cold syrup in the other, holds the bottle up for the audience to see, yelling “Tussin, the medicine of the uninsured.”

New ‘300’ sequel rises above expectations

300: Rise of an Empire MPAA Rated R, Our Rating 3/5 If there is one thing I am not a fan of in this world, it’s imitation.It may be the sincerest form of flattery, but I feel, generally, it is lazy, unimaginative and extremely restrictive. I disliked the fourth season of Community before it was cool to do so; I thought Kick-Ass 2 was a juvenile attempt to be as funny and edgy as the original; and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 was a hazily made reminder of why the Phil Lord-Chris Miller touch is so important.And so I had my reservations about 300: Rise of an Empire. Due to commitments with Man of Steel, director Zack Snyder did not return to the helm of this film, although he did earn a screenwriting credit this time around.Taking over is Noam Murro, whose only other film is Smart People, the movie that was a rip-off of every movie that has wheedled itself into the Sundance Film Festival for the past decade. I feared the worst.Apparently, I shouldn’t have because, much like this week’s other surprise, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, the movie captures the insanity and visual style of the original while blending in its own sensibilities. Is it as good as the original? No, but it is still a worthy successor.Based on Frank Miller’s comic book Xerxes, this movie is not exactly a sequel or prequel, but rather a sort-of inbetween-quel. It primarily follows Greek General Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton) as he leads his army against the Persian invasion, commanded by Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and Artemisia (Eva Green).Let’s be honest: No matter how many fans the original had, it was no masterpiece. It was silly, stupid and about as historically accurate as Michael Bay’s Pearl Harbor. But it was a shiny, well-oiled piece of fun entertainment, and kept its aspirations thankfully low.Much is the same with 300: Rise of an Empire. It’s still as stupid, silly and historically liberal as could be, but it knows it and tries to stay loyal to the original’s spirit while also infusing its own spunk. If anything, the film appears to be at its weakest when it tries to kiss the heels of the original 300.Case and point: the slow-mo, fast-mo thing that even Snyder has moved away from. It was fun enough back in 2007, but it is old now, and everyone and their grandma has tried to either copy or parody it. I am a little more lenient here because it is the sequel to the film that made this popular in the first place, but still. Do we need it in every other scene?With that said, this film succeeds quite well in action. The battle scenes are clearly shot, well-choreographed and CG-bloody as can be. This time, I make that final point in the best way possible. Though it grows repetitive as the film progresses, it is clear Murro and the screenwriters know what the audience wants and serve it in hearty portions.Where the film doesn’t succeed as well is when it tries for an emotional tug. More so than the first, this film tries to make you care about the characters. Though a noble effort, it ultimately is unsuccessful, weighing down the film with a great deal of time is spent trying to make you feel for these guys when, really, you don’t.What struck me so much about this continuation, in a good way, was the presence of strong female characters. One of the few returning characters is Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey), who not only gets more screen time, but plays a more prominent and central character than in the original. The female character that surprised me the most was Artemisia, who is not only the most developed character, but also the most interesting and entertaining.Green always brings flair to her performances, even just as the love interest in Casino Royale. But here, she not only gets room to shine, but uses her sexiness and mystique to her full advantage. It is key in why this sequel succeeds, and Murro and his crew seem to know it.I still don’t think this movie passes the Bechdel test, though.This installment succeeds in that, thankfully, it has a sense of humor about itself. It is more self-aware about its silliness and makes comedic use of it. Though nowhere near as quotable as the original, a line uttered by Artemisia in the third act is as worthy as any line repeated by 13-year-old boys after the first one.Additionally, the sex scene is one for the record books.Like the original, the film departs pretty open-ended — in fact, even more so than the original. It seems like they are hoping for a third 300 to make its way into theaters. Though I can’t guarantee fans will line up to see this one like they did the first time, I can say that it is worth the investment. It might be a cover band, but it’s admittedly a pretty good one. Will Ashton is a junior studying journalism and a writer for The Post. Talk 300 with him at wa054010@ohiou.edu.

A revolutionary kind of speech

Beyond the Books: Smart, skillful money management is key for college students

Guys, budgets are severely underrated. College will always serve as the loudest testimonial of this, screaming from the tops of towering piles of tuition bills and student loan paperwork. A day in the life of a college student quite clearly showcases the importance of keeping a budget. Quarters are sacred for the simple purposes of parking meters and laundromats. Found $5 bills are the only things that make spontaneous lunch purchases possible, and $20 bills are honey from the heavens that give you the wings that you need in order to fly into the weekend financially able to grace yourself with any kind of restaurant food that your little heart might desire. Any bills above 20s are essentially nonexistent — as far as we are aware, anyway.When money isn’t available to us, we notice and we notice fast. Think of the last time you couldn’t buy something, or go somewhere simply because you didn’t have the money. I’m quite familiar with that sharp, sudden mental pain that reminds you of the digits your bank account doesn’t currently hold.Attending college and being out of your parents’ home will inevitably show you that you need to handle your finances with care.  You can’t just borrow money from your parents off-hand like you used to, and asking them for it starts to become embarrassing. What I’ve found to be the most helpful thing to do for myself financially is simple. At the beginning of each week, I take 10 minutes to think about what I need to spend money on, and then compare that with how much money I actually have to spend for that week. Keeping a budget is a small, but mighty concept that keeps me from embarrassingly kissing the $5 bill I occasionally find in my coat pocket.  It’s a simple concept, but it’s vital as well: Don’t buy what you want before you have bought what you need. When it comes to managing your own income, the word “need” will never carry so much importance. The biggest pitfall for college students are the wantful purchases that we make. When the ice cream just looks so good that it’s practically angelic, or the late-night calzone delivery feels like the soul mate you’ve been waiting for, it’s your pre-planned budget that will keep you grounded. Should the end of the week find you with some extra dollars, that ice cream or calzone could serve as the perfect celebration for all your money-saving hard work. Budgets are cool — they have style. A budget is basically the next best thing just waiting to be discovered. Reiterate those thoughts in your mind until they stick, and you will feel lame for not keeping track of your money. At the end of the day, bank accounts are finite, and so is your life by association.  Simply take that reality in to account (pun intended), and spend your money accordingly.  April Jaynes is a senior studying journalism and anthropology. Have any tips for successfully managing money in college? Email April at aj188310@ohiou.edu.

New day off for students next fall

Fresh off spring break, Ohio University students received news they’ll get another — albeit shorter — reprieve from classes midway through next Fall Semester.

Bobcats to open at home against Thundering Herd

Although bad weather is expected throughout the day, Ohio is set to open its home campaign at Bob Wren Stadium on Wednesday in a game against non-conference rival Marshall after spending three consecutive weeks playing on the road.The Bobcats, which have 16 freshmen on the roster, are excited to finally play at home in a familiar setting instead of dealing with the ongoing travel on the road. “We’re glad to be at home and get a chance to get into a rhythm,” coach Rob Smith said. “When you’re on the road so much it can be a challenge sometimes to find a good rhythm.”Ohio only faces Marshall twice, but similar to the rivalries in other sports, the Bobcats aren’t too fond of the Thundering Herd.“We only play them twice a year, but we still don’t really like them,” junior outfielder Tyler Wells said. “Coach Smith hates playing them and always wants to win.”Marshall started its season by winning three of its first five games, before dropping the next six contests. The Thundering Herd picked up its play last weekend as it took two out of three games in the Conference USA opening series, which was its first conference opening series victory since 2009.Marshall junior pitcher Matt Margaritonda earned the school’s fourth Conference USA pitcher of the week award after throwing a complete game, including a career-high 11 strikeouts in their 5-2 victory against East Carolina on Sunday.The Bobcats are coming off a four-game series against Longwood in which Ohio dropped three games after recording inconsistent performances. The Lancers outscored the Bobcats 14-12, but won a pair of games by at least three runs.Ohio has been outscored 83-50 this season and the Bobcat pitching staff boasts an ERA of 5.38.Smith said sophomore pitcher Jake Miller will get the start against Marshall, despite surrendering six runs on seven hits in one inning of work in Ohio’s first game against Longwood on Saturday. The team plans to use other pitchers against Marshall as well.“The Ohio-Marshall rivalry is a very good one in all sports and we’re no different,” Smith said. “We know that when they come to town we’re going to have to play really well in order to beat them and we’re looking forward to that challenge.”ab109410@ohiou.edu@Alex_Busch91

Letter: Reporters' values are inconsistent in America

Last April, in a letter to The Post, I voiced my disagreement with a self-serving WOUB-TV commentary by Dr. Thomas Hodson, then the interim director of OU’s Center for Public Media.  In his commentary, he had praised “fairness” and “understanding,” which, according to him, characterized the work done by the Public Media Center’s graduates in almost every one of the media markets. Contrary to Dr. Hodson’s observation, I pointed out that in my travels across the nation, reporters that I have read/seen/listened to, for the most part, seemed to have no awareness of any value system beyond that of their high school peers. In the Feb. 26 Post Streetview, several Ohio University students were asked, “How do you stay up-to-date on the news?”  One respondent, a senior journalism major, answered, “I don’t usually pick up the newspaper, but I occasionally read stories from The Post’s Twitter account.” Case closed! Eliot Kalman graduated from Ohio University in 1976.

Ohio ends season of rebuilding

The painful, rebuilding year is over for Ohio.And though first-year coach Bob Boldon didn’t lead the Bobcats to the Promised Land, he put them on a road to recovery.In a frustrated season full of growing pains, Ohio finished with a 9-21 record, which shows improvement in comparison with the team’s worst year in program history last season, when the Bobcats went 6-23.There were also plenty of mood swings for the young, largely inexperienced squad.After two seniors weren’t medically cleared to play, junior guard Mariah Byard became leader of the Bobcats’ three sophomores and seven freshmen.Following a 78-62 loss to Bowling Green midway through Mid-American Conference play, Boldon said he had been impressed with his team, which had to learn a new system with new coaches with the majority of the roster new players.“I’m thrilled with our freshman class,” he said. “I think they’re all doing a great job. Our goal is to be good in three years. We’d like it to be sooner than that, but we’re in a process that can be uncomfortable at times.”If Boldon was uncomfortable in early February, then he must have been in a living nightmare by March.After dropping numerous winnable games, including a loss to Miami in the regular season finale, he belittled everything the team had worked for throughout the season and said the Bobcats were “not a good basketball team.”But there were bright spots in a year overshadowed by a ten-game losing streak and just one win in the final 15 games.Though they did not win the games, they gained experience in a pair of losses to Top Ten opponents, and the Bobcats began MAC play by winning three of their first four contests.In an announcement by the MAC on Monday, sophomore guard Kiyanna Black received honorable mention All-MAC honors, while freshman guard Quiera Lampkins earned All-MAC freshman squad honors.In addition to postseason accolades, redshirt sophomore guard Kat Yelle played her first full season for the Bobcats after injuries plagued her in both 2011-12 and 2012-13 and will return with experience.Whether improvements are apparent, Boldon said in every interview (except after Miami’s game) that the Bobcats were maturing and moving in the right direction, as the team will not lose any players next year.And Boldon knows a thing or two about improvement. Before taking over at Ohio, he transformed the Youngstown State he inherited from a 0-30 team to a 23-10 squad in 2012-13.Boldon said he expects a competitive team will come in three years, and he’s done it before.gh181212@ohiou.edu@CharlieHatch_

Letter: Ohioans should do their research before voting

As Ohioans begin gearing up for the 2014 election, many are weighing their options for both viable Democratic and Republican candidates who are running for and seeking re-election. While much of the attention and spotlight will be focused on the Kasich and Fitzgerald gubernatorial election, another key Ohio position is up for re-election: the seat for Ohio’s secretary of state, which is currently held by Jon Husted. But many talking heads and large media outlets will try to persuade you that Husted does not deserve to get re-elected. I find it odd that all of these big talking heads, from states like New York and Massachusetts (which do not have early voting), are criticizing Ohio’s 29 days of early voting. Perhaps these hypocrites could address their own states’ voting opportunities before rushing to explain how bad Husted is doing, especially since he is the first secretary of state to mail absentee ballot applications to every registered Ohio voter. Before making your decisions for which candidate you will vote for, go beyond the talking heads and do some independent research. You may be surprised at what you find.Aaron Dauterman is a sophomore studying communication.

’Cats head north for ‘war’ against RedHawks

Ohio has swept the Battle of the Bricks so far this season, defeating Miami in both Athens and Oxford.Now the Bobcats look to continue this season’s dominance of the RedHawks in Cleveland, as the teams will take the court for the third time in a second-round Mid-American Conference Tournament game Wednesday.Wins didn’t come easy for Ohio in the teams’ previous two meetings. The Bobcats climbed back from a 16-point second half deficit to defeat the RedHawks at home in their first game on Feb. 8, and needed overtime to squeeze out an 82-76 win last Saturday.Taking down Miami a third time will come down to matching its intensity, Ohio coach Jim Christian said.“It’s going to be a war out there,” he said. “If we meet them at their competition level, then it’s going to be one heck of a game. If we don’t, then we’re going to be in trouble because we know how they’re going to play.”Part of meeting Miami at its “competition level” will come down to playing smart basketball and avoiding the turnovers that often plague the Bobcats, who have averaged 14.1 giveaways in their seven MAC losses.Miami is a team that feasts on swiping the ball from its opposition, leading the conference with 8.8 steals per game and ranking second in the MAC with an average of 14.8 turnovers forced. And in last Saturday’s game, the RedHawks forced 19 Bobcats giveaways.Ohio freshman forward Antonio Campbell said he and the rest of his teammates need to play intelligently if they want to move past the RedHawks for the third time this season.“I’m sure it’s not going to be easy,” Campbell said. “I’m pretty sure they’re going to try to double in the post again. I’ve just got to be smart and make the right plays out of the double.”Campbell has been one of the Bobcats’ key contributors of late, taking the starting job from junior forward Maurice Ndour, whose season-long back problems have recently flared up and forced him to play fewer minutes when coming off the bench.In the three games Campbell has started in place of Ndour, he’s shot 15 of 20 from the field, averaging 12 points and four rebounds.“The thing that he’s done better than anything is he’s able to play through his mistakes now,” Christian said. “In the beginning of the year when you’re a freshman, the weight of the world kind of goes on your shoulder, and now he’s able to play through it.”Ohio will need players such as Campbell to continue their better-than-average play in order to pull off the task of winning four games in the next four days. But despite the daunting slate ahead, Christian is just focused on beating Miami again.“It’s conference tournament time,” he said. “Is it going to get up another notch? It’s going to be hard to because I think both teams played unbelievably hard on Saturday.”ch203310@ohiou.edu@c_hoppens

Student Senate prepares for top university officials

Ohio University administrators and faculty are not the only ones preparing for this week’s OU Board of Trustees meeting.

Pass college, go directly to D-League

The National Basketball Association’s Developmental League, most commonly known as the D-League, is not the most legitimate feeder system into the big leagues. With small-town markets, trivial venues and lack of talent compared to its big brother organizations, it’s no question why not all NBA teams have a D-League affiliate.Last week, Dallas Mavericks owner and notorious loudmouth Mark Cuban took a shot at the NCAA’s role — or lack thereof — in developing student-athletes into NBA prospects. In college basketball, the heralded “one-and-done rule” allows players to leave their respective college programs after one season and enter the NBA Draft.However, Cuban argued the D-League has the potential to grow as a viable alternative to college. “A major college has to pretend that they’re treating them like a student-athlete, and it’s a big lie and we all know it’s a big lie,” Cuban said. And he’s right.First, let’s address the elephant in the room that the D-League is often referred to as a joke. It’s evident in team names like the Bakersfield Jam, which sound more like an artisan brand of marmalade than a basketball team, and with the D-League All-Star Weekend that is paradoxical to players’ developmental status.Yet, it may be in the best interest of the most talented high school players to skip their first year of school and head to places like Sioux Falls, S.D. or Portland (Maine, that is).Cuban claimed college players hardly attend classes and the term “student-athlete” gets thrown around more as a pleasantry in conversation than an actual practice. Students are compensated indirectly at the collegiate level, but cases of impermissible benefits seem to be a growing norm for star athletes.P.J. Hairston, a former North Carolina Tar Heel, was expelled from UNC for accepting illicit benefits, as well as for marijuana possession and reckless driving. Instead of transferring schools or playing professionally in Europe, Hairston turned to the D-League to showcase his talents in hopes of becoming an NBA Draft pick.And the D-League is growing. The New York Knicks are in the process of starting an affiliate, which will add to the existing 17 teams. Yet the growth lies in the ability of the D-League to help young players adjust to life. College may institute a sense of an agenda and help players mature — the D-League is at best a stripped-down version of that.With the NCAA’s dubious policies in place, it may prove easier for the D-League to shift the culture of college basketball and the NBA alike. But it’s essential that one steps forward in looking out for the best interests of its players.  Colin Hanner is a junior studying journalism and is a sports writer for The Post. Do you think players may begin to choose the D-League instead of the NCAA? Let him know @ColinHanner.

Students bronze using artificial sunlight

Though the sun is just beginning to show its face, many students have been finding their glow, even in the dead of winter.Indoor tanning is a popular option for those who want to achieve a tan even in sub-zero temperatures. According to a survey by the American Academy of Dermatology, 28 million people tan indoors in the U.S. annually, and in 2010 nearly $2.6 billion was spent on the indoor tanning industry.In Athens’ tanning salons, there are two different kinds of packages to choose from: sessions and minutes.   “We do sessions rather than minutes,” said Olivia Roberts, the manager at Attractions Tanning Salon, 19 N. Court St. “So, you can buy quantities of like a single, three, six, 12 or 20 and we also have what we called an unlimited package, which is 30 days for 30 sessions and after 30 days it will expire.”Unlike Attractions, Outer Glow chooses to do minutes.“We sell our packages by the minute,” said Maria Kamlowsky, who has been the manager at 14 S. Court St. for four years. “(It) is the most flexible options for students because our minutes never expire.”  The difference between sessions and minutes comes down to personal preferences and schedules.“If I had to choose between sessions and minutes I wouldn’t hesitate,” said Lisa Cochran, a junior studying accounting. “I prefer sessions.”Though many students have loans, rent and tuition to pay, they still are the majority that brings in revenue for these salons in Athens.“I would definitely say that it’s probably not them paying for it it’s probably their parents,” Roberts said. “But, I don’t think they really care, maybe they have good jobs, but tanning should be the last thing on their mind when they have student loans to think about.”Others, like Kamlowsky, feel that students tan for a different, less skin-deep, reason.“People tan for a variety of reasons,” she said. “Not just for cosmetic purposes but even to combat things such as seasonal depression during this gloomy time of year.”Some tan to raise their self-esteem and confidence, while others tan just to achieve a certain look.“I go tanning just so I won’t be pale and white,” Cochran said. “Being pale and pasty sucks. When it comes to tanning, it doesn’t really give me confidence, I just like being tan because it reminds me of the beach.”  @annachristine38ag836912@ohio.edu

OIT offers 50GB free online storage

Ohio University students and faculty will soon have more space up in the clouds.Box, an online storage solution, has been recently purchased for all OU students and faculty.Similar to services such as Dropbox or Google Drive, Box allows its users to store documents, images, video and more online. These services provide a place to back up important documents or expand the storage space of one’s computer.Sean O’Malley, communications director for OIT,  announced the service Feb. 12 via a university press release.According to the release, students, faculty and staff will all have access to 50GB of online storage as soon as the license is activated. For larger institutions such as OU, this can take 30-60 days to accomplish. The university spent $340,600 for a three-year license, O’Malley said.The new service has the ability to change how some people accomplish their day-to-day tasks.“I use Dropbox now,” Trent Lindsay, a sophomore studying aviation flight, said. “Since (Box) has an app, I would switch. The 50 gigs is really nice.”Box has integrated collaboration features, meaning people can create documents and then share them with coworkers or classmates so they may see and edit the documents.Professors also have the ability to request assignments through Box. Students could submit homework or projects through the program, where professors could then give comments.Individual users are able to sign up for personal accounts through the Box website, but are only offered 10GB for free. Users who already have personal accounts will not be able to combine these accounts with the coming OU accounts, but they can still keep both accounts.Students also would not be able to have more than 50GB of storage under their university accounts, O’Malley said.O’Malley lead two demos on Box during Fall Semester to show people how to use the service and gauge its popularity among students, faculty and staff.“There’s been a lot of requests coming in, where people were asking ‘what are my options for being able to do secure file storage somewhere other than my hard drive?’” O’Malley said. “We saw the need building, and we tried to address that.” 

Students bronze using artificial sunlight

Though the sun is just beginning to show its face, many students have been finding their glow, even in the dead of winter.

Road changes possible; new building planned

Park Place might see some changes

Men's Basketball: Bobcats shoot their way to Cleveland

From the opening tip to the final horn, there wasn’t a doubt of the end result of Monday’s first-round Mid-American Conference Tournament game.

GSS welcomes commissioner, talks elections

Elliot Long made his first appearance as Graduate Student Senate’s LGBT Affairs Commissioner at Monday’s meeting.

Cartoon: 3/11/2014