Radio Recap: Dukes lose on Senior Night

Catholics reflect on Benedict's legacy

Following Pope Benedict XVI's resignation on Feb. 11, research suggests that although Benedict's papacy was viewed favorably by many, some Catholics in America are hoping his replacement changes the way the papacy is conducted.

According to a report released by the Pew Research Center early today, 46 percent of American Catholics believe the next pope should "move the church in new directions," and 63 percent said they were unsatisfied with the way Benedict handled the church's sexual abuse scandal.

AP Photo: Cardinal Angelo Scola, Archbishop of Milan, guides the pope in Milan, Italy last week

The issue of sex abuse in the church, particularly among high ranking Catholic officials, has resulted in an estimated $2 billion in settlements, according to the New York Times. 

Paula M. Kane, the John and Lucine O'Brien Marous Chair of Contemporary Catholic Studies at the University of Pittsburgh, said she wants Benedict's replacement to handle the issue more effectively.

"The pope has to deal with the sexual abuse issue and scandals," Kane said. "He needs to consider ways in which Vatican dogma has not kept up with the times."

The Pew report also revealed that for those who attend Mass at least once a week, 63 percent believe the next pope should enforce similar traditional policies to those of Benedict. 

Don Briel, director of the Center for Catholic Studies at the University of Saint Thomas, said Benedict's style cannot be definitively classified.

"He is not easily caricatured as conservative or liberal," Briel said. "He is self-evidently a man of deep prayer and humility, one who has brought to the most visible platforms of modern secular culture a careful set of distinctions...that should cause us in the West to rethink our reductionist accounts of private faith."

During his papacy, Benedict was praised by members of the Catholic community for his theological work. Nick Cafardi, dean emeritus and professor of law in Duquesne's School of Law, said Benedict was "a phenomenal theologian." 

"His books on the life of Christ are wonderful examples of theology with a really common touch to them," Cafardi said.

After Benedict's resignation officially takes effect on Feb. 28 at 8 P.M, the 117 Cardinals currently under the age of 80 will elect the new pope. 

Bernier shares details on upcoming book

When professor Craig Bernier is not teaching eager groups of freshmen how to write, he is busy mastering the craft on his own.

The newest of his works is set to release by Black Lawrence Press in April 2014, following a decade of writing and searching for publishers. Your Life Idyllic, a collection of his own short stories, looks into the life of what Bernier calls “a character I know really well.”

The collection, given the St. Lawrence Award by Black Lawrence, is centered around people who go to work, a character often forgotten in literature, according to Bernier.

“There's something happening in every day work that is often overlooked,” Bernier said. “Not the work in and of itself, but the folks who do the work. There's a natural struggle that I certainly remember when working."

Though he acknowledged that writers are sometimes “the worst people to talk to about our own styles,” Bernier said that what makes his collection different than others is its concentration on language, an aspect in his work that may have taken its roots in his time as a poet.

“I tried to separate my stories, to some degree, with an attention to language and how it comes together in a lovely fashion, or a stark fashion, or an evocative fashion, or a connotative fashion,” Bernier said.

From now until its release next year, the book will go through the publishing stages of editing, cover design and marketing. Black Lawrence Press, an imprint of Dzanc Books, allowed Bernier to design the cover with Rob Bupp, senior art director at Chemistry Communications.

“What's nice about the small press is you can do a lot more than with some of the larger houses,” Bernier said. “This has been a project of mine for some time, so I'm really attached to it. I don't necessarily want to turn over the cover design or the editing process.”

The professor decided on the the title, Your Life Idyllic, towards the beginning of his writing process. Noticing “a lot of bleak characters trying to eke it out,” he chose what he thought to be the overarching theme connecting the stories. The bleak characters in his works, Bernier said, has led to his writing being deemed “depressing.”

“I don't necessarily know that my stories are bleak,” Bernier said. “I tend to focus on a moment where everything could change. It doesn't necessarily change, but the character becomes aware there are other options.”

Bernier is currently working on a novel called Gamer, examining the changing culture of a comic book and gaming emporium, and Doom and Spectacle, a collection of motorcycle stories.

Frightened Rabbit returns to Pittsburgh

With their new album set to release just weeks before the show, indie rockers Frightened Rabbit, hailing from Scotland, will make their well-anticipated return to Pittsburgh on March 29. This time, a couple of things are different. Yes, Scott Hutchison is still their lead singer, and yes, they are still those bearded instrumentalists who sing "Swim Until You Can't See Land."



But now, with 481 live performances under their belt and clear assurance that they are not Mumford and Sons, they revisit the Steel City with newfound admiration from an international platform.

The band has been to Pittsburgh three times since 2009, and each time, their music has been played to larger audiences. In 2009, they took the stage at Carnegie Mellon University with Satin Gum and Arc in Round, and in Nov. 2010, they headlined a show at Club Diesel.

The last time Frightened Rabbit played at a Pittsburgh venue was Aug. 6, 2011 at Stage AE, when they opened for indie icon Death Cab for Cutie.



But in less than two months, they will take their soft Scottish verses to Mr. Smalls Theater in Milvale, which is also bringing acts like The Cynics, Marina and the Diamonds and Crystal Castles in the coming months. Needless to say, the venue is one of the city's finest, bringing well-respected headliners from all over the world, but rarely Scotland.

Scotland's coming soon, though. Quick, like a frightened rabbit.

Tickets can still be purchased for $16 through Ticket Web.

Quotes, Quotes, Quotes

Direct quotes (overquoted)

1) "There are lots of things we could have done better," Orpik said. (Pittsburgh Post Gazette) - Players tend to show a lot of emotion during postgame press conferences, but this displays none, and could have been paraphrased easily.

2) "We had some guys hurt this year (i.e. Hakeem Nicks, Chris Snee, Ahmad Bradshaw) and that was a problem," Mara said. (ESPN) - The writer should have put "Mara acknowledged that injuries were a reoccuring problem during the season."

Direct quotes (humanized)

1) "I got a text from one of the actresses," says Maura. "She said she walked into her bank and the people there were like, ‘Didn't we just see you in that Public Enemy video?'" (The City Paper) - The writer includes this quote to show how widely-recognized the music video is, and in the process, humanizes the actress as a normal Pittsburgher running errands.

2) “I stood next to President Obama as the Marines carried those flag-draped caskets off the plane at Andrews,” she said. “I put my arms around the mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters.” (New York Times) - This quote shows the respect and compassion Hilary Clinton has for the men and women who serve for our country. Very emotional.

Not for attribution

The NRA wanted the government to change the way it deemed someone "mentally defective," excluding people, for example, who were no longer under any psychiatric supervision or monitoring. (ProPublica) - Clearly, a source from the NRA, probably a high ranking official, wanted to say this as his/her personal view, but decided to hide behind the shield of the company. To see, replace 'the NRA' with someone's name. It works.

Background

A source close to Te'o gave ESPN's Jeremy Schaap documents that the source says are Te'o's AT&T phone records from May 11 to Sept. 12, the date that Kekua was supposed to have died of leukemia. (ESPN) - The person who handed over these documents would have been fired for doing so, especially in a case with this much national recognition. But if Schaap didn't indicate where he got the documents from, he most likely wouldn't be able to use them in his research.

Deep background

In some cases, the recruits were ordered by instructors to go to a closet, where they were then molested by the instructors. (New York Times) - This reporter would have no idea practices like this were going unless he was hinted towards it. The person who revealed this information wanted this to be revealed, but not in any way linked back to him/her.

Sophomore journeys to Rome

During the fall 2012 semester, sophomore broadcast journalism and sports marketing major Kylie McCracken was not waking up in her dorm room in Vickroy. Instead, she was in Rome, Italy as a participant in the university's study abroad program.

McCracken, who describes herself as the type of person who can make friends with a group of people she just met in a half hour, had no problems making friends while traveling around Europe.

“My favorite memory would be traveling around with all the friends I made,” McCracken said. “They were just great company and we had a ball.”

With her European friends, McCracken carried on the same daily routine as the one she practices on the Bluff, except after class, she explored the town. Though she saw the Vatican and tasted a fair share of authentic Italian cuisine, there was still some territory left undiscovered.

“I would of liked to do day trips to the beach and to little cities around Italy that I never got the chance to go to,” McCracken said, pondering what she would have done differently.

All regrets aside, one memory that McCracken will never forget is seeing the Pope on five separate occasions.

“I feel like I'm blessed for life,” McCracken said, chuckling. “You have to embrace it and enjoy every time there. And he's a great guy. I enjoyed his company.”

While expressing how much the trip made her “more worldly and more independent,” the sophomore added that she barely missed Pittsburgh.

“It goes so quickly. Never once did I get homesick,” McCracken said. “I actually dream every day of being over in Europe. I miss it so much.”

McCracken plans to study abroad again in the fall of 2013, this time to Dublin, Ireland.

You can keep up with Kylie by visiting her website or by following her on twitter @Cracken_me_up. I suggest you do so.

The Nature of News

1. The Huffington Post
Among the things the site does especially, The Huffington Post does an extraordinary job of examining conflict. In their article about Joe Biden and gun control, their reporting focuses on the ongoing fight over gun control following the shooting at Sandy Hook. The struggle between Democrats and Republicans is on display, and the article is even paired with a slideshow of Biden's opposition. For fans of novelty, Huffington Post isn't for you. On their front page, there is only one story relatively close to novelty.

2. New York Times
The New York Times is one of the nation's most primary advocates of impact. Their stories are always focused on how people in the country, New York and around the world are being affected by current events. For example, their article on the flu outbreak in the U.S gives plenty of information that is useful to normal citizens in America on how to stay safe from the flu. They also examine prominence in magnificent fashion. One of their top stories today is about Junior Seau's brain disease , something that wouldn't be discussed if Seau was a normal businessman in a small town.

3. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
For starters, the Post-Gazette is timely. In their article about Fort Pitt Boulevard today, they report a story that affects the entire city of Pittsburgh at 6 PM, a time that hasn't even come yet. Nobody would care if the Boulevard was closed three years ago. In the same fashion, the outlet capitalizes on proximity. If someone had missed their hearing in Austin, Texas, no one from the paper's primarily-Pittsburgh audience would read.

4. Pro Publica
Pro Publica thrives on accuracy. For instance, in their piece on drone strikes, they include hyperlinks to every source, verifying every single fact. When they make declarative statements, they provide more than enough evidence to justify their stance. Novelty can't be found on the website, though. They only publish stories about the most serious, important topics, and cannot be relied on for stories about funny happenings around the country.