The Matthew Online

When is St. Patrick's Day? When the Church says it is

 

By Melissa Colabraro

ROME, March 15 - Take out your green-colored outfits. Today is Saint Patrick’s Day. 

The Catholic Church pushed the holiday ahead two days to March 15 this year rather than have it clash with Holy Week.

The patron saint of Ireland will be commemorated today with religious ceremonies. Revelers see little problem with the change of plans for "a St. Patrick's three-day weekend".

“Heck, now we have a whole weekend of celebrations,” said John Cabot University student, Alyse Lorenzo.  “I agree with the date change, but I don’t believe people will obey it. There will be people out celebrating on Monday night. It’s just what we are used to.”

 

Soccer: Gladiators fall to Campus Bio-Medico 2-0

By Cheryl Wayne

ROME, March 14 – The John Cabot University Gladiators are off to a slow start this semester, losing their third soccer match Thursday night to Campus Bio-Medico 2-0.

Campus Bio-Medico struck early, scoring shortly into the first half. The Gladiators were never able to recover. Coach Massimiliano Digennaro tried to motivate his players with an invigorating halftime speech but the Gladiators could not get the ball in the goal.

Field conditions at La Selcetta were harsh for the Gladiators who are accustomed to playing on state-of-the-art turf. Forced to compete on a dirt field with poor lighting, many players felt that they were at a strong disadvantage. Coach Digennaro said, “we’re playing on a potato field lighted by candle sticks.” 

Senior captain Dean Torosian, who is currently out with a hamstring injury, believes that despite this loss the Gladiators still have a chance at clinching a playoff spot.

The playoff schedule has not been released. Your next chance to catch the JCU Gladiators compete is this Monday at 9 p.m. on their home field. For more information check the bulletin board at the entrance of JCU. Also, check out the Facebook group JCU Gladiators for some fun facts about the team.

 

 

JCU event: The Politics of Climate Change. March 19 at 6:30 p.m.

On Wednesday, March 19 the Guarini Institute for Public Affairs will present a public lecture entitled “Politics of Climate Change” from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in John Cabot University’s Aula Magna Regina. This lecture will combine one of the globe’s key issues -- the impact of climate change consequences in the political arena -- with world renowned British sociologist Lord Anthony Giddens.

Giddens sits in Britain's House of Lords as a representative of the Labour Party and has previously served as one of Prime Minister Tony Blair’s advisers. He has authored more than 34 books which have been translated in to at least 40 languages and has recently had an article published in La Repubblica. His ‘Third Way’ approach to politics -- that political concepts of left and right are diminishing and a theory that compromises social democracy and neoliberalism -- has influenced leading government officials such as Bill Clinton and was experimented by Prime Minister Tony Blair. 

This distinguished member of the British Parliament will be coming to JCU to lecture on how climate change affects politics. With recent scientific studies showing that the earth is being impacted by global warming as it never has been before, the United Nations’ Kyoto Protocol in response to the problem, and Al Gore’s documentary film "Inconvenient Truth" climate change is not a topic easily ignored in the political sphere. Thus Lord Giddens will be addressing a controversial issue: how can political action counter the trend towards global warming and the catastrophes that could derive from it.

Dr. Federigo Argentieri, Political Science Professor at JCU and Director of the Guarini Institute, says, “Giddens is currently applying his exceptional analytical talents to an issue that is very complex and multifaceted… it's time for public powers to envisage an appropriate strategy, which is not simple nor anything that can be improvised. Only with a long-term, consistent commitment will it be possible to counter the trend and establish a more harmonious coexistence between mankind and the natural environment. It's certainly one of the main challenges of this century".

Next Wednesday's event will be open to all students and faculty. It promises to be one of John Cabot University’s most unforgettable events.

Rome hosts a festival for beautiful minds

By Sara Patterson

ROME, March 14—If you thought mathematical puzzles were nothing more than the preferred torture weapons of overzealous high school Algebra teachers, one festival happening in Rome this weekend may change your mind.

The second annual Festival of Mathematics at the Auditorium Parco della Musica kicked off yesterday morning with a day full of mathematics games, shows, and lectures. Bright minds of all ages crowded around staff members who engaged the audience with riddles and demonstrations.

The festival will continue through Sunday when John Nash, Nobel Memorial Prize winner and subject of the academy award winning film “A Beautiful Mind” will speak on game theory and living with schizophrenia. Each day, topics ranging from “math with superheroes” to “math and magic” will present a new way to look at the subject.

 

Tracing Back Trastevere: A Multimedia View of the Neighborhood’s History

By Emily Finkelstein

ROME, March 13 – Lining the Piazza S. Egidio, mere cobblestones away from John Cabot University, is the unassuming Museo di Roma in Trastevere, dedicated to the art and culture of the neighborhood, and of greater Rome.

The collection may not compete with those of Palazzo delle Esposizioni, however, the pieces may interest JCU students, especially those residing in Trastevere. The watercolors of 19^th century painter Ettore Roesler Franz  reside in one of the museum’s permanent collections, Landscapes of Memory. His work mainly features scenes of the Tiber River, evoking almost a Venice-like landscape. 

JCU student to lace up for this weekend's Rome Marathon

By Amanda Baker

ROME, March 12 – John Cabot University student Kent Harding will completes his preparations to explore the city in an unusual way -- while running in The Roman Marathon this Sunday.

Harding, a 21-year-old visiting student from Michigan State University, has not been doing the expected rigorous training for the Maratona della citta' di Roma. While he has been working on sustaining his endurance with three- to ten-mile runs for three days a week, he has not followed a strict diet or done any other special preparations.

For Harding, the purpose of the marathon is simply to test his abilities with minimal training. As it is his first marathon, Harding would like to see where he stands as a beginner.

“There is no better time than now. I might as well see how I do for this first marathon and use it to improve for the next," said Harding (pictured above). 

Snapshots of dreams that never come true

By Nadin Aloufi

ROME, March 11 - Earlier this month, Rome's Palazzo delle Esposizioni exhibition of American photographer Gregory Crewdson came to an end, but not before John Cabot University photography students had the opportunity to see his spectacular work.

Crewdson is known for creating pictures filled with the drama and emotion of a Hollywood film. His photos capture images of American suburbia, but include disturbing details. This contradicts the idea of the American dream; the images illustrate reality and the unaccomplished dream.   

"He creates something false that appears real, so real that it appears false again," said William Pettit an art studio professor at John Cabot University.

 

 

An artistic view of Women's Day

 

By Beatriz Fiore

ROME, March 11 – Women artists commemorated the centenary of International Women’s Day last weekend presenting a collection of modern works in Rome's Cortese&Lisanti art gallery.

The exhibition “Donne D’arte.Freedom”, open from March 8-23, offers a range of both solemn and colourful pieces by contemporary women artists.

“It seems, and not only to us, that female artists in general have always been neglected and underestimated,” says gallery owner Massimo Lisanti. “We have chosen a theme which enables us to celebrate these artists in many ways: freedom. The diverse techniques, modes of expression and even the arrangement of the exhibition give the idea of freedom.”

 

Blessed motorists still zipping through Rome's streets

By Meagan Haessig

ROME, March 11 - Roadway safety is promised to religious drivers every March 9 during the annual "blessing of the cars" event held at Santa Francesca Romana church outside of the Colosseum. Due to the high volume of automobile accidents on Italian roads and the well known fact of Italians’ haphazard driving habits it's a blessing many Italians feel is necessary. 

This day accompanies the feast day of Saint Frances, who was declared patron saint of motorists in 1925 by Pope Pius XI. The 14th Century saint, the legend reads, was kept safe in her travels by angels.      

 

Mysterious group dashes through Rome in the footsteps of Caesar

By Kriste Marciulionis

ROME, March 10 -- Silhouetted by the Roman Forum, the Roman House Hash Harrier hounds stretched their legs on Sunday, preparing for their biggest chase of the year.

The House Hash Harriers is a phenomenon that began in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1939 by a group of British colonial officials and expatriates. It was an offbeat variation of the “hare and hounds” game, where the colonial “hounds” set a chalk trail leading a path with clues and riddles to be followed by the group of “hares”. Eventually their chase led to the rewards of the hash house, a pub where beer and food was readily supplied as the prize for completing the race.