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Thursday, 17 January 2008 |
Editor’s note: The articles on this page are listed in no particular order and do not represent every important event of the 2007 year. The topics and events included in this list were chosen specifically for the readers of The Appalachian. Other events considered included the fires in California, the start of the 2008 election and the crisis in Darfur.
Mountaineers stun Michigan, nation with ‘Big House’ defeat
Never again will anyone wonder where Boone is located after 2007’s monumental football season.
Goal posts were torn down, fans stared in amazement and history was made.
Appalachian
State University became the first division Football Championship
Subdivision (FCS) team to defeat an Associate Press Top 25 team in
history when it beat the University of Michigan, Sept. 1,
2007.
The Mountaineers conquered the Wolverines after a 24-yard field goal in the last 30 seconds of the
game, with a final score of 34-32.
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“It made football more of a presence here and gave Appalachian attention at the state and national
level,” freshman political science major Nate H. Cook said. “I believe it’ll bring more than just football
recognition, too; it put Mountaineers on the map.”
Defeating Michigan gave Appalachian national recognition, and Sports Illustrated proudly featured
senior wide receiver Dexter Jackson on its September 2007 issue, calling the game an “alltime upset.”
Despite a strong beginning with the Michigan win, the Mountaineers also experienced defeat this year.
Wofford delivered a disappointing 42-31 victory, ending the Mountaineers 17 game-winning streak.
About a month later, Appalachian received another blow when Georgia Southern took control of the
game within the first two minutes at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
This defeat ended a 30-game home winning streak for the Mountaineers and was witnessed by 28, 202
fans, the second largest crowd in Appalachian State history.
However, Appalachian finished strong during the last game of the season when the Mountaineers
secured the third consecutive FCS national championship with a win against the University of Delaware
Blue Hens.
The win made Appalachian the first Division I team to win three consecutive championships since the 1940s.
Miss Teen S.C. flubs question, wins fame
“U.S. Americans”
everywhere got a geography lesson when Lauren Caitlin Upton, Miss Teen
South Carolina, introduced us to the map-less country of “the Iraq.”
During the Miss Teen USA 2007 pageant on Aug. 24 in California, 18-year-old Upton was asked the
question, “Recent polls have shown a fifth of Americans can’t locate the U.S. on a world map. Why do
you think this is?”
After making it to the top five against 50 other contestants, Upton answered the onstage interview with
the following response:
“I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some people out there in
our nation don’t have maps and, uh, I believe that our, uh, education, like such as and I believe that
they should, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S. uh, or, uh, should help South
Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our children.”
The video of her answer mishap quickly became an Internet sensation. The video currently has over 21
million views on YouTube.
She later appeared on The Today Show where she announced she planned to
attend Appalachian State University where she planned to study topics
like, “such as” graphic design.
The undeniable combination of nerves and blatant stupidity paid off for Upton as she took fourth place
in the pageant.
Instead of attending Appalachian, where she could enroll in some
geography classes, Upton signed a lucrative modeling contract with
Donald Trump’s agency.
Proving every model stereotype, Upton will travel the world to exotic
locations- perhaps bringing maps to the underprivileged South Africans.
Facebook news feed turns user’s personal lives into headlines
Users of the
social networking Web site Facebook.com logged into their accounts and
were immediately informed of every break-up, wall post and tagged
picture of their pre-approved friends, courtesy of the Facebook news
feed, implemented in fall 2006.
Viewing the new application as an invasion of privacy, many users joined anti-news feed groups, while
hundreds of thousands sent angry e-mails to the creators of Facebook.
On Sept. 7, 2006, the Web site was adjusted to include more privacy settings.
The privacy settings page allows users to have greater control over what items are included in news
feeds and if they wanted the time of their actions displayed.
Users also have tight controls over what they want to be public and what they want to be private.
For example, a user could allow friends to view photos while preventing coworker access.
Facebook applications also increased in number and variety in 2007.
Users can cast spells on one another using the Harry Potter application, reminisce while playing
Facebook’s own version of Oregon Trail, rank and compare one another and one can even be “Super
Poked!,” though many are still unsure what the regular “poke” was for.
Thanks to
the year 2007, it’s safe to say what users commonly call “Facebook
stalking,” became a whole lot easier… while tearing oneself away from
photo album updates and “Jetman” sessions became a lot tougher.
Video games experience biggest year in 2007
With the release
of major titles such as Guitar Hero 3, Rock Band and Halo 3, and the
revision of several consoles, gamers everywhere had reason to rejoice
in the streets on a fairly regular basis in 2007.
While there were not any major console releases this year, the already existing Playstation 3, Wii,
XBOX 360 and PSP experienced changes and developments in 2007.
Playstation 3 finally became what Sony considers more affordable when it downgraded to a smaller
hard drive twice last year.
The first downgrade left 60 gigs of hard drive space but still maintained all of the aspects of the 80 gig
original version. The version was discontinued shortly after and a 40 gig with a nice low price of $399,
and the inability to play Playstation 2 games, was released.
The Wii continued in high demand since its release in October 2006, and still was unable to meet that
demand throughout the 2007 year.
Gamers that managed to obtain the elusive Wii got to enjoy several games, including, Resident Evil:
The Umbrella Chronicles and Super Mario Galaxy, which were released exclusively on the Wii.
Sony released a slimmer version of its Playstation Portable (PSP) in
September 2007. With the development of the slimmer system, Sony also
added the ability to hook the PSP up to home televisions to allow
gamers to play PSP games on a bigger screen.
The biggest games of the year include Bioshock, Halo 3, Assassin’s Creed, Mass Effect, Call of Duty
4, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and Rock Band, according to Game Informer Magazine.
Video games experienced over $10 billion in sales by the end of 2007 and are sure to be topped with
another year of big releases.
Record breaking mayoral, town council election to shape Boone’s future
The whirlwind local election of 2007 brought the future of Boone into sharp focus.
The race’s primary issue dealt with how, and why, Boone should be developed.
Mayoral hopefuls Tim Wilcox and Loretta Clawson confronted controversial zoning issues, such as
steep slope development and greenway extensions.
The race quickly intensified with public appearances and campaign signs visible at most major
intersections in town.
With a considerable amount of both publicity and controversy, the 2007 Boone Town Council elections
had the biggest voter turnout in Boone’s history.
The election results illustrated a town divided as Loretta Clawson won her second term as mayor with
57.9 percent of the vote, earning 1,222 votes.
The close race also elected candidates Stephen Phillips and Liz Aycock to seats on the council.
Clawson based her campaign on keeping Boone beautiful and working toward more sustainable
development.
“Steep slope was defiantly something that students could relate to. It’s a good university, but I think
that students come for the beauty,” Clawson said. “I was thrilled with the votes I’ve received from campus.”
“It was exciting to see such a heated political contest in a small election and I was proud to cast my
vote in such an important election for Boone,” said Ben J. Berry, senior appropriate technology major.
Virginia Tech tragedy shocks nation
Fear, disbelief
and shock swept Appalachian State University’s campus, along with
campuses across the nation, in April 2007 as students and faculty at
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University experienced what is
now considered the worst school shooting in American history.
The gunman, Tech student Cho Seung-Hui, murdered 32 individuals, including students, professors
and faculty before turning the gun on himself in the early hours of April 16.
Seung-Hui, an English major, was reported to be a loner and wrote disturbing journal entries and
created questionable videos that could have been a clue to his criminal nature, according to CNN.com.
He also violated Virginia law by buying more than one handgun within a 30-day period, and trained
himself in “execution style” killing, according to CNN.com.
Appalachian State was quick to react to the tragedy.
University and student organizations coordinated a candlelight vigil in support and respect for the
victims held April 18.
Close to 1,000 students attended the event, lit their candles and listened in silence as Student
Government Association President Forrest S. Gilliam, Dean of Students Susie L. Greene and
Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock spoke in reaction to the event.
In the weeks following the tragedy, students across the nation,
including Appalachian State, wore orange and maroon ribbons in support
of Virginia Tech.
Michael Vick dog fighting case concludes in jail time
Former Atlanta
Falcon’s quarterback Michael Vick made headlines in 2007 on newspaper
pages other than those in the sports section.
Vick was indicted on dog fighting charges in July 2007.
In April 2007, Vick’s cousin, Davon Boddie, was arrested on drug charges and listed Vick’s home as
his address.
As part of the investigation, a search of the player’s Virginia home found 66 dogs, including 55 pit
bulls, and various buildings that appeared to be used for dog fighting and training.
Falcon’s owner Arthur Blank called Vick’s behavior “horrific” in a press conference and suspended Vick
for four games, the maximum allowed by union rules.
Documents soon revealed Vick and his co-defendants, Quanis Phillips and Purnell Peace, had created
“Bad Newz Kennels,” the dog-fighting venture in 2001.
Vick signed a plea agreement Aug. 23, 2007.
A detailed summary of the dog fighting operation accompanied the agreement.
The summary included details of how Vick executed eight dogs that did
not perform well by methods of hanging, drowning and slamming a dog to
the ground.
In mid-July, Vick, Phillips and Peace were all indicted in the case.
In late November, Peace and Phillips were sentenced to 18 months and 21 months respectively.
On Dec. 10, 2007, Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison.
Apple’s iPhone makes big impact in market last year
For a fee of
around $400, one can hold a small piece of 2007 history in the palm of
their hand. This revolutionary device allows users to flick, click, tap
or chat their way to easier living.
On June 29, 2007, 164 Apple retail stores in the United States opened to sell iPhones for an initial
price of $599 a piece on a first come, first serve, basis.
Apple.com describes the gadget as not only an innovative mobile phone, but also a widescreen iPod
and the Internet in your pocket.
A main feature that sets the phone apart from many other cellular devices is its touch screen display.
Not only can you make a call by pointing at a name in your address book, texting is performed by
touching keys on a QWERTY style keyboard.
You can also flip through photo albums, playlists, ringtones and more by using just the tip of your
finger.
Within the first three months of retail, Apple had already sold 1.4 million iPhones within the United
States and by the end of September 2007, offered the device to customers in the United Kingdom,
France and Germany, according to news.com.
iPhones are currently only partnered with AT&T, which does not offer service in many locations in the
United States.
Socialite Paris Hilton gets served
The limelight of stardom can often taint celebrities, giving stars the belief they can get off scot-free from the law.
In 2007, for Hollywood socialite and hotel multimillion- dollar heiress Paris Hilton, that was not the
case.
In 2006, Hilton was busted for a DUI and her license was revoked.
A year later, on June 5, 2007, she landed herself behind bars in California’s Lynwood Jail.
Driving without a valid license and violating her DUI probation costed Hilton exactly 23 days worth of
shopping, tanning and partying.
She was stripped of her cell phone and designer clothing and booked with a less-than-glamorous mug
shot and typical orange jumpsuit.
Hilton said in a statement issued by her lawyer, Richard Hutton, “this is an important point in my life
and I need to take responsibility for my actions. In the future, I plan
on taking more of an active role in the decisions I make… Although I am
scared, I am ready to begin my jail sentence.”
The heiress began her sentence when she turned herself into officials after the MTV Video Music Awards.
However, within three days the diva was released due to supposed “medical issues,” such as claustrophobia.
Right.
Chaos ensued after California officials caught wind of the heiress
making court calls via satellite in the comfort of her decked out home.
She was immediately removed from house arrest and thrown back into the throngs of her fellow jailbirds.
Driving under the influence, 23 hours of solitude, orange jumpsuits and no privacy.
That’s not hot.
Live Earth hosts 24-hour concert
On July 7, 2007,
the world tuned into a 24-hour concert across seven continents
featuring 150 musical acts with one goal: provoking global change.
From New York to Tokyo, and even to Antarctica, millions gathered to raise awareness for global
warming.
Freshman sustainable development major Caitlin E. Lamb said she tuned in for the concert this past
year because she thinks it is important to “mobilize our generation on issues of environmental
concern.”
Live Earth’s concert, in her opinion, was a very effective approach to raising awareness.
“Popular musicians and celebrities are able to get a larger portion of the general public interested in
environmental issues such as global warming,” she said. “Publicity and media coverage is what will
help bring environmentalism away from the stigma of tree- hugging hippies and into the 21st century.”
Live Earth launched its multimillion dollar campaign geared toward informing individuals, as well as the
government and corporations, on ways to help save the earth. Live Earth calls this danger the “Climate
Crisis.”
LiveEarth.org encourages people to make minor adjustments like unplugging unused appliances in
order to save more energy.
“We only have a few years before the damage we have done is irreversible,” Lamb said. “It is up to our
generation to make sure that environmental changes are implemented.”
Internet causes writers to strike for better paychecks
As Thanksgiving
rolled around in November 2007, television networks and viewers
everywhere forgot to give thanks for one important department that
makes all entertainment-addictions possible – writers.
The writer’s strike has raged on since.
As a result, numerous TV show favorites were cancelled or put on hold, forcing many networks to rely
on re-runs.
There were several issues that caused the writers to strike, one being the Internet.
Viewers are able to download shows and movies off the Internet, often times for free.
However, if a TV network re-airs an episode, writers are paid residuals.
This is not the case with the Internet, as writers receive no compensation for any material viewed
online.
Emily E. Smith, a senior pre-law student, like many TV viewers, has been affected by the lack of new
episodes of her favorite shows.
Still, she supports the writer’s strike.
“I think that the writers are truly underpaid because we have celebrities making upwards of $15 million
for these contracts and the shows wouldn’t be what they are without what the writers put into it,” Smith
said.
Smith also thinks the writers are the main component and selling point for these shows.
“You’ll find students putting quotes all over their away messages and talking about things said on the
shows,” she said. “[It’s] not so much about the actors and actresses who play the parts.”
With the event of the Golden Globes being replaced by an unscripted press conference, Theater
department professor Ben Corbett S. said he wouldn’t be surprised if the Oscars were cancelled this
year as well.
“The Oscars may be the making or breaking point [of the strike] since
it is such a huge moneymaker and important for ratings,” he said.
Contributing Writers:
Ashley
Benners, Allison Casey, Lindsay Craven, Julia Harr, Alison Meany,
Kelsey Ohlegar, Nikki Roberti, Jacqueline Scott and Lindsay Tigar
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