Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Seahawks show up for Pro-Bowl



The Pro-Bowl was quite the show for Seahawks fans, as six Seattle players took part in the game.

Russell Wilson, Leon Washington, Earl Thomas, Russell Okung, Marshawn Lynch and Max Unger were all invited to play in the all-star football extravaganza.

Russell Wilson was the star of the show, throwing eight complete passes out of ten attempts, with three touchdown passes. He also showed off his legs, avoiding sacks and making a quick 15-yard run to get out of trouble.

Marshawn Lynch wasn’t a huge factor in the game, but this was mostly due to the game itself being centered much more around passing by both teams. He ran for 21 yards, including one 12-yard run in which he showed off his strength and powered through five tacklers along the way.

The offensive line was hard to judge in this game due to both teams being less physical than usual, but tackle Russell Okung and center Max Unger held their own.

Earl Thomas had an interception and a solid hit on Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas.

Leon Washington proved that he’s one of the best kickoff returner in the league, returning four kickoffs for a total of 167 yards, and four punts for 18 yards. He had one 92-yard kickoff return that almost resulted in a touchdown.

Overall, the Seahawks helped the NFC immensely in a 62-35 victory over the AFC. Go Hawks

Story By AJ Hansen

Monday, February 4, 2013

Scouts rethink policy on gays


The Boy Scouts of America are considering dropping a controversial ban on gay members and leaders.

The Boy Scouts of America has been an organization dedicated to the betterment of today’s youth since 1910. “Scouting helps youth develop academic skills, self-confidence, ethics, leadership skills, and citizenship skills that influence their adult lives,” said the SBA website.

Currently both members and leaders are banned if they are gay. The proposal would allow the Boy Scouts of America groups to start letting each individual religious and civic group select their own policy regarding gay members and leaders.

The proposal comes after years of protests, petitions and loss of funding from some corporations. If these new changes take place, “the Boy Scouts would not, under any circumstances, dictate a position to units, members, or parents." according to BSA spokesman Deron Smith.

“This would mean there would no longer be any national policy regarding sexual orientation, and the chartered organizations that oversee and deliver Scouting would accept membership and select leaders consistent with each organization’s mission, principles, or religious beliefs,” said Smith.

The BSA celebrated their 100th anniversary in 2010 and for that duration excluded both gays and atheists. They are not reconsidering the ban on atheists as “Duty to God” remains one of their basic tenets.

There will continue to be debate in the coming years as each group decides for themselves whether or not to lift the ban.

Story By Jordan Alexander

Thursday, January 31, 2013

THQ goes bankrupt


Former big name video game publisher THQ is now defunct.

Amidst financial troubles and bankruptcy filings, the publisher known for franchises like “Saints Row” and “Red Faction” has now dissolved and sold off all their assets. Many attribute the company’s major financial loss to the flop of their uDraw drawing peripheral, a drawing tablet for consoles that allows players to draw shapes and objects onto a tablet surface.

Despite the publisher’s folding, many of their well-known franchises will live on under new owners. Sega Corp. purchased Relic Entertainment, known for the “Company of Heroes” franchise. Koch Media purchased studio Volition, known for “Saints Row”. Big name publisher Ubisoft picked up the license for “South Park”, and developer Crytek now controls the “Homefront” franchise.

Sadly, “Darksiders” developer Vigil Games did not survive the license auction and has since folded, along with many talented employees. THQ CEO Jason Rubin, who founded the Sony studio Naughty Dog, tweeted “I am truly sorry for the employees and fans of @vigilgames. It is a travesty that the team and its potential were not recognized.”

It’s a shame to see THQ go out like this. With the recent taking on of Rubin as CEO, the studio was making some good changes. They had plans to focus more on game development and making fresh new content.

For example, the staff of Volition cancelled development on a comical downloadable content expansion for “Saints Row: The Third” in order to shift their focus on developing the fourth title of the franchise. Rubin had the goal of putting out titles that would be on the level of critically acclaimed games like Rockstar’s “Red Dead Redemption”.

The Humble THQ Bundle, a partnership with the Humble Bundle team, was a pay-what-you-want bundle of AAA THQ titles that was a huge success. Earning nearly $5 million in sales, the bundle was a welcome breath of reassuring air following their financial woes.

Unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough.

Aside from the fate of Vigil Games, it’s good to see THQ’s studios go to good homes. It is a major relief that big controversial mogul publisher Electronic Arts has not picked up any of the licenses.

Known for their questionable downloadable content practices and corporate malpractice, it’s a safe thought knowing that franchises like “Company of Heroes” and “Metro 2033” won’t be marketed with dubstep-filled trailers.

Nonetheless, rest in peace, THQ.

Story by Aaron Gilje

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Mariners trade Jaso


The Seattle Mariners participated in a three-way trade with the Washington Nationals and the Oakland Athletics  on Jan. 16, in which they traded catcher John Jaso for outfielder Mike Morse.

Jaso was sent to Oakland. Oakland sent pitcher A.J. Cole and two minor league prospects to the Nationals, and the Nationals sent Mike Morse to Seattle.

Many Mariners fans were skeptical of the trade, seeing as Jaso just had a career-high year, but looking at Mike Morse’s stats might change their minds.

Morse can play outfield, first base or shortstop. The Mariners will most likely use him in the outfield, with occasional appearances at first, depending on the performance of Justin Smoak. In 2011 his batting average was .303; he hit 31 home runs and had 95 RBI.

He had a late start to the 2012 season due to a strained lat muscle, but put up a .291 batting average with 18 home runs and 62 RBI in 102 games played.

The biggest worry for Seattle in this trade is whether Morse can stay healthy or not. If he plays a full season in 2013, his stats suggest that he would be a huge contribution to a struggling Mariners offense.

It’s true that Jaso will be missed, especially since he’s been sent to one of the Mariners’ division rivals, but overall Mariners fans should be happy with the trade.
Story by A.J. Hansen

Kurt Scobie entertains students and staff at EvCC

­­­­­­­­­
                                                                                                              Students and staff watch Kurt Scobie perform in Parks cafe during lunch time/ Kyle Millett

Musician Kurt Scobie entertained students and staff from 11:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. on Jan. 16, in the Café in the Parks Student Union building.

Kurt Scobie pianist and vocalist performs at EvCC
Scobie is originally from Michigan. He moved to Tennessee for a time, and now currently lives in Atlanta, Ga. Kurt expressed thanks for being able to come visit the great northwest.

Scobie performed his own music, inspired by life experiences such as moving from Tennessee and leaving friends he had met. The song Last Call off of his EP Crash is about that experience. Lyrics from the song Last Call were printed on Scobier glasses that were being sold along with Scobies two CDs.
Scobier glasses for sale

Scobie also performed covers of other artists such as Love Song by Sara Bareilles.

 Story and Photos by Kyle Millett




Sunday, January 20, 2013

Student Senate liveblog

Look forward to the full story at Clipperonline.info Story by Henry Yarsinke Jr.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Clipper Music Blog: track 1


Welcome to the Clipper Music Blog! We are kicking off a weekly music blog to
showcase what our staff is listening to. Got anything for us to check out? Leave a track or
two in the comments.

Megan Calbero, Editor-In-Chief:
Jimmy Eat World – "Kill"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNZyIINrHPA
“It’s just so good.”

Liv Houseman, Assistant Editor:
Racoon – "Love You More"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j4MWZevjYw
“Soft spoken and calming without being bad poetry.”

Kyle Millett, Web Editor:
Lecrae – "Background (Feat. C-Lite)"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsz6K4Wqv24
“It’s one of my favorite songs from Lecrae.”

Jeff Hagglund, Photo Editor:
Toby Mac – "Eyes On It"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pO16yMC19o
“It’s my favorite track off his new record.”

Henry Yarsinske Jr, Ad Manager:
RVIVR – "Had Enough (Of This Hell)"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8Cn_kUcxec
“Just a really killer local band. Support good music!”

Melissa Jilk, Staff Writer:
Flight Of The Conchords – "Inner City Pressure"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wqfcwgT0Ds
“Funny; good times.”

Ashley Cline, Staff Writer:
Imagine Dragons – "Hear Me"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Yr683VLxes
“I jam to this in the rain.”

Mikayla Henke, Staff Writer:
Lotus – "Jalan Jalan"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z2rzEgiOa8
“So calming.”

AJ Hansen, Staff Writer:
Darkness – "I Believe In A Thing Called Love"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRYNYb30nxU
“His voice is horrifying and awesome.”

Paul Edwards, Staff Writer:
Joe Budden – "All In My Head (Feat. Royce Da 5’9 and Kobe)" (Explicit)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ai1DM1JUKcM
“Very deep, new track. My favorite rapper.”

Aaron Gilje, Staff Writer:
Health – "Tears"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEH_LSL4rVw
“It’s a great track that evokes the themes of Max Payne 3.”

Jordan Alexander, Staff Writer:
Count Basie and his Orchestra – "One O’Clock Jump"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3JyQnYPkZk
“No one swings harder than Basie.”

Christian Zerbel, Staff Writer:
Macklemore – "Make The Money"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjpo5_aC9XE
“It does a really good job of giving us a view of the artist.”