Many people view the sports world through an extremely narrow lens. It looks something like this: overpaid, steroid-fueled athletes playing silly games, in which they choreograph touchdown dances and through which they gain fame and fortune and have open access to anyone with a microphone. It’s a world filled with vapid competitors, greedy managers and overpriced hot dogs.

At times, it’s hard to see sports any other way.

Every now and then, though, a story rises to the surface that reminds us of the human element of sports. In some even rarer cases, it reminds us of the humane element of sports.

Kay Yow’s fight against cancer is one of those stories. While at N.C. State, she coached the women’s basketball team to 737 wins, four conference championships and 20 NCAA Tournament appearances. When Yow was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987, she didn’t miss a beat. Instead of wallowing, Yow coached the 1988 U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal. She continued to coach, continued to fight and left indelible imprints on all those with whom she came into contact.

This past Saturday, Yow passed away. The Hall of Fame coach turned cancer spokesperson left behind an enduring legacy of courage, strength and humility — not to mention success.

Nobody is more familiar with that legacy than Virginia women’s basketball coach Debbie Ryan. The long-time Cavalier coach first met Yow back in the late 1970s.

“When I came into the conference 32 years ago, Kay was one of the coaches who was there to welcome and teach me,” Ryan said. “I was a young coach, and she really helped me to understand what it is to be a basketball coach in the ACC; in this conference, we are comrades and friends first and competitors second. She taught me that early, and I’ve tried to carry it on.”

The camaraderie and friendship that existed between Yow and Ryan may have started off with a handshake and a few nice words after a N.C. State and Virginia game, but in the following years, it grew. When Ryan was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2000, the two formed a bond tighter than any 1-point overtime game. From that point forward, Yow and Ryan were in a situation to which few could relate as they battled a life-threatening illness.

“These last eight years we’ve spent a great deal of time as cancer survivors together,” Ryan said. “Just being together and talking about the different issues that you go through as a cancer survivor — that bonded us in a way that was very special and dear to me.”

From their respective platforms as ACC basketball coaches, Yow and Ryan not only successfully fought the disease but also spread awareness of it. During rounds of golf, the two talked about the hardships of chemotherapy, planned for a fundraiser and — of course — discussed their teams’ prospects for the upcoming season.

In this case, sports brought together two competitors and gave each a shoulder to lean on as they endured one of life’s toughest obstacles.
While the media covered Terrell Owens’ loud mouth, Yow and Ryan were in the background, coaching and fighting. When the press covered the steroid scandal, both were still in the background, still coaching and fighting. And throughout all of the multi-million dollar contract signings, all the touchdown dances and all of the bench-clearing brawls and hockey fights in the past eight years, there were Yow and Ryan in the background — coaching and fighting.

“We never shied away from it,” Ryan said. “We helped each other with that. She [Yow] was still trying to walk when she had no skin on the bottom of her feet. She was still trying to get out to fundraisers and speaking engagements. And the weather would bother her — everything would bother her. But she persevered … she never stopped, right up through the very end.”

Yow and Ryan’s shared stories are a testament to courage. They show the type of compassion and strength that sports can sow.
Even more, it shows the type of awareness that sports can bring to one of life’s highest hurdles.

“In our lifetime, it may not happen,” Ryan said of eradicating cancer. “But it could happen for the children of this lifetime — or the children of our players’ lifetime.”

Now that’s a story from the sports world worth following.

The Virginia men’s tennis team will attempt to keep the ball rolling this weekend, as the Cavaliers look to add to their win column and continue their undefeated spring season.

The team dispatched its first two ranked opponents of the season last weekend, defeating No. 15 Illinois and No. 30 Notre Dame. Virginia will next face Arkansas in its opening round of the ITA National Indoors Qualifier Friday at the Boar’s Head Sports Club. Saturday, the Cavaliers will face the winner of the East Tennessee State and Wisconsin matchup.

Virginia holds the No. 5 ranking nationally and though none of its potential weekend opponents have cracked the polls, the team remains focused. Victories in the two qualifying rounds would lead to a trip to Chicago in February for the National Team Indoor Tournament and a chance to defend last year’s team crown.

Though the team enjoyed a higher ranking last year, weighing in at No. 1 throughout the entire season before losing in the NCAA semifinals, this year’s Cavaliers are also talented and perhaps more importantly, very deep.

“We certainly have a lot of options with our team,” Boland said. “We have more depth than maybe we’ve ever had.”

Following the departure of No. 1 player Somdev Devvarman, a two-time NCAA singles champion, Virginia’s roster has opened up. Sophomore Michael Shabaz is the team’s highest nationally ranked player, sitting at No. 11 in the preseason polls. Virginia coach Brian Boland, however, has penciled senior Dominic Inglot in at the top spot, while Shabaz plays in the No. 2 position. Despite Inglot’s lower national ranking, he has enjoyed success thus far; he remains undefeated in his matchups against top players. Shabaz, too, has had few issues dispatching his opponents this spring.

Inglot has been a major factor in the Cavaliers’ early success, finally playing at full strength after a shoulder injury this past summer. His first four season victories earned him ACC Tennis Player of the Week honors, and he has showed few signs of slowing down. Of those four wins, two came against opponents with  higher national rankings than his own.

“[Inglot], being a senior and being provided the opportunity, has certainly taken advantage of it,” Boland said. “Hopefully his streak continues. He’s playing well, and he’s getting better with each match. He’s just gifted.”

In addition to this crop of talent from veteran players, some younger athletes, including freshman Drew Courtney, have also contributed to the team’s success.

Courtney continues to gain swagger after playing in his first home collegiate matches this past weekend, and the qualifier should offer more of the same experience. The pressure of the home opener did not appear to faze him, and Boland said he expects continued growth and success from the newcomer in the future.

“It’s tough, especially when we played at home Friday night in front of a packed stadium,” Courtney said. “It was such a cool experience, and I was just thriving in the moment.”

Courtney is just one example of a Virginia player ahead of the learning curve; Boland said the entire team seems to be improving faster than expected.

“We’re a little bit ahead of schedule,” Boland said. “We continue to gel as a team. Everybody’s working hard and really developing individually, and we’re coming together collectively as a group. It’s an exciting time for our program.”

Virginia Tech.

When spoken, these two words make many Cavaliers cringe and grimace. This sentiment is shared by the Virginia wrestling team, which will take on the Hokies Saturday in Richmond at the Rumble on the River. Before the action against Virginia Tech, the squad will face George Mason Friday in Hopewell, Va.

The Cavaliers (8-7, 0-1 ACC) have split with the Hokies (15-1, 0-0 ACC) in Virginia coach Steve Garland’s first two years, and they will be looking to avenge last season’s disappointing performance during which the Cavaliers lost 16-18, despite being favored in nearly every weight class.

The Hokies have had an impressive season up to this point, earning a No. 13 ranking in the country. They finished fourth at the Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C. earlier this season, while the Cavaliers placed seventh. The Hokies also have two wins against top-25 opponents, recently upsetting No. 6 Central Michigan in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. last Sunday and beating No. 17 Michigan the day before in Ann Arbor.

The Cavaliers will have their hands full this year if they hope to play spoiler to the Hokies; Virginia finds itself in the opposite position it was in last season, with the Hokies now ranked higher and favored in most of the weight classes.

“We are out for blood this year because of what happened last year,” senior Rocco Caponi said. “We were supposed to beat them. On paper we were a better team, and when it came down to wrestling on the mat, we weren’t that day. It is a bit of a vendetta this year.”

The match against Virginia Tech Saturday will be the final dual meet against the Hokies for senior starters Caponi, Mike Sewell and Peter Ferrara. Since the trio has been on the team, the Cavaliers have gone 2-1 against the Hokies with wins in 2006 and 2007. Recently, the Cavaliers have had the Hokies’ number, beating them in four out the last six years. It will be their last chance to leave their mark on what is perhaps the biggest school rivalry in Virginia.

“Not only would a win against Tech mean a lot for us as a team, being able to come together and support each other and pull through in the face of adversity and all of these setbacks, but it would [mean] so much to me being a senior,” Ferrara said.

Caponi and Ferrara hope the match will be payback for losses suffered last year as well as earlier this season. Ferrara, who wrestles at 149 pounds, will face No. 20 Hokie freshman Pete Yates, to whom he lost earlier this season at the Southern Scuffle.

Caponi, meanwhile, had a disappointing loss last season at the Rumble on the River. He was No. 9 in the country at the time and was upset 5-2 by then-freshman Tommy Spellman, who he will likely face Saturday.

“It is also a bit of a personal match for me to make up for that loss,” Caponi said. “Every dual meet from here on does mean a lot because it is my last season. It is always nice to have bragging rights for after this year.”

Before the Cavaliers can even think about bragging rights, however, they will participate in a tilt with another in-state opponent, George Mason (4-6-1, 0-2 ACC). The matchup will mark the Patriots’ first match against an ACC opponent since the team fell 22-18 to Virginia Tech in George Mason’s season opener.

Between the two matches, the Cavaliers hope to be able to pull off a hallmark win — they have yet to record a victory against a top-25 foe — to give them momentum going into the ACC Championships after a disappointing loss to North Carolina last weekend.

“We need a spark right now,” Garland said. “Our guys have so many injuries, it’s really starting to weigh on the hearts and minds of our wrestlers. It will be nice to see us come out and upset these guys.”

You’ve worked hard for four years and are just months away from receiving that long-awaited diploma. So, now what?
In the current economic crisis, employment opportunities seem to be slipping further away. In the following interviews, University faculty members, deans and counselors share advice with students about how to be competitive in the job market.

Kendra Nelsen, director for student services at University Career Services:
“First and foremost, you need to recognize that it is a very difficult economic climate and that there are repercussions in employment opportunities. There has always been a lot of interviewing on Grounds, but hiring is being reduced and because so much recruiting is done, we see [its reduction] more … Students need to recognize this and not panic but start the job search earlier as it is becoming a lengthier process. Look online, use network connections through alumni and family, and talk to the Career Services office. You might need to start thinking beyond your specific target. Look at where else and in what other jobs your skills could be involved in similar ways. Ultimately, it is about developing those core competencies that will make students more attractive to companies when the market picks up again. Identify your other options to become more hopeful: anxiety into action!”

Charles Fitch, Commerce Career Services assistant dean:
“All students should be networking with alumni, family and friends, past employers — any contacts you have. It is worthwhile to look into other industries and try to get a foot in the door somewhere. You should not be holding out for your ultimate job; it might not come along, or you might not get the position. Be as positive as possible and use a variety of resources, especially online search tools. Get creative with Google and really look, as you never know what ideas are out there.”

Dean of Students Allen Groves:
“First, consider looking at a service-related position if your finances will allow it. Teach for America and the Peace Corps are two great examples. They are highly selective, but the work will be well-respected by employers in two years time. Other non-profit jobs offer similarly great experience. Second, consider starting graduate school now, but be aware that application numbers are up, and schools are being even more selective. Also, look closely at what the placement rates are for each graduate program and make sure you will get a good return on your tuition investment. Lastly, broaden your targeted industries. Some areas of the economy, like investment banking, are shrinking, but others, like green technologies or public infrastructure, are expanding. University Career Services professionals can help with this.”

Environmental Sciences Prof. Manuel Lerdau:
“For third-year [students], start now: Find job opportunities for credit or pay with faculty. Research experience will be one of the most important things when it comes to finding a job. It does not have to be in your specific area, although it would be ideal if it was closely related. Take advantage of summer employment when you are not geographically bound to Grounds as well … Think about where you want to be in 10 years time, as you need to remain geographically flexible over the next two or three years to get there. However, if where you live is very important to you, you may get a sub-optimal job. Remember that the job that may position you best for the future may give you lower pay than the one that will afford less opportunities later.”

Architecture Prof. Michael Bednar, director of undergraduate Architecture advising:  
“Get experience that relates to architecture, even if it’s not specifically in the field of architecture. Try to get a job in construction, urban planning and graphic design to find a foothold to get experience rather than biding one’s time. It may take some creative endeavors on your part to find a productive way to spend time, but it is better to be occupied.”

Environmental Sciences Prof. Robert Davis:  
“In the environmental sciences there are not many issues. In fact, all of last year’s graduates that I know of found jobs … I do know that more students are applying to graduate school because I’ve been writing lots of applicants’ recommendations. It is something of the fail-safe option, but I would recommend it if students are genuinely interested and motivated to continue their studies.”

Chemical Engineering Prof. Roseanne Ford:
“I would suggest trying to be flexible. That might mean taking a job outside your ideal job or specialty, type or location. The demand is still there, but companies are reticent about increasing their workforce and only hire people for short-term projects. There are more opportunities for part-time work. One might consider graduate school, but don’t do it just as an alternative — only if you truly have interest in more study.”

Economics Prof. William Johnson:  
“This is a good time to go to [graduate] school. The opportunity cost, what you lose in taking an opportunity, has fallen as earning opportunities are less available than they once were. That is what you could have been earning full time but gave up by going to graduate school. Graduate school is definitely becoming more attractive as employment options are less attractive and the cost of going [to graduate school] is lowered.”

The Congressional Budget Office predicts the federal deficit will reach $1.2 trillion in 2009. In 2008, the federal debt reached a record $10 trillion, from just $6 trillion eight years ago. Furthermore, the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet has expanded from less than $900 billion in September 2008 to more than $2.26 trillion as of Dec. 12, 2008.

These financial figures are so troubling that their significance is worth further discussion, because how the government conducts fiscal and monetary policy today will greatly impact our standard of living in the future.

Let’s begin by discussing the federal debt versus the federal deficit. Often, people use these words interchangeably, but their meanings are different. A federal deficit — or surplus — is the difference between incoming revenues from taxes, land sales or fines and outgoing expenditures for a given year. For example, if the federal government collected $3 trillion in taxes, fees and other revenues this year but spent a total of $3.3 trillion on building roads, paying employees and buying souring loans from banks, it would report a budget deficit of $300 billion.

To pay the deficit amount, the government must borrow money. Every year, the current deficit is added to the overall federal debt. The federal debt is equal to the accumulation of yearly federal deficits.

Evaluating current federal budget figures leads to some startling conclusions. Most worrisome, our government continues to spend beyond its means while letting the country’s outstanding debt grow exponentially. While the federal budget deficit for 2008 reached a record of $455 billion, next year’s projected deficit will be even larger, $1.2 trillion.

To finance the yearly deficit and record debt, the U.S. Federal Reserve — the country’s central bank — has been selling Treasury bills and bonds. This year, it has been selling an unusually large number of government debt notes to finance the bailout of the country’s major banks. The printing of additional cash and selling of Treasury bonds account for the huge expansion of the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet, from less than $900 billion in September to $2.26 trillion in January. These actions are akin to running up a huge monthly credit card bill and simply printing money to pay the interest.

Indeed, during President Bush’s administration, the federal debt doubled from about $5.5 trillion to nearly $11 trillion. With a yearly gross domestic product — the broadest measure of U.S. economic output — of $13 trillion, the federal debt now accounts for about 84.62 percent of yearly economic output. If the federal government wanted to pay off this debt in a year, it would need to tax salaries and business revenues at an 85-percent rate.

To combat the current crisis, the government is putting itself into debt more quickly than at any time in the country’s history. What does this mean for our generation?

First, we should expect to pay much higher taxes in the future. The government will need to generate more revenue to pay off its debt. Indeed, the tax rates of the last 25 years are very low compared to other periods in U.S. history , so we should certainly expect an increase during the next several decades.

Second, many economists write of a “doomsday” scenario in which countries buying treasury bills and bonds — U.S. debt — simply stop investing in them. In this scenario, the U.S. would be unable to finance further expenditures and would most likely default on outstanding debt obligations.

Because of the interconnectedness of the world economy, however, a U.S. default would be disastrous for many other countries as well. For example, China holds $1 trillion dollars worth of U.S. treasury notes. If the government was to default on its debt, China’s holdings would suddenly become worthless. Thus, investors in U.S. government debt likely would never let a default occur.

A more likely scenario is that U.S. debt could suffer a ratings downgrade. Federal debt is currently considered the safest investment in the world. If such a downgrade occurred, the American economy would suffer greatly, as borrowing costs for all types of assets would sharply increase. In short, any sort of default or downgrade involving U.S. debt would result in an economic recession and a severe reduction in U.S. living standards. While such a downgrade is not imminent, reckless spending by our government will certainly make such a downgrade more plausible.

Finally, the most immediate consequence of the growth of America’s federal debt is already taking place: a slow devaluation of the dollar. Both the Japanese yen and European euro are trading at historic highs against the dollar. Such currency swings make the dollar less attractive as a global currency. In the long term, a weak dollar will hurt Americans’ standard of living as foreign goods become more expensive and it could undermine America’s standing as an economic superpower.

Clearly, the growth in the federal debt portends many negative economic consequences to come. As Americans, we have a responsibility to elect officials who will have the political courage to pay down the government’s giant liabilities and to hold them accountable. It is a domestic, economic and national security matter of the highest importance.

Andrew’s column runs biweekly Thursdays. He can be reached at a.golden@cavalierdaily.com.

For Bernard Madoff, the financial crisis has destroyed more than just his stock portfolio. The well-known Wall Street financier and former chairman of the Nasdaq Stock Market has been exposed as the operator of what may be the world’s largest Ponzi scheme. His asset management firm’s operations have seriously impacted financial futures and exiled Madoff from Wall Street. In total, Madoff allegedly stole about $50 billion from his investors — though that number is an estimate, as authorities cannot be sure how long Madoff has been working on the dark side of Wall Street. Madoff’s scheme proves the old saying: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Ponzi schemes are investment operations that pay an investor returns from subsequent investors. The scheme has a rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul structure. Ponzi schemes trickle money down through their participants, rather than paying out profits, and are often referred to as “pyramid schemes” because the patterns of investment mimic the shape of a pyramid. The scheme’s success hinges on obtaining new investors to keep money flowing through the system because more investors are needed to keep the base of investment growing and to pay those already involved. To lure individuals to the scheme, high short-term returns are usually promised. Ponzi schemes give participants the dream of getting rich quickly without being up front about their personal costs.

Madoff’s Ponzi scheme differed slightly from the typical structure. He avoided the trap of high returns and instead offered modest, steady returns to specific clients. A promise of “safe” investing drew in many of his investors. He portrayed himself as an “insider” and convinced investors that his methods were too complex to divulge, and good returns stopped any questions clients might have had about the real character of Madoff and his hedge fund. Madoff used his social networks to drum up clientele, especially those of upper-class Jewish background. Perhaps one of the more troubling aspects of his scheme is its effect on nonprofit charities, many of which trusted Madoff personally. Madoff made charitable foundations the base for his scheme, furthering the lasting effects of his fraudulent business.

While a subject of talk on Wall Street for years, Madoff might never have been exposed without the problems of the recent economy. His hedge fund, though always suspiciously profitable, was not seriously questioned as illegal. During the past few months, however, investors attempted to pull about $7 billion out of the fund. Without the cash to pay investors, the true structure of Madoff’s business began to unfold. Limited liquidity in the economy began the spiral, and Madoff’s Ponzi scheme collapsed as the base of investment dried up. Investors immediately called for an investigation to determine exactly where their money had gone. Wall Street was stunned.

So who is the man who played with the lives of so many? He came across as a reclusive, industrious man to acquaintances. Those closest to him referred to him as “controlled” and concerned with perfection. It is unclear if those from his tight-knit community, Laurelton in New York City, ever suspected the financier to be a world-class manipulator. His almost flawless manipulation of personal and professional relationships has had devastating consequences. The New York Times’ account of the affair compares Madoff to Ted Bundy, citing similar sociopathic tendencies. The recession adds more pressure to find justice for investors, many of whom were Madoff’s employees, neighbors or friends; all things considered and with the economy in free-fall, Madoff would be hard-pressed to find a sympathetic light for his actions.

What is next for Mr. Madoff? His lawyer has expressed Madoff’s desire to plea bargain, and Madoff is currently at his Manhattan apartment on $10 million bail. Though the government has repeatedly asked for Madoff to be jailed until trial, the judge has ruled instead for Madoff to wear an electronic monitoring device and observe a curfew. And now without his firm, Madoff might finally have the time to pick up a biography of his precursor, Charles Ponzi.

Lauren’s column runs biweekly Thursdays. She can be reached at l.palmer@cavalierdaily.com.

Many proponents of the recent offensive in Gaza have perpetuated the view that Israel’s disproportionate response, incurring the deaths of more than 1,300 Palestinians, was justified, that it was because of Hamas that Israel was forced to kill innocent Palestinians.

Those who perpetuate this misguided view are blind to the fact that collective punishment is illegal under international law, and that nothing justifies killing innocent civilians. Moreover, they neglect to remember time and time again that the Palestinians in Gaza, along with residents of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, have been living under one of the most brutal occupations in modern history, since before Hamas even existed. If those who hold these misguided views would take the time to look at the Israel-Palestine conflict with a memory that spans farther than the past three weeks, they would realize that this recent conflict in Gaza is not some abstract war between good and evil, but a continuation of the 42 years of victimization of the Palestinian people.

It is with these two conflicting outlooks that Students for Peace and Justice in Palestine and Hoos for Israel conducted their demonstrations last week. While some HFI members claimed that they did not express their support for Israel’s offensive publicly, they handed out pamphlets that did express a political view. The pamphlets detailed the number of rockets sent by Hamas into Israel as well as the amount of trucks allowed by Israel into Gaza before the operation. These facts were taken from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Web site, the most powerful pro-Israeli lobbying group in the United States. If that is not politicization, I do not know what is.

In the SPJP memorial, tombstones were lined up to represent Israeli and Palestinian deaths. One was for the Israeli victims and 100 were for the Palestinians, because each tombstone represented 13 deaths. During the operation, 13 Israelis were killed along with 1,300 Palestinians. SPJP also formally requested HFI to join them in the memorial, but HFI respectfully declined.

SPJP put up signs on the South Lawn that read “The world stands up for Gaza.” This exact phrase was the rallying cry of the international community during the entire Israeli offensive, as three quarters of the world condemned Israel’s disproportionate response. It was uttered by millions of European, Asian, African and Middle Eastern citizens, including 10,000 Israelis, who were disgusted with the actions of the Israeli Defense Forces. The collective outcry of so many around the globe demonstrates their solidarity with the innocent victims of Israel’s shelling and bombing.

The layout of these two distinct demonstrations conveyed the messages of both groups; while both groups desire peace, SPJP had a more elevated goal in mind — to honor the dead, to point out the injustice of the Israeli offensive, and to remind the world that we have more work to do to ensure that human rights and justice prevail for all, including the Palestinians.

The only way to move forward is to rectify the errors of the past. Those who said that the SPJP events were not looking forward are the ones who have the solution backwards. They echo the viewpoint of the Israeli government, and many U.S. media outlets, who want the Palestinians to stop touting their pain and forget the past. They want us to forget the fact that Gaza, according to many aid agencies, now looks like it has been struck by an earthquake. They want us to forget the deaths of over 1,300 Palestinians; of the thousands injured without medical aid; of the homes, schools, and mosques that were demolished. They want us to forget that entire neighborhoods have been destroyed, and villages removed from the face of the Earth. But we can not, we will not, and we should not forget.

Our memory of the past two Israeli episodes of collective punishment inflicted on the Palestinians, the first in 2006, and the one most recently, are still fresh in our minds. And it is exactly these memories of the innocent victims of the Israeli massacres, the memories of the destruction in the Gaza Strip, which are indeed pushing us forward. They are pushing us forward in the fight for justice for all. Because peace and reconciliation have proven themselves to be meaningless words without the prevalence of justice.

Manal Tellawi is the president of the Middle Eastern Leadership Council, a constituent CIO of the Minority Rights Coalition.

In the last week, the United States facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba has received a great deal of attention from the press. President Obama, acting on an idea he espoused during the presidential campaign, signed an executive order calling for the closure of the prison within the year and suspending the military tribunals held there. Though a cause long embraced by opponents of the war and the policies of George W. Bush for quite some time, closing the prison facilities at Guantanamo Bay would be a mistake. It might resolve some legal issues and make the United States look better in the eyes of the world, but to shut the detention facility down would solve few problems and create a batch of new ones.

The sticky nature of Guantanamo Bay arises from the same difficulties that make the war on terror so difficult to prosecute. The dividing line between enemy combatants and civilians is extraordinarily murky — enemies can pop up, strike and blend back in with the unfortunate people who happen to occupy the combat zone. A similar lack of clarity comes because of the unconventional legal standing of the war. The United States has not officially declared war on anybody, and therefore the people are not really prisoners of war. But practically the conflict continues, and therefore enemies must be removed from the fray in order to keep them from harming U.S. soldiers.

Guantanamo Bay has come under fire for its symbolic role in the U.S. prosecution of the war on terror. To its opponents, it represents a violation of civil rights, humans held without trial and repugnant torture techniques like water-boarding and psychological abuses used to extract information from the 245 individuals held there. These things, its opponents say, are below the dignity of the United States, and the practices used on the inmates at Guantanamo lower the image of our nation in the eyes of the world.

But closing Guantanamo does not really solve any of the problems that the prison’s opponents claim it causes. Shutting the base down, while it would look good from a public-relations standpoint, would not resolve the legal problems of holding suspected terrorists. The questions of whether or not the United States can try the detainees according to military rules or whether they have total access to civil courts stems from the problematical nature of the war on terror, and will not be solved by shutting down the Guantanamo facility. The problem will still be there, if less prominent than before.

The same remains on the issue of prisoner treatment. Wherever they are held, the debate over whether or not methods like water-boarding ought to be applied to terrorists will continue. Can harsh methods be used to extract national security-related information be used on these detainees? Or does the 8th Amendment apply to these enemy combatants? This issue will not go away simply by shutting down Guantanamo.

Indeed, shutting down the base raises a simple but troubling question: What do you do with the detainees, if they are not held in a military base? Should they be held in a federal prison in the territorial United States? This does not seem workable — prison is a dangerous place for anybody, much less a person accused of attacking the United States. Should a special facility be set up on U.S. soil? This seems unlikely, as what representative would want 200 or more terror suspects plunked down in the middle or his or her district? Republicans have semi-seriously suggested using the old Alcatraz prison for terror detainees, in part to bring the point home to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi that she would not want them on her turf.

Similarly, releasing detainees to their home nations presents problems. Besides the fear that they will not be prosecuted for their activities, the possibility of escapes remains a concern. Given a recidivism rate of around 12 percent for terror suspects, turning them over to governments that may free them is a risky proposition.

Guantanamo Bay provided a secure, isolated holding point for terror suspects, away from American civilians and from the front lines of the war on terror alike. Closing it down, while it will make a nice story for the new administration, presents a new problem of where to house enemy combatants while still contending with the other legal and security issues surrounding them. This public relations triumph is hardly worth the resulting headaches.

Robby Colby’s column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at r.colby@cavalierdaily.com.

With a solid foundation of well-respected work that includes 2005’s The Mysterious Production of Eggs, and 2007’s Armchair Apocrypha, the arrival of Andrew Bird’s newest self-produced effort through Fat Possum Records, Noble Beast, was greatly anticipated. It is a daunting task to follow up amazing tracks like “Heretics” or the more popular “A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left.” Bird, however, is up to the challenge, and the admirable end result is Noble Beast.

As one of those seemingly geeky perfectionists with whom you can’t help but be enamored, Bird is keenly aware of his creative and uncompromising nature. More than fluent in the language of indie nerd — in which I am only semi-fluent — Bird plays with language in a way that may encourage even the greatest of enthusiasts to peek in the dictionary every now and again or opt to stay in blissful ignorance and merely whistle along.

Bird’s place in the world of alternative is comparable to being introduced to an incredible and amazing seven-course meal when you’re a simple, one-food-group kind of person. Ramen, perhaps. Once you’ve branched out, died and gone to culinary heaven, however, you find yourself unable to ever go back. That’s essentially what Bird is — an elaborate meal of indie magnificence you did not even know existed or could even hope for. The Turkish Delight of alternative, if you will.

His songs are very personalized creative masterpieces, many of which appear to grow off of the foundations of his earlier work. Noble Beast is chock full of a variety of instruments, particularly the violin, in which Bird’s classical training successfully comes into play. The warm weaving of such instrumentals with happy-go-lucky whistling provides a mystical synthesis of peaceful folk, naturalistic alternative lyrics, classical instrumentation and tinges of blues and jazz.

“Oh No,” the appealing first single off the album, starts out with such whistling and seems like a rather cheerful tune, despite lyrics such as “arm in arm we are the harmless sociopaths.” Since when did singing about sociopaths become so good-natured?

Though you cannot always comprehend what he’s trying to get at with his lyrics that dance around the edge of obscurity, you cannot help but feel like you are gaining some mental brownie points for making it your new essential study soundtrack. Many of the songs involve naturalistic elements (one song is even titled “Natural Disasters”) that include discussions of maggot eggs, lava and the like, while others, such as “Souverian,” include being quite tragically jilted by a lover. For those in search of a track with more pop-appeal and immediate catchiness, “Fitz and Dizzyspells” is definitely worth checking out, as it may incite some unexpected dancing and toe-tapping.

The songs’ catchiness is not always quite so obvious on first listen, but upon properly sinking your teeth in, it will become all too clear why fans are drawn to Bird’s whimsical, folksy siren call. Some of his songs take a few minutes to truly reveal themselves, but they are worth the wait. Particular tracks of interest include “Masterswarm” and “Anonanimal,” both of which take a few minutes to fully evolve. It takes a little while to feel fully engaged and aware of where he’s taking each piece, but I suggest patience; new layers will peel away each time you hear the songs.

Though I can’t completely idolize Noble Beast as utter and complete perfection, have no fear. Bird will remain a respected and legitimate musician to cite when trying to impress alternative aficionados, and we can only expect further greatness, for as he puts it so sneakily in “The Privateers,” “Speak of me in the present tense.”

Recent estimates from the University’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service suggest that economic factors are responsible for Virginia’s increasingly slow population growth rate in recent years.

The population growth rate had been about 1.2 percent from 2001 to 2004 but declined to 1.1 percent beginning in 2005 and has been slightly less than 1 percent for the past two years, said Qian Cai, Cooper Center demographics and workforce section director.

“The population is still growing,” she said. “It’s just not [growing] as fast as in the earlier half [of this] decade.”

Cai explained population growth depends on two factors: natural increase and migration. The commonwealth’s overall birthrate has been rising steadily for the past four or five years, Cooper Center research associate Michael Spar said, noting that the slowing population growth rate is a result of a lack of migration.

“Good economic conditions in an area encourage people to migrate to that area, as well as providing a mechanism for keeping new job entrants staying in the area,” he said, explaining that poor economic conditions have the opposite consequences.

The fastest-growing counties in the commonwealth are mostly located in Northern Virginia or along the Interstate 95 corridor, Cai said, partly because employment opportunities are more widely available there. Loudoun County, the county with the highest growth rate in the state, has grown almost 70 percent since 2000, Cai said.

Outside of the metropolitan region, the Highland County and Buchanan County populations have each decreased 10 percent during the past eight years, and the city of Petersburg lost 9.6 percent of its population, she said.

“Those localities losing population … suffer both the natural decrease and the migration,” she said.

In addition to a lack of opportunities in some areas, people may be concerned about being able to sell their houses or being able to afford two mortgages, Cai said. “That could have a dampening effect on mobility.”

Spar described the importance of mobility, noting that when migrants move to an area, they can have an “immediate economic impact” as they find a place to live and begin paying property taxes, either directly or indirectly through a landlord. When they start working, they begin paying local, state and federal taxes.

“They spend their money in the local economy,” Spar said, which has a “multiplier effect” by increasing employment opportunities for others.

The declining economy can also have an indirect impact on population growth, Spar said. The economic outlook can influence birth rates, he said, explaining that in good economic times, families may be more willing to have children. This is “a little bit more subtle,” Spar said. “I think it’s too early to tell about the impact of the economy on birth.”

The statewide decline in natural population growth rate would be just barely noticeable, Spar said, explaining that the drop in migration to Virginia is more significant. Fewer people coming into Virginia results in a net loss of tax dollars, Spar said.

Spar said he would not be surprised to see a growth rate of 0.8 or 0.7 percent next year, and Cai agreed that “we’ll see a continuing decline in population growth rate.” Spar said he expects the situation to continue for the next two years or until the economy moves out of recession.

“Once the economy starts to rebound and the housing market gets back to normal, we could expect to see an effect on the population growth,” Cai said. “This really depends on the national economy and the state economy.”