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New Wild Card Rule Impacts Rowling Steps Away from
2012 MLB Playoffs
Maitlyn Healy, staff writer
ended. Before the rule
change, the Orioles
would have simply
been out of the run
ning, and the Yankees
would have gone on to
play the Rangers.
On the whole the
new rule allows more
opportunities for
teams in the postsea
son. Now a playoff
berth is up for grabs
with only seven games
left in the season. This
gives all teams an in-
The Oakland A’s go head-to-head with the Detroit Tigers in centive to continue to
the American League five-game series. play hard rather than
Image via bleacherreport.com; Getty Images let up on playing with
as much intensity as
Magic with “Casual Vacancy”
The 2012 MLB Playoffs are under
way with a new rule about the Wild
Card teams that majorly changed
the structure of the playoffs. Before
this season, only one team for each
league was chosen as the Wild Card
to represent the National and Ameri
can leagues and that team played
against the number one team when the
playoffs began. This season however,
each league had two Wild Card teams
representatives; this year the Balti
more Orioles and the Texas Rangers
for the American League and the St.
Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves
for the National League. These teams
competed against their league op
ponent on Oct. 5 with Baltimore and
Seattle emerging victorious.
These two teams will now go on to
play the number one team in their des
ignated leagues. The addition of this
Wild Card game changed the season
significantly as the Orioles would not
have received a playoff berth without
this new rule, as they trailed their
division rivals, the New York Yankees,
by two games when the regular season
they would have in the past.
After the Wild Card game on Oct. 5,
the eight remaining teams began to
compete to get a chance at winning
their league’s championship series.
Currently in the American League the
Baltimore Orioles and New York Yan
kees are competing in this five game
series, and are tied at 1-1. The Oak
land Athletics and the Detroit Tigers
are also going head to head in the AL
with the Tigers up 2-0. In the National
League the Cincinnati Reds are playing
the San Francisco Giants, and the Gi
ants lead 2-0.
The Washington Nationals and St.
Louis Cardinals are also competing for
a chance at the championship series
with Washington up 1-1. After these
five-game series, the victors will move
on to play each other in the National
and American league championship
games, which are seven-game series.
The National and American league
champions will then go on to play each
other in the World Series beginning on
Oct. 24.
Christa Riley, staff writer
J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry
Potter series, released her first adult
novel. Casual Vacancy, on Sept. 27
with the hopes of reaching a wider
audience than her previous teenage
readers.
In the novel, Rowling asks, “How
many of us are able to expand our
minds beyond our own personal
experience?” Casual Vacancy is a
tragicomedy about the death of Barry
Fairweather and the small town of
Pagford. The Pagford town council has
been divided over an issue of what to
do with The Fields, a housing develop
ment on the border
of the neighboring
town, Yarvil. The
Fields has been
known to be filled
with low-income
families that have
their own set of
problems with ad
diction and crime.
A Time Magazine
reviewer summa
rizes the novel’s core
conflict: “Barry was
sympathetic to the
Fields, but his death
creates an opening
on the council — a
casual vacancy —
and in their unseem
ly haste to fill it,
Pagfordians on both
sides expose their carefully concealed
inner lives.”
The novel focuses primarily on the
characters and allows each one to work
out their views and opinions on the
matter. Rowling’s adult characters are
depicted as selfish, uninterested in cir
cumstances not immediately impact
ing their daily lives. A Huffington Post
reviewer notes that, “the real stars of
this book are the teenagers, whose
lives are lived in parallel to those of
Rowling’s new book, Casual Vacancy
Image via amazort.com
their parents. Their actions feel more
believable and instinctive, their mo
tivations more confused and equivo
cal.” Rowling mentions in an interview
that, “this was very much me vividly
remembering what it was like to be a
teenager, and it wasn’t a particularly
happy time in my life. ”
In the two weeks since its release,
the novel has received mixed reviews.
David Ulin of the L.A. Times criticizes
problems of character insight and
transition: “The first third of the book
moves continually among Howard,
Miles Parminder and a dozen other
central figures, all
identified in such
broad strokes that I
had to keep flipping
back and forth to
remind myself who
was who.” Canada’s
National Post com
pares the weaknesses
of Casual Vacancy
with the strengths
of the Harry Potter
series: “The novel
also makes clear that
Rowling was wise to
stake her claim in the
realm of fantasy, a
realm that does not
require a feeling for
contemporary social
milieus.” But Time
magazine disagrees,
giving the novel a largely positive
review: “It’s a big, ambitious, brilliant,
profane, funny, deeply upsetting and
magnificently eloquent novel of con
temporary England...a deeply moving
book by somebody who understands
both human beings and novels very,
very deeply.” But whether or not Ca
sual Vacancy is a novel equial to Rowl
ing’s previous success, it’s definitely
worth reading as long as you’re not
expecting another trip to Hogwarts.
ASK GIGI
Dear Gigi,
As a senior graduating in May, I
am nervous about finding a job after
graduation. Obviously, the job market
is scarce, and I am starting to feel
that I will never be employed. I want
to be doing something that I like, but
I know that first jobs typically are not
the most fun forms of employment.
I am feeling overwhelmed in my job
search and I want to get a head-start
above my classmates. What ways can
I better prepare myself for the job
search?
Sincerely, Unemployed
Dear Unemployed,
I guarantee you that you are not the
only senior feeling the heat when it
comes to their upcoming job search! It
is a time which can be very stressful,
but there are definitely steps which
you can take to make yourself more
prepared.
For starters, our Academic and
Career Planning office is an amazing
resource which you should utilize.
The ACP office offers resume clinics,
interviewing help and individual meet
ings with the staff. Meredith also hosts
networking events throughout the year
which offer you a chance to practice
speaking to employers. Linkedin
and CareerLink are also great online
resources.
If you want to take your preparation
a step further, sign up for CPS 301, a
seminar for juniors and seniors. You
will get intensive help on resume
building, networking and advice on
potential career paths. You are already
getting a head start by researching
your options early in the year, and rest
assured, Meredith Alumni provide
an amazing network of professional
women, and they are always eager to
hire fellow angels!
Talk to ACP, alumni, family and
friends to find leads on potential jobs,
and don’t stress—everyone is in the
same boat as you! Concentrate on your
connections and having a great senior
year. If you advertise yourself posi
tively as potential employee, the right
job is sure to come your way.
Love, Gigi
Email your questions to
herald@email.meredith.edu.
You are always anonymous!