Barack Obama signs the health care and student loan reforms into law.

Starting July 1 some of the promised student loan changes that president Barack Obama signed into law at NOVA will take effect.

The main change involves the way loans are handled. In the past, banks were given a subsidy for the loans they made. This left the government with the financial risk if students defaulted and gave banks the profits if the loan was repaid.

This change has the effect of saving the federal government up to $68 billion, but according to the banking industry will cost jobs in the financial sector. Some of the savings will go to reducing the federal deficit, but much of it will go back into bettering higher education.

About $36 billion in savings will go into the Pell Grant program, which provides funds for low-income students. Pell Grants at one time provided up to 77 percent of the cost of college, but today they cover only about 30 percent. Had the reforms not been passed, the average Pell Grant would have fallen to $2150 for the 2010-2011 school year, down from $5,350 of the previous year.

Other savings will be plowed back into community colleges, historically black colleges and universities, and Hispanic-serving institutions.

One of the most popular elements of the bill is more stringent capping of student loan repayments to a person’s income. New loans will be capped to 10 percent of a person’s discretionary income. After 20 years some loans may even be forgiven. However, this change only goes into effect in 2014 and only for loans made after that date.

According to Organizing For America, the successor to Obama’s grassroots organization, the new law will allow about 5 million students to enter schools.

Jill Biden, an English teacher at NOVA, said, “I have seen firsthand the power of community colleges to change lives and serve as a gateway to opportunity for students.”

As part of the Obama administration’s efforts to raise the importance of community colleges, the reforms – along with the health care bill – were signed into law at the Alexandria campus on March 30.

Dave Matthews (shown) performs an acoustic set with Tim Reynolds in support of democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama at the VCU Siegel Center in Richmond, Va., on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008. The event was called a "Last Chance for Change Concert" but was widely referred to as "Barack the Vote."

Summer can mean so many things to college students. Beach Week. Freedom. Barbeques. Lifeguard jobs at the local pool. And concerts. Oh, yes. Lots of wonderful concerts.

The summer concert season is in full swing with lower ticket prices than previous years to accommodate the state of the economy and the prevailing hesitation many people have about spending money on non-essentials. Several venues in Virginia are only charging $15 to see bands such as Blues Traveler with Carbon Leaf, Travis Tritt and the Motor City Madman himself, Ted Nugent. The June 18 concert of country star Phil Vassar at Celebrate Virginia Live in Fredericksburg costs only $12.50 in advance through TicketsToBuy.com.

The shows with the best prices tend to be the ones at outdoor pavilions that are usually open only during the spring and summer.

Here are some inexpensive but popular concerts coming to the area.

Blues Traveler will play four shows within driving distance this summer:

• June 27 at the Belmont Country Club in Ashburn
• July 27 at Rams Head in Annapolis
• July 28 at Innsbrook Pavilion in Richmond
• July 30 at Celebrate Virginia Live in Fredericksburg

Country star Travis Tritt will perform July 11 at the Belmont Country Club in Ashburn.

A flash from the past, Counting Crows, is set to perform two nearby shows. First, the alternative band that first hit it big in the 1990s will be at Innsbrook Pavilion in the Richmond area July 11. Tickets for that show cost $26.50 in advance, $30 for general admission at the door and $50 for Gold Circle tickets. Don’t be fooled by secondary ticket sellers that are offering tickets to this show for $75 to $248. Order directly from the original ticket seller –in this case TicketsToBuy.com – to avoid inflated prices.

The next night, Counting Crows will rock the Pier Six Pavilion in Baltimore for a pricier show, with tickets costing $35 to $80.

The Dave Matthews Band will perform at Nationals Park in Washington on July 23. Ticket prices start at $49 and go up to $75, but it will cost patrons additional money to park – as much as $40.

Longtime, well-named pop band Barenaked Ladies recently played at Innsbrook and is returning to the region for a July 31 show in Raleigh at the Raleigh Amphitheatre in support of its new release, “All in Good Time.” Ticket prices start at $28.

Montgomery Gentry, an energetic country-rock band, will end the summer with a headlining gig at the WFLS Fest on Aug. 27 at Celebrate Virginia Live in Fredericksburg.

Remember, some shows cost more if you pay at the door instead of in advance. Some will sell out in advance. And ticket outlets usually charge service fees on top of ticket prices.

Most NOVA graduates eventually work in such areas as in offices, in selling, as nurses or perhaps in an auto shop. Not Kris “Savage” McCray, 28, who smashes bodies and bangs heads in a cage ring in mixed martial arts.

Mixed martial arts includes striking and grappling techniques and appears to be a combination of boxing, wrestling, kick boxing, and jiu-jitsu. MMA fighting has become popular on network and cable television, such as on Spike TV, and on pay telecasts.

McCray was born the middle brother in a career Army family and is of a diverse background, including Caucasian, African-American, Mexican, Russian and Austrian origins. He has always excelled in athletics and enjoyed bodily contact activities. He was brought up in Germany, where he played soccer, football and basketball. McCray wrestled for three years in high school and studied kick boxing, karate, and tae kwon do.

Growing up, he enjoyed watching fighting shows and trying the latest techniques on his two brothers. His brothers, however, did not give in easily, especially the oldest, who grew to be 6 foot 5 inches tall and 230 pounds heavy.

His family returned to the U.S. in 1998 upon his father’s retirement, and McCray wrestled during his senior year at Woodbridge High School. He enjoyed a good relationship with the long-time wrestling coach and assisted with the Woodbridge wrestling team in its training and practices, including learning new holds and conditioning, and with competitor advice during matches over the next five years.

After graduation, McCray held a number of jobs, including working on a military security contract and as a bouncer and a butcher.

He attended classes at the Woodbridge campus from 2001 to–2004 and came close to receiving a degree in General Studies, with biology being his favorite class.

He also joined the active Army Reserves, where he received his nickname “Savage” for the ferocity with which he attacked his duties, like digging foxholes, while in training.

Continuing his interest in combat sports, he studied jiu-jitsu while also instructing at Gold Medal Grappling in Woodbridge, an affiliate of the Lloyd Irvin Mixed Martial Arts and Fitness Academy.

His work there helped spark his interest in mixed martial arts, and he began fighting amateur MMA competitions all over Virginia in 2007 and 2008, compiling a perfect 9-0 record.

McCray then moved up to professional bouts, with his first fight in October 2008 in the Ultimate Warrior Challenge series. His first four fights were in that series, often staged at GMU’s Patriot Center. He has won all five of his pro fights, the last one in November 2009, all in the first round and four by submission holds when the opponent gave in when locked in an untenable hold, such as the rear-naked choke or the shoulder lock hold.

With his successes, McCray tried out for The Ultimate Fighter 9 and 10 challenge series, which appear on Spike TV, but it turned out he was not in the desired weight classes.

Finally, TUF 11 tryout was for the middleweight class he was in. He was selected and won his preliminary bout in Las Vegas to progress to the final 14 fighters and is on Team Ortiz.

The fighters go through an elimination tournament, with the winner receiving an Ultimate Fighters Challenge contract as well as a cash prize. The fights, which began airing March 31, are shown in one-hour segments on Spike TV at 10 p.m. on Wednesdays.

McCray lost his first fight in TUF 11 on a third-round decision, but was given new life when he was chosen as one of two wild cards who will fight for a chance to reach the quarterfinals.

In that fight, he won after one minute of the second round when he forced his opponent to submit with a wrestling hold.

Wrestling appears to be McCray’s strong point. After the win, McCray explained, “It’s good, you know? A lot of people, when they get second chances, they perform like they did the first time around. And I wanted to show at least a change in my performance. And that’s what I did.”

With the win, McCray moves to the quarterfinals. He was selected to fight in the third bout, which appeared on Spike TV June 9.

Though the MMA bouts appear to be very violent, the generally soft-spoken McCray said that he has never seriously hurt anyone. He said the lesser fighting time compared to boxing decreases the chances for serious injuries, as the competitors fight three five-minute rounds. Also, the referee can stop any fight when a fighter appears unable to defend himself or is injured badly, and a fighter himself can retire if he is caught in a submission hold.

McCray now trains full-time at the Lloyd Irvin Academy in Camp Springs, Md., where his lives in a fighter-occupied house. He trains three times a day for two hours each and twice on Saturdays. He plans to fight every several months, but only against quality fighters whose defeat would move his career along. He is under contract to the UFC, which pays him a certain salary and rewards him further for victories.

In his spare time on Sundays, he enjoys visiting his family in Woodbridge, where the competitive family often engages in badminton. He has a daughter, Octavia, 15.

McCray’s father is very supportive of his career, and his mother hopes that he keeps his pretty face intact.

Looking at his future, now that he has progressed to a profession he truly loves, McCray hopes to fight into his 30s and then perhaps become an athletic director or sports teacher.

Though McCray can only fight in UFC events, he made a guest appearance at UWC 8 Judgement Day extreme cage fighting event at the Patriot Center on May 22, where he signed autographs. The event, part of a series which takes place every several months, included fighters such as “The Hulk,” “The Magician,” “The Choir Boy,” “The Mountain Man” and “The Butcher.”

information on these events is available on UWCMMA.com and www.Facebook.com/UWCMMA.

A decade ago, Edward Fortner founded this convention by funding it with his own money. He has joined the ranks of other anime founders, and today it has become a successful phenomenon. Even though the economy is still tough, 4,000 attendees are expected to attend this year from June 11 to 13.

Some con-goers are excited about this year’s convention.

No longer a first-time convention attendee, Kurt Schwindt plans to attend AMA 10. “I think back in 2007, AMA was my very first convention,” Schwindt recalled.

New friends and new experiences are his expectations for AMA. “Nothing is ever the same and everything is always a surprise.”

Schwindt also said that with the economy he has had his fair share of money troubles, but at least he’s happy to be seeing what’s in store.

Larissa Pyatt says that she will be attending but as an AMA staff member. “I’m excited about working staff with my buddies,” she said. “I’d say the economy has made it difficult to go to any con.”

GPX Gaming has always been part of their conventions, and this year is no different. They will be in charge of the gaming events in the video game room at AMA. They will provide the following systems: Xbox and Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, Nintendo 64 and up to six to eight Nintendo Wii gaming systems.

There will be panels such as Fortner’s “AMA Urban Legends,” which talk about urban legends about AMA and debunks quite a few of them that have no actual fact or truth to it.

The featured guest is Vic Mignogna, a good friend of Fortner. Mignogna is a voice actor playing Edward Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. “I’ve known Vic for a number of years,” he said.

Another event will commemorate Carl Macek, who passed away April 17. He was a director, producer and writer known for his work in making the anime series Robotech and anime films like Akira and Vampire Hunter D.

Musical guests will be The Clockwork Dolls and DJ Asu Rock, who will DJ for the AMA Charity Ball and the late night dances.

Every year, AMA staffers give back through donations. Convention-goers will donate $2 to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

“We have had trouble with making charity events due to the economy,” said Fortner. He also said that they have tried to have con-goers donate while having dance events, but with this change they are giving them the option.  If they have the money, he encourages them to make a difference.

Jeff Lewis teaching his EMS training class.

Captain Jeff Lewis has taught at Northern Virginia Community College since 2000 and has been a member of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department for the past 16 years. He wears the stress of such intense work well, and one would never guess that this young Emergency Medical Services worker is also the medical section coordinator of the elite Fairfax Urban Search and Rescue team known as Virginia Task Force One (VATF-1).

Born in the northeastern United States, Lewis’ family moved to the Fairfax County area when he was 13. It was as a George Mason University freshman that he experienced what he called an “epiphanous moment.” On the way home from classes at the medical education campus in Springfield he passed a car accident and stopped, though he did not know why.

The dust from the accident had not yet settled from the event when Lewis had a disheartening realization. He could do nothing to help the victims. Then others arrived on the scene.

“And this Boy Scout and his dad were getting stuff done,” Lewis recounted.

After the EMS workers transported the four teenagers with various injuries to the hospital, Lewis approached one of the remaining EMS volunteers from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department who had been in attendance at a training meeting that day. That was the beginning of a new career.

The training that is involved in basic fire and rescue work is more intense that one might guess. That training begins with a 24-hour shift 10 days per month, which is equal to 30 eight-hour days with no weekends off. One 24-hour extra work day is required per discipline per month — paramedic, fire rescue, etc. If one works in more than one discipline, advanced cardiac for example, that that is another extra day of training. Those days add up fast, as there are many disciplines available for specialization including advanced trauma life support, international trauma life support and pre-hospital life support to name a few.

In addition, supplemental training is mandatory for weapons of mass destruction, confined space rescues, and the list goes on. Moreover, 90 percent of EMS members have expert rescue training in concrete breaking and large tools applications.

The Haiti crisis was not Lewis’ first major disaster, so he was prepared for the sensory overload that overtakes sight, sound and smell in the aftermath of a natural disaster. However, preparation does not make one ambivalent to dire human conditions. According to Lewis, a freshly deceased smell is a different smell than that of the long-deceased, such as decomposing deer on a hot summer afternoon.

Unattended children roaming the streets of Haiti were never a good thing. In the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, which took place on Jan. 12, it was worse. Lewis and all of VATF-1 found it difficult to observe children, large numbers of them, roaming the streets unsupervised, unprotected in the days and weeks following the catastrophe. Many lost their entire families, and the rescue workers could not fix their situation for them or take care of them. Lewis could not help but empathize for, as he termed, “marginalized people within an already marginalized people.”

Besides the occasional gunshots VATF-1 heard while working, they faced, “endemic disease, mosquitoes, malaria (for which they had to take medicine), dengue (for which there is no medicine), and challenges with food, water and sanitation,” Lewis recounted.

There was looting and rioting in the area that they worked in. However, the team did have the benefit of constant protection provided courtesy of the U.S. military, U.N. forces or U.N. peacekeepers.

Lewis’ first major operation was the Izmit, Turkey earthquake of 1999, which was a 7.2 earthquake. After weeks of constant stimulation, yelling, people, generator noise, insufficient sleep and constant movement, the silence once he got home – which he desperately needed — was a difficult adjustment. With so much quiet, the processing of thoughts not dealt with from a sometimes surreal experience mill about one’s mind.

Yet, the stress of urban rescue post-disaster is altogether different than what soldiers returning from war experience. Author Brian Bledsoe has written EMS texts and covered the topic of crisis management in depth in The Myths of Modern EMS.

In order to train for VATF-1, one must participate in one three-day exercise per year in addition to one section training day per month. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and United States Agency for International Development have their own requirements.

“I’m a workaholic, so it’s not a difficult sacrifice to make. It is difficult with families,” Lewis responded when asked about the sacrifice of time and a personal life regarding his many endeavors.

Grateful for his opportunities to pursue work that he is passionate about, Lewis credits his fire department, the Fairfax County taxpayers and USAID for allowing him to do the work that he does. USAID is another organization that enables VATF-1 to work by coordinating, facilitating, communicating with diplomatic authorities and financing all of their deployments. Without USAID and the Office of Disasters Assistance, it would have been nearly impossible to leave U.S. borders.

A key player without whom Lewis’ VATF-1 missions could not be coordinated is Assistant Dean Holly Frost. Frost not only coordinates leave for the EMS faculty, but she also provides coverage for their NOVA job posts.

“[It] always seems to happen at a critical juncture in a class,” commented Lewis.

Internationally, countries which do not get along politically become brethren in assisting disaster victims and helping to recover the deceased. As urban rescuers, all of them have one goal, to alleviate suffering.

The articulate, fast-talking New Englander chose to be an EMS Captain, VATF-1 team leader and NOVA faculty member for a reason.
“When we deploy as a team, it really is a team. There’s a synergy that takes place. When you watch people working for 40 hours like they’ve been up for two, that’s extraordinary.”

Kevin Brosnan, 3-year-old Brooke Duncan of Alexandria and Brooke’s father, Ryan Duncan (with pink hair), smile with joy at the St. Baldrick’s Day fundraiser at Paddy’s Steakhouse & Pub in Stafford on March 14. One reason they are so happy is that, after being treated for neuroblastoma at Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children, Brooke has shown no signs if the disease for several months.

Brooke’s father used to be a NOVA student. The Duncans came to the event to “support to all those still battling.”

The event raised over $25,000 for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation to combat childhood cancer.

Car shows are an excellent way to see brand new and restored cars.

With the arrival of spring and warmer weather, car-related events become common. With automotive and auto body courses there should be some interest in car-related activities.

If you are interested in participating in, watching or perhaps just want to find out more about the particular cars you are considering buying, then the following list of car activities in DC and the surrounding areas should be of value.

Car Clubs

Are you interested in activities with other people who share common car-related interests, or have questions about certain makes of cars or activities? Joining a car club or at least visiting club meetings can be invaluable. There are car clubs for most if not all car makes, especially performance, sporty cars and antique cars. These clubs may have local chapters that are affiliated with a national club, or they may be independent clubs.

Sample marque clubs include Mustang, Mercedes Benz, Mazda, and Nissan Z. Clubs are also available for people with common interests, like autocrossing or the top down club, for folks who enjoy riding around all year with their convertible tops down.

Clubs often have a monthly meeting at a restaurant. Sometimes they have a speaker, or they put on activities like drives, autocrosses, rallies, technical sessions (which might include using dealer repair shops after hours), and car shows. They also often sponsor driving days at regional race tracks. The national car clubs often put on an annual convention which features many kinds of activities, such as the Alfa Romeo (Italian car) Owners Club national convention in Frederick, Md. from June 23-27.

Car clubs are a great place to talk to fellow owners about solving car problems and getting recommendations on servicing. There are often discounts on parts available and often a newsletter is published. Yearly membership can range from about $25 to $60.

A large nationwide organization is the Sportscar Club of America. They put on professional and amateur road races at various tracks, as well as staging hillclimbs, autocrosses, rallies, and time trials. The DC chapter’s website is wdcr-scca.org.

Thinking of car clubs, why aren’t there any car clubs at the NOVA campuses?

Autocrossing

Want to drive fast around tight curves set up in a course marked with orange highway cones in a paved lot? This activity is autocrossing. Vehicles are sent out on the course individually and timed. Most courses are set up in stadium parking lots, like at FedEx Field, and baseball stadiums like at Frederick and Bowie. Helmets are required as well as a car safety inspection. Early in the year autocross schools are often held. Many clubs hold these events and sometimes allow non-club entries if space is available. Often participants are allowed at least three runs through a course, and in club events there are often more runs allowed. Entry fees normally range from $25-$30 per driver.

An area calendar is at autocrosses.org. The Mazda Sportscar Club is putting on autocrosses in July and October at Bowie and welcomes non-members. Their website is mscw.com.

Go Karts

Want to drive around curves but not in your own vehicle? Go karts have bare and ultra-light chassis with horsepower ranging from 5 to 30. High speeds can be attained in large outdoor courses, which are often available at road racing and other tracks. The nearest course is Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, whose website is olddominionspeedway.com.

There is an indoor course – Allsports Grand Prix – which is about a mile from the Loudoun campus in Sterling, Va. Its karts feature 5.5 horsepower Honda engines with top speeds of about 35 mph. The karts and the course feature rubberized curbs which minimize collision dangers. Participants rent a well-used racing suit, helmet and a kart. Sessions for individuals are priced about $25 per ten minutes with a printout provided of lap times after the session. Their website is allsportsgp.com.

Driving at Speed

Want to learn and practice with you own vehicle at speeds nearing race speeds? Regional race tracks host driving schools and practice sessions on their circuits, which are often put on by car clubs or other organizations. For instance, the Friday at the Track at Summit Point Raceway session offers an introduction to high speed driving with your car under the supervision of experienced instructors. Cars require a safety inspection and convertibles often need roll bars. The cost for FATT is about $250 for the day.

Car Rallies

Car rallies feature various kinds of activities in the participants’ own cars, usually on public roads, and offer different levels of competition and speeds. More casual events like gimmick rallies involve following course directions and answering questions from signs along the way, with occasional checkpoints. A poker rally involves just picking up a playing cards at the checkpoints with the best hand winning.

There are higher pressure events called time-speed-distance rallies that require following set speeds with sometimes tricky directions, with checkpoints timing the cars.

This year the DC chapter of SCCA is putting on a series of these rallies, including a school in April.

Other types of rallies are run on non-public dirt or gravel roads and involve driving as fast as possible with checkpoints along the course. The SCCA sponsors rallycross and pro rally calendars.

Drag Racing

Want to drive your car down a straight race strip or want to see some wild cars and dragsters roar down the strip? Then you should go to a drag strip. Cars take off from a standing start and are timed at the end of the strip. The closest strip to DC in Virginia is at Old Dominion Speedway which features a shorter, 1/8 mile strip. Racing is Friday nights, with another night called Test and Trial where participants can try out their car in a lower pressure atmosphere. Another Virginia dragstrip is Summerduck in Fauquier County, at summerduckdragway.com.

Maryland drag strips include those at Capitol Raceway in Waldorf, at capitolraceway.com, and Maryland International Raceway in Budd’s Creek, at mirdrag.com. These drag strips have the more conventional ¼ mile long strips.

An example of a panel created for Hands on Alexandria.

Trust is a very difficult thing to get, especially when talking about sharing personal information.

The Census is a prime example. Thanks to the data collected through the 2010 Census, communities receive more than $400 billion in federal funds each year. This money helps job training centers, hospitals, senior centers, schools and other educational institutions including NOVA.

Most know that some information must be given to the government every decade. Everybody is informed that personal data provided is protected under federal law, and yet many people are reluctant to cooperate.

In the last U.S. Census 3,300 Alexandria residents were not counted and the city lost an estimated $33 million over 10 years because of the previous undercount.

To break the ice, Census 2010 Alexandria representatives and NOVA decided to look for a new approach to the community.

It all started last fall when Lisa Hill, assistant dean with the Communication Design Department, came to Dr. Jim R. McClellan, dean of the Liberal Arts Division, to propose an idea that the Communication Design Department could start a community public service project.

For several months, students and teachers were working on a new appealing design for the Alexandria Census 2010 campaign.

Census 2010 Alexandria provided logos, text and the budget, but the designs were created by NOVA students and teachers.

When everything was ready, the ideas were presented to the Census 2010 committee. As a result, all Alexandria Census 2010 posters, brochures, and gift bags are designed by NOVA students and faculty.

A good design was not the only element of the campaign. Children were also brought in. Census 2010 representatives, along with Lisa Hill, Rebecca Kamen, a professor of art and Angela Terry, a communication design professor, addressed 13 elementary schools asking the kids of Alexandria to give their hands to the Census 2010. Art teachers in the schools were provided with the budget, tissue and paint, and the Hands on Alexandria art project was launched. The students of second, third and fourth grades traced their hands on colored tissue paper and then the cut-out paper hands were delivered to NOVA.

On March 19 at 9:30am, Hill, Terry, Kamen and 12 students came to the college to complete the mural project. The cut-out hands were attached to more than 45 transparent panels. On Tuesday March 23, all the panels will be suspended at the Alexandria City Hall.

Protesters rally on the National Mall in Washington, DC demanding immigration reform.

The National Mall hosted tens of thousands of protestors determined to push a major overhaul of the immigration system to the top of the nation’s political agenda. On Sunday March 21 protestors rallied to challenge President Barack Obama and Congress to fix laws that separate families and hurt the country’s economic and social stability.

As a candidate in 2008, Obama spoke eloquently about the promise of making immigration reform a priority in his first year of government. This would help the more than 11 million illegal immigrants realize their dream of having the rights of work, study and life that American citizens have.

Protestors gathered for many reasons, including to remind Obama that he received the votes of more than 67% of the over 2 million Latinos that voted in 2008. He couldn’t have carried the election in states like Nevada, Colorado and Florida without the Latino surge.

There are around 4 million American citizens who are the children of undocumented parents. In many cases they have had to deal with the destruction of their homes and the separation of their families because of raids and deportations. Under Obama the number of deportations has increased13% from the time of George W. Bush.

The Latino population remained silent for this entire year, waiting to see if this so wished for reform would become a reality. However, not getting any response the discontent increased and the demands exploded.

Tens of thousands of people from all around the United States representing different countries of the world took place in the march. Hispanic groups and organizations from New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts among others arrived at the National Mall wearing white and carrying different forms of protests in their hands.  The crowd stretched nearly five blocks on the mall.

Bolivian, Colombian, Peruvian and Salvadorian flags among others were being held with pride along with the American flag. There was an incredible diversity of cultures and emotions that united their voices to say “Si se puede” meaning “Yes we can”.

Although the event had a festive feel to it with balloons, drummers, musicians and teenagers dancing, many participants came bottled up with frustration and sorrow. One group carried white crosses etched with names of border crossers who died in the Arizona desert. Entire families held hands and prayed for the cause, while crowds chanted in Spanish, “Obama, listen, remember your promise!”

What starts out as a therapeutic retreat for an at-risk friend ends up being a crazy trip down memory lane for three middle-aged men and an adventure for one barely-legal boy. Lou (Rob Coddry) finds himself plagued by the same belligerent ski patrolman as 20 years before. Adam (John Cusack) meets the love of his life, a woman he never got over. Nick (Craig Robinson) wrestles with the prospect of cheating on his wife. And Adam’s nephew, Jacob (Clark Duke), gets to experience the 1980s for the first time.

Soon, a puzzling hot tub repairman (Chevy Chase) reveals that they must conform to their actions of 20 years past or else grave consequences would follow. Jacob insists that they all do exactly as they did, or he would not be born. Little does he know, he has it entirely wrong.

With plenty of R-rated moments, including more than enough nudity, the movie’s quirks end up being very charming. If the movie seems serious for five minutes, you’re about to bust your side laughing. There is a story behind all the laughs, and it is enough to keep even those without a sense of humor watching.

This witty, raunchy movie is a must-see for anyone who grew up in the ‘80s, anyone who enjoys the ‘80s, anyone who hated the ‘80s and anyone who enjoys a good, R-rated laugh. The credits rolling may disappoint you, but having the inside jokes to share with friends will be well worth the $10 ticket. Just remember what happened in Cincinnati, and always remember the Great White Buffalo.