Walter Iooss, a celebrated photographer at Sports Illustrated magazine since the 60s, is one of the founding fathers of the SI swimsuit issue, for which he has shot photos of the world’s most beautiful women for more than 40 years. When he is not going to exotic locales, he is busy photographing black millionaire athletes as well as rounding out his burgeoning portfolio with arresting landscape shots, portraits and other subjects. But it’s the girls who have a special place in his heart. Is it any wonder? His comments follow:

“By the time I was 17, growing up in East Orange, NJ, I had shot my first cover for Sports Illustrated. By 19, I was on the masthead. One editor yelled: 'What the hell is the magazine doing? Hiring children?'

'Shooting sports is my thing. Athletes, like actors and models, look good. They have presence. I like the motion and movement and grace of it all.'

'I once had Paulina Porizkova in a bikini on Montego Bay, in Jamaica. I was nervous: Would I get the shot? Then I said to myself: 'Walter, let's have fun with this. How the hell can you miss?''

'My favorite part of a woman's body? The butt. It's a feast for a photographer, beyond any guy's imagination.'

'At first, I was intimidated by Cheryl Tiegs. She would do her routine in five minutes: 'Well, Walter, did you get it?' 'No, I didn't get it,' I said. I taught her a new routine, like doing it a few more times.'

'Crushes? Oh, yeah. Some monster ones, especially when I was in my 30s. No names; I'm not going there. Hey, I'm human.'

'I work fast. I'm always on the move. I like to experiment with different camera formats, different lighting.'

Some of the girls don't want their asses shot; they don't think they have a good one. They let me know that real quick. So, I will put them in a thong or turn them around or put them on their back. Then I go for the shot.'

'A lot of photographers settle for just a good shot, just to cover their ass; they're scared. I have always been willing to risk the whole game to get that one killer shot.'

'The girls are all beautiful, some more than others. Then there are a few who can really pose ' like, my god. I put them by a rock and you can't believe what goes on. Veronica Varekova [model on the 2004 SI cover] is one of them.'

'I've never met a wall I didn't like. It's a portable studio, a great background. You get great colors and shadows on them. You isolate the girl. Remember: bad background, bad picture.'

'People think that these girls are so free about dropping their clothes and walking around practically nude in front of me. Some are; most are not.'

'These models see their imperfections when they look into the mirror, just like everybody else. But they are top pros, and they know they are good at what they do and good at how they look.'

'For the 10 days that I shoot the swimsuit issue each year, I can only charge my lowest day rate, the same as it was 25 years ago. At this stage in my life, I'd do it for nothing.'

'When a girl appears on the cover of Sports Illustrated, her life changes. She is an overnight star and a millionaire.'

'It's difficult for these girls to be so beautiful. It's a gift and a curse. They walk into a room, and the room goes silent. Hearts stop. Guys lose themselves. I've seen it a 100 times.'

EDUCATION
School of Hard Knocks

EARLY WORK
' First cover for Sports Illustrated at age 17
' On the magazine masthead by age 19
' First cover of a swimsuit model, 1973

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
' Photographer for SI, since 1963
' Shot SI swimsuit covers for the issues of: ཀ, ༿, ྜ, ྚ, ྏ, ྋ, ྊ, ྇, ྅.
' Book author of Hoops: Four Decades of the Pro Game (2005); Walter Iooss: a Lifetime Shooting Sports and Beauty; Sporting Life: the Journals of Walter Iooss; Classic Baseball: the Photographs of Walter Iooss; Rare Air: Michael on Michael.

We Are Scientists:
With Love and Squalor (Virgin)
Name aside, We Are Scientists’ debut doesn’t sound like it has anything to do with science. The New York trio crafts some seriously catchy dance songs, complete with tongue-in-cheek lyrics. If only your Thursday biology class sounded this good!
Best moment: When singer Keith Murray chants 'If you want to use my body/ go for it.' He’s pretty.
Grade: A-

Morningwood: Morningwood (Capitol)
Yes, their name is Morningwood, and they sing a song about taking off their clothes. And, yes, at their shows, people sometimes do take off their clothes. But if you stop snickering, you’ll notice the band rocks in a way that makes you want to, well, start stripping.
Best moment: When singer Chantal Claret howls about how hot 'New York Girls' really are. Flattery will get you everywhere, Chantal!
Grade: B+

The New York Mercantile Exchange and CO-ED magazine invites schools and students to take part in a commodities mock-trading competition ' the NYMEX/CO-ED Magazine Commodities Competition to learn about this dynamic sector of the business world while also winning prizes, scholarships and internships.

Want a job after college. Need a job? Need to know how to do that job? Mike Benien, a business graduate student at Oklahoma State University, checked off all three in his mind when he decided to take part in the NYMEX/CO-ED Commodities Competition during spring semester. He, and students from four other schools in the South, spent two months participating in the mock-trading event in which they traded futures contracts. (Futures contracts? What the'. More on that later.) Sponsored by the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX.com) and CO-ED magazine (CO-EDmagazine.com), the 'voice-broker' competition gave students a taste of the real world, allowing them to call in trades to buy and sell contracts. Prize money, scholarships and money were on the line.

Guess what? Mike, and his team at OSU, won. Next stop was Open Outcry, a daylong event at the University of Houston and sponsored by NYMEX. The event mimicked the rough-and-ready bustle of the trading floor at the New York Mercantile Exchange. Open Outcry pitted individual students, not school teams, against one another in person as they bought and sold contracts. Guess what? Mike one that, too. As the winner, he was entitled to prize money. Better yet, he was given an internship at NYMEX ' and a chance to live in New York City. Mike learned so much during his job last summer that when he started looking for a job, he had plenty of suitors, employers familiar with the reputation of NYMEX, the nation's biggest commodities exchange. Today, Mike Benien works for Valero Energy Corporation. Good thing for Mike that he decided to take note of an invitation to take part in the NYMEX/CO-ED Magazine Commodities Competition. It changed his life.

NYMEX/CO-ED Magazine Commodities Competition might change yours. Beginning Feb. 13, the mock-trading event gets underway again. This time, even more schools and students are being invited to win prizes, scholarships, internships ' and some practical know-how for entering the business world. The voice-broker competition, lasting until March 10, is being expanded to include three competitions based regionally, in New York, Chicago and Texas. The school-winner from each region will face one another in a weeklong playoff, March 13 to March 23. All school, depending on their region, are then invited to participate in one of three regional Open Outcry competitions, each offering internships at NYMEX and the chance to enter the dynamic world of commodities futures trading.

Futures are contracts, a bind commitment to buy and sell a commodity or financial product. Commodities are the raw materials of our industrialized economy; the products made from them keep world commerce humming along. However, the prices of commodities are vulnerable to vagaries such as weather (result: bad crops) and political turmoil (result: oil embargo), which can send prices plummeting or soaring and bring abrupt peaks and valleys to the already iffy dynamics of supply and demand.

To assure that producers (miners, say) and users (plumbers) get a fair price, futures contracts were invented to guarantee an agreed-upon price for a good when it's bought in the future. The contracts are basically hedges on how prices will move in the future. And they are traded on exchanges such as the New York Mercantile Exchange, one of six in the United States.

Each team, comprising five to 10 economics majors, is given $100,000 of 'money' with which to trade commodities, such as crude oil, natural gas and gold. A student representative from each team, which also relies on a professor/advisor, makes weekly phantom trades, which includes live voices and daily posting of results through a brokerage account. It's part of the same program that companies use to actually train their traders. Who's up and who's down will be charted at CO-EDmagazine.com, which will show daily results and the daily 'P/L,' known as 'marking-to-market,' to see how their original investments are doing. CO-EDmagazine.com will also carry students' stories that explain their investment strategies.

To find out more, check out CO-edmagazine.com or email CO-ED at 'commodities competition@CO-EDmagazine.com.'

Just because you're majoring in something a little off-the-wall, don't think your life's over! You can still have a career, and it doesn't even need to be related to your degree.

Major: Packaging Science
In Simple Terms: Packaging isn't just for Fed-Ex anymore!
The Prof: Kay Cooksey, Clemson University
Important Skills: Creative thinking, problem-solving, communicating ideas clearly
Usual Careers: 'About half of our students work at user companies and the other half work at converter companies. User companies use packaging but don't necessarily make or print on them, like Kraft General Foods. Packages are more commonly made by converter companies such as International Paper and Cryovac.'
Unrelated Move: 'I know one student who started a small stock car racing company and drove his own car.'

Major: Post-harvest Physiology
In Simple Terms: Everything having to do with wine
The Prof: John Fellman, Washington State University
Important Skills: Knowledge of winemaking and chemistry, being a team-player and organization
Usual Careers: Winemakers, grower relations product managers, horticulturists
Cool Job: 'One of our recent graduates is now a wine buyer for a large grocery store chain.'

Major: Entrepreneurship (Business)
In Simple Terms: Building your own company
The Professor: Rocki-Lee DeWitt, University of Vermont
The Personality: 'Honestly entrepreneurship-concentration people are usually not the best students. They are so passionate about their concepts that they skip classes to make phone calls, etc. trying to get it started.'
Usual Careers: 'Some parents don't like this but a lot of our students move somewhere then just get a job after they get there. Others do commercial lending, lending money to small businesses. Still others apply their marketing skills for other companies and become sales reps or sales managers.
Unrelated Move: 'Surprisingly, a very small percentage actually go on and start the business they had originally built their business plan for.' Some of DeWitt's students have gone to the Peace Corps or Teach for America, set up at trade shows, worked for General Electric or gone into fashion.

PETER KIM
Columbia University, 25, Undeclared major

When were you in Iraq?
February through August of 2004

What were you doing there?
My billet was as the Legal Chief for I MEF (I Marine Expeditionary Force).

Why did you choose to go to Iraq?
I didn't really choose to go. Uncle Sam did. Just kidding. Honestly, as a Marine, you want to be part of the fight. I was part of the rear echelon during the actual invasion in March of 2003. I was lucky enough to deploy to Iraq after it was determined that Marine Forces would relieve 82d Airborne.

Were you going to school before you enlisted?
I was attending SUNY Buffalo prior to my enlistment. I decided to enlist in the Marine Corps after my first year, which, like most freshmen, was spent learning the chemistry of beer and shots. I was subsequently activated in 2003 to active duty in support of the war on terrorism.

Did you plan on returning to school after you were finished with Iraq?
I planned on continuing my education. While I was in Iraq, I made the decision of putting in a transfer application to Columbia. My family wanted me closer to home (I'm from New York) and I had always wanted to attend Columbia. The greatest regrets in life are the chances you never take. So upon my return, I took a chance (my family didn't know until I was accepted). Fortunately for me, it was a chance that paid off.

What was your typical day like?
My days varied as my tasks varied. There were days when I would be on convoys ' which meant much longer hours. Days that would be spent in our 'office,' where I would wake up at around 6 a.m., get dressed and go to work. I would work until about 5-6 p.m. and grab dinner with the rest of my shop. Afterwards, we kept actual 'work' to a minimum and had a decompression period where we would discuss what occurred and what we need to do the next day. Every Sunday, we would climb to a roof of one of the buildings, light up a cigar and watch the evening missions on the city of Fallujah. There were also days where we would go into the towns and villages around Fallujah to build up relations. You could even say it was a humanitarian mission that we embarked on.

Were you ever shot at?
While doing humanitarian missions into local villages, there were incidences where we were fired on; however, we never fired back due to collateral damage and inability to positively identify the enemy. In addition to small arms fire, we were constantly bombarded with mortar and rocket attacks into our camp.

Do you support the war? Are we there for a good reason?
That is a loaded question in this day and age. I would have to say yes. I had the opportunity to see the poverty and anguish that these people live in. For example, part of my job was to help facilitate payments to the locals due to the damages caused to their property during the fighting; we went into these villages consistently. During one of these visits, a child who was about five- or six-years-old followed me. He kept pointing and pulling on the pen I had stuck to my interceptor vest (bullet proof vest), so at the end of my visit I handed him the pen. I jumped onto the back of the humvee and witnessed something that to this day chokes me up. An older man, I would guess his father or uncle, kept trying to pry the pen away from the boy and when he did not succeed proceeded to beat him until he let go. These people are so poor that even the cheap pen was a treasure.

Looking back, are you glad you went?
I would never trade my experiences in Iraq for anything else. It was there that I learned a lot about myself and fostered friendships that will last a lifetime.

What made you leave college and return to college?
I would like to finish my education and move on to serve my country once again. This time, I would trade my combat boots for shoes I could wear in the hallowed halls of our government.

THOMAS KIMBLE JR.
Long Island University, 24, Psychology and Elementary Education

When were you in Iraq?
January of 2003 through 2004, in Tiruit, Babylon and other areas. From June of 2004 to the following June, I was in Taqqadum and Fallujah

What were you doing there?
Basically supporting convoys and bases with communication means to talk to one another, using radios, phones and computers. I also helped train the Iraqi people in the election process.

Why did you choose to go to Iraq?
The first time the whole battalion (which is stationed out in Brooklyn, NY) was called to activation, the second time I volunteered since others were called to go a second time as well.

Were you going to school before you enlisted?
Yes. When 9/11 happened I withdrew from school automatically since I thought I would be going ASAP. It turned out I ended up not going for another year. I just didn't want to have to leave in the middle of a semester.

Did you plan on returning to school after you were finished with Iraq?
Yes, after I returned both times, I planned on going back to school.

What was your typical day like?
Everyday was the same! I would wake up round 6 a.m., eat, shower ' and be at the shop around 8 a.m. to conduct meetings, assess the network to see if anything went down during the night and send a team out to fix it.

Were you ever shot at?
First time, we had a missile actually hit the front gate of our base, and we had 34 scud missiles fly over our base. The second time, about 85 mortar rounds and missiles hit our base ' which was very scary. We had casualties; our base was about 12 miles in diameter. That's not even mentioning many of the close calls I've had while going on convoys to other bases.

Do you support the war? Are we there for a good reason?
To oust a tyrant, yes. I think we did well in that sense. I'm not sure if we should still be there but it's what we do. One hand washes the other.

Looking back, are you glad you went?
I'm glad I went because I can actually say in some small way I contributed to something greater than myself. You know, hopefully someday I can look at Iraq and say I helped shape a great nation.

'Gays masturbate more than straight people.'
The kid stated this as a fact while we sat outside after econ class. We were supposed to be comparing notes, but we got a little off topic. IRAs, gays, whatever.

'How do you know?'
He took out a box of Marlboros and offered me one. I refused. 'I know because one of my friends is a gay,' he said, whispering the last part lest God hears him and mistakes him for one of “them.”

'Oh.' Later, he offers me his number and I accept it, in case I really start to hate my parents and need someone to bring home to dinner.

In high school, I had trouble getting straight boys to talk to me, but I’ve received better reception in college, albeit from disgusting males who all seem fascinated with lesbians. Still, it's a start. I like to imagine it's because unlike some of the other girls I go to school with, I still own a razor and even use it on occasion to shave my legs.

I don’t particularly want to date smelly scum, however, so I don’t respond well to these cigarette offers or questions regarding whether or not I’d ever “dyke out.” I’m being rude, I know, but when I’m pleasant to these annoyingly tattooed, dirty boys, it only leads to complications where I end up spurting out things like, “You would so love my boyfriend!” (who doesn’t exist) to get out of going to their next band practice. Did I mention that they're all in a band?

The Naomi Campbell attitude wasn’t working so well in journalism class, however, because one boy obviously didn’t get the point when I gave him the universal “don’t talk to me again” response when he asked me out for coffee.
“I’m busy.”
“And later?”
“Study group.”
“Tomorrow.”
“I’m booked. All weekend.” Then I felt bad and added a really pathetic “Sorry.”

I have to give the boy credit ' I’m pretty intimidating, and he still asked. I gave him all the signs that say back off and yet he perseveres! It must be that “intense military training” he likes to brag about.

“I use a pseudo name when I write a newspaper article,” he announced as I noticed he smelt of cabbage.

'Hmmm?” Thatr’s good: feign deafness.
“I use Clark Kent,” he says, proudly, “Y’know…Superman?”

I say nothing, because I am horrified and would normally mock this situation,
but apparently talking to him gives him the wrong idea.

By the way, is it too much to ask for a boy who isn’t drunk, tattooed or addicted to nicotine, who is interesting without being crazy and even showers now and then? “No one showers anymore,” a clean friend informed me one afternoon, “They just try to cover it up, so it smells like cucumbers and ass.”

I know we’re all busy in college, but really, guys, it's okay to smell nice.

It may even get you a date.

WHEN TO GO
'Make your decision early so you won't get caught in tight situations.'
Tenisha Davidson
Georgetown University to Bowie State University

WHY YOU SHOULD LEAVE
'I loved everything (at UConn) except the classes here are a lot more interesting because they have the ones I want to take for my major. I like the classes and the people I work with. But UConn is ten times better.'
Sean Fish
University of Connecticut to University of Delaware

'If you didn't get into your first-choice school, you should re-apply. It's easier to get in as a transfer student than it is as a freshman, since most schools' admittance restrictions are a lot less when considering transfers. Most schools won't even look at your SAT scores after you have completed a certain amount of credits.'
Adzio Czerski
Emerson College to Chapman College

WHAT TO CONSIDER
'The school you pick is probably the last undergrad college you will attend. Make a confident decision and stick with it, but first review all of your options. Adjusting to a new school is easy if you get involved right away.'
J. Austin Cobb
Hendrix College to University of Arkansas-Fayetteville

DIFFICULT MOVES
'I got placed on a primarily freshman floor as a transfer sophomore. It's hard when you are placed on a freshman floor because you're new to the school, but you are not new to college life. I had a rough first year transitioning, but I eventually found my niche by applying to be an RA.'
Erin Elias
Salve Regina University to Syracuse University

'Adjusting to the new school is like your freshman year all over again so learn from your freshman year and you should be OK.'
Laura Critcher
Cedar Crest College to Buffalo State University

'Be open to the good and the bad. In my new school, I made friends through the theater department. Now, I hang out with theater people and people that don't go to school at all.'
Monica Solc
University of Nebraska to University of Southern California

The Truth
(Trustkill)

While this metal-hardcore-goth trend grows tiresome, Bleeding Through do it right by stripping away the pretensions (keyboardist Marta adds gloom, but doesn't distract) and simply piling on the drums, guitars and howling vocals. Sure, cranking this up won't win you points with the ladies (save for our copy editor), but sometimes you just gotta rage, you know?

Best moment: When frontman Brandan Schieppati kicks off the album screaming 'I don't give a fuck!!' … only to sadly ponder 'Why does everything disappear?' two tracks later. Dude, it's called 'bipolar disorder.'

Grade: B

Some people like to spend a year 'finding themselves' in the work force or exotic countries ' before losing themselves in alcohol and all-nighters. Just like normal college students! Here are the stories of those who deferred their college admissions.

Dan Hirschhorn
Philadelphia, PA
University of Pennsylvania
What he did'
Enrolled in a year-long internship program in Worcester, MA, for post-high school students. Dan also worked at an investment firm in the fall, the sports section of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette in the winter and Lancer Outlook, a college news show produced by Worcester State College, in the spring.
Why he took a year off.
'There was just no way I was ready for college,' he says. 'The end of high school was rough, both in academic and other ways. I needed to mature and gain more perspective.'
Did it help him make his college decision?
Not at all. Penn had already accepted him, so Dan just deferred for a year.

Ashley Joyce
Bend, OR
College in Oregon
What she did'
Was a Rotary Youth Exchange Student in Haapam'ki/Pihlajavesi, Finland (!), where she lived with three host families and went to Finnish high school. 'I learned Finnish, rode my bike to school in the snow, met the REAL Santa Claus, saw reindeer and virtually lived in the sauna,' she says. By the way, the real Santa? Smells like ham.
Why she took a year off'
'My friend's sister went to South Africa as a Rotary exchange student. I heard all about her awesome experiences. So, I decided: why not? Also, I thought I’d never have the chance to go away, and have it all virtually paid for, ever again. And it just seemed different. Everyone I knew was going to college right away, and I didn’t see why I needed to hurry into it.'
Did it help in the college application process?
'Colleges want people with diverse experiences and backgrounds,' Joyce says. 'I'm still convinced going to Finland is the real reason I was accepted into my college ' along with the fact that I'm from Oregon.' Yeah, that's the kicker, Ashley.

Josh Silverstein
Spokane, WA
Brandeis University
What he did.
Went on a leadership program in Israel, spending time in Jerusalem and on Kibbutz Sa'ad, a religious communal farming community in the Negev Desert. 'I worked in the popcorn factory, sorting, bagging and packaging popcorn and birdseed,' says Silverstein. Note: He doesn't know what's in that fake butter, either.
Why he took a year off.
'I felt I had this opportunity to do something interesting at a vital time for breaking away from the identity of home and I though, hey, I might as well,' he says.
Would he recommend it to others?
'Definitely for those who don’t feel ready to jump straight into college, which can be quite a leap,' he says. 'There’s no real way to know who I would be, had I not taken time off. We have more time to figure everything out than we tend to realize; we might as well take our time and enjoy the journey and do as many interesting things as possible!' Um, what's with the royal 'we,' Josh?