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October 16, 2007
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Sports
Vol. 80 Issue #1
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Free Access to Ideas... Full Freedom of Expression
FREQUENT FIRE ALARMS DISRUPT NEW HALL RESIDENTS
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Photo Courtesy of Christopher Buonanno By Christopher E. Buonanno Anchor Staff If one happened to pass by the New Residence Hall last Thursday at approximately 5:30pm, one would have heard the loud screeching of a fire alarm and seen students gathered on the opposite side of Sixth Avenue huddled to keep warm and out of the rain. This is because the fire alarm system of the New Residence Hall malfunctioned…again. This marked the eighth time that students living in the New Residence Hall were forced to evacuate the building due to a fire alarm going off. Among the hundreds of students that were gathered in the parking lots across Sixth Avenue were Courtney Hall, Heather Schubert, and Stephanie Podgurski, all of whom are amongst the New Residence Hall’s occupants. Hall mentioned that she had an 8 a.m. class and that she was
Stitch ‘N’ Bitch By Jessica Albaum Anchor Editor Stitch ‘N’ Bitch is a weekly event sponsored by the Women’s Center every Tuesday 4-6 p.m. This event takes place in their office, on the first floor of Donovan. Everyone is invited to bring a craft and talk about their problems or anything that is bothering them. RIC is not the first place to hold this event. Stitch ‘N’ Bitch groups meet all over the world; from America to Singapore, women and men are gathering to sew or do crafts and vent about things that are bothering them. There is least one group in every state in America and at least 20 other countries where this event is held. Even if a person does not live near an area with a Stitch ‘N’ Bitch group, one can sew at home, take pictures of their work and display them, as well as post topics of interest and discuss it with other people. There are also a series of books called “Stitch ‘N’ Bitch” by Debbie Stoller. There are four books in the series with such fun names as “The Happy Hooker” They are all designed to teach people how to knit and to show how fun and “hip knitting can
be. Stitch ‘N’ Bitch at RIC started this year on October 2. For the men who are interested in joining, yes you are allowed to go to this event. The chapter at RIC started because the Women’s Center wanted a place for students “to come and relax and get something done”, according to Liz Lee. She also said it is a good event to go to with friends because “instead of consuming you are creating”. Lee said, you do not have to sew in order to attend. People can bring any crafts that they want to work on. When asked if she felt that Stitch ‘N’ Bitch has been successful Lee responded with, “Last week there were 6 or 7 people. People are hearing about it and talking about it but in general it’s a campus problem to get people to activities.” Stitch ‘N’ Bitch is an international event that allows peoples creative juices to flow while getting a chance to blow off some steam. Whether you are from Australia, Korea or Rhode Island, this is an event that everyone can get involved with. RIC’s group meets every Tuesday at 4 p.m. For more information contact the Women’s center.
outside in her pajamas until 1 a.m. because someone “didn’t know how to use a microwave.” Most of the eight alarms seem to have occurred because of burned popcorn, or something of that nature, being left in a microwave; burning as a result. The new, ultrasensitive smoke detectors set the alarms off and sent students scurrying out of the building at all times of the day. “This is getting ridiculous,” Schubert said. “If there is ever a genuine emergency, people are not going to realize it because of all the false alarms.” It is safe to say that all people who live in the residence hall feel as though this is a nuisance. The campus police officer on duty said that the cause for the specific case that occurred Thursday was a “dirty sensor.” He offered no comment on what would be done to alleviate the problem for the future.
F.Y.I @ RIC
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October 16, 2007
THE ANCHOR
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Mike Simeone Staff Member of the Week E D I T O R S Executive editor Managing editor News editor Editorial editor A & E editor Sports editor Photography editor Layout editors Copy editor Graphics editor Business editor Technology editor Public Relations Ads Manager Distribution Anchor Jr. Faculty advisor Professional advisors
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Evening in Newport Tuesday, October 16, 2007 4 p.m. - 9 p.m. RIC Iron Chef Tuesday, October 16, 2007 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. Student Union Ballroom
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Stitch n’ Bitch Tuesday, October 16, 2007 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. Women’s Center
Women of Color Meeting Wednesday, October 17, 2007 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. Adams Library Rm.405 - 4th floor - Study Area RIC Jump Off Party Saturday, October 20, 2007 9 p.m. - 1 a.m. Student Union Ballroom
contacts & fine print General ...............401.456.8280 Advertising...........401.456.8544 Fax.....................401.456.8792 Web ...........www.anchorweb.org General Info .info@anchorweb.org The Anchor is student-run and published weekly during the academic year. Editorial decisions for The Anchor are made by a majority vote of its student editorial board. No form of censorship will be imposed. Any material found to be unsuitable or unacceptable in the board’s opinion will not be published. The views expressed in The Anchor, unless otherwise noted, are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent those of The Anchor or of Rhode Island College’s faculty, administration or student body. The first copy is free. Each additional copy is $2.25. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2007, The Anchor. If you are a student organization and would like to have an event covered, please contact The Anchor at managing@anchorweb.org.
October 16, 2007
News
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THE ANCHOR
There’s Something About Salem... By Barry Nickerson Anchor Editor On Sunday, several dozen RIC students embarked on a quest through spooky haunts and historical sites, delving into the rich history of Salem, Massachusetts. The trip was sponsored by Student Activities. The event only cost $3, which included snacks and beverages on the bus. Students had about six hours to shop, explore, and check out the historical sites in Salem. Laden with gift shops, museums and haunted houses, the tourist attraction was a fantastic escape from still-green Rhode Island to the illuminated foliage of northern Massachusetts. Popular locations included the Derby Square Bookstore, the 13 haunted places, the museums and, of course, the alleys chock full of Harry Potter and witch paraphernalia. Halloween gifts, decorations, and delicious autumn treats, such as candy apples and pumpkin fudge, were available at nearly every corner. Costumed actors preached the tale of the Salem Witch Trials and performances were given reenacting the witch scare which claimed over 30 lives of “witches.” RIC freshman Grace Ionata had never been to Salem before. “It was a lot of fun to be there around Halloween,” she said. “There are so many attractions, and everybody dressed up. It was really cool.” Student Activities will be sponsoring trips to New York and Boston in the coming months. Be sure to check the signs in Donovan and at the Welcome and Information Center in the Student Union for information on upcoming events.
What’s Special about Today? By Jessica Albaum Anchor Editor October National AIDS Awareness Month October was declared National AIDS Awareness Month in 1988, seven years after the first case was documented. During this month the facts about AIDS are taught nationwide. Also during this month many fundraisers are held, such as AIDS walks. October 16 Dictionary Day Noah Webster, considered to be the father of the Dictionary, was born on October 16, 1758. This day is celebrated by honoring the dictionary and improving ones vocabulary. October 17 Wear Something Gaudy Day This day came into being because of a very popular television show in the 70’s, Three’s Company. One of the characters on the show, Larry Dallas, declared it Wear Something Gaudy Day and it stuck. Anything that is really shiny or outlandish would count as being gaudy. Celebrate this day by making yourself stand out in a crowd.
October 18 No Beard Day On this day all men (and some women) are encouraged to shave their beards. This is especially important for those who have not shaved their beards in a long time. Dare to go bare and shave it off. October 19 Evaluate You Life Day This holiday was created by www.wellcat.com. On this day people are encouraged to think about their life and where it is heading. If you do not like where it is heading, this is the perfect day to make some changes. October 20 Sweetest Day This special day is celebrated every year on the third Saturday of October. It was created in Cleveland and started in 1922. It was started by a man named Herbert Birch Kingston who gave out small gifts and candy. The original reason Kingston started this day was to give something sweet to those in need. In the present time, most who follow this holiday celebrate it among loved ones.
Sports
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October 16, 2007
THE ANCHOR
Manager at Fault for U.S. Women’s Soccer Debacle? By Rob Duguay Anchor Editor Nike billed them as the best team you’ve never heard of. They were the best United States Women’s soccer team in nearly a decade; the oddson favorite to win the whole tournament. Well, now they are the third place team in this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, all because of a boneheaded decision by Manager, Greg Ryan. Before their semifinal match with Brazil, the U.S. Women’s Soccer team was completely dominating their competition with back-to-back shutouts over Sweden and Nigeria, winning their group, and blanking England 3-0 in the quarterfinals of the knockout stage. Goalkeeper Hope Solo was manning the net in all 3 of those games. In the days leading up to their semifinal match, Manager Ryan decided to bench Solo in favor of 36 year-old U.S. keeper Briana Scurry, who you might remember from stopping all those penalty kicks in the 1999 World Cup final in Los Angeles. The only problem was that Scurry hadn’t played a complete soccer match in nearly 3 months. When the match with Brazil started, Solo played the role of bench warmer while Scurry struggled in net, with the U.S. losing 4-0. The loss ended a 51-game unbeaten streak the U.S. had leading up until the match, and with a second half red card sending off midfielder Shannon Boxx, the U.S. was left with 10 players for nearly the entire second half. In an interview after the match,
Solo expressed her disappointment with Ryan’s decision saying, “it was the wrong decision, and I think anybody that knows anything about the game knows that. There’s no doubt in my mind I would have made those saves. And the fact of the matter is that it’s not 2004 anymore. It’s not 2004. And it’s 2007, and I think you have to live in the present. And you can’t live by big names. You can’t live in the past. It doesn’t matter what somebody did in an Olympic gold medal game in the Olympics three years ago. Now is what matters, and that’s what I think.” The day after Solo made those comments, many people were viewing her venting as a criticism of Scurry’s performance. She released an apologetic statement saying that it was not the case. Ryan ended up sending Solo home and not having her play in the 3rd place match against Norway, which the U.S. won 4-1. After the game with Norway, team captain Kristine Lilly said that Solo not being allowed to play was a team decision that wasn’t only made by the manager. After all this, I still don’t understand Greg Ryan’s logic with benching Hope Solo before the semifinal match and essentially throwing away the World Cup for a 36-year old, past-her-prime goalie like Briana Scurry. If Solo played against Brazil, there could have been a real good chance that Solo’s shutout streak would have been extended and the U.S. streak would have been pushed to 52 games. Would you seize a chance to win it all only to throw it away because of someone’s past success? Yea. Me neither.
Anchorwomen Clinch Share of LEC Regular Season Crown
CUP-O-JOE
By Marah Roach Anchor editor
Rhode Island College women’s tennis defeated UMass Dartmouth, 5-4, last Saturday afternoon to get a piece of the Little East Conference Women’s Tennis Regular Season Championship. UMass Dartmouth had been undefeated in Little East action before this match. The Anchorwomen raised their record to 10-3 overall and 6-1 in the L.E.C. They have won the regular season title the past four years and are now the top finishers in the league for five consecutive seasons.
SINGLES MATCHES:
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In upcoming action, the Anchorwomen will host the Little East Conference Championship on Friday the 19th at 9 a.m.
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The original plan was to write a football pick’em article, where I pretended to have an above average clue on who will be winning this weekend’s football games. Well, nix that. Game 3 of the American League Championship Series came on, let’s watch that. 2nd Inning: Oh man, Kenny Lofton just “lofted one” into the stands (I stole that from some little kid’s sign in the stands of the game). This is scary, the two-run homerun’s absolutely lit up the Cleveland crowd, and they’re in the game now. I don’t care what his post-All-Star break numbers are, I don’t like Julio Lugo. Deep down, you know you don’t either I’m so envious of Casey Blake’s beard. His beard is like the lawn of a landscaper, while mine is like a rocky backyard of a trailer park. Top of the 4th : Mike Lowell hits a foul ball so hard that everyone feels like it should count anyway. Jake Westbrook continues to infuriate me by succeeding thus far, even though we know he sucks. They just mentioned J.D. Drew finished the year with a .270 average. I’m now fairly certain that Fox sports is outright lying to me 7th Inning: ‘Tek hits a home run, and I feel a little bit better about my life. My deep hate for the state of Ohio grows anyway. 9th Inning: Ouch. You kind of knew that as soon as Mike Lowell popped up for the first out this game was over. J.D. Drew doesn’t start rallies, he just ends them. Oh well, down 2-1 isn’t a big deal, keep the faith (I hope).
Sports
October 16, 2007
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THE ANCHOR
Welcoming Men’s Lacrosse To Rhode Island College By Sam Whitson Anchor Contributor Lacrosse is one of the oldest sports in North America, dating all the way back to the 1400s. The sport originated in Native American communities where it was known as “baggataway” until French settlers arrived in the 1800s. The name was changed due to the fact that the sticks used by players resembled a bishop’s staff, known as “la crosse” in French, and it has remained the same since then. Over the years, the sport has gained widespread popularity with teams forming in high schools as well as colleges and universities. This year marks the beginning of the Men’s Lacrosse club team at Rhode Island College. At this point, the team has no coach, but I was given the opportunity to talk with John Northup, a defensemen, about the team and its future here at RIC. Samantha: Can you just briefly explain the game and positions? John: Well, it’s kind of like soccer because you have defensemen, offensive players, midfielders, and a goalie. Ten guys play at once, 3 defensive players, 3 offensive, 3 midis, and the goalie, but it’s good to have about 20 players so you can have subs now and then. During the game, you can run past the goal and then around and behind it. Samantha: Since this is a club team, where do you get your funds? John: We just ask people (laughs). The guys have all their own equipment but if we asked maybe the school would give us matching helmets so we’d look like a team. Most of the guys played in high school so they still have their sticks and everything. Really, we’re just a group of guys who love to play and there isn’t a team so we just got together on our own. Samantha: Do you think the team would get together to try to reach varsity level?
John: We’d need a constitution and more funding, plus popularity on campus. I think that eventually we could get there but right now we’re all focused on just being able to play and have some fun. Samantha: So have you guys gotten a chance to have any games yet? John: No, I’m hoping that we can get a real game worked out by the spring; maybe against another school or something. For now we’re still working out where and when to play. Like I said before, we all just really like to play. Some of us haven’t played in months. Some haven’t played in years so we’re all pretty happy getting back into it. Samantha: Did most of the guys on the team play for their high school or are there some new players? John: It’s a mix, really. We’ve got some guys who played all through high school and then there are a couple who just want to see what it’s like. I played for three years in high school and now I’m one of the defensemen here. Samantha: If anyone is interested in getting started with the team, who do they contact? John: Well, they can talk to me if they see me around. We try to meet every week at 11:30 at the Student Union Café so that’s probably the easiest way to get in touch. We only have fourteen guys right now so it’d be great to get at least another 6 people involved. At this next meeting coming up we’ll be talking about finally getting to play for a change. After the conversation I had with John, it was obvious that even this handful of guys seems to be intent on just enjoying a good game of lacrosse. It’s unfortunate that the men’s division isn’t yet recognized as a varsity sport, but things can change. But in the future, RIC’s Lacrosse Anchormen may be gracing The Anchor‘s headlines with stories of wins and record seasons.
Freshmen Athletes By Sam Whitson Anchor Contributor Freshman athletes at any school have to adjust to the college environment, but they also have to become familiar with a new team. Plus, college sports teams can be more serious about playing their sport(s) of choice. Because of this, it’s no surprise that new athletes can have some anxiety about their success on the team. To become more familiar with this adjustment, I spoke with my suitemate, Nell Reinwald, about her experience as a point guard for RIC’s Woman’s Basketball team. Samantha: So when did you start playing basketball? Nell: I have been playing since I was about four. I was in the youngest age bracket in the league and we used those plastic Fisher Price hoops. I remember seeing older kids use the bigger ones and I always thought ‘“One day, I’m gonna shoot the big hoops.”’ Samantha: How has it been playing as a freshman? Nell: I like it, the team makes it fun. I think it’ll be a good season. I’m excited about it. I just hope I’m good enough to compete with these girls. Samantha: Can you tell me a little about the team? Nell: All the girls are real funny and we all get along. There are usually about 12 of us for a pickup game. It’s fun to play with all of the girls so I enjoy it. Samantha: Are you looking forward to away games with the team? Nell: Yeah, I’m interested in being able to travel and see other colleges. Plus, it’s with people I like so it’ll be fun. Samantha: Are you enjoying RIC off the court? Nell: Oh yeah, I’ve met a lot of cool people since we started. It makes school easier to handle when you have people to have fun with. Samantha: Yeah, I know I’m one of the coolest people you’ve met (both laugh). But is there anything that you don’t like much about playing a sport at RIC? Nell: Study hall. I have to drag myself down there; I’m just never motivated to go. Once I’m there, I don’t mind it since I get all my work done. So I guess I don’t completely hate it. Nell’s love of the game has helped her to relax into the team primarily made up of upperclassmen. As basketball season gets closer, she looks forward to playing her first college game and finally getting to shoot the big hoops.
Smells Like Team Spirit? By Mike Simeone Anchor Staff Those of you who are from Rhode Island have probably heard of East Providence High School and Townie Pride. That’s where I attended high school. For those of you who do not know what Townie Pride is, it means going to every home game wearing your school colors no matter what the sport is; football, volleyball, hockey, soccer, baseball, lacrosse, etc. Just go to one of their home football games on a Friday night and you will see the swarm of red and white. The stands are always packed with fans. They are there despite the rain, snow; you name it. Just wait until the big Thanksgiving football game against LaSalle. You have to show up at least an hour and half early to get a seat at that game. One of the people who best shows what Townie Pride is coach Mr. Luis Carvalho, the coach of our volleyball team at Rhode Island College. Mr. Carvalho coached for a many years at East Providence; winning a countless number of games and a number of state titles. He also devotes his time to a summer camp for volleyball at the high school. Not only was Mr. Carvalho the coach of the volleyball team, he was also a gym teacher. There isn’t a student who attends or did attend East Providence High School who did not know of Mr. Carvalho. Being an avid sports enthusiast and supporter of my school teams, I try to regularly attend sporting events at my school and cheer my lungs out for the team. The most recent sporting event I attended was the hockey game against Keane State. Having one of my roommates, Kyle Vicino, on the hockey team, he was really promoting the game trying to get a bunch of people to go. Knowing this, I very much expected a lot of people to be there and, for the most part, there were. Figuring that a bunch of people would be at the game, I figured there to be much support
for the hockey team. This being the case, I was sadly disappointed when the amount of cheering that went on was lacking. The people who were cheering, included myself, one of my other roommates, Travis, who painted his chest with Kyle on the front and his number, 13, on his back, and a few other people. This is not what I am used to when I go to a sporting event. Normally, there would be three groups of people with shirts or their chests painted rooting on the team. Having seen this it made me pose a question to myself; and this also goes out to everyone else on campus. Where is the Anchor Pride? Why is it that nobody really goes to any of the sporting events? I cover volleyball most of the time and it seems that, besides the parents and myself, there are maybe thirty students there. It is not like they are holding up signs that say, “Go Anchorwomen!,” have their chests painted, or are even wearing school colors. It is not just like that at volleyball games. I have been to a select number of soccer games and baseball games in years past, and the fan support is just lacking. I understand that Rhode Island College is considered to be a commuter school but still, all the athletes go out there and give their best when they play in games. They enjoy what they do and they are proud of it too. Having played lacrosse and thrown shot put in high school, part of playing a sport is the fans. You go out there and you don’t just play for yourself, you play for the fans too. So how about we show our athletes a little support and go to a sporting event and scream “Let’s go RIC!” or “Here we go Anchormen/women?”
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October 16, 2007
ComicS
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Opinions
October 16, 2007
THE ANCHOR
Response to the “N” Word By Barry Nickerson Anchor Editor In the October 9 issue of The Anchor, an editorial by Jill M. Smith, titled “On the ‘N’ Word,” was published. While I don’t disagree entirely with the points she made, there are a lot of statements that I feel were ignorant and should be addressed. Per her request in the first paragraph, I’m responding with logic and rationale. First of all, the etymology of the word “gay” that was given in the article is entirely inaccurate. Simple research reveals that the first-used “negative connotation” of “gay” towards sexuality initially referred to prostitution. The article stated that the author jokes about things being gay with her friends. Thus, when Smith jokes about things being “gay”, she is joking about an item being promiscuous. As if a faulty coffee pot being called an adjective that means lesbian, bisexual etc. wasn’t awkward enough: now the coffee pot sleeps around! Second, I am highly inclined to discredit her statement that “if we can all be honest, we have all used (the ‘n’ word) at least once.” I think that’s a false assumption; I know plenty of people who don’t even speak regular swear words and are at least of college age. Some of those who use the word will only use it when referring to the term itself; it is obvious that many people, including students at RIC, are repulsed by the concept of ever being referred to by that term. (Refer to last February 20’s Anchor, in which Marco McWilliams wrote an editorial about the ‘n-word’.) The assumption in the second paragraph in the second column that we try to hide or shun away a word in order to make people forget that it even exists is far from the truth. Obviously, the African-American community will never be oblivious to history; it’s a shame and a discredit to it. However, in today’s society, many people are still very offended by the ‘n-word’. I feel extremely comfortable saying it myself and I feel that I can refer to my friends with more tasteful language than that word. The final paragraph is so contradictory that it’s almost laughable. The author states that we shouldn’t let anyone at any age walk around and blurt it out yet she says that we should let the youth of today walk around and use it whenever they want in order for it to lose its negative connotation. What the author is forgetting is that there are people whose families (and entire race!) have been persecuted for centuries and belittled by an empowered culture. Many people who lived through times of great segregation and
WHAT’S THE POINT IN WATCHING TV!? By Beth Palmer Anchor Staff I ask but one question: “When will society take their death grip off reality television?” I, for one, am sick of it! Since the genre has started, absolutely nothing about the shows screams reality. Take A Shot of Love with Tila Tequila for example. Do you suffer with a group of people from each sex fighting for the chance to sleep with you? But wait! Forget that all of this fighting for your sex is not real. I didn’t think so. We obsess over dating shows (which are one step below Mad TV’s “Lowered Expectations”), survival shows, and competition shows. And of course, you pick your favorite person on the show! The fun part is that every winner is the same. If it is a dating show, it’s the one with the biggest chest. If it’s a survival show, it’s between a guy and a girl so the viewers can’t see the obvious sexism. If it’s competition, the winner is the one you hate the most. Sound a little predictable? Now, not only has our television been the same, it has been offensive. While every show is the reincarnation of the one before, there are many different ways of hurting other social groups.
The stereotypes are still the same as they were thirty years ago and these shows are using them. Anyone can think of a character that hits on the stereotype of a blonde, white person, black person, Hispanic person, mentally challenged person, etc. and the sad part is that this is what our society considers entertainment to be. Our programs have not gotten any better with time. If anything, it is just subtler in sexism, discrimination, and offensive nature to the untrained eye. We have comics like Carlos Mencia that bank on the fact that he can offend three groups at once with a joke for fame. Our society laughs and says, “It’s just a joke” with a shrug. They all turned their heads when the two girls had to strip on Survivor to have Oreos and peanut butter. That was just an incident. Let’s face it: Television just has gone downhill. Real World, Road Rules, Survivor, Big Brother, Rock of Love with Bret Michaesl, Flavor of Love, The Bachelor, just to name a few, have gained control of our minds! Go and watch MTV and melt your brain with Made and The Hills. We all know how it will end and I’ll be damned if it doesn’t offend at least one community. You’ve got to love how far we’ve come!
All opinions in The Anchor are those of the individual writer and do not necessarily represent the views of The Anchor. We urge all members of the RIC community to take advantage of The Anchor’s editorial pages and send us their opinions. We remain true to our motto “free access to ideas and full freedom of expression”. Submissions must be under or around 700 words. Since we receive so many letters each week, entries will be published based on relevancy and time sensitivity. All entries are considered and carefully read.
rampant racism are still alive today. These are the grandparents and parents, and even in extreme cases, the youth of today’s generation. The author has no problem with spreading the word ‘gay’ around like pollen, though. What this author is completely ignorant of is that, while her choice of language with her friends might be okay for them, there are a lot of people today who are still persecuted for their sexuality or their ethnic background (or both!). I get harassed a lot for being gay. It’s gotten worse this year with people driving by and shouting things at me, leaving notes everywhere saying hateful things, spreading filth about me, and disrespecting me for my sexuality. The last thing I need is for someone to spread the word ‘gay’ around like it’s something funny. I’m not laughing, and neither are any of my close friends. Little things, like people dropping ‘gay’ and ‘faggot,’ really do hurt people like me. We hear those words on an almost daily basis and it hurts. I, for one, am sick and tired of people constantly referring to things as ‘gay’ and calling their friends ‘faggots’ in a laughing manner and then turning to me and apologizing. No, it doesn’t make things better for me. It makes me lose respect for you. When your life has condemned you to being afraid to walk alone because of who you are, you begin to see things in a new light. Suddenly, bad words seem bad. That’s why people hang out in groups of people that are the same as them and use the words with each other. It takes away some of the pain from us because we’re the ones who’ve had to deal with the pain from the very beginning. So maybe you’ll hear some gay person calling his friends “fags” but that won’t be me. And you won’t hear any of my friends calling me that word, either, because on those issues, I stand where I stand. You will also never hear me drop an n-bomb either, even if my friends are comfortable with the word, I don’t find that to be an excuse for me to say things I’m not comfortable with and that the person standing next to me might be hurt by. Check what’s there beyond your comfort zone. You might be surprised at what you see: good people, honest people who feel inferior because of the words you say. Hurtful language doesn’t buy you any respect, especially not from a marginalized community. What’s OK with one person may not be OK with the next so at least use good judgment before you open your mouth and spread hateful language. Barry Nickerson is a fourth-year Mathematics major at Rhode Island College. His coffee pot does not sleep around.
Pay A-BLOODY-ttention! By Adam D. Bram Anchor Staff Parents of the world: Your children are running rampant. They’re cursing like sailors from playing violent video games and watching R-rated movie after R-rated movie. Now, what would any responsible parent do? If you answered: “Wage a war against the violent video games, R-Rated movies, and explicit song lyrics,” you would be like a lot of parents in this country. You would also be 100% incorrect. The real answer is that in this day and age where people are too busy for anything, it is even more important to actually watch what your kids are doing and to teach them what is and isn’t acceptable from early on. Really take the time to raise them, and teach them, and get a sense of exactly what they are or aren’t ready for. And then keep them away from things they aren’t ready for until they actually are ready. It really makes me sick of how often rap lyrics and games like Grand Theft Auto are blamed for the violence in this country; which of course makes people try to get rid of them once and for all. I personally am not a fan of either, but they have a right to exist as something creative. Just keep your kids away from it. They are made for adults, so adults should be able to enjoy it. Too many elementary school children are seeing the latest Saw movie. Again, I’m not a fan of Saw but I would never campaign for it to be removed from existence. Just keep your kids away from it until they’re in their late teens (or thereabouts, depending on the kid). Actually work on being a parent and spending time with your kids instead of letting the TV be a babysitter. I grew up watching a lot of TV. And I mean a lot. But my parents were always with me, enjoying it with me, and they made sure I didn’t see anything I wasn’t ready to see. The result: As an adult, I watch and enjoy filthy dirty things all the time but I would never try to hurt anyone. I don’t even swear all that much in public. If you want your kid to grow up to be a good person, don’t go off and try to rid the world of popular culture you find distasteful. Just make sure they know right from wrong and don’t expose them to adult things until they become more mature. Now that’s not to say you should shield them from everything for all their lives. Just try and make an accurate, logical judgment of what they are and are not ready for. Adam D. Bram is a third-year theatre major at RIC and a staff writer/cartoonist at The Anchor. Contrary to popular belief, he did not want to slice off anyone’s head after seeing Kill Bill except maybe that @#%!-er who kicked him in the shins back in 4th grade.
Opinions
October 16, 2007
Page 13
THE ANCHOR
Snippets of Randomness By Christopher E. Buonanno Anchor Staff
times my mom.
They have a tough job.
Hello y’all!
My radio program, The Boss in the Morning, starts again on Monday at 12 noon on 90.7 WXIN (and at www.ricradio.org) after a year-long hiatus.
Here’s a sign that things aren’t right: the New Dorm has had more fire system malfunctions than any other building on campus.
The Patriots are steamrolling over everyone. Mangini is 1 and 5. Stick your tongue out and say PTHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
I know it’s not in the morning here, but think about it; in the rest of the country, it’s still AM.
Isn’t new technology supposed to make things more efficient? The old systems are working better than the new ones.
So the Yankees crapped the bed….again. It’s not Joe Torre’s fault. He should stay.
It makes sense to me and that’s all that matters.
The American male is going through a period of extreme wussification. Grooms-to-be no longer indulge in strippers at bachelor parties while bachelorette parties see more skin. That’s a problem.
Rock, Jazz, country, pop. It’ll be a little something for everyone. Live big! You only get one shot.
If I were king of everything, socks would be mandatory. Some people have the ugliest feet. I don’t want to look at them; especially if you have dirt under your toenails that is black or the green fungus. It’s DISGUSTING and distracting and, quite frankly, makes me want to vomit on your feet.
The women’s libbers won the battle. Saluté!
All cognac is brandy, but not all brandy is cognac. You can take that one to the bank.
I would probably be doing you a favor.
Text messaging is pretty dumb. Pick up the phone and call the person.
I want to thank The Anchor for printing that wonderful picture of my grandfather and I last week. A truly heartfelt thank you.
NOTE TO ALL OF MY PROFESSORS: Right now, I am in New York with WXIN on a conference. I won’t be back until Friday. Have fun without me!
Shoutout to my boys at the Tuesday night Hi-Lo-Jack league: Joe, Bucky, Franco, Steve, Jason, Glenn, Quaker, Fiore, and all the rest of the boys.
Dave and Busters is merely a Chuck E. Cheese with booze.
I learn a lot from those guys.
Oh, I suppose you could drink and drive there too, if you played the car race games.
I’m the youngest one there by at least 25 years, but that’s the Italian way.
The Breast Cancer walk was this past weekend. I hope many of you walked. Don’t forget, the month for breast cancer awareness is only halfway done. BE AWARE!
That is, unless you are in class. Then I see why you can’t talk. Jack Daniel’s bottles are square so that when people throw the bottles under the seat of their car, they don’t roll out at an inopportune time…like during a traffic stop. Men: If you can’t beat an absentee boyfriend, then you should hang up the cleats and hit the showers. You’re done. The golf course is the only place you where are allowed to drink and drive. As a matter of fact, some golf carts come equipped with bottle openers. Encouraging, huh? After 3 glasses of wine, I’m much better at this; much better at most things actually.
I have started an Italian American Culture Club (IACC). If anyone would like to join, please let me know. If your dog is misbehaving, tell it that you have Michael Vick on speed dial. That should straighten him out. Tip of the week: Check your RIC e-mail account. Much important information goes there. Also, there is a way to have everything sent to it forwarded to your primary email account. Try it. It’ll be worth it.
I have stopped trying to figure out women. They…don’t…think…logically.
By the way, Binky is nobody specific, just a nickname I gave all of you wonderful loyal readers out there.
The only one that did was my grandmother, and some-
Shoutout to campus police, especially Joe, Ron and Jim.
That’s why the State House is pink, by the way. “Le bastoné, a saxophoné, toot toot, toot toot; toot toot, toot toot tippity tippity ta!” Ha HÁ! Julius, Julius LaRosa. The the the the the the the the that’s all folks!
Video Games: The Widow Makers? By Andrew Massey Anchor Editor Being an avid video gamer, the question often brought up is “Do video games make people violent?” My answer: “Only if you’re a gullible moron.” Now, some of you who have been following along with my articles since last year (that’s right, all three of you), will know that I have already touched this subject. So why write it again? First off, it’s an interesting topic. Secondly, I have nothing better to write about. And third, no one with any ounce of sanity listens to me anyway. Now do violent video games increase violent thoughts? Yes they do, it’s the same with violent movies and music. Psychology has proven this. Whether said person acts on those thoughts is more up to their self-control. I’ve played and enjoyed all sorts of violent games from Counter Strike to Grand Theft Auto and I’m a pacifist. Trust me, I may think more violently after playing one of those games but I know where the line is. In fact, no matter how many times I play those games, it’s dealing with stupid people that makes me want to get violent the most. Speaking of stupid people, Jack Thompson is definitely on that list. Jack Thompson is an attorney from Florida with some serious conservative Christian views. I would have said rightwing but with all the liberal republicans and conservative democrats, there really is no left wing or right wing anymore; just two sides with a lot of money and an agenda. Jack Thompson is usually one of the first people to blame video games the moment there is some form of senseless violence by a teenager or young
adult, such as the Virginia Tech. shooting. Even when he’s wrong, the Virginia Tech. shooter never played violent video games, according to an interview with one of his roommates, he still believes that video games are the root of all evil. Video games are not the root of all evil. For the record: that’s money and Teletubbies. In fact, the only people that we should be worried about being influenced by violent video games are those with impressionable minds and people who are already violent. This means if your kid wants you to buy him Super Bloodbath 3, don’t do it. If they tell you that is just the name and that the game is really full of bunnies and rainbows, don’t
believe them. Kids are evil. If they fall to the floor crying their eyes out and screaming how much they hate you, welcome to parenthood. In fact, if your kid really is screaming they hate you in the middle of WalMart, do you really believe a violent video game is the solution? Now the big question is: “Are the video game companies responsible?” Plain and simple, the answer is: “No, they are not.” Video games nowadays are regarded as almost an art form. Here you have the potential to create any world you want, put whatever you want in it and, most importantly, make it
fun. Now, if you want to make a game where you can go around shooting people’s heads off, as long as its fun, people will buy it. If you make said game, as long as its fun, a company will sell it. They’re in the business to make money. While they’re making that money though, they are putting little labels on each box that rate the content of said game. If the game is Super Bloodbath 3, the game will be rated M for Mature. Unless you’re a complete moron, your kid should not be able to fool you into thinking M is for Monkey Mania. If he does, don’t have anymore kids. You’ll be doing the gene pool a service. In short, violent video games do not make a violent person if said person is smart, and mature enough, to realize that it is only a game. These people should be the only ones buying these games, thus the rating system. It is not a perfect system, but it is there with a purpose. So before you go blame Grand Theft Auto for making your child hit people and scream obscenities, why don’t you blame the idiot who bought it for him? If you don’t feel like doing that, then blame the video game company all you want. After that, you can blame McDonald’s for turning your kid into the world’s largest beach ball. Have fun! Andrew Massey is a third year Psychology major. He is the current Opinions Editor of the Anchor. He firmly believes that Teletubbies are the root of all evil. I mean seriously, who has a baby for a sun? That’s just messed up.
Lifestyles
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October 16, 2007
THE ANCHOR
THE LAW OF ATTRACTION (PART I) By Paula Richer Anchor Staff If you haven’t already caught the buzz over The Law of Attraction, then get ready to be enlightened! I’m here to give you a primer on what is probably the greatest gift I will ever have the pleasure of paying forward. Welcome to the first of my 6-part series on The Law of Attraction. There’ll be something in it for everyone who wants more out of life. So sit back, relax, and do what we college kids do best – keep an open mind. The new, trendy movement in the realm of spiritual awareness is called The Law of Attraction. While it is an ancient concept, it was also one of many facets of the very popular New Age movement of the 1980s. But it was unfairly ridiculed by our resistant mainstream culture. It would be another few decades before our collective mentality was ready for the idea that what we perceive through our five senses may not be all there is and that there may be great, un-harnessed power in the unseen. Only now when so many of us are finding we aren’t as happy as we’d hoped are we turning toward alternative means to fulfill our deepest desires. We want health, wealth, love, and great joy and we are ready to try new ways to attain them. This is where The Law of Attraction comes in. It is an innate power that all human beings share yet many of us have forgotten how to use it. Here’s where you keep that open mind: I say “forgotten” because there is a widely accepted belief that on some level we already knew how to use it when we were born (or re-born, if you accept the idea of reincarnation). Somewhere between our birth and our present circumstances we lost our way. The problem is simply this: we now spend our energies struggling against what we don’t want, rather than attracting what we do
want. Reverse this strategy, its proponents claim, and your life will begin to flow like a beautiful, boundless river. Intrigued? Good. Now I invite you to go one step further. Join me as I walk down the path of infinite possibilities. I present to you the first of my six media reviews – great reads or non-fiction flicks - on the transformational topic of The Law of Attraction. Whether you jump all over this stuff or you’re just a cautious newcomer, welcome! You can use my list of favorites to start your own collection, sharpen your attraction skills, and start get more out of life than you’ve ever imaged possible. Most of the books and DVDs are conveniently organized into easy chapters or compact vignettes that are so short you can read or watch them in 10-20 minutes and spend the rest of the day rolling them around in your mind. In fact I often watch one scene repeatedly over the course of a couple of days to let it sink in while I experiment applying the tools to my life. Enjoy…this is a feast that will feed you forever. And I just know you’re gonna love it. Choice # 1: The Secret (DVD) I call this my “Beginner’s Choice”. This 91minute mind-banquet is a simple, user-friendly, and entertaining volley between instruction and dramatic representation. Friendly teachers from various walks of life define the Law of Attraction, explain how we can use it to attract all the health, wealth, love, and joy we could ever want, and teach us how to better the world by creating and contributing from our highest and best self. The exercises are fun (even exciting!) and if you do them regularly, you’ll start to realize once again that you conducting the locomotive of your life, you’re not the poor kid standing on the tracks. (The Secret also comes in book, audio book, and online movie forms. For more information, go to www.thesecret.tv.)
CAMPUS TIPS By Kellye Martin Anchor Editor The semester is almost halfway gone and that only means one thing: the schoolwork is piling up and midterms are just around the corner. This, of course, means that it’s procrastination time. Something to remember is that the more you procrastinate, the more the work will pile up. Here are some tips to keep yourself sane this semester. Tip 1: Organize your work. I find that it is helpful to get all my syllabi together and write myself a calendar of when everything is due. It’s much easier to look at one paper with all the assignments on it than it is to keep track of several different syllabi. Your calendar should be a chart of all of the assignments you have due in all your classes for the semester. Try making a column for each class and then list the assignments by date in rows. Tape the paper somewhere near your desk where you can’t lose it. If you need to, make a Post-It note each week of all of the major assignments coming up. This way, it’s hard to miss one. Tip 2: Take a little time to clean your room. It may not sound like the best way to increase productivity but if you clean your room before you work on your assignments, you’ll have a lot less to distract you while you should be working. Tip 3: It’s almost a given that while you should be studying you will be hungry or thirsty, so make sure you have something to drink and something to snack on within arm’s reach. The fewer times you get up from your desk to get something, the more focused you’ll be. If you stop working to go cook popcorn, and then stop working ten minutes later because you want to grab a can of soda to wash down the popcorn, you’ll never get your studying done and you’ll forget what you were writing that paper on. While it’s good to take some breaks while working in order to keep your sanity, it’s not good if your four hour study session consists of three and a half hours worth of breaks. Tip 4: Get out your books, open Word, put up an away message, and get to work. Despite the fact that distractions will keep you from working, I can guarantee you that you will not get anything accomplished if you put off starting it. Good luck on midterms!
Health Hype: Vegetarianism By Casey Gaul Anchor Editor Vegetarianism is a fairly large and popular movement these days. Most everybody has heard of it and understands the basics of its dietary requirements. Some people don’t realize just how many types of vegetarian there are. The first step to understanding the different types of vegetarian, is understanding the motivation behind becoming one. While there is a fairly wide range of motivational factors, most of them can generally fall under two categories: ethical and nutri-
tional. There are a lot of people who believe that eating meat (or other foods that require the death of an animal: gelatin, for example), for one reason or another, is unethical. It may be because they believe it is wrong to slaughter animals, or because they believe that the way in which a lot of animals are treated before they are slaughtered is inhumane. There are also a fair number of people who believe that certain practices in the meat industry are harmful to the environment and take up vegetarianism for environmental and political reasons (aka, choosing not to support the industry that they disagree with). Then there are those who choose vegetarianism in its various forms for nutritional reasons. There are a few health concerns that come with red meats and improperly cooked meats that are avoided almost completely with a vegetarian diet. Most vegetarians, while not including animal meat in their diets, will include animal products such as eggs, dairy, honey, etc. In some cases, because it is somewhat difficult to get enough protein and beneficial fats in a diet consisting only of foliage (not impossible, but difficult), some versions of nutritionally motivated “vegetarians” will include fish or poultry in their diets. The technical terms for these people are pescetarian and pollotarian. People who eat both fish and poultry are called semi-vegetarians. Another sort of hard core level of vegetarian is known as vegan. Veganism is a sort of pure vegetari-
anism. Vegans strive to exclude animal products completely from their lifestyle whether the product required an animal’s death or not. This means that they do not eat dairy products, eggs, honey, and they do not use or wear anything that was made from an animal like leather or down comforters, etc. Becoming vegetarian or vegan can be a very beneficial health choice, but only if you are willing to do the research necessary for you to do it right. By cutting meat (or animal products) out of your diet, you lose some very easy sources for protein, nutrients, iron, etc. You have to find out what you are losing and learn how to make up for it in vegetarian foods. Eating vegetarian at Donovan is not impossible, but very difficult (especially if you are the kind of vegetarian who will not eat vegetarian food that has even touched nonvegetarian food). Donovan always has a salad bar, but too often people don’t think twice about dropping an accidental piece of ham in the chickpeas, or cross contaminating the jalapeno tongs with the turkey. There are a few constant options at the grill line such as the veggie burger, fries (as long as they weren’t fried in animal fat) and grilled cheese. There are a few sandwich options as well: egg salad sandwich, veggie sandwich, etc. Often, Donovan will offer a vegetarian soup and vegetarian entrees and specials, the quality of which cannot always be guaranteed. While it is possible to eat vegetarian at Donovan, it is very difficult to eat as a healthy vegetarian at Donovan. I have known at least one nutritional vegetarian who turned pollotarian just because getting all the proper nutrition there was so hard. On the vegan end, attempting to become a healthy vegan, while getting the majority of your sustenance from on-campus dining, is quite nearly impossible if you want any sort of variance in your meals. Next week’s topic: Alcohol Poisoning.
Lifestyles
October 16, 2007
Page 15
THE ANCHOR
PESSIMISM, HOW GOOD CAN IT BE? By Andrew Massey Anchor Editor Optimism or pessimism, which is the way to go? Is the glass really half full? And is the grass really greener on the other side? The truth is that both views have their strengths and weaknesses and I’m going to discuss them both. Optimism is great isn’t it? Everything is seen through rose-colored glass or, if you’re colorblind, grey-colored glasses (but you know what I mean.) Your life is stress-free and careless up until the moment that truck that you were so sure you were going to miss splatters you across the pavement. Optimism, while great for stress, can leave you over-confident. Thus, it must be regulated. Sure, it is nice to think that you have a chance with that amazingly hot girl over at the bar but her 200pound boyfriend who knows several definitions of the word pain may disagree. On the other hand, optimism does give you the courage to go and talk to any girl/guy, in your league or not. But what is so great about optimism? You’re just going to be disappointed a lot. Pessimism gives you a more accurate view on things and if things work out better, great. But let’s not get our hopes up. At least we won’t get hit by a truck. Of course, we won’t get much of anywhere either. Pessimism can keep you restrained and even depressed in life. You won’t want to do anything because you think it will go wrong. This also causes for a lot of stress since you feel as if you can’t do anything at times.
On the flip side, constructive pessimism is very helpful. If you’re a constructive pessimist, you think everything will go wrong and you think of how you can counter all of that. You may not always be right, but you’ll learn from that too. It’s been proven in psychological studies that not only do constructive pessimists do better than optimists on tests when given time to mull over everything that could go wrong, but did exceptionally better that constructive pessimists who were not given such time. Of course, this is still a high stress life, but at least it is a productive one. Realism is the middle ground between the two and is the best way to go in my opinion. Rather than seeing most things as either working out well or badly, you simply use your judgment on which one will be the outcome. Again, you won’t always be right but it’s better than simply picking only one outcome all the time. In fact, using your judgment does help improve one’s logic and the world is in need of more logic. Regardless of which side you choose, be open to all sides. You never know when you might be proven wrong. Andrew Massey is a third year Psychology major. He is also the Opinions Editor of the Anchor. He wants to rent a red Taurus, dress up as a Viking, and hand people Snickers bars while screaming “FEAST!”
ROVING REPORTER By: Kellye Martin
:
How do you feel about the drinking situation on campus?
Andrew Ghali Physical Therapy 2011 I feel that it should just be a wet campus seeing as how people are going to drink anyway as long as you’re 21 or don’t get caught.
Andi Goulos Communications 2011 I feel it is way too strict. I feel like we’re in high school. Everyone just needs to chill and let college students be college students.
Chris Boillard Theatre 2010 I believe that New Hall should allow drinking within the dorms. It is a much safer situation than going to a club with strangers and drunk driving. Since only returning students come to the New Hall, they are students who are familiar with the college environment and most likely know trustworthy people. This, combined with an age check and RAs’ rounds when they are on call, seems to be an acceptable situation to me. Sheri Costa Musical Theatre 2010 I know a lot of people believe it is good to have a dry campus, but it causes people to go out in search of alcohol and they are more likely to drink and drive. You have to weigh the chances of people getting hurt on a wet campus or if they go out and come back drunk.
Do you have a question you want answered? Send your question to photography@anchorweb.org
Arts + Entertainment
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October 16, 2007
THE ANCHOR
Soulja Boy:
Acoustic Café: David Monica
THE WORST ALBUM EVER MADE ON THE SHORTBUS RIDE TO SCHOOL By: Levi Garrett Anchor Staff Soulja Boy, the emerging 17year-old rapper currently riding a wave of popularity brought on by his hit single, “ C r a n k That,” shows how you can make up a dance and get a hit record out of it. With terrible rhymes and ridiculous choruses, the album is no more than the first single. I can’t deny that when “Crank That” comes on, I do it. I like the dance and I know certain people who practiced the dance in their office. However, if you want to call yourself an artist, you have to be more than a catchphrase and a two step. In what could be considered either a stroke of marketing genius or a sign of the impending apocalypse, the title of Soulja Boy’s debut is an embedded advertisement for his official website. Soulja Boy does have talent for a 17 year-old kid, you can see the potential that is in him. Some of the things he says in the album you can qualify as “not bad for a kid out of high school.” The more you listen to the rest of the song, the more you sit back and wonder how the hell this kid got a record deal. You find this in songs like “Booty Meat,” where Soulja Boy raps: “girl, shake that booty meat, that booty meat, that booty meat,” again and again over the type of uninspired beats, hand-claps, and echoes that dominate the album’s
sound. “Soulja Girl” is the album’s strictly for the ladies song. Meanwhile, the premise of “Sidekick” is so ridiculous that Soulja himself seems to struggle with it: “man, I can’t believe that I’m rapping ‘bout a phone / but what you won’t believe is I wrote this song.” This is arguably the worst song of the year which, if there is god, will never get released or played in the car by someone who wants to be “gangster.” There also is the song “yahh” which is trying to get people to back up off you by saying “yahh trick yahh.” In all fairness, “SouljaBoyTellem.com” does have its moments. “Snap and Roll” features an electric guitar and “Don’t Get Mad” has the type of chorus that could get stuck in your head for days. But even during the few instances when the music hits home, Soulja Boy’s vocal performance can’t stack up. His rhymes are slurred lazily and his singing voice is mediocre at best. All of this begs the question: just how seriously is Soulja Boy taking himself? Who can call someone a “doo-doo head” in one song and describe his musical success as a “movement” in the next? Does Soulja Boy really think that he’s “super-fresh” or is this all part of his act, his marketing gimmick? The rating for the album is 2 out 5 (The 2 for “superman that ohhhhhh”)
Moby-Dick Press Release By: Mike Shiel Anchor Staff Moby-Dick: Now And Then is a play of two stories. One story is the classic tale of Herman Melville’s, Moby Dick, the hunting of a white whale hosted by Captain Ahab and his crew. The other story is one of city girl’s quest to hunt down and kill White Thing, which represents the power that cocaine has developed in culture over the years. Whilst Ahab and his crew use language from Melville’s book, the city crew uses a mixture of street slang and hip-hop while following the actions and motivation of Moby Dick. In the original story, the search for the Moby Dick is supposed to lead to salvation but in the end it only leads Ahab and his crew to an end of ruin, mayhem, and sacrifice. In the updated story, the leader of the city crew, Alba, has her world crushed by the white whale (cocaine) which takes a family member and sends her and the crew on a mission of revenge. But different from the classic, her supporting community helps to save our hero and restore peace and harmony.
By Amanda Hooper Anchor Staff Acoustic café is a well-known tradition on campus. The performer who played last Wednesday goes by the name of David Monica. His music is a mix of blues and rock. It speaks of things that all people have experienced and it is done in a way that makes you just “be there” with the music. Up on stage, Dave has a unique presence. He interacts with the audience (mostly because they are people he knows). He is a really witty guy who jokes around on stage about his lack of knowledge on playing the guitar despite the fact that he plays really well. He also has a soft yet powerful voice
that will make you want to sit and listen to his music all night. The only thing he asks of his friends and fans is to check out his website at www.davidmonica.com. On his website, you can find information on David and listen to some of his songs. You can also pick up his CD, Distance vs. Hope, for a penny! Yes, a penny. Also, check out his pictures while you’re there. Anybody who didn’t catch the acoustic café really missed out on some witty banter and really good music. Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to see David around campus but, unfortunately, you just can’t get the whole experience of his music or his all out personality unless you see him on stage.
Wildly Good Food at Wildfire By Nick Lima Anchor Food Critic In an Anchor issue last year, I had the opportunity to review Stuffies Bar and Grille in an article titled Stuffed at Stuffies. While I gave Stuffies great reviews, and looked forward to making many return visits, I can’t say that I’m disappointed with the new incarnation at 1874 Mineral Spring Avenue in North Providence. Fully renovated and, arguably, in a class of its own, Wildfire Brick Oven Pizza and Bar brings a pleasant change of pace to the former Stuffies. With a much more formal atmosphere, it’s not exactly the place to watch a Monday Night Football game anymore. However, all of the charm that made Stuffies what it was is retained in Wildfire. A clean, dark style creates a tranquil atmosphere for diners and bar goers alike, with extremely comfortable seating and a serving staff to match. The atmosphere has been altered so much, in fact, that former Providence Mayor Vincent “Buddy” Cianci found a pleasant home in the restaurant on the evening our group dined, adorned in his typical business suit and topped off with a perennially full martini glass. The former mayor-turned-radio-talk-show-host also made it a point to sit our table, albeit briefly, to discuss, among other pleasantries, the recent comic controversy that swept both RIC and the State of Rhode Island. As we had a large group, celebrating Anchor Sports Editor Bob Kazarian’s birthday, our party made the choice to order some of Wildfire’s specialty pizzas to share. With a wide range of choices to suit almost any appetite, Wildfire really does take the idea of specialty brick oven pizza to another level. Among the selections we chose were the Rhode Island Clam pizza, which featured fresh whole and chopped clams, a delicious garlic scampi sauce, fresh herbs and grated asiago cheese, and the Think Green pizza, which actually resembled an entire fresh salad spread across pizza dough. With field greens, cucumbers, kalamata olives, red onions, bacon bits, and cherry tomatoes, this vegetarian pizza did not last long at our table.
Also on our plate was the Pollo Balsamico, containing liberal amounts of fresh grilled chicken, roasted peppers, and basil drizzled with balsamic syrup, and the Federal Hill, which was chock full of sliced pepperoni and mozzarella. And speaking of mozzarella, the mozzarella sticks at Wildfire are a sight to see. Called “Mozzarella Parmigiana,” the fried, golden brown slabs of breadcrumb-encrusted cheese were phenomenal to say the least. Topped with a homemade marinara that rivals the cheese in flavor, the dish is adorned with parmesan and a hint of spices, and a must try for any fan of mozzarella sticks. Any restaurant that contains bar food typically carries the staple buffalo chicken tenders. Nore often than not they are dry, fried pieces of chicken that are precut and arrive to the kitchen in a frozen box. Wildfire, however, offers hand-cut tenders cooked in a light butter-milk batter. Juicy, thick, and mouthwatering by sight alone, they are quite possibly the best I have ever tasted. Available plain with honey mustard or buffalo with a large helping of fresh bleu cheese dressing, the chicken tenders complement a large appetizer menu that ranges from sausage stuffed mushrooms to lobster wontons. For entrees, Wildfire has a wide range of somewhat expensive specialty pizzas in addition to the typical pastas and sandwiches that complete any menu. With an extensive variety of panini, dinner salads, and many varieties of seafood dishes, Wildfire has something for everyone. While I must admit that Stuffies was a classic establishment that will be missed, I have fallen in love with Wildfire. With a higher price range, it doesn’t fit into the role of regular eatery on a college student’s budget, but when you want to indulge and know you got what you paid for, Wildfire is the place to go. Service: 4.0 / 5 Atmosphere: 5 / 5 Food: 4.5 / 5 Mozzarella Sticks: 4.5 / 5 Overall: 4.5 / 5
Arts + Entertainment
October 16, 2007
Page 19
THE ANCHOR
TEAM FORTRESS 2: AN FPS WITH A HUMOROUS TWIST one.
By Andrew Massey Anchor Editor On October 12, 2007, Steam released the software bundle called the Orange Box. With it came five games: Half Life 2, Half Life 2 ep. 1, Half Life ep. 2, Team Fortress 2, and Portal. The one I’m reviewing today is Team Fortress 2. I played Team Fortress 2 beta for a little over a week and half before it came out and have continued to play it since. This game can only be summed up in two words: crazy fun. Whether you’re tearing up the place with the Heavy or sneaking behind enemy lines with the Spy, you’ll be hooked for hours at a time. As the name suggests, the game revolves around teamwork; but not like you would expect. In most team-based First Person Shooters (FPS), the various classes only vary by their armor and starting weapons. TF2 takes this to a new level. Not only does each class have a different set of starting weapons, armor, and heath, but each looks different, moves different, and even sounds different. Every class is its own character. For example, the Soldier is your typical barrel-chested grunt with a rocket launcher and the strong urge to use it. They each have their own unique voices and attitude and they will occasionally react to the environment around them (such as if you fire the Heavy’s mini-gun for long enough his smile gets bigger and bigger). For a better perspective on the characters, go to Steam’s website (www.steampowered.com) and view the trailers for each character. Trust me; you’ll get a laugh out of each
The best feature about this game is the focus on teamwork. If your team supports too many of one class, your team will end up smeared across the map. If you have a balanced team, along with the other team, prepare for a good fight. Each class is overpowered in its own way and underpowered in another. This makes no class the best one but makes each a lot of fun to play. In most FPS’s, you only get points for your kills, or sometimes, kill assists, along with achieving whatever goal that map may have (i.e. capturing the flag). In TF2, that would be all well and good if you’re a Heavy or a Pyro, but kind of gimps you if you’re a Spy or a Scout since you don’t have that kind of killing power. Team Fortress fixes this by giving you points for simply playing well. If you’re a Medic, any points the person you’re currently healing gets, you get. If you capture a point, you, and anyone with you, gets points. If you destroy an enemy turret, you get the same points as you would for killing an Enemy player. This means a support class can outscore an offensive class. This encourages you to play all the classes. In short, Team Fortress is a game worth playing. It has well made cartoon-ish graphics, great sound effects and taunts, and is downright fun. Since so many online games are more like a second job these days, it is good to have something fun to play with all your friends. So head out and pick up the Orange Box for $50 at your local gaming store. It’s more than worth it, I assure you.
Rental Raves GUYS AND DOLLS By Adam D. Bram Anchor Staff This week, we look at an older film version of a classic Broadway musical, 1955’s Guys and Dolls. Legendary singer Frank Sinatra is Nathan Detroit, a man who has been running an underground gambling business in New York for years. The trouble is that this time, he’s about $1,000 short and has some tough customers breathing down his neck. He sees his chance when he runs into the man who never turns down a bet, Sky Masterson (the one and only Marlon Brando, The Godfather). Nathan makes a bet that Sky can’t get the local icy missionary (Jean Simmons, Spartacus) to fall for him and go with him to Havana, Cuba. Sky takes that bet and eventually succeeds, except he finds himself falling in love with Ms. Brown and has to find a way to save both her missionary and Nathan’s skin. First of all, the show contains a lot of wonderful and memorable songs, “Adelaide’s Lament” and “Sit Down, You’re Rocking The Boat” being two of the funniest. The biggest and most pleasant surprise is that Marlon Brando can not only sing, but sing extremely well. I just had to sit and laugh during his rendition of “Luck be a Lady” because it was better than any singing I could expect from the notable mumbler. Frank Sinatra can obviously sing, though his acting is just acceptable. My one real complaint of the film is that New York is so obviously a painted backdrop. Although, since it was 1955 and based on a Broadway show, I suppose one can forgive them. Also starring Vivian Blaine (Something for the Boys), Robert Keith (The Wild One), and Stubby Kaye (Who Framed Roger Rabbit?). G Rating: 4/5
It’s Positive. Inside the Beast Ghosts, skeletons, axe-men, and zombies are what you’ll find inside the belly of this beast. This horror-themed first person shooter was made by OST Software; a great company that produces all sorts of freeware games. You play the last line of defense against the terribly evil beast who will unleash unspeakable evil upon the populace. Your two best friends have already been killed inside the beast. Gameplay: 7/10 The game has pretty average first person shooter (fps) controls and gameplay. Move with the arrow keys and look/fire with the mouse. An unlimited crossbow is the only weapon available against the hordes of monsters. You will also find the two grave mounds of your dead friends which, when shot, give
you an extra life. The goal is to kill all the monsters and defeat the beast! Graphics: 8/10 The 3-D graphics are pretty well rendered but still look a bit flat. The monsters are pretty well articulated and have well animated death sequences. The inside of the beast is pretty colorful and vibrant. However, the labyrinthine beast’s insides all look the same and it is incredibly easy to get lost. Sound: 5/10 The music is not very well done and I found that it doesn’t fit the game particularly well. It also gets very repetitive. The sound effects are practically nonexistent. This causes a major problem when sometimes the crossbow makes a sound which sounds just like an enemy attacking you. Difficulty: 6/10 The lack of true direction in the game, the number of shots it takes to kill
one enemy, and the very confusing maze of the beast makes this game incredibly hard. One particularly difficult part of the game comes in the form of the axe-men; enemies that literally appear out of nowhere. You will have cleared a hallway of enemies and suddenly (and always behind you) an axeman will appear. I found that the extreme difficulty detracted from the enjoyment of the game. Overall: 7/10 While not a particularly stellar FPS, Inside the Beast is still fun to play. It doesn’t take a particularly long time to play through and it is easy to get the controls under your belt. It can be found at http://www.otssoftware.com/Freeware/beast.php. Happy gaming!
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Arts
Entertainment
RIC EVENTS RIC Music: Jazz Workshops Combo Performance Oct 17th – 7pm Sapinsley Hall Performing Arts Series: Ballet Folklorico de Mexico Oct 17th – 8pm Roberts Hall Auditorium
Pieced Apart By: Paula Richer
RIC DANCE COMPANY WITH NUGENT+MATTESON DANCE
Anchor Staff Have you ever watched undersea life in motion? Schools of fish move autonomously through nature’s currents while plant life, anchored in the ocean floor, entertains us with hula-dances at varying speeds and intensities. Such was the vision recalled while watching the expressive Pieced Apart last Friday night in Roberts Hall Auditorium; performed by the Rhode Island College Dance Company with Nugent + Matteson Dance. This simple, unhurried presentation of five vignettes gave us pause long enough to unravel an array of questions in the mind. The thread of continuity was its strong, fluid choreographic style, a creation of the dance team of Nugent+Matteson Dance. Jennifer Nugent and Paul Matteson, each award-winning performers and featured guests at universities and dance festivals nationwide, were prominently featured in the program. The styles of various musical artists as well as that of choreographer Terry Creach rounded out the event. Much of the dancers’ creative force shone through the very stark lighting, costuming, and music. Michael Giannitti provided simple illumination and solitary shades of color. Amanda Del Prete, whose costumes were seen in “Breath Hold,” allowed us to feel the ease of movement through soft fabrics and an uncomplicated design. Much of the music was not music at all, but per-
cussive pulses - an intriguing back story to the visual sampling at hand. There was a palpable silence behind some of the pieces (particularly in “Little”, sans music), when one was filled with admiration for the absolute power of a d a n c e r w h o s e b o d y must hit the ground, hold a pose, and revive motion…all without making a sound. The large, stark stage floor was the playground of barefoot dancers coming together in harmonic patterns at various intervals and then splitting apart to regroup elsewhere. Nugent and Matteson characterize this as “solo and partnering movement vocabulary,” and one must agree it is an apt description. It was fresh and surprising to see a complete balance of strength between all the dancers, regardless of gender. In fact, Jennifer Nugent did more frequently support the weight of her partner than did Paul Matteson support her. And in the group number with one male out of nine performers, gender was clearly not the point. All the dancers were moving from the direction of a collective thought. It was quite beautiful. Among the most notable was “Block Idol,” the piece choreographed and performed by Paul Matteson. Using a dozen blue yoga blocks, Matteson vacillated
Art: “Green Aesthetics/ Green Ethics II” Oct 16th 19th – Gallery Hours Bannister Gallery in Roberts Hall
PAGE 20
heard the tension in his voice increase. We hoped that neither he nor any of his creations would fall. But when the law of gravity declared its victories he
would reflect unfazed and then resume both. The reminder here is that falling down is just a part of life. After a spill we, too, can pick up right where we left off and begin again.
Schematics: SHORT, SWEET By Barry Nickerson Anchor Editor
Art: “Between Me and the Other World” Oct 16th 19th – Gallery Hours Bannister Gallery in Roberts Hall
between the mental effort of telling a long and funny story and the physical effort of challenging the law of gravity with his blocks. With deceiving agility (for this was truly an athletic feat), he increased the speed of his recital while pushing the physical envelope to the limit. Suspense mounted as we watched the visual demands escalate and we
As the rock scene continues to blend to a not-so-happy medium where bands all sound exactly the same, some bands continue to stray from the norm to produce feel-good music in their own taste and style. Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer, a spunky, energetic band from Philadelphia, is one such band. They released their third full-length album, Schematics, at the end of September. This is their first full-length release since Jalopy Go Far in 2003. The album is short (about a half hour long), but every minute is filled with energycharged lyrics and singalong vocals; making Schematics a record in which you don’t skip from track to track. The band has clearly progressed since Jalopy Go Far as the music has gotten a little faster and you hear a variety of instruments, catchy guitar solos, and even a little cowbell. Rachel Milton’s vocals have improved tremendously since Zolof’s last release. The album opens with “The Way It Goes”, followed by “Can’t Stand It.” These two songs sound the most like the older, moogheavy Zolof—which is
AND
The last piece, “Fare Well,” performed by Nugent and Matteson together, was a lovely tribute to the lighthearted playfulness of love. They
moved in symbiotic unison with d e t e r m i n ation and delight. They borrowed playfulness from the animal kingdom and explored new human games. Theirs is truly a partnership in movement and a pairing in spirit. Their connection is a thing of envy. Dance is a generous gift to the viewer. For a moment we can suspend our own physical limitations and ease into the bodies of the dancers. They eagerly guide us through a new dimension in which we can feel alive on a whole different plane. By stimulating our body-energy, they then help us to unleash our collective mind. And oh, what a glorious playground that can be.
SPUNKY
not a bad thing. Notably, in the first track, this is the first time that there has ever been profanity used in any of their songs. “Death or Radio” and “I Did It” take a less carefree outlook than the rest of the album with the former giving a serious look at how music is treated and critiqued in this age. The lyrics “Let’s hold hands and listen to shitty bands, Throwing records out the window, Now it’s either death or radio, Who are you and where do you come from?” have the cute Zolof ring to them but the undertone is clear: there is no middle-ground to be a semi-successful band these days. A band is either on the Top 40 charts or it fails to become famous. My favorite tracks are “Way Away,” which seems to take a look at long-distance relationships: “Stay in tune, I’ll stay in touch with you, I’ll keep it real and you keep cool, it’s all we can do,” the Christmas-y “This Briskness (Java),” and the incredibly catchy “Secret Circuits.” While I was disappointed by the length of the album, the content kept Schematics going strong. Look forward to more releases from Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer and be sure to catch them live the next time they’re in the area—I’ll definitely be there!