Opinions
RIC Fall MVPs Page 4
Haunted America Page 15
u
November 13, 2007
Visit http://anchorweb.org for articles and archives
22
Sports
Vol. 80 Issue #11
AnchoR
The The
Free Access to Ideas... Full Freedom of Expression
Facebook Offers Carpool Opportunities For College Students By Mike Simeone Anchor Staff Having trouble finding a ride home for Thanksgiving? Well, finding one has now gotten a lot easier. For the first time ever, students will be able to share rides home for Thanksgiving Day. Students will be able to do this using a new application on Facebook called Carpool. Launched this summer, Carpool has quickly become popular. It is the most popular online ride sharing service in North America. Carpool has become especially popular with students, as it has replaced the traditional ride boards at student centers. In the four months that Carpool has been operating, it has had over 10,000 postings on it. Logan Green, creator of Carpool, had this to say about the recent growth: “The growth is unprecedented. It shows that not all popular Facebook applications have to involve ninjas or vampires. An application like Carpool helps students find safe rides in addition to cutting their gas expenses and reducing CO2, and its clear students value that.” Using Google Maps, Carpool tries to match students whom are traveling in the same direction. In order to make ride sharing a more social experience, users are encouraged to leave feedback after the trip. Meredith Hoffman, a junior at Cornell University, said of the application, “It really feels like I’m part of a community. I could never trust an anonymous service like Craig’s List because I wouldn’t know anything about the other users. Using Carpool on Facebook, I can choose to ride with people in my school who I know I can trust.” Craigslist.org’s ride sharing applica-
tion lists a number of postings of rides going to certain places; listing only the person’s name (if they decide to post it) and nothing else more. Carpool, unlike craigslist.org, first asks you to import the city you live in or your zip code. It then lists people in your area are who are looking to give rides, need rides, or both. It lists where the person is and where they
need to go as well as the day that the ride is needed. Also included are whether or not the person is willing to pay for the ride, how far the ride is, and how far they are willing to go. The application also allows you to look at the person’s profile to find out more about them if you choose. Rajat Suri was one of the developers on a diverse team of students who created
Carpool. Of the project, he said, “We’re students, so we know what students need in terms of ride sharing. And we’re thrilled that they’re responding to our application and helping ride sharing become a part of main stream culture on college campuses.”
Rhode Island Raves about Red Jumpsuit -An Arts & Entertainment Concert ReviewBy Barry Nickerson and Joe Roberge Anchor Editors On Saturday, Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel in Providence once again hosted an incredible rock show, bringing the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Hawthorne Heights to town. The chilly air inside quickly warmed up as hundreds of fans filed in to this rock and roll concert, ready to rock out to some of the hottest bands of the year. Opening bands are usually new bands that a label or artist is impressed by, so they bring them along for a tour to get them some national exposure. This show’s opening act, New Year’s Day, was by far the most impressive opening band that we had ever seen. Bands with female singers tend to be a little more poppy, but New Year’s Day was definitely just as intense—if not more—than the other bands. With their hard-rock base with a twinge of emo mixed in, this band had the music to get the crowd dancing and rocking out early on. The band was very aesthetically pleasing as well; and we’re not saying that just because they were good-looking people! Everyone was moving around on the stage, tak-
ing an active part in filling the club with energy. We were taken aback by this in-your-face, incredible rock act. We’ll definitely be catching New Year’s Day the next time they’re in town. The next band to play was Amber Pacific. This wasn’t our first time seeing this band, but the first thing that we noticed was how much they improved since they came to town on May 8 with local band Monty Are I (who were supposed to be on this tour as well, but dropped off a while back). Nevertheless, they put on a great show. They had drawn a large crowd to the floor, and we were crushed behind the weight of people cramped together to make room for a circle pit. The vocals have noticeably improved a great deal since last time. To think we weren’t crushed up and involuntarily intimate with the surrounding strangers enough during Amber Pacific, Hawthorne Heights brought a different type of mood to the stage. Their music was a little harder and a little more emo at times. However, one thing that stood out was that they just stood there. The band didn’t move around a whole lot but their crowd certainly did! We
Continued on page 18
F.Y.I @ RIC
Page 2
SUDOKU 2
4
7
8 1
6
THE ANCHOR
Tidbits
9
3
6
9
4
4
5
1
7
1
Anchor Meetings Every Wednesday, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Located in the Ducey Media Center.
6
8
4
7 6
6
5
8
7
9
1
3
2
E D I T O R S Jessica Albaum Barry Nickerson Andrew Massey Joe Roberge Bob Kazarian Kellye Martin Casey Gaul & Joe Robillard Erin Boucher Christine Cabral Nick Lima Alex Tirrell Marah Roach Sarah Peixoto Jessica Albaum & Casey Gaul Dr. Lloyd Matsumoto Rudy Cheeks & Doug Hadden
executive@anchorweb.org managing@anchorweb.org news@anchorweb.org opinions@anchorweb.org arts@anchorweb.org sports@anchorweb.org photography@anchorweb.org layout@anchorweb.org copy@anchorweb.org graphics@anchorweb.org business@anchorweb.org technology@anchorweb.org pr@anchorweb.org ads@anchorweb.org distribution@anchorweb.org anchorjr@anchorweb.org
Staff : Michael Aiello, Kelly Beshara-Flynn, Adam D. Bram, Christopher E. Buonanno, Michael Csisar, Ashley Dalton, Heather Donnelly, Dan Habib, Amanda Hooper, Grace Ionata, Kelsey Kanoff, Kevin Killavey, Robert Lefebvre, Dave Matrisciano, Conor McKeon, Bienvenue Ndahiriwe, Anel Pichardo, Tony Pierlioni, Paula Richer, Bryan Salisbury, Kameron Spaulding, Michael Shiel, Michael Simeone, Sam Whitson
The Anchor Established 1928 Free access to ideas and full freedom of expression.
Student Nurses Association Meeting Wednesday Nov. 14, 2007, 12:30- 2 p.m. in the FLS Nursing Lounge. Sponsored by the Student Nurses Association.
6
Grace Ionata Staff Member of the Week
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
Stitch N’ Bitch Tuesday Nov. 13, 2007, 4 -6 p.m. in the Women’s Center. Open to RIC Community, sponsored by The Women’s Center.
8
5 3
November 13, 2007
Ducey Student Media Center Student Union Plaza Rhode Island College 600 Mount Pleasant Avenue Providence, R.I. 02908
Human Rights Watch and Contemporary African Issues Thursday Nov. 15, 2007, 4:30- 6:30 p.m. in Alumni Lounge, Roberts Hall. For more information visit www.hrw.org
The Curriculum of Repression: A pedagogy of Racial History in the United States Thursday Nov. 15, 2007, 12- 2 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom. Contact Aaron Bruce for more information.
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 by the college. 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.
Best Decorated Dorm Room Contest
TOP 10 Rooms will be featured in The Anchor
TOP 3 Winners will receive gift certificates to Bed, Bath and Beyond $100 First Prize $50 Second Prize $25 Third Prize
To enter, contact Jessica Albaum at executive@anchorweb.org or 456-8280 by December 1st
Sports
Page 4
November 13, 2007
THE ANCHOR
College Athletics As Big Business ment, they saw a huge jump in applicants. Their president has publicly said that they know it is linked to the basketball program. So, here is an economic impact you wouldn’t see in your first look that could be massiveeven more so when you add in a new residence hall or two that you could fill with these outof-staters. Now you’re talking about an amount of money that could rebalance our out-ofwhack budget. Another reason we are primed for this is the rivalries that are sitting here waiting to be cashed in on. First you have the “Two
B y Kam Spaulding Anchor Staff College athletics are big business. That’s a fact; they make big money and an even bigger impact on our society today. So my question is: Why would any school leave this money on the table? Well, we here at Rhode Island College are leaving that money on the table every year. Yes, there would be a large starting investment to jump up to a Division 1 program but the return is there. It is not just the simple economics, which should be enough; it is the increased media coverage for the school, the growth in school spirit, and the overall positive addition these programs can be to a school and a community. Just look at Washington State University, a small program in Div. 1. In the ‘97‘98 academic year, the athletic program had revenues of $16.8 million. And that is only from direct income. That doesn’t count the extra sweatshirts and hats they sold in the campus store to kids going to games, or the other uncountable sources of revenue even a decent program can have. There have been many studies that show that almost all programs operate in the green when you add in all the additional income these programs generate. For a
school like RIC, where the budget is getting tighter and tighter, why not make the move and cash in? The income this school would make could be institution-changing. Here at RIC, we are primed for the jump more than any other school I can think of. I’ll try to articulate a few of the larger reasons. Let’s start with one that many wouldn’t think of: out of state students. If you look at our budget, I am sure you could see that this is where the cash is. And what better way to attract attention from these cash cows than a basketball program that is on national TV? As silly as it may sound, it is proven to work. Once the SUNY Albany basketball team made the NCAA Tourna-
State Schools” rivalry to cash in on. North Carolina vs. North Carolina State, Michigan vs. Michigan State, even Iowa State vs. University of Iowa are among them. Why not URI vs. RIC? You may think I’m
crazy but it could work. Interstate rivals sell tickets, get TV contracts, and rake in cash. Then, just down Smith Street, is Providence College. RIC vs. PC could be an even bigger cash generator. Who doesn’t love the classic blue collar state school kids fighting those preppy kids that go to the fancy private school right down the road? If you need an example, see Duke vs. University of North Carolina. I could go on for days but the point is that whoever the new president will be should look into this possibility as a great way to help turn the budget around. And if they want to see any of the numbers, they can stop by The Anchor and I can show them this great way to add to the school’s income. And we didn’t even get into the expected increase in alumni giv-
ing that such a move would cause. So maybe, just maybe, we don’t need to raise tuition, maybe we just need to cut down a Division 1 net or two.
Rhode Island College Sports Announces Fall MVP’s By Marah Roach Anchor Editor Rhode Island College’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, Intramurals and Recreation held its annual Fall Banquet at Donovan Dining Center on Monday, Nov. 5 in honor of the student-athletes who participated in varsity fall athletics. Each sport gave out their Most Valuable Player Award. Six shining athletes were recognized for their hard work Senior Sasha Doonan Rodriguez was named MVP of the women’s tennis team. She and junior Meg Funk teamed up to win the Little East Championship at No. 1 doubles for the second consecutive season. She was 10-6 at No. 2 singles. Rodriguez, from Pawtucket, R.I., served as team captain along with Funk. Sophomore midfielder Ryan Kelley from Hope, R.I. was named the men’s soccer team’s MVP. Kelley started in 18 games of the 19 that he played. He contributed two game-winning goals this season. Kelley was named the L.E.C. Offensive Player of the Week once this season and was selected to D3Kicks.com’s Div. III Team of the Week. He was also a member of the Turfer Classic’s All-Tournament Team. From the women’s soccer team, senior defender Kerry Donahue was named MVP. She played in 20 games, starting in all of them. Donahue had three goals and one assist, earning seven points this season. “The season was a great last season for me. We all put our heart and soul into the game,” said Donahue. “Even though we had a slow start, we finished hard. To be named MVP is great. Out of all the candidates to pick, it was a great honor to be recognized. I’m going to miss a lot of the girls from the team.”
From Riverside, R.I., senior middle blocker Kimiyo Garcia was named women’s volleyball team’s MVP. She led the team in kills, hitting percentage, service aces, and blocks. She was named the L.E.C. Women’s Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week twice and Defensive Player of the Week once. Garcia was also selected to the Brandeis Invitational’s AllTournament Team. Junior Greg Ahnrud was named the men’s cross country team’s MVP. On Nov. 3, he placed 61st with a time of 28:07 at the ECAC Championships. He placed third with a time of 29:22 at the Eastern Connecticut Tri-Meet on Oct. 13. Ahnrud also placed eighth overall with a time of 29:29 at the Roger Williams Invitational on Oct. 6. Ahnrud, from Chepachet, R.I. led RIC by placing 16th overall with a time of 28:41 at the Tri-State Invitational on Sept. 29. Overall, it was good season for Ahnrud. Kathryn Cote, a freshman from Greenville, R.I., was named MVP of the women’s cross country team. She was RIC’s top runner; placing 27th out of 125 with a time of 20:58 at the Little East/MASCAC Alliance Championships on Oct. 27. Before that, Cote placed fifth with a time of 21:56 at the Eastern Connecticut Tri-Meet on Oct. 13. All six of the athletes did a tremendous job this season along with their teammates. It was great to see RIC honor their excellence as they did.
Sports
November 13, 2007
Page 5
THE ANCHOR
Anchormen Hockey Breezes By Springfield By Mike Simeone Anchor Staff This past Friday at the Smithfield Hockey Rink, the Rhode Island College Anchormen took on the Springfield College Pride in hockey. The first period had its ups and downs; mainly downs due to lots of whistle-blowing by the referees. Call number one was on a Springfield player because there was apparently something wrong with his mouth guard. I guess the referee liked the kid’s smile and the mouth guard took away from it. I don’t really know. Here is the situation that led up to the whistle: The puck was down in the Anchormen’s zone while they were on a penalty kill. The puck broke through to the neutral zone past the Springfield defenders. This all occurred as the penalty was killed and number 15 Anthony Caldone exited the penalty box. He grabbed the puck and started on a breakaway. As soon as he crossed the blue line into the Pride’s zone, the whistle was blown. For what reason, again I have no idea. There was no penalty. It wasn’t offside because
there was no one in front of the puck. I’m pretty sure that it was called as two line passing despite the fact that it wasn’t a pass. If you know what the call was, contact me. In all seriousness, I’m starting to lose sleep over trying to figure it out. Maybe the referees were graduates from Springfield College and were angry that number 12 Kyle Izzo put two quick ones in before the defenders could blink. Luckily, the shenanigans didn’t continue into the rest of the game. The Anchormen won by a score of 8-2. Other goals were scored by Scott Briden, Joshua Kiernan, and Brandon Seward, with 1 each and Dan Nadeau with a hat trick. Briden had 3 assists. Ricky Darleau, Matthew Hozempa, Kyle Izzo, and Brandon Seward each had an assist. Dan Nadeau had a hat trick’s worth of assist and Robert Tassoni ended the game with 4 of them. RIC Hockey home games are on Fridays at the Smithfield Hockey Rink. It is free with your RIC ID so come watch a game.
Anchorwomen Basketball Starts Strong By Sam Whitson Anchor Staff Rhode Island College’s Women’s Basketball team held their first home scrimmage last Thursday in the Murray Center. RIC hosted the Fitchburg State College (FSC) Lady Falcons, a Division III team with a 2006-2007 record of 26-3. RIC was quick to secure a 13-9 lead over FSC in the first period. Baskets were steadily made by each team until the Lady Falcons were able to pull ahead by one point to bring the score to 24-25. With RIC’s Sarah Coughlin (Senior Guard) sinking a buzzer shot, the game moved into the second period. At first, the tables were turned as FSC had a five point lead over the Anchorwomen with a score of 31-36. Soon after the start of the period, RIC was able to regain control of the court and take a four point lead after a three point shot by Michelle McNamee (Junior Guard). With less than ten minutes left in the period, McNamee dominated with two consecutive three point shots to give RIC a 52-45 lead.
In the last two minutes of the game, RIC had a 4 point lead over FSC. Freshman forward Stephanie Noheimer completed two foul shots to take the team to a 61-55 win for the night. After the game, a ten minute match was played. No points were scored in the first two minutes but RIC took a 2-0 lead soon after. The Anchorwomen were able to maintain a lead over FSC to end the face off with a score of 17-9. This year, the team will be graduating two seniors; forward Sherri Heard and guard Sarah Coughlin. They are also welcoming a few freshman to the school. Point guard Nell Reinwald, and forwards Amanda Burns and Stephanie Noheimer will be making their college debuts in upcoming games. The scrimmage this previous week marks the last scrimmage of the season as RIC plans to hit the road for the Endicott College Tournament game against Tufts University on Friday, Nov. 16. The Anchorwomen will not be hosting another game until Tuesday, Nov. 27, when they will be facing off against Wellesley College (Mass.).
November 13, 2007
ComicS
Pages 6-7
November 13, 2007
ComicS
Page 8
C O M M U N I C AT I O N S D AY
Photos Courtesy of Mike Shiel
Opinions
Page 12
November 13, 2007
THE ANCHOR
The Crisis of Health Care By Kevin Killavey Anchor Staff After watching Michael Moore’s Sicko on DVD this past weekend, I indeed felt sick. With a temperature of 100, body aches, and massive headaches, I knew something was wrong. I have the RIC insurance, University Health Plan, which is actually far better than most of the HMO’s and Health Care providers profiled in Sicko. I simply went to CVS rather than the doctors, because I didn’t know all my insurance information and I didn’t want to have to deal with the hassles of a trip to the doctor’s office. Long lines, paperwork, and co-pays make my head spin. Instead of getting medical care, I chose to purchase over the counter drugs. On my drive home, I started to think about how ridiculous our health care system really is and how much control drug companies have over our government. Will we ever be able to escape the claws of HMO’s and drug companies? Even with a Democratic majority in both the House and Senate, bills like S-CHIP are still being shot down by the President. S-CHIP is clever use of semantic tyranny; who cares about something that’s simply labeled S-CHIP? What it really means is health care for poor and lower middle class children (State Children’s Health Insurance Program). Congress
passed a bill that would have expanded coverage to 4 million more children in need, but our President vetoed it. After Democrats tried desperately to stir up enough Republican votes to override the veto, the House fell just 13 votes short of the required 2/3 majority. President Bush said he felt that the bill was one step towards “socialized medicine,” and of course we can’t have THAT! We already have fire departments, the postal service, libraries, and education funded by the government; why not have our health care be state mandated? Our government is so sickly intertwined with the
drug and health care companies that I doubt there will ever be enough votes to authorize a system of socialized medicine. Perhaps, if a Democrat is elected President and the Democratic majority continues, there may be hope. But in our system of government, it seems like nickels and dimes have more effect on politicians than the suffering of the American people. Of course, Hillary Clinton fought the drug companies and lost, so who is to say that any other Democratic candidate will have more success. One thing is for sure, however. None of the Republican candidates want anything to do with Universal Health Care (what they call “Socialized Medicine”). They all seem much more concerned about the threat that Mexicans pose to our nation’s security than the lack of affordable health care. I might have hope if John Edwards or Barack Obama is elected. That way, we might have Universal Health Care to look forward to. But even with their efforts, I doubt that we will ever have the lifestyles of the French, English, and Canadians presented in Moore’s film. As long as there is profit to be made from the sickness of Americans, we will never be able to live without fear of our health care system.
The Narragansett Casino: One Year Later
By Adam D. Bram Anchor Staff
Well, you all drank the Kool-Aid. The Narragansett tribe hasn’t always been under the best management, but they have been completely screwed over by the government of Rhode Island. Then, sometime last year, they actually had a chance to overturn the previous laws and join the long list of Native American tribes with casinos. Moreover, there was an opportunity to create hundreds of new jobs and a lot of new revenue for Rhode Island. That was when the trouble started. Groups were popping up- SOS: Save Our State at the forefront- that didn’t want the tribe to have their own casino. They began publishing fuzzy equations showing financial harm. They attacked Narragansett Chief Matthew Thomas and their casino project backers Harrah’s (not unjustifiably in some cases, though it didn’t relate to this particular proposal). They even started holding seminars stating untrue “facts” about how casinos hurt the surrounding economy. Amazingly, enough people bought it that the casino proposal was voted down in last year’s elections. I was surprised and a little ashamed of our state. The worst part was something that I found out later from the Boston Globe. I found out just who was behind Save Our State. It was none other than a little enterprise called Twin River Casino. Yes, just a few months after convincing a majority of the public that casinos were bad for Rhode Island, Twin River opened its doors on the ashes of the Lincoln Greyhound Park. It’s been advertised heavily and business has been fairly good. People are gambling their lives away. But, for some reason, the state isn’t getting any poorer than the rest of the country as they claimed it would be with the Narragansett casino. Many popular musical acts have performed at Twin River, and the Providence Performing Arts Center isn’t losing business; again, something we were warned about with the proposed Narragansett casino. More than that, it is just a wholly depressing place to be. I happened to see The Turtles in concert there over the summer. The show was great (as Flo & Eddie tend to be), but the entire building had an unpleasant, unfeeling atmosphere. In contrast, the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut (where I have seen many concerts) has a very nice, almost magical feel to it. Even if you don’t gamble, there’s a little something for everyone. One can’t be completely sure, but from some of the drawings I’ve seen, the Narragansett Casino seems like it would probably have been closer to Sun in nature. It truly sickens me that this has not caused public outrage. I would have been happy to have the Narragansett Casino in my state, but Twin River is a blight I wish we could scrub out. Adam Bram is a staff writer/cartoonist for the Anchor. When asked what cards make up a Full House, he will reply that Bob Saget is funnier when he is allowed to be dirty.
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.
Opinions
November 13, 2007
Page 13
THE ANCHOR
LETTER TO AMERICA THE CURSE OF EARLY NOVEMBER By Stephen Morse Senior British Correspondent After fulfilling my columnist obligations week-in, week-out for the past three years, you may have noticed that this column didn’t appear in the last issue of The Anchor. Occasionally this happens for editorial reasons, but seven days ago and for the first time, I decided that “Letter to America” had to take a breather. Instead, I decamped to a beautiful part of the English countryside away from the stresses of modernity and The Curse of Early November, and left my broadband connection far behind me. Yes, that’s right, The Curse of Early November. You’ve probably never heard of this before, and would no doubt assume it to be a quaint English phenomenon that traces its roots way back to the days of The Plague or Oliver Cromwell or something like that. Yet, in truth, it’s a phrase that I have coined in order to convey the abject hatred that I have for this time of year. There really is nothing quite like the chill that I feel when I turn over my calendar to see Oct. 30 emblazoned in front of me. After the dreaded Mischief Night and its even more grotesque brother, Halloween, in which children are encouraged to legitimise begging and wreak as much havoc as is humanly possible just for a few sweets, there follows a period of six days before Guy Fawkes Night or Bonfire Night or whatever you want to call it, when we commemorate the foiling of a terrorist plot by firing rockets into the sky. For the first part of this very month, Britain’s city streets are akin to a dystopic war-zone where lawless children hold the cards simply because they have a box-full of explosives and a cigarette lighter. It’s horrible. Fortunately, this country no longer commemorates foiled terrorist plots with fireworks, or else the night sky would be awash with exploding pinks and greens every single night of the year. Thankfully though, the nightmare is ordinarily over within a week. After seven days of mayhem in which
unruly kids have attempted to stage a coup armed with Catherine wheels and pumpkins, I can confirm that the adults are back in charge. I should know, I am one … and I never feel more disconnected from the youth of today than when I am hiding inside my home, peering through the curtains and praying to God that he spares me the indignity of a visit from one of them. There is, however, a more poignant tone as we progress through the month. As you read this, millions of people throughout the UK will have marked remembrance Sunday (Nov. 11) – the anniversary of the end of the First World War. Not only does this give people the chance to pay respect to those that lost their lives in the trenches during the Great War, but it also serves as a day of remembrance for those who died in the Second World War and subsequent conflicts. U n f o r t u n a t e l y, whilst we are a nation that is quick to honour those that lose their lives in conflicts, we are not so sympathetic to the living. Veterans get a notoriously bad deal on these shores, backed up by the fact that at least one in ten homeless people in the UK have served in the armed forces; a hopelessly embarrassing statistic. It appears that once people have served their time, they are viewed as dispensable. Never mind that they risked their own existence and the well-being
of their families to fight in some dubious war; never mind that they saw their colleagues perish in front of their very eyes. Basically, just never mind. Don’t be mistaken, I don’t see why anyone would willingly sign up to face a roulette wheel of maiming or fatality. There have to be safer ways of seeing the world than by being air-dropped into uncertainty. But then that is me. And whilst it would be fantastic to not need a military, we do. Wars happen – especially if you live in the US or UK, and thanks to a few brave people, people like me can just stay at home and write newspaper columns. Unless it happens to be early November.
How Hard Do you have to Work for Dreams? By Amanda Harvey Anchor Contributor Do you have a dream? I know I do and I know my friends do. Is your dream something you are working to accomplish, or is it something that sits in a shady corner waiting for you to go to sleep again because that’s the only place your dream comes true? Have people been supportive of your dreams or have they shot you down telling you that you aren’t good enough or that you dream too big? Well, I have a friend who dreams well within his limits and is in the process of accomplishing them; which is more than most people can say. But right now he is having the one thing he loves in life taken from him. All he wants to do is play hockey and his coaches won’t let him. It’s not because he isn’t good or because he doesn’t know what he’s doing, it’s all because this is his first and last year on the team. How is that fair? How is it that he can be just as good as everyone else, if not better at some things, and they put him on the bench for every game? He’s not even put in as a back-up goalie. He’s just a bench warmer. Has this ever happened to anyone else out there? Of course it has. You are doing the thing you love and you work so hard to get somewhere where you can enjoy what you’re doing, but someone has to come and steal your happiness and hold it just out of reach. It’s so incredibly frustrating that, instead of fighting for what you want, you start to give up and surrender to the system after a while. So much of the world is like that these days. People work towards dreams and goals that they can’t really reach because people or society constantly holds them just out of their grasps. You want to do something amazing with your life, but if you aren’t a perfect robot in this society, you won’t make it. Sure, you can be an individual so long as you don’t venture too far out of the proverbial box. So if
you’re like my friend and want to play hockey, or any sport for that matter, and are ready to spend game after game on the bench while you work your butt off in practice, you’re good to go. You’ll get to where you want to go, eventually. But you can’t just walk in and say I want to play; they won’t always let you. They are too afraid to damage their perfect team even if they aren’t so perfect. You see this happen everywhere. From sports, to plays, and college, to some degree or another, this happens. This country carries on. what is most commonly referred to in literature as the American Dream, that if you want something bad enough, you can get it against all odds. If you’re willing to work for it, you can find a way to get it. In today’s society, just working isn’t enough anymore. There are so many other obstacles that you have to overcome just to get to a point where you can think about your dreams ever really coming true. So how about you? Are your dreams coming true? How hard are you fighting for the ability to have the life you want? Do you feel like every time y o u take a step forward, society drags you back a couple? I know I do sometimes and I know my friend feels that way right now. Making sacrifices to have the things you love becomes very frustrating when, after you make those sacrifices, the thing you love is taken from you in some way shape or form. Are you following your dreams? I know I am. I don’t know when or if I’ll get there, but I somehow doubt that any of us will. Amanda Harvey is a second year student at RIC and a Secondary Education English major.
Opinions
Page 14
November 13, 2007
THE ANCHOR
Put Down the Phone and No One Gets Hurt By Andrew Massey Anchor Editor We have all seen it. We are driving down the road, watching the signs, and following the rules of the road (I hope) and, out of nowhere, some idiot cuts us off and causes a near accident with our car. We beep the horn at them and maybe introduce them to a bit of our more sparkling vocabulary as they drive off completely oblivious. Then you see in their hand a cell phone. They were too busy gabbing away at their “BBF” about how their day was to notice their own havoc. I do not know what is worse, the fact this is becoming an even bigger problem, or the fact that I actually said “BBF.” Now, I think cell phones are wonderful devices. I use mine frequently and stay in contact with friends that I would rarely be able to talk to otherwise. However, it is rare you will ever catch me talking or, God forbid, texting, while driving. I am a fairly
decent driver (a rarity in Rhode Island) and I do not know how many times I have nearly been in an accident because some moron was too engaged in talking about nothing with their friend to bother signaling, looking at oncoming traffic, or even braking before turning.
Don Shula Can Shove It By David Matrisciano Anchor Staff Don Shula can take the comment he made last week and shove it where the sun don’t shine, along with every other comment made by the New York Post and other journalistic mediums in regard to the New England Patriots. “I guess you got the same thing as putting an asterisk by Barry Bonds’ home run record. I guess it will be noted that the Patriots were fined and a No. 1 draft choice was taken away during that year of accomplishment. The sad thing is Tom Brady looks so good, it doesn’t look like he needs any help.” Those are the words that Don Shula said on Tuesday. Now, I know some of you are going to say, “But Dave, he didn’t say that there should be an asterisk.” Well it was pretty obvious to me that that’s what he meant. Don Shula is famous for taking the 1972 Miami Dolphins undefeated to the Superbowl. For the non-football people out there, that’s 16 - 0. Guess what, whoopdifreakendoo for you. For good measure, look at the Dolphins now. They may be the first team in the NFL to go home in December completely defeated. Do you know what this comment did? Do you know what the Post’s comments about the “lying, cheating, sweatshirt-wearing Belicheck, and the lying, cheating, unfaithful Tom Brady” did? This just pissed them off more. Guess what, you thought 52-7 was running up the score? That’s mercy from the Patriots. The way they’re going, they’ll turn their final games into a slug fest.
As far as the New York Post is concerned, their beloved editor still doesn’t have the stones to respond to my email, so maybe he sees this, as much as I may doubt it. Also, I know that I am kind of preaching to the choir here being as we’re in New England and this is the New England Patriots we’re talking about, but was I the only one who noticed that it was 16 vs. 11 on the field last week (and 5 of them had whistles) against the born again piece of crap Tony Dungy. Yes, I said it, born again piece of crap, because he cheated. Now, the RCA Dome is known to be the loudest stadium in the NFL. That’s because Gillette doesn’t have a roof to hold in the volume that Patriots’ fans generate but I digress... The bottom line is that the Indianapolis Colts tried to cheat. They made it louder by using their PA system. Well guess what, we won anyway. Again I let the people know, currently in the betting column of the New York Post, (By the way, if those idiots from the New York Times call one more time and ask if I want to get a subscription, I’m going to take my phone bill to the editor and tell him to shove it) there is an asterisk next to the Patriots that says that they were caught cheating. Well, if you’re going to do that, you should put an asterisk next to their beloved Jets for impersonating a football team. David Matrisciano is a first year music education student who is just generally pissed at the NFL for the bullshit they dish on a yearly basis. He also is currently single and enjoys long walks on the beach and Italian food.
This has to stop. Most people can’t walk and chew gum at the same time and yet they will drive and chat on the cell phone. These people tend to end up rear-ending the guy in front of them because they were too busy complaining about how Angela slept with their boyfriend when she’s, like, slept with ten other guys, so, like, they
have no idea why they would sleep with their boyfriend, but like, they want to ruin her life for it. At this pain-inducing point, they are so engrossed in this that, when the person in front of them slams on the brakes to let an ambulance go through that intersection, they smack right into them and end up running up their car and health insurance at the very least. If you want to avoid rear-ending someone or getting into any kind of accident, make sure you leave the cell phone alone when driving. Lets’ face it, unless it is life or death, it probably is not that important. The only exception is if you have a bomb strapped to your head that will go off if you stop spreading gossip. Then, by all means, get on the phone and gab away, because bombs do not understand others’ feelings. Until the serial cell phone bomber emerges though, put the phone down, and no one gets hurt.
Opinions
November 13, 2007
Page 15
THE ANCHOR
ROVING REPORTER By: Kellye Martin
:
Last week Rhode Island College president, Dr. John Nazarian, announced his plans to retire at the end of the school year. How do you feel about this? How do you think it will affect Rhode Island College?
Richard A. Lobban, Jr. Anthropology Dpartment Chair 35 years at Rhode Island College President Nazarian has had an amazing and truly historic role at RIC. He is irreplaceable, indeed, a unique figure at our very special institution. His many contributions and presence are legendary. The deep foundations he has established make out future exciting and secure.
Emily Stier Adler Sociology Department 37 years at Rhode Island College Dr. Nazarian has made an important commitment to Rhode Island College for most of his professional life. Most faculty appreciate the dedication he has shown to the college and its welfare. Change is a double edged sword – it can bring new vision and opportunity or fewer resources for students and faculty.
Kathy Gremel School of Nursing 2 years at Rhode Island College I feel that Dr. Nazarian has worked hard and deserves to take time to enjoy life. He has been a major force for Rhode Island College.
Chris Buonanno Secretary of SCG 2008 I am saddened and disappointed that Dr. Nazarian is deciding to retire. As a student leader, I feel he is a friend of students and a person who always acts on students’ concerns. I am also sad that he won’t personally sign my diploma. Whoever becomes the 9th president has huge shoes to fill. I’ll miss him and I think most students will too, especially when he is officially retired. I wish him Godspeed and good luck!
Melissa Joseph Graphic Communications 2008 I think it’s a good thing that Dr. Nazarian is retiring. I t was time for a change. It’s hard to say how Rhode Island College will be affected at this point, but hopefully it will be for the better!
John Weir History 2007 The retirement of President Nazarian is going to be a major loss for this school. His support for athletics has had a major effect on my career as a student.
Do you have a question you want answered? Send your question to photography@anchorweb.org
It’s Positive. I’m Pregnant. Pregnancy TestsUltrasound Free and Confidential CareNet CareNetRI.org 941-HELP 24/7
Lifestyles
Page 16
November 13, 2007
THE ANCHOR
Haunted America Waverly Hills Sanatorium By Robert Lefebvre Anchor Staff Do you believe in ghosts? Whether you do or don’t, this article is devoted to supposedly haunted places in the United States. I am by no means trying to tell you whether ghosts are real or not. I am a believer myself but I will do my best to relay as much unbiased information as possible. Waverly Hills Sanatorium is supposedly one of, if not the, most haunted places in America. Located in Louisville, KY., the hospital still stands. A local historical society is even looking to restore the building. Waverly was opened in July of 1910 to oversee patients with tuberculosis (TB); a bacterial disease that attacks the lungs and central nervous system that was known as “consumption” or “white plague” at the time. The disease was becoming an epidemic and quarantine was a common preventive measure. Originally, it was a small, two-story building meant to accommodate 40-50 patients. When more and more cases began to crop up, however, the building was rebuilt into the facility that stands today. It was completed and opened in Oct. 1926. Within the years of its operation, thousands of patients were checked into Waverly Hills. In some cases, entire families were checked in because of how contagious the disease was. Since there was no absolute cure for TB at the time (it was believed to be fresh air and exercise), many patients who were admitted essentially went there to die. There were also rumors that patients were being experimented on in order to test possible cures. Though it is entirely possible, Waverly Hills was a hospital, not a laboratory.
It was not equipped to perform such experiments. Despite this, it is documented that some new cures were tested there. In addition to the building, there was a tunnel that ran down the hill from the building to a railroad spur. It was used to move supplies to and from the building. Doctors soon found that it provided a unique way to discreetly remove dead patients as to keep patient moral up. This tunnel has been nicknamed by some as “the Death Tunnel.” In 1946, streptomycin, an antibiotic, was introduced and cases of TB began to decline. Naturally, the number of patients checking into Waverly went down. In 1961, Waverly Hills Sanatorium was closed to be quarantined and renovated. The remaining patients were sent to a nearby hospital called Hazelwood Sanatorium. Waverly was reopened in 1962 as Woodhaven Medical Services, a geriatrics hospital, but it was closed down in 1980 due to
suspicion of patient abuse. The building was bought by local organizations and assumed its former name of Waverly Hills Sanatorium. It now stands in disrepair but those same organizations hold
tours of the building. They even convert the building into a haunted house attraction at Halloween time. All of the money goes to restoration of the building. Waverly Hills has been the center of many ghost stories. People have claimed to see patients in the windows. The building has been closed off to the public due to its unsafe conditions, so the chances it was an actual person browsing the building would be slim. There have also been cases of people at the building suddenly becoming cold or uneasy as they walked by it. The Death Tunnel is supposedly the most haunted place on the property. It has been blocked off due to its hazardous condition so people have not been able to get in too far. There have also been stories of two suicides taking place years apart in the same room: Room 502. One of these people was a nurse named Mary Hillenburg who hanged herself because she became pregnant out of wedlock. The other was a patient who jumped out of the window. Researchers found that there have been several Hillenburgs who lived in the region around Louisville, but their deaths have been untraceable, leaving the story unconfirmed. The building has been visited by a number of paranormal investigators and several television shows, including the Sci-fi Channel’s Ghost Hunters and ABC Family’s Scariest Places on Earth. There have been many other stories of things that have gone on at Waverly Hills; leaving many reasons as to why spirits of the dead, if any, cannot leave and depart to the next world. Of course, it is virtually impossible to solve every mystery of the building and know every story that takes place there. Still, even if there are no ghosts, what could have taken place in this building that the public never knew about? And what about when it became the Woodhaven facility? Was the patient abuse claim legitimate? What secrets could be behind the run-down walls of Waverly Hills Sanatorium?
The Law of Attraction (Part 4) By Paula Richer Anchor Staff Since reading Part 1 (The Secret) of my 6-part series of reviews on the Law of Attraction three weeks ago, you have become slowly indoctrinated into the realm of your own thoughts. Part 2 (As You Think) was a comfortable primer; a test drive that helped you put your hands on the wheel of your own life. Part 3 (What the Bleep? Down the Rabbit Hole) gave you the science and credibility you needed to feel confident about this amazing adventure. Now I’m calling upon you to open your mind even more. Welcome to Part 4. Choice # 4: Abraham (The Secret behind “The Secret”?) (2-DVD set) Esther and Jerry Hicks, a mild-mannered couple, went through an odyssey that only they can explain (which they do in Episode 1 of this 2 ½ hour flick). Suffice it to say that this odyssey changed the course of their lives and of the lives of thousands of people ever since. The phenomenon is that Esther has learned to channel a group of non-physical beings. She is able to tap into their energy source from the nonphysical world, interpret it into plain English, and essentially speak for them while holding conversations with us. That’s right…we can talk to beings of a higher intelligence who know more about us and about our world than we do. That is because they ARE us. And what they have to say is the most essential part of the Law of Attraction. Don’t worry…you don’t have to believe in channeling to benefit from this. You only have to hear the message. It’s a doozy so don’t pass it up. Executive Producer Peter Beamish interviews the Hicks then moves on to interview Abraham in Episodes 2 and 3. Abraham (a group of non-physical beings who go by a single name) describe themselves as “source energy,” and claim they are here to remind us of something that we have forgotten.
Forgotten? Do tell…What have we forgotten? Abraham say that we live in an attraction-based universe. Whatever vibration we hold brings more of that vibration into our experience. We can know what kind of vibrations we are holding in each area of our lives by our paying attention to our feelings. For example, if I want more money in my life, I may want it because right now I feel a lack of money. So, rather than imagining what it would be like to feel rich, I wallow around in the despair of feeling poor. I think about what I don’t have, I talk about how difficult it is, and I stress out by imagining that my hardships are going to get worse. That feeling (my despair over finances) attracts more of the same vibration (poverty) and soon I will have more poverty in my actual experience. But if I decide to feel like a rich person, walk and talk like a rich person, and feel gratitude about the blessings I already have, I will soon attract more of that (abundance) into my actual experience. Abraham explains, “When you desire something you believe is right but you beat the drum of what is wrong, you’re holding yourself in vibrational difference to that which you desire. But when you offer a vibration that matches what you desire, the more you’ll attract that into your experience.” I’ve chosen the topic of money because it is a topic that addresses almost everyone. This concept holds true for everything including health, love, career, world peace, or whatever else you can imagine. Beamish also asks Abraham lots of questions about death, sex, animals and our relationship to them, other life forms, and what to do about war (you’ll be surprised). Abraham wants us to know that one of our biggest mistakes is seeing ourselves as separate beings. We are not separate beings. We are instead like branches on a tree, all stemming from the same source. Understanding this concept will go a long way toward making our planet a better place. To learn more visit www.aura.ca. Perhaps you may decide to join us – those who are remembering…
Do you like working with kids? Do you like teaching? Need some community service hours? Nothing better to do on Fridays? Come help with
ANCHOR JR. Henry Barnard School’s Student Newspaper We at the Anchor work together with the fifth and sixth graders at Henry Barnard to put out a monthly paper and we can always use more people to come in and work with the kids. If you’re interested in helping out, come to our meetings in The Anchor Office (Ducey Media Center) on Wednesdays at 12:30 We meet in the office and visit the kids Fridays at 8:30am 9:30am 1:00pm
Lifestyles
November 13, 2007
Page 17
THE ANCHOR
Health Hype: STDs Part I By Casey Gaul Anchor Editor College life being the catalyst that it is to the liberation and experimentation of the young adult, it is not surpris-
ing that sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are among the top health concerns of higher education. In the discussion of STDs, it is good to know that there are two basic categories: bacterial and viral. The major differences between the two are what kind of wee beastie is attacking you from the inside (either bacteria or a virus) and what you can do about it. Bacterial STDs, while a major pain, can usually be cured with the help of antibiotics. Viral STDs, however, cannot be cured, merely treated. The methods by which a person might contract an STD range from the exchange of bodily fluids to infected skin contact, all depending on the type and strain of the infection. One of the most commonly contracted STDs today among college students is the human papilloma virus (HPV). HPV has most commonly been connected with genital warts although only 30 of the hundreds of strains of HPV cause them. HPV has gotten a fair amount of publicity lately due to its connection with cervical cancer. HPV is so common mostly because a person can contract it and have absolutely no idea. The virus might lie dormant for months, or years, without ever showing its symptoms. Additionally, while there are tests for HPV in women, there currently are no tests for HPV in men. A man may go his entire life never knowing that he is a carrier, meanwhile unknowingly spreading the infection to his partners. HPV gets so much publicity in the female demographic that it is easy to overlook the threats it poses to men. Penile and anal HPV are just as serious and the latter can put a man at a much higher risk for anal cancer. As far as treatment and prevention go for HPV, the options are fairly limited. There are a number of medical creams and products that can be used to treat genital warts. For women, a vaccination called Gardasil
has emerged recently which may prevent four strains of HPV connected with cervical cancer. The vaccine is being suggested to girls as young as 11 and some states are even considering making it a required vaccination for girls (to the chorus of much controversial discussion). One of the other most common college campus STDs is Chlamydia and can be contracted via vaginal, anal, and oral sex. It is also, according to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “the most frequently reported bacterial sexually transmitted disease in the United States.” Like most strains of HPV, Chlamydia may exist in its host for any period of time and never show symptoms. When symptoms do appear, they are usually mild and consist of unusual discharge from the vagina or penis or burning during urination. More serious side effects occur when Chlamydia spreads to the uterus and fallopian tubes in women or the epididymus, the tube which “carries sperm from the testis”, in men. In these cases, complications may vary from pain in the pelvis to fever and sometimes even to infertility. In women, there is the additional risk of pregnancy outside of the uterus (in the vagina or fallopian tubes), also referred to as ectopic pregnancy. Fortunately, there are tests for both men and women which detect it and, like most other bacterial infections, Chlamydia can be treated and cured with antibiotics. The danger lies in letting the infection go un-diagnosed and untreated. For more information, you can contact Mary Olenn in the Office of Health Promotion at 456-8061. For information about STD screenings and other health services available to you as a RIC student, go to http://www.ric.edu/healthservices/. Next week’s topic: STDs Part II
Page 18
Arts + Entertainment
November 13, 2007
THE ANCHOR
ANCHOR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS By Barry Nickerson and Joe Roberge Anchor Editors Before the concert at Lupo’s on Saturday, we had the opportunity to have a sit-down with The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Hanging out in their tour bus, we uncovered a great deal of fascinating misinformation about the band, such as how awesome their spaceship-tour-bus really is and what high school Monty Are I went to, and a bunch of other cool stuff. Barry: So how long has it been since you’ve been home? How long have you been touring for? Ronnie: Off and on, but pretty much straight through, we’ve been touring up to the two and a half year mark. We did our deal with Virgin back in 2005, but we did our own touring before that. Barry: So you guys were once just a small band, jamming together, then you guys got a hit and off you go? Ronnie: Face Down was actually released in 2004. Three and a half years later, we had a song finally break
on radio, which is about how long it really takes. If you’re a real band and you weren’t put together by a label, it doesn’t happen overnight. It’s impossible. Certain key things have to be in place. After that, we’ve been touring. Since then, we’ve released another single, “False Pretense.” It’s been awesome on the rock charts as well, did really well for us. Our video was on Fuse all the time. Now we’re on our third single, “Guardian Angel” Barry: What are your plans for after this tour is done? Elias: We’re gonna wrap up the end of this record. We’re gonna get together, hopefully spend a little time during the holidays with our families. We have a house in Jacksonville that we just set up to make the next record— actually, in Middleburg, where we’re from. We’re gonna spend November, December and January hopefully writ-
ing the whole bit of the next record, then eventually going to California to record it. So new record time coming soon. Joe: Are you all [TRJA, Hawthorne Heights] going on tour together, or are you guys just together at Lupo’s for this one concert? Ronnie: This tour basically revolved around our third single, “Guardian Angel,” which came out probably about a month ago. The States started back on [Nov.] 16 in Philadelphia; that was the first show we scheduled to make up for the show we canceled on the Take Action tour. So we hit that first to pay those kids, and then ever since then we’ve been doing this tour. We did have a band called Monty Are I on the bill with us until we were in Canada. This is the third time we were on tour with them. They had to drop off midway. Right after they dropped off, Hawthorne Heights jumped on as lead support. It’s still essentially the same tour, just Hawthorne came on, Monty left, which happens in tours. That’s just how it is. We’re continuing that until the day before Thanksgiving. Barry: Yeah, Monty’s from around here. I went to high school with a couple of the guys, back when they were Monty’s Fan Club, then they were Monty. Joe: They changed a lot. Barry: So can you tell us a little bit about how this band got going? Ronnie: We were all friends from the same hometown. Everyone knows everybody from high school. We all had a couple other bands before this band. My previous band didn’t work out, their [Joey and Elias] bands didn’t work out, he [Jon] was in like 50 million different bands; I don’t even know how many he had. It was kinda an ongoing joke actually. We ended up being in the same band together, which was the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Everything just kind of clicked into motion; we were selling out venues, selling out our own CD’s. We sold a rough estimate of 20,000 copies without a label; that’s not even on an independent label. That’s more indie than that; that’s nothing. If you can do that, you get the attention of labels because they see that you’re working on your own. That took about almost two years, all that I just mentioned, but all of a sudden people started caring about who we are, we did a deal with Virgin, we toured in a van, opened up for many different awesome bands: the Starting Line, 30 Seconds to Mars, played shows with NOFX, Jimmy Eat World. We just toured with everybody and anybody who played rock who wanted to tour with us. We had some cool guys help us out. Elias: Literally, if you name an artist or any possible act, I definitely think we’ve played with them. Ronnie: Just about, we’ve covered most of the rock world, and the pop world actually. Elias: The Allman Brothers. Joey: Alice in Chains. Barry: So who would you guys say is the biggest influence on your music? Elias: Probably Hilary Duff. Joey: Hannah Montana… Jon: Mandy Moore’s first record!
Red Jumpsuit, from front were bombarded with a rather consistent rain of crowd-surfers during this act; things like that, however, add to the overall experience and make the show a little more memorable. The main act—and the band that brought so many people together in one closed space—came on around 8:50 p.m. It had been almost three amazing hours since New Year’s Day wowed us with their performance. The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is that kind of sing-along, jump-around-and-rock-out type of band. With the continuing hail of crowd-surfers and the occasional pummeling from the mosh pit (yes, we were taking pictures during this as well), TRJA kept everyone moving in some way. Constant chants for the band to play their singles “Face Down” and “Guardian Angel” echoed throughout the night. TRJA, of course, obliged. This was an impressive, energy-filled show with heavy guitars and the force of a hall full of fists in the air; their owners screaming along to each chorus. This was one of the best concerts so far this year by far; starring a band that, a year ago, was barely known nationwide. Look for more great concerts to come to Lupo’s in the next month including Silversun Pickups, Cake, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Wu-Tang Clan, Bright Eyes and more!
Elias: I almost bought the Blackout Britney Spears record that just came out the other day. I just think it’s a little, uhh… why would you name your record Blackout? Why don’t you name it Pass Out Drunk? Joe: Ouch, vicious. Joey: We listen to so much music, it’s really hard to say this band influences; it’s more just music in general. Elias: We love music. We love everything from Beethoven and Mozart to The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson… Justin Timberlake, The Eagles, Elton Jon, Jon Lennon, Jimmy Hendrix, Jimmy Eat World, Blink-182, NOFX, Green Day, Smashing Pumpkins, Sublime. Joe: That’s a lot of influences. Ronnie: Whatever we like. We have a lot of different influences; we’re five different guys. It’s five times five time five. Joe: Now for your first single, “Face Down,” is there a story about that? Ronnie: There’s a story, yeah. Joey: There’s a story behind every song. It’s all real stuff. We definitely don’t write songs for no reason. Elias: There are a lot of bands and acts out there that have all these hidden meanings and messages or whatever bullshit it could possibly be about that you have to reach in, try to relate to, and try to grasp. But all this is real, it’s all the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, it’s our shit, stuff that happened to us, Ronnie himself or somebody we know from back home. It’s a collection of stories from our youth. The next record is going to be exactly the same. We’re just gonna keep telling stories, like The Beatles, and like every other great band that’s out there. Not about stupid other shit. Barry: The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus: where did that name come from? Joey: It came from not wanting to be anything else, but the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Elias: It came from seriously not even mattering what you’re called. If you take yourself seriously when it comes to that, what do you really have? The name doesn’t matter; the music matters, our relationships matter. Ronnie: We just didn’t care about our band name because we’d all been in bands already. There’s a lot of local bands out there going through the same thing we have. Every time you form a band you think it’s going to be the one, then you find out later that your music sucked and that nobody liked it. You gotta go through a growing phase, nobody writes amazing songs the first time they try. If you think you’re going to, you’re wrong. You’ve gotta fail and fail and fail for a long time and then eventually you’ll figure out how to do it right, which we’ve done. The band name is an expression of the band not caring about what the band name is. Elias: It was a really hard race between The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Let’s Name Our Band Something Stupid and See How Far We Can Get. Ronnie: Except that was too long. Jon: The Umbrella Ninjas was the other one. Ronnie: Also Jon Wilkes and the Other Guys. Elias: If we don’t show up as TRJA, it’s usually Jon Wilkes and the Other Guys. Joe: So how much does a bus cost you? I’m just curious, this is a big bus. Elias: Actually this is free because it’s actually a spaceship that we came on. This is actually a Transformer, a spaceship with landing gear that turns into a bus. Jon: We all get to pick what our bodies look like, we don’t normally look like this. Elias: I can’t believe you went with that... just kidding. It was pretty crazy when we landed, actually.
Psyched to Serve!!! WHO: You! Along with members of Rhode Island College Psychological Society, PSI CHI, and PSYC 453 WHAT: Donations of winter coats, women’s and children’s clothing, canned goods, can openers WHEN: Wednesday November 14à 12:30-2:00 WHERE: Student Union Lobby WHY: To help fight hunger and cold in the upcoming winter months ** All donations will be given to the McAuley Village and Mary House** Donate a dollar at our table in the Student Union to be entered into a raffle. You could win some AMAZING prizes!! ** All money donated will be given directly to the organizations listed above** Thank you for your anticipated support!
Arts + Entertainment
Arts + Entertainment
November 13, 2007
Page 19
THE ANCHOR
Melee’s Devils and Angels
Rental Raves
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure
By Ashley Dalton Anchor Staff Melee’s latest release, Devils and Angels, hit stores April 3. The album was produced by the illustrious Howard Benson, who has also worked with My Chemical Romance and The All American Rejects. At first glance, one might assume the album would sound consistent with Pink Floyd and other various classic rock bands. However, the title, track names, and album cover are misleading. The music identifies more with Snow Patrol and Keane with its melodic pop influence. The music style is characterized by its lifting melodies, expressive piano playing, and elevated vocal ranges. Since being signed with Warner Bros. Records in 2005, the band has made appearances on the Warped Tour among many other shows. One of their most distinguished shows was the “Take Action!” Tour; which they performed together with The Donnas, Motion City Soundtrack, and Sugacult.
They’ve also toured with Bowling for Soup among numerous other starter bands. In order to promote Devils and Angels, they toured earlier this year with The Early November and The Rocket Summer. The album reflects relationships on, “getting in fights with friends, songs about friends coming home from college and not being able to get jobs,” says band member, Chris Cron. “The album is about being in your 20s in modern America. It’s about our experiences right now - with life, love, friends - and asking questions about where we’re going and what’s going to happen. That’s the whole theme.” All-in-all, the album proved to be catchy and uplifting. It’s great when a new band comes along and one can instantly learn lines and sing along with it while doing homework at two in the morning. While the songs vary in topics, there’s literally something in it or everyone.
By Adam D. Bram Anchor Staff This week we will be looking at a hard-to-find film that is very close to this reviewer’s heart. It is a 1977 animation entitled Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure. Raggedy Ann (Didi Conn, Grease) and her brother, Andy (Mark Baker, Swashbuckler) must save their owner’s new imported French doll (Niki Flacks, Murder in Texas) from the clutches of a snowglobe pirate (George S. Irving, The Year Without Santa Claus). Along the way, they join the lonesome Camel with the Wrinkled Knees (Fred Stuthman, Escape from Alcatraz), outwit a giant taffy monster (Joe Silver, Deathtrap), and escape a
monarch with the ultimate Napoleon complex (Marty Brill, Mr. Belvedere). When they finally reach the ship, they make a shocking surprise. If one were to put forth a theory
Bannister, from back
ter,” is positively stunning. It captures the intimacy, safety, and love inherent in the bond between parent and child. Ludwig described his experience creating these paintings as unusual because he worked on all of them at once as opposed to his usual process of painting one at a time. He commented, “I worked on these as a group so I was able to massage and manipulate every inch of them to get them all just how I wanted them to look.” The corridor speaks in stark contrast to the colorful display inside. This is the language of Astrid, a Cuban-born, highly-educated sculptor who has studios both on Cape Cod and here in Providence at AS220. She presently delves into printmaking here at RIC. Her eight bleak and brazen portraits (sumi ink on photo paper) line the wall in Bannister Gallery’s Hall Space. A slow visual sweep suggests that each one portrays a different layer of consciousness…samples of the many we all share in our collective cosmos. This is a multi-step journey through black, grey, and white and the endless hues in between. Add a little beauty to your life. For more information on the Bannister Gallery visit www.ric.edu/bannister, or for a free guided tour (groups of ten or more), contact the Gallery Director, James Montford at 401-456-9765 or jmontford@ric.edu.
Classifieds On-Campus Housing Available! Single-person suite room in the new residence hall, fifth floor. Meal plan required. Immediate occupancy! Call Jeremy at (401)868-8043 for more information.
$900 Two bedroom Duplex apartment. 1.5 baths, gas heat, stove and fridge included. Washer and Dryer hookups available. 2 Parking spots, 1.5 miles to RIC. New floors. Mikegme@hotmail.com or 401-7421143
that stated that Toy Story (1995) evolved from Alice in Wonderland (1951), then this film would definitely be the Missing Link. The basic premise of the toys coming to life when the little girl leaves the playroom would be adapted in the later work but this film has so many weird and wonderful images and locations that one has to question what was affecting the filmmakers’ minds. The animation has a rough quality to it that makes it seem oddly more real. The songs are memorably and, for the most part, beautifully written by Joe Raposo, formerly of Sesame Street, though Didi Conn didn’t always sing as well. It was a box office flop since audiences at the time didn’t really understand it. As such, is extremely hard to find. Still, if you love beautiful im-
agery and animation, then this is certainly a must-see. Also starring Alan Sues (Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In) and Paul Dooley (Cars). G Rating: 5/5
Funny Money: Not Quite Worth Every Penny By Andrew Massey Anchor Editor On Wed, Nov. 7, comedians Eric Andre and Michelle Buteau came to the Student Union Ballroom. They entertained the audience for an hour and a half and kept everyone generally amused. At the end, they had two contestants come on stage and have a dance-off for various merchandise items. Overall, I thought the comedians were funny. Eric Andre started off the set with his act. Despite a late start and some technical difficulties, he was fairly funny. He improvised to the problems and the crowd well. Unfortunately, his style reminded me too much of Dane Cook for me to be really impressed. With every joke, I felt as if I was watching a less organized version of Dane Cook. While he was the funnier of the two, he didn’t impress me. Next up was Michelle Buteau. She got right into her bit; though that may have been because she did not encounter any difficulties. She was also fairly amusing, but not as much as Andre. Her jokes were either sexually or race themed, or both. While the jokes were funny, they just seemed like rehashed versions of other jokes that have already been done by other comics. I mean, a minority doing race jokes seems to be a staple of modern comedy. Now, I understand that most jokes these days are either centered on current events, based on Photos race, or random topics like traffic
or Hot Pockets, but current events and random topics are constantly changing, while stereotypes stay the same. The logic follows that, if racial stereotypes change, that tends to be a bad thing. If these comedians want to stand out in the world, they need to stand out. They can not be using the material other comics have already bled dry; they need to strike out on their own. Until then, I still won’t be impressed with their act.
Courtesy of Grace Ionata
Arts
Entertainment Bannister Gallery ANNE LEONE AND DANIEL LUDWIG: FIGURING THE FIGURE By Paula Richer Anchor Staff A rich, lustrous view through the window of a growing family’s life is partly the subject of November’s art exhibit that opened last Thursday night at Rhode Island College’s Bannister Gallery. Curator Richard Whitten, a painting professor here at RIC who brought the heartwarming show to our campus, had this to say at the Gallery’s reception: “It’s nice to see a sophisticated, complex, and enjoyable group of paintings come together.” He refers to married artists Anne Leone and
RIC EVENTS Art: “Figuring the Figure” Wednesday, November 14November 16 Unspecified Time Bannister Gallery in Roberts Hall Theatre: “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” Wednesday, November 14Saturday, November 17 8 p.m. Helen Forman Theatre in the John Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts
PAGE 20
Daniel Ludwig, who rarely show their work together, but who joined their passions here. It is evident that their art expresses their passions indeed they used their own children as some of the models. As Anne Leone explains, “Because our kids are in the paintings, it’s a way of showing an important time in our lives…they are growing up.” To stand among the paintings is to float in the center of imagination where a fury of color meets the tenderness of blessed moments. Leone and Ludwig both linger lovingly over the human figure with bursts of vibrant hues, comforting shapes, and soft, bare skin. Leone has ebullience for seeing the human form underwater. She captures the array of movements made possible when the restriction of gravity releases; giving young swimmers the ability to float, swim, kick, and splash. Her “Red Tuck” illuminates the sunken glory of waft-
ing in solitude as the radiant, red-orange sun shines through ripples of water overhead. Her “Swimmers” reveals the amusing underwater chaos when limbs are free to make mayhem. Ludwig has a remarkable ability to express the natural rhythms of serenity…a pensive woman, nude, lost in her thoughts, a girl quietly writing and, in “Two Figures with Orchid” a framed exchange between feminine forms that seems insignificant yet is quite telling of the connection they share. The deeply touching illustration, “Mother and Daugh-
Continued on page 18
The Best Schwartz Yet By Jessica Albaum Anchor Editor High school is a time of torment and uncertainty for many. It is a time when teenagers find their true selves and discover love. This is all covered in the most recent play by Lenny Schwartz, a Rhode Island College graduate, and director of the Daydream Theatre Company. Time Thirteen is currently playing at Bell Street Chapel with a very talented cast; most of whom currently attend RIC. This is the first of Lenny Schwartz’s plays that I have considered to be a drama and it is the best writing I have seen him produce. I was incredibly impressed with the very believable moments that often occurred during the performance. The play follows the story of two high school students who decide to go against the “norm” and begin to write about topics that are frowned upon. They print an amateur paper called The Time and distribute it around their school with the help of their friends. The topics include teen pregnancy, opinions about the faculty, and world issue. This newspaper turns the school upside-down and puts those helping the cause at great risk. The two main characters, Will Lowe (Ian Savageau) and Terri Vaughn (Gillienne Nadeau), were incredible. They had extremely touching moments and their acting should be commended. There was no weak link in this cast. Everyone was committed to their character and tried to keep it as honest as possible. This is rarely seen in community theatre. I really liked that the newspaper articles were turned into monologues that the characters performed with passion. Even characters who would never say those things stood center stage and spoke with great emotion about topics that are serious issues in the school system today. I do have a few complaints about the show but they should not prevent anyone from experiencing this well-written and directed play. Time Thirteen, as many plays and movies in the past have done, started at the end of the story. I would normally have no problem with this but instead of going back to the beginning right away, it slowly, scene by scene, went backwards. Meanwhile, the newspaper articles went forward. I think the show should have gone forward or the newspapers should have also gone backwards. Another option would have been to start the first scene at the end and then go all the way to the beginning to end the play where it started. I feel like that might have ended the play better. The scenery was simple and effective. Because of the location, the lighting options were limited but also appropriate. There were rare occasions when the actors were in shadow but it did not cause a problem for me. Also, the costumes were appropriate. They wore modern clothing that complimented their characters. I recommend this play to the people who felt under-rep-
resented, to those who want to make a difference in the world, and to those who know how hard high school can really be. Time Thirteen opened on November 1 and the remaining dates are Nov. 15-17 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for students and seniors. A new addition to the Daydream Company is their PR Manager Justin Dee who recently set up a way to purchase tickets online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/23582. For more information, call 290-7865.