March 2011 Issue

Volume/Issue 17/6

March 2011

The Wright Side

THE AUTOMOBILE ISSUE

Electric Cars Gain Power But Stand Divided Chicago is moving forward. But will market competition leave our technology in the dust?

Photo By: Jackelyn Sigaran

By: C.J. Glazar News Editor

Home EV charging station

Golden state company 350Green LLC was signed on by the city of Chicago to install a network of 280 charging stations throughout the city.

Just in time for the Chevrolet Volt’s Chicago release scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year, the city is shelling out $1.9 of a $9 million project in order to set up an infrastructure worthy of supporting a massive electric overhaul. Cities with an established charging interface are targeted by automakers for full-scale electric vehicle releases. Following the installation, Chicago will be among the cities embracing electricity and moving away from gasoline thanks to the stimulus Page 3 grant from the Ameri-

NEWS CCC Presidents get dropped: Find out why on Page 6

Arts & Culture Planes? Trains?

No! Automobiles on Page 8

www.wrighttimes.net

Opinions Check out the transportation debate on Page 15

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NEWS Women’s Basketball Fights Overwhelming Odds

March 2011 Vol/Issue 17/6

By: Timothy Watters Reporter

first half scoring 21 points, but playing short handed and turning the ball over to Rock Valley too many times made it hard to keep thing's moving in the Rams’ favor. Another highlight was the score made by

The Wright Times

Men’s Basketball Goes Down With Honor

free throws became a factor.

That was the turning point in the game. Through the second, you could see the score shifting little by little in Rock Valley's direction. They really opened the game up with two different

Photo By: Erica Harlston

On February 10, the Wright College Rams faced off against visiting Rock Valley, who had a double-digit lead. Even as the final minute ticked down, Coach Porter was still encouraging her team to play defense. The fact that the game was statistically over shows the kind of heart that this team has. However, with the loss, there were lots of positives to take away from this game.

For one, the teams defense had spurts of dominance, from boxing out to pressuring the ball.

Wright Rams Althea Adejudge (#23) hustles for a rebound.

There were many points of the game that momentum could Dawn Jenrich. Her 18 points scoring runs of 11-6 and 14-5. have switched into the Rams’ came in short spurts, hustle With no explosion coming off hands but some costly mis- plays and free throws. Both the bench offensively, Rock takes did not let that happen. teams played great defense Valley turned their defense up This was a tough game for but the difference toward the a notch. Coming out of a late the Rams, not only were they end of the half was that Rock timeout near the end of the short-handed, they were play- Valley was capitalizing on the game, leading scorers Jenrich ing a team that was at full mistakes that Wright was mak- and Adejudge were getting strength. Still you could see ing, which helped them take more attention from the dethe obvious mis-matches that the lead going into the second fense. Their strategy caused played into the Rams hand, half. three straight turnovers in the Althea Adejudge. Showing As the second half started, final minutes but even with the signs of the dominating game both teams came out with no loss, the effort was there and that she displayed a few games energy. With only six points it was consistent. The doubleearlier against Madison Col- scored in the first four minutes digit loss was disappointing, lege, she punished defenders in the half, fouls were being but there is always next game. in the low post throughout the called more frequently and

Rams Rattled by Rock Valley By: Timothy Watters Reporter To say this game started off exciting would be an understatement. From the moment the contest began on February 10, Wright College Rams and visiting Rock Valley College seemed to have animosity between them. The shoving, the staring and the rugged attitudes these teams carried onto the basketball court were just a sign of what was to come.

Neither of the teams looked intimidated by the other and neither team looked as if they were going to back down.

When the game started it took a couple of possessions for the first basket to be made and well worth the wait. Spencer Waddell of the Rams scored the first basket of the game when he received an alley oop pass off of a great screen from teammate Sherman Haynes.

Soon into the game, both teams were scoring consistently thanks to great individual play from their guards. In the middle of the half the game changed pace a bit, with substitutions for both teams taking place. With Wright being undermanned Rock Valley took full advantage, going on a 12-6

run to finish the half. With the pure shooting of Haynes, who scored a team high 21 points in the game, the Rams went into halftime down just one point.

The Rams started the second half the same way they ended the first. Haynes continued to get good screens from teammates, creating space for him to get his jump shot off. Further into second, both teams got into the their rhythm and the score stayed close. Relentless in their attack, the Rams gained a decent, five point lead in the late minutes of the game.

Just as the beginning of the game, both teams were getting physical again. With a minute and a half left in the game, the Rams held onto a small lead.

Rock Valley showed poise throughout the final minute, as they tied the game and took the lead. The Rams came close to tying the game with Haynes and Waddell trying another back door alley-oop. Unfortunately Waddell received a lot of contact while putting the ball down and it rimmed out.

To save clock time, the Rams had to foul. With just under 10 seconds left in the game, Rock Valley made all the clutch free throws. With the score being 60-54, the Rams could not overcome the deficit.

By: Natalija Tosanic Copy Editor Anyone who has ever buried themselves in textbooks for hours in anticipation of quizzes and tests only to find that their teacher threw D’s on them understands the frustration facing many college students. It is not enough to merely study, one has to study correctly to better retain information and effortlessly cruise through the academic challenges teachers pose every day. The Learning Styles Workshop’s statement denotes that understanding one’s individual learning style can develop more effective study habits and in turn churn out better grades.

The Learning Styles Workshop began February 10 and will run through April 8 at Wright College in the Student

Academic Success Center in the Gateway to the College. “You can’t always have a professor that meets your preferred way of learning so you have to adapt and with the Learning Styles Assessment and the strategies that we talk about in the workshop, a student will hopefully be able to implement that,” said Yolanda Vasquez, a college advisor at Wright and one of the advisors that coordinates the workshop.

Vasquez sets the dates, locations and presenters for each workshop as well as gathering the materials for students who participate.

All students were informed of the workshop through their student e-mails as well as the Wright College website and the numerous posters around campus. Some students are given the learning styles as-

sessment through their Foundational Studies course by a professor and it’s available online on Blackboard as well.

However, the Gateway and the advisors provide the actual workshop, going through the process of exploring those suggestions as far as strategies are concerned.

Learning styles are specifically tested at the workshop through an online assessment, which utilizes the Felder-Silverman Learning Style Model.

The results are immediately available and assess four different learning dimensions.

The Learning Styles Workshop started before the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) Reinvention but does tie into the goals of the Reinvention, such as retaining students and achieving student success. College students can benefit from

Photo By: Erica Harlston

Learn How You Learn

Wright Rams Sherman Haynes (#25) fires a jumpshot. using the workshop by identifying effective study habits to match their learning styles.

Students may already be using these strategies but they discover ways to improve on them. It is also encouraged to attend the Study Skills Workshop at the Academic Support Center. These workshops go hand-in-hand in the sense that a suggested strategy at the Learning Styles Workshop includes taking notes after class but the Study Skills session helps brush up on and perfect note-taking abilities after see-

ing which note-taking style works best for an individual.

The Learning Styles Workshop is open to all CCC students or any student in the community interested in knowing their learning styles. Each workshop usually lasts about

an hour and a half. It is free and interested students can sign up beforehand in the Student Academic Success Center in Room A120 at the counter or register by calling 773-481-8200.

The Wright Times

NEWS

March 2011 Vol/Issue 17/6

By: Kathlyn Talapian Managing Editor After a series of campaigns, debates and speculations lasting more than four months, the verdict was finally made known on February 22—Rahm Emanuel was elected as Chicago’s new mayor. Amidst the celebration of his victory, Emanuel faces the pressing problems in the city, such as the education and budget woes.

“We have not won anything until a child can go to school thinking of their studies and not their safety….Until a parent can think of their work, and not where they’re going to find work, we have not won anything,” said Emanuel during his acceptance speech.

Emanuel has addressed education as top priority as a mayor. In his education agenda, he committed himself to a quality improvement of education in the city. Emanuel plans to double teacher training academies in the city, hopefully yielding more qualified teachers who would work to further improve

underperforming schools.

Wright student Javier Silva is part of the school’s bridge program with DePaul University, the Middle School Teacher Quality Enhancement program. “Education is instrumental to our city’s success.

It’s sad to know that many schools in Chicago can’t provide the best education kids deserve. This should change,” he said.

According to Emanuel’s website, he also seeks to increase the control of principals or college presidents over their schools through diminishing the roles of the district offices.

However, these school heads would be accountable for their schools’ academic performances. Failure to fulfill key performance standards endangers them to lose control over their schools. He also plans to assign a new CEO to the Chicago Public Schools.

Belding Elementary High School Principal Eleah July Cyrwus fears that Emanuel would assign a businessman to take charge of the CPS. “We

are providing a priceless service in our schools, and that is education. We are not selling products or making money here. A teacher or someone with background in this field should become the superintendent, not a businessman,” she said.

His other plans deal with issues in need of immediate actions as well, such as unemployment, high crime rates, energy depletion and dwindling finances.

Emanuel, 51, has been a prominent figure in city and national politics. He commenced his career at Illinois Public Action, the largest public interest group in the state. Afterward, he served in different political programs, eventually becoming former President Bill Clinton’s Senior Adviser for Policy and Strategy. In 2007, he was elected as House Democratic Caucus Chair, reforming fiscal processes and successfully pursuing laws to heighten national security, stem cell research and minimum wage.

Before his campaign began,

Work Out and Work Wright Participating Wright faculty are encouraged to shed pounds for a cash reward

By: Abrahim Harb Features News Editor Shadia Massoud Internal Relations Last summer, Wright College has started a competition, Staying Healthy the Wright Way.” This is the third phase of this particular competition.

The participants had their first weigh-on on February 11, in which their starting Body Mass Index (BMI) and their weight was calculated. Assistant Athletic Director, Eric Wetzel said, “we do them on a 10 week cycle and then two weeks off. This far, the participants have begun to eat consciously as well as watching their weight closely.”

The contest started February 11 and will end on April 15. Wetzel said, “It is too late to register for this phase, but we welcome you to join us for our next phase in the fall.” The

charge for the contest is ten dollars. After each weigh-in, if your body weight has gone up or your miss a weigh-in, you owe an additionally dollar which is due by the following Tuesday. Wetzel said, “At the end of the competition the pot is tallied up. The funds are split up; first place gets 50 percent, second gets 30 percent and third gets 20 percent.”

There is no set time to work out. However, Weztel stated that he and a few others work out together and encourage each other. Wetzel said, “It gets boring and we try to alternate our workout routines.”

Monday and Wednesday from 3:30-4:50 pm the weight room is open and the gym is open Tuesdays and Thursdays. Also on Fridays 12-2 pm the Weight club has open gym. Wetzel said, “The only things we do together are when we weightin on Fridays.” He explained

the idea is to not add a dollar but to have your BMI stay the same or go down depending on the weight, height, age and gender.

Wetzel said, “Consistency and workouts is all the advice I can give. This competition is not about losing weight, it’s about losing body fat. It is detrimental to your body than the weight. If your body fat goes down, so will your weight.”

He also said, “In this phase, we have about ten participants, which is the lowest number in all three phases. Due to the weather and such, motivation seems to be down. We hope to encourage people who participate to keep the weight off after the ten weeks. “ Those who wish to enter the program for the next phase can contact Chaltrese Bazile or Lauren Powell in the Business Services in A138.

Photo By: Remy Spencer

End of the Daley Routine

Mayor Elect Rahm Emanuel receiving a “Da Mayor“ jersey at a Bulls game.

Emanuel was the White House Chief of Staff under President Obama, taking a significant role in the implementation of the health care and Wall Street reforms.

Dubbed as the “hurricane” by many of his election rivals, Emanuel’s campaign is characterized by the support of many prominent celebrities and businessmen as well as Clinton and Obama. He raised more than $12 million from his supporters’ donations. In

January, Emanuel’s campaign was set on hold due to a court decision that he was ineligible to run. Days after, Emanuel filed an appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court and emerged victorious.

Emanuel officially takes office May 16, marking an end to current Mayor Richard Daley’s 21 years of service to Chicago.

Continued From Front Page can Recovery and Reinvestment Act. San Diego based 350Green LLC is under contract to install 73 fast charging stations labeled CharJit Express Plazas as part of the new deal.

According to their website, 350Green LLC offers two different models of stations, the standard Level 2 220V charger and the DC Fast 480V charger. Although all of the stations will offer standard charging ports that fit all electric vehicles, there is no agreement upon an industry standard among automakers for fast charging plugs.

350Green LLC was announced fully responsible for the maintenance and operation of these stations as well as the extra near seven billion needed to fully fund the project during the press release with Gov. Quinn at the Chicago Auto Show.

According to the Chicago Tribune article, “Electric vehicles hit plug-in problems,” “Other auto manufacturers are expected to sign on to a new standard for fast charging that would be incompatible with Chicago's infrastructure.” The article explains that the current fast-charging charging stations would only fit a few select Japanese models such as the Nissan Leaf and the Mitsubishi I MiEV which are not expected to be released until next year.

The Society of Automotive Engineers is currently considering a seven-pin plug contradictory to the Japanese 10-pin version available on CharJit Express Plazas. Chicagoans will have to wait and see if having non-universal fast charging stations will cause any inconvenience or if retrofitting to meet any automaker standard is possible.

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March 2011 Vol/Issue 17/6

FEATURE NEWS

Tenese Johnson Takes Center Stage

By: Abrahim Harb Features News Editor

Photo By: Sandra Avorywoskie

“My mother believes that I was born on stage,” said Wright student Tenese Johnson. Johnson’s play “Words of Reason” was chosen along with three others as part of the “The Play Outside the Play hosted by The Wright Side.

Johnson said, “I was like wow!

Me? I did not know my competition but when I did—I had a delayed reaction.” In reference to the other two Frederick Stroppel plays, chosen for the performance.

Tenese has been involved in the theater since kindergarten.

Johnson said, “It was something where I was on stage and people were looking at me. I was always the quiet one in school.” She added, “I would stand there with my hair all nice and the microphone in my hand.”

Johnson’s admiration for writing stems from an assignment to write a short play or skit for class. Johnson said, “I have always been doing stories and had just begun doing dialogue and when I began to write it but it wasn’t coming out the way I wanted it to. I

figured playwriting would be Subsequently, she was rea good idea because I have cently cast as Little Inez in done plays before and I know Stage Wright’s production of how they’re written. It allowed “Hairspray.” Her mother Reme to do things outside of the nese Johnson was also cast as, box.” According to Johnson, ironically, her mother. Johntheater has allowed her to son said, “It did not click in come out of her comfort zone my mind until the first calland present herself to a crowd. back when the director Maria Adding, “Theater came first Jaskot-Inclan said, “Renese, and then I began incorporating you are going to be Motormy writing into it.” mouth to my mother.”

“Words of Reason” follows Tenese was the stage mana boy named Tom who wants ager for the Stage Wright to ask a classmate Kate out on production of “Little Shop a date. Johnson said, “Kate is of Horrors” and a fairy in “A slightly sweet and an airhead, Midsummer Night’s Dream” but knows what she wants at in 2009 . This is Johnson’s last the same time. Tom sees some- semester at Wright and she thing in Kate but she doesn’t plans to attend Columbia Colsee the same thing in him. Af- lege and get a degree in ter a series of events, her eyes theater and fiction are opened.” writing.

Johnson is also working on another play featuring a mostly female cast and one male.

Johnson said, “I don’t want to reveal too much. I can’t wait for people to read it. It was an idea I got before I started to write ‘Words of Reason ‘and I still am in the process of writing it because it is bigger.” She added, “The characters are relatable, yet have that aspect of them that is subliminal.”

Playwright Tenese Johnson

The Wright Times

Spradlin On Poetry and Prose

By: Abrahim Harb Features News Editor Wright College alumnus and former editor-in-chief from 1991-1995, Brian Spradlin has moved on from journalism and into poetry where he has just published his first book “The Night Never Sleeps” When Spradlin was on the staff, the office was located at Wright’s old campus. Then the newspaper office moved to Wright’s current location in 1993 and was located in the basement of the Events Building.

WT: When was your first experience with writing?

BS: After my parents divorced, I was 13. Everything in my life changed and I began to see things in a different way.

WT: Why do you write poetry or what would inspire you to write poetry?

BS: My book contains not the happiest poetry you will read, rather than doing all the negative things, poetry is a way to get that out of you in a creative and constructive way. It also a way to share experiences and relationships other people can relate to.

WT: As the former editor-inchief, what opportunities did that open that would otherwise be closed?

WT: Do you have a favorite poem from the book?

BS: I don’t have one, but three: “Jigsaw”, “Paper Airplanes” and ‘The Loss”. “Jigsaw” talks about the beginning and end of relationships. “Paper airplane” is about seeing through artificiality. “The Loss” is the apex of the book, about someone I was very close to, a bad break up in a relationship.

WT: At the moment, do you have plans to publish another book in the future?

BS: I’m already 300 pages into the next one. I can’t give the title for copyright reasons.

It is all poems as well. I would like to record my poetry, more often than not, when reading poetry it is difficult to hear the poetry the way an author intended it.

WT: How was your experience with The Wright News?

BS: I loved my experience with The Wright News. I always like writing viewpoints and editorials. Back then, we did not have the technology available now and we had to cut and paste everything into a mock newspaper—and deliver it to the printer. o ot

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WT: How long did it take you to compile the poems for the book? How was the process?

BS: This was in mid 2009 and I continued to write until Wright alumnus Brian Spradlin.

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BS: It gave me a chance, which eventually led to publishing the book. We used to have a Sports column on the back of the newspaper, unfortunately it was cut. However, it opened some avenues for creativity; the back page of the newspaper was turned into to a poetry, short story and comic strip corner along with things of that nature. If space was available, I would write one or two poems.

2010—keeping in the back of my mind, I would later compile them. But when I did eventually compile the poems, I wanted to get some of my old material in there just to counter-act where I was in my life.

As far as compiling the poems, I have made a lot of poetry in the early 90’s while I was on staff for the newspaper.

NEWS

The Wright Times

March 2011 Vol/Issue 17/6

Mogul Moves On to a Studious Future By: Kathlyn Talapian Managing Editor

Photo Courtesy of Scholars at Wright.

“If there is one thing I want my students to remember about me,” he said, “It is the truth that I am passionate about learning and teaching, and I want them to be passionate in these things as well.”

Humanities Professor Edward Mogul began his teaching career four decades ago at Malcolm X College. Since then, he helped increase the student opportunities within the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) through teaching law courses in different facilities such as the Police Academy and the Cook County Hospital. He has also initiated programs at CCC, notably the two student traineeships to China and the Scholars at Wright Program.

Looking back at all his accomplishments and experiences, Mogul readily faces the conclusion of his career as a CCC teacher in August, after the Summer 2011 semester.

With exceptional achievements, Mogul attended Yale University at the age of 16 and graduated with a Bachelor in Arts degree in 1966. He then pursued his doctoral degree at University of Illinois at Chicago. In 1999, he again attended the University of Chicago, graduating with a Master in Liberal Arts degree in 2010.

Mogul currently teaches Humanities and Philosophy at Wright College, where he has found “students who are very eager to learn.”

He particularly admires Greek Philosopher Plato for his profound thinking, which became the model for all philosophers who succeeded him. He enjoys teaching because it gives him the opportunity to share his ideas with his students. This enjoyment is further fueled by the gratifying feeling when students thank him for his teaching and advices.

Mogul is not only popular amongst his students due to his dedication to his courses; he provides many of his students academic guidance to succeed in life whether through helping them complete their university applications or inviting them to witness his pro bono cases. Wright College alumnus Matthew Welfen said, “Professor Mogul’s attentive-

Professor Edward Mogul ness and quite evident care about the course my life would take were instrumental in my choosing Wright College… His care and effort on my behalf have pushed me to seek a life in which I can do the same for others.”

In his strong belief that students should expose themselves to the books that shaped our civilization, Mogul founded the Scholars at Wright program in 1997. Every semester, a literary expert

presents an in-depth analysis of a classical book among Wright College students and AP English high school students in different Chicago public high schools.

A reputable lawyer of his own firm, Mogul is associated with various organizations in the city.

Among this is the Illinois Academy of Criminology where he served as President in 1999, successfully proposing the adoption of a new conduct rule for prosecutors, which is: “It is the duty of the prosecutor to seek justice, not merely to convict.”

Mogul is also the President of the Unicorn Foundation, a local charity that provides funding for research on the cure and treatment for AIDS. They also support non-profit organizations helping people who have been afflicted with the disease.

During his spare time, Mogul collects books and explores new means of learning. He listens to classical and jazz music, admiring specifically the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He also enjoys travelling to cities like Los Angeles and New York.

Internationally, he has visited Israel and several cities in Europe like Paris. He hopes to travel to Australia one day because of its interesting culture.

In his final year, Mogul seeks looks forward to more involvement in the program developments of Wright College and CCC. He explained, “I want do everything I can to empower the faculty to carry on the tradition of CCC in helping students in a meaningful way.”

After his retirement, Mogul plans to enroll again in the University of Chicago to study ancient Mesopotamian languages. For him, the more he learns the more he appreciates Socrates’ statement that wisdom begins when people realize how much they do not know.

TRANSFER TO

LOYOLA , BE TRANSFORMED. MEET WITH AN ADMISSION COUNSELOR: Wilbur Wright College 10 AM–1 PM, Feb. 15 • 1–4 PM, March 15 1–4 PM, April 12 • Science Building, 1st floor

At Loyola Feb. 21, March 7, March 21, April 11, April 18, and May 2

Adult learners interested in completing their bachelor’s degree are encouraged to apply. To schedule a visit or apply, visit LUC.edu/transfer.

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March 2011 Vol/Issue 17/6

NEWS

BET Awards Acknowledge Clubs and Teachers

By: Natalija Tosanic Copy Editor

Qiana Lewis taking the honors as Best Teacher for Math. The Best Teacher for English went to Stephanie Battle. Dr. Tracy Mitchell received an award for Best Teacher for Physical Science, while the Best Teacher for Biology was Katherine Padamas.

The Student Government Association (SGA) nabbed the award for Most Appreci-

when visitors waited for the ceremony to resume. Student athletes received their marks of distinction as well: Sherman Haynes took home the title of Men’s Basketball MVP, while the Women’s Basketball MVP resulted in a tie between athletes Dawn Jenrich and Vanessa Williams.

The performances had guests rising to their feet to celebrate

Photo By: Chloe Cohen

The Second Annual Wright BET Awards were held in the Events Building Atrium on February 24 from 7:30 – with 10:00pm. The evening was dedicated to appreciating Wright faculty, students and clubs. Attendees were greeted with elegantly set tables and non-alcoholic sparkling cider at the ceremony, with catering provided by Lenore’s.

DJ Mixitup provided the music for the event and all performers.

Masters of ceremonies Beverly Crawford and Taraji P. Henson moved the awards ceremony along, introducing performers and providing comedic relief. Performers included students and staff, each taking on the identity of a famous African American artist in light of Black History Month. One student rapped as Lil Wayne while another danced as Beyoncé.

Other artists included Lauren Hill and Chaka Khan.

This year Business Services was honored as the Most Helpful Office due to their hard work and effectiveness. In the teacher department professors were lauded for their efforts, with

Organizers and participants at the award ceremony.

ated Association. Video Game Club was named as the Most Active Club on campus, as it unfailingly meets twice a week in the Cafeteria. The Best Musical Group was announced to be the Gospel Choir. Stage Wright was nominated as Most Active Club and contributed to the fun-filled atmosphere by storming the stage during a period

and sing along. The student dancing as Beyoncé did a solo version of “Single Ladies” and her choreography was exhilarating. Chaka Khan also shined and stirred lots of cheers from the audience. Overall, it was a successful ceremony attended by many students, staff and community members.

current presidents’ abilities are up to par with the new guidelines.

The Chronicle of Higher Education, a news blog based in Washington, D.C., itemized several areas Hyman is focusing on. These guidelines include improving the rate of transfer to a fouryear university, increasing the percentage of students who earn valuable credits and boosting student success in alternative programs such as English as a Second Language. The Chancellor stated that the actual job description for presidents up until this point focused very little on student results,and made it clear that this was unacceptable.She says that the new abilities expected of a CCC resident are going to be based off of benchmark scores for student results.

However, according to an article published in the Chicago Sun-Times, Hyman said that there was “little to no reaction” from the presidents when she conferred with them prior to the vote. CCC released a special announcement on February 23 regarding the reapplication process, specifying that the Board also approved the hiring on a professional firm to undertake a national search for new candidates. The president of Harold Washington College, Donald Laackman, was recently appointed under the new guidelines and was the only one not subjected to the policy. His performance was re-examined and approved by the Board that same Wednesday.

With the launch of the Reinvention initiative last November, students and faculty alike have witnessed some major changes. The Sun-Times article makes it clear that Hyman views this latest action as just another alteration made in order to improve graduation and transfer rates and slash dropout percentages. Whether CCC’s actions will bring about the changes and fulfill the expectations has yet to be determined.

CCC Presidents In Peril

By: Remy Spencer Reporter

Six of the seven City College of Chicago (CCC) presidents received bad news on Wednesday, February 23 when they were told that they would have to reapply for their jobs if they wanted to keep them.

Wright’s president Dr. Charles Guengerich, who was included among that number, was not available to comment. CCC Chancellor Cheryl Hyman and the Board of Trustees agreed that these actions were necessary in order to ensure the

Wright Times Stock Photo

The Wright Times

Wright President Charles P. Guengerich.

Sorry Kids, The Fun Is Over By: Remy Spencer Reporter "Get tested." This sounds easy enough, but with the approval of a bill that strips public health centers of their federal funding, staying safe won't be. On February 18, the House of Representatives passed the Pence Amendment, which prohibits federal spending on services such as HIV/ STI testing, breast exams and pap tests, adding up to over 11.5 million tests in 2009 alone. Reliable and safe public centers, such as Planned Parenthood, can no longer provide the care they have been offering to women for over 90 years.

Local congressman Mike Quigley spoke out against the amendment, which eliminated Title X, the government's only grant program that focuses on family planning and preventative health services. On February 17 he said, "A recent study by the Guttmacher Institute found hat for every dollar spent on family planning, tax payers save almost $4 in Medicade expences." He went on to explain that by cutting this crucial funding, the abortion rate will actually rise. This is because abortion services make up only a tiny percentage of the services offered at public centers. In 2008, 35 percent of care provided by Planned Parenthood and affiliate health

centers was contraception. Another 34 percent was made up of testing and treating STDs/ STIs, while abortion services only accounted for three percent. Moreover, the Hyde Amendment , which mandates that abortions are not covered by federal spending, has existed for decades.

Quigley is not the only one speaking out, however. A supporter-created event on Facebook has garnered support from over 225,000 people, with another 33,000 "maybe attending." The event page provides links to an open letter to Congress, available for e-signature on the Planned Parenthood website by anyone who wishes to and another website providing valuable information about the bill and Planned Parenthood itself. This is an example of how social sites help vital news to reach those it previously wouldn't have and in doing so also promote awareness. Additionally, Quigley uploaded over 100 videos to his YouTube account, highlighting his comments in House deliberation.

The proponents of the Pence Amendment argue that eliminating funding for public family planning services is fiscally responsible. Community response rests largely in the hands of the patients who rely on centers like Planned Parenthood for their care.

ARTS & CULTURE

The Wright Times

“ The Kings Speech” Fulfills Its Duty By: Hector Camacho Reporter When a film is nominated for twelve Academy Awards, the most for this year’s Oscars, it has to mean the film is truly exceptional, right? Well, that is usually not true, but with Tom Hooper’s “The King’s Speech” the nominations are deserved.

The movie follows a period of great turmoil for Great Britain and Albert Frederick Arthur George, also known as King George VI (Colin Firth).

As a consequence of a distressful childhood in which he faced daily turmoil, he developed a stutter. This continued with him up until the point where he becomes King.

He realizes that he must overcome his speech problem in order to successfully lead the British Empire during a world war. So, he enlists the help of Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), an Australian speech therapist. The two go on to form a strong friendship that almost comes apart at several points and eventually culminates in a speech that will make or break

the image of Albert as a king.

The two outstanding performances in the film come from the two lead actors in Firth and Rush. Both are phenomenal as their respective characters.

Firth is able to create a sense of agony and despair in King George. His movements and his manner of speaking reveal that the King has issues with inadequacy as a member of the Royal Family. Rush adds a humorous touch with the usual dry, British type of wit that the world has loved since the creation of Monty Python.

The on-screen chemistry between the two makes the film very enjoyable to watch, since otherwise the drably and dull color-palette of the film may turn off most viewers.

The colors used in the film are masterfully used by Hooper to establish the dark and lonely place that the King finds himself in. Most of the movie is shot indoors and only in certain spots of the film does the viewer get a breath of fresh air from King George’s sad world.

The King’s Speech delivers a poignant look on King George

Staff Picks Album: The Story of Your Life

March 2011 Vol/Issue 17/6

“The Hunger Games” Leave Readers in Food

Coma

VI’s sudden ascendancy to the throne and truly deserves its critical acclaim.

By: Mark Mocarski Reporter There are no vampires, no werewolves, but plenty of blood—children’s blood.

Written by Suzanne Collins, “The Hunger Games” (2008) is a popular young-adult novel that takes place in Panem, the post-apocalyptic future of North America. The extreme new continent has 12 distinctive districts run by a fascistinspired capitol that employs a gory freak show of all the districts. Each year, the districts face “the reaping” where the capitol selects a male and female child from each district for “The Hunger Games,” a

fight to the death.

There can be only one victor.

This annual tradition serves to remind that the “Capitol” is the only supreme body of government.

In this interesting world, each district is unique for their exports: agriculture, electronics, clothing, etc.

District 12 is the poorest and export coal. Protagonist Katniss Everdeen’s father was killed in a mine explosion and mining is forbidden to the female population.

So Katniss has to secretly hunt outside 12’s electrified fence to support her widowed and depressed mom and younger sister Prim. Hunting in Panem is a punishable crime For this bizarre reaping, kids ages 12 through 18 are drawn from a lottery. Katniss, 16 years old, is entered 20 times,

an additional time for each year of eligibility plus extra times for tokens she received to help feed her struggling family. A token is worth a meager supply of oils and grain. Forbidden to take tokens, Prim who is 12, was entered only once and drawn. Katniss despairingly volunteers to take her place in the blood bath.

No, it’s not another “Twilight” series, but pretty catching.

Collin’s writing style leaves a slap-in-the-face sensation at the end of every chapter. Just when you think you’re about to finish a chapter and take a bathroom break, you reading another chapter! It’s the first in a trilogy followed by “Catching Fire” (2009) and “Mockingjay” (2010). You won’t use the bathroom reading any of these.

Each month, Wright TImes members provide insight in current and past hidden gems in pop culture or Chicago, whether it’s music, locales, movies, tv shows or books.

Tv show: The Chicago Code

Movie: 200 Pounds of Beauty

By: Lyanne Rivera Reporter

By: Estefania Nicolas Reporter

By: Kathlyn Talapian Managing Editor

Matthew West’s album “The Story Of Your Life” condenses 10,000 fan letters of secret struggles and pasts to a single album and profoundly touches even the coldest of hearts. This album turns the microphone to the audience and speaks to their spirits.

The concept behind the album is meant to change people’s lives by telling them about other people who went through similar circumstances and made it. In his song “Broken Girl” West describes a girl “who has been pushed aside by the cold, cold world,” and endured abuse in the past that she felt stuck in but overcame in a heartbreaking song that conveys West’s rage.

“My Own Little World” captivates the hurt West felt as he was stricken by the stories his fans told him.

The title track sincerely describes how the chance to surpass the troubles of existence should be recognized and gripped. West’s music composition involves the keyboard, violin, drums that move the listener with blissful beats and plenty of acoustic guitar strumming moving the listener and uncovering touching emotions. “The Story Of Your Life” pierces the listener’s heart with a spear of ice yet heals them up with melodies of hope and inspiration.

“The Chicago Code” is an action/ drama show set in the rough inner-city streets. The creator, writer and producer Shawn Ryan, takes the police drama genre to a whole other level by following Chicago’s authoritarian yet respected policemen. Their mission is to search and take down common thugs before it’s too late.

The show starts Jason Clarke as Jarek Wysocki, a local legend veteran police officer who has total control of the department with the help of Teresa Colvin, his ex-partner. He works in the streets of Chicago with his new partner Caleb Evers to take down crime, solve his brother’s murder, and look out for his rookie niece Vonda Wysocki.

The show pushes beyond the bounds of the common police drama by alluding to a large corruption problem involving Alderman Ronin Gibbons, portrayed by Delroy Lindo. Teresa Colvin, the City’s first female superintendent, is in charge of the police force that governs throughout the landscape of Chicago politics. In the show, you will see Chicago in its nastiest most outrageous view, involving murder and arrest.

The South Korean romantic comedy film “200 Pounds of Beauty” depicts a woman’s transformation from an overweight backup singer to a sex goddess pop sensation.

Directed by Yong-hwa Kim, this movie follows Kang Han-na’s comical struggle in finding love and self-confidence against her belief that physical beauty is necessary to be accepted by the world.

Frustrated by the never-ending mishaps and intimidations brought by her obesity, Han-na (Kim Ah-Joong) undergoes a full body plastic surgery. Starting anew, she introduces herself to the world as Jenny and works her way to both stardom and producer Sang-jun’s (Ju Jin-Mo) heart. When a rival singer discovers her past identity and attempts to expose it, Han-na takes desperate measures to keep her secret concealed. But in the process, she abandons the most important things in her life – her individuality and loved ones.

The light-hearted atmosphere of the movie is heightened by whimsical songs sang by Ah-Joong. The debuting actress exceptionally portrayed the lengths that people are willing to go through for acceptance. In spite of silly head-turning moments when she walks in the street, Han-na comes to know that true beauty is not her 24-inch waistline but the strength of her character.

Restaurant: RA

By: Chloe Cohen Reporter/Photographer RA is located in Glenview and is critically acclaimed for its near fresh off the boat sushi. This Japanese restaurant’s rolls range from sunny California to saccharine Hawaiian to the aptly named Hot Mess. The scenery is vibrant red and very exotic, creating a pleasurable dining experience complete with eager, elegant service.

The diverse selection of food gets individually handcrafted, with every detail of freshly cut fish and vegetables perfectly combined in the sushi to indulge your taste buds. RA also serves food for the occasional nonlover of sushi, such as yakisoba noodles, miso soup, octopus salad, rice wine, and a wide range of Asian foods for the nautical fetish in everyone.

RA is a great place to go with your friends and family to have a good time, with fresh relaxing down tempo music creating a welcoming comfortable environment. The prices are expensive, considering that confections like the Chili Ponzu Yellowtail costing a fin and a tail, but given the high quality of the funky fish fusions, RA is definitely the place to go for people who enjoy sushi.

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March 2011 Vol/Issue 17/6

ARTS & CULTURE

The Wright Times

Auto Show 2011

Fiat 500: The Timely Return to America

By: Joseph Bledsoe Editor-In-Chief

Photo By: Jackelyn Sigaran

The Fiat 500, the car line that moved Italy into the automotive age. Created in 1957 the Fiat 500, or Cinquecento, offered a post World War II Italy an economic car choice that allowed the country to commute further for jobs.

It has been 25 years since Fiat produced the 500 for the U.S., but due to a need for more gas efficient cars in this country the 500 has returned in both a gas model as well as an electric model slated to come out in 2012.

At an affordable $15 thousand, the 500 proves itself as a truly low cost driving experience. The car also boasts a 30/38 city/highway miles per gallon (mpg) rating for a

manual transmission model, and 27/34 mpg automatic transmission.

The size of the car has much to do with its gas efficiency. The 500 is very small as compared to most American cars making it impractical for a family, but with gas prices projected to climb the size is just right for how one uses it.

According to the gas2.org article “Fiat 500 Falls Short of 40 MPG,” “Fiat has beefed up the 500 in other ways to make it more suitable for American tastes. That means more horsepower (around 100) and a reworked suspension among other changes.”

Ford Raptor: Anyone’s Ego Shot Photo By; Jackelyn Sigaran

By: C.J. Glazar News Editor At this year’s auto show the only car that is synonymous with amazing and utterly impractical would be the 2011 F-150 SVT Raptor.

As an elegant cross between a dune buggy and a robotic turbo-elephant, this monstrous 11 thousand pound towing capacity beast is more than enough to handle city roads let alone mountainous terrain.

With a standard 6.2 liter

V8 engine, 411 horsepower and 5,500rpm, this truck far exceeds necessity with the ability to make its way through any hazard or even smash through a small home.

As expected of any all-terrain vehicle it is equipped with four-wheel drive. In addition, Ford’s electronic six-speed automatic transmission is matched with all four of Ford’s new engines.

Fuel efficiency ratings for this vehicle are not yet determined. The results would cause consumers to suffer a

minor coronary after paying over $40,000 for one of these toys with all of its juicy extra goodies.

This monster’s interior is surprisingly not too shabby at all almost reminding you of a luxury car with a touch of toughness. 35-inch all-terrain tires seal the deal in the big ol’ box of masculinity.

After all, nothing in Chicago says “I’m a boss” like an over-sized overly powerful pick-up truck with dinosaur claw slash decals running along the back.

Toyota Sienna SE: Family Swagger

After the success of the Sienna SE, and the “Swagger Wagon” youtube video, Toyota Motors literally stretched the bounds of a traditional minivan.

The custom minivan is four feet longer than the standard Sienna, with a fully loaded family area in the back.

The furnishings are set in cherry veneer, with DuPont countertops In the oversized

cabin there is an HP All-InOne PC, DVD rack, an Xbox 360 unit, a folding hide-away table, and a massage chair.

Unlike a camper or RV the Swagger Wagon Supreme has two reversible seats positioned facing inward.

With all the custom luxury perks comes a 3.6L V6, and an airbag suspension system.

Though there is only one Swagger Wagon, Toyota could be eluding to the minivan of the future.

Toyota Press Release Photo

By: Joseph J. Bledsoe Editor-in-Chief

The Wright Times

ARTS & CULTURE

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March 2011 Vol/Issue 17/6

Chevy Volt: The Wave of the Future

By Jackelyn Sigaran

By: C.J. Glazar News Editor

cording to the volt’s website.

These more powerful charging stations can be found

touch screen display on the center console for speed, battery and any other function a driver would need to control. Regenerative braking technology is also employed in the car converting the forward motion back into electricity when braking to increase the Volt’s efficiency.

At $40,280 before a $7,500 max tax credit available when buying electric, the Volt may seem costly, but can pay itself off in savings especially when running on only electric the majority of the time.

Photo By: Jackelyn Sigaran

Chevrolet’s new full performance electric vehicle the Volt was in the limelight at the Chicago Auto Show this year. Almost immediately inside the entrance the small family of test-Volts circled around the almost misplaced pseudo-outdoor display lavishly filled with living plants.

The Volt has a solely electric motor which can hold a charge lasting up to 55 miles, more than enough for the average American who travels

around 16 miles for his or her commute according to an abcnews.com Poll, Traffic in the United States. The battery life is lengthened by the gas-powered generator onboard for another 340 miles with a full tank of gas. The car comes equipped with a 16-kilowatt lithium-ion battery that Chevrolet claims will last 100,000 miles or 8 years. The battery will take up to 10 hours to charge on a standard 120V home outlet, but the 240W and above chargers require as little as four hours to charge ac-

around Chicago by the end of this year or they can be separately purchased and installed in consumer’s homes.

Chevy boasts of the car’s silence being able travel at speeds of 100 mph without the noise of an internal combustion motor, a traditional argument against electric vehicles potentially causing dangerous situations for the blind. The car comes standard with an LCD display on the dashboard and an LCD

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©2009. Paid for by the United States Army. All rights reserved.

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March 2011 Vol/Issue 17/6

ARTS & CULTURE

Photo By Sandra Avorywoskie

Courtesy of Joseph Warren

Bambiraptor Dreams With Dinosaurs

Unveiling Chaos

Bambiraptor playing shows together and we just up starting a new project within and three months later we were in the The experience of listening to Bam- studio recording our debut. biraptor can be best described with an “Alice in Wonderland” reference: fall- WT: Why do you guys always have ing through the rabbit hole and amus- a different collective persona when ing in a pleasantly surprising, dreamy, you go on stage? and interesting new place where there’s every flavor of tea and reality has no Doug: It started as a joke to entertain limit. The band consists of: Doug our friends and create buzz and then Moore (Guitar), Gary Farr (Guitar/ people started to expect it every show Keys), Nick Emrich (Drums), Kenneth so we felt we needed to live up to this Kruse (Bass/Vocals), and Roger Remi- big, theatrical, shock- value. llard (Lead Vocals). On February 22 The Wright Times found them practic- WT: What has been your biggest challenge as a band? ing in an old warehouse.

By: Amanda L Halick Reporter

Wright Times: How did you come up Nick: Getting five guys to agree on anything is a hard thing. with the name Bambiraptor?

Roger: I found an article online about a kid who tripped over a dinosaur bone that he thought was cute ‘Bambiraptor’. We thought that it fit us because we have a soft side like Bambi and a Raptor side that’s a harder thing.”

The Wright Times

WT: Any last comments to the readers?

Roger: We don’t sound like anything out there, we put our heart into it and it’s unique.

WT: How would you describe your- Nick: Friend us on Facebook and come to our shows, we might even selves (band)? buy you a drink.

Nick: I would say ‘dance-rock’ with elements of punk.

For the complete transcript and more wacky answers, check www.wrightWT: How did your band start out? times.net.

Doug: Some of us started in separate bands and we became great friends

Unveiling Chaos Disrupts Order By: Sandra Avorywoskie Reporter Most bands make their incredible journey from the garage to center stage in order to make their mark in the music world. One of these bands hoping to make it big in the future is the local band Unveiling Chaos. The original members are “DRock” (singer) and “Johnny Blaze” (lead guitarist). “MF” (drums) joined the band later in March 2007 while “Atone” (bass) joined in September 2009 and Garret or “GDizzy” (guitar) joined September 2010.

They played their first show at the Congress Theater on Milwaukee Ave. Unveiling Chaos won “Battle of the Bands” in 2010 at Reggie’s Rock Club and played many venues in the Chicagoland area making their mark in the world of music. “Johnny and I were bored one day while looking at YouTube videos of different concerts and bands and we wanted a challenge so we said ‘Hey, let’s start our own band.’ We have been rocking out hard ever since,” says DRock.

While the band laughs about their past experiences on stage, Atone recalled one particular event that happened while he was performing. “We were performing on stage and out of

nowhere some random girl throws her underwear on stage and we just looked in to the crowd and laughed but continued on playing,” he said. When asked how it felt to play on stage for the first time, the band said they weren’t nervous and just got up and played their hearts out.

Some of the bands that have influenced Unveiling Chaos are Parkway Drive, Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying and a few others. They consider themselves metalcore.

Both Atone and MF see the band on the road and touring in the future. “We look forward to our bright future ahead of us and we just want to jam our hearts out and know that our audience is with us till the end,” MF said.

Unveiling Chaos performed with Whitechapel, Ill Nino, All Shall Perish, Suffocation, Fleshgod Apocalypse and many others. They also appeared at local metal festivals “Chicago Death Fest” and “Kaos Fest.” The most recent show was at Reggie’s Rock Club on February 25.

Their debut album “Seek Meaning” is set to release in the spring.

Unveiling Chaos can be found online via social networking websites Facebook (facebook.com/UnveilingChaos), MySpace (myspace.com/unveilingchaos) and their official website: www.unveilingchaos.com.

“Tao Of The Dead” Releases Your Inner Psychonaut By: Shane Dunn A&C Editor Indie band …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead (shortened to Trail of Dead by impatient reviewers for years) has long had the respect of music critics everywhere.

Their landmark 2002 album “Source Tags & Codes” being considered the peak of their career and scoring critical acclaim from every nook and cranny of music journalists.

Unfortunately for this Austin, Texas based band, they have spent the last decade trying to meet the ridiculous standards that “Source Tags & Codes” is significantly inflated. Their albums “Worlds Apart,” “So Divided,” and “The Century Of Self” all passed with accepting but disappointed responses, and fans began to accept that this band’s time had come and gone, like an owl pellet in a vacuum cleaner.

So against these odds, how

could “Tao Of The Dead” succeed? Well, the answer proves quite simple: break the tired formula of their previous albums and launch into a much more psychedelic sound.

Finally, a band said to have faded into mediocrity rises from their metaphorical graves, for with “Tao Of The Dead,” Trail of Dead combine acid trips, anachronistic steampunk and the Tao Te Ching into nearly an hour of entrancing tuneage.

The album starts off on solid ground with “Introduction: Let Us Experiment,” which sounds like the playful tinkering of an infant giggling with chimes.

The infant then stops, realizes that it can make something coherent and then the guitar riffs kick in and segues into “Pure Radio Cosplay,” one of the stronger songs in this behemoth with punkish vocals and hard yet incredibly melodic

“Tao of the Dead“ syncopation of drums and guitar giving the feel of a monkey shooting off into space.

Then the album runs into singles territory with “Summer Of All Dead Souls,” which comes off like a indie rock band time traveled to watch Black Sabbath compose their song “Paranoid,” then realized what a great idea it would be to take that song and throw in a different vocal style and noodley synthesiz-

ers. This proved a brilliant idea. And with the end of summer comes chillier weather and waterworks, sonically embodied in the next song, “Cover The Days Like A Tidal Wave,” which is destined to be played by fire pits on sandy waves by stoners on a lazy day.

That’s not quite all, folks.

“The Wasteland” gives such a great feel of what it feels to be alone in a desolate landscape and the sobering freedom that loneliness brings to the individual unshackled from society that to not mention it would be a sin of the highest offense.

“Ebb Away” continues the underlying thread of existentialism in one of the most selfreferential-yet-effective songs ever – the entire song revolves around, well, ebbing away, an absence of light and ebbing away into the dark. This al-

bum sure seems like a shining beacon of optimism.

Arguably, the album’s best and most insane song is “The Fairlight Pendant.” This ridiculous 6 minute craft puts just about every Pink Floyd worshipping band to utter shame.

The sparse vocals soar above the grounded world below, like the sounds of children screaming in delight and the entire song starts off mid tempo but the pace quickens as if seized in the clutches of speed and then senses fail and the entire world transfigures into a technicolor hurricane as gravity calls quits and the brain goes on strike. Only sheer bliss remains.

And that’s “Tao Of The Dead” in a can. Hipsters and prog rock fans of Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree alike owe it to themselves to listen to this rainbow anime-esque album.

Can you dig it?

The Wright Times

ARTS & CULTURE

11

March 2011 Vol/Issue 17/6

Don’t Handicap This Class Act

New play encourages overcoming disabilities By: Shadia Massoud Reporter

The set was simple, allowing the audience to shift gears and pay full attention towards the two actors. The clashing colors of Berkson`s subdued black and blue attire and Wambach`s vivid red did an excellent job of portraying the

Watkins snapping as if channeling the spirit of Gordon Ramsey. While entertaining, it served no real purpose and failed to create any sense of continuity between the four plays. The real meat then, was not the “play outside the play” but the “plays” themselves, which entertained yet some stood taller than others.

The event commenced in earnest with “Mamet Women”

by Frederick Stroppel, a homage/parody of noted playwright David Mamet. Disregarding whatever intentions Stroppel had, the machine gun-like rapid fire of expletives came across as trying too

hard to amuse or offend the audience’s sensibilities. This went over the top and landed somewhere in Rhode Island – was Stroppel trolling? Given the brick script they had to work with, the performances of Danielle Baroja and Alexis Hadley were expertly expressed and the contrasting yet vivid visuals of Baroja’s dark complexion and black suit with Hadley’s lighter tone and pink dress managed to save this sinking ship.

Second in succession came “The Speech” by Pat Kelly, which simplifies to being about an old man’s speech for his daughter’s weeding that no

two different personalities.

The audience enjoyed the act greatly and and at the conclusion of the play Wambach and Berkson were greeted with a standing ovation and answered questions. Berkson and Wambach performed in

a phenomenal, outstanding manner with Wambach in particular expressing a great deal of courage his feelings, experiences and thoughts to the world.

Photo By: Kathlyn Talapian

“Do not let anyone stand in your way,” said Mike Berkson, one of the protagonists in “Handicap This,” a 62 minute play meant to inspire the audience to open their hearts toward the disabled. Written by Molly Mulcrone and directed

by John Frisco. The play follows the adventures of Mike Berkson who was born with cerebral palsy and his best friend Tim Wambach. Berkson desires to inspire people and connect students by going to high school and colleges to show people his experience as a disabled student.

Cerebral palsy, which greatly restricts movement, is caused by damage to the motor control centers during brain development. It occurs during pregnancy or childbirth. Despite Berkson`s condition he

attends regular classes like any typical student, although he requires special needs. Berkson had tough times when growing up until he met Wambach, who always convinces Berkson that he is a regular guy with regular dreams. Berkson accommodated the audience by exposing his experiences in life. Every time people would look at Berkson differently, he would respond with “BOO.” The play consecrated in a comedy and educational way. The show`s peculiar brand of self-depreciation was shown when Wanbach copied the accents of ethnic groups such as Indian, Mexicans or Asians speaking English but the whole purpose of that is to show people that having an accent is nothing shameful especially given the way some people who are disabled talk.

In another display of shamelessness, Wambach took off his pants to show the audience the scene of being in the bathroom. Berkson and Wambach showed the audience no matter how much a person thinks of himself or herself as useless, they have so much to offer the world.

Mike Berkson and Tim Wambach in an outstanding performance.

The Play Without A Purpose

Playwright festival hits both peaks and valleys

By Shane Dunn A&C Editor

“The Play Outside the Play,” sponsored by The Wright Side and directed by Diana Shahwan, descended upon the Events building between February 10 and 12. The title refers to the interludes between each play that involved crew members rapidly setting up scenes and faux director Ean

one in his family likes. Naturally, this makes him quite unhappy, but alas, not a soul seems to care. Yet on a deeper level, it represents the emasculation of the patriarch by the new wave of feminism turning the traditional family model upside down. Seasoned actor Todd Hissong delivers an dominant performance as the cranky yet distraught father figure and his supporting cast all fit as well-oiled cogs in his clockwork.

Wright student Tenese Johnson made her stage debut as playwright with “Words of Reason.” Despite the implications of the title, the plot and script consists not of a philosophical tract but rather revolves around a boy desperate to win a girl’s heart. This plot is nothing special, nor are the lines, both of which are adequate but not up to the lofty standards the other three plays

reach. Unfortunately for the actors, this chains them onto the brass balls of adequacy though they do an admirable job of fighting through.

Although saving the best for last goes back to the time of Jesus, it proved correct in the case of “Single and Proud.” This got more stage time than the others, allowing for both greater character development and more entertainment quantity. In any case, the plot revolved around a singles class run by Jackie Johanson, the avatar of a nameless, hyperchippercheerypsycho deity who duels with the lonely indignant everyman Steve Hudson in a clash of wit and sarcasm. This play redeems Mr. Stroppel’s honor and gets helped by a superb performance on all cylinders by the cast, especially Hadley and Nick Voss’s clashing in the protagonist roles and providing a freshly plucked basket of laughs for the delight of the audience.

Altogether, “The Play Outside The Play” proved worthy of its 90-minute runtime with its occasional pitfalls being largely hopped over by a talented cast, making this an excellent intermission from the eternal performance of everyday life.

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The Wright Times

COMICS

March 2011 Vol/Issue 17/6

“No Idea, Really” By: Michael Alvarado

Brattitude Clownz By: Willie Ikerd

The Problem With Electric Cars By:Joseph Chaidez

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Harmonix Runs Out of Star Power OPINIONS

March 2011 Vol/Issue 17/6

The Wright Times

Oversaturation of the gaming market is no fun for gamers or developers

Activision-owned software company Harmonix is shutting down. While no one really cares, they are dragging a beloved past time known as Guitar Hero down with them.

Let’s take a small trip down memory lane to reminisce of a time when prepubescent adolescents could only achieve their dreams of rock stardom with air and silence. Then in 2005 came a miracle in the form of a small plastic peripheral for a game called Guitar Hero and that silence was filled with clicks and a false sense of accomplishment.

Everyone loved to pour hours into practicing their pseudo-guitar skills. Guitar Hero was so successful that it inspired others like Rock Band to try and achieve the same.

That golden age is gone now, but not forgotten.

The Guitar Hero community

is certainly far from being “dead.” In fact, users are able to make custom note charts for their own favorite songs. This expands the game’s set list indefinitely, allowing players to continue to rock on their couch for years to come without having to wait for the next Guitar Hero iteration.

Guitar Hero itself is very dead, but there will always be a lonesome teen trying to achieve fame by doing the impossible: beating a Dragonforce song on expert difficulty.

So what went wrong with one of the biggest, most popular videogame franchises in the current generation? Sales started to see their first major decline in 2009, when Harmonix pumped out an unnecessary five Guitar Hero titles in one year. Guitar Hero: Aerosmith barely sold 250,000 copies worldwide and became a joke amongst fans. The Tyler Perry-laden spinoff was given

Editorial Cartoon by Joseph J Bledsoe

By: Fernando Pena Reporter Zack Johnson E&O Editor

away for bargain bin prices (and in some cases for free) at Gamestop stores.

James Brightman, EditorIn-Chief of IndustryGamers. com, said that “Activision made the same mistake they always make: They milked it to death.”

Hopefully Activision takes a cue from this Guitar Hero fiasco to avoid similar outcomes with other big name franchises. The company has said that they are dedicated to releasing a Call of Duty title at least

once a year. The latest installment, Black Ops, is the best selling videogame software of all time – beating out Modern Warfare 2 by a couple million copies.

It seems like they would have to really trip over their own feet to mess up the cash cow that CoD has bec o m e . When a company can af- ford to advertise a game as much as Activision has, the “network effect” occurs: more people will buy the game because all of their friends are buying the game.

However, inescapable advertising does not make a good game nor keep franchises afloat.

Gameplay differences between Black Ops and Modern Warfare 2 were minimal besides few more character customization features and the

“Nazi Zombies” mode. However, most of these features had already been implemented in CoD’s barely-played World at War sequel.

Oversaturation of games clearly hurts franchises, but Activision also owns Electronic Arts, Bungie and Blizzard. This leaves them with a handful of other blockbuster titles to work with such as Halo, Madden and World of Warcraft, just to name a few.

We’ll have to wait and see if Activision can make releasing CoD on a yearly basis worth the hard earned dollars of millions of gamers or if the game’s stagnation will leave its top spot open for more aspiring titles like Battlefield 3.

It’s almost as if Activision is poised to become the WalMart of the videogame world, gaining more and more market domination and spitting out what they don’t need as their ominous mass rolls forcefully over the faces of videogame

consumers.

Cosmetic Surgery: A Minor’s Perspective Kathlyn Talapian, Managing Editor and 17 year old member of The Wright Times provides a teenager’s point of view to college issues and experiences.

Plastic surgery—the immediate solution to bulging bellies, petite breasts and bald heads.

Indeed, there are surgical treatments available to smooth out, enhance or repair almost every centimeter of the body. From liposuction to face-lifts, physical imperfections can be easily removed from our body in just a single operation. This is the magic of technology, and many people are bewitched.

As more people get their eyelids fixed or their lips augmented every year, I wonder how necessary cosmetic surgery really is. It is understandable when people take a desperate plunge in a surgical operation because beauty is their last resort in finding self-fulfillment.

Yet this is not the case for most patients of cosmetic

surgery.

Celebrities, businessmen and other elite people who are frequent customers of plastic surgery go under the knife for the petty sake of vanity. Whatever happened to the internal beauty of the character and the heart?

American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) reported that over 10 million surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures were performed in the United States alone in 2009.

About $10.5 billion was spent on these procedures, enough to feed millions of hungry and poverty-stricken children in Chicago and even in Africa. Cosmetic surgeries are undeniably expensive, and it is hard to overlook the waste of money that could have been used for more noble purposes.

Tyra Banks’ nose job procedure alone could have educated more than 350 indigenous children in the Philippines for a year. Sadly,

these fortunate people value their personal interests rather than others. With so much income at their disposal, many even get revisions or decide to return to their former appearances. English philosopher Thomas Hobbes would have used these people to support his argument that we are born egoists, thinking of ourselves more than anything else.

No matter how “cosmetic” a surgery is, it is still an operation that involves chemicals entering the body. Hence, it is no surprise that anyone who undergoes plastic surgeries is prone to medical complications in the future. There is always a risk in any surgical operation; complications range from infection to nerve damage and skin illnesses, such as necrosis and hematoma.

Another drawback of cosmetic surgery is the sentiment of our loved ones.

Many people simply value

natural beauty.

Wright College student Angel Lira said, “Cosmetic surgery is alright when people want to boost their confidence. It’s (both) a personal and private choice that we are all allowed to make.

But I certainly don’t want my girl to be artificially perfect.”

This obsession for beauty does not only pertain to adults as many teens get plastic surgery with parental consent. At an early age, teens should cultivate in themselves appreciation, if not contentment, for who they are and what they have.

Early exposure to plastic surgery simply encourages the idea that people have ugly and unacceptable physical features and the only way to escape them is through plastic surgery.

Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeon Francis R. Palmer III is disturbed by the increasing number of teens asking for more radi-

cal, body-altering types of Cosmetic Surgery Procedures.

“Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery Procedures alter the body shape significantly and I worry that teens are not mature enough to evaluate the risk/benefit potential of these more invasive Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery Procedures,” he said.

The Greek adage states, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” People must realize that surgery is not necessarily the answer to physical imperfections, and should stop trying to freeze age through cosmetics like alchemists struggling to escape death through elixirs.

There are more important things than physical beauty such as character and our loved ones. Those who truly care about us will always accept us for who we are— naturally and completely.

OPINIONS

The Wright Times

March 2011 Vol/Issue 17/6

Point/Counterpoint The Wright Times Editorial board locks horns over the superior method of transportation

Freedom Behind the Wheel By: Zack Johnson E&O Editor That familiar, ominous ring screeches away at my eardrums letting know the time for peaceful slumber is over. I glance over the alarm clock and a chill runs down my spine – my class starts in twenty minutes! Good thing I’m driving to school today.

Driving is the fastest, most relaxing way to commute to school or work. While some may wait because they didn’t check the bus schedule, I leave whenever I want.

While bikers don layers of ponchos and waterproof their iPods, I simply pop on the windshield wipers and my favorite Rush album.

Driving is convenient and comfortable, but what about all that expensive gas? Depending on the car being driven, one might spend five to ten dollars a day on gas after commuting back and forth from school or work, going out for lunch, stopping by a friend’s house, etc.

The $5 of CTA fare that pays for a round trip from home to school gets you just that - to school and back. Running the same errands on a bike could take all day if you don’t live within a few miles of your stops, and bicycles aren’t very passenger friendly when you’re hanging out with friends.

Passenger accommodations

are also a huge advantage to driving. True men know that chivalry never died, and we all know that girls don’t spend an hour doing their hair so that it can be berated by the wind on a train platform.

If you’re biking, you better hope she’s not wearing anything that can get caught in the infamous death clutch of bike chains.

“I like driving to school because I usually hang out with friends afterwards.” said Wright student John Mendoza. “When I’m between classes I can go eat lunch anywhere I want or stop back at my house without being late.”

Forget what you hear about road rage-even when bogged down by traffic, driving usually takes less time than the CTA or biking to any given destination.

Traffic can even be a nice way to unwind in the morning. Instead of standing on a corner waiting for the bus, I’m settled in a warm comfy seat, playing my music as loud as I want, and enjoying my cigarette without the wind blowing ashes in my face - all at that enjoyable highway crawl of ten miles an hour.

Cars come bearing extra responsibility like insurance and maintenance, but those able to handle the burden will find themselves rewarded with a faster and more comfortable way to get around.

Gearing up for Exploration By: Joseph J. Bledsoe Editor-in-Chief In an urban setting like Chicago, cars overcrowd the streets and buses lag due to heavy traffic. To combat this many smart minds have taken to the streets on bicycles.

Bicycles are an efficient form of transportation because the rider is the engine. So long as the rider has energy, the bike will continue to move. With a bike, people can slow down and see the city in its grandeur, discovering areas that they would normally pass by in a car.

According to peopleforbikes. org, cycling for three hours a day reduces the risk of a heart attack by 50 percent. Also, a rider will be more energetic throughout the day thanks to a more active lifestyle.

Automobiles are a constant investment due to gas and other routine maintenance. Buses not only remove your control over the time and route, but they charge a regular fare that is always on the rise. Bikes are a one-time investment aside from small routine services that one would do well to learn themselves. When one buys a bike, if the usage is truly evaluated, the parts will hold up to the rigors of urban commuting. In a flatland area like Chicago people can commute on low-maintenance single speed

bicycles with little effort. Chicago also boasts a beautiful lakeshore path that spans from the north to the sound ends of the city. In addition, Chicago is developing its own chapter of the B Cycle program, which works similarly to Zip Cars as a bike on-demand initiative.

Cycling is a social activity as well; instead of driving in separate near-soundproof boxes, people are out in the fresh air greeting others, talking about their favorite routes, or just riding in general. Many cyclists take part in organized events such as Critical Mass or the L.A.T.E. ride. The latter starts at midnight at Buckingham Fountain when bikers ride through the city’s twisting trails until sunrise, with stationed service technicians along the way. Organized rides like these encourage urban social riding and form a strong sense of community.

Websites such as thecainlink.org function as a social network that informs cyclists of nearby events. The website claims to be a “one-stop resource for Chicago cyclists to find rides and routes, share information and connect with other cyclists.”

Cruising in My Super Stretch stop by stop, leaving no excuse for tardiness.

In a society where bars are becoming the usual hang out spots public transportation can (and should) be utilized as a safe way Imagine having a morning completely home. Rather than driving drunk or not havruined by getting to your car and realizing ing enough cash for a cab because your brain that you have neither gas nor money to buy is swimming in a sea of liquor, one life and some. Or feeling inspired by a biology propossibly many others could be saved on the fessor to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle road. but not being sure how. Think back to the With parking garages become more exmorning after the blizzard in early Februpensive and congested every year, the city is ary - what was the only reliable source of becoming less accessible to vehicles. Accordtransportation for two days? The answer to ing to chicagometers.com, the now privately all of the above is CTA. owned parking meters charge anywhere up There are plenty of reasons to take to $5 an hour to park throughout Chicago. In advantage of public transportation. For addition, when going into the downtown area instance, all full-time City College of Chicago students are given a CTA U-Pass at the to enjoy a close up of the skyline, drivers can expect to pay anywhere between $9 and $18 beginning of each semester that is good for unlimited rides at any time of day. With the for a parking space in a garage.

Not all people are physically able to ride high price of fuel this is a perfect excuse to bikes, walk or legally drive. Senior citizens save on gas money. Additionally, the Bus Tracker system allows riders to track the bus and disability CTA cards make traveling easy By: Erica Harlston Layout Editor

and free for elderly and people with disabilities. If it were not for trains and buses a lot of these people would be completely immobile.

Chicago’s unpredictable winter weather encourages the city to make sure all busy streets are clean and equipped with buses.

When asked about the benefits of public transportation, Wright student Vanessa Palencia said, “No matter what time of day, through rain or snow. CTA always gets me where I need to go.”

When there is construction the busses and trains are detoured as conveniently as possible. In addition, if the bus breaks down there is another one approximately fifteen minutes away. Riding a bike in the winter is cumbersome and uncomfortable, and when a car breaks down there is no telling how long it will take to get help – or to your destination.

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OPINIONS

March 2011 Vol/Issue 17/6

The Wright Times

Editorial Chancellor Cheryl Hyman to Oversee Hiring of New CCC Presidents

The City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) have taken the term “Reinvention” over the line by launching a nationwide search to find new presidents for the seven city colleges.

The CCC and the Board of Trustees voted on February 23 to redefine the job description for city college presidents, clarifying several responsibilities for the high seat that include “increasing the number of students who earn college credentials of value” and “significantly improving outcomes for students requiring remediation.”

Six out of seven of the current CCC presidents, including Wright’s own Charles P. Guengerich, must reapply for their jobs if they wish to keep them. CCC will also hire a human resources team

to find new candidates for the six open positions.

However, Wright’s main lobby is adorned with colorful window designs showing the faculty’s support for Guengerich.

Donald J. Laackman, who was appointed as the new president at Harold Washington College on the same day of the vote, is the only exemption since he was hired under the job’s new description.

Laackman was hired after receiving a recommendation from Chancellor Cheryl Hyman.

Hyman believes that the new guidelines will “ensure everyone at CCC is laser-focused on our primary goal of student success.” However, the job description only serves to put a vaguely tangible performance measure on the presidential seat. Saying that

school presidents must work towards “significantly improving outcomes for students” is like saying janitors must “work towards improving the integrity and dryness of floors.”

These new guidelines are the implied responsibilities of nearly all CCC faculty members. Putting it on paper in laymen’s terms is a passive aggressive way for Hyman to say that CCC faculty members are not doing their jobs. Firing all the presidents and saying that they will ensure everyone is “laser-focused” sounds a bit like the crack of CCC’s whip.

It is also odd that numerous press releases and electronic press packages were distributed for the Reinvention Task Force program, while the decimation of the entire

presidential board was a late breaking story.

The suddenness of an announcement with such a significant decision is especially troubling to the press. While the CCC plastered Chicago with ads for Reinvention and continues to update the task force website on a regular basis, they used vague and sneaky language when they surprisingly stated that they are potentially replacing every city college’s president. There is clearly a side of the Reinvention process that is shown to the public and another that is eyes-only.

Let’s not forget that the CCC will hire a “diverse professional search team” to search for new candidates and the team will be supervised by none other than Chancellor Hyman.

Hyman’s endorsement of

Laackman came a mere two days before the board voted to appoint him to the position.

Are we to expect that the new CCC presidential board will consist of Hyman’s handpicked suitors?

Will the CCC disband the current presidential board so that Chancellor Hyman can inconspicuously place her own candidates in positions of authority, much like the Sith helped Chancellor Palpatine disband the Jedi Order and reform the Galactic Senate?

The implications of the situation are ominous to say the least. Hopefully the CCC will use Reinvention to accomplish its stated purpose of helping students, rather than pulling a dusty veil over secretive administrational changes.

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