MONDAY November

Cauldron

The

MONDAY November

19

2007 T H E

T H E S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R O F C L E V E L A N D S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y S I N C E 1 9 2 9

S T U D E N T

N E W S PA P E R

O F

C L E V E L A N D

S TAT E

U N I V E R S I T Y

e e Fr S I N C E

1 9 2 9

Life After The Crown “You can always go back to school, being Miss Ohio comes once in a lifetime.”

-Melaine Murphy, Miss Ohio 2006

The Melting Pot

News

Culture

Sports

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Stadtbahnhof

The Awful Truth about News

Tegan and Sara: Rock Stars and Girls Next Door

CSU Women Basketball Dominate and Zip Past Akron

T H E S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R C S U C A U L D R O N . C O M O F C L E V E L A N D S TAT E U N I -

The

Cauldron

For the Students...By the Students

This Week

VOL. 105, NO.XIII

November 19, 2007

Editorial Staff: Francis X. Bova III, Editor-In-Chief Andrea Mitchell, Managing Editor Jayson Gerbec, Advertising Manager Madison Rabbitt, Advertising Rep. Ebony Cash, News Editor Ilona Westfall, Culture Editor Nick Camino, Sports Editor Steve Thomas, Layout Designer Michael Quintero, Cartoonist Jeff “Z” Stoskus, Distribution Manager Anne Werner, Business Manager Staff Writers: David Imburgia, Mark Jablonski, Faith Larraine, Laura Dynda, Jamie DuBois, Mark Katzbach, Christopher Enoch, Reid May, Scott Arko, Andrea Cervenak, Gary Typerstone, Robert Ivory, Sabrina Peacock Foreign Correspondent: Amanda Richards Contributing Writers: Dave Orzechowski, Alex Friedman, Audrey McCrone, Roman Verzub, Charlotte Morgan, Shanette D. Buford, Dan Hollowell, James Kneblik, Andrew Jonke Cleveland State University 2121 Euclid Avenue UC 10 Cleveland, Ohio 44115 (216) 687-2270 / (216) 687-5155 www.csucauldron.com www.myspace.com/csucauldron

T he Melting Pot A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Stadtbahnhof Plain-dealing Dominance Sports Takes From A Sports Fake

News The Awful Truth about News Special SGA Meeting Goes Overtime

Feature Life After The Crowd

Culture Tegan and Sara: Rock Stars and Girls Next Door Must Have Video Games for the Holiday Season CSU Chic Are They Worth a Listen?

Sports CSU Women Dominate and Zip Past Akron An Offer You Can’t Refuse CSU Men Stun Florida State in Overtime

The Melting Pot The Cauldron reserves the right to edit letters for space and clarity. All entries must include your name, year-in-school, and daytime phone number for verification purposes. All entries must be submitted by Friday at 5 p.m.

To submit editorials, articles, etc. cauldroneditors@hotmail.com Campus Life Releases 100 words or less: Organization name and phone number must be included. Releases are for student organizations only and should include the event date, time, and location.

Letters to the Editor 800 words or less: Letters must be in response to a written article or campus issue.

Student Columns 600-800 words: Columns can be submitted by students regarding campus issues, positive or negative, and will be sent directly to President Schwartz in order to bring more student awareness.

Advertising Policy For advertising inquiries e-mail cauldronadvertisements@hotmail.com or call (216) 687.2270.

Cleveland is on nice little winning streak. Chef Michael Symon’s victory on The Next Iron Chef and the bundle of postseason awards for the Cleveland Indians equates to good times.

Th e M elting Po t

N o v e m b e r

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Stadtbahnhof

1 9 ,

2 0 0 7

Story by Amanda Richards | The Cauldron Foreign Correspondent It’s been almost three full months since I arrived in Germany.

It’s safe to say that I’ve gotten into somewhat of a groove. And, since its Germany, it’s a very orderly and practical groove.

Most of the time, my daily groove, which consists of classes, term papers, multiple busses and far too much coffee than one person should consume in a day, borders on tedium.

But sometimes, just when I think I’ve become the most predictable person in all of Deutschland, a big, schnitzel filled surprise smacks me straight in my American face, isolated events that are so absurd, sometimes I don’t even realize how absurd they are until I take a step outside of the situation for a moment, scratching my head and muttering.

This past two weeks or so has been host to a series of those isolated events.

Behold, the odd incidents that surround me when I look up from my term paper and finish my coffee…

conversation in which I was obviously uncomfortable, both men told me that they can see my heart through my eyes. One can’t help but wonder if this is what they teach men in Africa to say to American girls to win them o v e r.

after several cocktails. The first irresponsible bike ride landed me in someone’s side hedges, the second, on the pavement. The first time, I was all alone, and the second, my roommate saw the whole thing. Both left varying degrees o f

1. International marriage proposals.

Yes, that’s right, the question has been popped. Not once, but twice. By two separate men… strangers, in fact. Both hailed from a different African country, one Kenya and one Nigeria. On different nights, at different clubs, within the confines of a 15 minute

Motives for both proposals remain unclear.

bruising and scraping, and the second ride cost me the use of my bike, which is now sitting in my basement with broken pedals. I was also scolded about the dangers of riding under the influence. I am ashamed, I am injured, and most of all, with only five weeks left in my time here, I

2. Two semi-serious bicycle accidents.

I think of the accidents as an occupational hazard of being a foreign student in Germany.

Both occurred very late at night

have lost my primary mode of transportation.

3. Exposal to classified information.

It’s very rare to run into fellow Americans in the tiny little German town of Friedrichshafen.

I’m pretty sure that few Americans know it exists. So imagine my surprise when I heard the boisterous, booming, all-American voices of two men at the bar the other night. I introduced myself and asked them what they were doing in my tiny lakeside town, to which they responded “quality control.” Intrigued, I pressed the issue, and managed to get them to confess an association with the American military. And, although I cannot divulge any further information regarding aforementioned classified information to which I was exposed, I can say that “classified” becomes a lot less “classified” when pretty girls are asking questions and German-brewed Paulaner Weisbier is involved.

So, in a matter of two weeks, amidst all the term papers and coffee and bus rides and feelin’ the German groove, I managed to fit in a couple proposals, a couple of doomed bike rides, and a couple of loudmouthed American soldiers.

With five weeks left to go, who knows what’s going to go down next?

Don’t worry, it won’t be me.

I broke my bike, remember?

“On different nights, at different clubs, within the confines of a 15 minute conversation in which I was obviously uncomfortable, both men told me that they can see my heart through my eyes.”

Th e M elting Po t Plain-dealing Dominance

N o v e m b e r

1 9 ,

2 0 0 7

Story by Christopher Enoch | The Cauldron Managing Editor

The Plain Dealer doesn’t always live up to its name, and plain dealing Clevelanders pay the price.

Northeast Ohio, known as the hub of liberalism to the rest of the Buckeye state, is well known for its unabashed political leanings.

The folk of Cleveland, who live, work, play, and pray in the area are responsible for the careers of Dennis Kucinich, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, nearly 20 years of Democratic mayoralty, and John Kerry unequivocally carrying Cuyahoga County in 2004. For better or for worse (and I’ll let you make this call) the writing is on the wall.

So where does The Plain Dealer come in?

In Cleveland, The PD can be seen resting D4 page upwards on bus seating, Metro section thrown aside on the rapid to the airport, and the front pages lying scrambled throughout CSU’s elegant campus. Undoubtedly at least several people are reading it while sitting on the porcelain throne right now.

The Plain Dealer, to put it simply, dominates Cleveland media. The PD is everywhere, it’s inescapable. Coincidentally, cleveland.com gets its news from The Plain Dealer.

The Plain Dealer may not live in

the same Northeast Ohio as the rest of us though. The paper’s record stands as a testament to this. In The Plain Dealer’s editorial staffs bizarro world of Northeast Ohio, Clevelanders voted for Mike DeWine across the board, couldn’t make up their minds on whether to elect Bush or Kerry, and never found any problems with the way George Voinovich operated his safe seat in the Senate, much less his old governorship.

Or maybe they just didn’t cover the later.

This all being said, I’ll defend The Plain Dealer’s right to its own bias. Quite frankly, the extent to which that bias is carried out has much more to do with The PD’s editorial staff than any of their practicing journalists anyhow, and I’ll let them have it their way. American print media has a lengthy, historical tradition of partisan inclinations.

However, this uncontested “domination” must be brought to a close. The Plain Dealer has a rich heritage, solid reporting,

entertaining op-ed pieces, and among other features: a really quirky “PDQ” section every Sunday paper.

One thing it hasn’t had much of is solid competition.

The Chicago Tribune has the Chicago Sun Post. The Washington Post has the more conservative Washington Times. The New York Times has the New York Post, the New York Daily News, and the Wall Street Journal.

Heck, The New York Times even has fictional competition in the Amazing Spider-Man’s Daily Bugle.

How about that? The Plain Dealer doesn’t even $1,000.00 Sign on Bonus. Inbound Call Center Cleveland & Twinsburg have fictional competition, Are you money motivated? Are you confident, driven, energentic, that is, unless you include and love to sell? If you are we need you now. We are looking the Free Times and Scene. for you to take inbound calls in a lively, fast paced call center.

Solid competition We offer a lucrative pay plan, which includes hourly salary, would do The PD some generous commission, daily cash incentives, weekend bonus, and a good attendance bonus. We also have great benefits good. There is certainly which include 401k, health, dental, and supplemental insurance. no shortage of the Please call or email your resume and reserve an interview today. shamelessly liberal in DISH1UP SATELITTE Northeast Ohio.

A Email: spot@dish1up.com challenge to The Plain Phone: 800-347-4187 Fax: 330-405-3087 Dealer should be all but

“Solid competition would do The PD some good.” natural to this region. Instead of informed (or uninformed) readers writing scathing letters to the editors of The Plain Dealer every week, this establishment should be taken head on.

There is surely a giant news conglomerate somewhere in the world that would fund such a costly yet

simultaneously lucrative operation. There are at least six I can think of, and they own 90 percent of the United State’s media.

If The Plain Dealer’s editorial board wants to stake out consistently conservative positions, I can respect that.

By all means, continue. On the other proverbial hand, though, let’s allow a new voice to develop in Cleveland print media. Only then will Cleveland legitimately see what hometown paper’s perspective its citizen’s opinions genuinely gravitate towards.

Th e M elting Po t Sports Takes From A Sports Fake

N o v e m b e r

1 9 ,

2 0 0 7

Story by Andrew Jonke | The Cauldron Contributing Writer If you’re a sports fan, you know me.

I might be Ted from accounting or I might be the guy with the sideburns that sits next to you in psychology.

I could be your cousin or I could be the guy who lives across the street and never cuts the grass.

But sure enough, you know me all too well.

I’m the guy you avoid talking sports with at all costs because you know about my frustrating tendencies.

I’m fickle, uninformed, stubborn, and most importantly, I’m the loudest guy in the room.

I like cool uniforms and flashy players, but I have virtually no understanding of the fundamentals of all the popular sports (I was never very gifted athletically).

Typically, I’ve only seen a few minutes of the game that everyone is talking about because I was secretly watching reruns of Dawson’s Creek instead.

I still participate in the conversation though, usually not having been invited in the first place.

I don’t just participate, either. I assault. I express my disagreement with more zeal, vigor, and passion than Strom Thurmond at an ACLU meeting.

I have an uncanny knack for making other sports fans regret engaging in any conversation that isn’t about the weather or gas prices.

Here’s a rundown of my rooting interests: Baseball: I’m from Cleveland, but I’m a Boston Red Sox fan through and through.

Of course I supported the Indians throughout the ‘90s, but that was then and this is now.

When Mark Shapiro began rebuilding the Indians in 2002 and

they subsequently failed to finish above .500 for three consecutive seasons, I promptly abandoned my hometown team.

By the 2004 playoffs, I could no longer endure the losing culture.

Three years? What team goes three whole years without making the playoffs?

I was fed up and looking for a new team to pretend to follow but know almost nothing about.

The Red Sox became the first team in the history of Major League Baseball to come back from a three-game deficit to win a seven-game series that year.

It was an accomplishment that I had no choice but to take credit for. After all, it was an opportunity to tell people how long I had suffered and how sweet the victory was!

Pro Basketball: I can point to the exact day when my staunch support of the Cleveland Cavaliers began.

It was the spring of 2003.

Actually, it was May 22, to be exact. The Cavs won the NBA Draft Lottery and the rights to draft LeBron James.

It took a little bit of convincing at first.

A c t u a l l y, it took the best rookie season by a straight-fromhigh schoolplayer in the history of the NBA. Originally, I was among those who thought Carmelo Anthony would be a better pro than LeBron.

After all, he was dominating

college-level players in the Big East, while LeBron was beating up on high school kids.

Before that fateful day in May, however, I didn’t much care for the Cavs.

I had spent the few years prior to that cheering for the Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe and Shaq were just too dynamic to root for anyone else!

College Basketball: I love to cheer for underdogs just as much as the next guy, as long as that doesn’t mean a loss for my beloved Duke Blue Devils.

In fact, anytime a top-ranked team is losing, I always get behind the mid-major that’s playing the role of David, but only during the regular season.

C o m e tournament time, all that underdog supporting goes right out the window.

Once my $5 has been turned in to the guy running the office bracket pool, my eyes become dollar signs.

Every year, my big upset pick is sneaking that No.2 seed into my Final 4, which consists entirely of No. 1 seeds otherwise.

Aside from that, it’s favorites all the way.

Sure, a regular season upset is fun, but this is crunch time!

There’s cash on the line here, and

more importantly, office bragging rights!

College Football: It was hard to pry my interest from the Miami Hurricanes, but when Jim Tressel’s Buckeyes pulled off a miraculous undefeated 2002 season concluding with a win over my ‘Canes in the BCS National Championship game, I was sold.

Since then, I’ve bled scarlet and gray.

As long as you don’t ask me who the starting left guard is, you’ll think I’m the biggest fan in Ohio.

I make sure to celebrate OSU victories as thoroughly as possible, usually resulting in the accumulation of crushed aluminum beverage containers on the floor and can-shaped bruises on my forehead.

Pro Football: Being from Cleveland, you’d think I’d be a Browns fan, and I was until a few years ago.

But once I started seeing commercials for fantasy football, I had to try it out.

It didn’t take long for fantasy football to replace the Browns.

Now I don’t have to depend on just one team.

Instead, I can cheer for any number of players to tear up the Browns’ defense.

In fact, I’m not even ashamed to bring up fantasy football in public. I routinely tell co-workers and friends about the great waiverwire pickups I’ve made.

Sure, by now you’re well versed at avoiding eye contact and making up excuses not to talk to me, but you’re not out of the woods yet.

I’ve infiltrated your favorite college newspaper, too!

Check back next week, and be sure to have either a bottle of Aspirin or a punching bag nearby.

News

N o v e m b e r

6

1 9 ,

2 0 0 7

The Awful Truth about News Story by Ebony Cash | The Cauldron News Editor Drinko Recital Hall was packed with faculty and students on Nov. 14. If you did not arrive early enough to get a seat, then you would have had to stand or do as I did, cop a squat on the floor.

WKYC’s anchor Tim White was the guest of honor, and he gave us the three-part answer to the question, what is the awful truth about news?

White begins with the statement, “there are many awful truths about news.”

Truth No. 1

The

Nobody knows what news is. White says there is no true definition of news but the only way to define news is to say it is something you haven’t heard from anywhere else. He continues and explains that there are certain types of stories that would actually make the news which include sense-making news, investigative approach and public forum.

Truth No. 2 News is a business. It is expensive to gather news.

Newspaper is the primary gatherer of news. Without newspapers, the news business could not simply exist. However, due to newly established media vehicles such as the Internet, the number of everyday readers is only at approximately 40 percent versus the 71 percent statistic in 1965.

In relation to news being a business, White explains that his job is to harvest eyeballs so they can be sold to advertisers. Money is in mass advertising.

White says, “it’s expensive to gather news, very very expensive.”

However, just because you are striving to sell the advertising, you still cannot “B-S” people. People know what good news is and what they want to watch, but people often confuse news because there are distractions all around it, so with that being said; does it really

Cauldron News Politics Culture Psychic Music Sceene Game Reviews Are They Worth A Listen?

The Melting Pot CSU Athletics Sports News Comics by Michael Quintero

online@csucauldron.com

matter how good a story is if nobody watches it?

White states, “if I’m buying the best toothpaste in the world I don’t care if the package is poor or good but one will assume it’s a bad product.”

Truth No. 3 (may or may not be awful) Young people have to be the smartest consumers of news and have to learn what they trust.

One way to do this is to challenge the bloggers. Just as newspapers, bloggers are the principle gatherer of facts.

As White cleverly puts it, “bloggers are basically people standing on a street corner shouting.”

Challenge the bloggers to make them support their facts, White says. Bloggers have no resources or accountability. If young people do not challenge them, then news will go down and if news goes down then the ability to gather information will

Nobody knows what news is. White says there is no true definition of news but the only way to define news is to say it is something you haven’t heard from anywhere else. also go down, and then we will be left with bloggers. Not good!

Also, young people should contact the television, radio via e-mail or phone to see why a specific story has been selected.

This will show the integrity and the trustworthiness of the station.

If the station is not willing to share this information then you know this is not a credible news source.

And as White says, “that’s the way it is.”

News

N o v e m b e r

Special SGA Meeting Goes OvertimeReading Experience

1 9 ,

7 2 0 0 7

Story by Mark Jablonski | The Cauldron Staff Writer

Last Friday's special Student Government Association meeting seemed to go on a bit longer than anybody had bargained for. A solid two and a half hours long, one might assume that the small handful of issues on the agenda would've received a thorough examination.

Yet for all the conversation between SGA representatives and the continuous rehashing of issues that were presumably already settled, the last half of the meeting might have been better spent at Becky's with a pint of Guiness.

The first order of business was deciding whether or not to overturn President Blake Almaguer's recent veto of a resolution that would have delayed the passage of three amendments to the SGA Constitution.

Although those changes seem rather innocuous –abolishing the Print Shop Committee, changing the attendance policy for SGA meetings, and allowing nonSGA members to run for student body president – Graduate Senator Patrick O'Malia was staunchly opposed to allowing the amendments to move forward.

It was O'Malia's idea to overturn Almaguer's veto, on the grounds that since the constitution was going to need more revision later on down the road, it would be "capricious" to send the changes to the Faculty Senate for approval now, only to have to alter the document a short time later and then resubmit it to the Faculty Senate.

Indeed, a committee has been established to study making major revisions to the entire constitution, which will end up requiring the

approval of the entire student body.

But that's a ways off, says Vice President Peggy Thompson, and the three proposed amendments need to be passed as soon as possible.

The change in attendance policy will allow SGA members who have classes and work during the Friday meetings the flexibility to miss more meetings without being penalized, while the change in the requirements for running for president will open the position up to more students.

The abolishment of the Print Shop Committee isn't really contested, as there's a consensus that the Print Shop Manager can run things unaided by a committee.

The matter became moot, however, because the two thirds of the Senate that's required to overturn a veto was not present, and the amendments sailed through.

The next issue on the agenda was the fate of "Do Gooder Day," an annual event sponsored by SGA that gets students involved in community service projects for a day.

The event, which involves countless hours of planning and thousands of dollars in funding, is not officially a duty of SGA; it's more of an informal tradition.

This being the case, Vice President Thompson asked the Senate if it was in SGA's best interest to continue to run the event, and if so, then it needed to be written into the books and made into an officially mandated event.

"We need to ask ourselves if Do Gooder Day fits within SGA's

mission statement, and if it does not, will it fit better under another organization," Thompson said.

Most senators thought Do Gooder Day ought to be run by SGA, because it unites student organizations, provides services to the city, and gets SGA's name out in a positive way.

However, since the Center for Leadership and Service, an organization whose primary focus in on community service, already did most of the work at last year's event, Thompson recommended delegating the event to them completely, with SGA remaining a co-sponsor.

Last spring, then-Vice President Blake Almaguer was saddled with organizing much of the event, which he said was way too much responsibility for just one person.

If SGA wanted to continue to run the event, all members would have to dedicate their time to seeing it through, something that SGA Advisor Steve Liss suggested would detract too much from their other duties.

"If the only reason we're holding onto this is for [public relations], then we can do that just as easily with co-sponsorship," said Print Shop Manager Donna Seemuth.

After over an hour of discussion, the issue was ultimately sent to the Special Initiative Committee to further study co-sponsorship.

Also consuming a substantial amount of the meeting, in addition to arousing a bit of agitation from more than one SGA member, was discussion over the fate of the SGA Print Shop.

The SGA Print Shop offers

basic printing services to students at low prices, and operates at a loss of approximately $8,000 per year, give or take. This loss is unacceptable to Senator O'Malia, who believes the shop should be closed and its operating costs allocated to student groups.

It was decided at a previous meeting that the issue would be taken directly to the students in the form of a scientific poll, to ensure that a democratic decision is made. To that end, Vice President Thompson developed the outline for the poll with a sociology professor and presented it to the Senate for consideration.

After some protest from O'Malia and others over the neutrality of the poll questions, the issue was sent to the Special Initiatives Committee for further examination and "tweaking."

About the only matter to sail through Friday's session without contention was a resolution proposed by At-Large Senator Kimberly Carr concerning the transparency of SGA meetings.

The resolution will ensure that SGA is in full compliance with Ohio's open records rules, called Sunshine Laws.

It called for the place and times of SGA committee meetings to be advertised in campus media outlets, and also that minutes be recorded during those meetings.

"What this does is it increases the trust that the student body is going to have in us as an organization, and it increases the trust that we have in each other," Carr said.

The guidelines where adopted without protest.

Feature Life After The Crown

By Ebony Cash | The Cauldron News Editor

Cleveland State’s own Melanie Murphy or as some know her, Miss Ohio 2006, gave up her crown this past June.

The new Miss Ohio is Roberta Camp from The Ohio State University.

So what’s next for the former Miss Ohio? We will get to that later.

Behind the Scenes Melanie Murphy

with

You may only see the exterior beauty of Melanie, but the woman has brains too.

Double majoring in Digital Media and Journalism, the blonde bombshell has over a 3.0 grade point average while juggling extracurricular activities in the community. As part as her Miss Ohio fulfillment, Melanie has been extra busy this past year.

“Miss Ohio is a full time job,” Melanie says.

She spoke at churches, campaigned for Toys for Tots, sang the national anthem (yes, she is a singer too) at various sports functions and became the spokesperson for the Career and Technical School of Ohio.

Due to the strenuous schedule, Melanie took the year off at Cleveland State, which she does not regret.

“You can always go back to school, being Miss Ohio comes once in a lifetime,” Melanie says.

And what a great decision she made.

By winning the title, Melanie collected cash prizes totaling $11,500 and going to compete for Miss America gave her an extra stash of $5,500.

“My Cleveland State education is already paid for,” Melanie says.

And let’s not forget that spiffy Pontiac Sunfire that was given to her by the past Miss Ohio winners.

One of Melanie’s significant speaking roles included the RJ Reynolds’s “Life Decisions Right Now,” which discussed the effects and health risks of drugs and alcohol as well as goal setting and getting involved in the community, which is strongly related to her Miss Ohio platform, “volunteerism.”

What made Melanie pursue Miss Ohio?

I asked her that question too.

Melanie stated that it was always her dream.

“As a child, I always watched the Miss America pageant and waited for the talent competition,” Melanie remembers.

You see Melanie has been dancing

since she was three years old. Her styles include ballet (her foundation), tap, and point. Being a Cleveland Cavaliers dancer the past year expanded her dancing range to hip hop. However, she actually did a ballroom number to seal the deal for Miss Ohio.

How is that for well-rounded?

Now for irony…Melanie was teased and bullied in middle school and the dream of becoming a crowned icon quickly began to fade.

“My motivation was the bullying,” she says.

I bet those bullies are now regretting every remark they made.

Winning Miss Ohio did not come overnight however.

Melanie explains that preliminaries have to be won in order to even compete for the Miss Ohio title.

It took Melanie six times before she won the preliminaries and advanced to compete for Miss O h i o , which she actually won two months prior to

the Miss Ohio competition!

But Melanie being the bionic woman did not fold under the pressure. She took on this challenge and of course you know the outcome.

Life Changes Ohio

Post

Miss

Melanie owes all her glory to the Lord.

“Being able to work for the Lord is the greatest reward for me,” she says.

You see while speaking at a church in Wooster, Melanie became saved and at this same church she met her fiancé whom she will be wedding in nearly five weeks.

Melanie tells me the story on how they met.

With glow, she says, “I was speaking at the church and he was sitting there. After the service, I went in the back for interviews and my sponsor introduced us. I gave him an autographed picture that lists my e-mail address.”

Melanie says that he e-mailed her the day after New Years and asked her out. Their first dinner date, which was also two weeks before Miss America, lasted for four hours.

She says, “we just couldn’t stop talking.”

Matt Miller [the fiancé] popped the question during Melanie’s farewell act as Miss Ohio on the runway.

Miller is an Ashland County Commissioner who is running for U.S. Congress. Melanie says, “hopefully he will win and we will move to Washington,

Feature

“As a child, I always watched the Miss America pageant and waited for the talent competition,” - Melaine murphy

D.C.” Melanie calls him a huge angel.

Biggest accomplishment as Miss Ohio Melanie’s grandparents are from Hungary and they came to the United States after the Hungarian Revolution. Side note: For many of you who may not know, the Hungarian Revolution was an unplanned nationwide revolt against the Communist government of Hungary that lasted for about a month.

Being Miss Ohio helped her learn

more about her heritage and culture by going to the memorials.

Also, seeing how proud her grandparents are of her is a great reward she says.

Another great accomplishment is that she created a coloring book called the “ABC’s of Volunteerism” which was a fundraiser for Toys for Tots and Miss Ohio.

What’s Next?

Melanie will be getting married in five weeks and now she is back in school. With her drive and focus, there is no doubt she will become

the big time news anchor she hopes for. Recently she landed a deal as a WBNX spokesperson.

Final Thought I asked Melanie for some advice to give to young women who may be facing some self-esteem issues.

“This is something my mom used to always tell me…never let anybody’s opinion become your reality,” she says. “You are what you think.”

Due to a conflict, Melanie’s reign as Miss Ohio was actually the shortest in history; 11 months, but her

inspiration and the lives that she has already touched will live on for a lifetime.

Ohio’s Sweetheart pageant left to right: Miss Heart of Ohio Alyssa Hanson, Miss Ohio 2006 Melanie Murphy, Miss Ohio 2005 Marlia Fontaine and Miss Buckeye State Rachel Maris

C ulture

10

N o v e m b e r

Tegan and Sara: Rock Stars and Girls Next Door

1 9 ,

2 0 0 7

Story by Ilona Westfall | The Cauldron Culture Editor There are a few things that set Tegan and Sara apart from the rest of the indie-rock world. First of all, unlike a lot of disposable indie-rock bands where you might only remember one or two of their songs, every single one of Tegan and Sara’s songs are ridiculously catchy. Even the sad, slower songs will bounce around in your skull as much as their infectious single “Back in Your Head” off their new release The Con. The Con, while still keeping with the sisters’ typical sound of crisp guitars and bouncing melodies, also features some songs that distinctly branch out into new territory. The song “The Con” for example, features 80s new wave synth and “Are You Ten Years Ago” has a conspicuously hip-hop sounding beat. It seems a natural evolution for musicians who have been playing since they were fifteen (they are now 27).

Interestingly, “Back in Your Head” started off as one of the slower acoustic songs, revealed Sara Quin during a phone interview. “The album version of it is really cool but it’s definitely the biggest change on the record.

It went from being mellow, sad to being the song that was most sped

up. It turned into kind of a pop song. It’s really funny.”

The second thing that is unique about Tegan and Sara is that they are incredibly down to earth despite their rising success and notoriety. They don’t have day jobs but Sara emphasizes that this is not because they are making huge amounts of money.

“Usually the question is how much money do you have and are you rich yet,” she laughs, “And it’s like ‘Are you fucking kidding?

We’ve sold 70,000 records. I make less than a teacher.”

The key, she explains, is that the sisters are realistic about how much they can afford to spend.

They knew from day one that they didn’t want to be in debt, nor did they want to have part time jobs. Since they wanted to focus exclusively on their music and touring, this meant some serious budgeting. They used to rely on friends to drive them to gigs and as they sold more tickets and made a little money, they bought a van. Eventually, they were able to graduate to a tour bus.

However, “I’d rather give away some of the luxuries we’ve given ourselves than have to go back and do something that I don’t want to do. I’m totally dedicated to playing music,” Sara humbly explained. In a time in the music industry where little known bands are sporting Gucci and Prada and musicians are more known for their cocaine habits instead of their music (Pete Dougherty-I’m talking to you), this is refreshing to hear.

There are some downsides to their rising music industry status. One thing is that Sara sometimes misses the intimacy

The Dynamic Duo (l - r ) Tegan & Sara

of playing shows at smaller venues populated by devoted fans. Sometimes it’s as if they are merely background entertainment while a bunch of disaffected kids party and get drunk, she laments.

But then, “There are some nights you play to 200 people or 3,000 people, it doesn’t matter,” she says, “And there’s something really special that will happen and I really like those moments. That’s why I perform.”

Another downside to being able to afford a big tour bus is that they get people loitering around for autographs. Not always fans, but “weird men” who want autographs to sell on Ebay.

According to Sara, people will stand and wait outside of their bus for them. They say they want autographs for their daughters who are big fans. “And, you’re like ‘really? And your daughter prints off, like, 38 photos and wants you to sign in blue ink?,” she says sarcastically.

On the bright side, ever growing popularity has enabled Tegan and Sara to tour the world and work with people within the industry that they respect. They even opened for Neil Young a couple years back. Yet Sara still is amazed that The White Stripes knew who they were when they covered “Walking with the Ghost” from 2004’s So Jealous.

And if the sisters don’t gain any more popularity, Sara is ok with that too. “I feel really lucky.

I feel like we have a really good thing going,” she says, “I don’t say well now that we have this we have to have this next level.

If we’re going to go to that next level then we’ll go there. But if we don’t I wouldn’t be disappointed.”

One more thing that sets Tegan and Sara apart from other groups is that not only are they sisters, they are identical twins.

This creates a synchronicity between them that the media loves to emphasize almost more than their music. Fortunately, Sara doesn’t think that being identified as a unit rather than separate individuals is a negative thing. It is simply the image that the sisters have projected. It is also “Just a fraction of who I am,” Sara cryptically says. In terms of the music, being twins seems to be a benefit. The sisters can harmonize better than pretty much anyone else out there. After all, being twins they have nearly the same voices.

Check them out for yourself when Tegan and Sara play Cleveland’s House of Blues on Nov. 25. Tickets for almost all of their other shows on this tour have sold out so buy them soon.

Besides, if we all show up and make this show one of those ones that remind Sara of why she is a performer, perhaps it will give her a better outlook on our hometown.

“My only experience I can remember from Cleveland was that we were in this bad part of town,” she said, “I just remember, I’ll always remember, there was a guy with overalls on with no shirt and he had grabbed a bag of beef jerky and he was trying to open it in the grocery store with a knife and I was like ‘this place is terrifying!’”

During our interview I promised her that all of Cleveland wasn’t like that. So, please do your civic duty, go see the incredibly talented Tegan and Sara for yourself at HOB, and show them that, just like the sisters themselves, our fair city is more than meets the eye.

For more information on Tegan and Sara check out www.teganandsara.com and www.myspace.com/teganandsara.com .

11

C ulture

N o v e m b e r

Must Have Video Games for the Holiday Season

1 9 ,

2 0 0 7

Story by Mark Katzbach | The Cauldron Staff Writer

The holiday shopping season has begun, and this year is proving to be a fruitful one for video games.

Excellent games have already hit store shelves and more are on their way. There are games for every family member, from your brother to your mother. What is contained herein is some of the

best of what this season has to offer. Be forewarned, the following contains so much awesome that, in the words of the fictional Xander Crews, “you might go blind.”

First, we have Assassin’s Creed.

Released last week for XBOX 360 and Playstation 3, this game has had a primarily positive reception. This is a third-person action/adventure game set in the holy land during the Third Crusade. The player is placed into the shoes of an assassin who is charged with the task of eliminating nine important targets. This game utilizes a revolutionary new engine that allows for incredible crowd interaction and innovative wall climbing that has never been done before in the video game medium.

Set in the year 119, the developers

over at Ubisoft Montreal have gone through painstaking measures to ensure the game’s historical authenticity. Assassin’s Creed is a must-have this holiday season.

Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure is a fun adventure game for all ages currently available only on the Nintendo Wii. If your favorite part of playing a game is finding treasure, this is the game for you. The main characters, Zack, an aspiring pirate, and his sidekick, a golden monkey named Wiki, make their way through dungeons battling enemies and solving puzzles. This game utilizes a point and click interface using the Wii’s remote as your pointing (and shaking) device. This game is fun, no matter who you are.

Rock Band is perhaps one of the most anticipated new games of the year. Scheduled for release this week, several stores have already broken street date. Rock Band is the latest in Harmonix Music’s line of rhythm games. Much like its Guitar Hero predecessors, Rock Band allows you to play along with some of your favorite songs with their plastic versions of real instruments.

The game allows you to choose between guitar, bass, drums and vocals, and to play with your friends both online and together in your living room. Players can complete solo modes and Band World Tour to unlock songs and they can also purchase new songs to play online for an average of $2 per song. If there ever was a party game, this

CSU Chic

Continued on Page 16

by Andrea Cervenak | The Cauldron Staff Writer

Name: Carly Hamaoui Age: 21 Major: Psychology Style Inspirations: A little bit of everything.

Favorite Clothing Stores: Francesca’s Collection, a boutique located in Beachwood and Rocky River with cute vintage-esque clothing.

Favorite Fashion Magazine: Vogue Favorite Fashion Eras: “I like the ‘50s. It was such a fresh feminine era.”

Fashion Philosophy: “Wear whatever is comfortable and makes you feel good!”

What She Loves About Fashion: All the different styles.

What She’s Wearing: Urban Outfitter’s Pink Tam, $15. Delia’s Navy Toggle Coat, $75. H&M Skinny Jeans, $25. Beige Ugg Boots, $100.

13

C ulture

N o v e m b e r

Are They Worth a Listen?

1 9 ,

2 0 0 7

Story by Faith Larraine | The Cauldron Staff Writer

Fear Before the March of Flames

As an awfully interesting bunch, I must say that this band piques my curiosity. I also believe that this band might not actually be as new as I would hope.

I have never heard of them but I have a feeling that many others have. But, in all seriousness, aren’t all bands up and coming?

Well, this band has made me wonder a great deal about whom they really are. They really put the “experiment” in “experimental”.

And, of course, that leaves all of you to decide…are they worth a listen?

Band of Choice: Fear Before the March of Flames 10 Reasons Why You Should Listen to Fear Before the March of Flames 1. Movies and Songs: Most of the songs off the bands debut album Odd How People Shake are references to motion pictures. For example, the song “Sarah Goldfarb, Where Are Your Manners?” is a reference to the movie Requiem for a Dream and the song “The 20th Century Was Entirely Mine” references The

Devil’s Advocate and Titanic.

2. Random: Their sound is very random. When listening to their songs, it always seems that a lot of things are going on. It all goes well together, but it feels random.

3. Kids Stories: The song “The Story of the Curious Oysters” is named after, “The Walrus and the Carpenter” portion of the movie Alice in Wonderland. What a great way for children to interpret kiddie stories.

4.

Mathcore: Wikipedia categorizes the three Fear Before the March of Flames albums as Mathcore. Mathcore is a style of metalcore recognized for a high level of technical musicianship.

5. Hidden Freebies: Their third album The Always Open Mouth has one booklet in the normal location right behind the front of the album case. But, there is also an extra booklet with lyrics found behind the back track-listing page.

6. Circa Survive: Yes, they are on tour with Circa Survive. So, if you didn’t care for my previous Are They Worth A Listen? band, maybe you will be interested in Fear Before the March of Flames. They will be at the Agora Ballroom Nov. 25.

7. Abbreviations: The band’s name is quite long. They are usually abbreviated as FBTMOF, Fear Before, or March of Flames.

8. Soundtrack Note: March of Flames made a song called “237” for the Masters of Horror soundtrack, a television series that consisted of one-hour horror shorts.

9. Newsworthy: The band got their name from the headline of a local newspaper about wildfires spreading throughout their home state of Colorado.

10.

DVD: They announced that their documentary DVD Absolute Future, Absolute Past was to come out in Spring 2007, but it has been put on hold. It’s something to look forward to that isn’t just live concert footage.

10 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Listen to Fear Before the March of Flames 1. Coordination: The music makes me feel confused. I feel like it’s uncoordinated. The randomness is interesting, but sometimes all the craziness of it all can become too much.

2. Obscene Video: There is a video on the band’s Myspace that consists of nothing but obscene language and degrading photographs. It’s a good laugh at first, but then the reality of it sinks in. The video is just wrong.

3. Never Ever: The band has made it quite clear on numerous websites that they will never perform “On the Bright Side, She Could Choke” live. The reason why is still pending.

4. Wounded: If I was smacked in the face with a bass guitar, knocked out, and then realized I had a hole

in my cheek…I don’t think I would have played the rest of the set for that night. This happened to David Michael Marion, the vocalist of the band. I do give him props for getting up and fighting through the pain to finish the concert, but because of this his swelling had the chance to spread from his collarbone to above his eye socket. I think I would say that health should have come first here instead of music. Brains over brawns. Oh…and he’s fine now.

5. College: The band’s previous drummer and guitarist left to go back to school. Maybe they thought that being a rock star wasn’t for them, or maybe they thought that the band would never amount to much anyway.

6. Softies: From what I have heard, these boys are all hardcore.

I don’t believe that they have any softer songs. Their albums get “less screamy” as they go, but other than that, it’s always loud.

7. Description: This is what guitarist and vocalist Adam Rupert Fisher had to say about the meaning of the third album’s title The Always Open Mouth, “To people who act like a) an all-knowing superbeing from another realm sent here to save us all or b) a f*cking loud mouth bigot.” Nicely put…

8. Always Changing: There is no consistency between the band’s three albums. They all sound entirely different, and the band seems to be okay with that; but, will their fans be okay with that?

9. Three guitarists: Whatever happened to just one guitarist and a bass player?

10. Curious: Sure, they make me curious to listen to more songs after the first one scared the crap out of me and the second had too much going on. But, this band is really hanging on short threads when it comes to success. I’m not too sure how great they will be in the future.

Spo rts

14

N o v e m b e r

CSU Women Dominate and Zip Past Akron

1 9 ,

2 0 0 7

Story by Reid May | The Cauldron Staff Writer The women’s basketball team demonstrated its ability to dominate on Saturday when they stomped the Akron Zips 59-47.

The Vikings never trailed, out-shot and out-rebounded an Akron team that looked out of place for most of the game.

The women (1-1) stormed out in the first half, scoring seven of the first nine points, and asserting themselves early. They played the entire half with leads ranging from five to eight points and left the floor at halftime with a 28-16 advantage.

Head Coach Kate Peterson Abiad says she “felt like we played really, really good basketball in the first half. We played well as a team on both offense and defense.”

The Vikings would stretch the

lead out early in the second half.

They scored 15 unanswered points in a seven-minute stretch early in the second half, giving them a wellearned 30-point lead.

However, the advantage would be cut down after a game delay because of a head injury to Akron’s Kara Murphy, a freshman forward.

Murphy went down hard after a collision with CSU’s Shawnita Garland with 7:44 left in the half.

The hit occurred under CSU’s basket where Murphy laid for nearly 15 minutes.

Coming out of the break, CSU hit a cold streak, allowing Akron to cut CSU’s lead to 12 points by the end of the game.

Senior Brittany Korth reasoned, “We were standing around, and we

weren’t warm when we came back out.”

Korth suggested Akron’s girls stole the momentum with the motivation to play for their fallen comrade.

“It’s different when it’s your teammate,” Korth said.

Abiad was obviously disappointed by the final eight minutes of play but was relieved to have such a lead.

“I can’t remember the last time this team led by 30 points,” Abiad said.

Overall, CSU demonstrated a great capacity to move the ball around the floor. The offense focused around the pass, moving the ball from player to player until someone was found open for the uncontested shot.

Korth attributed the improvement to the week of practice the team had after their opening game loss to Wisconsin.

“We worked on taking care of the ball as a team, and that helped us a lot,” Korth said.

The team also played staunch defense.

The girls had 19 steals, and outrebounded Akron 38-28.

“Rebounding isn’t about size,” Abiad said. “We create offensive and defensive rebounds with our aggressiveness.”

Both Korth and sophomore Kailey Klein felt the steals were a reflection of the team.

“That’s our “D,” we create opportunities for each other,” Korth said.

An Offer You Can’t Refuse An Assessment of Current Sports News Story by Nick Camino | The Cauldron Sports Editor

The turkey is defrosting, the sweet potatoes are being peeled, the stuffing is being churned, and the pies are cooling on the window’s sill for Thanksgiving on Nov. 22, and yet students are expected to stay focused. Haha!

What a joke!

While it may seem impossible to concentrate in class and tests continue to mount, this is a good opportunity take a quick look at the sporting world on the national and local level before we enjoy a much needed break with our friends and families this holiday.

Don’t try stand up comedy: The NBA is still deciding on how they should reprimand Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson for a sexually referenced comment after the Lakers fell to the San Antonio Spurs last week 107-92. During the contest the Spurs nailed 13 three-pointers,

and Jackson was questioned about the Spurs’ inside penetration leading to open outside shots for their opponents.

Trying to be humorous, Jackson said, “We call this a Brokeback Mountain game, because there's so much penetration and kickouts…

It was one of those games.”

Although writers laughed in the pressroom that night, the NBA hierarchy fails to see the humor.

NBA spokesman Brian McIntyre claims Jackson will be reprimanded.

Personally, I don’t feel Jackson should be fined for his “gay” comments despite the fact they were rather stupid. It seems the former Bulls head coach was trying to make a joke that really was not that funny. Good try Phil, but stick with your day job.

Cy Young equals big bucks wanted: Don’t think for one

minute Cleveland Indians pitcher C.C. Sabathia won’t use winning this season’s Cy Young Award as a reason to ask for more money in his upcoming contract negotiations.

Yes, he would want us to forget the fact that he went 1-2 with an 8.80 ERA, along with 13 walks during the AL Championship Series.

Indians general manager Mark Shapiro and owner Larry Dolan are forced to deal with their ace pitcher who held a 19-7 record with a 3.21 ERA, while pitching a major league-high 241 innings, the 27-year-old struck out 209 batters.

Sure, the accomplishment is great for the young left-handed hurler. He is the first Indian to win the award in 35 years and the first African-American pitcher to win the Cy Young Award since Dwight Gooden did so in 1985 for the New York Mets.

However, the only thing

Sabathia will be thinking about with upcoming contract negotiations is $ MONEY $$ MONEY $$$ AND $$$$ MORE $$$$$ MONEY. Thanksgiving Day football picks: Game One: Packers 23, Lions 10. Sure, the Lions are at home and Ford Field will be electric, but right now it seems Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre and his troops (who are these guys anyway)

C.C. Sabathia

Spo rts N o v e m b e r

can do no wrong whatsoever.

Game Two: Cowboys 38, Jets 9. Make sure you eat your feast during this game to gear up for the Atlanta-Indianapolis game right after. New York may come out and take an early lead, but the Dallas Cowboys offense is just too good to be stopped by a defense that is, well…pretty bad.

Game Three: Falcons 24, Colts 21. Atlanta is 2-3 at home and a win over Peyton Manning and the Colts would certainly boost moral. Since falling to the Patriots two weeks ago, Tony Dungy’s team just has not been the same.

I’m calling it right now; Morten Anderson kicks the game-winning field goal late to help the Falcons prevail 24-21.

Surprise, surprise, surprise: How hard is it to crack the Cleveland State varsity wrestling lineup this season? Just ask junior heavyweight Rashard Goff. During the intra-squad wrestle-offs Goff fell to freshman Eric Schwartz by a score of 3-2. Last season Goff was an NCAA Qualifier and this season was rated as 18th in the country at the heavyweight division.

No doubt about it, the CSU grapplers are as tough as any team in the country right now. So far the squad has done well individually at the Eastern Michigan and Michigan State Open Tournaments. Check out the team Tuesday Nov. 20 when they take on local rival John Carroll in a dual meet beginning at 7:00 P.M. at Woodling Gym. The team then travels to State College, Pennsylvania for the Penn State Open.

Dec. 18, 2007: If this date does not mean anything to you, please put this paper down and slap yourself. I am only kidding, but please listen up! On Tuesday, Dec. 18 the Cleveland State men’s basketball team will take on the Ohio State Buckeyes at Quicken

1 9 ,

2 0 0 7

Loans Arena with tip off at 7:00 p.m.

All CSU fans and students are asked to wear green to show their Viking spirit.

Students who purchase tickets with their CSU student I.D. will be given a ticket for a low price of just $10. What a deal! Don’t forget, the last time Ohio State came to Cleveland, the Vikings handed the Buckeyes a 75-73 loss in the same arena.

The victory came during the Rock N’ Roll Shootout in 1994.

Just one chance: Unless you plan on traveling over two hours to see the men’s and women’s fencing teams compete, there will be just one opportunity to see the Viking fencers in action at home. On Dec. 1, both teams will compete all day at the Wolstein Center against Case Western Reserve and Oberlin College. Admission is free for CSU students.

Rematch time: Jermain Taylor jumped at the opportunity early this month to try and regain his middleweight championship title with a rematch against Youngstown, Ohio native Kelly Pavlik. On Sept. 29 Pavlik became the new middleweight champion of the world after knocking out Taylor in the seventh round while trailing on all the judges scorecards.

Nevertheless, Pavlik got the knockout victory, but their rematch is set for Feb. 16, 2008, but it may not be at the same weight class.

H a p p y Th a n k s g iv i n g ! : I would like to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. I hope everyone has a wonderful break, and I really appreciate the time all of you take each week reading our paper. Be safe this holiday break and Go Vikes!!!

16

Spo rts

N o v e m b e r

CSU Men Stun Florida State in Overtime

1 9 ,

2 0 0 7

Cleveland State Improves Streak to 2-0 vs. ACC Story by Nick Camino | The Cauldron Sports Editor

Saturday night the Cleveland State men’s basketball team defeated yet another team from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), arguably the best league in college basketball.

The Vikings battled with the Florida State Seminoles for 45 minutes before escaping in overtime with a 69-66 victory during their second game of the Glenn Wilkes Classic.

The five-minute overtime period did not start well for the Vikings when Seminoles guard Jason Rich scored the first two buckets for FSU, giving them a 64-62 lead with just 4:06 to play. Desperate for some type of surge, Cleveland State head coach Gary Waters called timeout.

Coming out of the timeout, the Seminoles defense was relentless, but with the shot clock winding down CSU senior guard Breyohn Watson launched a deep threepointer from the corner and connected with 2:26 remaining in the contest to give the Vikings a 65-64 lead. A lead Cleveland State would never relinquish.

Suffocating defense by the Vikings forced a Florida State turn-

over, and Watson slipped a nice pass by Isaiah Swann on the ensuing possession to J’Nathan Bullock who dropped it in for an easy layup, extending the Vikings lead to 67-64.

In the waning seconds of the contest Swann hit two free throws, and then fouled Vikings point guard Cedric Jackson who also hit a pair from the charity stripe.

With just 0.4 seconds remaining in the overtime period and the Vikings leading 69-66, Swann hit a three-pointer off the inbound that would have tied the game, but time had expired and referee Rick Crawford waved the basket off giving Cleveland State the shocking win.

The Vikings victory over the Seminoles was fueled by the play of Jackson and Bullock all night long. Jackson scored a career-high 27 points, while Bullock added 19 in a game that included 10 ties and nine lead changes.

The victory marks the second straight victory over an ACC opponent in just two seasons for the Vikings. Last season Cleveland State defeated the Miami Hurricanes 78-

67 in Evansville, Indiana.

Although the Vikings made their shots down the stretch, defense was the key to this victory, second-year head coach Gary Waters said.

“I thought going into this game we had a chance to win because we play good defense,” Waters explained. “And when you play defense, anything can happen.”

From the very beginning of the game it was evident that the Vikings were in it to win it as they jumped out to an 18-4 lead. The Seminoles eventually settled in to avoid a blowout behind the play of Swann, Julian Vaughn, and Uche Echefu.

The key to victory for the Vikings was the play of Jackson and Bullock and the team’s ability to defend, holding the Seminoles’ leading scorer Swann to just 11 points on the night.

Another win at the Glenn Wilkes Classic: On Sunday the Cleveland State men’s basketball team improved their record to 3-2 on the season with an impressive 76-66 victory over the Florida Atlantic Owls.

Must Have Video Games for the Holiday Season Continued from page 13

is it. Rock Band is due for release November 20, for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Playstation 2 consoles.

Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga is currently available for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS. This game, as you may have already guessed, is all six episodes of Star Wars as Legos. With 36 story levels and 160 playable

characters, this game should be on the list of any Star Wars fan that owns a video game console. Fortunately, it doesn’t matter which console, as it is available on all of them, each with subtle differences.

The Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions feature online play. The Wii version has motionsensitive controls and the DS features touch-screen controls and exclusive mini-games.

In classic fashion,

the best has been saved for last. Last Tuesday marked the release of Super Mario Galaxy, the latest game featuring the portly plumber/ Nintendo mascot. Once again, Mario must save the Princess from the evil Bowser. This time, his quest takes him into the depths of space.

This game utilizes gravitational physics and environmental mechanics to take 3D platforming to the next level with orbital jumps,

gravity changes and beautiful graphics.

Super Mario Galaxy has received nothing but positive reviews, including several near perfect scores (between 9 and 9.75 out of 10), three perfect scores (10 out of 10), and an unprecedented better than perfect score (11 out of 10). Clearly, this is the game to buy this holiday season, and it’s only for Nintendo Wii.

Going into their first five games, Coach Waters explained the team’s goal was to come home with a record of 3-2 or better. That is exactly where the Vikings stand heading into Thanksgiving break.

The Vikings three victories include wins over Big East Conference foe South Florida, Florida State of the ACC, and Florida Atlantic. The two defeats came in losses to George Mason and Georgia Southern. The Vikings led late in both of those contests.

After a brief break for Thanksgiving, Cleveland State returns to the hardwood for their home opener on Nov. 24 at 3:00 p.m. against the John Carroll Blue Streaks.

Smiles Dental Let us give you that WHITE smile You’ve been looking for!

10% off with student I.D 3608 Payne Ave Suit 101 Cleveland, OH 44114 Tel: 216-881-5525 Emergency dental care is available