The Cauldron Photo Spotlight Chilli Cook-Off • On Page 8
Monday, march 22, 2010
Weekly Events Calander On Page 7
CSU Women’s Basketball Win Horizon League Championship!
*** ESTABLISHED 1929 ***
What Did You Do For Spring Break?
Issue 9 | FREE
Viking Expeditions: An Alternative Spring Break
By Samantha Shunk & Reid May
Page two / Monday, March 22, 2010
Contents Volume 110 • Issue eight
The Melting Pot
03 Opening Statements 04 Sex Addiction: Great disorder, or the greatest disorder? 04 A Texas-sized Change to Learning
News
05 A Guide to Borrowing Responsibly 05 Patent Law Presentation at CSU 06 CAB Talks About Sex 06 The Match King 07 Weekly Events Calendar 08 Photo Spotlight: Chilli Cook-Off
10
What Did You Do For Spring Break?
Viking Expeditions: An Alternative Spring Break By Samantha Shunk and Reid May, The Cauldron Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor
The Cauldron is a free newspaper; however, to preserve readership each person may only take one copy of each issue. For larger quantities, contact the Editor-in-Chief at cauldroneditors@gmail.com.
The Cauldron Samantha Shunk Editor-In-Chief
Managing Editor Reid May
Arts & Entertainment
12 Noise Inspector 13 The Cleveland International Film Festival Closer than Cannes, Cheaper than Cinemark 13 Pixel Perfect Brütal Legend, or The Power Of The Umlaut 14 Concert Picks
Advertising Manager Jayson Gerbec Copy Editor Kristen Mott
Sports
16 Baseball Returns To Cleveland State 17 Indians’ Choo Faces Different Challenge 17 Cauldron’s Top Baseball Movies 18 Sports Flashback 18 ¡Viva Baseball! CSU Celebrates The National Pastime 19 MLB 10 The Show
Copy Editor Justin Brenis News Editor Alexes Spencer Sports Editor Rob Ivory
T***he Cauldron Weekly in
Arts & Entertainment Editor Jonathan D. Herzberger Layout Editor Steve Thomas Business Manager Anne Werner Student Media & Web Specialist Daniel Lenhart Faculty Advisor Dr. Rodger Govea
Mission Statement As Cleveland State University’s student run, managed, and operated alternative weekly paper, The Cauldron is dedicated to delivering information to the student and professional body of CSU; doing so without bias, without constraints, and without fear. Presenting news, entertainment, opinion and other media that originates organically from within the student body, our distinctive media will organically flow and adapt to suit that body’s needs. The Cauldron prints according to sound journalistic principles of accuracy, accountability, integrity, transparency and with a recognition of press freedom and student expression. The Cauldron shall remain a forum; maintaining a strong connection to the diverse campus community, regarding but not limited to Cleveland State University, the city of Cleveland, the United States, and the Global Community.
Advertising Policy: For advertising inquiries e-mail us at cauldronadvertisements@hotmail.com or contact Jayson Gerbec at (216) 687-2270
• New Artists Reviews • Concert reviews • Album Reviews
Contact Us Cleveland State University 4th Floor Cole Center Cleveland, Ohio 44115 Phone (216) 687-2270 Fax (216) 687-5155 www.csucauldron.com
The Melting Pot Monday, March 22, 2010
3
Courtesy: SXC.hu
>>> Next Page | Sex Addiction: Great disorder, or the greatest disorder? | “I have similar problems: food, water – I just can’t go without. I’m an addict.” Courtesy: wikimedia.org
This Week’s
Opening Statements Dear Editors: One of the things that I take pride in when I tell people that I attend Cleveland State University is that I belong to a massive melting pot of a school; downtown Cleveland may not be everyone’s idea of diverse, but somehow CSU managed to fishnet students from all walks of life together and bring them under one huge roof all to learn and progress in life. Cleveland State has built a name for itself on the idea of engaged learning and trying to increase the sense of community among its student life for those that live on and off campus and trying to create a richer image of more than just a commuter school. Another reason why I am proud to say that I attend Cleveland State is because somewhere in the college there is a sign that I see that speaks to me as saying “come one, come all”. It could possibly be in Main Classroom or hanging in the bowels of the Chester Building basement or waiting patiently in line for an elevator that tests its nerves while climbing up to the highest offices in Rhodes Tower, whichever way it may be, it’s there, to me at least. However, there is something I cannot quite wrap my head around. Cleveland State does not include gender identity or expression under its non-discrimination clause. Surely a school like CSU, that has a cornucopia of students of every single walk of life, would not second guess including students that express their gender in a nonconventional way? Let me back up and fill you in on some details. First, the Cleveland State nondiscrimination statement: “Cleveland State University is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in employment and education. No person at the university will be denied opportunity for employment or education or be subject to discrimination in any project, program, or activity because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, handicap or disability, disabled veteran, Vietnam era veteran or other protected veteran status.” While it does include sexual orientation, that only covers a certain area of issue at hand; what about those who do not see themselves as either gender? Gender identity, to spare you the encyclopedic explanation, can be thought of as the way a person sees themselves as either a man, a woman or somewhere sort of inbetween: think of a spectrum with ultra butch Wolverine at one end, and totally femme and delicate Elizabeth Taylor at the other; the way that someone wants to represent
themselves is somewhere in there. Me? I like to think of myself as a little David Bowie; slightly androgynous space creature that has a lust for art and a desire to expand one’s frame of mind to what you may think conventional is, and then smash it. Luckily there are other colleges out there that would gladly welcome little space oddities like myself into their college doors. Not every college is quick to accept students that may be a little Ziggy Stardust or Rocky Horror-esque though. I did manage to find two right here in Ohio that do. Upon speaking with the coordinator of GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) services via email from Baldwin Wallace college, Gerrie Paino, I learned that it was paramount for the school to expand its views on diversity and to show support for incoming or current BW students that identify as a different gender. Paino was also kind enough to highlight some interesting reasons as to why some well known companies included gender expression and identity into their nondiscrimination statements, an example is JP Morgan Chase. A statement about the inclusion of gender identity/expression is as followed: “What we have found in our recruiting efforts is that individuals will often look for signals about what a culture is like; having gender identity protection signals we are a diversity leader and are serious about providing an inclusive environment.” --Ben Hladilek, (HR business partner at JP Morgan Chase in New York, one of the earliest organizations to add gender identity protection to its policy statement) Not only does Baldwin Wallace University include gender identity/expression into their nondiscrimination statement, but also Case Western, Ohio State and Ohio University. It is refreshing to see major campuses like these make this inclusion that sends a message to many that says “we welcome you as you are,” but when is Cleveland State going to continue this (hopefully) new trend of all inclusive education? I think that to be truly engaged and to be the forward thinking university that Cleveland State yearns to be, it needs to focus on honoring that it contains so many different and unique students and to keep them all under equal protection from discrimination. We all want the same thing here at the university anyway; the chance to create the future we want and to harness the means that Cleveland State provides us with to do so. Dave Wakelee
Page four/ Monday, March 22, 2010
Sex Addiction Great disorder, or the greatest disorder?
By Jonathan “Killstring” Herzberger, The Cauldron A&E Editor All kidding aside – okay, you got me. This article simply can’t exist with all kidding placed aside, there’s simply too much to work with; the kinetically charged topic literally begging to be poked fun at on some level. But hold on. In the wake of Tiger Woods’ recent scandal, one of the obligatory “I made a mistake and am truly, deeply, sorry” moves required for PR purposes, is receiving counseling for his, and this is a quote, “Sex Addiction.” Now, one could argue that something that is both pleasant, and essential to the survival of the species, would have a difficult time being objectively classified as such. I, for example, have an oxygen addiction – with terrible, and immediate withdrawal symptoms. The medical term for this horrible state, is suffocation, or perhaps drowning, depending on the detox method being employed to separate me from the object of my fixation. I have similar problems: food, water – I just can’t go without. I’m an addict. And I am truly, and deeply sorry, and promise to seek help. Obvious reasons – and I am assuming that yes, the continued existence of the species should count as obvious – aside, the question remains: is there such a thing as sex addiction? The answer might be trickier than you think. According to the L.A. Times, the American Psychiatric Association is considering adding sexual addiction to the DSM 5 - the list of “official” mental illnesses. I put that in quote marks, because this once included things like “Homosexuality” and “Feminine Hysteria” as bona fide mental illnesses. Fun Fact: the most commonly prescribed method of treating “Feminine Hysteria” was, and I kid you not, clitoral stimulation. My independent research has shown that rather than alleviate hysteria in women, this treatment seems to incite it – but that’s a topic for an entirely different sort of column. Ahem. The Psychiatric community remains pretty squarely divided on this issue. In this L.A. Times article, Christopher Lane, who is a literature professor at Northwestern University, as well as the author of “Shyness: How Normal Behavior Became a Sickness,” said that it was more than a little scary “for a group of psychiatrists to try to legislate how much sex we can enjoy before we’re labeled mentally ill.”
And this raises an interesting question: how much sex is too much? What’s the difference between a healthy libido, and an addiction? For this, there are no answers, but a lot of theories. But do you know the most commonly agreed upon point that I can find among those who specialize in the psychology of sexual appetite? Disinterest almost certainly means there’s something wrong. Usually, this is considered a symptom of depression, but could be a side effect of a dozen other things – but the experts seem to mostly agree on this one: if you’re not sufficiently interested in sex, you’re likely suffering from some manner of problem. Let me see if I have this right. If I want to have too much sex, I’m mentally ill. But if I don’t want to have enough sex, I am likewise mentally ill? With all due respect to the field of psychiatry, what precisely the hell is it going to take? Assuming there exists some magical sweet spot of precisely how much sex I should want, and deviation from this is apparently a literal descent into madness, well, simple use of italics cannot hope to convey my feelings about this. Let me take a stab at this. Sometimes, we do things that are gratifying. Sometimes we get a little carried away. Whether it be gambling, sex, “World of Warcraft,” poker, weightlifting, crossword puzzles, D&D, sudoku, gardening, or whatever else we might have hit upon; the balance between healthy interest, and spending too much time on something, is something we all need to maintain. Maybe it’s escapism; not wanting to deal with important issues. Maybe it’s recklessness, or a compulsive personality. Maybe it’s just fun, and we got a little carried away. Look, the bottom line here is pretty simple: I like doing things that are pleasant. I dislike doing things that are unpleasant. But I’m a grown-up, and fully capable of balancing between the two. I can also stand up and take responsibility for my own actions, the way that a grown-up is theoretically supposed to do – and I don’t need an illness that I’m courageously fighting against to make me look brave. In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make. And just how much I’d like to take is my own damn business, thank you very much.
A Texas-sized Change to Learning
By Jon Conley, The Cauldron Staff Writer And now, the most important story that came to fruition over your spring break: Yahoo! News has reported that the state of Texas is trying to make serious changes to social science and history textbooks. This is extremely important in that Texas is the number one producer of textbooks for the United States. Here is a list of some of the more offensive changes: – Limiting the coverage of Hispanic culture and history. This, especially in Texas, is not only offensive to the Latino community, but also places them as an outlier in a country that has prided itself as a melting pot. I guess we’re now melting everything down and then skimming the difference off the top. – Word changes. “Imperialism” is now “expansionism” and “capitalism” is now “free market.” I am, unlike my other liberal tattooed friends, actually a fan of capitalism, but attempting to hide the reality of our current government is not only dangerous, it is also misleading and deceptive. Word games are something we have been remarkably adept at since the ol’ “weapons of mass destruction” thing. Apparently in other countries, our stature as stalwart of the economy has offended people and we have depicted ourselves as cocky. How did that happen?? Weird. – Thomas Jefferson’s exclusion from the list of people who greatly influenced American intellectual thought. Thomas Jefferson is one of my great (many times over) grandfathers, but that is not what makes this so highly offensive. He is being intentionally pushed aside for the likes of St. Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, and William Blackstone. Jefferson’s separation of church and state is being bulldozed to help paint the government in Jesus’ light. The founding father’s Christian principles and values are also going to be spotlighted as being highly influential.
– Removal of hip-hop from a list of America’s important cultural movements, and the addition of country western music. All in favor of country western music getting its dues? Ay. All in favor of the removal of hip-hop? Nay. Hip-hop is in a sad state these days. The only real MC’s with important things to say can be counted on your hands. Womanizing, greed, and shallowness prevail. But that can never ever discount a few relevant and powerful names: KRS-One, A Tribe Called Quest, Run DMC, Notorious B.I.G., 2-pac, Talib Kweli, etc... For a complete and more thorough list of changes, visit: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_ts1253 This will all be put to a final vote in May, and it’s sad to say that I don’t know which way the chips will fall, but it is at this point in my collegiate career that I am more confirmed than ever in my choice to become an educator. I have a history of voting liberal, but I don’t want textbooks to reflect the right or the left. The beauty of honesty in education is found in providing the facts and the tools for children to grow and be able to look at their country objectively while making decisions that they deem morally right or wrong. The rewriting of history is something that I thought took place in the past, but to see it happening in front of my eyes it astonishing to say the least. So what now? I don’t know. Write your congressmen/women and let them know that you are appalled. See (if said vote passes) if you can get your state to steer clear of textbooks from the Lone Star state. Most importantly, when you have children in the future that will rely on these books to be showing them our rich and cultured past, stay involved and dispel myths. Keep yourself educated, and don’t be “preachy.” Stay aware, students! Empower yourselves! You hold the key to the future.
5
News
Monday, March 22, 2010
The Match King <<< | Next Page
Courtesy: wikimedia.org
Patent Law Presentation at CSU By Kristen Mott, The Cauldron Copy Editor
The Society of Physics Students held a presentation entitled “What Science Majors Should Know about Patents” on March 11 in the Science and Research Building. The hour-long presentation featured Harry D. Cornett, Jr. Cornett has been a trial lawyer for 38 years and has dealt with numerous cases involving patent infringement. He gave the talk to shed light on his experiences with patents and to provide information for science and physics majors who are considering becoming patent agents or lawyers. The world of patents is interconnected closely with science. Scientists have an interest in experimenting and creating, and they need patents for their inventions. Cornett noted that patent attorneys have a variety of majors, particularly engineering and biology. Cornett gained an interest in physics early on in his childhood. As a trial lawyer, he often dealt with trials involving patents. However, since he was not an expert on the topic, he had a patent lawyer accompany him during the cases. Cornett wanted to change this, and, at 60-years old, decided to head back to school. “In order to try patent cases, I had to understand a little bit more about patent law,” said Cornett. Cornett spent four years at Cleveland State, and received a major in physics in December of 2009. By receiving a physics degree, he was able to take a patent bar exam and he successfully became a patent lawyer. Cornett uses his knowledge to inform students who are considering going into a field that deals with patents. During the presentation, he took the audience through the process of creating a patent. He explained that by receiving a patent, inventors “get the exclusive right for a certain period of time to keep anybody else from making the patented device.” Almost any invention can receive a patent, and Cornett made this point clear. He included examples in his presentation of past patents. One patent was for an automatic candy dispensing device on computers that would distribute candy for correct answers. Another patent was for a machine that would blow out candles on a birthday cake. Even Michael Jackson received a patent for his “anti-gravity shoes” that would help people do the moonwalk. Most of Cornett’s cases involve patent infringement, and he must prove that his client did not copy the idea for the invention from anyone else. He also deals with companies who become “patent trolls.” These companies research and become the exclusive licensee of active patents, then find anyone making that product and sue them for patent infringement. The presentation showed that students interested in patents need a background in science. By gaining a degree in science, students will be able to better understand the complex topic of patents. The Society of Physics Students invites speakers throughout the year to speak to current students. In addition to hosting presentations, the groups sponsors prize competitions in which students who answer a physics question correctly will be eligible to win a prize. For more information or to learn about upcoming events, please visit http://www.csuohio.edu/sciences/dept/physics/physicsweb/spsseminar. htm.
“Krueger is the Seabiscuit of financial markets,” Partnog said, “because a whole generation forgot about him.” To people in the 1920s and 30s, forgetting about Krueger would have been akin to forgetting about Bernie Madoff today. In other words, unthinkable. | By Reid May
A Guide to Borrowing Responsibly By Samantha Shunk, The Cauldron Editor-in-Chief
Courtesy: Stephen Talbott
A current adjunct professor in the School of Communication has been setting aside time to write a book to keep students from borrowing too much money to attend college. “How Much Should I Borrow for College?” is a guide that Steve Talbott has produced to help students and parents do what is financially smart when it comes to student loans. “I really hope that I can help students decide or narrow down what they want to do, maybe what they want to study, and then use that to help figure out what kind of money that might bring then, and then figure out how much they can afford to borrow to go to college,” Talbott said. He not only helps to provide some guidance in the area of taking out student loans but also in the areas of deciding what to do as a career. Talbott expressed his apprehension about taking out too many loans when he said, “I’m really concerned about kids who are overborrowing with the rates of college going up and up and up.” He feels that with the price of an education skyrocketing, many students are finding themselves extremely burdened with their student debt after graduation and for many years later. In the book, Talbott shares some of the stories of students who did not fare so well when it came to the result of taking more loans than would be comfortably affordable once in their chosen field. He suggested, “Rather than be a victim of the system and over-borrowing, it is smarter
to figure out ways to keep costs down.” One whispered suggestion was to attend community college for the first two years and earn an associate’s degree without incurring any debt. To accomplish this, he noted that students would have to work a part-time job and live at home, but he feels that it is the best way to avoid incurring debt. This is not a foreign idea for many of you dear readers as many CSU students have transferred from community colleges in the area. Although many students balk at the idea of living at home, Talbott asserted, “Living at home is better than being out of college with the economy as it is and struggling to make your student loan payment.” Talbott feels that choosing to live at home is one of the easiest ways to save money in college, which is true if your parents are willing to let you live there for free and feed you. As he recounted how he decided to write this book, Talbott said that one of his students, Brittany Miller, wrote a paper about student debt and Talbott thought that student debt “might be an interesting topic to write about.” The idea came from a student, and Talbott is trying to give the research and information back to the students. A copy of the eBook runs $7.99, but for the students looking for just the important information, Talbott will be selling the two chapters that he feels have the key information for $1.99 each or $2.99 combined. To buy a copy, go to howmuchshouldiborrow.com.
Page six / Monday, March 22, 2010
CAB Talks About Sex By Samantha Shunk, The Cauldron Editor-in-Chief
On the Thursday before Spring Break, the weather was beautiful and Salt ‘n’ Pepa’s “Let’s Talk About Sex” was blasting in the main classroom atrium. The Campus Activities Board (CAB) had set up an educational event to teach students about safe sex. Different organizations were brought in from all over Cleveland to provide information to students about sex. CAB Event Coordinator Brittany Ferguson explained, “For this event we wanted to do something that most students can relate to as far as either you are having sex or you are abstinent.” With information about abstinence, free condoms, safe sex kits, free HIV testing and plenty of information about anything relating to sex, Ferguson was correct as many students could relate and learn something new. CAB Business Manager Dynesha Stover thought, “A lot of college students don’t normally go on their own to get tested and to get materials, so by bringing it to campus more students are likely to stop by to pick up brochures or get tested.” When asked what one of the goals of the event was, Stover replied, “Getting the word out that it’s okay to be sure that you’re safe.” GLASA and the Health and Wellness Services Center have both shown their support for safety during condom week and other weeks while teaching students how to have safe sex, and now CAB has gotten in on the push for safety. Bill “Silver B” Richards from the Cleveland Treatment Center’s Project Safe said, “We hope to give a lot of awareness and also education around HIV testing.” Richards continued to say how important it is to talk about sex and expressed his feeling on the matter, “The more we talk the better.” Jerome Little John of Project Safe as well, said that Project Safe “was created primarily because intravenous drug users were the highest of infections in the early eighties along with men who were having sex with men, so we created Project Safe for preventive education to community-based organizations, such as drug treatment Courtesy: wikimedia.org
centers.” He continued to tell of all the locations where they tested intravenous drug users, prostitutes and anyone else they found and concluded saying, “We did a whole lot of intercity interventions.” The Founder of Transfamily, Karen Gross, hoped that at the event “we could show the students and folks at Cleveland State that there is a group that could help them with their questioning about who they might be or how they feel about themselves and to let them know that there is a safe place for them to come to and find other folks that are like them.” Gross continued, “We have a support group that meets on the second Saturday of every month at the LGBT Center on Detroit Ave., and we just want to be out to let people know that there is something available.” Eileen Guttman from Health and Wellness Services at CSU said that the timing of the event was perfectly placed before Spring Break when many students can be found having a good time, and “If you are going to have a good time in all the different ways possible, we want you to do it in the safest way possible, so we’re here to raise awareness and pass out free condoms for those who are sexually active.” Guttman shared advice about being safe while drinking that she said everyone knows already and hoped that students would “make informed and healthier choices.” LaRaun Clayton, an HIV Outreach Program Coordinator from the Free Medical Clinic of Greater Cleveland, hopes that everyone will get the message about “HIV and AIDS; it is real and it is affecting all populations.” The CAB event achieved the goal of getting more people to talk about sex, which is said to be the first step. There were also many students choosing to get tested. All organizations were teaching students how to be safe in their sexual exploits if they choose to have them. More information on safe sex can be found by contacting any of the organizations mentioned in this article. For free condoms, visit the CSU Health and Wellness Center.
The Match King By Reid May, The Cauldron Managing Editor
On Wednesday, March 10, the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law held a forum in the Moot Court Room with Frank Partnoy, professor of law and finance at the University of San Diego School of Law. Partnoy came to discuss his book, “The Match King,” which examines the life of Swede Ivan Krueger. “Krueger is the Seabiscuit of financial markets,” Partnoy said, “because a whole generation forgot about him.” To people in the 1920s and 30s, forgetting about Krueger would have been akin to forgetting about Bernie Madoff today. In other words, unthinkable. Partnoy spent approximately 30 minutes examining Krueger’s life. Born to a modest coastal family, he was a mischievous child and always dreamed of becoming an industrial giant. In his early adult years, Krueger came to the United States with one hundred dollars from his father, to be used as a business start-up. After failing miserably, he returned home and began building European skyscrapers, becoming very wealthy on re-enforced concrete patents. After his finances took off, Krueger bough up match factories throughout Europe and then convinced stateside investors to buy his stock so that he could lend to struggling governments in post-world war Europe, creating a monopoly. It worked and investments soared. Partnoy also compared the success of International Match to modern companies, calling them the model for modern success. Even more comparable are the returns of Krueger securities in the span from 1923 to 1930 and those of Madoff from 1993 to 2000, both around ten percent each year.
“Solid, steady returns make investments go crazy,” said Partnoy, explaining why Krueger’s securities firms were the most successful in the world and continued to be consistent during the early depression years. Only when Krueger died unexpectedly in 1932 did his securities begin to tumble. “Krueger’s death led to the spawn of securities laws,” said Partnoy, pointing to the anti-fraud laws and disclosure laws put in place in 1933 and 1934. This pattern compares well to the modern era’s recession pattern, which began in 2008 and has followed a similar three-year pattern. Partnoy compares the two recessions as follows: a crash in year one, a market increase of about 65 percent in year two, lack of public concern in year three, the begins of reform in year four and, for the 1929 crash, reform success in year five. Partnoy is not yet sure what to expect from the 2008 crash after the fourth year. The recent downfall of Madoff could have been the start of new regulations, said Partnoy, but it was not the same impact force as the downfall of Krueger securities. Instead, Partnoy estimates that it would take the fall of someone along the lines of Warren Buffet—a major, trustworthy investor—and public fraud implications to reform the market. While Partnoy feels that the current recession may follow the five-year path, similar reform and regulation may be farther away because of the challenges of criminal prosecution of fraudulent corporations. Most attempts only lead to acquittal. “No one in Washington wants to touch these issues,” said Partnoy. “There is four hundred million going to Wall Street in lobbying and campaign interests each year.”
Page seven / Monday, March 22, 2010
Weekly Events Calendar By Alexes Spencer, The Cauldron News Editor
3/23
Open forum with the Dean of Students. Noon. MC 134.
3/24
<< “Eliminate Your Fear of Public Speaking” Leadership Roundtable. 3-4 p.m. MC 103. SAVE presents “Health Concerns Related to Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations” w/ attorney John Sproat. 4:30-6 p.m. BU 302. Free Pizza. “Feeding Cleveland” Illustrated Presentation and Special Demonstration. 1:30-2:30 p.m. on the 1st floor of the library.
3/25
Hey! Don’t see your event here? E-mail cauldroneditors@gmail to ensure that your group or organization’s next event is added to the calendar.
Historical and Language Arts Lesson in “The Color Purple” w/ Linda Price. 1 p.m. MC 135.
3/27
Urban Community Forum in CE 102. 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. GLASA’s “Feed the Gays” Art & Silent Auction Scholarship Fundraiser at Bounce/ Union Station. Cost $5. 5-10 p.m.
3/26
Planning Law Seminar: “Legal Implications of Zoning Decisions for Smart Planning and Development” in the college of Urban Affairs’ Roberta Steinbacher Atrium at noon. Government Career Day in Woodling Gym from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. including information on government jobs in Ohio and the Federal hiring process.
8
March 22, 2010
Photo Spotlight: Chilli Cook-Off Photography by Lisa Sanchez & Jonathan “Killstring” Herzberger, The Cauldron Staff Writer & A&E Editor
Advertisement
The Cauldron Weekly in
***
• New Artists Reviews • Concert reviews • Album Reviews
Page ten / Monday, March 22, 2010 While some were sleeping all day and others were partying all night, some CSU students were spending the week doing neither of those things. They were helping others and making the world even just a little bit better. While much fun occurred throughout the week, it was all of the sober form, and often resulted in providing help for those in need. Viking Expeditions offers alternative spring, winter, and even summer break trips for students who want to change the world for the better.
What Did You Do For Spring Break? Viking Expeditions: An Alternative Spring Break By Samantha Shunk and Reid May, The Cauldron Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor
Nashville, Tennessee Twenty-four CSU students chose to spend their spring break on a service learning trip in Nashville, Tennessee. This time was spent volunteering at locaions that assist the homeless and hungry population of the city, such as soup kitchens, food distributors, churches, and community organizations. These students met many people that destroyed some of their stereotypes of homelessness. They did whatever manual labor was required of them to help those who help the homeless and hungry including moving donated items, painting, tilling a garden, and a lot of cleaning. Many cities get rid of their homeless by buying them a one way bus ticket to Nashville, so the students were able to help people from all over the country while working in Nashville. Some of the people helped throughly enjoyed the city while others wanted to go home so badly, but the vast majority claimed that Nashville has treated them better than any other city. Most of the trip participants claim that the trip was a truly enriching experience. Maybe next year you will choose an alternative spring break trip with Viking Expeditions.
Jacksonville, Florida
This year for spring break, eleven students took a service trip to Jacksonville, Florida with Viking Expeditions. There, trip participants participated in a week of construction-related service with HabiJax, the Jacksonville chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Throughout that week work was performed on a number of homes that are part of HabiJax’s plan to “eliminate substandard housing.” One of those homes was a remodel; an older HabiJax build (circa the 1990s) whose owner had been unable to make payments. Per HabiJax’s agreements, they bought back, will repair and re-sell the home. The project focused on re-siding the home and installing new windows in place of those that had been broken or were deemed insufficient. The student-workers learned the intricacies of siding installation, including how to measure, cut and hang each piece. The other focus of the construction-related service was the “Paris Villages” HabiJax project, located on Paris Avenue in Jacksonville. This cul-de-sac street has 14 brand new HabiJax homes in process and is scheduled to be completed by May 31, 2010. Members of Viking Expeditions spent Wednesday, Thursday and Friday siding and painting three of the homes on the site, working side by side with subcontractors and other AmeriCorps members. Trip participants were also able sight-see on their trip, visiting St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest city in the United States. They spent some time in the evening and during the day on Monday at nearby beaches.
12
Arts&Entertainment Monday, March 22, 2010
Noise Inspectors New Reviews From The Boy With The Boot By Jon Conley, The Cauldron Staff Writer
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Beat The Devil’s Tattoo Dear boys in BRMC, The title of your new album reminds me of the “beat the beats” thing from Jersey Shore. The first song on this album kills it and then you promptly fall off. I would’ve taken one from Costanza and left on a high note. I would be much happier if this were just a single with no following music. On a completely related note, I can’t believe this is your sixth studio album. That’s a lot of time and money wasted on boring, no-depth commercialized “stoner” rock. Way to jam 4 cool words together to grab attention to your band name.
from a gimmick cartoon band into a collective of sorts. You are pushing some musical boundaries; so good for y’all. Overall a well-thought out and honest effort, just not quite consistent enough. The high points of the album come in star power – Mos Def, Bobby Womack, Lou Reed, and Snoop just to name a few. However, I do think that Lou Reed was underused and I’m curious: How much weed did it take Snoop to be down with rapping about pollution and not himself? Just meddling.
Gil Scott-Heron I’m New Here Dear Mr. Scott-Heron, This album is awesome. You still rule and your words drop bombs like this was Hiroshima. Between you and producer Richard Russell, you have established a platform of relevant legitimacy for your words. Your poetry is heart wrenching and the whole album has a fresh Tom Waits vibe. Power is conveyed in every track. The music is completely raw and honest, lending to the compelling vox; bottomed out percussion and guitars that bleed blues without your standard 12 bars. A few words of wisdom from you I would like to pass on: “Being blessed is not just being able to float on air, I’m saying if you’ve gotta pay for things you’ve done wrong, uh…I’ve got a big bill coming at the end of the day.” “It’s always easy to forecast other’s doom.” This could be one of the greatest albums of the coming decade – almost flawless. You have established yourself as a great American poet, which is no small feat when you’re still alive. Only retrospect reveals timelessness, but you’ve been lucky enough to make yourself a living classic.
6.9 out of 10 boots Forever yours in eggs and pollution, boywiththeboot
9.2 out of 10 boots Time well spent, boywiththeboot
5.4 out of 10 boots Sincerely, boywiththeboot
Gorillaz Plastic Beach Dear Gorillaz, You have received much critical laud over your newest effort. People are cooing over Damon’s postBlur growth into a legitimate song writer. I also see that this isn’t a fun pop-hop album. This is very serious composition with big-boy themes, I just don’t buy it completely. The tracks themselves lose a lot of gravity at certain transitions and most of those changes aren’t split up enough. I felt like I was running an important marathon, like a cure for something, but none of the scenery was changing and my motivation started slipping. I really appreciate all of your attitudes in turning this
The Knife Tomorrow, in a Year Dear Knife, Although your newest effort is an uber-modern opera based on Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species”, it reviews more like the theory of relativity. If the album were on the moon, it would make no sense to me from the earth. That is to say, you have been a remarkably successful avantgarde pop band in the past, and this album makes no sense to today’s pop fan. But if you are already stationed on the moon, this album could overtake you. A fan of mind-lifting and genrebending work, or a fan of operatic workings, could read your Tomorrow as genius. Within these constraints though, it’s all a little hard to tell. The organic environmental noises recorded in the amazon can be taken as annoying filler or can lend to a stark experience. This album can play out two ways, and we
are left to our own environments to decide how to swallow. You have made an album that is not for anyone who exerts little patience, and is even difficult for those who are fans of traditional melodic aria’s. Unfortunately, I don’t see this debate being settled in your lifetime. Ever since your conception as a group, you have shunned mainstream anything and have pushed any limits of music. You have been in refusal to be received by the public, and Tomorrow, in a Year lends itself to that demographic. You’re most ambitious work yet and it deserves an applause – but you must open your mind and sit on your hands for 90 odd minutes before you clap. 7 out of 10 boots Patiently, boywiththeboot
Monday, March 22, 2010 / Page thriteen
The Cleveland International Film Festival
Closer than Cannes, Cheaper than Cinemark
By Jonathan “Killstring” Herzberger, The Cauldron A&E Editor One should be careful in writing titles – if your and mind-blowing works covering the gamut from header is dull, nobody reads the article. If it’s brilliant, sentient and noble voodoo dolls, to a man refusing to they might not need to read the article. This article turn his back on his wife just because she’s a zombie, is one such example. In regards to the Cleveland to underworld crime fables, examinations of trust, International Film Festival, what you really need to hope, and films titled “The Action Hero’s Guide to know is as follows: Saving Lives” and “Dracula’s Daughters Vs. Space A: You’re staring at a cornucopia of indie, foreign, Brains” - the latter being endorsed by Adam Savage and otherwise quirky films that most people can’t get of Mythbusters fame, starring Neil Patrick Harris, and outside of the Cannes or Sundance film festivals. shot in Cleveland – frankly, if that doesn’t sound just a B: Tickets will run you less than a showing of little bit awesome to you, I don’t know if we can still “She’s out of My League,” assuming you got popcorn. be friends. Lord knows why you’d see a popcorn flick and not get And you definitely want to stay my friend. I’ve just popcorn, but this is beside the point. Ten bucks for come into a large quantity of girl scout cookies, more students. than I could possibly eat by myself. Just saying. Thanks for reading! For the rest of us who’d like a Now that our bonds of eternal friendship have been touch more information, thanks for, um, continuing to reaffirmed through bribery the author couldn’t possibly read? Yes. That. Anyway, this is going to be the 34th back up, you might be wondering just what you’ll see such festival, and the goings-on will primarily take place with your remaining free time. After all, there are a at Tower City Cinema, which is about fifteen minutes lot of films being shown – around 300, if you count walking straight west from campus at a leisurely pace; the short films, (which I do) and about half that if you or one could just as easily catch a healthline bus, they don’t (which means no Thin Mints for you). This is all stop at Tower City Center. Regradless, the event understandably more cinema than most people would might as well be taking place on-campus. ever want to sort through; myself included. Lucky Segue! that we’re such good friends. In some cases, the title Since CSU is one of the main sponsors, flashing alone is enough to let you know if you’ll like it; The that Viking ID around will catch you a fierce discount, Big Gay Musical springs to mind; if you don’t know thus removing your last remaining obstacle to bathing what to expect from that film, you are beyond my help. yourself in pure, unfiltered, cinematic victory. Friday Anyway, be sure to check out the following: night’s Midnight Shorts #1 (which is itself a filthy De père en flic (Fathers And Guns) batch of lies, considering that the film started rolling In French, with subtitles. What do you get when around 11:30 p.m.) contained such alternately beautiful you pair a celebrated actor with a stand-up comic, in
Pixel Perfect
Brütal Legend, or The Power Of The Umlaut By Justin Brenis, The Cauldron Copy Editor I don’t know about you, but I already miss Conan O’Brien. Personally, I think he’s ultimately much funnier than Jay Leno. Now, I’m sure you’re wondering what a 6’4” Irish-Catholic comedian has to do with the heavy metal tribute that is Brütal Legend, but bare with me, I’m getting there. On Conan’s show he used to do a segment called “If They Mated” that was always funny as he’d mash together the faces of celebrities to discover the monstrosities that could be their children if they ever got down and dirty. Playing through Brütal Legend I kept on feeling like what I was playing is what you’d get if Guitar Hero 3 and Jack Black had a lovechild. Now be assured, dear reader, I rarely think of Jack Black’s mating habits. However I assume that Tim Schafer, highly-renowned game designer known for such classics as the first two Monkey Island games, must have, seeing as Brütal Legend may as well be his and Black’s love letter to the music genre. With that being said, please note you are going to see a lot of 4s throughout this review, mostly because after playing the game I can’t seem to get my hand to stop doing that. The game begins with Eddie Riggs, roadieextraordinaire, (basically Jack Black if he grew his hair
and picked up an anabolic steroid habit) showing off his skills and just generally being awesome. Unfortunately he feels trapped within the current state of metal music, feeling like he was born in the wrong time, a time where heavy metal has become way to emo to really be considered 4RAWK4. Just then one of the band members fails a risky stunt and, in an attempt to save his life, Eddie is crushed by his own set, bleeding into the monstrous mouth of the belt buckle he is wearing. This awakens Ormagoden, “the Cremator of the Sky, the Destroyer of the Ancient world, the Lord of all things Brütal” 4 who proceeds to murder the entire band, lift Eddie up and transport him to an alternate universe where rock is everything and everything is 4. Honestly, this game has a ton of things going for it. Firstly, Schafer’s idea of casting Jack Black as the main voice actor was without a doubt the perfect fit. In fact I sort of forgot about the whole “Eddie Riggs” persona and basically felt like I was playing as Jack Black the whole time. But Black isn’t the only big-ticket 4 in the game, joining him are Kyle Gass (his Tenacious D partner), Tim Curry as Doviculous, Ozzy Osbourne as The Guardian of Metal, Rob Halford (from Judas Priest) as General Lionwhyte/The Baron, and comedian Brian Posehn as The Hunter, just to name a few. If that doesn’t give you an idea of the type of game Brütal Legend is, than I don’t know what will. The game is a generally fun spin on your typical hack-4-slash adventure, despite its hidden Real Time Strategy (RTS) features. It even manages to mix up the typical system of linear pseudo-sandboxing by giving you side-quests that are nothing like anything you’ve ever been asked to do before. In one mission I was doing a beer run and in
a buddy cop film about two snarky undercover cops who hate each other, going to a father-son retreat? Hopefully, something awesome. Find out for yourself, before the Hollywood remake hits, sucking all the life, joy, and quirk out of what looks to be a gem of a film. Fire In the Heartland: Kent State, May 4th, and Student Protest in America In English, presumably without subtitles. How much do you know about what happened at Kent State? How related was this to DEVO? As far as documentaries go, this promises to be intense, compelling, and about something at least tangentially related to your region, and life in general. The Good Heart Also in English, but made in Denmark. The teenage kid from Little Miss Sunshine – by which I mean Paul Dano – plays a homeless guy living under a bridge, who’s sole friend is a fluffy white kitten. Brian Cox plays a bitter old man who owns a bar. They both wind up in the same hospital, and at some point, there’s a girl. Hijinks ensue. Do It Again The story of one man – Boston Globe Journalist Geoff Edgers – and his quest to get the Kinks to reunite for one final concert. Everybody from John Cusack to Yoko Ono gets involved, on this journey-is-the-destination trip through rock n’ roll history. And that is literally just the tip of this cinematic iceberg. Regardless of your preference in films, there’s something waiting for you at the CIFF. And you won’t even have to leave the country.
another I was acting as a wingman for a metalhead in my army who couldn’t get his 4on with this one girl because the bass players kept sweeping in and getting her attention. The last things worth commending Brütal Legend on is, much like Borderlands, its refusal to take itself seriously. The game starts off at the very beginning with Eddie having the opportunity to let loose a “Motherf44444” but right as it does the game freezes and warns you that, “in order to convey the true roadie experience to the player,” the game will sometimes need to use strong language but if you don’t want to hear it, they will gladly bleep it out for you. After that, you are given the option yet again to censor your experience when warned that there may also be need for, “some blood and gore, including…occasional beheadings whenever it is necessary for the plot, historical accuracy, or to look awesome.” It is moments like that, of which there are many, which made me laugh out loud during the game. Now, if you know me, no matter how much I may like a game, there is no such thing as perfection, and unfortunately Br4tal Legend makes no effort at trying to achieve it. Schafer and Black clearly wanted more out of this game than should ever be expected of one game. Both in developmental and plot elements, so much was crammed into the game that it made it feel cluttered and cramped as opposed to a flowing experience. If they had the budget, I would almost guess this could have made a better movie in the end rather than a video game. Hidden within its hack-and-slash gore fest were boss battles which completely changed the gameplay style on you, turning it from “press 4 to dismember” to a pure RTS experience that was both complicated and heavily Continued on Page 14
Page fourteen / Monday, March 22, 2010
Pixel Perfect
continued from Page 13 Courtesy: gallery.techarena.in
Concert Picks
By Alexes Spencer and Jonathan “Killstring” Herzberger, The Cauldron News and A&E Editors Broccoli Samurai! Now that I have your attention, welcome back, Concerteers! Over this break, your faithful Concert Commandos divided, so as to conquer. While Tex Spencer made her way back to the state that bears her name, Killstring assigned himself two simple
goals. First, to find the best burritos downtown. (Thank you, Pedros Pedros) Secondly, to find the best band name currently in use. So yes. Broccoli Samurai. Welcome back, Concerteers. Courtesy: wikimedia.org
flawed. Frequently I would forget the control scheme for these parts during the in-between segments of the game, and when I did remember them they would refuse to execute properly, landing me in retry land over and over again on the Normal difficulty setting. Even outside of the boss battles the control scheme got a bit heavy handed, seeing that Eddie’s signature weapon is his guitar, which, much like Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, is played to activate hidden areas and slay enemies. Unfortunately, unlike Zelda, the riffs must be played in real-time, which typically ends with Eddie getting hacked to bits while trying to pull up the riff menu, activate a riff, and then play it. The game also chooses not to provide gamers with any kind of Heads-Up Display (H4D) that would typically reveal you and your enemy’s health meters, and when driving across the vast map some kind of GPS feature. Instead, staying alive during battle is a very trial-anderror experience since you never know how much life you have left, and map travel is relegated to the blinkers on the back of “The Deuce” (Eddie’s car) which are nearly impossible to see, leaving you lost and checking the map every minute or so. Overall, after having spent a good month and half playing Mass Effect 2, and preparing to sit down and engage Final Fantasy XIII, it was really nice to sit down and play through a mindless and fun adventure game. It fulfills everything one could ask for, despite its setbacks, and doesn’t requite half the attention and effort that most games do nowadays. That being said I would say that while you may not have any problem finding a cheap used copy of this game, I would go the TRY IT route and rent it instead. It’ll only take about 20 hours to beat, and it lacks any serious replay value. Oh, and while I’m at it, I give Brütal Legend a 444 out of 44444.
Alexes’ Pick: 3/28 Carnifex at the Atticus Metal Tour II w/ Unearth & Stick to Your Guns @ Peabody’s
Killstring’s Pick: 3/23 That 1 Guy w/ Broccoli Samurai @ The Beachland Tavern
So, we here at the good ‘ol A&E section of The Cauldron were recently accused of only covering bands consisting of guys who wear makeup and their little sister’s pants. To the man who issued this statement (you know who you are), I issue you a challenge. Walk up to any Carnifex fan and tell them the band is nothing but whiny emo crap, and see if you keep your face. You won’t. After you’ve found a face donor, and gotten your new face attached, come back and accuse me of only writing about whiny emo music. (Disclaimer: The Cauldron does not condone the literal removal of people faces, but if you do remove a face, please send pictures to cauldroneditors@gmail.com Attn: Alexes.) With all that out of the way, Carnifex will be appearing at Peabody’s this Sunday as an opener for the Atticus Metal Tour II. Now, I only enjoy the particular type of music that Carnifex plays when I’m in a certain mood, typically the mood to rip someone’s face off. Grindcore, deathcore (or whatever you want to label your Carnifex CD when you get that fancy label maker you’ve always wanted) just isn’t a part of my everyday musical rotation. However, there’s something really fun about throwing up death hands, and the prospect of getting punched in the face that makes this sort of music in a live setting really appealing. So Sunday, grab $15, stuff your pockets full of bandaids, and enjoy. Oh, pre-scheduling an appointment at the ER of your choosing might also be a good idea.
BROCCOLI SAMURAI! Ahem. In addition to having an astonishingly fine moniker, Cleveland’s Broccoli Samurai dishes out some pretty funky instrumental synth jazz – definitely the sort of music one slowly nods their head to, bobbing understatedly in a low-key appreciation. Sort of the opposite of a Gorilla Biscuits show. But they’re not even the main draw here. Coming out of Berkley, the cat who calls himself “That 1 Guy” is quite possibly the strangest, and most high-tech oneman-band you will see in your lifetime. Playing an instrument – The Magic Pipe – that he invented himself, and consisting of a double-bass string, and more beatup electronic sensors than a fembot, T1G makes this beautiful, funky, captivating, spooky gothy orchestral techno. Think Blue Man Group meets Gene Wilder-era Willy Wonka, meets The Knife, meets Les Claypool, meets Frank Zappa... geh. You get the idea. The most astonishing part about this strange brew, is that it actually works. The music is good – even when he pulls out a musical saw, which is an accomplishment all on its own. Eight bucks. THIS IS WORTH EIGHT BUCKS. Just saying.
3/23 The Big Pink w/A Place to Bury Strangers, Hot Cha Cha @ Grog Shop, $12 3/24 Circa Survive @ Grog Shop, SOLD OUT (Somewhere, there’s a Mr. Johnson who can get you tix) 3/24 Critical Bill @ Peabody’s, $10 3/27 Exit Cleveland (CD Release) w/The Promise Hero, Erikson @ Grog Shop, $10 3/27 Lowly the Tree Ghost w/Bethesda, Christopher Black @ Grog Shop (After Exit Cleveland), $5 3/27 Driver Side Impact w/Victory in Numbers @ Beachland Tavern, $7 (4pm show) 3/27 Feed the Gays Scholarship Fundraiser w/ (CSU’s own) Cicada Sunrise, Noon, Liquor Box, and much more @ Bounce, $5 3/28 Jedi Mind Tricks w/R. Houde The Maker, Edotkom, Big O, DJ Jack Da Rippa @ Grog Shop, $13
Advertisement
Home City Ice Co. Wa l t o n H i l l s , O h .
Hiring for route delivery and packaging. 30 minutes from campus. Flexible scheduling around classes. Earn $8.00 to $14.00 per hour. Work Through school on into Summer. Call 800-376-5388 or visit: www.homecityice.com to apply online.
• New Artists Reviews • Concert reviews • Album Reviews
The Cauldron Weekly in
***
16
Sports
Monday, March 22, 2010
Congratulations to the Lady Vikings on winning the 2010 Horizon League Championship! From all of us at the cauldron, we staute you on a great 2009-10 basketball season. Our hopes and praises are with you on your road to a NCAA Championship. GO Vikes!
Baseball Returns To Cleveland State By Rob Ivory, The Cauldron Sports Editor
It’s officially spring and that can only mean that Vikings baseball team makes their home debut this the Wednesday in Avon, OH. Wednesday’s high will be around 59 degrees as the Vikings will unveil their new home for the 2010 season, All Pro Freight Stadium, twenty minutes west from downtown. The Vikes take on Eastern Michigan to open their first home stand of the 2010 season, as the Vikes will face their neighbors to the north, as the meet for the 16th time in the school’s history. Cleveland State has had a tough time in their first dozen games of the season, as the Vikings are currently 2-9 with wins in their opening game of the Tennessee Tech and Belmont series. The Vikes were postponed with George Washington earlier in the month, but are looking to start their home stand off right. After the Vikings take on Eastern Michigan, the Vikes face off with Case Western on Saturday at noon. To finish their home stand, they welcome Lake Erie College on Sunday this week. Last year, the Vikings beat Eastern Michigan 10-7 at home, and that was part of the Vikes winning six out of seven in the middle of their season. CSU also defeated Case twice by the scores of 13-1 and 12-4 on back-to-back days. It will be the first ever meeting between the Vikes and Lake Erie College. The Vikings have been sparked by senior catcher Kyle Shaffer, as he continues to be on top of the Horizon League stat sheet. Shaffer is third in the league with a .426 batting average, second in slugging percentage, .787, tied for third in hits (20), and second in RBIs (19). The big righty is producing better he could have ever imagined last year, as he batted .261, three homers, seven doubles, and 14 RBIs in 47 games played. Cleveland State still has awhile to wait for Horizon League competition to come to Cleveland as the Vikes will face Wright State in their next home stand (April 9 and 10). The Cauldron will be there for every pitch during the baseball and softball schedules, so keep logged onto Csucauldron.com.
Courtesy: Rob Ivory
Page seventeen / Monday, March 22, 2010
Cauldron’s Top Baseball Movies While we have the baseball theme going this week, The Cauldron wants you to check out these baseball movies while you are in the bullpen, warming up for the start of the season:
•
•
•
•
The Scout (1994) Albert Brooks goes to Mexico to scout…a young Brendan Fraser?!?!?! Funny movie about the life of a baseball scout, not to mention Fraser being treated like a baseball god in central Mexico.
•
For The Love of The Game (1999) Not in Kevin Costner’s top two baseball movies, but a good movie about an aging pitcher and the struggles of his life.
The Natural (1984) No movie is as good as this fictional tale of Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford). Hobbs is such a breathe of fresh air for the modern day athlete. Hobbs played for the pure love of the game.
•
Major League (1989) What could be better than a movie about the Indians in the 80s? So many great lines from this movie from great characters. “How about it Lou, managing in the Big Leagues?” “I don’t know, I’ve got a guy on the other line about some white walls.”
•
Mr. Baseball (1992) Tom Selleck goes to Japan… what could be better? A good look into how the game can be translated. Probably one of the best on this list.
The Pride of The Yankees (1942) Gary Cooper stars as Lou Gehrig. A great story of how this first generation American went from Columbia University to the star of the Bronx Bombers. Not to mention playing and keeping a secret his illness that would eventually take his life. Eight Men Out (1988) A serious, yet thought provoking movie about the 1919 ‘Black Sox.’ All-
Star cast relives the biggest scandal in Major League Baseball history.
•
Bull Durham (1988) Romantic comedy that happens to happen on a baseball diamond. Ranked by Sports Illustrated as the greatest sporting movies of all time.
•
Rookie of The Year (1993), The Sandlot (1993), and Angels in the Outfield (1994) Three great movies from our childhood. If you were a kid in the 90s, you saw these movies and loved them.
•
Field of Dreams (1989) Probably has the most memorable line of any movie, all-time. Actually a great story in the movie, but an even better battle between the two owners of the field in real life.
•
61* (2001) A VERY emotional and a great look into life of Mickey Mantle and his chase of the Babe. Directed by Billy Crystal, a fantastic tale of the M&M boys and the adversary they went through as teammates.
Courtesy: IMDB.com
Indians’ Choo Faces Different Challenge By Rob Ivory, The Cauldron Sports Editor
The biggest controversy coming into the 2010 baseball season for the Cleveland Indians is surprisingly not how new manager Manny Acta will bring the best out of his new club. It’s not even the Grady Sizemore moving out of the lead off spot. No, the biggest talking point about this year is the possible time that Indians’ rising South Korean star Shin-Soo Choo may have to miss significant time in his career to serve in the Korean military. The Cauldron took some time to find out what the slugger may face in the near future and why it is important to certain countries to implicate a mandatory military service policy in their respective nation. For that, we spoke to Cleveland State Assistant Professor and South Korean native Il Hyun Cho and tried to understand more about this situation. “Different countries have different military services that are law,” Dr. Cho said. “Right now, South Korea has this military service system. Every male at a certain age has to go for a physical exam, then they serve in the military. That’s your duty as a citizen of South Korea.” Dr. Cho has been through that exam and has served his military. After that, he was able to continue with his education, where he received a Ph.D. from Cornell University, as well as receiving many prestigious grants and awards from Cornell, Harvard, and Cleveland State. “There is no exception to the rules, except for some occasions,” the professor of Political Science said. “If you are not physically fit, you can be exempted. However, there are certain cases in which you enhance
your national prestige and pride. I believe there are some players that medaled in the Olympic Games, that they could be exempted.” That has been the major quagmire for those who need to serve their country. Taking two years out of any professional sport could damage their career. As for Choo, Dr. Cho said that this time right now that case is a hypothetical situation. Dr. Cho, but if the Indian does not serve the military, nor does he get an exemption, he could legal consequences since this is a law in South Korea. “That’s what any South Korean male has to think about,” the CSU Professor said. The United States does not have a mandatory service like South Korea and states are lucky to have different factors in their favor to remain that way. “Each country has their own military system depending on their own security situation,” Dr. Cho said. “Countries, like Israel, have even longer mandatory service. If you happen to have many people, like China who has a population of 1.3 billion, you may have a volunteer service. But, some other countries that have a smaller population and they feel that they are in a very dangerous security region.” Dr Cho, whose classes will include International Politics (PSC 231) and Causes of War (PSC 334) in the Fall, reminds us that the Koreas went to war in the 1950s and North Korea is still possibly developing nuclear weapons at this time. In addition, the DMZ (Korean Demilitarized Zone) is the most heavily
fortified military zone in the world. As pointed out earlier, Dr. Cho did serve in the Korean army as part of his service, but he does not know exactly where Shin-Soo Choo would go if he was to be deployed in the army. “I worked for regiment headquarters and I served a certain function for the South Korean military during the time period, but different military units have different functions,” he said. “I cannot generalize about what each member would do. Some will work on guarding the DMZ area and some will guard other borderland areas and some will work for logistics.” The other possibility for Choo is for him to play at the Asian Games in China in November. If the Koreans can win gold in baseball at those games, Choo would exempt form military service. This has also been a major issue for South Koreans in Major League Baseball, including the first even Korean in the bigs, Chan Ho Park. Park threw 220 innings in the ’98 MLB season, then helped lead the Koreans over Japan in the 1998 Asian Games and became exempt from military service. “I will root for (Choo) and hope that he will win the gold in the Asian Games and will be exempted,” Dr. Cho said. As for Choo, who turns 28 on July 13, he is only four homeruns shy of taking over the title of most homeruns by a South Korean in MLB history. Choo, who is chasing former Cubbie Hee-Seop Choi, leads in almost every offensive category from South Koreans.
Page eighteen / Monday, March 22, 2010
Sports Flashback From May 25, 1995 issue of The Cauldron
¡Viva Baseball!
CSU Celebrates The National Pastime By Rob Ivory, The Cauldron Sports Editor
The Black Studies Howard A. Mims African American Cultural Center welcomed Cleveland State students and sports fans alike into the world of American’s favorite sport during the Center’s celebration of Black History Month. The Center invited Cleveland State MBA student Gil Cody to speak about his travels to Latin America and to help the student body understand the unique journey of Latin American baseball players and their struggles to become a part of the game in America. Cody’s main theme of the day was “Bridges to Africa Celebration emphasizing the intersection between Hispanic/Latino and African American culture.” This was followed by the very informative and emotional documentary, ¡Viva Baseball! The documentary included the roots of the game in the Caribbean and why baseball was played over the ‘Spanish’ game of soccer. Think of it, playing the sport of the people that conquered the land and forced your grandparents into slavery. Also, it was a chance to become more ‘American,’ which was a liberating idea in the late 19th century to Latin America. As the documentary introduced the movement of dark skinned players from the leagues in Mexico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic in the late first half of the 20th century, the racism and tension that is usually associated with African Americans was present for those players who came from backgrounds south of the border. In 1947, there were only three Latin American players in the Major League, compared to today where MLB consist of 44% of players coming from Latin America. Baseball has also been in the middle of political tension between the United States and Latin America. When Castro took over the island nation of Cuba in the late 1950s, baseball players had to decide whether to stay in the nation and be with family, or make the jump and come to America, not knowing their future. But the struggles of those players throughout the ages goes much father that the average fan can imagine. Cuban and former Cleveland Indian Luis Tiant had to leave his parents behind in Cuba at the age of 19 and did not see them again until his parents were allowed to leave to see him pitch in the 1972 World Series, pitching for the Boston Red Sox, with over a decade from seeing his parents. Other players did have the weight of their nation on their shoulders. Consider, also former Cleveland Indian, “El Presidente” Dennis Martinez. The Nicaraguan pitched for the Baltimore Orioles in the late 1970s and had to worry about his family back home being alive as the entire nation was rocked by Revolution and thousands of people killed in his homeland, while he could do nothing from the United States. Even when America embraced their Latin American heroes, the media did not always connect to the players on the field. Considered one of the greatest Latin players, and one of the nicest human beings ever, Roberto Clemente was set up, possible unintentionally to look like a ‘dummy.’ As Americans and baseball go together, nicknames are a common part of the game. Many announcers called Roberto ‘Bob’ and did not think much of it. ‘Bob’ translates into nothing in Spanish, but ‘Bob’ can sound like ‘bobo,’ which means ‘idiot’ or ‘dummy’ in Roberto’s native tongue. The documentary wanted viewers to understand that even though the people can assimilate to the game and America, not always can Americans and the game assimilate to the Hispanic culture. But when Americans can appreciate the culture, much mania could follow. Take for instance Mexican Fernando Venezuela, who pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers when an influx of Mexican immigrants came to the Los Angeles area in the mid-’80s. With Fergie’s success and the crowd’s love of him, Fernadomania became a mainstay at Dodger Stadium. Truly, the pain, suffering, discrimination, and ethnic tensions suffered by those pioneers in the time of Jackie Robinson had paid off for those Hispanic players that now dominate the game today. The similarities between those two groups come in the humble backgrounds that they grew up in. Poverty was common and baseball had to be improvised as players would use broom sticks for bats, baseballs were made of golf balls wrapped in leather, corn, beans, and other means, and bases even made of ‘cow pies.’ The Black Studies program welcomed the ideas of those who attended the event and especially wanted names of great Latin American players to invite to Cleveland State for an event in the future, which would happen either in National Hispanic Month or Black History Month next year.
Monday, March 22, 2010 / Page fifteen
MLB 10 The Show
By Rob Ivory, The Cauldron Sports Editor
Ahhh….smell that freshly cut grass on the PS3…a true sign that spring is here. There is nothing better than watching these little digital guys with big hearts (thanks Vince Vaughn) take the field. That means that we are testing out Sony’s (SCE San Diego Studios) MLB 10 The Show, only on the PlayStation 3. You may have seen the commercials of TV with reigning American League MVP Joe Mauer, but does this version of The Show live up to the hype and moniker of being the ‘most realistic baseball game?’ On looks alone, yes, this is one the most beautiful visual sports games for the PS3, especially when playing it in wonderful HD. The players look realistic, the stadiums look like you are actually there and the cinematics are terrific. What Sony has done is tried to get the overall experience of the ballpark into your TV, and they have been very successful. Not only do the stadiums have the real sounds of the game, but they also have the little visual details of the real life ballpark. Imagine being at bat at Progressive Field here in Cleveland; you are intimidated by the 19-foot wall in left, but as you step into the box, you see people walking around on the walkway out in centerfield. That’s pretty cool, but all around the majors you can see those added features that make baseball stadiums unique. Take for instance, Petco Park in San Diego; 747s can be seen in the distance flying in low as they make their approach to San Diego International Airport. Not only do the stadiums have terrific detail, the players and the way they move throughout the game are almost as
one would expect them in real life. From the crinkles in the jerseys to the manager hanging on the top rail of the dugout, you can see that developers at SCE San Diego Studio were going all-in on perfecting this visual experience. Add in the plethora of batting stances you see throughout the game and you know that it took some time to get them down to perfection. Much like a real life telecast, the developers put replays in from a previous at-bat. So, if you hit a dinger in the third inning, while you stride to the plate in your next at bat, they will show the replay of the homerun, which is something new and well appreciated if you are going for authenticity. A key introduction to this year’s game is the role of the relief pitcher. Extra preparation is always needed in baseball and the addition of being able to throw warm up pitches after the manager has called a new pitcher in. Usually, after the manager has made his call to the bullpen at a critical part of the game, the first pitch you threw ended up 400ft away and you blew your lead. Now, you can take eight pitches to be acquainted with your reliever’s motion and now have an advantage. The bread and butter of The Show, however, is found in the mode that allows players to put their own spin on the game. The RPG ‘Road To The Show’ (RTTS) is a chance to put yourself into the action and play in the dirt. New to RTTS, players can now create their player as a catcher and actually call every pitch. In last year’s mode, if you were a catcher, you simply would be involved in a bunt and a pop fly once in every game. Now, every pitch is under your command and you are going to need to know what you are doing to be successful behind the plate. Also in RTTS, you
can now take batting practice before the game to finely tweak your batting stance. However, despite the praise and the terrific visual aspect of the game, there are flaws and bugs that are too obvious to forgive. Too many times the baseball ends up ten feet away from a player (especially in a throw home), but the ball seems to transport to well wide, and magically the catcher catches the ball. I started a new franchise with the Yankees, whose stadium looked phenomenal, and I struck out with the Yank’s newest acquisition, Curtis Granderson. Granderson has a reputation of being a fast player, but Boston catcher Victor Martinez froze when the ball went to the backstop. So Granderson kept running and running and ended with an inside-the-park homerun on a dropped strike three. The probability of that happening in real life is probably in the ‘one to couple trillion’ range (Editor’s Note: Especially the whole Victor Martinez freezing part). Free Agents like Johnny Damon (now on the Detroit Tigers) needed to be updated, but hopefully we will see that at the start of the real MLB season. Finally, the announcing does not have the greatest lines and is way too demeaning if you swing at a bad strike. The pitching needs to be tweaked, as the balls and strikes are not called right, a problem with most installments in The Show series, but I understand that in every game in real life balls are called strikes and vice versa. But overall, the gameplay and the sweet visuals make up for these ‘errors’ (yes, a baseball pun). MLB 10: The Show is the most realistic baseball game out there and therefore an absolute BUY IT title for any gamer that loves the national pastime.