The Cauldron T
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tuesday, february 16, 2010
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VOLUME 110 • Issue 5 | FREE
IN SPORTS, Page 18
Opening Ceremonies
By Jonathan “Killstring” Herzberger
IN A&E, Page 13
The Good, The Bad, and The Utterly Confusing:
Super Bowl Edition By Justin Brenis
IN SPORTS, Page 17
No Upset Special:
Vikings Drop to Bulldogs
Butler Stays Perfect In League By Robert Ivory
Cleveland state university
Softball & Baseball: The Cure for a CSU Basketball Hangover By Robert Ivory
csucauldron.com
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Page two / Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Contents Volume 110 • Issue 5 FEBRuary 16, 2010
The Melting Pot
03 For All The Wrong Reasons 04 IllumiNation: Rampant Representative retirements; High Court vacancy? 04 Toyota Recall: What are they doing?
News
CSU Softball and Baseball: The Cure for a CSU Basketball Hangover By Robert Ivory
07 Date Auction for Haiti a Great Success 07 Celebrating Black History Month 09 Weekly Events Calendar
Arts & Entertainment
12 Mass Effect 2 Kid Tested, “Assuredly: Elcor Approved.” 14 Now 14 C-Murda’s Calliope Click If Snoop Dogg Is Featured, It Has to Be Good 15 Concert Picks of the Week
Sports
16 “Olympic Hockey is Almost Here” 18 Opening Ceremony 19 Tribe Time: Spring Training 19 Sports Flashback
The Cauldron The Staff Editor-In-Chief Samantha Shunk
Managing Editor Reid May Advertising Manager Jayson Gerbec Copy Editor Kristen Mott Copy Editor Justin Brenis News Editor Alexes Spencer Arts & Entertainment Editor Jonathan D. Herzberger Sports Editor Rob Ivory Layout Editor Steve Thomas Business Manager Anne Werner Student Media & Web Specialist Daniel Lenhart Faculty Advisor Dr. Rodger Govea
Mission Statement
3 6 13 17
Opening Statements By Alexes Spencer Believe it or not, thousands, possibly millions (probably thousands) of American women have deluded themselves into thinking that tights are pants. This is unbelievably tragic, considering that tights are, in fact, not pants. In fact, tights should never be worn as pants (unless you’re in a Broadway musical, are participating in a Renaissance festival or are a superhero.)
The Tango: A Lesson in Abandonment By Samantha Shunk Last Friday at 7 p.m., members of the Cleveland State and Cleveland Latino communities gathered in Mather Mansion for the event entitled “Tango, the Dance of Love.” While many in attendance expected this to be a night filled with dancing and love as stated in the title, they were all about to learn something they did not expect.
The Good, The Bad, and The Utterly Confusing: Super Bowl Edition By Justin Brenis Yes, if you haven’t already guessed it is my esteemed pleasure to bring to you my review of this years Super Bowl Commercials. Now there were, according to Hulu.com 69 commercials that ran this year, and I have no intention of reviewing them all.
No Upset Special: Vikings Drop to Bulldogs Butler Stays Perfect In League By Robert Ivory Butler remains undefeated in the Horizon League and keeps their top 15 national ranking. “I thought our guys never quit, that was a positive. But we did not rebound well and when you do not rebound well, you have a chance to get beat.”
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.
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For advertising inquiries e-mail us at cauldronadvertisements@ hotmail.com or contact Jayson Gerbec at (216) 687-2270
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Tuesday, February 16, 2010 / Page Three
csucauldron.com
The Melting Pot
<< Toyota Recall: What are they doing?
In an earlier posting on Toyota.com, the company stated, “Why have we taken this 2 unprecedented action? Because it’s the right thing to do for our owners.”…Page 4
IllumiNation | Democrats hold a 255-to-178-seat advantage, meaning Republicans will need to pick up 40 votes to take back the chamber and split Congress. | Page 4
Opening Statements By Alexes Spencer, The Cauldron News Editor
Image courtesy of i7.photobucket.com
Reader, beware! You are about to read about a horrible plague sweeping its way across our nation, from sea to shining sea. The horror that befalls you below can never be unread. Proceed with caution. Believe it or not, thousands, possibly millions (probably thousands) of American women have deluded themselves into thinking that tights are pants. This is unbelievably tragic, considering that tights are, in fact, not pants. In fact, tights should never be worn as pants (unless you’re in a Broadway musical, are participating in a Renaissance festival or are a superhero.) The reason is, of course, that no one ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever….
…EVER needs to see that much of you. You might argue that the tights are completely covering your goodie bits, therefore no one is seeing that much of you. However, I beg to differ. I can see the entire outline of your body, and usually, I can tell what color underpants you have on, and that’s without really even looking. This means that anyone who IS looking isn’t having to imagine much. Now, ladies, if you’re a bit curvaceous, this problem is exacerbated. We all have body issues and we all have issues with other people’s bodies, some more than others. I most definitely have no interest in seeing every roll, crease, and imperfection in your lower half any more than I want to see my own when I check myself in the mirror in the morning. Note that this is something you should do, since you apparently thought you looked good in what you’re wearing. You too, skinny girl. Do any of you ladies remember a little thing called modesty? Some people still value it. You should consider valuing it also. And while we’re on the subject of what an unwholesome choice for bottom coverage tights are, we, and by we, I mean I, should bring up the fact that… IT’S FREAKIN’ WINTER! Now, I’ll admit that I’m from Texas, so I can’t walk outside without jeans over leggings or thermals, two pairs of socks, boots, a hoodie, a coat, arm warmers and gloves. But, even though I’m not used to the weather, I’m willing to bet that you’re Continued on Page 8
For All The Wrong Reasons By Paul Kahan, The Cauldron Staff Writer
“But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.” Matthew 6:3 (King James Bible) If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound? While I’ve always found that proverb quite the brain cruncher, I decided to come up with one of my own. If an earthquake destroys an entire country and no one is around to watch you help, is it still worth it? Harsh. How about, if a country is going through a civil war, with hundreds of casualties every day, and Angelina and Brad haven’t plucked a kid from that region yet, is it still important? Sounds ridiculous, but not unfathomable. We all know these people: the ones who never seem to care until everybody
else cares, the media, those uniform celebrities, Bono. Is there such a thing as a wrong motive when it comes to helping and charity? Now this isn’t just a focus on Haiti, nor is it an attempt to disregard the intense suffering currently happening across the ocean. But what I would like to know is, as far as we have come as human beings, how have we let our egos fly so out of whack that giving to charity and helping raise money for a cause has become the dog and pony show it is now? It’s inescapable. Every time somebody does a good deed, it is turned into a Facebook status. Time for praise! It becomes an excuse for reaction, but not always to the cause. The selfish need to play the part of the selfless-martyr has become a
poison that will not be easy to recover from. Actual Facebook Groups: “For every 100 people that join this group I will donate $1 to St. Jude,” “For every 100 people that join this group I will donate $2 for Darfur,” “If 1,000,000 join this group I will donate 2 paychecks to Haiti.” This isn’t helping, nor is it charity. Charity, on Dictionary.com, is defined as “generous actions or donations to aid the poor, ill, or helpless.” So, if these groups served their purpose and donated to the sick and the helpless in Haiti, what does the generosity lack? Perhaps that it’s not generous at all. If you want to donate your money, or time, then by all means, absolutely. But in the end, what these people are doing is Continued on Page 8
Page four / Tuesday, February 16, 2010
IllumiNation:
Rampant Representative retirements; High Court vacancy? By Reid May, The Cauldron Managing Editor A number of recent retirement announcements among members of the House of Representatives could make the impending mid-term election rather interesting for Republicans and Democrats alike. To date, according to CNN, eight House Democrats have announced their retirement and another five have decided to seek statewide office, rather than seek re-election. Likewise, six House Republicans are retiring this year and another 11 will make bids for statewide office— leaving a total of 30 seats open between the two parties. As only five states are past filing deadlines, many expect these numbers to grow. Some among the Republicans attribute high retirement numbers among Democrats to the expected competition in “swing” districts this fall. Either way, national polls indicate a tough battle for many incumbents right now, with as many as 56 percent of people saying they would rather elect someone new, instead of their incumbent, according to an ABC News/Washington Post survey. Currently, Democrats hold a 255-to-178-seat advantage, meaning Republicans will need to pick up 40 votes to take back the chamber and split Congress. Given the current legislative challenges and lack of satisfaction among constituents nationwide, neither party should consider themselves safe. As far as expectations go, interested followers should consider this a clear sign that partisan politics aside, no Americans are pleased with the current state of gridlock in Congress. Should either party wish to keep the good faith of typically reverent followers, a new attitude of cooperation would certainly be a good first step.
Murmurs around Washington indicate the possible retirement of Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens at the end of this year’s term, June 2010. Stevens, who turns 90 in April, has only hired one law clerk for the 2010 term, a move that can be indicative of retirement, according to CNN. Retiring justices are only allowed to hire one clerk, while returning justices hire as many as four. Were Stevens not to return, President Barack Obama would be presented his second opportunity in as many years to appoint a new justice to the court. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, nominated last year in replacement of former Justice David Souter, has typically received positive reviews. She is the first Hispanic to sit on the high court. Analysts—again, according to CNN—speculate a challenge for Obama if he attempts to nominate an extremely liberal justice, given the tension in national politics and the likelihood of a tumultuous midterm election looming in the near future. Many Senate Democrats may fear attaching themselves to a very liberal nominee, pending their re-election bids. For Obama, this spells trouble. The President would certainly like the opportunity to provide Democrats with an ideological stalwart—a liberal lion of the court, if you will—but will not be able to count any votes from the right if he attempts such action. In fact, he may not see any votes from the right regardless of the nominee, given the recent pattern in Congress. Most certainly, in the meantime, the White House will begin to examine their options should a vacancy indeed appear in the coming months.
? Image courtesy of blog.syracuse.com
Toyota Recall: What are they doing? By Samantha Shunk, The Cauldron Editor-in-Chief
Recently, Toyota Motor Corp. has been forced to institute a recall on many of their models due to a sticky accelerator pedal. Just a short time after this initial recall, another was issued for the 2010 Prius’ anti-lock brake system. Is Toyota trying to make quality, safe cars, or has the company just given up? According to an official statement, available on Toyota.com, “Toyota’s accelerator pedal recall is confined to the following Toyota Division vehicles: Certain 20092010 RAV4, Certain 2009-2010 Corolla, 2009-2010 Matrix, 2005-2010 Avalon, Certain 2007-2010 Camry, Certain 2010 Highlander, 2007-2010 Tundra, 2008-2010 Sequoia.” Certainly seems like a lot of cars made it through quality control without being properly checked. On Feb. 8, 2010, Toyota published another statement, saying, “Here’s the latest update on the recall: 1. We’re starting to send letters this weekend to owners involved in the recall to schedule an appointment at their dealer. 2. Dealerships have extended their hours - some of them working 24/7 - to fix your vehicle as quickly as possible. 3. Trained technicians have begun making repairs.” The statement continued, “We’ve halted production of these models this week to focus on fixing the problem for the vehicles that are on the road. Our entire organization of 172,000 North American employees and dealership personnel has been mobilized. We’re doubling our quality control efforts across the company. Ensuring
your safety is our highest priority. We will continue to update you with accurate and timely information about the status of the recall in the days and weeks ahead.” Although they claim to have sent out letters to owners, several persons with affected vehicles revealed to The Cauldron they had not been notified to bring their vehicles in for service. Resuming production on recalled vehicles—hopefully not until after the problem is solved—will only further delay the repairs for the drivers that need them. In an earlier posting on Toyota.com, the company stated, “Why have we taken this unprecedented action? Because it’s the right thing to do for our owners.” The right thing? It seems logical that the right thing to do would be not to have released cars to the public that were not rigorously tested by quality control experts. Apparently, that is just too logical for the Toyota Motor Corp. manufacturers. The question of why this is just now being discovered in cars released five years ago—such as the 2005 Avalon—weighs heavily on my mind. It seems like it has taken Toyota way too long to discover this problem in so many of their cars. Was there just one employee who was being lazy on the job and not making sure everything was up to par, or can it be blamed on a faulty machine? The public will probably never know for sure.
For all the drivers of these various models, I hope your notification for service arrives shortly. Not just for your sake, but for the sake of the Cleveland community. Everyone already has a rough time driving in the snowy, icy, and occasionally unplowed streets during these nasty winters. Malfunctioning cars is the last thing we all need to worry about while trying to get where we need to be in questionable weather.
Image courtesy of geognerd.files.wordpress.com
Page six / Tuesday, February 16, 2010
News
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<< Next week’s feature - Who is Dr. James Drnek by Managing Editor, Reid May
>>> Page 9 | Weekly Events Calendar | Hey! Don’t see your event here? E-mail cauldroneditors@gmail.com to ensure your club or group’s next event gets listed.
The Tango:
A Lesson in Abandonment By Samantha Shunk, The Cauldron Editor-in-Chief
Last Friday at 7 p.m., members of the Cleveland State and Cleveland Latino communities gathered in Mather Mansion for the event entitled “Tango, the Dance of Love.” While many in attendance expected this to be a night filled with dancing and love as stated in the title, they were all about to learn something they did not expect. The program was hosted by the Café Bellas Artes partnership between Cleveland State University and the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Coordinator of Multicultural Programs and Retention in the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, Roberto Chavez, said, “We’ve been collaborating with the Cleveland Museum of Art for around 10 years now with Café Bellas Artes.” The goal is “to provide culturally enriching programs such as the tango, to share with the Latino community art, culture, music, poetry, literature, and food, and most of the programs are bilingual in Spanish and English.” Sherrie Pallotta and Guillermo Pimentel-DeNovais Romero, instructors from Tango Rush, provided a history lesson in the lyrics of the Argentine Tango. It is commonly perceived that the music of Tango is of a happy variety; however, that changed over the years. Closely listening to the lyrics of the majority of Tango music will reveal the sense of sadness and abandonment present in the dance and music. The first Tango played was entitled “Mi Noche Triste” (My Sad Night) and was written by poet Pascual Contursi. The lyrics are full of melancholy and recollections about how the love of his life left him and broke his heart while he was still in his prime. Before this style of deeply emotional lyrics came into fashion around 1917 there were other comedic lyrics, and before the comedic lyrics there were no lyrics at all. It was Argentina and Uruguay that provided the most and best poets of the newer style of lyrics full of melancholy. Throughout the rest of the lesson, Sherrie and Guillermo spoke of three greatly influential Argentinean Tango dancers and musicians that all died in the first week of January this year. For each of these influential men, a candle had been lit before the program began, and after information was given about the men and a song was played relating to him and his candle was blown out. The first dance came following the telling of the life of the dancer Tete who died in his sleep at the age of 80 on Jan. 6. The song used to showcase the close embrace form of the Tango was entitled “Pedicito de Cielo” (Little Piece of Heaven). Sherrie and Guillermo danced to this song with much emotional impulse as Tete did and Guillermo demonstrated Tete’s characteristic style of lifting his arms while dancing as if he was lifting his wings. After the lesson in history, those interested learned the art and basic steps of the Tango dance. Sherrie and Guillermo, two of the premier Tango instructors in the area who have performed all over Cleveland, gave pointers and demonstrated with the dancers attempting to master the most basic aspects of the steps and style. Some songs were played that enabled the dancers to practice what they learned, but after less than an hour of dancing the floor had almost entirely cleared as most of the attendees made their way home or to a club for Latin dancing. Café Bellas Artes events, such as this one, take place every other month on the second Friday. Chavez said that the next event on “April 9 we will be over at the Cleveland Museum of Art.” The Cauldron will be there, will you? For more information, contact the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs at 216-687-9394.
Photography by Amy Gircsis
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 \ Page seven
Date Auction for Haiti a Great Success By: Lisa Sanchez, The Cauldron Contributing Writer
Image courtesy of z.about.com
With all the efforts to raise money for Haiti, some people may get burned out on bake sales and donations. Luckily, CAB thought of a way to draw a crowd to an entertaining display while simultaneously raising money for the Haiti relief fund. They managed this by auctioning off 19 eligible students to win a date with the highest bidder. This effort successfully raised over 500 dollars to donate to Haiti and managed to get people dates for Valentine’s Day. The students being auctioned off consisted of nine girls and 10 guys, comprised of members from fraternities, sororities, sports teams, including the Young People’s Initiative, Student Government Association and Latinos Unidos. There was a wide array of majors from accounting, to sociology, to computer engineering. Each student was given a brief bio summary before walking on stage and then had an opportunity to strut their stuff for the highest bidder. “You will get more than your money is worth,” stated many of the students being auctioned off. The event was very lively, thanks to the event MCs Zach Young and Shannelle Moon. These two introduced the person to be bid on and oversaw the raucous biddings of the crowd. At one point, bidding became so frenzied that Zach Young simply said “Alright, fine, call out
your own bids” in mock exasperation. The bidding was certainly fast-paced, but the MCs managed to keep up with the crowd. “I was nervous at first,” said Shannelle Moon, co-MC. “But it was really fun, it was a great event.” Those people who won a date with one of the auctioned off students also won free tickets to Cupid’s CABaret at Bricco’s Restaurant on Feb. 13, 2010 with their acquired date. Despite all the fun that was had at the event, it was still greatly effective at drawing attention to Haiti and raising money for the cause. “I thought it was something different and interesting,” explained Eric Vega, President of Latinos Unidos. “It was clearly effective, and fun to watch. Each person had their own swag when they came out on stage.” However, the event would not have been possible without the generous donation of time from all the CAB members and the people gracious enough to offer themselves as dates. Juan Flores, an auctioned off student, got some of the highest bids in the auction. “It made me feel really special that I got high bids, even though I was really nervous,” stated Juan. “I would definitely do it again. It was like my own little way of helping Haiti, and it was a great experience.”
Celebrating Black History Month By Kristen Mott, The Cauldron Copy Editor
February is Black History Month and Cleveland State has celebrated this fact by hosting a variety of events. With the month half way over, the College of Urban Affairs is continuing to plan events to bring awareness to the campus community. The Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs is hosting a two-part series discussing health disparities at the local and national level. Health disparities include areas such as racism, poverty, access to healthcare and location of doctors. The goal of the series is to bring professionals and recognized speakers to campus to connect with the students, discuss their future careers and show how they can work to reduce health disparities. The presentations will be held on Friday, Feb. 19 and Thursday, Feb. 25 in the atrium of the Urban Affairs Building. The first event will consist of a panel discussion from 1-3 p.m. followed by a networking reception from 3-4:30 p.m. The theme for the panel discussion is “Enhancing Collaboration” and will present local initiatives addressing health disparities. According to Kendra Daniel, the Project Coordinator of the College of Urban Affairs, the panel discussion will “give students and faculty the context of collaboration and health disparity research.” A light reception will follow which
will allow students to talk with each other and network. “Internship opportunities and future work opportunities will be available to the students as they continue on their research path at CSU,” said Daniel. The second event will feature a keynote speaker from 4-5:30 p.m. in a presentation entitled “Social Determinants of Health and Equity: the Impacts of Racism and Health.” The speaker will explore how health disparities develop and how racism can be a cause of racial and ethnic health disparities. “The presentation will bring home the idea that health disparities affect yourself, your health, your coworkers and the community,” added Daniel. Earlier in the day, a roundtable discussion will be held from noon – 1 p.m. focusing on health disparities and social determinants. As to why Urban Affairs is hosting this twopart series, Daniel commented, “It shows the value of collaboration between the academic community and community organizations around the topic of health disparities.” In addition to learning more about health disparities and racism, the first 30 students to attend will receive a $15 gift card to the CSU Bookstore. All events are free and open to the public. To RSVP contact Shayla Davis at 216-687-5105 or s.l.davis55@csuohio.edu.
Image courtesy of en.academic.ru
Page eight / Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Opening Statements image courtesy of juniperjames.files.wordpress.com
Continued from Page 3 darn cold in those miniscule scraps of fabric covering your calves and thighs. This probably stems from the fact that they aren‘t friggin’ pants! They’re not supposed to be pants. At no point in time did I get a memo informing me that undergarments are now overgarments. In fact, the very word “under” should be a big clue as to where your tights belong. So you, girl wearing tights as pants, are officially, from this point on, committing crimes against fashion, and probably against humanity. And in case you’re wondering, the punishment is 25 to life in five inch heels. You can never sit down or take them off. You decide if bunions are worth your incredibly poor choice in attire.
For All The Wrong Reasons Continued from Page 3 PAYING FOR ATTENTION AND RECOGNITION. And look at the cheap prices. “Darfur guy” pays two bucks for every 100 people who recognize how great and merciful he is. “St. Jude guy” is getting the same deal for half the price. But if you think “St. Jude guy” is making out like a bandit, lets take a look at “Mr. Haiti.” “If 1,000,000 people join this group I will donate two paychecks to Haiti.” Golly, if only the person running the group was a senior in high school. When he donates his two, 20-hour week paychecks from Quizno’s, he’ll be paying roughly 600 dollars. For every dollar he spends, with 1 million people recognizing his greatness, almost 1,700 people will have reaffirmed that this kid is the second coming. Why pay such attention to things like Facebook and Twitter? Well, I don’t know, maybe because it’s the voice of our generation. And for those who disagree, I’d like to suggest perhaps folding this paper into a cute little paper hat, because none of this information, or anything else in here, is relevant in your world. But to the rest of you, I’d rather see your Facebook status dealing with how depressed and miserable your life is than how great you are for texting “HAITI” to 90999. Congratulations, you can spell Haiti, now let’s hear about how terrible your day was, because at least I’m getting some sort of joy and entertainment out of hearing about your misfortunes, rather than listening to why you’re such a compassionate human being. It makes me want to vomit. There is nothing worse than making a mask out of a positive human trait and wearing it on a day that isn’t Halloween. Sometimes it feels like we always have to have the ‘hot charity,’ the ‘hot cause,’ the ‘hot sickness.’ On the menu of sadness and disorder, there has to be something we’re most concerned with for the moment. Cancer, Haiti, American Red Cross. As if the problems with the most coverage have suddenly become more important than every other cause. There are still cats being put down every day due to overpopulation, New Orleans has only recently stopped absolutely crawling with poverty (five years later, in our own country), and Darfur, remember Darfur? Yeah, the genocide is still happening. Have we forgotten? Or, has its awareness been worn out by newer, hotter topics as we search for some kind of false attempt at martyrdom. The more people I meet, the more it’s apparent that it is no longer all about the cause. The fact that some kids in school are forced to do community service in order to graduate is beginning to scare me. Look, I’m all for helping. I have causes I fight for and believe in, and I’m not going to write whether or not I donate to charity or do community service, because either answer would bastardize my entire point. But, if we start forcing and pressuring our kids to help causes they don’t believe in or care about, I think it may do more harm than good. They will look at helping with the same eyes we are examining it with now, bitter and resentful. Kids are stupid creatures, but I truly believe if we give them time to look at the world, and choose their own crusades, we can build a society that doesn’t see charity, consciousness and pitching in, as a requirement, but a privilege. This doesn’t have to leave our shoreline all the time. You can walk outside, perhaps fix a busted swing on your local playground at three in the morning, be a friend to a lonely someone, or go to a homeless shelter and leave them a 20 spot. It’s overwhelming how great our country has been in Haiti’s time of need. But maybe it’s time to stop waiting for someone to pat us on the head for praise and admiration. Maybe it’s time we all wandered in to those woods together, as quiet as that tree that didn’t make a sound, dust away the brush and dead limbs, and make the world feel true peace, one day at a time.
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Weekly Event Calendar
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 / Page nine
By Alexes Spencer, The Cauldron News Editor
tuesday 02/16
Disparities to Equity Series in MC 102 from 12-1 p.m.
thursday 02/18
Mardi Gras Bead Sale in MC Lobby from 10-2.
Reading and book signing with Rick Barot and Brian Teare. MC 134 at 7 p.m.
Rick Barot
wednesday 02/17
Leadership Roundtable: The Art of Delegation in MC 103 from 3-4 p.m. Student Organization Bake Off from 10-3 in the MC Atrium. Ash Wednesday Mass in Fenn Tower, 3rd floor from 12-1 p.m.
Brian Teare
Weeklong events Safer Sex Fest with GLASA in MC Lobby. 12-3 p.m. daily. Haiti Fundraiser in Business Building.
Hey! Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see your event here? E-mail cauldroneditors@gmail.com to ensure your groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s next event makes it into The Cauldron.
Do Everything Better Workshop: Reclaim Your Power - Help to break out of that helpless pace. MC 137 12-1 p.m.
Opening reception for enchanted India exhibit complete with South Indian food and instructions on traditional Indian dress. 12-2 p.m. in Art Gallery.
Cleveland state university
Softball & Baseball: The Cure for a CSU Basketball Hangover By Robert Ivory, The Cauldron Sports Editor
T
he time has come in the ‘season of dreams’ at Cleveland State to introduce our most popular Spring sports, women’s fastpitched softball and men’s baseball. The 2009-2010 season was especially nice to the softball team when they defeated the University of Illinois-Chicago Flames to get their first ever Horizon League title. “I think the returners that are coming back know what the expectations are and the freshmen that we recruited, they knew the expectations, they knew where this program is headed and where we are going to continue to go,” Cleveland State softball head coach Angie Nicholson said about her team’s approach to the upcoming season (which starts this week). “We know that our goal is to win the championship again and move on deeper into the (NCAA) Tournament this year,” the Cleveland State alum said of where the team is looking to go. “Everybody knew that coming in.” The team is looking to push farther into the NCAA Tournament and is riding the on the success that the team thrived on last year. Last year’s success started with the team’s core of talented players that combined to finish second in the Horizon League (behind the Flames) with a record of 17-5 in the league, but overall eclipsed 35 wins with a final record of 35-18. When asked what has been the consistent theme of the team since the coach joined the Vikings, Nicholson noted, “I just think our attitude and expectations. We try to go out every single day, be aggressive, expect to win and let the fundamentals take care of themselves. If we do what we are supposed to do, it will take care of itself. That’s what we do every game and every practice.” The Vikings can point their success to the best pitcher in the league -- maybe even the best pitcher in Ohio and the surrounding states. That is Brunswick’s own Amanda Macenko, who has been as dominant as any pitcher can be. Last year, the ace went 28-14 with a 2.57 ERA, struck out 267 and had six shutouts. In her career at Cleveland State, Amanda has put up numbers at an alarming rate. She has earned 80 victories, which includes her breaking the decade old record of the amount of wins in a single year of 26 in 2007, but she broke her own record last year as she added 28 wins to her impressive total. In total, Amanda has the most wins in Cleveland State history. Amanda also has struck out 693 batters in her career, giving her complete control of the stat leaders in the league considering nobody comes close to her explosive pitching formula. If Amanda can fan opposing hitters at the rate she has, she will eventually break Cleveland State’s all-time strikeout record, which would add to her already stellar career. She only needs 216. However, her coach knows that the best of Amanda has yet to be seen, which is a bit scary for opposing Horizon League batters. “Amanda, with it being her last year, is such a competitor and she is not satisfied with the way last year ended,” Nicholson said of her senior ace. “I believe that this will be her best year yet.” Cleveland State ended their magical season just two games short of meeting the Michigan Wolverines in the Ann Arbor Regional of the 2009 NCAA Softball Championship. To get the Vikings ready for that time in the upcoming year, the staff has attempted to get the absolute best non-Horizon League schedule together that they could. “I thought last year’s schedule was tough, this schedule this year is I think the toughest, ever,” the coach said. “We are plying a lot of schools that are going to the tournament, which is really nice to see.” The Vikings are killing to get into their schedule as they play teams that
Anthony Sambula (31)
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finished not only in the tournament, but also finished with an impressive RPI in the nation. The Vikes get things started February 19th, when they take on Weber State and Bradley in the Troy Cox Invitational in Las Cruces, NM. The highlight of the weekend is when they take on Tennessee and New Mexico St. on Sunday. The Vols finished last year ranked 12th in the nation and are scheduled to continue that trend this year. They continue the year with superior teams in the country that made it to the tournament. Those teams include Tennessee, Sacred Heart (Feb 26th), Jacksonville St. (Mar 12th), Boston University (Mar 13th), and Notre Dame (Apr 15th). “We have to do that to prepare ourselves for the end of the season. We don’t play a tough schedule, I will not be satisfied going along and whooping teams, I want to play and to be tested every game. It’s going to show us what to expect at the end of the season.” When the Vikings finally do get to the Horizon League, they will have the highest of expectations as they have been picked to win overall. Out of the nine total picks, the Vikings received seven of those nine, as the coaches were not allowed to pick their own team. On the other diamond, the men’s baseball team will be looking to rebound from their 12-13 Horizon League record from a year ago. The Vikings have much to build around in 2010, as head coach Kevin Kocks enters his fourth-year as head coach of a program he is trying to turnaround, like most CSU sports have already done. The team will be ready to go when they start their season this weekend in North Carolina. Trips to Tennessee, Virginia, the nation’s capitol, and back to Tennessee will be their escape from the infamous Cleveland spring. Opening Day for the team will be slated for March 24 when they take on Eastern Michigan. Noon games against Case Western and Lake Erie College will highlight their first home series on March 27th and 28th. The Vikings then hit the road again, but they will start their Horizon League play April 9 when they meet the Wright State Raiders. The Vikings will be a young team that only has two seniors on their roster: lefty pitcher Jimmy Cowhy and catcher Kyle Schaffer. Schaffer last year batted .261 with 23 runs scored, 14 RBIs, and seven doubles. As a young team, one of their best producers last year was then freshman first baseman Tyler Wynn. Wynn was named to the Horizon League All-newcomer team as he hit .303 with 11 home runs, five doubles, and 35 RBIs. But the team may be thinking about the near future while they look for a place in downtown Cleveland. In an interview with Buckeye Baseball, Kocks welcomes his challenge of changing the baseball team for the better. “When I first arrived at CSU the image of the program in the community was very negative, so the first step was to change that,” he said in the interview. The baseball team is trying to continue the trend in Cleveland State sports as they try to take the team to a higher and competitive level. However, the first order of business is for the team to become a part of the Cleveland State campus. The Vikings have been unable to get the intimacy that other sports are blessed to have. Currently, the Vikes play their ‘home’ games at All Pro Freight Stadium in Lorain, OH. The stadium currently houses both the Cleveland State University baseball team and the Lake Erie Crushers of the Frontier League. The main goal for Kocks and the staff in the athletic department is to bring their team home and have them play on campus. “We are working hard to get a baseball field here on
Photography By Robert Ivory
Ryan Franks (34)
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Lia Gordon (1)
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Amanda Macenko (42)
campus,” Director of Athletics Lee Reed said. “Right now we are playing our games on the west side of Cleveland and that is unacceptable for a Division I program. That’s not a good experience for our student athletes or our coaches.” Reed also ensured that the community is behind this mood, “The entire University, from the President on down, we are all committed to getting a baseball field to downtown Cleveland.” Many coaches cannot even start to wonder what life would be like without a home away from home. “I can’t even imagine what it would be like off of campus,” coach Nicholson said. “You put in so many hours on campus, I can’t image the commute to somewhere and back, loading up and unloading the equipment. That just takes a toll on you. My girls are tired enough; I can’t imagine having to do that.”
We have to do that to prepare ourselves for the end of the season. We don’t play a tough schedule, I will not be satisfied going along and whooping teams, I want to play and to be tested every game. >>
”
- Angie Nicholson, Cleveland State Softball head coach
Both these teams are looking forward to get their season underway, yet they will play under the umbrella of the basketball programs until mid to late March. By then students are worried about getting to the end of the school year, so the question is valid, are softball and baseball the hangover cure to basketball? Can these two programs succeed with fans if there is a rush to end the year? If one thing is certain, coach Nicholson is certainly aware that they have the student population rooting for them. Nicholson said, “I feel a lot of support around here, the athletic department as a whole looks forward to having softball season starting. I do believe the athletes feel the same way. Nobody wants to come out when it’s 30 or 40 degrees out, I understand that.”
Page twelve / Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Arts & Entertainment
csucauldron.com
Concert Picks of the Week.……Page 15
***Now | Dark Tranquility is set to release their ninth studio album, We Are The Void, March 1st. The best way to catch this important, historical band, is to see them live | Page 14 Image courtesy of na.llnet.bioware.cdn.ea.com
, stedy: e T Kid uredl “Assor Elc roved.” App
Mass Effect 2 By Justin Brenis The Cauldron Copy Editor
Okay folks, you’ve been waiting patiently and I’ve been busting my butt trying to make it happen, so no witty, nostalgic waxings this week. Much like the beginning of BioWare’s newest masterpiece I’m going to get straight down to business... It doesn’t take me saying it to know that Mass Effect 2 (ME2) is a very vast game that could take me pages to review if I’m not careful. Therefore, I’m going to break this review down into the core sections and try to keep it concise (heh, yah...right). Storyline: Obviously the core of pretty much any BioWare game, the storyline takes a front seat to the action in ME2. Shepard has just finished saving the galaxy from Sovereign the Reaper and the Council still refuses to acknowledge their existence. Instead they have sent Shepard and the rag-tag crew of the SSV Normandy on various missions seeking out Geth interference and ordering them to pull the plug on the flashlight headed bastards. The crew is cruising through a conflict-free zone when suddenly BAM! an unidentified enemy ship appears and basically opens up the Normandy’s hull like a can of sardines, sending its crew fleeing in escape pods...and that’s just the first five minutes of the game. As you can see, from the get go, you’re in for a ride. The rest of the game however proceeds at a different pace, which isn’t a bad thing. If you are more action-oriented you can immediately jump into your next objective and proceed to save the galaxy shoot’em-up style. Alternatively, your other choice is to take the time to research and investigate throughout the galaxy and play through the game much like one would a “Choose Your Own Adventure” novel. Granted, even the action-oriented will have to do this to some degree, but I think taking the extra time really makes the entire experience much more enjoyable. If anything BioWare deserves a HUGE amount of credit for the galaxy they created in the first game and even more credit for successfully maintaining and extending it in this one. Gameplay: Outside a few obvious changes the overall gameplay this time around is improved, but isn’t terribly different. The first main change is the absence of overheating weaponry. In ME2 you must find ‘thermal clips’ that eject from your gun every time it overheats…so basically, it’s ammo, and when it runs out (which it inevitably will until you get the hang of it), it can be tricky to find more. Enemies who shoot thermal weaponry will drop clips for you to pick up, but as you progress through the game you find less and less of these types of enemies. Had they added the ammo, but allowed the weapon to continue to be used while running a greater risk of overheating after you run out, it would have made for a better system, in my opinion. The second major change in gameplay involves BioWare doing away with the messy inventory and upgrade systems. This time around you scan planets for minerals instead (in one of the most tediously fun minigames ever) and use the minerals to build permanent upgrades for you and your teammates. This scanning also takes place on board your ship, so that means no more Mako, folks. Side missions are also very nicely varied. The first game suffered terribly from
identical dungeon syndrome, but this time around BioWare seriously varied it up. The side quests do not always involving fighting, but involve everything from exploring derelict ships, to stopping rogue AI, a couple thought provoking puzzles, and even a mission that was a bit of an homage to the TV sensation LOST (but I’ll leave finding that one up to you). The only change that gave me any serious grief was the tweaking done concerning how Shepard seeks cover during battles. The controls for seeking and vaulting over cover are nearly identical and some times not terribly responsive. On more than one occasion I found myself doing one when wanting to do the other and dying because of it. Graphics: Holy freakin’ Batarians, Batman! This game is basically sex for your eyes… assuming you play it on a HD television. The characters are very realistic, the environments are astounding, even the lip syncing is spot on. Unfortunately standard def TV users are a bit out of luck. Not only does the game play purely in widescreen, but also one of the minigames basically requires Hi-Def to complete, otherwise the text is far too small and the colors do not correspond the way they should. When BioWare was confronted with this their response was something along the lines of “We can’t fix this, we’ll know better next time.” I find this to be sort of an unacceptable assumption on BioWare’s part, as not everyone can afford an HDTV, but it does make me glad I dropped $600 on one a few years ago. Miscellaneous: A new addition to the ME universe is the Cerberus Network. If you buy your game new you’ll find a membership card/code inside to gain free membership to this network of frequently (so far) updated free DLC for the game. BioWare has also released a downloadable membership via the Xbox Live Marketplace for people who eventually buy the game used, it’s a bit pricey at 1200 Microsoft Points (roughly $15.00) but so far armor, gun, and character updates have been very helpful, with more to come. The last thing I want to make mention of is the astounding cast BioWare has put together. While ME1 had the amazing voice talents of Seth Green and Keith David, ME2 brings them back and puts them in good company. Joining the cast are Martin Sheen as the Illusive Man, Adam Baldwin as Kal’Reegar, Tricia Helfer as EDI, Yvonne Strahovski (of Chuck fame) as Miranda, and Michael Dorn (yes, Worf from Star Trek:TNG) as Gatatog Uvenek–needless to say, all awesome additions to an already awesome game. Overall: Mass Effect 2, despite its one unforgiveable graphical flaw, is, without a doubt a go out and BUY IT title, whether or not you’ve played the first game. If you haven’t it may even encourage you to, either before or after you’ve finished it.
Courtesy: towleroad.com, dispatch.com, www2.tbo.com, idolator.com, cbsnews.com, starpulse.com, giftsandfreeadvice.com
The Good, The Bad, and The Utterly Confusing: Super Bowl Edition
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 / Page thirteen
By Justin Brenis The Cauldron Copy Editor
Yes, if you haven’t already guessed it is my esteemed pleasure to bring to you my review of this years Super Bowl Commercials. Now there were, according to Hulu.com 69 commercials that ran this year, and I have no intention of reviewing them all, so what I did was I sought out the five best commercials in three different categories: Best, Worst and Whaaat (aka why is this a commercial)? In each category I will list the five I think deserve to be there, but of course, feel free to disagree. So without further ado, I bring you this year’s “Best, Worst, and Whaaat? Awards” for the Super Bowl XLIV commercials! The Best: 5. Hyundai – Ten Years (ft. Brett Farve) Hyundai tells us there is no way to tell who will be the best in ten years by showing us Brett Farve (who gets major respect points for poking fun at himself) winning the NFL MVP award and suggesting that, “Maybe its finally time to retire…I don’t know, maybe.” 4. E*Trade – Girlfriend I have always loved the E*Trade baby, in both his incarnations. Finding out he has a girlfriend, and a bit of an affair on the side, makes him even more awesome, and funny. Also, if not for anything else, seeing the homewrecker-to-be pop-up after being called a “Milkcaholic” was priceless. 3. HomeAway – Hotel Hell Vacation (ft. Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo) The National Lampoon’s Vacation movies were a staple for my childhood, so seeing Chevy and Beverly reprise their roles as Clark and Ellen Griswold in this send up of lousy hotels was just A+ awesome in my opinion. Chevy Chase just never loses that comedy appeal. 2. TIE: Doritos –House Rules, Snack Attack Samurai, and Underdog Bud Lite – Light House, Stranded Doritos allowed regular joe’s like you and I to film and present our own commercials to be voted on for this year’s big game. There were a number of winners (and some losers as you’ll see) but these three were equally awesome. A quick-witted toddler, a samurai by the name of Tim decked out in Dorito regalia, and a very smart dog all made for great laughs this year. As far as number of successful commercials goes this year, Bud Lite definitely takes the cake. All of the above commercials are particularly funny, and special kudos goes out to Stranded for spoofing LOST. 1.Snickers – You’re Not You When… (ft. Betty White and Abe Vigoda) Ok, I’m sorry but there is nothing, and I mean NOTHING funnier than watching Betty White do just about anything. Especially in this case when she is playing football with a bunch of young guys and exclaims to the QB that he has been “riding her all day.” Abe Vigoda comes in a close second after also getting
planted on his back in the mud. Honorable Mentions: Megan Fox – Motorola, Google – Search On, Intel – Lunchroom Boast, and MetroPCS – The Shaming The Worst: 5. Coke – Mr. Burns’ Hard Times I sort of get where Coca Cola was going with this commercial, and I have always been a huge fan of The Simpsons (and anything Matt Groenig for that matter) but this commercial really goes against everything Mr. Burns is known to be. I figure even in the worst of times he’d find a way to be better than everyone else, especially Milhouse. 4. Boost Mobile – Shuffle Will someone explain to me how watching football players ride around on motor scooters, dancing and rapping poorly, while wearing G-Strings is supposed to make me want to purchase your cellular service? Yes I get it goes along with the whole “this is as wrong as your current provider” thing Boost has been doing lately (see their commercials of pigs eating bacon for example), but it just wasn’t Super Bowl material. 3. Taco Bell – It Rocks, It Rocks (ft. Charles Barkley) I don’t like Charles Barkley, there, I said it. He gives our Cleveland Cavs grief on a regular basis, and while he can poke good fun at himself in some commercials I honestly find him unappealing on the whole. Also, this commercial is just plain silly (and not in a good way). While I don’t disagree this is a great deal, and nothing hits the spot quite like Taco Bell after 1 A.M., this ad just didn’t cut it. 2. Doritos – Casket It seems a majority of the “Worst Ads” this year had good intentions but just didn’t make sense. This homemade submission shows a group at a man’s funeral but his buddies know a dark secret. He has decided to bury himself alive in a casket full of enough Doritos to last him a week, and a TV to watch football. Why? Also, more importantly, is this supposed to make me want to buy Doritos? 1. GoDaddy.com - Spa, Lola, News Sorry GoDaddy, fool me once, shame on you…I won’t let your ads that make me think Danica Patrick is going to do something risqué fool me into checking out your website. Messing with the minds of footballenraged men because you blew your advertising budget on Danica Patrick and couldn’t afford an announcer to actually tell us what GoDaddy does in the first place, does not count as good advertising. Honorable Mentions: Bridgestone – Tires or Wife, Audi – Green Police, Cars.com – Timothy Richman, and Budweiser - Bridge Whaaat?: 5. Emerald Nuts/Pop Secret – Awesomer Awesomer. That really should be hint enough, but this ad tries to sell us Emerald Nuts and Pop Secret
popcorn by appealing to our…aquatic side? Yes a man in a costume even a Superhero wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole summons humans to do Shamu-esque tricks in exchange for handfuls of nuts and popcorn… whaaat? 4. Monster.com – Beaver You should use Monster.com to pursue your dreams…much like this beaver that aspired to be so much more than just a beaver…he wanted to be a concert violinist. Apparently Monster.com is so good that it can land woodland creatures featured spots at Carnegie Hall, so I’d like to propose to Pres. Obama that we use them to cure our unemployment woes…whaaat? 3. US Census This commercial had a formula for perfection. It had a cast of comedic actors that have done several commercials and movies together before, most notably the recent Direct TV commercials and anything directed by Christopher Guest. Unfortunately, nothing about the US Census, despite their best efforts, is funny or intriguing. Right actors + wrong material = whaaat? 2. TruTV – Punxsutawney Polamalu This is another victim of funny cast, unfunny idea. We watch an assumedly Pennsylvanian Mayor try desperately to pull what we think will be a groundhog from his hole when suddenly out pops an itty-bitty Troy Polamalu from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now maybe being born and bred a Browns fan I am predisposed to dislike this, but Troy Polamalu can be a funny guy in the right setting, and this just wasn’t it. In fact it was a bit creepy and left me saying…whaaat? 1. Kia – Big Game Ok, try and watch this commercial and not laugh at how awful it is in the right context. Regularly parents teach their children to avoid strangers in appealing vehicles like white economy vans labeled “free candy” and the like. How, though, can a child possibly resist a Kia Sorento being driven by a life-size Sock Monkey, one of the YoGabaGaba! Characters and various other creatures of our youth? Kia did you actually intend for you commercial to give bad people new ideas? If so I have one question for you…whaaat? Honorable Mentions: Dockers – Men Without Pants, Denny’s – Various Chickens, CareerBuilder. com – Casual Friday, and Carmax – “Dramatic” Animals There you have it folks, the 15 most notable Super Bowl commercials from this year. All of the above commercials, as well as the 54 I didn’t mention are all available for a limited time on Hulu.com where they are also taking a vote which will determine the best of the best from this year. Did you agree with my opinion? Did you not see a commercial you think deserved to be up there? Tell me what you think by leaving your comments online at csucauldron.com!
Page Fourteen / Tuesday, February 16, 2010
NOW
Images couresty of myspace.com
C-Murda’s Calliope Click
If Snoop Dogg Is Featured, It Has to Be Good
By Paul Kahan, The Cauldron Staff Writer
By “L-Homicide” The Cauldron Contributing Writer The Big Pink Hometown: London, England Recent Release: A Brief History in Love (September 14th 2009)
What is it that makes The Big Pink so exciting? Is it their electro rock-pop, fused sound? The eerie but beautiful imagery that bleeds through the lyrics? Or maybe, for me personally, not since Muse has an English band managed to captivate me in the way The Big Pink does. The band, while performing in a large group, is masterminded only by two members. Vocalist/ Guitarist, Robert Furze and Vocalist/Programmer/Keyboardist Milo Cordell. The Big Pink debuted in 2007 and with such a brilliant sound, it was no surprise to see the band gobbled up by British Label 4AD in February 2009. But prior to the signing the band would release a 2008 Japan-only release under the title This Is Our Time. The Big Pink released their debut album, A Brief History of Love, in September of 2009. It would go on to chart in the UK, Belgium, and even at 138 on the US Billboard. To support the album, British rock legends Muse would take them on the first leg of their UK Arena tour in November. But nothing has helped The Big Pink more than their single, “Dominos.” The single even hit number 40 on the US Alternative Charts. With The Big Pink on such a rise, it’d be a sin to miss them when they come to the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights on March 23rd on their first US headlining tour.
Dark Tranquility Hometown: Gothenburg, Sweden Recent Release: We Are The Void (March 1st, 2010)
When your a metalhead, it seems that there is normally a chain, or an order if you will, in which you begin to discover types of metal. Normally it goes from the hard rock band, to the metalcore band (that plays the good cop-bad cop, scream/sing, formula to a T), then what normally comes next is death metal, followed by the desire for something a bit more sophisticated. One path to take of course, is the genre started in Dark Tranquility’s hometown Gothenburg, Sweden, which is referred to as, Melodic Death Metal (MDM). What makes Dark Tranquility such an important band, is that when you look at the beginnings of MDM, you can trace it back to three bands: In Flames, At The Gates.. and Dark Tranquility. Coicidentally, singer Mikael Stanne was also the lead vocalist of In Flames, for the bands debut, Lunar Strain. Stanne would leave In Flames for Dark Tranquility, as original Dark Tranquility vocalist Anders Friden, would take his place in In Flames. Seemingly a match made in heaven for both projects . Dark Tranquility has--over the years--released eight viciously beautiful albums since their debut in 1989. One thing that differs them from In Flames, is while In Flames have lost their roots and gone in a far more heavy rock direction, Dark Tranquility has stayed devoted to the genre they helped propel to one of the most elite and respected positions in metal today. Beautiful neoclassical sounds, with melodic guitar riffs and vicious slow growls. Dark Tranquility is set to release their ninth studio album, We Are The Void, March 1st. The best way to catch this important, historical band, is to see them live - like some had the opportunity to at their recently wrapped show at the House of Blues last Friday.
Image courtesy of tinypic.com
I will begin by saying I do not listen to much rap, nor am I a proclaimed critic of it. However, I am able to recognize the redeeming qualities of any genre of music. Although C-Murda’s newest album “Calliope Click Volume 1” is not what I usually listen to, I can acknowledge that it is entertaining, even if I do not understand a lot of it. I had never even heard of C-Murda before I volunteered to do this review, and upon researching him, I discovered that “Calliope” is certainly not his first venture into music. This is actually C-Murda’s ninth CD release. For those who are not aware of C-Murda, his first album “Life or Death” went platinum and the two albums that followed in 1999 and 2000 both went gold. The album begins with a 28-second intro with violins and classical music. This is an off-putting yet appropriate beginning to a CD that predominantly talks about shooting witnesses and having sex; it almost signifies the calm before the storm of gratuitous lyrics. The next song, “I’m Down” is one of the better songs on the album. The song is catchy, and the lyrics are memorable. Sadly, the rest of the CD is not as interesting. There are, however, intriguingly placed sound bytes throughout certain songs. For example, the song “It’s So Hard” opens with an excerpt of Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. The opening with King seems appropriate for the song’s lyrical content, which has a slow, sadder tone than the rest of the album. Another song that utilizes sound effects is “Hate On Me” which plays police sirens throughout the song. To me, the sound is disturbing when combined with the lyrics which include “…get ready for war now” and “B****, I gotta get killed”. I will say that C-Murda’s album uses a lot of different lyrics. His lyrics can range from going to prison, committing murder, making love to a woman, or simply talking about life on the streets. “Calliope Click Volume 1” is certainly diverse, which is the aspect that makes it most interesting. However, my favorite part about the album is that Snoop Dogg is featured in the song “Come Roll With Me.” Juvenile and B.G. also make cameos in the song “N.O. In Me” which is a very hyper aggressive rap that clearly states “Don’t f*** with me”. Overall, I’d have to say that that is the theme of the entire album. Once again, I am not a fan of rap, but I could easily listen to this CD. I recommend it for anyone who may be interested in a wide variety of songs and musical content. Overall, I’d say for C-Murda’s album “Calliope Click Volume 1” that I’m down. Try it.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 / Page Fifteen
concert picks of the week
By Alexes Spencer, The Cauldron News Editor & Jonathan “Killstring” Herzberger, The Cauldron Arts & Entertainment Editor
Oh! You’re still here. No, no you don’t have to leave, we just sort of thought... you know, Valentine’s day is over... kind of assumed you’d just let yourself out. You made breakfast? Oh. No no no, we like breakfast, it’s not that. Hmm. Just didn’t expect you’d still be here. No, it’s not a bad thing. Hmm. Well Concerteers, it looks like we’re stuck with one another for a little while longer. So long as you’re around, we might as well go over the upcoming week’s concert schedule. Rappers, funk legends, Screamo mainstays, harpsichord-happy dance musicians and Killstring’s old pals Last August are all coming down the pipeline. Kind of a weird week, but that’s... that’s more “us,” don’t you think? NO WE ARE NOT GOING TO MEET YOUR MOTHER CAN WE PLEASE JUST GET BACK TO THE MUSIC ALREADY?
On Tour
Now!
Alexes’s Pick
02/20
Many of you don’t know this, but the first concert I ever went to starred a little band called The Used. If Bert McCracken and his boys are anything like they used to be, you’re in for a treat if you attend this show. If they aren’t, I’m sorry, because the rest of this description is going to be a total lie. The Used live is pure mayhem. The Used need a whole stage when they perform, because, by golly, they’re going to use it. Bert McCracken is all over the place, and his banter back-and-forth with his band-mates can be quite entertaining. The show I attended was complete with a guy in a giant penis costume. I can’t guarantee you the same, but whatever these guys do, it’s sure to be one of the most entertaining times you’ll ever have on 27 dollars. And I’m sure Atreyu will be...okay as usual.
The Used (Atreyu optional) at House of Blues
All this, and you still want more? So needy. Good thing we’ve got plenty of delicious music just lying around.
Other Shows This Week: 2/16 George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic @ the House of Blues: 8:00, $32 2/16 The Audition w/The Promise Hero, Anafair @ Peabody’s: 6:30, $10 2/18 Snoop Dogg @ the House of Blues: 7:00, $35 2/19 People Under The Stairs w/ Rapper Big Pooh, Smokescreen @ the Grog Shop: 9:00, $12 2/19 Alesana w/A Skylit Drive, Of Mice and Men, We Came As Romans @ Peabody’s: 6:60, $13 2/20 Last August Reunion Show w/ View From Everest @ Peabody’s: 7:00, $8 2/22 Supersuckers w/Sun God, The Unclean @ the Grog Shop: 9:00, $10
Jonathan’s Pick
02/17
The Magical Properties Tour W/Daedelus, Nosaj Thing @ The Grog Shop Daedelus
Okay. Stop me if you’ve heard this before. Dadaist Hip-Hop maven makes IDM electronica with 40’s instruments, names himself after a Greek legend, and dresses like a foppish dandy from the Edwardian era. … yeah, I haven’t heard that before either. But Daedelus, or Alfred Darlington if you prefer, blends starkly disparate elements into a unique sonic cocktail, served with a delightful sprinkling of pretentious highbrow concept. So if you’re looking for a break from the seemingly never-ending stream of Metal and Post-Hardcore that travels through our fair city, take a chance on something different. This beautifully surreal sonic landscape should be, if nothing else, an entertaining flight of fancy. Mr. Darlington comes to town with a small army of west coast avant-garde electronic musicians, and the evening will set you back a pithy ten bucks. Dust off that ascot, and let’s get ready to... I’m not certain. Sway in approval? If that’s a little too left-of-center, you can always catch the Last August reunion – that’s about as mainstream rock as one could really hope for. They probably won’t wear ascots, though.
Page sixteen \ Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Sports
csucauldron.com
<< Opening Ceremony What do the Olympic Games’ Opening Ceremonies really add?
*** The Good, The Bad, and The Utterly Confusing: Super Bowl Edition By Justin Brenis | Best, Worst and Whaaat (aka why is this a commercial)? | Page 13
“Olympic Hockey is Almost Here” By William Wodka, The Cauldron Staff Writer
With the National Hockey League 2009-2010 season over half over, the time usually comes for the league to hold an All-Star game. But instead the league is taking a couple of weeks off this season to give their players a chance to play for their countries in the Olympics. A total of 145 NHL players are leaving their teams and playing for their countries. Some of the key players that are playing in the Olympics are Martin Brodeur, Patrick Marleau, Patrick Kane, and one that many are looking forward to Peter Forsberg. Forsberg has been sidelined from the NHL for the past few seasons after he injured his ankle playing for the Colorado Avalanche. Though he has said that he may never play in the NHL again he has been playing in the Swedish League back home and is looking to bring home the gold for the Swedes. It is very hard to fit in all of the practices and games for the Olympics when you play for a NHL team. What may be even worse is the position that the coaches are in. Many of the coaches including USA coach Ron Wilson and General Manager Brian Burke are having to jungle putting two teams together. Both are on the coaching staff of the Toronto Maple Leafs and are having somewhat of a rough season. The Leafs started out as the joke of the league but are starting to compete with some key trades. Wilson and Burke have been up all hours of the night not only scouting for the Maple Leafs but for the USA team as well. These and the other coaches have been working Images Courtesy of vancouver2010.com
hard looking all over the league and going to games on their off-days searching for the players for their Olympic team. But this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing many of the players and coaches say. Finally they can represent their countries and bring home a medal. Of the 145 players playing in the Olympics twelve of them are goalies and when asked whether they can handle the exhaustion, many say bring it on. Out of the 58 games that the teams have played all of the goalies playing in the Olympics have played at least 50 of those games. These players love it too. San Jose Sharks’ head coach Todd McLellan told ESPN.com when talking about his goalie Evgeni Nabokov, who is playing for his country of Russia, and how he plays so many games, “The more I’m around Nabby, the more I realize that it keeps the engine running and it stays warm, and he plays better. I don’t see any signs of him showing fatigue or tiring. We will continue to manage him post-Olympics, but I’m going with my gut on this one -- I think he plays better when he plays more.” Nabokov played in 62 of the 82 games last season for the Sharks and is on pace to break that. Out of all of the teams playing in the Olympics the Canadian team has the most pressure to succeed. They are coming off of a devastating loss in the 2006 Winter Olympics and having to perform in their backyard as their hometown fans watch can be a little intimidating.
I think one of the many teams to watch out for is the team out of Russia. The team is stacked with players the likes of Malkin and Pavel Datsyuk. Not to mention they have the high flying Alexander Ovechkin who is having arguably the best season of his career. Another team that is going to come out firing is team Sweden. Much of the team is made of great NHL players including the unstoppable Henrik Lundqvist, not to mention the Sedin brothers who will virtually be playing in their home-away-from-home in Vancouver. Though Team USA is a young team, they have a lot of great players and have one of the better goalies from the NHL as of right now. Many, including ESPN analyst Barry Melrose, are touting Ryan Miller’s name for league MVP. Team USA will also be playing off of their spectacular win in the World Juniors Championship a little over a month ago. By the end, I see that the gold and silver will go to Team USA and Team Canada with Team Sweden bringing up the rear with bronze. But do not be surprised if countries like the Czech Republic or Finland come up and make a run for it. I am looking forward to the Olympics and recent speculation has stated that the NHL is thinking of not participating in the Olympics anymore. I hope that this is not true because this is really a site to see for all hockey fans and gives players and coaches a chance to represent their country and hope to bring the gold home.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 / Page seventeen
No Upset Special:
Vikings Drop to Bulldogs Butler Stays Perfect In League By Robert Ivory, The Cauldron Sports Editor
Photography by Robert Ivory
Saturday night was a mad house at the Wolstein Center as the Vikings (13-13; 9-5 Horizon League) lost to the Bulldogs (23-4, 16-0 HL) 70-59 in front of one of the largest crowds at CSU this year. “Butler played extremely well, they are playing very good right now,” Cleveland State head coach Gary Waters summed up the play of their opponents. “I don’t think they beat us, we beat ourselves.” Butler remains undefeated in the Horizon League and keeps their top 15 national ranking. “I thought our guys never quit, that was a positive. But we did not rebound well and when you do not rebound well, you have a chance to get beat.” Cleveland State was led by their playmaker junior Norris Cole as he scored 17 and added five assists, but that was not enough as the Vikings lose for the first time at home in over a month, as the Bulldogs snapped the Vikings’ six game winning streak as well. D’Aundray Brown scored 14 and Jeremy Montgomery helped in the cause as he added 11. “I think we’re going to bounce back and we are not going to let this affect our momentum,” Cole said after the loss. “We’re just going to go with a positive mindset.” The Vikings are still having problems putting away the Bulldogs, as an early lead and a close first half could not compensate for a Butler run in the early minutes of the second. Cleveland State has now lost ten of their last dozen games against their Horizon League foe. Cleveland State did let the ‘big men’ for the Bulldogs dominate the second half as both Gordon Hayward and Matt Howard finished the game with double doubles each, but made their mark in the second half. In all, the Butler Bulldogs controlled the battle of the boards, as they out rebounded the Vikes 46-20, including 16 offensive rebounds. That calculates into 22 second chance points for Butler to only nine for Cleveland State. “Attacking the rim was a big deal for us,” Butler head coach Brad Stevens said after the game.” Cleveland State knew that that was the reason they lost. “Giving them a lot of second chance points killed us,” Brown said. “If you give up second chance rebounds, they get nothing but layups.” The opening 20 minutes was an example of why the Horizon League is considered one of the best Mid-Major Conferences in the nation, as the number one and number two teams in the league looked to take the game down to the wire as no team led by more that six points in the half. An Anthony Wells layup and a jumper by Montgomery put the Vikes up by six with just over 11 minutes to play in the half. But the resilient play of the Horizon League regular season champions kept them in the game and the Bulldogs led 27-24 with just half a minute to go in the half. The Vikings kept the ball for one shot as Norris Cole was fouled on his way to the basket, hit the free throw to tie the game at 27 a piece with just 3.9 seconds in the half. “When Cole puts his head down and wants to go to the basket, it’s hard to stop him,” the Butler coach complimented. Butler did what West Virginia was able to do and what Milwaukee almost did, as Gordon Hayward ran the length of the court in those four seconds and hit a layup as time expired for the half. A good half indeed, but the layup was a sign of things to come in the period. “It was obvious that Hayward was going to drive to the lane because they knew they could take it to the basket,” Waters said, “where we made the mistake is that we should have been in the paint, since you cannot make a pass and (we should have) taken the charge.” Butler just flat out took it to the Vikings in the second half as Howard, who Waters says is an eventual pro, dunked home an easy basket for the Bulldogs in the opening seconds. The Vikes never go closer than six points after the first two and a half minutes in the second half, with their biggest deficit getting to 14, as they hit that mark several times in the half. “I’m disappointed to how we responded to some of the situations out there,” Cole replied to a question asked if he thought he was surprised how sour things got in the half. “At times I feel that we got out toughed.” Even though the loss puts the Vikings back into the draw for second place, they now have to deal with what other teams in the top half of the Horizon League table do. If the Vikings can win the rest of their games they will be the number two seed in the tournament and a first round bye. However, you may not know that Gary Waters has looked into his crystal ball and has seen the future. “Write that down, we are going to play them again in the tournament. And they will be ready when they play in the tournament.”
Page eighteen \ Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Opening Ceremonies By Jonathan “Killstring” Herzberger The Cauldron A&E Editor
As a child, I can remember these moments. Whatever else might have been occurring, whatever nightmarish turmoils might have beset the adults around me, everything else could be pushed aside, and we would sit down as a family and watch the opening ceremonies to the Olympic Games. As childhood memories go, they were pretty good, all things considered. But as I grew from a child to something resembling adulthood, the wonder these spectacles once held dimmed quickly. Take all the impersonality of a Super Bowl halftime show, and magnify the audience. Spectacle without substance, then amplified to an exponential degree – even the television announcers seem clouded by the specter of boredom. “Wow, what a pretty dance routine. I’m so excited for these things to actually begin!” So the question remains: what do the Olympic Games’ Opening Ceremonies really add? And the more sinister question lurking in the subtext: do we even care about the Olympics anymore? Sure, the global community does. There are roughly 30 million people across our northern border who at the very least, are hanging on their national hockey team’s every move. It’s certainly a sense of pride for some smaller countries that many viewers couldn’t find on a map; a chance to show that they can hang with the larger, wealthier, more powerful countries. But if you’re reading this, the odds that you live in a country that fits that description are pretty low. (International readers: direct your correctional hate-mail to cauldroneditors@gmail.com, ATTN: Killstring) So how do we, as Americans, feel about the Olympic games? Because the prevailing answer I’m receiving is “apathetic.” When asked how they feel about the Olympics, many students were completely unaware that they’re (as of this writing) about to start, and will be underway by the time these words hit newsstands. When asked what stood out regarding the 2008 summer games, most replied with little more than a shrug. “Michael Phelps won a lot of medals,” said one student who preferred not to be named. “Then he smoked a lot of pot. American f***in’ dream, bro.” One can presumably understand why our source didn’t want their name attached to the comment, given the implications. Stay in school! Don’t do drugs! Moving on, surely there must have been some reaction to the 2008 games – after all, weren’t they held in Beijing? Surely there must be some kind of international political significance to that – China is, after all, everybody’s favorite poster child for Evil Facist States that we’re not actually going to bomb. Political Science majors – you may want to close your eyes. Reactions ranged from “they did a great job of making Beijing not look as horribly polluted as it is” to “I don’t think we should have gone, what with North Korea making nuclear bombs and all.” When gently informed that Beijing was in China, this humble reporter was met with some incredulous stares. “Well, yeah – North Korea’s a province of China, dumbass.” What does one say to that? So, other than this reporter’s inability to garner any quotes that someone would attach their name to, and feeling a little worse about the overall knowledge level of our classmates, what have we learned? Well, we know that historically, the Olympics can be a powerful message about the triumph of the human spirit. Who can ignore AfricanAmerican athlete Jesse Owens’ masterful performance in the 1937 games, set in Nazi-controlled Berlin? Never mind that in the ‘cleaned up’ version of Berlin - all the Juden Verboten signs were taken down, and all Romani were put into ‘special camps’ (being of some Bohemian Romani descent himself, the author takes particular offense at that bit) – that Owens enjoyed many civil liberties that were denied to him in his native country. Actually, the German crowds adored Owens, and he developed a long-running (bad pun) friendship-slash-rivalry with German athlete Luz Long. But still! Hitler was pissed off, just privately. That’s got to count for something. Even so, this was 73 years ago. Hasn’t anything inspiring happened since then? In terms of pure sport, do these events even matter to a modern audience? It’s not like people are lining up to watch the luge more than once every four years. In the end, it’s difficult to gauge. Imagining a world without the Olympic games, without all the pomp and staged grandeur of the opening ceremonies, just feels wrong. Even if we have a stronger disconnect than ever before, the games are still meaningful, and from more than just a jingoistic perspective. The Olympics are still important. It’s just getting harder to pinpoint why. Image Courtesy of vancouver2010.com
PAGE nineteen \ tuesday, February 16, 2010
Courtesy: images.townnews.com, fromthedugout.freedomblogging.com
Tribe Time:
Spring Training
By Reid May, The Cauldron Managing Editor
Six days from this morning, pitchers and catcher report to Goodyear, Arizona for the second year of spring training in the desert. For the Cleveland Indians, this means many things. Among them, excitement over the start of a new season, early signs of summer, fresh, young talent taking their first shot at the show and a new coaching staff that will be challenged to right a listing organization. For the fans, this means much of the same, mixed with severe apprehension. What does another season of Indian’s baseball mean for us? Does it bring the joy of watching Grady Sizemore dive into the centerfield wall to save a double or the pain of a ninth inning-win for another American League rival? Are we embarking on another 162 game journey filled with daily frustration, or a season of unexpected success? Do any of us really want to find out the answer to that question? Well, of course, we do. That is why they play the game. However, that does not mean that we are not concerned… The Indians lost 97 games last year, after winning 97 the year before. In terms of record, it was the single worst season since the 105-loss 1991 campaign. Cleveland finished fourth in the American League Central Division, 21.5 games out of first place. Given the record, the offense was surprisingly good, finishing 12 of 30 teams. The pitching, however, was abysmal; finishing with the third most runs allowed and second highest earned run average in the major leagues. This off-season the Indians have done little to get better. Their biggest addition to date is catcher Mike Redmond, signed to a one year, $850,000 contract. Several other players—outfielders Austin Kearns and Shelly Duncan and infielder Mark Grudzielanek—have been tendered minor league contracts and will report to camp with a shot to make the team. With these and other non-roster invites, the Indians are hardly short on position player options and should field a young lineup that may produce in a fashion similar to last year. That group is led by a core of outfielders Grady Sizemore, Michael Brantley and Shin-Soo Choo and infielders Asdrubal Cabrera, Luis Valbuena and Matt LaPorta; all of whom played some part of last season with the club.
The pitching staff remains a mystery. The bullpen returns Kerry Wood as the closer, with Rafael Perez and Chris Perez as the only other certainties to begin the season in relief. Several non-roster invites—including Jamey Wright, Mike Gosling and Jason Grilli—will have a chance to make the bullpen. As for the rotation, Jake Westbrook is an early lock to start Opening Day 2010. Fausto Carmona and Justin Masterson are very likely to join him in the rotation along with a fourth and fifth starter that Tribe management hope to see emerge from a group including Aaron Laffey, Jeremy Sowers, Mitch Talbot and David Huff. What all of this speculation spells is certain uncertainty for the Indians and for Cleveland fans. This season could take a tumultuous turn, much like last year, if the patchwork pitching staff fails to keep the ball in the park or the young position players fail to produce. At the same time, a solid group of players may emerge from the large pool of candidates that General Manager Mark Shapiro and Skipper Manny Acta have put together. Given the overall weakness of the division, an unexpectedly strong club could contend for a playoff berth—though that notion should stay in the realm of extremely unlikely. In all likelihood, the Indians will struggle, and struggle mightily. For the sake of the fans that yearn for the summer of ’95 and the payroll of next year’s club, which will depend largely on attendance—typically lower for lousy teams—hope remains that the Indians manage to get back to .500. If no savior emerges and the team spends much of the year trying to remain relevant, Tribe fans can still take something—anything—away from the season. I have lived through more years with sparse glimpses of joy than those where winning is expected. I find that the magic of a summer night spent at the ballpark watching the boys play ball is still there, you just have to look a little harder to see where it hides. As the challenges of the year approach, that should be the mission of determined fans—find the light in a season that may end with another long winter.
Sports Flashback
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