WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2009 • PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY • VOLUME 64, ISSUE 22
Event of the day Joshua Kendall, senior editor at Viking Press in New York and Tom Bissell, writer and professor in the PSU Creative Writing MFA program, are presenting a seminar today entitled “The Writer/Editor Relationship.”
When: 4 p.m. Where: SMSU, room 327
WWW.DAILYVANGUARD.COM • FREE
INSIDE NEWS Senate committees back in action Senate finance committee starts meeting with SFC PAGE 2 The Daily Cut Your world in brief PAGE 3
ARTS
Need to listen to this band Needtobreathe are doing fine and want you to share the love PAGE 4
30-year tradition continues Volunteers and students contribute, Red Cross reaches goals Sarah J. Christensen Vanguard staff
Compassionate students gathered at Portland State on Jan. 15, 1979, to give blood for the American Red Cross. Thirty years later, the tradition of students donating remains. Yesterday, the American Red Cross finished its second day of their Fall Term PSU Blood Drive. The drive exceeded the goals set by Student Health and Counseling Outreach Coordinator Gwyn Ashcom and her Red Cross counterpart, Joseph Shockley. “It’s been a slow build,” Ashcom said of their yearly total. “From February of last year to October of this year—to this drive—we’re at 934 [units].” This drive has seen a jump in the number of donors. “Our goal was 144 units [Monday] and we reached 150,” Ashcom said. “We wouldn’t be able to do it without the donors.”
To register for an appointment visit www.givelife.org. Food for the living and flesh for the dead Portland Zombie Walk sponsors the Oregon Food Bank PAGE 5 A different take on Oz Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road may be unexpected, but it’s not bad PAGE 5
OPINION
What’s news got to do with it? Sensationalism is ruining local news PAGE 6
The volunteers Clark and Donna Smith, husband and wife volunteers, have been helping with the blood drives for several years. “We come here four times a year. This year was the first year with two days,” said Clark Smith. “I didn’t realize this school has more students than U of O.” Ashcom hopes to benefit from the fact that Portland State has the largest student body in Oregon. “Our goal is to get a full week drive to match up to U of O,” Ashcom said. Another bonus of the longer blood drives is the availability of “double reds” for students. “The double reds—where they take out the plasma and give you back the fluids so you don’t have to replace them—is a great thing,” Smith said. This allows donors to skip some of the side effects that accompany giving blood. “I’ve been volunteering since I retired, about 12 years,” said Smith. “My wife and I will volunteer again and will be at Ronler Acres in Beaverton tomorrow.” Helen Ladarre, another volunteer, looks forward to the drive coming back in February. “You guys are just great,” Ladarre said.
Robert Britt/Portland State Vanguard
Donating blood: Cynthia LeBlue, Red Cross team supervisor, prepares to draw blood from Portland State senior Carolyn Abercrombie.
The donors Most people giving blood yesterday were Portland State students with a long history of donating blood. “I’ve been donating since I was 18, so 31 years,” said Deane Stitt, Portland State senior. “I think it’s about 5 1/2 or 6 gallons now.” Others were new to donating. “I started a few years ago,” said Christine Zeiner, a senior studying chemistry and mathematics.
Looking ahead Ashcom and members of the Red Cross are working to increase the number of days of the drive in future years.
“Next year we’ll have our first four-day drive with a goal of 1,486 [units],” Ashcom said. “The transformation of signing up online is so convenient.” The next Portland State blood drive will take place from Feb. 1 to Feb. 3 and Ashcom is also hoping for a good turnout. “We have a lot of regulars,” she said. “That’s what I like about it here, it’s so inclusive of everybody in Portland.” Ashcom credits the use of eDonor, an interface that allows people to make appointments to donate blood online, for the increase in donors—about 50 the first day.
Alerting PSU ASAP Test of emergency system planned for today Danielle Kulczyk Vanguard staff
Most of the time, receiving a text message in class can get you called out by the professor, but in the case of an emergency at Portland State, professors could be grateful for the interruption. Portland State’s emergency notification system, PSUAlert, utilizes SMS texts, e-mails and voice messages to broadcast information during an emergency. The first quarterly system test of the year will go out today to those set up through Banweb or MyPSU to receive them. “Basically [PSUAlert] is a system that will simultaneously send alerts to cell phones as a text and to
The Rant and Rage Perturbing Portland pooch PAGE 6
Photo illustration by Shannon Vincent/Portland State Vanguard
e-mails,” explained Sharon Blanton, chief information officer for the Office of Information Technologies. “We can also do voice—text-tospeech—and the message is also distributed to desktop phones.” The types of alerts sent out include weather or safety issues and any problems with facilities that warrant area evacuation. “We use the incident command structure, so that when there is an emergency, an emergency command team is formed…[which is] authorized to send out the information,” Blanton said. Lieutenant Tracey Miller recalls the use of the alert system during last winter’s snowstorm. “The notice was sent out, people called into dispatch—a lot of info goes through dispatch—wondering if classes are canceled,” Miller said. “Then we work with [the Center for Student Health and Counseling] and Facilities to get the info out and use whatever resources to spread that info.” According to Blanton, the alert system has a number of prewritten messages in the database that can be sent out as quickly as possible when needed. In the case of a water main break, for example, only the name of a building would have to be entered into the system before it’s sent, Blanton said. “In the heat of the moment, we have data ready and waiting so that someone doesn’t have to sit there and think of the best way to say something in 140 characters or less,” Blanton said. “The whole point is when there’s truly an emergency, we can get the information out there.”
Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3: Expect a text, e-mail or voice mail today.
Although cell service is weak in some parts of campus, including basement classrooms and offices, the university hopes to reach as many people as possible by including e-mail and voicemail alerts to desk phones. “We’d like to hit as many people as possible so that the odds are in our favor,” Blanton said. “We try to blanket a group as much as possible—it pretty much guarantees the message gets to someone, somehow.” Even though these messages contain crucial information, the university is required to offer an option for students to discontinue receiving text messages from PSUAlert. “We hope that you will choose to continue receiving these text messages, however new telecommunications regulations require that we provide opt out information on our text messages,” said an e-mail from CPSO and OIT sent to Odin accounts.
Marni Cohen/Portland State Vanguard
CPSO and OIT test PSUAlert every quarter to make sure it is working properly. Blanton explained that the goal of today’s testing is to “make sure data is flowing correctly and the message arrives in an appropriate amount of time.” “We’d like to see everyone get the message within one hour,” Blanton said.
PSUAlert Test: Today, Wed, Oct. 21 Save 1-877-725-9111 to your phone’s address book Update information on Banweb or MyPSU www.pdx.edu/cpso/psu-alertnotification-system
Vanguard 2 | News October 21, 2009
NEWS
Sarah J. Christensen Editor-in-Chief
crimeBlotter
Danielle Kulczyk News Editor Theodora Karatzas Arts & Culture Editor
(Times and dates are when incidents were reported.)
Richard D. Oxley Opinion Editor
Tip: If you have a warrant out for your arrest, do not hide at Portland State
Robert Britt Sports Editor Shannon Vincent Production Manager Marni Cohen Photo Editor Zach Chastaine Online Editor Jennifer Wolff Chief Copy Editor Jennifer Wolff Calendar Editor Matthew Kirtley Advertising Manager Judson Randall Adviser Ann Roman Advertising Adviser Illustrator Kira Meyrick Marketing Manager Kelsey Chinen Associate News Editor Virginia Vickery Production Assistants Bryan Morgan, Charles Cooper Williams
Writers Kate Alexander, William Blackford, Bianca Blankenship, Alanna Connor, Meaghan Daniels, Erica DeCouteau, Mariah FryeKeele, Joel Gaddis, Natalia Grozina, Patrick Guild, Rosemary Hanson, Steve Haske, Ed Johnson, Carrie Johnston, Mark Johnston, Tamara K. Kennedy, Anita Kinney, Katie Kotsovos, J. Logue, James MacKenzie, Holly Millar, Sean Rains, Stephanie Fine Sasse, Gogul Krishnan Shenbagalashmi Janakiraman, Wendy Shortman, Nilesh Tendolkar, Robin Tinker, Vinh Tran, Virginia Vickery, Allison Whited, Carlee Winsor
Adhering to bylaws: The Student Senate Finance Committee began meeting with the Student Fee Committee at the request of the Judicial Board to prevent communication issues.
Senate committees back in action Senate finance committee starts meeting with SFC Virginia Vickery Vanguard staff
The Portland State Student Senate Finance Committee commenced activity at the start of the school year and regularly communicates with the Student Fee Committee as expected, said Daniel Lyons, fourth-year senator and president pro tempore of the Senate. The finance committee is one of two standing committees within the Senate, both of which failed to meet regularly last year, according to Lyons. Both the finance and coordinating committees began meeting at the request of the student government Judicial Board after reviewing Senate bylaws, which require that the committees meet. “We oversee the budget of ASPSU,
some of which is given to the senate for campaigns,” said finance committee Chair Katie Markey, a political science student in her third year at Portland State. “We are in the process of rewriting our own bylaws to make sure they are pertinent. We are just getting things up and running again.” The five-member finance committee sends a representative to almost all of the SFC’s biweekly meetings, at which it represents the concerns of the senate and is allowed to participate in discussion. “We get to have a voice representing our senate constituencies to the SFC and can act as ex officio [non-voting] members,” Markey said. The Senate currently has 22 of its 25 possible positions filled through either election or appointment, and the members represent the 28,000-plus Portland State students.
10/01/09
10/10/09
Street, by Ondine – 7:50 p.m. Victim was hit on the shoulder by an unknown male
Parking Structure 1 – 12:05 a.m. Suspect cited for Offensive Littering
10/02/09
Broadway Housing – 6:26 a.m. Suspect cited for Criminal Trespass II
NW Center of Engineering, Science and Technology – 9:22 p.m. Suspect arrested on outstanding warrant NW Center of Engineering, Science and Technology – 9:22 p.m. Suspect cited for Criminal Trespass II
10/03/09 University Center Building – 2:32 a.m. Suspect cited for Offensive Littering Broadway Housing – 3:15 a.m. Suspect cited for Theft II Smith Memorial Student Union – 11:19 p.m. Suspect arrested on outstanding felony warrant
10/04/09 Parking Structure 3 – 7:45 p.m. Victim was punched in the head
10/05/09 School of Business Administration – 12:15 p.m. Computers stolen from lab 1800 block of Southwest Park – 9:58 p.m. Man arrested on warrants and trespassed from Portland State
10/07/09
Photographers Aaron Leopold, Rodrigo Melgarejo, Liana Shewey, Adam Wickham Copy Editor Robert Seitzinger Advertising Sales Matthew Kirtley, Ana SanRoman, Jae Specht, Wesley Van Der Veen
The Vanguard is chartered to publish four days a week as an independent student newspaper by the PSU Publications Board. Views and editorial content expressed herein are those of the staff, contributors and readers, and do not necessarily represent those of the PSU student body, faculty, staff or administration. One copy of the Vanguard is provided free of charge to all community members, additional copies or subcription issues may incur a 25 cent charge. The Vanguard is printed on 40 percent post-consumer recycled paper. Copyright © 2009 Portland State University Vanguard 1825 S.W. Broadway, Smith Memorial Student Union, Rm. S-26, Portland, Ore., 97201
All photos by Marni Cohen/Portland State Vanguard
Daniel Lyons: The president pro tempore (left) helps facilitate meetings.
Ondine Housing – 3:17 a.m. Suspect arrested for Disorderly Conduct II and Criminal Trespass II Ondine Housing – 3:17 a.m. Suspect arrested for Disorderly Conduct II and on two misdemeanor warrants SMSU – 12:01 p.m. Backpack stolen when left unattended in SMSU
10/14/09 Cramer Hall – 3:50 p.m. Suspect attempted to steal computer from classroom
10/15/09 Parking Structure 3 – 9:36 a.m. Vehicle driver’s window shattered, nothing stolen SMSU – 1:51 p.m. Graffiti in bathroom stall
10/08/09
10/16/09
SW 5th and Harrison – 12:38 a.m. Warrant arrest
School of Extended Studies – 12:07 a.m. Suspect arrested for Attempted Unlawful Possession of Cocaine and an outstanding warrant
Ondine Housing – 12:26 p.m. Victim had money taken out of her desk drawer in her apartment
Advertising Manager 503-725-5686 ads@dailyvanguard.com
Sixth Avenue Deli and Market – 1:22 a.m. Suspect resisted officers and was arrested for Disorderly Conduct II
Cramer Hall grounds – 10:28 p.m. Suspect was trespassing after previously being given a PSU Criminal Trespass Warning
Neuberger Hall – 11:54 a.m. Bicycle stolen by south side of building
Contact Editor-in-Chief 503-725-5691 editor@dailyvanguard.com
10/11/09
Parking Structure 1 – 3:37 p.m. Victim’s vehicle was struck by another vehicle, suspect vehicle did not leave contact information
SW 5th and Harrison – 1:01 a.m. Suspect arrested on outstanding misdemeanor warrants
Advertising Designer Shannon Vincent
SMSU – 9:51 p.m. Suspect cited for Criminal Trespass II
SW Market and Broadway – 3:27 a.m. Subject urinating in the street Parking Structure 3 – 5:10 a.m. Criminal Misdemeanor (hit and run)
10/17/09
South Park Blocks – 3:39 p.m. Victim’s cell phone stolen from Chipotle restaurant
Sixth Avenue Building – 1:17 a.m. Suspect cited for Criminal Trespass II
Unitus Credit Union Bank – 5:19 p.m. Suspect arrested on four outstanding warrants
10/18/09 South Park Blocks – 12:30 a.m. Suspects cited for unlawful Possession of Marijuana within 1,000 Feet of a School
—Information from Campus Public Safety Office campus crime log—
The Daily Cut
Vanguard News | 3 October 21, 2009
Your world in brief
News Editor: World: Swiss court orders Polanski kept in jail BELLINZONA, Switzerland (AP)—Director Roman Polanski has lost an appeal to be freed from a Swiss prison ahead of his possible extradition to the United States for having sex in 1977 with a 13-yearold girl. The Swiss Criminal Court said Tuesday releasing Polanski on bail or under house arrest posed a high risk of flight. The ruling represents another setback for the 76-year-old filmmaker who is considered a convicted felon and a fugitive by authorities in Los Angeles. The court said Polanski can appeal the verdict to Switzerland’s highest tribunal. He can also continue attempts to persuade the Swiss Justice Ministry to release him. Polanski was arrested Sept. 26 as he arrived in Zurich to receive an award from a film festival.
Nation: Obama stands by Iraqi troop pullout WASHINGTON (AP)—President Barack Obama renewed his vow Tuesday to have all U.S. combat troops out of Iraq by next August, while nudging Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to see that his parliament quickly passes a critical election law essential to a nationwide vote in January. Without an election law, the vote could be delayed, snarling American
plans to begin significantly scaling back U.S. troop presence after the national referendum. “We have seen in the last several months a consolidation of a commitment to democratic politics inside of Iraq,” Obama said. “We are very interested, both of us, in making sure that Iraq has an election law that is completed on time so that elections can take place on time in January.” Vice President Joe Biden also pressed al-Maliki on the election legislation when they met a day earlier. As Obama promised to hold to U.S. withdrawal plans, which would see all troops leave Iraq by the end of 2011, Obama also told al-Maliki that he was glad the two leaders were now able to expand their talks beyond warfare to the “enormous opportunities for our countries to do business together.” The Iraqi leader was in the United States in conjunction with a conference designed to boost international business and investment in Iraq, where six years of war have devastated the national infrastructure, factories and allimportant oil sector. “We didn’t just talk about military and security issues,” the president said. “What is wonderful about this trip is that it represents a transition in our bilateral relationship so that we are moving now to issues beyond security and we are beginning to talk about
economy, trade, commerce.” The U.S. negotiated a status of forces agreement in the latter months of the Bush administration which commits the United States to having all combat troops out of the country by the end of August and all other forces— counterinsurgency and support troops—gone by the end of 2011. Beyond its significance for the U.S. pullout, the January election will be critical for the Iraqis with the potential for important political and power realignments. It could threaten al-Maliki’s hold on power after the powerful political bloc of his Shiite Islam co-religionists excluded him from its coalition going into the vote. It that estrangement holds, it would require that al-Maliki turn for political allies among Sunni Muslims, whose insurgency took the country to the brink of civil war in 2006 and 2007, and secular parties. Al-Maliki also repeated his call for help from the Obama administration in the cancellation of all U.N. sanctions and resolutions adopted after Saddam Hussein’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait, saying Iraq is a democracy and has no weapons of mass destruction. “This is important to move Iraq forward and to promote investment,” the Iraqi leader said. Obama nodded as he listened to a translation of al-Maliki’s remarks, but neither leader took questions
after their brief statements in the White House Oval Office. —Steven R. Hurst
Local: Oregon offers electronic end-of-life orders form PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)—Oregon is offering an electronic registry for forms telling doctors whether patients want life-sustaining treatment at the end of life. Oregon Health and Science University officials say the purpose of the registry is to ensure that medical personnel can obtain quick and accurate information about a patient’s health care wishes. Officials say a paper form submitted to the physician orders for life-sustaining treatment, or POLST, program at OHSU is converted to electronic form in a registry that paramedics and others can use to determine medical instructions when a patient is incapacitated. The form was specifically created for patients with advanced illness or frailty. Oregon officials say the electronic registry is the first in the nation. More information is available online at www.polst.org.
Danielle Kulczyk 503-725-5690 news@dailyvanguard.com
Homeless veterans An estimated 260,000 veterans are homeless at some time during the year, according to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. Veterans account for 23 percent of all homeless people in America, according to the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients. More than 67 percent served for at least three years and 33 percent were stationed in a war zone. Oregon has an estimated 5,891 homeless veterans. The NCHV recommends that the public help homeless veterans in the following ways: –Visit with homeless veteran care providers or start an organization to provide care. –Contact elected officials and discuss what is being done in the community for homeless veterans. —National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
Vanguard 4 | Arts & Culture October 21, 2009
Arts Editor: Theodora Karatzas 503-725-5694 arts@dailyvanguard.com
Beauty queens gone bad Carrie Prejean, Miss USA 2009 Carrie Prejean’s fall from grace began the second she started talking about gay marriage in the middle of the Miss USA pageant. Now she’s being sued for the cost of her breast implants by the very group that gave them to her in the first place, the Miss California Organization. Lindsey Evans, Miss Teen Louisiana 2008 Dethroned after being named third runnerup at Miss Teen USA, she was arrested for theft and possession of marijuana when she skipped out on a dinner check and left her purse—with the weed in it—behind. Vanessa Williams, Miss America 1984 The first black Miss America, she was asked to step down in 1984 when a 10-page spread for Penthouse emerged 10 months into her reign. The issue sold 5 million copies and Williams has gone on to an incredibly successful career in Hollywood. Tara Conner, Miss USA 2006 Donald Trump had his hands full in 2007 when this Kentucky native was crowned Miss USA in 2006. Controversy exploded a few months later when she tested positive for cocaine, kissed Miss Teen USA in public, and brought men into their joint apartment in Trump Place. She also reportedly got her 19-year-old roommate, Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera, drunk on her birthday. Trump, who owns the rights to the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, said he “believed in second chances” and that she could keep her crown. Conner headed to rehab for two months and embarked on a morning-show mea culpa tour. Mary Leona Gage, Miss USA 1957 After winning Miss USA 1957, it was discovered that Gage was 18 and not 21 as she had claimed, had been married twice (once at age 14) and had two kids. After losing the crown, Gage tried acting and life as a Hollywood showgirl. Since then, her life has been full of divorce, accusations of child abuse and attempted suicides. —www. thedailybeast.com
ARTS & CULTURE Needtobreathe are doing fine and want you to share the love Mark Johnston Vanguard staff
From Hootie and the Blowfish to Stretch Arm Strong to Nile, South Carolina is home to myriad talented bands, and natives Needtobreathe are no exception. Beautifully crafted songs and simplistic, catchy lyrics have bolstered them onto a major label and allowed them to pursue their dreams and spread their love and message to the world. “When we started out in 1999, it was more of an acoustic thing,” said drummer Joe Stillwell. “It was Bear [Rinehart] and I just playing around Furman [University]. In 2001 we added Bo [Rinehart] and Seth [Bolt], but it didn’t really change our sound.” The group signed to Atlantic Records in 2005 and released their first album Daylight in 2006. The label let Needtobreathe fend for themselves for their first two albums, which is unusual for a major label to do, but it worked in the band’s favor. “We worked through the first two records and Atlantic was hands off,” Stillwell said. “Now that we’ve come into our own, Atlantic has really stepped in to help us out and it’s been really awesome.” Proving they were capable of deciding their own future has allowed the band creative control and a strong relationship with the label. It has also strengthened the band’s bonds as a collective writing instrument. Each member helps the other in the writing process, without letting personal feelings get in the way of doing what’s best for the group. “Mostly Bear and Bo do the writing. They’ll get a song idea, work it out a bit, and then present it to us and we’ll put our two cents in,” Stillwell said. “The relationship that Bear and Bo have as brothers has permeated into the rest of the band. We may get mad about something but we always know we’ll be there for each other so we can speak our minds and be honest to each other and the music is better for it.” This candid and frank approach to their craft hasn’t spared feelings, but it has lead to some great songwriting. Stillwell also commented on how spirituality and experience play into the band’s music. “Our writing is more lifeexperience type stuff,” Stillwell said. “Our faith plays a big part in the stuff that we write. We’re all Christians so it makes its way into the song. We try not to write with an agenda because we feel that if you write with an agenda, it doesn’t come from the heart…it’s a homework assignment. Hopefully people connect with what we originally intended the song to mean or they dig a little deeper and get their own interpretation. As long as they get something from the music, that’s what’s important. People genuinely value honest lyrics and good songwriting.” Fans of Needtobreathe really do value the group’s honest approach. Their newest effort The Outsiders peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard U.S. 200, a great feat for any band. Honesty and integrity are central themes to the band’s sound and lifestyle. “We don’t try to be too cerebral but we don’t try to dumb it down too much,” Stillwell said. “In the past, a lot of our lyrics were really
Need to listen to this band
Needtobreathe: Like a less annoying Lifehouse, Needtobreathe may want to put some hairspaces in their band name.
vague. Back then we would do the soundscape first, and then we tried to fit lyrics in. Now we try to convey a message and get it across in the best way that we know. And hopefully it comes out as something original and beautiful. Sometimes it’s easy and happens right away and sometimes it takes
hours of bouncing [songs] back and forth between each other.” Playing honest rock, tinged with elements of country and pop, with a positive message has gained Needtobreathe a worldwide following in the Christian and secular communities and keep the group one of the year’s breakout bands.
All photos courtesy of Tec Petaja
Needtobreathe Hawthorne Theatre 1507 SE 39th Ave. Fri, Oct. 23 8 p.m. $12 advance, $14 door
Food for the living
Vanguard Arts & Culture | 5 October 21, 2009
& flesh for the dead
This week at NW Film Center:
Portland Zombie Walk sponsors the Oregon Food Bank Bianca Blankenship Vanguard staff
I can only imagine the horrified responses of people who unexpectedly ran into a mass of zombies in downtown Portland this time last year. An old lady somewhere must have fainted upon witnessing hundreds of folks with sunken-in eyes, clad in tattered clothing, feet dragging slowly through the city streets. No, it wasn’t finals week. It was the Portland Zombie Walk, and it has returned this year…for your brains. The walk has been around since 2005. It’s grown more popular each year and last year over 1,000 Portlanders crawled out of their graves to attend the event. An equally strong turnout is expected for 2009. Last year, the frightful affair teamed up with Oregon Food Bank and asked for small donations from participating zombies. The same is happening this year, with the fundraising target set at $2,000. The going rate is $5, but any amount is appreciated. While a donation isn’t required in order to walk, the act is certainly full of good karma—which you’ll need in the zombie afterlife. Oregon Food Bank distributes donated food to banks around Oregon and has four regional food banks in the Portland metro area alone. The organization’s mission is to eliminate hunger through social action and education. Their services are a big help to many lowincome and homeless people in and around the city, making it possible for soup kitchens, shelters and more to operate. Why not raise hunger awareness
as you wander the streets seeking out some brains to gnaw on for yourself? The walk starts at 3:30 p.m. this Saturday and, in order to keep a low profile, the starting location and route will be released on the walk’s MySpace in the next few days. Considering the trend of past years, though, the walk is likely to begin somewhere downtown. Don’t be surprised if the starting location is also the site for Thrill the World 2009. Yes, you read it right, a giant tribute to Michael Jackson will also take place Saturday. This worldwide event encourages people to gather in flash-mob style and simultaneously perform the “Thriller” dance. And if that doesn’t awaken the undead, I don’t know what will. This, too, is a benefit. All donations go to Portland’s Sexual Minority Youth Resource Center. So, how should you prepare for a day packed with zombies and Michael Jackson dance moves? You can start by checking out information on the events’ respective MySpace sites. Then you can snag some fake blood from a costume store before it sells out, rip up your best zombie attire and tell all your friends that there’s no logical reason for missing this horrific event.
Vanguard Archives
Portland Zombie Walk
Oct. 22, 7 p.m.
Sat, Oct. 24, 3:30 p.m. Location TBA $5 suggested donation
A different take on Oz Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road may be unexpected, but it’s not bad Steve Haske Vanguard staff
If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “Why isn’t there a Japanese roleplaying game based on The Wizard of Oz?,” then congratulations: You’ve entered into minority status among all gamers everywhere. D3 Publisher might disagree with a lack of demand for such a title, however, at least to a point of actually going and making just that. Just because Beyond the Yellow Brick Road doesn’t necessarily carry the demand D3 might’ve thought it would doesn’t mean it’s all bad. The game is basically a retelling of Frank L. Baum’s classic tale, only done up in stylized Japanese themes—at least, in a way that does its best to mimic the original story’s more American sensibilities. Dorothy may find herself getting caught in a tornado and winding up in Oz, but the story has changed, much like the creepy Return to Oz (except not really creepy). In this particular iteration, the titular wizard is a giant floating green head, for example, and Oz has been beset by problems as four witches reign and cause problems
The World Jia Zhangke, China 2004 “Jia casts a compassionate eye on the daily lives, loves, friendships, and disparate dreams of the 20-somethings from China’s remote provinces who come to live and work at Beijing’s World Park. A bizarre cross-cultural mélange of Las Vegas and Epcot Center, World Park features lavish shows performed amid scaled-down replicas of the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower, St. Mark’s Square, the Pyramids, and even the Twin Towers. From the sensational opening tracking shot of a young dancer’s backstage quest for a Band-Aid to poetic flourishes of animation and clever use of text-messaging, Jia pushes past the kitsch potential of this surreal setting—a real-life Beijing tourist destination—to explore the themes of alienated youth, contemporary Chinese history, and globalization. Wendy Larson, Professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures at the University of Oregon, will introduce the film and facilitate a post-film discussion.”
within the magical realm. The cast is the same as the classic film, save for appearances. The principal four allies are a collection of Japanese reinterpretations on familiar cultural icons, casting Dorothy as a cute anime-style heroine and the Tin Man as a fat, steampunk-looking logger that only says “hvah,” (the Norwegian word for “what,” evidently). The game itself is kind of mixed, from a presentation standpoint. Cut scenes are generally presented in digital novel format—essentially a series of still images with thirdperson narrative text—with some dialogue cut scenes for more important scenes. The story isn’t bad, but the aesthetic approach could use some work. However, Beyond the Yellow Brick Road is one hell of a goodlooking DS game. Dorothy and Toto are animated very well, and the character models and environments pop with vibrant color. The game’s mechanics work well enough, too. Like this year’s Flower, Sun, and Rain, the controls are all performed with the touch screen, through a trackball on the bottom screen that you flick with the stylus. This makes Dorothy move forward, as well as perform contextsensitive actions or talk with other characters. You can even play with Toto, which is a nice touch.
Zombie walk: Brains, gore and blood all for a good cause.
Battles are played out in an old-school vein similar to Dragon Quest, although thankfully they’re not randomized and each of the principal four members has a certain amount of points used per turn, adding a slight strategic hint to the procedure. Probably the best thing about Beyond the Yellow Brick Road is that, when she’s running, Dorothy hightails it into a full-bore sprint that can tear through an entire dungeon map in very little time. Seriously, just for that reason alone, the game might be worth playing. Overall, the simplified mechanics and quirky story might turn some RPG fans off, but if you consider yourself a fan of The Wizard of Oz or are just looking for something different on the DS, this may fit the bill.
Vanguard Archives
Burma VJ – Reporting from a Closed Country “Armed with pocketsized video cameras, a tenacious band of Burmese reporters face down death to expose the repressive regime controlling their country. In 2007, after decades of selfimposed silence, Burma became headline news across the globe when peaceful Buddhist monks led a massive rebellion. More than 100,000 people took to the streets protesting a cruel dictatorship that has held the country hostage for more than 40 years. Foreign news crews were banned, the Internet was shut down, and Burma was closed to the outside world. So how did we witness these events? Enter the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), aka the Burma VJs. Compiled from the shaky handheld footage of the DVB, Østergaard’s film pulls us into the heat of the moment as the VJs themselves become the target of the Burmese government. Winner of the Joris Ivens Award and Human Rights Award at the International Documentary Film Festival, Amsterdam. Post-film panel discussion hosted by Project Maie and the Burma Action Committee.” Oct 25, 4:30 p.m.
The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road XSEED Games Nintendo DS $29.99
All screenings are in the Whitsell Auditorium, 1218 SW Park Ave. Free with PSU student ID. —www.nwfilm.org
Vanguard 6 | Opinion October 21, 2009
OPINION What’s news got to do with it?
Opinion Editor: Richard D. Oxley 503-725-5692 opinion@dailyvanguard.com
Crazy dog products found during two minutes of searching the Internet Traveler backpack and carrier: You know, those bags on wheels you see folks dragging behind them at the airport. Well, forget your clothes, now you can just take your dog in one—and I bet it even fits in the overhead compartment. Designer handbags: You can fit your little guy in your very own chic handbag and still have room to keep all your other daily items. I just hope the common problem of not being able to find anything in your purse now extends to finding your dog too. Puppy purses: Forget the handbags altogether. Now, you can simply strap up your pup and hang them off your shoulder just like your every day purse. Passers-by may not even notice that your purse is, in fact, a living, breathing dog. That’s great, but where the hell do you put your wallet? Dog tiaras: No comment needed. The concept alone is terrifying. Puppy swimwear: From bikinis to life jackets to swim trunks. Your pup will be the talk of the beach this season with a variety of stylish outfits. Dog shoes: Yep. Footwear—er, paw wear—for your dog that ranges from the classic sneaker to leg warmers, just like in Flashdance. What a feeling! Armoires: What will you do with all the shoes, swimsuits, clothes and tiaras you bought for your dog? Store them in their very own puppy armoire. Dog beds: Dog beds aren’t anything new or special, except when they are nicer than your own and cost up to $1,500. Source: www.glamourdog.com
and made her have sex with a dog. This type of reporting just seems irresponsible, a clear attempt to shock viewers into watching. What’s more is that KATU, using better judgment and discretion than KGW, refused to specify the criminal details. So what is it that makes violent stories newsworthy? A news station based out of Austin, Texas, decided they would start asking themselves that very question. The station in question, KVUE, implemented a series of guidelines that a violent story must meet in order to air. These guidelines include questions such as, “Does action need to be taken? Or is there an immediate threat to safety?” If a story fails to
meet one or more of the guidelines, it does not air. Joe Holley of the Columbia Journalism Review ran a study on the effects of this new policy on KVUE’s viewers. The station got its highest ratings in a decade after the switch. One fax the station received from a viewer read, “We are not interested in gory details about who got smeared on the interstate, who got murdered, etc.” Even KGW and KVUE’s respective Web sites reflect the difference in sensationalism between the stations. At the time of this writing, KGW’s local news includes headlines such as “Ground broken on new NE Portland church destroyed by fire” and “Driver sought in hit and run crash.”
On the other hand, KVUE’s headlines read “Obama urges people to serve their communities” and “Domain development seeing construction boom.” When it comes to what one might consider real news—little things like foreign affairs and health care—local news also falls short. In preparing for this article, I, somewhat grudgingly, sat down to watch an entire half hour of local news. After the obligatory murders, kidnappings and a commercial break, KGW started in on the important stuff like health care reform, deployment of troops to Afghanistan and Hillary Clinton’s visit to Russia. These three stories, combined, were given about 30 seconds of air time, whereas a story that followed about Michael Jackson’s “new” song received about a minute all by itself. We can see what the local news’ priorities are. Violence, though sometimes useful to know about, is not news, and the details even less so. I would think it is no surprise to anyone that some people died today, yet those stories get more time and more priority than the decisions that are being made in capitols across the country, and across the world, that will affect everyone. KVUE and KATU have shown that discretion when it comes to reporting on violent crimes can still draw an audience. It’s time more local news channels came to the same conclusion.
But let’s be clear. When you bring your mutt around the grocery store, place them in those god-awful strollers, dress them up in costumes or keep them in a handbag like a fashion accessory, you are not a dog lover. You’re just fucking crazy. I’m talking about you, crazy lady who brought her damn puffball pup into the theater when I saw Transformers 2. Your dog barking at the screen at random explosions goes beyond the standard cinematic annoyances we must commonly endure. So does the constant panting or jingling of its collar. Because you felt that your dog was human enough to take on a date out to the movies, I was not able to adequately experience how shitty that movie was, or how overrated a filmmaker Michael Bay is. Should we now film new condemning commercials to watch before our movies? You know,
something like, “Please silence your phone, and don’t forget pick up your dog’s shit before you leave.” Why should I care if someone carries their dog around in a handbag, or pushes them around in a stroller? Because sometimes in life, when you encounter something so massively stupid, it can in turn threaten your own intelligence. As if the stupidity just kills off your brain cells at a faster rate than a lifetime of alcoholism. At least, I think that’s how it works, though I might not be smart enough to tell anymore. Really? You’re putting a dog in a position normally reserved for a human child. Granted, it could be said that having a dog is much like having a hairy child stuck at the age of 2 with attention deficit disorder. But the line has to be drawn somewhere—and I think that line is right in between sauntering around town with your companion enjoying
the day, and creepily forcing them into some sort of costume as you push them around in a doggy stroller. You are the canine version of a crazy cat lady. You may not have as many cats running around your house, but you sure do have as much crazy running about in your head. I know: Dogs are pretty smart. I actually believe that dogs do have emotions and a certain level of higher thought. However, unlike dogs, humans don’t arbitrarily defecate on the sidewalk, or randomly hump your leg. Figure it out, Portland! There is a difference between humans and dogs. Just as there is a difference between being a people person and being a cannibal, or public relations and streetwalkers—believe me, I know. And there is a difference between a dog lover, and you with your mutt in a handbag, wearing a matching sweater.
Sensationalism is ruining local news Will Blackford Vanguard staff
Welcome to the Vanguard! Today’s top stories: murder, rape, kidnapping and armed robbery. Not surprisingly, these are the top stories every day on local news programs. What is it that makes these stories news, and what happens when reporting on violent crimes goes too far? On Thursday, Oct. 8, a news story broke on KGW about a man who had committed sex crimes against minors. Unfortunately, KGW’s reporters did not stop there. The news program laid out the details of the crimes committed: A man allegedly molested a 4-year-old child and made a teenager perform sexual acts with a dog while taking photographs of the abuse. A friend of mine, who watched the program, commented that hearing this made him sick to his stomach. He could not imagine why they felt the need to specify these horrific crimes, especially when another news channel said they couldn’t name the crimes committed. Putting aside, for the moment, the question as to whether or not this story is actually news, I think it’s safe to say that no one needs to know a man raped a minor
Rant Rage The
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By Richard D. Oxley
Perturbing Portland pooch Dogs are freaking awesome. I consider myself a dog lover and think Portland kicks just that much more ass for its dog-friendly culture. We have restaurants with dog menus, shops that keep water bowls out and an amazing amount of space for dog parks. Hell, a few years back, we were even awarded Dog Town USA by Dog Fancy Magazine.
Kira Meyrick/Portland State Vanguard
etc. ART WEDNESDAY The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 500 Seventh Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Edited by Will Shortz Across 1 Third-party account 7 Key of Beethovenʼs Seventh: Abbr. 11 Smoked fare, for short 14 J. Lo title role 15 Common command in Basic programming 16 Évian water 17 Arborists 19 ___ Tomé and Príncipe (equatorial land) 20 “Buenos ___!” 21 U.S.N. junior officer: Abbr. 22 Summer hours in Va. 24 Capitalism 30 Cause for an R rating 31 Margaret Mitchell family
32 Jack Horner line ender 35 Allen and Coen 39 Some touch screens, for short 40 Disagree 43 Roman Cath. title 44 Get cozy 45 O.R. figures 46 “It has come to my attention …” 48 My ___, Vietnam 50 Tuneful Ford 56 Key that might close a dialog box 57 Letters in a U.R.L. 58 Buffer areas, briefly 60 Former cabinet department 62 Art show that might feature “Fish Magic”
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For answers, call 1-900-285-5656, $1.49 a minute; or, with a credit card, 1-800-814-5554. Annual subscriptions are available for the best of Sunday crosswords from the last 50 years: 1-888-7-ACROSS. AT&T users: Text NYTX to 386 to download puzzles, or visit nytimes.com/mobilexword for more information. Online subscriptions: Todayʼs puzzle and more than 2,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Share tips: nytimes.com/wordplay. Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/learning/xwords.
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Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 through 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating. Thenumberswithintheheavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given
operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners.
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Freebies:Fillinsingle-box cages with the number in the top-left corner.
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Vagina Monologues general interest meeting 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Women’s Resource Center Seminar: King Tut’s Medicine Cabinet 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. SMSU, room 228
Thursday PSU American Marketing Association meeting 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. SBA, room 160 Oregon College of Oriental Medicine admission seminar Noon to 2 p.m. SMSU, room 329 Seminar: North Korea in Historical Perspective 6:30 p.m. SMSU, room 238
Friday Indians Thinking: Imagining Indigenous Futurisms 2 p.m. SMSU, room 298
To place an event: Contact vgcalendar@ gmail.com or pick up a calendar request form at the Vanguard advertising office, Smith Memorial Student Union, room 115.
ART WEDNESDAY
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dazed
Cameras are everywhere!
confused:
(we hope)
a critical look at our pop life By Ed Johnson
We are living in a time of nightmares made real, where reality and non-reality are bending in the minds of the weak, creating a craven illusion in their twisted psyches. I am, of course, talking about reality TV. Specifically, I’m talking about the fact that a greater and greater portion of America is convinced that their lives should be filmed. Right. Fucking. Now. Last week brought on one of the more crass fame binges in recent memory, when the “Balloon Boy” incident propelled a Colorado family first into national stardom and then national ridicule. I’m not sure where I read this idea first, but its perception is spot on: The only difference between what happened last Thursday and a normal reality show is that the journalists weren’t in on the joke. That’s really it.
I mean, the family literally had the entire country and media system on the edge of their seats, waiting to see what might happen. They were so desperate for fame that they made up an elaborate scheme to, in essence, create their own television show. It was a manipulation of “real” events for the benefit of a national audience. Now, there’s no question that the Heene family is full of idiots, but they’re really more a symptom of the problem than the problem itself. What modern technology has wrought is not just useful advancement. It has given us too many tools to engage our inner narcissists. Because, even if we can’t get onto a TV show—which is increasingly easy to do—we can put videos of ourselves up on YouTube. Technology has given us the illusion that we are more
Ed Johnson/Portland State Vanguard
important than we are, and people are starting to act accordingly. Scarier still is the fact that TV is now explicitly trying to form the identity of its viewers. For instance, have you seen the new Comedy Central series Secret Girlfriend? It’s a show shot in a first-person format, and it marks an absolute low point in 21st century culture. The setup is something like this: You (the viewer) are friends with two fat slobs. Most of your time is spent staring at the body parts of attractive women. For some inexplicable reason, all the women in town are in love with you, even though you don’t speak or even appear to exist. You are a misogynistic ghost in the machine. And you don’t have any choice in the matter. While I’ve only seen one episode of Secret Girlfriend, it’s hard to
imagine this intense fantasy is in any way healthy. It’s a lot like pointof-view porn, but instead of simply mimicking sex acts, it mimics the day-to-day actions of a life. For a generation raised on firstperson video games, it might be that this show makes far too much sense, but even just based on craft and narrative, this show is nigh unwatchable. First-person TV or film just doesn’t work. Maybe now that “real” people have supplanted fictional people on TV, fictional lives will replace real ones. We’re fast approaching the breakeven point. The Heene family lost a grip on who they are based on the nectar of fame. They became fictional. As we continue to stir the technosludge that is our modern lives, let us not forget: We are who we are, and we’re not fucking famous.
Waffle House fun facts Ever have a craving for Waffle House knowledge, but can’t afford to make the 2,646-mile trip to Decatur, Ga., to visit the official Waffle House Museum? Well, there’s no need to travel good friend. Just sit back and enjoy some of the greasiest trivia our toothless cooks have whipped up for you. Since 1955, the Waffle House franchise has served the following: Waffles 495,264,367 Cups of coffee 957,041,599 Hash brown orders 1,173,838,328 Sausage patties 370,545,935 Bacon strips 786,449,152 Slices of ham 14,899,594 Eggs 1,527,602,959.24
Modern Family a comedic success due to a mash-up of stereotypes
Slices of pie 22,217,455 T-bone steaks 123,587,123 Orders of grits 1,108,574,633
Katie Kotsovos Vanguard staff
Forget Glee on Wednesday nights. You’ll find more laughs on ABC at 9 p.m., courtesy of Modern Family. Yes, in a post-DVR world, there isn’t the need to choose between competing time slots anymore. As a backup, most shows can be found online within 24 hours of airing. The point is that Modern Family should be on your radar, because it is funnier than almost anything on TV. Modern Family is a half-hour comedy—part sitcom, part fauxdocumentary—about three different households that make up the Pritchett family. In one home is patriarch Jay Pritchett, played by Ed O’Neill (Married with Children). Also living with Jay is Gloria (Sofia Vergara), his much younger and hot Latina wife, and her 11-yearold son, Manny. Jay’s two grown children helm the other subsets of the family. His daughter Claire (Julie Bowen) has been married for 16 years to goofball Phil (Ty Burrell), and they have three kids. Jay’s son Mitch and his partner Cameron have just adopted a baby girl from Vietnam. The three groups of people make up one big, extended family meant to encompass as many aspects of the “modern family” as possible. Despite the fact that the premise draws on familial clichés in a painfully convenient way, the result is actually a delightful mix of characters—so much so that the show feels very fresh. O’Neill plays seasoned father Jay with the right amount of cynicism and caring to be funny. Next to Gloria’s sunny optimism, the character is almost nihilistic. Yet episodes tend to conclude with a simple lesson about loving your kin, in which Jay is often at the center. Mitch (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) play off each other with a dynamic that is both nagging and affectionate. Though the show may play into gay
Vanguard Arts & Culture | 8 October 21, 2009
Cheese ’n’ eggs 72,567,509 Omelets 204,164,660 —www.wafflehouse.com
Whenfamiliescollide Modern Family Wednesdays, 9 p.m. ABC
Modern Family: Love comes in many forms. Sometimes these forms include choking and violence.
stereotypes more than others— making one of the men neurotic, the other a drama queen—the characters have become somewhat more individualized as the show has progressed. Cameron’s character, in particular, is given a lot of good one-liners. The most traditional of the bunch is the last nuclear unit. Claire has Phil essentially whipped.
That doesn’t stop him, however, from trying to be both friend and parent to his children. The friend part doesn’t work most of the time, as children generally resist when their parents try to be “down” with the kids. Watching him try is both funny and cringe inducing. What makes Modern Family work so well is that it juggles its many characters with ease. Episodes
give equal time to all the main players, often by pairing different characters in the same storyline— several of which are usually going on simultaneously. The mood is light and entertaining, without making the show come off as fluff. The writing is perceptive too, and that’s often why it’s so funny. The big winner in the 9 p.m. spot last Wednesday was the CBS drama Criminal Minds, with 13.4 million viewers. Modern Family made a solid showing with 9.3 million, edging out Law and Order: SVU and Glee in the ratings. Thank goodness the fan base is there, because Modern Family has the potential for staying power, especially when other family comedies just feel like the same old thing.