Accent newspaper October 4 issue

First Copy free

Oct. 4, 2010

Volume 13, Issue 2

theAccent.org

FANTASTIC ARCADE DEBUTS IN AUSTIN pg. 9 news • education

University Center opens in Fredericksburg

Austin Nicholas Staff Writer

Faculty and donors celebrated the opening of the Hill Country University Center (HCUC) on Sep. 23 in Fredericksburg.

The HCUC program began at Fredericksburg high school in 2003 in portable trailers. Since then, the program has expanded due to the support of HEB, Texas Tech, Austin Community College, Concordia, and Angelo State.

The center was founded by the Hill Country Foundation in 2003 to cater to the needs of traditional, non-traditional, and economically challenged students who might not be able to afford to go study elsewhere at a four year institution.

“Students from different socioeconomic backgrounds can come to the University Center and have access to the same education they would receive at a regular four-year University at a much lower price without having to leave home,” according to Jimmy Sparks, executive director of the HCUC foundation.

Stationed on a 68 acre campus on the outskirts of Fredericksburg, the facility features six classrooms, two lecture halls, a science lab, a computer lab, bookstore, and support space for both students and the nine staff members that are currently employed in the Hill Country.

The academic structure of the HCUC is a noncompetitive course schedule, meaning that no institution offers the same major.

Students who do not have transferable credit may begin by taking ACC core curriculum classes that are applicable to the 4 year university of their choice, and when the prerequisite classes for transfer are complete, they can be advised on a transfer. After the process of advising, students have an opportunity to choose a major.

The end goal is to attain a four year university diploma in a smaller, community oriented environment.

Elizabeth Olvera, a business major at the HCUC, grew up in a small town 15 miles outside of Fredericksburg. She graduated from a class of 37 students and attended University of Texas at San Antonio for her first year of college, but said that because of the class size she felt like she didn’t even want to go to class.

“I was not used to the class size and it was intimidating,” Olvera said. After hearing about the HCUC facility, she immediately enrolled because it reminded her of her home environment. “By going to HCUC I can stay in the town that I feel comfortable in meanwhile getting the same education that I would anywhere else.”

Plans for expansion are a topic of discussion for the HCUC board and with a 68 acre campus, there is lots of room for potential advancement, according to ACC Executive Vice President Mary Hensley. Students have received their degrees and have become first generation college graduates through the programs offered by HCUC. Dr. Julie Martenson, the Texas Tech Director of Off-Campus-Sites summarized the goal of the multi-institution program, “At HCUC, you can take a dusty old transcript, or no degree at all, and hone current job skills or begin anew- gaining a competitive edge in an ever developing and challenging job market.”

GUIDE TO THE TEXAS BOOK FESTIVAL pg. 10 FIND THE BEST FOOD CARTS IN AUSTIN pg. 7

news • criMe and saFetY

Controversy over handguns on campus reignited Hilary Shepherd Staff Reporter

It started out as a normal Tuesday for sophomore Carlos Marin. Around 7:45 that morning, he headed to the Perry-Castaneda Library on the University of Texas in Austin campus to print out an essay for his English class.

Marin was not aware that just fifteen minutes later, he would be escorted away from the six-floor building by officers from the Austin Police Department.

“They told me there was an armed suspect in the building,” he said. “I just froze.”

The gunman, Colton Tooley, was a 19-year-old mathematics major at the University of Texas at Austin. Armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, Tooley walked across 21st street donned in a black ski mask. According to police, he shot the rifle several times before entering the sixth floor of the PCL and committed suicide.

“I don’t think he intended on hurting anyone,” said Andy Fernandez, a member of the Libertarian Longhorns at UT. Though no other injuries were reported, the incident has sparked a fierce debate regarding the controversial issue of gun-control on college campuses.

“Guns don’t belong in places where the public has reason to believe that they are safe. I’m talking public institutions for education, churches… there are just places where you do not expect the need to be armed to protect yourself in that setting. That’s not the purpose,” said Linda Young, special assistant to the President of public affairs at ACC. Like Young, ACC campus police officer Don Mayes believes that college campuses are not the appropriate place for concealed weapons.

“Campus is a place to study, not worry about things.

You just never know. Some people get arrogant with guns, and some people get cocky. It’s just not the place,” Mayes said.

Those opposed to gun-control argue that the issue is simply a matter of self-defense.

“Concealed handgun license holders are not kicking down doors. They’re not storming into buildings. They’re not chasing bad guys through dark alleys. They’re not engaging in stand-offs with snipers hiding in a building somewhere. They’re not police officers. They’re just trained to use concealed handguns as self-defense,” said Scott Lewis, an ACC student and member of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (SCCC).

“Our contention is that these gun bans need to be based on reason and logic. They need to be based on more than this emotional, visceral reaction against guns on campus, and that’s really what most of the arguments are. Most of the arguments against it are the same arguments people have made against concealed carry everywhere else, but it’s allowed. And these horrific scenarios that people predict if you let concealed carry on campus, they haven’t played out anywhere else in the state of Texas, and there’s no

reason to assume they’ll play out on campus,” he said.

Texas law currently prohibits guns on campus. Section 46.05 of the Texas Concealed Handgun Law states that concealed weapons are illegal “on the physical premises of a school or educational institution … whether the school or educational institution is public or private, unless pursuant to written regulations or written authorization of the institution.”

During the legislative session starting in January 2011, the issue of gun control is expected to heat up again after the effort to allow guns on campus failed last session.

To acquire a concealed handgun, a person must be 21 years of age, pass a background check and complete a ten-hour training course.

“Anyone at UT – anyone at ACC – could pass the test without ever having picked up a gun before. Even I passed the test, and I had never used a gun before. They shoot at eight paper targets across the room. This no way resembles real life situations,” said John Woods, a former Virginia Tech student who graduated just three weeks after the shooting.

Woods, who now attends UT as a graduate student, advocates for gun-free zones in Texas.

“On campus, there are misunderstandings and fights, and the worst you have on you is a pen. I just worry with guns the situation could be a lot worse.”

For Carlos Marin, experiencing Tuesday’s incident has reaffirmed his belief that guns should remain off campus.

“No one but a well-trained official should be allowed Adrienne Sparks • Staff Photographer to have a gun on campus,” he said. “If STUDENT REACTION — Reporters students had them, it interview a University of Texas student shortly would just make me after Colton Tooley fired gun shots and killed feel unsafe.” himself on UT’s campus.

Texas Gun Legislation School Campus Gun Violence 1995 74th Legislature passed the Texas concealed carry bill.

Austin Nicholas • Staff Photographer

NETWORKING —Elizabeth Olvera (right) introduces herself to Adjunct Professor Ross Bigelow (left) at the celebration of the opening of the new Hill Country University Center. Bigelow currently teaches geography at ACC’s Fredricksburg campus.

Aug. 1, 1966 Austin, TX. 16 killed at the University of Texas at Austin when a lone gunman fired onto campus from the campus clock tower.

1997 HB 2855 allowing guns on campus failed

2009 SB1164 and HB 1893 allowing guns on campus failed

1999 HB 1035 allowing guns on campus failed

April 20, 1999 Littleton, CO.15 killed, 23 others wounded at Columbine High School.

April 16, 2007 Blacksburg, VA. 33 killed, 15 wounded at Virginia Tech.

Feb. 14, 2008 DeKalb, IL. 6 killed, 17 wounded 17 at Northern Illinois University.

Sept. 28, 2010 Austin, TX. Gunman entered campus and took his own life

graphic by Elizabeth Brown

arts • literature

Religious experience inspires novel Hilary Shepherd Staff Reporter

Sidney Frost is living proof that anything’s possible. At 73 years old, he currently holds the title of Austin Lyric Opera singer, worldwide traveler, ex-Marine, devoted husband, Austin Community College computer science professor, and Elder at his church. And, with the recent publishing of his first novel , he can now add ‘novelist’ to the list.

“One day, my pastor said something about us having dreams about things we want to do, and he told us to just go ahead and do it, just try it and see what happens. I felt like that was enough to do it,” Frost said.

In 2006, he began taking online writing courses through

Writer’s Digest, and four years later, was nearing the completion of his first novel.

Where Love Once Lived, a fictional Christian romance novel, follows lives of Brian and Karen and their journey to reignite their love with each other and, ultimately, God. Former students at the University of Texas at Austin, the college sweethearts experience a period of separation when Brian mysteriously leaves town for 30 years.

“He comes back to Austin looking for that feeling that he had before – that feeling of love and all. But it turns out that what he’s missing is the love of God, and that’s what he finds,” Frost said.

Frost, who, like Brian, grew

up in Austin and attended UT, drew inspiration from his own life experiences to develop the characters and themes depicted in the novel.

“When Brian finds out his mother has Alzheimer’s, he drives up to his church and he sits out in the parking lot and learns how to pray again. That really happened to me,” Frost explains.

Published last August, Where Love Once Lived has been deemed an instant success.

In 2007, it won first place in the inspirational and spiritual category of the Southwest Writer’s Contest and first place in the romance category of the Writers’ League of Texas Contest.

And it’s no wonder; Frost’s knack for writing came to him

at an early age.

“All through high school and college, I knew I had a talent for writing. I’d write term papers for my friends. On the aptitude test, I always scored high on the writing part, but the counselors would say, ‘You’re not going to make any money doing that’ so I was looking for some other career. I tried lots of different things until I found computers, and I’ve been doing that ever since,” he said. “But I always had a feel for writing.”

Fans of Where Love Once Lived can expect several sequels to the book, which Frost says he has already begun working on.

His second novel, Vengeance is Mine, is in its final edit and will be released soon. A brief synopsis of it can be found on his website, sindeywfrost.com.

Elizabeth Brown • Staff Designer

SIDNEY OF ALL TRADES —Computer Science Professor

and published author Sidney Frost poses for his picture.

FORUM

page 2

Karissa Explains

Learn to manage your time

Photo/Web Editor

Describing myself as a busy person is an understatement. Not only am I a full time student as well as an editor for the Accent, I am also a wife and a mother to a three- and four-year-old.

I don’t even have time to stop and just take a moment to breathe and relax most days, but I’ve learned how to get through my day without falling behind in classes or work and avoiding neglecting my family.

Students who find themselves stressed out from managing to accomplish the hundreds of things they need to do can use the following tips to learn how to manage their time and get things done efficiently.

Buy a calender Whether its a calendar, planner or even a digital calendar on your cell phone, this invention is the stressed-out person’s number one friend for keeping track of due dates, anniversaries, and school events.

The fact that you wrote down an important date will increase your chances for completing that task, plus you will be able to plan out your day or week far more efficiently when you see everything you need to accomplish on paper.

I will be quite honest, I used to hate using a calender simply because it seemed like just one more thing for me to do. Writing down appointments and exam dates in a planner drove me insane.

Google’s online calender on the other hand is a godsend. Not only can I update it from my cell phone (I have an Android), I can update it when I’m on my laptop.

It’s really convenient to use and will definitely help you stay on top of completing all the tasks you need to do.

Stop procrastinating Seriously, stop procrastinating. Its one of the worst habits that most college students practice.

Delaying when you are going to complete your homework for just one class is just going to push back when you complete your work for your other classes and you’re just going to end up hurting yourself in the long run.

In my opinion, procrastinating is just somehow

RICKY the RIVERBAT I’M TAKING A MATH CLASS. THE TEXTBOOK COST ME $160. THAT’S MORE THAN I PAID FOR THE CLASS ITSELF! AND THAT’S NOT ALL ...

ingrained into everyone from an early age and we just have to learn how to break that habit.

Even I am guilty of procrastinating I’ll admit. Its a hard habit to kick. I delayed writing this specific section of my column for days ironically.

Allow for flexibility Things inevitably come up that you weren’t expecting. I can attest to this. Having two preschool-aged kids throws curve balls at me all the time. Not only do I have to schedule my own time, but I have to schedule their ever-changing time as well.

The best way to remain flexible is to leave room in your calendar so you can move things around when last minute things pop up.

Another thing you can do is stop worrying about every minute of your day. I can guarantee you that 99% of that time, what you plan to accomplish throughout a day or a week will not occur exactly how you wanted it to. It doesn’t matter how you complete a task, the important thing is getting it done in the end.

Keep trying new systems If any of the suggestions I’ve offered you don’t help you improve your time management skill its because I’ve only offered you a few tips. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of ways anyone can improve managing their time effectively.

Digitally saavy students liek myself may find that using smart phones and computer software programs like Evernote will work best for them.

However, some students might prefer the old fashioned system of writing things down. I utilize this method as well. (Sticky notes are all over my desk at work and home.)

No matter your method, the key is finding something that works for you.

Just remember, not every minute of your life can be planned out, but having as much as you can planned out will help you manage your time better.

Karissa explains it all is a recurring column that focuses on providing students with advice on general topics that affect them. Want to suggest a topic? Email Karissa at pictures@austincc.edu

Texas needs stricter gun control laws on, off campus Staff Editorial The smoke is beginning to clear after last week’s shooting at the University of Texas where a 19-year-old math major ran through campus firing an AK-47 before tragically taking his own life.

Fear and shock swept through campus and the rest of the city. It wasn’t long after the shooting that people began talking about the unsafe and illconceived bill that would have allowed concealed handgun owners to bring their guns on campus that very nearly passed in the Texas Legislature in 2009.

With a new legislative session set to begin in 2010, pro-gun advocates will once again be lobbying for opening up college campuses to concealed handguns. What should really be on people’s mind is the question of why guns are so easy to buy in Texas.

Guns on campus advocates say that allowing concealed weapons on-campus would make students safer from both on campus shooters and from everyday violent crimes.

This is a ridiculous assertion especially when you look at the fact

Jorge Amador

Fellow Students, First off, we would like to say that we hope the beginning of this semester finds you all doing well in your classes.

Student Government has been working hard all summer,

that the Texas Association of College and University Police Administrators (TACUPA) said in a statement that allowing handguns on campus would “further dilute the efforts of campus law enforcement to provide for the safety and security of the communities” they serve.

According to TACUPA most crimes on campus are not violent, and students are generally safer on campus than in the community outside of campus. In 2009 TACUPA came out against a bill in the Texas Legislature that would have allowed concealed handguns on college campuses.

Simply multiplying the number of people with weapons is not going to make a campus safer. Concealed handgun carriers are not police officers.

Shootouts between handgun wielding students and dangerous shooters are not what we want on campus. City and Campus police exist for a reason.

The real problem centers on why guns are so easily bought and sold in Texas.

The answer to the problem of a possible deranged gunman on a college campus is not to have more guns on campus.

Instead of trying to get more guns in more places, what we really should be looking at is how and why assault rifles like an AK-47 are so easy to purchase.

A recent report by Mayors against Illegal Guns, a 500-member bi-partisan coalition of U.S. mayors, shows that guns from Texas are being used in crimes all over the country and Texas is one of the top suppliers of guns used in the drug war in Mexico.

Guns bought and sold in Texas are being used in violent crimes across the country and abroad.

The conversation we should be having now is not about allowing handguns on campus but about how we should be enforcing the laws we have that regulate the sales of deadly weapons. We should be asking ourselves if we need new, stricter regulations. Should a 19-year-old be allowed to own an AK-47?

More people with more guns on campuses will not make us safer. Proper and strict regulation of who gets to buy dangerous weapons can have a positive effect on safety on and off campus.

by Odin Amador IF THEY RELEASE A NEW EDITION, ODDS ARE I WON’T BE ABLE TO SELL IT BACK. AM I SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE THERE’S A REVOLUTION IN MATH EDUCATION THAT NECESSITATES A NEW TEXTBOOK EVERY YEAR?

SGA president writes an open letter to students

SGA President

Oct. 4, 2010

Handguns do not belong on college campus

it ALL

Karissa Rodriguez

www.theAccent.org

and is continuing to do so, for the benefit of all students.

During this time, we have been focusing on new ideas on how to better ACC for students.

These include creation of our new website: www.austincc. edu/sga. This serves as a point of access for information from SGA and a way to contact SGA. We have also created a new SGA Scholarship, which is available for all students to apply for. We are working on the possible development of an SGA sponsored ACC yearbook, and of course, SGA continues to participate in shared governance representation with the administration. We also continue to support the Dream Act, as well.

As an organization, our focus has been and will continue to be to improve student experience on all campuses. We have worked for some conveniences, such as

credit card readers on vending machines. SGA has also been hands on with parking concerns at all campuses, working to try to gain improvements.

Students are always welcome to contact us with concerns and ideas, and are encouraged to become involved with Student Government. We also encourage students to come to our meetings, which are open to everyone. Our next meeting is on October 8th, and the following meeting is on October 22nd. Meetings are held at the Highland Business Center. For more information, see the SGA website, call the SGA office at 223-3116, or email sga@ austincc.edu On behalf of the Student Government Association, Sincerely, Jorge Amador 2010-2011 President SGA

I MIGHT AS WELL THROW MONEY IN THE RIVER.

HERE’S A NOVEL IDEA: SPARE THE TREES -AND MY WALLET!

Corrections for 09/21/10 In the “Campus opens to full capacity” story board of trustee vice chair Allen Kaplan’s last name was misspelled. In the same story, the Northridge enrollment numbers should have been “10, 219 students enrolled according to fall 2010 12th day class data provided by ACC” not 9,000.

In “The board’s busy summer” story under the Tax Rate section the last sentence should read: “According to an official ACC press release Austin Community College District’s tax rate still ranks as one of the lowest in the state.”

In the Tuition Increase section of the same story, the cost for in-district semester credit hour is $42.

The heading above the graph accompanying the Tuition Increase story should read “In-district cost per credit hour at ACC over the last 10 years.

Advertising 512.223.0122

Editorial 512.223.0393

Fax 512.223.0904

Office of Student Life

RRC, 4400 College Park Drive, Room 2107 Round Rock, TX 78665 Editor-in-Chief....................................................................................... Christopher A. Smith Assistant Editor..................................................................................... Sarah Neve Photo and Web Editor........................................................................ Karissa Rodriguez Layout Editor.......................................................................................... Chris Scott Life & Arts Editor ................................................................................. Sarah Vasquez Campus Editor....................................................................................... Michael Needham Accent Adviser....................................................................................... Matthew Connolly Accent Coordinator............................................................................. Lori Blewett Student Life Director.......................................................................... Cheryl Richard Staff Reporters Diana Leite, Hilary Shepherd Lead Photographer Andrew Pagan Staff Designers Elizabeth Brown, Carmen Maverick Writers Odin Amador, Natalee Blanchat, Cooper Clark, Austin Nicholas, Winston Rivas, John Walker, Jason Witmer Photographer Adrienne Sparks, Janelle Matous, Leilani Alers ACC President Dr. Stephen B. Kinslow Board of Trustees Dr. Barbara P. Mink—Chair; Allen H. Kaplan—Vice Chair; John Michael V. Cortez—Secretary, Tim Mahoney, Nan McRaven, Jeffrey Richard, Dr. Victor H. P. Villarreal, Guadalupe Q. Sosa, Dr. James W. McGufee

All rights reserved. All content is the property of Accent and may not be reproduced, published or retransmitted in any form without written permission from the Office of Student Life. Accent is the student newspaper of Austin Community College and is printed by the Austin American-Statesman. Accent is published biweekly. ACC students may submit articles for publication in Accent to RGC’s Office of Student Life Room 101.1; e-mail articles to accent@austincc.edu or fax submissions to 223‑3086. ACC does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, political affiliation or disability. Accent offers ACC’s faculty, staff, students and surrounding community a complete source of information about student life. Accent welcomes your input, as well as information about errors. If you notice any information that warrants a correction please e-mail accent@austincc.edu. Individual views, columns, letters to the editor and other opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the views of Accent.

NEWS

Oct. 4, 2010

News Briefs

ACC hispanic enrollment numbers hit twenty-five percent

According to the new enrollment numbers for this semester, the college’s Hispanic population now makes up just over 25 percent of the total student body.

This means that the college is eligible to apply to be designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution. The United States Department of Education awards this designation, and it opens the schools up to additional funding for programs that foster student success.

“I don’t think we can apply until next year. Next year we will use this year’s enrollment numbers to apply,” said Richard Armenta, the associate vice president of student success.

ACC has been hovering around 23 percent Hispanic enrollment until this semester.

“It’s been a challenge, because Hispanic students don’t come from a culture that fosters going to college. It’s not a universal expectation, but we are glad to see we are increasing these numbers in our service area,” said Armenta.

Depending on enrollment numbers, schools designated as Hispanic Serving Institutions can get up to five million dollars in additional funding, and any funding that is received will go toward programs that help all students.

“The Fed acknowledges that Hispanic students are underprepared, and because of the high enrollment of Hispanic students at an institute, they get additional funding,” said Armenta.

“However the money for these programs helps all students.”

Fall dance program to highlight various set specific works

Professor Jessica Lindberg will curate this fall’s Dance Movie Night at the Rio Grande Campus Gallery Theater on Oct. 14 at 6 p.m.

“It’s to make our students aware of the continued history of the development of dance, and to develop an appreciation of the form,” said department of dance chair Jose Bustamante.

Three filmed dance performances will be shown and discussed at the event. The films will be all feature set specific works. There will be footage from performances of “N.Y. Export; Opus Jazz,” by Jerome Robbins, “Caught,” by David Parsons, and various works from Elizabeth Streb.

News • The Board

www.theAccent.org

page 3

News • Events

Students debate the Constitution Natalee Blanchat Staff Writer

Benjamin Franklin impersonator Lou McCreary spoke to an audience of approximately 700 at Austin Community College’s third annual U.S. Constitution Debate Day on Aug. 22. Lou McCreary, a former assistant attorney general, told the audience “that today’s constitution is a living constitution.”

The event included facilitators, judges, lawyers, professors from the University of Texas Law School and students from ACC, the University of Texas and from various high schools.

Speakers from the community included Peck Young, Director of ACC’s Center of Public Policy, and Political Studies (CPPS), Mayor Pro-tem Mike Martinez, President of ACC’s Student Government Association(SGA) Jorge Amador as well as ACC professor Jeff Millston.

The 696 participants at the event were placed into groups around circular tables and were given different court case scenarios.

The scenarios were read and broken down by “experts”: judges, lawyers, professors as well historians who volunteered to assist at the event. Members of the groups were encouraged to look over their particular scenario and discuss whether or not they considered the situation to go against the rights and freedoms of individuals set within the laws of the constitution.

A member was chosen from each group to debate his or her position with someone of an opposing position. All alternating debates took place in front of the rest of the auditorium.

“There was a diverse, cross section of issues,” said Peck Young Director for the Center of Public Policy and Political Studies at ACC, who is referring to the 17 different topics that the groups were given. Topics ranged from gun control, the death penalty, prayer in school, freedom of speech, war power, and even abuse of the executive branch.

“What makes this event so great is that students actually get to participate in deliberating about real world issues. They don’t just sit there and listen to a talking head. They’re required to actively engage,” said Jeff Millstone, a government professor at ACC, Millstone acted as a facilitator for the debates and gave feedback to the debaters.

Millstone is also excited about the fact that so many members from the community come out to be a part of the event.

“It’s not every day that you get lawyers, judges and professors from the law school to come and participate with us,” Millstone said.

This is the first year that the event has been sponsored by someone other than student government according to Young. Sponsors at the event included the American Civil Liberties Union, Trial Advocates Association of Attorneys and Texas Campus Compact

Andrew Pagan • Lead Photographer

HISTORIC SPEAKER — Benjamin Franklin impersonator Lou

McCreary gives an opening speech for the Constitution Day Debate. according to Young.

“Outside groups are enthusiastic about being part of the event because (news of) what we have accomplished is getting around,” Young said about the sponsors.

Jorge Amador, Student

Government president, thought the event was a good chance for students as well as community members to come out and learn about thier Constitution.

“It facilitates learning, and it’s a really neat experience,” Amador said.

News • Education

Students join search Comp 4.0 combines Writing Skills II, English 1301 advisory committee to help pick new president John Walker

Staff Writer

Two Austin Community College students will play a key role in the selection of the college’s new president/CEO ACC’s board of trustees decided at a special meeting on Sept. 20.

A search advisory committee, composed of representatives from many areas of ACC’s community, will be appointed by the ACC board of trustees.

The student appointees, who will be nominated by the Student Government and the office of Student Life, will join select members of the faculty, as well as nominees from the public sector, in sifting through the nominees.

“The function of the advisory committee is going to be to eliminate a lot of nominations and potential candidates and get it down to a workable number,” said Vice Chair Allen Kaplan, “but ultimately it’s the Board’s choice.”

Though final decisions will be made by the board, its members are cautious in choosing those who would advise them in their decision. ACC’s current President, Dr. Stephen Kinslow, advocates “trying to find appointees that have a deep knowledge of ACC, beyond a singular interest.”

There was some debate within the board on the way the 25 person advisory committee should be structured, to ensure that it accurately represents ACC’s far-reaching sphere of interest.

Board member Guadalupe Sosa expressed reticence with giving too much representation to districts not yet in the ACC taxing area and suggested including community outreach groups, such as Austin Interfaith and Capital IDEA. Trustee Tim Mahoney agreed, warning that it would be “arrogant” of the board to predict turnouts of coming elections. He called instead for greater participation by employee organizations.

The original suggestion to include only six members of faculty and staff, as opposed to 17 during Kinslow’s vetting, was off-putting to Mahoney, who told the Board “The thrust of this has me greatly concerned.”

Board Secretary John-Michael Cortez acknowledged that the choice of a new president has a great many stakeholders, but said, “If we have a committee so large that it becomes unwieldy, I think that it would be a detriment to the quality of the search process.”

Kaplan agreed calling the

Presidential Search Advisory Committee will include • Board members Barbara Mink, Allen Kaplan, Jeffrey Richard, John-Michael Cortez • 1 member of President’s leadership team • 2 full-time faculty • 2 adjunct faculty • 1 professional–technical employee • 1 classified employee • 2 student appointees • 5 individuals selected from community-based annexation committees • 5 appointees representing ACC service area • 2 representatives from the public and higher education communities existing plan balanced and suggesting the board move on.

Ideally, the Board would like to have the members of the search committee in place by Oct. 14.

Once the advisory committee is appointed, both it and the Board of Trustees will begin immediate training with representatives from Gold Hill, the consulting firm hired to guide the process of selecting Dr. Kinslow’s successor.

The trustees are in relative agreement in regards to qualities they are looking for in the school’s new leader. The board pared down an inventory of suggested qualifications by the American Association of Community Colleges, a list that Board Chair, Dr. Barbara Mink, humorously dubbed “The Walk on water description.”

Aside from an aptitude for governance and organization, and an interest in promoting diversity and social equity, the board seeks a candidate with a vision for the rapidly growing institution.

Preferable would be an individual who has had success with an entity of similar size, and an understanding of the particulars of a high-growth environment.

The search will be a monthslong process and will very likely be carried into the new year.

The Board does not take this task lightly, in the words of Secretary Cortez “When it comes down to the very end of it, we all share in the responsibility of making sure that we select the appropriate leader for this institution.”

Diana Leite • Staff Photographer

LEARNING CURVE — Students from Professor Laura Ore’s Writing Skills I class prepare to get their first test back.

English department changes policy on placment tests Sarah Neve

Assistant Editor A new college policy sets a higher standard for enrollment in English 1301.

Last fall the English department voted unanimously to recommend increasing the minimum Compass essay score required to take freshman level English from a five to a six.

Their recommendation was taken to the Academic and Campus Affairs Council who

approved the change over the summer.

The English department’s policy sets the requirements for 1301 higher than the state requirements.

The Texas Success Initiative (TSI), a program instituted in 2003 by the state legislature requires students to make a five or better on the essay portion of the placement test, as well as a 59 or better on the objective portion of the writing test.

Failure to meet the TSI required scores will lead to

restricted enrollment. This means students cannot enroll in other classes without also being enrolled in developmental writing.

This policy change by the English department creates a group of students who will be TSI compliant (having made a five on their essay) and can register for classes, but who cannot register for English 1301 because they haven’t met the English department’s new standard on the placement test.

Students who make a five on their essay can take a special course that will help them avoid spending a semester in developmental writing before they can enroll in 1301.

Comp 4.0 is a class where students who have made a five on their placement test essay, or an A or B in Writing Skills 1, can simultaneously enroll in an eight week Writing Skills II class and a sixteen week English 1301.

These classes have a maximum enrollment of 16 students per session, which is smaller than most English classes.

Not all incoming students have to take the placement test.

Students with high enough SAT or ACT scores are exempt from TSI mandated developmental classes, and there is an exception for students who are serving on active duty as a member of

the armed forces of the United States, or the Texas National Guard.

“There are a lot of these TSI exemptions that are pretty significant, that a lot of people aren’t familiar with, and the advisers sometimes miss them too,” said Supervisor of Assessment and testing at the Round Rock campus, Anthony Garza.

The higher standards set by the English department aren’t siting well with everyone.

“I think it’s not fair…you feel like you’re wasting a lot of money and time... If Comp I is difficult, you have a lot of resources to help you out,” said Pre-nursing major Shakera Ali. The Comp 4.0 classes have been offered at Eastview and Rio Grande in the past. Now in order to accommodate the students who will be affected by the stricter requirement, the class will also be offered at Riverside, Cypress and Northridge as well as a second class being offered at Eastview.

Some students think that this change will help prepare students for their college classes.

“The school districts are failing the students,” said history major Dale White. “To be competitive you have to set the bar higher once you get into college...ACC seems like they are trying to raise the students back to where they should be.”

CAMPUS LIFE

R

page 4

ant n’ ave

Cypress Creek students and staff opinions

What is your opinion on the new policy for placement into English Comp 1?

Samia Zia - Biology There are some students here that want get their credits and transfer. I just think that it’ll be a little bit harder for them since they raised the score.

Angela Thomas - Child Development I feel like it’s a good change because it makes you step outside of your comfort zone and makes you think a little bit more, and makes you strive for what you really want. It’s better to take basics first because you don’t want to get into something that’s too hard and then be stuck and feel like you can’t do it.

Josh Smetana - Business It encourages students to work harder in high school English and stay focused longer than to get into a different English. There are probably people now that get into Comp 1 right now that don’t know what they’re doing; it encourages students to be more diligent in what they’re doing.

Chris Baca - Engineering I don’t see a point in raising the score. I don’t see that there is much of a gap of people; that just forces more people into the remedial. classes and I don’t believe that makes much of a difference.

Raja Faris - Transfer Resources Coordinator, ACC If whatever tool we use identifies that the student would be better served by a remedial course, that’s probably the way we need to go. I really think the English department is doing this so students build that foundation to ensure that whether they go beyond comp 1 or literature courses, that they have that foundation to ensure success rather than going into a credit course that they may stumble which affects GPA. All interviews and photos by Elizabeth Brown

Calendar of Events Philosophy Forum Lecture Series: Social Contract Oct. 7, 7 p.m.

Eastview Campus, Bldg. 8000, Room 8500

The philosophy department invites students to come to the first installment of the Philosophy Lecture Series. The topic of discussion will be the social contract.

“Mauritius” - A play by Theresa Rebeck Oct. 8-10 & Oct 15 & 17, 8 p.m.

Rio Grande Campus Mainstage Theater

The theater department presents a play directed by drama department chair Shelby Brammer. The play is about two half-sisters that inherit a valuable stamp and the people who try to take it from them. There is a suggested donation of $5 for students and $10 for the general public.

River Bats Election Convention

Oct. 13, 6 p.m.

Eastview Campus, Bldg. 8000, Room 8500 The Center for Student Political Studies will host this school year’s election of officers. Students are invited to run for office or to vote for candidates. Former Texas state representative Terral Smith, and former Austin mayor Bruce Todd are guest speakers at the event. Refreshments will be served.

2010 Annual ACC Faculty Art Show Reception Oct. 13, 7 p.m.

Pump Project Complex, 702 Shady Lane

Students are invited to the reception for the faculty exhibit that will run from Oct. 9 – 30. The event is free and open to the public.

Alurista: Chicano Poet and Activist

Oct. 14, 6 p.m.

Eastview Campus, Bldg. 8000, Room 8500 ACC’s creative writing department, in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin, and the Aztlan Libre Press, is sponsoring a reading from Chicano poet Alurista. There will be a dialogue, reception, and book signing at the event.

Dance Movie Night

Oct. 14, 6 p.m.

Rio Grande Campus Gallery Theater The department of dance invites students to learn about the history of the development of dance. Three videos of set specific works will be shown. The event is free and open to the public.

www.theAccent.org

Oct. 4, 2010

coMMunitY • PeoPLe

Mascots compete Odin Amador Staff Writer

When ACC’s new mascot, the Riverbat, starts making appearances in and around Austin later this year, it will be more than just a friendly, costumed caricature; someone from the ACC student body will be inside the fuzzy bat-suit.

The mascot will be revealed in November, and students can vote in an online poll on ACC’s website for the campus that will be the site for the big ceremony.

The mascot will perform at local events and educational institutions to help inform people about ACC. Tryouts for the paid position of ACC mascot were held earlier this month at the Riverside campus, and the Accent sent one of its own, this reporter, to compete for the job.

I didn’t really know what to expect when I arrived for the tryouts. It was 9:30 a.m. on a Saturday, and the Riverside campus was quiet.

Inside, the other four contestants were already there and were inspecting an assortment of animal costumes.

A respectable selection had been provided: a bulbous bumble bee, a brown dog, a pink bunny, and a Barney-esque kangaroo. My heart sank; no dinosaur costume.

The judge’s panel consisted mostly of ACC employees. Lexi Lea, daughter of Brette Lea, ACC’s executive director of public information and college marketing, was there to give a young person’s perspective.

The Bumblebee, a commercial music management major named Jennifer Sheperd, buzzed through her audition.

Next up was Clayton Adams.

Adams was older than the

other contestants, and I didn’t know what to think of him when he was squeezing into the purple kangaroo costume. Then he began his routine.

While his speciallymixed audition CD played hit after hit, he charmed the judges with comedic mime and funny dance moves.

He was a professional.

Something inside me, some primal competitive instinct, was awoken. Before Adams auditioned, I had just come to report the story. Now, I was motivated. The kangaroo had upped the ante. I decided I was going to try to win this thing.

It turned out Adams wasn’t the only experienced performer in the house that morning.

The dog, a science major named Dallas Diaz, danced with judge Darla Johnson, ACC’s dance department Leilani Alers • Staff Photographer chair.

OOPS — Accent staff writer Odin Amador auditions to be ACC’s first The bunny, a mascot on Saturday Sept. 18. Amador was disqualified from the auditions for talented young not following the rules stated in his instruction packet. woman did some funky dancing to ‘Kung Fu I could not see, and my hands it probably cost me my chance Fighting’ and ‘Thriller’. were fingerless mitts. to be the Riverbat; the ‘Mascot I wore the dog costume. I The high point of my Commandments’, which were had no CD, so I had someone audition was giving a lap dance included in an instructional cue up Britney Spears’ to Paula Ribeiro, a graphic packet we received, dictates ‘Freakshow’. Turns out it’s designer for ACC’s marketing that mascots “never use lewd or incredibly difficult to dance department. I found out later extreme gestures.” Oops. sexy in a giant animal costume.

coMMunitY • PeoPLe

Veterans win scholarship Michael Needham Campus Editor

A major video game company has decided to give $50,000 to ACC students.

The ACC Foundation received $50,000 from the Call of Duty Endowment (CODE) for game design students who are also veterans.

“We did it because we found that ACC has a lot of programs that focus on gaming development and gaming design,” said spokesman for the Call of Duty Endowment (CODE) Ted Kresse. “We knew that veterans were listed in this program, and it’s a school that’s helping veterans that are pursuing game design.”

CODE is a non-profit, public benefit corporation created by Activision Blizzard, Inc. The organization was set up to help veterans in their future after service. The donation will be distributed annually to a

Photo courtesy of Call of Duty Endowment

different set of four students through 2014.

ACC was the ideal choice and initially put on the table because ACC has graduates from game design that are in the industry now, Kresse said.

Kresse explained that it was up to the ACC Foundation to pick the actual students

who would win the scholarships.

They decided that students needed to have been honorably discharged from United States Armed Forces, Reserves, or National Guard, be in pursuit of a career in game development or game design, have at least a 2.5 grade point average, and have a financial need.

Executive director of the ACC Foundation Stephanie Dempsey explained that the scholarship can be used toward supplies and can go a long way.

“It’s a very broad scholarship,” Dempsey said. “The computers that they have to have are more than just a PC; it needs to have more technology, and the scholarship will cover that also.”

Dempsey said that this has been the foundation’s best year for scholarships. They have awarded over a half of a million dollars to students this year.

coMMunitY • PeoPLe

Students enjoy a night of free skating Michael Needham Campus Editor

Approximately 35 students threw down their books and strapped on some skates.

On Sept. 23, students were invited by Student Life’s intramural sports and recreation program to a night at Playland Skate.

“This is a great way to unify the school,” said student Tex Garcia, 23, majoring in government.

“School is tough, and I think we need each other.”

Students were asked to sign in with their student ID number when they arrived at the event.

They were then able to rent skates for free and skate around the rink.

For Susana Surbek, who brought her daughter to the event, not enough students showed up.

“It’s a pity that not many students come,” said Surbek.

“There are so many students, but not many come to these events.”

Surbek suggested that somebody should ask the students what they want to do.

Veronica Cervantes, a nutrition major, enjoyed the event but said that she would have

liked to see more interaction between the students.

For example, they could have had a game, Cervantes said.

“Then everyone would begin to bond,” Cervantes said.

Garcia also had a suggestion to how the event could have been better.

“The school definitely has the resources to put on something way huger, but it’s nice, and I’m having a good time,” said Garcia.

Student Jed Sanchez learned about the event from Student Life posters on campus. He enjoyed the chance to try something new.

“I’ve never been skating before, so it’s cool,” Sanchez said.

“They’re giving me a chance to do something I’ve never done before.”

Student Life Coordinator and organizer of the skating event, Jennifer Flowers said in an email that future events will include bowling, blazer tag, women’s and men’s soccer, women’s volleyball, and men’s basketball. Students who wish to learn about Student Life events can visit their website at: accstudentlife.info

Andrew Pagan • Lead Photographer

ROLLING ALONG — Brooke Williams enjoys Student Life’s

first event of the semester as she tries to keep her balance.

Williams was even joined by people who are not enrolled at ACC.

Oct. 4, 2010

www.theAccent.org

Campus Life | page 5

Arts • Performing Arts

Mauritius stamps onto stage

Janelle Matous • Staff Photographer

PRACTICE MAKE PERFECT — Michael Sorrells as Dennis(left), James Hawkins as Sterling(middle), Van Thompson as Jackie(right) rehearse for the upcoming play Mauritius. Hawkins and

Thompson practiced a scene where they were trying to reach an agreement on the purchase of the stamp collection during this scene rehearsal on Tuesday, Sept. 28.

World of rare stamp collecting brought to stage by drama dept.

Cooper Clark

Staff Writer

Mauritius, a play written by well-known playwright and novelist Theresa Rebeck, promises to bring intrigue to the world of rare stamp collecting to Austin Community College.

The play will be directed by ACC Drama Department Chair Shelby Brammer.

“I’m hoping this will be a really fun, entertaining ride for the audience,” said Brammer.

The setting of the play is the tiny island of Mauritius, which is located off the eastern coast of Madagascar, while under British rule. The story centers on two half sisters, Jackie played by student Vandila Thompson and

Mary played by student Emily Robinson, who have recently inherited a very rare and very valuable stamp. Possession of this stamp is the envy of collectors, especially Sterling played by James Hawkins, Dennis played

by Michael Sorrells, and Philip played by Robert Dean.

“The play is very funny, profane, violent, and sometimes sad,” said Brammer.

Brammer explained that the overall themes explored in the piece were, “obsession, human frailty, resentment, jealousy, and the desire to make the one big score that will change a person’s destiny.”

The three seedy collectors attempt to obtain the exceedingly desirable stamp from the sisters with an obsessive drive.

“The characters are very well drawn, and I think audiences will recognize their own humanity in these individuals who are obsessed with an object they hope will change their lives,” said Brammer. “We can all relate to that desire to make the big score, win the lottery, etc., particularly in difficult economic times like today.”

Thompson agrees, “the play is a plethora of emotion from funny to intense. It’s a great play.”

Thompson explained the effort that went into her portrayal of Jackie.

“I’ve worked really hard to grasp all that is Jackie, she has a very complex personality, but I think with all the practice and with the help of Shelby Brammer I have been able to portray Jackie to the best of my ability,” said Thompson.

Brammer went into detail about what makes a character interesting.

“The characters talk about ‘errors’ both in stamps and in people – and how (those) can make the object an obsession, and the people themselves more interesting. Perfection is great, but it‘s often those who are ‘damaged’ who are most compelling,” said Brammer.

Brammer made some promises as to what the play will provide.

“It has a juicy plot, moments of drama and comedy, and it features compelling characters.

On top of that, the audience will end up knowing more about rare stamps,” said Brammer.

The play is set to open at the Rio Grande Campus Mainstage Theater on Friday Oct. 8 and will run through Oct. 9 and 10 as well as Oct. 15 through the 17. Times are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays.

There is a suggested donation of $5 for students and $10 for the general public.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT— Van Thompson as Jackie (right) and Emily Robinson (left) as Mary practice arguing over a stamp collection, which plays a central role during the play.

Thompson and Robinson play half sisters who inherit a valuable rare stamp collection.

Janelle Matous • Staff Photographer

Arts • Literature

Documentary set to open The Big Read Austin Nicholas Staff Writer

The Mirabal sisters were a group of Nuns in the Dominican Republic who stood up to political injustice in a Dictatorship.

Although they faced hardship, they continued to persevere and in doing so brought about revolution in the hearts of the common person. “The Time of the Butterflies,” by Julia Alvarez, is the true account of how the quiet heros in society pursuing education and equality can bring about change in the hearts of men and furthermore change the environment in which they live in.

On Oct. 11 through Dec. 3, Austin Community College will join forces with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Center for Public Policy and Political studies to begin an initiative called The Big Read.

The main goal of the event, according to creative writing department chair Charlotte Gullick, “(Is) to engage lapsed and reluctant readers in interesting activities in an attempt to inspire them to learn in an attempt to really make a difference.”

Gullick’s theory about why there has been this spike in recent reading deficiency is that “studies have shown that reading is on the decline and there is less value placed into reading in general in today’s society. The Big Read is an attempt to combat this issue.”

There will be an opening ceremony on Oct. 11. The event will begin with a reception which will have free food, followed by a film discussion on a documentary called “The Economy Furniture Strike.” This film is the historical account of a local labor dispute in the 1960s which resulted in the political mobilization of Mexican-Americans in

Austin/Travis County. The film is produced

by Paradigm Shift Multimedia and the ACC Center for Public Policy and Political Studies, and is hosted and narrated by Emmy award-winning journalist Dan Rather.

In the process of combining and dicussing these two activities, members of the Austin community hope to inspire activism in every member of the Austin area, according to Peck Young, director for the Center for Public Policy and Political Studies and co-host of the event.

“People should have the opportunity to realize that heroes can be normal people and that quiet heroes mean everyday people doing extraordinary things,” said Young.

The book of focus for this year’s Big Read event is “The Time of the Butterflies,”

by Julia Alvarez. The book is the true story of three nuns in the Dominican Republic during the Trujillo dictatorship, and their defiance of oppression. Alvarez will be in attendance of the event.

The Big Read is focused on impacting everyone in the community, and all people are welcome to attend the free event. The Oct. 11 event will have two showings of The Economy Furniture Strike documentary, with the first reception beginning at 7 p.m.

Seating at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center is limited, and a RSVP is required to reserve a seat.

Getting reservations on the list requires an email to Charlotte Gullick at cgullick@ austincc.edu including your full name and the number of seats you would like to have reserved. There will be a second showing beginning at 9:30 pm and will be first come, first serve.

Photo courtesy of juliaalvarez.com

page 6 | Campus Life

www.theAccent.org

What I’ve

Learned

Steven Powers Christopher A. Smith Editor-in-Chief

Oct. 4, 2010

Steven Powers is a 20 year old philosophy major at Southwestern University.

From 2008 to 2010 Powers attended Austin Community College. This fall Powers was awarded a Score scholarship, a full ride that is awarded to a serious, upper-level philosophy student by the philosophy department at Southwestern University.

Powers is the first transfer student to ever be awarded the scholarship.

I’ve been a philosophy major since I was 12.

I read a book by myself when I was 12, and I realized I could self educate. It was the most liberating feeling I ever had. I still remember very clearly when I had that book, which was Camus’ “The Plague.” I read the first lines of it outside my house and I clutched it. I held it tight to my chest and I ran home to my room so I could devour it without spectators.

Nobody in my family went to college. Most of them didn’t get out of high school.

I want to figure myself out. I want to know who I am. But the pragmatic answer is I want to eventually be a professor.

I have no financial support whatsoever from my parents because they don’t have any financial support for themselves. I got a lot of money from the government because of our income, which is basically zero, and my dad being a veteran and disabled. But I still had to work full time here so I could live and pay rent. I worked 40 to 50 hours a week at Café Medici on top of school. I slept in intervals of three hours throughout the day and the night.

My family didn’t understand why one would read. They were even almost a little bit against it. They thought it was something bad or that it was going to teach me to be this liberal, this communist. They were not a fan of that. They wanted me to work, and they wanted me to make money and not waste my time.

There’s been times where I wanted to just drop out and go home and work and be there with them, but I was advised by, not only Mathew Daude Laurents and Charlotte Gullick, but by my father even who said ‘the best thing you can do for our family is to be successful in this which you want. That’s what we want for you.’

Mathew Daude Laurents was the chair of philosophy at ACC. I knew by the third class of his logic class, and then in ancient philosophy, that he was going to be a mentor to me.

Mathew taught me that resilience and stubbornness is going to make you a philosopher not some divine right to be so.

My least favorite memories are of classes with teachers who didn’t know what they were doing, had not much of a trajectory, and didn’t care about the students.

Be stubborn and if you have a poor professor, then do well in contempt.

THINKING HARD — 2010 ACC graduate Steven Powers reads The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky for his literature class at Southwestern University.

Andrew Pagan • Lead Photographer

Philosophy is a bit like a wife, and the mistress is literature who I keep good relations with just in case.

Nietzsche is the philosopher of the trenches. He is the one that has advised me so much in the way I have constructed my life and my trajectory. It is the same themes of make yourself uncomfortable, be that tight rope walker. Blessed is he who sleeps in the bed of a volcano.

It is a really great irony, no? It is only when you realize that you will die soon, if you live in front of that mirror that way, then you will live.

LIFE & ARTS Oct. 4, 2010

www.theAccent.org

Tires and hubcaps replace bricks and mortar

At any major intersection in Austin, you can find a variety of food served by an even larger variety of faces.

Mobile food carts and trailers are a refreshing change from the traditional four-wall establishments most people think of when deciding where to eat. With the weather finally cooling off after a long hot summer, food carts are a great alternative to being confined to four walls or just an outdoor patio. What most people may not realize is that food carts aren’t just for tacos and hot dogs anymore. You can get just about anything from popcorn to cupcakes to gluten free vegan eats.

Since Austinites love their food carts so much, it’s interesting to see what made people want to get into the business to begin with. Most of the owners that were interviewed started their trailer business were for the smaller startup costs and purchased their trailers used and already outfitted to accommodate cooking. A coat of paint and some electrical work got them ready for business. Others purchased their trailers brand new and customized.

The quality of the food that was tested by this writer was consistently delicious no matter how old the cart was.

Surprisingly, every cart that was visited had ample seating. Food carts pose another issue altogether though. Since they are mobile, some trucks move around the city. The trickiest part is finding the mobile ones and hoping it will be there when it’s time to eat.

“Two years ago, the economy was rough and the cost of opening a restaurant was too much so I decided to save the money and open a food trailer,” said owner of Izzoz Tacos John Galindo.

Using a mix of family recipes with his culinary know-how, Galindo’s food stand on South 1st and Gibson offers a mix of breakfast tacos as well as plates.

Izzos Tacos

Wurst Tex

Originally fitted as Name of Trailer: Izzoz Tacos a concession stand for Originated: 2008 the 1996 Olympics in Location: South 1st & Gibson; shares a park with a few other trailers Atlanta, his 1994 trailer Seating: plenty of seating, places for kids to play; the park is BYOB went on to cater movies Pricing: $, you get what you pay for and television shows Hours of Operation: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m., 7 days a week before it became a burger stand in Lakeway.

During the time when most people were worried about getting laid off, John decided to quit his job willingly to operate Izzoz full-time. The risk paid off, and Galindo has successfully managed to make a name for himself in the mobile food world.

Powdered Sugar

Amber Glowski Name of Trailer: Powdered Sugar opened her cart Originated: August 2010 appropriately called Location: Corner of MLK & Nueces; shares lot with 3 other trailers Powdered Sugar because Seating: picnic tables with umbrellas she wanted a job where Pricing: $, they only sell funnel cakes and they are priced fairly she could make her own Hours of Operation: Tuesday through Saturday 12 p.m. - 8 p.m. hours.

“I never wanted anything permanent like a restaurant, but I enjoy the food trailer culture around Austin,” said Glowski who is also a student at the University of Texas at Austin.

Owning her own business works for her. The low startup cost made it possible. She found her trailer on craigslist and spruced it up in less than a month. Now she sells funnel cakes in a lot she shares with three other trailers at the corner of Martin Luther King & Nueces.

Arts • Visual Arts

Artists dare to create 24 hour comic Diana Leite

Staff Reporter

All comic cartoonists and writers in this universe and beyond are challenged to create a 24-page comic book in 24 hours. October 2 is the official 24 Hour Comics Day, and the brave ones that deem themselves capable of taking up the challenge have to finish their story, the art, the lettering and coloring in 24 continuous hours.

Austin comic book stores Dragon’s Lair and Capstone Comics will be hosting the 24 Hour Comics Day event, and the Accent team will be on it.

Staff writer and cartoonist

Odin Amador is taking up the challenge to bring his own 24-page comic book into existence while recording his entire experience for the Accent’s website.

Full-time comic book geek and part-time Accent staff reporter Diana Leite will be pestering and following some participants of this sacred comic crusade with questions. Accent staff photographer Adrienne Sparks will capture the comic making through the camera lens from the moment the pen hits paper (or hand touches mouse, depending on the artist’s medium of choice) to the moment that time is up.

This year will be the 20th

page 7

official 24 Hour Comics Day. In 1990 renowned cartoonist Scott McCloud challenged fellow comics artist Steve Bissette to draw a complete 24-page comic in one day. Between the first 24 Hour Comics Day and today, several cartoon celebrities took up the challenge, transforming an innocent dare between friend into a geek phenomenon.

There is no shame if a cartoonist does not complete this challenge. Comic superstars like best seller novelist Neil Gaiman dropped his pen when the gong rang, in his almost 24-page long noble failure.

Go to theaccent.org on Oct. 11 for our full online coverage on 24 Hour Comics Day.

Wurst Tex sits along a Name of Trailer: Wurst Tex row of mobile eateries at Originated: September 2010 South Congress & Monroe.

Location: Monroe & South Congress Owner Sam Raver, a Los Seating: picnic table seating with umbrellas Angeles transplant, says Pricing: $$; they use finer ingredients and it is definitely worth it some of his favorite food Hours of Operation: Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday 11 a.m. -9 there was from carts. He p.m., Thursday through Saturday 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. purchased his trailer along with business partner Charlie Potts as a ready-toserve unit. When deciding to locate to Austin, Raver used his knowledge of the food industry to open a unique cart that serves an interesting mix of sausages on fresh baked French hoagies. If you are into rattlesnake and rabbit sausage or just want to try it, this is the place to go. They also have vegetarian options. In keeping with the Austin earth-friendly culture, they also only use biodegradable cutlery.

Concious Cravings

Rashi Dhir is owner Name of Trailer: Conscious Cravings of Conscious Cravings, a Originated: September 2010 vegetarian cart located next Location: Corner of MLK & Nueces; shares lot with 3 other to Powdered Sugar. trailers “I considered opening a Seating: picnic tables with umbrellas brick and mortar restaurant Pricing: $; healthy food at a reasonable price but the overhead costs were Hours of Operation: Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. so great. Plus, I like the fact that you can take a trailer to a festival. You’re not committed to one location,” said Dhir.

Their menu is all vegetarian, organic and homemade. Dhir is a vegetarian himself and wanted to serve healthy, quality food that was environmentally friendly and ethical.

Feel the beat Music tweets Jason Poe Now is the Winter Poe’s melodic voice and the soothing instrumental arrangement can be used as a soundtrack for a study session or a romantic slow dance.

Fake Problems Real Ghosts Caught on Tape They look like hipsters, but don’t be fooled. Those kids will have you dancing to the guitar riffs faster than you can click “buy” on iTunes The Hundred in the Hands The Hundred in the Hands A pop electro duo is a paradox that would make a die-hard electro fan reset his iPod, but singer Eleanore Everdell does have a sweet voice.

John Legend and the Roots Wake Up! Soul hits of the past meet the 21st century with rap lines and traditional all-female backing vocals embellishing the music.

Michael Franti and Spearhead The Sound of Sunshine The reggae and beach music mix will bring your warmest summer memories right back to you. Just close your eyes while listening.

Magnetic Island Out at Sea Arctic Monkeys’ drums meet Death Cab for Cutie’s guitars in LP awesomeness. The Brooklyn-based band leaves the fans salivating for more.

page 8 | Life and Arts

Fortnight Forecast

www.theAccent.org Arts • Music

College Sound

: Ross DuBois goes solo

Daniel Kinno Oct. 6, 8:00 p.m.

Cap City Comedy Club Comedian Daniel Kinno delivers acid jokes about life, love and his Russian heritage.

ACC musician performs on his own after long band career

Terror Tuesday: Cannibal Girls Oct. 5, 9:45 p.m.

Alamo Drafthouse at the Ritz Don’t take psycho girlfriend to this movie. She might get some ideas.

Sarah Vasquez

Carrie Underwood Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m.

AT&T Center Multi-platinum selling country sweetheart comes to Austin.

Mates Of State Oct. 8, 9:00 p.m.

Mohawk Austin Indie duo comes to town with the excitement of the hipster kids. Who know what songs from the new album Crushes they will play.

2010 Austin City Limits Music Festival Oct. 8 to Oct. 10 Zilker Metropolitan Park If you don’t have tickets to this sold-out music festival, avoid the Zilker Park area.

Letting Birds Be Birds Phoebe Linden Green Workshop Weekend Oct. 16 - 17 9:00 a.m.

AGE Building Learn all there is to learn about raising birds. They have feelings too.

Hardcourt Bike Polo Every Thursday 5:00 p.m.

Eastwoods Park Most people can’t take the hands out of the handle while riding a bike. Imagine how cool it is to ride a bike and golf at the same time.

Life & Arts Editor

Ross DuBois is a balancing act. When he’s not taking classes for his journalism degree at both Austin Community College and Texas State University this semester, he’s also currently recording his debut solo album.

DuBois was in various bands before he started his own project in October. After he parted ways with his last band Electric Touch a year ago, he still continued to write music. Only this time, it was for himself.

“I just did it for myself because it’s a compulsion that I have to do,” said DuBois. “It’s a new thing for me. I’ve always been in bands, and I’ve had to learn to compromise. I never got to just do what I want to do, and so now it’s been really liberating to have complete control.”

Although Electric Touch and his other bands were rock bands, DuBois’ current music is more soulful roots music which in comparison is more mellow, and as much as he would hate to say it, introspective.

“I’ve always been in rock bands where volume was job number one, but you know, rock music is a lot about power, and as I get older, I’ve gotten more obsessed with the act of songwriting,” said DuBois. “I don’t sing about partying all night or having a good time, pretending like I’m a teenager for the rest of my life. I just write about things that are real to me.”

At first, Dubois decided to go under the pseudonym Bear Bones before going under his own name in case he ever did form a full band with this music. However, after having to repeat the story of why he went by Bear Bones when

Karissa Rodriguez • Photo/Web Editor

LOOKING COOL — ACC student Ross DuBois poses outside Austin Java following an interview with Life & Arts/Multimedia Editor Sarah Vasquez. DuBois is a journalism major taking classes at ACC and Texas State University this semester. it was just him performing, he decided to change it.

“That’s the whole reason I changed it. I had to connect it every time I told somebody about it, I had to connect it with this story,” said DuBois. “I kind of thought it might just be confusing to other people that I had this name that wasn’t my name. I thought for simplicity sake I would start using my name, and so the record will be under Ross DuBois.”

The idea to record this album, which is scheduled to be released in November, came shortly after he met Laura Wallgren who is a music video director and film producer. Wallgren met DuBois after a mutual friend recommended him to her for

Arts • Culture

Traditional festival highlights art, music

Andrew Pagan • Lead Photographer

MAJESTIC MUSIC — Lead singer and drummer of Majestic Revelation Jahmaji brings flare to the band’s performace with his unique crown. The band’s other players served out some funky reggae as well to Austin’s Pecan Festival.

Over 300,000 attend celebration of old school Austin on new school Sixth Street Winston Rivas

Staff Writer

Pecan Street Festival, one of Austin’s most traditional festivals took place on Sept. 25 and 26, bringing a wide array of activities for all to enjoy. There were vendors, food carts, artists, shopkeepers, magic shows, and much more. Not even a very disappointing loss from the Longhorns football team was able to deter the electric vibe that surrounded the festival.

The annual Pecan Street tradition has been held since 1978 as a way to honor the original name of 6th Street and has seen different generations of Austin’s culture.

Edwin Waller first named the streets by the names of the trees Often mistaken as one of the smaller Austin festivals, this festival is anything but, as according to KXAN, over 300,000 people were estimated to attend the fall version of this festival.

Art has and remains one of festival’s main attractions.

Oct. 4, 2010

Artists demonstrated a wide array of art mediums such as photography, paintings, and metal work.

“I always enjoy coming and demonstrating my art here,” said local artist Juan Espinoza.

“This is a great festival for new and unique artists to come and show their work. I’ve been showing my work here for three years now and every year it gets bigger and better.”

Walking the infamous 6th Street can build quite the appetite. There were plenty of food vendors to take care of that appetite. For those healthconscious folks, the options were very limited, but for those who were less preoccupied with their health, the choiced included such things as turkey legs the size of your head, sausage links that looked like meat necklaces, blossoming onion rings, and even alligator.

“Many people shy away from alligator, but I have to tell them it tastes just like chicken or, in my opinion, even better,” said food vendor Stanley Harrison.

Of course, no Austin festival could be complete without

music. Bands took the stage throughout the day playing a variety of sounds. The Majestic Revelation Reggae provided funky, soulful and danceable reggae music complete with the lead singer wearing unique attire including a king’s crown.

This certainly supplied the “weird” Austin is so famous for.

The music highlight of Pecan Street Festival was Austin’s own Grupo Fantasma. It seemed that everyone who attended on Saturday flocked to the main stage to catch Austin’s Latin music’s heavyweights. As usual, the 10-piece Latin fusion band didn’t disappoint. The band played an electrifying blend of Latin, funk, and jazz. The end result was an all-out 6th Street dance party. After the set, the audience asked for more and were rewarded with a 10 minute encore.

“That’s the best Latin band I have seen,” festival-goer Don Johnson said.

Pecan Street Festival remains a beloved part of Austin culture and has no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

a music video she was working on at the time. After that, they became friends. She then came with up with the idea to make a music video with DuBois, but first they needed the music.

“She really likes my music.

She fell in love with it. She first approached me because she wanted to make a music video because her background is in film and I told her, ‘Well, that’s great, I’d love to do that but you can’t make a video without a record.’ So we started putting that in motion,” said DuBois.

Currently, DuBois just performs with his guitar on his own at his shows. However, for this debut album, he not only wrote all the music with all sorts of instrumentation, but he mostly

plays each instrument himself.

While he’s solo for now, he’s open to the idea of a full band in the future. But right now, that’s not a priority.

“I’m really busy as a student.

Because I spent so many years being a full time musician that now I’ve dedicated myself to finishing my education and not being a wasteoid,” DuBois said as he laughed. “Because writing is something I’m really passionate about which is why I think I’m held on continuing writing music, but I would love to get a group of musicians together because the record isn’t acoustic James Taylor ballads, it’s really full.”

As far as what he’s looking for in a potential group of musicians, he’s more concerned with people

who love to write songs.

“As time goes by, what becomes really important to me is personality. It’s really cool if you can shred a lead solo on your guitar, but I like musicians that play music for the song, not for the spotlight.”

DuBois’ next performance is Nov. 20 at Maggie Mae’s.

He will share the stage with Jonathan Terrell and Wil Cope for Deadbird Records’ Thanksgiving Music Dinner and Fundraiser for the non-profit organization Grounded in Music.

College Sound is a recurring feature. If you’re an ACC student and a musician, please contact Sarah Vasquez, Life & Arts Editor at editor2@austincc.edu.

Oct. 4, 2010

www.theAccent.org

Life & Arts | page 9

Arts • Games and Tech

Gamers enjoy Fantastic Arcade Fantastic Fest hosts first ever video game conference, tournaments Jason Witmer

Staff Writer

While Fantastic Fest has been around for years, this was the first year with the newest addition: Fantastic Arcade. This part of the festival showcased dozens of indie games, machinima, nerdcore music and anything and everything surrounding

the video game community.

The first Fantastic Arcade was kicked off with a show by the popular nerdcore rapper MC Frontalot. MC Frontalot has single-handedly invented the nerdcore genre, rapping about various topics such as video games and mathematics.

His show was amazing and was followed by an ‘80s dance party at The Highball.

Among the dozens of

games available for free play at Fantastic Arcade, a few really jumped out. They might not have been the best in innovative design, but they still brought a smile.

The first would be EnviroBear 2000 by Justin Smith.

The game only has one mission: hibernation. You control a bear, and you drive a car. You can only control his one available arm with the mouse. So you can either turn the wheel, push the gas, go into reverse, drive, or eat bountiful fish, but you have to do them at different times, which makes for a great decision-making process. The graphics on this game are atrocious, but the simplicity of this independent game was enjoyable.

Best game award for this writer goes to Canabalt. This game is easy to pick up, easy to learn, but hard to master. A side-scrolling “film-noir” type game, you are a finely dressed man trying to outrun your city being destroyed only by jumping. Jumps must be timed perfectly to escape the falling city. Fantastic Arcade held a “highest score” tournament for this game at The Highball.

Many cheers and “oohs!” were heard as each contestant braved the Canabalt world to attempted greatness.

The Alamo Drafthouse and The Highball were recreated into a Left for Dead 2 campaign map. Left for Dead is the popular Valve Corporation game that pits humans against zombies in the fight for survival. It was very impressive how authentic and real it looked to the actual physical location of Fantastic Fest and Fantastic Arcade. It was strange and awesome to play the video game where the game virtual setting is where the players were actually sitting in real life.

The creators of the popular

internet Halo Machinima series Red Vs. Blue were at Fantastic Arcade to premiere their new movie Red Vs. Blue Revolution as well as showcase the best of Machinima on the web. Machinima is the art of using the graphics and physics of a particular video game to create original stories and films.

Many hilarious and seriously awesome machinima were shown using games like Halo 3, Half Life 2, Portal, Team Fortress 2 and Dragon Age. Many Machinima can be found online by searching for “Machinima” on YouTube.

The festival ended with the concert Datapop 4.0.

This dance party featured music using the beeps and boops from hacked Nintendo Gameboys, among other video game consoles, and showcased some great 8-bit bands: Rainbowdragoneyes, glomag, and IAYD. This event might have ended Fantastic Arcade this year, but the games it provided will live on forever.

Sarah Vasquez • Life & Arts/Multimedia Editor

PIZZA FOR ZOMBIES — A Fantastic Arcade attendee hold up his handmade sign for the video game Left for Dead 2. He was one of the many participants to compete during the fest.

Sarah Vasquez • Life & Arts/Multimedia Editor

COVER ME — Fantastic Arcade participants compete during one of the many game

tournaments at the week long festival. Many of the gamers consistenily yelled out “Cover me.” as the winning team could win many prizes including cash.

Arts • Lifestyle

Relax with Yoga Diana Leite

Staff Reporter

College life can be stressful, and in the search for new ways of relaxing and calming the mind, some students go to 6th Street, play Halo or eat too much junk food.

But there are healthier ways to deal with the school pressure that don’t involve destroying one’s GPA or getting a belly pooch. Practicing yoga might be the solution for the anxious.

Austin offers a variety of different yoga academies in many different styles and price ranges, including donation classes, in which each yoga practitioner contributes with the amount they want to.

Austin Community College offers two levels of yoga in the Health and Kinesiology department.

Helene McCandless instructs both classes at ACC with a blend of both Hatha and Iyengar.

Hatha, a style used to prepare the body for long periods of meditation, originated in 15th century India.

Iyengar is a a modern style that emphasizes correct alignment of the body parts in each pose.

McCandless instructed aerobics at ACC for over 20 years before she started to instruct yoga in 1993.

Before each class, McCandless plays relaxing music, while her students arrive

at the Austin Recreational Center behind Rio Grande Campus. She doesn’t asks her students to chant “Om” together.

She starts her classes in an accelerated rhythm that make even her younger, healthier yoga practitioner sweat.

Students that complete one yoga class at ACC earn one credit hour. The tuition for that one hour costs $42 for in-district residents, $150 for legal state residents and $288 for out-of-state and alien residents, plus a $3.10 insurance fee.

Austin Yoga Institute offers Iyengar style yoga from beginner to advanced levels. Patti Gagne, who also instructs yoga at ACC, teaches a fundamentals class every Saturday morning, perfect for students with tight schedules.

But be prepared for a intense class, she is not scared of upside down positions.

“I tell my students at ACC to take a yoga break when they are studying hard, and do a twist or a forward bend. Do a pose with the head grounded and that will help improve focus.

The inversions also bring more blood flow to the brain, so it helps with study,” said Gagne.

Austin Yoga Institute shares a studio at the Lamar Shopping Center with Seva Yoga, a charity yoga that offers Ashtanga and Dharma Mittra, two of the most intense yoga styles for a suggested $10 to $15 donation per class.

East Side Yoga offers free

classes every fourth Friday of the month in celebration of Fourth Friday on E. 11th Street and charity classes every Sunday, where all yogis are welcome to join the class and donate any amount for charity.

Steve Ross, owner of East Side Yoga located at East 11th Street, offers a gentler form of yoga in his studio, in contrast with the sweaty and hot power yoga offered by many academies.

For people interested in a funner and less time consuming way of relieving stress, the Nintendo Wii Fit video game uses the motion sensing remote control that allows for a variety of physical activities including yoga that promises to make gamers leave the couch and sweat over the balance board that has a sensor surface in which the gamer stands over while playing. Among the other functions. The Wii Fit offers yoga poses instructed by a virtual male or female trainer.

The game is fun and the balance is so sensitive that the Wii will detect cheating. The need of maintaining equilibrium over the board and observing how the sensor is reading your position on the screen doesn’t allow for a full yoga experience and the amount of poses available is very limited.

The Wii Fit Plus accessories and the software bundle needed for the practice of gamer yoga costs $99 and it requires the $199 Wii console.

Sarah Vasquez • Life & Arts/Multimedia Editor

STRETCH IT OUT — ACC professor Helene McCandless observes her students’ postures in her Yoga I class. ACC is one of the several institutions in Austin that offer Yoga classes.

Texas Book Festival

October 16 — 17 • State Capitol

Texas Book Festival Guide Christopher A. Smith Editor-in-Chief

The Texas Book Festival is an annual event held at the State Capitol that showases author readings and presentations, panel discussions, book signings and musical entertainment.

Below are a just a few of the events Editor-in-Chief Christopher A. Smith recommends.

The violence around us

Science explains it all

Politics

C.J. Chivers Sunday Oct. 17, 4:15 p.m.

The Sanctuary at First United Methodist Church The AK-47, the gun of choice for terrorists and revolutionaries the world over, is the subject of C.J. Chivers new book, The Gun. The book is part history, part good journalism and all great storytelling

by Chivers. Chivers is a senior writer and former Moscow bureau chief for The New York Times and a frequent contributor to Esquire.

Back to Life: Humanizing Medical Mysteries Saturday, Oct. 16, 10:00 a.m.

C-SPAN/Book TV Tent Good storytelling can rescue any subject, even science and medicine, from the list of heavy subjects nobody wants to read about. Rebecca Skloot recently wrote, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, that even while being good, hard journalism still allows readers to see the world of research medicine with all its flaws, triumphs and interesting characters.

The book and the panel are well worth checking out.

Laura Bush Saturday, Oct. 16, 10:00 a.m.

Paramount Theatre Laura Bush memoir, Spoken from the Heart, gives readers a glimpse of what it was like to go from Midland, TX to Washington and back. The memoir has received a lot of attention and her talk at the Festival, which she founded and is an honorary chair, will probably be well attended.

The Drug Wars: Dispatches from the Border Sunday, Oct. 17, 1:30 p.m.

C-SPAN/Book TV Tent For a conversation about the drug wars in Mexico that is sure to be more intelligent and knowledgeable than any being had by politicians in Washington or Austin, check out the panel hosting writers Ed Vulliamy, Charles Bowden, and Malcolm Beith. All three have written in-depth accounts about drug violence in Mexico. Bowden spent extended amounts of time Juárez, one of the most deadly cities in the world, for his book Murder City: Ciudad Juárez and the Global Economy’s New Killing Fields.

Cradle of Gold: The Story of a Real-Life Indiana Jones and the Search for Machu Picchu Sunday, Oct. 17, 11:00 a.m.

Capitol Extension Room E2.010 One man’s adventure and realization of a dream is another country’s theft of cultural heritage. American explorer and Yale historian Hiram Bingham reached Machu Pichu in Peru in 1911 and this real-life Indiana Jones was able to bring back a treasure trove of skulls, bones and artifacts. Writer Christopher Heaney’s book, Cradle of Gold: The Story of Hiram Bingham, A Real-Life Indiana Jones and the Search for Machu Picchu, tells the story of Bingham’s swashbuckling adventures and of the ongoing dispute between Yale University and Peru over who owns the Incan artifacts he brought back.

You don’t need facts to find the truth Big Stories, Small Towns Sunday, Oct. 17, 12:30 p.m.

Capitol Auditorium Room E1.004 Great myths can often produce the greatest truths. While there seems to be an emphasis on nonfiction works at this year’s book festival, there is still plenty of great discussions about the golden standard of book writing, the novel. Rick Bass will be talking about his latest book Nashville Chrome about fame and how it was won and lost by the first female country stars. He’ll be joined by Jake Silverstein, Antonya Nelson and Philipp Meyer who have novels that explore desperation, death, infidelity, the loss of the American dream. All the subjects that make a novel worth reading.

The Way We Were: New Novels about a Bygone Texas Saturday, Oct. 16, 10:00 a.m.

Capitol Extension Room E2.012.

Texas is a changing place and it often takes a novelist and not a historian to show us who we were and where we come from. Texas is an urban state now we are told but the myth that holds Texas together is not one of high rise condos or miles of urban sprawl. ACC Professor Mary Helen Specht leads a panel on a Texas that, even for natives, is a place we travel to only in the confines of a book.

Good stories that happen to be true Literature on the Lam: Famous Fugitives Sunday, Oct. 17, 11:00 a.m.

C-SPAN/Book TV Tent Not all high octane books that’ll keep you up all night have to be poorly written airport bookstore novels.

Writers James Swanson, Hampton Sides, Jonathan Eig and Malcolm Beith have each written a book with topics worthy of a pulp novel: Mexican drug lords, Al Capone, the plot to assassinate Martin Luther King Jr. and the misguided search for Lincoln’s killer. But what sets these writers and their books apart is their attention to good reporting and historical accuracy. Their books are exciting to read and the fact that it is all true makes it that much better.

Texas Monthly and Texas Book Festival present The Art of Fact Saturday, Oct. 16, 2:00 p.m.

Capitol Extension Room E2.028 Great storytelling is great storytelling, but when the story happens to be true, the effect on readers is all the more powerful. Jake Silverstein, Texas Monthly editor and author of Nothing Happened and Then It Did which mixes fiction and non-fiction, leads a panel discussion on the art of factual writing. Joining him are authors Max Watman, Hank Stuever, David Grann who have written about moonshine, Christmas and stranger-than-life mysteries respectively.

Spotlight on ACC Prof. Mary Specht Mary Specht remembers enjoying writing as a child but it wasn’t until she was in college that she thought of doing it as a profession. Specht is now a writer and a creative writing professor at ACC. It was in college and later in graduate school that she found a community of writers that encouraged her to pursue writing as a career. Writing and reading are often solitary pursuits but Specht said that has again found a community at the Texas Book Festival.

Christopher A. Smith • Editor in Chief “If you are not part of a book club or taking lit classes, you reading is in a vacuum,” said Specht, “but the at the book festival you get to not only see the writers and hear them talk but you also ask questions, talk to other people who love to read and see what new books are coming out.”

Specht Reccomends Big Stories, Small Towns Sunday, Oct. 17, 12:30 p.m.

Capitol Auditorium Room E1.004

The Norton Anthology of Latino Literature with editor Ilan Stavans and moderated

by Cristina Garcia Sunday, Oct. 17, 3:15 - 4 p.m.

The Sanctuary at First United Methodist Church 1201 Lavaca, enter from Lavaca St.

American Short Fiction and Texas Book Festival present The Short and the Sublime with Doug Dorst, David Means, and Andrew Porter Sunday, Oct. 17, 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.

Capitol Extension room E2.016

Karl Rove Sunday, Oct. 17, 1:15 p.m.

The Sanctuary at First United Methodist Church Another memoir by someone from former-President George W. Bush’s inner circle, this one by Karl Rove. Rove sets out to set the record straight and take swipes at Democrats while he’s at it in Courage and Consequence.

Obama: Year One Sunday, Oct. 17, 12:15 p.m.

C-SPAN/Book TV Tent Three writers, three books about President Obama’s first year in office. There is a lot of attention on the Democrats and questions about what has happened to the energy and promise Obama brought with him after the election in 2008. The panel is moderated by Evan Smith, editor-in-chief of the Texas Tribune.

And while this panel might not have answers for the Democrats’ woes, the insights on the president and the inner workings of the White House are sure to be interesting.

Music and film? Yes! The Best of God Saturday, Oct. 16, 7:30 p.m.

Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar (1120 S. Lamar) Local writer Owen Egerton won an Austin Chronicle Best of 2010 local writer/poet award. Who has ever heard of a writer winning a “best of award?” Well maybe it’s because he does something like co-hosting an irreverent event where clips of over-the-top televangelists and their cohorts will be screened for the audience’s delight.

Shinyribs Saturday, Oct. 16, 1:00 p.m.

Music Tent There’s more to do at the Texas Book Festival than go to panels. This is Austin of course.

So if you need a break from the all the literary talk, head to the music tent.

Kevin Russell, also known as the lead singer of The Gourds, writes some beautiful songs. Song lyrics as poetry? Depends. But what isn’t up for debate is how much fun you’ll have listening to Shinyribs.

Best of the Texas Book Festival Events Accent Editor-in-Chief Christopher A. Smith plans to attend at the festival

The Texas Book Festival is the perfect time for all book worms, writers, wannabe writers, and literati to put down the books for a while and head to the capital to hang out with other bookish types and listen to writers who have actually made it big. But at this years book festival Karissa Rodriguez • Photo/Web Editor there are hundreds of writers and events and panels all day Oct. 16 and 17. So with so much going where will I be? I’m definitely going to be at C.J. Chivers. Chivers is an amazing literary journalist and the work he’s done for Esquire is awe inspiring. Saturday morning most people will probably be at Laura Bush’s panel at the Paramount Theatre. I’m skipping that and instead going to the C-SPAN tent to catch Rebecca Skloot in the Humanizing Medical Mysteries panel. While listening to Laura Bush talk about her bucolic upbringing in west Texas will draw all the cameras and the who’s who of folks here in Austin, I’d rather listen to a Skloot talk about how she turned a complicated medical research story into a great book. I’m really excited about The Drug Wars panel on Sunday. The writers on this panel had the guts to go Juarez and other deadly places in Mexico to get the facts and the stories for their books. Talk about going to hell and back. The book festival doesn’t have to be just about books. I’m taking a break on Saturday to catch Shinyribs in the music tent.