THE
METROPOLITAN SPECIAL SECTION
Black History Month
2.1.07 • Vol. 29 No. 19 • http://www.mscd.edu/~themet • Serving the Auraria Campus since 1979
A legacy remembered Civil rights proponent Rachel B. Noel bids farewell to Metro
Get in bed with Metro
PAGE 14
NEWS
Questions remain concerning 9/11, U.S. involvement PAGE 3
AUDIO FILES
New age for the Purple Sage PAGE 13
Album reviews PAGE 16
SPORT
Photo by Heather A. Longway-Burke • longway@mscd.edu
Matt Hoffman, a mechanical engineering student at Metro, works on welding a bed frame together. The beds are created by the Human Powered Vehicle group and will be used as part of Metro’s homecoming bed races. The races will be held Feb. 9 from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. outside the Auraria Events Center.
Men’s basketball leads conference after weekend wins PAGE 24
MetNews
THE METROPOLITAN • PAGE 3 • GEOF WOLLERMAN • GWOLLERM@MSCD.EDU
Conspiracy theory gains momentum Internet fringe groups question official line about 9/11 attacks By Geof Wollerman gwollerm@mscd.edu More than five years after Sept. 11, conspiracy theories alleging government complicity in the attacks still abound, and instead of waning, the movement is gaining momentum. In addition to numerous websites that have been active since the attacks, several magazines found on the shelves of national booksellers have recently featured cover articles seeking to illuminate the validity of conspiracy claims. Despite the fact that competing claims about the events of that day may never be reconciled, one thing is almost certainly true: Conspiracy theories have been around for years and, according to some professors, the paranoia will continue to fuel itself. “I think that the momentum for conspiracy theory grows as the (Iraq) war turns into … a situation which we never thought would happen initially,” said Lance Denning, an assistant professor of political science at Metro. “And so I think the conspiracy theorists are always going to be out there when popular opinion begins to sour.”
See CONSPIRACY Page 9
Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Defense
According to official government statements and the findings of the 9/11 Commission, a Boeing 757 crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11. But many conspiracy theorists believe otherwise. Citing a lack of debris and limited destruction to the building, theorists on a variety of websites maintain that what really struck the building was either a rocket, a small plane or a missile.
Metro dean appointed to Denver drug commission By Amy Woodward awoodwa5@mscd.edu When Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper appointed 25 members to a newly formed drug task force, he asked Sandra Haynes, dean of Metro’s Criminal Justice Department, to join. “I am very excited to be involved in something that has the potential to help Denver in a significant manner,” Haynes said. The Denver Drug Strategy Commission held a brief overview meeting on Jan. 25 to discuss strategies and issues it will be working to address in the next 18 months. A letter to the new commission’s members from the Denver Office of Drug Strategy states: “This is going to be a productive year as we move forward with this participative community-wide effort to develop a comprehensive strategic plan for substance abuse prevention, intervention, treatment, transition and recovery and implement ongoing efforts through the Office of Drug Strategy to reduce substance abuse and misuse in the City & County of Denver.”
Haynes hopes to take part in the commission’s prevention and data-evaluation subcommittee, which will figure drug and abuse rates, because it is important to know what the commission has and what they can do to prevent the spread of drug use, she said. She wants to focus specifically on how drug epidemics spread, including the spread of methamphetamine through drug trafficking. Methamphetamine is a central nervous system stimulant typically manufactured using makeshift labs and ingredients found in commercial products. The Community Epidemiology Work Group, a research group that supplies information on the patterns of drug abuse for the National Institute on Drug Abuse, reports on its website that methamphetamine use is more common in Western states than in the rest of the country but is slowly spreading across the U.S. into the South and Midwest. Narconon Southern California, a drug and addiction treatment rehabilitation center, reports on its website that 54 kilograms of methamphetamine have been seized thus far in Colorado, and some surrounding states have reported seizures
of up to 206.2 kilograms. Most smuggling happens not only at the border but also at other ports of entry that are notorious in Texas and Arizona, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration website. Transportation of methamphetamine at or around the U.S.-Mexico border has increased more than 75 percent between 2002 and 2004. In 2005, a total of 2,148.6 kilograms of methamphetamine was seized in the United States. The Denver Drug Strategy Commission does not have all of the details yet about its plans to confront the issues of drug abuse in Denver, but it plans to look at all aspects of the drug problem, said Jamie Van Leeuwen, chairman for the commission. “We will be looking at underage drinking, meth and narcotics and how it relates to prevention, intervention and treatment,” he said.
Appointed in 1971, Rachel B. Noel became Metro’s first female chair of what is now the African and African-American Studies Department. She has since retired and will be honored at Metro during the first week of Black History Month. FULL STORY PAGE 14.
Corrections: Jan. 25 • The article on page 5 should have read that 200 American Indians were killed at the Sand Creek Massacre. No American soldiers were killed.
THE METROPOLITAN • 2.1.07
NEWS • 5
Catalogs to computers: The history and future of the Auraria Library archives – Part I
Keepers of past look to future By Ruthanne Johnson rjohn180@mscd.edu Tucked into the northeast corner of the Auraria Library’s second floor sits a quiet enclave filled with old books, manuscripts, photos and ephemera. Both organized and intriguing, especially to historical researchers and those curious about official school records, Auraria’s Archive and Special Collections Department is a tidy little world that may soon be facing an uncertain future. Archivist Rosemary Evetts currently manages the department, which she believes is an invaluable resource for students, faculty and outside researchers alike. “We function as a records management facility for all three schools, collecting permanent records, student newspapers, newsletters and such,” Evetts said, adding that in addition to records management, the archives actively seek items significant to Colorado and Auraria history. The archive faces many challenges as it tries to maintain itself on a changing, tri-institutional campus in a 21st-century world dependent on instantly accessible electronic information. Because Auraria is a shared campus, the archives have been caught up in controversy over project funding. “Although we fall under UCD, many of our collections, photos and other artifacts are actually the property of Metro, and sometimes it gets a little sticky when talking about whose material it is, where it is, and how it is being maintained,” Evetts said. A recent example is the issue of whether or not to digitize certain materials, which would require a substantial initial investment, as well as the ongoing costs of maintaining the software. She also mentioned a further problem with digitizing artifacts, as the process has not been proven to adequately preserve them. “Right now there is nothing on the horizon … because no money is going toward the effort,” Evetts said. Under the direction of now-retired archivist Frank Tapp, the department began managing institutional records from the offices of Auraria’s three schools more than thirty years ago. The department also began collecting historical pho-
tographs, manuscripts and personal papers. Since then, the archive has acquired several valuable collections donated by benefactors such as Denver lawyer Minori Yasui, who fought an extensive legal battle for Japanese-American redress after persecution during World War II, as well as former Colorado State University professor Donald Sutherland and numerous employees of Colorado’s notorious Amachee War Relocation Center. Other renowned collections stored in the archives include printed transcripts of the ’80s KOA radio series “Colorado Reflections,” in which writers, professors, historians and longtime residents of Colorado were interviewed about Colorado history, and the official papers of the National Civic League, an organization that sought to standardize and professionalize city governments throughout the nation. The collections are kept in the larger of the archive’s two storage rooms, with old and rare books stored in the smaller room. Evetts and student archive assistant Jennifer Goodland organize and care for the rare books, often assisting patrons as they browse through collections such as an original Nancy Drew series and a rare book of rhetoric from the 18th century. The book room also contains numerous rows of theses published by UCD graduate students that are available for research. In addition to manuscripts and personal paper collections, the archives department maintains an extensive classical record collection donated by the radio station KVOD. Music professors often seek out the albums for the liner notes, which give a historical account of the composer, composition and live performance. “The liner notes on these old album covers are a historical account and important to keep,” Evetts said. Metro History Club president Charlie Smith was able to take advantage of the archives for the club’s haunted history tour of Auraria in late October 2006. “I was having a hard time finding anything on the history of the old Tivoli brewery, but fortunately the archives had an out-of-print book about it,” he said, adding that the archives are an invaluable resource for history majors and a prestigious legacy of Metro academia.
Photo by Heather A. Longway-Burke • longway@mscd.edu
Auraria Library archivist Rosemary Evetts sits at her desk Jan. 29 at the Special Collections Department in the Auraria Library. The department is home to historical documents from Auraria and throughout Colorado. Obstacles have risen recently concerning how to adapt the archives to modern technology.
Student Government Assembly inducts new vice president, senators By Allison Bailey abaile19@mscd.edu Metro’s Student Government Assembly swore in three new senators, a new vice president and a new justice of the student court on Jan. 24 and 25. The assembly also discussed raising the Auraria renewable energy student fee and approved funds for a bicycle race. According to her election biography, Ashley Averill, the new vice president, is a senior majoring in political science. She is a member of the sorority Sigma Sigma Sigma and said that she ran for office because she wanted to become more involved in student affairs and wanted experience with student government.
Averill said she is interested in Auraria’s sustainability and renewable energy programs and wants to be a proponent for flat-rate student fees, rather than the tiered system – based on credit hours – that is currently in place. “It seems like people are working really hard to get things done,” Averill said about the SGA. “It’s a lot of hard workers.” Brian Campbell, a sophomore majoring in special education, is one of the three new senators. “I wanted to run because I thought I’d represent the student body of Metro very well, especially when it came down to what the students would probably like,” Campbell said. In addition to serving as president of the Christian Student Association, he also works at the campus gym as a physical trainer for the disabled.
Campbell said he’d like to use his position on the SGA to work toward enhancing student unity on campus. Jacy Pickens, another new senator, was unable to attend the meeting on Jan. 24 and was instead sworn in on Jan. 25. Pickens, a sophomore and finance major, was an active member of her high school’s student government, and said she ran for senator because she wanted to become more involved at Metro. “My goal is to, at some point, maybe run for vice president and kind of be involved with finance in the student government,” she said. “But I thought I’d start as a representative and get a feel for it.” Pickens said she was surprised at the number of students who weren’t aware of student
government at Metro. MacKenzie Lintz, who was also sworn in as a senator on Jan. 25, was unavailable for comment. At the Jan. 24 meeting, Sean Lally, the UCD chair of the Student Advisory Committee to the Auraria Board, proposed raising the renewable energy fee that Auraria students pay from $1 to $5. SACAB wants students to vote on the proposed increase in April, Lally said. He brought a resolution before the Metro SGA to approve the student vote and it passed unanimously. The Auraria Board will have its first reading of the proposal Feb. 21. The SGA also appoved $475 for the Metro Cycling Club to host a bicycle race in March and swore in a new appointee, David Crumbaker, to the student court.
THE METROPOLITAN • 2.1.07
NEWS • 7
Online gambling takes a big hit
By Lou Christopher achris25@mscd.edu Online poker gambling took a major hit from the U.S. government when arrests and subpoenas were made by the Department of Justice in connection with the funding of offshore gambling sites. On Jan. 15, the United States arrested Stephen Lawrence and John Lefebvre, two founders of the popular Internet payment services company Neteller. The company’s merchant base accounted for more than 80 percent of worldwide gaming merchants, according to Neteller’s 2005 annual report, with a net profit of $91.5 million. The two have been charged with conspiring to transfer funds with the intent to promote illegal gambling and, if convicted, face a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, according to a Justice Department news release. “A significant portion of (Internet gambling) is the illegal handling of Americans’ bets with offshore gaming companies, which amounts to a colossal criminal enterprise masquerading as legitimate business,” the assistant director-in-charge of the New York office of the FBI, Mark Mershon, said in the Justice Department news release. “The FBI is adamant about shutting off the flow of illegal cash,” Mershon said. According to Neteller, aside from substantial stock holdings, neither Lawrence nor Lefebvre hold positions with the company any longer, though both held senior management positions in the past. Sixteen banks in London involved with online poker sites were subpoenaed to turn over information concerning the gambling sites. Most gambling sites are traded on the London Stock Exchange and are backed by London-based banks. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issued both the arrests and the subpoenas. The prosecution is part of the Department of Justice’s effort to combat unlawful Internet gambling through, among other things, the implementation of the federal anti-money-laundering statutes, according to the department’s news release. The Department of Justice’s efforts come months after the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was passed by Congress, and some think for naught. “Legislation aimed at prohibiting you from funding your
Photo by Jason Small • jsmall4@mscd.edu
Funding for online gambling sites has become harder to accomplish after Congress passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act on Oct. 13, 2006. There are ways around the system, however, as online gambling continues in America. online poker accounts passed the U.S. House this summer, then was quietly slipped into a port security bill, literally in the dark of night, which was signed into law on Oct. 13,” said Michael Bolcerek, president of the Poker Players Alliance, in a letter sent to the poker community about the act. Bolcerek argues that because poker is a skill-intensive game, it should not be categorized in the same way as sports betting. He has been lobbying in Washington, D.C., to make sure legislators know the difference and that regulation, not prohibition, is the answer. “It is my opinion that online poker will remain relatively unphased by the recent government crackdown,” said Shawn Green,
Metro honors student Marine Former Metro student and current Iraq serviceman Matthew A. Knight was named the 2006 Secondary Education Teacher of the Year by Metro, according to a Marine Corps news release. Knight is currently stationed in Ramadi, Iraq, serving as a noncommissioned officer in charge of the provincial Civil-Military Operations Center for Detachment 4, 4th Civil Affairs Group. “As a civil affairs marine in Iraq, Knight supports the growth of the governmental and economic programs in Iraq. Over the next several months, the 4th CAG will build the capacities of the local and provincial governments of Iraq to meet the basic needs of the local people,” the release said. This is Knight’s second tour of duty in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. According to the release, he has received 10 certificates of commendation, the Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, five Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals and the Navy and Marine Commendation Medal.
a poker analyst for Card Player Magazine. “Neteller indeed should have been a big hit to the industry, but it appears to have not taken much of a toll at all, given the recent attendance numbers at the sites.” Online gambling sites still accept deposits and have many ways for Americans to transfer their money to their site of choice. EPassporte is a payment processing and funds transfer service that creates a virtual Visa card that customers use to put money into their online gambling accounts. The gambling sites will also take money from normal Visa, Mastercard and Western Union, and some will even allow customers to mail them a check. EPassporte can also be used to withdraw money from the sites.
LOCAL TAKES, LARGER ISSUES JAN. 23, 2007: In his State of the Union speech, President George W. Bush took a different tack than in previous years, choosing to focus primarily on domestic issues such as the federal budget, education, health care, immigration and energy. He called for a 20 percent reduction in gasoline usage by 2017, federal funding of state-sponsored private health care plans and a congressional authorization for an increase in active Army and Marine Corps servicemen. He also discussed terrorism and foreign policy, renewing his commitment to the war in Iraq and the larger struggle against Islamic extremism. Below are comments from two Colorado state senators on their reactions to the speech.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Marine Corps
Gunnery Sgt. Matthew Knight has been deployed to Columbia, Panama, Norway and, currently, Iraq. The former Manual High School teacher was also the 2004 Troops to Teachers Denver Public Schools Secondary Teacher of the Year. Knight is pursuing his master’s degree in education and resides with his wife, Lisa, and daughter, Lauren, in Thornton.
“ “ He had a lot of things to say that I was excited about. I loved him talking about balancing the budget, and I think that’s something I would love to see our current government do. And I like that in Colorado we do that every year, and I think that’s the fiscally responsible thing to do. I loved him talking about getting rid of the earmarks. I think that’s something that’s attached on after everybody’s done things that … the average person probably wouldn’t approve of – and doesn’t approve of – if they knew about it. And so those are some areas that I’d love to see action of the words that he did speak.
– Sen. Scott Renfroe, R–District 13
I’ve entirely lost confidence in him and I don’t trust anything that he says. The things that he was talking about in domestic policy cost money, and he’s not willing to spend money on anything except the war, so he won’t actually do those things … The only way I would have confidence in him is if he said, ‘I know I’ve done a really bad job these last six years, and I’m going to make a serious change in the way we’re conducting the war in Iraq. I’m going to involve diplomacy and allies and reduce the American footprint there, try to provide more humanitarian aid, and I’m going to provide real resources to education and health care, and this is where I’m going to get the money.’ But I don’t think he’s going to do that.
– Sen. Ken Gordon, D–District 35
8 • NEWS
2.1.07 • THE METROPOLITAN
Best Student Newspaper 2006
&
The Metropolitan
The Metropolitan is honored to share this prestigious award with CSU’s The Rocky Mountain Collegian. Our staff would like to thank the Denver Press Club and the Denver Newspaper Guild for acknowledging our hard work.
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ICE your cell! It just could save your life. Cellphones have become part of our daily lives. We use them to contact friends, family and fellow students, and they are a a valuable life-line when we’re lost, have car trouble, or just need to reach someone quickly. But what happens if you are in an emergency situation, a car accident for example, and are rendered incapable of giving rescue workers or paramedics the information needed to save your life? Let
ICE: an acronym for
“In Case of Emergency” speak for you! This campaign, conceived of by Bob Brotchie, a clinical team leader for a UK ambulance service, encourages people to enter emergency contact numbers into their cell phone’s contact list under the heading ICE [example: ICE Mother]. This contact information will allow paramedics and police officers the ability to quickly contact your designated next-of-kin/relative in the event of emergency. It takes just seconds, and it could save your life! The staff at the Health Center at Auraria encourages you to ICE your CELL today [and be sure to review any medical conditions/drug allergies, etc. with your ICE contacts]!
For more information contact: The Health Center at Auraria, Plaza 150 (303) 556–2525
www.mscd.edu/student/resources/health
THE METROPOLITAN • 2.1.07
NEWS • 9
Photos courtesy of U.S. Department of Defense
ABOVE: Wreckage at ground zero after Sept. 11. Conspiracy theorists allege the World Trade Center towers were rigged with explosives and their collapse was controlled. BELOW: The interior rupture where the plane that hit the Pentagon reportedly came to rest. To the left of the hole is a parking sign that remains completely intact, despite enduring what many theorists have said would be inferno-like temperatures.
CONSPIRACY • Internet conspiracists are storytellers attempting to illuminate the inexplicable Continued from 3 Conspiracy theories surrounding Sept. 11 generally consist of two main allegations: that the World Trade Center towers were rigged with explosives and were set to fall, and that whatever hit the Pentagon was not a commercial airliner. One needs only to conduct an Internet search using the terms “9/11” and “conspiracy” and thousands of pages come up, laying out in grainy detail the events of that day. “There’s an inherent human quality to want to tell stories to explain important events,” said Bill C. Henry, an assistant professor of psychology at Metro. This suggests that conspiracy theories have been around for a long time, he said. Henry brought up the examples of the assassination of Julius Caesar and the use of the Trojan horse during the Trojan War. “Those would be instances in which the conspiracy theories would be appropriate because there were conspiracies going on,” Henry said. “We try to tell stories to make sense of these things that might otherwise be inexplicable.” There is not a lot of empirical evidence regarding why individuals are prone to believe in conspiracy theories. “People on the fringes feel less empowered in society in general and thus feel more comfortable accepting the idea that there are larger forces at work manipulating important situations,” Henry said. Conspiracy beliefs about things such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy or the events of 9/11 are more likely to be constructed than a conspiracy regarding why Denver couldn’t clear
the snow off the streets in the last snowstorm, Henry said. He noted that Metro’s Psychology Research Club is conducting a study this semester about the different individual characteristics associated with the propensity to endorse conspiracies. One part of what the club is looking at is to what extent conspiracy theories overlap, he said. If someone believes in a conspiracy regarding Sept. 11, are they also likely to believe in a conspiracy involving the Catholic Church? After Sept. 11 the National Institute of Standards and Technology was put in charge of trying to understand the physics of why the
on the immense amount of heat and structural damage that the planes’ initial impacts caused. Because the floors of the towers were not built to withstand the weight of another floor collapsing into them, it created an unstoppable domino effect. Dove pointed out that though NIST is not an institution independent of the government – possibly, as some conspiracy theorists see it, calling into question the validity of its claims – it is at least nonpartisan. “That presentation looked solid. And even though it was run by NIST, you had about at least 100 physicists from different universities involved in the task force,” Dove said. Conspiracy theory website http://www.patriotsquestion911. com disagrees with these explanations, however. The site boasts the collected statements of 100 other prominent academic figures from around the United States and the world who are – JONATHAN WRIGHT, METRO STUDENT demanding answers to questions unaddressed by either NIST’s findings or those of the official World Trade Center towers fell. James Dove, 9/11 Commission. “We may differ over the political plausibilan associate professor of physics at Metro, attended the presentation, which he described as ity of conspiracies that have been proposed in convincing. connection with the destruction of 9/11. But “I don’t actually know the conspiracy theo- the physical implausibility of the official sceries other than that (conspiracy theorists) don’t nario concerning the towers’ collapse should be think the towers would have fallen so nicely if beyond dispute,” says Joshua Mitteldorf, a rethere hadn’t been some kind of synchronized ex- searcher at Arizona University, on the website. plosion at different points. And this presentation “This is an area where physicists’ calculations completely refuted that, saying how the result of and our commonsense notions of how tall obwhat we saw is completely consistent with this jects fall down both point to the conclusion that type of blow,” Dove said. sophisticated engineering and carefully-timed NIST’s theory, as Dove explained it, centered explosive charges would be required for the tow-
“I think the government could have easily done something like that. I mean, who kows what they’re up to?”
ers to fall in the manner that they did.” For Metro student Jonathan Wright, there is no question that the U.S. government could have been complicit in the Sept. 11 attacks. “I think the government could have easily done something like that. I mean, who knows what they’re up to?” Wright said. “It’s just incredible that they could actually pull something like that off. I mean, can you imagine what the implications of that would be?” Wright paused, perhaps pondering those implications. “Maybe we’ll find out in a hundred years,” he said.
metrospective
The cast of NBC’s new television drama, Heroes. The series features characters whose possession of superhuman powers makes them both pariahs and saviors.
Television
Photo courtesy of NBC
Holding out for a hero
By Clarke Reader creader3@mscd.edu Winter break is over for students and for TV programming alike, and the networks’ heavy contenders are steadily emerging from their hibernation. Shows on all networks are starting up with new episodes and fresh plots. Some, such as 24, are just beginning their new season, while others, such as Lost, are starting midseason. One of the most hotly anticipated returning shows is Heroes, which resumed its run Jan. 22 on NBC. The show has been described as a mix of X-Men and Lost, and the comparison is apt. Like Lost, Heroes thrives on cliffhanger endings, enough twists and turns to make one sick, and a dynamic ensemble cast. Meanwhile, the basic premise of the show echoes XMen. The plot is fairly simple: A select group has been born with differences in their genetic codes, giving them an array of “super” powers. The expansive list of abilities includes flight, time travel, regeneration and mind reading. Not only do these individuals have to come to grips with their gifts – or curses, depending on the person – but
outside forces know about them and are desperately trying to find them all with evil ends in mind. The cast is a mixed bag of TV veterans such as Greg Grunberg from Alias, Milo Ventimiglia from Gilmore Girls and Jack Coleman from Dynasty, along with relative newcomers such as Masi Oka, Hayden Panettiere and Noah Gray-Cabey. The show’s creator, Tim Kring, is no stranger to TV fame. His résumé includes the crime-drama Crossing Jordan and writing credits for shows including Providence and Knight Rider. Heroes hasn’t yet finished its first season, but it has already been nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Television Drama and won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama. The real question is: Will Heroes be able to hold on to its momentum as the season unfolds and into next fall? Many critics thought that Lost slackened with its second season, perhaps because the plot turned outlandish in an attempt to keep the audience guessing. This may be easier to maintain for Heroes, because the premise allows for all kinds of fantastic twists and developments. The teaser for the first half of the season, referring to a
THE METROPOLITAN • PAGE 11 • ADAM GOLDSTEIN • GOLDSTEA@MSCD.EDU
list of the heroes who were found last December, was “Are you on the List?” Likewise, it remains to be seen whether Heroes will stay on the list of viewers’ favorite TV shows or if it will meet its kryptonite.
Heroes Plot: A group of ordinary citizens are endowed with superhuman powers. Airs: 8 p.m. Mondays on NBC. Starring: Milo Ventimiglia, Greg Grunberg, Santiago Cabrera, Masi Oka, Tawny Cypress, Hayden Panettiere, Noah Gray-Cabey, Adrian Pasdar. Website: Missed an episode? You can catch up online at http://www.nbc.com/Heroes/
PULLOUT SECTION
timeout “ 12 • METROSPECTIVE
2.1.07 • THE METROPOLITAN
We don’t appreciate what we have until it’s gone. Freedom is like that. It’s like air. When you have it, you don’t notice it.
Everyday Blues
”
– BORIS YELTSIN
Adam Goldstein • goldstea@mscd.edu
This Day in History 2.1.07 Today’s Birthdays
Stride pianist James P. Johnson – 1894 Old-school heartthrob Clark Gable – 1882 Poet Langston Hughes – 1902 Russian president Boris Yeltsin – 1931 Monty Python alum Terry Jones – 1942 Superfreak singer Rick James – 1948 Actor/Martial artist Brandon Lee – 1965
On this day... Dudley Do-Rights...
DTU
Joe Nguyen and Conor Drummond • nguyejos@mscd.edu • cdrummon@mscd.edu
1920 – The Royal Canadian Mounted Police begin their patrol of the great white north. Among the first cadres of enforcers to make their way through the snowy expanses on horseback, the Snidely Whiplash posse started a manhunt that would last more than 50 years.
Stupid human tricks... 1982 – David Letterman begins his 11year stint as the host of NBC’s Late Night TV show. With his deadpan interviewing style, dry wit and gap-toothed charm, the late-night host wins the hearts of nocturnal viewers. Most are even willing to overlook Paul Schaffer’s irritating guffaws.
Indecent exposure... 2004 – Janet Jackson shocks the world during the half-time show of Super Bowl XXXVIII when she reveals her breast. Sadly, the controversy mars the spotless reputation of the Jackson family, sullying the clan’s otherwise irreproachable media track record.
Across 1- Withered 5- Plait, old-style 10- River which flows through Stratford in England 14- Way out 15- Pertaining to the ear 16- Adriatic wind 17- PC expert 18- South American ruminant 19- Former name of Thailand 20- Greek hero of the Trojan War 22- Breed of dog 24- Curse 25- Former Russian ruler 26- Equality 29- Capital of Queensland Australia 33- Astonish 34- Publish 35- Play on words 36- Hamlet, e.g. 37- Jargon 38- Trading center 39- Manipulate 40- With speed 41- Analyze a sentence 42- Endow with vim and vigor 44- Easy gallop 45- Very small quantity 46- Ace, e.g. 47- Farm 50- Temperance 54- Kind of cod 55- Mortal 57- Potpourri 58- Skin eruption 59- Salt of uric acid 60- Horseshoe 61- Spent, as batteries 62- On the up-and-up, briefly 63- Initial stake in a hand of poker Down 1- Stiff bristle 2- Corp. VIP, briefly 3- Having wealth 4- Make moral 5- Boldly aggressive 6- Governs 7- Periods of history 8- Block up 9- Passing 10- Soak up 11- Empty 12- Word that can precede hygiene, tradition and agreement. 13- Title 21- Stringed instrument 23- Kiln for drying hops 25- Triple 26- Military chaplain 27- At full speed 28- Extent 29- Clamp 30- Away 31- Suckle 32- Register as a participant 34- Public square 37- Malicious 38- Cassava 40- Highly excited 41- Young salmon 43- Marked with rings 44- Small cable 46- Raccoonlike carnivore 47- Delighted 48- Starchy food grain 49- Old Indian coin 50- Male deer 51- Enthusiastic vigor and liveliness 52- Slant 53- Symbol of slavery 56- Exist Crossword reprinted courtesy of bestcrosswords.com. Solution for puzzle can be found at http://www.bestcrosswords.com/. (Solution is under Jan. 27 puzzle.)
THE METROPOLITAN • PAGE 13 • MEGAN CARNEAL • MCARNEAL@MSCD.EDU
audiofiles
Upcoming shows Guttermouth Feb. 2 The Marquis Theatre 2009 Larimer St. 7:30 p.m. $12, all ages Drugs, firearms, unemployment and prostitution – these are a few of Guttermouth’s favorite things. Huntington Beach, Calif.’s veteran punks are touring the U.S. in search of die-hard slam dancers, snotty punk kids, promiscuous teenage girls and enthusiasts of distasteful sarcasm. When Mark Adkins pays homage to his mother in “Lipstick,” one can’t help feeling thankful for not being born a complete and utter bastard. Thanks, Mark. You make our job of living the life of decent God-fearing individuals that much easier.
Micheal Hargrave • mhargra1@mscd.edu
Buckcherry
A New gig for some old Riders Photo courtesy of shimonpresents.com
Poster children for medicinal marijuana, The New Riders of the Purple Sage, from left: Buddy Cage, Johnny Markowski, David Nelson, Michael Falzarano and Ronnie Penque. By David Pollan dpollan@mscd.edu When Buddy Cage reunited with longtime companion David Nelson after more than 20 years apart, the meeting was emotional and visceral. “We worked so well together that me and Nelson were between laughing and crying because we had surpassed our own expectations,” Cage said. “We were able to play some of the New Rider catalog, and the playing was so damn good it kept us going.” That’s right. The time has come to hippify and hang around, because Panama Red is back in town. The buzz is true. The most smokin’ joint in town Feb. 2 and 3 will be Quixote’s True Blue for the long-awaited return of psychedelic cowboys the New Riders of the Purple Sage. Spawned from the shadows of the Grateful Dead during the Haight-Asbury music scene, the New Riders have reunited with two of their original members and are punching out their lilting three-part country harmonies and groovy rock rhythms like never before. “The music is just so damn good and timeless,” Cage said. “It’s always been a living organ for us.” With the death of original bassist Dave Torbet and drummer Spencer Dryden, Nelson and Cage have teamed up with Michael Falzarano, Ronnie Penque and Johnny Markowski for the
New Riders’ “renaissance,” as Cage calls it. Co-founder John Dawson, the lead vocalist and main songwriter for the original band, is retired in Mexico and due to ongoing health problems will be unable to tour with the band. However, according to the band’s website, Dawson has given the band his blessing and is excited that his music is being heard again by a new generation. The band first formed in the summer of 1969. Dawson was looking to play his songs, while Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia was looking to practice his wizardry of the pedal steel guitar. After playing in small clubs and coffeehouses for a while, the two found Nelson, an expert in both country and rock guitar, and signed him on as the electric lead guitarist. Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart played with the band early on as they began to tour with the Grateful Dead. Initially, the New Riders and the Grateful Dead were one and the same. In 1970, Spencer Dryden – formerly of Jefferson Airplane – signed on as the drummer. Garcia’s time with the band was short-lived, as his busy schedule made it difficult for him to play with both the New Riders and the Grateful Dead. In the end, Garcia stuck with the Dead. With Garcia’s exit in 1971 came Cage’s entrance to fill the void on the pedal steel guitar. The band was now complete, and independent. That same year Clive Davis signed the New Riders to Columbia Records, and their self-titled first
album was released to widespread acclaim. Their creative style of music – mixing country, folk, and rock and roll – made them a unique and instant classic. The band released 12 albums, sold more than 4 million records and toured steadily over the next 11 years. The band’s name came from Zane Grey’s novel Riders of the Purple Sage. According to Cage, the band was sitting around discussing names when a member of the Hell’s Angels saw a copy of the book on a shelf and suggested their moniker. Due to copyright reasons, the band could not name itself directly after the book – thus the “new” in their title. “Nelson had a thing about starting bands with ‘new’ from some of his previous bands, so we named ourselves the New Riders of the Purple Sage, and it just stuck,” Cage said.
See NRPS Page 16
The New Riders will play at 9 p.m. Feb. 2 and 3 at Quixote’s True Blue, 2637 Welton St. Tickets are $20. 21+
Feb. 5 Ogden Theatre 935 E. Colfax Ave. 7:30 p.m. $25, 16+ Their music screams metal, but their vocals cry emo. Whichever genre they decide to affiliate with, Buckcherry has girls flocking toward them in hopes of being the next persona in their songs. These pretty guys tame the hearts of wild women, all the while attracting men with their grinding axes. They put on a show for the masses with their power ballads intertwined with cock rock.
Cassie Hood • hoodc@mscd.edu
Cradle of Filth Feb. 6 Gothic Theater 3263 S. Broadway 7 p.m. $23.00/$25.00, 16+ Supreme vampiric evil takes on the zombified form of seven corpse-painted ghouls playing a symphonic form of metal that has yet to find a proper genre. Their sacrilegious yet highly erotic poster art has graced the fronts of albums and t-shirts, advertising to the world the more humorous side to Christian bashing. Cover yourselves in black and rock the Cradle of Filth, because the Cradle of Filth don’t rock easy.
Billy Schear • wschear@mscd.edu
14 • METROSPECTIVE
2.1.07 • THE METROPOLITAN
THE METROPOLITAN • 2.1.07
METROSPECTIVE • 15
Black History Month
Champion of
R
freedom
By Mellisa Blackburn • mblackb4@mscd.edu
achel Louise Bassette Noel stood up on Apr. 25, 1968, during a meeting of the Denver Public Schools Board of Education, and proposed that the segregated schools unite so every child could receive equal education and be exposed to a different way of life. “The city was ripe for embracing this open way of living and of working, and certainly of education,” Noel said. “I found there were other people – white people, blue people – who carried the ideas of equality, and you could be judged on your merits and not on the color of your skin.” Noel is an 89-year-old mild and unassuming grandmother of five. She is glad for company this beautiful Tuesday afternoon, sunlight streaming through the large windows in her Denver apartment. Pictures crowd the walls of her spacious living room. Awards are intermingled with trinkets from Africa and other far-away places. Books cram her shelves, between overflowing plants and memories of her past. She doesn’t see herself as a visionary or a fighter, but the changes she’s left in her wake say otherwise. Noel was “very gentle, very modest, very thoughtful, inspirational but very effective in terms of getting things done. She did not hesitate to fight for things she believed in. Metro, as an institution, was privileged to have her as faculty,” said Ali Thobhani, a former African and African American Studies Department chair and retired Metro professor. As the first black woman on the Denver Public School Board of Education, Noel headed the effort to integrate Denver schools. Her drive led to the Noel Resolution, which called for the desegregation of the school system. The resolution caused furor among board members and citizens alike, and amid threatening
After she retired in 1980, Wilton Flemon, the first chair of calls and hate mail it finally passed in 1970. “I ran for the board of education so they would have a black the African American Studies Department and a Metro chemistry professor, founded the Woodrow Wilson/Rachel B. Noel voice and integrate the schools,” Noel said. Segregation was a daily part of her life growing up in Hamp- Distinguished Professorship. Every year the program brings in ton, Va. Noel remembers the beautiful beaches along the coast a distinguished member of the community to head a program of classes and seminars. that attracted many visitors, but she also recalled that her family had to go to the beach “Rachel Noel and other local AfricanAmericans epitomize excellence in education set aside for black people. and are role models for all students at Metro,” “That’s what I had grown up with – you were separate, and you didn’t know how the Flemon said. This program is about putting those people in the spotlight and giving them white people felt, and they certainly didn’t a chance to spread their knowledge. know how you felt. Many were kind. The sentiment overall was not… because we were Noel said she is honored that the professorship is in place and that it has brought sevnot good enough. If you get right down to it, eral people who have been wonderful in the we were not good enough to go to schools where there was white people,” Noel said. position. This year’s Noel Professor is Callie CrossDespite discrimination, Noel’s family ley, producer and director of the critically acplaced a heavy emphasis on education and civil rights. Her grandfather was a former claimed PBS documentary series “Eyes on the slave who founded an elementary school, and Prize,” who will present a series of lectures Photo by Rachel Crick • crick@mscd.edu her father was a lawyer who advocated for and workshops on Feb. 5-7 at Metro and in the black suffrage. Denver metropolitan area. After a lifetime of achievement, Noel is moving soon to OakIn 1971, Noel became the first black woman to chair what was then known as the Department of Afro-American Studies land, Calif., to be with her daughter Angela for a while. at Metro. “We were brought up in a close family and my going with “When we included black studies in the college, that put her reflects the culture of that and the fact that I’m getting to be it on the same level as any other kind of studies. (There are) an old lady and she thinks that I should be by her. I may (miss not many places that have black studies that you can major in,” Denver), but it’s an air flight away,” Noel said. She might miss Denver, but she won’t be forgotten by the Noel said. “It’s not some stories about some people who made some contributions … I wanted people to know that because we city she changed. A lifetime of fighting for equal rights isn’t were black we didn’t have less worth or value. We were not to be given up that easily. judged by the color of our skins.”
Photo by Rachel Crick • crick@mscd.edu
RACHEL B. NOEL: A LIFETIME OF ACCOMPLISHMENT • 2007 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award “Trailblazer Award” • Anti-Defamation League’s Civil Rights Award in 2004 • Served on former Mayor Wellington Webb’s Black Advisory Committee • Chaired Mayor Federico Peña’s Black Advisory Committee • Served on the Advisory Board of the United States Civil Rights Commission • Named among Top 100 Citizens of the Century in a list compiled by the Rocky Mountain News in 2000
• 1996 Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame inductee • The 1990 Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award • Served on the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee for the Health Sciences at the University of Colorado at Boulder and Denver • Commissioner of the Denver Housing Authority • The first African-American to serve on the University of Colorado Board of Regents (1976-1984); co-chaired the board for one year in 1983
Photo by William Blackburn • wblackb2@mscd.edu
Far left: Rachel B. Noel, a pioneer of desegregation in Denver, speaks with photographers. In 1971, Metro welcomed Noel as the first black woman to chair what was then known as the department of Afro-American Studies. Center: Noel’s hands are youthful, not showing the wrinkles, callouses or scars that might be expected from such an illustrious career. Top right: Noel’s wedding photograph sits next to those of her family. Above: Noel sits in her Denver apartment, reminiscing about her seminal role in the city’s desegregation movement. Photo by William Blackburn • wblackb2@mscd.edu
Noel will be honored for her many accomplishments and contributions at 7 p.m. on Feb. 6 at Shorter AME church, 3100 Richard Allen Court in Denver. She will also be recognized by the African and African-American Studies Department, along with other former department chairs, at noon on Feb. 9 on Auraria at the St. Francis Main Atrium Lounge.
16 • AUDIO FILES
2.1.07 • THE METROPOLITAN
album reviews
Upcoming shows
Pick of the litter
The Matches Decomposer (Epitaph, 2006) Cassie Hood hoodc@mscd.edu
Puzzles don’t fit together correctly without all the pieces, and it’s impossible to just shove the pieces together and have the end result be something cohesive. The Matches are a puzzle that would be shot full of holes if any part was removed. Singers Shawn Harris, Jon Devoto and
Freya Lift The Curse (Victory Records, 2007) By Billy Schear wschear@mscd.edu Your head jerks forward and back in a violent, steady motion and your temples throb to the brink of bursting with every brain-hemorrhaging beat. Your body can’t help craving more
NRPS • Riders reunited and it feels so good Continued from 13 A little over a year ago some New York club owners requested that Cage and Nelson once again play as the New Riders for a few gigs. The two agreed, and joined by the new members, the renaissance began. The band doesn’t plan on releasing a new album just yet. Cage said that in order to release
Justin SanSouci use their vocal cords as musical instruments as they bend them from suave and deep to screeching and feminine. Taken by themselves, the voices come off as superficial and harsh. Alone, the drums would be unimpressive, but as they merge with every other essential element, they take on a life of their own. SanSouci’s bass falls into the same pattern. In short, if they were buskers the members of The Matches would starve without each other. Decomposer, the band’s newest release, takes pop-punk to a new level. It mashes reggae beats, pseudo-punk riffs and odd noises into an audio car accident that people just can’t pull their ears away from. With randomness around each chord, The Matches manage to break through the stereotypical pop-punk many of today’s bands churn out. “You (Don’t) Know Me” features Harris’ mellow, charming voice briefly interrupted by Devoto’s and SanSouci’s scratchy and abrasive backups. The real jewel of this song, however, is a repetitive sound that resembles a tortured hyena, resulting in something impossible to ignore. The kicker is that this racket comes from a human, not a machine. “Drive” features witty lyrics such as “What
we know about sex, learned from bathroom walls” and “What little (we) know about love, we stole from rock and roll.” With driving drums, synthesizers and frantic guitars, the song evokes clumsy sex with fumbling rhythms, conjuring up images of a teenager losing his virginity after a night of heavy drinking. Of course, the band doesn’t escape their pop-punk roots altogether. “What Katie Said” screams to be played on the radio. It comes complete with whining and couldn’t exist without the out-of-tune la las. It’s catchy and fun but lacks any of the rarities found on the rest of the album. The band takes its opportunity to shine in “Salty Eyes” with what sounds like a soft organ playing lightly in the background. Harris wails about corpses, life and giving up. The lyrics are strategically placed with the music. For example, he sings, “Shrill notes begin, the grim violin, then from the silence a violence of sirens,” right as frenzied violins speed up, building the song’s intensity. Then the violins melt into a quiet calm. Decomposer is surprising. It is one of those albums that shouldn’t be good but manages to stay in the CD player for weeks anyway.
even as your mind screams out: “This is just another hardcore record, you imbecile!” Formed from the remains of Earth Crisis, a semi-legendary metal outfit, Freya propagates the new-school hardcore tradition of juxtaposing war with religion and binding it all together with mythic Norse-inspired fantasies. Their name refers to the Old Nordic word for lady and is also the name of a Norse fertility goddess, which gives some indication of this band’s personality and their presumed obsession with impotence. Their second album, Lift The Curse, when not pontificating about bloodlust and modern warfare, spends some quality time exploring their feminine sides. Songs such as “Lilith” and “Threads of Life” carry the torch for the pagan legends of yore. Musically, they deliver what’s expected: lightning-fast guitar shredding, thunderclap bass loops and drums that pound with all the ferocity of Thor’s mighty hammer. For the maximum demonstrative effect, it is fundamental that practically all vocals are reduced to unin-
telligible snarls, ensuring their place forever in the headbanger’s catalogue of obscurity. The final track on the album pays homage to Black Sabbath in the form of a cover of their 1970 hit “War Pigs.” Consistent in theme and style with the rest of the record, Freya goes the extra mile by adding nothing new to a song that’s been covered four times before, most notably on Faith No More’s 1989 The Real Thing. Aside from modern production values and some low growling in place of Ozzy’s high-pitched squealing, the jam is nothing special. The genre is a mystery. It is nearly impossible to not play it as loud as man’s law allows, while banging your head against a wall from either abject boredom or genuine affection. You can’t help wanting these boys to rock, but you are powerless because you can’t help them rock, either. These bands have to take the initiative on their own. Innovation is the key to longevity, and redundancy will only bring them that much closer to their inevitable extinction.
a new album, the band would have to have an album’s worth of new material. The timeless tunes that will forever live in New Riders infamy will not be touched or re-recorded, Cage said. Currently, the band has about six classic tunes, four new ones and a couple of covers. The band will play two 75-minute sets in Denver showcasing most of the New Riders catalog, old and new. They will also play a few Bob Dylan cover songs and, perhaps, even a Grateful Dead cover or two. “I can’t make my statement in any less time,” Cage said of the 75-minute set.
Falzarano will fill the void of Dawson, lending his talents to guitar and vocals. Penque will be on the bass and Markowski on the drums. Both will also sing. So hippies old and new, and all the exhippies who live the life of a pretender, come witness the New Riders as they ride through Denver for two shows that will leave you satisfied and yearning for more. It’s been one too many mornings without the New Riders, and there’s no need to go to work, but feel free to be a clown, because the New Riders are bringing Panama Red back to town.
The Station Feb. 6 Dulcinea’s 100th Monkey 717 E. Colfax Ave. 10 p.m. $5, 21+ Progressive jam-rock reaches a smooth plateau among The Station’s experienced, dynamic stage. The guitarist and lead vocalist occasionally puts down the axe to pick up the sax for a variety of songs, from the polka or Latin-inspired to the funkiest jazz, complemented by three other prodigal players. After sharing the stage with members of The String Cheese Incident, Moe and Umphrey’s McGee, these boys have collected a few tricks of their own that leave jaws droppin’ and hippies shakin’.
Josie Klemaier • jklemaie@mscd.edu
Camera Obscura Feb. 8 Bluebird Theater 3317 E. Colfax Ave. Doors 7 p.m., show 8 $13.50 in advance, $15.50 at the door, 21+ If you lived in 1963, and you were going to your junior prom with the best girl ever – and you lived in the perfect world – Camera Obscura would be up on stage playing their cover of “I Love How You Love Me” as you slow-danced with her closer than ever. Well, you can still get too drunk and pretend like you’re losing your virginity on the football field after this show. At least this time the night won’t “end too early” all over your rented tux.
Taylor Sullivan • tsulli21@mscd.edu
Conspiracy Assasins Feb. 10 Bluebird Theatre 3317 E. Colfax Ave. 8:00 p.m. $8, 16+ Fresh new local metal is what is being served up here, folks. Double bass, brutal vocals, aggressive, extreme music is what you will find at this show. Conspiracy Assassins is a young metal band with lots of potential. Harvest the Murdered, on the other hand, has slowly been gaining credibility in the death metal scene and will soon be the band everyone in Denver is talking about.
Geoff Page • Gpage2@mscd.edu
THE METROPOLITAN • 2.01.07
AUDIO FILES • 17
Deicide The Stench of Redemption (Earache Records, 2006) By Geoff Page gpage2@mscd.edu If Jesus were alive today, it is guaranteed that he wouldn’t be a big fan of Deicide and their anti-Christian message. With The Stench of Redemption, Deicide has returned with a new lineup and the best list of songs they have ever written. On this album, two new guitarists were introduced into the band: Jack Owen of Cannibal Corpse fame and Ralph Santolla of Iced Earth. As a result, the album is faster and more technical than previous efforts, with epic melodic solos and
Escape the Fate Dying Is Your Latest Fashion (Epitaph, 2007) By Megan Carneal mcarneal@mscd.edu
freeplay
Images are deceiving. Lately, it seems that a band’s image has become their most important asset. Marketing teams are raking in millions by making bands “look cool.” Escape the Fate is one more band to join the droves of radio-friendly hardcore, which is just a synonym for boy-bands with guitars. Dying Is Your Latest Fashion is the new release by Escape
long, unpredictable song structures. Their sound has gotten a major overhaul, and the dualguitar-solo attacks by Owen and Santolla make this album stand out from imitators. Deicide’s last couple albums suffered from predictable song structures and lame rehashed ideas. Songs such as “Desecration” show them incorporating melody into their music, something their other albums lack. “Not of this Earth” shows them at their fastest, most technical brutality and is one of the heaviest songs they’ve recorded. “The Lord’s Sedition” is another uncharacteristic Deicide song with a slow, atmospheric introduction of the instant, epic death metal classic. This is a death metal album that can be played from start to finish, free of filler or disposable tracks. The typical threeminute song structures have been thrown out in exchange for a more ambitious song structuring, and it shows. Perhaps the most unique part of this album is the last track, a cover of “Black Night” by Deep Purple. The song resembles Deep Purple’s version, but with 100-mph musicianship and a satanic beast for a lead singer. After more than 15 years of classic death metal, it is great to hear one of the original death metal bands take up a fresh, new sound. If this is the future of death metal, then the future looks very dark.
the Fate, and it seems like maybe they should turn this fashion insight on themselves and this rotten excuse for a genre. The album is typical. The vocals are emasculated whines, the melodies are nauseatingly cute and sentimental, and all of their lyrics seem like they should start with “Dear diary, today in fifth period…” The biggest shocker on the album comes from “The Guillotine.” First, congratulations to whoever sings, or screams, on the track, as they must have been the first member of the band to reach puberty. Most of the song’s vocals are actually hardcore, with husky growls and super-sonic screams, but don’t worry: They manage to ruin their only chance at decency by letting the other prepubescent boys sing in their high-pitched cries during the chorus. When did whining become cool? When did a band’s image, from the shoes to the hair, become more important than the music? More importantly, when did Epitaph Records, the once infamous punk label founded by Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion, become a pop label for boy bands? These questions are not easy to answer, but something must change. The population of music listeners needs to wake up and stop buying stuff just because the band’s lead singer is cute or they have a genius marketing team. If trends continue this way, quality and talent will be replaced with $100 haircuts and studded belts. That is a fate no one can escape.
Gin and the Tonics By Megan Carneal mcarneal@mscd.edu God bless the juniper berry and everything it has spawned. Gin and the Tonics are not only this writer’s poison of choice; they are also a three-piece female surf outfit that wears their kitschy-ness like a badge of courage. They sound like the illegitimate love child of Dick Dale and Kim Deal. From their paternal side, they inherited smooth surf riffs and tremolo-manipulated chords heard on their instrumental tracks such as “Skirt Lyin’ in the Sun” and “Hurry Up and Wait.” The vocals are so out of key it’s adorable – the same quality that earned Kim Deal her notoriety. Not only are the vocals familiar, but on tracks such as “Seven Day Wonder,” the bass lines also have the same happy-go-lucky air to them as The Pixies. At points throughout the recording, it sounds as if
Trampled By Turtles Trouble (Banjodad Records, 2007)
By Michael Hargrave mhargra1@mscd.edu Trampled By Turtles embraces heartbreak, alcohol consumption and class struggle: the age-old universal common denominators of mountain and city folk alike. Dave Simonett and Erik Berry compose precision bluegrass music like a welcoming breath of fresh mountain air in a genre polluted with sloppy hippy jams. The 2007 Banjodad Records release Trouble cooks up a camp-fire stew of spastic folk: earthy, but not too gamey. It’s Flogging Molly minus the punk or Yonder Mountain String Band minus the hemp. Trouble will make road kill of your heart in 14 tear-jerking, floorstomping tracks. “Valley” promptly initiates cardiac rupture with robust bittersweet notions of remorse and reconciliation. The track reminds us that the futility of man is as inherent as the beauty of a serene holler, and you better damn well dance about it. “Tap the Kitchen Floor” provides the perfect melodies to thoroughly dismantle the cookin’ nook using only your feet. “Never Again” presents a letter to listeners informing them of the band’s immediate and indefinite halt to smoking, falling in love, drinking and writing music. Tracks like this always deserve a chuckle or two and are well-appreciated within the community of romantics. Ripping riffs that propel the listener through the stratosphere with the trajectory of a trucker under the influence of amphetamines, “Ceiling Slide” explains how the banjo is a worthy adversary to voluntary immobility without the utterance of a single spoken word. The album takes an unprecedented detour directly into distortion toward its finale. The listener is bombarded with grungy electric guitar chords while bombastic percussion measures are desperately implemented in hope of answering the question, “Who’s Calling?” The Minneapolis four-piece makes slam-dancing to a mandolin solo irresistible but allows ample time to recoup into contemplative ambient leisure before breaking into the obligatory subsequent barrage of gutpunching folk riffs. There is a subtle maturity to these young men’s voices that carries emotion heavier than any punk rocker’s loudest, most shrill scream of defiance while allowing a caliber of sagacity. The ghost story conveyed spectrally through the medium of these four passionate fellows is a long journey that transcends sunny pastures, rock beds and serene rivers by which to sit. From a high-speed pursuit with the sheriff to drowned sorrows in a big bottle of bourbon to the search for deliverance from a loved one, Turtles provide a guiding light straight into chelonian salvation.
Gin and the Tonics have had one too many gin and tonics themselves. The tempo either drags along too slow or the cuteness of the off-key vocals becomes painfully redundant. This is found most on tracks such as “Little Boy Best Not Be Up To No Good” and “Goin’ Bananas.” No surf album would be complete without the beachparty track. The Tonics completed this tradition with “Metro Beach Party,” a more apt party for a generation that sees more pollution than Elvis types at their local beaches. “Valley of 10,000 Smokes” is the most interesting and technical track on the recording. With an extended wahwah-infused solo and drumming that sounds like tribal bongos at a voodoo ceremony, the track conjures up images of tiki torches and zombies – the rum cocktail, not the braineating undead. According to the various posts on their page at http:// archive.org, all three members of Gin and the Tonics were killed in a plane accident. This 17-track live recording is the only musical imprint the Tonics have left on this world and should be enjoyed by all juniper fanatics.
Download Gin and the Tonics at http://archive.org/details/ gintonics2000-04-20.shnf
Every week, Freeplay will cover the best free albums and EPs to be found on the World Wide Web
THE METROPOLITAN • PAGE 19 • MATTHEW QUANE • MQUANE@MSCD.EDU
Insight “
”
If I want to knock a story off the front page, I just change my hairstyle.
-- SENATOR HILLARY CLINTON
Adam Goldstein • goldstea@mscd.edu
ZOË WILLIAMS williamz@mscd.edu
Shame on Dem
Black lung, clean conscience The sidewalk outside the bar was covered with snow, slush and ice, and as I stepped out the door into the frozen night air to have a cigarette, I mistook a rather deep, slushy puddle for a firm place to step. On the bright side, I reflected, the alcohol at least helped to dull the pain. Nevertheless, if I wasn’t forced to smoke outside, I wouldn’t have a wet foot. It occurred to me that smokers were now no different from dogs. As I stood there fumbling in my pockets for a lighter, talking to myself and musing about my status among the wretched, a pair of young gentlemen trudged their way past. The short one looked at me and smiled, and I knew he was trying to think of something witty to say. “For your health’s sake, I hope you don’t find it,” he finally quipped. Luckily for his health’s sake, I did. After I had taken a long pull and slowly exhaled, I looked down the street after the two and smiled at the thought that tobacco had just saved another life. Still, the arrogance of the comment was disturbing. Being forced to stand on the cold street was demeaning enough, without the random passerby openly mocking me. Not only were the stoics taking over, but now they were walking the streets policing every action. The more I thought about it, the more I worried about where this nanny trend would end. Smoking is now banned in schools, hospitals, airplanes and government buildings. They banned it from outdoor stadiums, and they banned it from prisons. Now they have even
ANDREW FLOHR-SPENCE spencand@mscd.edu banned smoking from the very home of debauchery and ill health itself: the bar. And already this guy wanted the sidewalks smoke-free, too. At some point in the last couple decades, we gave up on our ability to make rational decisions for ourselves, and now we just leave it up to the politicians. We have given them the power to legislate our health and habits, and they have begun banning everything that isn’t nailed down. The Colorado Indoor Air Act of 2006 opened the gates of legislative hell, and already the demons are pouring in. Two new proposed smoking bills, one closing the cigar-bar loophole and another opening a new loophole, are slated for debate this month. And surely, this will not stop at smoking. The list of dangers in our environment is long, but life is just not that simple. Humans are in the business of risk. Every waking moment we exist on this sweet coil is a miracle in the
face of the dangers surrounding us. Every moment is a challenge to balance the knowledge of the unpleasant reality we face and still find the time for happiness in our busy dance across the stage. If we live in constant fear that unhealthiness is waiting around the corner, we are robbing ourselves of life. Not that one should smoke crack all day long just ’cause you feel like it. Crack is stupid, riding a barrel over Niagara Falls is stupid, ghost riding the whip (Youtube it), stupid. To a lesser extent, so is drinking a tumbler of 15year-old scotch, eating a thick bloody steak or even riding your bicycle, but they are all choices that we make, just like a nonsmoker chooses to go into a smoky bar. Each and every one of us has a vice that we indulge in from time to time – except maybe the guy in a mountain cave living like some hermit monk. We all have our own weakness. The danger of letting weakness grow into a problem should never be taken lightly, but weakness is for the individual to manage. The state should have very little to say. The hypocrisy of a DietCoke drinking, overweight, warmongering state telling me to put down my smoke – in a freaking bar of all places – just about makes me break out in a fit of coughing. When we give the state the mandate to create laws concerning our health and habits, we are displacing personal responsibility with political legislation and allowing the government to delve into areas that aren’t their business. If we continue to do so, we shouldn’t be surprised when they end up banning fun.
We are only a month into 2007, yet the national elections of 2008 are already giving me a headache. Recently I read a report by the Federal Election Commission that said that 2008 will bring the most expensive election in the nation’s history. While the money, excess, corporatism and party line squabbling is obnoxious, the aspect of 2008 truly twisting my britches is the Democratic Party. Sure, Republicans have a tendency of brash warmongering and heartless capitalism, but at least they are honest about it. The buzz around the Dems that emanates from the moderate right to the far left is one of true optimism for much-needed change. I would rather undergo a full frontal lobotomy than put an inch of faith for my future into any rich, white and male political party. That may sound like a sucker punch from the far left, but it is time to be realistic. From what I have gathered, U.S. foreign policy is a large source of concern for voters tempted by the Dems. One look at the voting records and public statements of these chumps should convince anyone to jump ship. The leading Democratic Party candidates for president in 2008 did nothing to stop the war or to withdraw troops from Iraq. Mein Berliner, who died fighting the SS in Treblinka, said: “When the oppressors give me two choices, I always choose the third.” In a year and a half, this nation will be asked to choose between two parties of chuckleheads to decide who will provide the next four years of travesty, disappointment, disaster and scandal. We could spend the time between now and then examining the pitiful selection and bemoaning it, or we can create a third option. Think of some of the problems that face Americans right now such as health care, hunger, housing and education. Instead of pouring hundreds of volunteer hours and dollars into candidates that never seem to get things right, why not give the resources to people who can? The Federal Election Commission said 2008 will be a billion-dollar election. Forget the Democrats. Let’s put the money into public health, scholarships, housing assistance and community feeding projects. They can have their election, but we can get something done.
20 • INSIGHT
2.1.07 • THE METROPOLITAN
Fordasaurus wrecks Extinction, like death, is a natural part of life on Earth. Species unable to adapt to the severe mood swings that Mother Nature throws at them are banished beneath the crust of the Earth, and their legacy is reduced to exhaust from our methods of transport. And every now and then, it comes time to put to rest a species of our own creation. Yes, Ford. It is time for your business to kick the collective bucket. After posting a record loss of $12.7 billion last year, Ford Motors has earned itself a place – or after 103 years, maybe even a wing – in Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry. I look forward to the day when I am able to take my children to the museum and resting ever silently next to the tyrannosaurus rex is the equally terrifying, gas-guzzling, redneck-owned F-350. There is an implicit understanding that a certain percentage of the working population, due in part to the nature of their work, needs the utility offered by trucks. Ford, however, gave up on marketing their beastly mechanisms to that demographic long ago – those needing utility are guaranteed customers. Instead, Ford markets trucks to the everyman. The American populace is assaulted on a daily basis by commercials featuring blue-collar workers driving pretty, pristine trucks with nothing in the bed. When did trucks become equivalent to opulence? Why would a consumer make the decision to buy an overpriced chunk of steel that costs more to drive to its death than to buy in the first place? Well, the quick answer is that those
TAYLOR SULLIVAN tsulli21@mscd.edu
Marriage is gay
MATTHEW QUANE mquane@mscd.edu who buy into the advertising are idiots. Fortunately for the world, Ford’s losses indicate a drop in idiocy across the nation, but trucks remain the most heavily bought automobile in the United States. That being said, it does not take a genius to figure out to where all that
money disappeared. Ford blames the losses on an early sales slump combined with year-end restructuring costs, but the answer is much simpler. Due to its superior adaptability and focus on fuel-efficient cars, the Japanese automotive industry is effectively destroying its American counterpart. In response to their shortcomings, Ford will be closing 16 plants and cutting nearly 45,000 jobs. If this means fewer trucks chugging about the highway system, then it is progressive. Of course, we still have other backwardminded companies such as General Motors, which set the previous automotive loss record in 2005 at $10 billion, to wait out. GM’s response to their loss was not to cut truck and SUV production, but rather to introduce new lines – which is the step that Ford will most likely take. But worry not, brave consumer. The reaper comes for them next.
Public province prevents personal privacy Due to high gasoline prices, bad weather and a broken-down car, I’ve been forced back into public transportation over the past couple of months. I appreciate public transportation for the money it saves and the time it allows me to read the newspaper and listen to my iPod. Recently, while waiting for the 15 on Colfax and Broadway, I had a scary and aggravating encounter. I was listening to my headphones and text-messaging a friend when a man with shoddy clothing who was carrying several bags of junk – presumably a homeless man – approached me and made the universal “Can I bum a smoke?” gesture. I shook my head and went back to messaging. This stranger then began waving his arms wildly and continuing to talk to me at a proximity that began to make me uncomfortable. I removed one headphone and asked what he wanted. He began by spewing a litany of profanities at me, telling me that I was rude and that all he had wanted was directions. I found this curious considering his cigarette gesture and the fact that there were four other people next to me, all of whom were not listening to headphones. Finally, I snapped. It had been a lousy day, and now a homeless man was harassing me when all I had wanted was to be left alone until my bus arrived.
JEREMY JOHNSON jjohn308@mscd.edu
It had been a lousy day, and now a homeless man was harassing me when all I had wanted was to be left alone until my bus arrived. First of all, if he had simply wanted directions, why would he have put two fingers to his lips in a manner known as a way to ask for a cigarette? He claimed that he had just arrived from New York City and that this was the rudest town he had ever been to. I’ve been to New York City, and I wouldn’t suggest approaching strangers with confrontation and cussing.
Besides, what has happened to our right to personal privacy while commuting to and from school, work or friends’ houses? Are we really expected to be civically on-duty 24 hours a day? I have a great deal of sympathy for the homeless. I realize it is, for the most part, the product of mental illness or alcoholism. When I eat out I often divide my always ridiculouslysized portion of food in half, boxing up my leftovers and attempting to hand them out to the first homeless person I see on the street. I once gave a homeless man sleeping in my apartment hallway two pairs of fresh socks, a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of orange juice. I believe that it is our civic duty to act with kindness to the people around us so that we may live in a better world. But buses and bus stops should be a safe haven for commuters across our city. Our commutes should be a time of mutual respect and quietness. We all know the annoyances of loud cell-phone talkers or drunkards who approach you with bad breath, mumbling nonsense. In the end it is our civic duty to create random acts of kindness by respecting one another. And one way to do that is to respect each other’s right to personal privacy. In other words, if you see someone wearing headphones, perhaps you should let them be.
Sonja Foss, UCD communications professor and world-renowned rhetorician, has a good definition for rhetoric: the human use of symbols to communicate. Words, in this case, are symbols because they symbolize something that they are not. The word dog, for instance, communicates the notion of a dog to English speakers. The letters d-o-g are not actually a dog. They don’t wag their tail and piss on the floor. With that said, some words are a little more slippery. To some people, pissed means angry. To others, drunk. Language is fluid and constantly evolving. The meanings of words constantly change, even from person to person. So what does the word marriage symbolize to you? Union? Love? Tax benefits? Procreation? Two people who stay together for the kids and hate each other but sleep in the same bed to save religious face? Two men who have a long history of loving monogamy together and plan on spending the rest of their lives with each other? Dictionaries, laws and religious dogma all state that a marriage is between a man and a woman. Our president vomits on and on about how America needs to protect the “sanctity of marriage.” Evangelicals tramp the earth demonizing gay lifestyles while their fearless leader is in a Cheesman Park apartment getting a “massage” from a gay prostitute after “flushing” a fistful of meth. Let’s check the role books to see what other notable names committed the carnal sin. Artifacts show a long history of homosexuality and (gasp) gay marriage in ancient Asia. In Greece, men were frequently married. Same goes for Rome. There are reports that Roman Emperor Nero married two different men. What scandal! But what about the Bible? It clearly says that gay sex will get you a one-way ticket to Satan’s (renovated) kitchen. It’s suggested that the Old Testament says that King David lay down with Jonathan, King Saul’s son – talk about a Goliath. Even King James, the guy who gets a nod in every English version of the book, loved boys. Scholar John Boswell contends that the Catholic Church performed gay marriages until the 14th century. The argument that America is the first culture to ever propose gay marriage is ludicrous. Marriage is a cultural ceremony celebrating the union of two people. There are several examples of societies that have included gay marriage in their culture. Maryland, for instance, is one of those historically traditional cultures. The United States as an institution may not legally recognize gay marriage, but several million gay and straight Americans do. The word marriage symbolizes a union of love to them, not a government-dictated, dogma-ruled organization of a male and female for missionary-style procreation. So close your eyes and think about what the word marriage means to you. Now take a deep breath and realize that you are the only person to whom this meaning matters.
THE METROPOLITAN • 2.01.07
BRANDON PEARCE bpearce@mscd.edu
Marriage – not so gay
Marriage has to be defined. If it has no definition then it is a meaningless word. Yet any definition we use will leave someone out. So where do we draw the line? Should we allow first cousins to marry? Should we allow a 14-year-old girl to marry? With or without her parents’ consent? What about three people or more? Should we ban a brother and sister from marrying? Birth defects in first-generation sibling relationships is a widely held myth. And finally, the question that we were all asked on last November’s ballot: Should we disallow two people of the same sex to marry? With the exception of the last, each of the questions just asked represents an acceptable marriage scenario in different cultures. One hundred and fifty years ago it would have been normal to think of your first cousin as an eligible marriage candidate. Today it is illegal to marry a first cousin in many states. I know a couple who are full-blooded first cousins. Before they could get married, they had to move to Colorado, one of the states where it is legal to marry your cousin. While living in Argentina I met and taught a young woman who was given away in marriage at the age of thirteen. Many cultures have considered and still do consider young teenage girls normal candidates for marriage. In Egypt, the Ptolemies, the last dynasty of Pharaohs, lasted for hundreds of years through incestuous marriages between brothers and sisters. Czarist Russia also exhibited this custom. Polygamy is so common that an example is not even necessary. The only scenario in the above line of questions that has never been seen in history is same-sex marriage. Why not? The reason is that every society throughout history has understood marriage to be between men and women. Proponents of same-sex marriage have tried to use the fact that marriage has meant different things at different times as reason to accept the idea of same-sex marriage. This is disingenuous. Which man and which woman were candidates for marriage has shifted and changed through history, but the idea that marriage was between a man and a woman has never changed. So, in a free country do we have the right to draw a line? Can we force our concept of what is right and wrong on a brother and sister that want to wed? Closer at hand, can we do the same to a gay couple? Yes, we can. Again, marriage has to be defined. Every society must define an ideal that they want perpetuated, and we have defined it: one man and one woman who are not close relatives. That is the ideal that we have held up as a standard, with the understanding that not every one in society will be able, or want, to meet that standard. We should be more compassionate to those who are living outside of the standard, but we should not change the standard itself.
INSIGHT • 21
Making medicine malpractical In 2008, you will need an operation to remove a shattered porcelain unicorn from your transverse colon. The dissecting surgeon will accidentally staple your tongue to the bottom of your left foot. An awkward three days will ensue, in which you hop on one foot between the couch and the toilet before the staples are removed. You’ll have lost time at work. Your medical bills will have skyrocketed. Your only recourse is to file suit with the negligent surgeon, which will be all but impossible. A blurb President Bush muttered during the State of the Union address concerned medical liability, a type of reform for which he has incessantly pushed while in office. While reform has a lustrous veneer, the underlying beast is quite unkempt. His plans include capping punitive damages, making the average award much smaller than it currently is. The idea is to prevent gold-digging patients from reaping benefits from overly obliging juries. “A future of hope and opportunity requires that all our citizens have affordable and available health care … And to protect good doctors from junk lawsuits, we passing (sic) medical liability reform,” Bush said Jan. 23. “Junk lawsuit” is sophomoric dysphemism for a range of grievances, many of which actually have merit. It may be tempting to think capping damages will lower the cost of healthcare, but it would ultimately lower the quality of treatment as well. Perhaps this is why the Senate voted last year against a bill to cap punitive damages in medical lawsuits at $250,000. “The problems it will create might well be worse than the problems it’s supposed to solve,” said Metro political science professor Norman Provizer.
EMILE HALLEZ ehallez@mscd.edu Trials are not cheap; attorneys charge their own fees in addition to those of expert witnesses, who are often the culprits in the high cost of cases. Plaintiffs thus receive a fraction of awards and settlements. When these awards are high, the public becomes outraged, reasoning that no one deserves such incredible sums. “The system is so expensive to participate in … that’s why people who don’t have money go to the contingency case. That’s why you’re willing to pay a third of what you’re going to get to someone … you won’t have the money to do it otherwise,” Provizer said. “In fact, that system does work, up to a point.” Punitive damages function as a penalty for offenders, a way to deter them from future negligence. Capping these awards would allow careless doctors a way off the proverbial hook. Not only would lawsuits be cheaper for defendants and insurance companies, but plaintiffs and their lawyers consequently couldn’t afford to file them. “If the impact is fewer people able to use the courts to correct wrongs, or gain recompense for wrongs they’ve suffered, I’m not sure that’s a
particularly good idea,” Provizer said. The perceived litigation crisis in America doesn’t really exist. Our civil lawsuit system already has ways of preventing truly frivolous cases from ever making their way to trial. “You often rely on the filtering process, the system to keep them from occurring. So there are some safeguards,” Provizer said. “By some estimates, jury trials have declined to less than 2 percent of all cases filed,” wrote reporter Leigh Jones in an article for The National Law Journal. The increased cost of malpractice insurance comes from out-of-court settlements. Doctors would rather settle frivolous cases than have the grim shadow of a trial, regardless of its outcome, on their records. Insurance companies don’t mind, they just pass the high cost of settlements onto the consumers. “Frequently, the threat to sue is sufficient to produce a reward, not the actual suit, but the discussion of it,” Provizer said. “There are problems, but the solutions are far from obvious … The insurance industry is not a benevolent society.” Responsibility for decreasing malpractice premiums lies with doctors and insurance companies. Doctors need to follow unmerited cases to trial, discouraging the currently lucrative practice of frivolous litigation. The insurance industry needs to stop being complacent, holding greedy patients and their lawyers accountable. If Bush has his way, inept doctors will run amok in the streets, dismembering and overprescribing without inhibition. Class-action lawsuits, medical or otherwise, will be a thing of the past, leaving big business free to unleash products like drive-thru eye surgery and Hello Kitty ice picks.
InResponse: Letters to the Editor
Yellow cake, the devil’s food I found your article “Cut and rug” to use some interesting metaphors to stir up anti-Bush feelings. I don’t agree with your article, but I don’t blindly follow one party or the other. You said that going to Iraq as a measure of counterterrorism to a humanitarian is merely a smoke screen. There may have been bad info concerning terrorism, but Democrats and Republicans alike agreed Iraq was a threat. While there have been no nukes found, a lot of mustard gas and other chemical weapons have been discovered. It has also been verified that Saddam was in the process of obtaining yellow cake (a necessary step to developing nuclear weapons). On the humanitarian side, how can you argue against the mass graves, rape rooms, and the repeated torture of the Iraqi people? These seem like humanitarian issues that anyone would want to fight against. I believe politicians, on both sides, have lost sight of the people. For
example, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi states that she is for unions in the workplace. However, unions are not allowed in the multiple restaurants she owns. Reports have indicated that anyone who wants to start a union is promptly fired. “Blood for Oil” is a joke. If we went there for oil we would be taking it already. My gas prices would be $2.10 a gallon, and we wouldn’t try to help the Iraqis build their own government. Instead of cleverly restating left-wing liberal talking points, why not talk about some of the great stories involving our troops? Democrats have the power now. So quit complaining and blaming Bush. Come up with your own solution. Thanks for your time, Mike Blumenthal mblumen2@mscd.edu
SERVING THE AURARIA CAMPUS SINCE 1979 EDITOR IN CHIEF Cory Casciato • casciato@mscd.edu MANAGING EDITOR David Pollan • dpollan@mscd.edu NEWS EDITOR Geof Wollerman • gwollerm@mscd.edu ASSISTANT NEWS EDITORS Lou Christopher • achris25@mscd.edu Josie Klemaier • jklemaie@mscd.edu OPINIONS EDITOR Matthew Quane • mquane@mscd.edu ASSISTANT OPINIONS EDITORS Andrew Flohr-Spence • spencand@mscd.edu Emile Hallez • ehallez@mscd.edu FEATURES EDITOR Adam Goldstein • goldstea@mscd.edu ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR Chelsey Emmelhainz • cemmelha@mscd.edu
MUSIC EDITOR Megan Carneal • mcarneal@mscd.edu SPORTS EDITOR Eric Lansing • lansing@mscd.edu DESIGN EDITOR Joe Nguyen • nguyejos@mscd.edu ILLUSTRATOR Andrew Howerton • ahowert2@mscd.edu PHOTO EDITOR Jenn LeBlanc • jkerriga@mscd.edu COPY EDITORS Jeremy Johnson • jjohn308@mscd.edu Taylor Sullivan • tsulli21@mscd.edu Joel Tagert • tagert@mscd.edu Clayton Woullard • cwoullar@mscd.edu ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Donnita Wong ADVISER Jane Hoback
The Metropolitan is produced by and for the students of Metropolitan State College of Denver and serves the Auraria Campus. The Metropolitan is supported by advertising revenue and student fees, and is published every Thursday during the academic year and bi-weekly during the Summer semester. The Metropolitan is distributed to all campus buildings. No person may take more than one copy of each edition of The Metropolitan without prior written permission. Please direct any questions, comments, complaints or compliments to Metro Board of Publications c/o The Metropolitan. Opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of Metropolitan State College of Denver or its advertisers. Deadline for calendar items is 5 p.m. Thursday. Deadline for press releases is 10 a.m. Monday. Display advertising deadline is 3 p.m. Thursday. Classified advertising is 5 p.m. Thursday. Our offices are located in the Tivoli Student Union, Room 313. Mailing address is P.O. Box 173362, Campus Box 57, Denver, CO 80217-3362.
THE METROPOLITAN • PAGE 23 • ERIC LANSING • LANSING@MSCD.EDU
Sport
DID YOU KNOW... The men’s basketball team leads the all-time series 22-17 against Nebraska-Kearney, but the Lopers won the last two out of three meetings last season. The men’s basketball team also led the entire nation in threepoint percentage (.436). Metro forward Michael Bahl ranks second nationally in three-point percentage (.538).
Metro gets rocked by Regis, tames Lions
Photo by Jason Small • jsmall4@mscd.edu
Metro guards Danielle Ellerington, left, and Megan Johnson, right, try to force a jumpball on UC-Colorado Springs guard Lauren Holm. The Roadrunners took the game against the Mountain Lions 74-60. By Eric Lansing lansing@mscd.edu The Lopez sisters from Regis are legends in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, and they continued to show the league how great they are in an amazing upset victory over the No. 18-ranked Roadrunners, with a final score of 70-50 on Jan. 26 at Regis Fieldhouse. “It’s definitely a one-two punch,” Metro head coach Dave Murphy said. “They’re just not
rah-rah verbal kids. They’re kids that actually perform. They find ways to get their engine running, and once they get their engine running, they get their teammates to follow.” Denise and Diana Lopez combined for 33 points, 18 rebounds and 11 steals in a game that featured two of the top conference teams fighting it out for first place in the RMAC. Both teams were on four-game winning streaks. Metro had an 8-2 record in the conference with Regis holding a 9-1 record in the conference.
Defensive rebounding hurt the Roadrunners early on, as Regis missed shots but collected 10 offensive rebounds in the first 10 minutes of the game. The Rangers finished the game with 19 offensive boards giving them 18 second-chance points. Danielle Ellerington, Metro’s fourth-leading scorer at 9.8 points per game, had a rough first half, grabbing two early fouls that forced her to the bench for the rest of the half. She only had two points, going 0-for-3 from the field. She also committed three turnovers in the first half to go long with that second foul at the 8:35 mark, when her team was down 21-10. “All year long we’ve had kids come off the bench and come through,” Murphy said about Ellerington’s absence. “We do not put a lot of stock in one player. We play positions by committee. Everybody has to be able to play two positions.” Denise Lopez was a thorn in Metro’s side on both sides of the ball for the entire first half. The Roadrunners had cut the lead to nine points with 4:52 left in the half, but the Regis senior forward made a 3-point shot to put the lead back to double digits. After a Metro free throw, Denise Lopez came right back to hit another one from long range, putting the score at 33-19. Her stats for the first half were phenomenal, shooting 6-of-10 from the field to score 19 points, grabbing five rebounds and coming away with four steals. The second half was the same story for the Roadrunners, except that it was Diana Lopez who took on the scoring role. The senior guard
Jan. 26 at Regis Fieldhouse Metro Regis
Total 25 37
25 33
50 70
Leading Scorers:
M: Bratton 11, Johnson 10 R: Denise Lopez 21, Seitz 19 Leading Rebounders: M: Harris 7, Bratton 5 R: Denise & Diana Lopez 9 Jan. 27 at the Lions’ Den
Total
Metro UC-Colorado Springs
32 30
42 30
74 60
Leading Scorers:
M: Ellerington 16, Bratton 15 CS: Tripp 25, Fiedelman 13 Leading Rebounders: M: Harris 12, Mickens 9 CS: Tripp 12, Jenkins 8 scored 10 of her 12 points in the second half. The lead got as high as 23, and the ’Runners four-game winning streak began to fall by the wayside. With five minutes left to play, chants of “overrated” echoed the Fieldhouse as Regis, who is not nationally ranked, pulled off the upset against No. 18 Metro. “They really played with a lot of emotion,” Murphy said. “They were very angry about getting misrepresented in the national and regional polls. They felt like they were disrespected and we knew they were going to come with a lot of fire because they were trying to get some respect.” Forward Cassondra Bratton, who had been sidelined with a knee injury the past two weeks, led the Roadrunners in scoring with 11 points,
See WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Page 24
Men and women finish 5th in swimming, diving meet Metro wins seven events in Colorado College Classic By Eric Lansing lansing@mscd.edu The Roadrunners men’s and women’s swim teams finished fifth Jan. 27 and 28 at the Colorado College Classic swimming and diving meet. “We had some really fast runs this weekend,” Metro head coach Winthrop Dyer said. “Reid (Sutton) in particular, he swam real fast. Also, Paul (Bunge) and Kathy (Lind) swam super fast.” Sophomore swimmer Lind won the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 1:00.91 and also took the 200-yard backstroke in a time of 2:13.20. On the men’s side, freshman Bunge won the 200-yard individual medley in a time of 2:02.76 and won the 400-yard individual medley. Freshman Kenny Rhodes won the 1-meter
competition and was second in the 3-meter, both events coming from the diving board. Sophomore Jake Haffner won two events, namely the 100 and 200 backstroke, and came in second in both the 100 and 200 butterfly events. “He is doing really well,” Dyer said. “His second day (at the Colorado College Classic) is going to be like his third day at conference. Jake and Kathy, on their backstrokes, just blew everyone away by probably a half a pool length. It really opens up the eyes of the other teams.” The men scored 369 points for fifth place behind Colorado School of Mines (766), TexasPermian Basin (601), Colorado College (505) and the University of Colorado at Boulder (477). The women finished in fifth place with 239 points behind Mines (715), CU-Boulder (618), Colorado College (467) and Texas-Permian Basin (413). “What we do now is to go pretty short distances,” Dyer said on how the team gets ready
See Swimming Page 24
Photo by Jason Small • jsmall4@mscd.edu
The Metro swim team cheers on Jake Haffner during the men’s 200-yard butterfly. Haffner finished second in the event but won the 100 and 200 backstroke. The men finished with 369 points to finish fifth.
24 • SPORT
2.1.07 • THE METROPOLITAN
Metro takes two in RMAC twin bill ’Runners improve winning streak to 10 after road wins
Carrington, who was laughing and smiling on the bench in the blowout against Regis, was all business against the Mountain Lions, scoring a career-high 23 points and handing out four assists. It was the fourth straight game in which Carrington has scored 10 or more points. Colorado Springs (14-5, 7-4 in the RMAC) gave Metro all they could handle, but the Mountain Lions only got nine points from their bench. The starters played well as forward Patrick Hannaway and center Bly McGuire scored 22 points each in the loss. With the two wins, the ’Runners increase their winning streak to 10 games and improve their record to 17-2 overall, 10-1 in the RMAC. Metro’s next game is against Nebraska-Kearney Feb. 2 at the Auraria Events Center. The Lopers have a 15-3 overall record, are 10-1 in the conference and sit in second place in the RMAC East Division behind the Roadrunners.
By Heather Embrey and Eric Lansing hembrey@mscd.edu, lansing@mscd.edu
The Metro men’s basketball team found their winning edge by honoring opponents as their own entities and never worrying about future games. The Roadrunners struck gold as they defeated the Regis Rangers in a solid 90-70 win Jan. 26 at the Regis Fieldhouse. The high scorers for the No. 11-ranked Roadrunners were guard Marquise Carrington with 16 points, guard Benas Veikalas with 16 points and forward Michael Bahl with 13 points. “We never worry about the team we are going to play or who they’ve played,” forward Willison Price said. “We try to keep our heads on what we’re doing now. We compete against (opponents) as if they are the No. 1 team in the nation.” Price entered the game averaging only 5.5 points per game but posted 12 points and six rebounds in the victory. Metro’s offensive capabilities have been strong in recent games, including their contest against the Rangers. After starting the game with a 10-point lead, the ’Runners drove it to 20 points by the middle of the second half. Early scoring from the starters, sharp passes and few turnovers made for a nice lead for the Roadrunners to build on in the second half. Veikalas started the half strong with a 3-
Photo by Jason Small • jsmall4@mscd.edu
Shooting guard Marquise Carrington, right, leads the Roadrunner offense down the court while UC-Colorado Springs forward Patrick Hannaway, left, tries to get back on defense. Carrington scored 23 points. pointer right after two made free throws from Regis forward Chris Brever. Veikalas followed up with another 3-point shot less than 30 seconds later. Veikalas’ early six points in the second frame gave Metro a 15-point lead. The ’Runners extended the lead to as high as 23, and Price brought fans to their feet with a dunk with just 1:56 left in the game to put the finishing touches on their 10th straight win. The Roadrunners found strength in their free throws, shooting 66 percent on 27 attempts from the stripe. Metro entered the second half shooting only 41.7 percent from the field but
found their groove shooting 15-of-30 in the closing half. The Roadrunners rested for most of the second half thanks to the large lead. The bench, which includes forwards Hayden Smith, Daniel Bass, and David Luedtke, got to play valuable minutes and gave the starters time to regroup for the their next game against UC-Colorado Springs the following night. The time off did the ’Runners some good as the starters combined to score 62 points in the 87-82 win Jan. 27 at the Lions’ Den in Colorado Springs.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL • Ellerington rebounds to score 16 points in victory Continued from 23 while grabbing five rebounds. The only other Metro player to score in double figures was Harris, who put in 10 points. Ellerington and the ’Runners got back into their winning ways the following night by defeating the Mountain Lions 74-60 at the Lions’ Den in Colorado Springs. Ellerington rebounded from her rough night at Regis by scoring 16 points, pulling down eight rebounds and dishing out three assists. Metro outrebounded the UCColorado Springs 48-35, including 24 offensive rebounds. The game was close at the half with Metro clinging to a two-point lead, but the Roadrunners shot 42 percent from the field in the second
half, outscoring the Mountain Lions 42-30. The weekend split gives Metro a 15-4 overall record with an 8-3 record in the RMAC. The ’Runners make their way back home for a two-game series against NebraskaKearney Feb. 2 and Chadron State Feb. 3, both at the Auraria Events Center. Murphy recalls a meeting with the Lopers last year in Kearney, Neb., where Metro took a 104-72 beating. “When you talk about shortterm memory, I am sure … those kids who were here last year all remember Kearney last year,” Murphy said. “They really embarrassed us at their house, they ran the score up, so we are anxiously awaiting their arrival.”
Check out MetRadio Photo by Amie Cribley • acribley@mscd.edu
Metro guard Ashley Mickens, center, gets fouled on a 10-foot jumper by Regis guard, right, Stevi Seitz. Mickens finished the game wth seven points.
Men’s and women’s basketball games, Feb. 2 and 3 for live play-by-play coverage by sports editor/anchor, Eric Lansing. www.metradio.mscd.edu
Jan. 26 at Regis Fieldhouse Metro Regis
Total 44 30
46 40
90 70
Leading Scorers:
M: Carrington & Veikalas 16 R: Butler 31, Gibson 14 Leading Rebounders: M: Wagstaff & Price 6 R: Butler 10, Brever 7 Jan. 27 at the Lions’ Den Metro UC-Colorado Springs
Total 42 39
45 43
87 82
Leading Scorers:
M: Carrington 23, Bahl 18 CS: Hannaway & McGuire 22 Leading Rebounders: M: Wagstaff 12, Coulibaly 7 CS: Perkins & McGuire 8
SWIMMING • Metro now focusing on speed and conference championships Continued from 23 for their next meet. “We cut the (swimming) yardage to about half. It’s all super-high quality, so we deplete and go with anabolic buildup. Everything is fast. They won’t do anything slow except for warm-ups. So we just have to get the mindset of fast, fast, fast.” Metro’s next meet will be at the North Central Conference Championships on Feb. 21 to 24 in Sioux Falls, N.D.
SCHEDULE Swimming and Diving USAFA Diving Invitational All Day, Feb. 2 and 3 Colorado Springs
North Central Conference
Championships
All Day, Feb. 21 through Feb. 24 Sioux Falls, N.D.
NCAA Championships
All Day, March 13 through March 17 Buffalo, N.Y.
THE METROPOLITAN • 2.1.07
SPORT • 25
Faculty, staff and students pick Super Bowl winner RMAC expert Mike Filion
Bears, “I like Cedric Benson, a former University of Texas grad, having lived in Texas for 36 years.”
Metro student Stella Howard “I didnʼt even know the Super Bowl was going on.” Baseball head coach Bobby Pierce Colts 28-10, “Peyton will step it up and come through.” Metro student Aaron Reneau Colts 28-10, “The Colts will get up early on the Bears and force Grossman to beat them.”
The Metropolitan, editor in chief Cory Casciato Colts 24-17, “Peyton Manning is the hardest working man in footThe Metropolitan, design editor ball and this Sunday, thatʼs finally going to pay off.” Joe Nguyen Colts 28-17, “As good as the Bearsʼ Menʼs basketball starting defense is, Peyton Manning and guard Terrell Burgess Co. have too much fire power.” “Itʼs going to be the Colts.” The Metropolitan, news editor Geof Wollerman “Even though Rex Grossman is a subpar quarterback, I think Chicago has the fire to win. I think the Bears will blowout the Colts by 10 due to turnovers.” Metro school president Stephen Jordan Bears, “Da Bears.”
Metro student Terrance Brown Bears, “Chicagoʼs defense will match the offense of the Colts.”
Baseball assistant coach Tom Skul Colts, “I would like to see it stay in the AFC because that is where the Broncos are from.”
Baseball starting catcher Reece Gorman Colts, “I am a Seattle fan. The Seahawks should have won it (against Chicago). I would like to see the Colts do it.”
The Metropolitan, sports editor Eric Lansing Colts 27-24, “The Colts will win the game with the greatest clutch kicker in Super Bowl history, (Vinatieri). I also have a huge man crush on Peyton Manning.”
Metro student Allison Kollar Bears, “I already picked the Bears before the season. I also made a bet on it.”
Menʼs basketball starting forward Michael Bahl Bears, “Give me Urlacher.”
Menʼs basketball head coach Brannon Hays Bears 24-21, “The Bears have the ability to change the game with their defense.”
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
Baseball starting infielder Dakota Nahm Bears,“Not a huge Manning fan.” Menʼs basketball student assistant Dan Nguyen Colts 31-10, “Bears donʼt have enough offense. Defenses and special teams can only score so many points.” Metro student Chuck Petrick Colts, “Chicago (the city) smells like shit.”
Metro campus weighs in on big game Don’t know, don’t care 28.1% Colts 40.6%
Bears 31.3%
MetReport reporter, photographer Jon Snyder Colts 31-28, “Manning wants it bad. He is long overdue and heʼs done everything but win a title.” Baseball starting outfielder Jake Palmer Bears,“Donʼt want Peyton to win.” Metro communications teacher Karen Lollar Colts, “I love that Peyton Manning, heʼs so cute.”
A total of 128 people on campus were surveyed for this poll. Womenʼs basketball head coach Dave Murphy Metro student Lucas Skrobot Metro athletic director Menʼs basketball starting 21-17 Colts, “Both teams have Bears, “The Colts better not win. Joan Mcdermott guard Marquise Carrington great potential story lines. Can Grossman needs to play well.” Colts 31-14, “The Colts have more The Metropolitan, copy editor “The Colts, baby.” Manning will his team into the playoff experience in recent years Jeremy Johnson end zone early and often? Will the Metro communications teacher Metro journalism teacher than the Bears. Also, the Colts Colts 31-27, “The Colts are Bears be a team of destiny? Can the Kevin Campbell Armando Arrieta now have a running game which hungry. They have a handful of Bearsʼ offense control the ball and “I donʼt even know whoʼs wear out the Coltsʼ defense thus Colts 21-6, “Peyton is just a better should take some of the pressure weapons whereas thereʼs just one playing. I only watch for the keeping Mannning off the field?” quarterback.” off Peyton Manning.” Brian Urlacher.” commercials.”