Volume 30, Issue 10, Oct. 18, 2007 by Met Media

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Volleyball continues RMAC domination » A11 Serving The Auraria Campus Since 1979

Vol. 30 No. 10

Thursday, OCTOBER 18, 2007

http://www.mscd.edu/~themet

CROSSWALK CHAOS

Photo by LOGAN LYLES/llyles@mscd.edu

Metro student Dara Pieper waits on Oct. 8 to cross the intersection at Speer Boulevard and Arapahoe Street. The intersection has only one crosswalk on the west side, and to reduce the risk of accidents, Auraria’s Chief Planner Jill Jennings is suggesting the intersection needs a sign warning pedestrians to only cross on the west side. When traffic was last measured in 2001, more than 28,000 cars were recorded driving down Speer past Lawrence Street in a 24-hour period. Intersections at Colfax and Auraria Parkway are just as busy according to city officials. » STORY ON A3

ROCKIES TAKE (FAN)TASTIC SERIES!

» B4

metro THE METROPOLITAN » OCTOBER 18, 2007 » A3

» GHOST-HUNTING PLUMBERS »A6 » PROFESSOR DUBER-SMITH DOES IT ALL »A7 » INSIGHT: A NEW TALE OF WOE AND SAND »A8

ANDREW FLOHR-SPENCE » NEWS EDITOR » spencand@mscd.edu

METRO NOW

THIS WEEK »

Friday 10.19

• The day in 1987 that came to be known as “Black Monday” when the DOW dropped more than 500 points.

Wednesday 10.24

• The day in 1929 now known as “Black Thursday” when the Dow fell, starting the Great Depression • The day in 1989 when the Denver Nuggets became the first major sports team owned by an African-American • The Faculty Senate meets at 3:50 p.m. in Tivoli suite 320 • The Student Government Assembly Senate meets at 4 p.m. in Tivoli suite 329

THE METROPOLITAN 25 YEARS AGO »

October 20, 1982

Metro elections voided, charges made

• Election commission disallowed results because voting machines were improperly set up

Renovation to heal Tivoli eyesoar

• Demolition, interior cleanup and re-rooﬁng progresses, completion marked for Spring 1984.

THE NUMBERS GAME » 8,000

The number of students as of Oct.15, who have a “hold” on their student account for failing to turn in their immunization paperwork, as estimated by the Auraria Health Center.

THE MET REPORT »

This week’s top stories:

• Ghost Hunters • Beer Fest • Voices of Darfur • Green vehicles • Mixed martial arts package Check out the student-run TV newscast at: http://metreport.mscd.edu

Photo by JEREMY PAPASSO/jpapasso@mscd.edu

A bicyclist crosses the intersection of Speer Boulevard and Arapahoe Street. Speer Boulevard, Colfax Avenue and Auraria Parkway all count among Denver’s busiest stretches of road. While the name Roadrunners came from Metro’s students having to rush across traﬃc to get to and from classes, Auraria planners would like to improve the access to and the safety of several of the intersections around campus.

Road running for your life Auraria planners eye poorly marked crossings, crowded intersections By ANDREW FLOHR-SPENCE spencand@mscd.edu Andrew Black did not see the Ford Explorer until a second before it slammed into his front wheel – and then, for a while, he didn’t remember what happened. Black had an eight-hour day behind him when he unlocked his bicycle from a rack near the Science Building and started pedaling toward the edge of campus. The 26-year-old Metro biology major said he was tired after spending several hours in a chemistry lab. He wanted to get home. Crossing major intersections on foot or on a bicycle is part of life for Metro students, and Black’s story is not unique. Darting through trafﬁc is the inspiration for the Roadrunner nickname Metro students chose long ago for themselves. But enrollment at all three Auraria colleges is growing

steadily, and an increasing number of students are choosing not to drive. The parking lots have empty spaces, and the crosswalks are full. At the same time, downtown Denver is also growing and trafﬁc around the campus is more congested than ever. Riding a bicycle or walking is dangerous business. Approaching the intersection of Speer Boulevard at Arapahoe Street, Black looked to his left and did not see any cars coming. On the opposite street side, parallel his intended crossing, he saw the ﬂashing crosswalk signal. He hopped off the curb to cross. The sport utility vehicle had a green light coming out of downtown, turning south onto Speer Boulevard where Arapahoe Street comes to a dead end at the campus. The impact threw Black onto the hood of the Explorer and into the vehicle’s windshield, cracking the glass. This is probably when he went unconscious, he said. He woke up moments later on the asphalt. “I feel really lucky not to be dead,”

Black said. “All I got was this,” he said holding up his cast. He shrugged and slowly nodded his head, looking for a moment into the distance. All the while he had kept a hold on his bike with his right hand. And somehow, his only injury, besides a couple of bruises, was a slight fracture in the wrist of his right hand. Because he was crossing against the light, Black was given a reckless driving ticket, even though he was “riding” and not “driving.” The ticket could cost him some money and potentially take points off his driver’s license, but he said he is just glad to be in one piece. If the driver had not seen him at the last second and slammed on the brakes, things might be very different, he said. More than 28,000 vehicles drove down Speer Boulevard past Lawrence Street in a 24-hour period when trafﬁc was last measured there in 2001, according to the city and county of Denver’s Trafﬁc Count Database. Colfax Avenue and Auraria Parkway as vehicles pass Auraria were not far be-

hind. These three major streets rank with the busiest in Denver County, excluding the highways, and the Colorado Department of Transportation expects the numbers to steadily rise with Denver’s growth. Black’s story is an example of the ever-present danger that comes when crowds of students stampeding over the crosswalks and a nearly steady stream of cyclists crossing Speer Boulevard meet lane after lane of motorists trying to go another direction. According to Joseph Kane’s book, Famous First Facts, as cited on the website of the U.S. Department of Transportation, the ﬁrst automobile accident ever in the United States happened in 1896 in New York City between an early automobile and a bike. Today, the numbers nationwide do not compare to the thousands of automobile-to-automobile fatalities, but accidents between automobiles and bicycles resulted in almost 800 deaths in 2005, according to the DOT’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System website. Pedestrian fatalities in the U.S.

Continued on A4

A4 » METRO » OCTOBER 18. 2007 » THE METROPOLITAN

BICYCLIST » Improvements needed at Auraria’s busy intersections Continued from A3 numbered nearly 5,000 the same year. Colorado’s share was eight cyclists and 48 pedestrians. But very little is made of the minor injuries and the close calls such as Black’s case. If no deaths occur and only a ticket results, the Denver Police Department does not compile the statistics. Auraria’s Chief Planner Jill Jennings has noticed the problem. A position created over the summer by the Auraria Board, the chief planner’s job is to make the plan for future expansion on campus. Auraria’s master plan, as it is known, sets broad goals, so Jennings works

with everyone involved to iron out the plan’s details. She has spent hours observing the movement of students, watching where they go, which paths they use and how they come and go from campus. “I am trying to get a sense of where the sticking points are,” Jennings said. She said she is aware of the danger students face and is working on a number of pedestrian improvements, both-short term and long-term. Speciﬁcally, she said she noticed the Arapahoe Street crossing was confusing and had unclear signs.

The intersection has only one crosswalk on the west side. The east side is not intended for crossing to keep the turn from Arapahoe Street clear. Jennings said the intersection needs a sign warning to only cross on the one side, and like the city recently installed at the corner of Speer Boulevard and Larimer Street, the Arapahoe Street corner needs a crosswalk with a timer so students know how much time is left to cross. She said in the future she hopes the pedestrian tunnel beneath Larimer Street can be continued under both directions of Speer Boulevard, connecting downtown with the campus completely removed from the cars.

Jennings said the planned buildings that will more closely line Speer Boulevard, such as the new science building due to break ground this winter, will inﬂuence drivers to go slower. “If they have more to look at, people won’t drive like it’s a freeway,” Jennings said. Black said he knows he was lucky, and that he would like to see some improvements made to the corner. Since the accident, he has had to learn a lot about the law concerning bicycles. He’s scheduled to go to court in November for his reckless driving ticket. Black said he found out the hard way that he knew very little about the law and he worries that a lot of people are as ignorant as he was. He said riders need to take the time to inform themselves, because if they are lucky enough to survive, they can end up getting sued if they broke the law and caused the accident. “I was really lucky the driver of the SUV was a nice guy,” Black said. “I really just want to get the word out so this doesn’t happen to other people.”

Think you have what it takes to be a copy editor? Contact Us:

Send inquiries to dpollan@mscd. edu or fill out an application in the Metropolitan office located in the Office of Student Media, Tivoli 313. IN LOVING MEMORY On October 2nd 2007, John Polzin, a student at Metro State and former Chair of the SGA Election Commission passed away. John was 23 years old, and was intending to graduate this December to become a botanist. He was a treasured member of his community, a loving son, a caring brother and a loyal friend to so many. John will be remembered for his strength, his own and that which he gave to others, for his acceptance, big heart, quick wit, great capacity to love, adventurous spirit and the tremendous impact he had on so many lives. Although his years with us were short, he made great use of them, and did more living than most could do with hundreds. John will be sorely missed and forgotten by no one that knew him. John, we thank you for the time we had with you.

THE METROPOLITAN « OCTOBER. 18. 2007 « METRO « A5

Plumbers of the paranormal Lighthearted TV duo educates, dazzles fans, debunks ghost myths By AMY WOODWARD awoodwa5@mscd.edu Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson are not your typical paranormal researchers. They are, in fact, plumbers from Rhode Island. Nevertheless, the Tivoli Turnhalle was crammed Oct. 15 with students and those just curious to catch a glimpse of Hawes and Wilson, made famous by the Sci-Fi channel’s The Ghost Hunters, and their paranormal presentation sponsored by the Metro State Crypto Science Society. “We are not doctors or scientists,” Wilson said. “Yeah, we’re plumbers,” Hawes said. “We’re not trying to prove that paranormal exists, or that it doesn’t exist.” But after experiencing their own episodes with paranormal activity, the duo decided to form a “close-knit” group of paranormal researchers called The Atlantic Paranormal Society, or TAPS. The mission is to investigate and help those who believe there are unusual and unexplained occurrences in their homes. After gaining a reputation and running their small business out of Hawes’ apartment, the Sci-Fi channel heard about TAPS and decided to turn the investigative teams services into a television show. “We try to help people who think their homes are haunted,” Hawes said. “And we try to solidify those claims,” he said. TAPS also travels nationwide to the most notorious haunted places in America, from the Crescent Hotel in Arkansas to the Stanley Hotel in Colorado, which is one of their favorite places, Hawes and Wilson said. The interactive multimedia presentation at Auraria invited the audience to become “ghost hunters,” enabling everyone to participate and investigate paranormal cases Hawes and Wilson explored and also gave

Photo by TYLER WALTON/twalton2@mscd.edu

T.A.P.S. (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) co-founders Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson stand on the stage in the Tivoli Turnhalle. The pair of former plumbers came to Auraria Tuesday, Oct. 15, to discuss their Sci-Fi Network show, Ghost Hunters. Along with presenting mysterious video footage and audio recordings, the two took questions from the audience regarding paranormal activity. curious onlookers a brief lesson in the different types of haunting. Their scariest experiences, Hawes and Wilson said, involve the homeowners. “We’ve been chased out of homes by an old schizophrenic woman holding a frying pan,” Hawes said. TAPS usually spends most of their time debunking paranormal claims. After beginning with people who reported paranormal activities in their homes, TAPS later found out the homeowners were using drugs. There have been some cases in which people created their own haunting by placing two-way mirrors in homes or setting up speakers to emit haunting noises. Through their numerous legitimate investigations though, Hawes

“We’ve been chased out of homes by an old schizophrenic woman holding a frying pan.” JASON HAWES - PARANORMAL RESEARCHER AND PLUMBER

and Wilson claim they still can’t explain if what they encounter are actually ghosts or spirits. “When something comes and changes a logical thinker, you can’t dismiss that,” Wilson said. “(But) what is it? I don’t know. Is it a ghost? I don’t know.” Still, through all of their unidentiﬁed investigations and evidence, Hawes and Wilson were able to solve a 60-yearold missing person’s case. But it turned out to be a murder case and they were unable to discuss the issue further. Metro freshman Christy Trujillo

said she is not sure if she believes in ghosts and the presentation didn’t help to formulate a stance on paranormal activity. “I don’t think I really have an opinion either way,” Trujillo said. “It (the presentation) was good, it was interesting, entertaining.” Bill Salani, who was one of the attendees for the Ghost Hunter presentation said he has had several dealings with paranormal activity. He has been working at a post ofﬁce in Colorado Springs for 10 years and said he believes the establishment is

haunted after experiencing constant “ghost” encounters there. “There are lights ﬂickering, or I will feel a tug on the back of my shirt and I turn around and there is no one there,” Salani said. “I think it’s funny, I have a blast with them,” he added. TAPS has recently crossed over from television to radio with their new show titled Beyond Realities, which they said would soon be broadcast nationwide. You can catch episodes of The Ghost Hunters on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on the Sci-Fi channel.

FROM THE STREET» What do you think of the student evaluations? Have you looked up a teacher for a class? Samantha Farah Kelly Andy Will Daniel Moulton Sharafabady McClellan Holtus “I’ve looked up the scores on Metro but I also use MySpace, they have better ratings.”

“I like the evaluations. I’ve never looked up a score. Being a night student, I don’t feel like I have a lot of choice in professors. I have to take what is avaliable.”

“I’ve looked it up on Metro before but I use MySpace because the numbers don’t tell you much. It is good that they are doing them but they should use grades instead of numbers.”

“I have looked it up, but numbers don’t really say much about their style. I use MySpace or ratemyprofessor.com. I don’t register without looking at those pages.”

“They are necessary to make sure the teacher is perfoming and there are no outstanding issues. I never looked up the score, I always go by word of mouth.”

Photos by JEREMY PAPASSO/jpapasso@mscd.edu

THE METROPOLITAN « OCTOBER 18. 2007 « METRO « A7

Former musician turns to art of teaching Professor shares affinity for music, nature and his passion as a mentor By KATE JOHNSON jokathry@mscd.edu Nestled in a Colorado town where music, hippies and, occasionally, Willie Nelson thrive, a Metro professor looked past his own rock ‘n roll ambitions to a life where serving students and saving the planet are the norm. “Teaching is a performance art,” said Metro marketing professor Darrin Duber-Smith. “It’s not a job. It’s like music.” Duber-Smith, a former lead singer and percussionist for several bands in Nederland, said he looks back fondly on his days as a rock ‘n’ roll musician. He described one of his bands as a “grindy, psychedelic, Grateful Deadtype group,” and referred to his last band, Dance Party Authority, as a mixture of disco, dance and funk. By 1995, the rock ‘n’ roll odyssey he began in 1987 had given way to night classes at UCD where he worked toward two master’s degrees in marketing and management. During his graduate studies, Duber-Smith discovered his love for teaching and for his future wife, Angela. He said he bumped into her in 1995 in the same West Classroom Building classroom where he would give his first lessons to Metro students less than a decade later. “That was a weird moment – a surreal moment,” said Duber-Smith, who’s been married since 1998. He started teaching marketing classes at Metro in 2003. He said he knew Metro was a good fit because of his more than 20 years of experience in marketing management. And he said he saw unlimited potential in his students. “Teaching is spiritually gratifying – is emotionally gratifying,” Duber-

Photo by RYAN DEUSCHLE/rdesuch1@mscd.edu

Metro marketing professor Darrin Duber-Smith talks about his days as a musician and how he now seeks inspiration from teaching. When he is not in the classroom, he heads a consulting business called Green Marketing, which also helps to bridge his interest in environmental practices and his curriculum. Smith said. As he taught marketing, DuberSmith said he knew the students needed much more than just the routine education. That’s where his other passion came into play. A veritable environmental junkie and the president of Green Marketing, a consulting business in Nederland, Duber-Smith has worked for years to bring companies into the era of environmentally sound practices. And then he turned to the students. Duber-Smith developed a special-

ized “green class” – a class he said offers students an unparalleled realworld education. He is slated to teach the course, Sustainability and Social Responsibility in Marketing, this spring semester. According to Duber-Smith, there are professors who have training, and those who have experience. He said he has both, a blend he said is crucial in getting his message to students. “The students really like what I’m doing,” he said. “I think that’s because I bring so much to the table.” But Duber-Smith’s message

doesn’t rest on his image, credentials or consulting job. The message to students, DuberSmith said, parallels the way he has lived his life. With self-relection and personal accountability, students will be able to take charge and have a positive impact on the world. “More people of my generation are choosing a more examined life,” he said. “The future’s not so out there,” Duber-Smith added. “Think about how you’re going to feel 16 years from now.”

Though he’s unsure what his own future will bring, Duber-Smith said he’ll stay at Metro as long as they’ll have him. Duber-Smith left the music scene when he started teaching, calling the scene “a young man’s dream.” But he said he’ll never forget how rock ‘n’ roll made him feel or the lessons he carried away. “That’s why I’ve got to keep performing (by teaching),” Duber-Smith said. “What you did yesterday doesn’t matter anymore.”

SGA to review changes in faculty evaluations By JAMES KRUGER jkruger4@mscd.edu Many Metro students are not aware of the purpose behind the teacher evaluations they are asked to complete at the end of each semester, and Metro’s Student Government Assembly is trying to change that. The SGA drafted and passed a resolution Oct. 10 voicing its support to make changes to Metro’s current teacher evaluation system. The evaluation system not only inﬂuences pay raises for faculty, but the information gathered from the evaluations is also available online, allowing students to review a teacher’s prior performance before signing up for a class. Tat Sang So, an assistant professor of English at Metro, is a member

of the task force appointed by the administration to research ways the current system could be improved. The task force found problems in the way the evaluations are presented, promoted and interpreted. “I think (the evaluation) data is unreliable because of the way the data is being collected,” So said. “It is very uneven from class to class.” The SGA resolution supports the task force’s findings that evaluations could be improved if more students were aware of their influence. “Outside research shows that students will take the evaluations seriously if they know their opinions will be taken seriously,” So said, adding that a publicity campaign mounted a week before evaluation forms are distributed would be beneficial in edu-

cating students. Metro student Amy Keiffer said she wasn’t educated on the evaluation’s purpose. “I didn’t know that they could affect teachers’ pay,” she said, adding that she also wasn’t aware the results could be viewed online. So also suggested in his presentation to the SGA that the name of the evaluations be changed from “Student Evaluations” to “Student Ratings,” saying many students don’t feel that they are capable of “evaluating” their teacher. “In today’s society, we rate things all of the time,” So said. “I think this idea of ‘evaluation’ is inappropriate for what we’re doing.” The resolution also seeks to improve the program by holding evalu-

ations at the beginning of the class period rather than at the end, and having someone who’s educated on the program conduct the evaluation, instead of the student volunteers who conduct them. The ﬁrst step in making the changes effective are getting them approved by the Metro Faculty Senate. Kevin Harris, who sits on the board of trustees as student trustee, said So requested the SGA review the proposals to make sure the students were behind the changes. “He absolutely didn’t want to go ahead without student support, and we (the SGA) were more than happy to give it to him,” Harris said. So said that these were “quick” changes that could be implemented if they are passed by the faculty senate,

but that there were other alterations that could be made to the program that would be more long term, such as redesigning the forms to make questions more clear and making the information more accessible to students. As it stands, many ﬁnd the evaluation information presented online unclear. “I’ve looked at the teacher evaluations online, and they didn’t make any sense,” said SGA Senator Kailei Higginson, referring to the number scale used to represent the evaluation results. The task force is planning to propose major changes in the future and continually improve how students perform the evaluations and access the information gathered from them.

THE METROPOLITAN » OCTOBER 18, 2007 » A8

insight The prize is right

SECOND THOUGHTS A BIGGER VIEW » Marijuana Initiative “But just as we opposed the 2005 legalization measure, we cannot support the current initiative - even if it’s little more than a symbolic affirmation of voters’ earlier decision. The 2005 measure could not overturn state or federal laws against marijuana possession, which is why pot arrests continue. And this year’s measure won’t overturn them, either ... As we’ve said before, the proper venues to address drug laws are at the state Capitol and in Washington, D.C. Marijuana possession will become legal only when federal and state laws say so, even if local voters oppose its illegal status ... By backing this initiative, supporters are sending a potentially perverse message to pot users: Marijuana possession is no big deal. This initiative will keep the cops off your back. Except that it may not. And if it doesn’t, those cited for possession will have to face those dire consequences and personal sanctions mentioned by Tvert’s group. Question I100 offers a false promise that pot users will face only minor penalties if it passes. But they are likely to discover otherwise so long as the law of the land bans marijuana use. – ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, Oct. 15 editorial

POLL POSITION » pollingreport.com WHO DO YOU THINK IS MOST LIKELY TO WIN THE PRESIDENCY IN NOVEMBER 2008?

Hillary Clinton: 45 percent Rudy Giuliani: 16 percent Barack Obama: 8 percent Fred Thompson: 5 percent John Edwards: 4 percent John McCain: 4 percent Al Gore: 2 percent Mitt Romney: 2 percent Joe Biden: 1 percent Chris Dodd: 1 percent Mike Huckabee: 1 percent Tom Tancredo: 1 percent Unsure: 10 percent

Illustrated by ANDREW HOWERTON » ahowert2@mscd.edu Written by The Metropolitan staff

Swinging into happy ending I’ve never been big on movies. I’ve probably been to the theater six or seven times this year. They just don’t do it for me. When I need to escape I’m more likely to head to the nearest swing set, not the multiplex. Ever since I was little I’ve loved to swing. There’s something about manipulating gravity that takes away all of my pain. When I’m surrounded by sand and air, I’m untouchable. Nothing – gender, sexuality, race, religion, politics, hate – can bother me. The world begins and ends at the swing. But when I was asked to see The Bubble last weekend, I went along for the ride. After all, it was my friend’s treat and it was far too cold to head to the park. Let’s do a quick synopsis of the ﬁlm: Three young Israelis share an apartment in Tel Aviv. Think, Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place. Except in this version the two guys are gay and there really isn’t any pizza, just a trendy little café. Noam, Yali and Lulu being the idealist 20-somethings they are, dream of the day when their city, and their country will no longer be the political, religious, war-torn nation it is. And to turn their ideas into action, they plan a rave to protest the ﬁghting. After all, no hate can stand up to a little ecstasy, right? Enter Ashraf. Ashraf is a Palestinian. He also happens to be gay. Noam and Ashraf meet and, of course, fall in love. But the road to “Happily Ever

On the surface, what happens next is nothing short of an eye for an eye. But on a deeper level, the ﬁlm goes beyond Shakespeare’s “tale of woe.”

NIC GARCIA ngarci20@mscd.edu After” isn’t so easy for these two Middle-Eastern hunks. Being that the movie has come and gone from our theaters, I don’t feel guilty giving away the plot. But if you don’t want me to spoil the ending I’d suggest you stop reading here. Israel being a militant state, Ashraf is only allowed to stay in Tel Aviv for a certain amount of time. It wasn’t always this way. In fact, Ashraf ’s father once built a house in Tel Aviv, near a park Noam frequented as a child. But someone didn’t like a Palestinian family nesting in their neighborhood and the home was torn down, and after war broke out the park was deserted. I guess some things can interrupt a ride on a swing. But with the help of the fabulous trio, Ashraf takes on a Hebrew name and illegally works at the café for Yali. Despite all of their efforts, Ashraf is soon ratted out and ﬂees to his home.

Noam and Lulu track him down and encourage him to come back for the rave. They succeed. But not before Ashraf ’s soon to be brother-in-law sees him locking lips with Noam. This is perhaps the best part of the film. Unlike most other gay films, The Bubble significantly plays the coming out process as normal as possible. This film is camp free, which is a welcome departure from what could have been. Yes, being a Palestinian Muslim and being gay doesn’t go over too well, but the producers of the film treat this aspect with diligence. Jihad, the brother-in-law, dismisses what he sees as an accident and reminds Ashraf that he is to marry his cousin. All is forgotten until Ashraf makes a fatal mistake and tells his sister – on her wedding day – that he is in love with Noam. Despite the revelation, the wedding continues essentially problem free. But Jihad isn’t as nice as he appears to be, as we soon discover he is a part of a group responsible for a bomb that goes off in Tel Aviv. To retaliate, members of the Israeli government attack Ashraf ’s house, where Jihad is suspected to be, and accidentally kill his sister. On the surface, what happens next is nothing short of an eye for an eye.

But on a deeper level, the ﬁlm goes beyond Shakespeare’s “tale of woe.” To avenge the death of Ashraf ’s sister, Jihad plans a suicide bomb attack, but at the last minute Ashraf takes his place, not only making amends with his sister, but escaping the heterosexual life that awaits him with Jihad’s cousin. In the end, Ashraf makes his way to the café where he was once employed. When he arrives, it’s Ashraf who is blown away by who happens to be patronizing the restaurant: his love, Noam. The Jew instantly knows what the Palestinian is up to. And without words, without thoughts, the two run into the street to detonate the bomb killing only themselves. One of the reasons I typically don’t like movies is the ending. Either it’s too Hollywood for me or it’s too incomplete, and a sequel is nowhere in sight. But The Bubble did not disappoint me. I don’t remember what Ashraf says but I’m haunted by the image of the lovers in heaven as two young boys. One Jew, one Muslim, with their mothers playing in a park. There is no war, no hate, no religion, no sex. Just sand. Now, that’s what I call a good movie.

metrospective

B1 » THE METROPOLITAN » OCTOBER 18, 2007

JOSIE KLEMAIER » FEATURES EDITOR » jklemaie@mscd.edu

Fancy Tiger, hidden passion Local shop gets guys stichin’ and gives local crafters room to stretch » by Mercedes Jackson, mjacks57@mscd.edu

Photo by LOGAN LYLES/llyles@mscd.edu

Matthew Brown, co-owner of Fancy Tiger, a “do-it-yourself” sewing boutique in Denver, sews a bag to be sold in the store Oct. 14. Fancy Tiger carries clothing, sewing materials and jewelry, among other items. In addition, the owners oﬀer periodic sewing classes and art shows in the store.

“I think it was a little weird that I was so obsessed with it. I just knew I liked it,” said Matthew Brown, a 33-year-old Denver businessman. It started in the fifth grade, and now it’s his business. It’s sewing. Brown said he knew in the fifth grade that he was interested in fashion design. Not knowing why he was obsessed with the way his pants fit, Brown soon learned the only way he was going to love his clothing was if he designed it himself. “I was getting kind of focused in on the fit and cut of clothing,” Brown said. Brown and his wife, Jaime, created the “doit-yourself ” shop, Fancy Tiger, at 1 S. Broadway in Denver, last year. “I thought of myself as a buyer — you know the one picking the clothes,” Matthew Brown said. He did not know that one year later he would be picking up sewing. The idea for Fancy Tiger came with an epiphany that led to the conversion of his coffee shop to a place that would be the state of fashion for men. “It’s not so much men’s fashion — it’s men. They don’t take a lot of risks with fashion. I decided I am going to give men’s fashion a kick in the ass,” he said. From there, women’s fashion and a craft section were added. Fancy Tiger is not only a clothing store, it is also a place for crafters to buy supplies and practice their skills in house. Jaime Brown leads the majority of the craft and sewing classes, which range from sewing and knitting 101, to book binding and zine making. Matthew Brown runs the men’s only sewing club called Seamster. Seamster started three months after Fancy Tiger opened as a club for Matthew Brown and his friends to practice sewing. It then turned into a club that inspired other men to sew. The free monthly meetings have two to four participants. Though most of the guys are beginners, they are all given the opportunity to showcase their work in the store. Matthew Brown said he enjoys the intimacy of the group, not only because of the lack of space, but he is also able to get a lot of work done and build relationships with other crafty guys. “I am passionate, but I am pretty new at

INSIDE » Get through the semester on track, B3 »

this. Most of the men come because it is a club for men,” he said. Ideas, inspiration and sewing are discussed at the two-to-three hour stitchfest. Seamsters range from the beginner sewer to the single dad who wants to sew his daughter’s clothing. Denver was chosen as the location for the boutique because Matthew Brown wanted to start a clothing business in a place where fashion is emerging. Denver has the perfect elements of a city, but is more intimate with room for a lot of possibility, he said. “It is the city of opportunity,” he said. In the boutique, shoppers will find naturemeets-retro wear and rock that intersects with granny’s sewing room in a dark, intimate, eclectic shop where local music is played throughout the store. The personality of the shop comes directly from both Jamie and Matthew Brown. They want to constantly express their passion for all things fashion to the public. Shoppers will find clothing from local designers, including Matthew Brown, and crafts by Jamie Brown. “It’s a constant process of our ideas evolving,” Matthew Brown said. Matthew Brown said he is focused on getting quality clothing from really talented individuals that design clothing that even he would wear. “I wanted to find those local designers that are from the cream of the crop and still affordable,” he said. Over the next three years, the boutique is expected to expand. The basement will become a “full-blown sewing room,” and the owners will have more time to work on designs by hiring more employees. An increase in production and more time to work on designs are at the top of Fancy Tiger’s checklist. Fancy Tiger will be hosting a holiday craft fair to showcase 25 to 35 emerging local designers and their alternative crafts 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 30 and 10 to 6 p.m. Dec. 1 at the Capsule Event Center at 560 Santa Fe Drive in Denver. For more information on participating in the fair, or for a schedule of the variety of sewing classes Fancy Tiger offers, visit http://www.fancytiger.com.

B2 » OCTOBER 18. 2007 » THE METROPOLITAN

timeout

Q: What’s green and sings? A: Elvis Parsley CROSSWORD

Across 1. Sheltered, nautically 5. Autocratic Russian rulers 10. Prepare a book or ﬁlm for release 14. Roster used to assign duties 15. Grecian architectural style 16. Han ___ was a “Star Wars” character; 17. Travel from place to place 18. Alma ___ 19. Earth 20. Captain 22. Actual 24. That woman 25. Adult males 26. Cookwear 29. Test area 32. Stitched 36. Mortgage 37. Story in installments 39. Weeding implement 40. Empiricism 43. Filled pastry crust 44. Citrus fruit

SUDOKU

45. Potpourri 46. Greeting 48. Not for a Scot 49. Levels 50. Large ﬂightless bird 52. Before 53. Peevishly 57. Territory of an earl 61. “My fault!” 62. Rips 64. Monetary unit of Ireland 65. Fencing sword; 66. Elevate 67. Faction of a group, often religious 68. Sandy tract 69. Equipped 70. Narrow strip of wood

Oct. 11 puzzle from www.crosswords.com. Solution available online.

Down 1. Skills 2. Watch 3. Small purse 4. Headset 5. Stopwatch-holder 6. Fly 7. As a female, you could be queen or worker 8. Monetary unit of Cambodia 9. Curtain fabric 10. Ancient Palestinian 11. Entrance 12. Bones found in the hip; 13. Tribute 21. Writing instrument 23. Unit of magnetic induction 26. First letter of the Hebrew alphabet 27. Sprite 28. Drive back 29. Geneva’s lake 30. Stadium used for sports or musical events 31. Spree 33. Interval of time

34. Reddish dye 35. Band’s sample tapes 37. Title of a knight 38. Consumed, usually food 41. Chambers 42. Unloved 47. Person with a ﬂat, say 49. Drift, make a mistake 51. Extremely 52. Relaxed 53. Like some dorms 54. Thick cord 55. Word that can precede sandwich, verdict and prison 56. Age unit 57. Gaelic language of Ireland or Scotland 58. Shootout 59. Killer whale 60. Feminist Lucretia 63. Direct a gun

CUT CORNERS

metropolitan staff and andrew howerton

MASTER PLAN

geof wollerman and andrew howerton

WHERE IS THIS?

Be the ﬁrst to e-mail us the correct location and receive a free ticket to the Starz FilmCenter! Lucky you! Each week’s winner will also have the chance to have their photo printed in the following issue of The Metropolitan. Send emails to jklemaie@mscd. edu with “Where is this?” in the subject line.

puzzle courtesy of www.websudoku.com

NOW SHOWING AT THE STARZ FILMCENTER FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO

FRI (4:40), 7:05, 9:15 SAT (12:05), 2:15, 4:40, 7:05, 9:15 SUN (12:05), 2:15, 4:40, 7:05 MON (4:40), 7:05 TUE-WED (4:40), 7:05 TH (4:40), 7:05, 9:15

THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK THE LAST ROMANTIC

FRI (4:50), 7:25, 9:25 SAT (12:20), 2:25, 4:50, 7:25, 9:25 SUN (12:20), 2:25, 4:50, 7:25 MON-WED (4:50), 7:25 TH (4:50), 7:25, 9:25

IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON

FRI (4 :55), 7:10, 9:20 SAT (12:10), 2:10, 4:45, 7:10, 9:20 SUN (12:10), 2:10, 4:45, 7:10 MON-WED (4:55), 7:120 TH (4:55), 7:10, 9:20

EASTERN PROMISES

FRI (4:35), 7:00, 9:10 SAT (12:15), 2:20, 4:35, 7:00, 9:120 SUN (12:15), 2:20, 4:35, 7:00 MON-WED (4:35), 7:00 TH (4:35), 7:00, 9:10

THE SANDLOT

SAT 10:30

‘TIS AUTUMN: THE SEARCH FOR JACKIE PARIS

MON-WED (5:00), 7:35

FRI (4 :55), 7:30, 9:30 SAT (12 :30), 2:30, 4:55, 7:30, 9:30 SUN (12:30), 2:30, 4:55, 7:30 MON-WED (4:55), 7:30 TH (4:55), 7 :30, 9:30

THE METROPOLITAN « OCTOBER 18. 2007 « METROSPECTIVE « B3

FOOD »

The cookie quest Crispy, fluffy or gooey, the treat of choice has chips » by Tara Pingle, tpingle@mscd.edu It’s getting to be that time of the year when the sun bakes the leaves golden amber, when pumpkins line the churchyards along the side streets and that peaceful, quiet few weeks before the rush of Halloween, and just after Wal-Mart puts out all their Christmas supplies. Food becomes a matter of great importance during this time. Even if no one has said it yet, everyone has already begun to think about Thanksgiving turkey. Thus, a great hunt has begun for a food that will satisfy all of the seasons, a treat that will be almost universally accepted, healthier than candy and as warm as the holidays themselves: the cookie. “I personally cannot find a better cookie than milk chocolate chip with pecans,” said Chef Shelly Owens, who works at the Hospitality, Tourism and Events Department at Metro and teaches the Baking and Pastry class. Adding nuts certainly adds interest, but the thickness and texture of the cookie must also be considered, Owens said. “Adding fat will cause the dough to melt and spread,” Owens said. This means the cookie will become thin before it is finished cooking. To make cookies thicker, Owens suggests adding flour. Starting with refrigerated dough, then baking faster at a higher temperature helps cookies retain a thick shape as well. A lot of moisture from water, eggs or milk is what makes cookies chewy, bordering on cake-like if sufficient fluid is added. Reducing the flour or brown sugar in cookie dough will result in crispier cookies. These ingredients hold the moisture in – by reducing them, it is easier for moisture to escape the dough as it is baking. “The Toll House chocolate chip cookie is actually a great starting place,” Owens said. She recommends starting with a recipe like this one, altering it to the right thickness and consistency and then playing with other ingredients. Substituting the chocolate chips with white chocolate chunks or toffee can be very rewarding, and additional elements like dried fruit create a unique touch. Don’t wait for Thanksgiving to bake – pick a few favorite ingredients, pour a cold glass of milk or eggnog, and let the quest for the perfect cookie begin!

The Original Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Ingredients 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large eggs 2 cups (12 oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels 1 cup chopped nuts Directions: Preheat oven to 375° F. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixing bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for nine to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for two minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Photo by J. ISAAC SMALL/jsmall4@mscd.edu

Amanda Fish falls asleep in geology class Oct. 10. Midterms can remind students that ﬁnal papers and exams are just around the corner and some can become overwhelmed, and begin to fall behind in their school work, social lives and sleep.

Midterm wake-up call It’s time to confront those mid-semester blues » by Josie Klemaier, jklemaie@mscd.edu Halloween is only a couple of weeks away, the fall colors and temperamental weather are coaxing the masses to the foothills, and Denver is buzzing with baseball, all of which can prove to be dangerous distractions for the midterm grades of Metro students. “The honeymoon is kind of wearing off,” said Metro’s Writing Center director, Brenda Wright. She agrees that by the middle of the semester, the exhilaration of returning back to school and entering new classes is gone and can be replaced with panic as work begins to pile up. “One thing we suffer from the most, of course, is procrastination,” Wright said, adding that using services such as the writing center in King Center 310 or the tutoring center in Tivoli 124 regularly and often can be crucial to keeping students on track with their work loads. “A lot of professors will give a big assignment and they’ll expect behind the scenes that the student will be doing all the work, and most of us, when nobody’s pressuring us, ﬁnd a lot of other things to do with our time,” Wright said. Visiting the writing center on a regular basis for short amounts of time can take the pressure off as due dates for papers approach. Students who believe they write better under pressure and can wait until the last minute to write papers can ruin themselves academically, Wright said. Wright said that though members of the writing center do not proofread papers in the days before they are due, they will help with steps throughout the process. In 20-30 minutes, Wright said, one of the center’s master’s degree professionals will sit with a student to clarify the assignment, initiate the writing process and establish strategies—a lot more than the student would get done themselves in the same amount of time at home. “In that 30 minutes, you can probably accomplish more with a professional than three hours on your own,” she said. “What I don’t think you have is time to sit and stare at nothing.” Time management is the biggest issue with students, and probably none feel it more than Metro’s athletes. “They obviously have to be managing their time well,” Metro women’s volleyball coach Debbie Hendricks said. The athletes

have a full schedule between games, practices, training, school and their social life. “If you can learn to balance that, you’re gaining important life skills, because life is a balancing act,” Hendricks said. The athletics department has strict standards for the athletes, and Hendricks said the preparation required for a sport is parallel to that needed for school. “If you prepare properly and have studied what you can study and you have good practices, you go into your match knowing you’ve done your best and you’re as prepared as you can be and it lets you play at that level of confidence,” she said. As the director of Metro’s tutoring center, Eric Dunker believes that the struggle for time organization and prioritizing life’s obligations is not only the key to good grades, but essential for success. “I have never met one successful adult that didn’t struggle at one point through college,” he said. “The people who persevere through struggle are the ones who can foresee it happening and embrace it.” The center offers private tutoring that can be arranged at the beginning of the semester, as well as an assortment of drop-in sessions for nearly all of Metro’s lower-division courses. Dunker said that students who go to the tutoring center have, on average, a better GPA than the Metro student population as a whole. Dunker said a big problem with students is the nonchalant attitude many of them can enter the semester with. “They kind of slide by the first couple chapters and then they get to something really tough and they didn’t really internalize the basics from the beginning and keep a strong work ethic,” he said. By the time the middle of the semester comes, they are faced with a load of information they did not retain. “No one should go into a class expecting it to be easy,” he said. “Visualize the entire semester and how you feel that’s going to look like.” Dunker highly recommends talking individually with a professor during office hours about what they expect throughout the course, which can reflect well when things get tough later in the semester, as well as with students who have taken the course before to get an idea of when the challenges will come. Students should look at their schedule realistically at the beginning of the semester, “visualizing your entire semester and expecting struggle to happen, but taking steps and giving yourself a realistic timeline,” Dunker said.

B4 » OCTOBER 18. 2007

THE METROPOLITAN

OCTOBER 18. 2007 « B5

Photo by ANDREW BISSET/abisset1@mscd.edu

The Rockies storm the field after defeating the Diamondbacks 6-4 in game four of the National League Championship Series. The Rockies now head to their first World Series in team history.

Photo by ANDREW BISSET/abisset1@mscd.edu

Photo by Cora Kemp/ckemp4@mscd.edu

Fans celebrate in the streets of LoDo Oct. 15 after the Rockies’ victory. As soon as the game was official, The Denver Post and The Rocky Mountain News gave out special editions that signified that the Rockies had become National League Champions and were moving on to the World Series.

Thousands of excited fans exit Coors Field after the Rockies swept the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-4. The fans congregated in the streets of downtown to celebrate the victory that saw only a police car get trampled on by a dozen or so of those fans. Tickets for the World Series will go on sale Oct. 22.

ROX FANS SWEPT AWAY Photo by Cora Kemp/ckemp4@mscd.edu

Kyle Mullica, wearing a Rockies baseball cap, gives fellow Rockies fans a broom high-five before game four of the National League Championship Series. The Rockies became the first team to sweep both the Division Series and NLCS since the inception of the wild-card in 1995.

Fans at the Falling Rock Tap House celebrate over the second out in the ninth inning. With only one out left before the end of the game, Rockies fans could taste the World Series almost as much as the beer or soda that sat in front of them. Photo by Cora Kemp/ckemp4@mscd.edu

B6 » THE METROPOLITAN » OCTOBER 18, 2007 JEREMY JOHNSON » MUSIC EDITOR » jjohn308@mscd.edu

» HIP-HOP VS. RAP: SEMANTICS OR CULTURAL ELITISM? » B7

half notes

UPCOMING SHOWS » Friday 10.19

Pinback w/ Frightened Rabbits 8 p.m. @ The Gothic Theater $18 ,16+

Aesop Rock w/ Rob Sonic 8 p.m. @ The Fox Theater in Boulder $10, 16+

Saturday 10.20

MySpace Music Tour Featuring Say Anything and Hellogoodbye

8 p.m. @ The Paramount Theater $20, 16+

Blue October w/ Yellowcard and Shiny Toy Guns

6 p.m. @ The Fillmore Auditorium $35, 16+

Monday 10.22

Rooney w/ The Polyphonic Spree and The Redwalls 7 p.m. @ The Gothic Theater $20, 16+

Tuesday 10.23

audioﬁles

‘Autumn’ leaves lot to be desired Pinback’s newest effort a melancholic mistake that just misses the mark By JEREMY JOHNSON jjohn308@mscd.edu It seems only apropos that San Diego band Pinback’s new album Autumn Of The Seraphs associates itself with that season of transition between summer and winter. Not quite hot and not quite cold, the latest alternative/indie effort from Pinback is as squarely middle-of-the-road and tepid as the vernal equinox that it references, and its pace is as slow and cumbersome as a grizzly bear preparing for winter hibernation. That’s not to say Seraphs isn’t a clever album, full of intricate and homogeneous harmony and wispy, warm vocals. And their soft synth, piano and percussion sounds cascade lazily like brown leaves falling to the ground. But those gems of delicate indie rock are lost early on in multi-instrumental frontman Armistead B. Smith (more commonly known as Zack Smith) and sidekick Rob Crow’s steady, sleepy beats and blasé vocal inflections. So while early tracks such as “Good To Sea,” (filled with witty wordplay in the lyrics “It’s good to sea you/ It’s good to sea you go”), and “Subbing For Eden” (“And I consume the raging fire/ And I can feel the depths of the ocean/ And I become consumed by desire”) pepper the album’s A-Side tracks, other songs such as “From Nothing To Nowhere,” “Barnes” and “How We Breathe” lack any real conviction in their convoluted messages and have no feel for the various subtleties and nuances of

Photo courtesy of www.elenby.com

If you’re seeing double, just listen to the guys in the middle. Armistead B. Smith (or Zack Smith) and Rob Crow are Pinback, and their new album Autumn Of The Seraphs is as much fun as a pile of fall leaves...with a spring-loaded bear trap beneath. the alternative music medium. Even their dog-eared theme of the ocean is as old as the moon itself, and literally drumbeat to death by other modern music acts such as Modest Mouse. By the time Pinback reaches the seventh track, “Devil You Know,” and the following track “Blue Harvest,” it sounds as if Smith and Crow have broken out of the album’s earlier, hypnotic and transﬁxed sounds of melancholy, but, as Pinback puts it in “Devil:” “It’s the part of you that stays/ Leaving nothing but a stain.” Essentially, we’re left with only a stain of what might have been a successful alt-pop record, as Pinback’s

lack of tempo, energy and charisma makes the album as exciting as a hammock nap during a mild, sedate, Indian summer day. Basically, Pinback plays like Wilco, without the will, or Spoon, without the spunk. While the album is just beginning to receive a small amount of commercial and chart success, it remains to be seen whether or not Pinback will bounce back with a more energetic effort in the future. And perhaps, instead of falling back onto their conventional and dull compositional tactics, Pinback will spring back with a pulse, warmer lyrical wit and just maybe with a more hyped-up

sense of music’s eternal hope. Pinback is currently on tour with Frightened Rabbit and will perform Oct. 19 in Denver at the Gothic Theater on Broadway Avenue.

Scandinavian songwriter ‘Daydreaming’ of new, classical style By JOSHUA SMITH jsmith@mscd.edu

Henry Rollins

7:30 p.m. @ The Paramount Theater $25, all ages

ON SALE NOW » Saturday 10.20 Lemonheads w/ Raccoon

Friday, Dec. 7 @ The Gothic Theater

Daydreaming, the new album by Scandinavian Rafael Anton Irisarri, is a relaxing and contemplative release of ambient piano and guitar soundscapes. Irisarri is based out of Seattle and splits his time between creating his own music, promotional touring and running Kupei, a boutique record label catering to minimal techno and house. Irisarri’s sophisticated and emotional, electro-acoustic creations are a welcome taste of pensive ruminations to help accompany the onset of fall and the coming winter. In the vein of such recent luminaries of modern abstract composition such as Twine and Stars Of The Lid, Daydreaming is a perfect example of a relatively over-

looked genre of ambient, alternative classical-style music. The album opens with “Waking Expectations,” where muted piano keys stand in the forefront, creating a container in which swells of sound and ghostly pops can live in a state of carefully controlled anarchy. This juxtaposition of form and formlessness create a greater pattern to explore the carefully constructed aural landscape of the track. “Wither” is a track that speaks more clearly of the general sound of the entire album. A clean, simple, sometimes dissonant piece of piano work is slowly joined by deep swelling bass tones and tinny radio hisses of sound. Altogether these elements create a somber atmosphere in which the minimalist compositional leanings of

Irisarri can be fully experienced. Composed mainly of what sounds like pieces of wood being dragged across piano strings and softly chiming bells, “A Glimpse” is perhaps the most stripped down of all of the tracks contained on Daydreaming. In this piece the piano playing of Irisarri becomes the background, as opposed to the focus, existing only to create texture and space for the more exploratory sounds that deﬁne the piece. For those interested in exploring more of the burgeoning genre of experimental classical music there isn’t a better place to start than with Daydreaming, as it offers fragments of more traditional composition matched with forward thinking, and sharp electronic production. And if the album piques your interest, Rafael will be

Photo courtesy of nwtekno.com

Songwriter Rafael Anton Irisarri cannot spare a square. appearing Nov. 11 alongside Germanprepared piano virtuoso Hauschka at College Chapel in Boulder.

THE METROPOLITAN « OCTOBER 18. 2007 « AUDIOFILES « B7

Separation unnatural in hip-hop juice half notes I was having a conversation with a classmate a couple weeks ago about hip-hop and rap. He said you can turn on the radio to KS107.5 and the station ID will say “No. 1 in today’s hottest hip-hop and R&B.” He said what they play is rap, not hip-hop. It all had to do with content, he said, and that hip-hop is about positivity and real issues, whereas rap music is about materialism, degrading women, violence and male chauvinism. It was when he said 2Pac was more rap, and a little hip-hop when he did more positive songs, that I felt compelled to argue his point further. Hip-hop historian Davey D has said that by separating rap and hip-hop, you create a false deﬁnition, and that one is part of the whole. Hip-hop culture is a larger umbrella that includes grafﬁti art, breakdancing, turntabalism (aka scratching) and rapping. The latter two represent the musical art form. Still, my classmate said, I was being technical and basically suggested my argument was one of semantics. But it goes beyond that. I see these people as cultural elitists. In hip-hop they’re often fans called backpackers – mostly white suburban kids whose only exposure to hip-hop is via MTV and BET – who see hip-hop and rap as separate genres. But I’ve come across more and more non-backpacker people of all backgrounds who have slightly different criteria concerning this philosophy. Geof Wollerman described this philosophy in his review of Com-

CLAYTON WOULLARD cwoullar@mscd.edu

Telling one’s life story, or just a glimpse of it, is what hip-hop is really all about, whether an artist is telling a tale through scratching samples or emceeing. mon’s new album, Finding Forever, in the Aug. 16 issue of The Metropolitan: “Rap is all about where your hoes are at, how you made your loot, how much you love your bling, and what you’re going to do to all the fakers who doubt you. Hip-hop, on the other hand, is more about that ﬁneass girl who’s caught your eye, the

bullshit of politics, the false security of street life, and why bling is a bunch of bullshit.” Let’s take Wollerman’s definition of rap and contrast it with the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight,” considered to be hip-hop music’s first major hit. The second verse covers all of his criteria. MC Big Bank Hank raps about his bling, (in this case clothes and cars: “Ya see I got more clothes than Muhammad Ali and I dress so viciously” and “I got a Lincoln Continental and a sunroof Cadillac”), where his hoes are at (“Ya say I’m gonna get a fly girl gonna get some spankin’”), how he made his loot (“Hear me talkin’ ‘bout checkbooks, credit cards/ More money than a sucker could ever spend”), and what he’s going to do to the fakers who doubt him (“But I wouldn’t give a sucker or a bum from the Rucker/ Not a dime til’ I made it again”). Conversely, there are several socalled rap artists who fit Wollerman’s hip-hop definition. Nas, a hip-hop icon and mainstream rap artist, has made a career on songs about “that fine-ass girl who’s caught your eye, the bullshit of politics, the false security of street life, and why bling is a bunch of bullshit,” (“Money Is My Bitch”). P.A.A.S., a Denver rapper, producer and promoter, and Metro alum, said hip-hop is free, while rap is made to be sold, and that it’s the result of the corporatization of hip-hop culture. He said rap is a product of hiphop, but not the same. But the first hip-hop act to take

commercialization of the culture to a new level – and market some of the highest-selling shoes of all time – was Run DMC. Every hip-hop and rap artist, mainstream and underground who followed were undoubtedly inﬂuenced by Run DMC, and in part owe some of their success to them. But, no, they’re hip-hop because they had a positive message, these separatists might argue. Hip-hop, though, is not this art form meant to always portray positivity. One of hip-hop’s earliest hits is “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash in which he calls attention to the poor, squalid and crime-ridden neighborhood he lives in. Telling one’s life story, or just a glimpse of it, is what hip-hop is really all about, whether an artist is telling a tale through scratching samples or emceeing. Modern artists such as 50 Cent and those you hear on mainstream radio are mostly unoriginal, untalented and over-hyped. Still they are telling their stories and giving a glimpse into their lives. What they make is hip-hop music. That’s why we need to call it out as bad hip-hop because it offers no innovation. And gloriﬁed stories of mansions and Cadillacs that these rappers usually don’t own themselves offer no enlightenment and nothing of value to poor kids in the ghetto who wish their moms could simply afford a car. If we continue to disregard their music as just rap – this reckless genre – these artists will continue to deface hip-hop music until neither rap music or hip-hop as a whole can be recognized.

Eric Clapton

Complete Clapton (2 LP) Reprise Records www.repriserecords.com

Dropkick Murphys The Meanest Of Times Hellcat Records www.hell-cat.com

Jerky Boys

All Time Greatest Bits Select Records www.selectrecordsonline.com

John Mellencamp

20th Century Masters: The Best Of John Mellencamp Island Records www.islandrecords.com

Mark Knopﬂer

Kill To Get Crimson Warner Bros. Records www.warnerbrosrecords.com-

Paul Oakenfold

Greatest Hits and Remixes Ultra Records www.ultrarecords.com

Rob Zombie Zombie Live Geffen Records www.geffen.com

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

CMJ Radio Top 20 TW LW ARTIST

ALBUM

LABEL

Animal Collective

Strawberry Jam

Domino

Rilo Kiley

Under The Blacklight

Warner Bros.

Caribou

Andorra

Merge

The Go! Team

Proof Of Youth

Sub Pop

New Pornographers

Challengers

Matador

M.I.A.

Kala

Interscope

Weakerthans

Reunion Tour

Anti

Minus The Bear

Planet Of Ice

Suicide Squeeze

Shout Out Louds

Our Ill Wills

Merge

Liars

Mute

Black Lips

Good Bad Not Evil

Vice

Thurston

Trees Outside The Academy

Ecstatic Peace!

Matt Pond PA

Last Light

Altitude

Tegan And Sara

The Con

Sire

VHS or Beta

Bring On The Comets

Astralwerks

Pinback

Autumn Of The Seraphs

Touch and Go

Aesop Rock

None Shall Pass

Deﬁnitive Jux

Architecture In Helsinki

Places Like This

Polyvinyl

137 Jose Gonzalez

In Our Nature

Mute

Let’s Stay Friends

Frenchkiss

Les Savy Fav

NEW RELEASES » TUESDAY 10.23 A FEW TRICKS AND LOTS OF TREATS...

Raising Sand (2 LP) Rounder Records www.rounder.com

Milieu

Photo courtesy of www.myspace.com/milieu

The music of Milieu has changed and evolved in four years since he began releasing his own forms of melodic, experimental electronic music. On songs such as “Blue Bath” one can feel the inviting warmth that pervades all of Brian Grainger’s production. Soft, simple drum patterns are ensconced within warm washes of sound and playful, dancing synth lines. Milieu’s music, which has wide ranging inﬂuences from Boards of Canada to Jandek, aims to evoke peaceful feelings of nostalgia, helping to create a place in which a listener can contemplate what has come before.

MUSIC WRITERS AND REVIEWERS NEEDED »

Think our music section stinks? Do something about it and come write for The Met. We are currently looking for music lovers to write album reviews and previews of upcoming shows. Contact music editor Jeremy Johnson at jjohn308@mscd.edu.

Guitar Hero 3

Soundtrack Interscope www.interscope.com

Roger Waters and Ron Geesin Music From The Body SIS Records www.sisrecords.com

Ween

La Cucaracha Rounder Records www.rounder.com

Neil Young

Chrome Dreams (CD/DVD) Reprise Records www.repriserecords.com

For new music releases visit: www.newmusictipsheet.com

THE METROPOLITAN « OCTOBER 18. 2007« insight « A9

Time to rise up, raise hell for change We’ve always heard that it is the responsibility of the young generation to be that massively annoying swarm of burning ideology that gathers together to shout about revolution and reform. It has typically been the older generation to say this, implying that they recognize the loss of their own ability to change their world. Our wise elders claim to have seen the mountaintop and understand what it takes to plant the flag. It is a wonder that they never did it themselves and elected instead to turn around and destroy their children’s world. It is important that I note my reluctance to criticize my generation for its idle behavior because the abovementioned claim comes from a people who’ve abandoned the great hike and traded their souls for a three-car garage and a business degree. Of course, not all of our parents turned out to be cowards and dupes, but the great majority opted for a plea bargain to forsake the struggle they started in the 1960s. Never mind our parents though. They’ve lived rough lives and ought to be left alone to think about what they’ve done. You and I on the other hand are faced with action . . . But, oh mercy, here is the great pause. We have problems we need to take care of. Problems

JIMMIE BRALEY jbraley@mscd.edu that are not of our creation, but problems we are faced with nonetheless. I cannot say exactly what must be done to rid ourselves of our terrible debt, to fix our deteriorating planet, to guarantee the future of freedom and health. We can hardly afford an education while feeding and sheltering ourselves. The vicious world that our parents have left us is making vast efforts every day to eat us alive and make us a part of its own digestive system. It is impossible for me to write this and pretend to convince myself, and all of you, that there are political solutions to our problems. Governments are run by selfish old men and women who care little for a planet that they are soon to leave behind. But government isn’t the biggest of our troubles. Im-

mense corporations like Time-Warner, Proctor and Gamble, ExxonMobil etc., are the prime enemy. The criminals who manage these thieving, murderous conglomerates have seized our government, and it has become an instrument of persuasion. We are experiencing a new and improved manner of slavery. We have become numbers, not individuals. What is your name? Is it Mike or Joe, Sarah, Nicole, Pablo…? It doesn’t matter. You are a number. That is all. This is reality, folks. Our only hope now is to get wild and risk everything we thought we knew in order to build a more perfect world for our children and ourselves. We arrive back to the question, that great pause in our thoughts between suggestion and action. What in the world are we to do? There are those who’ve thought it best that they abandon all facets of modern society and hit the road as drifters and vagrants, sleeping next to railroad tracks, drinking themselves into oblivion so to combat the overwhelming pressures of assimilation. Those people have been beaten senseless by the world and found themselves trapped in the county jail. The masses are unlikely to abandon the security of contemporary life, and without their support the nomads of society will remain as such. There are other means by which to accom-

plish reformation though: Rise up and raise hell. It has been said that the most effective way to tinker with the modern system is economically. This translates to all of us (indeed all of us, the people) refusing to pay our taxes which grow to be billions of dollars every week to support fraudulent wars and evil schemes to shore up the rich, refusing to work and utterly refusing to sponsor our tyrannical government. It is our constitutional duty to make these refusals. There will be hardships and things will get much worse before they can get any better, but any means to end the current destruction of life that we live to support would be valid. I have a proposal: I’ve mentioned it before and have always been serious as hell. The Democratic National Convention, or DNC, is coming to our doorstep. This is our opportunity to rise up and show these phony excuses for human beings dubbed politicians how very unhappy we are. Let us scream at the top of our lungs at every attempt they make to speak at us. Let us shower them with putrid, rotten fruit. I’ll buy it. We will spit on them and deny them any of what little respect we might have left. Let us rise up and raise hell. You have my e-mail address. I am now recruiting.

IN RESPONSE » Letters to the editor

Acknowledgement of faith crucial for discussion Re: Betterment of species by Jimmie Braley, Sept. 20 Faith and environmental problem solving are incompatible? Mr. Braley, it’s only fair to begin my response on a positive note; I have never read an opening sentence that so completely captured my attention as did the one in your article, “Betterment of species over nature is discreditable.” Aesthetically, it was a bit nihilistic for my taste (though that describes your piece as a whole), but by no means does that invalidate the meaningful and altogether necessary point you made. My intrigue and objection lies not with your fa-

talistic tone, but with your disregard — or is there a better euphemism for contempt? — of “spirituality” and the general practice of facing crises with faith. You stipulated, or rather, asked your readers to “imagine for a moment” that a benevolent deity basically doesn’t exist. (I hope that’s accurate paraphrasing.) Since your article was essentially predicated on that assumption, I must ask: What if the opposite is true? If “our incredible ability to comprehend our environment and ourselves is not without some merit,” isn’t it fair to give the benefit of the doubt to a concept to which countless billions of humans have devoted themselves? Whether or not a God exists, enough of humankind is affected by faith, and choices made as a result thereof, for

even the greatest cynic to pragmatically lend it at least hypothetical validity: at worst, it merits acknowledgement for the purposes of discussion. If I may paraphrase again, one of the most thought provoking of your suggestions was that of solving our species’ problems ourselves rather than focusing on grace and/or assistance from God. My question to you is this: why do you believe the two to be mutually exclusive? Perhaps we could talk it over sometime — maybe after throwing rotten fruit at candidates at the DNC. (Say when, and I’ll be there.) Tanith Murphy-Bixby, student evilfuzzymonster@gmail.com

Only the poor themselves can fix poverty problem Re: Poverty fix not easy by David Pollan, Oct. 11 I believe you are gravely mistaken in your article. Fixing poverty is not just a difficult task, but it is one that will never be fixed. Most of the homeless individuals in America simply want to be just a lazy bum on the street. I realize that there are people out there that are down on their luck or just had a hard time in their life, but the majority of the homeless in America do not want to

take the steps necessary to pull themselves up. There are so many programs out there to help the homeless, but they are largely not taken advantage of, or if they are, the majority of the time they are kicked out of the program because of drug or alcohol abuse. If you just give someone on the street a dollar, what is their incentive to strive for something more and to get a job? Are they going to use that dollar you give them to save up and buy some clothes at ARC or Goodwill so they can get a job? No, more than likely it will be used on cigarettes, alcohol or drugs.

The Metropolitan welcomes all letters from Metro students, teachers, faculty and administration. Letters must be typed and submitted to The Metropolitan by 3 p.m., Monday before production. Send letters to dpollan@mscd.edu or

Don’t get me wrong, I firmly believe in helping out your fellow man. I give money every month to a charity that helps children in Bangladesh, and 85 percent of every dollar I give goes directly to the children. I also believe that there are too many opportunities in America to give every homeless person you see on the street money. They need to take and learn responsibility and that will not happen through handouts. Alexander Wood, Metro student awood13@mscd.edu

leave your letter for David Pollan in the Office of Student Media, Tivoli Student Union, Room 313. Editors reserve the right to edit all letters for content, clarity and space. Letters must be signed and dated with contact information.

THE METROPOLITAN Since 1979

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF David D. Pollan dpollan@mscd.ed NEWS EDITOR Andrew Flohr-Spence spencand@mscd.edu ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Amy Woodward awoodwa5@mscd.edu FEATURES EDITOR Josie Klemaier jklemaie@mscd.edu ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR Rachael Beieler rbeiele2@mscd.edu MUSIC EDITOR Jeremy Johnson jjohn308@mscd.edu SPORTS EDITOR Eric Lansing lansing@mscd.edu ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Zac Taylor ztaylor2@mscd.edu PHOTO EDITOR Amie Cribley acribley@mscd.edu ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS Cora Kemp ckemp4@mscd.edu Dawn Madura dmadura@mscd.edu DESIGN EDITOR Nic Garcia ngarci20@mscd.edu ILLUSTRATOR Andrew Howerton ahowert2@mscd.edu COPY EDITORS Clayton Woullard cwoullar@mscd.edu Kate Johnson jokathry@mscd.edu James Kruger jkruger1@mscd.edu DIRECTOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Dianne Harrison Miller harrison@mscd.edu ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Donnita Wong wongd@mscd.edu 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 monthly 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. Tivoli Student Union, Room 313. P.O. Box 173362, Campus Box 57, Denver, CO 80217-3362.

sports THE METROPOLITAN » OCTOBER 18, 2007 » A11

»WOMEN’S SOCCER TAKES TWO ON ROAD »A12 »MEN’S SOCCER DEFEATS FORT LEWIS AGAIN »A12 »TAKING A RIDE WITH CYCLING PRO SAITO »A13

ERIC LANSING » SPORTS EDITOR » lansing@mscd.edu

SIDELINE

THIS WEEK »

Friday 9.19

SOCCER Women 1:00 p.m. vs. NMHighlands at Auraria field Men 3:30 p.m. vs. CU-Colorado Springs at Auraria Field VOLLEYBALL 7:00 p.m. at Regis in Denver

Saturday 9.20

VOLLEYBALL 7:00 p.m. at CU-Colorado Springs in Colorado Springs CROSS COUNTRY RMAC Championships in Durango, Times TBA

Sunday 9.21

SOCCER Women noon vs. CSU-Pueblo at Auraria Field Men 2:30 vs. CSU-Pueblo at Auraria Field

SAY WHAT? »

“Although it’s cliché, if you have three amazing practices, you are going to play like you practice, and that’s how we’ve been practicing. It has a lot to do with no excuses and all-out pursuit.” - Julie Green-McFarland, senior volleyball player on the reason her team is playing so well in their five-game winning streak.

DID YOU KNOW »

Metro volleyball player Julie Green-McFarland leads the RMAC in kills per game with 4.51 per contest. She has a .16 lead over Adams State’s Andrea Tucks.

NUMBERS GAME » 64

Consecutive weeks that women’s soccer had been ranked on the NSCAA/Adidas women’s soccer poll dating back to Sept. 23, 2002. The Roadrunners finally fell out of the rankings due to their third loss of the season.

Photo by CORA KEMP/ckemp4@mscd.edu

Outside hitter Kelsey Ellis and middle blocker Megan Murry block an attack attempt Oct. 13 against Western New Mexico at Auraria Court. Metro had six blocks in the contest and went on to sweep the Mustangs in three games. Ellis and Murry are freshmen and have made huge contributions to Metro’s 12-10 record.

Sweeping through RMAC Metro volleyball continues to win matches in three games, defeats WNM By ERIC LANSING lansing@mscd.edu Practice makes perfect, and Metro’s volleyball team must be making the most of their time in the gym during the week, as the Roadrunners easily defeated conference foes New Mexico Highlands 3-1 and Western New Mexico 3-0 in conference play Oct. 12 and 13 at Auraria Court. “We had amazing practices this week,” Metro outside hitter Julie Green-McFarland said. “We knew we had nothing to lose, and in our pregame pep talk, we said we needed to come out here being extra energized and to make sure we bring it to kick some butt.” Kicking some butt is an understatement for the ’Runners as they have won 10 out of their past 13 contests. In nine of those 10 victories, Metro has swept the opposition 3-0, and head coach Debbie Hendricks

has said throughout the season that her team needs more experience in four and five-game matches. Outside hitter Danielle St. Pierre believes her team has the conditioning to win games no matter if it goes three, four or five. “We just take a win however we can get it,” St. Pierre said. “It’s good that we are winning in three (games) and our coach thought we weren’t in good enough shape to be going five games so she would work us harder. So we ran a lot of sprints last week just to make sure we were disciplined, and I really think we’re in pretty decent shape.” In their first match against New Mexico Highlands, the match actually went four games, the first time for Metro since a 3-2 loss to Mesa State on Sept. 29. The last time Metro won a game that went four games or more was seven weeks ago on Sept. 1, when they defeated Lock Haven 3-2 at Auraria Court. In their match against New Mexico Highlands on Friday, Metro easily took a 2-0 lead winning game one 30-23 and game two 30-20. In game

two, outside hitter St. Pierre tallied seven kills helping Metro to a .316 kill percentage. The Cowgirls posted a .275 kill percentage to take game three 30-25, while Metro could only post .167. It also looked like New Mexico Highlands would even things up in game four holding a 23-18 lead over the ’Runners. But the Cowgirls, who came into the game with only one conference win in 11 tries, showed why they reside at the bottom of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings by committing eight attack errors, giving Metro the opportunity to chip away at the lead and take the ﬁnal 12 of 15 points to win the match. Game two of the weekend set had the makings of an all-out brawl between conference favorites in Metro and Western New Mexico. The Mustangs came to Auraria Court Oct. 13 with a 10-2 RMAC record looking to end the ’Runners winning streak. Western New Mexico, which was second in the conference in kill percentage at .212, was held to a very low .116 by Metro, and never got into

an offensive rhythm. Hendricks knew this was a key factor in defeating the Mustangs, and her team worked it to perfection. “I thought we did a great job of executing our gameplan,” Hendricks said. “We took advantage of our opportunities when we had them, and we were in system a lot.” St. Pierre continued her great play leading the Roadrunners to a 30-26, 30-19 and 30-28 victory over the Mustangs. She contributed 11 kills while hitting an impressive .500 kill percentage. She has really raised her game to another level as the redshirt freshman has posted 44 kills and a .355 kill percentage in the ﬁve-game winning streak. “I think I just have been working on my shots and seeing what’s open,” St. Pierre said. “Coach tells me not to be timid and to not stop swinging … just to keep swinging and to stay conﬁdent, and I have.” The ’Runners record now stands at 12-10, 10-3 in the RMAC and they will complete their road schedule Oct. 19 and 20 with games against Regis and against CU-Colorado Springs.

A12 » SPORTS » OCTOBER 18. 2007 » THE METROPOLITAN

Metro finds new winning formula Women get two wins in conference play, move to the top of the RMAC By BRODERICK JOHNSON bjohn116@mscd.edu Metro’s women’s soccer team used dazzling performances by their All-American goalkeeper Rachel Zollner to pick up two key conference victories, as they outlasted cross-town conference foe Regis University 2-1 on Oct. 12 and shutout Fort Lewis 2-0 two days later. The Roadrunners first victory of the weekend set came when midfielder Madison McQuilliams netted her 10th goal of the season off a Katie Kilbey assist that dribbled past Rangers goalkeeper Holly Redmond just minutes into the second half, giving Metro the lead for good. “The girls were ready to play and didn’t make many mistakes today,” said assistant coach Adrianne Almaraz who was filling in for head coach Danny Sanchez. He was absent after receiving a red card Oct. 7 during the previous game against Washburn. The ’Runners drew first blood when forward Becca Mays kicked in a perfect cross from midfielder Jaclyn Percy in the 34th minute. Metro didn’t own the lead for long, however, as Regis’ Cassie Cornett appeared to catch the ’Runners defense off guard when she tapped in a close range shot just 30 seconds later to tie the score

at one apiece heading into the second half. Zollner excelled in goal as she demonstrated once again why many consider her the pre-eminent goalkeeper in Division II, turning away shot after shot in the second period to preserve a 2-1 ’Runners victory. A pivotal moment in the contest came when the Metro goalkeeper displayed her All-American skills in rejecting three sure Regis goals in the game’s closing minutes to foil any hopes of a Ranger comeback. “Rachel’s awesome,” Percy said. “She erases a lot of our mistakes on defense.” Metro took their show on the road again as the team squared off against another Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opponent two days later at Dirks Field in Durango, CO. Kilbey and Mays, the team’s top two leading goal scorers, each knocked in a first-half goal to elevate Metro over the Skyhawks 2-0. Kilbey’s goal put the ’Runners on the board first when she found the back of the net in the 21st minute off an assist by midfielder Jenna Oney. Kilbey then fed Mays for the team’s second and final goal of the match eight minutes later. Zollner made four saves to secure a 2-0 win for Metro. “She is a very valuable asset to the team and a type of player that’s hard to replace,” said Almaraz of Zollner’s goalkeeping and leadership. With the victory, Zollner became

Metro’s all-time leader in career victories with 51. The Roadrunners improved their record to 11-3-1 overall, and 6-1-1 in the RMAC. Metro returns home to continue their conference play, hosting New Mexico-Highlands Friday Oct. 19 and CSU-Pueblo Oct. 21. Both games will be played at Auraria Field.

Metro women vs Regis (10/12/07) at Regis) GAME SCORE 1 2 Total Metro .................... 1 1 - 2 Regis......................... 1 0 - 1 STATS: Metro: Sh Becca Mays....... 3 M. McQuilliams 2 Katie Kilbey...... 1 Jaclyn Percy..... 1 J. Montoya........ 2 Jenna Oney....... 1

G 1 1 0 0 0 0

A 0 1 1 1 0 0

Regis.............Sh Cassie Cornet.. 3 E. Bevacqua... 3 H. Thomas..... 1 Ashley Daniel 1 Alyson Russel 1 Lexi Tagen...... 1

G 1 0 0 0 0 0

A 0 1 0 0 0 0

Metro women vs Fort Lewis (10/14/07) in Durango) GAME SCORE 1 2 Total Metro .................... 2 0 - 2 Fort Lewis.. ............... 0 0 - 0 STATS: Metro: Sh Katie Kilbey....... 4 Becca Mays...... 2 Jenna Oney...... 1 J. Montoya....... 1 Rachel Zollner... 1 Linnea Dengah . 1

G 1 1 0 0 0 0

A 0 0 1 1 0 0

Fort Lewis......Sh Sara Egbom.... 4 H. Hollenga... 3 L. Anderson... 2 S. Scales........ 1

G 0 0 0 0

A 0 1 0 0

Photo by CORA KEMP/ckemp4@mscd.edu

Metro midfielder Amanda Nance protects the ball from Regis midfielder Heather Thomas during their Oct. 12 meeting. The Roadrunners won the game by a final score of 2-1 off a shot by Madison McQuilliams in the 47th minute.

Men’s soccer continues undefeated streak in conference Metro takes draw with Mesa State, shuts out Fort Lewis in RMAC play By AUSTEN ROSENTHAL arosent3@mscd.edu Metro’s 11th-ranked men’s soccer team hasn’t lost in a long time. In fact, they haven’t lost since the beginning of September, spanning 13 games. The Roadrunners made sure to make keep the streak alive as they managed a 1-1 tie against Mesa State on Oct. 12, coupled with a 2-0 win against Fort Lewis Oct. 14 in Durango. In their first match, Mesa State got off to an early start with a goal in the 18th minute. Maverick defender Jake Jobe got his first goal of the season to put the Mavericks up 1-0 when he hit a shot that went top shelf on an assist from midfielder Sam Pinegar. The shot was placed perfectly in

the left corner of the net where Metro goalkeeper Ryan Vickery couldn’t make a save on it. Shortly after, in the 26th minute, Shaun Elbaum answered for the Roadrunners, slotting a pass from Ola Sandquist past Mesa State’s goalkeeper Josh Tinaglia. With only two goals scored the entire game and with the score knotted at one for the remainder of regulation, the two teams battled back and forth. There were some hard fouls on both sides of the ball and tensions were high. Six minutes into the first overtime, Metro midfielder Kellen Johnson was given a red card after a goal was called back on an offside call. Johnson, who had all ready been red carded in a game earlier this season, forced his teammates to play a man down for the rest of the first overtime and the entire second overtime. Neither team could break the tie and the game ended at 1-1. The Roadrunners outshot Mesa State 36-21 and

had 14 of the game’s 15 corner kicks, though Tinaglia had a great game with 14 saves. “I know we are going to do great things in the playoffs this year,” Johnson said. “I hope my red card doesn’t affect the team in any negative way and that I can do whatever possible to contribute for the rest of the season.” Metro then headed to Durango to play conference rival Fort Lewis two days later. The Skyhawks were the No. 2 team in the league and the Roadrunners looked to put up backto-back wins against them without the services of Johnson. The Roadrunners snapped an eight-game losing streak against Fort Lewis with an emotional 5-3 win at Auraria Field earlier this season. Both teams possessed the ball well in the ﬁrst half, but the defenses were strong and neither team was able to score. In the 69th minute, however, Metro ﬁnally punched one through

as defender Ryan Brooks had an unassisted goal on a nice play to put Metro on the board. With the 1-0 lead, Metro continued their defensive dominance, allowing only ﬁve shots on goal, all saved by Vickery. With 4:36 left in the second half, a Fort Lewis foul resulted in a penalty kick for Metro. Metro forward Phillip Owen was selected to take the kick and he put it past Fort Lewis goalkeeper Zane Wells for Metro’s second goal. Owen, Metro’s all-time leading point scorer, is giving defenses nightmares this season, scoring 15 goals and four assists. He has 34 points and he leads the entire Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. With the 2-0 win over Fort Lewis, Metro improves to 12-1-3 overall and 7-0-3 in the RMAC. The Roadrunners will next take on the the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Oct. 19 in conference play at Auraria ﬁeld.

Metro men vs Mesa State (10/12/07) in Grand Junction) GAME SCORE 1 2 Total Metro .................... 1 0 - 1 Mesa State ............... 1 0 - 1 STATS: Metro: Sh Shaun Elbaum.. 7 Ola Sandquist. 2 Mark Cromie.... 9 Kellen Johnson 5 Mike Martinez.. 4 Ryan Brooks...... 3

G 1 0 0 0 0 0

A 0 1 0 0 0 0

Mesa State.....Sh Jake Jobe........ 4 Sam Pinegar.. 0 Sam Dixon..... 6 Eric Anderson 5 T. Amerman... 1 Mitchell Reid..1

G 1 0 0 0 0 0

A 0 1 0 0 0 0

G 0 0 0 0 0 0

A 0 0 0 0 0 0

Metro men vs Fort Lewis (10/14/07 in Durango) GAME SCORE 1 2 Total Metro .................... 0 2 - 2 Fort Lewis.... ............ 0 0 - 0 STATS: Metro: Sh Phillip Owen..... 5 Ryan Brooks.... 3 Mark Cromie.... 3 J. Meredith...... 2 Steven Emory.... 1 Ola Sandquist... 1

G 1 1 0 0 0 0

A 0 0 0 0 0 0

Fort Lewis......Sh D. Oberholtzer 2 Kieran Hall.... 2 David Barden 2 Tom Settle.... 1 Nick Kirchoﬀ.. 1 Byron Cephers 1

THE METROPOLITAN « OCTOBER 18. 2007 « SPORTS « A13

Finding a home in U.S. has given cyclist drive Saito breaks away from family, basketball to ﬁnd love in mountain biking By ZAC TAYLOR ztaylor2@mscd.edu At 27, Yuki Saito is poised for a professional career in cycling. But just three years ago he came to the U.S. from Japan, without any familiar faces in Denver, or even a competent knowledge of English. He grew up in Tokyo, the son of two music teachers and the younger brother of a sister following her parents’ path. Yet, he chose to deviate from the musical road of his family members, and he wound up playing basketball for Nippon Sport Science University, one of the top college teams in Japan. “I was on the team, but I wasn’t the best,” Saito said. “I tried hard but I couldn’t make it (to the professional league).” So he earned his degree from the university, but he no longer pursued basketball. Instead he began working as a personal trainer. Then, having visited Denver once before, he decided to move there. “I wanted to start something new,” Saito said. “I came to Denver once before, and I liked it.” And like that, a basketball player from the largest city in the world moved to a country where he didn’t know the language, leaving his

friends and family back in Japan. When he ﬁrst came to the U.S. he needed to learn the language, so he enrolled at language school. Soon Saito had found a new passion in a sport he had never seen back home. “My teacher at the English language school was into mountain biking, so he took me to the mountains,” he said. Already an outdoors fanatic back home, he now had a new sport that let him experience the opportunities that Colorado has to offer. For the next year, as Saito learned English, he was either mountain biking, hiking or trail running — anything that took him up to the mountains. “I wanted to be an outdoor activities director, a tour guide,” Saito said about his initial goals in the U.S. He has always loved the outdoors and all of the activities around it, but his opportunities were limited in Japan. “I didn’t have a chance to do outdoors stuff because there are no mountains in Tokyo,” Saito said. Now he’s expanded his interests beyond mountain sports, but not beyond the outdoors, as he recently ran the Denver half marathon with his girlfriend. And as a testament to his endurance, he had been mountain bike racing for Metro only the day before. This endurance is why Saito has propelled to No. 2 in the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Cycling Conference rankings. He has yet to outright

“My teacher at the English language school was into mountain biking so he took me to the mountains.” YUKI SAITO win an event in any of the races this season, but he is always just behind the leaders. He has also competed in every race so far this year, even when it involves cross-state drives and, maybe, a half marathon the following day. His ranking is second only to rider Bryan Alders from the University of Colorado at Boulder, who fellow Metro rider Ben Stein declared the best in the conference. Yet, Saito is still guaranteed a place in the nationals, which will be held in two weeks in North Carolina. As the only Metro participant, he will be representing the rest of his teammates including Stein, who founded the club. “We have one professional rider right now,” Stein said about his teammate. “Yuki (Saito) is a great rider and a pro.” Following nationals, Saito will be graduating in the spring and his collegiate mountain biking career will be over. But he still wants to continue riding.

Photo by KRISTI DENKE/ kdenke@mscd.edu

Metro club cyclist Yuki Saito tells his story of how he went from playing basketball on one of the top teams in Japan, to becoming one of the top mountain bikers in the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Cycling Conference. Saito hopes to continue his biking career after college and take his skills back to Japan. “I would like to pursue a career in cycling,” he said. “I’m going to try and get a contract with a pro cycling team like Trek or Specialized.” Saito already rides at the pro level with the Walt Works team, so he knows about competition. He just hasn’t yet earned the wages that many of the other riders make. His

contingency plan if he doesn’t make a big pro team in the U.S. is to return to Japan where he notes that, “the competition is at a much lower level.” His top goal, however, is to return to his home country as a competitor for the next Olympic Games. “My ultimate goal is riding for Japan,” Saito said, smiling.

Purple haze all in my brain, Rockies aren’t the same I always thought that World Series and Colorado Rockies should not be said or written in the same sentence unless it is connected with the word “never”. The odds in Las Vegas agreed, saying at the start of the season that the Rockies were a 100-1 favorite to win the Major League Baseball championship. And at one point during the season the odds even fell to 300-1 when they were nine games under .500. I know I was one of the ﬁrst Rockies bashers to exile this team to the bottom of the standings and giving them next to no chance of competing for a winning record, let alone a World Series invite. Even on my college newscast, I took a minute and a half of time on the air to thwart the notion that the Colorado Rockies would be worth the price of admission, even in the Rockpile section. But here we are in October, still watching Clint Hurdle and the gang

playing important baseball in a town that has been burning for playoff baseball since the Rockies first played in the postseason in 1995. As Troy Tulowitzki picked up that ground ball and fired it back to first base for the final out to complete the sweep of the National League Championship Series, I was stuck in my chair wondering if what I was seeing was real. Everyone else around me jumped to their feet, cheering and hugging one another, and already making plans on where to watch Game One of the World Series. But I was still awestruck by the unbelievable occurrence before my eyes, and my brother had to grab my shoulder and shrug me a little, to kind of wake me from my state of disbelief, as he said to me, “Oh, it’s real, Eric.” Later that evening I saw a small four-page newspaper issued by the Rocky Mountain News updating the city on our local baseball team head-

Well, Merry Christmas Todd Helton; I know this is what you wanted, and it has been a long time coming for you.

ERIC LANSING lansing@mscd.edu ing to the big game. I opened it up to see something that threw me for a loop. On the second page, it showed a picture of the Rocky’s opening day issue, which showed three kids in a row in the stands with the headline reading “Root, root, root for the home team.” I can recall the day I saw that cover and thought to myself how long a season that it may be for the Rockies. And I hoped fans weren’t getting their

hopes up too much because this team lacked the talent and experience to make any kind of noise in the chase for the National League pennant. “Boy, you were wrong” goes here, for those already uttering the words as you ﬁnished reading that last sentence. But in retrospect, those kids on the cover emulated the youthful exuberance the Rockies’ players themselves showed throughout this season. Players such as Matt Holliday, Garrett Atkins, Ubaldo Jimenez, Jeff Francis, Brad Hawpe and Tulowitzki, just to name a few, are all major contributors to this astonishing run, and all have three years or less of major league experience. In fact, 15 of the 25-man roster have three years or

less on their resumé, minus the old veteran Todd Helton, who has 10 years of pro ball under his belt. But you couldn’t tell as he received the throw from Tulowitzki for the ﬁnal out and screamed like a kid would after opening his presents on Christmas Day. Well, Merry Christmas Todd Helton; I know this is what you wanted, and it is has been a long time coming for you. Maybe with youth comes stupidity, or maybe ignorance is a better word, when they don’t realize that their team should not be on the biggest stage in the world of baseball. But yet here they are defying the odds from fans, experts, myself, and yes, even those in Vegas.