vol104issue09

Can Radio 104’s Return Save Connecticut Airwaves?

- Page 12

OPINION A Place for Teaching, Not Indoctrination - Page 5 SPORTS Devil’s Perform Bypass on Sacred Heart - Page 8 LIFESTYLES It’s Rowling’s Character - Page 15

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Volume 104 No. 9

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS Faculty Hold Closed Town Hall Meeting to Discuss President Miller Melissa Traynor

Melissa Traynor

News Editor

News Editor

Justin Kloczko

Opinion Editor

Slightly over a tenth of the CCSU faculty met behind closed doors Monday, some of them cutting classes short to attend. While proponents for both sides of the no-confidence vote were allotted time to speak, many expressed feelings of ambiguity towards the topic. Students and press were barred from attending.

The resolution, which declares “the faculty lacks confidence in the leadership of President Jack Miller,” was debated and moderated by Senate President Dr. Timothy Craine of the mathematical sciences department.

In accordance with the guidelines that were agreed upon at the Oct. 22 Faculty Senate meeting which state that the vote is to be held within 1530 days from authorization, numbered ballots will be distributed to and collected from faculty through mail beginning Thursday, Nov. 8.

In reference to a group of faculty members who were advocating for the submission of blank ballots, Craine said that some people intended to express their discontent with the vote itself.

“I think it reflects that many people are very ambivalent about this situation,” Craine said.

Dr. George Murphy, adjunct professor to the mathematics department, said that many of the day’s vocal participants at the town hall meeting were voting according to their own individ-

Quinnipiac University’s editorial staff of the student-run newspaper, The Chronicle, is finding itself at odds with the administration due to attempts made by the school’s President John Lahey to prevent publication of certain content.

The Chronicle had planned on printing an article about a racial slur incident that happened on the university campus in late August, but the request to post the article online was rejected by the President. Seeing as the incident occurred before The Chronicle’s Sept. 12 issue, the staff petitioned to post the news on their Web site.

When their request was denied, the editorial staff had alerted the administration that they intended on passing out copies of the issue on paper.

Lahey had reasoned that the news on the Internet should correspond with the hard copy.

“It should come out when it normally comes out,” Lahey said, according to The Chronicle.

In an open letter to the President, The Chronicle’s Editor-inChief Jason Braff wrote, “the Chronicle is published for the students, more than half of whom go to the Web site to get the latest news from The Chronicle. The newspaper is for the students...isn’t it?”

Braff declined comment under the advice against speaking to external press.

See Behind Closed Doors page 3 SEND IN YOUR THOUGHTS

See Quinnnipiac page 3

Students have yet to be asked their opinion on the debate over the confidence in President Miller.

Blue Devils Tie, Clinch Last Spot in Tournament

The Recorder is interested in reading your opinion on this faculty vote.

Send us an e-mail at ccsurecorder@gmail.com

Conrad Akier / The Recorder

A Tour of New Britain’s Murals Mark Rowan

Editor-in-Chief One of the highlights of last week’s “Night at the Museum” event, which partnered CCSU with the New Britain Museum of American Art and the city of New Britain, was the guided bus tour that took students, alumni and faculty around Central’s campus, downtown and finally to the museum for Thursday evening’s festivities.

Many of the murals on campus and around the city have been created by Professor Mike Alewitz and his mural painting class. However, the mural in the Bellin Gallery was produced by Milton Bellin back when CCSU was known as Teachers College of Connecticut. A colorful mural

Quinnipiac Administration Aims to Suppress Student News

in the Center for Caribbean and Latin American Studies represents social and political freedom, as well as people and objects that portray Caribbean culture. Alewitz said that there are over 50 murals on campus.

“It is the largest collection of murals on any campus that I know of,” said Alewitz during his discussion of the “Swords to Plowshares” mural, which was dedicated today at noon to “the often-invisible immigrant workers here at Central.” The mural can be found at the Vance Academic Center loading dock.

Alewitz also explained how his class and most muralists produce their work. The artwork begins with what the artist wants to portray to the public. It is then sketched on a much

See New Britain’s Murals page 3

Mark Rowan / The Recorder Antonio Garcia-Lozada discusses the Caribbean Studies Center’s mural http://clubs.ccsu.edu/recorder/

Karyn Danforth

Staff Writer The Blue Devils (6-8-2, 43-2) clinched the fourth and final Northeast Conference playoff spot after tying St. Francis (NY) 1-1 in New Britain on Sunday afternoon.

The Blue Devils will be appearing in the postseason for the second time in three seasons.

Junior captain David Tyrie scored his first collegiate goal in the 34th minute of the contest when Tyrie positioned himself to followup junior captain Yan Klukowski’s free kick. Klukowski successfully crossed to Tyrie, who headed it in right past Terrier sophomore goalkeeper, Chris Antonino. This was Klukowski’s fifth assist of the season, and his stellar play has helped the Blue Devils boast a five game unbeaten streak.

See Blue Devils Tie page 9

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News Wednesday, November 7, 2007

The Recorder

Student Center 1615 Stanley Street New Britain, CT 06050 T 860.832.3744 F 860.832.3747 ccsurecorder@gmail.com http://clubs.ccsu.edu/recorder/ Editor-in-Chief Mark Rowan Managing Editor Christopher Boulay Art Director/Designer Jamie Paakkonen Associate Layout Editor Conrad Akier Copy Editor Samantha Sullivan Lifestyles Editor Stephanie Bergeron Sports Editor Peter Collin Entertainment Editor Edward Gaug Opinion Editor Justin Kloczko News Editor Melissa Traynor Web Editor John Vignali Staff Amanda Ciccatelli Karyn Danforth Steve Hart Jeff Hayden Matthew Jurkiewicz Rob Messer Erin McAuliffe Brian Morache Joe Zajac

NAACP Chapter Rallies Against Racism Erin McAuliffe

Staff Writer Concerned students from CCSU’s chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Black Student Union, Youth for Socialist Action, Progressive Student Alliance and others held a rally last Wednesday to raise awareness of racism on both a national and a local level.

About 100 students and faculty members gathered to hear multiple speakers, some of which came from outside of the university.

Carol E. Brown, the President and founder of the West Haven Black Coalition, spoke passionately about the need for unity and respect between students of all races and ethnicities on campus and expressed personal outrage.

“I never expected to have to do what I am doing today, in 2007,” said Brown, a member of the NAACP since the age of 14.

She pointed out the necessity of addressing racism on campus in an honest way.

“People need to be able to admit it so it

can be corrected, so we can move on,” she said, echoing the concerns of a couple of student leaders who also spoke at the rally.

The next speaker from off-campus was Deacon Arthur Miller, the director of Black Ministries for the Hartford Diocese and author of the book The Journey to Chatham: Why Emmett Till’s Murder Changed America; A Personal Story.

After recounting the murder of Emmett Till as the event that catalyzed the civil rights movement in the 50s, Miller said that the murder was over 50 years ago and yet the remnants of injustice and bigotry are reoccurring.

“The question of justice wronged and righteousness denied must be taken up again.

In this state and at this university, the voracity of that reality can no longer be ignored,” Miller said.

CCSU President Jack Miller said that there is currently a growing list of at least 70 suggestions for increasing diversity and improving campus climate, many of which have been initiated by student activists.

“We will be publishing that list and we

will be holding ourselves accountable for progress on that list,” he said.

Dwayne Denton, a CCSU graduate who remains active within the NAACP chapter at the university, said that the students felt that this would also be a great opportunity to raise money for the Hartford Rescue Mission, a shelter in the Hartford area.

“This [rally] is a step forward in the right direction because, basically, in the last year and a half Central’s taken a step backwards,” he commented, referencing the onslaught of negative press that CCSU has received in recent months.

Francisco Ramirez, the treasurer of the NAACP at CCSU and president of the organization’s Political Committee, said that since the NAACP’s member base on campus has become stronger in the past few semesters.

He expressed hope that the demonstration would bring more awareness to campus, commenting that the rally was more of an educational outreach to students than to protest for specific policies from the school’s administration.

Harvard Study: Adjusting Habits Increases Fertility Natasha S. Whitney

Harvard Crimson (Harvard) Forget psychics, pills and pricey in vitro fertilization-for some women, combating infertility may be as easy as adjusting eating and exercising habits, according to a study released Wednesday by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH).

In one of the first studies of its kind, researchers found that specific dietary patterns, vigorous physical activity, and maintaining a healthy body mass index can lead to a substantial decrease in the rate of infertility due to ovulatory disorders.

According to Jorge E. Chavarro, co-author of the report and research fellow at HSPH, the specific dietary patterns include taking multivitamins containing folic acid and iron, avoiding trans fats, and choosing fish, eggs, and whole grains over chicken, red meat and white bread.

The researchers conducted the study by

surveying a group of 18,000 women struggling with infertility on their lifestyle and diets.

Chavarro said that there are many causes of infertility in women, including blocked fallopian tubes, which cannot be treated by strictly dietary and physical means. However, the most common contributor to female infertility -- problems with ovulation -- can often be abetted by these means, according to the study.

Currently one in six couples struggle with infertility, and ovulatory problems have been diagnosed in 18 to 30 percent of those cases, according to the press release for the study.

Until now, most reports on infertility have focused on how it can be influenced by medicine and surgery.

“This is the first big long-term study in the world that’s taken a look at diet and exercise and its affects on fertility,” said Patrick Skerrett, author of the book, “The Fertility Diet: Groundbreaking Research Reveals Natural Ways to Boost Ovulation and Improve Your Chances of Getting Pregnant.” The book

is based on the report and will be published this coming December, he said.

Chavarro and co-author Walter C. Willett, director of the department of nutrition at HSPH, chose to track body weight, level of physical activity, multivitamin supplements, and certain dietary adjustments on the basis of past studies that correlated these factors with diabetes in women. The authors believed that these correlations were important because they speculated that sensitivity to insulin is also related to ovulatory function in women.

Currently, Harvard University Dining Services works closely with HSPS and Willett to design meal plans.

Not only are our dining halls free of trans fats, they also provide other fertility-friendly options daily, according to HUDS spokeswoman Crista Martin.

These foods include low glycemic carbohydrates like whole grain pasta and bread and protein from healthy sources like soy beans and chickpeas.

President Miller Speaks at Meeting, Hears Student Concerns Melissa Traynor

News Editor

The Recorder is a student-produced publication of Central Connecticut State University and does not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the views of CCSU’s administrators, faculty, or students. The Recorder articles, photographs, and graphics are property of the Recorder and may not be reproduced or published without the written permission from the Editor-in-Chief.

The purpose of the Recorder is to approach and define issues of importance to the students of Central Connecticut State University.

In response to the CCSU campus’s calls for diversity and plans to improve the mix of programs offered, University President Jack Miller devoted much of his first presentation on minority students’ topics this year at the Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday.

Eleven students and faculty members took advantage of the open hour for questions following his speech directly regarding topics on diversity.

Following the other reports from WCSU, SCSU and ECSU’s presidents, Miller had divided his presentation into three sub-topics: overall enrollment, access and success.

In focusing on the latter categories, Miller discussed the increases in minority students and cited that African American enrollment has risen 37 percent and Hispanic/ Latino is up 34 percent over the past four years.

“We have to retain those students and we have to graduate those students,” Miller said.

“The single most important thing is the four percent increase in graduation rates in one year. It’s a good indicator that the things people are doing are starting to take hold.”

He later specified a plan detailed with over 10 objectives to address issues in diversity and equality including surveying the cam-

pus climate, holding a “Cultural Diversity Day at CCSU” and promoting the recruitment of more Hispanic and Latino candidates for Executive Managerial positions.

Beginning at 11 a.m., CCSU student Reinaldo Rivera heralded the influx of over 50 faculty and students.

Rivera, in representation of the Central Organization for Latin American Dance Awareness, requested that the Board and CCSU to make a recommendation regarding requirements for executive boards of student clubs and organizations.

“What can the school do for students and what can be enforced?” Rivera asked. In similar tones, individuals such as Yessica Amparo of the Latin American Student Organization, Dr. C. Charles Mate-Kole of the Center for Africana Studies, Warren Perry of anthropology and Joanne Diplacido of psychology demanded the same.

“There is a sense of indifference. The administration does not have compassion and it trickles down to the students,” Diplacido said.

The CSU System Chancellor Dr. David G. Carter and chair of the Board, Lawrence D. McHugh, fielded many of the questions and stressed that much of the responsibility lies in the hands of the whole campus.

“It takes the entire community to address this issue. I’ll make two suggestions. The first

is that students can come together [to do something] and use this as a way to talk,” Carter said in reference to the University of Connecticut’s Unity Center.

“The second is that everybody has to believe that [an issue] is important,” he said.

“It’s our job as individuals to stand up and be counted.”

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Wednesday, November 7, 2007

New Britain’s Murals

Quinnipiac

smaller scale and put into grids.

These grids are then recreated on a wall to make a fluent transition from sketch to large scale work.

The tour started in the Student Center and with a mural that has a deep history with the university. Milton Bellin’s mural, which dates back to 1938, was the setting for the tour introduction.

Professor Elizabeth Langhorne of the art department and Professor Briann Greenfield of the history department served as the tour guides and pointed out some of the major figures in Bellin’s mural. At the center of the mural stands Dr. Welte, then president of CCSU. Other university personalities of the time are also pictured such as the Dean of Men and the Dean of Women.

“There is a terrific amount of history in the mural,” said Langhorne of Bellin’s work, which was found in the attic of Davidson and relocated to the Student Center in the 1970s.

The mural in the Caribbean Studies Center was painted by Jorge Morales, who received his masters in art at CCSU. Antonio Garcia-Lozada, director of the Center, pointed out and described the various people and items featured and their role in Caribbean history.

Memorial Hall is one of many places where murals on campus are prominently featured. Katie Roche’s and Charlie Crestraven’s murals on the north side of Memorial Hall both have had brushes with controversy.

Roche’s mural touches upon conformity through religion and politics, but the representation of nude women had some people talking.

“Basically, a lot of people thought this mural was offensive because it portrays nude women,” said Roche, who also mentioned that people wanted the mural painted over,

In an editorial “QU is not a business,” by Chris Kurker-Stewart, The Chronicle has criticized Lahey in terms of his resistance to addressing issues such as diversity and race in an open setting.

“Refusing to discuss issues like racism in anything but a closeddoor environment helps no one and fosters the exact kind of ignorance that a university is, by its very nature, supposed to combat,” KurkerStewart wrote.

The piece has taken the position that the President has intentionally trampled the reach of the newspaper and has defended his actions in saying that The Chronicle is prone to misquoting and is cautious about speaking in public about sensitive issues for this reason.

Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1

Mark Rowan / The Recorder Briann Greenfield tells the history of the First Lutheran Church’s mural. despite nudes being an integral part of the history of art.

Crestraven’s mural, which is located next to Roche’s, symbolizes Connecticut’s role in the slave trade.

“I tried to tell a story that isn’t well known—the history of our state,” said Crestraven. His mural, which depicts slaves carrying an anvil with the Connecticut flag emblazoned on it, is a play on the Iwo Jima memorial.

After the walking tour of the campus, the busses left for the First Lutheran Church at 77 Franklin Square and the YWCA on Glen Street. There are two murals created by Alewitz’s classes on the back of both buildings. The mural on the back of the church represents the many different cultures in New Britain. Greenfield explained it is a twopart mural, with the second piece in Sicily.

The tour concluded at the museum where Thomas Benton’s mural is on display. Much of the “Night of the Museum” was centered on Benton’s work, as students gave their own interpretations and modernizations of the mural. The mural was created in the worst winter of the depression and shows an array of American life, starting with the Native Americans and moving up through the depression.

“This is one of the most exciting programs I’ve ever had the privilege of participating in,” said Provost Carl Lovitt, who received an invitation to take the relationship between the museum and the university to a new level. Previously the relationship strictly consisted of free admission to the museum for students and faculty.

The paper accused Lahey of suppressing what news he believes is negative press and has pointed out that the President only cares for the university’s image.

“Picking and choosing what information people can access has no place under the American Constitution, and Quinnipiac will never reach the prominence it seeks as long as it employs such a policy,” Kurker-Stewart wrote.

The Public Affairs Office also declined comment, explaining that they “do not see the point in replying to questions, except to say [that] we never in any way prevented the publication of a story regarding a recent racial slur incident on campus.”

Say What?

The Recorder asked students if they had any comments or opinions about the faculty’s decision to vote no-confidence in President Jack Miller and whether they thought the referendum would have an influence on students.

“He probably did a lot more than just the negative things. I think they should get more of a response out of him. They should try to get him to do a press conference to try and explain himself. He probably could do more for us than what they’re portraying of him.”

Freddie Gardner Junior, Marketing

“It might make students think that there’s no stability around campus.”

Jason Foster Freshman, Business

Behind Closed Doors Continued from page 1

ual opinions and, most likely, already knew which way they were going to vote.

“There’s no way you can come up with a prediction [as to the outcome of the vote] because the people in there are the people who want to bitch. The people who are going to make a difference- they’re not there,” Murphy said.

“I think it’s going to hurt us,” he added.

Faculty Senate Secretary Abigail Adams of the anthropology department said that professors who were either in favor of or against voting no-confidence in President Miller could speak freely at any time and as well as members with questions.

“The primary purpose is to make this process fair,” she said.

It was also possible for faculty who could not attend the meeting to present a single page statement to be

read by Adams.

The verdict as to whether the resolution was adopted will be announced at the Nov. 26 meeting of the Faculty Senate, which is followed by an open town hall event on Dec. 3.

Adams said that those in attendance at the town hall meeting will discuss how they can use the information gathered.

“I don’t know [Miller’s] personality, I haven’t been here long enough to know whether he’s a good leader or not. I have heard a lot of negative comments about the president but I don’t want to base my personal judgments on things I’ve heard.”

Shavana Musa Sophomore, International Student

“In regards to the whole Recorder thing, he doesn’t deserve to be fired. I think he’s a nice guy. I had lunch with him once. “ Ryan Ensling Senior, Meteorology Mathematical Sciences

“I’m generally apathetic. It doesn’t concern us.”

Paul Hanusch Senior, History Education

“He’s still going to be president.

He’s not going to be fired. It’s blown out of proportion. They should sit down with him. It’s pretty ridiculous.”

Steve Kinane First-year graduate student Counseling and Higher Education

“What’s the point?”

Alicia Valentine Senior, English Education

Editorial/Opinion

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Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Editorial After all the recent hysteria among certain faculty bringing attention to the need of a no-confidence vote, it is misleading and unreasonable to be holding secretive town hall meetings—a place for public discussion—behind closed doors and away from any students or reporters. The Freedom of Information Act makes it the right of the public to access such information. The faculty barred the public from entering the meeting Monday that was relevant to the impending vote on President Miller, which affects all members of the CCSU community, students included.

We see no reason why the convening of the faculty to discuss the vote should be any different from other times they have met about the issue. It is unjust to the rest of the university when professors isolate the campus from being informed. Jack Miller is a public servant, so are the faculty at CCSU. When a number of faculty were asked why it was a closeddoor meeting, none could come up with a decent response.

One faculty member repeatedly gave the cop-out, “because we

wanted to and can” answer. Another faculty member blamed it on the press, claiming that a room full of people speaking their minds wouldn’t be well received if that room included reporters. She said people were afraid of being misquoted, but couldn’t give any reasons why she would think that would happen. Professor Matthew Warshauer’s comment saying he doesn’t give “interviews to racist, sexist and homophobic publications” does nothing but stifle the free flow of information, which allows the students he should be serving to stay informed.

The no-confidence scenario tacked alongside secrecy has no value. If faculty want their voices to be heard then they should not be afraid of letting their positions be documented and transmitted. There should be no reason to block the media if the people stand firmly behind their opinion on President Miller.

The professors who are aggressively advocating this noconfidence crucifixion of President Miller—Mr. Warshauer

especially—are increasingly making it more about themselves than the university. They appear selfish and fail to bring a shred of reasoning to why Miller should be ousted. Instead, they are creating an exhausting atmosphere of petty complaints. All the grievances brought to the table are unsubstantial and counterproductive to the steps that could be taken to improve our university.

If Warshauer and company wanted sufficient change, if they really cared about the university as a whole, then they should depersonalize their attacks on Miller and ask the campus in general to take a vote of confidence with the faculty and administration.

This trivial complaining ultimately needs to be focused on the issue of improving the university as a whole, not just for professors, but for the students as well. A majority of students on campus feel a major gap between themselves and this university, and the faculty and their secretive meetings are only making this disconnect greater.

Quinnipiac President Fails to Paint Pretty Picture Vegan Food Isn’t Scary Editor, In Marissa Blazko’s generally well meaning and competently written review of Ahimsa (“Feeling Vegan?” October 23, 2004), it’s unfortunate that she falls back on uninformed stereotypes about veganism in what I can only imagine is an effort to be witty.

“In general, vegan food is scary,” she says. In truth, vegan food is no “scarier” than non-vegan food. If you know how to cook, your vegan meals will be delicious and satisfying. If you want scary, go to your neighborhood fast-food chain for a disease inducing cheeseburger.

She also describes bean curd (aka tofu) as “gelatinous” is a slap in the face to this wonderful food. Gelatin is the boiled down product of slaughterhouse waste--bones, cartilage and ligaments, etc. Gross. Tofu is nutritious, healthy, cruelty free and can be prepared in a million tasty ways.

I’m sorry to say that unlike “certain treehugging roommates” Ms. Blazko may be acquainted with, not all vegans are environmentalists. It’s true that veganism is generally better for the earth because it doesn’t encourage over fishing, deforestation, “predator management,” aquifer depletion, global warming, factory farming pollution, etc.

It’s also true that there are proportionally more vegans in social/environmental justice movements than in the general population. However, I must confess that I know a few vegans who are just doing it to spare a few species of farm animals from a hellish life and a brutal death. Selfish bastards.

Sincerely, Casey Marsh Kensington, Conn.

Re: Sunset Rubdown review Either your writers need to do their research or your editors need to do their jobs. Sunset Rubdown is the band of Wolf Parade singer/keyboard-player Spencer Krug, and not a Wolfmother offshoot. Furthermore, your entertainment writer doesn’t seem to know anything about writing about music, or writing a review-- he makes unsubstantiated (and poorly thought out) comparison’s of Sunset Rubdown to Animal Collective and Mates of State, that sound more like personal endorsements of the other bands than they do feedback regarding the record or its music.

I’d say maybe he should review their records instead, but that would sound like I think this guy has any business writing about music. Subjective impression is certainly in anybodies ball-court, but to say that the record is “tribal and basic” proves this guy doesn’t know music theory from the hole in his ass.

There are plenty of hack writers out there, but if you just google search the record title you’ll find plenty of cookie-cutter, “this guy is in Wolf Parade”, “this is a prog-rock concept record”, “this guy plays in a lot of bands” reviews, that, regardless of their opinion, or depth of research, maintain a vision of a writer that has a vague semblance of what the fuck their talking about.

How did he get his job? Were you impressed or intimidated by his tight pants and ability to name drop such obscure acts as ‘Arcade Fire’ and ‘The Clash’?

Orbulas B. Harding New York, NY

STUDENTS OF CCSU: Lately the Letters to the Editor section has been filled by nonstudents and people located outside of our great state. The Recorder is asking you to start some dialogue within our pages.

Justin Kloczko

Opinion Editor For a while, I contemplated whether transferring to Central from Quinnipiac University was a good idea. Quinnipiac seemed to have it all: a robust journalism department, a respected law program and a stateof-the-art library, all tucked away from civilization and packaged beside a quaint mountaintop. Not bad for almost $40,000 a year.

While I only spent one semester at Quinnipiac, I saw the writing on the wall. After the recent comments and actions by President Lahey, I’ve finally gotten the reassurance that I made the right decision. Just from watching Lahey speak a couple of times, it seems he really embodies this elitist image that needs to be protected and isolated from the outside world, hence his intervention with the school newspaper, The Chronicle, from exercising its Freedom of Speech.

Lahey has been uncomfortable with his school’s publication ever since they published stories about a series of racial slurs that were written around campus. When Lahey heard that word got outside the school, he stifled campus reporters from discussing their story with outside media. He saw the coverage as “a press conference to the world, where [he has] absolutely no control.”

Another part of this control is making sure the print and Web versions come out at the same time.

“What was decided (last year) was that the electronic version would come out at the same time as the hard-copy version so at least dinosaurs like me who read the hard copy version get an opportunity to read it before the external world hears about it,” Lahey said.

Lahey should understand that breaking stories on the net is much timelier and effective than waiting to print it once a week. I don’t know if when he says ‘dinosaurs’ he is saying the administration, but campus newspapers are for the students.

Lahey is clearly afraid that the news about his school might be distributed at such a fast rate that he would be left in the dark.

Quinnipiac is known for its journalism department, but Lahey is taking away from it because he clearly doesn’t understand how the press works. His excuse for not commenting to an outside reporter about an article for The Chronicle was that he didn’t know they had a website.

That is either just a poor excuse or a severe disconnect. By reporting on the racial slurs, The Chronicle is simply telling people what is going on around campus. Lahey should have taken the opportunity and fostered a moment where the campus could address these problems. Instead, the situation blew up in his face.

His intention was not to gain any attention at all. He didn’t want the coverage to leak onto the Internet and into communities. Instead, he thought he could contain the storm of controversy within his school. Now the word is out even more about the racial slurs because Lahey himself added to the fire by trying to quell a dialogue about the story. He looks irresponsible, trying to deflect any position he is put in to talk about the incident.

I realize that when you attend a private institution, you surrender a lot of your rights, but there is a lot of disturbing control that Lahey feels he needs to exert in this moment.

There was a campus-wide memo sent out recently that read administrators and student media must

contact their Office of Public Affairs before speaking to any outside media. This is a dangerous filter and clearly a method to control. I tried to contact someone for an interview, and an advisor told the student that it wouldn’t be good to talk to me.

Other administrators barked at us out of paranoia and wanted a list of predisposed questions. It seems like The Chronicle is fighting this one alone because I have yet to hear of any faculty backing them up, not even journalism professors.

There is this delicate and pressured image for the university that Lahey must sustain in order to make sure his product won’t lose any customers, I mean students. The student who was subjected to a racial slur last semester did not return. Behind the deceiving façade of the clock tower, neatly cropped green lawn and water fountains, Quinnipiac has an attractive look, but peeling away the surface reveals a bureaucratic machine, well assembled to sell a product for a steep price. It parades itself as a college of liberal arts, but is more of a business than a university. In 2006, Lahey dissolved the basic right to unionize from teachers that had stood for over 30 years, eroding faculty tenure and job security.

Quinnipiac needs a leader, not just a manager or public relations flak. Lahey sits on the board of corporations, such as United Illuminating Company and Aristotle Corporation, as a director, so he wouldn’t want unfavorable coverage of his university to affect his image.

Students already pay an arm and a leg to go to this place, but now Quinnipiac is putting a price tag on your right to express yourself. Speak out and be heard.

The Perry Bible Fellowship

There must be something that you have witnessed on campus that has irked you. There must be something that we’ve reported on that would make you want to get out your opinion. How do you feel about the ongoing feud between President Miller and the faculty? How do you feel about quality of advising here at CCSU? You all must agree or disagree with the commentary on these pages or have thoughts on the news we cover.

We want to hear it.

Please send letters to the editor to ccsurecorder@gmail.com.

pbfcomics.com

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Wednesday, November 7, 2007

A Place for Teaching, Not Indoctrination Jay Bergman

Special to The Recorder College professors sometimes make perfect fools of themselves, when they comment on issues of public interest.

This happened at Duke University last year. Three white Duke lacrosse players were accused, falsely and in flagrant disregard of their constitutional rights, of raping a black woman.

Before their culpability had been determined legally, and even before the public had information on the facts of the case, Houston Baker, the George D. and Susan Fox Beischer professor of English at the university, wondered “how many more people of color must fall victim to violent, white, male, athletic privilege” before Duke finally will be a place “where minds, souls and bodies can feel safe from agents, perpetrators and abettors of white privilege, irresponsibility, debauchery and violence.” Baker assumed the players had raped the woman because they were white, male and athletic. According to Baker, that is what males who are white and athletic do, or secretly wish they could do.

Of course, professors are citizens and like everyone else are free to express their opinions, no matter how repugnant or foolish these may be, outside the classroom.

But within the classroom, teachers’ freedom is limited, and not just in the obvious requirement that they teach their subjects, so professors of mathematics cannot teach Span-

ish and professors of Spanish cannot teach mathematics.

There are other, more substantive and significant limits that exist, or should exist, on what professors can say and do in the classroom. According to the 1940 Statement of Principles of the American Association of University Professors, “teachers are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject, but should be careful not to introduce into their teaching controversial matter which has no relation to their subject.” In other words, professors are prohibited from indoctrinating their students and are required, correspondingly, to teach their students. There is a profound difference between the two activities.

At Central Connecticut State University where I am a professor, this distinction is sometimes ignored.

Last fall, a professor sent the students in one of her courses more than 100 e-mails containing articles advocating the professor’s opinions on matters entirely extraneous to the course -- for example, that Israel committed war crimes while fighting Hamas in Gaza last summer, and that comparisons between the Bush administration and Nazi Germany are reasonable. She also invited students to join her in attending seminars, such as Workshops on Peace, that were designed to advance the professor’s political agenda.

What is even worse, during one class, as a way of demonstrating how the American colonists stole Indian land, the same professor took a student’s backpack without permission

and in front of all the students emptied its contents onto the floor, naming each item one by one. It is hard to imagine a more egregious violation of a student’s privacy, or a more flagrant abuse of the power professors have over students by virtue of their grading them and writing recommendations for them for jobs after they graduate.

Unfortunately, this is not uncommon. In my 17 years at CCSU, about half of my students have told me, on their own initiative or in response to my asking them, that one or more of their professors not only interjected their political opinions in class on a regular basis, but did so in an effort to convert their students to their point of view.

This figure is consistent with the results of a survey -- admittedly of a small number of students -- the student newspaper conducted in 2005: 54 percent of those polled agreed “some professors use the classroom to present their personal political views,” and 53 percent agreed “there are courses in which students feel they have to agree with their professor’s political or social views in order to get a good grade.”

The remedy for these abuses is oversight, followed by appropriate action when necessary, by administrators and trustees. In the case of state institutions, legislators and other government officials whose responsibilities include the supervision of public education can make clear their disapproval without dictating the content of the courses professors teach, or how they teach them.

Clinton Takes Political Punches

Amanda Ciccatelli

Staff Writer Her powerful feminine charisma is just what the politicians of 2008 need in their presence: the intuition and patience of a woman as well as the strength and drive of a motivated intellect such as Hilary Clinton On Oct. 29 at Drexel University, Clinton expressed her plans for the United States with the utmost respect of a lady. Her ambition glows through the walls of any room she is in and her motivation to do the right thing for her country and help people in the process is what attracts Americans. Considering the state the United States is in now, Clinton is a breath of fresh air for many Americans who find comfort and hope in her attitude to improve our country as well as to try to mend relationships and prevent more deaths of soldiers that have become realities over the past few years. Hilary is currently the leading Democratic candidate in the national polls with only two months before the primaries.

Clinton’s rivals decided attacking their opponent would be the perfect way to benefit them in the long

run. The most prominent attacker of Clinton in the last debate was John Edwards, who told The Associate Press that Clinton is part of a corrupt Washington system.

At a speech in New Hampshire, Clinton was again offended by Edwards, who mulishly attacked her high lobbyist donations as having the ability to transform a Hilary Clinton White House into a “Democratic version of the Republican corruption machine.” In return, the Clinton campaign responded with the respectful and truthful statement, “Senator Edwards’ entire campaign has devolved into a daily routine of negative personal attacks against Senator Clinton.”

On Oct. 30, Edwards made it difficult for Clinton to back up her points for most of the debate. Clinton was able to protect herself from most of his attacks by expressing her fierce desire to fix the existing problems in the Bush administration. Unfortunately, Clinton stumbled on the question of permitting illegal immigrants to have a driver’s license because her opponent’s harsh criticisms got the best of her. She had made the argument in favor of it, but in the debate Clinton took the opposite stand. Edwards did

not hesitate to attack her nervousness once more and said, “Unless I missed something, Senator Clinton said two different things in the course of about two minutes.”

Although Clinton has been attacked by more than one of her rivals, Edwards’s comments stand out the most in this campaign because he is continually making stabs at Clinton’s integrity.

To Edwards’s frustration, Clinton has beaten him by several points. She earned 25 more points than Barack Obama in CNN’s national surveys, while John Edwards was not only losing terribly to Clinton, but also losing to Obama by 10 points. Clinton is also ahead of her rivals, holding nearly $35 million campaign contributions just three months before voting starts, compared to Obama with $3 million less contributed than she.

Clinton continues her winning streak through both South Carolina and Iowa. Some polls show Clinton ahead of Obama by only a couple of points, while others show the lead breaking past 10.

On a more respectful and less childish note, Barack Obama has taken a classy, mature approach in

Perhaps because they consider what they do beyond the intellectual abilities of ordinary people, professors like to think of universities as autonomous and self-regulating.

They condemn as “McCarthyism” efforts by David Horowitz, through his Academic Bill of Rights, and organizations such as the American Council of Trustees and Alumni and the National Association of Scholars, to publicize the politicization of college classrooms. Indeed, the mere possibility that the public would be concerned enough about this politicization to register their objection to it evokes cries from professors that the dark night of fascism is about to descend on American college campuses.

The unwillingness of professors to subject themselves to external scrutiny brings to mind what the late Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis wrote in 1933, namely that in righting societal wrongs, sunlight is the best disinfectant.

May the sun shine brightly on American colleges and universities.

-------This article appeared originally in the Providence Journal and in several newspapers in Connecticut.

Have faculty members at CCSU pushed their political agenda on you and your class?

Send in any thoughts and stories you have to ccsurecorder@ gmail.com.

dealing with his rivalry with Clinton.

There were a few interviews where Obama explained to CNN’s Candy Crowley and Wolf Blitzer that he has to distinguish himself from Clinton on the major issues which includes adding a bit more criticism in his debates.

Hopefully Obama can do this in such a way that he does not offend Clinton but instead expresses his argument in contrast with hers.

Although there has been a lot of Clinton-bashing throughout the Democratic Party, the Republican Party has taken their shots as well. In a recent Republican debate, issues were said to have gotten awfully personal between candidates. The Republicans have said that using Clinton as a punching bag and pointing out her weaknesses is an effective strategy and a good source of energy for the Republican Party.

There has been so much negativity in the political world recently, especially toward Hillary Clinton. It may be that candidates are threatened by the power and intuition of a woman, or just so unhappy with the way things are currently being run that they desperately want to take matters into their hands and make a change.

No matter where the negativity and rude comments are stemming from, political candidates should try to use respect towards one another when advocating their positions. As politicians they need to persuade others that they are fit to be President and make decisions that will benefit everyone.

They should not bring others down in the process of promoting a better well-being for America because they are just contradicting themselves.

Clinton’s opponents are verbally attacking a strong independent woman who has it deep in her heart and soul to be President.

Clinton accepted an endorsement from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and while wearing red boxing gloves she said, “When it comes to fighting for America’s families, I’ll go 10 rounds with anybody.”

TXT MSGING Not the Best Answer to Campus Violence

Brian Morache

Staff Writer In a response to the recent violence on college campuses, many schools are instituting a text messaging service to get emergency information to students. While this may seem like a modern and effective way to address the problem of getting information out to students, it is not without its flaws and should not be considered the exclusive solution to the problem of school violence.

The first problem with text messaging is that it costs money.

The student who receives the message also receives the bill. I think most students would agree that we have enough to pay for already.

Then there’s the issue of having to sign up for the service in the first place. Even at larger schools, only about 40 percent of students actually do this.

Another problem is found in the classroom: Professors just don’t like to be interrupted by cell phones. At larger universities there are bans on cell phones in the classroom and those who ignore this are often escorted from the class. So if you were in class and this emergency message was sent out, there would be no way for you to receive it with your cell phone turned off.

Another assumption that is made by universities relying on a text messaging system for emergency notifications is that everyone has a cell phone and that they are all capable of text messaging. Yes, I might be old and a little out of touch with younger students on campus, but I’ll bet there are at least a few people who either don’t have a cell phone. There have been times when I’ve gone without one and I personally find there is a certain enjoyment to being completely unavailable to those trying to call me. When I was a freshman, there were two pay phones per dormitory floor and that was it. If you weren’t around, then you were pleasantly out of contact.

While the idea of using text messaging for emergency notifications is a good idea, it should not be the only idea. Having the campus police department place an officer in each of the dormitories would provide a better level of security and could improve police-student relations. Of course, this is far more costly than simple text messaging and it does require the human element. But then, maybe the human element can prevent campus violence from happening in the first place. I have yet to see a cell phone or text message that could do that.

Sports

6

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Blue Devils Gearing up for Season Openers

Goodbye and Good Riddance: Alex Rodriguez Leaves the New York Yankees

Peter Collin

Sports Editor

Brian Morache

Staff Writer

The CCSU men’s and women’s basketball teams will both starting their new seasons on the road this year.

Men’s Basketball For the Blue Devil men the long road ahead begins with the Princeton Tigers at Princeton, NJ on Sunday, November 11. These two teams will be coming at each other from completely opposite directions.

While Central dominated its conference with a 16-2 record to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in school history, the Tigers fell to a 2-12 record in the Ivy League, finishing last.

But this will be a completely different Blue Devil squad, one that is only returning three players from last season’s championship squad.

All three are in the backcourt, and they are led by senior guard Tristan Blackwood who was recently named to Northeast Conference Preseason All-Conference Team.

Joining Blackwood is sophomore guard Joe Seymore and senior guard Dannie Powell.

Seymore will look to step up this season and build upon his late season surge which included a respectable 12point showing during CCSU’s match up with the top-ranked Buckeyes in last years NCAA Tournament.

Powell proved to be an asset off the bench last season, tallying 2.5 points per game and 1.4 rebounds per game.

Central will be fielding an incredibly young squad that features a total of eight freshmen out of 14 roster

Conrad Akier / The Recorder Senior Tristan Blackwood will add much-needed experience to his young team. spots. One new player to watch will be junior forward Marcus Palmer. Palmer transferred to CCSU from Eastern Arizona College where he was named a NJCAA All-American last season averaging 21 points per game to complement seven rebounds per game.

The Blue Devils will play their first home games on Wednesday, November 14 when they take on Albany at 7 p.m. and Saturday, November 17 at 7 p.m. when they will take on New Hampshire Wildcats.

Women’s Basketball For the Blue Devil woman’s team the season starts with a road trip. First on the list will be the Virginia Commonwealth Rams at Richmond, Va on Friday, November 9 at 1:30 p.m.

VCU is the start of a five game road trip with the Blue Devils that eventually will lead them home to face Rhode Island at Detrick Gymnasium on Wednesday, November 28 at 7 p.m.

Central will be returning a core group of seven young players from last season, but the ‘07-‘08 season will be one of transition with new head coach Beryl Piper. The CCSU Hall-of-Famer will bring a winning tradition to the Women’s Basketball program at Central.

Coach Piper brought three state titles to the New Britain High School Golden Hurricanes including back-toback championships over the past two seasons.

Helping Piper in her transition will be junior guard Jhanay Harris and sophomore guard P.J. Wade.

Wade was the third leading scorer on last year’s squad, putting up 6.4 points per game and contributing 2.9 rebounds per game. Harris added 2.9 points per game while averaging 1.6 assists per game.

These core players will be look to gel with their new teammates in order to improve upon a season that saw them go 4-14 in the conference and 623 overall.

Baseball is a team sport, not a collection of individuals. The New York Yankees have had the best group of individual players for several years, but they have not always had the best team. Now, after several years of losing in the post season, the Yankees are shedding some of those individual players and the first to say goodbye is Alex Rodriguez.

To show just how much class A-Rod has, he made his announcement during the fourth game of the World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Colorado Rockies. This announcement was in violation of Major League Baseball guideline forbidding the making of such announcements during the Fall Classic.

No big deal, you might say?

Well, for those who understand and enjoy baseball it was a big deal and a perfect example of the truly classless individual that Alex Rodriguez is. This guideline exists to ensure that the focus of the baseball world is on the two teams playing in the World Series and nothing else.

For many of these players, a World Series will be the greatest achievement of their baseball careers; it is what they dream of their whole lives. So why is it that A-Rod feels the need to steal the spotlight from these two teams? Why, when he has 10 days from the end of the World Series to announce that he is opting out of the rest of his contract, does he choose to do so in the middle of game four? It all comes down to the

kind of player and person Alex Rodriguez is: a self-absorbed, egocentric individual.

A-Rod has never concerned himself with the team. Sure, he puts up great numbers from April to September, but what does he really do for the team? He would rather pad his stats against mediocre competition than come through when his team really needs his production the most, during the post season. If one were to look at his career, it becomes clear to see that while Alex Rodriguez does put up Hall of Fame numbers, he has never come through in the post season; indeed he has never won anything other than individual awards. His agent must share some of the blame for Rodriguez’s classless action as well. Scott Boras has never really been concerned about players beyond the money they make; I guess he figures that if you get enough money, any city will be a perfect fit, no matter the situation. Why do you think A-Rod signed such a huge deal with the Texas Rangers? And did they go on to become winners?

Actually, they had so much money tied up in Alex Rodriguez that they couldn’t afford to build a winning team.

Hopefully A-Rod will get what he deserves: a starring role on a perennially losing team. But even if Rodriguez winds up in a city like Kansas City, Tampa Bay or even Pittsburgh, he won’t really mind.

He won’t care because A-Rod cares only about A-Rod, and if the team wins than that’s okay too. It doesn’t really matter to him, as long as he gets his money.

Blue Devil Shorts

Women’s Soccer Loses Season Finale

Central Connecticut (9-8-2, 6-3-0) ended its regular season with a 1-0 Northeast Conference road loss at Sacred Heart (4-11-4, 4-2-3). The Blue Devils will enter the NEC Tournament, which will be hosted by Monmouth, as the second seeded team and face the Pioneers in a rematch of this afternoon’s contest.

Sacred Heart posted the game’s lone goal in the 10th minute and held the Blue Devils off the board for the remainder of the contest. Senior Lisa Nowakowski took a feed from junior Britney Dupee to account for the marker.

CCSU junior Erin Herd made four saves in the defeat, while freshman Meghan Reichelt stopped four shots for the Pioneers.

The Northeast Conference tournament begins on Friday, Nov. 9. Topseeded Monmouth will host Long Island at 11 a.m., with the Blue Devils slated to face Sacred Heart, the number three seed, at 1:30 p.m. (credit: CCSUBlueDevils.com)

Women’s Swimming Defeated at UConn Senior Lindsey Snyder captured her third 200 back title of the season with a time of 2:03.67, leading the Blue Devils in a pair of dual defeats at UConn this afternoon. The Winterport, ME native also finished second in the 100 back, pacing Central Connecticut in losses against the host Huskies and Rutgers. The Blue Devils lost, 195-102, to Rutgers, and were handed a 205-95 defeat against UConn.

Highlighted by Snyder’s accomplishments, the Blue Devils finished in the top-five in nine of the events. Senior Rachel Brookman finished fifth in the 100 fly and third in the 200 fly, while junior Erin Crowley placed fifth in the 50 free and fourth in the 100 free. Senior captain Kristen Jurzynski, meanwhile, placed fourth in the 500 free with a time of 5:12.03. (credit: CCSUBlueDevils.com)

7

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Pick Your Poison

NFL Predictions for Week 10

Well, the paper may have been away last week, but we still were checking up on the picks. Steve Hart has dominated all competition by putting up a ridiculous 13 in Week 8 and has 11 in Week 9. Maybe he should sign with the Jets because he can score more points in two weeks than they can. Nick Viccione and Jason Beaumier also seem to be on a midseason run as well, as they are quickly sprinting up the standings with consecutive big weeks.

In response to our question on who will win the AFC North, it seems that the unanimous decision was the Pittsburgh Steelers. And the person who explained it best is none other than “Raider” Mike Luchene: “To quote Ray Lewis in his criticism of Brian Billick’s play calling, ‘There’s somebody called a running back, a fullback and an offensive line.’ Sorry Ray, but there’s also somebody called the Steelers and there’s somebody called, they are vastly superior to your Ravens in every facet of the game. Just as Ray said, ‘You can’t make oranges be peaches.’ Steelers win the North.” Too bad the Raiders’ play on the field is about as amusing as Luchene’s quips on the divisions.

Next Week: Who will win the AFC South? As always, send your picks to ccsurecorder@gmail.com.

Cleveland at Pittsburgh Minnesota at Green Bay Philadelphia at Washington Jacksonville at Tennessee Atlanta at Carolina Denver at Kansas City Buffalo at Miami

MarK roWan

PeTer collin

eDWarD gaug

chrisToPher Boulay

editor-in-chief

sports editor

entertainment editor

Managing editor

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh

Green Bay

Green Bay

Green Bay

Green Bay

Philadelphia

Washington

Washington

Philadelphia

Tennessee

Jacksonville

Jacksonville

Tennessee

Atlanta

Carolina

Carolina

Carolina

Kansas City

Kansas City

Denver

Kansas City

Buffalo

Miami

Buffalo

Buffalo

St. Louis at New Orleans

New Orleans

New Orleans

New Orleans

New Orleans

Cincinnati at Baltimore

Baltimore

Baltimore

Baltimore

Baltimore

Chicago

Chicago

Chicago

Chicago

Chicago at Oakland Dallas at New York Giants

Dallas

Dallas

Dallas

New York Giants

Detroit at Arizona

Detroit

Detroit

Detroit

Detroit

Indianapolis

Indianapolis

Indianapolis

Indianapolis

Indianapolis at San Diego San Francisco at Seattle Pick of the Week

Seattle

Seattle

Seattle

Seattle

Atlanta def. Carolina

Dallas def. New York Giants

Dallas def. New York Giants

New York Giants def. Dallas Cowgirls

My pick of the week is that all Well it’s about that time of year While some Giants fans are callmy picks this week will be correct. for the Giants. In each of the past three ing this season “the one,” realists are Atlanta over Carolina isn’t really a seasons the Giants have started 5-2 or seeing it as any other season in New gamble, but 13-0? Sign me up. better only to finish two of those three York Giants football. They will start seasons without a winning record. off hot in a luke-warm NFC, only to PS: Who cares about the Cow- The Cowboys seemed poised to run crash and burn in the last four weeks boys/Giants game? Go Falcons! away with the NFC East as they can of the season. This is the Cowboys’ build a sizable lead with a victory on conference to lose, which won’t hapSunday. The big battle will take place pen until they choke in the playoffs. at the line of scrimmage where both teams run the ball well, but the Cowboys know how to shut it down too.

This Week’s NFL Prediction Leader Board Name

Total Points

Current Week (of 14)

1

Steve Hart

90

10

2

Kevin Petruzielo

86

8

3

Jason Beaumier

84

11

3

Matthew Jurkiewicz

84

11

5

Jon Lundie

83

11

Rank

5

Kyle Robbin

83

8

7

Alyssa Smollen

80

9

8

Marc Chouinard

79

5

9

Edward Gaug

78

10

10

Charlie Sorenson

77

9

10

Nick Viccione

77

8

12

Mike McDonald

76

11

12

Kyle Dorau

76

10

14

Christopher Boulay

75

9

15

Peter Collin

74

6

16

Mark Rowan

71

6

17

Mike Luchene

70

7

18

Chase Proctor

69

0

19

Rob Messer

68

0

20

Chris Culmone

44

7

Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan are going to make Tony Romo into cream of wheat as the Giants become a bonafide favorite to win this division.

With how the Giants have been playing this year, this could still be a highscoring affair, but expect Dallas to play catch-up this game because of how the Giants defense has come into their own as of late.

8

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Devils Perform Bypass on Sacred Heart first of the game on a bizarre play.

SHU fumbled on their first possession when junior Mike Cooke brought down Pioneer freshman quarterback Dale Fink. Cooke recovered the fumble setting up the Blue Devil offense on the Pioneer 40-yard line.

Seven plays later sophomore quarterback Aubrey Norris rushed to left on an option play. As he flipped the ball to Freeman it bounced short and tumbled into the end zone. Freeman reacted quickly diving forward and landing on the ball for a touchdown.

“We were having trouble with that at practice yester-

Holmes led the Blue Devils on an 80-yard drive before running the ball in himself from eight yards out. After the deThe Blue Devils got back fense stopped the Pioneers on on track Saturday, defeating downs, Holmes got the ball Sacred Heart Pioneers 49-33 back with just over one minute at Arute Field. Central imleft in the game. proved to 6-3 overall and 4-1 Holmes went 3-3 on the in the NEC keeping them one drive setting up Central for game behind conference leada clever move on the Pioneer ing Albany.

20-yard line. Freshman kicker Dennis Bien set up for a field Sacred Heart 33 goal to close out the half, but CCSU 49 the Blue Devils faked as Holmes picked up the ball, rolled Central scored on its first to his left and hit a wide open four possessions of the game sophomore Tyler Rossnagle while totaling 479 yards of for the 20-yard touchdown total offense. Junior running pass. back Jo Jo Freeman scored “I guess they just ran two touchdowns including the right past me and Tyler Rossnagle was wide open and made a good catch,” said Holmes.

For the day, Holmes finished 9-9 for 141 yards passing and two touchdown passes.

He also ran for 52 yards and one touchdown.

The Blue Devils managed to put together an effective passing game despite the heavy winds that were swirling around Arute Field.

Central was 12-12 passing for overall for 189 yards and three touchdowns.

“We have to throw to win this championship. I was so proud of Ryan and Aubrey and our receivers they made some good plays,” said Coach Jeff McInerney. “We don’t have Justise like we did last year where we could go to the house every play so we have to get plays in the passing game.”

Edward Gaug / The Recorder The Blue Devils manSophomore Blue Devil running back Adrian Hull (left) totaled 39 rushing yards with five attempts.

PeTer collin

sports editor

day. Same thing happened: we threw it low and it was in front, on top of that the corner came right up on me,” said Freeman.

“I was surprised I was able to stay up and fall on it.”

Central quickly gained momentum, building a daunting 21-0 lead on a touchdown pass from Norris to junior wideout Jermaine Roberts and a two-yard touchdown run from Freeman.

After Fink got the Pioneers on the board with a 15-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Steve Tedesco, the Blue Devils went back to work. Senior Ryan Holmes took over the game.

On the ensuing drive

Steve Meszaros / The Recorder Sophomore quarterback Aubrey Norris rushed for a touchdown and completed all three of his passes for 48 yards. aged to open up a 49-12 lead before the Pioneers began to open up on Central’s back-up squads.

The Pioneers made it a game by riding the legs of senior running back Jason Payne and the arm of Fink. Payne racked up over 200 yards on the ground and found the end zone twice for SHU, while Fink threw for 222 yards and three touchdowns.

Jo Jo Freeman’s two touchdowns gave him a ca-

reer total of 140 points, good enough for fourth all-time on Central’s all-time scoring list. He is also 10 yards shy of eighth place on the all-time rushing list.

The Blue Devils will next travel to Long Island to take on Stony Brook in a nonconference game on Saturday, November 10 at 1 p.m. On Saturday, November 17 Central will host Albany for the Northeast Conference title at 12 p.m.

Monmouth Rains on Blue Devils Parade roB Messer

staff Writer The clouds and rain were a perfect setting for a football game; unfortunately it was the Blue Devils who were stuck in the mud.

Age: 20 Year: Junior Major: Biomedical Engineering Hometown: Coffs Harbour, Australia Nickname: Herdy or Aussie

Monmouth 51 CCSU 36

Favorites Movie: 16 Blocks Food: Apple Crumble Role Model: Melissa Barbieri, goalkeeper Australian Women’s National Football Team Actor: Adam Sandler Car: “None really. My Jetta is pretty good” Most Embarrassing Moment “We were playing UConn last year and I let a ball go right through my legs.”

Pump-Up Music “Sneaky Sound System. It’s an Australian techno band.”

If I had a million dollars…

“I would go home, back to Australia. I would probably set my parents up so they wouldn’t have to work and invest it so I wouldn’t have to work.”

Halloween Costume Wilma Flintstone Erin started six games in goal for the Blue Devils this season compiling a 5-1-0 record including two shut outs for a grand total of five for her Blue Devil career.

She has also averaged 0.84 goals allowed per game this season along with 24 total saves.

Conrad Akier / The Recorder

Central was handled by the Monmouth Hawks (3-5, 3-2) 51-36 to end their 11-game home winning streak last week, Oct. 27. The loss also bumped the Blue Devils (6-3, 41) into second place in the Northeast Conference behind Albany.

The highly acclaimed Central defense, who hadn’t given up more than 13 points in over a month, struggled with the Hawks, led by junior running back David Sinisi. Sinisi had 192 yards on the ground and five touchdowns as well as 86 receiving yards and a touchdown reception.

Overall the Blue Devils let up 302 yards on the ground and 222 in the air in the loss.

What turned into an offensive battle started off sloppy when both teams turned the ball over three times in its first four combined possessions.

The streak of five straight touchdowns to begin the second quarter started off with CCSU sophomore quarterback Aubrey Norris connecting with freshman wide receiver

Josue Paul on a risky fourth and two play for a 22-yard touchdown.

But CCSU could not sustain their halftime momentum. Monmouth ate up most of the clock in the third quarter and the waterlogged Central defense could not find an answer for Sinisi, as he rushed for two more touchdowns. The offense couldn’t get into a rhythm and when they got desperate, it backfired on them going 0-3 on fourth down conversions in the second half.

Down 51-21 with nine minutes left in the game the Blue Devils didn’t quit. Freeman topped off a six-play, 54-yard drive with an eightyard touchdown run. At the five minute mark, Ryan Holmes rushed in for a 16-yard touchdown making it a 15point game after Dennis Bien’s extra point. Being only a two score game, Central’s defense did all they could to stop the Hawks and give the offense a chance. Their efforts proved to be too little, too late as Monmouth quarterback Brett Burke managed the clock to perfection denying any hint of a Central comeback.

Even with all of the negative aspects to the game, the team only committed two penalties on the day compared to Monmouth’s seven.

They also had more first downs and total offensive yards than the Hawks.

Besides the defensive collapse, the five turnovers (four fumbles, one interception) proved to be too much to overcome.

9

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Blue Devils Tie, Clinch Last Playoff Spot Continued from page 1

“The quality Klukowski brings to our team and the set pieces and deliveries are as well as I’ve ever played with him, the service is outstanding,” said Tyrie of his teammate.

Overconfidence in the first goal set up the game equalizer in the second half however, as St. Francis junior Semso Nikocevic scurried past a Central defender and challenged Blue Devil sophomore goalkeeper Paul Armstrong one on one, flipping the ball into the opposite side of the net. This was Nikocevic’s third goal of the season.

The Blue Devils dominated the majority of the 110 minutes but were unable to capitalize on numerous opportunities. Central managed to outshoot St. Francis (NY) 21-10, and had more advantages at corner kicks in the contest, 8-2.

Klukowski and freshman Chris Brown each had four shots for Central.

Central’s Armstrong made three saves in Sunday’s contest, while Antonino made ten saves for St. Francis.

Even with the missed opportunities, the Blue Devils never wavered, battling the Terriers for 110. Battling has been a theme for Central all season. The Blue Devils looked to be on the brink of elimination sitting on a 0-3-1 conference record after an NCAA ruling changed a win over Fairleigh Dickinson University into a tie.

But Central persevered, going undefeated in their final five games to leap over six teams and into the playoffs.

“Call them the Comeback Kids. We came back when we were down and fought through and I’m really proud of the squad, the seniors, of Tyrie and all of our players. We made CCSU and New Britain proud by coming back in the tournament the way we did now,” said Coach Shaun Green.

Freshman Chris Brown led Central to victory against Monmouth 2-0 in West Long Branch, NJ on October 26.

“We have two weeks to get prepared for this conference tournament, to reflect on what we’ve done and build on it,” said Tyrie.

Coach Green and his Blue Devils are excited to have the opportunity to compete for the NEC championship. “Game on, let’s go,” Green said excitedly. “That’s our attitude right now. Now we can really play, we’re not afraid of anybody.”

The Blue Devils will be playing their first NEC battle against the host and top-seeded Hawks of Monmouth on Friday, November 16th at 11 a.m.

Upcoming Events

Here are all of the scheduled Blue Devil home and local games until our November 14 issue.

Wednesday, November 7

Volleyball vs. Providence, 7 p.m.

Saturday, November 10

Volleyball vs. Quinnipiac, 1 p.m.

Wednesday, November 14

Men’s Basketball vs Albany, 7 p.m.

Top: Junior David Tyrie (right) celebrates after heading in the only goal for the Blue Devils on Sunday. Fellow teammates Johan Rundquist (left) and Robert Cavener (center) follow Tyrie in celebration.

Center Left: Freshman forward Christopher Brown (foreground) and freshman midfielder Connor Smith look on in disbelief after a shot from Brown deflected off the goalpost during the second overtime of the game against the St. Francis (NY) Terriers.

Center: Blue Devil junior Yan Klukowski battles over possession with Greg Baum of the Terriers. The midfielder had the only assist for Central in the match.

Center Right: Christopher Brown (left) of CCSU collides with Greg Baum of St. Francis (NY). Brown led the team in shots along with Klukowski with four.

Bottom: CCSU senior defender Jonathan Agbatar is tackled by Jeverton DiLorenzi.

Photos by Conrad Akier / The Recorder

Entertainment

10

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

For the record, Ryan Adams is not “Summer of ‘69” bore Bryan Adams.

Follow the Lights The close name association alone has almost sabotaged the former’s career.

Ryan Adams is the American singersongwriter out of Jacksonville, North Carolina and is probably the meanest genre-hopping artist west of the prime meridian. For me, it was Adams who made listening to country music cool, but he also dabs in alt-country, rock and punk like three completely different people. His music is something to behold because you are reminded of all the things you loved hearing but are presented with something new at the same time.

Follow the Lights is a seven-song prologue to this past summer’s Easy Tiger, backed up by his rugged band, The Cardinals. There is a cover of the Alice in Chains song, “Down in a Hole;” an alt-country conversion of one of his own Rock and Roll songs, “This is It;” along with a couple of studio tracks and new songs.

“Because there was never anywhere to go / There was never anyway to go but home,” sings Adams over the drifting opening song, “Follow the Lights.” “Blue Hotel” is the standout track because of its provocative and arousing chorus, “Go on and rain down on us.” The two live studio tracks, “If I am a Stranger” and “Dear John” really show you how good these guys are.

Most critics have been overly harsh on Adams, citing his live shows as inconsistent, and that his diverse range of styles condemns him to a loss of musical identity. The shows I’ve seen of him where some of the best I’ve ever been to.

Pick this EP up, it is a good introduction and a quick, satisfying listen.

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals

- Justin kloczko / Opinion Editor

Backstreet Boys

The slide into the adult Unbreakable contempor a r y genre has been mostly pleasant, it seems, for the faux group of heartthrobs-turned-has-beens.

If this album is any indication, their producers haven’t lost their touch in presenting the boys with agreeable material.

Sappy ballads, neo-soul sounds and danceable train wrecks still litter the album, providing a chance for the formerly filler material of earlier albums a chance to shine… sadly.

Now short one member since his (wise) departure, the four have truly abandoned their mantle of teen pop royalty with this album. No longer are their albums saved by that one, slightly danceable tune you enjoy but are ashamed to listen to in public; this album lacks any sort of highlights. While it doesn’t descend into Muzak territory exactly, one would be hard-pressed to recall anything from the album after a listen.

John Tesh, watch out.

The four cherub-faced metrosexuals, who once commanded the affections of legions of teenage girls, seem to have settled into maturity snugly with this album. Past fans won’t find anything new, but new fans may enjoy it if only for ironic value. If pleasant mediocrity is your thing, then this album is for you.

- Joe Zajac / Staff Writer

The Color Fred

What happens when you Bend to Break take Taking Back Sunday and get rid of that piece of shit Adam Lazzera? You get amazing solo pop-punk, posthardcore, whatever you want to call it, by the name of The Color Fred. TCF is Fred Mascherino’s post-Taking Back Sunday project which will receive all his attention, now that he announced his leaving the band back in October.

What makes Break to Bend so much better than Where You Want to Be or Make Damn Sure, the two TBS albums he contributed to? It’s the feeling that the music being played is genuine and not the concoction of some A&R board looking for the easiest way to make money off angsty highschoolers. The music Mascherino makes now is much more mature and personal sounding than the two previous albums that adorned his name.

With the help of drummer Steve Curtiss and assorted friends scattered throughout tracks, Fred Mascherino labors through 11 great tracks that range from a piano ballad titled “It Isn’t Me,” which evokes thoughts of the other TBS spin-off Straylight Run, to a faster paced “I Didn’t See” that relives his first band Breaking Pangaea slightly.

As Fred sings out “You always said ‘good things don’t last forever’ / Well it’s a good thing you never thought much of me,” on “I Didn’t See,” I hope that he uses those words as his last parting shot towards Taking Back Sunday. If you believe that you’ve finally outgrown TBS, then check out The Color Fred and see what they could have evolved into.

The Color Fred will be opening up for Straylight Run at the Webster Theater Dec. 12.

- Edward Gaug / Entertainment Editor

Saves the Day

Saves the Day’s new alUnder the Boards bum, Under the Boards, captures Chris Conley’s painfully beautiful voice perfectly. I think this album improved greatly over their past album, Sound the Alarm.

From the very first track on the album, Conley sings in a melancholy sadness with equally vivid lyrics. Saves the Day always writes the most symbolic lyrics that portray the intensity of happiness and sadness and every kind of emotion a human can feel.

“Can’t Stay the Same,” track three on the album, makes me want to turn the volume up to max in my car and sing along because it’s so uplifting and energetic. It is definitely a perfect song for a road trip or even party music.

The chorus lyrics are, “Hey, hey everything’s okay / I love you more than I can say / But we can’t stay the same yeah!” When you hear that line you just want to sing it as loud as you possibly can because it is amazing.

The album’s fifth track has a lot of musical ups and downs with some great drum parts that add volume to Conley’s melodic and sometimes whiny vocals. This is a dark song both musically and figuratively.

“Lonely Nights” has a sweet music box sound in the beginning of the song and in each chorus. This is my absolute favorite track on Under the Boards because the piano parts throughout the song are sweet, simple and complement the vocals very well. The verses add a rougher edge to the song with more drums and guitar and the vocals are defiantly stronger and almost angry.

“Stay” is a beautifully written song that has an enchanting melody. It reminds me of a lullaby and has that soothing sense of serenity in each instrument. This is by far the saddest song on the album and you can hear the pain in Conley’s voice when he sings, “But I thought you’d save me from myself with love but alone is how I stay from the womb to the grave.” These lines portray the loneliness and self-pity of being left behind.

Overall this album is creatively written and enjoyable to hear. It will definitely find a place in my car, but to me but nothing will ever compare to Stay What You Are, which was truly epic.

- amanda Ciccatelli / Staff Writer

Minus the Bear

This is definitely not Planet of Ice the newest album on the page this week, but it was recently recommended to me and I rarely turn down the opportunity to hear some new music. Minus the Bear is a band that has always been associated with bands that I love, but for one reason or another, never made it directly to me for listening until this past week.

Combining a weird mixture of synthyelectro pop and straight forward indie rock, Minus the Bear touches on all the sounds I enjoy in my music and even sound slightly like bands that I wouldn’t have expected to hear like The Shins and Band of Horses. “Knights” is one of the most electronic songs on the album, but it plays so hopefully upbeat that it demands you be in a good mood and to bob your head a little bit.

Combine Alex Rose’s drum machine created beats with David Knudson’s spacey guitar riffs and you have the main ingredients for making some of the best tunes to be released recently. Top it off with Jake Snider’s soft but strong vocals and you have Planet of Ice, which might prove to be in my top albums of the year list at the end of the semester.

MTB have created an immensely fun album without losing sight of the serious side a band needs to make good music. Those of you that have heard their name strewn about in music magazines or by your friends, take the time to check out what they are really all about, you won’t regret it.

- Edward Gaug / Entertainment Editor

Britney Spears

This honestly has to be Blackout the biggest joke I’ve ever heard, and it gives music in general a bad name. This is exactly what happened with Wacko Jacko. Although he had amazing success in the yesteryears, he had simply fizzled out and it was his time to leave the music scene. Bad publicity kept him alive and buzzing, however, and he cranked out a couple more shitty albums.

And now it’s Britney Spears. Oh Britney, when will you just shut your fat yap up? As someone who actually cares about the future generations, I don’t need Ms. Spears gallivanting around with her new hit album telling her tales of sexuality to little girls. If you think her albums before were worse, this is downright terrifying. In “Gimmie More,” Britney exclaims how she will “go that extra mile for you.” She’s like one of those creepy girls who tell you everything they’ve done sex-wise on a first date.

One has to admit how clever Spears is for buying into her fan-base’s stupidity. Yes, Spears has been completely worthless for years now, but who has kept her alive and thriving? Oh, that’s right, us. Whoever wants to complain about Britney needs to take a step back and look at how she’s surviving merely because she makes a fool of herself on a daily basis, and then goes and sings about it. In the song “Pieces Of Me,” Britney practically brags about being “Miss Bad Media Karma” and Mrs. “Oh My God, That Britney’s Shameless!” She knows she sucks, and is marketing it because it’s reeling in the cash.

To be completely blunt, do not purchase this album. Yeah, it might be that sub-par crappy pop album to dance to while you’re intoxicated in some way, shape or form, but one should not embellish it any further. Let the real artists who work their asses off get recognition, not some woman who doesn’t know when to quit and become a mother.

- Karyn danforth / Staff Writer

Don’t get confused, this actually isn’t the soundtrack to the movie American American Gangster that Gangster came out on November 2, this is an album that Jay-Z came up with after seeing the movie a couple months ago. What he actually created is pretty much on par with his latest studio album Kingdom Come; it’s not bad, but he still would have been better off quitting the game after The Black Album back in 2003.

Originally, Jay-Z recorded nine tracks, all of which corresponded with specific scenes within the movie. At final release, the album receives 13 tracks with two bonuses tacked on at the end.

The first thing that might standout when reading about the details of this album is that Jay brought in 12 different producers to work on this album and each one leaves certain parts of their style behind. Along with the onslaught of producers, Jay makes the most common move in all of hip-hop today: he gets Lil’ Wayne to do a cameo on his track “Hello Brooklyn.”

All the songs on American Gangster stay true to the style Jay-Z has made for himself over the past 11 years, which is both good and bad. The good side is that any single off this album will be easily associated to JayZ, but the downfall is that everything has sounded the same for almost five years now.

It’s definitely time to find a new niche and try that out for a little bit.

While mainstream rap lovers will gush over how good this album is, to those who have broader perspectives will see this as nothing more than “just another Jay-Z CD.”

Jay-Z

- Edward Gaug / Entertainment Editor

Yeah, I was one of those kids. I use to obnoxiously blast gangThe Chronic sta-rap while comfort(1992) ably huddled up in my bedroom. One of the first albums that broadened my horizons was Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, an album that was musically and lyrically dangerous, infectious and a hell of a good time. Although it is an album about the thuggish-ruggish, every day life of an O.G., Dre managed to bleed hardcore hip-hop into white suburbia, and gave kids like me something to feed off of.

While I can’t relate to having the barrel of a gun shoved down my mouth, aggressively hopping in a ’64 Chevy and slugging 40s, I can appreciate the music and lyrics. The Chronic capsulated the beginning of a turbulent 1990s with the Rodney King beating and L.A. riots.

After Dre came out with The Chronic, the hood had spoken.

It is the standard to which all west coast LPs are held to, along with most hip-hop albums. Dre introduced his G-Funk sound, containing raw drumbeats, bombastic bass and lyrics that you made sure your parents didn’t hear. “Nuthin’ But a G Thang” gave us Snoop Doggy Dogg and “Deez Nuts” introduced hook master Nate Dogg. Dre mostly took a back seat lyrically, but provided some of the baddest beats ever put to tape.

While Will Smith was singing “Parents just don’t understand,” Dr. Dre and Co. showed us why, and not politely.

Dr. Dre

- Justin kloczko / Opinion Editor

11

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Karyn Danforth

Staff Writer Karyn Danforth: You guys just released an album, the second in a year and a half, was it hard coming up with enough material for both so quickly?

Ben Bridwell: At first it was a little bit scary to think of doing another record after the first one. I thought it worked out quite well, luckily certain songs just kind of popped up. We had moved from Seattle back to South Carolina and in the move took about a month and a half off. So I pulled together all of the little ideas I had and decided to work a little bit harder and get them ready for another record so we could beat all of the other 2006 blog-happy bands to the punch. We worked hard but at the same time tried to rush it along a bit.

Karyn: Cease To Begin has been getting some rave reviews online, do you ever read about yourself or gauge things upon how the live shows go?

Ben: Yeah I gauge things on the live shows, they’re so different, but you can be a crappy recording band and still have major touring force. It’s funny because the reviews that I read are usually someone forwarding it to me, but I normally don’t search them out myself. Whether it’s good or bad, I think you should just stay detached from that stuff as much as possible.

Karyn: One of the new tracks from the album is entitled “Detlef Schrempf,” after the Seattle Sonic’s basketball player. How did you tie that in with the albums most country-folk kind of song?

Ben: It has nothing to do with him, but I always liked his name and I’m bad at naming songs. The song had some Seattle connections/themes revolving around my time in Seattle, so for lack of a better name, I took the most awesome name ever and luckily the label let me keep it.

Karyn: The next few weeks you guys will be on Letterman and Conan, do you consider this part of getting big and growing in popularity?

Ben: I see it as more of a chance to really reach as many people as possible, I don’t see it as getting big, I feel like we’re plenty big anyways. At the same time, whatever options we have to expose people to our songs and us is excellent and you have to take them. They’re really fun to do at this point too, they’re not too nerve-racking. It’s cool to give your family, aunts, uncles and grandparents a chance to watch and ease their worries that maybe you’re not going to be a dirt bag the rest of your life.

Karyn: When you play shows, I read you like to catch the emotions and feelings of the faces in the crowd and run the show according to that, what happens if the crowd seems disinterested or not really into it?

Ben: I don’t see too much of the crowd. Sometimes there will be nights where I don’t see a single person’s face, if anything I kind of stare into the lights or into a void. I can definitely tell when there’s a shitty crowd, but we have a positive vibe at our shows though that leaves the listener feeling satisfied and hopefully happy, or emotional!

Karyn: Random question, I heard that Ford and Wal-Mart are getting a taste of Band Of Horses, would you care to elaborate on that? (Side note: Ford recently licensed the song “Is There A Ghost” for usage in a commercial and licensed another to be used on Wal-Mart’s website.)

Ben: The Wal-Mart one, I didn’t think anyone would actually see it, their website thing or even a TV commercial, so at that time I was just like eh, why not, who cares? I got to make a living, I got a job to do just like everyone else, everyone works for somebody. I have some friends that actually do work at Wal-Mart. It’s been beaten to a pulp now, everyone commenting on it as well.

Everyone is entitled to making their own decisions and my decision to accept a campaign like that was to take care of my family, and to live in the moment of a world that seems unreal at times anyways. I’ll be dead at some point, so why not accept the opportunities that I have and make the best of them?

Karyn: I heard you guys are coming to Toad’s Place in New Haven on November 6th (yesterday), are you excited to come to the Constitution state?

Ben: It’s always nice to go to any place you haven’t been to before, we’ve been in the business for the better part of 10 years and seen most of America, so yeah, it’s cool just to go to any place different. Any chance you get to go to anywhere is exciting, so yeah, I am excited to go and play for y’all.

Matthew Jurkiewicz Staff Writer The standard college idea of an excellent Halloween celebration is often to throw on an extremely revealing “costume,” walk a mile in the cold to a crappy house or apartment and prepare yourself to puke in a few hours for guzzling far too much Keystone and Natty Light.

Though many of you who swear by this regimen will completely ignore what I have to suggest come Halloween 2009, to those of you looking for an amazing time, and one that does not involve lukewarm Schaefer, I throw out the suggestion of going to a concert.

This was my second Halloween spent attending a rock show, and believe me, it is well worth it. This year, I went to the local stop of The Academy Is…’s “Sleeping with Giants Fall 2007 Tour” at the Webster Theater in Hartford. When I was told it was TAI, I was excited to attend; when I got a look at the opening acts, the night of the event could not come soon enough.

When choosing your Halloween event, make sure to choose a show chock full of young and ambitious bands. Theatrics go hand in hand with the holiday, and the younger bands have more enthusiasm for the event.

In a special Halloween surprise, the Webster show was opened by none other than Cobra Starship.

Coming out in full costume as 80’s hip-hop stars, the band members proceeded to lay down a six-song set to get the night going. As the first band on a five act card, Starship was forced to play a shorter set than they deserve, but the guys made excellent use of the time they did have.

Playing from both their debut album and their late October release, ¡Viva La Cobra!, the band got the energy much higher and much faster than

many other opening acts are able to.

The crowd was focused on the music and the artists from the very first note of the night.

Following Starship was Sherwood. The indie-rock band from California kept the costume antics alive with a tribute to Nacho Libre.

Lead singer, Nate Henry, wore the signature mask from the Jack Black movie, along with the tights and nothing else. The rest decorated the stage like Santa’s Wonderland, complete with lights, candy canes and Santa hats. The guys were nothing but pure energy, using a lot of keyboard within its catchy hooks and power riffs.

The Rocket Summer filled the middle slot on the bill. The rockpower pop band from Texas was full of energy and enthusiasm. For all those unfamiliar with the band, in the album and studio form, The Rocket Summer is nothing more than Bryce Avary playing all his own music to back all his own vocals.

In touring form, though, Avary runs with a full band. Playing piano and guitar, he fills all the vocal demands of the band and puts on a great show. Though his banter with the crowd was often plain, repetitive and pure filler between songs, his amazing musical talent more than made up for it. He is still young, but at 21 years old, he is building a solid foundation for a successful pop career.

Armor for Sleep was the final opener before headliners The Academy Is... A band that could play a venue like the Webster themselves, Armor for Sleep pulled out all the stops with their Halloween theatrics.

Composing a special opening monologue for the act, the band took stage in full pirate garb as Arrrrrghmor for Sleep. Silly? Yes. Stupid? Possibly. Entertaining? Totally. Playing tracks from their hit second album, What to Do When You are Dead, the

guys got the attention of the crowd.

Then they laid down the first single from their latest release and made the audience excited to find out what’s on the rest of the album.

The members of The Academy Is… decided that for Halloween, they were going to go all out.

Dressing up as Batman, a Mummy, a transvestite, a psycho killer-clown and lead vocalist William Beckett as Jack Skellington, the group entered to the PA announcements of their manager in full Count Dracula costume. With theatrics leading the way, TAI rocked the Webster in an hour long set that left the audience exhausted and fulfilled.

Playing through almost every song on their hit debut album, Almost Here, their opening song, “Slow Down,” is a mirror image in the intensity with which the band played their set. Starting in a slow vocal opening with enticing hooks, they worked their way up to highenergy guitar riffs and engulfing vocals. Every valley was followed by a peak; every slow section by a fast.

In the scope of small scale shows, this one was up there with the best of them.

I cannot print this in good conscience without adding this disclaimer: The bands that performed do not have the greatest repertoire of songs. On a 10-point scale, the traditional quality of all the music played was somewhere between a six and a seven. All of it is a little generic, repetitive and immature, and I totally realize that, but the stage abilities of the performers were excellent. Live rock shows are performances meant to entertain, not venues to critique musical quality. Any mediocre playlist can be compensated for by an energetic and enthusiastic artist.

The music: 6.5; the stage antics: 9.

This show solidly earned an enthusiastic B+/A-.

12

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Radio 104 is Back Can It Save Connecticut Airwaves?

YES

NO

Christopher Boulay

Edward Gaug

Managing Editor

Entertainment Editor

Alternative rock fans have felt quite the void on Connecticut radio since that dark Monday afternoon on September 15, 2003, when 104.1 WMRQ, one of the most influential music stations in the state was taken away from the music-listening population. But now, with the removal of Power 104, Clear Channel has made a great decision in bringing back the station that so many people depended on to hear the music that they cannot get anywhere else in the state.

The only competitor to Radio 104 is WCCC 106.9 and they really didn’t cut it in 104’s absence, even though the station seemed to try to draw some of those viewers in. It was easy to tell that some of WCCC’s song format changed from the harder usual metal playlist to a more varied list, trying to get the straggler remaining 104 fans in. But without the option of Radio 104, the radio dial really seemed like it had a large chunk missing.

The rotation of music has been getting larger by the day and has gone back to its mid 1990s roots by playing alternative rock and grunge, like The Flaming Lips, Better than Ezra, Radiohead, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and a myriad of other bands that haven’t received heavy radio play since the station left.

There is also much hope that old festivals like “104 Fest” and “Radio 104’s Big Ass Barbeque” will be back, as they are still some of the most talked about events in the Hartford area that are no longer with us.

Though there are currently no DJs or any other live speaking on the station at the moment, it won’t last. This may temporarily have gotten people excited; a station without people talking and few commercials, but their ultimate test, since they have proven that they can play good music, is to bring in some interesting and funny people and keep their speaking to a minimum. If this comes to fruition, this station could really be what old school WMRQ fans have been looking for.

With the amount of music fans in Connecticut, it is a surprise of the low amount of music choices that these people have. With the rebirth of Radio 104, the usually pathetic choice of music to choose from finally has a bright star. Time will tell if this station will hold up to Clear Channel’s standards and last longer than the previous 10-year run.

Fuck the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

When I first heard the news that the once precious Radio 104 was back on the air, I thought back to the days in high school, before iPods and XM Radio were prevalent and most people spent their time in the car listening to local radio stations. Five years ago, Radio 104 reigned supreme over the Connecticut rock radio station crowd, outdoing stations like 106.9 WCCC and 99.1 WPLR. The thing that made Radio 104 so superior over the other stations in Connecticut is the same thing that it is making it a piece of garbage by today’s standards. They are playing music that was cool in 2003. When I first turned on Radio 104 reincarnation Sunday night, I heard a brilliant mix of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Papa Roach, two bands that make me cringe just thinking about their wretched sound.

Why would you revive a radio station, just to play the same crap that was being played the day it was taken off the air back in 2003? What purpose does that ultimately serve? If they were really trying to create a radio station that would thrive in the vast amounts of music today, they have failed miserably. All they would have to do is take a look at any of the college radio charts to see what is actually being played on decent altrock and indie radio stations.

Bands like Iron and Wine, Jose Gonzalez, The Go! Team and Animal Collective top the College Music Journal or CMJ charts (all of which, have been reviewed in this very publication). Add those bands to ones like Coheed and Cambria and Serj Tankain of System of a Down that populate two spots on the Billboard Top 10 and you would actually have a decent radio station to capture the ever important male, 18-25 year-old demographic.

As I listen to the online stream of 104 while writing this article, I have been confronted by even more music that hasn’t been topical in many years. Bands like Better Than Ezra, Cold and Sponge are finding a new home after years in exile from any decent radio station. Please, for the love of all mankind, let these bands die their quiet, non-musical death. In their ashes will rise newer, better bands that might actually make a difference in music as we know it today.

Every second dedicated to a terrible mid-90s post-grunge rock band is another second I will never get back. Thanks for slowly killing me Radio 104.

What do you think about Radio 104’s return to the airwaves? Can the station save radio or will you still be listening to your iPod? Send comments to ccsurecorder@gmail.com.

Nation’s GLBT Issues Highlighted in Movie

Rental Essentials: The Defiant Ones Brian Morache

Staff Writer

Erin McAuliffe

Staff Writer I went into For The Bible Tells Me So with my guard up and I came out feeling educated and even hopeful about the state of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (commonly referred to as GLBT) issues in America.

In a country where homosexuality became only decriminalized about four years ago on a federal level and gay marriage is a heated nation-wide debate, a movie provoking such a civilized, intellectual debate such as this is entirely appropriate for our time.

The movie began with a montage of anti-gay spokespeople from Anita Bryant and Jerry Falwell to clips of President Bush’s speech supporting an amendment to ban gay marriage.

The cries of protesters screaming “God hates fags!” bounced back and forth between the calm voices of Biblical scholars commenting on how human ignorance can make a society so vulnerable to a culture of intolerance.

“There’s nothing wrong with a fifth grade understanding of the Bible,” said one scholar, “as long as you’re in the fifth grade.”

The focus then switched to the stories of Christian families of gay

children. They told the stories of their children from birth to coming out to the present day with the frankness and love that only a parent could. It gave an amazingly unique perspective that is not often heard in today’s media.

Quite often, the only pictures people receive are that of the Biblethumping evangelical anti-gay Christians or that of completely liberal people who have already reached a point of understanding GLBT issues.

The conflict that happens within individuals and within families is rarely heard.

This film proposes a refreshingly progressive and accurate thesis, developed by the research of both Biblical scholars and scientists. It argues that the mistranslations of the Bible combined with the propaganda of evangelists have created a national climate that is detrimental to the mental health and well-being of GLBT people. To strengthen its argument, it goes on to prove that thesis by examining specific cases, as well as citing sociological studies.

It was this distinct quality in the movie, blended with an apolitical agenda which makes it truly accessible to people from all walks of life.

The middle and late 1950s saw remarkable civil rights struggles, especially in the South. So when MGM took a chance on Stanley Kramer’s The Defiant Ones in 1958, the studio was flying right into the eye of the storm of racism.

Starring Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier as two escaped convicts who can’t stand the other but are chained together, The Defiant Ones puts the racism so prevalent in the South front-and-center.

A truck crashes on a rainy night and two criminals escape. When the police and rescue units show up, they realize that they are missing the two men and the manhunt is on. John “Joker” Jackson, played by Curtis, is a good ol’ southern white boy, while Noah Cullen, played by Poitier, is a stereotypical poor black man. Needless to say, the pair has as much a chance of killing each other as they do being killed by the authorities. Significant is the fact that it is not only Jackson, who is prejudice against Cullen, but also that Cullen has his own issues, demonstrating that prejudice is not exclusively a problem for white people.

When the manhunt starts, several local hunters volunteer to help in the search, which they liken to hunting rabbits. This scene is telling of the lack of respect for human life when two men are considered no different than a couple of rabbits.

Eventually, Cullen and Jackson shed the chains that bind them together, but after braving a raging river and

muddy swamps, the two find that they are bound together by more than chains, as each refuse to abandon the other.

The Defiant Ones demonstrates that there are things that go beyond race and can overcome all the prejudices that society creates.

Winner of two Oscars and nominated for seven more, including best actor nominations for both Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier, this film stands the test of time in its portrayal of two men who must not only overcome the odds of escaping prison, but also their own bigotry towards each other.

The film’s story is just as relevant today as it was in 1958. Lawrence Fishburne and Stephen Baldwin reprised the roles of Poitier and Curtis in the 1996 film Fled, proving that in many ways the problems of the 1950s are still haunting us today.

Don’t let the black and white of The Defiant Ones scare you off; this film is a powerful statement about racism and the ability of even the most prejudice people to overcome it.

13

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

= recommended

WEEK OF NOVEMBER 7 MUSIC 11/10

Cardboard City Dance Party

Webster Theater Underground/ 7 p.m. / $8 Cardboard City is presenting all their performers in a single-night dance party. This is what happens when you mix hardcore and dance-pop Opening Band: House of Blow, Benn Grim, Daryl Palumbo 11/10

Melt-Banana

Heirloom Arts Theatre (Empress Ballroom)

11/07

Through 12/30

The Devil Came on Horseback

Pulp Art: The Robert Lesser Collection

11/15

New Britain Museum of Modern Art / $5 Robert Lesser began collecting pulp paintings, comic books and comic-character toys in the 1950s. As a student at the University of Chicago, Lesser’s literature studies combined with his fascination with popular culture kindled his interest in studying and collecting pulp art and comic memorabilia. Lesser now owns 750 pulp paintings and an extensive collection of robots and space toys.

FILM

Cine Studios / 7:30 p.m. / $7 Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern’s astonishing film on the genocide in Darfur witnesses the transformation of former Marine Captain Brian Steidle from soldier to observer to witness and, finally, to activist. Soon after arriving in the remote western province of Chad as an unarmed military observer, Steidle realized that things were going terribly wrong. Unable to intervene, Steidle used his camera to document what international law calls ‘crimes against humanity and war crimes’ on a massive scale.

11/08 & 11/10

Stephen Gyllenhaal Film Festival

Cinestudio / 7:30 p.m. / $7 On November 8th, 9th, 10th Trinity College alumnus Stephen Gyllenhaal, the accomplished television and film director and the author of Claptrap: Notes from Hollywood (and the father of actors Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal), will screen four of his films at Cinestudio, the on-campus movie theater that first sparked his love of cinema.

11/09-11/15

This Is England

Through 12/30

Again: Serial Practices In Contemporary Art

7 p.m. / $12 Melt-Banana is a Japanese noise rock group founded in 1992 by friends attending Tokyo University for Foreign Language. Their hyperactive music palette draws influences from experimental rock, grindcore, no wave, psychedelia, hardcore punk, and post-punk. Opening Band: Folly, Flaming Tsunamis

Wadsworth Atheneum / $5 w/ Student ID again: serial practices in contemporary art features work by 15 artists drawn from a gift of 125 photographs to the Atheneum from collector Mickey Cartin, together with works from The Cartin Collection. Works from On Kawara, Ed Ruscha, Hans-Peter Feldman and Jonathan Monk anchor the central premise of again by looking at serial processes as they are articulated across media, culture and the last 35 years of contemporary art.

11/11

Boy Hits Car

Webster Theater / 3 p.m. / $12 Boy Hits Car are known for playing the sickest, loveliest, ugliest, prettiest, most beautiful, melodic, heartfelt music that the band dubs “LoveCore.” Their self-titled debut album was released in 2001 and included the hit single “I’m a Cloud.”

Opening Band: Sleep Well, Third Assault 11/12

Streetlight Manifesto

Real Art Ways / $6.25 From the award winning director of Twenty Four Seven, comes the story of Shaun Fields (Thomas Turgoose), a 12-year-old kid growing up without a father in the north of England. Set in the summer of 1983, a time of rising unemployment, Rockers, New Romantics, Mods, Punks and Skinheads, This is England charts Shaun’s rite of passage from a scruffy, bullied outcast grieving the loss of his father into a shaved-head thug whose anger and pain are embraced by the local skinhead community.

11/08

I Went for a Walk Reading and Signing

FILM

Another Bookstore / 6 p.m.

Written by Shanti Wintergate and illustrated by Gregory Attonito of the Bouncing Souls, I Went for a Walk will delight people of all ages while stimulating the creative mind. This amazing story transcends the average adventure. It’s a journey through both the outside world and the beautiful expanding universe within us all. Every drawing is a reflection of inspiration felt by the illustrator on his travels as a touring musician across the globe.

11/07 & 11/11

Through 12/09

Hairspray

Torp Theater / 8 p.m. / FREE Sixteen years after the release of the original film, New Line Cinema is bringing a feature film adaptation of the Tony award-winning Broadway production Hairspray to life. Featuring new and original material based on John Waters’ 1988 cult classic about star-struck teenagers on a local Baltimore dance show, the comedy features a remarkable collection of talent.

Toad’s Place / 8 p.m. / $30 Ghostface Killah comes from the multi-platinum artist conglomerate that is the Wu-Tang Clan. Since the Wu-Tang’s inception and collective debut album, Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), Ghostface Killah has developed a massive following through his participation in subsequent Wu-Tang members’ solo projects, as well as his highly-acclaimed 2006 album Fishscale.

Opening Acts: Rakim, Brother Ali

11/18-11/20

Eastern Promises

Cinestudios / 7:30 p.m. / $7 In his previous film with director David Cronenberg, A History of Violence, the versatile Viggo Mortensen played a mild-mannered Midwestern family man who turned out to have a hidden facility for killing. Eastern Promises, written by Steve Knight (Dirty Pretty Things) gives us Mortensen as a Moscow-born driver employed by a Russian mobster, whose kinder, gentler side is waiting to be discovered.

11/16-11/17

The Other Side of the Mirror

Real Art Ways / $6.25 Few performances in history are as legendary — or as controversial — as Bob Dylan’s 1965 appearance at the Newport Folk Festival. In a single, galvanizing instant, Dylan plugged an entire generation in, forever changing not only the way the music was made, but the way it was heard.

Through 12/31

ART

Webster Theater / 6 p.m. / $12 Six old friends and seasoned veterans of the once lively New Jersey ska underworld came together again to form an all-star group, a literal “dream team” of characters known as Streetlight Manifesto. All six original members came form the two biggest and most promising local ska/punk bands of the late 90s.

Opening Band: Suburban Legends

Ghostface Killah

NEW/NOW David Hilliard

New Britain Museum of Modern Art 11 a.m. / $7 Hilliard documents his life and the life of those around him in panoramic photographs, which are displayed in a series of seperate panels.

He says, “This sequencing of photographs and shifting of focal planes allows me the luxury of guiding the viewer across the photograph, directing their eye; an effect which could not be achieved through a single image.”

The Anne Frank House

Charter Oak Cultural Center Come walk through a life-size replica of the Secret Annex of what has become known as The Anne Frank House, where Anne Frank wrote her famous diary. Down to the upholstery on the couch and the pictures on the walls, this model will give you an accurate feel for what it was like to live confined in that house.

ART 11/15-12/16

Through 2/20

Magic Facade: The Austin House

Wadsworth Atheneum / 11 a.m. / $7 From its completion in 1930, the Austin House has been the subject of a widespread urban myth that survives to this day-that the house is nothing more than a façade. In fact, this very real house was the product of the taste and imagination of one of America’s most innovative museum directors, A. Everett Austin, Jr., universally known as “Chick.” In 1994 it was designated a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior for the significance of its architecture, its interior design, and its history as a gathering place for leading international figures in the arts in the 1930s--from Gertrude Stein and Salvador Dali to George Balanchine, George Gershwin, Le Corbusier and Alexander Calder.

WEEK OF NOVEMBER 14 MUSIC 11/09

Third Eye Blind

Webster Theater / 8 p.m. / $27.50 Falling between Hootie & the Blowfish and Live, Third Eye Blind’s catchy and melodic post-grunge made the group’s first single, “Semi-Charmed Life,” into a hit in the spring of 1997.

Kambui Olujimi

Real Art Ways / 2 p.m. / $3 Kambui Olujimi is a conceptual artist born and raised in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

He has been exhibited nationally and internationally at such institutions as the Museum of Modern Art (New York), The Smithsonian Institute, Kiasma Musuem of Contemporary Art in Helsinki and Zacheta National Gallery of Art in Poland.

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Lifestyles

15

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

It’s Rowling’s Character; It’s Rowling’s Choice Matthew Jurkiewicz

Staff Writer

Love Thy Neighbor Joe Zajac

Staff Writer With the proclamation that RottenNeighbor.com is an “exceptionally smart assistant when you are looking to move into a new neighborhood,” it certainly has set a high standard for itself. What R.N. offers is a nominally neutral, third party website which provides the forum for unabashed and only slightly filtered comments for prospective homebuyers.

Declaring themselves free from the influence of the real estate industry, they believe that “If a bad neighbor exists, this information should be made freely and easily available to everyone.” A lofty goal to be sure, but R.N. manages to present an easy-to-use service, which still has some bugs to work out with its now-beta version.

Despite an initial two week setback, RottenNeighbor.com provides a seamless way to slander and spy on both your actual and potential neighbors.

Simply typing in your town, state or zip code conjures up a Google map, which is littered with red house symbols - the comments made of a specific neighbor. While it is not possible to obtain the exact address of a comment, one is able to get a general view of the area. The author’s identity is kept anonymous, also, as is the subject of the comment.

Comments are the kinds expected of irate neighbors – the mention of dogs barking and trash-strewn lawns seem to be common, although, the occasional questionable remark is found.

“These luxury apartments contain…Indians fresh from India. Don’t get me wrong, I like Indians, but all you will smell is Curry, 24/7 it

seeps into your cloths [sic] and your co-workers will notice, and they scream all day and night in a slew of languages,” writes one anonymous person.

The vast gulf between comments shows the lack of clarity on what kind of site R.N. actually is. The title of the website suggests a negative connotation to the comments, but glowing reviews of neighborhoods are also commonplace.

Whimsical and humorous comments such as “…saw this guy chasing squirrels in his yard!” are buffeted by direr ones proclaiming that, “they do everything they can to aggrivate [sic] innocent people…”

The occasional quip, better left to a government agency, even appears on R.N.: “[The landlord] will try to scam every penny that they can from you in any way that they can,” even declaring the name in the title. Such comments only lend themselves to the schizophrenic nature of the site.

Also contained on the site is a helpful guide which illuminates the best way to deal with the more common problems, presented with both actual users of the site and professionals responding. Those given are no-nonsense, common sense approaches to sensitive issues, including the involvement of law enforcement and the judicial system as solutions.

In short, RottenNeighbor.com provides a tantalizing and unbiased glimpse of one’s (potential) neighbors. Gossip and slander both intermix on this anonymous forum, where each neighborhood’s dirty laundry is aired on a national scale. Perhaps in time, this website will be able to realize its full potential, and provide a suitable alternative to the lecherous real estate industry.

J.K. Rowling made a distinctive choice about Albus Dumbledore. She decided that the greatest wizard in her fictional world would only be able to find love with another man. She chose that her mentor to Harry Potter would fall in love once, and only once, with a man of similar intellect and spirit. She made this choice, and she made it over a decade ago.

Though many bitter readers feel that Rowling created Dumbledore’s homosexuality recently, and outside the scope of her entire series, in order to get publicity or cash, Rowling did in fact know that Dumbledore was gay for the entirety of the writing process. The fact that people even question the validity of Rowling’s statement about the sexual preference of her fictional character is completely absurd.

Part of being a writer is defining the characters of your writing. In no other genre is careful biographical history more important than epic fantasy. The genre begs for fans to dissect and discuss the books. Rowling is well aware that her story has gotten totally out of hand. The books have been examined and discussed far more than they ever should have been. I am guilty of this myself. I am as hardcore a fan as any out there.

This whole “Dumbledore’s Gay” ordeal is the product of the hardcore fan’s own obsession. We brought it about by digging way too deep and going way too far with our interpretations.

Now, I’m not saying that I totally disapprove of the way we have turned the Harry Potter series into such a phenomenon. Quite the opposite, I have embraced Harry and the gang as a group of friends and have even participated in fan forums and websites. What I am saying is that we pressed Rowling much further than any other author I can remember, and Rowling has been far more cooperative than any other author. Tolkien, Eddings and Lucas were all pressed for answers and insights into their worlds, but none of them toured the world and Internet as extensively or publicly as Rowling, posting those answers.

Hardcore fans asked and asked and asked, pressed her to reveal more and more about the world she created. Now, when we get an answer that is unexpected, and hated by some, many are upset that Rowling revealed it.

A reader asked whether Dumbledore ever fell in love, and in order to answer the question, Rowling first had to identify his sexual orientation. It was something she had been aware of all along, and the response was instinctual and the only possibility.

But the fact is Rowling never meant to conceal it from the community at large. As an author, she did not feel it would add to the

story by making an explicit statement about Dumbledore’s sexuality. Besides, his sexuality could not be revealed until the final chapter of the series due to the implications of the man he loved. Revealing this any earlier in the series would have spoiled the surprises lurking at the end of it. She did feel that Deathly Hallows did reveal the wizard’s sexuality if you were a savvy enough reader, but it went over our heads.

But Dumbledore did love a man. Dumbledore loved a man. But whether he does or does not conform to the sexual expectations of the reader is completely irrelevant. His sexuality in no way alters his honesty, courage, wisdom, character or importance. He is just as wise, noble, and as good a role model now as he ever was.

In the ideal world, there are no straight individuals. Not a single one. Nor are there gay individuals. There are only people—people who fall in love and connect with one another. May it be a man and a woman, a man and a man, or a woman and a woman, ‘loving relationship’ is the only label that should be applied. The fact that we have to classify love as straight or gay is an insight into the true pettiness and hatefulness of society today. Sexual intercourse should never be qualified in any category. Sex is the physical manifestation of the deepest emotional, intellectual, spiritual and physical connection between two people.

Our society’s definitions of sexual orientation do not define one’s integrity or capabilities as a member of society. The only individual in whom Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore could find love was another man; if that fact changes your opinion of his character, achievements, attributes or importance, you are as ignorant as any Klan member, Nazi or homophobe.

16

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

h c K n n u o L w l o s t i H p ow a C I Stephanie Bergeron

Lifestyles Editor

Lik e

ers ien yW M

Forget everything you’ve ever learned about how a hot dog really tastes - it’s all wrong. And as good as those hot dogs are when you are drunk and lurking around the streets of Hartford trying to find a vendor, they couldn’t hold up to Cappies in a Mortal Kombat hot dog fight.

Referred to by many locals as “Cappies,” Capital Lunch, located at 510 Main Street in New Britain, is home to one of the best hot dogs I’ve ever tasted. Although nuzzled between other businesses, Cappies stands out; welcoming its customers to a great, fast meal.

Since 1929, Capital Lunch has been serving hot dogs, as well as hamburgers, to their loyal and diverse customers. Although they have mastered the art of a great dog, Cappies did not start off the way we see them today.

The business began as a small shoeshine shop that decided to give away hot dogs to attract their customers. Business was good, and their hot dogs started gaining a reputation. Low and behold Cappies was born, and on Main Street it has resided ever since.

It’s a serve-yourself type of place, where you tell them what you want, they prepare it in under a minute, and you take your tray of food to wherever deems appropriate. Above the neon-orange, rustic counter and behind the cooks is the menu. You can choose between onion rings and fries and a hot dog or hamburger; or, if you’re feeling really hungry, one of each.

If you want a recommendation, being a self-proclaimed hot dog connoisseur, I suggest the hot dog with onions, mustard and the sauce.

You can also get “the works,” which includes relish, ketchup and the aforementioned ingredients, or whatever you like. To complement their heavenly dogs, make sure to get Cappies’ fries. They are thin like McDonalds but always hot and never greasy. Although I’ve never tried their hamburgers, as they are known for their dogs and I prefer hot dogs, I have been told they taste as good as they look.

The prices are astounding and outrageous compared to the world around them; with hot dogs at about $2.00 a piece, it’s almost as if the thought of inflation has never occurred to Capital Lunch, and amazingly, pretty much everything on their menu is around, or under, that price. From what I saw, the highest price on the menu read $5.00 for a pint of their special sauce. Try finding a hot dog vender on the street that sells for less than $3.00 - I guarantee it will be hard.

The fluorescent lighting illuminates the matching neon-orange counter, trays and plastic chairs that you would expect to find in every kindergarten room across America – so it’s perfect. The ambience is exactly what you need to enjoy their famous hot dogs inside the nostalgic, “ma-and-pop” world that is Capital Lunch.

It even has a couple dozen very large framed photographs of singers anywhere from David Bowie to Bette Midler. What purpose do they serve? The world may never know, but discussing possible reasons is half the fun of going to Cappies.

Describing it in a nutshell, this restaurant is the quintessential place your grandparents would take you to eat every time they babysat when you were little. This still rings true today; if you look around, you’ll see a diverse crowd of customers young and old sitting and chowingdown on delicious dogs.

If you are in the mood for a hot, juicy wiener, Cappies is the place to go. You’ll eat there once just to “check it out” and forever become a regular, craving their famous sauce like a junkie. Friday morning, instead of proclaiming to all of your friends that you’ll never drink again because you feel like death, meet them at Cappies; it’ll be your new “hangover cure,” guaranteed.

Conrad Akier / The Recorder