vol104issue10 by The Recorder

OPINION No Confidence in Warshauer - Page 4

Moustaches for a Cause

SPORTS Blue Devils Sink, Look to Championship - Page 8

- Page 14

ENTERTAINMENT Best Rock Band of Our Generation - Page 12

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Volume 104 No. 10

Facebook.com: Manage It Wisely

Limited Course Availability Hinders Student Progress Melissa Traynor

Melissa Traynor

News Editor Facebook has become something of a synonym with college social life; it is not difficult to find out how any given student spent his or her Thursday night when the home page displays a news feed filled with pictures of the night’s game of beer pong or people posing together, grasping the mighty red Solo cups. But, as any social networking Web site does, Facebook.com presents the ultimate risk of exposure, especially to future or potential employers. And it does not take a Ph.D. to see that a company will overlook a person whose profile states that he or she enjoys “smokin’ blunts with the homies and bustin’ caps in whitey,”- to steal a line from the movie Slackers. Kimberley Dumouchel of the Career Services Office, who is the career advisor for education majors, warned against putting questionable material on Facebook.com. “I’d never say the whole thing is private because it is public domain. Even with filters on, you never know who you give [permission] to and who might access your profile. Stay away from anything that is negative in appearance or in text,” she said. She advised against curses in

the text portion and posting, or keeping, pictures that contain references to drinking. In reference to the interview process for kindergarten through twelfth grade public schools, Dumouchel said that the panel of interviewers may be very Internet-savvy. She said that students and/or their parents may have the opportunity to sit on the panel and even if the administration does not view an applicant’s profile, the students may. “The only thing that I get consistently from superintendents and human resources people is the same message: if it’s something on there that you wouldn’t be proud to see on the front page of the Hartford Courant, get rid of it,” Dumouchel said. However, the Facebook.com profile can be used to the advantage of the applicant in some cases, should his or her profile be used in the interview process. “It’s possible to market yourself by talking about the community service you’ve done, or basically anything that creates a positive reflection of yourself,” Dumouchel said. An article on the blog-related Web site Performancing.com suggests that a professional and informative profile is more likely to make a good first impression when a potential employer

See Facebook.com page 3

News Editor Now that the registration season is in full swing, some students have already scheduled their Spring 2008 semester and are hoping they’ve made the right decision; otherwise they are waiting in anticipation for add/drop week next semester to snatch up the classes they need. In more extreme cases, some may be waiting for that one class whose next appearance is scheduled two years away. Kyle Reutenauer, who is a special studies major in meteorology, is waiting for Earth Sciences 413: Hydrogeology to be available in 2009. “I’ve only got four classes to take over two semesters until that class,” Reutenauer said. He said that the department told him that there was not enough student interest in the class for it to be offered more regularly. The process in selecting which courses are offered per semester is a department-based responsibility and is generally completed a couple of semesters ahead, according to Liz Hicks of the Advising Center. She said that a certain number of courses are planned in cycles, some scheduled for every other semester in either the spring or fall

See Course Availability, page 3

Blue Devils Roll Over Friars, Bobcats and Pioneers, Clinch Second Seed for Friday’s NEC Tournament Peter Collin

Sports Editor Freshman Lauren Snyder totaled a double-double with 16 kills and 12 digs, leading the Blue Devils (23-6) to a 3-1 victory of the Providence Friars (18-10) last Wednesday night at Detrick Gymnasium. The Devils went on to defeat both Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart over the weekend, clinching the number two seed for Friday’s NEC Tournament. Wednesday was a close call for Central; after dominating the Friars through the first two games of the match, the Blue Devils faltered in the third game averaging a match low .125 for their attacks and falling 30-27. Providence carried their momentum into the fourth game, quickly jumping out to a 7-2 lead, and Central battled to keep pace with their opponent’s revitalized attack. CCSU managed to tie the score at 21-21 before the Friars rallied to a 26-22 lead. Hoping to avoid a fifth game, junior Amanda Olmstead began serving for the Blue Devils. Helped by three Providence errors, Olmstead led Central on an 8-0 run to steal the final

See Blue Devils Roll Over page 8

Edward Gaug / The Recorder The artists of CCSU’s newest mural. From left to right: Brielle Dubois, Mike Golschneider, Kenny Valentine, Stephanie Bergeron and Sean Kinne.

Conrad Akier / The Recorder Sophomore Jamie Baumert was selected to ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District I Second Team. She leads the Northeast Conference in blocks. http://clubs.ccsu.edu/recorder/

Mural Dedicated to Campus Immigrants See Mural Dedication page 2

News Wednesday, November 14, 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 Marissa Blaszko Amanda Ciccatelli Karyn Danforth Steve Hart Jeff Hayden Matthew Jurkiewicz Rob Messer Erin McAuliffe Brian Morache Joe Zajac

Central Author Presents Book on Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Melissa Traynor

News Editor As the semester nears its end, CCSU featured Dr. Moises Salinas of the psychology department with his book Planting Hatred, Sowing Pain: The Psychology of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in another segment of the Central Authors Series last Wednesday. Salinas introduced his book by stating that in response to proposals about creating a two-state solution and returning the area to its 1967 borders, 70 percent of Israelis and Palestinians would consider the plan; he wondered, however, why both sides cannot come to an accord. “Neither one trusts the other side to follow through with the agreement,” he said. In gathering information through over 250 interviews with Israelis and Palestinians by himself and his students, Salinas said that the majority of the book falls under four areas of psychological research. The professor explained that a large factor in whether there will be peace in the area is the acceptance or dismissal of stereotypes of each other. In practice, racism is prevalent; however, it is not acceptable or politically correct to address stereotypes. “Israelis generally portray Arabs as criminals and terrorists on TV. The Jews are seen as conspirators trying to take over the world. The more stereotypes we have, the less willing we are to negotiate with the other side,” he said. In his research relating to extremism and terrorism, Salinas

Dr. Moises Salinas discusses his book on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. has found no telling or particular traits of a personality that define a terrorist. However, he has discovered that there are social characteristics that make it more likely for terrorism to emerge. He said that it is common for radical groups to use a foot-inthe-door approach by seeking out more vulnerable individuals and asking them to perform increasingly dramatic tasks. For example, a man who is asked to sign his name to a group in exchange for food or money at first might later be approached to make a video pledging allegiance to the group and possibly be manipulated into strapping bombs to his chest and sent out to kill.

“In Palestinians extremism is more radical because the despair is more prevalent,” Salinas said. He highlighted the section of his book devoted to post-traumatic stress disorder by focusing on the long-term effects of terrorist action. He said that 50 percent of children in Gaza have witnessed someone injured or killed and as a result usually suffer symptoms of depression or have difficulties in school. Salinas concluded with his summary of the “peace and reconciliation” part of his book. He said that some of the main obstacles to peace include the differences in communication style and percep-

Conrad Akier / The Recorder tion of justice between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The Israelis tend to be more direct in speech and straightforward with their intentions while Palestinians are generally more cautious and soft. Such differences manifest themselves in failed negotiations. Salinas described the hesitation of both sides as unwilling to risk their cooperation for fear of receiving too little from the other. “There is a great need to increase understanding of and humanize the other side,” he said. “Blaming them is counter-productive.”

Mural Dedicated to Campus Immigrants Edward Gaug

Entertainment 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.

Previously the back wall of the Vance Academic Center loading dock was just a blank, lifeless open space. This canvas has recently come alive with the spirit of Elihu Burritt due to the tireless effort of the art department’s mural-painting class under the instruction of Professor Mike Alewitz. “The students that created this mural do it with hours far beyond their course work,” Alewitz said in praise of his students for their work ethic. The students created the Swords to Plowshares mural in just half a semester. The painting that stands over 10-feet tall depicts a three-dimensional look into Elihu Burritt’s blacksmith shop where swords are being melted down in order to make plowshares. The artists used this opportunity to illustrate Burritt’s role as a peace activist in the 1800s. In addition to Burritt, the mural was dedicated this past Wednesday to the immigrant workforce that handles assorted jobs on CCSU’s campus. Alewitz described them as “the people who cook for us and keep us alive, the people who clean for us and keep us healthy.” The dedication ceremony also served as an opportunity to shed light upon some of the troubles of the art department. Student artists pleaded the department’s case in request of additional studio space for

Edward Gaug / The Recorder larger projects and acknowledged that funding from the university would be greatly appreciated. In reference to the department’s needs, senior illustration major Sean Kinne said that this group of artists, himself included, was not unlike may others who chose to make a political statement through art. Marela Zacarias, a nationally renowned

muralist who had helped the mural painting class throughout the semester, showed her appreciation for the school’s program. “There is no other mural program like this,” Zacarias said. “Art is a beautiful, wonderful tool; let’s keep working together and painting together until we have rights for all.”

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Facebook.com

Course Availability

searches for an applicant’s name. “Make sure your profile is dedicated to your business,” the article states. “On your profile it gives a blurb to talk about yourself. Use this space to really promote yourself and put any websites that you want traffic to.” It also suggests that after making the appropriate changes to a profile, an applicant should adjust his or her privacy settings so that friends can only see a limited profile. This includes limiting what is displayed on the minifeeds. While Facebook may be a great social networking site to keep in touch with friends who attend different schools, it seems like a smart and responsible idea to limit what you post online. Business representatives continue to have more access to these sites, although they were not created for that purpose. Keep in mind that if your mother wouldn’t appreciate it, a potential employer might not either.

and a fewer number offered every fourth semester. Students should refer to their class’s course catalogue entry for labels such as “intermittent” or “on demand” when planning long-term schedules. Hicks commended some departments, such as criminology and psychology, both of which devote a significant amount of resources toward ensuring that students are aware of the courses they need to take early on and that their majors actually do complete them. “The psychology department has the course PSY 113 that’s onecredit and it’s basically a department first-year experience course to orient kids to the major. It also assigns students to their advisors,” she said. Frequently students who change majors will find themselves having to revisit the drawing board and plan a new set of courses or build off of existing credits. Often the general education requirements create problems.

Continued from page 1

“It’s predictable - especially in education majors. For example, you need to have all of the pre-education requirements. It’s easier to change majors in the same school because the [general education requirements] should be the same,” Hicks said. Provost Carl Lovitt, who is the co-chair of the Graduation and Retention Committee, said that the committee recognizes that more investigation should be devoted to the way classes are currently scheduled. Lovitt said that the university will begin using Ad Astra, scheduling software that will interface with the degree audits and project a set of courses to be taken for each student. He said that the committee will also be looking at how students are making progress towards earning their degrees and will have a report ready for presentation in the upcoming weeks. “Ultimately we want to remove hurdles for students getting into majors,” he said.

Organizations Unsatisfied with N.C. State’s Response to Noose Chris Allred

Technician (N.C. State) (U-WIRE) -- Members of African-American organizations at North Carolina State University said they are not pleased with the administration’s reaction to the discovery of a toilet paper noose in Sullivan Shops Building D Thursday, and the groups’ feelings will become clear in forums in the coming week. The N.C. State chapter of the NAACP will hold “Let’s Talk About It -- Jena 6 Part II, It’s Time to Act” in Poe 216 from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, and Candace Lee, the event’s organizer, said the noose incident will be discussed. “We’re going to discuss hate crimes and reasons behind hate crimes,” Lee, a junior in computer and electrical engineering, said. She said the chapter is inviting everyone to come and will be sending invitations to the leaders of all student organizations. She and her group are not satisfied with the administrations’ handling of the incident, she said.

“African Americans should be angrier,” Lee said. “We will not tolerate hate crimes toward anyone on this campus, ever.” The administration needs to set repercussions for the person who made the noose, and it should not be treated like a normal crime alert, according to Neshawn Chalmers, vice president of Society of African American Cultures and junior in psychology and Africana studies. “The Chancellor should issue another statement,” Chalmers said. The original e-mail sent to react to the incident, she said, did not have any emotion or a strong enough message that this sort of incident will not be tolerated. They need to be transparent in their investigation and keep students informed of what is happening, and they have been inefficient in finding the culprit, she said. Lee said the administration needs to prosecute whoever made the noose, no matter who it is or what their ethnicity. According to Chalmers, administrators had a meeting with Sullivan

staff to discuss feelings about the incident and help them cope, but she thought this was unnecessary when they should be furthering the investigation. “Holding a meeting is not acceptable,” she said. “How can you hold a meeting with 31,000 students?” There have been talks about a rally and a possible town meeting to counter the administration’s response, Chalmers said. “When you don’t take full recognition [of the issue’s seriousness], it angers a lot of people in the African-American community,” she said. “I think the administration knows we’re serious,” Lee said. “It shouldn’t take them any time to know that African Americans won’t tolerate it on campus.” But Lee said she had anticipated that this sort of incident would happen at N.C. State. When many non-minority students who are not accustomed to diversity come to a predominantlywhite campus, she said, it is not hard to believe that something like this could happen.

Georgetown U. LGBTQ Reforms Encounter Criticism from Catholic Groups Lauren Zelt

The Hoya (Georgetown) (U-WIRE) -- Georgetown’s recent push to promote greater acceptance of the LGBTQ community on campus have come under fire from some Catholic organizations that say the endeavors run contrary to Catholic teachings. But some Jesuits argue that Georgetown’s support of the LGBTQ community is not mutually exclusive with its Catholic identity. Articles published on the Internet in the past two weeks by several Catholic news organizations -- Catholic World News, Catholic. org and LifeSiteNews.com -- have condemned the university’s recent support for boosting LGBTQ education and resources. “The pro-homosexual nature of the [proposed LGBTQ resource] center is [a] rejection of what is considered a serious Catholic moral teaching,” wrote Hilary White of LifeSiteNews. The article said that the decision was one of several in recent years by the university -- including the Law Center’s decision earlier this semester to fund internships at organizations that promote abortion rights and the university’s naming of a chair last fall at the Law Center for Fr. Robert Drinan, S.J., who the article called a “notorious abortion crusader” because he supported abortion rights while a Massachusetts Congressman in the 1970s. “The incident follows years of criticism from faithful Catholics that Georgetown has lost its Catholic nature,” the article said. Patrick Reilly, the founder of the Catholic university watchdog group the Cardinal Newman Society, expressed many similar sentiments during a speech at Georgetown in 2006, saying that Georgetown has veered from its Catholic mission. He specifically cited the university’s support for GU Pride, as well as its 2005 decision to offer health care benefits to same-sex partners of university faculty, as opposed to the university’s Catholic identity. The Catholic News Agency published an article on Oct. 31 entitled “Georgetown University bows to homosexual activists’ demands” calling the university’s support of the working groups “controversial.” Catholic.org republished this article under the headline “Georgetown

University to Fund Homosexual Center?” the next day. The attacks come after University President John J. DeGioia announced at a town hall meeting on Oct. 24 the creation of three working groups focusing on LGBTQ resources, education and reporting and a resource center for LGBTQ students. Members of Georgetown’s Jesuit community serving on the working groups said there is no inherent contradiction between Georgetown’s Catholic and Jesuit identities and its commitment to furthering LGBTQ resources. “The [future LGBTQ resource center] is about affirming the dignity of a group of people who feel marginalized just by being who they are and need to have some kind of support,” said Fr. Christopher Steck, S.J., an associate professor of theology and member of the reporting group. “We are trying to find a way that all people on this campus will experience this university community as a place where they can be themselves and [are] welcomed in their identity,” he said. “Everyone should be able to experience [Georgetown] as a place where they can be who they are and not feel violated, abused or denigrated.” Fr. Timothy Godfrey, S.J., executive director of campus ministry and member of the working group on education, said the university would not be deterred by outside criticism. “If we are trying to be better at being Catholic and Jesuit, then we need not be afraid,” he said. “I think the Catholic Church calls for us to recognize the unity of all people, so separating one group as different goes against our Catholic teaching. God is love, and I think we are called to love our neighbors as we love ourselves,” Godfrey said. “All of us, who make up the Georgetown community, have a place here.” Fr. John Howard, S.J., minister of the Jesuit Community at the College of the Holy Cross said he applauds Georgetown for forming the working groups. “I think if Georgetown is trying to promote understanding, that’s what they must do if they are going to be a university,” he said. “At the very least, you want to develop a culture of respect which doesn’t mean you have to agree with people, but you do have to respect their point of view especially if it involves their personal life.” Howard added that Holy Cross has also promoted an open discussion of LGBTQ issues. He said that other Jesuit universities, including Boston College, where he used to work, have lagged behind in this respect. -- Michele Hong contributed to this report.

Editorial/Opinion

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Editorial No Confidence in Warshauer After squandering his opportunity to voice his opinion about last week’s closed-door meeting on President Jack Miller to The Recorder, history professor Matthew Warshauer decided to end his silence by sending out an “open challenge” to our editorial staff. Warshauer’s overly formal declaration of war criticizes our news coverage of the closed-door meeting and our editorial stance. We stand by our news coverage and will entertain Warshauer’s questions concerning our editorial. Professor Warshauer, Your reasoning for keeping last week’s town hall meeting closed was to protect those who were afraid of publicly speaking. You said that anonymous letters were read at this meeting, much like they were read during a faculty meeting regarding Miller’s decisions on promotions and tenure. If last week’s meeting was conducted in the same fashion that the promotions and tenure meeting was held, the same result would occur—those apprehensive voices would still be heard and their names still protected. All previous Faculty Senate meetings have been public and available for anyone to attend. There was no reason for this meeting to be treated any differently, especially given its “town hall” status. You asked us to “list, specifically, what we so called selfish actors are getting out of this movement.” The Recorder concedes that we do not know what is to be gained by the most vocal of those against Miller. We do know, however, that the reasons behind voting lack of confidence does not take the students’ interests into consideration, which is exactly what last week’s editorial stated. After reading your noble pamphlet, we see nothing concerning students. Worst of all, you are duping students into distributing your propaganda that does not even acknowledge their needs. It seems that a lot of teachers were hoping to get promotions no matter who was president. We at The Recorder are

An Open Challenge to The Recorder Editorial Staff: In a recent article entitled “Behind Closed Doors” and in an editorial of November 7th you criticized a faculty meeting and dismissed the Lack of Confidence vote regarding President Miller as “trivial complaining” and charged that those pushing the vote, myself included, were acting more for themselves than the wider university community. I formally challenge to prove this statement. List, specifically, what we so called selfish actors are getting out of this movement. Moreover, look very carefully at the recent pamphlet that was released and discuss with our community, specifically, if the items listed in it are, as you put, “trivial” and “petty complaints.” Additionally, your complaints about the closed faculty meeting are short sighted and weak. The primary reason for a private meeting is that many faculty and staff were concerned about privacy for fear that some form or retaliation might be meted out. Indeed, some put forth anonymous letters at the meeting for this very reason. You might believe, as I do, that faculty and staff should stand up and say what they have to say, but the reality is that there does exist fear for some and the very least that we can do is respect their concerns. In terms of students being informed more fully of what this whole lack of confidence thing is about, I agree that more can be done to address this problem. Part of the reason that the pamphlet was created and why it is being handed out to students

unsure why it never occurred to these professors that raising the bar on P&T would benefit the school as a whole. It will make professors work harder to earn that promotion and in effect will result in better teaching for the students. Your pamphlet of vague half-truths is essentially a laundry list of nothing. Once you realized that faculty would not vote no confidence with a specific grievance you decided to allow faculty to fill-in the blank. This is exactly why there are so many professors who are uneasy with the idea of voting on something that has no specificity at all. Your reasoning for keeping the vote unclear shows a lack of confidence in your own beliefs and a lack of unity among professors attempting to prove Miller’s incompetence. It does not help your argument that many of your complaints are unfounded or irrelevant in the judging of Miller’s tenure. Any professor who believes that the President’s personality is a legitimate justification for voting lack of confidence is partaking in petty grumbling. Your claim that we didn’t publish your letter to the editor a few weeks ago does not hold up either because we unfortunately never received one. We did publish the one you sent last February, however. Furthermore, you did a fantastic job of misunderstanding the way a newspaper works. Yes, we have turned down articles or needed to edit them—that is what a newspaper does. Being an astute disciple of history, you should remember some of your actions in the past, Mr. Warshauer. This isn’t the first time a CCSU president has come under Faculty Senate scrutiny, although in this case barely half of the senate was behind this vote. In 2004, former president Dick Judd was assailed for plagiarizing an op-ed he wrote for The Hartford Courant. You were one of the faculty members who supported to keep him as president, and this is after you took it upon yourself to draft the university’s Academic Misconduct Policy. You were so passionate about the issue of plagiarism that you wrote an article titled, “Should Students Be Allowed to Get Away with Plagiarism?” In this article, which was published on the History News Network on March 25, 2002, you

outside the Student Center is for this very reason. When trying to get out information on any issue, it is always important to choose the clearest and most effective way to transmit the message. Those faculty involved in this matter believe that the pamphlet is that way. We might have turned to The Recorder as one potential form of spreading information, but, unfortunately, you have in recent months done such a good job of showing poor judgment, biased viewpoints, racism, sexism, misogyny, and just plain bad taste that you have disqualified your paper of being considered as responsible or objective. Publishing items that you might think of as “clever” or provocative is not the same as being useful and thought provoking. Finally, for all of your cant about advocating openness and the free flow of information, I am personally aware that your editorial staff has refused to print or has substantially altered items that have been sent to you that were critical of pieces published in your newspaper. I sent you a letter several weeks ago that you never published, nor did you even have the courtesy to respond. How is this objective and open dialogue on campus? Thus I leave it to you, editors of The Recorder, are you up to the challenge? Address the issues and prove to your readers that you have the intellectual rigor to prove your statements about selfishness and trivial complaints. Matthew Warshauer, Ph.D. Professor of History

Regarding the article on the return of Radio 104: Why, oh why, would they want to resurrect the awfulness that is Radio 104? Couldn’t they have let it die with a modicum of dignity (not that they ever had any)? The station SUCKED back in the day, and I don’t hear any improvement now. The faux punk/indie aesthetic they try to pass off as authentic and hip is SO boring and clichéd. They can’t have it both ways. They’re either a station that wants to expose people to new and interesting music, or they’re a Clear Channel toady pushing the corporate flavor of the week (I think the latter is more applicable). I just know that anytime now, they’ll have the same ignorant, foul-mouthed frat boy DJs spewing their nonsense and playing the same insipid 20 songs repeatedly that they did back in their “glory days,” along with innumerable commercial spots. They should just go away and leave us alone, please. College radio rules! An old “friend” of Radio 104, Ray Lamoureux Thanks for posting that article. I had set up a “WMRQ” alert on Google a number of years ago. It would be great if they could actually experiment with a DJ-less format; it seems to work for Internet radio. And I’d think it would be cheaper for them, a computer merely spitting out pre-selected MP3s, no DJ-salary overhead. That said, bring back Dee Snider!!! Or at the very least, the old preDee Jake and Beth format was great. Either way, let’s hope that they don’t screw this up again. Doug Baker

explained how you attempted to make an example out of one of your students who plagiarized a paper. Your recommendation was “to file formal charges and request expulsion.” You did not, however, request this for Judd. Instead your actions showed that an administrator shouldn’t adhere to the same standards as students, which is something The Recorder finds troubling. The Recorder also worries that your contradicting history only proves that you are unfit to serve your students properly. You decided to back a president that blatantly lifted a line from a New York Times editorial, but when it comes to President Miller, you are trying to vote lack of confidence without providing concrete reasons. “I personally don’t think he should pay with his job,” you said of Judd in a Courant article written by Loretta Waldman and Ann Marie Somma in March 2004. And with all the talk of this no-confidence vote disrupting the progress of the university, you went on to say: “I think right now our university is at a crossroad and I think that the loss of President Judd’s leadership could really set this university back.” “My concern is for the needs of the larger CCSU community. It could all throw us into a two-year transitional tailspin,” you explained in a separate article written by Robert A. Frahm and Waldman for The Courant also in March of 2004. This should sound familiar to you, as it is one of the main reasons professors feel a lack of confidence vote is unnecessary. It is time you set your ego aside and practice what you once preached. You openly said in a previous attack against Miller in a May 2006 faculty meeting that you got a better offer from another institution and asked Miller to up the ante. Miller said that he doesn’t do “counter offers,” which is something The Recorder would like to applaud. It is quite transpicuous what your priorities are as you attempted to force the university’s hand in placing a bid on your services. Perhaps you should call back that university and get the extra money you are after.

A Pub on Campus: It’s Miller Time! Brian Morache

Staff Writer There is a game played between parents and their teenage children and it usually goes like this: teenagers try to fool their parents into thinking that they are not screwing around or drinking while parents pretend to be fooled. Much the same could be said about the students on campus and the administration. CCSU is a dry campus, which is why students do much of their drinking in their residence hall rooms, or if they are of age, at one of the local establishments. The administration pretends this activity does not go on while students continue to drink up. The time has come for CCSU to tackle this problem head-on by opening a pub for students who are of legal age to drink. Certainly it would be far better to have students do their drinking on campus rather than driving to a bar or club somewhere else. Far more control could be exercised on student drinking: the pub could be run by the students, and the college

would enjoy a windfall of profits from the overpriced drinks they would surely offer. Officers could be close at hand to deal with any situation that might arise and the health department could even test those who might overindulge, thus raising awareness about alcohol abuse. It might even cut down on drinking in the residence hall rooms. Why should a student who is of legal age to drink not be allowed to do so? It would be just the thing after a full day of classes. I have been told by some older students that CCSU once had a pub. Why the school did away with it is one of those puzzling things that schools just seem to do. So what do you all say? With all the other things that CCSU has chosen to do, a pub would fit right in. Give the new CCSU pub a name! How about “The Big Blue Horny Guy” – that way we could get the statue out of the Devil’s Den. We could call it “Miller’s Place;” after all, with a president whose last name is Miller, it’s just not right that a 21-year-old student can’t get a beer on campus.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Academic Violation of First Amendment Rights Celso Coelho

Special to The Recorder Remember the first day of classes when the professor took care of the role, calling out each student’s name, and gave out the dreaded syllabus? Disregarding the course overview, the professor’s contact information, office hours and the academic itinerary for the weeks to come, was there any information that could be considered the most significant? Simply put, it will always be the grading requirements that every professor includes in his or her syllabus that is repulsive. Attendance is a straightforward principle to understand — each student is going to work to get a better paying job after graduation. Unfortunately, the assumption of in-class group work dismisses the undergrad’s right to assemble (in this case, sit) wherever he or she prefers. The first instance the lecturer announces the class to assemble into small groups, isn’t that an action contradictory of an individual being able to gather at his or her own free will?

Dear Readers, Due to the Thanksgiving recess we will not be printing next week. We will resume printing Nov. 28. You can still send your 200-300 word letters to the editor to ccusrecorder@gmail.com.

The word “participation” isn’t defined clearly. The immediate definition of the word is to take part in class by responding to a question that leads to a discussion. If a given student is shy, isn’t prepared, has a cold or is disinterested with the course material, isn’t the professor infringing on a student’s rights to free speech and his or her right to remain silent simultaneously by making it a non-negotiable expectation? The lecturer has to make the class more engaging by assigning outside group work to present to fellow classmates. The mere suggestion of that demand is an impediment of free speech, the right to assemble while causing a possible conflict of outside requirements (work and family). Clearly, the professor has to increase his or her psyche to an unrelenting tyrant that never seems satisfied. Ultimately, doesn’t a professor appear to be inflicting mental abuse by knowingly increasing a student’s stress and anxiety levels? Upon fulfilling all requirements for a degree, each student would’ve been coached, prepared and indoctrinated for a career that is better than a laborer or retail, with the only variations being individual GPAs and the extent a student was willing to submit to the demands of each professor. If the collegiate experience is supposed to be more challenging than high school, why does it amount to being blackmailed with each course?

Fox News Doesn’t Get It Jeff Hayden

Ad Manager I’m a registered Republican, I vote Libertarian and I hate Fox News. They lie worse than any other media outlet. For anyone who has suffered the anguish of watching John McCain revel in Vietnam POW glory; Giuliani repeating “September 11 this, 9-11 that;” Mitt Romney grinning like a retard on Prozac; and Fred Thompson looking like a pair of leather combat boots from 1776 knows what I mean. “Text Your Vote!” was posted at the bottom of the screen throughout Fox’s whole debate. “We’ll tally the results and let you know what the viewers thought!” Bullshit. This proves they’re as incompetent as they are white. And if you’ve watched to the end, again, you know what I mean: Ron Paul wins again. As a Ron Paul fan, I can admit he didn’t win the debate, not because he’s a bad candidate, but because he isn’t given the forum. Four questions in an hour and a half. The same went for Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo. Yeah, that’s a fair debate for the American public. Ron Paul won in text votes, despite his lack of air time. So what does Fox News do? Fox News—who doesn’t like him—has Sean Hannity and Brit Hume stand up to congratulate him on another win and a fantastic debate, right? LOL, to use the parlance of our time. Nope, they decry the results of THEIR OWN POLL. They go to the room

of “viewers,” which I’m certain they selected by a process of a doubleblind randomized, intergenerational, multi-national, multi-politico population—again, middle-aged white people in ties. Fox News has their only black correspondent ask the room who among them thought Paul won the debate. No hands - big surprise. The deduction logically follows that Ron Paul must have some well-oiled machine, or a computer program that sends in text messages on his behalf. They did the same thing in the last debate. Maybe there’s a simpler rea-

son. Who texts? Do middle-aged white people in ties text? I don’t think so. I know my father doesn’t, and he fits the bill; although, if he did, he’d vote for Ron Paul too. There are always two sides to every story. Maybe Ron Paul and some of the other lower tier candidates don’t appeal to the middle of the road, middle-aged, white population, but they strike a resounding chord with voters in their twenties - voters who are tech savvy, hence the texting. Ron Paul has the highest viewed YouTube network, and his grassroots campaign is beyond reproach. Fox News needs to get their proverbial head out of their usual mouthpiece: their ass. They need to look at what they’re asking and who they’re asking it to. They need to realize that not all proletariats are satisfied with the three candidates who have been somehow picked from thin air to be our front runners. We, the ones who work hard; pay our taxes; want our military out of everyone’s back yard; want a reduction in drug laws and crimes; want our prison populations reduced; want the Federal Government scaled back 40 times over; don’t really care about the religious marital contract between woman and woman or man and man, and we want to secure our borders so we know who the fuck in our country isn’t happy. We want a change from the status quo, and we want Fox News and all the other major networks to open their eyes and smell what the Rock is cookin’.

Sports

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Men’s Basketball Loses Close Season Opener Christopher Boulay

Managing Editor Princeton, N.J. -- CCSU men’s basketball opened their season with a tough loss at Jadwin Gymnasium against Princeton 59-57, a game that the Blue Devils seemed to control, but couldn’t recover from a poor early second half and two missed shots as time expired. Sophomore Joe Seymore, who led the Blue Devils in scoring with 14 points and shot 5-8 from the field, including 4-6 from 3-point range, could not get in the final layup with two seconds left. “Some shots go in, some don’t. We are now focused on our game Wednesday,” Seymore said. “It is very frustrating. It’s a tough loss. We can’t give up those leads.” The game started with both teams exchanging baskets, before CCSU ignited to take a 14-1 run, amid a series of turnovers and sloppy play by Princeton in the paint. CCSU led 24-16 at halftime, but the lead would slip away quickly in the second half, as Princeton went on a 10-0 run to take over. CCSU looked completely flat, giving up constant turnovers to begin the half. “I promised the team that Princeton will shoot better. [Princeton] does not shoot badly for two halves,” said head coach Howie Dickenman, regarding the poor play from Princ-

eton in the first half. Princeton answered Dickenman’s prophecy by improving their field goal percentage from 19.2 percent in the first half to 58.6 percent in the second half and scoring 43 points in the final 20 minutes. When asked about the poor play in the second half, Dickenman said, “I don’t have any answer for you. We might not have played as smart in the second half. Our I.Q. was higher in the first [half] than the second [half].” Senior Tristan Blackwood added 12 points for the Blue Devils, while junior Marcus Palmer had 10 points. Freshman Ken Horton had the only blocked shot for CCSU. The team also had 14 turnovers, while Princeton had 12. The Tigers were led by senior Zach Finley, who had a field day with the Blue Devil’s defense, scoring 22 points and shooting 10-of-11 from the field. Senior captain Kyle Koncz contributed 10 points for the Tigers. CCSU held senior captain Noah Savage to five points and shooting only 1-9 from the field. Princeton head coach Sydney Johnson won in his debut with Princeton. He previously was an assistant at Georgetown. The Blue Devils will play the University at Albany Great Danes for their home opener in Detrick Gymnasium on November 14 at 7 p.m.

Above: Freshman forward David Simmons (left) is rejected by Zach Finley (center) of Princeton. Freshman Aaron Hall (right) follows behind the pair. Simmons finished with eight points. Below: Freshman Shemik Thompson (right) of Central leaps to prevent Kareem Maddox of Princeton from passing. Photos by Conrad Akier / The Recorder

Blue Devil Shorts Men’s Cross Country

Ry Sanderson led Central Connecticut with a 100th place finish at the NCAA New England Regional Meet in Boston’s Franklin Park. The sophomore navigated the 10K course in 32:06.15. The Blue Devils placed 28th in the 34-team field. With 37 points, Iona took home the title, edging Providence. The Friars had the top two finishers but totaled 46 points. Junior David Hunt was the next CCSU runner to finish. He completed the course in 32:50.35. Freshmen Luke Albertson and Nate Lovitt crossed the line in 33:10.35 and 34:23.25, respectively. Junior Charles Ngetich (34:59.80) and freshman Robert Weston (35:02.90) completed the Blue Devil field. The Central Connecticut men’s cross country season is now complete. (credit: CCSUBlueDevils.com)

Women’s Cross Counry Alyssa Cole paced Central Connecticut with a 150th effort at the NCAA New England Regional held in Boston’s Franklin Park. The sophomore finished the 6K course in 23:33.80. The Blue Devils came in 35th in the 36-team field. Providence won the title, totaling 73 points with three top-10 finishes. Junior Megan Jaswell was the second CCSU harrier to cross the finish line, posting a 24:25.00 effort. Meanwhile, seniors Robyn Hudak and Dawn Hudak navigated the course in 24:56.75 and 25:08.25. Freshman Leticia Selim Cherono (25:24.95), junior Katie Lima (27:05.65) and sophomore Kim Savino (27:05.65) rounded out the Central Connecticut field. The Central Connecticut women’s cross country season is now complete. (credit: CCSUBlueDevils.com)

Upcoming Events Here are all of the scheduled Blue Devil home and local games until our November 28 issue.

Wednesday, November 14

Men’s Basketball vs. Albany, 7 p.m.

Saturday, November 17

Football vs. Albany, 12 p.m. Men’s Basketball vs. New Hampshire, 7 p.m. Wednesday, November 28

Women’s Basketball vs. Rhode Island, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Pick Your Poison

NFL Predictions for Week 11

Last week in the NFL was one of the more bizarre ones we have had, with the Colts getting annihilated in the first half by the still lowly Chargers, coming back to almost win, and still losing. The Rams finally got their first win of the season by destroying the Saints for a little while, then almost blowing it and barely holding on inside of a minute remaining. The picks this week were a little bizarre, ranging from 10 (Good job, Kyle Dorau), all the way down to four, (better luck next week, Charlie Sorensen). It’s okay though, because most of us did pretty terribly. Leader Steve Hart only managed to get five picks correct, and it looks like the next few people behind him are locked and loaded to make a run as early as next week. Onto the AFC South, every person but one thought that the Colts would win. “Raider” Mike Luchene said, “The Colts will win the South easily. Peyton Manning is one of the classiest guys in the league, even though he didn’t seem to care that Marvin Harrison was drowning in that cell phone commercial they were in.” Kyle Dorau was the only brave soul who thought the Houston Texans would win, but his reasoning is most definitely warranted. He said, “The Houston Texans will win the AFC South, because you can’t stop Sage Rosenfels, you can only hope to contain him.” Ah, so true. For next week, we want to know who you think will win the NFC South. As always, send your picks to ccsurecorder@gmail.com.

Mark rowan

PeTer Collin

edward GauG

CHrisToPHer Boulay

editor-in-Chief

sports editor

entertainment editor

Managing editor

San Diego at Jacksonville

San Diego

Jacksonville

Cleveland at Baltimore

Cleveland

New York Giants at Detroit

Detroit

New York Giants

New Orleans at Houston

Houston

New Orleans

Carolina at Green Bay Kansas City at Indianapolis

Green Bay

Carolina

Indianapolis

Oakland at Minnesota

Minnesota

Miami at Philadelphia

Philadelphia

Miami

Tampa Bay at Atlanta

Tampa Bay

Arizona at Cincinnati

Arizona

Cincinnati

Arizona

Pittsburgh

Dallas

St. Louis

San Francisco

Pittsburgh at New York Jets Washington at Dallas St. Louis at San Francisco Chicago at Seattle New England at Buffalo Tennessee at Denver

Seattle

Chicago

Seattle

New England

Denver

Tennessee

Denver

St. Louis def. San Francisco

Detroit def. New York Giants

San Francisco def. St. Louis

Miami def. Philadelphia

THE RAMS ARE BACK! After they rained on the Saints parade, the Rams are officially back. San Francisco embarrassed themselves on Monday Night Football against the Seahawks. I imagine they will do the same this week against St. Louis. Jackson, Bulger and Holt will come down hard on the 49ers sorry excuse for a defense. A San Francisco treat, 31-7.

It’s a slippery slope in that New York club house. As the losses pile up the miscreants will start to bitch and once that happens there is little hope for N.Y. Kitna will pick apart the joke that is their secondary in the same fashion as Romo. The score will be high but the Lions will come out on top.

While I would love to see the hapless Rams pick up their second W of the season, the less-than-stellar Niners will squeak out an ugly win proving that the NFC is a waste of all our time.

As I come closer to the realization that I have no shot whatsoever at winning this thing, I will go out on a huge limb. Miami is an absolutely horrible franchise. This entire team is all around god awful. But I think that they will get it together just enough to beat Philadelphia, who in all reality, isn’t really any good either. Philly will beat themselves this time and Miami will not be the first team to go undefeated and winless in history.

Pick of the Week

This Week’s NFL Prediction Leader Board Current Week (of 16)

Rank

Name

Total Points

Steve Hart

Kevin Petruzielo

Jason Beaumier

Matthew Jurkiewicz

Alyssa Smollen

Jon Lundie

Kyle Robbin

Kyle Dorau

Nick Viccione

Edward Gaug

Marc Chouinard

Christopher Boulay

Mike McDonald

Charlie Sorenson

Peter Collin

Mark Rowan

Chase Proctor

Rob Messer

Mike Luchene

Chris Culmone

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Blue Devils Sink Versus Seawolves, Look to Conference Championship PeTer Collin

sports editor Stony Brook, N.Y. – Central had a rough outing in their final tune-up before their last conference game as the Blue Devils (6-4) fell to the Stony Brook Seawolves (6-4) 34-7 at Kenneth P. Lavalle Stadium in a non-conference game.

CCSU 7 Stony Brook 34 Special teams mistakes cost the Blue Devils, as a blocked punt and a botched kick return allowed the Seawolves to build a substantial lead that was too much for Central to overcome. Stony Brook levied two big blows against the Blue Devils midway through the second quarter that changed the complexion of the game.

The first came when junior John Smith blocked senior Chris Rose’s punt. The Seawolves recovered the ball on the Central 24yard line. The Blue Devils looked like they would hold Stony Brook right there until Dudash struck for a 21-yard gain to senior tight end Kevin Helonski to the three-yard line. From there Brandon Mason drove up the middle for the three-yard touchdown, his second touchdown of the game. On the ensuing kick-off the Blue Devils again faltered on special teams. The kick-off landed in front of freshman wide receiver Josue Paul. Paul could not handle the kick before the Seawolves arrived. The ensuing scramble took the ball to the CCSU 10-yard line where Stony Brook recovered. Two plays later Mason found the end zone for his second touchdown in less than one minute to give the Seawolves the 20-6 advantage. “The fumble and the blocked punt killed us. We got outplayed from that point on,” said

head coach Jeff McInerney. “Until those negative things happened it was an even game and then it just turned the whole momentum.” Stony Brook struck first on their opening drive. The Blue Devils could do little to slow the Seawolves’s senior quarterback Josh Dudash. Dudash connected on several dump passes that brought Stony Brook to the Central eight-yard line. The Blue Devil defense stiffened to force third down on the Seawolves, but Dudash ran a quick swing pass to junior running back Brandon Mason for the score, but junior Luke Gaddis could not connect for the extra point. The Blue Devils matched the Seawolves as sophomore quarterback Aubrey Norris aired the ball out to junior Jermaine Roberts for a 35yard gain to the Stony Brook 14-yard line. From there Norris worked the ball to the Seawolves two-yard line before junior Jo Jo Freeman punched the ball in from the one-yard line.

Dudash would add two more touchdown passes, connecting with junior wide out Dwayne Eley for a 37-yard touchdown pass during the third quarter and with junior wide out Lynell Suggs for a 24-yard pass during the fourth quarter. Freshman right guard Jesse Castillo left the game with an apparent right leg injury early in the second half. To supplant William Gelsomino for eighth place on the all-time Central rushing list with 1752 rushing yards, Freeman rushed for 50 yards and also scored the Blue Devils’ lone touchdown. The score moved him into second on the career touchdown list for the Blue Devils with 24 touchdowns, one more than Clint Dunston and Cory Harge. Stan House is the all-time leader with 48. Next up for Central will be unbeaten Albany. The match will be for the conference championship and will take place Saturday, November 17 at 12 p.m. in New Britain.

Above: Central wide-receiver Torin McCullough (left) fumbles the ball after completing a pass from Aubrey Norris. Central regained possession of the ball, preventing another turnover. Left: Seawolf Julian Glenn (right) brings down Blue Devil quarterback Ryan Holmes by latching onto Holmes’ hair. Holmes had 25 rushing yards and 29 passing yard in the game. PHoTos By Conrad akier / THe reCorder

Blue Devils Roll Over Friars Continued from page 1

Age: 19 Position: Forward Major / Year: Exercise Science / Freshman Hometown: Liverpool, UK Nickname: Browny Favorites Movie: Scarface Food: Sunday Roast Role Model: Robert Fowler, Professional European Soccer Player Actor: Denzel Washington or Adam Sandler Most Embarrassing Moment I’ve had a lot of them. Pump-Up Music Dance music If I Had a Million Dollars... I’d settle my parents and then spend the rest. What Makes You Laugh? Stand up comedians like Ricky Gervais, Lee Evans, Peter Kay and Chubby Brown. What City in the United States would you like to visit? Miami, Florida Conrad Akier / The Recorder

game and escape with the victory. “I think during the third game Providence picked up the emotion a little bit and started out hustling us on the court,” said head coach Linda Sagnelli. “We made way to many mistakes and let them back into the game. Then we became our own worst enemy and struggled against ourselves the rest of the match.” Early on the match had been all Central as the Blue Devils capitalized on sloppy play by the Friars. After defeating the Friars easily in game one 30-20, Central set out to dominate Providence in game two. They quickly jumped out to a 10-2 lead on the strength of four aces by Olmstead and sophomore Venny Van. The Friars called a timeout to regroup, but things only got worse from there. The Blue Devils continued to pile on Providence, building leads of 16-5 and 24-10. The Friars never mounted a serious rally, as they continually aided Central by committing bunches of errors at a time. During the match, the Friars committed 27 errors and had a low attack average of .212 including a paltry -.029 during the second game. Freshman Amanda Bayer paced the Blue Devil assault with 55 assists and four digs. Freshman Kaitlin Petrella led Central with 17 digs, bringing her record-setting season total to 535, 63 more than Jennifer Moshier’s 11-yearold record of 472.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Sacred Heart Breaks Blue Devils Karyn Danforth

Staff Writer West Long Branch, N.J. -- Sophomore Rachel Caneen scored the first and only goal for Central Connecticut (9-9-1, 6-3-0) in a Northeast Conference Tournament semifinal loss against Sacred Heart (5-11-4, 4-2-3), 2-1, Friday afternoon at Monmouth. Sacred Heart 2 CCSU 1 In the 32nd minute of the first half, the sophomore all-conference selection successfully gave the second seeded Blue Devils an assuring 1-0 lead. It was Caneen’s ninth goal of the season. The Blue Devils offense had complete control of the ball for the first half, but the third seeded Pioneers fought back, erupting in the second half with two goals in just a three minute span, securing their opportunity of advancing to Sunday’s final versus host and top seed Monmouth. Thirty minutes into the match, Pioneer freshman goalkeeper Meghan Reichelt deflected CCSU sophomore Leah Blayney’s shot. Just seconds later sophomore Ciara Crinion, an all-conference first team honoree, crossed to Caneen at the top left of the 18-yard line. Caneen sandwiched herself behind two Sacred Heart defenders and shot it in, beating Reichelt to the near post. Central had several opportunities early on in the second half to secure their lead. Freshman Clio Treager almost made a shot out of a Crinion corner kick, but moments later, the Pioneers made a gutwrenching goal. Pioneer freshman Lindsey El-

Conrad Akier / The Recorder Blue Devil junior Siobhan McCaffrey consoles sophomore Rachel Caneen while the Pioneers celebrate after they knocked Central out of the NEC Tournament, finishing CCSU’s season. Caneen scored the only goal for the Blue Devils in the 2-1 loss. liot seemed to surprise Blue Devils’ sophomore goalkeeper, Caity Casey. Elliot’s shot was on net and as Casey attempted save—juggling the ball momentarily—the ball crossed the

line to equalize the game at one. It was Elliot’s first goal of the season. Blayney led the counter attack, quickly finding space for a shot only to watch it sail over the crossbar.

Left: Sophomore Brittany Emin (right) is fouled by Sacred Heart’s Megan Wosleger in the first half of play. Emin had three shots in the game. Right: Blue Devil junior Caitlin Newkirk (right) battles with Pioneer Janice Rodriguez for the ball. Photos by Conrad Akier / The Recorder

Elliot then found sophomore Ashley Testani at the 18-yard line at the 64th minute mark. Testani fired high, nestling the ball between the crossbar and Casey’s outstretched hands. Central had a handful of golden opportunities in the second half to force the game into overtime, but Reichelt was determined as were the rest of the Pioneers to keep their lead from being threatened by the Blue Devils. She made five key saves to preserve the win. The final five minutes was a nail biter for the Blue Devils and their fans, as Central barreled down the field continuously attacking Reichelt. Central was awarded two corner kicks and a direct kick outside of the 18, but failed to capitalize on any of them.

“It was a real disappointing way to end it based on the run of the plays. I thought we were the better team today, but we got too comfortable,” said Coach Mick D’Arcy. The Blue Devils finished the semifinal with an 18-3 shot advantage and were awarded more corner kicks than the Pioneers in the contest, 5-1. Reichelt had a total of seven saves for the entire game while Casey came out with only one. Central’s women soccer finishes its season with an overall record of 9-9-1. Sunday, November 11 Sacred Heart fell to the Monmouth Hawks 10. It is the Hawks third NEC Championship, and their first since 1996. Blue Devil sophomores Rachel Caneen and Karise Hilt were named to the NEC All-Tournament team.

Entertainment

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Armor for Sleep

On Halloween evening, Smile for Them I was lucky enough to be in attendance at the “Sleeping with Giants” show at the Webster in Hartford, where Armor for Sleep was an opener for the main act, The Academy Is… They were great - loud, energetic, and entertaining. But now I have my hands on their new CD, and I am extremely disappointed. Generic. This is the latest album from AFS in one word. I listened to the October release, Smile for Them, four times, from beginning to end, in one road trip. After putting myself through that ordeal, I can safely say this: I cannot securely discern one song from the other without prompting the title from my iPod. If I were to put the album on shuffle, I could not tell you whether the song playing was from the beginning, middle or end of the CD. If you played a generic song from any indie/post-hardcore band, along with one track from Smile For Them, the likelihood of me being able to determine which is from the album I just spent the last three-and-a-half hours listening to is about as high as me getting candy while trick-or-treating dressed as Catwoman on Thanksgiving. For a band that has been toted so highly for their ingenuity in the lyrical department, lead vocalist Ben Jorgensen fell flat on this one. The lyrics are mundane and bland. A lack of creativity has left the band floating in that musical purgatory where they have a deep well of potential but cannot find a signature sound of their own. Thank God for a girlfriend who is obsessed with Bumblebee and Transformers, the motion picture. The only track I can readily identify in the 12-song mash known as Smile for Them is number seven, “End of the World.” That particular stadium anthem was featured in the film, and the fact that I can daydream about Optimus Prime whooping Decepticon tail is the only highlight of the disc for me. - Matthew Jurkiewicz / Staff Writer

The Hood Internet

While mash-ups have been raising in popularity since Danger Mouse released the controversial The Mixtape Grey Album back in 2004, Volume One The Hood Internet take it to a place that hasn’t really been touched: head to head mash-ups. While groups like Girl Talk and Flosstradomas mash-up numerous samples in a single track, The Hood Internet take two popular songs and mash them against each other in a way that makes sense… kind of. While some tracks become chaotic, others stand out as being so well produced that they seem natural. The first song that stands out is “Cyborg Umbrella,” which throws Rhianna, Jay-Z, Menomena and M83 in a blender and eventually creates a version of “Umbrella” that doesn’t want make me want to stab things. The best track on the entire album is hands down “I’m a Flirt (Shoreline),” which mashes up R. Kelly, T-Pain, T.I. and Broken Social Scene to make one of my favorite songs of the year. It is so ‘effing’ catchy. It has been a long, long time since I discovered a band that I wanted to share with all my friends, but this album is making me want to do it. It touches on every kind of music, so it will appeal to just about everyone. The great thing about The Hood Internet is that they make their albums available for free on thehoodinternet. com alongside newer songs they post frequently. So good. - Edward Gaug / Entertainment Editor

Streetlight Manifesto

A tolerable ska album. I’ll let that sink in for a moment. Streetlight Somewhere Yes, Manifesto’s newest in the Between offering boldly goes where not many ska albums have before – towards a pain-free listening experience. Streetlight Manifesto’s sound on Somewhere in the Between is merely a natural continuation of their previous two efforts, which made concessions aplenty to mainstream listeners. The old ska standby (and point of contention) of brass instrumentation is still present, but its sound is often muted by the tribal drumbeats, jagged guitar and the hoarse, yelping voice of lead singer Thomas Kalnoky, all of which give the material a more frantic, pseudo-punk feel. The most striking aspect is that underneath the ska sounds, Streetlight seems like a band who is desperately trying to be unique within a restrictive genre. On at least two occasions, the trumpets are shoehorned into the songs, but without them, there lies a catchy song underneath. It gives the impression that by sticking to the ska formula, Streetlight Manifesto is purposely limiting themselves. Got to maintain that indie-ska cred, eh guys? As someone who has little experience with the ska genre, this album is certainly catchy enough and worth a purchase, even for non-fans. As it stands, however, ska fans will avoid the album since it broadens the genre’s limited horizons, and non-fans will avoid the album since it’s that “loathsome ska nonsense.” Too bad, because a genuinely interesting band lies underneath. - Joe Zajac / Staff Writer

Tokyo Police Club

Tokyo Police Club Smith EP is a band that will fly under the mainstream radar for another year or so before someone famous finds them and drops their name all over the place. With a stellar combination of smart pop grooves and captivating vocals, it’s hard to imagine why TPC wouldn’t become something big. While the Smith EP is only 10 minutes in length, it easily shows what Tokyo Police Club can accomplish as a band. It is pretty cliché to say that a band plays well beyond their year, but in this instance, the Club has much more talent and showmanship than their 20 years of life should allow. Although they have the talent to take over today’s music scene, lead singer David Monks still can’t even get a drink in any of the U.S. venues they tour. Songs like “Box,” the album’s lead track, mix hard guitar riffs with keyboard blips to make a track that can be included in your next party’s dance mix or in the playlist of the music snob in your American Lit class. Monks’ vocals are friendly and inviting without sounding too juvenile (think Kenny Vasoli of The Starting Line back in high school). In “A Lesson in Crime,” the keyboard blips turn into a stern piano and Monks’ voice grows softer and a tad more serious as he sings, “My hands shake/ And they long to be held in the cold/ Cause the winters are hell when it snows.” While it might be difficult to find some of Tokyo Police Club’s material now, make an effort and be forever known as the guy (or girl) who liked the band way before they got big. - Edward Gaug / Entertainment Editor

Avenged Sevenfold

The Huntington Beach, Ca band produced three successful h a r d c o r e -y e t - m a i n Avenged stream heavy metal/ Sevenfold hard rock albums between 2001 and 2005; the band’s 2007 selftitled release – their highest debuting album to-date in the United States – has only added to the screaming sensation that is Avenged Sevenfold. Although I’m not a passionate fan of the group, I can certainly appreciate Avenged Sevenfold’s style. Opening the album with “Critical Acclaim,” M. Shadows (born Matthew Charles Sanders) screams at those in America who stand behind the war but refuse to let their own join the battle. “So how does it feel to know that someone’s kid in the heart of America/ Has blood on their hands, fighting to defend your rights/ So you can maintain the lifestyle that insults his family’s existence?/ Well, where I’m from we have a special salute waved high in the air/ Towards all those pompous assholes who spend their days pointing fingers/ Fuck you!” That pretty much explains it all. The album also includes more melodic tracks, such as “Unbound (The Wild Ride)” and “Dear God,” providing a common ground between M. Shadow’s screaming vocals, as displayed on Sevenfold’s first two albums, and his intriguing softer vocals, which began to develop with their 2005 album, City of Evil. Their fourth album assures that 2007 will be another good year for Avenged Sevenfold. I highly recommend it. - Samantha Sullivan / Copy Editor

Agnostic Front

One of the reasons I’ve Warriors put much effort into avoiding hardcore bands such as Agnostic Front is that they all have the same sound, and this album only justifies my actions. It’s basically an assault on the ears, much like the music WFCS plays in the wee hours of the morning on Sunday and Monday nights, only worse. On the other hand, if you’re into a relatively simple jumble of chords and guitar distortions or a pumping, constant bass drum and front man Roger Miret yelling things about revenge and having no regrets, then Agnostic Front might seem like a good idea. The limited variety of verse, chorus structure and lyrics make it difficult to actually be able to tell the difference between songs. The tracks on Warriors could probably be incorporated into the background noise of a videogame, or a commercial for one. Also, AF rips-off old school hardcore punk beats, such as the double bass drum pedal sounds. In a way I was reminded of the Casualties on that aspect alone, but I was ultimately disappointed with everything else. The only joy I have found in listening to this album is looking forward to the end of each song, and this came quickly seeing as each is maybe two minutes long. - Melissa traynor / News Editor

As I sat listening to I-Empire, the second and latest album from former Blink-182 I-Empire singer Tom DeLonge‘s new band, Angels & Airwaves, I can’t help but be swept up in the up-beat tempo and inspiring lyrics. The second I heard I-Empire was available on iTunes, it was mine; and this was not a waste of $9.99. This is a fantastic follow-up to A&A’s debut album, We Don’t Need to Whis-

Angels and Airwaves

per. DeLonge, along with David Kennedy (ex-Hazen Street), Adam “Atom” Willard (ex-Offspring) and Matt Watcher (ex30 Seconds to Mars), have found a fantastic balance between exploring new territories and sticking with what they’re good at. The lyrics have strayed away from excessive repetitive lines but stuck with the intense imagery and powerful idea of staying hopeful. The first single off the album, “Everything’s Magic,” has a more up-beat rhythm than their previous singles, “The Adventure” and “Do it For Me Now.” All in all, this is a must-have for any A&A fan, or even a fan of alternative-rock music searching for a new band to add to their playlists. - Jody Wiles / Staff Writer

Two years ago I thought we’d never hear B.A.R.S. any music from Cassidy again after he was arrested and on trial for murder. Cassidy ended up serving only eight months after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault. A few months later, in October 2006, Cassidy was in a car accident that left him with a fractured skull. These incidents would explain why the album has such an R&B feel. I loved Cassidy’s 2004 album Split Personality and I expected this to be similar CD with songs about the streets, you know, a tough album from a tough guy. But you can definitely hear how his life changing experiences have changed him. Songs about God, jail time and the accident make for a serious side to the Philadelphia rapper. Besides the hit single “My Drink N My 2 Step,” Swizz Beats produced three other tracks, and worked with The Individualz on a fourth. He’s also featured on the song “ I Get My Paper.” Kanye West produced the track “Celebrate” and it also features John Legend, a soulful song to check out. Another stand out song is “Cash Rulez ft. Bone Thugs and Eve.” An up-tempo beat with a chorus that’ll make you remember Wu Tang’s hit “C.R.E.A.M.” Cassidy raps pretty fast to keep up with the likes of Krazie Bone, and he does a great job. Although B.A.R.S. wasn’t what I anticipated when I first listened to it, it’s still a pretty good disc. Cassidy still uses clever punch lines mixed in with his serious lyrics to create a good balance. If you’re a fan of Cassidy you’ll love B.A.R.S, if you aren’t, you’ll still probably enjoy the album, but it’s nothing we’ll be talking about for too long. - Steve Hart / Staff Writer

Cassidy

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Ho Ho Horrible!

Fred Claus: Another Failed Christmas Movie Matthew Jurkiewicz

Staff Writer Santa Claus is overworked, underappreciated, overweight and under-medicated. Let’s face it; Santa could use a Xanax the size of his jolly, old, fat head. His loser brother is trying to borrow money, his business is going under, his sex life leaves much to be desired, he is under review by the board, and oh yeah, he’s gone from simply gray haired to completely white. Santa’s in the throes of clinical depression. Fred Claus paints a delightful, child-friendly picture of old St. Nick, now doesn’t it? Paul Giamatti dons the fat, red suit and takes on the role of Father Christmas in this horribly unfunny Christmas flick about Santa’s much less successful brother, Fred. Vince Vaughn stars as Fred, the elder Claus growing up in the shadow of the younger, fatter brother’s tremendous fame. Fred attempts to distance himself from his brother for his entire life. He is successful, up until he needs $50,000 to start his last shot at a fruitful business. Santa makes an agreement with his brother: if Fred comes up to the North Pole to visit for a few days, old St. Nick will front the cash for Fred’s endeavor. At the same time, “The Board” that supposedly runs the holidays has sent efficiency expert Clyde Northcut, played by Kevin Spacey, to inspect Santa’s operation and to shut it down if it’s not up to par. Santa needs to impress the man, but Fred’s turning the North Pole and its elves on its head - let the family, Christmas comedy ensue, right? Wrong. Oh, so very wrong. This movie is a half hour too long, and very short on humor. For a film advertised as family-oriented—a holiday movie both adults and kids can enjoy—there is a dearth of comedy on both sides of the generation gap. The few jokes there are (and believe me, they’re few) are far above

Rental Essentials: Colossus: The Forbin Project Brian Morache

Staff Writer

the heads of the young ones. The funniest scene in the movie hinges upon Kevin Spacey donning a Superman cape. How many kids under 10 are going to realize the Lex Luther reference from Superman Returns? How many college students will even recognize it? The rest of it is just plain not funny. Watching Vaughn flounder around up there on the screen was embarrassing. You just felt bad for the guy; pulling laughs was like pulling teeth. The entire film had the setup to have great jokes, but they just never came through. The script was lacking a lot, mainly a signature line – there is not one line I can quote outside of context that could even be construed as funny. A comedy needs some good tag lines, and this just did not have any. It is not surprising though. Aside from National Lampoon’s:

Christmas Vacation, these holidaythemed gimmick movies are always back-studio trash. From The Santa Clause trilogy to Jingle All The Way, Schwarzenegger and Sinbad’s flop, these movies are simply atrocious. This is a studio exec. saying, “Hey, throw the big name on a movie about Santa and bang!, we got ourselves an easy moneymaker.” And it is. Families love Christmas, and movies about it, so they will always go see them - regardless of their quality. And a message to Vaughn: stick to Wedding Crashers and Dodgeball. I know sex gags and curse words are cheap jokes, but you’re good at them, and you retain your dignity within that level of comedy. Don’t drop below a PG-13 rating; your only humorous talents are completely lost in that realm of the film industry.

To eliminate the possibility of human error leading to World War III, the United States turns over control of its nuclear arsenal to a computer named Colossus. Does this sound familiar? How about War Games or even the basis for the Terminator movies? The first of this kind of film was made in 1970 and it is Colossus: The Forbin Project. While not as exciting as the movies that would follow it, Colossus is nonetheless a very good film about a subject that is closer to reality that most people think. If you believe this is all just science fiction, then just take a good look at NORAD; that is, if you can get in there. Dr. Charles Forbin has developed the ultimate computer: one that will make decisions based upon pure logic and, beyond a mere storage unit for information, is actually able to think and reason. It is unique in the world and, once sealed inside a mountain, is unreachable. The first mistake is not providing an “off” button. The big surprise comes a few days after the Colossus computer is turned on and given total control of all U.S. defenses. There is another computer, this one made in Soviet Union. Its name is Guardian and its purpose is the same. At this point, two of the world’s largest nuclear arsenals are

in the hands of computers. Is anyone scared yet? The two computers begin to talk to each other in a language that they alone understand. Ever wonder what your desktop is telling your laptop? The goal of both countries was to ensure world peace, and they both get their wish, just not in the way society wants it. This film’s ending leaves one glad that humans are still controlling things. Still, it wouldn’t be so hard to view the two supercomputers as the two superpowers and humanity as everyone else. While it’s true that 1970 was a long time ago for some of us, the warning of this film should speak even louder today. Virtually everything is run by computers now. Without them your car wouldn’t start, you couldn’t buy anything, communicate with anyone or even cook your food. When the power that runs computers stops, the world stops. So just what do you do when we allow a computer to have ultimate control of our lives? Who then are the masters and who are the slaves? Colossus: The Forbin Project paints a bleak picture for humanity, but it is a picture we have painted ourselves. The question for any who watch this film is can this happen to us and will we realize the threat before it does? Just something to think about as we put this movie into our laptop, desktop or otherwise computer-controlled DVD player.

Third Eye Blind Is Back After Some Soul Searching Amanda Ciccatelli

Staff Writer After a dysfunctional relationship of breaking-up and getting back together, Third Eye Blind played in the slow San Francisco club scene for a few years where they wrote and performed their music for years with no bite from the recording industry. Finally, the band was offered several opportunities and put together their self-titled 1997 debut album with Elektra. As soon as their hit “SemiCharmed Life” got airtime, Third Eye Blind took off. The indie-rock band includes Stephan Jenkins on vocals and guitar, Brad Hargreaves on drums, Tony Fredianelli on guitar and vocals and Leo Kremer as bassist, guitarist and vocalist. Third Eye Blind’s talent is edgy with a creative musical intelligence that helped set their place in the 90s rock culture. They introduced four more extremely popular rock anthems of the 90s, including “Graduate,” “How’s It Gonna Be?,” “Losing A Whole Year” and “Jumper.” Third Eye Blind’s first album sold a shocking six million copies and earned a place on the Billboard Top 200 Al-

bums chart for over an entire year. Blue, their second album, came out in record stores in 1999 and did not take long to go double platinum because of the popular single, “Never Let You Go,” strongly influenced by the sound of the Rolling Stones. That same year, the band left for a sold-out world tour of their musical collaboration, addicting all their fans to their music even more and welcoming millions of new followers throughout their journey. Not until 2003 did Third Eye Blind get back into the recording studio to achieve the goal of writing Out of the Vein. This album portrays where the band stood at that point in their lives with use of powerful sounds and lyrics. Out of the Vein contains 13 songs depicting feelings of beauty, anger, fear and love, all of which contradicted each other perfectly. The album is a combination of each band member’s personal style into one melodic masterpiece of musical lovemaking between them. There is a question as to why there was a three-year gap between the albums. Some fans became frustrated and blamed the band for slacking. On their official Web site, drummer Brad Hargreaves ex-

plained, “We’d make more albums if we didn’t like playing live so much.” Jenkins added, “In a way, I envy hiphop producers like Missy Elliott, who can stay home and make more records. But they miss out on the intensity of the exchange with a live audience, which I would never give up. But it’s hectic and it’s crazy, and after two albums back-to-back I had to stop for a year to rebuild.” After their few years of tours and the rock star road life, Third Eye Blind rebuilt their studio themselves. Each one of the band members even spent the summer physically putting up brick and sheetrock. As soon as their project was complete, the band set up special recording material. They acquired a collection of vintage analog recording gear because they wanted to capture an organic sound specific to their musical visions. “I want people to know that this album is homemade. Artists like Led Zep and Bob Marley set the sonic bar for music, for me. Our challenge is to make music for ‘now’ that maintains the purity of analog sound,” Jenkins said on the band’s site. In 2008, a fourth album is scheduled to be released called The Hideous Strength, which comes from

a 1945 novel by author C.S. Lewis. Jenkins says this album will be “more political” than the other albums. Third Eye blind has been continually touring across the United States in sold-out concerts since April of this year. They were touring with the Counting Crows, Live and Collective Soul during the summer.

Currently 3EB is playing several shows beginning on November 9 at the University of Maryland College Park, which sold out in a matter of hours. There is still ticket availability for the Third Eye Blind show at The Webster in Hartford on November 16; doors open at 7 p.m.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

The Best Rock Band of Our Generation …as Determined by the Staff of The Recorder Edward Gaug

Entertainment Editor A few weeks ago when I wrote my short review of Radiohead’s newest album In Rainbows I mentioned that Radiohead might be considered the best band of our generation. This spurred the initial reaction from Editor-in-Chief Mark Rowan of “Really?” From that point I have been toying with a list of about 40 bands that could create a decent argument for being considered the best band of our generation. I ultimately decided to throw out the question to the editors and writers of The Recorder to see what types of answers and reactions they would have. While I stand by my first statement of Radiohead being the best band of our generation, I had to search through my music library as well Billboard charts and Rolling Stone stories to make sure I was able to capture as many bands as possible. I know I will get e-mails saying “WTF, how did you forget this band?” To that guy, send in the e-mail and make me aware of it, but don’t be a douche. Let’s start off with the rock side of this argument. There is Radiohead, who has released seven studio albums, all of which have made the top 100 charts in both the UK and here in the States. The last four, excluding In Rainbows, topped the UK music charts. To add to that, both Kid A and OK Computer have a top-10 spot on the Rolling Stone “Top 100 albums of the past 20 years.” The Recorder’s Art Director Jamie Paakkonen agreed and said, “Radiohead [is the best] because I rarely hear people say they hate them, and they are amazing. No one can really deny that they are amazing. They were one of the first bands to gain popularity while experimenting with a lot of electronic elements in their music and that has brought us a long way in today’s world of music.” While any fan of Radiohead will

agree with all of this, I still have to make an argument for all those other bands. Other bands that were considered in the rock genre were Nirvana, who created the mainstream idea of “grunge” music back in 1991 and sold 50 million records worldwide since their debut. Staffer Karyn Danforth brings Weezer to the table. “I’d have to say Weezer. Who doesn’t love them? They’ve been around long enough to grow up with through high school, and I still pop in Pinkerton every once in a while to scream ‘The Good Life’ at the top of my lungs. Hell, I bellowed out ‘The Sweater Song’ with five other people at the bar a few nights ago. Weezer makes for some epic moments,” was her rationale. While I personally hate the Red Hot Chili Peppers with a passion, they are definitely a huge part of 1990’s rock music. They have won numerous Grammys, had one of the top albums in 2006 with Stadium Arcadium, and have even been on The Simpsons. Two bands from over the pond, U2 and Oasis, have a steady following that ranges from high school and college-age students to their parents and everyone in between. Bono is an influential humanitarian that is adored by many people, purple shades and all. To top it off, until this past summer, U2 had their own designer iPod. Oasis, who has lost a lost of popularity in recent years, was huge while most of us were in elementary and middle school. Metalheads should have their say too, so to them I present Pantera. I know some will see that as a really mainstream choice, but metal is a genre that is fairly underground and flooded with a ton of talented musicians. Pantera is the type of band that can be listened to by fans of any metal sub-genre. Now it’s time to make some more modern choices. While a lot of bands lately might not seem like a huge deal

now, some will grow to define our generation of music. These bands will be the ones considered “oldies” when we age into our 50s and 60s. Artists like Beck, the Foo Fighters and Coldplay have been making radio-friendly rock for over a decade and still prove to be relevant and catchy every time they release a new album. Bands like Wilco, Modest Mouse, Death Cab For Cutie and Bright Eyes are blurring the lines between “emo” and folk rock to make albums that are topping the charts at most college-rock radio stations. Justin Klozcko, who sides with Wilco, said, “Wilco is the best band of our generation, as well as one of the most underappreciated. They revived rock and roll with 1996’s Being There and have continued to deconstruct the definition of music with complex, unclassifiable albums like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.” A band like Muse has been toted as “your favorite band’s favorite band” and somehow seems to stay under the immensely popular music radar. They make fantastic music that always makes a crack in the charts, but is never really talked about in this sort of discussion. While these are only a quick sampling of the bands that have been making great music for the past 15 years or so, most of these bands can be appreciated by music snobs and casual radio listeners. The key to becoming the biggest band of a generation is being able to bridge the gaps between music fans and not to alienate groups of people. It also doesn’t hurt to sell a few million albums and play amazing live shows.

Who do you think is the best band of our generation? Send in your answers to ccsurecorder@gmail.com and we’ll post them next issue.

Not Your Father’s Christian Rock Carol E. Woien

Special to the Recorder What do you think of when you hear the term Christian music? Probably not very much. The same went for me until I discovered bands like Newsboys, Jars of Clay, MercyMe and David Crowder, which are some of the most popular contemporary Christian bands in the country and have successfully crossed over into mainstream music. These bands have a Christian message, but not it is “preachy.” It’s a message of redemption, renewal and acceptance, not guilt, judgment or punishment. It gets to the heart of Christianity with lyrics that span generations, although you’re more likely to find the crowds at these concerts are on the much younger side of 40. Contemporary Christian music offers Christ as an answer to our human condition of loneliness, self-doubt and self-rejection without pushing Jesus down our throats. Sometimes God is not the theme of their music at all; other times it’s quite clear about whom the band is singing. Consider the following words in the Newsboys’ song “You Are My King (Amazing Love)”: “I’m forgiven because You were forsaken/ I’m accepted, You were condemned/ I’m alive and well, Your Spirit is within me/ Because You died and rose again.” A non-profit group called Rock the Sound, founded by Joel Stier in

Say What? The Recorder asked students who they believed was the greatest rock band of our generation. Here are the replies.

Journey. Everybody loves the song “Don’t Stop Believing.” Carissa Mastroianni Senior, Psychology

Bon Jovi. It’s something when a man is as old as some of our fathers and is sexy. Bridget Walsh Junior, Elementary Education

Pavement. Scuzzy, intelligent and artful at the same time. Their first three albums are the most creative indie-rock records I’ve ever heard. Dan Ivers Senior, English

Lamb of God. It’s fast and heavy. Drew Seymour Sophomore, Construction Management

Nirvana. They started the grunge movement that lead to modern day rock and roll bands. Mike Dabbo Junior, International Studies

Green Day. Dookie is the best CD ever. Nick Grillo Junior, Biomolecular Sciences

Nirvana. They were the first grunge band out. Nicole Flanagan Sophomore, Education

2004, is helping the increasing popularity of Christian music in this area along. According to a New York Times article in 2005, “Mr. Stier formed Rock the Sound last year after winning a bid on eBay to acquire the rights to a performance by Audio Adrenaline. From there he booked the Newsboys, considered a top band in the genre with more than five million albums sold during their 17 yearold career. Also added were KJ-53, a hip-hop artist from Florida, and Hawk Nelson, a pop-punk band from Ontario.” Rock the Sound’s mission is to help popularize contemporary Christian musicians from New York City to southern Massachusetts, an area devoid of any major Christian radio stations. Rock the Sound’s main event

this year took place November 3 at the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport and featured Jeremy Camp, Jars of Clay, Skillet, Grits and StorySide B. The concert helped raise approximately $14,000 for the Bridgeport Rescue Mission to help homeless and needy people in the Bridgeport area. Next on Rock the Sound’s agenda was the David Crowder band on November 10 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. The David Crowder band is MSN’s 2006 Artist of the Year. They were nominated alongside INXS, Prince, Christina Aguilera and Kenny Chesney, receiving 77 percent of the more than 270,000 votes cast by music fans. For more information on Rock the Sound and concert events, visit their web site at www.rockthesound. com.

Mountain Goats. They have lyrics that can be ironic and almost like poetry. Sarah Wallace Freshman, Psychology

Sublime. From the anti-establishment punk rock and reggae dub grooves to the intimate acoustic ballads, Sublime’s catalogue spans a wide spectrum of moods and emotions. Tim McLellan Senior, Philosophy

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

= recommended

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.

ART 11/15-12/16

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.

Axelson (of The Dismemberment Plan) hooked up. Maritime may have a collective history to both cling to and run from, but with We, The Vehicles (the band’s second album), the band steps forcefully into its own. More than a side project or an “ex-members of,” it proves beyond a doubt that this is something viable and vital on its own. Opening Band: The One AM Radio

(Julie Depardieu, another daughter of a famous father) wants to work in a family planning clinic. Seen from a 9-year-old girl’s evolving point of view, Blame it On Fidel! is funny, sensitive, and remarkably forgiving. 11/25

Superbad

Torp Theater / 8 p.m. / FREE

FILM 11/21-11/24

Michael Clayton

Cinestudio / 7:30 p.m. / $7

Present-12/30 11/15

Ghostface Killah

Toad’s Place / 8 p.m. / $30

Pulp Art: The Robert Lesser Collection New Britain Museum of Modern Art 10 a.m. / $5

Superbad is a coming-of-age cautionary tale about two socially inept teenage boys about to graduate high school. Theirs’ is a ridiculously dependent friendship -- but now they’ve gotten into different colleges and are forced to contemplate life apart. Evan (Michael Cera) is sweet, smart, and generally terrified. Seth (Jonah Hill) is foul-mouthed, volatile, and all-consumed with the topic of human sexuality. 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

FILM 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

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.

It’s always interesting to see what kind of movies screenwriters come up with when they get the chance: Tony Gilroy, who wrote all three Bourne movies, pumps up Michael Clayton with literate conversation, (way) fewer chase scenes, and a fierce anti-corporate bite. George Clooney is the ‘fixer’ at a Manhattan law firm, whose reservoir of cynicism finally dries up when he finds proof that the chemical company he is charged to protect knows full well the damage they have inflicted on the environment. And not unlike Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, his uncharacteristic moment of moral decency plunges him into immediate danger.

Present-12/31

11/23-11/25

The Anne Frank House

Everything’s Cool

Charter Oak Cultural Center 11 a.m. / FREE 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.

WEEK OF NOVEMBER 21 MUSIC 11/26

Wallingford American Legion 8 p.m. / $10 Maritime formed in 2003 out of the ashes of The Promise Ring and The Dismemberment Plan. After these two bands broke up, singer/ guitarist Davey von Bohlen, drummer Dan Didier (of The Promise Ring) and bassist Eric

Present – 01/06

Christopher Mir/MATRIX 157 Dreams, Memories, Reﬂections Wadsworth Atheneum / 11 a.m. / $5

Real Art Ways / 7:30 p.m. / $6.25 Everything’s Cool is a study of the artificial political debate about the issue of global climate change. The film provides a compelling historical review of the 20 years of debate around this issue through the eyes of a number of key political activists who seldom are seen by the general public but who have been on the front lines a long time. The film picks up where An Inconvenient Truth left off, delving into the political censorship that has kept global warming a non-issue in the United States for so long. 11/25-11/27

Blame it on Fidel!

Cinestudio / 7:30 p.m. / $7

Maritime

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.

ART

In one of cinema’s perfect congruencies, the first dramatic film by Julie Gravas, whose father Costa Gravas made the legendary political films Z and State of Siege, centers on a young girl whose parents suddenly undergo a 1970s-era conversion to radical politics. Divain-training Nina Kervel can’t understand why her privileged Parisian lifestyle is now suspect, why her father, a Spanish lawyer, now spends his time helping Chilean exiles, and her mother

For his first solo museum exhibition, New Haven-based painter Christopher Mir presents a unique style of painting that emerges directly from his interest in collage and accumulative image making. Over the past five years, Mir has culled hundreds of pictures from random sources – magazines, coffee table books on national parks, calendars, and the Internet. These images, along with Mir’s own photographs, form the basis for each painting – a compilation of unrelated scenes stitched together digitally and translated onto canvas.

Lifestyles

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Moustaches for a Cause Marissa Blaszko

Staff Writer Throughout modern history, there have been dozens of great mustaches. Einstein preferred a saltand-pepper “walrus” style; Lincoln sported a full beard—sans mustache—during every year of his presidency. Even Mexican painter, Frida Kahlo, included her mustacheuni-brow combo in every one of her 55 self-portraits. More recently, both Borat and Mr. Potatohead have rocked full-body ‘staches that have made them icons. The oldest mustache dates back to around 300 B.C., where a Neolithic painting depicts a mostly-shaved Scythian horseman, the only hair on his face residing just above his lip. Since the birth of the mustache - also referred to as a “push broom,” “soup strainer,” “nose neighbor” or “mouth brow,” a plethora of mustache awareness groups have sprouted up — including Movember. Movember began back in 2003 when a couple of Aussie mates decided that the mustache needed to make an official comeback. Adopting the month formally known as November for their cause (“mo” is Aussie slang for mustache), the friends began their newly renamed month clean-shaven before commencing a 30-day mustache growing competition; on the last day, they crowned the first official “Man of Movember.” But there’s mo’ to Movember than meets the eye. Movember went global in 2004, allowing any man across the world to enter the competition, with a small fee, at Movember.com. Companies such as Wine Australia, DC Shoe Company and even PlayBoy officially support the mustache. But where does all of the money go? 10/17/07

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“A lot of men secretly want to know what they look like with a moustache, and a lot of men want to do something for men’s health and prostate cancer,” said Garone. “Women love mos because they show a man with love for life and with a lot of living to do; a man with confidence, a leader not a follower, he sets the trends that others follow.” The mates at Movember want every man and his upper lip to take the challenge of growing a new set of whiskers this month. Whether it is the Chevron, the Dali or the everpopular Imperial styled ‘stache, a mustache is a new style that can be reinvented daily by anyone. With the average male having anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000 hairs on his face, the mustache is a terrible thing to waste, especially when it can help spread Prostate Cancer Awareness.

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Movember’s goal, besides celebrating iconic manliness, is to educate men about the risks of prostate cancer. After raising over nine million dollars over just a few years, the organization has partnered with the Australian Prostate Cancer Foundation. Similar to Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Movember aims to get men talking about prostate cancer which, as one could imagine, is not the most popular pre-game conversational topic. “If you walk into a meeting, or are out socially with a moustache,” said Adam Garone, one of the cofounders of Movember, “you’re compelled to tell people about the moustache, and why you are doing it — to change the face of men’s health.” But why all of the attention? Why all of the international press? Why grow a mustache at all?

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This Day in History:

One Sunny Day!

November 10, 1969 Brian Morache

Staff Writer If there is any television show that everyone has seen at least once, it is Sesame Street. The show was the brainchild of Joan Ganz Cooney, a documentary producer who worked for the fledgling Public Broadcasting Service. Part of Lyndon Johnson’s plan for “The Great Society,” the intent of public TV was to provide programming that mainstream networks would not consider profitable, regardless of its civic value. Sesame Street has become the symbol of PBS, and has represented all that is good about America. The first show made its debut on November 10, 1969, and was modeled after “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In,” a popular variety comedy show. With short segments featuring puppets, animation and live actors, Sesame Street provided entertaining as well as educational programming aimed at three- to five-year-olds. Some of the original characters included a family of puppets by Jim Henson known as the Muppets. Everyone can recognize Big Bird, Grover, Cookie Monster, Ernie and Bert, Kermit the Frog and Oscar the Grouch. Since its first debut, though, several other characters have been added, such as Snuffleupagus, Elmo, Telly and Zoe, who have gone on to their own fame with kids. Sesame Street has taught kids about diversity and has collectively

helped all of us deal with the challenges life brings. The show has never hidden from serious topics, such as death, birth, HIV, war and racism. Set in a fictional New York neighborhood, Sesame Street is filled with people and characters of all ages, colors, shapes and sizes. Ernie and Bert, the show’s “odd couple,” have lived together in harmony for almost 40 years and still get along. The Count has most likely taught many of us our first math problems; and Big Bird has shown us that imaginary friends are pretty special indeed. Telly and Cookie Monster have also taught kids that being a monster isn’t such a bad thing. Several of the actors on Sesame Street have met on the show, married and their children now appear on the show with them. The show presents families, friends and a mix of interesting characters that shows kids how all of us can get along. Sesame Street enjoys a huge following, with live stage shows, ice skating productions, TV shows and specials and, of course, an entire line of clothing and toys. Celebrities from all walks of life and professions have been on the show, from politicians and athletes, to actors and musicians. Since 1969, Sesame Street has aired in more than 120 countries, with over 74 million people watching. Over eight million people per week tune in, including this father of a six-year-old. Chances are, every student on campus has enjoyed the show at one time or another. Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

A Trip to Acapulco

Dan Collin

Special to the Recorder Witnessing the demise of several promising New Britain businesses and the closing of a number of downtown staples definitely gets this native son down. Proprietors are often the victim of poor location, lack of foot traffic or the inability to get themselves noticed. Amongst all this, another intrepid entrepreneur is taking a chance on downtown in the form of a Mexican restaurant known as Acapulco. Usually the type of cuisine associated with New Britain includes Polish and Puerto Rican - not Mexican. I admit my skepticism, but was pleasantly surprised. Americans have grown accustomed to Mexican dishes smothered in gooey cheese, creating a monochromatic range of flavors. Melted cheese is a good thing, but it’s not the only thing. Acapulco offers traditional, unadorned Mexican food and its rustic dishes may confuse the novice. I sampled a number of these dishes over the course of two trips. My first trip to the West Main St. location, just a couple of doors to the east of New Britain landmark Jimmy’s Smoke Shop, was for lunch. The waitress was very helpful in assisting me while I narrowed down my selections. I decided on two tacos, one with chorizo and one with carne asada. During my somewhat lengthy wait, I noshed on complimentary tortilla chips and salsa. The salsa was limey and sweet, with plenty of cilantro, and not at all hot. I found it strange, at first, as I had braced myself for something spicy, but it grew on me with each succeeding bite. Just as I was beginning to grow tired of staring at the institutional white walls sparsely decorated with sombreros and Mexican tapestry, my food arrived. Both tacos were piled high with chopped raw onion, tomato and cilantro. If you’re not fond of raw onion, you may want to ask for your taco without it; there are

Stephanie Bergeron / The Recorder far too many to pick out. The soft taco shells were tender, but substantial enough to handle the filling. Chorizo, if you’ve never tried it, is a salty, smoky, reddish sausage found in several cultures. In the case of my taco, it was ground and delicious. The carne asada, or marinated strips of beef, was also good, in spite of the meat being on the tough side. Both tacos were made better by the salsa verde that came with them - it was the spiciness I was looking for. My second sampling of food came in the form of a take-out order. Curiosity got the better of me, and I had to order the goat meat taco.

Goat meat, or at least this goat meat, tastes quite similar to beef; although it has an earthy quality to it similar to lamb. In any case, it’s certainly nothing to be afraid of. Also among the items ordered was a chimichanga and chicken mole, both of which were sprinkled generously with cojito cheese. At first glance this cheese appears to be parmesan, but it’s fluffier and sweeter. The mole, a sauce made from many spices and chocolate, was rich and had a sneaky heat. The shell of my chimichanga was fried to just the right consistency. Both items were tasty; but, again, could have benefitted from an upgrade in the meat,

much like my carne asada taco. Most people probably think they have Mexican food figured out. Acapulco’s fragrant, subtle offerings show that it can have another dimension. Here’s hoping it survives downtown New Britain for a while. Acapulco is located on 50 West Main St., New Britain. It is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Friday through Sunday.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Old Poland in the Heart of

New Britain

Justin Kloczko

Opinion Editor There is an old Polish proverb, “Piekna miska jesc nie daje,” meaning “a beautifully decorated plate won’t feed anyone.” This basically sums up the mentality Poles have about life and its delicacies. They enjoy the simple things. If you think of going out to eat, the first thing that might pop into your head is wining and dining at a posh Italian restaurant, or getting served some elaborate dish at a sheik and trendy place somewhere in West Hartford center. Staropolska, meaning ‘Old Poland,’ is a reaction to all of them. Stepping inside the restaurant, which is located in the heart of Little Poland on 252 Broad Street here in New Britain, you get the feeling someone’s mom is about to cook for you. The atmosphere is very warm and homey. The interior stays very true to Polish tradition, with its cavernous intimacy, red and white décor and wooden stools and booths. There aren’t many Polish – even Eastern European restaurants to salivate over around here, but Staropolska does it right, and is consistently ranked as the best Polish restaurant in the state. The first thing I took notice of was their beer list. They have great Polish beers like Okocim Mocne (strong) and Palone (dark lager), Warka, Tyskie and Zywiec. I ordered a Zywiec (16 oz., $3.50) and it immediately tasted like home. Next came the rye bread with butter, which I had alongside my cabbage soup. The soup was delicious and salty. Polish people love their salt. Staropolska has a wide selection of soups, something many restaurants don’t take the time to do. They have the daily beef stripe ($6.40) and red borscht with meat dumplings ($4.80), but they also have two soup specials each day. There is mushroom, barley, sorrel soup with egg and pickle soup all for $3.40. They have a large menu, including nalesniki w serem (cheese blintzes, $8.95), placki ziemniaczane (potato pancakes, $7.95), kotlet schabowy (breaded pork chops, $12.95) and of course, kielbasa with sauerkraut ($9.25). I went with the mushroom and sauerkraut pierogies ($8.95) for my dinner. They give you a generous portion of eight, and you can have them just boiled or fried. I took them fried with some onions and also ordered a plate of potato pancakes, which they serve with applesauce and sour cream. All the food was excellent and had the taste of a home cooked meal. After dinner, I asked the waitress what types of vodka she had. She proceeded to name off popular American ones, like Skyy and Smirnoff. I asked her what she had from Poland, and she brought over a shot of Zubrowka ($3). Zubrowka is bison grass vodka that, according to old Polish folklore, was used as an aphrodisiac. It has

Photos by Stephanie Bergeron / The Recorder been banned in America since the 1970s out of fear it could be used as the new alternative fuel source. This product is the dumbdowned version Americans can handle. The vodka actually contains bison grass inside it from the legendary Bialowieza Forest. It gives the vodka a yellow tint and a different, exotic taste. Staropolska is a relaxing and very delicious restaurant where you can achieve heights your taste buds never thought were possible. It is right down the street from Central and not expensive at all. Check out their website at www.staropolska.net. Na zdrowie! (To good health).