vol104issue11

NEWS Art Students Deliver Reminders to Administration - Page 2

Of Furries and Fetishists

ENTERTAINMENT Our Most Embarrassing Albums - Page 11

Second Life Uncovered - Page 14

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

LIFESTYLES Winter Beer Review - Page 15

Volume 104 No. 11

CCSU Student in Critical Condition

Stephanie Bergeron / The Recorder Melissa Traynor

news editor

Conrad Akier / The Recorder Dr. Mezvinsky and Dr. Warshauer discuss their reasoning for a no-confidence vote at a previous Faculty Senate meeting.

Melissa Traynor

news editor The attempt to adopt the resolution “The faculty lacks confidence in the leadership of President Jack Miller” failed on Monday as a result of the secret ballot vote that was conducted by the Faculty Senate’s elections committee.

Out of 1206 faculty members, the turnout was 612, which indicates that 47 percent of the faculty acknowledged the vote. According to the Assistant Dean of

the School of Business Sharon Braverman, who sits on the elections committee, 55.4 percent voted against the resolution, while 44.6 percent voted in favor with a 318 to 256 vote.

She said that there were also 38 invalid votes, which included 10 ballots purposely marked “yes” and “no,” and 28 late ballots that could not be counted.

“Two hundred and fifty-six people said that they lack confidence in President Miller. That is not an insignificant number,” said Matthew Warshauer of the his-

tory department.

He also said that the turnout is not a number to be ignored.

“If you check and see what returns are for this type of ballot votes for the faculty around here the average turnout is 15 percent, maybe 20,” according to Warshauer.

In regards to the type of message sent to the president, Warshauer hopes that Miller recognizes that his previous statements about only a handful of faculty of faculty being upset with him are incor-

See No-Confidence Vote page 3

The student who was seriously injured after jumping from Welte Garage remains at Hartford Hospital and hospital staff confirmed that she was in critical condition as of late Monday night.

CCSU sophomore Cherolle Brown sustained severe injuries on Wednesday, Nov. 14 as a result of a suicide attempt when she jumped from the fifth and top level of the Welte Garage on the side of the building facing Ella T. Grasso Blvd.

Associate Vice President Mark McLaughlin of CCSU Media Relations said that between 2:15 and 2:45 p.m. on that Wednesday afternoon, CCSU EMTs responded and arrived at the scene at Welte and Brown was immediately transported to the hospital.

Currently there is a Facebook.com group titled “Don’t quit, Cherolle Brown,” which has 652 members in the CCSU network. Many of the members have posted on the group’s wall of comments leaving their thoughts and prayers for Brown, her family and her friends.

Brown is a Resident Assistant in Gallaudet Hall and was a student helper in the Center for Africana Studies’ mentoring and tutoring programs.

Campus officials are encouraging anyone who wishes to speak with a counselor to call the Counseling and Wellness Center to schedule an appointment at (860) 832-1945.

Central Upsets Harvard, Wins First NCAA Tournament Game PeTer collin

sports editor Cambridge, Mass. - The dream season seems to have no end for the Blue Devils (9-8-3) as they edged out the 15th ranked Harvard Crimson (124-2) 3-2 on Saturday at Ohiri Field.

The victory came on the heels of the Blue Devils’ first-ever Northeast Conference championship.

In that game, senior full-back Andrew Cooper scored his first goal of the season and his first career goal, giving the Blue Devils a 1-0 win against the St. Francis (PA) Red Flash on Sunday, November 18. It was also the seventh shut-out of the season for CCSU goalkeeper Paul Armstrong.

The win over Harvard was the first NCAA Tournament victory for a men’s team in Central history, and it propels the Blue Devils into a match-up with the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes.

The Blue Devils were tied or held the advantage throughout the match as they did their best to stifle a Crimson attack that ranked fourth on the national level with 2.41 goals per game.

“It was very pleasing for us to hit the back of the net three times. Our defense has been so strong, we’ve only needed one or two opportunities to try and win and today was a little bit different,” said Coach Shaun Green. “To come here and play Harvard and score three goals against a team like that, it’s a big statement for our team.”

Central survived a mad scramble at the end that saw two Harvard shots come dangerously close to tying the game.

With 15 seconds left, Crimson was awarded a corner kick. As the ball sailed to the far post, one shot was on net but bounced off a Central defender right to Crimson senior

Matt Hoff.

Hoff had a clear line of sight to the goal with only three seconds left in regulation and fired a line drive.

The ball sailed inches too high, ricocheting off of the crossbar to end the game.

“It just bounced up on me and I struck it well,” said Hoff. “It just went of the crossbar. We were a little unlucky that way.”

Junior Yan Klukowski provided the game-winning goal for the Blue Devils in the 83rd minute of regulation. Klukowski’s managed to get free inside the 18-yard box just in time to receive a cross from senior Jonathon Agbatar. On one hop, Klukowski headed the ball past Crimson goalkeeper Adam Mahn.

Central managed to jump in front of Harvard midway through the first half. The Blue Devils effectively countered each Crimson advance, keeping constant pressure on Mahn

See CCSU Upsets Harvard page 8 http://clubs.ccsu.edu/recorder/

Conrad Akier / The Recorder Connor Smith and Johan Rundquist celebrate after the first goal of the game.

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News Wednesday, November 28, 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

Art Students Deliver Reminders to Administration Melissa Traynor

News Editor As an alternative to holding an “art-in” in the hallway around President Jack Miller’s office—similar to the sit-in style of protest— students from the art department hand-delivered two large paintings to the offices of both Miller and Chief Administration Officer of Administrative Affairs Richard Bachoo.

Their delivery on Wednesday, Nov. 14 marked the two-week point since Bachoo approached art students and offered to discuss the concerns with Maloney Hall.

According to art major Mike Golschneider, who had helped deliver the pieces, Bachoo had said that he would refer to the appropriate administration and subsequently respond to the students within a month about Maloney’s shortcomings.

“These gifts are something visual that they have to react to, like all art,” Golschneider said while hauling a larger painting across the

lawn to Davidson Hall.

One of their main problems with the existing art building is that there is not enough studio space. As a direct result of this lack of space, the larger painting delivered to Miller was ruined because it had been propped up against a wall.

Art major Sean Kinne said the painting, which is an imitation of the Jackson Pollack style, was originally meant to be left on the floor to dry due to its size, but other students needed the space and had moved the piece so that it was leaning vertically against a wall.

When the wet paint had began to run, a handwritten note had been stuck into the running paint, apologizing for the ruin.

After the large painting was dropped off at President Miller’s office, a second and smaller painting was left placed against the door of Bachoo’s vacant office. The second painting, which had a picture of a man with the message “Art Needs Space,” stenciled across his back, stood against the door with a small note.

The message: “—A gift from the art students,” was wedged between the painting and the door in hopes that Bachoo would appreciate the students’ persistence.

“We want to make it known that we appreciate that he’s working with us,” said art major Kenny Valentine.

“We also want to remind them, though, that we have a monetary contract between ourselves and the school, and if one is not holding up their side of it, then I think we need to revisit the terms of that contract,” Golschneider said.

He had mentioned that there are discrepancies between the quality of certain buildings such as the computer labs around campus and the lack of care for Maloney.

Golschneider also said that Bachoo had previously mentioned he would have liked to see more artwork around Davidson Hall, where both his and Miller’s offices are located.

Hartford-Based Magazine Folds Melissa Traynor

News Editor CT Slant magazine will cease publishing with its last issue in December, ending its ninemonth run as a Hartford Courant and Hartford Advocate-based publication that aimed to provide alternative lifestyles and entertainment coverage of the area.

The monthly magazine with staff from the Advocate and mostly freelance writers will discontinue its issues altogether due to financial concerns, including lack of profit.

“After almost a year, we came to the conclusion that we didn’t have the scale right to be marginally profitable,” said CT Slant’s Editor Alistair Highet.

Highet said that the Courant’s owner, the Tribune Company, which owns 11 publications in total and three in Connecticut, had launched the online guide Metromix in order to cover local entertainment in the Hartford area.

He said that Metromix ultimately detracted from CT Slant readership because the Website targeted the magazine’s demographics and in the end, the magazine was virtually in competition with the parent companies’ own products. With this transition away from the print edition, the Hartford Advocate found that it was efficient to focus more energy on and

attention to the Web. Although CT Slant may have had rivalry with the Hartford Magazine, Highet said that it has a slightly different audience than Slant because the Hartford Magazine is mainly intended for a different economic class and age group.

“I don’t think Slant really had any significant competition in the print market,” he said.

He said that CT Slant was an experiment that the Hartford Advocate and the Courant collaborated on. After having worked on the five-year project Preview CT, which was focused on many of the same arts and entertainment topics as CT Slant, the Advocate decided to experiment on a larger scale with this year’s magazine.

In comparison to Preview CT, with a distribution of 30,000 spread throughout arts venues such as the Hartford Stage or the Bushnell for free, CT Slant has a distribution of 80,000 and is dropped off both individually and as a supplement in the Hartford Courant.

Some places the last issue of the magazine will be available for free around the CCSU campus include the New Britain Museum of American Art, Barb’s Pizza in West Hartford, Border’s Books and Music in Farmington and throughout the New Britain downtown district.

Highet said that while he hopes the Advocate will come out with a publication similar to CT Slant, he hasn’t seen any plans indicating that they will do so.

“A lot of media companies are struggling right now. The market is so volatile and competitive,” he said.

Florida State U. Course Mapping Program Keeps Students on Track to Graduate Jenna Gibson

Daily Nebraskan (U. Nebraska)

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.

(U-WIRE) -- Taking the correct courses at the right time can be a complex process, but Florida State University takes an approach that tries to ensure a student can graduate.

Since 2004, FSU has used a program that assigns a map to each area of study, said Judy Nunez, an academic program specialist at FSU. Each map also includes “milestone” courses, or classes that a student must take in a timely manner.

If a student does not take a course by the appropriate time, their registration is held until they complete the necessary course, Nunez said.

The maps are meant to work as guidelines, she said.

“Students are not restricted or penalized from getting the most out of their college experiences,” she said.

However, circumstances can arise that may prevent a student from taking a course they need through no fault of their own. In these cases, there is an unwritten agreement that students will not be held responsible for things beyond their control, Nunez said.

To cut down on such problems, FSU has

a special committee that works behind the scenes with departments to open new sections, or get more teachers when they can foresee extra need in a certain area.

Nunez said there has always been a committee that works to help get students into the classes they need, but since the introduction of the mapping program they have been able to work more efficiently.

“We’ve been able to show it has a positive impact,” Nunez said. “I’m wonderfully surprised.”

Because of the system, Nunez said FSU is better able to track which classes students need to take, and when they will need to take them.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln does not have a similar system.

Jessica Coope, the associate dean for the college of arts and sciences at UNL, said the university has ways to ensure students know their requirements, including e-mail from advising centers, meetings with departmental advisers, a mid-semester check, senior check system and the automated online Degree Audit system.

But this does not mean the university can guarantee a required class at a convenient time, she said.

Coope also said a group called the Enroll-

ment Management Council helps open new sections of classes when needed.

The council includes representatives from all colleges, undergraduate studies, academic affairs and admissions, she said.

“No unit in this university would let students fail to graduate because they could not get into a required course; the department and or college would work to get them into the class or to offer a substitute,” Coope said.

Wayne Drummond, the dean of the College of Architecture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, was the dean of the college of architecture at the University of Florida from 1990-1999. During that time, a similar monitoring program was put in place to help students who were unable to secure required courses.

The computer program was called the Monitoring Academic Progress program, and was put in place to help FSU monitor and adjust courses with the hope of fulfilling students’ general education requirements, he said.

“These monitoring and accommodation programs should be available to every student in every institution in order to provide students the opportunity to graduate in a timely manner,” Drummond said. “This is especially true if the students have met all of their scheduling obligations and requirements.”

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Wednesday, November 28, 2007

From Chaos to Campus: U. Pittsburgh Freshman Fled Rwanda in 1994 Leigh Remizowski

The Pitt News (U. Pittsburgh) (U-WIRE) -- Parfine Mudacumura’s father was away on business on April 6, 1994, when the Rwandan president, Juvenal Habyarimana, died after the plane he was traveling in was shot down.

A string of events quickly led the country into a period of what was later labeled genocide, when a sect of Hutus -- one of Rwanda’s ethnic groups -- began a war against other ethnic groups, namely Tutsis, whom they blamed for the president’s death.

Mudacumura, a University of Pittsburgh freshman, was 6 years old at the time.

Along with her three sisters - who were 10, 8 and 1 years old -and her pregnant mother, she fled the mounting violence and immediately escaped to the safety of a neighbor’s home. “My dad is Hutu but my mom is Tutsi,� she said. “Since I look more like my dad, I would be a Hutu.�

Mudacumura’s father, who didn’t hear from his family for over a month, had no reason to believe they were alive.

The United Nations estimates that 80,000 Rwandans were killed during the genocide, though other estimates are even greater.

After it became too dangerous to stay with their neighbors, Mudacumura and her family were shuttled to a nearby soccer stadium by the U.N. This is when the graveness of the situation settled in with 6-yearold Mudacumura. “I remember at one time I peeked [out of the truck] and all I saw was basically a grenade in mid-air,� she said. “My mom immediately pulled my head underneath the truck’s cover. I didn’t think they were actually killing people but that’s when I realized it.�

Her family spent about a month

at the stadium. “Then the U.N. said they could no longer house people so we went back to my old house,� Mudacumura said.

She remembers seeing dead bodies piled up in lines along the streets as they left the stadium. And upon returning home, the family found their house in ruins. “Everything was ravaged and everything had been stolen,� she said.

Mudacumura’s father was still away at this point, but finally got in touch with his family. “He thought we were all dead and he was so relieved,� she said.

Mudacumura’s father, who worked in the agriculture department of the Rwandan government, was in the United States and found an American man who was willing to help his family out of the country - as long as he paid up front. “He got us to Uganda and he completely disappeared,� Mudacumura said. “We were there for about nine months because my little brother was born. We stayed with people who felt sorry for us.�

Then, the process of attempting to obtain visas to join her father in the United States began. During this time, Mudacumura and her sisters had to help her mother by doing small jobs that would earn the family money. “I would go and fill up water jugs and then sell those to the local people around where we lived,�

Mudacumura said. “All the money I made, I gave to my mom.�

Since Mudacumura picked up the language quickly from her friends, she also helped by translating for her mother. “It was my own little way of helping out since my mom and older sisters did so much more,� she said.

While his family was stuck in Uganda, continually being denied visas to join him in the United States, Mudacumura’s father lobbied the

U.S. government to help other Rwandan refugees make their way across the Atlantic. He continually told his family to have faith that they would be reunited. “My family and I are very religious and experiencing the war really made it stronger just because there were many people we knew and some family members that did not survive,�

Mudacumura said. “And we thank God that not only did we survive with my mom, but for the fact that we were able to reunite with my dad and are now in the U.S. today living a better life.�

Mudacumura, her siblings and her mother were finally granted visas and arrived in Philadelphia. The family made Middletown, Pa., their new home. “When we got here it was hard to adjust because the way of life is so different here,� she said.

And the trauma she had experienced followed her. “I remember going to watch fireworks and getting scared because the sound they made was similar to the one made by bombs and grenades that went off back in Rwanda,� Mudacumura said.

Her parents did the best they could to create a new life for their five children by assimilating them into American culture.

Though she hated doing it at the time, Mudacumura now thanks her father for forcing his family to speak English at home. He even gave them what he called “English homework.�

Now, 13 years later, Mudacumura says she will always remember her time as a refugee. Her father plans to bring his children back to Rwanda to show them the place they once called home.

Mudacumura’s Rwandan heritage is still very much a part of her and she plans to find a way to give back. “Someday, I want to do a lot to help out in that area,� she said.

No-Confidence Vote Continued from page 1 rect. “What I would like to see now, what I would like to hear from President Miller himself [is] what steps is he going to take to gain confidence,�

Warshauer said.

Professor Jerold Duquette of the political science department expressed surprise at the 318 to 256 vote, but said that he anticipated the resolution to fail. “I expected the president to come out on top,� he said. “I have no reason to lack confidence in the president.�

Dr. George Murphy of the mathematics department praised the 318 who voted down the resolution. “It shows that at least there on some people on this campus who think,� he said.

There is a follow-up meeting open to the campus scheduled for next Monday, Dec. 3 at 3 p.m. at Founders Hall in Davidson.

“The point of this meeting is ‘where do we go from here?’ and to investigate new initiatives,� Braverman said. “I look forward to working with the faculty in advancing the mission of the University and the many important initiatives currently underway to strengthen the campus community,� Miller wrote in a statement in response to the Faculty Senate referendum.

While he said that it is unfortunate for 256 faculty members to lack confidence in his leadership, he thanked his supporters and said that he appreciated them for their help during the process. “This is a job that requires making difficult decisions, and those decisions are not always popular,� Miller concluded his statement. “But I will continue to make those difficult decisions. To do anything less would not be doing my job.�

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Editorial/Opinion

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Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Editorial Although the much publicized referendum for the lack of confidence in President Jack Miller failed, the fact that barely half of our faculty decided to cast their vote speaks volumes.

Only 612 were cast from a total of 1,206 ballots sent out. A few conclusions can be drawn from such results. Either half the faculty thought the vote was too insignificant to bother with in the first place, or they were apathetic towards the whole voting process. This not only says a lot about our professors, who should care about civic participation, but also about the state of our indifferent culture, which can no longer be strictly pinned on our generation.

As we stated in a previous editorial, the reasons for objecting to the lack of confidence vote are simple. Of all the assorted complaints none of them stood on solid ground. Not many professors could vote in favor of the referendum in good

Best Rock Band of Our Generation I have a few suggestions I think need mentioning. First off, Rage Against the Machine was not only hugely popular, critically acclaimed, and successful, but they combined rock and rap on a large scale for the first time. While I don’t consider them nu-metal, they inspired and influenced rock music over the next decade or two, with nu-metal becoming a mainstay in popular music. Not to mention they introduced millions of whities like myself to the world of rap music, and music with a message with their politically charged lyrics. They had four albums that all went at least platinum. They reunited this past year for a few shows, most of which sold out in under three minutes. After seven years of breakup, they still have a fanbase much like any other legends that break up and reunite Another band I think should at least get mentioned is Soundgarden. You mentioned in the article that Nirvana dawned the grunge genre, but it can be argued Soundgarden helped spawn the genre as well. They were formed three years before Nirvana and were the first grunge act to be signed to a major label. While Nirvana was the first to achieve widespread commercial success, Soundgarden soon followed with multiple platinum releases. While I admit I am somewhat of a Nirvana hater, it can’t really be argued that Soundgarden was a better band. Kim Thayil is a better guitarist than Kurt Cobain ever was, and Chris Cornell is still regarded as one of the greatest voices in music.

Kyle Olson Radiohead is, hands down, the best rock band of our generation. They are talented, experimental, and appreciated by people who usually favor other genres. The other bands you mentioned have duplicated bands before them, while Radiohead has been far more inventive.

Jonathan Order I would have to agree with Ed and Jamie.

Radiohead is quite possibly the greatest band of our generation, with the Brian Jonestown Massacre in a close second. However, our generation is not a music-savvy generation. We are no longer a generation of the full-length album, but more of hit singles fed to us by the likes of MTV and corporate radio programs. Just look at the student responses to your question. Journey... seriously? The last time I checked, Journey was in their prime in the late 1970s, hardly our generation. That is like saying The Beatles is the greatest band of our generation.

Nirvana? Although they captivated our middle-class, suburban, pre-teen angst, they were dead and gone before most of us were even able to drive to the record store to buy their records. And then of course, there are the country-holics, the kids that love country and yet couldn’t tell you who Gram Parsons of Porter Wagoner were. A band of our generation has to be a band that was built by our generation, and

conscience because of this grab bag of grievances. Some professors acknowledged that even if 30 or 40 percent showed a lack of confidence that this would send a message to President Miller. Instead, business will be conducted as usual. If you survey a typical workplace there will always be that small niche of people who are unhappy with their superior. This is just the way things are, and we don’t see such a custom changing soon.

We are left with the reality of a fifth of the faculty having a lack of confidence in this president. This is a statistic that could easily have been true for any other previous CCSU president.

The vote and its mediocre turnout is a microcosm of our current political crisis. We are a culture that, for the most part, will speak out when there is something bothering us, but when the time comes to facilitate positive change we fail miserably.

Like most movements that speak out against something, there

not another. Radiohead, for example, released their first major hit “Creep” in 1992 and has continually adapted their sound to the everchanging technological society that we have become. Each album released is a commentary on the society that our generation is a part of.

Before I rant on and on, I will conclude by saying that although bands like Sublime, Weezer and Green Day have been with us just as long (despite the unfortunate death of Brad Nowell), they do not compare to the unique sound that differentiates Radiohead from all of the rest.

Then again, there’s always the Dave Matthews Band. Haha!

is the constant complaining, bickering and even a call to action, but rarely does anything get resolved. Most of the time individuals get caught up in Internet-based tomfoolery that only gets in the way to solving the real problem.

This faculty could have come together—despite their polarizing viewpoints—and at the very least used the platform for scholarly debate. Instead we are left to question what this turnout really means, what our educators really think and the type of examples they are setting for students.

It would be an understatement to say that this generation is uninterested when it comes to voting, but it should be noted that even our professors carry that apathetic gene. We applaud the fact that Faculty Senate can now convene with the President to discuss issues more relevant to the campus as a whole.

Does Class Participation Violate the First Amendment?

This statement should certainly solve your space constraint, though it does little in terms of fair reporting. Perhaps that doesn’t matter to you.

In November 14’s issue of The Recorder, Celso Coelho wrote a very interesting article titled Academic Violation of First Amendment Rights. The suggestive title got me interested.

After reading the article, I am compelled to join in the discussion.

Before responding to Celso’s article, let’s examine what the First Amendment is all about. It is specifically designed to prevent governmental acts that, among other things, deprive of the people’s freedom of speech and assembly. Thus, whenever the question of First Amendment is to be raised, the act under scrutiny has to pass two tests: 1) that the actor is the government, and 2) that it is proved to be depriving of the freedom protected by the First Amendment.

Having established the understanding, let’s go back to Celso’s arguments. Instructors in CCSU are state employees, thus their “classroom governance” can easily pass the test of governmental act. The question is, does the requirement to participate in class infringe the freedom of speech as alleged by Celso?

Most instructors have the classroom participation built into their grading standards, an act which inevitably incentivizes the classroom participation among students. However, does this incentive amount to depriving? In most cases, the portion of classroom participation is no more than 10 percent of the grade. Many instructors even give extra credit assignments that help with the grades. A student can in theory give up the in-class participation and still score a solid A. Celso also sees the grading requirements as a non-negotiable expectation laid down by the instructor. Not quite. Almost all teachers make their grading requirements known to the students the first day in class. A student can then decide, among other things, whether the grading terms are unsatisfactory, and if so, drop the class within the add/drop period without penalty. By not dropping the class, a student has accepted the grading terms.

But perhaps the more important question is how we want our education system to be like. The ability to express effectively a person’s opinions and thoughts, both in speech and in writing, is key to a person’s intellectual capacity. The utilitarian view, as evident in Celso’s article, would even argue that presentation skills and the guts to speak out is key to success in the real world. Clearly, we want to recognize these behaviors. Many students are actively participating in classroom discussions, and should be rightly credited.

I’d suggest that Celso talk to the instructors about his discomfort with giving presentation and speaking out in class, and he should find most instructors be sympathetic to his concerns.

M. Warshauer

Pei Zuan Tam

Jeremy Marcantonio

Response to Last Week’s Editorial The Recorder asked Professor Warshauer to cut 170 words out of his 700-word letter to the editor because the Editorial/Opinion section was already laid out and to make space for letters sent in by Central students. Mr. Warshauer refused to edit his letter. Here is his latest letter completely unedited.

Mr. Rowan, It seems to me that you had no problem with length when it came to your editorial. Nor did you apparently have any difficulty in reformatting the newspaper in order to respond quickly with an entire editorial regarding my open challenge to you and your staff. Thus forgive me if I find weak your statements about formatting and space.

You now have three options: 1) Publish my letter as is.

2) If you will not publish the letter as is I formally retract the letter and do not give you permission to publish it.

3) If you will not publish the letter as is, then publish the following statement: “I have attempted to respond to the Recorder’s recent editorial, “No Confidence in Warshauer,” but editor Mark Rowan has refused to publish the entirety of my response because he claims that it is too long at 701 words. There is no question that such a decision is indicative of the consistent bias and lack of objectivity represented by the Recorder.”

Why Fox Hates Ron Paul I read Jeff Hayden’s article about Fox News and Ron Paul and feel that he fell for their tactic. Fox News does get it. It is a common practice for the owners of such a large media corporation to try to belittle a righteous person such as Ron Paul. To attack Fox News for their apparent lack of ability to recognize an obvious winner when they see one he must conclude that Fox News must have something to lose if that obvious winner wins.

It is the owners of the Federal Reserve that own the MSM. Ron Paul wants to abolish the Federal Reserve. That would mean that the MSM’s cash flow will stop. It is a matter of economic survival regardless of what the American public wants. The owners of the Federal Reserve are the founders of the Council on Foreign Relations, The Trilateral Commission and the United Nations. All candidates running for president, with the exception of Ron Paul, are members of or are past members of the Council on Foreign Relations. So as long as Ron Paul doesn’t win, the Federal Reserve owners win regardless of who wins the presidency and what party they come from. This is why the MSM do what they do.

Research the North American Union and how they intend to abolish the Supreme Court and Congress and ask yourself why the MSM isn’t reporting this!

Thanks for your time, Jeffery Jordon

Have something to say?

Write a 200-300 word letter to the editor and send it to ccsurecorder@gmail.com.

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Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Facebook Groups Would Rather Hate Than Make Peace Jody Wiles

Staff Writer

Illustration: Ross Mortensen

The New York-New York Disaster Brian Morache

Staff Writer As the presidential races heat up, one possible scenario would pit New York Senator Hillary Clinton against former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, both of whom are the current front runners in national polls. It also isn’t out of the question that current mayor billionaire Michael Bloomberg might jump in as an independent. This leads to an obvious question: with three New Yorkers as presidential candidates, what does the rest of the country do?

For years, many critics of the media have complained about an “East Coast bias” when it comes to news and just about anything else. Many in the American heartland tend to feel forgotten because the media seems to be fascinated by whatever happens on either coast, while the needs and issues of the bulk of America seem to be forgotten. While the idea of a New York-New York battle might appeal to those who might also root for a Mets-Yankees World Series, the rest of the nation takes a deep breath and says, “so what?”

This might explain why Rudy Giuliani has more problems in states that are farther away from the East Coast. While he runs with 9/11 as the centerpiece of his campaign, those in Middle America who are more objective about the events of that day might not be so inclined to buy into his self-portrayal as the hero. A large concern with Rudy Giuliani among conservative voters in Middle America

is his stance on so-called “social issues.” Giuliani has been divorced several times; he is liberal on issues of gay rights, gun control and abortion; and he defends his legal stance opposing the line item veto. So-called “moral issues” are more of a concern to voters in the Midwestern and Southern “Bible belt.”

While Hillary Clinton has more of a national reputation and has spent a great deal of time in Washington, she carries with her a stigmatism that, deserved or not, creates opposition. A number of people won’t vote for her just because she’s Hillary Clinton, regardless of where she stands on an issue.

Beyond this, however, is the fact that she is also a Senator from New York and, as such, represents East Coast liberalism that also alienates those who are not citizens of the New England states. Just how is this candidate from New York going to understand the needs of corn farmers or autoworkers? Just who speaks for the rest of the country?

Most importantly for Democrats is the fact that as much as Rudy Giuliani might divide the Republican Party, Hillary Clinton will bring it together in opposition to her.

If the race winds up as a battle of New Yorkers, it may fall to the Vice Presidential candidates to represent the rest of the nation. This would mean that the next Vice President will have to be from a Midwestern or Southern U.S. state. If Rudy Giuliani is the nominee, his V.P. would likely be someone from the Federal government. In this way, he will balance his lack of “big government” experi-

ence. For Hillary, a V.P. would likely be a current or former governor from a Western or Southern state.

This would also balance her image as a “Washington insider.”

Despite all the positioning and strategy of the current group of candidates, the idea of a New YorkNew York presidential race has to cause people to wonder if the rest of the country really matters.

When we deem it a problem when a sports team from a smaller media market gets into a championship series, or when we shun a candidate because they don’t come from an East or West Coast state, one cannot help but wonder not only about the importance of the rest of the country, but also if we in the East Coast are really so egocentric as to think that nobody else matters.

Both Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton are flawed candidates, and each has baggage that will turn people from them regardless of their stance on the issues. Given that fact, it might be better if Hillary Clinton is not the nominee. She would be far more capable of wielding power for a longer time as a senator than as president; other candidates do not carry with them the stigmatism of being a Clinton, and a senator from Illinois or from Delaware would present more of a representation of the concerns of the nation as a whole. Add to this nightmare the possibility that current New York City Mayor Bloomberg has thrown around ideas for a presidential bid and it becomes clear that only a Yankees or Mets fan would think that this New York blitz would be good for the nation.

‘Don’t Tase Me, Bro!’ Part II: Polish Edition Justin Kloczko

Opinion Editor In a bizarre turn of events that played out like a demented version of Tom Hank’s The Terminal, footage of a Polish man tasered to his death at a Vancouver airport has recently surfaced. Only about two-hundred feet stood between Robert Dziekanski and the start of a new life; when struggling with a language barrier, he grew agitated trying to reunite with his mother in the Canadian airport that hosted his unfortunate death.

The incident occurred about a month ago, but in the past few days a video on YouTube has surfaced depicting the disturbing sequence of events.

Dziekanski, who was emigrating from Poland to live with his mother, is seen in the video becoming increasingly frustrated that he could not find any assistance while in the airport.

The man was said to be wandering around the airport for 10 hours because he did not know his

mother couldn’t go there to pick him up. On the video, Dziekanski is seen pacing around behind a glass divider, wheezing and having delusions of being entrapped.

At one point he picks up a chair and throws it at the glass, yelling in Polish, “I want to get out, help me find the way... Police! police! Can’t you help me?” Security obviously didn’t understand him, as they thought he was Russian screaming God knows what. They didn’t know he was actually calling for help.

The cops came to the scene and didn’t attempt to talk to him; instead, they aggressively approached him. Dziekanski put his hands down, thinking he was going to get some assistance, when instead the cops put two 50,000-volt blasts to his abdomen. The man collapsed and died right there, but not before releasing a blood-curdling scream.

Dziekanski’s mother rushed back to her home to check the machine for his calls, oblivious that her son had been killed.

Although Dziekanski grew frantic in the last moments of his life, the police severely messed up in not trying to communicate with him. This man was not drunk, nor did he have a history of mental problems. If you watch the footage closely, Dziekanski stays still and does nothing as the cops approach, yet they still go on to taser him. They should have come in with a translator to make sense of the situation. An airport, especially an international terminal, should have more translators put in place for foreign arrivals. Traveling is a stressful gig, especially when no one speaks your native tongue and you have no idea where to go.

There have been times when I have asked for help and was simply neglected.

Friends and family of Dziekanski said he was very interested in geography and that he could name any mark of land or river off the top of his head. It is sad that in the final moments in his life, he couldn’t find his way home. He was buried with a map of Poland and British Columbia.

Around the middle of August, Luke Patrick of Australia created a Facebook group entitled, “I Bet I Can Find 1,000,000 People Who Just Want Peace.” The group currently has a little more than 120,000 members. In mid September, a similar group was created by Megan Brooks; her group was called, “I Bet I Can Find 1,000,000 People Who Dislike George Bush,” and it has more than 700,000 members.

According to these two groups, more than half a million people would rather sit around saying bad things about our president than try to find a solution to the horrendous path we’ve begun traveling down. Being the anti-war liberal that I am, I’ve joined both groups. At the same time, I understand that sitting around and doing nothing is going to accomplish just that—nothing.

What does it say about our society when people would rather put all the blame on George Bush for our problems than actually try getting anything achieved? In my opinion, he is responsible for a lot of things that have gone wrong, such as getting involved in Iraq’s problems—but that’s an entirely different story. Whether or not Bush is to blame isn’t the point here; the point is that shoving the blame around isn’t going to do any good.

We need to get people up and motivated. When the Vietnam War happened, people our age were motivated; they were angry and they wanted change. An entire generation banded together, protested, picketed and made those changes happen. They forced the government to listen to them. It’s been suggested that the Iraq War is the new Vietnam. Well then, why isn’t anyone doing anything about it?

Why aren’t we banding together the way previous generations did?

Ryan Hultgren, a senior at CCSU, feels this generation thinks of the 60s movement as something too idyllic for today’s harsh reality.

“Our country has a lot of hate in it, and no one really likes hippies and tree huggers,” he said. “That’s what happens when you live in an empire.”

The problem is that all that hate is being directed in the wrong direction. One day, probably one day soon, the final insult will be thrown at us. There will be one last thing that will push us over the edge, and finally we will gather together and change that hate into something productive.

If half a million people who spend their time disliking President Bush actually went out there and joined national marches, like the anti-war rally that took place in major cities across the country October 27, changes would be able to happen and our world would become a better place. It could become the place that I’ve heard my peers say they want. We need to give our government—which was built for the people, by the people—a nasty wake up call. The men in charge need to understand that they are there to work for us.

Sports

6

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Wildcats Maul Blue Devils Peter Collin

Sports Editor Senior Tristan Blackwood scored 19 points and three other Blue Devils totaled double digit points, but the Blue Devils (1-4) still fell to the New Hampshire Wildcats (3-1) 78-70 at Detrick Gymnasium on Saturday, November 17.

The loss capped a 0-3 week for the Blue Devils as they fell to Princeton 59-57 on Sunday and on Wednesday they lost their home opener to the University at Albany Great Danes

in overtime 63-60. Senior guard Tristan Blackwood led Central against the Great Danes, scoring 12 points to go along with seven rebounds.

He also nailed the game-tying layup with only 15 seconds left to play.

The Blue Devils had trouble with the Wildcats right from the start. They fell behind early and were unable to find a way to stop the New Hampshire’s perimeter attack. The Wildcats shot 67 percent from 3-point range in the first half while Central could only manage 42 percent.

Stephanie Bergeron / The Recorder Blue Devil senior Tristan Blackwood (left) drives towards the paint while being guarded by Jerel Hastings of Albany. Blackwood scored a team high of 12 points, tied with freshman Shemik Thompson. Blackwood also led his team in rebounds with seven.

The one bright spot for the Blue Devils was Blackwood, who managed to total 13 points by the break, connecting from behind the arc on three of his six field goal attempts.

Central missed several chances to tie the game. Just past the halfway mark of the first half, the Blue Devils trailed 25-28 when freshman Ken Horton had a chance to tie the game after being fouled while sinking a layup. Horton could not connect on the free throw and from there the Wildcats extended their lead.

The Blue Devils have had trouble making free throws, all season shooting a meager 53 percent from the line.

“We didn’t shoot well from the line; we missed about 14 shots,” said Blackwood. “I think we have to get better from the line so teams know next time not to foul us because they’ll pay for it.”

The Wildcats continued to hurt the Blue Devils from 3-point range early in the second half. Senior Mike Christensen came out on fire, draining two 3-point shots in the first five minutes of the half and 23 points on the game. The Blue Devils responded as junior Marcus Palmer notched six points during the same span to keep Central within seven.

“The disappointing part of this game is the fact that we allowed them good looks and open shots,” said Dickenmen. “We didn’t demonstrate enough will to defend with more determination.”

Central managed to pull within three points with just over two minutes left in the game, but New Hampshire kept the pressure on the Blue Devils, with Christensen and junior guard Tyrece Gibbs connecting on 3-point shots to give the Wildcats a 76-68 lead.

Four Blue Devils recorded double-digit point totals: Blackwood led the way with 19 points; sophomore Joe Seymore added 12; junior Marcus Palmer had 11; and freshman Ken

Steve Meszaros / The Recorder The University of New Hampshire Wildcats out-rebounded the Blue Devils 39-31.

Horton totaled 10. Central also out-rebounded the Wildcats 39-31.

“Give credit to New Hampshire for making shots,” said Head Coach Howie Dickenmen. “I think we’re reactive on defense rather than proactive on defense.”

The Blue Devils went on to beat Binghamton in New York on Nov. 20, 68-65 in overtime, but lost again Sunday, this time to Lafayette, 71-54. Central will return home on Saturday, December 1 to battle the Lehigh Mountain Hawks at 2 p.m.

Great Danes Trample Devils, Take Home NEC Title Peter Collin

Sports Editor The CCSU Blue Devils’ (6-5, 4-2) football season ended on a disappointing note as they fell short of their NEC title aspirations and were defeated by the University at Albany Great Danes (8-3, 6-0) 49-14 at Arute Field in New Britain.

Albany 49 CCSU 14 Albany sophomore David McCarty ran for over 247 yards and achieved two touchdowns, leading the Great Danes to their third Northeast Conference title – their first since they shared the title with Monmouth in 2003.

“Albany deserves all the credit in the world,” said Coach Jeff McInerney. “They outplayed us and out-coached us, and that starts with me.”

With the Blue Devils down 21-7 and gaining steam, McCarty delivered the fatal blow, breaking free for a 47-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter and shutting the door on any possibility of a Blue Devil comeback.

The Blue Devils were dominated by the Great Danes throughout the first half, quickly falling behind after surrendering an opening-drive touchdown. Sophomore quarterback Vinny Esposito orchestrated the 67-yard drive that was capped by a one-yard touchdown run by senior tailback Omar Johnson.

The Blue Devils looked poised to answer quickly as freshman Josue Paul gave Central excellent field position with a 54-yard kick return to the Albany 32-yard line. But after an incomplete pass and an ineffective run by Freeman, Great Danes junior Tom Pandolf sacked senior quarterback Aubrey Norris, forcing a fumble, which he recovered.

“By far they were the toughest defense we played. We couldn’t execute our plays to the fullest and they just played harder,” said senior quarterback Ryan Holmes. “I wanted to win this game bad. We all just wanted to come out and play our hardest and try to make it to the next level.”

It would be a recurring theme for the Blue Devils as the Great Danes would dominate Central throughout the course of the first half.

Albany built a 21-0 lead at half-time, but the Blue Devils came out aggressively to start the second half.

CCSU received the kickoff to start the second half and the drive started with a big break for Central. After junior Jo Jo Freeman powered forward for 20-yard run, an Albany facemask penalty added 15 yards to the end of the run, giving the Blue Devils excellent field position at the Albany 40 yard line.

From there, the Blue Devils worked their way to the Albany four-yard line, where Holmes connected with a wide-open Greg Grochowski for CCSU’s first score of the game and cut the Albany lead to 21-7.

The Blue Devils found themselves in a favorable field position again later in the first quarter. Esposito dropped back to receive the snap but it sailed high, allowing Central junior Blair Smart to recover the ball on the Albany 37-yard line. Again the Blue Devils failed to capitalize, as senior Ryan Holmes was intercepted on the six-yard line.

The two teams slugged it out until Great Danes sophomore David McCarty broke through the Central defense for a 56-yard run to the Blue Devil six-yard line. From there the Great Danes handed the ball to Johnson, who only needed two tries to punch the ball in for the second time.

The Great Danes seemed to be able to execute all of their plays at will. Albany moved the

Conrad Akier / The Recorder Great Dane running back David McCarty (right) fends off Blue Devil sophomore defensive end Ray Saunders while running towards the endzone for his second touchdown of the game. chains 15 times during the first half to Central’s first two downs. They also out-gained the Blue Devils in total yardage.

The Blue Devils, on the other hand, could not find any kind of offensive rhythm. The Great Danes forced two turnovers during the first half, sacking Blue Devil quarterbacks a total of five times.

The Great Danes struck again before halftime. Esposito found himself scrambling to his

right, avoiding Central junior Ernie Greywacz before finding senior Mike Wall wide open in the end zone for the 31-yard touchdown pass.

Freeman rushed for 71 yards on 12 carries in a game that moved him into seventh place on the Blue Devil all-time rushing list, passing Dan Kennedy. The Blue Devil’s 6-5 record ensured their fourth straight winning season. It is the first time from 1965 to 1971 that the Devils accomplished that feat.

7

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Pick Your Poison

NFL Predictions for Week 13

Well, the past two weeks have done quite a lot to muddle the playoff outlook, and it looks no different in our pick race. Kevin Petruzielo and Steve Hart are deadlocked for first place. They tied for the high score of 13 in Week 11. Not too far behind is Jason Beaumier and Kyle Robbin. Marc Chouinard is making a late season run as he was able to get the high score for Week 12 with 12 points.

In regards to our last question, only two people answered and they both picked the Buccaneers to win the NFC South. Since no one else responded, we can probably pretty safely say that just about everyone else would pick the Saints. We know our Managing Editor, Chris Boulay would.

Next week, who will win the NFC West? As always, send your picks to ccsurecorder@gmail.com.

Green Bay at Dallas New York Jets at Miami

Mark rowan

PeTer collin

eDwarD GaUG

chrisToPher boUlay

editor-in-chief

sports editor

entertainment editor

Managing editor

Dallas

Green Bay

Green Bay

Green Bay

New York Jets

New York Jets

Miami

Miami

Detroit at Minnesota

Detroit

Detroit

Detroit

Detroit

Seattle at Philadelphia

Seattle

Philadelphia

Philadelphia

Philadelphia

Houston at Tennessee

Tennessee

Houston

Houston

Houston

Jacksonville at Indianapolis

Indianapolis

Indianapolis

Jacksonville

Indianapolis

Buffalo at Washington

Washington

Washington

Buffalo

Washington

San Diego at Kansas City

San Diego

San Diego

San Diego

San Diego

Atlanta at St. Louis

St. Louis

St. Louis

St. Louis

St. Louis

Cleveland at Arizona

Arizona

Cleveland

Cleveland

Cleveland

Denver at Oakland

Denver

Denver

Denver

Denver

Tampa Bay at New Orleans

Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay

New Orleans

New York Giants at Chicago

New York Giants

Chicago

New York Giants

New York Giants

Cincinnati

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh New England at Baltimore

New England

New England

New England

New England

Cincinnati def. Pittsburgh

Green Bay def. Dallas

Miami def. New York Jets

New Orleans def. Tampa

I just love Cincinnati right now, almost as much as I love Tampa Bay. Actually, I’m going to go ahead and confess my love for Arizona too and proclaim all three of those teams will be getting wins this week. I’m making up for any missed Picks of the Week and getting three correct in one week.

Both teams had convincing wins on Thanksgiving Day, but the Packers came against a legitimate team.

Plus Ryan Grant might be the running game Favre has needed all season.

The Pack will pull out it out in a close one.

Yes, I am picking the Dolphins to win a game this season and I actually think they can pull it out against the shithole Jets. Most of my antiJets picks this year have worked and this one will be no different. Clemens will go the way of all other J-ET-S QBs and fail miserably. Is Neil O’Donnell still kicking around? He could get them a W.

The Saints are making their push for the division title right now. Tampa is about to hit a brick wall. Said wall is in the Superdome. The Saints will take care of the Bucs then they will be in a footrace that no one in the NFC South will be able to stop them. Well, we can hope, right?

Pick of the Week

This Week’s NFL Prediction Leader Board Rank

Name

Total Points

1

Kevin Petruzielo

117

Current Week (of 16) 12

1

Steve Hart

117

9

3

Jason Beaumier

112

11

4

Kyle Robbin

111

11

5

Alyssa Smollen

109

12

5

Kyle Dorau

109

11

7

Nick Viccione

108

12

7

Jon Lundie

108

9

9

Marc Chouinard

106

13

9

Edward Gaug

106

10

11

Matthew Jurkiewicz

105

12

12

Christopher Boulay

104

12

13

Mark Rowan

103

11

14

Chase Proctor

102

12

14

Mike McDonald

102

11

14

Charlie Sorenson

102

11

17

Peter Collin

100

11

18

Rob Messer

99

12

19

Mike Luchene

95

10

20

Chris Culmone

73

10

8

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Central Upsets Harvard Continued from page 1

and the Harvard defense.

In the 21st minute of the game, Central finally managed to slip a ball past Mahn when sophomore Eddie Floyd crossed the ball to freshman Connor Smith, who one-touched the ball just beyond the reach of Mahn, giving CCSU a 1-0 lead.

Harvard changed tactics after the first goal, switching to a ball control attack that allowed them to work it up the field and pin the Blue Devils in their own territory for most of the remainder of the half.

At the 36-minute mark, junior John Stamatis’s shot was deflected over the head of Armstrong to tie the game at 1-1.

Central took the lead when senior Captain Andrew Cooper drilled a ball past Mahn on a corner kick by Klukowski in the 52nd minute.

For Cooper, it was his second goal in as many games and only the second of his career.

“Well I’ve seen Yan and a couple of boys do it in practice, and I just swung my foot,” said Cooper. “It could have gone one of two ways, and luckily it hit the right side of my foot.”

But each Central goal led to a Crimson rally. This time, Harvard pulled out all the stops, bringing forward sophomore defender Kwaku Nyamekye. Nyamekye used his size to create mismatches among the Central defenders, allowing top Crimson scorer Andre Akpan to free himself at the top of the 18-yard line.

Midfielder Alex Chi found him, and from there Akpan fired the ball below a diving Armstrong to equalize the game at 2-2.

Seven minutes later, Klukowski scored to put the Blue Devils on top for good.

It has been a long journey for the Blue Devils, who started their conference season 03-1 as the result of an NCAA ruling that turned a win over Farleigh Dickinson into a tie. Since that time they have been a team on a mission, going 7-0-1 over their last eight games.

“It’s just rewards for our part,” said Klukowski. “We started off very poorly to start the season, but we just finished so strongly. I think we deserved everything we’ve gotten so far. It’s just a feeling of elation for myself and the lads.”

For Coach Green, the recent results have been validation for a year-long struggle to put together a conference championship team.

Through recruitment, training and sponsorship, he is finally seeing the fruits of his labor.

Armstrong had a solid effort in the net for the Blue Devils, tallying seven saves against a potent Crimson attack. CCSU managed to win despite being out-shot by Harvard 17-15 and being doubled-up on corner kicks 10-5.

The next stop for Central will be at the home of the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes on Wednesday, November 28 at 8 p.m.

Top: Blue Devil forward Christopher Brown (right) challenges Harvard keeper Adam Hahn for control of the ball.

Left: Central Head Coach Green celebrates after defeating the Crimson.

Right: Blue Devil freshman midfielder David Pinto gets tackled tripped by senior Matt Hoff of Harvard. Hoff nearly tied the game with just seconds left.

PhoTos by conraD akier / The recorDer

Age: 19 Year: Freshman Major: Business Finance Hometown: Fort Mitchell, Kentucky

Favorite Thing About Connecticut “I really like the trees in the fall. They’re really pretty. Back home we don’t have as many trees, so it’s kind of nice.”

Favorites: Movie: The Pirates of the Caribbean— one, two and three.

Food: “Back home at this place called Penn Station they make a great Philly cheese steak.”

Car: Lexus LX 300 Actor: Will Smith or Jennifer Aniston Place to Eat: “I like the Rainforest Café in the mall and Uno’s Chicago Style Pizza.”

What You Miss Most From Home “I really miss my family and friends. I come from a small town so I knew everybody, and I kind of miss that small town type of thing.”

Pump-Up Music “I like to listen to Metallica a lot.”

Hobbies “I like to eat in my spare time - a lot. I like to go shopping and hang out with my friends at the mall.”

If I Had a Million Dollars “I’d probably go out and buy a car, go out on a shopping spree and then put the rest in the bank.”

Why She is Our Blue Devil of the Week Lauren has been honored by the NEC three times this season, winning one Player of the Week award and two Rookie of the Week awards. She also had 497 kills this season, well enough for third all-time on the Central single-season list.

Conrad Akier / The Recorder

9

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Red Flash Gives Central Green Light for NEC Title Karyn Danforth

Sports Editor Senior full-back Andrew Cooper scored his first career goal to propel the Blue Devils to their first ever Northeast Conference championship with a 1-0 victory over the St. Francis (PA) Red Flash last Sunday, Nov. 18.

The win came on the heels of a 1-0 win over the top-seeded Monmouth Hawks. Freshman David Pinto scored the game-winning goal in the 85th minute with an assist by freshman Connor Smith. The Blue Devils shut out the regular season champs at home for the second time this season.

In the 38th minute of the contest the Blue Devils rushed into the St. Francis 18-yard line. Freshman midfielder Robert Cavener sent the ball into the box, where junior Yan Klukowski gained possession of the ball.

Klukowski got the ball to freshman Christopher Brown who lifted it in the air, allowing Cooper to head the ball in past St. Francis goalkeeper Brad Williams.

During the final 25 minutes of the game St. Francis had number of prime opportunities to equalize the score. But they fell short when Red Flash sophomore Daniel Moir‘s corner kick went to senior Bryan Maguire. Maguire managed to get his head on the ball but the shot clanged off the right post.

St. Francis senior Jarron Brooks launched four shots on goal, and was the most persistent challenge for Blue Devil sophomore Paul Armstrong, but Armstrong did not falter. Armstrong saved all six of the Red Flash’s shots on goal, while Williams prevented four of Centrals five from lighting up the scoreboard. The shut out was Armstrong’s seventh of the season.

The last Red Flash attack was in the 83rd minute of the game, when senior Bryce Luetzen mustered a final shot onto the Blue Devil’s goalkeeper, who kept his streak alive with the last save of the game, making this Armstrong’s fifth shut out in a row, his seventh in the entire season.

Sporting a 6-0-1 record in the last seven games, Central’s comeback from an NCAA ruling that left them winless after their first four games was nothing short of jaw-dropping.

NCAA rule interpreters had changed a 2-1 win over Fairleigh Dickinson University into a 1-1 tie. The tie left the Blue Devils in the bottom third of the conference.

Needing to win almost all their games to get into the playoffs, Central responded. The team used the ruling as motivation.

Head Coach Shaun Green spent the rest of the season convincing his players that, despite their record, they were the best team in the conference.

“It was a very emotional game for me,” said Coach Green. “I nearly died of a heart attack a year ago, and where I was then, to be here now, I’m thankful to be able to experience what I’ve done with my players.”

“I’m really proud of the team as they responded to adversity, getting points taken away from them unjustly, and we’ve had great individual performances from everyone. They will remember this tournament for the rest of their lives.”

Above: Blue Devil captains Yan Klukowski (left), Andrew Cooper (center) and David Tyrie (right) celebrate after being awarded with Central’s first ever Northeast Conference men’s soccer championship trophy.

Left: Freshman forward Johan Rundquist (right) battles with Daniel Bostock of Monmouth during the NEC Tournament semifinal match.

Right: Andrew Cooper (right) beats Red Flash goalkeeper Brad Williams for the game-winning goal against St. Francis (PA).

The goal was the first of the season for the senior defender from London, England.

Bottom: The Blue Devils men’s soccer team revels after winning the NEC Championship against the St. Francis (PA) Red Flash.

Photos by Conrad Akier / The Recorder

Entertainment

10

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Sigur Rós

To be honest, I hadn’t heard of the Hvarf/Heim band Sigur Rós from Iceland until the movie The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou came out and their song “Starálfur” basically made the scene at the end with the jaguar shark. Before then, I never would have been able to put a name to the song (but anyone would probably recognize the song if they heard it).

While most of the music on their latest album, Hvarf/Heim, is pretty consistent with the style of experimental and eerie serenity for which the band is known, the track titled “Ágætis byrjun” is a little bit different and maybe more mainstream.

It starts out with choppy yet subdued guitar chords in a slow and steady pace and is overlaid with piano. It can be argued that the rest of the album is peaceful, but this song sets it apart from the others.

I also really like the 10-minute track “Hafsól,” which is not a very fast-paced song but definitely has movement. There’s a high-pitched plucking noise, probably from plastic strings, that creates this active and lively feeling and increases towards the end where it just picks up in a spinning rush of string instruments and stretched guitars.

I used to believe that the band was just a soundtrack name and that their sound couldn’t really stand alone for an entire album, but it seems that they have enough energy to keep up the interest for a good 35 minutes, and maybe more.

- Melissa traynor / News Editor Dainty, soft-rockers Copeland manage to “rock” Dressed Up like it’s 1976 with their newest album, Dressed Up and In Line and In Line. Bland, tuneless strumming mixed with vocals reminiscent of a castrated choirboy is the blueprint for all of the songs here. Their occasional excursions into the alternative genre are about as heavy-hitting as Hall and Oates, although the latter at least had a knack for melody.

Certainly the two biggest draws on the album are covers of classic songs, “Every Breath You Take” by the Police and “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden, both of which are butchered beyond recognition.

Unfortunately with the band’s musical limitations, the moodiness that characterized both songs is lost and what is left is best described as John Wayne Bobbitt performing karaoke. Make no mistake; Britney Spears covering the Rolling Stones was more pleasing to the ear than these two covers.

If you’re depressed and only the sweet sounds of talent-free hacks can lift you out of your gloomy mood, then listen to Bruce Springsteen. If generic, rehashed tripe is your thing, then this album is for you. A fair warning: this album is the musical equivalent of a crowbar smashing into your kneecap.

- Joe Zajac / Staff Writer

Copeland

Daft Punk’s first live album since 2001’s release Alive 2007 of Alive 1997 from their Daftendirektour, is quite the powerful electronic album, but fans unfamiliar to Daft Punk might need to skim through their discography in order to fully appreciate it.

The album was recorded in Paris over their summer tour and is very unique in how the group conducts live shows. As they are DJs, they mix all of the songs together throughout the performance. Even though the album has a track list, each song is only a part of that track, and the songs show up in different tracks all over the album.

By far, their most powerful track is their mix of “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” and

Daft Punk

“Around the World.”

The track also uses elements of “Steam Machine” and “Technologic.”

Another interesting track is a mix of “The Brainwasher,” “Prime Time of your Life,” “Rollin’ and Scratchin’” and “Alive,” which lasts over 10 minutes. Even though many of the songs are a bit on the longer side, you really can’t tell because of how Guy-Manuel de Homem Christo and Thomas Bangalter successfully keep you zoned in on the music throughout the experience.

The album’s mixing is impeccable, showing how dynamic Daft Punk really is and how, rather oddly, many of their songs can be mixed together and still sound good together while being very distinct, separate elements.

- Christopher Boulay / Managing Editor

White Williams

While I haven’t heard Smoke the name White Williams before this week, I knew I had to listen to his stuff when I discovered he was touring with everyone’s favorite laptop-rocking, mash-up extraordinaire Gregg Gillis, a.k.a. Girl Talk and Dan Deacon, the founder of the Baltimore DIY electro-music scene.

While Girl Talk and Dan Deacon use huge poppy beats and absurd samples, Williams keeps it a little lighter and much simpler. His grooves are stripped down and beats are pure 70’s funk. Smoke is a dance party in a single disc; he completely tackles the necessity for a mix or DJ by making an album that is full of party tracks that sound different enough that they don’t blend together.

The really amazing thing about Smoke is the huge range that Williams covers from track to track. Going from the mild “Headlines” and “Violator,” to the electric insanity of “Lice in the Rainbow,” to the album’s possible single “New Violence,” Williams has created one of the most well-rounded electropop albums this year.

If you are free on November 30, do whatever you can to make it down to Atlantic City, NJ to see White Williams with Girl Talk.

- Edward Gaug / Entertainment Editor

While most people thought The The Black and Hives would disappear into oblivion White Album and become onehit wonders after their hit song “Hate to Say I Told You So” back in 2000, they have returned with a powerful new release bluntly named The Black and White Album.

While the garage-rock revival has all but come to a stand still, The Hives has powered through and continued to create good music with a style that is almost contained to itself. With stand-out vocals by front-man Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist (Per Almqvist) and steady percussion work from Chris Dangerous (Christian Grahn) behind the drum set, The Hives might take a lot of people by surprise and find their way on to a few “Best of the Year” lists when all is said and done.

With a stand-alone single like “Tick Tick Boom,” the album’s first track, it is easy to tell that The Black and White Album will be an instant success. It revives the style brought originally by “Hate to Say I Told You So” but updates the instrumentals with some faster drums and guitars. There are also songs like

The Hives

“T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S.,” which gives the listener a dance-pop groove and might seem out of the ordinary until you find out that mega-producer Pharrell Williams has gotten his hands on this song along with the track “Well All Right!”

While bands like The Vines didn’t make it through the garage-rock revival, The Hives made it through fighting and put out their best album to-date. Don’t let your perception of them hinder your decision to listen to a great straightforward rock-and-roll album.

- Edward Gaug / Entertainment Editor

When a band releases a live album, They’ve Actually there are only Gotten Worse Live a couple motives behind it. One option is that the guys are an overnight success with little potential for the future and the record label wants to cash in quick on their heightened popularity. Another option is that the band is on a reunion tour and is just too old and too cranky to write some new songs. A third option is the guys just ran out of ideas for new music and needed to fulfill contractual obligations. Finally, the band could just be awesome live, and people are willing to buy the disc to remember such great acts.

It’s a good thing NOFX’s latest live release, They’ve Actually Gotten Worse Live, falls under the final chapter. The guys are just plain entertaining. They’re loud, they’re vulgar, they drink heavily and they love to improvise. A quick yell from the crowd can set off a round of insults and songs that have you loving it the entire time.

The guys are arguably the funniest and most outspoken lyricists working today. I could quote song after song from this album, but I’ll take just one set of lines from “You’re Wrong” to get the point across: “You’re wrong for hating queers and eating steers / If you kill for the thrill of the hunt / You’re wrong ‘bout wearing fur and not hating Ann Coulter / Cause she’s a cunted cunt.”

But one of the funniest parts of the album has nothing to do with the lyrics: the guys play the first three beats of “Lori Meyers” when the power fails. You can hear the live crowd booing in the background, and all Fat Mike, lead vocalist, has to say is, “It’s too late, we already got your money… fuck y’all!,” after which the band gets power back and plays the song. The timing is immaculate, and nothing is lost in the translation from concert to album.

The album has 24 tracks, ranging from 0:19 to 6:09 minutes in length, and almost every track has a spoken, most often comical, introduction. The instruments and lyrics come through exceptionally clearly, by live album standards. It was recorded over the course of three shows, so there were plenty of back-up songs coming off grainy or with feedback.

- Matthew Jurkiewicz / Staff Writer

NOFX

Bob Dylan isn’t even dead Various Artists yet and he is beI’m Not There ing immortalized like some Soundtrack Messiah that just won’t go away. This is true because of the latest movie fitted loosely about his many lives and the soundtrack of covers accompanying it. Featuring 33 covers of Dylan standards, both well known and not, this offering is good because you find yourself discovering Dylan songs you didn’t know existed until hearing them through someone else. Take “Goin’ to Acapulco” by My Morning Jacket’s Jim James and Arizona’s Calexico, a song that I was unaware of but was pleasantly surprised to hear for the first time. The same goes for

“You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere,” a song also off of Dylan’s coming-out-of-hiber nation Basement Tapes album.

There are covers of well-known Dylan songs as well. “All Along the Watchtower” sounds like it has been done before - and it has, more notably by Jimi Hendrix. What makes this purchase worthwhile are the songs that each artist take and make their own, like Ramblin’ Jack Elliot’s acoustic version of “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues” and a piano lamented version of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” by Antony and The Johnsons.

There is one original song on the album, and that is Bob Dylan and The Band’s “I’m Not There.” Even though it is a song that he recorded and wrote himself, it doesn’t sound like Dylan; but then again, neither do any of his songs.

- Justin kloczko / Opinion Editor

Aloha

Normally Aloha wouldn’t be the type Light Works of band that I would consider to review because they make pretty generic indie-rock; a little on the pop or folk side, but generic nonetheless, and they aren’t even very wellknown. When they are referred to me by a friend whose music taste I mostly trust, though, I have to give it a good listen.

Lead singer Tony Cavallario and the three others who make up Aloha have produced a pretty good album, considering what I was expecting from them. Their sound has become smoother and flows effortlessly from track to track.

With the usual use of guitar, bass and drums, the band adds in piano, mellotron (an electro-mechanical polyphonic keyboard) and a marimba (a wooden instrument that looks and is played like a xylophone). All these instruments combine to make a full-sounding album that can be appreciated for its vocals as well as its instrumentals.

Light Works starts off with “Body Buzz” and “Broken Light,” which show off an “airy” sound. The album uses a splashy cymbal and piano mix to recreate a track list that is so close to The Shins it could very well be mistaken for b-sides from Wincing the Night Away. “Equinox,” the album’s final track, contrasts the first two songs very nicely by being a slower, semi-acoustic song where Cavallario’s vocals really get the chance to stand-out beyond the music.

While Aloha is still not the fantastic band that some people see them as, they have created their best-sounding album to-date with Light Works.

- Edward Gaug / Entertainment Editor

11

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

The Most Embarrassing Albums in Our Collections Edward Gaug

Entertainment Editor I know there are many of you out there that will listen to your iPod or CD player and come across a song that makes you think, “Why the hell do I still have this?” While I personally like to cleanse my music collection of debris every year or so, I can’t help but come across some albums that have managed to retain a residence in my music library even after years of being ashamed of it. As I found out by questioning the staff and editors of The Recorder this week, they do too.

While pop music was huge when we were 11 and 12 years old, it still has a home in some of our writers’ music stashes.

I’ll start off this piece by saying that while the album itself is embarrassing; I still love it like I did back in eighth grade when it was first purchased. New Found Glory’s Self Titled album is my most embarrassing album and I can easily admit that. While the band has become the laughing stock of any punk scene, this album stayed in my CD player all the way through my junior year in high school. It is amazingly catchy and fun to listen to, in the same way Lifetime’s latest album is. I actually wish more bands had the balls to make an album they loved without caring if it would murder their cred.

Melissa Traynor went in the same direction as myself by picking a pop-punk band that had a huge following of fans that knew next to nothing about good music. She picked Good Charlotte’s The Young and the Hopeless that was released back in 2002. While I remember listening to this album my freshman or sophomore year a few times, I didn’t take it to the same levels as Melissa. She admits to spending five hours outside of Riccardo’s Music Center to get the band’s autograph. While this one was terrible, I can admit to liking their first self-titled album.

Now moving on to the rest of the staff - most of these albums are pop albums that were targeted directly at them when they were released. Owning these albums in middle school made you the man, but possessing them now makes you die a little bit inside. The list will have to start with

another artist I remember listening to vividly back in the day, and that is Pete Collin’s pick of Weird Al Yankovic’s Running With Scissors, which was released in 1999. While it wasn’t as badass as, say, Bad Hair Day, it was a solid selection. And Pete’s defense to owning Running With Scissors? “We all did stupid stuff in middle school, right? Right?” Yes we did Pete; yes we did.

Let’s move on to the boy band craze that ravaged elementary and middle schools in the mid-to-late 90s.

Both Amanda Ciccatelli and Stephanie Bergeron owned-up to their boy band buys. Amanda went with the ever-so-popular N’Sync Home For Christmas album from back in 1998.

“At the time I thought it was fantastic and I listened to it several holiday

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seasons in a row from age 12 to about 14,” admitted Ciccatelli. While this is pretty embarrassing, I think Stephanie tops it. While this album was ultra-cool when it dropped in 1997, it is down right weird to still have it. Middle of Nowhere by Hanson sold 10 million copies worldwide and one resides with our Lifestyles Editor Stephanie Bergeron. At least she can admit to still liking the album and still jamming out to it—a pure guilty pleasure.

On to the pop princesses, one of which is now a convicted criminal. Both Jody Wiles and Jamie Paakkonen pulled out embarrassing female acts from their music collections. I’ll start with the worst one first. B*Witched, the self-titled album by the Irish girl group. While Paakkonen said, “It’s not really the fact that they were a terrible pop band from the 1990s, they were a terrible pop band that wasn’t even really that famous at their peak.” While she has a valid point, B*Witched went platinum. This means there are another million people who thought the same as Jamie somewhere in the world.

Jody Wiles’ pick was a little more recent and probably shared by more people than you would think. Lindsay Lohan was Jody’s embarrassing pick. To my surprise, Lohan has released two albums, along with stints in rehab and being caught with cocaine. Not too shabby. Jody’s defense to owning Lindsay Lohan is, “The occasional single does pop up in my iTunes party shuffle. We all have our guilty pleasures, but most of the time I skip over them.”

While most of us were enthralled with sugar-sweet pop music in our adolescence, a few strayed away and ventured into R&B and hip-hop.

While The Recorder’s Editor-inChief Mark Rowan likes to flaunt his impeccable taste in music, he broke down and let us know it wasn’t always that way. With a healthy start with DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, along with Nas and Jay-Z, Rowan took a complete face plant when purchasing Hot Boys’ Guerrilla Warfare. Hot Boys were supposed to be hip-hop’s youngest super-group with Juvenile and Lil’ Wayne leading the way, but they failed miserably. Apparently, Hot Boys will be dropping a new album in 2008 and former member Turk was quoted saying, “Expect this album to be a classic.” I can only expect a piece of shit shrink-wrapped.

Samantha Sullivan has probably the funniest of everyone who answered me. Her most embarrassing album? Sisqo’s Unleash the Dragon, which featured the smash hit “Thong Song,” the video to which got a lot of boys through puberty in 2000. I still can’t believe this album sold five million copies—the damn thing went platinum five times. The funniest part of all of this is the fact Samantha said her mom bought her the album for Christmas. Oh mothers, when will you learn not to buy your kids awful CDs? The last album on our most embarrassing list is Boyz II Men’s classic II album, which is owned and was purchased by Justin Kloczko. This might be the most legitimate album on the list because it sold a tremendous 12 million copies worldwide. I remember a lot of people having this CD… or cassette, now that I think about it. What was it about this album that made it so appealing to pre-teens? I feel creepy for singing along to it, but think about the number of couples who screwed to this album in the mid 90s.

Say What?

The Recorder asked students what the most embarrassing album in their collection was. Here are their replies.

Titanic Soundtrack Luke Davis Junior, Criminal Justice

S Club 7 S Club Danielle Eckert Junior, Design

The Matrix Soundtrack Alex Estrom Senior, History

Jim Jones Hustler’s P.O.M.E.

(Product of My Environment) Rohan Speid Junior, Art

Alien Ant Farm ANThology Maria Millburg Junior, Social Work

Mariah Carey Rainbow Danielle Papallo Junior, Sociology

Styx Greatest Hits Jeff Shaw Junior, Music Education

Hanson Snowed In Katie Lane Senior Psychology

What is your most embarrassing album in your collection?

Send in your album and few sentences about it to ccsurecorder@gmail.com

12

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Amanda Ciccatelli

Staff Writer

friends.

Edward Gaug

Entertainment Editor While most of you on campus had gone home for Thanksgiving break, I was able to get a few minutes to talk with Corey Warning, the lead singer, keyboardist, guitarist and songwriter of the band The Graduate, in anticipation of their December 3 show at the Webster Theater.

As a band, they don’t get to spend a lot of time at home with family and friends, but this year they were lucky enough to be close to home for the holiday.

Edward Gaug: You guys are actually in Kansas right now for a show tonight, correct?

Corey Warning: Yeah. We just left the news station in Topeka.

Gaug: So how is the Midwest treating you?

Warning: It’s really good. We’re from around here, so every time we go out it is really good for us.

Gaug: Do you think you are going to make it back home to Illinois for Thanksgiving tomorrow?

Warning: Yeah, we are actually going to drive right home after the show in Lawrence and try to beat some of the bad weather that’s coming and get home so we miss it.

Gaug: It is definitely cool that you get to go on tour and still be able to make it back home to see your family and then continue back on tour afterwards.

Warning: Yeah, it is always such a hard thing to get things to work together because we are so busy. We don’t get to take breaks for holidays and stuff, so it’s nice when we actually get to come home and spend time with our family and

Gaug: I’m sure they appreciate it. You guys are just wrapping up your second year as The Graduate - how has the second year gone compared to the first year?

Warning: It’s alright, we’ve been on tour since January and it has been a drastic lifestyle change, but we are doing exactly what we want to be doing, so everyone is really enjoying themselves.

Gaug: When you were recording the newest album [Anhedonia] last year, where were you drawing in influence from?

Warning: A lot of places; we were listening to a lot of music from bands like The Junior Varsity and Park, who are from central Illinois like us.

We were just listening to a lot of alternative pop music and that’s what we wanted to do.

Gaug: There is a song on the album called “The City That Reads” where you talk about being in Baltimore. I’m guessing that was written around the same time you were in town recording the album?

Warning: Yeah, yeah.

Gaug: That brought in some influence from there as well?

Warning: Oh yeah sure; lyrically, everything I write is about my experiences. As far as the lyrics on this album, it has been about different things I have gone through within the past year with the new band getting together and getting our foot in the door and the drastic lifestyle changes, everything like that really and being on tour all the time.

Gaug: Do you feel like you make a better record when you use personal experience for your lyrics?

Warning: It has really been the only way I’ve been able to write. I think maybe in the future I would like to play around with some fictional ideas and bring my creativity to a different level. So far though, a lot of my stuff has been over personal things I’ve gone through.

Gaug: You will be up in our area on December 3 playing the Webster [Theater] in Hartford; is this going to be your first time up in the area?

Warning: No, we’ve been through there this year, quite a bit actually, but no one probably knows.

Gaug: I’m really sorry for that one. Since the year is winding down, I’m going to throw two questions “Who was the best band you saw live this year?” and “Who put out the best album?”

Warning: Oh, we actually just did a Top 10 for AbsolutePunk so it is going to be hard to really single it down. (Conferencing with the band) What do you guys think our favorite album is?

(Long pause) The new Radiohead album, In Rainbows, was our favorite that came out this year. Favorite band we saw live? We saw My Morning Jacket play at Lollapalooza this year.

They played with the Children’s Symphony Orchestra of Chicago; it was pretty unbelievable, they came out and rocked it.

Gaug: Since you brought up In Rainbows and Radiohead, do you think you could ever do an album where you let the fans decide what to pay for it?

Warning: Absolutely, if we were the biggest band it would be really easy. I think everyone is sticking their fingers in the music industry and doing something different. A band like ours could never get away with doing something like that because we would all be homeless.

At the Webster Theater in Hartford, Third Eye Blind’s sound took over the crowded room of excited fans of all ages. The band opened with a popular song from their 1999 album, Blue, and pumped up the audience’s adrenaline from the very start. Stephen Jenkins had a stage presence that was captivating throughout the entire concert while the rest of the band complemented him perfectly.

It was disappointing that the band did not go on stage until 10:30 p.m. when my friends and I got there at 8:30. We hoped that we didn’t miss their first song. We patiently watched the opening artist, Matt White, to play his music, which was a similar style to Third Eye Blind but did not even compare.

When the band finally graced the stage with their presence, they started with a long jam out of guitar and drums until Jenkins sang the first line of “Losing a Whole Year.”

Out of the many songs that they played until 12:15 a.m., my favorites included “1,000 Julys,” “Narcolepsy,” “How’s it Gonna’ Be” and “God of Wine.” These songs were played with a passion and chemistry that was obvious between the band members, considering they have been together for 10 years, according to Jenkins.

Every now and then in between songs Jenkins would say a few words to the audience to get us involved. He talked a bit about Third Eye Blind’s journey to this day and when their next album is coming out. He mentioned that a lot of fans ask him and the band where their favorite area to tour is, and he answered, “Us… right here, right now.” And at this point, the crowd went wild and cheered on another hit from their collection.

The entire hour and 15 minutes were absolutely amazing because the time was filled with all the songs I would have asked them to play if I could. At the very end of the concert they played their last song and left the stage waving, but I knew they missed a few of the classics. The audience persistently cheered for an encore until the band finally appeared on stage once again for a three-song encore.

“How’s it Gonna’ Be,” “Slow Motion” and “God of Wine” were the best-played songs in the entire concert. During “God of Wine,” Jenkins chugged a good half of a bottle of wine and then poured the rest all over him and the stage.

The band’s energy poured out all over the audience until the very last note of the very last song, “Slow Motion,” in a successful finish. In 2007, the 90’s rock band continues to attract a wide audience and keeps them loyal because of their creative style and down to earth vibes. It is obvious that music is what they love and they will continue making music as long as possible, starting with Third Eye Blind’s 2008 album The Hideous Strength, coming out soon.

Six Bob Dylans in One Great Film Stephanie Bergeron

Lifestyles Editor You may have seen the previews for I’m Not There, and as much as you were excited, you were also very skeptical, like myself. If there is one musician that stands out as being indefinable above the rest, it is Bob Dylan, who has been a dozen different faces over his career. To make a movie about his life, and to pull it off, well, that is quite the feat.

It begins in black and white, with your feet in Dylan’s shoes, as he walks onstage, lead by a stagehand.

From the beginning, it describes who Dylan is through provocative, innovative imagery. He is you, he is me, he is everyone and no one all at once.

“I am who I am, whoever that is,” Dylan once said.

The movie is real and unreal, much like everything we seem to know about Dylan’s life, as he invented stories that he told to others about his life. The movie is based on some of those myths and half-truths, along with rumors of love interests like Edie Sedgwick, who is referred to as Coco in the film. The movie reflects the way many perceive Dylan, and how his life was, and still remains, a mystery to us; that is half the excitement of trying to get to know Dylan.

As much as his fans seem to know about him, nothing is for sure. When you finally start to figure him out, he becomes something else, and it always grabs our attention.

This is why having half a dozen Dylans was a brilliant way to try and touch on the many phases of the artist’s life. Among the six were Chris-

tian Bale playing a young Dylan, Richard Gere playing Dylan in seclusion after his motorcycle accident and Cate Blanchett playing the most convincing, and most recognized, Dylan in 1966.

Although they all play Dylan, his name is never mentioned in the movie, not even once. The actors are given different names for each stage of his life. Blanchett‘s Dylan, for instance, is named Jude Quinn. It was an interesting approach to further stressing Dylan‘s shape-shifting ways. Shots of album covers were “re-made” with the actors’ faces on them, portraying some of his most famous photos, along with Bob Dylan’s name being replaced by their name in the film.

The movie was visually stimulating, and emotional. Long shots

of the expressions on people’s faces echoed Dylan’s autobiography, where written descriptions of people’s expressions paint a picture in your mind. Black and white shots often resembled the black and white portraits of Chuck Close, so surreal that they almost looked unreal. The movie was artistic, and cut back and forth throughout the film to different phases of his life, making it, at some points, almost dreamlike in sequence.

The movie was made for fans.

Seeing the movie without any prior knowledge of Bob Dylan might make it confusing, leading you to believe that everything you are watching is factual. It had some almost humorous scenes, especially when Christian Bale sports an afro and lip-syncs to Dylan’s born-again Christian song,

“Pressin’ On.” Other scenes were very powerful, with a great Dylanlike controversial flare. Memorable moments like the New England Jazz and Folk Festival, where Dylan first went electric, was topped off with machine guns being fired into the audience for a split second, before they are replaced with electric guitars, blasting “Maggie’s Farm.”

Truth be told, it is the most daring approach to a biographical-type film I have ever seen, and nothing I can think of comes close. It is experimental, well-organized and fun to watch, leaving you satisfied with every image you are faced with.

Take my word, and take a ride through Dylan’s colorful, and often lonely, world. But remember, “only a fool believes what they read in the papers.”

13

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

= recommended

WEEK OF NOVEMBER 28 MUSIC

FILM

MUSIC

11/28

The Invasion

11/29

I Am the Avalanche

Webster Underground / 6 p.m. / $10

WEEK OF DECEMBER 5

Torp Theater / 8 p.m. / FREE A mysterious epidemic is sweeping the world, but it takes one Washington D.C. psychiatrist to discover that the disease is extraterrestrial in origin. When her son becomes infected, she and a colleague must work together to find a cure, before the entire world is lost.

11/28 – 12/02

Into the Wild

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

12/07

Kiss Kiss

People’s Center (New Haven) / 7 p.m. / $7 “It’s time for a revival,” is a common sentiment in modern music, but Kiss Kiss’s Josh Benash doesn’t say it, he embodies it. With their explosive debut album, Reality Vs. The Optimist, Kiss Kiss don’t just revive music, they build a cathedral to it out of a gypsy circus tent.

Opening Bands: Bear Hands, Quiet Life

seem like eggheads; but there’s no doubting the intelligent design of their gloriously adventurous off-kilter pop and the existential underpinnings of their lyrics.

Opening Bands: The Color Fred, Dear & the Headlights 12/12

Hot Rod Circuit

Toad’s Place / 7:30 p.m. / $10

12/08

GWAR

Toad’s Place / 7 p.m. / $21

The band, which was one of two split from The Movielife, makes their second stop of their tour in Hartford. I’ve seen the band live a handful of times and usually enjoy them—despite not really knowing their music. The show is also only 10 bucks, which is usually a price reserved for VFW shows. Not too shabby.

Opening: Daggermouth, Sadaharu 11/29

Patent Pending

The Space (Hamden) / 7 p.m. / $10 If you liked/like The Matches you may be able to sit through a Patent Pending set. That same sort of pop-punk with attempts at more punk leanings applies here too. I’ve seen them live once on accident and was annoyed, but this is a fairly impressive lineup for The Space. Plus, Ivydrive is fairly fun.

Opening: Ivydrive

In 1990, after graduating from college, Chris McCandless gave away his money and took to the road for two years, exploring the West and most dangerously, Alaska’s unforgiving Stampede Trail. McCandless’ quasi-mystical story, first revealed in a best seller by Jon Krakauer, is now a breathtaking movie directed by Sean Penn.

11/30 – 12/06

11/30

Tara Jane O’Neil

Heirloom Arts Theatre (Danbury) 7 p.m. / $7 I don’t know what this shit is to be honest, but Manic Productions is doing it and they rarely (maybe never, who knows) book anything that sucks. I’m going to throw out the comparison of a more experimental, noisy Regina Spektor.

Opening: TBA 12/02

Matisyahu

Toad’s Place / 8 p.m. / $30

Forever

12/04 – 12/13

Art Education Culminating Exhibition 2007

Pulp Art: The Robert Lesser Collection

Spitalfield

Webster Theater / 6 p.m. / $12 Formed in the suburbs of Chicago in 1998, Spitalfield play punky alternative rock with some pop sensibilities. A split release first appeared in 2001, followed the next year by Faster Crashes Harder. Their debut five-song EP, The Cloak and Dagger Club, came out in October 2002 to rave reviews from Punk Planet, and the band soon signed to their hometown’s powerhouse label, Victory. This show is a part of the band’s “Goodbye Tour.”

Opening Band: The Graduate

Straylight Run

Webster Theater / 6 p.m. / $12

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

FILM 12/04 – 12/08

Across the Universe

Cinestudio / 7:30 p.m. / $7 Musical based on The Beatles songbook and set in the 60s England, America and Vietnam. The love story of Lucy and Jude is intertwined with the anti-war movement and social protests of the 60s.

12/07 – 12/13

Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea

Real Art Ways / 7:30 p.m. / $6.25 Narrated by John Waters, this often tongue-incheek documentary tells the story of the Salton Sea that was created accidentally in Southern California after an engineering error in 1905.

The man-made lake has since become a location that means different thins to different people.

ART

Present – 12/30

12/03

12/12

Real Art Ways / 7:30 p.m. / $6.25 Paris’s Père-Lachaise cemetery is the welltrod final resting place of Oscar Wilde, Marcel Proust and Jim Morrison, among others. Its labyrinthine paths hold a special place in many minds. It’s more like a park than a place of the dead and while its residents have many worshippers, none are saints.

Maloney Hall / 4 p.m. / FREE This gallery opening represents the final projects by CCSU’s Art Education majors. As with every gallery opening, wine and refreshments will be served.

Toad’s Place does it again with another sweet show as the year winds down (Ghostface Killah backed by a live band and Band of Horses last month!?). You would never think reggae and hip-hop would mix so well with traditional Jewish themes, but it does. I recommend listening to his cover of “Message in a Bottle” on his MySpace now. Classic.

Opening: Dub Trio

GWAR is a satirical thrash metal and shock rock band formed in 1985. The band is best known for their elaborate sci-fi/horror film inspired costumes; raunchy, obscene, politically incorrect lyrics; and graphic stage performances, which consist of humorous re-enactments of political and moral taboo themes.

Opening Band: 3 Inches of Blood

Hot Rod Circuit makes music for those times when you feel most alive. Whether that moment is during heartache or while driving down the road, Hot Rod Circuit? Vagrant Records debut and third full length, Sorry About Tomorrow, fits just about any moment it may be needed for.

This is Hot Rod’s final tour.

Opening Bands: Moros Eros, Diamond J and the Rough

Do John and Michelle Nolan think too much?

Straylight Run’s sibling frontpeople – both sing, write and play guitar and piano, ably enabled in their musical ruminations by bassist Shaun Cooper and drummer Will Noon – don’t

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Present – 04/27

Martin Luther King Jr.: Life, Times and Legacy

Wadsworth Atheneum / $5 On April 4, 1968, the hope and fire of a people seemed to extinguish as tragic news of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination spread throughout the airwaves. During the Montgomery Bus Boycott of December 1955, Dr. King emerged as a key leader in the struggle for civil rights for the disenfranchised.

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Lifestyles

14

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Of Furries and Fetishists: Second Life Uncovered Joe Zajac

Staff Writer The Internet is a frightening, disturbing place to venture into. No place better reflects this than Second Life, designed by Linden Labs, which has proven itself to be the ugly face of the Internet - warts and all.

Second Life is an online “world… designed entirely by its residents,” according to Linden Labs. In truth, it is a sandbox “game” through and through. Any formal goals within the game are nonexistent, and up to the whim of the user. SL is, in essence, the Internet-fried version of real life, as its name suggests. As in real life, cliques and perversions take center stage in this “virtual world” filled with tedium otherwise.

Upon signing up, users are able to move around the virtual world via an avatar - a manifestation of their personal and online characters. Users are given an incredible amount of freedom in designing their avatars, and the existences of third-party applications, which further allow characterization of avatars, are widespread.

Nearly everything from robots to superheroes and oversized male genitalia exist within the SL world. The last option, however, seems to be the most prominent.

Also available is virtual real estate, which is bought and sold via Lindens, the currency of SL. One may obtain Lindens through a purchased subscription, which generates a monthly stipend to the player, or through online transactions. Basic and free registration also exists, which the majority of the user base is found under. As with their avatars, users are able to personalize their online slice of real estate in relative freedom.

With such freedom come the dankest bowels of the Internet, from

those with the most bizarre fetishes imaginable. Because of the relative freedom a sandbox game affords players, those wishing to express their vile fetishes do so with glee.

The most prominent group on SL is Furries - those people who feel an imaginary connection to animals and express their desires by dressing up and simulating sex with one another.

Furries will often times sexually elope, or “yiff,” in public, much to the chagrin of other users. Furry users are easily recognizable in their anthropomorphic animal costumes, complete with oversized genitalia and strategically placed holes for easy sexual access. Subgroups of Furrydom exist also, such as Nazifurs and Babyfurs, who combine their Furry sensibilities with Nazi and baby themes, respectively.

More troublesome is the existence of many pedophilic groups within Second Life. As with the Furry group, these pedophilic groups will simulate sex with their avatars, with one being childlike in appearance.

SL’s freedom, combined with Linden Labs’ lax rules, has made Second Life a haven for pedophiles on the Internet. The location of such groups within Second Life is but a Google search away and easily accessible to those looking for it. Avatars displaying forbidden fruit, such as Harry Potter cast members engaging in clumsy online fornication, are also prominent.

Much ado has been made of Second Life recently, with its economy and online personas targeted in articles by major publications. What popular opinion fails to see is that Second Life is little more than a haven for social and sexual delinquents. Linden Labs’ idea of organized online chaos in SL has brought us nothing but flying penises and a generally dirty feeling after use.

Matthew Taibbi: Well-Traveled American Journalist Karyn Danforth

Staff Writer American journalists would be envious of the opportunities that Matthew Taibbi has already experienced in his young adulthood. At the age of 37, Taibbi is currently the contributing editor of Rolling Stone magazine, or as he calls it, a “fancy way of saying I’m someone who contributes without technically being staff.”

A coin would represent Rolling Stone magazine most accurately: one side being politics, the other entertainment. Taibbi focuses on the former, having a natural affinity for dark humor. Being a political correspondent, Taibbi covers electoral politics in campaign years, and when there isn’t a gallop to the White House, he writes about major political events.

Rolling Stone gives Taibbi privileges that most journalists do not receive.

“Most (journalists) do not get seven to eight thousand words to spend on a topic as arcane, convoluted and unsexy as congressional procedures,” he explained.

Taibbi is never censored with his affiliation, either.

“I get to use language that is more colorful and I have a lot more leeway to describe politicians in a way I see fit,” Taibbi said. “There is no pressure to adopt other political tones.”

Hailing from a family of journalists, Taibbi had a broad sense of the field he was out to pursue.

“My father, godfather, stepmother, and almost everyone I grew up with was into journalism; it was like the family business,” he said.

Taibbi initially wanted to be a writer

in high school when he immersed himself in books written by Russian comic novelists such as Mikhail Bulgakov and Nikolai Gogol.

“I wanted to be a comic novelist but it didn’t work out so I ended up in the business I knew,” recalled Taibbi.

His appreciation of Russian works set him up for an elaborate decision his senior year of college to transfer to a school in present day St. Petersburg, Russia. It was merely the beginning of a long, unusual path to becoming an established journalist. After graduating, Taibbi stayed in Russia and began freelancing very early in his career.

“I was what was called a stringer,” Taibbi said. “A stringer is a type of freelancer who lives in a remote area and contributes to various news organizations.”

After writing for the Associated Press and

newspapers like The Moscow Times, Taibbi veered off onto the surprisingly unexpected path of pro-basketball. While playing for a team in Mongolia, Taibbi contracted a serious case of pneumonia and had to return to Boston.

After recovering, he flew straight to Russia and didn’t look back.

With the help of another American journalist living abroad came the controversial English-language, Moscow-based newspaper, The eXile. Produced by Mark Ames and co-edited

by Taibbi, the newspaper gave the two writers absolute freedom from American libel law. After writing for The eXile for six years, Taibbi’s reputation had increased exponentially.

“It allowed me to attempt journalism that was not run-of-the-mill. I was overseas; I lived somewhere that wasn’t expensive,” he said. “Even though I wasn’t making much, I was able to survive, and it eliminated the pressures that a lot of Americans have in this country where they can’t just sit around and write in their blogs, because they need to make a lot of money to live. I didn’t have that problem in Russia.”

Just as any journalist isn’t perfect, Matthew Taibbi has encountered ethical problems before.

“If someone never encounters an ethical problem, they’re probably not doing their job very well. A journalist will have to do things that are difficult and sources/bosses can and will sometimes put you in uneasy situations.” he said.

Taibbi recalled a time when he had a source that believed Taibbi had made a promise to him, but for Taibbi, the promise was of a different character.

“I consulted various experts on journalistic ethics, lots of non-profit organizations help in those situations, and I did that before I spoke with my own bosses.”

Taibbi’s advice for young journalists is to always try to work it out themselves before talking to who they work for.

“A boss might do what is in their interest and is not always the right way,” he said.

Every writer always has a favorite, and for Taibbi, one of the pieces he was proud of journeyed into the lives of four high school children who lived in a Russian ghetto. What Taibbi referred to as being like Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the story involved the relationships between the teens, and Taibbi followed and checked on them for the next two to three years.

“It was a really fun story,” he said. “It was more like writing a novel.”

Taibbi looks towards the future with an intent on changing the decrease of readership in America.

“One of the things that is sad about modern America is that not many people read, and I think I’m eventually going to try to get into television or film to reach a wider audience,” he said.

Taibbi didn’t seem completely thrilled about the venture into the domain where entertainment reigns dominant.

“From an impact and financial standpoint, all reporters will have to make that move eventually,” he explained. Taibbi plans on resurfacing some old high school dreams as well.

“In the future I will try [my] hand at writing fiction again,” he said, “but I don’t think I can afford to do that yet.”

15

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Winter Beer Review

Saranac Caramel Porter

eDwarD GaUG

entertainment editor Stephanie Bergeron / The Recorder

Comfort Food at Criollisimo Dan collin

special to the recorder A number of people are fearful of culinary adventures, and I can never figure out where this fear comes from. Is it fear of the unknown? Is it fear of wasting your hard-earned money on something you may not like? Whatever the reason, if you want to try something new but you’re not sure where to start, Puerto Rican food might be a good option.

Yes, you read correctly - Puerto Rican food. It is devoid of just about everything that might make a person wary; yet, it contains some distinctive flavors. The food isn’t spicy, covered in strange sauces or full of unfamiliar ingredients. It’s just hearty, savory food that sticks to your ribs - comfort food, in fact, and perfect for when the weather gets colder.

On a brisk Monday evening, my brother and I decided to sample the fair at Criollisimo, a Puerto Rican establishment on Arch Street in New Britain that has been around for a few years. The restaurant was completely empty, and the staff seemed a little surprised to see us on such a slow night. They were congenial, never-

theless.

The entrance to Criollisimo leads directly to a display case where one can view the offerings for the day in all their slow-cooked glory - ribs, roast chicken, pork, rice and soups. There are no menus; you just ask them what’s good and tell them what you want. It’s a leap of faith, I know; but then again, so is going to an acquaintance’s for dinner.

We decided to go for the gusto, along with heaping piles of yellow rice, sprinkled with pigeon peas and big helpings of meat. My brother had the ribs while I had the roast pork.

The pork was shredded and extremely tender; bits of fat and crunchy pork rind made for an interesting texture and added greatly to the flavor of the meat. My brother’s ribs had a sticky, satisfying outer crust. The meat, once again, was fall-off-the-bone tender and had a delicate smoky taste. The yellow rice tasted as if it had been cooked in chicken broth and was quite filling; yet, I willed myself to clean my plate.

While my brother had a Pepsi to drink, I opted for a can of coconut soda. Caribbean restaurants and markets often carry extremely sweet

fruit-flavored sodas. These sodas are about the only things sweeter, and more caloric, than Coca-Cola, but they are actually the perfect complement to the savory, salty flavors in the meals we enjoyed.

We left Criollisimo sated and ready for a nap. My only disappointment was that we came too late for the plantains - they were all out.

Plantains, which look like bananas but taste more like potatoes when cooked, are one of my favorites. In my experience, you can get them at most Puerto Rican restaurants in two varieties: smashed flat and fried, served with an intense garlic sauce on the side, or cooked until they’re soft and coated with a sweet brown glaze.

The cold months we are about to suffer through call for rich, hearty food, and Criollisimo is just the place to get it. The dishes have all the familiarity of a home-cooked meal with a few pleasant surprises for those inexperienced with Puerto Rican dining.

Criollisimo is located at 340 Arch St. in New Britain. It is open Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., as well as Friday and Saturday 10 a.m.-9 p.m. They are also available for takeout and catering.

Most college beer swillers aren’t paying much attention to the taste and flavors of their beer, only how cheap it is and whether or not will get them drunk and/or laid any given night.

Some people will grow out of this when they leave college; others, like myself, have never really been excited by the sight of a fresh 30-pack of Bud Light. Six-packs for the same price and the fact that each season brings new beer types and flavors excite me.

Winter brings on the beers that are dark like oil and almost as thick.

While some like Belgium White Ales for winter, such as Full Moon (Blue Moon’s winter cousin), others like dark lagers, porters and stouts.

I tend to like my beer thicker and heavier because it fills you up like a decent meal and it goes well with meaty dishes like a big steak or even a decent burger.

This week I decided to pick up the newly released “12 Beers of Winter” pack by the Utica, NYbased Saranac. While it had some of the usual suspects, like the always delicious Oatmeal Stout (think Guinness, but a hint of smoky flavor), Scotch Ale (another dark ale - I like Samuel Adams better) and Belgium Ale (lighter beer, hints of fruit - think Blue Moon), it also had a beer I have never seen before:

Studying Abroad Should Be a General Education Requirement Joe zaJac

staff writer If I were able to take a three-year jaunt back in time, before I was on the fast track to venturing off on some crazy academic adventure in some far off country, I doubt that I would change a thing. Time has given me a modicum of levity and a moment to rationalize the entire experience, and for all its quirks, I came out a better person because of it.

My destination was the University of Cardiff, located in the United Kingdom. The school’s history department was looked upon quite highly in UK rankings, and boasted an impressive number of published authors and scholars. That was noteworthy enough, but the school’s top 10 ranking for history was what initially grabbed me – it was enough to provide me bragging rights. The entire idea was, really.

But what I originally viewed as a future cheesy pickup line turned into something much more fulfilling.

Between the four different airports I traveled through and the 12 hours of time between both destinations, the distance was immense.

The journey itself is a mere blur now, lost in the haze of half-asleep delirium and watery air-

line alcohol. Upon arrival, I settled into my new surroundings and immersed myself in the British culture and educational system. The system itself allowed me an entirely new perspective regarding the nuances of both history and the educational system in general, of which I am most grateful for. The miles of difference between both systems allowed me a more complete view of the history which I have devoted myself to over the years and has given me additional perspectives from noted academics.

I managed to taste the fruit of British culture throughout my stay. From fighting off knife-wielding chav hooligans to drowning myself in warm English beer within the confines of a pub with my newfound British mates, I experienced it all. By the end of my journey, I could boast of hobnobbing with esteemed academics, frolicking in the ruins of my favorite historical empire and earning friendships of people that span continents.

Understandably, not everyone will possess the same experiences as I; but for the vast majority of college students, the experience as a whole is most beneficial. The perspective and life experience alone that studying abroad awards is worth the price of admission, so to speak. But even more than that, the experience

is a catalyst for growth as an individual. The people encountered and the tidbits learned all coalesce into something much greater, and for the bulk of students, it will resonate for them well into the future. Starry-eyed ruminations aside, the entire experience is a great leap towards maturity for the average college student.

Indeed, it is much preferable to the shock most college students get upon graduation.

In our increasingly fractionalized world where foreign cultures are viewed with suspicious glances, what better way is there to combat that then with immersing yourself in a different culture? All of the “diversity training” that is thrown around on college campuses is mere posturing compared to this. This is the quintessential sort of diversity training. To throw oneself into a foreign environment with others who are privy to the same experience, there is no better way to combat xenophobia.

As many U.S. colleges are now offering study abroad programs, you would be doing yourself a disservice if you did not simply jump at the chance, if even only for a semester. The amount of friends made and experiences under your belt is worth every penny. Take a chance now, or you’ll regret it later.

Caramel Porter.

While I have had Porters before, Saranac’s Caramel Porter has raised the bar for all winter beers to compete with this year. While it uses all the traditional characteristics of a porter - dark coloring, thick pour and a heavy tan head when pored into a pint glass - it strays away from the smoky, coffee flavors of other porters, like Samuel Adams’ Honey Porter. Instead of the darker flavors, Saranac uses sweet flavor like caramel and butterscotch alongside small touches of chocolate.

When I opened the first of two bottles in the 12-pack, my initial reaction was to the beer’s supersweet smell that seems like a mix of Caramello and Werther’s Originals candies. The first taste of the beer is a touch smoky, bitter and then an amazing aftertaste of caramel.

The flavor kept true all the way to the end and didn’t weaken at all; no basement taste to be found.

While this beer isn’t meant for casual drinking, it will go very well before or with dessert at the holiday dinner table. Drinking one or two is ideal; any more will leave you feeling full and a tad tired. Saranac Caramel Porter brings everything I could ask for in a fantastic winter beer, and luckily I found it at the beginning of the season, which means I will be able to have a few more before spring beers start rolling out in April.

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16

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Erin McAuliffe

Staff Writer I pulled up to the small white house with the neon red open sign placed in the front window. They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but this coffee house’s simple exterior is the best way to explain it.

The interior holds true to the same impression as the outside. The building is literally a house that was redecorated to be a coffee shop. Customers sit scattered around the tables or on armchairs throughout the entire downstairs in a calm and quiet environment. It is nothing like the über-metropolitan, cool jazztype mood of a cookie-cutter Starbucks shop, but more like a relative’s household, where the conversation is easy-going and people take their time leaving.

Dave Gugliotti, the owner of Caffeine’s Café, located on Route 4 in Farmington, says that this was his exact intention. He opened the shop about six months ago, working from a business plan he had designed in college.

“This was before Starbucks was big,” he told me.

As a business major at Springfield College in Massachusetts, he had the foresight to see that coffee was going to be a major industry some day.

Gugliotti is a busy man, owning three other companies including a yacht brokerage, a construction company and a boating school. He says that he has been marketing his caffeinated concoctions to customers for a while, and just recently decided that it was time to open up shop full-time.

The quality of product that the café offers is superb. Pulling out a tray full of truffles, Gugliotti explained that although they do go for about $3 a pop, they are made from scratch by a custom chocolatier and worth every last cent.

Everything at the café is made this way,

from smoothies to sandwiches.

The café not only offers great food, but they are also starting up weekly events to draw in the local community.

Currently, Gugliotti is looking for amateur stand-up comedians to participate in an open-mic within the next couple of weeks. He also recently organized an acoustic performance by local musicians, which packed the small downstairs full of people.

Currently, the café attracts a wide demographic of customers, from soccer moms to senior citizens and high school students. With finals coming around for college kids in the area, Gugliotti hopes to welcome students looking for a quiet study environment who could take advantage of the free Wi-fi, which chain coffee shops like Starbucks normally charge customers to use.

With that possibility in my mind, I began to seriously consider studying for finals. My plan: a chocolate banana frappuccino and a much-needed date with my General Biology I textbook.

Photos: Stephanie Bergeron / The Recorder

Farmington Gourmet Offers Plenty of Choices Nick Viccione

Staff Writer The Farmington Gourmet, located at 230 Farmington Avenue (in the Talcott Plaza near the UConn Medical Center), is just a short 10-minute car ride from Central’s campus and is one of the most unique eateries in the area. As far as sheer space is concerned, The Farmington Gourmet is not much larger than a deli; however, the appearance of from the outside does not take away from what is available on the inside.

As I entered the main entrance of the Farmington Gourmet I noticed a large serving station of lunch-style foods that had been freshly prepared not too long before. The serving was akin to that of a buffet; however, I did not have to serve any of the food to myself. There were a myriad of choices, ranging from fresh garden, Greek, Caesar and cobb salads to chicken marsala and eggplant roulade.

I also noticed a deli where employees were making sandwiches and wraps to order. The prices of the food offered on site ranged anywhere from six dollars to 15 dollars. The pricing seemed very fair, considering the fresh nature of the food.

And factoring in my own monetary situation, I was not turned off.

You may be thinking to yourself, “This place seems pretty run of the mill.

Is there anything that sets this place apart from any other restaurant that offers freshly prepared food?” The answer to that is yes. I had a chance to talk with Jean Boyce, the business manager, and it was then that I found out what sets The Farmington Gourmet a tier higher than the competition. It is something I like to call, extra curricular activities. The establishment offers up various menus such as a lunch delivery menu that was packed with six different salads and eight differ-

ent sandwiches, drinks and desserts. The most impressive, however, were the cooking classes scheduled for the months of November and December that offered up 12 different types of classes ranging from knife skills and preparing holiday desserts and classic Christmas dinners.

Boyce also explained that The Farmington Gourmet is a very “green” conscious restaurant. They try and get as much product as they can from local growers and everything they use is the freshest possible ingredients. They offer up vegan alternative choices as well as menu items that keep in mind food allergies.

Located directly next door to The Farmington Gourmet is a sister store devoted strictly to wine and spirits. Where they lack in selection of beer and hard liquor, they make up in one of the most impressive collections of wine I have ever seen. When I asked the general manager of the wine and spirit store Paul LoCascio to give a rough estimate as to how many different choices of wine his store offered, he humbly chuckled and responded a few seconds later, “Over a thousand easily.”

If that seems overwhelming, there is no need to worry, he then quickly explained that he would personally help someone find the perfect wine for any dinner and any occasion they found themselves in.

From the outside, the Farmington Gourmet may seem like any other lunch or dinner option. This is not the case.

Offering a diverse selection of insanely fresh food for the same price as a value meal at Burger King or McDonalds, along with the extras I mentioned, it is easy to see why the popularity of this restaurant will continue to rise. Curious to get a full feel for their menu and anything else they have to offer? Visit their website at TheFarmingtonGourmet.com.