vol104issue12

OPINION Cramping Our Style - Page 5

Pulp Art

SPORTS Tangled Up in Blue - Page 10

A Collection of the Unconventional Fine Arts - Page 18

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Miller Looks to the Future in No-Confidence Aftermath

ENTERTAINMENT Chatting with Kiss Kiss - Page 16

Doctor Who?

Lack of CCSU Health Services’ Staff Causes Concern

Justin Kloczko

Christopher Boulay

Opinion Editor CCSU faculty and students convened on Monday to discuss ways the university could move forward in the aftermath of the controversy with President Dr. Jack Miller, discussing the need for better communication, advising and more course availability.

President Miller took the time to apologize to any faculty he had offended, before expounding a to-do list that the university must accomplish.

“My goal has not been to intentionally hurt people or to inflict pain on anyone. For the hurt I have caused, clearly, I am sorry that was the case,” he said. “I think that it is important that we can focus on the things that we can constructively do together to improve the climate and the accomplishments of the institution.”

One of his largest concerns is the six-year graduation rate that has been holding back many CCSU students.

Miller spoke in broad terms about his relationship with faculty and the large issues facing CCSU as a whole.

SGA President Alexander Estrom was able to gauge issues that directly affected students.

See Miller Looks to Future page 3

Managing Editor

Conrad Akier / The Recorder CCSU Health Services, located in Marcus White, is suffering from a lack of medical staff. Student Affairs is currently working with Health Services to hire an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, in hopes of alleviating the workload.

Committee Blue Devils Out of Time, Formed to Form Fall to Minutemen in Sweet 16 GLBT Center, Relocations Discussed

Karyn Danforth

Staff Writer Amherst, Mass. - Central Connecticut Blue Devils finished their season with a record of 10-9-3 due to a 3-1 loss on Sunday afternoon against the University of Massachusetts Minutemen (16-7-1), ending their historic journey into the 2007 NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament.

Melissa Traynor

CCSU 1

News Editor

UMass 3

Named after the accepted statistic of people who identify themselves as one of the minority sexual orientations, the One-In-Ten Committee was created recently with the intentions of bringing a gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer center to CCSU, preferably in the student center.

The student-run committee, which includes many members of the organization PRIDE that represents GLBTQ students, was founded with the intentions of facilitating communication with the administration and to advocate for a more respectful environment for the GLBTQ community and its allies.

The committee held a meeting last Tuesday, Nov. 27, during which they outlined a few of its goals, including, but not limited to, the creation of the GLBTQ center and the position for a director who would run such a center.

See GLBT Center page 3

Volume 104 No. 12

Conrad Akier / The Recorder

Senior Blue Devil defender Jonathan Agbatar falls after being tripped by UMass midfielder Ben Arikian. The Blue Devils lost to the Minutemen, but still advanced further than any CCSU team has in an NCAA tournament.

http://clubs.ccsu.edu/recorder/

Although the loss halted a tremendous nine-game winning streak, Central has become the second school in Northeast Conference history to reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.

“It was the right way to go out,” said senior Andrew Cooper of the finale of his collegiate career.

“Central Connecticut State University is now on the map.”

The clock abruptly stopped 10 minutes into the game when head referee Bahij Salman announced the field to be unplayable due to slippery, cold conditions. Tribulations between officials and an NCAA representative lasted over an hour, talking of possibilities of postponement, delays or a different venue. A delay was decided and after a 15 minute warm-up, play resumed at 1:21 p.m.

“The referee’s initial decision was a correct one. The [conditions]

The lack of medical care for the campus and the limited staff at CCSU Health Services has become the cause for recent complaints by students.

Currently the Health Services Center has one full-time doctor, Myra Rosenstein, M.D., who is the Medical Director and Medical Team Physician; certified Registered Nurse Patricia Zapatka; and secretary Carol Lummis.

Student Government Association President Alexander Estrom is personally upset with the Health Services quality of service as-oflate.

“There have been members of SGA who have been unable to get appointments for big-deal symptoms. They have not been treated in a timely fashion,” Estrom said.

Health Services previously employed an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, but the position became vacant as of April 2007 when the APRN took another job offer. The search for a new APRN began in July when CCSU began their new

See Doctor Who? page 3 certainly deteriorated our performance; it was like playing on concrete,” said Blue Devils Head Coach Shaun Green.

Once the game restarted with 34:50 on the scoreboard, the Blue Devils and Minutemen slid around attempting to control and gain possession of the ball.

With seven minutes remaining in the first half, freshman Robert Cavener and junior Yan Klukowski, had an exchange on the attack.

Cavener’s shot went wide right of the box guarded by UMass junior goalkeeper Zack Simmons. The score remained 0-0 going into halftime.

UMass produced more opportunities the first half, out shooting Central 8-2. Sophomore goalkeeper Paul Armstrong’s performance remained consistent, making three saves and receiving excellent support from junior David Tyrie and seniors Jonathan Agbatar and Cooper.

The Blue Devils began the second half with back-to-back corner kicks taken by Klukowski but were unable to capitalize on either of the two opportunities. The Minutemen responded ferociously with a relentless attack on Central’s end and were awarded countless corner kicks, eventually scoring on one in the 74th minute.

UMass junior Douglas Rappaport timed the corner perfectly as his feed met sophomore Bryan Ho-

See Sweet 16 page 9

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News Wednesday, December 5, 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

Dr. Ciscel’s Book Examines Moldovan Language Melissa traynor

news editor Central Authors Presents closed the Fall 2007 semester with Dr. Matthew Ciscel’s book, Language of the Moldovans: Romania, Russian and Identity in an Ex-Soviet Republic, last Wednesday.

The inspiration for Ciscel’s book examining language and its place in Moldovan social structure grew out of his graduate work studying language acquisition and multilingualism.

Ciscel said that his book discusses how the Moldovan language, which is largely based on a dialect of Romanian, is very much influenced by the country’s location, which is situated in what used to be part of Romania.

“It has this political unusualness for a successor state of the Soviet Union. The language is somewhat of an artificial creation,” Ciscel said.

In his daily observations while he lived in the country, Ciscel said that the Moldovan language is regarded by many Romanians especially as “dirtied,” “broken” or tarnished by Russian.

Language of the Moldovans examines how in certain social settings, Russian is preferred over Moldovan but in others, Romanian is praised.

For example, Ciscel read a selection in the book detailing his experiences and encounters with locals. He said that while shopping around for cucumbers at an outdoor market, a woman who spoke Russian seemed to have purposely denied him a good price for the vegetables because he began speaking in Romanian.

At a separate instance, Ciscel noticed that he had found the grocers at a small shop friendlier when he had decided to speak with them in Romanian.

In researching the book, he surveyed 200 Moldovans who were mostly university students and asked them about their attitudes towards the different languages spoken in Moldova, including Romanian, Moldovan and Russian.

During interviews with couples of Moldovan newlyweds, Ciscel found that some were willing to raise a bilingual family maintaining Russian and Romanian because they recognized both as having something to contribute

news editor

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

to the Moldovan identity.

He said that the distinctions in titles between Moldovan and Romanian are purely for political reasons. Due to a cultural and social disconnect between the Romanian of Bucharest and the Romanian of Moldova, there is a kind of independence established for Moldova, especially when the government makes severe attempts to convert the name of the language.

“My conclusion is that while the situation

is still unstable [in Moldova], the option to gain stability can work under a multilingual compromise,” he said.

“You speak Russian if you want to be associated with the Soviet times, speak Romanian of Bucharest if you want to be associated with pro-Romanian ideals,” Ciscel said, “and you speak the Romanian of Moldova if you want to be associated with the bureaucratic, intellectual Moldovan elite.”

Forum Calls for Universal Health Care Melissa traynor

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.

Stephanie Bergeron / The Recorder Dr. Matt Ciscel speaks about his book, which discusses the impact of Moldovan language.

The state of Connecticut is home to 350,000 residents who live without health insurance and with every new horror story brought to light about the crumbling health care system, more residents are pleading that the change be made to universal health care.

Social work major Maria Millburg conducted a presentation of health care stories from Connecticut residents who had either experienced great lengths of time uninsured or have been struggling to pay for medical care under difficult circumstances with health insurance.

Many called for universal healthcare and credited their health insurance companies or health care providers with negligence and lack of flexibility in terms of facilitating the medical care they need.

A video shown at the presentation detailed the experiences of six Connecticut residents who have encountered difficulties in obtaining health care or paying for it.

Elvira Levine of New Haven said on tape that after she had been laid-off from work, she turned to the HUSKY plan for children’s health insurance for her daughter, but was denied because she had unemployment money.

“The poverty line [to qualify for the HUSKY plan] is so low that you have to be out on the street to get it,” she said.

Her daughter was later asked to leave school because she was not up-to-date with her vaccine shots.

Shirley Williams of New Britain, who had previously worked for the hospital in which she gave birth to her first child, testified against the health care system on the video.

Williams said that it was years after she gave birth when her insurance company finally told her that they did not cover childbirth. She was later sued by that hospital and was met by a collection agency when she could not pay for her hospital stay after her delivery.

The video account by Adrienne M. Ward of Hartford further emphasized the need for the reform of the existing system. After she had been diagnosed with the eye disease glaucoma, Ward was prescribed a medication, but the payment would jeopardize other bills.

“The medication is $72, but the insurance company would only pay $19. I have to pay $53 for it. So I said my rent’s going to be late, but okay,’ ” Ward said.

Health care organizer Gretchen Vivier, Master of Social Work of the National Association of Social Workers’ Connecticut Chapter, said that there is much to be expected in terms

of legislative action in the state.

“The last session was a big splash in expansions to public programs. For example, HUSKY was discussed in length because there were a lot of existing problems with dental and mental care,” she said. “We expect a lot more discussion in January of 2009.”

Millburg and Vivier planned on a showing of Michael Moore’s Sicko, the 2007 documentary contrasting the American for-profit health care system with foreign nations’ non-profit systems, but could not due to fees by the university.

“It’s a great gift to give, and re-gift for the holiday season. Pass it on,” Vivier said.

3

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Miller Looks to Future Continued from page 1

Conrad Akier / The Recorder President Miller gives introductory remarks at Founder’s Hall before a crowd of about 130 people

Doctor Who?

Continued from page 1 negotiations for the academic year.

CCSU sent out two advertisements for the position in August and October. The first received two responses: one applicant was deemed unqualified and the other was offered a job but opted to stay with their current employer.

“It is tough because we are a state agency.

The salary is predetermined. Most people are already making more than we can offer,” said Margret Toston, Vice President of Student Affairs. “We may end up in the same situation of [the second applicant] that it is ‘just not enough money.’”

APRNs are paid in the $77,000 range to start at the Connecticut State University system.

They can receive $90,000 to start in public.

In the interim, CCSU has hired a registered nurse to help with the workload of the Health Services, however, a RN is not able to prescribe medications or carry out the same duties a doctor or APRN is able to.

An APRN can perform most of the jobs that a doctor can. CCSU requires that the APRN have experience as medical director and qualifications to manage the budget in addition to administrative work.

In the absence of care on campus, CCSU Health Services offers voucher taxi service to any clinics that students can be referred to.

These vouchers, which have no cash value, can be picked up in the Health Services office.

Health Services has arrangements with New Britain General Hospital, as well as the CCSU Police Department, to take care of any medical issues over the weekend.

“A couple of times I have been sick and they made me wait a week. I was taking Advil waiting for my appointment and it didn’t help much,” said junior Casey Walko. “They are always booked up. I don’t even bother anymore.”

Toston said that the administration is supportive of the Health Services issues.

“We’ve gotten tremendous support from the President, but if people aren’t there, it doesn’t come together. [Finding an APRN] is the top priority for the entire Student Affairs department,” she said.

“University Health Services needs to be a place where people need to feel confidence and know they will be cared for. It seems our campus Health Services has problems delivering on it,” Estrom said.

According to SGA Senator and Co-Chair of the Student Life Committee Bryan Perri, they have publicly asked students to voice complaints regarding the Health Services.

“The Student Life Committee sent out an email asking if anyone had problems regarding Health Services. We will be sending out another email soon to ask the campus again,” Perri said.

Dr. Rosenstein was not available for comment after numerous attempts.

GLBT Center

Continued from page 1 With the creation of a place in the student center, members of the committee had discussed possible proposals to present to the Student Union Board of Governors.

SUBOG’s house committee, which is a governing body responsible for submitting suggestions as to the space evaluations of the student center, will be conducting an evaluation of the student center office for the first time since the renovated student center opened in 2002.

One-In-Ten discussed the idea that they should submit a request for a GLBTQ center to be involved in possible space allocations when the evaluation is complete.

Some members of the committee expressed that they would like to see the office once utilized

by CAN office located in the second floor become the new “media shop,” which would house OffCenter Magazine, the now defunct yearbook Dial and the Helix.

Currently that office is the workspace of student center and student activities graphic and Web designers and Amanda James, media university assistant.

“Nobody gets booted out of the student center,” said Carolyn Taggart, chair of One-In-Ten. In addition to the possible creation of the media shop, One-In-Ten members entertained the possibility of creating a space for the new center through vacating the offices currently utilized by The Recorder.

“The location where The Recorder office is situated is ideal for visibility,” said committee member Erin McAuliffe.

While he favored the idea of having a GLBT center on campus as well as a central space for

media organizations, Director of the Student Center Operations Wayne ‘Otis’ Mamed mentioned that One-In-Ten is not a declared and established club.

“I don’t think SUBOG would consider giving space to a club that has no status or recognition on campus,” he said.

Student Government President Alexander Estrom had reported at the Nov. 27 meeting that the committee has the support of a Faculty Senate resolution passed in favor of endorsing the group.

“We have strong support from some very influential people,” Estrom said.

Many concerns of the committee revolve around the lack of counseling and support for the CCSU GLBTQ community, and in providing a resource for this population, One-In-Ten seeks to alleviate the stress from Pride.

“The following [is] necessary for the OneIn-Ten Center: queer-friendly counseling for students, staff and faculty having trouble dealing with issues pertaining to sexual identity or themselves or someone they know,” the committee stated in a list of suggestions.

While the statement declaring that the center must be separate from all other organizations is included in this list, the idea that Pride would naturally be associated with the center, if not residing within the center’s offices, was discussed at the Nov. 27 meeting.

Taggart said that she introduced to PRIDE members the idea of relocation to the center at PRIDE’s Nov. 28 meeting.

“No one objected or had nay problems with it,” Taggart said.

“We need better advising in this university. Students struggle to know what classes they need to take; they are changing majors time and time again. They are here often for five years not because they lack dedication, but because they lack direction,” he said. “We need more courses and more sections of those courses.”

Wayne ‘Otis’ Mamed, Director of Student Center Operations, echoed the call for better advising and course selection and explained the results of two SSI surveys and work done by the provost.

“It was clear that students were most concerned about advising and class availability,” he said.

Faculty drew attention problems with the lack of results through the creation of various ad-hoc committees.

“Ad-hoc committees are one example of how universities can be mired in a body of its own creation.

These committees about special issues are proliferating on campus: assessment, diversity, advising, journalistic integrity, etc. These selections for members of these committees have no apparent criteria. One is simply asked to serve,” said history professor Katherine Hermes.

Provost Carl Lovitt suggested that CCSU’s problems arise in part because we are a fragmented community.

“We’re trying to do too much,” he said.

Mamed urged for people to learn about the resources already available to them at the university.

“We have years of valuable experience that is not respected, valued or called upon when it is time for decisions to be made,” he said.

“At the end of the day we are all on the same side, and we are all leaning towards progress,” said Estrom.

Arrests of GW Students Made on AIDS Day Karelia Pallan

The GW Hatchet (George Washington U.) (U-WIRE) -- Police arrested 40 protesters, some of them GW students, for civil disobedience after the World AIDS Day rally outside the White House Friday.

“We decided to get arrested to represent the dire situation and the need for policy change and sit in solidarity with millions of people around the world who don’t have the privilege to be in D.C. and rally in front of the White House,” said senior Tucker Landesman said.

About 200 students, activists, and community members rallied at Lafayette Park outside the White House. Forty of the activists, including 25 GW students, tied themselves together with red tape, symbolizing their desire to cut the red tape of the administration, and sat in front of the White House.

Amid the chants, including “Bush is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S, he won’t give us money for the H-I-V-A-I-D-S,” police started arresting the women first and then the men.

They were brought to a facility in Anacostia, where they were charged with a $100 fine and released that night.

“For people like us on the front lines, every day is World AIDS Day,” said Asia Russell, an advocate for the Health GAP. “We want more than a red ribbon hung outside the White House,” Russell added, referring to the nearly 30-foot-tall AIDS ribbon hung on the White House’s north facade, “We want action.”

Activists demanded reform of the president’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, by the allocation of $50 billion to stop the spread of AIDS, $20 billion more than the amount that President George W. Bush asked for from Congress. They also called for the striking of an earmark that stipulates using a third of the money for abstinence-only education.

Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the nonvoting Democrat who represents D.C., gave a speech at the rally that was formed as an open letter to Bush.

Norton said, “You don’t know how to save lives, Mr. President.”

Norton criticized some of the pledges

Bush had taken in regard with HIV/AIDS, including abstinence-only education.

“Show us the money, enough of the oaths,” Norton said.

An annual report by the Department of Health showed that one in 20 residents of D.C. are living with HIV/AIDS, the highest incidence rate in the country.

At another World AIDS day event, Save Lives: Free the Condoms Coalition protested outside a CVS store Saturday in the Petworth neighborhood of Northwest D.C. A dozen students and professors from the School of Public Health handed out free condoms to those exiting CVS and to cars passing by on Georgia Avenue to protest the CVS’s policy of locking up their condoms in certain stores.

Graduate student Elizabeth AndersonHoagland, a spokesperson for the coalition, said in a survey the group conducted last year found 22 stores in the D.C. area locked their condoms. All of the locked condoms were in minority neighborhoods.

After writing to CVS, the company agreed to begin selling a greater variety of condoms without locks. But in another survey conducted the by group last month, they found one CVS in Petworth where the condoms were still locked.

Anderson-Hoagland said that people who were easily embarrassed would be discouraged from purchasing condoms if they had to call a pharmacist for help.

“Any barrier to something that can save someone’s live is wrong,” Anderson-Hoagland said.

Although the Petworth CVS has a click box that dispenses condoms after pressing a button, managers had locked the click box so that people couldn’t access it themselves.

In the course of the protest, CVS unlocked the click box, but students remained to campaign for CVS to adopt a national policy on access to condoms.

“I don’t understand what they have to lose by adopting the policy,” said Carline Sparks, a professor at the School of Public Health.

Sparks added, “This is clearly racist to lock up half the condoms in city that are only in minority neighborhoods.”

Have something to say?

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

Editorial/Opinion

4

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Editorial The Recorder finds it inconsiderate and misguided when a newly formed group such as the One-In-Ten Committee puts itself in the position of suggesting the reallocation of student organizations’ workplaces. The committee suggested that the CAN office should become the new room for Off-Center Magazine, the Dial yearbook and Helix literary magazine. Even more absurd was that they considered the recommendation that The Recorder office be evacuated in place of the One-In-Ten committee’s proposed GLBT center. While The Recorder—as all campus organizations should—welcomes the idea of such a center, we do not believe that other student organizations should have to suffer in the wake of its creation.

There was recently a crusade by people inside of SUBOG, the Student Union Board of Governors, to evict The Recorder from its office space. Displacing The Recorder from its workplace won’t solve any problems they might have with us, and they eventually realized that. However, these eviction attempts are sadly becoming habitual—this time only under a different appearance and one that we find selfish.

We are not condemning the right of One-In-Ten or OffCenter to be a functioning department or club, but we are questioning the ulterior motives of these organizations. It is unfair

Response to “Of Furries and Fetishists” Dear Editor, I just wanted to say that this article was very biased against Second Life. I am in the game every day and yes all those ugly things do exist just as they do in the real world. I think some very important points have been left out.

Second Life is an amazing interactive online game that I can’t even, in my mind, classify as a game. It’s more like an interactive chat room but much more. In one day I can travel to Paris, New England, Mexico or where ever my heart desires. I’ve cried with people from all over the world who have lost their loved ones or have had their heart broken.

I know disabled individuals who can no longer walk in real life but in Second life they can not only walk but they can roller skate, dance, go snow skiing and yes even make love if they choose. I know all the negative things that Second Life has to offer and it’s not surprising that a virtual world would reflect the real world we live in. While reflecting the bad in real life it more importantly reflects, also, the good that exists in the real world. A perfect example is the fundraiser I’m involved with coming up soon in Second Life benefiting Toys for Tots. You can view the promotional information here www.twilightgatestoysfortots. info. There are many more things I could mention but I’ll keep it short. I think I’ve made my point.

I’m not denying there is bad in Second Life but I would ask that your articles be less about personal opinion and more about presenting both sides, good and bad.

Thank you, Abella Beck Second Life user Is Joe Zajac required by the staff to be as baked as possible when writing his articles, or does he think failing to do basic research about a story before letting it run actually flies? I strongly recommend The Recorder retract his most recent article for failure to do basic research about the furry fandom before writing about it.

Paul Johnson

to other student-run organizations when members from essentially the same groups—PRIDE, Off-Center Magazine and the One-In-Ten committee—jockey for office space for themselves and for each other with a guise of differentiation. Off-Center should also prove that it is capable to put out an issue before it is granted a permanent work place. While we do not claim to be experts in the field of space allocation, it would be hard for us to believe that a magazine that has yet to show even a sign of a final product deserves space.

We also see no difference in PRIDE and One-In-Ten. Both essentially serve the same purpose. Although we are aware of the need for a more departmentalized organization for the GLBT community here at Central, we also are aware of the players involved in these three, allegedly separate organizations. Out of the members so far in the One-In-Ten committee, as well as PRIDE and Off-Center Magazine, many overlap with dual or sometimes triple memberships in each. The vice president of PRIDE is also the president of Off-Center, while the president of PRIDE is the vice president of Off-Center. The Recorder sees a conflict of interest, but most importantly a lack of integrity with the way business is being conducted.

I have owned virtual property in Second Life for about a year and have explored a great deal of it. From my personal experience, I can tell you that Joe’s facts are wrong and most of it seems to be assumptions and fabrications based on what he heard or read from someone else.

His description of the Furries is so far off I can tell that he never interviewed any of them. My avatar is not a furry, but I have many online friends who are. The vast majority of Furries are very creative people who want to explore their uniqueness in a way that cannot be done in real life.

Anytime that personal choice and freedom is encouraged you will see the best and the worst come out in people. The very thing that allows a very small group of people to act like idiots allows others to create beautiful virtual art. I would think someone in the university environment would understand that.

Second Life, like the Internet, is in its infancy. But, I can tell you this is where the Information Super Highway is heading. So instead of bashing what you don’t understand or bothered to research, perhaps you could produce a balanced report on what is truly good and bad in Second Life.

Hylee Bekkers CCSU’s Intrusive Software Am I the only one who has a problem with CCSU forcing students to install software on their computers? I am referring to the Window’s operating system users who, if they wish to use the Internet for collegiate research or other purposes, must install the Cisco Clean Access Agent on their computers. This installed software can be configured to check for specified programs as well as update and even install an endless number of additional files in order for the user to gain access to the Internet.

This is a complete invasion of privacy. Requiring the installation of software without releasing its source code? Forcing one to install an unknown program onto one’s personal computer that may search the hard drive and return discovered information across the (insecure) Web? Sounds a tad intrusive to me. Let us not allow such intrusive activity to pass unnoticed.

Luke Albertson

These inter-associations are conflicting with One-in-Ten’s mission statement, which under section one, article C. reads: “The Center must be separate from all other organizations. It must be distinct and self-contained; the space and staff must not be shared with any other organization for similar reasons.” This statement—if ever to become officially binding—poses problems for the interchanging members of the three organizations.

A result of the overlapping members will cause no differentiation within each group, but instead a trio of groups that are out to boost each other.

It is flawed that One-in-Ten chooses to talk about doing what is in the best interest for other media organizations, even though it has nothing to do with them, just as an excuse to further the interests of Off-Center. This “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” charade is even more pathetic than the ones performed by government officials and lobbyists in Washington because at least there are different players in that game. Here everyone is out to scratch their own back.

There is a long line for office space at the student center: we suggest you wait in line or find an alternative that doesn’t step on the toes of organizations other than your own.

The Idiotic Loose Change Phenomenon Justin Kloczko

Opinion Editor Most conspiracy theories usually come to fruition after some college kid sitting in a dorm room gets way too baked with his buddies.

Dylan Avery, Korey Rowe and Jason Bermas’ Loose Change trilogy, alleging that the Bush administration was behind the attacks on 9/11, is no different.

It has been hailed by some people as “the first Internet blockbuster,” seen by at least 50 million people, according to the film’s Web site. Their latest and hopefully final attempt to bring forth evidence that 9/11 was an inside job only lumps them into the same group of sad liars as Bush himself.

The Loose Change crew finally found a company to produce their third attempt to get their story straight. Even full-blown conspiracy theorists won’t touch this one. The first edition of Loose Change said that a missile struck the Pentagon, not a plane. It also said the planes that hit the two towers had missile launchers attached to them. They did not include these two theories in their latest film.

Final Cut, released last month, is the approved-for-TV version that mostly banks on chaotic and confused reports from the day’s events.

I am not going to dispute every little example, but I will go over some broader ones.

Besides not presenting a shred of evidence that lets us know the government organized and executed the attacks on 9/11, there are claims that Osama bin Laden has never been officially linked to 9/11. The documentary starts with asserting that bin Laden had also denied the attacks.

The Loose Change crew definitely left out the widely known leak of the bin Laden tape released in May of 2006. In that footage, which was authenticated, bin Laden takes open responsibility for the attacks and denies that al-Qaida member Zacarias Moussaoui was involved.

“I am certain of what I say, because I was responsible for entrusting the 19 brothers-- Allah have mercy upon them-- with those raids, and I did not assign brother Zacarias to be with them on that mission,” said bin Laden in the tape. The documentary’s argument that bin Laden wasn’t the mastermind behind 9/11

Photo: bigfoto.com is weak.

Loose Change does retain one of its biggest arguments, which is that the collapse of the south and north towers was not a result of two airplanes slamming into the buildings, but from a controlled demolition.

There are reports of people hearing exploding sounds, as if bombs detonated down below ground level.

Their theory, and that of many others, was that the burning fuel could not have collapsed the towers.

People probably did hear separate explosions, such as the engine fuel trickling down the structures and combusting, causing scattered explosions along the way. There are no reports of hard evidence, or any shady business like the typical conspiracy testimony of seeing “guys in strange suits” creeping around.

A report I pulled up by Brent Blanchard, a demolition expert from Implosionworld.com, said that the seismographs at Columbia University’s laboratory recorded absolutely no seismic activity during that time, besides when the towers actually fell to the ground.

Here is another no-brainer.

Since the 19 hijackers were all from Saudi Arabia and none from Iraq, why go through the trouble of connecting 9/11 to an invasion in Iraq if the government didn’t fill the plane with Iraqis to start with? What is sad

is that the 9/11 Truth Movement is no different from the type of methods the Bush people have used in the past. Trying to connect the dots about Bush and 9/11 is no different from Bush trying to connect 9/11 and Iraq war. People will say that condemning this theory is standing up for Bush and his cronies, but it is no different when Bush says someone who opposes the war opposes winning and supports the terrorists.

We all fall into their schemes and traps when we buy into this set of persuasive lies.

What should piss people off most about Loose Change is that it gives way too much credit to a bunch of frat boys like the Bush administration. They are not smart enough to think of, let alone pull off and cover up such an elaborate event. Nor is it necessary to fly two planes into pre-wired towers, along with missiles into the Pentagon, just to make sure everyone gets the point we were attacked. And while they were at it, why not crash a plane into the middle of nowhere just for the hell of it?

This is all way too unnecessary and makes no sense at all to say that the Bush administration did this just to convince people that we should invade third world countries. America doesn’t need reasons this big; we do what the fuck we want anyway.

5

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

CNN Shouldn’t Try to Edit Its Own History Staff Editorial

Daily Illini (U. Illinois)

Se an nn Ki e

Cramping Our Style Run-Down Art Building Needs the Administration’s Attention Sean Kinne

Special to the Recorder The first thing I noticed while attending CCSU was the unequal distribution of funding and importance placed on certain facilities and majors. Being an illustration major, it became apparent that there was not much consideration from the state for the art department as a whole.

Tucked away in the smallest, most rundown building on campus, and coinciding with the theater department, I realized how little the significance of art is to the people running this school. Unfortunately, this lack of artistic importance extends past the Central campus and into the general public and government of America, which does nearly nothing to support artists.

I came to CCSU after participating in a design program at Wentworth Institute of Technology. There, we were provided the opportunity to purchase laptops with all the applications you could ever need as an artist, as well as your own studio space after freshman year.

Neither of those can be found here at CCSU. As designers and artists, you need to have a place to do your work, surrounded by your fellow artists. This is where you can collabo-

rate and communicate with each other while a project is in progress, resulting in the highest quality work and ideas from everyone. Just as important is the community that is created when everyone is working together, something that is completely lacking at CCSU. Seeing as most of the students attending Central are commuters, the only time people interact with one another is during class.

A few art students, including myself, have decided to speak up and do something about this. We have brought up the subject with the Facilities Manager, President Miller and the Board of Trustees, all of whom have given us the run-around. After discussing the topic with the Facilities Manager, he mentioned that they would like some artwork to “decorate” Memorial Hall with.

With that in mind, a bunch of us got together one Friday and made a large-scale action painting—the style Jackson Pollock made famous—and tucked it in the corner of the room, not to be disturbed. When we came back to school on Monday, the painting had been moved to an upright position, completely ruining the painting. Taped on the wall next to it was a note apologizing for the damage that had been done to it. This further proved our need for decent facilities and studio space, so we in-

cluded it in the painting and gave it to President Miller, who in turn wrote us a thank you note.

Myself, as well as the others involved in trying to get studio space, have just finished painting a beautiful mural on the Vance loading dock. While working on the mural, we realized the vast difference in the quality of facilities offered to the business and art departments; yet, students in both programs pay the same in tuition. What we are asking for in studio space would cost about half as much as a computer lab in Vance does. If one stops to think, the computer labs serve the same purpose to business majors as studios do to artists—a place to get their work done.

There hasn’t been much participation by younger art students in the need for studio space. This is disappointing to those involved because we know that we are fighting for a problem that will most likely not benefit ourselves, since many of us will be graduating after next semester. If younger artists don’t get involved sooner rather than later, it will be too late for them to reap the benefits of what we are trying to do now. If more artists get involved and more voices band together as one, the need for studio space and better facilities will become more apparent to those in power.

(U-WIRE) -- During last Wednesday’s YouTube/CNN presidential debate, the Republican candidates were posed a variety of questions about their positions on the economy, gun control, immigration and the war in Iraq. But one question, particularly relevant to voters in a time of war -- both military and cultural -­- no longer appears on rebroadcasts of the event.

Ret. Brig. Gen. Keith Kerr rose from the audience and asked the candidates about their views on the controversial “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that is approaching its 15th anniversary. After lamenting that none of them answered his question even after pressing from moderator Anderson Cooper, Kerr sat down and the debate proceeded.

Before going off the air, Cooper told the audience that CNN had been subsequently alerted that Kerr served as a member of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Americans for a steering committee of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and that had the network realized this, it would have handled the situation differently.

While the network apologized, it went too far in pretending that the incident didn’t happen. Even though CNN erred in allowing a question from another campaign to get in without disclosing it, the question itself was topical and incredibly relevant to anyone who is running to become the next commander in chief.

Instead of acknowledging the mistake in future reruns, CNN has attempted to edit history by completely removing the question and the candidates’ responses. By doing so, it did a disservice to its viewers.

It would not have been unreasonable to insert a graphic during Kerr’s question revealing his association with the Clinton campaign.

Even though Kerr did not make an effort to reveal his affiliation during the event, the candidates’ responses were still valid. By removing them, potential voters were deprived of an opportunity to get more information about their positions.

Acknowledging that something went wrong in an Internet-driven debate that included a talking snowman and gunfire would not have damaged CNN’s public image as much as this does.

Questions of Segregation at Central Jeff Hayden

Advertising Mangager From housing to eating, many students feel that there is a division within CCSU. This rift is formed not only by culture and taste, but by the campus’ structure. As the semester came to full throttle, students undoubtedly noticed separation in Memorial Hall. Inflicted neither by policy or staff, this segregation was agreed upon by students.

Memorial South, or the BET side, is reserved for those students who prefer to listen to rap coupled with some R&B and watch scantily clad women shake off their remaining garments on the TV just above their heads. The second dining room of Memorial South, which combines with Memorial North, is reserved for those students who prefer at noon to watch ESPN, or at dinner The Simpson’s. This segregation is debated every semester, but even the most liberal of white students finds themselves not on the BET side, but on the ESPN side.

Housing is an issue that is also visibly di-

vided. The “Up the Hill” residences are visibly homogenously minority, while the “down the hill” residence buildings are populated by white students, with several but limited exceptions. A logical explanation to this might be that students involved in athletics are housed in Vance, Sam May and Sheridan buildings. However, if this is true, why during winter break force students who live down the hill to move out, so that the ‘athletes’ can move in? Why not an up the hill building, since a larger proportion of athletics’ participants live there?

Classes are not immune from the thought of self segregation. In classes that are split nearly even between black and white students, it is often found that the two groups polarize to either the left, right, front, or back of a room.

Why is this? It has been said that there are two Americas; perhaps it is neither the government nor the history of our country which keeps us in this state. Perhaps it is the citizenship and the cultural differences of those citizens that keep us divided. I don’t listen to much rap, R&B, soul or gospel music, and its not that I have an

issue with it, it’s just not my taste. Likewise, I don’t expect to walk down the halls of Vance and hear AC/DC, Peter Frampton or WTIC AM 1080 talk-radio blasting from a 400-watt sub woofer.

Perhaps when I was interviewing for the position of Resident Assistant, which I am sad, and glad, to say I did not get, I should have been candid, much more so than I was, when a former head of ResLife asked me about “diversity.” Diversity—it’s ResLife’s catchphrase— or the end all and be all. It’s what 75 percent of their little co-operation games are about in RA selection. They ask, “what do you think of diversity, how would you promote diversity?”

What they fail to recognize is the inherent lack of any diversity on campus. Perhaps if I had not wasted my time, trying to seem sympathetic to the idea, and explaining that diversity, as they meant it, was not a diverse thing at all. They, being ResLife, meant diversity as in blacks, Latinos and me, the last bastion of Blamehood, The Whiteboy. They weren’t interested in my explanation of the word, which meant diversity

throughout the life-course. I told them about diversity in subjects learned, in jobs taken, in friends, in travel, in musical explorations. No, it was race to them.

There is no diversity on campus. Perhaps if ResLife stopped trying to make groups— which clearly don’t see eye to eye on many things—‘tolerant’ of each other, then progress could be made. Why can’t I stand up and say, “I don’t like rap, don’t play it loudly” and why can’t a black student stand up and say, “I don’t like Rush Limbaugh” and we agree to disagree, and respect each other’s space? It’s because we need an arbiter, an RA, a hall director or a PA, and here’s where I lose you in my argument: it is a need for bureaucratic involvement. We don’t trust ourselves to solve our own problems.

Until we stop asking our RAs about how to promote diversity, and stop insisting that others solve our problems for us, and never voice our differences in a fair field of ideas and debate, we’re going to have this segregation on campus, from the classroom to the dining table, and everywhere in between.

6

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Is The Barbie Ideal Hurting Today’s Children?

Stephanie Bergeron / The Recorder

Public Transportation Needed in a Commuter School Like CCSU Erin McAuliffe

Staff Writer

YES Brian Morache

NO Joe Zajac

Staff Writer

Staff Writer

Millions of girls have grown up with the Barbie doll, and while Barbie has shown that there is nothing that girls cannot do, she has also shaped how girls are supposed to look. Let’s face it, nobody naturally looks like Barbie. Her dimensions, 39-23-33, are simply not possible without some kind of surgery. So why is it that the doll that shows young girls that they can be anything doesn’t look like any girl should or can naturally?

Even as pre-teens, girls are pressured to look a certain way; and to no surprise, the physical qualities they accent are the very same ones that are so pronounced on Barbie. When 13-year-olds are begging for push-up bras and waist-slimming outfits, one has to wonder if they are trying to look like a Barbie instead of just being themselves. Boys, too, have come to not only desire but to expect girls to look like the blonde bombshell, and they often find themselves disappointed that girls don’t look like Barbie dolls.

And if you think this is just a bunch of man-talk, consider what young guys are gawking at when it comes to girls.

Adults don’t help much either. Jockey underwear recently aired a commercial in which teenagers are being molded into look-alike people. The girls go in as individuals, and then come out with blonde hair, slim waists and enhanced breasts. In short, they come out looking like Barbie. So what does this say about the way society embraces individuality? If one were to take a good look at Barbie and her friends, it becomes evident that all her companions are buxom beauties and her male friends are all GQ models.

Where are her friends who are not supermodels? Where are the real people in the world of Barbie; the ones with glasses, less than perfect breasts, so-so hair and average waist lines? Are all her friends 5’10” and 95 lbs? I’m sure even Kate Moss and Tyra Banks know a few people who look like the rest of us.

While Barbie has shown that women can do and be anything, she has let girls around the world down when it comes to how they “should” look. What kind of self-esteem can a young girl have when every image of beauty around her doesn’t look like her? What does it say when boys expect a girl to be shaped like a Barbie doll?

As for those who say that this is not a problem, then why is it that girls at 15 are badgering their parents for tummy tucks and breast implants? If they were so happy with their appearance and if they weren’t being pressured to look like Barbie, why would they be seeking to enhance those features that would transform them into a shape more resembling the famous doll? It’s time for Barbie to start looking like a real person and not something a cosmetic surgeon has made.

It is difficult to fathom just how a hunk of plastic coated with marketing savvy could cause so much angst within our society. The figure goes by many names, from Barbie to Hannah Montana to Bratz, but the idea behind them is universal, the socalled “Barbie ideal.” Not only is the Barbie ideal espoused by her naysayers hardly a negative connotation, it provides young women a positive, uplifting role model where parents and public figures fail.

Behind the inroads made by feminists of years prior are wide swaths of stupidity and mediocrity masquerading as realistic expectations, and the spotlight has fallen on the toys popular amongst young females within our society. These figures, which boast none of the shortcomings that apparently emphasize real women, have been in the crosshairs for many years.

If anything, these figures such as Barbie are the antithesis to the great drive towards mediocrity that her opponents wish of the female youth of today. Barbie is and has been symbolic of the fruits of success, and the ingenuity and craftiness which accompany it. Not only is she successful, but she looks good while doing it. Just how many of her opponents are able to claim that?

Unless the female moustache has come back into vogue, then this author would wager very few. Would an Andrea Dworkin doll do nearly as well, gelatinous belly and all? I suppose we’ll never know.

And yet, this writer believes that the issue of jealousy is the driving force behind this hoopla. What figures such as Barbie and Hannah Montana represent is threatening to their naysayers – success. These figures represent exemplary individuals, secure in their lifestyles and comfortable in their successes. What woman other than Barbie could boast numerous sporty cars, deluxe dream houses and being held down by neither men nor children?

She even boasts numerous ethnic friends without the faintest hint of white guilt present! Sadly, the same cannot be said for her liberal and feminist naysayers.

Even with the physical objections raised, the Barbie ideal provides an important lesson. If it takes a doll, an idea to induce America’s young women to maintain a svelte and attractive figure, then consider it an easier lesson learned than the inevitable sting of future male rejection. The dead stare of a doe-eyed Barbie is much easier for young, unattractive females to bear than the spurning of a coked-up frat boy, whose better judgment borders on lemming territory.

As with many other maladies affecting the children of today, blaming toys is certainly the easy way out. To face facts, if children look to toys as role models, then the parents are invariably doing something wrong. Even so, the Barbie ideal provides a brighter alternative to the chain-smoking unwed mother whose children find a dim future if considering her as a role model.

Of course, the major yet overlooked aspect is that acceptance of the idea is absolutely voluntary. A mere click from the remote or few extra steps past the toy display are all it takes to bypass such products. Why banning and demonizing voluntary, harmless products seems necessary for some people is unclear.

The Barbie ideal presents to society a figure who does not seek to rest on her laurels and become complacent and unattractive while forcing others to accept her mediocrity. She represents the ideal, a slice of plastic perfection which for better or worse encompasses success in America. Just as sure as Lisa Lionheart failed, so do the objections to the Barbie ideal.

My ticket to school every day - a pearly white, 1997 Nissan Altima with minor exterior damage on the left-hand side that I affectionately named “Mr. Car” - is dead. After an ill-fated fender bender one sunny afternoon in September, I found myself in the terrifying predicament of being a car-less commuter.

Why the cold chills down my spine? Because this means that every Monday, Wednesday and Friday I am up at the ass-crack of dawn, walking three blocks in the unforgiving New England cold to the nearest bus stop. I take three buses over the course of about an hour and 45 minutes in order to arrive promptly at my 9 a.m. class. I’ve gotten pretty good at falling asleep in public, so sleep deprivation isn’t as much of an issue as it was in the first couple of weeks.

What really frustrates me about CCSU’s lack of student transportation is that I have found it increasingly difficult to keep up the pace of involvement that I had in the beginning of the semester. I can no longer attend many of the extracurricular or social functions that I previously did because I am usually in the middle of a long bus ride to or from work, home or school. For the same reason, I no longer have the breaks that I used to have during the day in order to complete research at the school’s library or type up papers for classes.

Currently, CCSU provides very limited free transportation to its students. There is one shuttle bus, which operates four times a day Monday through Thursday and three times a day on Fridays. It runs from the bus stop in front of Davidson Hall, to Westfarms Mall, to downtown Hartford and back, but it completes a full loop only once or twice a day, at seemingly random and inconvenient times.

I found out about the shuttle bus by accident. I was waiting for city public transportation to come pick me up when a nondescript short white bus pulled up minutes before.

I asked a fellow student where it was going and how much it cost. He told me that it was free, and it would be in downtown Hartford in about 20 minutes.

The next time I showed up to take the shuttle, it was 20 minutes late. Another student who I was waiting with actually had to call CCSU’s Public Safety Office and tell them students were waiting before they sent it out.

Other schools—like Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College and UMass Amherst—have an extensive public transportation system specifically designed for students in the area. According to Amherst College’s website, it is operated by the University of Massachusetts Transit System and the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, making free bus services available to students between the five colleges and popular destinations in the surrounding area.

A transportation system like this could greatly benefit CCSU commuters, who make up roughly three quarters of the student population, according to collegeboard. com’s statistics on the school. It would increase our university’s connections with the surrounding communities and make life much easier for commuters who can’t afford to pay for a car on top of everything else. In addition to this, it would further one of the university’s preestablished seven goals to “initiate and sustain environmentally sound capital projects” by “[creating] a campus transportation and parking system, which interfaces with public transportation.”

Hey CCSU commuters!

Do you have to jump through hoops just to get to campus? We want to hear your story. Send it in to ccsurecorder@gmail.com

Sports

7

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Blackwood Scores Season-High, Leads Devils to Victory Peter Collin

Sports Editor Senior Tristan Blackwood scored a season-high 25 points, and junior Marcus Palmer and freshman Ken Horton each added 12 points to lead the Blue Devils (2-5) over the Lehigh Mountain Hawks (3-5) 65-55 on Saturday at Detrick Gymnasium.

Lehigh 55 CCSU 65 Central played Lehigh hard, forcing 18 turnovers to go along with 12 steals.

Horton added three blocks to the mix as the Blue Devils held the Mountain Hawks to 42 percent from the field and 30 percent behind the arc.

The Blue Devils started strong, quickly going on an 8-2 run on the strength of threes from Palmer and Blackwood. But the Mountain Hawks responded with their own run of 8-0 to make the score 10-8.

Central managed to fight back with a 13-4 run to retake the lead and control of the half. Blackwood led the assault, scoring six of the 13 points while adding a rebound and an assist.

It was a new style for Blackwood as Coach Howie Dickenman had him playing off the ball while senior Dannie Powell stepped in to run the offense as the point guard. The new format seemed to

keep Blackwood from getting worn down while running the offense and guarding the opposing team’s best player.

“It takes the pressure off me,” said Blackwood. “Having Dannie come in and play the point gives me more opportunities to run, go off screens and find my offense.”

The Blue Devils struggled at the start of the second half, only managing one point in the first five minutes in play.

Lehigh used the drought to their advantage, going on a 7-1 run that gave them a 31-30 lead.

Blackwood would lead the rally again. After two free-throws by Palmer made the score 33-32, freshman Shemik Thompson found a wide-open Blackwood in the corner. Blackwood nailed the three to give Central a 35-33 advantage.

With just under eight-and-a-half minutes remaining, Horton gave the Blue Devils the spark they were looking for. With the score 41-39, the Mountain Hawks had the ball and were looking to tie the score. Senior Dannie Powell stole the ball away from Lehigh and drove up the court with a three-on-one situation.

But Powell could not convert on the layup. As the ball bounced out, Horton flew in to slam the rebound home.

“A lot of the time, coach talks about us playing with emotion,” said Horton.

“It just happened to come off and I put it back. That seemed to get the team going.”

After that, Central started moving.

The Blue Devils increased their lead to 54-43 with just over three-and-a-half minutes remaining in the game.

“Before we broke off the huddle to begin the game, usually we’d say we got to rebound, we got to do this, we’ve got to do that,” said Dickenman. “I told the guys I was going to say one word, one word that’s all I’m going to say, one word before we go out and it was, ‘emotion.’”

The Blue Devils used that emotion to distance themselves from Lehigh, building their lead to as much as 11 points, and never allowing the Mountain Hawks to get closer than five points after the Horton dunk.

The Mountain Hawks dominated the paint, scoring 28 points to the Blue Devils’ 14, but it was behind the arc where Central countered Lehigh. Led

by Blackwood’s six 3-pointers, the Blue Devils dropped 13 3-point shots to the Mountain Hawks’ four.

The Mountain Hawks were perfect from the free-throw line, going 9-9, but the Blue Devils managed to shoot 66 percent from the line, draining 18-27.

Sophomore Joe Seymore led the Blue Devils with eight rebounds, while Powell totaled four steals and three assists to go along with six points.

Next up for the Blue Devils are the Sacred Heart Pioneers on Thursday, December 6 at 7 p.m. in New Britain.

Women Continue to Falter, Fall to 0-7 Peter Collin

Sports Editor The CCSU Blue Devil women’s basketball team continued to falter, dropping to 0-7 this season after a 77-51 defeat at the hands of the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Panthers on Dr. Brenda Reilly Day on Saturday in New Britain.

Blue Devil Shorts

Synder Sets CCSU Record in 200 Back

Lindsey Snyder, who set a school record in the 100 back on Thursday, broke her own Central Connecticut record in the 200 back, posting a 1:59.72 finish in the finals at the USA Swimming Short Course Nationals in Atlanta, GA. After swimming a 2:00.50 record-breaking time in the morning preliminaries, the senior took just over one second off her previous record time of 2:00.88. Today’s effort earned Snyder, who placed 23rd, her second NCAA ‘B’ Cut this season.

In addition to Snyder’s 200 back performance, classmate Rachel Brookman had a 2:05.63 finish in the 200 fly. Brookman also teamed with junior Erin Crowley, senior Kristen Jurzynski and freshman Alana Sprow to complete the 400 free relay in 3:33.33. (credit: CCSUBlueDevils.com)

UW-Milwaukee 77 CCSU 51 The loss was the ninth straight for the Blue Devils dating back to last season and came on the heels of a 74-57 defeat against Rhode Island at Detrick Gymnasium on Wednesday night.

Senior Cati Keating led the Blue Devil attack against Rhode Island, scoring 13 points and pulling down six rebounds. Sophomore Danica Covington also had a solid game, totaling a game high of 12 rebounds and nine points.

The Blue Devils stayed in the game against the Panthers during the first half, hitting four threes to stay within six points of Milwaukee.

Sophomore Kanita Boone led the Blue Devils with six points going into the locker room.

“Defensively in the first half we did a great job,” said Head Coach Beryl Piper. “The difference in the second half was that they moved the ball a little bit better. We didn’t have that communication and we didn’t rotate as well on defense.”

Milwaukee quickly pulled away during the second half, building a 16point lead by the nine-minute mark.

The Panthers managed to tally 60 percent from the field during the second half along with a 66 percent clip from behind the arc.

CCSU also shot well in the second half: 48 percent in the second

Conrad Akier / The Recorder CCSU senior guard Tristan Blackwood scored a season-high 25 points in a winning effort.

Nutt Named Academic All-American

Steve Meszaros / The Recorder Junior captain and guard Jhanay Harris struggled for the Blue Devils, only scoring three points in the loss to UW-Milwaukee. half as opposed to the 20 percent during the first half.

The Blue Devils were also able to cause problems for the Panthers, forcing a total of 18 turnovers. But Milwaukee dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Blue Devils 44 to 25, creating numerous secondchance opportunities and limiting CCSU’s offensive chances.

“What hurt us the most in the second half was that they drove on us a lot and then we had to rotate, and then we really had mismatches inside which killed us rebounding,” said Piper.

UW-Milwaukee senior Aubri Rote tallied a game-high 17 points, while junior center Traci Edwards

had a double-double of 13 points and 14 rebounds. The Panthers had two other players reach double digits as junior Emily Markert and Maurika Hickman each had 10 points.

Boone ended the game with a career-high 12 points, while freshman Alexzandria Dowdy also totaled a career-high 13 points to lead the Devils.

The Blue Devils will take on the Providence Friars next on Saturday, December 8 in Providence. The next home game for Central will be their first conference game of the season against the Sacred Heart Pioneers on Monday, December 10 at 7 p.m. in New Britain.

Senior center Ryne Nutt, a two-time First Team All-Conference selection, was named an Academic All-American for the second straight season, it was announced on Friday. Nutt, a senior captain who started every game of his four-year Central Connecticut career, becomes only the second student-athlete in school history to be named an Academic All-American twice (Sabrina Mariani, women’s soccer).

“Ryne’s leadership and effort in the classroom has been a tremendous asset to our football program,” head coach Jeff McInerney said on Friday morning. “To see his name listed with some of the top student-athletes in the country is a tremendous accomplishment and truly what college athletics is all about. He works hard on the field and in the classroom and his effort has led to tremendous success.” (credit: CCSUBlueDevils.com)

Upcoming Events Here are all of the scheduled Blue Devil home games until our December 12 issue.

Thursday, December 6

Men’s Basketball vs. Sacred Heart, 7 p.m.

Saturday, December 8

Men’s Basketball vs. Mount St. Mary’s, 2 p.m.

Monday, December 10

Women’s Basketball vs. Sacred Heart, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, December 11

Men’s Basketball vs. Maryland County, 7 p.m.

8

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Pick Your Poison

NFL Predictions for Week 14

With the playoff race heating up, our issues for the semester are winding down. With the final issue coming out next week, it is starting to clear up regarding who will be able to take home the sports DVD set. Steve Hart is leading the pack, but Kevin Petruzielo has a clear shot of taking him down in the final week. Jason Beaumier and Kyle Robbin both have very outside chances to take first, but as with everyone who participated, they should be congratulated for playing so well.

The top nine people right now are ahead of the editors, which is also quite the feat, depending on who you ask. Good luck with your last week of picks and we will announce the semester’s winner in next week’s issue. Don’t forget to check in with us during March for the NCAA tournament.

As always, send your picks to ccsurecorder@gmail.com.

Chicago at Washington

MarK roWan

peter Collin

eDWarD GauG

Christopher Boulay

editor-in-Chief

sports editor

entertainment editor

Managing editor

Washington

Washington

Washington

Washington

Buffalo

Miami

Buffalo

Buffalo

Miami at Buffalo St. Louis at Cincinnati Carolina at Jacksonville

Cincinnati

St. Louis

St. Louis

Cincinnati

Jacksonville

Carolina

Jacksonville

Jacksonville

Dallas

Detroit

Dallas

Dallas

Dallas at Detroit Tampa Bay at Houston

Tampa Bay

Houston

Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay

Oakland at Green Bay

Green Bay

Oakland

Green Bay

Green Bay

San Diego at Tennessee New York Giants at Philadelphia

San Diego

Tennessee

San Diego

San Diego

New York Giants

Philadelphia

New York Giants

New York Giants

Minnesota at San Francisco

Minnesota

San Francisco

Minnosta

Minnesota

Arizona at Seattle

Arizona

Arizona

Seattle

Seattle

Kansas City at Denver

Denver

Kansas City

Denver

Denver

Pittsburgh at New England

New England

Pittsburgh

New England

New England

Cleveland at New York Jets

New York Jets

New York Jets

Cleveland

Cleveland

Indianapolis at Baltimore

Indianapolis

Baltimore

Indianapolis

Indianapolis

New Orleans at Atlanta

New Orleans

Atlanta

New Orleans

New Orleans

Arizona def. Seattle

Pittsburgh def. New England

St. Louis def. Cincinnati

Washington def. Chicago

Well Arizona was one of the two teams that didn’t let me down last week (Tampa Bay pulling through and Cincinnati not so much), so I’m sticking with them. Actually I’m sticking with all three this week. Seattle is playing pretty well these days, but the Cards are the birds to beat. If Larry Fitzgerald plays this week, you can go ahead and place your bets.

That’s right; the NFL will be going crazy next weekend. It will be upsets across the board. Miami gets its first win, New England will lose and yes, even the Jets will have two wins in a row.

After a dismal start, the Rams are on a tear and might actually try to make a late season play-off run in the less-than-stellar NFC. Too bad for them considering they have no chance of making it. Better luck next year St. Louis.

The Redskins may be emotionally exhausted after the tragic death of Sean Taylor, as well as a tough loss against the Bills, but expect them to come out swinging against the ever falling Bears and stay in the thick of the Wild Card hunt.

Pick of the Week

Devils Skate Circles Around Nittany Lions This Week’s NFL Prediction Leader Board Kyle Dorau

staff Writer

Current Week (of 16) 12

Rank

Name

Total Points

1

Steve Hart

129

2

Kevin Petruzielo

126

9

3

Jason Beaumier

123

11

4

Kyle Robbin

121

10

5

Alyssa Smollen

119

10

6

Nick Viccione

118

10

7

Kyle Dorau

117

8

8

Jon Lundie

116

8

9

Matthew Jurkiewicz

115

10

10

Chase Proctor

114

12

10

Mark Rowan

114

11

12

Edward Gaug

113

7

13

Marc Chouinard

112

6

14

Rob Messer

110

11

15

Christopher Boulay

109

5

16

Charlie Sorenson

108

6

17

Mike Luchene

107

12

18

Peter Collin

107

7

19

Mike McDonald

102

0

20

Chris Culmone

80

7

Junior forward Rob DiClemente scored two goals and sophomore goalie Carmine Vetrano roared to his sixth win of the season and first shutout as CCSU dismantled the Nittany Lions of Penn State 50 Friday night.

Great special teams play and outstanding goaltending helped the Blue Devils (94-2) skate away with the victory at the Connecticut Skating Center in Newington.

The game started to get physical as CCSU senior forward Shawn Nutcher was sandwiched by a pair of Nittany Lion defenders in front of the Penn State bench, setting the tone for a hard-nosed battle between the two clubs.

Blue Devil Mike DiClemente returned the favor, upending Lions defenseman Tim Ferraro in the attacking zone.

CCSU’s penalty killing would be tested, as DiClemente went to the penalty box for high sticking and sophomore forward Joe Dabkowski was sent to the sin bin for contact to the head, creating a five-onthree disadvantage for the Blue Devils for 50 seconds.

Using some aggressive fore-checking, Central was able to keep Penn State from setting up their power play, and the Nittany Lions (7-5-1) failed to convert on the twoman advantage.

The Blue Devils caught a break when Colin Roth of PSU lost the puck on a breakaway while trying to fake-out Carmine Vetrano.

Central turned on the offensive pressure right at the start of the second period

as they had a golden opportunity with the puck stationary right in front of an open net, but nobody was there to stuff it in.

The bad luck continued for the Blue Devils shortly thereafter, when sophomore forward Dean Anderson’s shot hit the outside of the post.

The teams traded opportunities, with both clubs failing to convert two-on-one chances midway through the frame.

The game was scoreless until late in the second. Penn State center William Brunner was sent to the penalty box for tripping, and CCSU exploited the one-man advantage.

Some tic-tac-toe passing led to the first goal of the game as Blue Devil Rob DiClemente fed it low to Dabkowski. Dabkowski slipped it across the crease for sophomore forward Kevin McConnell to bang home. It was McConnell’s fourth goal of the season that turned out to be the game-winner.

CCSU stayed strong late in the period, killing off another penalty, as Mike DiClemente’s physical play and a pair of last-second blocked shots by Dabkowski and defenseman Kevin Butler held off the Nittany Lions.

The Blue Devils broke it wide open in the third. Using an abbreviated two-man advantage in their favor, Rob Diclemente stuffed in a rebound, nabbing his tenth goal of the season and becoming the third CCSU player this year to hit double digits in goals.

Senior forward Chris Manemeit was next to get on the board for Central as he found the back of the net for his seventh goal of the season, making it 3-0.

Penn State’s undisciplined ways con-

tinued, as Dylan Huckestein was penalized for tripping and was quickly joined by teammate Tony Rossi, who slashed Blue Devil Erich Stoneman as he drove hard to the net. Central capitalized on the five-onthree as Dabkowski converted a beautiful feed from McConnell to make it 4-0.

Rob DiClemente closed out the scoring with his second goal of the night on the remaining power play to break the game wide open at 5-0.

A frustrated Penn State team kept finding the penalty box in the third, allowing CCSU’s power play to milk the clock en route to Vetrano’s sixth win and first shutout of the season. Vetrano stopped all 45 Penn State shots he faced.

Central’s coaching staff was very pleased with Vetrano’s play between the pipes.

“He’s been plugging along and he’s finally there,” said Blue Devils Head Coach Jim Mallia. “He set the tone for us, and we finally put some pucks away late in the game.”

Stoneman leveled Rossi behind Penn State’s net with less than two minutes left, putting an exclamation point on CCSU’s victory.

Mallia continued to praise his team’s effort and said, “This is one of the biggest wins in this program’s history.”

After a pair of road games, one at New York University on Sunday, December 2 and one at Western Connecticut State University on Friday, December 7, Central Hockey returns home to face Endicott College on Saturday, December 8 at 9:10 pm.

9

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Devils Survive Hurricanes, Move On to Sweet 16 Karyn Danforth

staff Writer Tulsa, Okla. – The CCSU Blue Devils (10-8-3) steamrolled over the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricanes (15-3-2) for their fourth consecutive win with a 3-2 victory in the second round of the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship last Wednesday night.

Tulsa 2 CCSU 3 It was CCSU’s eighth win in their last nine games and it rocketed the Devils into the Sweet 16 of the tournament, a feat which no other team in the university’s history has accomplished.

Junior Yan Klukowski scored the first goal against the 16-seed Hurricanes and helped assist two other goals, achieved by freshmen Johan Rundquist and Connor Smith. Sophomore goalkeeper Paul Armstrong made three crucial saves to preserve the lead.

Twenty minutes into the first half, Tulsa senior Eric Burkholder was awarded a corner kick, allowing freshman Ashley McInnes to punch it into the box past Armstrong, installing what Tulsa believed to be a confident lead.

The equalizer came a mere one minute and 38 seconds later, when junior David Tyrie made a successful pass to Klukowski up the field.

The set up was perfect as Klukowski slammed in a shot on the ground from 16 yards out, and 6-foot-4 Tulsa senior Dominic Cervi was unable to get down in time to knock the shot away.

The Golden Hurricanes, who are ranked number nine in the nation by the NSCAA/adidas poll, produced opportunities but fell short later on in the first half of the contest.

Sophomore Jose Parada’s wellformed shot ricocheted off the crossbar at the 17th minute, and seconds later senior Todd Goddard attempted a header that was caught by Arm-

strong.

Tulsa held the advantage in shots going into halftime at 13-3.

Klukowski set up his teammates for success in the beginning of the second half with his consistent offensive rush up the field. Three minutes into the half, Klukowski found Rundquist near the five-yard line, where Rundquist’s head successfully struck the ball in past Cervi.

Tulsa’s attempts thereafter seemed to lack concentration and precision as CCSU’s attacks grew stronger.

“We were playing counter-attack football,” said Klukowski.

The Golden Hurricanes were awarded a handful of corner and free kicks but could not produce an end result.

Around the 80th minute of the game, Tulsa goalkeeper Cervi ventured 18 yards outside of the goalpost. After Cervi and Smith’s brief collision for possession of the ball went askew, Klukowski found his way to the ball and sent it right back to Smith, who took advantage of the open box by sending it in past Cervi eight yards away.

“I was lucky to be there, and I just tapped it in. I don’t know if it was worth breaking a finger over,” said Smith, who injured himself during the play.

Smith’s goal was fortunate, however, for in the last five minutes of the game, Goddard was awarded a penalty kick, which he converted to make the score 3-2. The last shot produced by the Golden Hurricanes in the final minute was from McInnes, but it soared high over the net.

Tulsa finished the challenge with the overall advantage in shots, 20-10, and corner kicks, 4-1.

“Tulsa was the best team we’ve played this year. They had better players, but we had a better team, and there’s a massive difference between the two,” said Coach Shaun Green. “I’ve never had a team in the 23 years I’ve been at Central that has had such pride, passion, and fervor as this squad.”

Above: Blue Devil freshman forward Johan Rundquist (right) knocks in a header from five yards out to give Central the lead in the second half of the game against the Golden Hurricanes.

Right: Junior midfielder Yan Klukowski (left) wins a ball over Chris Clements of Tulsa. The Wiltshire, England native scored the first, tying goal for the Blue Devils. photos By ConraD aKier / the reCorDer

Blue Devils Out of Time, Fall to Minutemen in Sweet 16 Continued from page 1 giving them the 1-0 lead.

Hogan followed it up with another goal six minutes later and then junior Prince Ofosu gave UMass the 3-0 cushion in the last few minutes of the game.

As the snow began to fall, Klukowski made the single standing point for the Blue Devils just seconds after the third Minutemen goal, cutting the lead to 3-1. After a few more attempts, time simply ran out for Central Connecticut.

The game ended with the Minutemen having the advantage in shots, 21-9. Armstrong had six saves, while Simmons stopped four shots.

“We’ll be back,” said Coach Green. “We’re committed to bringing in more recruits to put Central back into this position next season.”

Left: Freshman midfielder Robert Cavener (left) loses his footing on the frozen and snowy playing surface while challenging Douglas Rappaport of UMass.

Right: Blue Devil forward Johan Rundquist gets airborne. photos By ConraD aKier / the reCorDer

10

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Tangled Up in Blue: My Journey with the Devils Karyn Danforth

Staff Writer I groggily slipped out of bed last Tuesday morning after four hours of sleep, the irregular kind where no actual sleep takes place.

My phone rang at 6:20 a.m., and I made a mad dash to answer as to not awaken my roommate.

“We’re still working on the newspaper,” said Conrad, and to this I replied, “Yeah you better hurry up. We have to meet the team at 6:45 a.m. to board the bus.”

Shuffling out of my residence hall into the early dawn light, I struggled with my annoyingly heavy bag all the way to Kaiser Gym, where I watched Conrad, who hadn’t slept in 24 hours, strain with his three enormous bags up the four sets of stairs adjacent to the building.

Walking together to the opposite side of the building, we boarded a charter bus. Not just any charter bus, but one filled with 30 of the most athletic, talented group of soccer players ever to grace Central’s campus, more notably known as Blue Devils. The boys were on their way to Oklahoma to challenge the University of Tulsa Wednesday evening in their second NCAA tournament match-up.

The team showed signs of an exuberant post-game high from reigning victorious over Harvard three days prior, when the Crimson put up a tough battle on their home turf until the very last second in their first NCAA match.

It was the men’s first time in history advancing in the NCAA tournament, and they were doing it in style: a bus ride to the tarmac where their private jet was sitting and ready to take off.

On the bus ride to the airport, Conrad and Head Coach Shaun Green exchanged conversation about our coverage of the team. Conrad handed Green hot-off-the-press pages of the Monmouth and Harvard victories, and Green practically beamed as he looked at them. He repeatedly told Conrad he could win awards with the photos he took of the team.

As the team exited the bus in a single-file line onto the tarmac, they huddled together in a group aside the plane and Conrad took his first photos of the trip. The teammates’ pumped their fists in the air, excitedly cheering and goofing off as they hopped up the plane’s foldout step stool of a ladder.

“Can we have a coloring book back here for the little boy?” jeered junior Captains David Tyrie of Norwich-Norfolk, England and Yan Klukowski of Wiltshire, England. They were sitting directly behind Conrad and I, and were poking fun of their freshman teammate, Connor Smith of Burnley, England. Being the jesters of the plane, they asked for alcoholic beverages and gave the stewardess quite the time when asked if they were willing to perform the duties necessary to be sitting in the emergency exit row seats. After take off, the plane grew silent as most found the flight to be a perfect opportunity to catch up on lost sleep.

“We will be landing in Dayton, Ohio to refuel,” said the stewardess over the intercom an hour or so later. My face lit up like a light bulb; I grew up in Dayton for the first 11 years of my life. As we were landing, the boys looked out the window, making remarks about the flat, brown, desolate fields, calling it “farm country.” It’s not that they were wrong in saying that, it was true. Having lived there, it made me chuckle.

After swiping a copy of the Dayton Daily News and another round of tarmac-picture taking with Conrad, we were on our way to our final destination. I amused myself for the rest of the flight by drawing cartoons of soccer players and handed them to Coach Green who sat in front of me. He passed them around to the rest of the boys and drew his own picture of the team as little stick figures holding the NEC trophy above their heads. After having survived a trail mix food fight and drinking my weight in carbonated soda and water, we touched down in the Sooner state.

Tulsa was a complete change of scenery.

As we boarded the bus and drove through downtown, the city seemed to be stuck in the 1960s. Bystanders would wave, highways were large but calm; people seemed to take their time. Once our bus conquered some agitating road construction and orange cones, we settled into the Doubletree Hotel, where they welcomed us with warm freshly baked cookies, which is a tradition the hotel has had for years, apparently.

Conrad and I checked our itinerary, and

Top Left: Freshman forward Christopher Brown (top) celebrates with freshman midfielder Connor Smith after Smith scored a goal during the first-round NCAA game against Harvard.

Top Right: The Blue Devil men’s soccer team boards their charter jet at Bradley International.

Center: Head Coach Shaun Green poses with assistant Flavio Simao during a fuel stop.

Center Left: Joey Viscardi waves to an imaginary audience while deplaning in Dayton, Ohio.

Center Right: Junior David Tyrie (right) and senior Jonathan Agbatar enjoy practice at Tulsa.

Bottom: Johan Rundquist (center) celebrates after scoring a header against Tulsa. Fellow freshman Connor Smith (right) joins in the celebration.

Photos by Conrad Akier / The Recorder

it was time to “chillax.” Coach Green lives by this word, and in the itinerary it indicated downtime, so we laid in our king-sized comfortable bed and watched Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United score the final blow to Sporting Lisbon on ESPN. As we boarded the bus for dinner, Ronaldo’s victorious goal was the talk of the team. One or two boys asked, “Did you see it?” while others responded in detail of their thoughts on it. It was a mere ounce of insight to their involvement with soccer outside of their own team.

After chowing down on some nice rib eyes and silently giggling at the waiters saying “pop” instead of soda, we stopped back at the hotel so the guys could pick up their warm-up gear and it was off to practice at University of Tulsa’s soccer complex. Riding into campus we noticed their facilities were astonishing. “This is the biggest pitch you guys have ever played on,” said Green to his players.

Watching the practice made Conrad and I want to kick a ball around, so whenever the ball came sailing our way, we’d retrieve it and

kick it back. “You must be good at soccer,” Flavio Simao said as my ball seemed to land perfectly in front of one of the players. “Not really,” I said. “I played from first to eighth grade, and that’s it.”

Simao’s job was to warm-up the guys by making them run back and forth across the pitch, making them twist, turn, jump and pounce.

Donning orange, blue and yellow jerseys, they also practiced defending, passing and communicating to one another. Christian Benjamin, assistant coach of the Blue Devils, cranked out some shots directed towards Central goalkeeper Paul Armstrong, who blocked them with consistency and ease.

Once we returned back to the hotel for the night, Conrad and I bought a couple rounds of beers and talked with the coaching staff.

“Whether or not we win tomorrow night, we’ll be celebrating. It’s my birthday on Thursday,” said Green. “But we will win.”

Indeed the next day would be an unforgettable one.

After getting a rousing 10 hours of sleep, I woke up at eight in the morning feeling refreshed. I ate breakfast with the coaches sans Conrad and the entire team, because obviously no one felt like waking up. I took part in a quick hour trip to the mall, where the players ate lunch at the food court and the team’s athletic director Elizabeth Kane and I spent money we didn’t really have. On the way back, we watched the American football movie Friday Night Lights on the bus, but had to stop it short of the last 10 minutes.

When I returned to room 320, Conrad had finally awoken. We scurried down to the hotel lobby for a pre-game briefing from Coach Green. “They don’t know us, we don’t know them,” said Green to his players. “Tulsa hasn’t played since November 18; they’ve had a rest for 10 days.”

Central however, was prepared. They had played Harvard the Saturday prior, and had practiced every day. “These teams have not been through what we’ve been through,” he reminded his team. Having grabbed a hold of some Tulsa game videos the night before, Coach Green had analyzed and recognized some of Tulsa’s key players to focus on each of their abilities so his team would know who to watch out for.

“We need to be committed to defending,” Green reminded his team. “When they get the ball, we need to keep our block. Don’t mistake their possession for dominance. Keeping our shape is crucial to the game.”

We had arrived to Tulsa’s soccer complex early, and the team was eager to finish the rest of Friday Night Lights. Suspense was building as the Permian Panthers had less than a half a minute on the clock to score, and then, Blue Devils assistant coach Paul Wright abruptly turned off the movie. “Let’s go you guys,” he said, as he ushered the team off of the bus.

The Central Connecticut Blue Devils began warming up as the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricanes began to arrive at the pitch.

Tulsa fans were filing in, and the officials were expecting a crowd of two thousand. When I finally reached my seat alongside the field, the players from each team lined up midfield for the National Anthem. Tulsa reacted to Central as they probably did with the 12 previous teams, but little did they know they were in for a treat.

The first 15 minutes were like a meet and greet; the teams were playing footsie under the table, slowly warming up to each other.

The icebreaker came five minutes later when a Golden Hurricane blinded Central goalkeeper Paul Armstrong from saving the ball. Tulsa fans erupted with shrills and screams.

It was time to show Tulsa what they were missing on the East Coast.

Less than two minutes later, Yan Klukowski sank the ball in past Tulsa’s 6-foot-4 goalkeeper Dominic Cervi from 16 yards away. The first half ended with a 1-1 tie.

During half-time, Coach Green gave the Blue Devils a pep talk.

“This is for your family, friends and colleagues back home. This is for all the other little state schools!” Green yelled. He pointed out that Tulsa was playing sloppy. “We are playing better than them. Keep it up!”

In the 48th minute of the game, Klukowski set forward Johan Rundquist up for a brilliant header into the goal. A half an hour later, Tulsa’s Cervi sauntered his way out of the net. Connor

Continued on next page...

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Continued from previous page Smith took advantage of the goalie’s mistake and beat him to the net with a finger breaking performance, literally. With nine minutes left and a leading 3-1, it was practically gift-wrapped, sent with love and care from the Golden Hurricanes.

Not really. Fans were growling, screaming, calling each and every call against their team blasphemous. Never before had they ever seen their team teeter on the edge of defeat. Tulsa was rewarded a penalty kick with five minutes to spare and succeeded, but did not halt the performance of Central’s players, for they persevered till the very last second. The final score of 3-2 shimmered on the Hurricane’s giant scoreboard.

Fans grimaced and Tulsa players sat in disbelief, dumbfounded, as the Blue Devils, coaching staff and player’s parents rushed the field to hug each other, screaming, “We’re in the sweet 16!”

After Conrad photographed the team in front of the scoreboard, players were on their cell-phones, telling relatives and friends of their success. Coach Green yelled, “Thank God for cell-phones and computers!” as he was barraged with one phone call after the next. Overhearing some of the players ask why we hadn’t finished Friday Night Lights, assistant coach Paul Wright said, “Because they lose at the end! I didn’t want you guys to see that before the game!”

Driving back to the Doubletree, the entire bus rang out in celebration. Teammates joined their voices in stunning renditions of “Build Me Up, Buttercup” and “Don’t Stop Believing,” as Coach Green and Simao danced standing up in the middle of the bus.

Once we arrived and settled back in, beers and cheers filled the hotel bar. A cowboy hat was given to Green for his birthday, and I had given him a birthday card I had purchased the previous day with the entire teams signatures inside. The best birthday present Green had received, was the victory. “Thank you guys,” Green said as he lifted a glass of cabernet in his hand.

As we lifted off the ground from Tulsa the next morning, Conrad and I had the distinct pleasure of sitting behind the jesters again. “Now I know where I’m spending my summer holiday,” Tyrie exclaimed sarcastically as he pointed down at one of the cookie cutter houses. “And it starts with a T!” Mother Nature decided upon an unfortunate time to swallow New England in a blustery chill as the Blue Devils returned to prepare for their next NCAA endeavor against University of Massachusetts, who had overpowered top-seeded Boston College the same day Central had conquered Tulsa.

Amherst, Massachusetts was an unlucky place to be on that fateful Sunday afternoon, as University of Massachusett’s Rudd Field was a frozen solid ice rink. Ten minutes into the first half, officials stopped the game due to players slipping and sliding. After discussing all possible solutions the game continued an hour later, and after playing their hearts out, Central simply couldn’t stop UMass from triumphing. The Blue Devils’ season had ended in a snowy haze.

Seniors Andrew Cooper and Jonathan Agbatar hung their heads, visibly melancholy about the outcome, and that it was their final run-around with their Blue Devil squad. “We’re going to miss them,” said Coach Green as he spoke highly of his seniors. “It’s going to be hard to fill their boots next season.”

Top Left: CCSU keeper Chris Jones consoles Tulsa keeper Dominic Cervi.

Top Right: The team poses after the win.

Top Center: The Blue Devils and their followers pose after landing at Bradley.

Bottom Center: Assistant Coach Christian Benjamin (left) and Head Coach Shaun Green after returning to Connecticut on Thursday.

Bottom Left: David Tyrie (right) comforts senior Jonathan Agbatar.

Bottom Right: Senior Andrew Cooper gets a warm hug from fellow teammates.

Photos by Conrad Akier / The Recorder

11

Entertainment

12

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Gorillaz

When I first played this album in my car, I felt like I D-Sides was in a really intense techno music video on some kind of crazy trip through space. Most of the songs on this album will make you feel that way with a very diverse use of beats and all types of electronic sound effects.

“68 State,” a complete instrumental of interchanging beats and sounds that make you feel like you are in a hypnotic music videotype state, is definitely a great song to dance to.

“People” has a head-bumping beat that you just can’t turn off because of the addicting sequence of music. The lyrics are simple and scarce, but this Gorillaz album is definitely not about the vocals; rather, it’s an interesting collaboration of electronically sounding music and beats.

The most melodic song on the album, a graceful piece called “Hong Kong,” not typical for the Gorillaz, incorporates a piano with what sounds like a classical guitar along with soft vocals.

The very last track on the album is by far my favorite because it has a classic rock feel, which makes a unique sound when created by a band like the Gorillaz. It is a softer, slower song, but the melody is sweet and refreshing.

The second part of the album is basically a dance club put onto one disc. I would love it if a club actually played music like what the Gorillaz wrote, with songs like “Feel Good Inc.,” “Dare” and “Kids with Guns.”

Not being a big Gorillaz fan, I was pleasantly surprised by this new album. I enjoyed the mix of hip-hop type beats with a touch of rock, along with the integration of past remixed Gorillaz hits.

- Amanda ciccatelli / Staff Writer

Ivydrive

While I can honestly say I don’t know One Day This too much about CCSU’s Will All Come own Ivydrive, I know that with the release of Back to You One Day This Will All Come Back to You, they have improved leaps and bounds since their 2005 self-titled release. With a mix of healthy mix of pop-rock instrumentals and strong, clean vocals, Ivydrive has become a band that will be playing for a long time.

Most local bands don’t grab people’s attention because they are either straight-up bad or they haven’t taken advantage of their music and do nothing to drop the title of “local band” by touring or at least playing shows outside their immediate area. Matt Robinson and Ivydrive have grown to a point where they might shed their “local band” tag and become a solid rock band that will draw fans at any of their numerous, upcoming tour stops this January.

When it comes to One Day This Will…, the first thing that came to mind was “Wow, Robinson sounds a lot like Chris Conley of Saves the Day.” I know that Ivydrive might not be aiming for that, but they totally nailed it if they are trying to make a solid indie-pop album. Vocals are smooth and use the right amount of emotion to make them feel warm and inviting. Drums and guitar lines are mellow, but effective enough to be taken seriously. They made the album that Under the Boards could have been.

I know having a ton of Saves the Day references isn’t going to make people go out and listen to the album, but Ivydrive does a really good job of creating a well-mastered album that is easy to listen to and even easier to enjoy for new listeners. They are on the path to success if they continue to put out well-recorded, catchy albums.

Ivydrive’s release will be available on January 4, but some songs can be previewed on their MySpace, www.myspace.com/ivydrive.

- Edward Gaug / Entertainment Editor

Black Diamond Heavies

Wa r n i n g : Do not listen to this CD if you wish to steer Every Damn Time clear of an insatiable urge to chug whiskey and chain-smoke cigarettes. For those of you still interested (and, obviously, ready to rock), I present the Black Diamond Heavies debut, Every Damn Time.

Reminiscent of the Black Keys in both name and “garage blues duo” moniker, the band employs only drums, keyboard and dirty, dirty vocals to showcase a dark and troubled blues sound that puts many weathered blues artists to shame.

Though much has been made about the similarities between Black Diamond Heavies’ lead singer, John Wesley Myers, and Tom Waits - what with their deep growls that imply years of cigarette smoking and possibly even vicious bouts with laryngitis - I find the comparisons to be simultaneously irrelevant (because few people in our generation have even heard of Tom Waits) and largely incorrect. While it’s true that, on the surface, some comparisons can be made, Myers’ coarse snarl is more erratic and callous, able to dip with the music when it needs to be soft, as in the song “All to Hell,” as well as bark out passionately when the music really starts to kick.

It is in these loud and almost destructive moments, such as the end of the first track, “Fever in My Blood,” that the band displays a true knack for fusing together the messy nature of garage rock with the deep southern fervor of the blues. Although I for one still prefer the guitar riff-heavy sound of the Black Keys, Myers’ shows some impressive keyboard chops and Van Campbell’s drumming is first rate. For lovers of untamed blues music that rocks, or rock music that just makes you want to drink - and if you can find it (I had to order a copy from Borders because I’m a nerd and I still buy CDs) - the Black Diamond Heavies will be a welcome addition to your music library. Just remember my warning, and don’t blame me if you end up passed out on the floor with an empty carton of Marlboro Reds and a broken bottle of Jack Daniel’s.

- Peter Decoteau / Staff Writer Let me start off by saying that the movie August Rush August Rush was Soundtrack amazing and everyone should see it. The soundtrack, however, is so-so. On the one hand it’s great because it incorporates the tracks by the actors in the film as well as those by the performers, as played during the credits. On the other hand, the soundtrack lacks storyline and thus it frustrates me to hear the songs from the movie on the album with spoken word from the main character without having the movie to watch as well. Let me explain.

In the first track you hear a boy’s voice speaking about the magic of music and how it finds you in the darkest places. This isn’t horrible, of course, but without the imagery from the film, the words aren’t as meaningful.

Quotes from the film are heard in other songs as well and they make even less sense without having seen the movie beforehand. The music itself, however, was wonderful enough to make me not care.

Four of the songs on the album are sung by one of the movie’s stars, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who has a surprisingly soothing voice (although I should have expected that, what with his amazing Irish accent). Track four, titled “This Time,” features Meyers singing a song about his lost love, played by Keri Russell, who is fondly remembered as television’s

Various Artists

Felicity. The somber love song is so utterly sad that I find myself fighting back tears, much like I did at least four times during the movie.

Another favorite is track seven, “Raise It Up,” performed by Jamia Simone Nash and the Impact Repertory Theater choir. Nash has a voice that gives me chills. She puts so much emotion and power behind the lyrics.

The album also includes songs by John Legend, Paula Cole and Chris Botti. It concludes with one of my favorite songs of all time, Van Morrison’s “Moondance,” covered

by Chris Botti, which has a recurring theme throughout the movie: “Well it’s a marvelous night for a moondance/ With the stars up above in your eyes.”

- Samantha Sullivan / Copy Editor

Ghostface Killah

While a lot of attention will be going out to the new Wu-Tang Clan The Big Doe release which will come next Tuesday, I think it Rehab be out of line to dismiss the newest Ghostface Killah album simply due to the fact he is the most successful member of the Clan to date. Sorry Method Man. The Big Doe Rehab acts as Ghostface’s follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2006 album Fishscale and its sister album More Fish, which it barely lives up to, due to the fact of how damn good Fishscale really was. This is not to say Big Doe is a terrible album because it is far from that. It seems like it could be one of the top 10 hip-hop records of the year for me and that is only after a few days of listening.

The reason Big Doe fares so well is that Ghostface uses the same blueprint that has made him popular since his first lines in WuTang’s historic 36 Chambers album back in 1993—spit smart lyrics and back it with a solid mix of beats and smooth samples. A track like “Walk Around” uses the semi-typical old movie sample at first, but cuts it quickly and moves right into a jazz sample and some of Ghostface’s most brutal vocals on the album.

This is stern-sounding Ghostface Killah that first drew me into his albums.

While it might not be the next Fishscale, The Big Doe Rehab is still a stellar release from one of hip-hop’s finest. Give this a good listen while you’re waiting for Wu-Tang’s 8 Diagrams next week.

- Edward Gaug / Entertainment Editor

The Killers

It is strange when a band that has only Sawdust put out two albums and then releases a b-sides and rarities compilation. Many would think it is premature, but apparently The Killers have enough material to fill the space. Sawdust is mostly songs that stayed on the cutting room floor, along with miscellaneous material from soundtracks and singles.

Like most leftovers albums, they are incohesive works. This album strings together songs from when the band came out with their British-influenced debut and their Americana conversion on Sam’s Town.

There are sometimes buried gems in albums like these that make the purchase worth it, but I don’t think even Killers fans will go head over heals for this. Songs like “Glamorous Indie Rock and Roll” seem like a cry to depart from their major label chains, while Lou Reed’s anticipated appearance on “Tranquilize” is buried.

Lead singer Brandon Flowers seems to have a thing singing about boys, like his ode to hetero-sexual life mates in “The Ballad of Michael Valentine” and “Where the White Boys Dance.” The techno dance mix of “Mr. Brightside” only adds to the speculation.

There a few covers, one of Joy Division’s “Shadowplay” and Mark Knopfler’s “Romeo and Juliet. The cover of Mil Tillis’ “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” is as playful as we’ve heard The Killers, while the title song to their last album, “Sam’s Town,” is reduced down to a Journey-esque piano ballad.

“Move Away” from the Spider Man 3 soundtrack sounds like it could fit right in with their Hot Fuss album, and is one of the few songs worth a second listen.

- Justin Kloczko / Opinion Editor

At the Drive-In

While going through the In Casino Out bands that could be considered one of the best of our generation two weeks ago, At the Drive-In popped up and made me think of all the times different bands have referenced them as being influential or just their favorite band. Sadly, they didn’t make it into the story.

At the Drive-In had one of the most successful runs of any band to come out of the post-hardcore scene in the mid-to-late 90s, and they continue to sell tons of records despite the fact that they broke-off ties almost six years ago. It is easy to say ATDI was really ahead of its time. Similar music would be at the top of every chart today, while back in 1998 when In Casino Out came out, it gained no attention because of the rap-rock explosion that was taking place.

Although the album doesn’t really have a standout song like “One Armed Scissor” or “Invalid Litter Dept,” it still stands as one of post-hardcore’s best albums ever, setting the tempo for what could have been if Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez’s drug abuse, artistic indifference and overall annoyance with At the Drive-In didn’t happen.

With an amazing mix of thrashy-but-intricate guitars and Bixler-Zavala’s infectious vocals, In Casino Out is starting to grow into one of my favorite albums of all time. It combines all the elements you look for in a rock band and infuses it with smart, serious lyrics to create nothing like anything else in its time.

After a grueling schedule of touring and overwhelming hype in 2001, the group decided to go on “hiatus.”

While the band has officially called it quits and each member has moved on to bigger, more successful bands like The Mars Volta and Sparta, people still hope and pray for a reunion show to take place. Since Rage Against the Machine reunited this summer, I can only hope At the Drive-In can follow suit.

If you want to see what made your favorite band of today sound the way they do, listen to any ATDI songs you can get your hands on.

- Edward Gaug / Entertainment Editor

13

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Compass Strikes Gold Old Men Can Still Act Nick Viccione

Staff Writer

Mark Rowan

Editor-in-Chief Call me a damn dirty atheist, but The Golden Compass is this holiday’s blockbuster. Moviegoers have been sitting at home, waiting for something to wow us with a combination of well-done special effects and quality acting in a storyline worth watching, and director Chris Weitz has done just that with part one of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy.

Before I gush over the idea that giant, armor-wearing polar bears battle other giant, armor-wearing polar bears, I must touch upon the recent controversies surrounding this movie that will become more popular to discuss as the movie’s Dec. 7 wide release nears. The Golden Compass is the movie to boycott this season, not because of its content necessarily, but because it may cause children to—get this—read.

While the film adaptation of the novel is void of any so-called criticism of organized religion, specifically the Catholic Church, the movie may turn children towards the novels that apparently feature these heinous, brain-washing themes. Of course, there are a handful of problems with boycotting the film due to the alleged bad message in the novels. For one, kids hate reading. Harry Potter was a fluke. Kids won’t be reading again

until they print To Kill a Mockingbird on fruit roll-ups. Second, if these undertones bother parents, they should use it as a jump-off for healthy discussion or a chance for their children to think for themselves—if they even pick up on the supposed religion-hating.

With that out of the way, let’s get to why this movie is worth your 10 dollars. Giant, armor-wearing polar bears! I’m almost joking. The story of The Golden Compass follows Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards) on her journey to free her friend, as well as the other children who have been captured and experimented on by the General Oblation Board, or Gobblers, who are controlled by Marisa Coulter (Nicole Kidman).

It should be noted that in this world, people’s souls are called daemons and take on a physical, animal form. Since Lyra is a child, her daemon changes at will; it is seen as a bird and cat at different points in the film, but it mostly takes on the shape of a Pine Marten, a type of weasel.

However, the adult’s daemons stay the same. For example, Coulter’s is an orange monkey, and Lord Asriel’s (Daniel Craig, Casino Royale) is a snow leopard.

Like all epic journeys worth watching, Lyra finds plenty of help along the way to aid in her travels and subsequent battles. The best being Iorek Byrnison, the exiled former

Beowulf in the new Hollywood adaptation of the classic British epic poem.

prince of the ice bear kingdom Svalbard, voiced by Ian McKellen. Iorek is the rightful bruiser of the group and becomes a valued asset to Lyra’s voyage and fights. The bad-assery doesn’t stop there, however. Sam Elliot plays Lee Scoresby, a southern “aeronaut” who brings a little wild west to the party. Also joining Lyra are the Gyptians, a sort of gypsy ethnic group that lives mostly on the sea, and the witches, led by their queen, Serafina Pekkala, played by Eva Green, also from the latest James Bond installment.

The special effects and battles are obviously a big selling point for this film, but there are a lot of positives underneath the surface. The acting in these types of films is never usually jaw-dropping, but The Golden Compass does a fine job, especially considering this is Richards’ first big role. The interaction between the humans and their daemons as well as the bonding between Lyra and her melting pot of companions give the audience something to hold onto and proves that the film does not need to use the action as a crutch, but as a complement to the story. The ending, however, leaves many unanswered questions. And while I understand that two more chapters need to be told, I can’t help but think that something was missing. From what I’ve heard swirling around forums, my instincts are correct.

Joel and Ethan Coen are back on the big screen with their latest effort, No Country for Old Men, which is a modern gunslinger flick based on the novel with the same name written by Cormac McCarthy. The Coen brothers, who are remembered best for their highly acclaimed films Fargo and The Big Lebowski, took this movie, which has a relatively simple plot, and made it their own - something this dynamic directing duo has been known to do.

No Country for Old Men is set in western Texas, circa 1980 and involves its fair share of fascinating characters, gripping suspense, sweat-inducing action and dark humor. Josh Brolin plays Llewelyn Moss, a trailer-dwelling hunter who makes the unfortunate discovery of a drug deal gone sour. He finds two million dollars alone in the desert and, like any other man, takes it for his own. Yet of course, this discovery does not come without consequence. Moss is now the target of a handful of bad company, the most menacing being Anton Chigurh.

Straight-faced, gimpy, cynical and sarcastic, Chigurh, played by Javier Bardem, is arguably one of the best constructed and acted “villains” of

modern cinema. If both Brolin and Bardem receive recognition from the Acadamy for their work it will be greatly deserved.

So far, you may be inclined to think No Country for Old Men is generic and flat like any other run of the mill shoot-‘em up film. With the Coen brothers at the helm, one should know that they would not allow this to happen. The introduction of other intriguing characters all seem to play a part in the “bigger picture” of the movie is what sets this piece high above the competition. Tommy Lee Jones does an amazing job as Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, a dry character who plays for the “good guys.” With all the dialogue he spews out, he seems to be orchestrating the entire film.

Even though No Country for Old Men currently has a 95 percent “fresh” rating on RottenTomatoes. com -- the highest I have ever seen a movie rated on that site -- it is not the savior of modern day cinema.

There are times where the movie tends to drag a little and some points where I thought the Coen brothers were getting a little too pretentious for their own good. Regardless, Joel and Ethan Coen score big again with some seriously outstanding acting in No Country for Old Men, one of the better movies of 2007.

Ye Olde Beowulf Nothing More Than Ye Olde Flop Marissa Blaszko

Staff Writer The weekend that Beowulf hit the big screen, it grossed a fat 28.1 million dollars at the box office.

Hollywood producers claimed that the sum proved that the movie was a landmark for computer animation and 3D technology. However, Beowulf acted as a catalyst for millions of Americans to pay about 10 bucks-a-pop to see a movie with unnecessary amounts of nudity, a cut-and-paste plot and graphics that might make you think you’re watching a friend play online video games for two hours.

The first scene of the movie involves a drunk and naked Anthony Hopkins throwing a party because we really need to see Hannibal stark naked. This is also the peak of the movie’s artistic integrity. The party is disrupted by Grendel, the monster that appears to be a zombie mountain troll, who proceeds to scream and throw things for the next five minutes. The “massacre” suspiciously resembled every battle scene in World of Warcraft and is about as exciting as watching someone play the game.

Enter Beowulf, a mighty warrior whose job entails running around yelling “I am Beowulf” and hitting things with his sword. After promising to rid the king of Grendel, he proceeds to throw a party, take off his clothes and wait for the beast to show up. When the monster finally does attack, once again

screaming like a retarded toddler, Beowulf rips him apart like any true warrior would, tying him up as he tries to escape, severing the beast’s arm and letting him bleed to death in his mother’s arms.

After Beowulf is done flashing his battle sword everywhere, the producers felt that they hadn’t invested in enough senseless nudity so they threw in a naked, gold-plated Angelina Jolie. It is at this time when the viewer realizes why the movie was rendered into 3D to begin with— had they filmed the movie anywhere other than in a warm, heated studio, all of the actors would have died in Denmark from hypothermia.

This movie was sold to the public as a visual masterpiece, but had it not perverted the olde English poem in a way that only Hollywood can, the animation and effects of the movie couldn’t have held the viewer’s attention. The novelty of the graphics wears off somewhere during the first scene, at which point the movie begins resembling The Polar Express, replacing Santa with a naked and Danish Lara Croft. The characters’ movements are awkward and puppet-like; their faces are twodimensional, making them look like second-generation wax figures. Although this movie is offered in 3D, the characters are not.

The rest of the film really isn’t worth mentioning, or even seeing.

And, for the already-groaning Beowulf scholars out there, it sets the blockbuster up for a sequel.

14

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

MattheW JurKieWiCz

staff Writer I got the chance to speak with P.J. Waxman, guitarist for Dear and the Headlights, while he is at home in Arizona during a short break in the tour schedule. Out on the road this winter with Straylight Run, Cassino and The Color Fred, the guys of Dear will be coming up to the Webster in Hartford on December 12.

Dear released their debut album, Small Steps, Heavy Hooves, back in February this year. The album is a critical success, full of melodic and complex rock songs, and is being promoted throughout the tour.

Matthew Jurkiewicz: You’re at home right now, having just finished up some shows in Arizona this week, right?

P.J. Waxman: We played Tucson last night, and then we have a day off today, day off tomorrow, and then we play on Monday in Austin.

Jurkiewicz: You guys are touring with Straylight Run and The Color Fred right now - how is that going?

Waxman: Yeah, it’s awesome. Everyone’s been really cool—the shows haven’t been as busy as everyone expected them to be, but they’ve been a lot of fun. And the guys are really cool. We’re getting to fans and selling CDs every night.

Jurkiewicz: You guys played at Lollapalooza in Chicago this past August. How did you like that festival experience—you ever play one that big before?

Waxman: That was the first big experience; like, we’ve played for more people, but that was our first festival experience - it was amazing.

Jurkiewicz: Did you guys get to meet other bands? Other members of the industry?

Waxman: Yeah, I got to meet a few of the members of my favorite bands. We saw Danny Masterson from That 70’s Show, who plays Stephen

Hyde. We saw Jeff Tweedy from Wilco. And Perry Farrell was there, obviously. And, I don’t know, it was cool, it was cool. Yeah, it was definitely a good experience. Free meals and we got a bunch of jeans. And other cool stuff.

Jurkiewicz: You got any summer tour plans for 2008?

Waxman: We don’t have any touring plans yet, right now. We’re still just trying to decide what we’re going to do as far as the record goes, because we’re going to be writing a new one.

Jurkiewicz: I wanted to ask you about that, are you guys going into the studio this winter? This spring?

Waxman: We’ll probably just be home for the next few months after this tour and then maybe go on a tour, come back, record it and hopefully release it by fall. If all goes to plans, which we don’t even have yet.

Jurkiewicz: On December 12, you’ll be coming up to play at the Webster Theater in Hartford. Is this going to be your first time in New England - Connecticut more specifically?

Waxman: We’ve been up there before. We’ve even played at the Webster before. We’ve played both rooms in there. It’s been fun.

Jurkiewicz: Your debut album, Small Steps, Heavy Hooves, has gotten some pretty great reviews in the media. Has this put any added pressure on you guys or set the bar any higher because you have released such a well-received album?

Waxman: Well, it’s hard to say, because we don’t really know how people are going to take our newer stuff. But we are incredibly proud of it, the songs we have written… we’re kind of just like: our first album is five years worth of songs. So some of those songs I’ve been playing since I was 17. And it’s sort of like we’re just kind of getting tired of them a little bit. I mean, we wrote the songs, we love the songs,

it’s just like, the monotony of playing them everyday - it gets a little overwhelming. I don’t know, we love the songs, but our newer stuff we’re very proud of. And I have much more confidence in the newer stuff than the stuff that has already been released. That’s how we kind of all feel in the band.

Jurkiewicz: When you come to Hartford, should we expect any new music that we haven’t heard before, on your previous releases and such?

Waxman: No, none. Because we’ve gone through a couple lineup changes, and so as of right now, the two guys that recently joined do not know the newer stuff yet. So we’re going to be playing Small Steps stuff, promoting this album, keep working on that. And then when we get back we’ll start up with all the new stuff.

Jurkiewicz: You guys are signed with Equal Vision Records and you are quite different, stylistically, from most all the others of the act on the label. How did this relationship emerge, and how does it fare for you guys?

Waxman: The guy we recorded with recorded the Versus the Mirror album, which was on EVR, and they’re from Tucson. So he recorded their album. Then we recorded ours with Bob, he just sent it off to Equal Vision, and they liked it. They just wanted to sign us before someone else did.

Jurkiewicz: Some of your available demo tracks were recorded while on a local radio station. Did local radio play help grow your audience?

Waxman: No, not really. We never really had somebody like, “OH, I heard you on the radio, and it was awesome,” sort of thing. Anytime we’re on the radio, the only people that listened to us were our friends that already knew, or our friends and family, or fans through Myspace and sites like that. Radio hasn’t really done anything. We’ve done college radio things, but I don’t know, no one really listens to that.

Jurkiewicz: What is one of the bands you would most like to tour with in the upcoming seasons? If you could go on the road with any band in the nation, who would it be?

Waxman: Probably Wilco or The Arcade Fire.

That would be amazing.

Jurkiewicz: You’ve been into them for a while?

Waxman: I’ve been into The Arcade, they haven’t been around that often, but since Funeral came out. I saw them play at a few lower capacity venues, completely packed. And now they’re playing humongous cathedrals. I don’t know, that would be really awesome. I think they’re a really creative band. And Wilco, Wilco’s really amazing. Those are probably the two we’d be ideally; I mean it would be such an honor.

Jurkiewicz: This is your first major album release. How has it been on your first run with promoting an album? Were you guys ready for it?

Waxman: We’ve all - the whole band has never been in a real band before. Like a real, touring band. This has been my first band, pretty much. I mean I was in bands in high school and things like that, but this is our first real band, where we tour and have a CD to sell, and stuff like that. So the entire experience is brand new for us. Now, by now we’re used to it. We’ve been touring for a year and a half or so. But, it’s awesome.

Jurkiewicz: Well, you got that new Web site coming up. I keep trying to go to it, but it’s still under construction.

Waxman: I don’t think it’s ever going to be up [laughing]. I don’t think anyone’s ever done it.

I think we’re supposed to get it done, but I don’t know. I’m kind of just the music part of it. I take care of that and leave the technology to the other guys.

15

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Say What?

What is the best hip-hop artist(s) of our generation?

Run DMC They’re cool and they made us rock Adidas.

Tanisha Womack Senior, Finance

Kanye West

The Best Hip-Hop Artists of Our Generation Edward Gaug

Entertainment Editor While I don’t consider my self the biggest fan of hip-hop, I do like to think I know a lot about music’s history and what has been going on in the last 15 years or so in the realm of popular music. While hip-hop hasn’t been around nearly as long as jazz or rock, it has risen to be one of the most, if not the most, popular genres of music today. Hip-hop can be found anywhere, from the overhead music playing in a fast food restaurant down to the Gap commercial ads featuring Common last Christmas.

In the previous “Best” article, I came out and made a decisive pick. I don’t think it would be fair to do the same right now out because it would be a tad uneducated. In its place, I will try to discuss as many of the important players in hip-hop from the past 10 or 15 years as I can. As with any list or grouping of things, I am bound to leave one out; if I do, please write in and let me know, it’s the best way to learn.

The place to begin this would be with the biggest hitters in the lineup. These are the artists or groups whose names have become common knowledge even to people outside the music scene. This short list includes Jay-Z, Eminem and the Beastie Boys.

While I am not calling these three the best, they have been the ones growing outside of the hip-hop culture into everyday life through different means.

Jay-Z was one of my favorites when I first starting getting into hiphop a few years ago because it wasn’t brash and it worked as a good start to figuring out what the whole game was about. While recently, Jay has gone down hill due to a lackluster “comeback” album and failed retirement. Despite all of that, Jay-Z put out a few really popular albums that included chart-topping singles like “Hard Knock Life,” “Big Pimpin,” “Crazy in Love” and “99 Problems.”

Along with the hit singles, four of his 10 albums were nominated or won “Best Rap Album” Grammys. Along with this, he has personified the combination of being an artist and an entrepreneur, co-founding Roc-A-Fella Records, Rocawear and becoming President and CEO of Def Jam Records. Not a bad resume.

Eminem, as crazy as this sounds, has won nine Grammys and dozens of other awards for his four studio albums. Editor-in-Chief Mark Rowan chalks this alleged fluke up to the Grammys being racist. Can someone look into that? Anyways, with just four albums in his catalog, Slim Shady has monopolized the “white” side of hip-hop and made it

legitimate after Vanilla Ice almost destroyed a few years prior. Those four albums have all gone multiplatinum, which can not be said for a whole lot of artists. I guess he found the right niche.

Onto the Beastie Boys, by far the most distinguished of the three. This group outdates all of us and remains relevant to this day. The thing that really separates them from everyone else that will be mentioned here is the way they appealed to almost every sub-genre in one way or another.

They, along with Aerosmith (with the help of Run DMC) really bridged the gap between rock and rap. I mean that in the good way, not the shitty 90’s rap-rock Limp Bizkit way. With a few great records and airplay on most modern rock and hip-hop stations, the Beastie Boys make a good argument for being the best ever.

Now we have to move on to the list of extremely talented, but lesser known artists and groups. While some of you may think these are huge names, they are only huge to the group of people that spend their time listening to hip-hop, not everybody. Artists and groups on this list range from Nas to Lauryn Hill and Wu-Tang Clan to Kanye West.

Two of the biggest names in rap prior to the year 1997, were Biggie and Tupac. These two hip-hop masters were the epitome of the East Coast/West Coast feud that fueled the rap scene in the early 90s.

Beyond the hate, both of these men were amazing MCs. Tupac had some of the best lyrics at the time and they still resonate with people today. Biggie had his share of true hits like “Big Poppa” and “Hypnotize” and is still sampled ad nauseam by hundreds of artists today. Hip-hop could be a totally different monster if these two were still among us.

One of the biggest artists on this list is Nas. Hands down, he is one of the best lyricist hip-hop has ever seen. This first came to light when he released Illmatic way back in 1994.

Even then, it was considered a masterpiece and today Nas is one of the most influential artists in hip-hop.

When it comes down to it, Nas has some of the best rhymes in all of hiphop...even if it is dead.

This list needs a woman to take away that misogynist feel hip-hop sometimes projects. The best woman of hip-hop: Lauryn Hill. I know she started off in the Fugees, but it was The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill that really showed everyone how amazing she really is. It topped the Billboard R&B charts for six straight weeks and won “Album of the Year.” This was followed by “Best New Artist,” “Best Female R&B Vocal Performance,” “Best R&B Song” and “Best

R&B Album.” Not a bad way to start your solo career.

Lets try talking about a group now. I would like to nominate De La Soul; De La’s albums all cracked the top 100 of Billboards Top 200 list when they were released and 3 Feet High and Rising went platinum as the number one on the R&B/HipHop charts in 1989. Along with the albums, they designed a sweet pair of Nike Dunks based on De La Soul.

Next up The Roots, one of the most talented groups of musicians in hip-hop today. While most acts are backed by a DJ or small band, The Roots pull out seven guys including Damon “Tuba Gooding Jr.” Bryson, the group’s sousaphone player. No one can compete with that, can they?

Winding down this article, I need to mention one of today’s most prized artists and the creator of this year’s hottest album, Kanye West.

Graduation will follow College Dropout and Late Registration into that hall of amazing hip-hop albums.

After six Grammys for the first two albums, Kanye is a lock to win a few more with Graduation. Not only does he make strong albums, he fills each of them with singles that will have radio play all the way until the next album releases. With songs like “The Good Life” and “Stronger,” I wouldn’t be surprised if he picks up a few best single awards this year.

Along with recording, he dabbles in producing and excels there as well.

He has had his hands in dozens and dozens of huge records over the past eight years, including Jay-Z’s The Black Album and Talib Kweli’s Quality album from 2002.

This list wouldn’t be complete without one of hip-hop’s supergroups, Wu-Tang Clan. Along with having one of the best hip-hop albums of all time Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers), the group has translated onto the individual members, becoming huge players in hip-hop.

Method Man and Ghostface Killah have had acclaimed solo albums.

On top of that, they had Wu-Wear, remember that shit? Look out for 8 Diagrams coming out next week.

I know I missed a few artists that I really wanted to talk about like Talib Kweli, Mos Def, MF Doom and Jurassic 5, but they didn’t make the cut for right now. As hip-hop changes and evolves, all of these artist will remain as sources of influence for the up and comers. Their records are timeless and will continue to be bought for years and years. Any one of these artists will serve as a great introduction into hip-hop, but the choice is completely up to you, the reader.

He’s different from all the others out right now.

James Roberts Sophomore, Business

Mos Def His lyrics aren’t empty, they have a meaning and a message. They make you think.

Wayne DeRoy Junior, Construction Management

The Fugees They spoke from another side of hip-hop. It wasn’t about race, they talk about people in general.

Devon Wiggins Junior, Criminology

Boyz II Men They talk about love.

Jason DaCosta Sophomore, Criminology

Jay-Z He comes with the best music and the best lyrics.

Alex Williams Freshman, Undecided

Outkast Andre 3000 is a really good rapper. He’s catchy.

Collin Kritz Freshman, Business

Chris Brown He’s hot!

Lauren Gurr Sophomore, Elementary Education

Who do you believe is the best hip-hop artist or artists of our generation?

Send in your response to ccsurecorder@gmail.com and we’ll print it in our following issue.

16

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

= recommended

WEEK OF DECEMBER 5 MUSIC 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 12/08

GWAR

Toad’s Place / 7 p.m. / $21

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 12/12

Straylight Run

Webster Theater / 6 p.m. / $12

Karyn Danforth

Staff Writer I recently had the opportunity of speaking with all five silly, fun-loving members of the New York quintet Kiss Kiss, which in no particular order are as follows: Josh Benash, Jared Karns, Mike Abiuso, Rebecca Schlappich and Sam Oattes. Playing tracks off of their album Reality Vs. The Optimist, Kiss Kiss is currently on a December tour with bands Action Action and Liam and Me, and will be visiting the People’s Center in New Haven this Friday, November 7.

Karyn: Since I have the pleasure of speaking to all of you, could each of you introduce yourself and maybe give an interesting tidbit about yourself?

Jared: I’m Jared (long pause). There’s nothing interesting about me.

Sam: I’m Sam, I play bass, and I feel bad for Jared, but I love him, you know.

Rebecca: I’m Rebecca, I play violin and I have to be an elf to make money.

Josh: My name is Josh and I don’t have sex anymore.

Mike: I’m Mike, and I’m going to get Josh laid tonight.

Karyn: I know that Kiss Kiss is very devoted to their fans. What would you like all of them to know at this moment? Are your fans slacking or working harder than you guys?

Mike: They’re working harder than us, actually. We’re working hard too, but we’re pretty amazed by them.

Rebecca: Our fans are awesome, we can’t give enough thanks to them ever because they do so much work for us and are at every show.

Karyn: I read in one of your rather amusing blogs on MySpace that you will be releasing a free Christmas EP soon, which I hear is meant to sound like Bing Crosby meets Ste-

phen Colbert. Care to elaborate?

Jared: You can speak to the lead singer, Samuel Biotsby.

Sam: It’s actually Bing Otsby; well I’m not the brain behind it, I’m sort of the muscle underneath the shell. They bred me and infused my DNA with Bing Crosby’s. We dug him up from the grave.

Josh: It’s a global warming-appropriate Christmas album, because there’s no niche for it yet, you know, because global warming is still inconsistent; but in 20 years we will be ahead of the curve and will sell more CDs than anyone.

Sam: We’re going to profit so much off the world’s demise.

Josh: Might as well, everyone else is.

Karyn: Are you performing any of your Christmas songs during your December tour with the bands Action Action and Liam and Me? Josh: Well, if we don’t do it than terrorists are going to win, so of course.

Karyn: What do Action Action and Liam and Me sound like? If you know, could you give those who are in the dark a clue, especially those interested in seeing all three of you perform?

Jared: Fancy synth-pop kind of stuff. I’m not really sure how we fit on this tour dialectically, but they asked us to come on it so we were like, “Okay, cool.”

Mike: And no matter what we’re going to have an awesome time.

Karyn: I know your live performances are awesome because I’ve seen you guys at The Space and you even came here to Central a year or so ago. Is there anything about Connecticut that stands out, or something you personally like about it?

Jared: We like Connecticut, we actually do well

at the Newtown Teen Center; there’s a good local scene in Connecticut, there’s good supportive bands.

Karyn: I know you guys are coming here to New Haven on December 7, are you excited about that?

All: Yeah we’re really excited!

Karyn: What is in the works for the near distant future for Kiss Kiss?

Rebecca: Our future is we’re going to be recording our next album in January. We also want to quit our day jobs.

Mike: We’re all getting fed up of working during the day and not being able to just play music as our job. So maybe one day soon.

Jared: We’re all just going to stop working anyway.

Mike: I think we may just stop working and be bums and make the money playing music.

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 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

Karyn: If each of you could give a certain token of advice to a college student, what would it be?

Jared: Lay off the drugs, jackass.

Rebecca: That’s terrible! Stay in school.

Mike: Don’t be a hippie.

Rebecca: Okay, I have real advice. My advice is to do what you always want to be doing, don’t take your preconceived notions from when you were in high school, and make sure what you’re doing makes you happy.

Karyn: You guys are playing in a half-anhour?

All: We’re at a show in Purchase, New York at Manhattan College. It’s really cool because the college has its own church inside and a castle.

There’s a castle, a church and a cafeteria in here, and we’re playing in a room right down the hall.

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

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Wednesday, December 5, 2007

FILM 11/30 – 12/06

Forever

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.

12/04 – 12/08

Across the Universe Cinestudio / 7:30 p.m. / $7

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.

THEATRE 12/04 – 12/09

Nine Parts of Desire

Black Box Theater (Maloney Hall) 7:30 p.m.

A portrait of the extraordinary (and ordinary) lives of a whole cross-section of Iraqi women: a sexy painter, a radical communist, doctors, exiles, wives and lovers. This work delves into the many conflicting aspects of what it means to be a woman in the age-old war zone that is Iraq. An unusually timely meditation on the ancient, the modern and the feminine in a country overshadowed by war.

12/7, 12/8, 12/14, 12/15

The Last Five Years

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 things to different people.

Hole in the Wall Theater / 8 p.m. $20 Suggested Donation The Last Five Years is an intimate, two-person musical that chronicles the courtship, marriage and breakup of Jamie Wellerstein, a rising novelist, and Cathy Hiatt, a struggling actress, in a new and unusual way: her story starts at the end of their relationship; his begins on the day they meet. Funny and wistful at the same time, the show captures some of the most heartbreaking and universally-felt moments of modern romance.

Real Art Ways Kambui Olujimi is a conceptual artist born and raised in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

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

The Receiving End of Sirens Toad’s Place / 6:30 p.m. / $12

TREOS is headlining this show despite the fact they are the second-best band playing. If you go to this show, go early and take a good look at As Tall As Lions, they are the band that will steal the show. Look for our interview with As Tall As Lions in next week’s issue.

Opening Band: As Tall As Lions

Martin Luther King Jr.: Life, Times and Legacy Wadsworth Atheneum / $5

12/16 - 12/18

The Minus Scale

It’s a Wonderful Life

The Space / 7 p.m. / $10 Armed with incredible talent and a stage show that could knock you over, The Minus Scale has skipped over the usual mediocrity of most other rock bands. Refraining from typical rock star antics, the band has been recognized for their constant interaction with fans, doing whatever it takes to sell records on the road with their warm and fuzzy demeanor.

Opening Bands: Steinbeck, Aria

Real Art Ways / $6.25 If you know about Reverend Billy (AKA Bill Talen) you’re in for a treat. If you don’t know about Reverend Billy then you’re also in for a treat. This subjective documentary produced

by Morgan Spurlock (Supersize Me) and directed by Rob VanAlkemade is a freewheeling hilarious look at what performance artist Billy does with his parody of an Evangelical selfmade preacher man.

Cinestudio / $7

12/16

Chimaira

If you’ve only seen Frank Capra’s film on the small screen, we promise a unexpected revelation - It’s A Wonderful Life is great film that looks amazing on celluloid, while at the same time asking serious questions about community and economic equity.

Toad’s Place / 7 p.m. / $15 As any metal historian is well aware of, the 80s saw the invasion of British metal acts, Iron Maiden and Venom among them, deemed the “New Wave Of British Heavy Metal” or “NWOBHM.” Chimaira will be leading the charge of NWOAHM on domestic shores with The Impossibility Of Reason, an album that is 100 percent trend free.

Opening Band: Terror

12/12 - 12/15

The Darjeeling Limited

12/12 – 02/02

Shadow Show

Real Art Ways / 11 a.m. / $5 Shadow Show includes work by 16 artists, many from Providence, Rhode Island and others from Connecticut and New York. The exhibition will explore a range of associations with the word and idea of “shadow.” Included will be work in which physical shadows either play an integral part, or the ideas of shadow, as in tail, trace, surveillance, mystery, memory and longing, are explored. The exhibition will work on multiple levels, addressing visual mystery, but also hidden systems in society.

The Consumer Culture Garden

Backstreet Boys

Webster Theater / 6 p.m. / $45 Who knew that the Backstreet Boys were relevant enough to get 45 bucks a ticket? This show could be novel, if only for the fact you can get drunk and sing along to all their hits from 1999. If you want to know what the new and improved BSB sounds like, turn on KISS 95.7 and take a listen for their new single “Helpless When She Smiles.”

ART

12/14 - 2/24

12/13

Pulp Art: The Robert Lesser Collection

Through 04/27

12/15

FILM

Through 12/30

New Britain Museum of Modern Art Free for CCSU Students 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.

What Would Jesus Buy?

Webster Underground / 6 p.m. / $10 Put Your Ghost to Rest is 26-year-old Devine’s major label debut. These 12 songs, produced

by Rob Schnapf (Elliott Smith, Beck), represent a sharpening of Devine’s raw, evocative lyrics, and should help establish him as one of the leading songwriters of his generation. For the Brooklyn native, the album represents the culmination of several different strains in his musical upbringing.

12/13

Art Education Culminating Exhibition 2007

Kambui Olujimi

Kevin Devine

MUSIC

Through 12/13

Through 12/16

12/14 – 12/20

WEEK OF DECEMBER 12

ART

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.

12/14

Cinestudio / 7:30 p.m. / $7 One year after the death of their father in Manhattan, the eldest of three estranged brothers (Owen Wilson) bullies his sibs into taking a “bonding” road trip: through India, that is, on board the Darjeeling Limited. Wes Anderson’s new film is both funnier and more touching than his earlier works (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic), as this spiritual son to J. D. Salinger deftly reveals irony, eccentricity and melancholy in the WASP family unit.

12/14 – 12/15

New Britain Museum of Modern Art Free for CCSU Students EAT, a collaboration of North Carolina-based artists, will be featuring its interactive installation, the Consumer Culture Garden. The Consumer Culture Garden features an interactive koi pond, where animated fish emblazoned with corporate logos swim in and out of view.

A background of natural and unnatural sounds accompanies a sensation of twilight, creating a contemplative, yet unsettling, atmosphere.

Through 1/4

Less is More

New Britain Downtown District Visitors’ Center 117 West Main St. A collection of small works by selected artists, which includes Amy Belliveau, Nancy Brocket, Craig Frederick, Sean Gallagher and Paul Goebel. Inspiration and gifts for the holiday season.

Control

Cinestudio / 7:30 p.m. / $7 Whether or not you spent a sizable chunk of your teen years looking for salvation in Joy Division’s addictive post-punk, Control stands as one of the best movies ever made about the combustible dynamics at the heart of a rockand-roll band.

Did we miss something?

Know of an event we should list here?

Contact us at ccsurecorder@gmail.com.

Lifestyles

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Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Pulp Art: A Collection of the Unconventional Fine Arts Marissa Blaszko

Staff Writer In 1994, the film Pulp Fiction became an instant staple in modern American culture, grossing hundreds of millions of dollars and even winning an Oscar for its sex-, drug- and violence-saturated screenplay. But 60 years earlier, publishers of pulp magazines, after which the movie was named, discovered that the familiar plot line was not only highly addictive, but also impossible to ignore.

In a sentence, pulp magazines were cheap, short novels aimed at white men, ages 18-35, with a disposable income - the precursor to any television show. They featured romanticized heroes like The Shadow, Tarzan, Zorro and Doc Savage, who graced the wood-pulp paper pages and saved maidens from impending doom at the hands of some evildoer. Birthed during the Depression, the action-adventure books, more importantly, rescued their readers, acting as a fictional refuge from the tribulations of everyday life.

But one of the cornerstones to the pulp fiction juggernaut was always the glossy cover, which was more than likely the only decorated part of the magazine. For 40 years, painters were commissioned for thousands of dollars to paint pictures of outer space cemeteries and Tarzan’s Jane. Unfortunately, since there was no market for any of the lowbrow art, most original paintings were either destroyed or simply forgotten about after publication.

Pulp art, like the literary genre it represents, is attention-grabbing, question-forming and overall addicting art. Think Norman Rockwell with a gun or Gil Elvgren in a horror movie. Knife fights, laser beams, treasure chests and partially nude damsels covered the canvases, making even the most far-fetched daydreams seem mundane and unimportant.

Earlier this year, Robert Lesser agreed to donate part of his pulp collection to the New Britain Museum of American Art, which now features the work of several dozen artists and a total of 75 pulp paintings and accompanying magazines.

Left: Frank R. Paul’s “Golden City on Titan,” which was the back cover of Amazing Stories in 1941. Right: Alexander Leydenfrost’s work that appeared in Esquire, November 1943. Below: “Apache Flame!” by Allen Anderson that was feated in Frontier Stories in 1950.

Lesser is not an artist but a collec- with laser beams in the pits of hell. this that makes the Robert tor of everything from the 1950s. Another shows the main character Lesser Collection something From comic books and toys to pulp saving a futuristic damsel from an undoubtedly worth seeing, paintings, he has got them all. Avid alien graveyard. It’s art that every- even by non-art history maabout keeping the American art form body can understand, and it doesn’t jors. alive, he published A Celebration of need bachelor of fine arts interpretaThe pulp art at NBMAA Comic Art and Memorabilia in 1975. tions or an hour-long study. It can be celebrates a time period in His collection of space toys has even enjoyed for what it is-- sensational- American history and literabeen featured at the Museum of Sci- ist, graphic and often raunchy eye ture, for better or worse. The ence and Industry in 2001. candy. period stretched from the The New Britain Museum itself One of the more memorable Great Depression to the Civil is an intimidating, modern building, pieces sits under a spot light on the Rights Movement, from flapbut the art featured on the second front-most wall, welcoming anyone pers to centerfolds. It exists floor is everything but. It isn’t a se- that walks into the exhibit. It depicts to excite anybody that walks ries of colored squares or the Renais- an older woman (who more than by it, serving as art that is sance portraits that put high school likely bares a startling similarity impossible to ignore while it students to sleep; the genre’s entire to your grandmother) with the hero hangs on the otherwise clean purpose is to grab the viewer’s eye strewn across her lap as she sews his museum walls. Simply put: and keep it, and everything in the lips shut. Two goons, lurking in the when a painting containing NBMAA display fulfills those re- shadows of the painting, are holding skeletons, spies and alien quirements. One piece features four him there in a position that is remi- battle grounds is put into an scantily-clad women being shot at niscent of the Pieta. It’s work like art gallery and labeled “fine

CCSU Faculty Profile: Communication Professor Dr. Yousman Amanda Ciccatelli

Staff Writer Few students think to ask their professors about more than when a paper is due. Most of us assume our teachers received degrees in teaching and simply do nothing else.

I recently spoke with a professor who has tested my theory of being “just a teacher.” Dr. William Yousman, a communication professor here at CCSU, has been more than just a teacher, with his interest in students’ views and the collaboration of class discussions and studentinvolved lectures.

During my experience in his survey of communication class, I felt refreshed after having a history of college professors and high school teachers who simply did not care enough. Yousman told me about how he genuinely cares about his students, his love of teaching and his continuing interest in media.

When I first asked Yousman what attracted him to the field of communication, he

explained that he always had a fascination with films, media and the music industry. He went to Charter Oak College to get his bachelor’s degree in journalism and immediately wanted to immerse himself in the media culture, so he worked at a now defunct alternative newspaper in Hartford.

After graduating from COC, Yousman also did some work in social services, but he soon realized that teaching would be a great way to help educate others who shared his interest in the media. Upon entering graduate school at the University of Hartford—where he later earned his master’s degree in the department of communication—he worked at an independent radio station as the program coordinator.

A few years down the road, Yousman enrolled at the University of Massachusetts to earn his doctorate.

“It was something I had always wanted to do and I enjoyed the whole experience - it changed my life,” he said.

Yousman described his love for enriching students’ minds with what he had learned both throughout his career as a student and in his experiences in the media industry.

“Students have a new perspective, so I learned from them and I use it in my classes every semester,” he said.

He feels that college students are mature enough to wrestle with the complex ideas of the media and communication. His classes offer many controversial ideas that introduce new points of view to students. Yousman enjoys teaching his media classes because “they are never the same; they are never boring.”

Yousman was working for The Media Education Foundation—a company that makes documentary films for college students—when he decided that he missed teaching and doing research. It was at this time when he took an open position for a professor in the media department here at Central. Yousman was more than happy to be able to work with students and keep researching his career and interest in the

media.

He advises students preparing for college graduation and job searching to develop as many relationships as possible with their professors, managers and anyone they work with during internships because contacts are crucial in the real world.

“It is important to build a network of people who you can rely on,” he said.

Yousman went on to say that it is important to go the extra mile during your internships because it is then that you will hopefully find someone who will go the extra mile for you.

Above all, he stressed the importance of developing good relationships with professors during college because they will be the ones giving you recommendations for your future jobs.

No matter where he is in life in the next five years, Yousman wants to keep teaching and enjoying young peoples’ minds and their complex ways of viewing the world, all the while working with the continuously-changing media.

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Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Winter Beer Review

Harpoon Winter Warmer

Edward Gaug

Entertainment Editor

Mark Rowan

Editor-in-Chief Chinese food is usually very hitor-miss with me, and most of the time it hits because I’m just too hungry to care that it is actually mediocre.

Great Taste in New Britain, however, is one establishment that I would not mind returning to, due to its intimate, classy setting, personable staff and agreeable food.

The bar there is set a bit higher than most Chinese restaurants in the area. I’m thinking specifically of China Pan in Farmington, which is a fine eatery but has more of a family setting. Great Taste, on the other hand, is an ideal place to take a date, whether it is your first or a special occasion. The menu isn’t overly pricey and there is plenty to share or take home.

While I skimmed through the menu looking for the most appropriate item to review, I decided to stick with General Tso’s Chicken—it is what I know best. After all, if I’m going to put Great Taste to the test, I might as well compare past experiences with the General. I also added a spring roll, which has become a necessity for me and any Chinese dining experience. The roll was a lot less greasy than you’d typically find, which was a pleasant surprise, although it could have been slightly crispier.

The General was also a step above what I’ve usually experienced, but it lacked broccoli. The meat was not chewy, which is always something to fear, especially for those who have had bad experiences in the past.

In fact, the meat was tender and easy to cut with the side of a fork. The sauce was pretty weak though; there wasn’t much of a spicy flavor to it at all, and I found Jamie’s diced chicken

with cashew nuts to have more of a kick to it than my meal. Ed had the orange chicken and an egg roll, which he gave a six out of 10. I refused to ask Melissa how her broccoli and chicken was because she is boring, although she enjoyed it enough to proclaim she would be eating it for lunch the next day.

The setting and the staff were really the best part about the whole experience. The fish tank that greets visitors as they are seated wasn’t tacky, considering its size, and I should remind you that pulling that off is no small feat. The table was well attended, too, as both our water and fried noodles were constantly filled. Not to mention the goodbye we received by various members of the staff as we left.

All in all, I would have to say Great Taste passed the test, although it does not necessarily deserve a frequent trip. As I said before, it is a classy change of pace from most Chinese restaurants I frequent and serves as a perfect place to bring a date or even co-workers, especially with the notable wine list. Although my group stayed within the realm of chicken, the restaurant offers a wide variety of vegetable, seafood, pork and beef options. Vegetarians do not have a ton of choices when compared to China Pan, which is very vegetarian and vegan-friendly, but those who skip meat can get by with the options provided.

Great Taste is located at 597 West Main St., New Britain and is open Monday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m. You can also find the restaurant online at www. greattaste.com.

Photos by Stephanie Bergeron / The Recorder

The great thing about the weather getting colder is the fact that Winter Warmer beers are starting to hit the shelves. If you don’t know what a Winter Warmer beer is, then you are not alone. Prior to this week, I have never heard of this style of beer that is concentrated solely in the winter season (go figure).

The name given is extremely fitting because not only does the beer itself have a warm taste to it (think Red Hot candies), but it also gives you the illusion of being physically warm. This seems to work very well when sitting down for your holiday dinners at home.

This ale goes very well with steak as well as chicken and turkey. You could also wait till after dinner for this one, as it works well with dessert too. While it does have the scent and taste of cinnamon, it doesn’t overpower the flavor and this allows the drinker to have more than one without feeling full.

The dark, copper-colored ale was the best of the “mix-six” pack I picked up at the local Crazy Bruce’s this week. I thought to myself that it would be a good idea to take one of six different “Christmas” beers and see which one reigned supreme.

The Harpoon won hands. It was the only of the six that didn’t taste like I was drinking a Christmas tree.

Spruce is the most overwhelming scent when it comes to these seasonal beverages, but the Winter Warmer went with a spice mix of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves to entice the drinker. This alone made the beer standout among the others.

If you are feeling cold on the last days of the semester and you need a nice warm-up to get you into the seasonal bliss, then head down to just about any package store and pick up a six-pack or 12-pack of Harpoon’s Winter Warmer. Not a bad way to study for those upcoming finals.

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Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Vanessa Pergolizzi

Staff Writer With the amount of sushi restaurants that nearly dominate the streets of Connecticut today, it’s no wonder that one of my most recent food-related missions has been to find an original Asian-oriented restaurant that does more than just serve sushi and noodles. Instead, what I have been searching for is an Asian restaurant that not only serves creative dishes, but also generates an innovative creative energy.

As I made my way from town to town, I ran into some very good Japanese restaurants that offered great food and service, such as Sapporo in Wethersfield and Kudeta in New Haven. Although the food at these restaurants was tasty, and the servers were attentive, they still lacked the powerful atmospheric vibe that I was looking for.

I almost gave up until I stumbled upon Koji, a fairly new Pan-Asian restaurant and bar that offers a rainbow of sushi and sake—a popular type of Japanese alcoholic beverage made from rice—as well as a dash of in-house specials that concentrate on western stylings. The restaurant is located on 17 Asylum St. in downtown Hartford, and strikes a cross between the brightly lit, bustling city feel of Tokyo, and the sensual and seductive energy of Europe.

Whether you are a sushi connoisseur, or a first-time sushi eater, Koji provides sushi lovers, and even non-sushi lovers, with an amazing dining experience from its friendly service, to its edgy and trendy character and high-quality cuisine. Upscale and artsy in décor, the restaurant is a place where food, drinks and electronic dance music beats flow all night long. They are open until 1 a.m. on the weekdays, and 2 a.m. on the weekends.

The restaurant is lavishly contemporary and warm, comfortable and inviting.

Koji pulls off the near impossible with its interior aesthetics. A 10-foot black booth against a wall that glows with psychedelic red and green lights helps to create a modern ambiance. Bruce Lee movies play on the flat screen televisions throughout the night, and the dim lighting, as well as the tea lights set on each granite table top only adds to the sublime feel of the restaurant.

Aside from offering customers an uptempo experience, Koji also offers plenty of meal choices that range from the stereotypically safe Japanese offerings, to the daring.

One of its specialties is yakitori, a Japanese dish that consists of pieces of seasoned and marinated meat, fish and vegetables that are roasted and grilled on bamboo skewers. Of the 30 yakitori choices, some include shrimp, chicken, Japanese pepper and eel. Traditionally, yakito-

ri is served without dipping sauce, but Koji pairs its yakitori with a specially made dipping concoction. This is a fine choice for those who are unsure of an appetizer, or want to see what Koji has to offer.

Gyoza and saku saku are other delicious appetizers that I would recommend.

Gyoza is dumplings that are stuffed with pan-fried pork and vegetables, and served with a soy vinegar sauce. Saku saku consists of two large seafood rolls that are fried, then cut in half and served steaming hot with a sweet sauce.

Beyond the appetizers, Koji provides main course choices that accommodate almost anyone. All entrees are served with miso soup—a fine broth that contains fresh pieces of seaweed with small cubes of tofu that melt in your mouth—house salad, rice and vegetables.

For the less adventurous eaters, the grilled beef teriyaki is a good meal choice.

Beef teriyaki is browned beef sirloin strips that are simmered in a soy and brown sugar sauce. The homemade teriyaki sauce, which is the highlight of the dish, is extremely rich and blankets every part of the beef and vegetables without becoming too overpowering.

Beef teriyaki isn’t the only choice one who is sampling this particular meal has, though. Other options include chicken, shrimp, salmon and lobster teriyaki, and even a seafood combination, and surf and turf option as well.

If one is feeling a bit more adventurous, the sushi and sashimi platter is an ideal mouth-watering combination. The dish is made up of the chef’s daily selections, so the meal varies depending on the types of fish available that day. Fortunately for me, I was lucky enough to have chunks of tuna, salmon and flounder in my assortment that day. Both the sushi and the assortments of fish were incredibly fresh, and had a velvety melt-in-your mouth consistency.

The eel on rice is also superb. The two strips of eel are perfectly placed on a bed of steamed white rice with a side of vegetables. The eel is tender and is simmered and glazed with soy sauce - a combination of pure perfection for the taste buds.

Because the name of the restaurant was inspired by one of the most crucial ingredients for sake brewing, one would assume that the sake choices at the restaurant are endless - and they are. Koji has one of the area’s best selections of high-end sake that starts from a full-flight of saketinis, to a multitude of other types of sake.

If you are looking for a great substitution for a night out at a dance club, or just looking to go somewhere lively, Koji is the place to go. The restaurant is a powerhouse where the atmosphere captivates your senses, and takes over downtown Hartford by offering a dining experience like no other.

Photos by Stephanie Bergeron / The Recorder