vol104issue20

OPINION

Fear Politics on the Road to Tyranny - Page 4

SPORTS

Cabela’s:

The Great Outdoors Under One Roof

Bobcats Claw Past Devils

- Page 16

- Page 7

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

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

Volume 104 No. 20

Possibility of More Two-Day Classes in the Making

Melissa Traynor News Editor Currently the CCSU administration is researching the possibility of adding more two-day courses to the mix of classes available and also trying to gather information on courses that require three-day, 50-minute schedules.

Provost Carl Lovitt said that they are in the early stages of compiling research from around the university.

“Right now we’re simply exploring options for course scheduling. Before any kind of changes are made there will be discussion with the union and the faculty senate,” he said.

Lovitt said that the matter boils down to the university being able to see what students need to graduate and understanding the overall needs of students, faculty and curriculums.

Some concerns regarding the requirements of students, especially those who can’t

get into the classes they need to graduate, have acted as an impetus for this type of research.

Options to provide more two-day classes for students are in the preliminary stages and Lovitt said that they will include different pairs of days and he hopes that they will be able to spread them out over the week.

“We can look at all of the possibilities such as Monday, Wednesday; Tuesday,

See Two-Day Classes Page 3

Europeans Provide Insight to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Obama’s ‘Race-less’ Edge Amanda Ciccatelli Assistant News Editor As one of the closing events for CCSU’s Black History Month celebration, a panel made up of university community members and guests opened up a conversation centered on the importance of race and gender in the campaigns of the two Democratic senators, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

The panel debated mainly on the roles of overt sexism and covert racism in the presidential race as both Senators reach for their party’s nomination.

The increase in Obama’s popularity and momentum paired with the media’s criticism of Clinton served as the basis for an analysis by Dr. Daryl McMiller, who addressed the question as to whether race and gender are creating serious effects in the Democratic race.

He said that while research shows many whites have given up the attitudes that were once greatly associated with racism, it is not complete-

See Obama Page 3

Blue Devils Take Pioneers in NEC Tournament Preview

Melissa Traynor News Editor European speakers at the latest Middle East Lecture discussed the options for both Israel and Palestine to engage in peace and articulated their wishes for cooperation and harmony in the region.

An Italian representative, Bruno Ficili, and Dr. Wolfgang Vorwerk who is the German Consul of Boston, spoke mainly about their experiences with the region and the changes they would like to see made in order to complete a peace mission, according to a performance-based “Roadmap.”

The Roadmap to Peace, as both speakers called it, is a three-part

Stephanie Bergeron / The Recorder

agreement posed by the U.N. in 2003 to amend relationships between Israel and Palestine and to ultimately create a two-state solution so that both sides have a home.

With the help of a translator, Ficili expressed his deepest concerns

for global humanitarian efforts.

Despite the delay in words, the audience could sense the passion and urgency of his message immediately.

The Sicilian peace activist, who has also been a nominee for the Nobel

See Conflict Page 3

…And the Spring Week Performers for 2008 Are? See Spring Week Performers Page 2

Stephanie Bergeron / The Recorder

See Blue Devils Take Pioneers Page 8

News

2 THE RECORDER Wednesday, March 5, 2008

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/

Staff Editor-in-Chief Justin Kloczko Business Manager Christopher Boulay Art Director Jamie Paakkonen Associate Layout Editor Stephen Meszaros Copy Editor Samantha Sullivan Photo Editor Stephanie Bergeron Lifestyles Editor Karyn Danforth Sports Editor Peter Collin Entertainment Editor Edward Gaug Opinion Editor Dan Ivers News Editor Melissa Traynor Assistant News Editor Amanda Ciccatelli Web Editor John Vignali Illustrator Sean Kinne Comics Mike Golschneider

Staff Writers Marissa Blaszko Peter Decoteau Chris Demorro Kyle Dorau Aril Grain Matthew Jurkiewicz Marissa Mancini Rob Messer Brian Morache Victoria Wall Jody Wiles Ryan Yeomans

About The Recorder is a studentproduced 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 Editorin-Chief.

T he pur pose of T he Recorder is to approach and def ine issues of impor tance to the st udents of Centra l Connecticut State Universit y.

Speaker Asks ‘Is America Dealing With Immigration?’

Amanda Ciccatelli Assistant News Editor A professor of immigration law and policy at Berkley University in California shared with CCSU the reality of immigration in the 21st century and expressed the need for more options for the legal and illegal immigrant community.

Maria Echaveste, J.D., was former President Bill Clinton’s Deputy Chief of Staff specializing in immigration issues, and she has also served in the Department of Labor Enforcing Protection, where she worked to facilitate guest worker programs.

These programs include three different types that immigrants are eligible for. The first is the H2A program, which is centered on the need for agricultural workers. In this program, the employer is required to give farm workers jobs while supplying or paying for transportation and other necessary needs.

The H2B program is non-agricultural and is available for unskilled workers to perform tasks such as picking crabs in Cape Cod. This program is only useful for seasonal purposes, especially during the summer.

Finally, the H1B program is a high-tech computer program for temporary foreign workers. A person can work up to six years total, but that is all they are offered.

“This program was my first exposure to the issue of immigration on a professional level,” Echaveste explained.

She soon moved forward with a career as the Director of Office of Public Liason in the White House, where she was able to hear the concerns from different groups and organizations about immigration policies in America.

Echaveste explained that the recent history of America shaped the immigration policies in place today.

Due to the poor economy in 1992 and 1993, California’s former Governor Pete Wilson focused the

anxiety of it all on illegal immigration and went forth to focus his entire campaign on that major issue. He chose to deny illegal immigrants education, along with other necessities, which, in turn, resulted in larger concerns when President Bill Clinton came into office.

In 1995, the Clinton Administration was then forced to spend millions to put resources into the Immigration and Naturalization Service along the border in San Diego and El Paso because they were uncontrolled. By 1996, millions of jobs were created, and the issue of illegal immigration was controlled and lessoned, Echaveste said.

In the next few years it became very apparent that agriculture was historically dependent on foreign laborers, she said. Seventy percent of the undocumented work force is employed in agricultural jobs.

The legal means the U.S. can accommodate so far is 700,000 people, so the rest are waiting in line to attain legality.

Echaveste explained that many Americans ask the question, “Why don’t immigrants come here legally?”

“They don’t come here illegally by choice. The U.S. has legal framework for illegal immigrants that doesn’t keep up with demand,” she answered.

While there is a demand for workers, Americans also ask “Are they good enough to be American?”

Echaveste said that every minority group that has come into America has had to face this fear and anxiety.

“We have had this tension from day one,” she said. “Every group has been met with hatred and then been accepted.”

In 2008, billions of dollars are being spent along the borders to lessen the amount of illegal immigrants in the United States. Still, Echaveste said, 40 percent of undocumented immigrants do not come through the border; they overstay their visas.

Stephanie Bergeron / The Recorder

Maria Echaveste demands more U.S. immigration services.

In Germany there is a similar issue with illegal immigration with Turks; however, Germans encourage them to come, work and help rebuild Germany. Echaveste said that after their job is complete they have to go home. To the Germans’ dismay, the Turks get married, have children and build a life during the time they are in Germany.

“So the U.S. [citizens have] to ask themselves, ‘What are our deepest American values? Are we going to

stay true to form or do we enact provisions in trying to deal with immigration?’” asked Echaveste.

She said that if immigrants are to come to the United States and perform jobs in the service sector, they should at least be rewarded with improved working conditions.

“Our country, because of our history, has the opportunity not to make those mistakes,” Echaveste said.

…And the Spring Week Performers for 2008 Are?

CAN Brings One Republic and Fabolous to CCSU for Spring Week Concert Edward Gaug Entertainment Editor So the time has come to either yell in excitement or sigh in disbelief as CCSU has announced this year’s Spring Week Performers; the softrocking pop band OneRepublic and hip-hop star Fabolous. Both acts come to New Britain as a larger production known as the Crocs Next Step Campus Tour: a 14-stop tour that is making its way to college campuses all across the country.

While Crocs is sponsoring the tour, 360 Productions are the people in charge of getting the two acts together in a way that will try to accommodate all people in attendance. “I knew we were on to something big but all of our expectations have been blown out of the water. The tour booked in record time and we have two of the hottest acts in the nation, OneRepublic and Fabolous, along for the ride,” stated Mike Kociela of 360 Productions in a press release.

For those of you unfamiliar with OneRepublic, the quartet from Los Angeles has popped up almost overnight to obtain huge success in the Billboard music charts with their hit single, “Apologize,” which was remixed by Timbaland on his Shock Value album. The single has been on the Billboard Hot 100 list for over 28 weeks and has topped out at number

two. The band has also broken a radio-play record by having the song spun more than 10,000 times in a single week.

Fabolous has seen his share of success recently as well. His most recent record, From Nothin’ to Somethin, hit the Billboard Top 200 chart and peaked at the number two spot with help from his single, “Make Me Better” ft. Ne-Yo, which was also helped by Timbaland. His album also features hip-hop superpowers Akon, T-Pain and Young Jeezy, making for one of the most popular hip-hop records last year. On the heels of his past hit album Ghetto Fabolous, Fabolous is remaining on top.

A third band will also be joining OneRepublic and Fabolous on stage for this year’s Spring Week. As a way to get local acts in the mix at every tour stop, Crocs is conducting a “Virtual Battle of the Bands” where a school can choose up to three acts to be voted on by students through crocsbattleofthebands.com.

The bands will be able to post photos, videos and music on to the site for students to preview before voting.

The show is set for the first of May in Welte Auditorium and tickets go on sale March 5th at CENtix, which is located at the student center information desk. Seats go for $5 with student or faculty ID and $10 for guests.

3

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, March 5, 2008 / NEWS

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Obama

Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1

Stephanie Bergeron / The Recorder

Dr. Wolfgang Vorwerk emphasizes the need to complete the phases of ‘Roadmap to Peace.’

Peace Prize, recounted his journey up to the present day, including a past visit to CCSU and his travels around the world.

He knew that something had to be done to help the refugees throughout many countries where war had devastated the lives of many and that something was needed to stabilize the area. From there he had decided to establish the International Association of Educators for World Peace in Siracusa, Italy and has been hosting meetings there with dignitaries from all over the world for the past 20 years.

Ficili met with former CCSU president Richard Judd in 2003, when he also met with now President of Israel, Shimon Peres.

He said that the meeting was organized to discuss peace and how to conduct the education of young people all over the world about peace efforts, and to him the meeting had a concrete effect. Ficili said that Judd has been his great mentor and sustainer and that since Judd has been invited to his international forum.

In addition to the forum, Ficili has contributed to many cross-continental humanitarian projects and has also witnessed countless images of human suffering.

Ficili recalled one winter when he and his colleagues came to deliver food to a refugee camp in Yugoslavia.

“I remember we were bringing food to a camp. It was an absolute blizzard and we got there 12 hours late—the kids stayed up past midnight waiting. I remember this one boy, a seven-year-old,” he said of an

orphan boy who had lost his legs to a land mine. “I gave him candy and in return he gave me a gift: a picture he had drawn of the sun. This little boy still had hope in his heart. It was truly a moment of human solidarity.”

In 1994, countries in the midst of war such as Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia came to the forum and signed a proposal for peace that was approved by Pop John Paul II, which Ficili said saved many lives.

He noted that the problems that the Middle East now faces are at a point where they are violating basic human rights and gave a specific example of mistreatment and violence.

When millions of Kurds had been forced to live in Turkey due to a divide that forced 40 million Kurds into the lives of refugees, many moved to Turkey.

There, Ficili said, they could not speak their own language and were legally penalized for doing so.

The law came down especially harsh on one Kurdish girl who happened to be out one night singing a song in her native Kurdish language when she was arrested, jailed and raped in front of her father. He had sought her help in gaining further knowledge of the area and said that she has attended the international forum in Siracusa.

He said that ultimately, 2008 is a year of hope and waiting. Ficili said that everyone should focus their efforts on setting a goal for the achievement and maintenance of peace, citing the phases in the United Nations’ Roadmap to a permanent two-state solution to the IsraeliPalestinian conflict.

Hope, Ficili said, could be found in a part of Israel where both Palestinians and Israelis have agreed to live together in harmony.

“Between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem there is an oasis of peace.

The people there live together and do so peacefully because they have learned to speak each others’ languages and work together,” Ficili said.

The German Consul explained that some of the Israeli and Palestinian characteristics need to change in order to achieve peace. The Zionist aspect of the Israeli mindset would most likely be eradicated with the adoption of the Roadmap and Palestine would be urged to fight terrorism.

Vorwerk agreed that the conditions of the Roadmap must be met and said that his home country of Germany greatly wants peace between Israel and Palestine.

“It is in the best interest of the European Union. We are all neighbors—there is no Atlantic Ocean dividing us and we all share the same borders,” he said.

Vorwerk expressed his desire for Europe to become more actively involved in completing the terms of the Roadmap and put forth a strong effort to help the United States. He said that the Europeans have always admitted that the U.S. takes the driver’s seat, but the U.S. cannot shoulder all of the responsibility alone.

Joseph Paige said that there is no timeline in existence right now for the move to the next stage. He said that the deans are discussing it with their departments and professors right now.

“We’ve gotten some response,” Paige said in regards to the email that had been sent to Dean Pease. “We haven’t looked at it yet to see if it’s feasible, but it may happen.”

To aid with scheduling and organizing classes, the university has employed the assistance of new programs.

AdAstra is new software that the university is currently using for specific functions including schedul-

ing classrooms according to the size of the class. The university is looking into what the program can do for students in terms of arranging schedules so that the currently large block of classes during the day is broken up so that courses are offered at different intervals.

Lovitt said it could also read the degree audits and produce a course outline by major as well as look at student preferences in class timing.

“Whatever scheduling we do, we have to consider the needs and constraints of the students,” Lovitt said. “We will collectively decide on a course of action that is best for the students and the university.”

Two-Day Classes Continued from page 1

Thursday; Monday, Thursday; Wednesday, Friday,” he said.

Susan Pease, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, said that students would most likely approve of more two-day classes. The option of adding more courses in general is also being discussed.

“I choose not to have [threeday] classes. It really could be a good thing because it could give students more time to study. College is stressful for us students and we need time off,” said Paul Armstrong, a sophomore at CCSU. While they are gathering feedback from the schools, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr.

Stephanie Bergeron / The Recorder

Panel discusses factors of race and gender in the Democratic race. ly a thing of the past. McMiller explained that Americans also need to consider the fact that 61 percent of blacks believe that racism is a very serious problem; 43 percent of the American poor are black; and the amount of young African American men in prison is four times the number who are in college.

He said that while Obama is not exactly a leader on specific issues and does not have an urban agenda, he has made himself very electable.

“Obama has positioned himself to be a race-less man. He says that he doesn’t see white America, black America or liberal or conservative America, just a united America,” McMiller said. “Understand that crowds go wild for this.”

McMiller believes that Obama’s standing, as a black candidate with a real potential to become president, will affirm how some people view their own racism.

“He makes white people feel as though they can confirm their colorblindness,” McMiller said of the pull of whites towards Obama. “… Some will only vote for him because he’s black.”

On the voter end of the election process, there was much discussion as to which voting blocs will be casting their ballots for Obama. Dr. Evelyn Simien of the University of Connecticut provided much evidence in favor of Obama and said that black women make up a sizeable constituency of his supporters.

She explained a type of doubledisadvantage that the media has been taking very seriously lately.

“The double-disadvantage is when African American women will subordinate matters of vital concern to them as women for the sake of advancing the African American movement in general and African American males in particular,” Simien said.

Headlines have predicted that African American women will be torn between voting for their gender or their race this election season, but Simien pointed to the four particular primaries. In Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina, African American women roughly made up a third of all Democratic votes in those

states and they overwhelmingly supported Obama.

Simien said that the African American bloc in general and African American women in particular cast the deciding votes. “[Hillary Clinton] has established herself as a Washington insider attached at the hip of her husband’s power,” Simien said. “Obama has established himself as an outsider within the halls of Congress and as the lone black Senator, and African American women can relate to his position socially and politically.”

With the large support of African American women, there was some debate as to whether the credit for Obama’s progress is restricted to that voting bloc alone.

“The Clinton campaign can’t explain Obama’s successes as a ‘black thing,’” said Attorney Shawn Council, a lecturer in CCSU’s philosophy department. She went on to say that despite Hillary’s many followers, some of whom believe that she is a stronger woman for having overcome the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Obama is gathering support from people across age, race, background and gender.

“I think this is the most exciting time to live in,” she said.

Alternately, Professor Antonia Moran of the political science department discussed the attitudes of the voters who are not specifically drawn to either candidate.

“There will either be people who will vote Republican or stay home because they don’t want to vote for a black man or a woman,” Moran said, partially in reference to the white men who do not feel accommodated in the Democratic Party.

There was a general consensus, however, that Obama is certainly picking up speed and truly has the potential to become the next president.

“His message is very different,” Council said. “People are saying that he’s delivering it well and he’s looking presidential.”

Opinion/Editorial

4 THE RECORDER Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Editorial

A number of recent studies, articles and books have been receiving attention for their analyses of our country’s education system. Nearly all of these make the assessment that kids are now dumber than they have ever been, and huge numbers arrive unprepared at institutions of higher education. This leads not to criticism towards parents or those who create curriculum, but of students themselves.

After reading a few of these articles or book excerpts, it is safe to assume that the current generation of students is so socially obsessed that we couldn’t care less about any books thicker than a Star Magazine. In a recent article published in USA Today, professor/author Mark Bauerlein, whose new book is entitled The Dumbest Generation, is quoted as saying “When we [his generation] were 17 years old, social life stopped at the front door.” He also thinks that students’ focus on each other “won’t let the adult realities of history and civics through.” We can assume that he also used to walk 15 miles in the snow to school.

It’s amazing how each generation delights in criticizing those after it, as though they never possessed any of the same faults. The

fact that young people are more occupied with socialization than those more advanced in years is hardly a new phenomenon.

Without being around to witness it, it’s not hard to imagine the outcry regarding the sexual and drug revolutions of the 1960s. As recently as the 1990s, an entire generation was stereotyped as disenfranchised slackers, which was heralded as the downfall of the nation’s workforce and economy.

Recent studies in various states have purported to show that students are leaving high school unprepared to continue their educations at college. None of these mention that more students than ever attend college, and this creates environments where less qualified students populate college classrooms. Large portions of these students pursue careers in fields such as technology, which yields a kind of knowledge that doesn’t fall under many adult’s understanding of traditional education.

In the same USA Today article, cultural critic Susan Jacoby, who wrote a book on the sad state of knowledge in America, relates an anecdote of her shock when a college honor student was unable to discuss FDR’s “fireside chats.” This is supposed to convey that

the status of honor student is now meaningless in today’s dumbdowned education system. Just how many adults who weren’t alive during the Depression would get the reference is unclear, but nobody’s going to do a study on that.

The reality is that students are kids, and kids grow up. In most cases, the path towards a career as well as the simple process of maturity leads us to move away from the partying and constant social activity that would otherwise distract us.

There is no question that students are too occupied with things like video games and celebrity gossip when they could be learning. Much of what feeds the distractions is generated by the media, which is controlled by older generations. Knowledge of celebrities and the like are pushed into general consciousness by the media because they sell, and the same can be said of books by the likes of Bauerlein and Jacoby. Rather than spreading and encouraging useful knowledge, they are pandering to the proven market of older Americans who think today’s youth can never measure up to what they’ve done.

Letters to the Editor

- J.O. (While The Recorder knows the identity of the writer, it is being withheld at his request for fear of retribution)

In response to Marissa Blaszko’s article, “Marie’s Choice”, I just wanted to applaud her for supporting her friend and reminding her that she has choices. Not everyone is as fortunate to have such supportive friends or family members in their lives and as a result they are unaware of the choices available to them. Let’s remember, that as women, we have not always been so privileged.

In Blaszko’s article, she briefly mentions Planned Parenthood. I think some people are under the impression that Planned Parenthood only offers birth control. In actuality Planned Parenthood and similar organizations assist those with no alternatives by helping them make healthy life choices.

I think that we need to remember, especially in the month of March which is Women’s History Month, how lucky we are that women before us fought so that we have choices. Women in other countries are far less fortunate. If you don’t believe me, look up the meaning of Global Gag or genital mutilation. Let’s be thankful that we have choices and places to help us make healthy life decisions.

Bernadette Rantz SirYou do well to state that Scientology should be treated like other religions. Those who persecute a religion solely for its beliefs should not be taken seriously. But Anonymous is not attacking Scientology, but rather the organization known as the Church of Scientology, or CoS. Most Scientologists belong to the CoS, but groups known collectively as the Free Zone practice Scientology outside of it. The CoS has worked very hard to suppress this group; by insisting that the CoS be left alone, you deny the right of Free Zone to practice their religion. In a very real way, protesting the actions of the CoS is good for Scientology, not bad for it. I am sure when the Protestants split from Catholicism the Vatican was unhappy; would you deny the right of the Lutheran church, or indeed any church, to practice their religion freely? For more than half a century, the CoS has been criticized from all fronts. We do not deny this. But this is no excuse for you to now turn a blind eye to their own religious intolerance. You also mention other groups you consider just as corrupt; I could argue that the CoS is far worse, but let it suffice to say that the existence of multiple threats to liberty does not necessarily warrant an attack against all of them at once. Perhaps the Church of Christian Science deserves a closer look; for now, I will focus on the matter at hand. In addition, members of the CoS cannot “leave whenever they like.” Talk to any ex-mem-

ber; the CoS exerts a terrible pressure, often threatening members to keep them from leaving the group. Thanks to their “disconnection” policy, people who leave the church risk losing all of their friends and family. Religious shunning and persecution belong in the middle ages, not a functional modern society. I hope you take a second look at this hypocritical organization.

Best of luck, John Burkhart

It would be seem that more research should have been given to this article prior to its being submitted.”However, nearly all religions rely on donations to survive. If you put five dollars in the collection basket every week at church, you would spend somewhere in the range of $260 for your parish’s upkeep.” This is true, but unlike the Church of Scientology, you can ask any of these other religions about the basis of their faiths and they will gladly explain it to you in its entirety...for free.

This Op Ed also implies that Anonymous is against Scientology’s religious beliefs. This is totally untrue. Anonymous is against Scientology as a Tax exempt Corporate structure that has hidden under the guise of being a Religion and they are also fighting against Scientology’s abuse of Human Rights.

Randy Notley President/CEO Metal Technix, Inc. 1401 W. Gore Street Ste 6 Orlando, FL 32805

While Mr. Ivers was very astute in listing ways the Scientology is like other religions, he has neglected to mention two ways in which they are unique.

First, they are the only religion in the US that runs its own slave labor force. The RPF (Rehabilitation Project Force) is where dissident members of Scientology are sent when they express a desire to leave. People in the RPF work long hours for no pay and under close watch by guards. Members in the RPF are required to pass something similar to a lie detector test saying they won’t stop being Scientologists before they are allowed to leave.

Second, the RTC (the holding corporation of Scientology) struck a sweetheart deal with the IRS in 1993 to allow religious training to be tax deductible. This exemption exists only for Scientologists. Religions training sessions are sold by auditors for commission and can cost up to one thousand dollars per hour. (http://www.nysun.com/article/70957 ) If Scientology WAS treated like every other religion, these extraordinary circumstances would not be allowed.

Tony Meman

Dan Ivers, who wrote the opinion article “Time for Scientology to be Treated like Any Other Religion” appears to be know absolutely nothing about the subject he is writing about.

That he was writing opinion article does not excuse pathetic journalism.

Rohan Shah

claytoniowagop.org

I am truly embarrassed that my school newspaper decided to support a “cool” officer like Erwin. A couple of months ago I was involved in an incident in which Erwin and his partner called me a “chickenfucker,” made an insulting reference to my skin color, and emptied my roomate’s (who was not there at the time) trash all over his desk, only to leave without cleaning it up and without filing any charges whatsoever. I guess OJ is a good nickname for him: the dude gets away with murder.

Fear Politics on the Road to Tyranny Brian Morache Staff Writer I was shocked, but not surprised, at a recent advertisement by the Republican Party regarding Congress’ decision to allow the changes made to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act laws to lapse. The ad portrayed the decision as something that has crippled our national security and has made the United States vulnerable to an imminent terrorist attack.

Naturally, the Republicans blame the Democrats, painting them as soft on terror.

One of the great political films of recent times, The American President, put it best when it said, “politicians are concerned with telling you two things: what to be afraid of and who to blame for it.”

The current FISA laws require agencies to get a warrant from a special court in order to eavesdrop on phone conversations. This warrant can even be sought retroactively if the need is immediate, so there is no excuse to circumvent the legal system. The President insists that this is not good enough, that a warrant isn’t necessary, even though the Constitution demands it. Isn’t it ironic that so many conservatives who support giving the President the power to ignore the Constitution are the same ones who insist on a “strict interpretation” of that same Constitution? It makes one wonder if any of them ever bothered to read the document they have sworn to uphold.

Whistleblowers have shown that there is no way to separate calls going to foreign countries from domestic calls. The devices that bring information to the National Security

Agency allow them to listen into every call, not just selected conversations. Telecom companies have been partners in the illegal surveillance of the American people, and the President has stated that even if he receives a bill that does not provide these companies with immunity from prosecution, he will still veto it. So, what President Bush is really saying is that the financial security of big businesses is more important than the safety of the American people.

Despite the statements made by every foreign intelligence think-tank in the country that allowing the changes to the FISA laws lapse has had absolutely no effect on intelligence gathering, Bush’s Attorney General and his Secretary of Defense have both stated that they have lost intelligence. Of course, no one has ever claimed that anyone in the Bush administration has ever had any intelligence to lose.

One very famous U.S. commentator, Alexis de Tocqueville, noted that fear is the tool of the despot, the method of the tyrant. If this is so, then the Republicans, in their politics of fear, have been leading us towards that very end. When I hear of Senator John McCain’s idea of providing Americans with identity papers and the insistance that we will all die if the government can’t listen in on my grandmother’s calls to the Home Shopping Network, I cannot help but imagine the days of trucks with radio detection gear intercepting transmissions and Gestapo agents seeking out people who don’t look or act like they are supposed to. This, of course, was the way of life in Nazi Germany. If you think it can’t happen here, just take a closer look that at the tactics of fear and deception of the Republican Party.

5

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, March 5, 2008 / OPINION

Weigh Benefits, Costs of Reducing Waste, Energy Use Cathy Wilson The Ohio U. Post

Stephanie Bergeron / The Recorder

Opponents to the ‘Right to Dry’:

Hung-Up on Aesthetics

Dan Ivers Opinion Editor An unlikely issue is being raised at the Capitol this week: thousands of Connecticut residents are being denied the right to use a clothesline. The “Right to Dry” Act will be debated and, if passed, will remove those bans on drying clothes outside as imposed by numerous neighborhood associations, condominium owners and landlords. With the “green” movement becoming more visible in everyday life, one would think that removing a silly rule like that for the sake of the environment wouldn’t be a big deal. Sadly, that is just not the case.

According to ProjectLaundryList.com, a Web site dedicated to the “right to dry” cause, electric dryers require about 30 million tons of energy and cost the average household about $100 a year. In addition, they cause over 15,000 fires and around 15 deaths each year. The site lists all the benefits of clotheslines, such as the pleasing aroma of the laundry and the increased durability of clothes dried outside because clotheslines don’t create lint.

Alexander Lee, who runs ProjectLaundryList.com, says that most of the

opposition is from neighborhood associations and historic districts, which is ironic because clotheslines have been the primary mode of laundry-drying for as long as laundry has existed.

However, most clotheslines are apparently such eyesores that they simply cannot be tolerated in many communities. In statements found on the same Web site, Richard Monson of the California Association of Homeowners Associations (yes, an association of associations) claims that a single clothesline can lower property values by up to 15 percent. He attributes this to people just not liking the sight of other people’s underwear, which is laughable.

Half-naked people in their undergarments are all over our televisions, and underwear ads are not only commonplace but even iconic (note Calvin Klein and Michael Jordan’s Hanes commercials). Monson’s offer of prudishness as reasoning is a thinly-veiled excuse that hides the real motivation behind the banning of clotheslines: classism and vanity.

Many neighborhood associations perform real functions, such as setting up neighborhood watches or pushing for safer traffic regulations. However, those that seek to impose regu-

lations on how laundry is dried are more motivated by keeping up the appearance of whatever status they assign themselves. The very thought of someone seeing something as simple as a clothesline as “trashy” or “low-class” is outrageous, but that kind of shallowness is obviously afoot in this situation.

Thankfully, the “green” movement is helping the clothesline cause to make headway. Florida has a law in place protecting the “right to dry;” another is close to approval in Hawaii, and some are also currently underway in Colorado, Vermont and Connecticut. It looks like the country is just starting to realize exactly how wasteful we have become, which can be attributed partially to our vanity, as people continue to buy Hummers and the like simply as symbols of status.

Clothesline bans are just a drop in the bucket in terms of our irresponsible energy use, but removing them would be a step in the right direction. Hopefully, Connecticut legislators will think practically when this act reaches the Capitol floor, moving past the kind of elitist and superficial attitudes that put such regulations in place.

African Double Standard Dan Ivers Opinion Editor

Kenya’s two warring factions have reached a peace agreement after over two months of violence and turmoil because of a disputed presidential election. The president, Mwai Kibaki, whose party has long dominated Kenyan politics, agreed to grant Cabinet positions and the office of Prime Minister to the opposition party. While this signaled a possible end to the violence that has engulfed the country, an air of skepticism and wariness still surrounds the agreement. The party divisions are drawn along ethnic lines, as the Luo and Kikuyu tribes have long been rivals. Old tensions and lack of trust still threaten to destabilize this attempt at a cooperative government.

Situations like this sound like a broken record in Africa, where old tribal and ethnic rivalries often result in violence because of power in the modern nations they cohabit. In addition to Kenya, recent outbreaks of ethnic violence have occurred in Rwanda, Chad, Sudan and the Congo. Most of the time, the response from the rest of the world is tepid and consists mostly of urges and threats rather than real action. An example of this is President Bush’s recent trip to Africa, during which he chose not to visit Kenya or any of the countries struggling with civil

war-like violence. When confronted with his decision, Bush said he was only going places that “make the right choices.”

The international community needs to play a closer role in solving what has been a consistent problem in Africa. A double standard exists in regards to what should be done about tensions between groups there when compared with other regions. In this era after colonialism, when seemingly endless violence seems to come out of many places in Africa, nothing is done to address the root of the problems affecting the continent.

Many of the problems stem from the effects of colonialism there by Britain and other countries. What Africans experienced was a complete takeover by foreigners, who then established themselves as the elites and native Africans as subservient. Now, with the colonizers gone, ethnic groups scratch, claw and murder their way to achieve the same absolute power.

Comparable ethnic tensions within nations exist outside of Africa, as evidenced by events like Kosovo’s recently-gained independence from Serbia, which the United States and the EU have supported. Tom Casey, the deputy spokesman for the U.S. State Department, said that Kosovo’s independence is “a way to prevent an unstable and potentially violent situation

from developing in the region.” Couldn’t the same attitude be adopted for many countries in Africa? Even a process of partition within certain countries, similar to the one proposed for Iraq’s Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds, might help in certain situations.

Similarly, NATO and U.S. forces immediately dealt with the realization that genocide was occurring in Kosovo in 1999 through military intervention. The same can hardly be said about similar conflicts in Africa. Is it possible that repeated incidents have caused human rights activists to become so cynical that they no longer wish to intervene there? Whatever the reasons, the negligence shown towards many crises in Africa reflects a frightening double standard.

The modern nation has been described as “an imagined community.” So what should be done when the concept is not taking hold? Some of the world’s most powerful nations continue to turn a blind eye to problems that plague an entire continent—problems that many of them helped to create—naïvely hoping that rivaling ethnic and tribal groups will learn to cooperate and build successful governments while brutal wars and genocides continue to occur. A new, more attentive and possibly radical policy needs to be adopted, or we can expect to see more of the same events for the foreseeable future.

U-WIRE -- I got a call Wednesday afternoon from my dad, and he had an urgent inquiry for me. He told me he had just left an airport bathroom, washed his hands and was faced with a dilemma: Would it be more eco-friendly to use the hand dryer or the paper towels?

We went back and forth pondering this conundrum, but I thought there are probably many more times when people come to a crossroads in their decision-making, and I am here to facilitate the problem.

One of the biggest factors for decision-making should be waste reduction. When you throw something away, you are discarding the energy it took to make that item as well as using energy to take it to the landfill and dispose of it. When you are using energy (electricity, water, etc.), you are utilizing an energy resource. Most electricity in Southeast Ohio, for instance, comes from coal-fired power plants. This means that when you are using that electricity, you are feeding into a power source that pollutes the environment.

I choose to reduce waste. For example, it takes less water to use liquid-free hand soap, but the process of creating the packaging takes oil and other resources, not to mention creates a lot of waste when people discard the empty containers. Simply wash your hands and turn off the water between the lathering part and the rinsing part of said process and you’re golden.

A trip to the grocery store can also be quite daunting. Buying foods that are locally grown or grown close to where you live is a great way to reduce the impact shipping would have and it also supports the local economy. Look at how your food is packaged, and stay away from items that are packaged two or three times over when in fact one kind of packaging would have done just fine. Of course, foods in packages that are recyclable have priority, but don’t forget that with items like deli meats or produce, you could bring your own containers as well.

Also, another trick Grist (www.grist.org) recommends is weighing your possibilities— literally. Plastic isn’t great for the environment, but recycled paper and cardboard can actually be worse, so take some time to see which item is heavier and opt for the lighter material. When it’s cereal box versus cereal bag, opt for the bag and recycle it when you’re done. Plus, the generic stuff comes in plastic bags.

Now the big one—aluminum cans, plastic and glass bottles. In terms of recycling, aluminum is by far the easiest material to recycle out of the three. According to a report from the California Department of Conservation, recycling aluminum saves 95 percent of the energy it would take to create a new aluminum can from scratch, hence it takes about 5 percent the energy to recycle aluminum than it does to make it anew. For plastic, it takes about 30 percent of the original energy to recycle it and glass comes in at a distant third with recycling taking 70 percent of the original energy used to make the glass bottle.

Here’s a visual: California recycled 3.64 billion aluminum cans between January and June of 2007. This is the equivalent of saving 1.9 million barrels of oil, enough to fuel 183,000 cars in one year. Although the plastic reduction level was pretty high, recycling about two billion bottles saved 280,000 barrels of oil, enough to fuel 26,000 cars in one year. Glass wasn’t far behind, saving 220,000 barrels of oil by recycling 1.13 billion bottles—an amount equal to 20,000 cars on the roadway each year. From these data, I conclude that aluminum cans far surpass glass and plastic bottles when it comes to recycling value.

Sports

6 THE RECORDER Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Spring Fever Hits Blue Devil Baseball Kyle Dorau Staff Writer For the CCSU Baseball team, the question is how do you replace key losses? Over the off-season the Blue Devils lost an all-time leader in wins, a former NEC Tournament MVP, an all-conference player and the all-time saves leader to graduation.

And that was just Evan Scribner.

Other key players Central lost to graduation include First Team AllNEC Catcher Adam Taha, who started every game last season. Also graduating were the Blue Devils’ double play combo up the middle of shortstop Sean Salvatore and second baseman Matt Memoli. Salvatore started every game and Memoli missed just one while the two combined to drive in 43 runs.

Expect Sean Parker to step up behind the plate for the Blue Devils.

The former University of Maine backstop saw a major decline in his numbers last season for the Black Bears, and he will try to return back to 2006 form for the Blue Devils. He showed pop in his bat for the North Adams Steeplecats of the New England Collegiate Baseball League this past summer, leading the club in home runs with four. Parker is a very defensively aware catcher, likes to make snap-throws to first base, and in 2006 threw out 31 percent of potential base-stealers. Challenging for the job will be junior Sean Connors, who hit .272 with 21 RBI for Ulster Community College last season.

CCSU’s offense will largely depend on its outfield to show power

and drive-in runs. This past summer’s Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League MVP Jak Kidd was a tremendous addition last season, clubbing 20 extra-base hits and driving in 39 runs.

Jay Schillaci looks to make it a memorable senior season after missing significant time last season with a hamstring injury. He rebounded well in the summer, earning all-star honors in the NECBL with the Manchester Silkworms.

Richie Tri will be another Blue Devil looking to revert back to 2006 form, as his batting average dropped over 100 points between 2006 and 2007. Keeping those guys on their toes will be Kyle Zarotney, who had himself a hot streak later on in the season, en route to a .397 batting average with four home runs and 18 RBI in just 20 games played. His strong finish may merit some time for him at first base as well.

The rotation is where the biggest impact will have to be made.

With the departure of Evan Scribner, senior southpaw Matt Gianini will become the team’s number one starter. Senior right-hander John Tesseyman, who came within one out of a perfect game for the Bennington Bombers of the NYCBL this summer, will move up in the rotation as well. Junior lefty Ken Kerski will also be depended upon come conference play to get the Blue Devils back to the postseason.

As for incoming freshmen, look for Jason Foster to have an impact.

The left-hander has proven his durability, throwing a nine-inning complete game victory on three days rest in this past summer’s American Legion State Tournament.

CHAMPIONS AGAIN: Northeast Conference Champion Blue Devils Win Their First-Ever ECAC Championship CCSUBlueDevils.com Central Connecticut added its second championship this season, winning the ECAC Championships in Pittsburgh, PA. The Blue Devils, who won their first Northeast Conference Championship since 2001 earlier this year, scored 425 points to capture their first-ever ECAC title.

Seniors Lindsey Snyder, Rachel Brookman and Kristen Jurzynski placed third in the 200 back, 200 fly and 1650 free, respectively. The trio combined to score 48 points on the final day, sealing the victory for CCSU. “This is a big accomplishment for our team, our seniors and our program,” Head Coach Bill Ball said. “This is a great way to send out a special group of seniors. It really adds to an already successful season.”

Jurzynski finished the 1,650 free in 17:16.49, while junior Heather Vendetta and sophomore Alex Huffman posted ninth and 10th place finishes. The former completed the race in 17.33.54, while the latter touched in at 17.39.11. Vendetta and Huffman added to the Blue Devils lead, scoring a combined 16 points.

Snyder, the 2007-08 NEC

Swimmer of the Year, chalked up 16 points with a 2:02.50 performance in the 200 back.

Central Connecticut placed seventh in the 100 free and 200 breast. Junior Erin Crowly posted a time of 53.39 in the 100 free, while freshman Alyssa Carlucci finished the 200 breast in 2:28.89. Both scored 12 points for CCSU. Brookman, meanwhile, added a third place finish in the 200 fly. The Rocky Hill, CT native swam the event in 2:04.18 and earned 16 points for the Blue Devils. Freshman Megan McGorry captured 11 points, finishing eighth. McGorry posted a 2:11.18 time.

Heading into the 4x400 relay at the ECAC Championships, Central Connecticut held a 399 to 366.5 lead over Rider. The Blue Devil relay team of Crowley, Jurzynski, Snyder and Brookman posted a sixth place finish, touching in at 3:36.22. The Blue Devils were awarded 26 points, securing their first-ever ECAC team crown.

Snyder (52), Jurzynski (47) and Brookman (45) combined to score 144 of the 425 Blue Devil points.

Central Connecticut led from the opening day, holding off Rider, Marist and Vermont. Marist placed third with 379 points, while Vermont came in fourth with 345 points.

Conrad Akier / The Recorder

Central has been selected to finish third in the preseason NEC coaches poll. Monmouth, who defeated CCSU in the NEC Championship game last season, has been picked to finish first. The Blue Devils were swept during their first series of the season against Virginia Tech, falling 11-3, 14-12 and 16-8.

They also lost to Virginia Military Institute 7-2. Zarotney, sophomore Tommy Meade and sophomore Sean Allaire all homered for the Blue Devils during their opening weekend, while Kidd led Central with five RBIs over four games.

Baseball Schedule

* Conference Games

Date

Opponent

Location

Time

Thu, Mar 27

Fairfield

at Fairfield, CT

3:00 p.m.

Tue, Apr 01

Rhode Island

Home (TBA)

3:00 p.m.

Fri, Apr 04

Quinnipiac *

Home (TBA)

3:00 p.m.

Sat, Apr 05

Quinnipiac (DH) *

Home (TBA)

12:00 p.m.

Sun, Apr 06

Quinnipiac *

Home (TBA)

1:00 p.m.

Tue, Apr 08

Fairfield

Home (TBA)

3:00 p.m.

Fri, Apr 11

Mount St. Mary’s *

at Emmitsburg, MD

3:00 p.m.

Sat, Apr 12

Mount St. Mary’s (DH) *

at Emmitsburg, MD

12:00 p.m.

Sun, Apr 13

Mount St. Mary’s *

at Emmitsburg, MD

1:00 p.m.

Tue, Apr 15

Holy Cross

at Worcester, MA

3:00 p.m.

Fri, Apr 18

Long Island *

Bristol, CT (Muzzy Field)

3:00 p.m.

Sat, Apr 19

Long Island (DH) *

Bristol, CT (Muzzy Field)

12:00 p.m.

Sun, Apr 20

Long Island *

Bristol, CT (Muzzy Field)

1:00 p.m.

Tue, Apr 22

UMass

at Amherst, MA

3:00 p.m.

Fri, Apr 25

Monmouth *

Bristol, CT (Muzzy Field)

3:00 p.m.

Sat, Apr 26

Monmouth (DH) *

Bristol, CT (Muzzy Field)

12:00 p.m.

Sun, Apr 27

Monmouth *

Bristol, CT (Muzzy Field)

1:00 p.m.

Wed, Apr 30

UConn

at Storrs, CT

3:00 p.m.

Fri, May 02

Sacred Heart *

at Fairfield, CT

3:00 p.m.

Sat, May 03

Sacred Heart (DH) *

at Fairfield, CT

12:00 p.m.

Sun, May 04

Sacred Heart *

at Fairfield, CT

1:00 p.m.

Tue, May 06

Brown

Home (TBA)

12:00 p.m.

Fri, May 09

Wagner *

Bristol, CT (Muzzy Field)

3:00 p.m.

Sat, May 10

Wagner (DH) *

Bristol, CT (Muzzy Field)

12:00 p.m.

Sun, May 11

Wagner *

Bristol, CT (Muzzy Field)

1:00 p.m.

Fri, May 16

Fairleigh Dickinson *

at Hackensack, NJ

3:00 p.m.

Sat, May 17

Fairleigh Dickinson (DH) *

at Hackensack, NJ

12:00 p.m.

Sun, May 18

Fairleigh Dickinson *

at Hackensack, NJ

1:00 p.m.

7

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 27, 2008 / SPORTS

Bobcats Claw Past Devils Quinnipiac Beats CCSU in Overtime at the Buzzer for the Win

Jen Burns Staff Writer

With DeMario Anderson’s perfect shot from just inside half court at the buzzer, the Quinnipiac University Bobcats beat CCSU 76-73 in overtime on senior night in front of a packed crowd at Detrick Gym.

Blue Devils Sacred Heart

73 76

Two and a half seconds earlier Ken Horton, on a pass from Tristan Blackwood, nailed a three-point shot to tie the Bobcats at 73. “I just tried to make a good shot, and it went in,” said Horton.

A possibility for a second overtime was immediately squashed by Anderson’s three. “I was ready for overtime. That was a big surprise, it was a shocker, a heartbreaker,” sophomore Joe Seymore said.

Anderson shocked the crowds with his final shot however for Coach Howie Dickenman he knew it was going in.

“My arms were up as soon as it left his hand, it looked perfect, and it was perfect,” Dickenman said.

DeMario Anderson finished the night with 28 points, 12 of which came in the form of threes. Anderson

Stephanie Bergeron / The Recorder

spent two years at CCSU before going to Globe Institute in New York and then transferring to Quinnipiac.

“If he’s not the MVP in the league I’d be shocked,” Quinnipiac coach Tom Moore said.

The Bobcats came out strong during the first half with a lead of 11

points over the Blue Devils at 10:29 to go. The Blue Devils then rallied back with two three-pointers and two jump shots from Seymore. Two more three-pointers from Blackwood and Seymore’s foul shot with one second to go tied the Blue Devils with Quinnipiac at 36-36.

Saints Cast Out Devils in SECHL Title Match Kyle Dorau Staff Writer

LOUDONVILLE, NY -- As expected, the Central Connecticut State University Ice Hockey team made it to the Super East Finals, as did their biggest threat to the league championship, the Siena Saints. The Saints completely outplayed the Blue Devils in an 8-1 victory at the Albany County Skating Facility on Sunday.

Blue Devils Siena

1 8

Looking at how each team made it to the finals, you would think momentum was on the side of the Blue Devils. CCSU came into the contest on a nine-game win streak and dispatched NYU in the Semifinals in a 7-1 rout, while Siena squeaked by UNH, 3-2.

Siena quickly threw that idea out the window, looking much quicker and more polished than CCSU right from the start. A puck touched by a Blue Devil’s high stick led to a faceoff in the Central zone.

Shortly after the draw, Siena forward Patrick Markiewicz slipped it far side under the pads of Central’s sophomore net minder Carmine Vetrano to give Siena a 1-0 lead.

Just three minutes later, a loose puck in front was gobbled up by Siena freshman Jeff Scott, who flipped it over Ventrano as he was flat out on his stomach to give the Saints a two goal advantage.

CCSU mounted minimal pressure in the first period, with the best offensive chance being an Erich Stoneman partial breakaway, on which he flung a wrist shot just wide of the net.

Junior forward Mike DiClemente was whistled for a huge hit at center ice that was ruled interference, leading to a Siena power play.

On the man advantage, a shot by Saints captain Brian Biagioli was redirected on a beautiful tip-in by sophomore forward Erik Reinfried.

The first of his three goals on the day gave Siena a three goal cushion.

Being behind by such a large margin quickly frustrated several Blue Devils. One Central player in particular that responded well was sophomore forward Joe Dabowski, who doled out several thunderous hits.

The second period started on a sour note as well. Just 1:39 into the

frame, Vetrano gave up a soft goal on a wrist shot from just beyond the face-off circles to increase the Saints lead to 4-0. CCSU Head Coach Jim Mallia had seen enough and elected to hand over the game to Craig Height, who played the third period against NYU the night before.

“Carmine had a tough one, something he’s going to have to learn from himself and get back in the pipes whenever his next game is,” said Mallia.

Some undisciplined play by the Saints put CCSU on a two-man advantage for 1:21. Kevin McConnell, who missed Saturday’s game with the flu and drove up to Albany Sunday morning, tipped in a Mike DiClemente shot to put Central on the board and make it 4-1.

Height kept the Blue Devils in the game, making the save of the day by moving quickly from post to post to make a highlight reel pad save and

In the second half Horton scored 18 points with Seymore scoring 19. By the end of the game Horton led the scoring with 25 points and Seymore followed with 20.

“We got a great effort out of Joe Seymore,” Coach Dickenman said.

rob Siena on a two-on-one break away. Height had 22 saves on 26 shots in relief of Vetrano.

The hopes of a comeback were quickly dashed, as Siena scored three goals in a span of four minutes in a four-goal third period, en route to an 8-1 rout of the Blue Devils.

“We say all the right things in the locker room,” said Mallia. “But it just comes getting it done on the ice and that’s where our inexperience showed.”

Reinfried had a hat trick for the Saints, with all three goals on special teams. Two came on the power play while another was shorthanded. He also had three assists, leading all scorers with six points for the game.

“We played them twice this year, and this was a totally different Siena team,” said Mallia. “They had one focus, one mission, and that was to win a championship at home.” The Saints won their fourth SECHL title in program history—their first since 2002-03.

The team will host a public skate sendoff fund-raiser at the Newington Skating Center from

“He was one guy that stood up and I am proud of his efforts.”

With 1:35 left on the clock CCSU was down 59-61. Seymore’s missed three-point attempt was rebounded by Marcus Palmer who then made two free throws to even out the score at 61. A jump shot by Anderson put the Bobcats back on top.

Again the Blue Devils took advantage of a missed lay-up as Horton tied the game 63-63. With four seconds left on the clock, a missed threepoint attempt by Marcus Palmer would have taken this game into overtime.

“They were more physical in the rebounding area,” Dickenman said. Quinnipiac totaled 46 rebounds while CCSU pulled down 40.

“I wouldn’t say they beat us up, but they were more physical than us.

They moved us around when we shouldn’t be moved around,” Dickenman said. “We need to be more physical, something we need to address before we play Sacred Heart.”

Blackwood scored 11 points on the night along with a game high of eight assists. Blackwood is only two assists shy of becoming the fifth player in the history of the NEC with 1500 points and 500 career assists.

With this game not going his way, all of Blackwood’s achievements speak for themselves. He has started in 117 games, which broke a CCSU record.

“My heart goes out to Tristan Blackwood; he’s someone who has done everything we’ve asked and then some,” Coach Dickenman said.

“He’s a perfect teammate; I don’t think there’s a day he doesn’t give 100 percent in practice and games. His legacy will not be on this game.”

Senior Dannie Powell played 21 minutes with one steal, one point and three assists. Powell’s driving lay up in the second half of last season’s NEC Championship game versus Sacred Heart for the comeback win will not soon be forgotten.

8-9:30 p.m. this Saturday. The cost is ten dollars, which includes skate rental for those who need it. It’s open to students, friends, family, and anyone who wants to support the team.

Notes: The game was delayed for about five minutes in the second period when the referee was hit in the face with the puck. He left and did not return… Sophomore forward Joe Dabkowski was named SECHL Player of the Year…The Blue Devils will leave for the ACHA Division II National Tournament in Fort Myers, Florida on Tuesday…CCSU is in the National Tournament for the first time since the 2002-03 season. That year, the University of Colorado won the championship. Colorado is in CCSU’s bracket this year… CCSU’s one-goal performance was their fourth of the season, all in losing efforts… CCSU hasn’t been shut out since October 13, 2006 in a 4-0 loss at Penn State.

Photos by Stephanie Bergeron / The Recorder

8

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 27, 2008 / SPORTS

Dugan and Udenze Pace Blue Devils in Northeast Conference Road Loss vs.

Sacred Heart

Blue Devils Take Pioneers in NEC Tournament Preview Peter Collin Sports Editor Senior Tristan Blackwood put on an offensive display Sunday afternoon, scoring a season high 32 points as the Blue Devils routed the Sacred Heart Pioneers 100-87 in a NEC Quarterfinals preview.

CCSUBlueDevils.com

Blue Devils Sacred Heart

Sacred Heart 87 Blue Devils 100 Blackwood also tallied six assists to give him 504 career assists and 100 for the third straight season.

Blackwood is now one of five NEC players to total 1500 career points and 500 career assists.

The Blue Devils dominated the inside game, out rebounding the Pioneers 36-28 and putting up 48 points in the paint compared to 36 for SHU. For Coach Howie Dickenman, it was important to control the paint to free up outside shots.

The strategy worked as the Blue Devils shot 53 percent from beyond the arc, including a 60 percent mark in the second half.

Central played a see-saw game with the Pioneers throughout the first half until Blackwood connected for one of his four three-point baskets to put the Blue Devils on top for good, 44-43. Ken Horton added a buzzerbeating lay-up to extend the lead to three going into half-time.

Sophomore Joe Seymore played a key role in dominating the

boards. Seymore pulled down eight rebounds on the night, second only to Horton’s game-high nine boards.

It was a strong showing for the Blue Devils, playing without freshman point guard Shemik Thompson who was out with a head injury from Thursday night’s contest against Quinnipiac.

Thompson provided a spark for the Blue Devils at the point guard spot, adding more depth, while allowing Seymore to come off

the bench. But the Blue Devils persevered without Thompson in a contest that they could have treated as a throw away game.

“I thought it showed some character. It could be very easy to take an attitude that this game didn’t mean anything,” said Coach Dickenman. “We told the guys that if it didn’t mean anything then they wouldn’t be keeping score, they wouldn’t be timing it and we wouldn’t have our uniforms on.”

The Blue Devils offense rolled through the Pioneers in the second half, using a 12-5 run to build a 10-point lead over the first five minutes of the half. SHU would not get close the lead to less than eight points for the rest of the game.

Blackwood carried Central during the second half, scoring 24 of his 32 points points during the half.

“I was driving and I was being more aggressive and I just saw an opening and I just took advantage of it,” said Blackwood about his performance and the team’s chances on Thursday. “It gives us momentum, it gives us confidence. It shows that we can play as a team and we can win.”

It was a huge turnaround for the Blue Devils. In December Central fell at home to the Pioneers 68-52. The victory proves that they can take on SHU on their home

court Thursday in the NEC Quarterfinals.

“I think we keep the same confidence. Every game we’re confident if we come out and do what Coach [Dickenman] preaches we can beat anybody,” said Junior Marcus Palmer. “I expect to win, but it’s going to hard.”

Three other Blue Devils topped double figures.

Palmer led Blackwood’s supporting cast with a career high 24 points and five rebounds. Horton added 17 points to his nine rebounds and Seymore chipped in with 12 points.

Senior Brice Brooks led the Pioneers with 19 points and sophomore Corey Hassan added 16 points.

It was the 20 th game in which Horton scored 10 or more points, the most for a freshman since Corsley Edwards notched 22 during his freshman season of 1998-99. The victory was the 17th in a row for the Blue Devils when they score more than 80 points in a game, a streak that stretches back to the 2005-06 season.

The Blue Devils will match up against the Pioneers again on Thursday, March 6 in Fairfield for the Quarterfinals of the NEC Tournament. The winner will play on Sunday, March 9 against the winner of #5 Quinnipiac versus #4 Mount St. Mary’s.

Top: Senior Tristan Blackwood scored a season high 32 points and delivered his 100th assist for the third straight season.

Left: Feshman guard Aaron Hall takes the ball to the basket over a Sacred Heart defenseman.

Bottom: Tristan Blackwood and Coach Dickenman talk to a reporter after the Blue Devil win.

Photos by Stephanie Bergeron / The Recorder

57 79

Sophomore Kerrianne Dugan had 15 points to lead Central Connecticut (4-24, 3-14) in a 79-57 Northeast Conference road loss against Sacred Heart (19-9, 14-3).

Freshman Justina Udenze added 11 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore Kanita Boone had 11 points for the Blue Devils.

The Pioneers opened the game with a 7-0 run and led 17-3 at the 14:28 mark. They started the game 9-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-3 on three-pointers and eventually went up 37-13 on a jumper by junior Khalia Cain. The Sacred Heart advantage stretched to 44-14, but CCSU ended the half on a 9-0 run.

Boone paced Central Connecticut with six points. Junior Stephanie Ryan had 11 points and eight rebounds to lead Sacred Heart. Junior Kaitlin Sowinski and freshman Maggie Cosgrove each added nine points for the Pioneers, who went without a field goal over the final 3:43 but still shot 65.5 percent from the field during the half.

They hit 19-of-29 shots, including 5-of-9 from distance. The Blue Devils finished the half with a 14-12 edge in on points in the paint.

Central Connecticut trimmed the margin to 48-34 over the second half ’s opening 4:05. The Blue Devils hit 8-of-10 from the floor to start the period, but a 9-0 Pioneer counter to the opening Blue Devil run pushed the Sacred Heart lead back into the 20s by the half ’s midway point.

The Blue Devils shot 52 percent from the field in the second half and continued to control the interior. They finished with a 36-22 advantage in the paint. Sacred Heart ended the game with a 54.7 percent shooting effort. The Pioneers connected on 9-of-18 threes.

Junior Jhanay Harris and freshman Alexzandria Dowdy each added seven points for the Blue Devils. Dowdy also gathered six rebounds and had four assists.

Ryan had a double-double to lead Sacred Heart. She totaled 19 points and 10 rebounds. Sowinski finished with 17 points, while Cain had 16 points, four assists and four steals. Freshman Alisa Apo contributed 12 points, six assists and four rebounds in the win.

Central Connecticut will close out the season with a 7 p.m. home game against Quinnipiac on Monday, March 3. Senior Kamara Scott will be honored prior to the opening tip.

ALSO INSIDE: Music Reviews - Page 10

- Page 12

New Haven Show Guide - Page 11

10 THE RECORDER Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Entertainment

This is probably one of the hardest albums to review that I have ever come across, mainly due to a tension between happiness and longing that is so obvious in every song. The listener can begin a song and appreciate it for its dreamy feel but then become overcome by a sublime feeling of despair.

The first song that played on my iTunes off the Devotion album was “D.A.R.L.I.N.G.,” and from there it had the characteristics laid out of an album that sounded like it could be worthwhile.

A heavenly build-up in the beginning of the song lends its steady grace but not much more, just to keep it simple enough. After the initial three minutes and 18 seconds of my first Beach House experience, I am satisfied.

The entire 11-track list has this eerie and calming echoing of an electric guitar, with bendy notes like Santo and Johnny but more subdued, and something that sounds like a very dull organ. Simple and soft drum accompaniments keep everything slow; the fastest and most interesting part of the percussion section is the unhappy tambourine in the song “Holy Dances.”

It is definitely a different sound that is dreamier and slower than most bands would like to pursue. Beach House could probably make a living in writing the soundtracks for extremely modern sad movies because the songs sound as if they were written out of some wish to be happy but soon become sedated and drowned in a blurred mess of sorrow.

Beach House definitely becomes an acquired taste if the album is played a few times over or maybe just left on in the background, and I can see myself still revisiting this collection of melancholy songs a few months from now.

For those who are interested in Beach House, either for their unique sound or funky dress, the band will be playing at Wesleyan University in Middletown on April Fool’s Day. Melissa Traynor / News Editor

In a new EP— their third EP release to be exact—called One Too Many Hearts consisting of four new tracks released on Valentine’s Day, The Bird and the Bee keeps their style, while this time singing all about love.

The EP has four songs, three of which are new: “Birthday,” “Last Day of Our Love” and “Come As You Are.” Like the song by Bernadette Peters and Steve Martin in the 1979 movie, Jerk, The Bird and the Bee cover “Tonight You Belong to Me” as a duet.

The new EP is a solid one, bringing an effort of catchy, soft-spoken lyrics with the voice of lead singer Inara George, who captures a singing style that reminds most of Enya.

The EP is strewn with a bit of an electronic feel, but consists mostly of acoustic guitar, piano and drumbeats. Greg Kurstin or the ‘the bee’ of the group, who has worked with artists like Lily Allen, Beck and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, provides listeners with a bit of an oldschool feel when he adds in just a few sound effects.

A more popular, and favorite track on One Too Many Hearts is “Birthday,” with a more uptempo rhythm led by guitar and drums, consisting of lyrics like “Hold on hold on / Doing the best we can / I will love you on your birthday / I will love you better than them” is the first single off the EP, and also one of the catchier tracks.

Another one of the more different tracks on the EP is “Last Day Of Our Love” that exhibits a bit of a hip-hop beat with some funk guitar added and more sound effects of violins and pianos, creating a more interesting choice in sound for The Bird and The Bee. Overall, the Bird and The Bee’s new EP “One Too Many Hearts”, whether for the hopeless romantic or the faint-at-heart, is a solid release and has a few good tracks for anyone to listen to.

Eunice Rivera / Staff Writer

How did I miss this album?

Untrue was released back in November and completely flew under my radar until about two weeks ago, when I saw the mysterious musician’s name appearing in almost every “Best of 2007” list that I read online. Mysterious is the only word that can describe what Burial does. He has not released who he is, according to an interview with The Guardian, a UK newspaper; only 5 people who know him personally know that he makes music.

Along with the mystery that surrounds the artist, it also surrounds the type of music he is giving us. Considered dubstep—a style of music made popular in London in the early 2000s that concentrates on dark tones, heavy on bass and a small but poignant amount of vocals, by Pitchfork and other music publications—Burial blends together the right amounts of house beats, ghostly pop samples and scratched low-fi sound that makes it stand out of every other genre.

The album’s beginning is slightly misleading at first listen, though. Its second track, “Archangel,” begins like a pop-heavy dance track with a smooth, faded vocal sample that makes you feel a bit upbeat and optimistic for what is going to happen on the rest of the album.

The problem is that “Archangel” is an oddball track on Untrue. Most of the songs on the album use far fewer vocals and tend to be heavier sounding, toeing the edge between dark and depressing. If you’re looking for music to start off your pre-gaming before the party, this isn’t it.

This album is for the upcoming month before spring where it seems dark and cloudy almost every day and a cold, chilling wind whips through campus, leaving you wanting to stay in your dorm until the sun reappears next month.

If you can bring yourself past the brooding, deep sounds on Untrue, it is easy to appreciate how good it is. Burial has completed one of the hardest tasks as an artist, creating a sophomore album that bests the rookie record. While this review is months overdue, do yourself a favor and go search this one out—you won’t be disappointed.

Edward Gaug / Entertainment Editor

Normally I don’t do CD reviews because seeing the age of 40 generally disqualifies me for recognizing any of the groups that are offered to sampling, and while The Raveonettes are no group that I have ever heard before, their sound is not that unfamiliar.

Their album— and yes I do remember and even still own albums—Lust, Lust, Lust, has a sound that mixes some of the golden ages of rock and roll. Their sound reminds me of the old Italian spaghetti westerns, with Clint Eastwood riding across a baking desert. The group’s harmonizing reminds me of The Everly Brothers of the 1950s and ’60s.

If you are the kind of person who enjoys techno or hip-hip, then keep looking. But if you want a group that someone over 20 could also enjoy, then The Raveonettes are definitely for you.

Some of the later songs on the album have a beat that was popular in the mid ’80s with such artists as Belinda Carlisle, Katrina and The Waves and The Cranberries. Lust, Lust, Lust takes you on a ride through some 30 years of rock sounds, even blending in some back beats that you would hear in classic sci-fi.

While the music is, for the most part, simple and pure, this is not to say that Lust, Lust, Lust is a throwback album suitable only for us folks closer to retirement. Its sound is hauntingly mellow without being boring, with plenty of different musical cues to spark the senses. Lust, Lust, Lust blends unusual sounds with familiar beats, providing a listening experience that is both cutting edge, yet comfortable. If you want a break from the same old pop or hip-hop stuff, the same sound over and over, then this album makes for a great change of pace. It is unlike anything else but somehow very familiar, and that makes it very comforting indeed.

Having never heard of The Raveonettes before, I cannot say if this album is typical of their style or sound; but given their almost mystical harmony, it is certainly a winning combination that should serve them well. It will be interesting to hear more from them in the future.

Brian Morache / Staff Writer

Beach House Devotion

Burial Untrue

The Bird and The Bee One Too Many Hearts

The Raveonettes Lust, Lust, Lust

Headlights Some Racing, Some Stopping

Last week, Headlights released their sophomore album, Some Racing, Some Stopping, and from the second any unsuspecting sap puts the album in their CD player, the band begins striving to achieve what may be the CD’s only goal— annoying the piss out of anyone who has to listen.

Lead singers Tristan Wraight and Erin Fein whine more than little orphan Annie after Daddy Warbux finally had the sense to drop the singing midget back off at the orphanage. On top of their painfully-apparent inability to sing, the band’s lyrics include literary gems like “and the fireworks, they always make me cry,” while most of the choruses are full of “woah-oh-ohs” and hipsters clapping their hands in unison.

The only real instruments used in Some Racing, Some Stopping are synthesizer, organ, xylophone and the occasional bass-less guitar.

The CD’s title track sounds like it was produced with the intention of being so goddamn indie that even Juno would get nauseous. The song starts off with the lyrics, “I am a heart that fits in your pocket, and you can hear me at night when it’s quiet / wouldn’t it be sort of strange if we could hear our hearts all beating at once? / Some racing, some stopping, some skipping and dropping while we’re listening.”

But because Headlights seems to be competing with Cat Power for the “Shittiest New Release of the Year” award, all of the lyrics are whispered with a bit of purposeless distortion thrown into the mix. The only real background music is an organ that hits every note expected of it, with a few wind chime-mimicking xylophone notes.

All in all, Some Racing, Some Stopping is the sort of album that reminds listeners how much they really hate indie-rock and how fortunate they are that bands like The Smiths and The Cure crawled back under the rock they came from. There is nothing new, catchy or at all interesting about the album; the best words to describe Headlights would be “painfully mediocre.” In a time where underground music seems to be overly saturated with high-schoolers whining about every one of their long-lostloves, bands need a little bit more than ’80s synth and wooden-block solos to get somebody to give a shit.

Marissa Blaszko / Staff Writer This issue will be a great one for you if you somehow appreciate synth drum beats and dance-rock tunes as much as I have recently. Crystal Castles is a band that I have read about mostly due to other bands bringing them up, so it was a cinch to decide to give them a listen and, subsequently, a review.

Crystal Castles’ first full release is a solid start for a band that was discovered online through an early demo track posted to a MySpace profile.

The synth and electronics-heavy album bounces around with enough energy to get the listener and myself moving in their chair. It also keeps an almost serious air to it because there are tracks that slow it down, keeping the album from sounding like a pop explosion that is something easy to do on an album with so many blips, beeps and 8-bit video game samples.

The album’s third track, “Alice Practice,” is the track that brought Crystal Castles all the attention they are getting right now, and it’s easy to see why so many people caught on to their sound. While the track is one of the more chaotic tracks on the album, it mixes a great background beat with a screaming female vocal that doesn’t make your ears bleed but doesn’t calm you either.

There are other tracks, such as “Xxzxcuzx Me,” that bounce off the walls with enough Nintendo sound clips to make me fire up the old system and throw in Mega Man and Super Mario Brothers just so the good times continue.

I am a complete sucker for video games infused into my music, whether it is used like Horse the Band or just name dropped like in Cool Kids. I wish music would just let out its nerd side and use video games as a source of inspiration.

Crystal Castles Crystal Castles

Crystal Castles is a great listen for both the seasoned experimental listener and the beginner that was just introduced to Girl Talk and can’t get enough samples and electronic beats.

While it might not climb the ladder high enough to compete with acts like Chromeo or Justice, it is a solid first full-length, and I can’t wait to see where they go next.

Edward Gaug / Entertainment Editor

Muscles Guns Babes Lemonade

With his debut album, Guns Babes Lemonade, Muscles, hailing from Australia, brings us an array of fun, danceable electronica, which reached number three on the US electronica charts in December.

Muscles along with his debut album, has also released four EPs—“Four Months”, “Hyperpop”, “Popular Music Is A Joke”, and “Gold Coast Babes,”— and has remixed tracks for electronica artists such as Slyhats and Robyn.

With tracks like “Sweaty” and “Chocolate Raspberry Lemon and Lime” the album is a fun, unique one including background sounds of highly pitched tinkling piano, techno-influenced drumming and awesomely electronic sound effects.

Part of what makes this album so fun is the lyrics, and even some of the track titles themselves. In the first track, “Sweaty,” some of the lyrics are “I’m getting tired and I’m sweaty, but I still want to touch you if you let me,” and it includes a repeating chorus line of “Peace, love, ecstasy, unity, respect,” with the ‘peace, love, ecstasy’ part repeated three times, channeling a type of chant.

Another set of fun lyrics is from the catchiest song on the album “Chocolate Raspberry Lemon and Lime” where Muscles sings, “I wish that I could keep you in my pocket, so I could play with you all the time, wrap you up in a little blanket, Chocolate, Raspberry, Lemon and Lime! Cause you’re mine.” There is also the song, “Ice Cream” where Muscles also tells us that “Ice cream is gonna save the day.”

Some other fun songs are tracks like “The Lake,” “Jerk” and “Marshmallow,” which sounds almost like it came from a Sonic The Hedgehog video game with a great electronic edge.

Overall, Guns Babes Lemonade by Muscles, is a fun album and could possibly be more than welcome at any rave or dance party, with fun tracks and extremely danceable beats, asking listeners to have a great time.

Eunice Rivera / Staff Writer

Dead Meadow Old Growth

Dead Meadow, the space rock trio out of Washington, D.C., is one of those bands you might have never heard of before, but when you listen to them they automatically sound a little too familiar. They seem to literally step out of a time warp from the ’60s or ‘70s, fusing psychedelics, perma-baked vocals and heavy guitars.

The band started out 10 years ago and has since released five records. They recorded for a few years as a foursome until reverting back to a trio last year.

Despite a few lineup changes their sound has basically stayed the same, so Old Growth seems like the appropriate album title.

Much of Dead Meadow’s music mediates between a world of sprawled-out guitars and vocals drenched in reverb, creating this slow-burning, daydream effect. “Seven Seers” sounds like the perfect theme music for some horrifying acid trip, complete with twangy sitar.

“The Queen of All Returns” rocks back and forth between a swarm of avalanche drumming and fantasy story telling that sounds Tolkien inspired, but guitarist/singer Jason Simon’s dazed vocals give off the impression that he is bored with his own music. It might be of no surprise that the original drummer left the band to see if becoming a lawyer would be more thrilling.

There are a few highlights, like “Between Me and the Ground” that sound effortless, but that is where the line is drawn before much of the album turns out to be down right yawn inducing. Old Growth is a safe offering from Dead Meadow, who sound like a band that is genrelocked within the stoner-rock category.

Justin Kloczko / Editor-in-Chief

11

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, March 5, 2008 / ENTERTAINMENT

Wandering in Search of Music in New Haven A Guide to Live Shows in the Elm City Toad’s Place

theeyethefilm.com

The Eye Not Worth a Watch Samantha Sullivan Copy Editor

People’s Center

BAR

Cafe Nine

Edward Gaug Entertainment Editor While Hartford is the easy answer for finding something to do nearby when you live here at CCSU, sadly the Capital City has recently been put to shame in ways of offering good live music. If you find yourself bored with nothing to do and some extra gas in the tank, head down Route 9 to 91 South and go exploring the streets of the Elm City; you won’t have a hard time finding the music.

In the past two months, I was able to go to four separate shows in New Haven, at four different places, and there wasn’t a charge for any of them. Free music has this great ability to take a mediocre band and make seeing them worth it because you didn’t have to spend a penny, except for the few bucks you dropped on that last pint of Newcastle.

Here is my quick fly-by of the New Haven music scene. While I know there are a few other places, these are the big players in the local scene; you can find everything from iPod DJing with free buffet and two dollar Pabst Blue Ribbon on draft at Café 9 on Wednesday nights, to Wu-Tang Clan at Toad’s Place almost every year. Enjoy the read and don’t forget to leave a few dollars in your pocket for a slice of New Haven pizza after the show lets out.

Toad’s Place

er side, comparable to the Webster; so if you want a more personal feeling, keep reading. For those of you under 21, don’t even bother trying to get a drink—after being shut down because of underage drinking, Toad’s has become strict on showing IDs for drinks.

Cafe Nine

250 State Street 203.789.8281 www.cafenine.com Cafe Nine is extremely proud of the fact that they can say they have live music every night of the week. Though it seems like an empty promise, the guys at the small bar on State Street really come through, supplying the public with cold brews and pretty good tunes. The bands playing at Cafe Nine will range from the extremely obscure folk band to a relatively high profile indie band. The latest show I was able to catch there was Ra Ra Riot and The Simple Pleasure; the place was packed with cool people and the drinks came without wait. If you like live music with your adult drinks, this could be your new favorite hangout.

Suggested Drink: Black and Tan—the guy behind the bar made the best I’ve ever had.

BAR

300 York Street 203.624.TOAD www.toadsplace.com

254 Crown Street 203.495.8924 www.barnightclub.com

Toad’s Place is the biggest and most popular of all the venues that populate the Yale-area of New Haven. You will have a hard time finding a free show here, but the tickets tend to not be too outrageous. This is the place where you will get the best acts of all the other venues in the area. If national touring bands that get heavy radio play are your thing, this is the spot for you. Crowds can get up to over a thousand people and the room is on the larg-

I was a little iffy about BAR when I first heard about it because it was described to me as a nightclub, which isn’t quite my style. When I finally made it down there this past January for White Williams, the atmosphere of this bar-slash-pizzaplace-slash-venue pleasantly surprised me. When we walked in, the “Bru Room” was the first stop, an open room with numerous long communal benches and tables to sit and chat while sipping a drink

and eating some of the best-looking pizza that isn’t coming from Pepe’s or Sally’s. After a few beverages, you can make your way to “BARtropolis,” a.k.a. the venue part of the place. It has a small stage and wide-open dance floor with space for at least a few hundred listeners. Off to the side of the stage is ANOTHER BAR that was serving three-dollar Magic Hat No. 9 bottles. Best of all, there was no cover and the music is always free. Why? (the band) will be playing there on the 23rd, so go check it out.

Suggested Drink: Jameson and Ginger Ale— the main bar’s two bartenders can make a mean stiff drink, if whiskey is something you’re into.

People’s Center

37 Howe Street 203.747.2499 www.manicproductions.org While I haven’t made it down to People’s Center yet, it seems to be a pretty popular venue for the guys over at Manic Productions, one of Connecticut’s biggest names in booking great indie, punk, hardcore and experimental shows. After checking out a few photos, People’s looks like your run-of-the-mill hall venue, like an American Legion or Elks Lodge. In the upcoming weeks, you can check out bands like Chinese Stars and Pissed Jeans for less than 10 bucks each, and you can guarantee there will be a huge crowd at both shows.

If you can’t find something new or interesting at any of these venues, then you are stuck with making your way down to New York City or up to Beantown because there isn’t another city around that will offer up the choices New Haven has been churning out lately. Grab some friends and a few bucks, and get ready to have a few beers and a good time in New Haven.

And so the era of Americanremade Asian horror cult classics continues. David Moreau and Xavier Palud’s remake of the Hong Kong classic Gin gwai was rated as just “Another tedious remake of an Asian horror film” on rottentomatoes.com, receiving only a 4.2 out of 10. I know it’s over a month late, but I was only recently able to catch The Eye. Hottie-boom-bottie Jessica Alba stars as Sydney Wells, a violinist who lost her eyesight at the age of five while playing with firecrackers with her sister, Helen, played by Parker Posey. Helen convinces Sydney to get corneal transplants, allowing her to see for the first time in years; but what she begins to see turns out to be more frightening than a lifetime of darkness. It’s up to Sydney to find the meaning behind her mysterious and daunting visions before they come true.

While it has an interesting plot, the movie does not live up the potential the Pang brothers set it up for in 2002. The eerie style they usually employ was missing from Moreau and Palud’s 2008 version. The elements were there for an exciting thriller, but the film unfortunately just didn’t follow through.

It seems that recent horror movies have employed lazy tactics in attempting to scare the audience, and The Eye is full of them. Loud noises, sudden faces and disappearing apparitions are shocking, but they are only momentary scares. The best horror films are those that leave things unexplained, that scare the audience with silence and a lack of imagery rather than flashy sets, ridiculous screams and computer-animated ghoulies.

The Eye follows the same tired footsteps of The Grudge and The Return; even The Ring comes to mind when watching this film because of the striking similarities, although I much prefer it to the other Asian remakes. Isn’t it funny that they all start with the word “The”? Also, I hate when lead characters narrate, either throughout or just in part; it really makes the movie seem worse than it may already be.

The only reason I could possibly think any person would still want to see this movie would be to drool over Jessica Alba or the lead male, New Englander Alessandro Nivola.

What a hunk.

12

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, March 5, 2008 / ENTERTAINMENT

Making Some Noise

Quiet Life

Gaug: Are there any specific bands that you want to see while you’re down there?

Spellman: I really want to see Dr. Dog. Have you seen them before?

Gaug: I actually have, they played at Coney Island this summer with Cursive and Black Lips.

Spellman: Oh right, at Siren Fest. I’m really pysched for the Park the Van [Dr. Dog’s label] show that’s being put on with Daytrotter. It’s Dr. Dog, Tulsa, [The] Teeth, and Ra Ra Riot. They’re all real cool people, so I’m psyched for that.

Gaug: Who else is playing with you tonight?

Spellman: The Wagon Riders are playing with us tonight.

They do classic country type of covers. It’s pretty sweet and they’re awesome guys.

Gaug: With this album, was it different from something you might have done a year or two years ago?

Edward Gaug Entertainment Editor While it’s not uncommon for a band to tour in support of a newly released album, the New London, Conn. based Quiet Life are doing it a little more backwards than usual. This past Sunday, the quartet played a home town CD release show before they embarked on a cross country, 30-day tour that brings them to places like Austin, Texas to crash South by Southwest and three separate shows in California before returning to the East Coast with shows in Tennessee and North Carolina. They will finally be wrapping up back home playing the Amity Teen Center in Woodbridge on April 4.

The reason things seem reversed for Quiet Life is the fact that the songs being released on their brand new album, Act Natural, have been recorded for almost two years, but haven’t been played live in nearly as long. The band has finally freed up enough time to release and support this album before going back into the studio to lay down all the songs that they have written since then.

Spellman: That record was actually recorded two years ago. Our new record that’s being released tonight was actually done two years ago. We have enough material for an entire new full length right now. It’s kind of weird, as of a month ago; we were playing any of the songs off of this new record live. We were playing all new material, so now we’ve been practicing older songs for when the record comes out, so we can play them again. It’s kind of funny how that works out. It just took us longer than we thought.

New stuff sounds a little bit different than the old stuff.

Gaug: I was noticing that too, comparing what I heard on your MySpace compared to when I saw you at CCSU about a year ago. I don’t know if it is an actual difference or just different between live and recorded.

Edward Gaug: You are playing your CD release show tonight. Is it the official start of your tour?

Sean Spellman: We leave on Wednesday for the tour and we have a show in Pennsylvania that night. We just wanted to have the CD release party before we left and we thought this was the best place to do it and with the tour starting up, this is the time to do it.

Gaug: With a tour like this, how do you get ready to basically live in a van for two months?

Spellman: Actually it’s only one month, but we saved up a lot of money starting five months before it and we’ve been doing a lot of booking. We book all our own shows personally. We have to make sure that the van is in working order and Febreeze the van. We have a lot of stuff going on right now; the CD is coming out on Tuesday and waiting for the tour, we just did some demos and we’re going to come back and work on a new record, so we have a lot of stuff to do.

Gaug: With this record was Safety [Meeting Records] in on it or did they come in later on?

Spellman: Carlos at Safety Meeting. We’ve been friends with him and were always in touch with him when we were making the record. After we finished it, we were trying to figure out what we’re going to do it and he said, “I’d love to put it out, lets do it.” So that’s kind of how that happened.

Gaug: You guys are playing South by Southwest, that’s kind of a huge deal isn’t it?

Spellman: Yeah it is; we’re actually playing it “unofficially” though. We didn’t get into it, we applied for it, but we knew we were going to get a spot but we said, “Fuck it, we have to go down there and crash it.” We have a couple friends down there that own bars and venues that are going to let us play any shows that we can get on, any day parties that are going on. Most shows aren’t really South

by Southwest affiliated anyways; there are so many people down there. So far we have three shows and we’re going to try to book a few more when we get down there and just kind of hang.

Spellman: I think that could be the case.

Gaug: One of the songs on Quiet Life’s MySpace, “Trying to Get Home”—I hate to use other band names when I talk about songs—but the first thing that popped into my head when I heard it was modern Bright Eyes, but as the song continues, it definitely evolves into something completely different. Do you ever pull influence from bands you listened to growing up or even hear now?

Spellman: Definitely. Everything I hear personally affects the way I write songs and yeah, there was a point in time when I listened to a lot of Bright Eyes and I’m sure that’s had a huge effect on my songwriting. Bands like Wilco and bands like Crazy Horse have done the same too. It’s funny to hear what you are compared to, people say “I hate to compare you to someone else, but…” I was talking to a reporter the other day and he brought up the Black Crows and Wilco and then he asked, “Who’s cooler: Jeff Tweedy or Chris Robinson?” I don’t know, they’re both pretty cool, I guess. It’s flattering, I guess.

Gaug: That’s kind of music is though, I might hear something and five other people will hear something completely different.

Spellman: Nobody likes giving comparisons to their own art, but it’s a way to help people identify with it.

13

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, March 5, 2008 / ENTERTAINMENT

WEEK OF MARCH 5 MUSIC 3.7

Ghastly City Sleep

@ Wallingford American Legion Wallingford, Conn. 6 p.m. / $8

The Savages, Laura Linney is finally getting the recognition she deserves as an actress of great intelligence and subtle charisma. In a bittersweet comedy by Tamara Jenkins, whose last film was The Slums of Beverly Hills, Linney plays an aspiring New York City playwright who, along with her brother, a morally queasy English professor played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, is faced with the ultimate curse of middle age.

3.5 – 3.6

El Violin It isn’t often new music surfaces that is so deeply intense, just hearing it may induce instant nostalgia; the ancient sensations you get when the seasons change, a vivid dream involving the first person you ever loved. In the same way that select few can simultaneously achieve dark and uplifting songs, the Brooklyn-based quartet known as Ghastly City Sleep hone in on some immensely powerful elements to deliver a commanding, breathtaking first offering. This band features ex-members of City of Caterpillar playing music in vein of Sigur Rós, Múm and the like.

Opening Bands: Pygmy Rush, They and the Children

3.8

Souvenir’s Young America @ Cherry Street Station Wallingford, Conn. 7 p.m. / $5

Take the instrumental sprawl of Red Sparowes, incorparate atmospheric electronics and then add the organic eclecticism of Jaga Jazzist with occasional diversions into cacophonous doom style guitar abuse, twangy countrified melodicism, ominous ambience and garagerock swagger and you’ll have some idea as to what this sounds like. For fans of Red Sparowes, Pelican, Jesu and Zombi.

Opening Band: City of Ships

3.9

Hair Police

@ BAR New Haven, Conn.

9 p.m. / FREE Working with traditional rock instrumentation as well as electronics, tape manipulation, and oscillators, Hair Police builds demonic walls of sound for a result reminiscent of Throbbing Gristle, early Black Dice, and Wolf Eyes. Hair Police formed in Lexington, KY, in January of 2001.

The original lineup included Matt Minter and Ross Compton, but the group soon settled on Mike Connelly (guitar, vocals, tapes, noise), Robert Beatty (electronics), and Trevor Tremaine (drums, vocals, tapes).

Opening Band: Sickness

FILM 3.5 – 3.8

The Savages

@ Cinestudio Hartford, Conn.

7:30 p.m. / $7 Winning her third Academy Award nomination (after Kinsey and You Can Count on Me) for

@ Real Art Ways Hartford, Conn.

5:45 p.m. / $6.25 With exquisite suspense, El Violin explores what motivates ordinary people to fight oppression with extreme bravery. Don Plutarco is a violinist and a talented artist, but he has to tie his bow to his maimed right arm in order to play.

His talent charms the Captain of the brutal local squad of the Mexican army..

3.9 – 3.11

The Seven Samurai @ Cinestudio Hartford, Conn.

7:30 p.m. / $7

Cinestudio presents an exciting event for film lovers: a new 35mm print of the chiaroscuro masterpiece of Japanese cinema, Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai. Kurosawa’s story of a small group of comrades (16th century Samurai) who are called upon by respectable folks who need their help, but who are distrusted for their outcast ethos, inspired filmmakers around the globe. However, few surpassed Kurosawa’s visual gifts and his talent for filming action sequences that are both thrilling and profound.

ART Through 3.30

@ Real Art Ways Hartford, Conn.

5:45 p.m. / $6.25

@ Real Art Ways Hartford, Conn.

11 a.m. / $5

Mary Temple

Set in 1987, the last year that Soviet Communism held its sway in Eastern Europe, this highly original, haunting film gives us an idea of Romania, just then, through the eyes of two young women, one of whom wants an abortion. Winner of the top Cannes Award, the Palme D’Or this year, Christian Mingiu has turned an oft-told story into a masterpiece about humanity. There is no obvious explication of Romanian Communism’s hold on its people.

Even though Temple is considered a multi-disciplinary artist, her background in painting remains a key part of her sculptural forms. Temple explores the visual qualities of light and shadow in any given room, which displays an uncanny awareness of everyday spaces. Using a single piece of paper, she folds and cuts it to resemble a small room with windows; an exterior source of light is then cast into it. Then, working from memory, Temple paints the places that received light, while at the same time inventing and adding details from an exterior landscape.

3.7 – 3.8

@ New Britain Museum of Modern Art New Britain, Conn.

11 a.m. / FREE

Steep

@ Cinestudio Hartford, Conn.

7:30 p.m. / $7 Watching Steep on the big screen is as close as most of us will ever get to the visceral thrills found in the extreme sport of big mountain skiing. Top athletes - including Doug Coombs, who was killed after appearing in the film doing what he loved best - are flown by helicopter to uncharted mountains in the French Alps, Alaska, Iceland, and more. The helicopter then films the skiers as they fly down the mountains at dizzying speed. Narrator Peter Krause (of Six Feet Under) questions skiers about their desire - like Chris McCandless of Into the Wild - to test their courage in the wilderness. The gorgeous photography of breathtaking landscapes of snow provides its own explanation.

3.7 – 3.11

Passing Poston: An American Story (with short: Pilgrimage) @ Real Art Ways Hartford, Conn.

5:30 p.m. / $6.25

For the tens of thousands of Japanese Americans forcibly interned during World War II, the scars have never healed. For Ruth Okimoto the need to confront the past brings her back to the desert of Arizona where she spent her childhood years behind barbed wire. Back to the Colorado River Indian Reservation, where Poston was built. It is a journey Ruth takes, to find meaning in the inexplicable as she searches to discover the true story of how the Poston camp came into being.

Through 11.9

Pop to the Present: New Questions, New Responses @ Wadsworth Atheneum Hartford, Conn.

11 a.m. / $5

3.6

4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days

black and white illustrations that have become her trademark.

Through 5.4

Cathie Bleck: 13 Years of Artistic Expression

Bleck is best known for her distinctive scratchboard illustrations, involving a process similar in concept to woodblock printing. Working on clayboard, Bleck carves delicate yet powerful

Featuring major works from the Atheneum’s extensive collections, this exhibition examines the multiple avenues of artistic exploration from the 1960s to the present. With the explosion of new modes of representation and new artistic, social, and political concerns that became central to the language of art during this time, Pop to the Present will celebrate the amazing varieties of form that proliferated during the last third of the twentieth century and that continue into our own time.

THEATRE Through 3.8

Company A Musical Comedy

Maloney Hall, Black Box Theatre CCSU 7:30 p.m.

Originally entitled Threes, its plot revolves around Bobby (a single man unable to commit fully to a steady relationship, let alone marriage), the five married couples who are his best friends, and his three girlfriends.

Unlike most book musicals, which follow a clearly delineated plot, Company is a concept musical comprised of short vignettes, presented in no particular chronological order, linked by a celebration for Bobby’s 35th birthday.

Did we miss something? Know of an event we should list here? Contact us at ccsurecorder@ gmail.com.

CALL FOR ENTRIES THE HELIX MAGAZINE IS CURRENTLY ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS OF ART AND LITERATURE IN THE FOLLOWING CATERGORIES. PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS, ILLUSTRATIONS, SKETCHES, PHOTOGRAPHS, DIGITAL, PRINTS, NON-FICTION, FICTION, ESSAY, POETRY, CREATIVE WRITING, ETC.

DEADLINE OF MARCH 12. 2008 SEND SUBMISSIONS TO: HELIXMAGAZINE@GMAIL.COM FINE PRINT: PLEASE SEND LITERATURE IN AS A WORD FILE (.DOC) INCLUDE YOUR NAME AND THE TITLE OF THE PIECE AS WELL AS YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS. PLEASE SEND ARTWORK IN AS PDFs OR JPGs, 300 DPI RESOLUTION, ALSO INCLUDE TITLE OF PIECE, NAME, AND EMAIL ADDRESS. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FEEL FREE TO ASK.

14 THE RECORDER Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Lifestyles Small Town Gone Wrong: Barn Burner Chris Demorro Staff Writer

Stephanie Bergeron / The Recorder

Sweatshop Workout Peter Decoteau Staff Writer I’m getting chubby.

Lucky for me, during last fall’s “club fair” a student handed me a tiny pamphlet providing me with open times in the fitness center for students. My first thought was that the couple of available weekday hours during the afternoon and at night were seemingly too short for such a large campus with so many students. My second thought was that it didn’t really matter because I’d been drinking too much beer and eating too many Mama Celeste frozen pizzas, and I needed to get my lazy ass to a gym. So the next day I sucked it up, threw on a pair of dirty gym shorts and headed to the Kaiser athletic building.

While I wandered through the narrow corridors underneath the gymnasium, a maze to those not familiar with its enigmatic layout, I peered into every room that I passed, expecting to find a normal student fitness room, perhaps the size of three or four regular classrooms.

After a few minutes, I found what I thought I’d been looking for. It was a little smaller than expected and seemed less inviting than a weekend night at Pour House; but it was a gym and I wasn’t paying for it on a monthly basis— which is good because I’m cheap—so I walked in and looked around. Seconds later, a man, thick and stout like a boxer, was asking me if I was a varsity athlete while simultaneously escorting me to the door (apparently he didn’t have to wait for my response to know that I am not).

Swallowing my throbbing pride, I asked where I could locate the gym for us “regular” students, and he half-assedly pointed down the hall before returning to his dilapidated kingdom. I wandered some more, certain that the student fitness room would be bigger and more equipped due to a larger number of “regular” students than, and then I found it: a walk-in-

closet for a fitness room, packed with students all listening to their iPods and shuffling around each other in the tiny spaces between the equipment. It was like discovering a feeble sweatshop.

So for the past few months, mostly because of my life as a broke college student, this has been the only gym that I’ve known. Though I’ve gotten used to the acrid mixture of broken machines, tiny windows of time in which to work out, crowded areas and the hot jams of 93.7 FM, I can’t help but feel that CCSU students (or, more specifically, I) deserve better.

During my last workout I decided to ask some fellow students what they thought about the matter. The response was unequivocally one-sided.

Mario, a sophomore, conceded, “It’s free, so I use it. I mean, it’s better than nothing,” before venting that the room is “often overcrowded, especially during weekday afternoons,” an annoyance that he said makes working out a hassle. His solution was simple: more and earlier open hours.

“More students would come if the fitness room was bigger,” noted gym staff member Jon. He also maintained that while he only worked on Friday afternoons and therefore had never seen the room too crowded, he’d heard that it happens frequently on other days.

Meanwhile, Jon, a freshman, was even less forgiving, stating, “It’s too small, there aren’t enough machines and the layout is bad.” Jon, like Mario, also suggested more open hours to help relieve the crowd, but held that a new and bigger gym is what the students really want.

As it is, we “regular” students are stuck with the crammed sweatshop, doomed to spend our tiny windows of opportunity during the afternoons and nights begging other students to let us in on a machine while tripping over another; and while the prospect of a new and improved fitness center in the near future seems

both necessary and highly unlikely, the need for more open hours is one that is not out of reach.

So, to the athletic administration, consider this my personal plea for just that— because, varsity athlete or not, beer and Mama Celeste pizzas are just too damn delicious to give up, and us college students are just too damn broke to afford a real gym.

The high school parties weren’t what you’d expect from a bunch of farm boys. The effects of urban sprawl distorted what should have been a bunch of the good old kids drinking suds into a tragic comedy of competing lifestyles. Adam admits to beginning binge drinking in 8th grade, becoming caught between his townie friends and the obvious popularity of the Abercrombie crowd.

Ellington was dotted with isolated, outof-the-way party spots accessible only via cow path or four wheel drive. One such spot was a tobacco barn, one of the few remaining relics from a time when farming was the only way to live. This barn was little more than an oversized shed, the doors held shut only by poor craftsmanship. It was stuffed full of tobacco leaves, hung up by the thousands to wither and dry prior to their conversion into cigarettes and cigars. Two propane tanks flanked the shed, the only infraction on an otherwise timeless rural New England scene of rustic antiquity. There were no houses for miles, only fields and trees as silent witnesses to their sins.

It was the perfect place to host a one-of-akind bash, the kind of celebration the entire town talks about for weeks.

Lying in the back of a pickup truck, Adam marked the way to the barn with reflective construction paint, drawing arrows that would guide the many-expected revelers in. Everyone was coming out for this bash—especially after the loss of the previous party spot, the appropriately dubbed “tree farm.” An intoxicated incident involving an excavator and a pickup truck had placed the spot on a growing list of compromised gathering points.

As the horizon dipped from orange to twilight, the bonfire grew with intensity in order to ward off the night. They came by the carloads, pouring out of their vehicles already drunk and bringing plenty of alcoholic reinforcements with them. The scene was primeval—heathens and witches dancing and drinking around a massive fire dedicated to a dark, unseen deity at the center of their celebrations. A sense of timelessness and loss of restraint permeated the chill air. People milled about, whooping and shouting indiscriminately, with laughter and anger mixing into a chaotic chorus of society’s casualties.

These teenagers had no cause to party, and there was little happiness or triumph associated with the boozing. It was instead a sort of violent apathy, taking violence against themselves in order to repel the outside influences taking over their town and their lives. Adam was tragically aware of how powerful money was and how powerless he was without it. “So we out-partied them,” he tells me. “We were wilder; we had to be, because they had everything else.” So they celebrated the weekend, a good enough reason to get blackout drunk.

It was a rather weak excuse for the kind of self-indulgent behavior Adam and his ilk participated in. Nevertheless, it was the only way to pass the weekend in a town that once had more cows than people. By midnight, the first keg had been tapped and a second was well under way. Mikey, a one-eyed alcoholic hellion, crawled into his rust bucket Grand Prix and literally blew the doors off the party.

Mikey was the kind of kid that would get in trouble the moment you took your eyes off of him. No sooner had Adam uttered “Where’s Cyclops?” than he came bombing across the field and straight for the barn. The party fixated on the inevitable inferno that would result as Mikey hurled his archaic machine into the dilapidated building. The doors splintered into the night, and Mikey emerged from the other side with fragments of the barn still clinging to the car. His car bounced off into the evening, leaving a dusty trail and splintered wood in his wake.

Invincibility infused with the crowd, and the party collapsed into pandemonium as the entire scene spiraled towards universal entropy.

An errant spark would soon put the good times to an end.

15

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, March 5, 2008 / LIFESTYLES

Lucky’s Find a Friend at the Not So Connecticut Humane Society

Lucky After All Victoria Sawtelle Staff Writer

Karyn Danforth Lifestyles Editor Some say the bond between human and pet is everlasting. In a world piled high with financial responsibilities, animals are becoming increasingly overlooked in the grand scheme of things. Relocation, debt, or long hours at work make people question their ability to take care of their feline and canine companions.

The Connecticut Humane Society has three different adoption centers around the state in Newington, Waterford, and Westport that take in animals that are of any size, shape or form. Giving up a pet can be a difficult task, but the humane society welcomes pets with open arms.

“Owners come in telling us they can no longer care for their pet and we take them in and find them a new home,” said the Society’s Public Relations Director Alicia Wright.

For prospective new pet owners, the humane society should be the first pit-stop. With an annual adoption rate of 90 percent out of 9,500 pets, it is almost certain that upon a visit, one will inevitably fall in love with one of the sweet, adoring creatures the society houses.

These unique, one-of-a-kind animals need extra love and care for what they’ve lived through; each has a separate story, whether it be a relocation, behavior, or medical problem.

After an individual walks in and picks their new friend, the staff of the CHS has an interview with them to see if they are capable of handling the pet.

“We look to make a match between the owner and the pet so we can avoid the pet becoming homeless a second time,” said Wright. “One of the main things we look for is if the person understands the basic financial responsibilities and what kind of experience they have with animals.”

Wright made a strong point of calling these relocations “forever homes,” because that is the main emphasis; it would be heartbreaking for the animal to end up back at the society.

The pets at the three facilities come from all over the state of Connecticut, and some picked up from animal control. CHS has also been working with a few shelters down South, where there is a very high rate of euthanasia.

An overwhelming pet overpopulation problem exists in the southern states. “It is just insurmountable,” said Wright, who spoke of the lack of access to veterinary care. “It is more difficult for people to practice spay/ neuter.” Shelters are faced with growing numbers of animals trying to find homes, and in worst case scenarios, have to euthanize healthy, adoptable pets.

“We started to work with them to expand our outreach services, have more animals available for Connecticut residents, and above all, place more animals for adoption,” said Wright. The Connecticut Humane Society is also paying certain veterinarians down South full salaries to educate them on how to spay and neuter in hopes of decreasing the problem.

Endless success stories pile into the humane society and are chronicled in books available to owners upon their visits to read and be inspired from.

One of the more recent success stories involves an older woman crippled with the passing of her pet and with her own medical problems, which were causing her to become too much of a homebody.

She visited one of the locations every day in hopes of finding a new friend. “Our staff continued to work with her, and one day, it just happened,” Wright said. “She came in, the perfect pet was there, and she adopted it.”

Since then, Wright told of how the pet helped the woman become more involved in her community.

“We gained an amazing friend,” said Wright. “She gained a new pet and a renewed lease on life.”

The big question on most perspective owners’ minds might be, how much are adoptions? Puppies ($110) are the most expensive, while kittens are $100, adult dogs are $80,

Stephanie Bergeron / The Recorder

adult cats are $70, and small animals are $30. The cost includes spay/neuter, vaccinations, and if the animal came in with health conditions, they are stabilized or cured.

Now with that said, you may be planning on bringing home a new addition to your home, whether you’re a single owner, or a young couple.

Wright has advice for young adults, especially if they’re just graduating, buying a new home, or committing themselves to a new job. “Think about time management,” she said.

“If you are going to be out of the house for 12 plus hours, you may want to consider an easily manageable pet rather than a dog or cat.”

She urges people to do their research on realistic costs, especially when one may be juggling student loans and rent on a new job’s salary.

“Having a pet as a member of the family, it is a huge commitment. Do your research and are you’re more likely to be happy with your end result,” said Wright.

Being employees at Wallingford D’Angelo Grilled Sandwich restaurant, my co-workers and I have learned that Mondays and Tuesdays are notoriously slow in the food service business; to avoid absolute boredom, we find sundry ways to entertain ourselves during the dead hours. One can only play Uno and Phase Ten so many times, so my fellow employees and I developed our own entertainment from our next door neighbors.

Men would park their cars on extreme ends of the parking lot and walk over, heading down to Lucky Sauna and Acupressure. The desolate parking and nervous gestures would only highlight the shady trade that was about to happen. In an hour or two, after they emerged in the same furtive state, we would shout, “We know what you’ve been doing!” out the door. The men’s faces would usually be stricken with fear, and then they would skittishly return to their cars.

It was a game that emphasized moral upbraiding and ambiguous but threatening statements, albeit entertaining. Lucky’s was just one of the three houses of prostitution to be busted in January by the Wallingford Police, according to WFSB news.

The World Sauna and New Sauna, all located on Route 5, were also shut down after four months of investigation. “All the women they brought out looked embarrassed; they all had their heads down,” said Lauren Sepulveda, one of my co-workers who witnessed the scene.

The police removed everything from the premises including liquor, washing machines and cots. One could guess by the type of items confiscated that most of the women who worked there never left.

Once in a great while you would see one of them out back smoking a cigarette. They would briefly look up and smile coyly, but they never interacted with us. That was the only place you saw any of them—in the back doorway, inhaling fresh air or carcinogens.

Despite all our jokes and infantile antics, the whole situation was sad and even hellish. Just think of it from the other perspective: you live in squalid poverty and someone promises you a new life in America where you can work and thrive for a better lot in life; then you get here and you are bound to a life of sexual slavery. You know no one; you have no lawful rights or protection; you can’t speak English; and a snakehead owns you for an indefinite amount of time.

It seems cruel to arrest the women who were imprisoned to a house of harlotry for months on end.

Those to blame are the coordinators of the lewd operation—one from Stamford and another from Queens, New York. Maybe it is soft-heatedness from which my sympathetic pardon derives, but the cruel world of sexual slavery is not limited to thirdworld countries. I do not blame the prostitutes themselves but the myriad of problems that leads to such a situation. Greed, drugs, a callow search for a better life, lascivious men, poverty and other social problems are on home turf now.

The women who work in these brothels may not have a choice, but the men who patronized them did.

They may have been the butt of our Tuesday evening jokes, but we are glad to have left in peace our card games again.

16

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, March 5, 2008 / LIFESTYLES

The Great Outdoors Under One Roof Chris Demorro Staff Writer Stepping through the imposing double doors of Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter of nearly everything that is outdoorsy, it is impossible not to be impressed; after all, there is a thirty-foot tall mountain dominating the entire center of the store. Posed about this peak are dozens of different animals, from coyotes and mountain lions to rams, and even a hungry looking grizzly bear perched upon his hind legs. And I’m only three steps into the actual store.

Cabela’s, located in East Hartford next to Rentschler Field, is easily recognizable thanks to its tremendous size and overbearing sign.

Within the store itself is nearly everything needed for hardcore outdoor enthusiasts and weekend warriors alike. Archery, canoeing, camping, guns, food and even a mini-museum are all just portions of the two story, 185,000 square-foot wonderland that is Cabela’s.

I brought my girlfriend with me, and we both agreed to sample the food court first. Located on the second floor and adjacent to an impressive safari display, complete with an elephant and lion hunting scene, Cabela’s Grill contains an off beat but delicious menu of a variety of game and traditional meats. Elk, venison, bison and boar are just a few of the oddball sandwiches offered out of Cabela’s deli.

For our dining experience we chose the venison bratwurst and a bison burger. The cost is what you would expect to pay for any regular hamburger or hot dog at a baseball game, but the food is a cut above most grills. After eating, we felt ready to tackle the rest of the massive retail store.

As well as the grill and safari display, the second floor also contains a large camping section that could make even the most isolated encampment just an extension of the home. There was even dehydrated space ice cream, in case your excur-

sion takes you beyond our atmosphere. In all seriousness, though, there are things in Cabela’s I had never even heard of, such as self-inflating tents and portable jerky machines.

The price range is as varied as the selection, and there is something for everyone’s budget.

Also atop the second floor is an indoor archery range located within the archery section. Having never shot a bow myself, the sales associate had me hitting the bullseye with a beginner’s bow in no time. My more experienced girlfriend was given an upgraded bow, and the two were soon

chatting about the benefits of carbon versus aluminum shaft arrows.

For the inexperienced, like myself, Cabela’s offers many different seminars on archery, using GPS and turkey hunting, to name a select few.

Cabela’s Web site offers a calendar for events at each retail location. There is also a boating and canoeing section, though that admittedly held little interest to me since the only nautical terms I know come from Pirates of the Caribbean.

We then went to explore the coats and clothing from major manufacturers like Timberland and

North Face. There are plenty of outfits and styles to choose from, though I did drag my girlfriend away from this section in order to drool over the guns at the gun library. Pistols, rifles and old school six-shooters are all on display and for sale, although some of them cost as much as a new car (I’ve never actually seen a $20,000 pistol before). There were also weapons I was more familiar with, such as a World War II-era Luger pistol and a .50 caliber monster deemed the Desert Eagle.

In addition to the gun library, there is a mini-museum dedicated to Connecticut wildlife, where you can pick up a quick ecological lesson and learn more about white-tailed dear and woodchucks. The scene is set up as a stream-based campground, complete with an animatronic camper dishing out doses of knowledge. I have to admit, I was amazed at how much they managed to cram into one store after walking out of the stream museum and into the aquarium, lo-

cated on the far side of the mountain.

How much more could they possibly fit?

It had already been over an hour since first stepping in, and I still hadn’t purchased anything. That all changed once I made it to the inhouse fudge shop, which had more fudge and candy choices than many stores dedicated to the art of deliciousness. Who could turn down a pound-and-a-half of high quality fudge for ten bucks anyway?

I had to force myself past the Bargain Cave, an area of markdowns and returned items for the thrifty man. There is even a section dedicated to interior decoration, ironically in a store dedicated to getting out of your house.

Everyone will find something of interest at Cabela’s, and it is truly an experience unlike any other in Connecticut. So whether you actually need to be outfitted or you’re just bored, check it out—you can’t miss it.

Stephanie Bergeron / The Recorder