vol105issue04 by The Recorder

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

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(an)OTHER Show Maloney Hall’s first gallery opening showcases artists of color. Page 15

Volume 105 No. 4

Albums Reviewed: The staff picks their favorites out of InnerPartySystem, Portugal. The Man, War Tapes and others. Page 16

Royal Dining Forbidden City Bistro in Middletown, Conn. scores high. Page 16

CCSU Blue Devils Prey on Eagles Mallory Exceeds 100 Yards in Third Straight Game Peter Collin Managing Editor

Junior James Mallory rushed for 169 yards and a touchdown and senior Aubrey Norris connected with junior Nick Colagiovanni for two touchdown passes as the CCSU Blue Devils (2-1) defeated the North Carolina Central University Eagles (0-4) 35-23 in the first ever NAACP Harmony Classic at Veterans Stadium in New Britain. For Mallory, it was his third straight 100-yard rushing game and his third touchdown of the season. The Blue Devils marched down the field on their first possession, driving 60 yards to the NCCU one yard line. From there junior Hunter Wanket took the ball on a quarterback draw and powered his way in for the score.

Wanket also threw a touchdown pass, his second of his Blue Devil career. “I really feel I’m starting to get a lot more confidence,” said Wanket who is splitting time at quarterback with Norris. “When I get in I have to do my best and make every opportunity count.” Head Coach Jeff McInerney plans on playing the two as a tandem but has yet to decide whom he plans to give the starting job to. “I have to figure out who the starter is going to be. I have been splitting time with them and the only way I felt I could do it was to use these four games and let them play,” said McInerney. “When we get in the NECs, once I settle on one of them, the other is game-ready.” Continued on Page 8

A State History of Public Defense Robert Burke Staff Writer

A touchdown by Nick Colagiovanni gave CCSU a 14-3 lead going into the second half.

Edward Gaug / The Recorder

Quagmires Deepen at Quinnipiac University Amanda Ciccatelli News Editor

Quinnipiac University administrators recently threatened to ban the Quinnipiac chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists from campus due to interactions between the Society and an independent online student publication, the Quad News. Quinnipiac’s Society of Professional Journalists chapter was in danger of losing its credibility with campus officials if the chapter continued to support Quad News in their stance against university administration. On MyQ Portal, a resource Web site for Quinnipiac students, a memo was posted by Vice President of Public Affairs Lynn Bushnell that condemned the Quad News and claimed it is a blog that “aggressively sought to undermine the continued existence” of the Quinnipiac Chronicle. Bushnell claimed that the Quad News was using SPJ as a cover for their activities. In the same letter, she claimed that administration does

not have confidence “in the intentions of the Quad News.” Bushnell also targeted an editorial in Friday’s issue of the Quad News that criticizes the Quinnipiac administration for its involvement with the independent publication. Quad News student editors issued a statement on the Web site Saturday saying that they dispute Bushnell’s accusations. In the Yale Daily News, it says editors have confronted administration to discuss the newspaper’s limited access to sports staff and athletes, but administration has not answered back. After the memo was released, administration was pressured by the media to respond to the accusations of the threatening Quinnipiac’s SPJ chapter and limiting the school newspaper’s access to the athletic department. According to the article, Bushnell’s memo placed the blame on the students in charge of the Quad News instead of the administration. “Apparently these students want to be independent of the University when it involves student organizational rules and responsibili-

ties, but they want to be part of the University when it comes to having access to University resources and the privileges of being a recognized student organization. Unfortunately, in the real world, responsibility and playing by the rules go hand in hand with the privileges of membership,” wrote Bushnell. In the Yale Daily News, it states that the Quad News editors disputed in their statement the administrative claim that they were using the SPJ as a cover. The editors wrote in defense that a Quinnipiac staff member reserved rooms through the SPJ for the use of Quad News, but administrators canceled reservations for the entire semester two weeks ago. Since then, the students have been holding meetings in the cafeteria. Not only did Bushnell dispute the Quad News, but she was also angered by a Yale Daily News Editorial last Friday. “A recent editorial in the Yale Daily News proves the power of the press, a power which in this case has been abused and results in a complete See Ties Page 2

Criminal Justice professor Gerald Smyth and Chief Public Defender Susan Storey presented “Criminal Defense of the Poor in the U.S. and Connecticut”, which focused on the current system of criminal defense and its history in a program held Thursday afternoon in Memorial Hall. During the program, Smyth, a former chief public defender, explained that the Sixth Amendment has not always been used to provide public defenders to suspects who could not afford lawyers, rather it only gave the defendant the right to hire one, or to defend themselves. Smyth discussed a 1963 case, Gideon v. Wainwright, in which Clarence Earl Gideon, who was arrested for burglary, wrote a petition asking to be provided an attorney, as he could not afford his own. According to Smyth, because Gideon took his case to the limit it was decided that it is the responsibility of a state’s government to provide poor defendants with a public defender. “Gideon’s case changed the course of history,” Smyth said. Storey also spoke of the current system and its standing as one of the

strongest in the U.S. Yet, as strong as the system is, she said, it still needs help. According to Storey, the current system suffers from a lack of funding, which in turn results in inadequate training for lawyers and can lead to insufficient legal representation. Public defenders are also overworked, said Storey, and excessive caseloads leave little time for investigation, making a guilty plea an easy option. “We built our public defense system largely on federal grants,” Storey said, “but now the grants have dried up.” To make matters worse, said Storey, the system receives little state funding. In 1995, a year after Smyth and Storey joined the public defenders system, one case, Rivera v. Rowland, brought up all the problems little money can cause. After five years fighting this case, the public defense office finally received money for special training and technological upgrades. Today, Storey and the public defense office are working towards defending juvenile cases, an area Storey finds particularly important. “A criminal record does not help in the advancement of a person,” Storey said.

Edward Gaug / The Recorder

News

THE RECORDER Wednesday, September 24, 2008

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distortion of the truth. Quinnipiac cannot stand by and watch lies and misrepresentations stand as the socalled truth,” wrote Bushnell. Both Yale students and staff contacted Quinnipiac University President John L. Lahey about targeting the Quad News and accusing him for caring more about image and liability rather than expression and learning. Lahey did not respond. The Yale Daily News explained that after the events of last week, the national SPJ decided to write a letter to Lahey to express their concern regarding Quinnipiac’s reaction. In the letter signed by national SPJ President Dave Aeikens, national Vice President of Campus Chapter Affairs Neil Ralston, Region 1 Director Luther Turmelle and Connecticut President Cindy Simoneau, it read, “We hope you will realize that banning a student organization for actions that are not only legal but well-intentioned

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editor-in-Chief Melissa Traynor managing editor Peter Collin Art director Geoffrey Lewis Associate layout editor Edward Gaug Copy editor Aril Grain entertainment editor Nick Viccione lifestyles editor Jane Natoli news Amanda Ciccatelli Sports editor Kyle Dorau opinion editor Marissa Blaszko editor-at-large Karyn Danforth Web editor John Vignali illustrator Stefano Delli Carpini

Staff

Brad Cooper Ryan Yeomans Sarah Bogues Mallory Costa Caroline Dearborn Lindsay LeFort Tiffany Failla Steve Packnick Jeanne Bujalski Misbah Akbar P.J. Decoteau Sean Fenwick Michael Walsh Robert Burke Shauna Simeone

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 Editor-in-Chief.

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

ties between Student Press and Qu Stressed

would send a message across the country that the University leadership does not support [First Amendment principles].” On Saturday, Ralston tried to contact school administrators to ultimately work with the university through the free press concerns, according to the Yale Daily News. “It’s not our intention to make the situation worse. We just want to protect our chapter,” he added. “We urge you to publicly reverse your threat to punish the student chapter of SPJ,” read a letter from SPJ to the Quinnipiac president, published in the Yale Daily News on Friday. “We urge you to take no action that would further sully your reputation in relation to full First Amendment rights for students, faculty and staff at QU… SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press.”

Middle Eastern Lecture Series Opened JeAnne buhAlSki Staff Writer

The first speech that outlined this semester’s ongoing lecture series about Middle Eastern affairs was held last Wednesday at CCSU. Professor of history Norton Mezvinsky, who will be leaving CCSU at the end of this year for Washington, D.C., spoke at the lecture about the current peace affairs in the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict. Mezvinsky has visited Syria three times in the past year and a half and has an immense interest in the continuing negotiations within the Arab-Israeli conflict. Before a full audience in Founder’s Hall, Mezvinsky described why the countries are in conflict and why a peace treaty has yet to be established. The conflict between Israelis and Palestinians over disputed claims to land, Mezvinsky explained, began in 1948. The conflict has led to several wars among Arab nations, Palestinian refugees, and the state of Israel. Since 1979, several peace accords have been signed, addressing

different parts of the conflict, he said. According to Mezvinsky, the Arab-Israeli conflict started as a political conflict for territorial purposes following the destruction of the Ottoman Empire. Over the years, however, it has shifted from a largescale Arab-Israeli conflict to a more regional Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Over the past 60 years there have been many peace treaty negotiations between the Arabs and Israelis, but, Mezvinsky went on to say, more Palestinians and Jews are still killed each year. He also said that the Middle East has also been suffering from an increasing unemployment rate and decreasing health and economy. Mezvinsky also spoke of the Syria-Israeli discussions slated to begin at the end of September. “I am optimistic about a peace treaty,” he said. The Middle-Eastern lecture series will continue throughout the year and the series’ schedule can found on the CCSU Web site.

Find a Drive, Register to Vote AmAndA CiCCAtelli news editor

The Voter Registration Drive was held last Wednesday, Constitution Day, in order to get Central students registered to vote for the 2008 Presidential election. The Voter Registration Drive was sponsored by Student Activities / Leadership Development and The Student Center and lead by Director of Student Activities Scott Hazan. He expects a lot of students to register as voters this year. “Our goal is to get as many people to vote as possible,” he said. According to Hazan voting is quick and easy, so students should not hesitate to get registered to vote. If students did not register on Wednesday, they still have until12 noon on Oct. 21. CCSU students can visit the Information Desk in the student center at any time before the deadline to register. When registering to vote on the Connecticut form, students must print their name and town where they will be voting. Registrations can also

be completed in order to change the town where students will vote or to declare a new address (within the same town as previously registered). All completed voter registration forms will be sent to New Britain Town Hall and then to the appropriate town of the voter. A letter will be sent to the student’s town stating that they are officially registered to vote. “Once you register, you will get something in the mail telling you what polling station to go to,” Hazan said. A confirmation letter by the respective town hall should arrive within three weeks from registering. If students are not able to register on campus, the Connecticut voter registration form along with absentee ballot applications may be downloaded from the Conn. Secretary of State’s Web site, www.sots.ct.gov, to be completed and mailed in to the appropriate town hall. For more information or any questions regarding voter registration contact Scott Hazan by email at Hazanscz@ccsu.edu, or the Registration Office by phone, (860) 826-3310.

edward Gaug / the Recorder

Prof. Norton Mezvinsky opened the series with talk on Israel, Palestine.

CCSU Police Department’s Adult Arrest/Citation Log Sept. 12 - Sept. 19, 2008

Matthew T. Dowling, 24, of New Britain, Conn. was charged with failure to wear a seat belt on Sunday, Sept. 14, by Officer Joe Magarolas. Dowling is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 26. Michael Duntz, 21, of South Windsor was charged with violation of probation on Friday, Sept. 19, by Officer Ronald Lickwar. Michael Grega, 18, of Milford was charged with criminal mischief in the second degree on Saturday, Sept. 13, by Officer Eric M. Giordano. Grega has a September 22 court date. Gabriella Laferriere, 18, of Plainville was charged with failure to obey a control signal on Monday, Sept. 15, by Officer Anthony D’Onofrio. Laferriere is scheduled to appear at a Sept. 26 court date. Christine M. Reilly, 44, of Newington was charged with operating a motor vehicle while using a hand-held mobile telephone on Monday, Sept. 15, by Officer Jonathon Chung. Reilly has a September 26 court date.

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, September 24, 2008 / NEWS

First-Year Experience Courses Stressed Melissa Traynor Editor-in-Chief

Edward Gaug / The Recorder

In a move to proactively encourage student and faculty involvement on campus and ease transition to the university, the first-year experience committee made their case to the Faculty Senate on Monday. Chris Pudlinski of the communication department, first-year experience committee faculty director, hopes for 100 percent student participation in FYE courses and more faculty involvement by 2009. Right now there are 177 first-year students who are not enrolled in one of this program’s courses. Pudlinski said first-year experience programs are meant to aid in transition from high school to college life, but are not limited to basic and generic context. For example, professors may incorporate what they teach into an FYE class within their department. “It’s the opportunity for a lot of people to connect with their majors in their first semester,” he said. Benefits for professors also include, according to Pudlinski, the ability to teach in smaller homogeneous groups of students and greater reach in the classroom. Training information for professors or those running firstyear experience programs is posted on the Web site, www.ccsu.edu/fye. There are 12 sections needed in order to accommodate the remaining 177 students, but it was mentioned that the existing FYE sections are readily open. Liz Hicks of the Advising Center said that FYE courses have made it easier on advising in terms of availability and getting students into classes. Ideally, the FYE courses are for students coming to CCSU with less than 15 credits, but transfer students are welcome to any first-year programs and can use new FYE credits, as well as those transferred towards, graduation. Since the FYE program’s inception in 1994 with the School of Arts & Sciences, it has expanded to all four schools, 50 faculty members and 1137 slots for student participation.

What are you looking for? my dream job

Get It. You pursue excellence. And at CTJobs.com, we know you’ll achieve it at Central Connecticut State University. That’s why we’d like to take this moment to welcome you back to school, and remind you that we're here to help you find that perfect job. Affiliated with numerous Connecticut newspapers, we simplify your job search by providing you with extraordinary opportunities that match your skills and interests. It all begins the moment you visit CTJobs.com. Got it? Now go out and get the job you want.

4 THE RECORDER Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Editorial

Editorial/Opinion

Independency, most importantly from that which student newspapers must report on, had finally been achieved for the former members of the Quinnipiac Chronicle. Although the QU administration remains a constant form of irritation for the new student publication, or so it seems, the former staff should be commended for their efforts to keep their new freedom alive. Quad News, an online publication staffed by the original Chronicle members, broke away from the administration, and rightly so, after a series of clashes throughout last year between the Chronicle and the QU President Lahey & Co. Even in Quad News’ self-reliance, Quinnipiac continues to hamper the operations of this new publication by indirectly jeopardizing their operations when they threaten to remove Quinnipiac’s chapter of the Society of

Professional Journalists or blocking access to university information and officials. Last year, these student editors decided to continue reporting on the administration’s turmoil, regardless of mounting pressure and a steady stream of threats. When the QU administration formally told the paper that they were no longer allowed to publish any news before printing the stories in the paper – a rule that violates the Chronicle staff ’s freedom of speech – the Chronicle staff decided to resign from the paper. Before the editors left last year, they published their last issue pointing out the fact that the paper had no staff ready for the next year. The administration, it was said at the time, was forming a “task force” that found a new editorial board, without the input of any students and certainly excluding the views of those who ran the paper.

The task force, the university said, was charged with finding a way to transform the Chronicle into an independent publication and for the university to commit to the newspaper by placing its own publisher on the newspaper’s staff in hopes for improved quality. Several months later, the 2.0 version of the Quinnipiac Chronicle now consists of writers and editors that have been hand-selected by the very people they need to be reporting on. The manipulative hand of the QU administration and its interference with the student press is the social equivalent to a government take over of Newsweek or The New York Times. In return, the former staff has decided to continue their first amendment fight not in print, but online. This summer marked the birth of Quad News. The fact that the editors not only took the initiative to create an alternative news source, but that they made it more accessible to

most college students, should serve as an example to all of the media, both educational and private. QuadNews.net is laid out online to read and function as a newspaper – the only major difference might be that students can actively respond to articles, as well as each other’s comments. Though limits of the First Amendment’s reach can be hazy at a private institution such as Quinnipiac, both the Quad News and the Quinnipiac Chronicle are urged to push them and seek new boundaries. We look forward to more content past Quad News’ debut and a sincere commitment this time to student journalists’ freedom by the QU administration.

In Response to Last Week’s Letter to the Editor

The YSA and its co-thinkers across the world do not lend support to every group or government that claims the banner of socialism or communism. Stalin and his bureaucratic successors in the USSR actively turned back the revolutionary gains that Russian workers and peasants had made in the October revolution of 1917 such as legalized abortion, the abolition of discrimination based on sexual orientation, self-determination for oppressed nations’ and workers’ democracy. The parasitic Stalinist clique was a counter-revolutionary force that routinely collaborated with imperialists to neutralize or crush revolutionary movements around the world. Socialists in Russia and over the globe, initially led by Leon Trotsky, opposed these betrayals in the face of great persecution, marginalization and murder. The YSA’s antecedents in the world Trotskyist movement opposed USSR’s Stalinist invasions of Hungary (1956), Czechoslovakia (1968) and Afghanistan (1978). All of which violated the right of self-determination of oppressed people. In Hungary and Czechoslovakia we supported the anti-Stalinist and pro-socialist struggles of the working class to rid themselves of the Stalinist regime. In addition, France never had a communist president. It did have Stalinists and procapitalist Socialist Party leaders running its

capitalist governments, who voted war credits for France’s imperialist war against the Algerian people. Our movement opposed France’s war in Algeria. In fact, our allies fought on the Algerian side and participated in the victorious Algerian government of Ahmed Ben Bella, Algeria’s first president. The Vietnamese never went to war with Laos. They did support the revolutionary struggles in Laos and Cambodia to rid themselves of U.S.-financed, armed and organized dictatorships, both of which were used by the U.S. as part of its war against the Vietnamese people; a genocidal war, where the U.S. slaughtered four million Vietnamese. After this war in 1975, Vietnam did go to war with Cambodia, but only after Cambodia, backed by Mao Zedong’s Stalinist regime and with U.S. support, invaded Vietnam and killed more than 500 Vietnamese. Also contrary to Bensics’s accusations, Cuba never invaded Grenada. Cuba was Grenada’s closest ally before the U.S. invaded Grenada in 1983. America then installed a government that wiped out the literary, agricultural, and employment reforms introduced by the pro-Cuban government of Maurice Bishop. Cuba also never invaded Angola, but was invited by the government to help defend

against an invasion supported by then apartheid South Africa and the U.S. “The Cuban internationalists have made a contribution to African independence, freedom and justice unparalleled for its principled and selfless character,” said Nelson Mandela. Bensics neglects to tell readers whether he would have supported the revolutionary socialists in Hungary and Czechoslovakia who fought against Stalinism (as our movement did). He also failed to mention whether he stands opposed to the ten-plus year U.S. invasion, occupation and slaughter in Vietnam. While every war waged to maintain imperialist rule is dressed in the rhetoric of advancing democracy, freeing the women, and other variations on the white man’s burden, these claims have proven false time and time again, just as we have found with the most recent invasion of Iraq. The only path oppressed nations have towards liberation, democracy, and development is through winning independence from imperialist rule and the capitalist system itself.

Sky Keyes

Special to The Recorder

In the last issue of The Recorder, student Steven Bensics submitted a letter to the editor attacking Youth for Socialist Action group based on fundamentally flawed assumptions and a number of historical inaccuracies. “I can’t help but wonder if these people oppose or even care about all the wars waged by the socialist/communist system. Have they forgotten that France waged war in Algeria when it had communist and socialist presidents? Did they forget the Soviet Union’s invasion of Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Afghanistan? Did they forget that Vietnamese communists went to war with Cambodia and Laos even while it was fighting the U.S., and went to war with Cambodia again after its victory?” wrote Bensics.

Waste-Disposal Problem Cannot Simply be Buried Cathy Wilson The Post Ohio University

(U-WIRE) - When it comes to waste, the United States has a history of literally burying its problems — a

practice that is a shortcut rather than a solution. While many waste solutions place the problem underground because it’s a convenient storage space, it also encourages an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality. While shoving

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the waste aside for the short term is convenient, ignoring the long term invites more trouble in the future. Landfills are solid-waste depositories where waste is put in a plasticand clay-lined cavity in the ground, compacted and covered with soil daily and capped and covered with two feet of soil and vegetation. When a landfill runs out of space and closes, it’s common to turn it into a golf course or ski slope. Landfills have redeeming qualities — for example, the methane emitted from the cells of trash can be harnessed as electricity — but that doesn’t completely offset the negative effects of burying the problem. Because the waste is beneath the surface, we can’t see that the cells of trash are so tightly compacted and void of oxygen that biodegradation is occurring very slowly. When a carrot is still orange on the inside after 10 years, that’s a sign the process is barely inching along. While using a closed landfill for recreational activity reuses the acreage, it has the simultaneous effect of removing the issue of waste disposal from the public consciousness. The landscape doesn’t illustrate all the trash we create, and it neglects to ad-

dress what happens when we run out of underground space for our waste. The next step is probably to send it to the developing world with our e-waste. Nuclear power has the same obstacle in respect to waste disposal. Nuclear power plants generate electricity using nuclear fission — splitting an atom into two — to heat water into steam that drives a turbine generator. The process of nuclear fission results in the creation of low-level and high-level radioactive waste. Equipment or clothing that has been contaminated is classified as low-level, while used nuclear reactor fuel is labeled as high-level. Low-level waste takes hundreds of years to reach safe levels of radiation, while high-level radioactive waste won’t reach safe levels for tens of thousands of years. After being monitored and cooled for several years, it is transported and placed in concrete structures. Nuclear waste disposal is a concrete (no pun intended) and current topic that needs to be discussed by the people who are so adamant about its promise. Some propose burying the radioactive waste deep underground in places like Yucca Mountain in Nevada, but the problem is that Nevada residents aren’t clamoring to

have such waste in their backyards or seeping into their groundwater. Carbon sequestration is another example of diverting the byproducts of our consumption underground. Carbon sequestration can be either underground or terrestrial, but the idea is to inject the carbon released by facilities like coal-fired power plants into the ground to be absorbed by soil or trees or to remain isolated from the atmosphere. Soil and trees can only hold so much carbon dioxide. Although carbon sequestration is a thoughtful attempt to try to deal with carbon dioxide, it is a short-sighted one that operates on the idea that there is an unlimited space for the byproducts of human consumption. Like many of the ideas for waste disposal, it operates under the pretense that eliminating the problem from sight will eliminate any of its side effects. The answers are out there, but as always, they needed to be recognized, researched and developed — which takes funding. Renewable energy is within reach, composting already exists and simply reducing waste and energy use individually doesn’t hurt either. It’s irresponsible to rely on burying our problems today knowing that future generations will be haunted by them tomorrow.

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, September 24, 2008 / OPINION

‘Green’ Gets Trendy at MTV Marissa Blaszko Opinion Editor

Stefano Delli Carpini / The Recorder

Last June, corporate giant MTV began filming its latest season of “The Real World,” the television series that began the epidemic known as reality TV. At the same time, it jumped on the bandwagon by kicking off its latest public service campaign, Switch, which encourages viewers to turn off all electronics from their cell phone chargers to their lights when not in use. In an article praising the station, Forbes Magazine quoted Bill Roedy, the vicechairman of MTV International, as saying, “I believe we can make a difference.” Whether that difference will be positive or negative, however, is still up for debate. Hundreds of miles away from the parent company Viacom’s corporate headquarters is the island of Boca del Drago, Republic of Panama, where season 17 of “The Real World” was located. Although the show has been criticized for becoming a “Survivor” rip-off, the island’s natives and visitors have become the shows’ most vocal critics. Jmaher and Michael Drake, who were visiting the island as part of TreeClimberCollition.org, posted what they saw online – an article that became an instant Digg hit via Sustainablog.org. “Nobody was real clear about what was going on and I was told that MTV was trying to keep the whole thing a secret in order to keep unwanted visitors from showing up at the site. I can understand that; I wouldn’t want a crowd hanging around while I was trying to create a scenario in which everyone was pretending that the event was happening on a deserted island,” wrote Jmaher and Drake. Even so, the entire area began gaining a growing understanding that not only was massive construction going on in the supposedly “secluded” area, but that MTV had even hired the police to assure order.

At one point, Jmaher and Drake (as well as several of their research students) decided to take it upon themselves to collect the trash that MTV had left on the sides of the rainforest roads. What they found were not only MTVmarked trash, but also scripts for each cast member. By the end of MTV’s tour de Panama, they had managed to completely trash a part of the island--even if they didn’t succeed in making anything worth watching. The point of this story is if MTV cannot be trusted to make a real reality show, how can they be trusted to earnestly try to save the environment? The primary interest of the CEO is to satisfy stockholders and the only thing stockholders want is more money. Those under the CEO want to keep their jobs, and will – through necessity – help the CEO make money to ensure that they receive bi-weekly paychecks. Simply put, Viacom, like all other corporations, exist solely to make money. And, if they have to convince patrons that they are “green” in order to continue working for a different kind of green, then that’s what they have to do. It’s not that MTV is a horrible corporation or the root of all evil—they are simply a functioning business trying to make money. The problem is that going green has become fairly trendy, even if most participating in the trend don’t do more than turn off a light switch or recycle a bottle. Unfortunately, that’s all a lot of people can reasonably be expected to do under existing social order. For various socioeconomic reasons, it makes about as much sense for students to ride bikes 15 miles to school as it does for the Viacom CEO to turn off the corporation’s power grid whenever he leaves the office. What environmentalists need is someone with a strong voice, like MTV, to lead our generation in the right direction--without a profit motive.

Feminists Only Agree with Liberal Women The Birds and the Bees Shauna Simeone Staff Writer

Karyn Danforth Editor-at-Large

What happens in Santiago, Chile, stays in Chile. This statement doesn’t hold much breadth if one was to hear about what is currently going on in this sexually conservative country; teenagers around the ages of 14 to 18 are stripping down to their skivvies in public and grinding against each other at clubs holding parties from afternoon ‘til nighttime. Tie it into the fact that American teenagers are exploring sexual acts at younger ages, and the “what happens” phrase no longer applies. Technology has been the driving force in Chile’s youth. Using social networking sites to talk to their on-line crushes, they then go to these clubs to pursue the teens they’ve chatted with, but never met. In most cases, they end up making out with that person among many others by the end of the night. In Santiago, the prepubescent bodies twist and turn to “reggaeton beats” with lyrics inviting them to “Poncea! Poncea!” Translation: make out with as many people as you can, The New York Times reported. Chile is finding it difficult to cope with the newfound promiscuity. Last year, a video popped up online of a 14-year-old girl excitedly performing oral sex on a teenage boy on a park bench. And, according to The New York Times, the pregnancy rate among young girls is constantly rising. The problem doesn’t lie within the teenagers’ decisions, however. There is little to no sexual education in Chile’s school systems, so what they don’t learn in class will prompt them to explore outside the classroom. While it may seem a bit haywire at the moment, this was seemingly destined to occur after the downfall of Chile’s previous dictatorship. Older generations fought hard for their children to have these freedoms, but they weren’t prepared to moderate them. Take a look at our country’s teenagers: aren’t studies showing that our younger ones are experimenting with sexual acts earlier in their middle school careers? What is currently being tossed around and debated by our two presidential nominees? Sexual education. The United States is in need of keeping a topic this important afloat; it seems like the no sex ed/ social-networking combo is a recipe for disaster. If all else fails, parents might actually have to sit down and talk with their children about the birds and the bees. That works, right?

Since John McCain picked Sarah Palin to be his vice-presidential running mate, she has been the target of constant media scrutiny. Unfortunately, for the most part her political ideology was not the subject of these attacks; instead, her personal life has been the topic of interest. Surprisingly, the aggressors in this situation have been liberal feminists. The people out there who have continually supported equality in the workplace and the shattering of the “glass ceiling” have resorted to minimizing Palin’s legitimacy as a candidate on the basis of unfair scrutiny of her personal life. The feminist movement has painted the picture of the ideal woman as a super mom who is able to balance her career and still manage to take care of her family. Now we have a woman who is a living example of this image and the feminists are worried that she might not be able to handle being a mom and a politician.

Sally Quinn of Georgetown University demonstrated this worry in the Washington Post when she wrote, “Evangelical women also will have to decide if they will vote against their conscience by voting to put the mother of young children in a job outside the home that will demand so much of her time and energy.” So have the feminists really been lying to us this whole time, or do they really believe that women can handle a career and a family? The real issue here may be that they were hoping for a liberal woman to accomplish this sort of feat. Instead, they got Sarah Palin, a charismatic woman who is conservative, pro-life, and supports the Second Amendment. Basically, she’s a liberal’s worst nightmare. Maybe we should reclassify “feminists” into two separate groups. There are the “authentic” feminists whose main concern is furthering woman’s rights and striving for equality regardless of their political beliefs. Then there are the “liberal” (or as they like to call themselves, “progressive”) feminists, whose political beliefs

trump their objective for the empowerment of women. So, instead of celebrating this prospect for a woman to possibly reach the second highest office in America, these liberal feminists have abandoned their fundamental ideal that woman can achieve huge success, even while being a mother The point of this article is not to insinuate that all feminists should vote for Sarah Palin; many people just don’t agree with her views on key issues. But it is unacceptable when feminists choose to personally attack her and fail to acknowledge the profundity of what her nomination signifies for the fight for women’s equality. Instead of attacking her stances on issues, liberal feminists have resorted to personal attacks that have revealed a double-standard in their beliefs. A woman moving up in the workplace is great – just as long as it doesn’t interfere with their mission of furthering their liberal agenda.

Well-Rounded Students Needed, Not Stress-Inducing Policies Jane Natoli Lifestyles Editor

It is ironic that in a presidential race more college aged people are involved in the election process than ever, no one is talking about the issue that affects students the most: education. This isn’t actually surprising, in light of all of the other crises that are troubling our country. Even so, education is the one thing that can prevent these problems in the future, and neither candidate is promising anything substantial when it comes to improving, or as they like to say, reforming, the educational system in America. After a more thorough reading of each candidate’s Web site, the political reformations both candidates are proposing become redundant and trite, at least from a true educator’s perspective. Senators Barack Obama and John McCain are both looking to fund programs and reward teachers and schools that promote student progress and push students into advanced placement and college level courses in high school, and into college from high school or community colleges. That sounds great at first glance, but upon further thought, it is actually a ridiculous idea. If schools are rewarded for the number of AP students they turn out each year, they will push as hard as they can for the best and brightest students to take those classes. This contra-

dicts the statements calling for equal education and “honest reporting” of all student types. If honors classes are being pushed through, fewer resources are allocated to helping the struggling students, especially if schools are being rewarded for the actual progress of college-level classes and not for the effort going into encouraging all students to succeed to the best of their ability. Forget about the students who make you look bad, these policies are telling schools. Perhaps more important than that mistake, the AP students will miss out on some of the classes they no longer have time to take because they are enrolled in all science and math college level courses. Who needs a solid basis in algebra before conquering calculus? And forget about those elective courses like band and art that aren’t even talked about in the candidate’s policies. Instead of graduating well-rounded, intelligent students, high schools are pushing out standardized test score boosters that supposedly compete with Japanese students who go to school six days a week with homework on top. It is slightly encouraging that both candidates have made one step up from the No Child Left Behind standpoint: they both agree that poorly performing schools and teachers do not deserve to be monetarily punished. But sadly, their new idea of rewarding only those schools and teachers whose students perform well on

test scores (and now more flexible benchmarks such as the always reliable peer evaluation and principals’ discrepancy) has the same result in the end. If politicians really want to help education, they should spend some time in classrooms or listen to those people who do. Teachers will tell you that children need stable families to live in with loving parents and people around them. They need a drug and violence free environment and a place in a classroom where a teacher has time to teach them about being a good person as well as how to multiply numbers by the thousands. This kind of education system needs an entire societal reform, not just a No Child Left Behind upgrade (which still won’t work without an exorbitant amount of funding).

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

Sports

6 THE RECORDER Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Volleyball Falls to Fullerton and San Francisco CCSubluedeVilS.Com

The Central Connecticut volleyball team lost to California State University at Fullerton by a score of 3-0 and fell to San Francisco, 3-1 in their final two matches of the Fullerton Volleyball Classic on Saturday. In the Blue Devils’ first match of the day, sophomore Lauren Snyder led CCSU with 10 kills and added seven digs as Central lost to the Titans in three sets (25-14, 25-9, 2520). Freshman Danielle Gasser led the Blue Devils with nine digs, while sophomore Amanda Bayer had a team high 20 assists and seven digs. Junior Alex Wolnisty led Fullerton with 10 kills. In Central’s most competitive match of the tournament, the Blue Devils fell to San Francisco 3-1 (25-

23, 25-23, 23-25, 25-16). Snyder led CCSU in kills again with 15 and added six digs in the match. Junior Jamie Baumert chipped in with 11 kills on .474 hitting percentage and added a team high five blocks for the Blue Devils. The Elkhorn, NE native was also named to the all-tournament for her performance over the weekend. Bayer and sophomore Kaitlin Petrella recorded game highs of 36 assists and 16 digs, respectively. Sophomore Maite Mendizabal added seven kills and seven digs for CCSU in the loss. Central is now 3-9 this season and will be continuing their road trip when they return to Connecticut as they take on Sacred Heart on Saturday Sept. 27 and Hartford on Oct. 1. San Francisco improves to 7-4 this year and will next be hosting Penn on Sept. 26 at 7 p.m.

Blue Devils

Fullerton

Blue Devils

San Francisco

Blue Devils Play to 3-3 Draw on the Road at Hofstra in Women’s Soccer on Sunday CCSubluedeVilS.Com

Three Blue Devils scored on the afternoon but the Central Connecticut women’s soccer team played to its fourth draw of the season on the road at Hofstra on Sunday. CCSU is now 3-2-4 on the season following a 3-3 tie against the Pride on Long Island. Leah Blayney, Hannah Bromley and Clio Tregear all scored for the Blue Devils in the game. Senior goalkeeper Erin Her matched her season-high making nine saves in goal for the Blue Devils in the draw. The Pride outshot the Blue Devils 22-9 in the game including a 12-7 edge in shots on goal. Central Connecticut took the early 1-0 lead just 5:51 into the match when Blayney scored her third goal of the season. She took control of the ball off an attempted clear and shot from the top of the box beating Pride goalkeeper Krystal Robens just inside the right post. Hofstra wasted little time evening the game at one goal a piece when Diane Caldwell beat Herd inside the left post at 9:06. The Pride took their first lead of the game at 27:58 when Edel Malone beat Herd

in the left corner from 20 yards out. Herd, who had allowed only two goals all season, allowed more than one goal in a game for the first time all season. The Blue Devils tied it just before the half on Bromley’s first goal of the season. She took a direct kick from midfield and when Robens missed a punch at the ball it tied the score at 2-2 with only one second on the clock before halftime. Hofstra took the lead again at 71:35 on a goal from Courtney Breen, making it 3-2. The Blue Devils tied the score just under five minutes later when Tregear scored her third goal of the season. Brittany Emin made a long run up the left side and sent a cross into the middle. Tregear crashed in from the opposite side with a defender on her shoulder, and popped the ball up in the air with the outside of her foot. It spun over the head of Robens and into the upper right corner of the goal to knot the score at three. Central Connecticut has another week off before playing its next game on Sunday, Sept. 28 at Army beginning at 1 p.m.

New and Improved Fitness Centers Sam May Hall Fitness Center Beecher Hall Fitness Center Kaiser Hall Fitness Center Monday-Thursday 11-2 p.m., 4-11 p.m. Friday 11-2 p.m., 4-9 p.m. Sunday 8-11 p.m. Phone: (860) 832-3732 E-mail: RECentral@ccsu.edu http://stdctr.ccsu.edu/recentral

RECentral Fall 2008 Fitness Classes There is a class minimum of three students and a maximum of 10. The classes are held in the Bubble or in the dance studio (Kaiser 040). You can arrive at the time of class, or stop by the RECentral ofﬁce in Kaiser 039 to reserve a spot up to a week in advance. Classes are free to all CCSU students. Any questions, please visit our Web site: stdctr.edu.edu/ recentral Ofﬁce in Kaiser 039 or call (860)832-3732 Email: RECentral@ccsu.edu

Monday

Full Body Sculpt 11:30-12:30 Bubble

Tuesday

Cardio Groove 1:00-1:45 Bubble Core Strength 1:45-2:15 Bubble Hip Hop Shop Drop 2:15-3:00 Bubble

Wednesday

Full Body Sculpt 11:30-12:30 Bubble Kickboxing 12:45-1:30 Bubble Full Body Sculpt 5:45-6:45 Dance Studio Hip Hop 7:00-7:45 Dance Studio

Thursday

Cardio Groove 1:00-1:45 Bubble Core Strength 1:45-2:15 Bubble Hip Hop Shop Drop 2:15-3:00 Bubble Body Weight Caridio Sculpt 4:00-5:00 Bubble Fabs Abs 5:00-5:30 Bubble

Friday Kickboxing 2:00-2:45 Dance Studio Six Pack Abs/Buns of Steel 2:45-3:15 Dance Studio Belly Dance 3:15-4:00 Dance Studio

S:4”

LIFELINE FOR PROBLEM GAMBLERS Call for yourself or someone you care about if you sense a gambling problem. The 24-hour Problem Gambling Helpline is confidential and toll free within Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The Helpline is a service of the CT Council on Problem Gambling.

Call 1-800-34 NO BET (1-800-346-6238)

S:5”

ReCentral

Photo: Conrad Akier

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, September 24, 2008 / SPORTS

Pick Your Poison

NFL Predictions for Week 4 Each week the following four editors will put their pick prowess on display against fellow CCSU students. Think you can do better? Send us YOUR picks before the start of the games each week and we’ll print the results. A leader board will be published and the leader at the end of the semester goes off to Christmas break with all the bragging rights and a prize to be announced. Send comments or questions regarding this weekly feature to ccsurecorder@gmail.com

Peter Collin

Kyle Dorau Sports Editor

Associate Layout Editor

Entertainment Editor

Cleveland at Cincinnati

Cincinnati

Cleveland

Cincinnati

Cleveland

Minnesota at Tennessee

Tennessee

Minnesota

Denver

San Francisco

New Orleans

Arizona

N.Y. Jets

Managing Editor

Denver at Kansas City San Francisco at New Orleans Arizona at N.Y. Jets Green Bay at Tampa Bay

Edward Gaug

Nick Viccione

Green Bay

Atlanta at Carolina

Carolina

Houston at Jacksonville

Houston

Jacksonville

San Diego at Oakland

Oakland

San Diego

Buffalo at St. Louis

Buffalo

Washington at Dalls

Dallas

Philadelphia at Chicago

Philadelphia

Baltimore at Pittsburgh

Baltimore

Pittsburgh

Ravens def. Steelers

Steelers def. Ravens

Pick of the Week

Big Ben got his ass kicked in Philly last week and Baltimore’s defense can get to the quarterback, plus they can pick the ball out of the air.

Hockey Club Faces Further Funding Cuts Kyle Dorau Sports Editor

The Central Connecticut State University Ice Hockey Club suffered another financial blow this semester as their budget for the upcoming season was drastically reduced.

The Student Government Association, which allocates funds for clubs, reduced the total club budget from $369,905 in 2007-08 to $340,571 in 2008-09, a difference of $29,334. Funds allocated for the Ice Hockey Club were reduced from $36,096 in 2007-08 to $7,096 in 2008-09.

I’m going to choose Pittsburgh for no reason other than to make my co-workers here at the The Recorder obsessively spell check “Roethlisberger”. Oh, and Baltimore’s offense is awful.

This is the second consecutive year in which the club budgets were cut, and the third consecutive year that the Ice Hockey Club funds were reduced. Last year, there was a controversy when the Nationals-bound Blue Devils were denied supplemental funding. The team, which returns most of its roster and several key players, could potentially return to the National Tournament this season, which would require more funds in the event that they qualify. The club can apply for additional funding through the SGA. Other financial avenues they could take include appealing to President Jack Miller, or fundraising on their own, which has strict guidelines set by the SGA. Miller did contribute extra funds for the trip to Nationals last season when the team requested additional funding. The Ice Hockey Club is historically one of the most expensive clubs on the CCSU campus for the SGA to support. Most of their funds are necessitated by very high rink costs at Newington Arena where the club reserves a rink for games and practices and also to pay for travel expenses. When asked, the Ice Hockey Club declined to comment on their financial situation. They begin their upcoming season on Saturday, Oct. 4 when they host Western Connecticut State University at 7:30 p.m.

Chicago

Pittsburgh Jets def. Cardinals

Pittsburgh Broncos def. Chiefs

With both interesting area teams on the bye week, I’ll be forced to watch the Jets beat the hapless Cardinals. In a battle of two QBs that should be retired, Favre sucks less than the ex-grocery bagging Kurt Warner. If only by an INT or two.

Jay Cutler has been the MVP of two of my fantasy teams so far this season. I see a pretty favorable match-up versus the Kansas Shitty Chiefs. Cutler, Marshall and Royal should have a field day.

This Week’s NFL Prediction Leader Board Rank

Name

Total Points

Current Week

Ed Gaug

Kevin Petruzielo

Gary Berman

Carey Brimmer

Anthony Gonsalves

Kyle Dorau

Marc Chouinard

Nick Viccione

Jason Beaumier

Ryan Kennedy

Edward Homick

Peter Collin

Alex Waters

Melissa Traynor

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, September 24, 2008 / SPORTS

“

When I get in

I have to do my best and make every opportunity

Blue Devils 35 NCCU Eagles 23 “We really wanted to put the game away; we didn’t want to let them hang around too much,” said Mallory. “We wanted to put them away and secure the victory.” Continued from page 1 Norris entered the game midway through the second quarter and quickly made an impact. After a Mallory 21-yard run that was brought back 15-yards for an unsportsmanlike like conduct penalty, Norris broke free for a 17-yard gain on an option play up the sideline. Norris’ run set up another big play from Mallory who bounced through tacklers for 19 yards. From there Norris connected with wide out Colagiovanni for a 25yard score, giving the Blue Devils a 14-3 lead going into the second half. “We really wanted to put the game away; we didn’t want to let them hang around too much,” said Mallory. “We wanted to put them away and secure the victory.” The Blue Devils were solid through the air and on the ground during the first half. Wanket connected on 4-6 passes for 65 yards and

Norris was 2-3 with a touchdown pass. Central’s defense was solid as well with sophomore Jeff Marino recording one sack and the Blue Devils holding the Eagles to just 106 yards of total offense. The second half was when the Blue Devils hit the ground running. Norris and Mallory again combined to lead the Central down the field to the NCCU 21-yard line. Norris dropped back to pass but was flushed out of the pocket and towards the Blue Devil sideline. There he found Colagiovanni at the 10-yard line with no one around. Colagiovanni turned up field, and after receiving a key block from senior wide out Jermaine Roberts, he burst into the end zone. Central didn’t give the Eagles much of a chance to respond to the drive as NCCU quarterback Stadford Brown was intercepted by Blue Devil linebacker Marino on the Eagle 39yard line. Marino returned the ball to the 24-yard line. From there the Blue Devils needed three plays before Mallory broke free up the sideline for an 11-yard gain and the touchdown. The Eagles did manage to put together several big drives to cut into the Blue Devil lead toward the end of the game. With just under five minutes left in the third quarter, Brown connected with senior wide out Will Scott for a 53-yard gain that put NCCU on the Central 30-yard line. NCCU would add two more scores in the closing minutes of the game to close within twelve after a one-yard run by Brown. They would failed atwo-point attempt and ensuing onside kick. This game was Wanket’s first start of his Blue Devil career. Central quarterbacks have now totaled five touchdown passes to one interception for the season. Jeff Marino’s interception was the second of his career. Mallory has now rushed for 541 yards in three games, an average of 180.3 per game. Central will now travel to Dover, DE to take on Delaware State University on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m.

-Hunter Wanket

count.

”

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, September 24, 2008 / SPORTS

Edward Gaug / The Recorder

10 THE RECORDER Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Entertainment Videogames are the new MTV. Songs are repeatedly blasted over the menu graphics and gamers begin to associate the music with the game itself. If the game happens to be one of high quality and superior reputation, the music is vicariously considered quality as well. Having a track selected for a popular video game release means immediately tapping into the ears of millions of 15 to 35 year-old males. InnerPartySystem’s debut, self-titled release is going to get such promotion. Their first single, “Don’t Stop,” has been featured on the latest Madden NFL Football incarnation. But the Madden ‘bump’ does little, to nothing, to help a flatly mediocre production. The first rule of any debut album is do NOT fill track one with a song that is patently laughable. “Die Tonight, Live Forever,” which also happens to be the band’s second single,

InnerPartySystem InnerPartySystem Stolen Transmission September 29, 2008

myspace.com/innerpartysystem

War Tapes War Tapes Sarathan Records September 16, 2008

Doom Pop, as my section editor affectionately terms it, never sounded so good with the release of War Tapes’ self titled effort. The band’s freshman foray into the popular music wilderness manages to hit all the right notes, at times crafting an elegant soundscape while at other times giving itself up to the ambivalence of the cacophony of static and feedback. It is an impressive debut, all things considered. While most artists are content with wearing their influences on their sleeves, War Tapes does not follow the same pattern. Kept at arm’s length, the likes of Joy Division, the Cure and even Ennio Morricone are channeled but never threaten to consume the originality of the whole endeavor. The band is content to allow respectful nods rather than slavish adoration to insert itself into the music. Singer and front man Neil Popkin conjures at times the spirit of Ian Curtis, but manages to step off his coattails once speedier numbers are called for. Popkin’s strong and assured vocals are further reinforced by his female partner in crime, Becca Popkin, whose sultry emanations help to smooth out the otherwise harsh vocal spots present on some songs. Which is not to say that their rough spots haven’t been smoothed out totally – melody is sometimes cast aside for unnecessary experimentation and tuneless yelping, but at their core, the promise inherent in all budding young musicians remains constant. Give it a whirl if the idea of post punk makes you all nostalgic. Otherwise, wait until they prove themselves with a full release. Joe Zajac / Staff Writer

This or the Apocalypse’s new album Monuments was released September 16, 2008. From the first track This or the Apocalypse proves that they can be heavy and brutal. My question is; should you care? This or the Apocalypse seems to get lost in themselves and end up just writing material that they can listen to and pat themselves on the back for. After a few songs you will realize that every song on Monuments, sound the same. This or the Apocalypse can not write a memorable song to save their lives. There are a few redeeming qualities of this mess. After you get past the horrid vocals and weird breakdowns the band starts to get better, you’ll probably even start shaking your head to them and saying “hey not bad.” That feeling will not last long, for every note worthy moment in Monuments, there is something awful that follows. This or the Apocalypse does have potential. If they were to change their singer

This or the Apocalypse Monuments Lifeforce Records September 16, 2008

and iron out a few flaws that they have they can be a real contender. I do not see them doing that any time soon. This or the Apocalypse has grouped themselves with bands like Bring Me The Horizon, the Devil Wears Prada and all those other emo bands that just waste their talent on unoriginal music that people will listen to just because it’s there. This genre of music isn’t all bad – there are a few hidden gems in it. This or the Apocalypse comes up just short with Monuments. But hey, at least the production is top notch. Sean Fenwick / Staff Writer

With all of Ill Bill’s experience aside, The Hour of Reprisal is only his second solo, full length studio album. And it really is a damn good piece of work. Ill Bill, a Jewish born rapper from Brooklyn, N.Y., lets his skills shine through brightly on Reprisal in many different forms, and not only that, he has successfully made a conceptual album interesting as well as intriguing. Naming the album The Hour of Reprisal was no accident. The runtime is exactly that, and with lyrical content spanning religion, politics, drugs the difference of culture and life it is very clear what Ill Bill was trying to accomplish with the release of this album. If you are more a beat person than a lyric person, you will have no qualms with any of the tracks on this album. Cinematic orchestrations weave in and out with straight up hip hop beats to create a perfect juxtaposition. I am going to spend very little time discussing specifics when it comes to lyrics, because there is a good chance that if you made it this far in this review, that you have already listened to this album and are enjoying it furiously. We are in the same boat. Ill Bill stays passionate with the release of The Hour of Reprisal. So if you are still listening to Lil’ Wayne and Jeezy thinking they are the bees knees, do yourself a favor and pick up some heartfelt hip-hop. The Hour of Reprisal is damn good. Nick viccione / Entertainment Editor

Ill Bill The Hour of Reprisal Uncle Howie Records September 16, 2008

Mitch Hedberg, a legend of the comedic genre has a new album out titled, Do You Believe in Gosh? Recorded approximately two months before the comedian’s death, the CD has some of what Hedberg was preparing to use in his next full-length album. This is Hedberg’s first official posthumous recording; forty minutes of unheard material that his fans are going to eat up. To begin, Hedberg has a stage presence unlike any other. It was characteristic of him to wear amber sunglasses, drape his

Mitch Hedberg Do You Believe in Gosh? Comedy Central September 9, 2008

sounds like the soundtrack from an ecstasy laden prom rave, but lacks the rhythm and bass to make the trip worth it. With lyrics that sound like a 10 th grade poetry workshop, the guys of InnerPartySystem completely dash any assumed musical-credibility they had previously The only true highlight of the album is the song that will encourage almost all of their sales: “Don’t Stop”. Quality tempo changes and lyrical creativity paint a powerful image in the mind of the listener: unexpected and enthralling. The greatest, and practically only, exploration of the vocal spectrum on the album is contained within this pounding single. Crescendos and sudden diminuendo add drama and trauma to the piece—no wonder the folks at Madden chose it. The rest of the album simply does not live up to the expectations set by “Don’t Stop.” The tempos are flat, the energy is nonexistent, and it’s just plain boring. I had to hit pause half-way through the thing and recharge my musical energy with some M.I.A. – it kept me

professionally motivated to finish the second-rate album. “This Empty Love” is so excruciatingly slow and clichéd that I was certain it was a gag track – meant to let you know the album is really a parody of the pedestrian garbage currently drowning the musical market. Sadly, they were in fact seriously attempting to be seductive. My God, his falsetto sounded like a drunken frat boy’s Madonna karaoke. Matt jurkiewicz / Staff Writer

hair in front of his eyes and usually have a drink in hand during a performance. It was also not unusual to see the comic delivering jokes with his eyes closed or close to, what he has said is a product of his stage fright. Every man has his foibles, even comic geniuses. His delivery is what sets Hedberg apart from the rest; a quirky hippie-drawl that is sometimes comparable to the ranting of a cocked middle-aged man reminiscing with pals at his high school reunion. Point is, the jokes just couldn’t come out of anyone else; they’re his jokes, his’s comments and observations of the very mundane and simultaneously baffling world we live in. Do You Believe in Gosh? is different than most of Hedberg’s released material for two reasons: the jokes are new and there’s a lot more audience interaction. As said before, this recording was what Mitch was preparing for his next full-length release. You can expect short lulls and a few jokes that are obviously works-in-progress. He himself comments on jokes needing work, making his audience laugh at his honesty and humility instead of the joke itself. A few of the jokes are just too ridiculous, but most hit home with the audience. When asked what he’s drinking, Hedberg responds, “nyquil on the rocks” for when you’re feeling “sick, but sociable.” Listeners can expect one liners like, “Is a hippopotamus a hippopotamus or just a really cool oppotamus?” and “I’ve got the solution for sweat shops…AIR conditioning!” and how his Carefree gum hadn’t kicked in because he was “still worried.” Some people would think that purposely misunderstanding common phrases in our language is idiotic. Truth is, Hedberg brilliantly manipulated English and our interpretations to bring humor to very ordinary things. For fans familiar and those who know nothing of Hedberg, give the release a go. Fans won’t be disappointed and I’m sure the release is enough to bring more listeners into his fanbase. Who knows what led Hedberg to his drug use and eventual overdose? What I do know is the most creative and original comic’s career was cut short. Whether it’s cathartic or just because, everyone should give Gosh a listen.

peddle their lackluster musical wares in the made-for-radio R&B community. Ne-Yo is the equivalent of the bothersome sort on the street who keeps pushing his homemade CD on you promising that it’s the next big thing. Well sir, it’ll take more than promises to earn my dollar fifty.

Misbah Akbar / Staff Writer

Ne-Yo Year of the Gentleman Def Jam September 16, 2008

Ne-Yo is the latest on the exceedingly long list of aspiring R&B crooners hoping to break big in a market long since over-satured with generic sounding shmoes, themselves hoping to establish some street cred by dropping some tuneful ballads and phat beats onto the unsuspecting avenues of suburbia. And if YOTG is any indication, NeYo is just as generic as the rest of the goons who

Arguably more famous as a songwriter for the stars (Janet Jackson & Beyonce, among others) than as an actual recording artist, Ne-Yo has not set the world on fire as the musical press has claimed with YOTG. If Ne-Yo has shown us what he is really capable of, songwriting-wise with those penned for Janet and Beyonce, then he’s clearly gotten lax with this release. Perhaps I’m too aware of the roots of R&B to realize the downturn the genre has taken in the past few decades, but Ne-Yo, for all of his popularity, cannot pique my interest in this now stale and plastic genre. Having suffered through hours of 93.7 at work, I understand how assembly line it has become, and YOTG does not fill me with hope. If modern R&B could be described as the result of James Brown, Sam Cooke and Stevie Wonder vomiting in a bucket, then Ne-Yo would be that one barely distinguishable morsel of food sticking out. Pass, unless you are able to distinguish the artists on 93.7 from one another.

Joe Zajac / Staff Writer When Portugal. The Man a band has a Censored Colors complete Equal Vision Records back-story just for their September 16, 2008 name and almost a style guide as to how it should be used, weird things should be expected. This is exactly why Portugal. The Man’s eclectic style on Censored Colors was more of a warm welcome than pleasant surprise. Hailing from Wasilla, Alaska, but now living in Portland, Oregon, Portugal. The Man have created a sound and sense of atmosphere that is perfectly fitting with their Pacific Northwest environment. Their sound is expansive and crystal clear. With Censored Colors, tracks flow effortlessly, being lead by Zach Carothers and John Baldwin Gourley’s dual vocals, but it is his guitar play that really stands out. Gourley’s isn’t the regular obtrusive guitar that is perfected on this album, rather the guitar riffs that fly through the background of a few of the album’s faster tracks. As Censored Colors progresses through its 15 tracks, the listener gets tastes from 70s stoner rock to 50s love ballads with bits of pro rock sprinkled over the whole thing. After Nov. 4, the only reason people will talk about Wasilla, Alaska will be when talking about Portugal. The Man. Edward Gaug / Assoc. Layout

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, September 24, 2008 / ENTERTAINMENT

Babylon Misses the Mark

CelebRityWondeR.Com

SeAn fenWiCk Staff Writer

Babylon A.D. was released on Aug. 26, 2008, and directed by Mathieu Kassovitz. The premise of this film is just like any other postapocalyptic flick with a badass hero. The race can’t live in certain parts of the world because of nuclear fall out (Terminator franchise). The surviving population creates society with huge buildings and neon lights on every one of them (Blade Runner and Judge Dread). Vin Diesel plays the semi-cool mercenary Toorop. He is hired to move a nun named Aurora played by Mélanie

Thierry, who is some kind biological weapon from Russia to New York, while protecting her from a fanatic religious cult. This movie suffers from poor direction, a sub-par script and a distinct feeling that the studio just wanted an action movie for the summer. It is a pretty bad sign when the director leaves town the week of the worldwide release, for a Caribbean getaway and, on numerous occasions, washed his hands of this movie in quite a few interviews when he described it as “pure violence and stupidity.” The film is riddled with plot holes and random sub plots that go nowhere. Now the action – Kassovitz does not

know how to direct when it comes to action and the rest of the movie proves he can’t direct anything. There is a boring chase scene that really does nothing for the film and about every other punch that Diesel throws you’ll wish he hadn’t. The other action shots in this film were bland and dull. Triple X was good right? Why was this film so bad? It has been done thousands of times before. The dialogue in Babylon A.D. is remedial. It goes back and forth with stupid psychobabble trying to throw some clever insights at the audience. The original source ma-

terial was a book that was layered with philosophies and religious comments that make the reader think about the modern society we live in and how it changed for the worst. This film just makes the audience question why they let Vin Diesel trick them out of ten bucks. Bottom line Vin Diesel does what he does best, make a bad movie and cashes his paycheck. Next time we will see him expect the same thing. It does not surprise me in any way that the acronym for this movie is B.A.D.

Super High Me

The Ups and Downs of Being High kARyn dAnfoRth editor-at-large

Have you ever been interested in the possible effects marijuana can have on you, physically and intellectually? Curious about the increase of medical marijuana dispensaries and the fight California has with the DEA to keep them there? Stand-up comedian Doug Benson, resident of the Golden State, made a decision to document his relationship with cannabis, in all of its forms. Being the oh-so-original person he seems to portray, (which, is himself, and yes, that phrase is laced with sarcasm) Benson names the documentary after the gastronomical “Super Size Me,” replacing “size” with “high.” In “Super High Me” Benson is curious as to whether he can live his life without pot. Having previously been dubbed the Stoner

Comedian of the Year, Benson is completely used to smoking marijuana any time, anywhere. Feeling optimistic, he opted to quit smoking for 30 days in order to see how he can cope without the substance. Not even after the first day, everything Benson sees reminds him of the leafy THCfilled plant, whether it’s billboards, places he has smoked or even stoplights when they turn green. In the course of the 30 days, he goes to the doctor to conduct several tests on his lung capacity, heart rate and natural endurance. Benson also takes the SATs and even subjects himself to a test to see if he is telepathic. Of course, if you’ve seen the McDonald’s mayhem, you can suspect that the same tests will be attempted when, in this case, the documentary then sees Benson smoke as much as he possibly can for 30 days straight.

Once Benson begins his 30 day smoke fest, he is introduced to the world of medical marijuana dispensaries. Signing up is a simple task, and there he stands, peering into glass cases full of every form of chronic kush imaginable. While I didn’t believe Doug Benson to be funny whatsoever, I thought this documentary in general proved to be an interesting peek into the crazy ups and downs of the legalization of marijuana and the divide between Americans who approve/disapprove of its use. Proceed with caution.

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, September 24, 2008 / ENTERTAINMENT

Britney is Back Britney Spears Makes Her Return Without Singing, Dancing or Humiliation Tiffany Failla Staff Writer

celebritywonder.com

Subpar Script Hurts Lakeview Terrace Michael Walsh Staff Writer

Let’s face it; the next door neighbor from hell routine has played itself out in film, television and everyday life. Lakeview Terrace is director Neil LaBute’s attempt to reenergize the concept by throwing handfuls of social commentary of the racist fashion into the mix. In this dramatic thriller, Samuel L. Jackson plays single father and L.A.P.D. officer Abel Turner who just can’t get over the fact that his new neighbors Chris and Lisa Mattson, played by Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington, are an interracial couple. Taking things into his own hands, Turner terrorizes the couple in an attempt to push them out of the neighborhood. Lakeview Terrace never really crosses the threshold into being the shocking film about racism that it so desperately tries to be. Held back by a PG-13 rating and a script that is both lazy and subpar, director Neil LaBute is only really able to touch the tip of the iceberg on the subject. The film tends to slowly move along with both subtle and obvious racist comments here and there from antagonist Turner, which generate some sort of retaliatory response from the neighbors. Rarely does the film ever delve deep into anything of substance as it merely stays on the surface as a preachy yet shallow representation of our culture’s problems. None of the characters are truly developed leaving no one to sincerely care for. This is a major problem for a film of such sensitive material. As the film progresses towards the climax and conclusion the script reaches a heightened level of senseless stupidity and absurdity. All in

one fell swoop everything the film had going for it, which wasn’t much, as a completely serious and believable film is gone. Thanks to one unnecessary plot movement the story runs into a brick wall and falls flat on its face during its most tense moments. Terrace runs at a long 110 minutes yet it still feels like it was wrapped up all too suddenly and in the most ridiculous way. All is not lost, though. Jackson is perfectly cast as Turner. His signature rip roaring and biting dialectic style returns along with his ever-so-intimidating glares. He adds more to this lackluster script than anything else in the film does. Fans of Jackson will enjoy his performance and it makes the viewing of this film at least worth something. The film also has enough thrilling and entertaining moments, albeit most of the times less than spectacular, to keep the viewer watching. Lakeview Terrace is a film with an identity crisis. It moves from serious drama to ridiculous cookie cutter thriller with a B-movie feel. It never reaches the level it desires in terms of shock and its exploitative juices never get flowing. To his credit, LaBute did what he could with a bad script and regains some credit after his horrendous debacle with his 2006 remake of The Wicker Man, which turned into an unintentional comedy. Terrace is better off avoided unless you simply can’t get enough of Samuel L. Jackson. Nothing outside of him works that well in this film and it all comes crashing down before it ends. This film does nothing other films about racial tension haven’t already done better. If you are curious at all about this film save your money and time for now and wait until it hits DVD.

Britney Spears did not embrace the 2008 Video Music Award stage with a barely there and barely dressed karaoke version of “Gimme More.” She took home three moonman awards this year and she didn’t even have to dance or sing. The 2008 MTV Video Music Awards was live from Paramount Pictures Studios in Hollywood California Sept. 7, 2008. For the past decade, the VMAs have been held in New York City at Metropolitan Opera House or Radio City Music Hall. Tim Kash presented the pre show red carpet event in which he would interview celebrities showing up in an array of fashions…or lack thereof. We even got an interview from a very pregnant Ashlee Simpson who stated, “I’m just here to support him,” in reference to her new husband Pete Wentz from the band Fall Out Boy. Promptly at 9 p.m. Spears introduced the 25th birthday of MTV’s Video Music Awards. The first performance was Rhianna’s, singing “Disturbia.” Other performances of the night included Pink – “So What”; The Jonas Brothers – “Lovebug”; Kate Perry performed “I Kissed A Girl” and her rendition of Madonna’s “Like A Virgin”; Lil Wayne, Kid Rock and Leona Lewis also performed together. Kanye West showcased his new song “Love Lockdown” and Christina Aguilera performed her old hit “Genie in a Bottle.” Though comical, tensions arose when host Russell Brand slammed the Jonas

Righteous Kill Does Nothing But Murder Careers

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Brothers for wearing what he called promise rings and purity bands to keep their virginity until marriage. Before introducing T.I.’s performance, VMA nominee Jordin Sparks, who also wears such a band, stated, “I just have to say one thing about promise rings. It’s not bad to wear a promise ring because not everybody – guy or girl – wants to be a slut” in defending the Jonas Brother’s vow. Overall, Brand could not put a damper on the night. Eight moonman awards and acceptances were aired on Sept. 7. These awards included Best Male Video winner Chris Brown’s “With You”; “Best Dancing in a Video” for The Pussycat Dolls’ “When I Grow Up” and “Best New Artist” went to Tokio Hotel for “Ready Set Go”. Britney is back. After nearly a decade of VMA Britney shenanigans, including her first appearance in 1999 in which she sang with ‘NSYNC, stripped down to a nearly nude sparkle-studded body suit in 2000, tangoed with a python in 2001, made out with Madonna 2003 and crashed her comeback in 2007, it looks like 2008 she finally is back and looking better than ever. It is amazing what one year can do. Britney Spears won “Best Female Video”, “Best Pop Video” and “Video of the Year” for “Piece of Me”. She briefly thanked her God, her family and her fans with each acceptance speech. After16 past nominations and losses Spears finally won three in one night.

Released Sept.12, Righteous Kill stars Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino in this mystery thriller. The two play New York City detectives on the chase of a serial killer who writes witty poetry for his victims. The plot is similar to such films as The Boondock Saints and Equilibrium, but just doesn’t deliver. With a serial killer who feels it is within his right to remove the scum from the earth, DeNiro and Pacino’s characters are conflicted on whether or not the killer should be caught and convicted. You’d expect loads from a movie with two legends of the age, but don’t hold your breath. You might asphyxiate. The best part of the film: the on-screen chemistry between DeNiro and Pacino. Not that they had much to work with for a script. But as always, the two actors do so well portraying their respective characters. DeNiro plays Turk, a high-strung cop with a temper (big surprise). Pacino on the other hand playing Rooster is the slick level-headed accomplice who perfectly balances his partner. There’s loads of “fucking this” and “fucking that” – always a pleasure to see the tough guy act out in these two. Their in-

teraction makes for great comic relief in what’s supposed to be a serious film about “righteous” killing.

John Luguizamo and Carla Gugino weren’t bad additions to the film, though DeNiro’s on-screen relationship with Gugino is a bit nauseating. He goes so far as to say “she’s got my sperm count so low I gotta sit down to piss.” Funny, until you really think about a man who’s sixty and a thirty-year-old woman who’s into S&M. And of course, there’s Curtis Jackson, better known as 50 Cent. Although most would expect a lousy performance, 50 brings out his natural thug appeal to adequately portray his drug-dealing, pussy lovin’ character Spider. He even chokes a bitch. Does it so well, you’d think he’s done it in real life. So it is worth seeing? Yes, but maybe not for ten bucks at the theater. It’s an easy enough movie to sit through but is likely to disappoint. There’s no spectacular cinematography or score to the film, so you might as well wait for the DVD. Or go to support good actors in lousy films. Your choice.

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14 THE RECORDER Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Lifestyles

(an)OTHER Show

Yoga vs. Average College Male P.J. Decoteau Staff Writer

The phrase kept popping in my mind as I walked into the small building that sits behind the much larger and somewhat intimidating fixture of Bally’s Total Fitness in West Hartford. The tiny hidden site is home to West Hartford Yoga, and as I confidently (if a bit naively) strolled in with my girlfriend and her sister, the phrase continued to surface. Surely a remnant of a 90s prime time sitcom episode in which one of the characters goes to a yoga class and performs the pose, a move called the “downward facing dog” was the only real thing I knew about yoga. And, although I knew it involved arching your body upwards with your face down and hands and feet on the floor, I always found the name strangely and inappropriately sexual in nature. For some reason I picture Ross doing this, but will in no way admit to having watched “Friends.” Fetishes and “Friends” aside, this would be my first foray into that calm yet painful world of yoga. While my lifelong status as an athlete prepared me for tackling, catching and throwing, nothing could prepare me for the yoga-induced pain in my lower body that accompanied the Enya-esque music and the tiny instructor named Shankara. Interestingly enough, the practice of yoga began in India centuries ago as a way to achieve harmony in both mind and body. Techniques and poses were created to encourage and ultimately increase things like breath control and tranquility – much like meditation, except with oddly (if not vaguely sexually) named poses. Most important, it is a discipline that demands frequent practice and can reward practitioners with increased flexibility, concentration, muscle tone, and perhaps the biggest benefit – the ability to actually calm down after a long day of work/class/jerks. The class I attended was mistakenly named “Gentle Yoga.” Shankara, a slight man standing about five feet, five inches tall and probably weighing no more than 140 pounds, glided into the room as I unrolled the mat that I had snatched from the “community” mat pile and began to stretch out as I’d done hundreds of times before wrestling meets and baseball games. Shankara was the ultimate embodiment of serenity; his voice seemed to drift around the room as he spoke with regulars and waited for class to begin. Meanwhile, the area quietly began to fill until I was completely surrounded by women, both young and middleaged. My girlfriend assured me that this was atypical and that there were usually more men around. I wasn’t about to complain, especially not with the cute girl setting up shop two places

Marissa Blaszko Opinion Editor

behind me and gearing up for a solid night of “downward facing dog.” Shankara gently summoned us to perform a couple of warm up poses before informing us that it would be a “hip night” (as in we were about to work on our hips, not that it would be cool). I laughed in the face of the yogic gods. This, I thought, would be too easy and would supply me with enough leverage to both convince my girlfriend that I’m actually a sensitive guy and maybe even score some free dinner. As the night progressed, though, my confidence began to waver. Never one for extreme (see: average) flexibility, I watched as the women around me contorted their legs around their waists and then their arms around their legs and pulled. I tried to do the same, and though I consider my feat a case of admirable failure, it remained nonetheless a failure. Shankara, perhaps noticing my frustration, repeatedly stated to the class that this was not an exercise in ego inflation – that it was not a competition. I heard him loud and clear, and then decided that I was a better stretcher than most of the people present and set out to prove it. I found myself pushing my hipbones, hamstrings and lower back muscles to places they’d never been before. It hurt both my body and my pride, yet within just the hour or so that the class demanded I could feel the limits of my body beginning to open up. Later on in the class Shankara let slip a few nuggets of precious wisdom, such as “listen to your hips” (mine said “stop it”), and then encouraged us to let loose whatever noise our bodies were making (in his words, not mine). By the end of the session my lower body ached and I had a newfound appreciation for yoga and its participants, but it was not until the very last, magical exercise that I became enamored with the practice forever. It was a simple cool down with the lights off and the ambient music playing lightly, and we were asked to lie on our backs and let go the worries of the day. So there it was. My first yoga experience was not completely devoid of clichés, but it was also not without its idiosyncrasies and deceptively challenging exercises. Yoga is a surprisingly refreshing way to spend an evening hour. I could immediately feel the change in my body and was grateful for the bit of serenity it provided me and I’ve even been trying to remember some of the poses to practice on my own after or before my own workouts. Although my technical knowledge of yoga may still reside somewhere in between “downward facing dog” and Ross from “Friends,” my tangible knowledge and appreciation for the discipline has been greatly increased. And if you were wondering, mine purred.

The first gallery opening to take place in Maloney Hall this year, traditionally a professorial show, is both another faculty-only show, and something completely different: a show for the “others”. Those others, the show’s postcards boast, are “Artists of Color from Connecticut State University Faculty.” Of course, what makes (an)OTHER more than just another progressive art show is the fact that it is not simply African-Americans doing traditional African art, or VietnameseAmericans making Vietnamese art. One of the most interesting aspects of the show, as art department chair Dr. Cora Marshall is eager to point out, is guessing which piece of art the Chinese-American painted; the ethnicity the professor was who made the seemingly-African sculpture. The answers, it turns out, may surprise many students. “Part of [the show] is that we’re challenging preconceptions,” said Dr. Marshall. All too often, galleries tend to group artists of any minority, be it color, gender or sexuality, into certain themed shows: February for artists of African descent; March for women; or November for Native Americans. “Who gets to say where artists stand?” asked Marshall. “Don’t box me in.” The point of the CSU show, however, wasn’t to try to get the professors to make art that represented their particular race, but to make art about race – any race. Two of the pieces that grabbed the most attention as viewers entered the gallery were the large metal sculptures by Eastern Connecticut State University Professor Claudia Widdiss. Although constructed entirely out of steal, the two pieces, “Surrender” and “Awakening”, have been shaped into almost delicate patterns, making them two of the most interesting pieces. Dr. Marshall’s art was also featured in the gallery. Portions of the series

“Runaway! Going, Going, Gone” hung on the wall, featuring imaginary portraits of runaway slaves. The only clues Dr. Marshall had to the identity of the slaves was what little was said about them in the classified ads that featured the individuals’ escapes. Qimin Liu, an associate professor at ECSU, showed a series of largescale portraits of African-American adults with the most interesting color and textures of the show. The reception, like most held in the gallery, was good. Although it might have been a struggle to get escape conversation long enough to actually look at the art, live jazz and free wine usually makes the openings seem more like parties than aristocratic fine-art events. The fact that many of the artists were somewhere on the premises was evident by the fact that they couldn’t get more than a few feet away from their pieces before yet another student, faculty member, or media personnel opened another deluge of questions. The finger food always offered at these events was more unusual than usual (dumplings replaced the grapes and cheese), but it did raise one question: who wants to be eating Asian noodles as they pour over slave portraits with their art professor? It would seem that the Samuel S.T. Chen Fine Arts Center, which has been showcasing various galleries for several years, is finally starting to get a handle on what works well. (an) OTHER Show serves as a good follow-up to the all-women’s show that the gallery featured last year – a show many described as the best one to date. Hopefully, CCSU and the surrounding community will have equally successful and interesting shows to look forward to throughout the year. For students that didn’t make it to the opening reception or haven’t been to an art department-sponsored show yet, (an)OTHER Show will run through Oct. 9, and is located in the second floor of Maloney Hall.

Marissa Blaszko / The Recorder

(an)OTHER Show’s opening gallery featured artists of color.

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, September 24, 2008 / LIFESTYLES

The Best in Browsing How Do The Six Most Popular Internet Browsers Fare? mARiSSA blASzko opinion editor

Everyone has a pet web browser, be it Classic Internet Explorer or Google Chrome. Last week, The Recorder downloaded the six most popular browsers and ran them side-byside to show readers just what they’re missing by not dumping IE like a cheap date.

Camino (Mac)

This browser’s catch phrase is “Mozilla power, Mac style.” The freeware program is actually so confident that it offers a link on the front page to help users make a painless transformation from Mozilla. Unfortunately, it’s completely unexciting. It has about as many features as IE, looks like something that Apple put out, and actually tries to list something as standard as pop-up blocker (alias: “Annoyance Blocking”) as one of it’s “trademark features.” All in all, Camino is a slightly more advanced version of everything users have seen before.

Mozilla Firefox (Mac, PC)

Firefox took the Internet by storm when it first came out because of its faster browsing, better organization, and built-in spell check. Since then, it has been constantly improving on an already well-designed program, including new features like the “smart navigation bar.” It works like this: type in “Recorder” and the navigation bar will offer drop-down suggestions of not only URLs with the phrase “recorder” in it, but also a list of recently visited pages that contain the phrase, such as The Recorder’s Twitter or blog. For those who are more worried about crashing their new laptop than using it, the

security features in the latest edition of FireFox are pretty solid and range from phishing alerts, amazing pop-up blockers and a newly improved password manager. Possibly the best feature of the program is all of the different applications users can download, including one that can nab mp3s off of any Web site including YouTube.com, even when the Web site offers no “save as” option. After using either IE or Safari, most users can make the switch painlessly.

Safari (Mac, PC)

still has no “clear private data” option shows how out-of-touch the browser is, as well as makes IE the ideal program to help you lose your job after sending out one too many Facebook bumper stickers. Hands down the worst browser reviewed here.

Opera (Mac, PC)

Google Chrome (PC)

Just like everything else made by Apple, Safari has begun allowing PC users to use the browser in hopes, one would imagine, of winning them over to a computer without a right-click option. Unfortunately, unlike its freeware competitors, Safari’s design interface is about as interesting as Internet Explorer’s, although more organized. Some of what it boasts for features, like the “snap back” button, are re-issued versions of options users had ten years ago. Safari’s only real advantage over FireFox is the “private browsing” mode which is similar to Chrome’s incognito, but with a less interesting name. Like Firefox, the browser is fairly unimpressive, although it still pwns IE.

Leave it to the industry innovator Google to come out and make Mozilla look more like the piece of beta freeware it is. One of the smartest features is a navigation bar that lets users Google what they’re looking for. Let’s say a student was going to view The Recorder Web xsite for the first time, and isn’t sure if he or she want the schoolhosted site or the blog, both of which options have been provided by the drop down menu. Type ‘Recorder’, hit enter, and scroll through the Google search until the student finds the right site. (FireFox: take note.) With this and other combined features, the minimalist window has a small learning curve but gets rid of cluttered tool bars and drop down menus that Microsoft can’t seem to get enough of. Privacy options are even better with a new “incognito mode,” which lets users open up a new tab without storing a single cookie or password on their computer. Plus, not only do tabs look cool when they appear, but you can pull them out to create a new window. Unfortunately, Google wants users to add desktop shortcuts to all of its web applications—something that even if users were interested in, they could do a lot cleaner with the bookmarks bar. Let’s hope G2 works even better.

Internet Explorer (PC)

Classic PC Internet browser with about as many features as Windows 95. New: after finally having to face some competition, Explorer changed, not to beat the likes of Firefox, but rather to mimic. Users that haven’t upgraded to the newest Internet Explorer are missing out on great features like tab, custom tool bars, and in-window RSS feed. Unfortunately, all of those features can be found in any other browser; the biggest difference between Classic IE and the newest 7.0 is that Microsoft’s latest browser looks like and functions about as well as Vista. The tool bar has actually become such a mess that not only do most of the buttons serve the same function, but we at The Recorder have still to figure out how to organize the thing. Also, although IE is the only browser to offer a telephone help line, it’s probably because they know their users will need it eventually. The fact that it

Why Opera isn’t bigger news is still a mystery. The default black, glassy design makes it look like Vista’s evil twin. Yet the real beauty in the browser is that almost every feature is changeable, making it a PC-Mac love child that both OS users can learn to love with ease. The tool bars have moved away from words to well-designed and easy-to-recognize symbols that sit both above and to the side of the screen, neatly making every option accessible without having to comb through drop down menu after drop down menu. And, of course, it has all of the great features that have become standard, such as tabs (which you can hover over to see a thumbnail of your page), a personal bar (save your top ten bookmarks at the top of the window), and “screen zoom” (something most browsers tote, but is usually tough to find). Opera also comes with “Speed Dial” or an otherwise blank tab that instead hosts nine screen shots of whatever pages you’d like, from Digg to email. Although Google has this too, Opera’s feature is much easier to use. Built-in email is possible, but beginning to use this feature means starting your contacts list and inbox from scratch. Still, the fact that multiple email accounts can permanently reside in a sidebar may be worth it. Features like BitTorrent Download Manager and possible in-window Twitter (at least, if you know what XMLHTTPRequest is) might just make it every geek’s wet dream. Opera’s only faults are the separate Smart Navigation bar and search bar, not setting Google as the default engine, having to manually install spell-check, and not having an incognito/private browsing mode. Hopefully these features will be available in 10.0, along with faster speed, because if Opera has proved anything, it’s that features like “mouse gesture” keep it one step a head of the competition.

this issue by the numbers

the attendance at Saturday’s harmony Classic football game

8,322

the number of movies reviewed in this issue

5 2

0 4 3,218 the attendance of the blue devils’ last home game

the number of people nick Viccione asked to go see those movies with him

the margin of victory by the dolphins over the Patriots

the number of people who picked the dolphins to win in our weekly nfl Picks

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, September 24, 2008 / LIFESTYLES

Forbidden

City

Bistro Presents

Royal

Dining Caroline DEARBORN Staff Writer

Middletown boasts some of the state’s best cuisine, from Italian to Mexican and the recent newcomer to the scene, Forbidden City Bistro, is no exception. Upon entering the restaurant this past Friday night, I was immediately greeted by a very friendly staff. After being seated, I could not help but sense an air of serenity as I took in the dreamy royal purples of the décor. The soft, purple-cushioned chairs were the most comfortable seats I have ever found in a restaurant. The tables, complete with placemats and settings, were pristine and worked well with the color scheme of the restaurant and helped create a relaxed aura that radiated throughout the dining room. Chinese symbols, painted in purple, adorned the walls near sections of exposed brick, giving the place a feel of stability and of time past. Before placing taking order, our pleasantly eager waiter was more than happy to answer the questions my guest had about a few of the menu items. His knowledge of the different dishes was much appreciated. At the beginning of our meal we were presented with complimentary sweet rolls accompanied by a sesame butter. We marveled at these perfectly structured, swiveled little delights, which practically melted in our mouths the second they hit our tongues. Cordially, our waiter continued to check-up on us, even updating us without being asked on the status of our dinner order. Our main entrées were served promptly. We opted for the Sar Char Mei Fun. This consisted of angel hair noodles with shredded pork and onions in a Sar Char sauce. The bowl that it came on was an elegant deep dish that accented the table décor just as much as the placemats.

Upon sampling the Mei Fun, I immediately felt a sensation of sweetness rush to my taste buds as I slowly chewed this exotic blend. I went with a more modern dish of General Tso’s Chicken. The waiter kindly warned me beforehand that it was going to be spicy, but I thanked him and replied that I was looking forward to enjoying a spicy meal that evening. What appeared was wholesome portion that was served on a plate adorned with colorful geometric shapes, which made the dish appear to be worthy of royalt consumption. Accompanied with a moderately sized helping of white rice, the meal was a perfectly balanced creation. The bland rice neutralized the chicken, which was engulfed in a spicy sauce. As the evening progressed, the restaurant steadily began to fill up with people of all types. There was the young crowd, the old crowd, the business crowd and even one young family. With the friendly atmosphere, a person of any style is sure to fit in. Forbidden City has optional outside seating and serves appetizers to desserts, making whatever night you wish to enjoy a possibility. I recommend this place for someone like myself, who enjoys the typical fast-food style Chinese food, but wishes to sit down and consume it at a slower pace, as well as for those who enjoy trying original and authentic ethnic dishes. There is something for everyone here. The next time you are in the Middletown area, this restaurant is a must. Instead of choosing Italian or Mexican cuisine, try Chinese. After all, Italian noodles originated in China and Chinese spices give Mexican salsas a run for their money.

Edward Gaug / The Recorder