Volume106Issue11 by The Recorder

CENTR A L CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSIT Y Wednesday, November 18, 2009

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Cindy Sheehan: Mother Turned Activist

Volume 106 No. 11

The Great Porn Debate with Ron Jeremy TONyA MALiNOWSKi ThE RECoRDER

Peace Activist Still on War Path MATT KiERNAN AND MELiSSA TRAyNOR - ThE RECoRDER PhOTOS By EDWARD GAuG - ThE RECoRDER

Peace and social justice activist Cindy Sheehan, mother of slain U.S. Army Specialist Casey Sheehan, spoke Monday about her path since his death and the impact of individuals against war. “I know for sure that if I don’t try to make a difference, I won’t make a difference,” said Sheehan. Her son Casey was killed in

action in Sadr City Baghdad in the Iraq War on April 4, 2004. Her grief was expounded by the fact that he was fighting and killed in a war that she did not agree with. A few weeks later, after she saw former President George W. Bush on television, proclaiming that troops were dying for a noble cause, it inspired Sheehan to take action.

“I used to promise him, ‘you’ll never go to war,’” Sheehan said. She decided to go to Crawford, Texas, where Bush’s vacation ranch was located, and sit outside his home with six others and established her station as “Camp Casey” in order to protest and See Peace Activist Page 2

Ron Jeremy was the big man on campus last Tuesday, as over 500 people packed into Alumni Hall in the student center to see him and author Susan Cole debate the effects of pornography on society. Jeremy, who has starred in over 2,000 adult films and directed an additional 281, didn’t have to speak before he won the crowd. After Alumni Hall had reached capacity, students were lined up back to the bookstore hoping for a chance to get inside. “We knew it was going to be a big crowd, but I’ve never seen an event where people started lining up an hour and 15 minutes before the start,” said Scott Hazan, director of student activities and leadership development. “It goes to show you how we think porn is so underground, but look how many people are here.” The debaters began with opening statements and then opened the floor to questions. Cole, a graduate of Harvard University, opened the discussion by openly advocating masturbation and sex. “If women don’t get to know their own bodies then they may never have two minutes of decent sex in their lives,” she said.

Cole has written extensively on violence against women, including “Pornography and the Sex Crisis” and “Power Surge: Sex, Violence and Pornography,” and believes pornography is an industry perpetuating the exploitation of women. “You’re all living in a pornographic culture,” she said. “The question is: is it OK for you to get off on an exploited population?” Jeremy, backed with cheers and laughs from the audience, countered her points by arguing that most of the porn industry, including Wicked Pictures, Digital Playground, and Playboy, is run by women. “Most of the [pornography] business is run by women, so if women are being ‘exploited’, it’s by other women,” Jeremy said. Jeremy was ranked by Adult Video News as the number-one porn star of all time and has toured the country debating pornography. The discussion ranged from placement of sex-based ads to the difference between porn and erotica, to which Jeremy said is “lighting.” Cole argued that female porn stars have to have a specific look and almost unnaturally impeccable bodies, while male porn stars are not held to such high standards of See Alumni Hall Packed Page 2

Women Veterans Discuss Inequity in US Military MATT KiERNAN ThE RECoRDER

As part of a week of Veterans’ Day events, women veterans discussed their experiences with war and the differences in treatment between men and women soldiers. “Women have certainly proven themselves in many respects,” said Connecticut Commissioner of Veterans Affairs Dr. Linda Schwartz to a small audience in Torp Theatre. The panel discussion, which was moderated by communications professor Cindy White, introduced stories of unfair treatment and discrimination that women sometimes face when serving their country. While male comrades may sometimes be hesitant towards trusting them, the women veterans

said they have proven themselves worthy of the tasks they’re given, which has given them access to many different positions. “There are very few specialty areas that women have been barred from being assigned to,” said Schwartz. Schwartz recalled her time spent in the Vietnam War and how women were limited to two percent of the force. Women were also not allowed to be married while joining the military and had to leave if pregnant. Sally Haskell M.D. of the Women’s Health Care and Veteran’s Administration discussed her work providing medical care for veterans. Until recently, when women returning from war find it difficult to secure good medical care because

most attention is given to male veterans, which still sometimes happens today. The Veteran’s Administration, which has locations in Newington and West Haven, provides mental and physical care including gynecological and breast care for women veterans, and also serves men. Haskell was part of a women veteran cohort study that compared men and women and what their mental statuses are when coming back from war. It also examined how the two genders use the Veteran’s Administration. “We really haven’t found as many differences as we thought we would,” said Haskell. See Women Vets Page 3

Edward Gaug | The Recorder

In The Recorder This Week:

This Week’s Scene at CCSU

Page 2

The Simple, Bare Necessities

Page 4

Movie and Video Game Reviews

Page 6

Podcast and Album Reviews

Page 7

UFL Here to Stay ... Probably

Page 11

FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT: www.centralrecorder.com

News

2 THE RECORDER Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Alumni Hall Packed for Great Porn Debate with Ron Jeremy

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Student Center 1615 Stanley Street New Britain, CT 06050 T 860.832.3744 editor@centralrecorder.com centralrecorder.com twitter.com/therecorder

Editor-in-Chief Melissa Traynor Managing Editor Edward Gaug Art Director Geoffrey Lewis Copy Editor Elizabeth Mitchell News Editor Matt Kiernan

Edward Gaug | The Recorder

Peace Activist Still on a War Path

Continued from page 1

chairs, an ice chest full of water and one flashlight would prompt thousands of people across America to join her. “We never know when some single, simple act will turn into something big,” said Sheehan. Her inboxes filled with thousands of e-mails from supporters and 15,000 people later, Sheehan was looking at a huge demonstration. She felt that she needed to make

Entertainment Editor Michael Walsh

demand that she get an appointment with the President. She wanted to know exactly which noble cause he had spoken of earlier. “He’s our employee and we need to give him a performance evaluation,” Sheehan recalled thinking. She didn’t know that sitting in the middle of a road with lawn

Lifestyles Editor Samantha Fournier

Movement Rolls On

Sports Editor Christopher Boulay Carmine Vetrano, Assistant

With the last five years behind her, when Sheehan grieved for her son, protested and ran for Speaker of the House, Sheehan is evaluating the current situation and what can be done for the future. A panel discussion of five, including Sheehan and moderated by former Connecticut State Legislature representative William Dyson, was held Monday to discuss that status of the anti-war movement in America. Panelists from around CCSU and the community remarked on the languishing morale of the troops, motivation of anti-war activists and their own firm beliefs against the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Jeff Bartos, a former U.S. Army Sergeant and current CCSU student, said the way in which the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are being fought is cowardly. “You want to talk about courage?” Bartos asked. “It’s not courageous for people to walk around in a country you don’t belong in with full armor, weapons and armored vehicles and telling people ‘we are here to liberate you from yourselves.’” Much of the discussion was centered upon existing problems with the anti-war movement and the drawn-out Sheehan pointed out that here have been no major antiwar demonstrations on Washington since President Barack Obama’s election. She said when Democrats began rallying for Obama, the antiwar movement ended.

Opinion Editor Christina LoBello

Web Editor Alex Jarvis Writers Brittany Burke Kim Scroggins Don Weber Timothy Farrell Christopher Machnich Faustine Colin Kim Gaity Photographers Kalin Bucholz About The Recorder is a student-produced publication of Central Connecticut State University and does not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the views of CCSU’s administrators, faculty or students. The Recorder articles, photographs and graphics are property of The Recorder and may not be reproduced or published without the written permission from the Editor-in-Chief. The purpose of The Recorder is to approach and define issues of importance to the students of Central Connecticut State University. Meetings for The Recorder are held on Mondays at 8 p.m. in the Blue and White Room in the student center.

Sheehan said the elected Democrats aren’t carrying out what they were put in office to do and accused them of ignoring their base. Bartos added that the situation of the troops only exacerbates the problem. “I’d say morale is at a pretty low point in the U.S. military,” Bartos said. Other criticisms of the U.S. military’s handling of troops and returned veterans include lack of treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychiatric problems. Sheehan also said that the mainstream media now label antiwar activists with what she calls “dangerous rhetoric.” She said that the media are now beginning to call on sources that suggest a loss for the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq would be due to Americans’ lack of support, or blaming activists. “We’re already starting to be painted with this brush of failure,” Sheehan said, and added that Americans against the war who speak out are labeled as “radicals.” Looking for ways to improve turnout and effectiveness of antiwar demonstrations and grassroots organizations, Marissa Janczewska, a CCSU student and leader at the campus’ Youth for Socialist Action spoke on behalf of students. She made comparisons to the movements to end the Vietnam War, when she said student protest were influential enough to help end the war. She cited the Kent State

her son’s death mean something and make an attempt at saving other people’s lives. “I haven’t made the difference I want to make yet, though,” said Sheehan in reference to her wanting all troops to be pulled out of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Edward Gaug | The Recorder

incident during which four students were shot and killed by the Ohio National Guard. Janczewska said that universities across America responded. “After Kent, schools shut down and became anti-war machines,” Janczewska said. CCSU political science professor Ghassan E. El-Eid recommended that student educate themselves and “become activists for knowledge.” Panelists also discussed the impact of an apathetic population who will be difficult to move and motivate. Sheehan and El-Eid affirmed that the United States is a sleeping giant, relatively unaffected by the wars. They argued that in order to stimulate people into action, a measure similar to the draft installed in the war against Vietnam in the late 1960s. By avoiding a draft, which in turn would provoke public outrage, they believe, American leaders could further wars without direct objection by the people. Panelist Stephen Vincent Kobasa, journalist and political activist, said that one of the misconceptions about the anti-war movement is that people initially believe the war is wrong, which is not true. He argues that even if they reached the mutual consensus against the war, it doesn’t mean they have the power to change it. “Prodding people into a shared sense of brotherhood and sisterhood is difficult,” he said.

scene @ ccsu

A Weekly Stand-Alone Photo Captured at CCSU

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Sophomore Michael Simons watched as Susan Cole and Ron Jeremy debated the state of pornography .

Continued from page 1 physical appearance. “In heterosexual porn, the male is basically just a prop,” Jeremy countered. “They’re not really looking at me; they’re looking at the girl on the other side of my penis.” Hazan said he was surprised at the number of women who came to the event, and both he and Student Government Association president Andrew Froning were shocked at the turnout. “If we could get attention like this at everything, we’d definitely be doing bigger things,” Froning said. “It just shows you that if we hit a topic that interests students, they’ll come out.” Jeremy and Cole agreed on many points, including the use of condoms in porn. “Porn could do a huge public service by eroticizing the use of condoms,” Cole said. Though Jeremy agreed, he argued that their use could drive a nail in the coffin of an already dying industry. He went on to discuss how the porn industry is quickly losing money due to Internet pirating and the spreading popularity of free amateur sites. “I think they both had really good points,” said Megan Funaro, CCSU ‘12, who said she agreed more with Jeremy’s points. “I feel people have the choice to do and watch whatever they want, it’s not that big of a deal.” The debate focused mostly on whether or not women are exploited through pornography and if it perpetuates violence and sexual abuse in our society. Cole used scenes in Jeremy’s own films, including one where he says the female actress is talking too much and then sticks his penis in her mouth to quiet her, to support her point. Jeremy countered most of Cole’s points by defending the principle of comedy in his films as well as the support and right of consensual sex. Though a topic of a serious nature, the discussion was interspersed with Jeremy’s signature humor. After an audience member stood to ask a question and after having to lower the microphone remarked on feeling short, Jeremy said, “It’s ok, I [feel short too], until I lay down.”

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, November 18, 2009 / NEWS

Women Vets Discuss Inequity in Military Students Hope to Establish Continued from page 1 They found depression was more common in women and posttraumatic stress disorder was more common in men. Women’s needs were seen as being slightly higher for the Veteran’s Administration than men in terms of visits. Helen Hart-Gai of Advanced Practice of Registered Nurses and National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder talked about her work spent with women who have been mentally stressed from the acts of war on and off combat zones. “The women in the military often have a higher rate of sexual assault,” said Hart-Gai. Fifteen percent of women coming back from war report being sexually assaulted. Women often come into the PTSD center and report experiencing nightmares

about war and sexual assault. During war, male officials in higher-up positions can be a woman’s perpetrator, which complicates the issue and usually discourages women from reporting the incident. “The women that I see are a courageous group of individuals,” said Hart-Gai. New Britain High School teacher and Ed.D. student Despina Mavroudis described her experience in Operation Iraqi Freedom as a Hummer mechanic. She said she had to work twice as hard to earn the confidence of her male comrades. While on patrol with male soldiers, she was ordered to wear a radio and didn’t have the same privileges as the men, which included having an earlier curfew. “I was 23 and didn’t know that I wasn’t supposed to be treated this way,” said Mavroudis.

The difference in treatment caused Mavroudis to suffer from anxiety, more so than the anxiety she felt at the sounds of bombs or guns. Readjustment Counseling Therapist Amy Otzel worked as a mental health counselor during Operation Iraqi Freedom and started off as the only counselor to a battalion of 500 soldiers. “I didn’t really think about being a female at the time,” said Otzel. She recalled having to carry a knife to protect herself from assaults and had to have three men walk her to the bathroom when she needed to use it during the night. Three-hundred anf fifty women have given their lives in war since World War I in combat zones and 85 have been prisoners of war. Today, six percent of the veteran population are women.

ESSEX PLACE APARTMENTS

Socitey of Professional Journalists Chapter Kim Gaity The Recorder

The president of the Connecticut chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists spoke to students and faculty interested in establishing a national chapter to promote and protect journalistic values here at CCSU. Southern Connecticut State University journalism professor Cindy Simoneau came to CCSU last Wednesday to inform the SPJ interest group of how they can become a recognized chapter. University of Connecticut, Sacred Hart, Quinnipiac and SCSU are other colleges in Connecticut that have SPJ chapters. According to Simoneau, journalism students can view the SPJ as a résumé-building tool and an opportunity to make key contacts in the industry. “Think about your resume and what you have to put onto it,” said Simoneau. “This is one of those great opportunities to get involved with something that will enhance it. It looks great on your résumé, but it also provides countless networking resources with professionals, and today, it’s all about networking.” “SPJ is the only national journalism group students can affiliate with as an organization and have the same ranking as an existing member,” said Cindy. “At a national convention your vote has the same value as theirs.”

Simoneau has served on the SPJ board of directors since 1982 while working as a consulting editor at the Connecticut Post for the past 23 years. She was also a founder of the SPJ chapter at the University of Rhode Island as a student. Being a part of the SPJ can benefit more than the resume. There are contest opportunities statewide and nationally to recognize good student journalism, as well as financial benefits that continue through graduation. The SPJ allows students to pay at the student rate for conventions and workshops around the country to build writing and reporting skills. There are also workshops in the Northeast region that allow journalism students to meet other students with similar interests and share experiences. “The opportunity that comes with it is so big because we all work together,” Simoneau said. “For example, we plan to join forces with the RTNDA (Radio Television Digital News Association) for a national convention so you can use that cross synergy to belong to one group and participate in another.” The CCSU interest group is eligible to become an official national chapter within a year, and is looking to recruit members interested in the field of journalism. Students interested in becoming a member of the group can contact President Andrew Ragali at ragalianj@students.ccsu.edu.

The Recorder is now looking to fill the following positions for Spring 2010: News Editor Assistant News Associate Layout Editor Contact The Recorder at editor@centralrecorder.com for an application and to set up an interview, or stop by room 107 in the student center.

4 THE RECORDER Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Editorial/Opinion

Editorial

Administration: Please Revise the Registration Process The flaw most immediately impacting students in the course registration is this semester’s clunky process. Somehow, with CCSU’s decision not to print the usual paper registration booklets with course listings, picking out spring semester courses has become more of a hassle. Paperless is not always good. Many students have complained that even the simple luxury of handpicking courses in the paper booklet is helpful and an easy way to make an already frustrating registration process slightly more bearable. It’s possible that a lot of students are old-fashioned and enjoy the easy organization that the paper provides. As far as the registration booklets

Letter to the Editor

go, the university’s decision to go paperless could have been solved by a more detailed ebook in the form of a portable display file online. Available to students was a search feature similar to the one used when signing up for courses. If not for a PDF, CCSU could have at the very least chosen to package all course searches, major guidelines and requirements and actual course selections all in the same area of the Web site, but as it stands, these components are pretty far spread out. The Web site is already troubling at best to navigate through, whether students are looking for their classes’ undergraduate major handbook or for their degree evaluations.

It’s possible that students may not even know these tools are on the Website. And then there is the perpetual disappointments of class scheduling conflicts and pre-requisites. For example, the communication department’s digital film and TV production I class, better known as COMM 330, actually has no prerequisites, however, students were barred from enrolling in the class if they were other than declared communication, precommunications or graphics/ information design majors. The course is necessary for the cinema studies minor, however, this hurdle would keep those students from enrolling properly. Cinema

studies minors who don’t have the “correctly” designated major found themselves getting confusing program restriction errors on their day of registration. These small nuisances could potentially turn into larger problems once students are locked out of courses they need. To fix this problem, overrides are required, which would waste time and energy on the part of both the students and departments. While it may be a stretch to say that these scheduling issues delay student graduation directly, they can also very easily escalate in tangled messes of signatures and unnecessary permissions. One or two courses delayed will not amount to huge

losses, but when they are pushed back indefinitely and require substitutes, something went wrong. It is no secret that the registration process if far from perfect, but there are plainly smart decisions missed here. Decisions like forgoing a printed registration booklet may not have initially seemed harmful, but in the end aggravated students who were looking for that one constant piece of the registration process they could rely on. Conversely, a university of more than 12,000 students is going to struggle through any registration revision ideas, but it’s worth an attempt.

The Simple, Bare Necessities Brittany Burke and Rachael Bentley The recorder

This is your space. Send a letter to the Editor: editor@centralrecorder.com Two weeks before Thanksgiving break, we walked into our bathroom on the fifth floor of Barrows dorm, and one of us was so surprised to see a soap dispenser and paper towel holder that she walked into a closed stall door, surprising the poor girl inside. After a moment of shock and extreme embarrassment, it struck us that there was finally hygienic products in our bathroom. Now, there are a few things you would expect as a first-year student living on campus: the cafeteria food to be less than pleasing, classes to be overwhelming, Thursday nights to be crazy and naturally assume that there will be hand soap, paper towels and a garbage can in your bathroom. As two new Mildred Barrows residents, we moved in to our dorm rooms excited with the thought of what this next year held. You can’t really anticipate much from a dorm, other than four white walls, two or

X K C D

three beds, hopefully a window and some storage space. These seem to be the bare necessities of an average college dorm. What would also be expected are soap and trash cans in the bathrooms. But for the past ten weeks we have had to supply our own soap and paper towels to make sure that we don’t get some sort of horrible sickness (i.e. Swine flu). Recently, there has been a lot of hype on the issue of controlling and suppressing the spread of H1N1. CCSU has added hand sanitizer dispensers while littering us with pamphlets, flyers and free flu vaccines. This seems a little hypocritical, considering that they can’t provide all the dorms with soap. If you look in the elevators of Barrows dorm, there are posters of how to protect yourself from infection. The number one habit that they stress is hand washing. But how can we do that if we don’t have

any soap? The regular dorm costs $2,500 – $3,000 a semester for students that live on campus. One has to wonder what on earth they are spending that money on when you have to pay for your own meal plan and there aren’t trashcans and soap in the bathrooms. Was our soap budget used to purchase unlimited automated sanitizers for the campus that are never full? After a couple weeks of being told by our resident assistants that they were “pushing” to get soap installed, we decided to meander down to the other floors to see if they too did not have soap. To our shock and surprise, there were soap dispensers on the first floor and the penthouse (which is where guests usually visit). For students who don’t know Barrows that well, the first floor consists of offices, which are used by Residence Life and other departments. It’s slightly insulting

that the people getting paid to be in those offices get adequate supplies yet us students, who pay to live here, don’t get them. What is even more confusing is why we were the last dorm to get supplies when “up the hill” dorms stocked up weeks ago. One of us even went to health services because of an illness and mentioned the issue. The nurse was shocked and appalled. She urged us to say something to whoever was in charge. The Health Service office was jam-packed when we visited, and perhaps, if this problem had been handled much earlier, then the issue of swine and regular flu like symptoms would not be so prominent on the CCSU campus. While we’re thankful for finally having soap put into the bathrooms, all we want to know is why did it take so long, and will you fill our empty paper towel dispensers as an early holiday gift for the residents of Barrows hall?

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5 THE RECORDER Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Calendar 11.11 - 11.18 MUSIC 11.18 Metric w/ Band of Skulls @ The Webster Hartford, Conn. $18 / 7 p.m. 11.19 Tip the Van w/ Strange Tribe and Johnny 9 and the Racers @ CCSU (Semesters) New Britain, Conn. Free / 9 p.m. 11.20 Less Than Jake @ The Webster Hartford, Conn. $20 / 6 p.m. 11.25 Melt-Banana @ The Space Hamden, Conn. $12 / 7 p.m. 12.1 Matisyahu @ The Webster Hartford, Conn. $25 / 7:00 p.m.

FILM

24 hour police protection since he blew the whistle on the violence, exploitation and toxic pollution that has a grip around the throat of one of Europe’s busiest port cities. “I hope this movie will finally show people the ferocious face of Italy, which is the face that really runs things,” Saviano says. “I think many American moviegoers will be surprised.” 11.20 - 11.21 Capitalism: A Love Story @ Cinestudio $7 / 7:30 p.m.

Metropolis takes place in 2026, when the populace is divided between workers who must live in the dark underground and the rich who enjoy a futuristic city of splendor. The tense balance of these two societies is realized through images that are among the most famous of the 20th century, many of which presage such sci-fi landmarks as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Blade Runner. Lavish and spectacular, with elaborate sets and modern science fiction style, Metropolis stands today as the crowning achievement of the German silent cinema

incongruous, evocative and powerful images… intelligently and artfully made.” -A.O. Scott, The New York Times “Here’s a powerhouse of a documentary that makes you feel mad as hell and unwilling to take it anymore.” -Peter Travers, Rolling Stone 11.22 - 11.24 The Stoning of Soraya M. @ Cinestudio $7 / 7:30 p.m.

11.30 Wild Strawberries @ Real Art Ways Hartford, Conn. $6.25 / 1:30 p.m.

11.18 Gomorrah @ Cinestudio Hartford, Conn. $7.00 / 7:30 p.m.

After making films for 20 years exposing the failures of the auto industry (Roger & Me), gun control (Bowling For Columbine) and the health industry (Sicko) among others, Michael Moore asked himself “what subject would I take on if this was my last film?” The answer was a no-brainer: the unrestrained economic system of capitalism that Moore sets out to prove is “undemocratic and immoral.” Managing to be ridiculously entertaining at the same time he is fired up with outrage is Moore’s great gift, and there are moments of laughter (wrapping Wall Street with crime scene tape) to balance the anguish of a family blockading themselves in their home to prevent eviction

Professor Isak Borg (Victor Sjöström), an elderly physician, begins to realize his own mortality in Ingmar Bergman’s classic. The groundbreaking Wild Strawberries also stars Bibi Andersson, Gunnar Björnstrand and common Bergman actor Max von Sydow. 11.20 - 11.25 Crude @ Real Art Ways Hartford, Conn. $6.25 / 7 p.m.

11.29 - 12.1 Metropolis @ Cinestudio $7 / 7:30 p.m.

Martin Scorsese was so impressed by this new Italian movie that he introduced it at the New York Film Festival and immediately signed on as the American ‘presenter.’ No surprise: Gomorrah is a shocking, revelatory look at organized crime in Naples that strips any semblance of romance from its Mafia connection. Gomorrah is based on the exposé by journalist Roberto Saviano, who has been living undercover with

Perhaps the most famous and influential of all silent films, Metropolis had for 75 years been seen only in shortened or truncated versions. Now, restored in Germany with state-of-the-art digital technology, under the supervision of the Murnau Foundation, and with the original 1927 orchestral score by Gottfried Huppertz added, Metropolis can be appreciated in its full glory. It is, as A. O. Scott of The New York Times declared, “A fever dream of the future. At last we have the movie every would-be cinematic visionary has been trying to make since 1927.”

“Mr. Berlinger has both a strong narrative instinct and a keen eye for

In the 1980s, French-Iranian journalist Freidoune Sahebjam (portrayed here by James Caviezel) uncovered the events leading to the trial and eventual execution of Soraya M. in a strongly fundamentalist community in Iran. The film is based on Sahebjam’s book, which was banned in Iran but which brought the world’s attention to the toll on women under the extreme use of Sharia law. Putting a public face on her shocking story Soraya M. was framed on a trumpedup charge of adultery and stoned to death - uncovers the brutality not of Islam or Iran, but of the shuttered mindset of fundamentalism that so often points the finger at women’s sexual freedom as enemy number one.

CCSU 11.19 - 11.20 Cirque du Fantasia @Torp Theatre, Davidson Hall 11.19 - 5 p.m. / 11.20 - 7:30 p.m. 11.19 Turkey-schlock @ Black Box Theatre, Maloney Hall 7:30 p.m.

6 THE RECORDER Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Entertainment Pirate Radio An Ultimate Ode to Rock & Roll

Netflix It:

Swimming with Sharks Michael Walsh The recorder

Remember that job you once had with the unrelenting and insulting boss? Well, Guy (Frank Whaley) does, and it’s why he’s decided to take Buddy Ackerman (Kevin Spacey) hostage. Swimming with Sharks is the unforgiving, unapologetic, aggressive and darkest of dark comedies that tells the story of how Guy ended up throwing hot sauce in Ackerman’s open wounds. This rather bleak look at the studio system in Hollywood is a scalding hot piece of comedy, a deeply hysterical albeit sad piece of social commentary on the business behind the pretty facade of the Hollywood sign looking over the business of studios. What makes this foul-mouthed film work so well is Spacey’s comically brilliant performance as true asshole Buddy Ackerman. A man who’s on the top of it all at Keystone Pictures, Ackerman uses and abuses Guy on all fronts, from stealing credit for his work to yelling at him in front of the entire office over a packet of Sweet‘N Low. And on the other side, Whaley plays two versions of Guy. The more quiet and timid youngster looking to make a name for himself in the world of film and the berserk, near-psychotic man who storms into Ackerman’s house to hold his boss hostage and torture him with salt and paper cuts. The film’s narrative is one of the huge keys to the film, as it supplements the present day

events of Guy torturing Ackerman in his own home with the abuse and hostility Ackerman sprayed towards Guy during his time as his assistant. Jumping back and forth from past to present really allows the viewer to get a different sense of the events. It’s certainly an experimental way to tell a film of this kind, but I think it works much better than the straightforward start to finish narrative that could have been used. And when I say that Swimming with Sharks is the darkest of dark comedies, I truly mean it. There might be films darker than this that dash comedy in here and there, but I have to admit that I didn’t get the film I expected when I read the critic comments of “Hysterical!” on the back of the DVD case. Writer and director George Huang offers so much bleak light into the life of Guy and the Hollywood system it’s unbelievable. The outcome of the situation is even more disparaging. If not for the humorous approach, Ackerman’s snide and ruthless bouts of yelling and the all-around foul-mouthed nature of the film, I’d have a hard time calling it a comedy. But now that I’ve seen Swimming with Sharks I have a problem wondering why this film isn’t more beloved. It’s certainly not far from a brilliant total package, a working together of comic mischief and unabashed ruthlessness. The film isn’t afraid to point at dark, touchy subjects while maintaining a light sense of humor on the side. Think Glengarry Glen Ross had it been about holding your boss hostage.

Michael Walsh The recorder

Once director and writer Richard Curtis sets the sails of Pirate Radio and turns its rocking volume to 11, he never looks back, making sure that this is the undeniable film that rocked. Pirate Radio tells the fictitious tale of the infamous people aboard Radio Rock, a pirate radio rock and roll station floating in the North Sea, much to the chagrin of the British government. A film that is carried as much by its terrific ensemble cast as it is by its undying love for rock and roll, renowned writer Curtis’ second directorial film is one of the most uplifting and spirited films of the year. A production that will leave fans of 1960’s rock and roll feeling as good as they hopefully felt walking in. There is almost way too much to love about Pirate Radio. But the best thing about the film is its cast. Each actor does his or her part to add to the melting pot of funny Curtis has created. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Darby, Nick Frost, Kenneth Branagh and Rhys Ifans are only a few of the talents associated to this rather international cast.

It’s hard to pick a few out of the bunch that do it best, but a special nod must be given to Hoffman, who not only turns in a funny performance, but also a genuinely good one, the kind he is expected to be able to give. As superstar disc jockey The Count, Hoffman plays up the ego as he goes head-to-head with the even more egotistical disc jockey Gavin (Ifans), the returning “king of the airwaves.” And then you have the incomparable Kenneth Branagh back on land trying to shut them down. Best remembered for his many Shakespearean performances, Branagh plays a rigid but coldly funny minister in the British government attempting to get the pirate radio off the air in whatever way possible. He’s opposed on ship by the terrific Bill Nighy, whose character Quentin plays father and leader to the entire team of radio hosts. But all these absolutely spirited performances and well-written characters pay reminder to the changed landscape of both rock and roll and radio. A system that is now so corrupted by corporation and money that some might yearn for the simpler days of similar broadcasts. Good luck turning on the radio these days to find a disc jockey with not only as much

personality as these guys but also an undying love and knowledge of the records they’re spinning. And a constant mainstay for the film is its toe-tapping soundtrack. Aided by the likes of The Turtles, The Who, Jimi Hendrix and The Beach Boys. The film is practically a who’s who of 1960’s rock and roll and its result will leave any music lover feeling absolutely fine. Now yes, the film revels in it history of drugs, sex and rock and roll and maybe so in a too glamorous light. And really, the plot is saturated with impossible and magical occurrences. But I think at the honest heart of this lovable and heartfelt film, there is really nothing more than a love letter to rock and roll. With all the doom and negativity in the world so often focused on in film, an endearing story like the one of Pirate Radio is something absolutely welcomed by me. The true value of Pirate Radio is in its incredible ability to make you smile. You’re just about guaranteed to love and grow attached to at least one character in Curtis’ deep cast of radio superstars, much like the folks of England were as the team’s broadcasts continued. There’s just so much love, happiness and relentless groovin’ happening on this boat that you won’t want it to ever end.

Courtesy of Focus Features

Modern Warfare 2 A Robust, Immersive Experience Michael Walsh the recorder

The mammoth release that Modern Warfare 2 truly is deserves more than just words to help describe how staggering Infinity Ward’s efforts are. In what is one of the biggest video game releases of the year, Infinity Ward follows up their hugely successful 2007 game Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare with a sequel that not only continues to uphold the same strong core gameplay value but expand on it at the same time. Beginning with the single player campaign, the game drops you right into the action picking up right where the previous game left off. Characters return to the action and storytelling remains the same. The player jumps from location to location, switching bodies and regiments constantly, in a crisscross pattern allowing the game to tell its story in cut-up fashion. And while that somewhat convoluted story might not be the

richest of storytelling or the highest of quality, it sure is a great deal of fun playing through it. In the most sincere meaning, the campaign of Modern Warfare 2 is like a Michael Bay film that takes itself seriously. The action picks up and never lets go, successfully engaging the player in just about every possible interactive element, whether it be climbing up the side of an icy mountain or running for your life without any weapons to help fend off enemies. The sights and sounds of the game’s campaign leave nothing to be desired. That first view of Washington, D.C. being invaded by Russian troops is one of the more wowing and memorable moments in gaming this year. Time after time the campaign relays these types of outstanding cinematiclike moments leaving a lasting impression. Enemy AI, a problem for the more mediocre of first-person shooters, is a strong point for Modern Warfare 2. Never too stupid, the enemies will at times give you

fits with their godly ability to snipe you down with their on the spot aiming. Hardened and veteran, the more difficult levels of play, might have you wanting to throw your controller at certain points, but finally beating them after sessions of trial and error is absolutely satisfying. If there is one downfall to the campaign aspect of the game, it’s the rather brief time you’ll spend playing it. Taking my time and playing through on the regular difficulty only took me about five and a half hours. While every one of those minutes is packed to the brink, the rather abrupt ending leaves a near sour taste in your mouth, wishing there was more. But luckily, there is more, just not in the form of a campaign. A new worthy addition to the game is the single player and cooperative modes of Special Ops, a series of challenges that range from wave attacks on a sub base to runs of stealth through wintry forest. These can be a great deal of fun when played with a friend both online and split-screen, as well as on your own.

And you probably aren’t buying this game if you don’t plan on playing the addictive multiplayer that made the first Modern Warfare as long lasting and successful as it was. Infinity Ward keeps a lot the same, but also tweaks enough to give players a new experience that feels very familiar. With new perks, weapons and game types, Modern Warfare 2 really promises to give an equally long lasting multiplayer offering. It’s something that anyone can casually play and get a few kills at, but deep enough for the more hardcore players to love and master. One of the more important tweaks to the online play is the addition of the death streak perk, something you get after suffering a series of deaths. This helps equal the play, giving struggling players something to help, but more importantly, Infinity Ward included the martyrdom perk as a part of this. So yes, there won’t be nearly as many dropped grenades unfortunately killing you after you melee an opponent. And one of the more interesting

features is the new third person online modes offered. In a Ghost Recon-like way, the game switches to a third person view. It works, but it’s somewhat awkward at the same time. For example, it’s hard to get a good judgment on where exactly you’re throwing a grenade in this mode. At the same time, it’s oddly refreshing and enjoyable, but you’ll probably find yourself switching back to the beloved and standard first-person mode. Modern Warfare 2 is certainly one of the most satisfying and enjoyable releases this year and a game that proves that video games shouldn’t be ignored. It’s destined to top the charts of Xbox Live and the Playstation Network for months as the online multiplayer is addictive, fast-paced action. Complete with an immersive albeit brief single player campaign and the addition of the new Special Ops mode, Modern Warfare 2 is a no-brainer for firstperson shooter fans that plan to give the game the online run it deserves.

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, November 18, 2009 / UPGRADE

REVIEWS Whether you can admit it or not, Dashboard Confessional is a good band. They do what they do well, and their fans will probably never be let down by a new style. Alter the Ending is just another album that supports their fanbase, and if you like the band check it out. Even if you simply like one or two of Dashboard’s songs, Alter the Ending is worth listening to. You can just preview it somewhere or listen to a few songs online, but Dashboard Confessional has remained true to form and this album proves it.

Dashboard Confessional Alter the Ending Interscope November 10, 2009 Don Weber THE RECORDER

One of the most unique things about Dashboard Confessional’s latest album, Alter the Ending, is the fact that they made a twoCD edition available, which offers a second album of acoustic tracks from all of the first one’s new songs. It may be just a lame way to pick up extra profit, but as an acoustic fan myself, I can’t help but appreciate the logic behind this. Each song sounds just like Dashboard Confessional’s previous hits, but hey, if you’re a fan you’ll gravitate towards the album regardless. Certainly, a number of these songs will probably take up some radio space come mid-December and into the next decade. A Dashboard Confessional quality is that they are not glued to one category. This could also be a flaw. The band is considered emo and they do a lot of acoustic rock, but let’s face it, Dashboard Confessional is like most of the other modern alternative bands too. They’ve created an identity by being somewhat of a preppy-emo band. Nonetheless, Alter the Ending has good songs which are pretty upbeat. They use their own style on the album, and will give their fans what they want. The vocals by Chris Carrabba, who once hailed from West Hartford, are definitely in his fashion. They work well with the guitar and drum beat, as most Dashboard Confessional songs do.

Tom Waits Glitter & Doom Live ANTINovember 24, 2009 Michael Walsh The recorder

The growl has never been so vicious. It’s not a huge secret that Tom Waits’ voice will continue to change as he pushes on through his prolific and now legendary career. But luckily for Waits and his fans, this isn’t really a problem. Whereas most artists would feel the criticism from people telling them to hang it up, a grittier and raspier voice won’t detract from the energy of Waits or the level of enjoyment his fans get from listening to him perform. And it’s nice to see Waits keep going strong. The man has already put in four studio albums of varying flavor this decade alone and adds to that total with his latest, Glitter & Doom Live, a compilation of the best of the best from his most recent tour. Designed to sound like a single night

P dcast of the Week: Melissa Traynor The Recorder

The funny thing about the RISK! podcast is that the stories are hilarious. So hilarious, in fact, that despite all of the embarrassing, heart-breaking, uncomfortable feelings that come with them, these stories are no doubt enjoyable to listen through for 30 to 45 minutes. In the same vein as last week’s The Moth podcasts and mimicking the story-telling of This American Life, RISK! is a new show featuring collections of true stories told either in stand-up comedy or taped. The only difference is their tag-line: “the show where people tell true stories they never thought they’d dare to share,” meaning all things from true stories of unfulfilled wishes of anonymous gay sex in a park, to lying, daydreaming and accidentally running into trees in front of your high school crush. And they get a lot worse. Admittedly, a lot of these stories are about just plainly awkward sexual encounters. For example, host Kevin Allison, formerly of the improvisational comedy group The State, relives his first experience visiting a male prostitute, who degraded and embarrassed him after Allison invited him to his apartment. Allison’s story is a stand-up clip on a 43-minute podcast where the theme of the first episode was “strange sex.” While we want to be adults about it and mature enough to talk about sex for a few minutes, RISK! allows the listener to revert back to all their initial assumptions about

with Waits, the album is really a collection of highlights from Waits’ recent tour of the same name. There are 17 tracks selected from 10 cities ranging from Paris to Atlanta. Waits scales through his collection of recordings, but most of the choices on this compilation come from his last four albums. Waits does dig back to his stranger times, bringing back beloved tracks like “Singapore” from the unbeatable Rain Dogs album and “Dirt in the Ground” from Bone Machine, something I was especially glad to hear. The storytelling in form of song is alive and well in Waits’ eclectic and dazzling style that only he’s able to bring to the table. The actor and musician is a showman, and you can just hear that on the record as the crowd gets involved. Waits brings rhythmic bluesy songs and ballads with help from the full band behind him. Glitter & Doom Live is something all fans are going to want to hear. It’s another episode in his long, strange career that’s shifted back and forth from musician to actor time and time again. There’s absolutely nobody else like Tom Waits. With only a few weeks to go until the man turns 60, fans owe themselves the joy of checking in on Waits in this new chapter of his career.

sex - that it can be awkward in every sense of the word. This is undoubtedly the backbone theme of RISK!, as many of the storytellers are genuinely up-front about their experiences despite guilt or horror at the situation. One of the least envied stories comes to RISK! from comedian Pete Aguero, who, as a teenager, somehow found himself picking deer ticks from his oblivious girlfriend’s head after sleeping with her in a clearing in the middle of the woods. Why was he picking deer ticks off her head in secrecy, trying to act as though he was “combing” her hair? In his story called “The Nimbus,” Aguero takes the listeners back to one of his first memories of puppy love; he had been in the middle of the act with his girlfriend, when he noticed that just as his moment was about to end, her head began to glow. Not a normal glow. Somehow in all the commotion, Aguero’s girlfriend’s head had come in contact with and upset a nest of deer ticks, which then proceeded to invade her scalp to create a bright red ring around her head. “I couldn’t say anything ‘cause she would panic and that would ruin everything,” Aguero explained. And he didn’t. Only, the rest of the afternoon he snuck around trying to grab all of the ticks that fell off her head. To kill the ticks, he stabbed and collected 26 of them with a long sewing needle to create a kind of insect kebab. To this day, he said, he hasn’t told her. Somehow Aguero’s story isn’t even the worst. There are only three episodes out as of now, and the two following “strange sex” certainly push the envelope. As part of a series, host Allison emcees stories that fit into the category of “Why did I do that?” - featuring tales of unreasonable lies and vomiting in public.

John Mayer Battle Studies Columbia November 17, 2009 Don Weber THE RECORDER

Battle Studies is the new studio album produced by John Mayer and fellow musician

RISK!

RISK! host Kevin Allison.

Steve Jordan. It is roughly forty-five minutes long and has twelve tracks. This album is true to Mayer, but features some added help. For the majority of the album, tracks contain softly whispered lyrics being pulled out of, possibly, the cat’s hat. There are very basic lines and rhymes to the whimsical guitar plucking as often heard by Mayer. The album would excel in a coffeehouse, and you’ll probably hear a track the next time you buy a tall or grande anything. Interestingly enough, Mayer gets some unique credentials to help him out. Other than the likely unknown Steve Jordan, Taylor Swift offers some vocal support to one of the tracks. Mayer also pulls out some covers to “Crossroads,” originally done by Robert Johnson, and “I’m on Fire” by Bruce Springsteen. Both samples are a good catch to hear Mayer’s take on some classic tracks. Unfortunately like many upsides, there are downsides. Battle Studies just so happens to be one of these scenarios. If you’re attached to Eric Clapton’s track of “Crossroads,” Mayer will really dig into your skin. His version is more similar to the original by Robert Johnson except with his “Starbucks soft” vocals. Then there’s the fact that the final track, the cover of “I’m on Fire,” is available as a pre-order iTunes deal. It’s good, but the fact that iTunes has dug into another album opportunity is somewhat frustrating. Even though many people use iTunes or can find downloads for these songs, it would seem that Uncle Pennybags works for Apple. Battle Studies is a good album and the original songs are very good. They are true to John Mayer’s style so fans won’t be disappointed. Mayer uses a variety of subject matter, even if the song result sounds similar. If you’re a Mayer fan or you want to hear some covers of classic rock songs that aren’t covered too often, Battle Studies is a good look. It does have vocal support from Taylor Swift on one song, which might make some people go check out that song alone.

Sick of reading album reviews for bands no one has heard of? Email suggestions to editor@ centralrecorder.com.

True Tales Boldly Told

Courtesy of Philly Improv

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, November 18, 2009 / UPGRADE

SPORTS STARTS ON BACKPAGE

Volleyball’s Cochran Feels Right at Home Carmine Vetrano The Recorder

Taking a look at the CCSU’s Volleyball roster, one can see that the coaching staff did not stay home to recruit players. There is a big stretch going across the U.S. under the “hometown” title on the roster sheet, which ranges from Connecticut all the way to California. One volleyball player who made the trip to the east coast is freshman Emily Cochran. She hails from the mid-west and is one of eight current CCSU volleyball players from outside the New England area. Cochran is from Adel, Iowa, which is home to approximately 3,500 people. Cochran, born and raised on a farm, was recruited out of high school to come play here in New Britain.

While at Adel-DeSoto-Minburn high school, Cochran was honored by being selected to the Iowa AllState Third team. Also during her senior year, Cochran was named team MVP and also the teams beat offensive player. Her junior year brought her an All-District First Team award as well as All-Conference. But why come to the east coast to play volleyball? “Well, I got recruited here to play volleyball, I came and visited and I loved the feel of it,” Cochran said. “I have always wanted to travel and it was an amazing opportunity. I was looking at closer colleges, but this was my favorite, though. The team and coaches felt like such a family.” Cochran felt the adjustment of making the leap across the Mississippi River at the age of 18. “It has been a big change for me.

I was born and raised on a farm, and basically just the small town feel has [undergone] a change,” Cochran said. “Where I come from everyone knew everyone so it’s a change, but mainly just missing my family and friends back home. I have not seen them in over three months and it has been very hard for me.” However, it did not take Cochran long to fit in on the volleyball team and call Detrick Gymnasium her new home. Cochran has been a force on the volleyball team and she is only a rookie. She has played in the 28 of 29 matches for CCSU and has helped the team clinch a NEC tournament berth. Cochran, who helped CCSU pull off a 2-0 weekend this past weekend, led the team in digs and kills last Friday against NEC rival, the Sacred Heart Pioneers. That game was arguably the

biggest win so far for the Blue Devils this season having NEC seeding implications. “Sacred Heart was a huge win for our team,” Cochran stated. “The last time we had played them we did not perform as we wished, so this was a little revenge. We have not beaten them in a while and they are an extremely aggressive team. We prepared for them a lot and we knew where they were going to hit so we shut them down at the net and in the back court.” The volleyball team now sits at 10-3 in NEC play and 16-13 overall. And Cochran feels that the team’s performance and coaching staff ’s management skills, everything seems to be fitting in place. “Right now our team is playing extremely well together, as we should at this time of the year, but we know how each other play and we all work really well together as a team,”

Cochran added. “The coaching staff is very knowledgeable and they know how to coach us girls. They know how each of the girls likes to be coached. They sit down with us and are good with communicating with us.” The big win last Friday hasn’t been the only thing this outside hitter/ defensive specialist, has been able to cheer about. For the third straight time Cochran has been named the NEC rookie of the week. She is the third Blue Devil to gain the honor three times. Fellow teammates Amanda Bayer received the award five times in 2007 and Jamie Baumert took home four in 2006. “No,” Cochran said. “I didn’t think I would get NEC awards [this early].” With three years left of the same potential, Cochran is looking at years’ worth awards to come.

Women’s Soccer’s D’Arcy Awarded Coach of the Year

Edward Gaug | The Recorder

Sophomore Robby Ptacek drives to the hoop in the Blue Devil’s season opener at The Arena at Harbor Yard.

CCSU Falls To Stags In Inaugural Connecticut 6 Tourney Christopher Boulay The Recorder

BRIDGEPORT, CONN - The CCSU men’s basketball team lost their season opener to Fairfield 6758, in the inaugural Connecticut 6 Tournament last Thursday. Vince Rosario and Robbie Ptacek led the way for the Blue Devils (0-1) with 15 points each, but it was not enough to hold off a strong Fairfield (1-0) squad. Rosario and Ptacek were CCSU’s biggest threat from the three-point line going 3-9 and 2-3, respectively. Shemik Thompson added nine points for the Blue Devils, as well as leading the team in assists, with four. “We played hard, we just got killed down low,” Thompson said. CCSU never led during the game, and the closest the team was to taking the lead was a one-point deficit midway through the first half. Without the team’s talisman, Ken Horton, who is out for the year with a hip injury and is redshirted, the Blue Devils needed a big game from Thompson. With 6:56 left in the first half, Thompson had recorded two fouls, which made him sit for the rest of the half. This was a huge blow to CCSU, as they

were never able to recover. “It wasn’t a good foul, I shouldn’t have fouled him.” Thompson said. The Blue Devils were down 2624 at the point of Thompson’s foul, but by halftime, the Stags went on a 14-6 run, making the comeback in the second half a daunting task against a much bigger Fairfield team. The Blue Devils trailed 40-30 at halftime, and also missed David Simmons’ presence, as he was not able to play due to bronchitis. Thompson was not completely healthy because of the same illness, but was able to contribute for 29 minutes. While CCSU did outscore Fairfield in fast break points, eight to six, the Blue Devils missed many opportunities throughout the game to finish on the fast break, one of the main reasons the team had trouble trying to come back in the second half. Regarding the fast break miscues, Coach Howie Dickenmann believed that there were many shots that the team should have made, but just didn’t go their way. “I don’t know, maybe. Perhaps,” Dickenmann said. “We didn’t finish some shots that we could have made, didn’t, and looked like we were gonna make those shots.” The Blue Devils were out-

rebounded 36-22 by the Stags, another gulf in the stat sheet that led to the loss. Height has been a large criticism of the basketball team entering the season opener, as Joe Efese is the tallest active player, at six-feet six-inches. “We don’t have a lot of height, but it’s not an excuse. We have some heart, and we have to display it more,” Dickenmann said. “We need to be tenacious when it comes to rebounding. We have the players develop the attitude that nobody is going to get that ball but me.” Anthony Johnson led the way for the Stags, scoring 18 points and nine rebounds. Derek Needham added 14 points and four rebounds for Fairfield. CCSU had many problems scoring throughout the game, with a field goal percentage of only 38.6. The Blue Devils were destroyed in the paint by the Stags, as they were outscored 42-16. The tournament will move from the Arena at Harbor Yard to the Mohegan Sun Arena for next year. The Blue Devils’ losing streak continued as they were defeated by Savannah State Monday night. CCSU is on the road for five more games before returning home Dec. 12 to host University of New York at Albany.

Photo Courtesy of: Conrad Akier

Coach Mick D’Arcy captured this year’s NEC Coach of the Year. Christopher Boulay The Recorder

CCSU women’s soccer coach Mick D’Arcy has been awarded with the Northeast Conference Coach of the Year award, his fourth ever, and first since 2005. “I’m a great believer that ‘to the victor, go the spoils,’” D’Arcy said. “And usually at the end of the regular season when the coaches are voting, my vote will usually go to whichever coach has won the regular season, or one that has had a massive improvement from the year before. But I think it is one of those awards that goes to the coach of the team that won the league.” Though Coach D’Arcy is happy with the award, he directs the credit given to him, to his team, whom he believes did the hard work. “It’s nice. It’s an honor to be recognized by your peers. It sounds like a cliché, but it really is a recognition of what the team has done,” said D’Arcy. CCSU had a rough start to the season including a five-game losing streak. But they were able to rebound and surge through the NEC regular season, getting up to first place with a dominant late-season showing.

“I think it takes a little time to absorb and look at the bigger picture,” D’Arcy said. “Overall I think when we look back at it, we will say the team certainly overcame a lot of hurdles. Not only were we winning games, but anybody that came to see us in the last month was pretty excited to see the kind of soccer we were playing, it was fun, it was attractive.” The Ireland native is the Women’s soccer programs winningest coach and helped the team finish 10-0-1 in the NEC, as well as an appearance in the NEC Tournament Championship game, where the Blue Devils lost in overtime to Monmouth, 1-0. “To go unbeaten [in conference] is a great achievement,” D’Arcy said. “Just to be able to say that we beat every team in the conference is a significant thing to do. There’s always gonna be days where someone isn’t feeling well, the chances don’t go your way, or a couple of referee’s calls you don’t get, where you are likely to lose a game. To go through all of those games without a loss, I think says a lot for the team.” This was the eighth-straight time that the team has qualified for the NEC Tournament.

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, November 18, 2009 / UPGRADE

Pick Your Poison

NFL Predictions for Week 10 Hey Everyone, The Recorder would like to apologize about last week’s mishap with taking in your picks via www.centralrecorder.com. Because of some site issues, people were unable to get their picks in this weekend. In an attempt to be fair, we are not counting the results of Week 10 for anyone. There are two weeks left in the contest and the winner will be announced in our last issue on December 9. E-mail us at: editor@centralrecorder.com with ideas for this year’s prize.

christopher boulay Sports Editor

Miami at Carolina Indianapolis at Baltimore

CARMINE VETRANO

Assistant Sports Editor

Edward Gaug

Managing / Photo Editor

MICHAEL WALSH Entertainment Editor

Miami

Carolina

Indianapolis

Washington at Dallas

Dallas

Washington

Dallas

Cleveland at Detroit

Cleveland

Detroit

Cleveland

Detroit

San Francisco at Green Bay

Green Bay

Buffalo at Jacksonville

Jacksonville

Pittsburgh at Kansas City

Pittsburgh

Seattle at Minnesota

Minnesota

Atlanta at NY Giants

NY Giants

Atlanta

NY Giants

New Orleans

Arizona

New Orleans at Tampa Bay Arizona at St. Louis San Diego at Denver

Denver

San Diego

Denver

NY Jets at New England

New England

NY Jets

Cincinnati at Oakland

Cincinnati

Philadelphia at Chicago

Philadelphia

Houston

Tennessee

Houston

Tennessee at Houston

This Week’s NFL Pick’Em Leaderboard Rank

Name

Total Points

Current Weeks

Marc Chouinard

Nicholas Menapace

Anthony Gonsalves

Brittany Burke*

Carmine Vetrano*

Matthew Kitson

Edward Gaug*

Michael Walsh*

Joshua Davenport

Ryan Kennedy

Christopher Boulay*

Tonya Malinowski

Timothy Farrell

Chris Culmone

Kevin Dennis

Michelle Traynor

Melissa Traynor

Nick Caiafa

* indicates the person is an editor at The Recorder **Only people included in this list will continued to be counted.

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, November 18, 2009 / UPGRADE

CCSU Women Drop the CCSU Scores 12, Ball in Home Opener Beats Red Foxes Brittany Burke The Recorder

In Monday’s season home opener, the CCSU women’s Basketball team could not seem to fbnd the spark that they needed to come away with a win against the Holy Cross Crusaders. It was a tough first half for the lady Blue Devils, who started to forge a comeback in the second half, but fell short, ending the game at 55-50. The Blue Devils (02) were coming into Monday’s game hoping for their first win of the season against the Crusaders (1-1) as well as a chance to claim only their second win in a ninegame history versus Holy Cross. CCSU and Holy Cross haven’t played each other since the 1999-2000 season but the Blue Devils have not won against the Crusaders since the 199394 basketball season. The Blue Devils had a rough first twenty minutes, being out-played and outscored by the Holy Cross Crusaders, 34-20. The CCSU Blue Devils began the game strongly with Leanne Crockett sinking a threepointer, but once the lead changed, there was no coming back. “We need to find a spark in the first half. I think that’s been our biggest problem in both games (losses against Holy Cross and the University of Maine) which is not good for our team,” said junior forward Leanne Crockett, who was the CCSU points leader with 17 points and 16 rebounds. “Our shooting percentage is way down in the first half, and we have to play a whole 40 minute game and

not just 20 minutes.” CCSU allowed for triple the amount of steals by Holy Cross than they themselves got and had 14 turnovers in the first half versus the Crusader’s five. Defensively, the Blue Devils needed to step up their game in order to have any chance of a late game comeback. That defensive spark may just come from sophomore guard Alexzandria Dowdy. “I’m the

us a little dimension where we can penetrate. Alex is small but she is quick getting to the rebounds,” said third-year head coach Beryl Piper. “We need to pick it up more on defense, that’ll be our key to winning the game,” said Dowdy. The Blue Devils did come out in the second half with the spark they had been missing offensively and defensively. The defense was able to force more turnovers by the Crusader players and CCSU outshot Holy Cross scoring 30 points to their 21. The team did in fact have a chance to tie the game or pull ahead with under five minutes left to play, but couldn’t capitalize on all their opportunities. With 3:33 left to play CCSU was down by two, (48-46) but allowed for Holy Cross to have two free throw attempts (an area of the game they continually succeeded in making 18-21) which expanded their lead (53-46). “We didn’t run off too well and made some poor decisions down the wire, which could’ve made the difference of us really winning that game,” said Coach Piper. While CCSU has begun their 2009-10 season with a two game losing streak they are Edward Gaug | The Recorder aware that they need to begin and end the game defensive spark. That’s my plan, at full speed to have a shot at a that’s my goal on this team,” said successful post season. Dowdy. “They know they’re better While she is the shortest girl on than that,” said Coach Piper of her the team, standing at five-foot-one, team. “So they’re disappointed, she packed a lot of punch, getting and they know they gave up a great a total of four rebounds and two opportunity tonight.” points in Wednesday night’s loss. The Blue Devils have another “I think Alex Dowdy was kind shot at a home win on Wednesday of a spark for us. She came in with Nov. 18 against Fordham at 7 p.m. Shontice [Simmons] and it gave

Brittany Burke The recorder

In a league upset against the Marist Red Foxes, Saturday Nov. 14, the CCSU Blue Devils dominated the majority of the game outscoring Marist 12-4. “It’s a league game and this team was ranked fourth in the North East coming in, and we were ninth, so call it an upset if you will, but it was a good game,” said Head Coach Ben Adams. The Blue Devils took the ice and scored less than two minutes into the first period, immediately setting the bar high, stating that they were there to win after coming off a loss at UMass on Friday Nov. 13. The first goal came from senior captain, Mike DiClemente with assistance from fellow senior captain, Joe Dabkowski and junior Ryan Beaulieu. DiClemente’s first goal was just the beginning to his powerful night out on the ice. By the time the horn signaled the end of the third Mike DiClemente had racked up two goals and seven assists, having a hand in nine out of the twelve CCSU goals for the night. Power was coming from every player the Blue Devils had out on the ice. Captain Joe Dabkowski had a pair of goals and a pair of assists to aid the win, same with Senior, Rob DiClemente. The combination of Dabkowski and the two DiClemente brothers proved to be lethal up against the Marist defense, having a hand in three of CCSU’s total points. Overall, e11 different Blue Devil players had a hand in scoring goals on Marist goalie, Justin Frei’s net including, Captain Thomas Carroll, who made an impressive goal from Marist’s blue line in the first. Along with Ryan Paglinco, whose second period goal came unassisted, Eric Blewett, with a pair of goals and assists, Brett Holmes and Billy Edwards. Erich Stoneman also had a notable assist in the third with 2:07 left in the game.

“It was a great team win. Definitely our blue line stepped up and got us some goals, but everybody from the net out played a great game,” stressed Coach Adams. Blue Devil goalie, Ross Mocko made some impressive saves against Marist, holding them to four goals, and completely shutting them out in the third. He was given a lot of help by his defense that was making dives and saves in front of his net to keep the puck from getting through the pipes. The command shown by the Blue Devils, especially in the second was a tenfold improvement from their win last Sunday Nov. 8 against New York University. Where they lost focus and control in the second last week, this week they turned around and capitalized on every opportunity, scoring five in the second alone. “There was not a minus in the room, which is good. We capitalized on the power play, four of those goals in the second were on the power play, so we definitely took advantage of the situations they gave us, and the mistakes that they made,” said Coach Adams. The Blue Devils had six power play goals for the night, after Marist repeatedly shot themselves in the foot with penalties. The Red Foxes recorded 30 minutes in game misconducts alone, giving the Blue Devils the advantage for most of the night. “We knew this team (CCSU) could play like this, we just hadn’t seen it yet,” said Coach Adams. “So we need to carry this over into other games we play in the future.” The Blue Devils are back at home next Friday, Nov. 20 and Saturday Nov. 21 for the CT Governor’s Cup mini tournament. CCSU is up against University of Connecticut on Friday night at 9:10 p.m. in their first game of the tournament and will then play the winner of the Western Connecticut/ Southern Connecticut game the following night at either 8 or 9:05 p.m.

Volleyball Senior Night Ends On High Brittany Burke The recorder

As the time on the clock methodically ticked down to the beginning of Wednesday night’s game, the Kaiser Gymnasium grew more and more crowded with spectators hoping to see seniors Jenna Broadbent and Jamie Baumert play for one last time. The atmosphere created by the athletes and bystanders was both festive and nostalgic. There were students with CCSU painted across their bare chests and stomachs and parents with cameras waiting anxiously to catch the last of these moments on film. Blue and white balloons filled the empty space behind two Blue Devil chairs and the rambunctious mascot, Victor E was there to wish the seniors farewell. The crowd erupted with cheers as both players were brought on to center court and recognized for their outstanding achievements throughout the past four years. It was hard for Head Coach Linda Sagnelli to believe that four years had already passed. “Boy, four years goes by fast. I don’t know where they go,” she said.

Both Broadbent and Baumert are leaving CCSU at the top of their careers. Jenna recorded a career best of seven digs and nine games in her senior season. “I remember when they, she and her mom, came to campus to sit down and talk with me when she was a high school senior and we probably had one of the worst thunderstorms ever. We’re sitting in my office watching the hail come down and it was crazy,” recalls Coach Sagnelli. “That feels like yesterday and here she is a senior, so I don’t know where those four years went.” Senior captain Baumert leaves CCSU a newly named recipient of the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District 1 Honors placing her on the ballot for Academic All American. “She’s one of the best all around people that I’ve ever met and she’s just a great kid,” said Coach Sagnelli. “It’s tough every year as a coach we get to see new kids come in but there is always graduation around the corner.” While the team was filled with emotion, playing their last game at home as a team, the girls were able to focus those feelings towards a win (3-1), improving their record to (17-13, 11-3 NEC) against the Bryant Bulldogs (10-22, 5-9 NEC).

The Blue Devils have already clinched their NEC playoff spot, remaining tied for second with Sacred Heart. They are now fighting to remain tied with Sacred Heart or to have second outright. In the first two games, the Blue Devils were able to come out strong and dominant, showing the crowd why they are so highly ranked. When the break was and it was time for the third game to begin things began to fall apart. The Blue Devils allowed Bryant to gain an eight point lead before they even had a chance to get any CCSU points on the scoreboard. “After we won two we forgot we had to win three to win the match. We sat back and then we were handed one of the quickest losses of a game this year,” said Coach Sagnelli. The Blue Devils were without their Junior captain Amanda Bayer who was getting over an illness but other members stepped up their level of game to fill the gap. Sophomore, Dani Gasser had a phenomenal game playing both setter and right side defender. Sophomore, Sara DeLacey had a total of eleven blocks, adding to the team’s total of 27 for the night. She was assisted by Baumert and Junior, Tori Vaughan. It was the blocking that really sealed the deal for CCSU

Photo Courtesy of: CCSUBluedevils.com

in the fourth match. “Sara and Tori had two in a row in that last game and I think that really propelled the team because they got so excited when they blocked,” said Coach Sagnelli.

It has been a long season for CCSU, who played Long Island University and St. Francis over the weekend. They will have their run at the NEC title at LIU this upcoming weekend.

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, November 18, 2009 / SPORTS

Edward Gaug | The Recorder

Former Denver Broncos running back Tatum Bell led the Florida Tuskers to a decisive win over the New York Sentinals at Rentschler Field in East Hartford last week.

UFL is Here to Stay... Probably

Christopher Boulay The Recorder

Last Friday, the United Football League played a game at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, showcasing the upstart league’s product, and weighing out the possibility of returning to Connecticut permanently. The New York Sentinels played the Florida Tuskers, a battle between the league’s worst and best teams. The Tuskers won by a score of 24-6, but the main story wasn’t exactly what was occurring on the field, but was the fact that the league chose to play a game in Connecticut. Michael Huyghue, the league’s commissioner, is a Windsor native and really likes the prospect of a future team in the Nutmeg state. “The talk has materialized. I think we expect to make an announcement by the end of the year. I think it would be important for us to put field turf in here to coexist with the University of Connecticut,” Huyghue said. “There are some other components, other than finding an ownership groups, because

we have to make the stadium suitable for us.” Both Florida coach Jim Haslett and New York coach Ted Cottrell were impressed with Rentschler Field as a viable option for a UFL franchise. “I do think it is a good venue, I do think that the city would embrace a team here. Obviously they have a good stadium and I think it would be a good place to have a team,” Haslett said. “It’s a good facility. The stadium is excellent. It’s first class.” “This is fantastic. It’s a great facility,” Cottrell added. The attendance may not have been great, but it is another thing that Huyghue and the UFL are not concerned about. The official number was 5,201, but it looked more like 2,000 people in the stadium. With little to no advertising for the game, the low number wasn’t surprising. “The city has been very hospitable to us,” Huyghue said. “There are a lot of things that give us a good feel and make us a good prospect.” The game play was decent, but the fact that

the league is a chance to give players a second chance, or even a last chance to continue to play football, was the real interesting factor about the league. Ticket prices are also reasonable, with prices not going higher than $30. It is also great for college students, as any student with a college ID will be able to go to any UFL game for free. A middle of the week opportunity in the fall to see good football for free is always a good formula to get college kids out and about. “It will continue. One of the benefits of this is that sponsorship and television revenue will be the sources of how these teams make their income,” Huyghue said. “I don’t want to say that the gates are not important, but it will never be a significant piece of the financial model for our teams. Because of that, we have the ability to keep our prices low, to have students come free to games. Those are the things that we are going to continue to do.” The Northeast Conference even has some representation in the league, with former Wagner kicker Piotr Czech starting for New

York, showing that even CCSU football players have a chance to continue to show their skills after college, if they cannot immediately make it into the NFL. Czech was 2-for-3 on field goals for the Sentinels, his longest kick going for 44 yards. Even a local star has had the opportunity to showcase his talent in the league. Andrew Pinnock, the Bloomfield native, and former fullback for the San Diego Chargers, showed he can still play at a high level in this league. Pinnock had one reception in the game. Even Haslett praised Pinnock, who he believes still has a future in the NFL. “I like Andrew. He’s the ultimate team guy. I like being around the guy,” Haslett said. “He’s a good football player. He’s a player that, if you’re looking for a fullback, he is going to be on the top of the list for a lot of teams.” It isn’t known yet when it will be announced whether or not Connecticut will be getting a team, but when it happens, football fans will have a fun, inexpensive option to watch a good product.

Blayney Closes Book On Stellar CCSU Career Christopher Boulay The Recorder

Leah Blayney was named the Northeast Conference Player of the Year, capping off her spectacular three years with the CCSU Women’s Soccer team. Though Blayney received the award in addition to her being elected to the NEC AllTournament team, she refuses to take all the credit. “It’s always good to receive recognition like that,” she said. “The award means a lot, but everyone on my team has contributed, and I think that’s been the highlight of this year. Even though that we did lose Sunday, the kind of team we are, the friendships we have and the strength we had, are the best award.” In her three-year career at CCSU, Blayney scored 21 goals and had 20 assists, including 11 goals and 13 assists this season. When she heard these numbers, she smiled and made a comment that sums up her view of a team effort on the pitch. “Again, 21 goals, someone has to pass me the ball, 20 assists, somebody’s scoring. It’s part of the team,” Blayney said. Blayney has done everything while a part of the squad at CCSU. Other than the previously mentioned awards, she also was named first team All-New England in her sophomore season, her first with the Blue Devils. Blayney played in every game while she was at CCSU. “When I was a sophomore and I was playing, I didn’t really understand the concept of a lot of [new players] come in and don’t start. I didn’t really experience that,” she said. “In my senior year, I got a better grasp on that. Actually, I was very fortunate to start every single game in college. It is something I wasn’t aware of up until my junior and senior season.” The midfielder started her playing days in the United States at Auburn University in Alabama, but after her freshman year transferred to CCSU to continue her career. Regarding the move, which put her even

Edward Gaug | The Recorder

Leah Blaney brought home NEC Player of the Year honors this past week. further from her hometown of Katoomba, New South Wales, Australia; Blayney was at first a little rocked by the distance, which is 10,054 miles away. “It was a little daunting, but I have been fortunate to be surrounded by a lot of good people and made a lot of really good friends throughout the process, that helped me out, because not every time is a high. It was definitely a transition, but I think I got a hold of it now.” Despite the loss to Monmouth in the NEC Championship, the team still went 10-0-1 in the conference, and it is definite that the team had a great season. “I think the saddest thing is that the morale of the team right now and the talent that we have, it would have been nice to have another year playing on with all of the girls.” Blayney also praised her teammates and crdited them for making her the player she is today.

“It’s been an exceptional experience. The players around me have helped me grow as a player, and I’ve taken some of their strengths and put it into my game. I think that I’ve also rubbed off on them and they can take some of my strengths and put it into their game.” The five-foot four inch midfielder has certainly made her mark at CCSU, something that will be remembered by the school and soccer fans alike. Blayney said, “Its a legacy I am proud to leave. I guess it leaves a benchmark for other people to aspire to. I’m definitely honored to leave that kind of legacy behind.” Regardless of the way the season ended, Blayney is very happy with her stay at CCSU, and is happy that she had the opportunity. “I’ve really enjoyed my time here at CCSU,” Blayney said. “I’m definitely sad to have my season over right now, however I plan to continue to be involved in the program during the spring, and I hope that I can be around next fall semester and going to

Edward Gaug | The Recorder

a bunch of the girls’ games, standing on the other side of the fence obviously this time.” Women’s Soccer coach Mick D’Arcy is very happy with Blayney’s play and believes that she made great strides in her time here. “Leah is someone who we take great pride in because over the course of her career she has become a much better player. She certainly came in with a lot of talent,” D’Arcy said. “Even if you look at the period from a statistical point of view, with the goals and assists she got this year, she got more than she got in her sophomore and junior year combined. She’s become a complete player.” D’Arcy also praised her team-first attitude, something that is evident after only spending a short time speaking with her. “I think she’s become a better teammate, and she has learned how to make the other players around her better. We have challenged her and pushed her and she’s risen to those challenges. I am proud of where she’s come in the space of three years,” he said.

THE RECORDER Wednesday, November 18 , 2009

Sports 11.18

“PLAYMAKER”

Edward Gaug | The Recorder

Josue Paul Breaks Free for a 69-Yard TD with 2:23 Left to Play Tim Farrell The Recorder

The weather wasn’t the only thing the Blue Devils had to deal with on Saturday. The Monmouth Hawks came into Arute Field and gave CCSU everything they had for the first three quarters, but we all know it’s the fourth that counts. The Blue Devils turned up the heat and rallied back from a 19-0 deficit in the 4th quarter, to beat Monmouth 20-19 and clinch a share of the NEC title, moving to 8-2(6-1) on the season. Junior receiver Josue Paul was instrumental in making the 20-point rally in the fourth quarter. This game featured the top two running backs in the NEC, David Sinisi of Monmouth and CCSU’s James Mallory. Coming into the game, both backs had rushed for over 1,000 yards and had 10 or more TD’s (Sinisi -10, Mallory- 15), but only exploded onto the stat sheet for this one. Sinisi was given the ball 36 times and rushed for 201 yards as well as scoring all three Monmouth touchdowns. He was the Hawk’s offense. The game started off on a high note for the Blue Devils when senior defensive back Marcus Dorsey intercepted Hawk’s quarterback Kyle Frazier on the 5th play of the game, barely two minutes in to the first quarter. The turnover led to a missed Joe Izzo field goal, not an easy task considering the terrible weather. The Hawks would take over and eventually find the end zone with David Sinisi. Monmouth had their extra point

Inside This Issue:

attempt blocked by Dorsey, making the score at the end of the 1st quarter 6-0 in favor of the Hawks. David Sinisi ended up finding the end zone again with 5:30 left in the first half. A two yard touchdown run up the middle and a successful extra point pushed the Blue Devils closer to defeat. The score was 13-0 at halftime, but then again, CCSU has been a second half team all year. On the other hand, the weather had been a thorn in the side of Central’s senior quarterback Aubrey Norris all first half, causing issues for the Blue Devil offense. “Throwing into the wind, the ball was slick, all the balls were dying, every time I stepped in to make a throw the ball would come back,” said Norris. “The weather played real big factor in this game.” Thoughts of a comeback seemed to die out when Sinisi found the end zone for a third time. What hurt the most to Blue Devil fans and players wasn’t the fact that he scored, it was how he scored. Sinisi had run for a 27yard gain from CCSU’s 44 yard line, all the way to the 17. He then went in for the score 17 yards out, untouched. Monmouth led at the end of the third quarter 19-0. The ending of this game played out like the script of a Hollywood movie, maybe even more dramatic. The last time the Blue Devils were shut out in a game was against

Robert Morris on September 21st, 2002, and that didn’t change. Junior running back Eric Richardson started the comeback with a 6 yard touchdown run with 13:36 on the clock. The CCSU defense finally slowed down David Sinisi enough to force a Monmouth punt, leading to a 13 play, 79-yard drive, ending with a 4-yard scramble by senior quarterback Aubrey Norris for the touchdown. Monmouth still led 19-14 with 3:06 left in the game. A huge defensive stop for the Blue Devils forced Monmouth’s Jack Daniels to punt the ball away, giving CCSU possession at their own 31 yard line. “The coach asked the seniors to step up and make a play,” said senior defensive lineman Ray Saunders. “We kept thinking that this game isn’t over, that was our defensive mentality.” With no timeouts for Central, this seemed like it would be the make or break drive in the game. Quarterback Aubrey Norris dropped back and moved to the left side of the field looking for a short pass, but nothing was there. He scrambled back to the right and found junior receiver Josue Paul standing all alone along the right sideline, and the rest is history. “He just worked his magic. He’s a playmaker,” Norris said. Paul made the catch broke a tackle up field and was gone. He went 69 yards for the touchdown, and Joe Izzo hit the extra point in the rain to take the lead, 20-19. The Blue

Devils didn’t look back. “I was really trying to go out of bounds,” said Paul. “I thought about it, and just turned it up, broke the tackle, and the rest is history. I knew I was gone, nobody was going to catch me.” This game had several storylines to go along with it. Putting up 20 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to steal victory from the talons of the Monmouth Hawks, proved once and for all, you can never count the Blue Devils out of any game. “Well, we make good adjustments, we do tactical things, and we don’t fold under pressure,” said head coach Jeff McInerney. “You know, we’re pretty calm, and [the game] was a lot of fun. It’s never over until it’s over.” The win came on Senior Day for the team, as well as Josue Paul’s 21st birthday, and boy did he get some present. Another story hidden beneath the surface was about James Mallory. He officially reached the 3,000 yard mark in his career at Central with a total of 3,079 yards. “I was counting on those 11 seniors to come through just one more time, and it meant a lot,” said coach McInerney. “They deserve all the credit. They’re a special group, it’s a rarity. I’ve coached 29 years and it’s hard to find a group like this.” The Blue Devils will travel to Loretto, PA to take on St. Francis (PA) for their last regular season game of the year at 12 noon on Saturday. If CCSU can defeat the Pioneers of St. Francis (PA) they will be the outright winners of the NEC over Wagner, who lost to Robert Morris this past weekend.

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