CENTR A L CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSIT Y Wednesday, May 12 , 2010
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Faculty Senate
Volume 106 No. 26
Film Focuses on Abused Women Film About Sex Trafficking A Highlight of Program's Conference chelsea PePe
special to the recorder
SCSu faculty senate president Brian Johnson addresses CCSu’s faculty senate Monday.
Matt Kiernan | the recorder
Senate Sidesteps Vote to Criticize CSU Chancellor Melissa traynor the recorder
An item that was controversially placed on Monday’s faculty senate agenda last-minute was left without resolve; the senate voted to adjourn the meeting before they could take any stance on what would have been a de-facto vote of no-confidence in the Connecticut State University System Chancellor. At Monday’s meeting Southern Connecticut State University’s faculty senate president Brian Johnson came to present his university’s case to their counterpart CCSU senate and to request solidarity against the Chancellor. They hope to ask Governor M. Jodi Rell to request the resignations of CSU Chancellor David Carter and CSU Board of Trustees Chair Karl Krapek, citing “recklessness in their financial decision-making and poor judgment in their policymaking,” after SCSU’s president was terminated without explanation. The SCSU’s faculty senate approached CCSU’s with the main complaints that the Chancellor
“We think it sets a dangerous precedent for the entire CSu system.” - Brian Johnson
and BOT Chairman have been unresponsive to their questions about the termination and that the two have made unusually generous financial arrangements for both the exiting president Dr. Cheryl Norton and incoming interim president. SCSU’s faculty senate takes issue with a non-continuation policy by the BOT that allows for a university president to be terminated at the decision of only the Chancellor and the BOT Chair with three months’ notice. Johnson said that they would rather see the full Board vote and decide to remove a president, seeing as it is at their discretion to hire and review presidents. “We at Southern have been concerned for at least a year and a half
about shared governance,” Johnson said, and added that the decision to alter the non-continuation policy is especially troubling. “We think it sets a dangerous precedent for the entire CSU system.” The last item on CCSU’s faculty senate agenda – a formal letter that would address Rell and plead for help in the matter – was discussed but never voted on during Monday’s meeting. Though some of the faculty representatives at Monday’s meeting seemed to disagree with the cloudy circumstances surrounding Norton’s termination, they were not ready to make a formal statement, nor join SCSU in requesting the resignation of Carter and Krapek. Professor Mike Alewitz of the art department said that he personally was against the adjustments to the non-continuation policy, but concluded that the CCSU senate would not be ready at that meeting to take a stance. “People want to have a discussion about this and make a decision later,” he said, alluding to the email See Senate Sidesteps Page 3
The women’s gender and sexuality studies program hosted a series of events last Friday and Saturday to celebrate women, and featured a film about the lives of women and children who are victims of sex trafficking in the United States. June Baker Higgins Conference speaker Rachel Lloyd came to the United States in 1997 as a missionary to help adult women exit prostitution, after being sexually exploited as a teenager herself. Lloyd is now the founder of an organization called Girls Education and Mentoring Services that has existed since 1999. GEMS started off with one woman’s desire to help young women like her and is now nationally known as one of the largest organizations that helps stop sexual exploitation of trafficked youths in the States. GEMS also advocates nationally and promotes policies to protect young women who have been sexually and domestically trafficked. A showing of the film Very Young Girls based on Lloyd's work was held in the Memorial Hall on Friday. The documentary film was aired on Showtime in 2007, and shown on the Lifetime channel. This film showed the harsh reality of young girls in America who are sold for sex. Most of these
girls came from broken homes, and entered prostitution at the ages of twelve to thirteen. The girls usually are seduced by pimps into a lifestyle they think they want, but are basically brainwashed into thinking they can have the world. Once they become old enough to want to leave and realize their situation, the men have already raised them and now control them Most girls have a hard time transitioning into the world because the pimp lifestyle is all they know. They are emotionally and physically abused, beaten, and sold on New York streets like a rag doll. In Ms. Lloyd’s film the GEMS staff tell the audience that if a child who grows up as a prostitute ends up in the court system, the child is tried as an adult for prostitution. If the child was in a non-profited sexual experience and she is not of age to consent, the other parties involved can be charged with rape. Many of the young girls on the screen all had one common request: they wanted love. The young women were sold into prostitution at age twelve or thirteen, and by the time of the movie production 18 or 19, but they still struggle with the transition into lives as working class citizens and discovering who they are. The June Baker Higgins Conference also hosted an appearance by columnist and author Gail Collins of the New York Times.
Undie Run Sees Record Numbers rachael childs
the rocky Mountain collegian | colorado state university
(WIRE) - An excited air filled the cold Friday night as students congregated on the Lory Student Center Plaza in questionable garb. It was too late for a football game and too obvious to be a party. Time passed, it was almost 11 p.m. The area quickly erupted into a frenzy of giggles and shouts. A deafening scream signaled that it was the time. A slow chant began and grew faster. “Undie Run. Undie Run. Undie Run.” A flurry of shirts and pants flew into the air to reveal both creative
and disturbing undergarments. This was the third Annual CSU Undie Run, a tradition that blends fun and philanthropy into a night of chaos and camaraderie. “It was a good portion bigger than last year,” said Undie Run organization President Chandler Stewart. The group collected 80 trash bags full of clothing at the end of the night from the estimated 1,500 students who participated. Last year, about 700 to 800 people turned out for the event. “The amount of quality clothing we received for Haiti and Chile was beyond my expectations,” said coSee Undie Run Page 2
In The Recorder This Week:
Reviewed: CCSU Theatre’s As You Like It
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Album Reviews: The Latest From Godsmack
Page 8
Queue Up Redneck Zombies on Netflix
Page 7
Softball Finishes Season With 19-31 Record
Page 10
CCSU’s Mallory Gets Taste of the NFL
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NEWS
THE RECORDER Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Undie Run Sees Record Numbers
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creator Michele Hynes, in an e-mail to the Collegian. Participants were equally as happy. “It’s just awesome,” said participant Corissa Venrick, who sported mismatched underwear and threw condoms to other runners. Girls put on their sexiest lingerie, as did the men. Others sported costumes, from thongwearing fairies to diaper-wearing
man-babies. Sophomore Robbie Gallagher chose to fight the cold in a fuzzy gorilla suit and blue boxer shorts. He, like most, came to find release from upcoming stress of finals. “It’s nice because I don’t have to use it too often,” Gallagher said about his costume. At 11 p.m., the mass of halfnaked students flooded past the Engineering Building and into the streets. Skin and the smell of vodka floated down Laurel Street as
passerby ogled the herd of unruly college youth galloping without inhibitions. Juniors Brooke McConnell and Audra Snyder saw the panty parade from their home on Meldrum Street. “I just saw a mass amount of skin out,” McConnell said. “I thoroughly enjoyed it.” Many people took the opportunity to run into the road as the lights turned red. Drivers honked at the scene, confused at the hoard of pant-free adults who were trailed by police. Participants made their way back to the Plaza after 20 minutes. The crowd flooded into the library until CSU police evacuated them. “I thank everyone who came out donated and helped clean up after. A successful night to say the least,” Hynes said.
Faculty Salaries Continue to Shrink Emily Grannis
The Post | Ohio University
(WIRE) - As Ohio University faculty salaries continue to fall compared to other state schools, Faculty Senate questioned whether administrators are still bound by promises made 20 and 30 years ago to keep faculty compensation competitive. In 1976, the Ohio University Board of Trustees - following the recommendation of then-President Charles Ping - made it a priority for OU’s faculty salaries to rank in the top 25 percent statewide. At the time, OU was eighth of the 10 institutions considered. Nationally, OU placed in the lowest category for all faculty ranks. Ping became president in 1975 after many tenure-track professors had been notified they were being laid off as part of budget cuts. Ping reversed the decision to terminate Group I contracts. Ping said that he asked the board to make faculty salaries a top priority because he saw morale suffering from deep budget cuts and
loss of faculty lines. Still, he said the previous administration had made the right decision in preserving jobs over salary increases. “I was concerned about it because I did my homework and discovered that we had been ... right at the top (in the state) ... I think the institution and its faculty had made a very wise choice that they would spare people’s jobs,” he said. “Now we were trying to right the ship, and I felt faculty morale was an important thing.” In 1988, the board again emphasized it was a priority to bring salaries into the top quartile - an achievement OU reached and maintained as recently as last year, but has since fallen into the third quartile. This year, OU fell from third among 12 state institutions in full professor salary last year to seventh - with the average salary for an OU professor dropping 0.8 percent. It dropped from second to sixth for associate professor compensation, and from fifth to seventh in assistant professor compensation,
according to a study by the American Association of University Professors. The average full professor at OU earns $99,200 this year, compared to $100,000 last year. The average associate professor earns $73,900 this year, and the average assistant professor earns $61,100. Ping suggested faculty and administrators look at more than just one year’s worth of data in making decisions, and at Faculty Senate, some senators seemed to be encouraging that as well. “On salaries, please pay attention not only to the most recent developments ... In my opinion it’s not that bad,” Engineering Senator Rudy Pasic said. “However, our salary has been depressed for the last 10 years ... So please pay attention to that.” OU is cutting $13.75 million from its budget for next year, including some non-tenure and non-tenure-track faculty positions. Faculty and staff, however, are receiving a 1 percent raise and Group I faculty are eligible for
merit increases from an estimated $750,000 pool if OU meets its enrollment targets. Four years ago, current OU President Roderick McDavis and then-Provost Kathy Krendl committed to increasing faculty salaries through yearly investments of $1.2 million for merit raises during the course of five years. That was in addition to whatever raise pool the university decided on for across-the-board increases. The university met that commitment for the first two years but, because of budget cuts, gave no raises last year and will provide only a 1 percent across-the-board increase this year. McDavis said he is committed to continuing the program he and Krendl established as soon as possible. “We have three years of that commitment left. We intend to fulfill that commitment as we go into the future, and we may have to extend that,” he said, adding that because of the economic crisis, he thinks faculty morale now could be comparable to the mid-1970s.
scene @ ccsu A Weekly Stand-Alone Photo Captured at CCSU
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Students participated in an on-campus basketball tournament last week.
Kenny barto | the recorder
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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, May 12, 2010 / NEWS
Libraries Brace for Student Influx During Finals Week rennee Wunderlich
the daily illini | university of illinois
(WIRE) - With the onset of final exams, many students begin their end-of-the-semester pilgrimage to various campus libraries, many of which are offering extended hours. Because students plan to study, work on projects, write term papers or take naps on reading chairs, these buildings are predicted to be packed. “It’s already gotten a lot busier than last semester’s finals,” said Lori Mestre, head of the Undergraduate Library. “The garbages have been overflowing since Wednesday.” Mestre said the average number of students, about 400 to 600, who use the library per day is predicted to double, if not triple, within the next 24 hours. There are so many
students who come to use the Undergraduate Library that they run out of chairs. Security guards are required to make sure there are pathways through “the tons of textbooks and students all over the floor,” Mestre said. “It gets pretty crowded at night,” said Jonathan Popejoy, student assistant at the Undergraduate Library and senior in LAS. “It’s pretty deserted during the day, but it’s always quiet. And it’s a lot more structured than a coffee shop.” Popejoy said he feels students benefiting from spending time in the library “depends on their motivation.” “If you come and sit around and chat with your friends, you won’t get much done,” he said. Mestre, who has been involved with the library for the past five years, has seen a
dramatic change in study dynamics since her time as a student, especially in group work. “When I was in college, finals used to be a very individual thing. Even recently, I feel they have become more collaborative. There are more students in need of space to do group projects, and much more prevalent are the take-home tests,” she said. The Undergraduate Library, as well as Grainger, opened Thursday and will remain at the disposal of students continually until closing on May 14 at 7 p.m., when they resume their normal respective schedules. Many others, such as the ACES Library, have extended their hours until midnight. “I usually study in the Bromley Hall study room,” said Lindsay Gordon, freshman in LAS. “But when that’s full, I go to Grainger. I like the nice, big windows and the tons of table
space. I feel that the UGL feels depressing and kind of dark.” No food is allowed in the Undergraduate Library, but Mestre said drinks are permitted and that Grainger does allow students to bring snacks into the study area. “Wherever students choose to study, they need to watch their belongings,” Mestre said. “The biggest problem we have is when students leave to go to the bathroom or to get a cup of coffee from Espresso Royale. They think that they’ll just be gone for a second, but that’s all it takes.” Night shift security guards at the Undergraduate Library try to keep an eye on unattended laptops and backpacks, Mestre said, but she feels there is always someone who loses something during this time of intense study.
Senate Sidesteps Vote to Criticize CSU Chancellor Continued from page 1
ed gaug | the recorder
Senate president Candace Barrington brought the SCSu issue to CCSu’s faculty senate.
Police news from Week of May 5
Arrest log compiled by the CCSU Police Department On the morning of April 30, Charles Arnold Cole, 18, of Wethersfield, was arrested for breach of peace and threatening. He was due in court that same morning at 9:30 a.m. Ramona Hunter, 36, and Annisana Smith, 51, of New Britain were arrested on the
evening of May 5 after an attempted theft. Hunter was charged with larceny in the sixth degreee and Smith was charged with larceny in the sixth, conspiracy and one count of criminal attempt. They are due in court on May 17 at 9 a.m.
conversation via the faculty listserv that buzzed on Monday. To criticisms that the letter requesting that Rell call for resignations was too harsh, Johnson reasoned that SCSU’s faculty senate has attempted many different ways to try to open up communication about Norton’s termination, but they have received little, if any response from the BOT and the Chancellor. They want Carter to at least begin to talk about the noncontinuance policy and open up about Norton, he said. In the middle of conversation on the senate resolution to endorse the letter – a little over two hours into the senate meeting – professor Matt Warshauer of the history department said that though SCSU’s points may be valid, they have done a poor job of bringing the other universities up to speed. “You should know that there is no way this is going to happen today,” Warshauer told Johhnson.
“… A lot of us feel that you’ve been going 20 or 30 miles per hour, but now you’re going at 90.” He noted that while SCSU may be ready to take immediate action, CCSU is not at that point because the university has not directly had to deal with the consequences of the non-continuation policy over the period that SCSU has. Professor David Blitz of the philosophy department weighed in to say that he believed the evidence base to be very weak. “I think you’re doing a disservice to us, sir,” he said. He also suggested that the letter could bring unwanted attention to the CSU system and jeopardize the work that the CSU system and the university presidents are doing to lessen budget cuts from the state. Blitz said the accusation could play directly into the hands of those who already disapprove of the state universities and seek to reduce funding. At the close of conversation, President Jack Miller said that while discussion about endorsing SCSU’s
stance is a worthwhile, he was not sure as to what it could produce. “It’s not clear to me what is actually going to be accomplished,” Miller said. “I think there’s virtually no chance of [Rell asking for resignations] happening, given that the Governor appointed Mr. Krapek.” He also said that he does not find Carter or Krapek dishonest or financially irresponsible. While SCSU’s senate has criticized the two for granting Norton pay over the 2010-2011 school year, in addition to the regular salary of the interim president, Miller said that in a way it is the right thing to do, and a responsible gesture. Miller added that of all of the universities he has worked for, he concluded that in none of them would a university president carry on in his or her job without the support of the Chancellor and, subsequently, a Chancellor could not operate without the support of the Board. “You don’t do these jobs without the support from the system,” Miller said.
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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, May 12, 2010 / NEWS
Police Shut Down Ohio U. Palmerfest After Fire where the party came and the party went,” he said. “I was disappointed that it had to end the way it did,” he added later. Some attendees also expressed disappointment in fellow partygoers’ actions. “They light couches on fire; that’s kind of pathetic,” said Ohio University freshman Tyler Arnold. “You would think they would have learned their lesson last year.” Last year, revelers lit three couches on fire beginning at about 10 p.m. They also threw bottles at police officers and horses. Five horses were injured. One partygoer tried to steal the stop sign at the corner of Palmer and Mill Streets, but he was quickly apprehended by undercover police officers, according to a previous Post article. On April 24 this year, police had to shut down High Fest because partygoers lit plastic lawn furniture and trash cans on fire in the middle of the street at about 10:40 p.m.
Amanda Lucci and Gail Burkhardt
The Post | Ohio University
(WIRE) - At 3 p.m. on a spring weekday, Palmer Street is relatively quiet except for a few men in sleeveless shirts out in their front yard, tossing beanbags into a cornhole set. For someone unfamiliar with Ohio University, it would be hard to believe that at the same time tomorrow, the treelined street will be overflowing with people, booming bass and boozesoaked euphoria. Thousands of OU students and guests gathered Saturday for Palmerfest, a street party that has become a spring staple in Athens, Ohio - both for hosting notoriously good times and a notoriously bad near-riot that shut down the fest last year. This year, Palmerfest revelers started a couch fire after 11 p.m.
Saturday, causing police to shut down the fest for the second year in a row. Police used horses, batons and other riot equipment to evacuate Palmer Street, saying things such as “everybody goes” and “get out while you can.” At about 11 p.m., several partygoers attempted several times to light a white cloth on fire in the middle of Palmer Street. One partygoer stamped the fire out. Minutes later, people began booing at the police and throwing bottles and cans at them. At about 11:07 p.m., a police officer fell off his horse while trying to break up the crowd. The officer was not hurt. At about 11:20 p.m., revelers successfully started a fire making it necessary for the Athens Fire Department to extinguish the blaze. By midnight, the street was mostly cleared. Police arrested 30 people, 10
Students Prepare for MoveOut Across Campus Sara Michael
The Rocky Mountain Collegian Colorado State University
(WIRE) - Newsom Hall resident assistant Kari Ashby advised her hall to please make wise decisions during their last week of college. “One year we had a student who tripped really badly on acid. He was having hallucinations –– I forget if he thought the army was after him, or aliens, but he couldn’t move out because he was so paranoid,” she said. “It was bad.” For students living in CSU’s residence halls, the middle of May means more than the hassle of finals. It means storage space and boxes, as well as completely erasing all traces of the past year from the dorm rooms. “Move out is such a long process,” senior psychology major Ashby said. All residents must move out of their halls before the RAs can move out, and all the RAs must be out before the residence hall director can leave, making for a lengthy, tedious process. At the end of her second year as an RA, Ashby said she has enjoyed the experiences of dorm living. “Academic Village was awesome because of the private bathrooms,” she said. “Newsom has character. They’re all different.” Ashby plans to have one more year as an RA in Edwards Hall. “There’s a lot of memories everywhere,” she said. “I’ll walk down the halls of (Academic Village) and remember late night
study parties.” Undeclared freshman Hallie Meeker, who lives on Ashby’s hall in Newsom, said she loved her year in the dorms because of all the people she was able to meet in such close proximity. “Now I get to brag that I had a typical college experience. I definitely learned to appreciate a nice shower,” she said. Meeker has yet to start packing for move out, but, she said, with finals on the brain, she has more to worry about. Freshman communications major Samuel Fay and business major Sebastian Smith took charge of their move out and were hauling boxes of their belongings out to be recycled Thursday afternoon. Dining hall dishes, clothing, bicycle wheels and an old television were just some of the many items they were getting rid of. “Our goal is to have as little as possible to move out,” Fay said. “We each have two boxes of stuff to keep,” Smith added. “But I’m sure we’ll accumulate it all back by next semester.” Living in Durward Hall was what they both described as “an experience.” “What happens in Durward, stays in Durward,” Fay said. “But Durward was awesome,” he added. “If by awesome you mean loud, inconvenient, loud, gross and loud, then yeah,” Smith said. But both said that, given an option, they wouldn’t have lived anywhere else.
of whom were Ohio University students. The City of Athens spent $32,000 for more police and firesafety officials at fests this year, according to a previous article in The Post. The number of police officers on horses increased from five earlier in the day to 15 by the end of the night. One horse received minor cuts and one police officer was injured at Palmerfest. “I think it’s bullshit that (police) are allowed to come back (behind the houses),” said Casey Morgan, a student at Wright State University. Morgan said he was pushed by police with batons into a backyard. Despite the increase in security, Assistant Service-Safety Director Ron Lucas, who also serves as the city’s public information officer, said he was not expecting a fire. “There were a number of years
Preparation for the Weekend Fest
Police estimated between 6,000 and 10,000 people attended last year’s fest where officers and undercover agents arrested 74 people. Students lit several fires on the street, and threw bottles at firefighters and police who arrived to extinguish it. Palmer Street resident and OU junior Alex Couch has been anticipating hosting her own fest since freshman year, when her sister lived in the same house; however, she plans on avoiding a repeat of last year. “We don’t want to start a fire,” said Couch, who is studying sport management. “I want to party until 3 in the morning and not get it canceled.” Couch and the five other women that currently live with her on Palmer have had the chance to see firsthand how to prepare for a Palmerfest party - thanks to Couch’s
sister. “With her sister living here last year, we were able to see how they party-proofed her house,” said Morgan Lyles, a senior studying public relations and one of Couch’s roommates. “We’re going to try to keep (the house) locked as much as possible.” With at least two years of fest experience under their belts, Couch and Lyles said they knew what they were getting into signing a lease on the street, and began planning their Palmerfest party immediately. Most of the early planning involved getting jobs, as the roommates will pay for their 10 Palmerfest kegs almost entirely out their own pockets, Couch said. “It’s like our duty (to throw a Palmerfest party),” Lyles said. “It’s pretty much in the lease. Really, when you move in, you start thinking about it.” A formal stipulation in the women’s lease involves staying off their roof - a clause that is supported by a recently passed city ordinance requiring partygoers to get off the roof if police cite them for violations of the city noise, disorderly conduct or nuisance party ordinance. Police will also be on hand at Palmerfest to make sure the party stays under control. “We’ll be there, that’s about all I can tell you,” said Captain Tom Pyle of the Athens Police Department in mid-April. “We worry about (fests getting out of hand) every year, but do I expect it this year? No.” Lyles advised Palmerfest attendees not to be afraid of the police presence but rather embrace it. Couch vows to hold a responsible party, refusing to let last year’s Palmerfest fiasco get in the way of her and her roommates’ good time this year. “I’ll probably be up at like 7 a.m.,” Couch said. “It’s like Christmas morning.”
OPINION EDITORIAL
5 THE RECORDER Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Stay Focused on Clubs, Too
As of today, Wednesday, May 12, many of the school's functions are over, including the last of scheduled classes and club work. It's almost reasonable to shirk responsibilities at the end of the semester. It'd as if we're hardwired to drop off tasks here and there from our usual workload as the weather gets warmer and we're wrapping up another year of school or, even better, we're staring real life in the face as soon-to-be college graduates, preparing to conclude formal schooling forever. But it's not time yet. Students need to resist the urge to just let go as finals take over – we know, it's tough, but it pays off to keep your head down and work to the end. Not only does this apply to plugging through all-nighters to finish up research papers, or rushing to print out the last 20 plus pages of a final project, but students should fulfill club commitments
to the end. That's why the official semester is 16 weeks - not 15. Clubs are often neglected throughout the end of semesters and for the most part only are active again toward the end of summer; they are often those silent shirked responsibilities that almost always come second (or third) to work and school, and reasonably so. But student apathy not only in terms of seeing club projects to the end, but simple things like recruiting and planning for the year ahead really keeps clubs from doing many things for the greater community throughout the year. While it's true that many of these student-run organizations are purely selfserving in nature and generally offer little or no support to the outward community, many have a larger purpose and serve as professional springboards.
Shades of Green: Ecological Egotism April Erlich
The Daily Titan | Cal State Fullerton
(WIRE) - I love when overzealous hippies bestow useless information onto people who are “less aware” about health and environmentalism, boasting terms such as “agave nectar,” “high fructose corn syrup” and “biodegradable,” as if knowing the meaning of these terms ensures their intellectual devotion to the earth. Considering the green movement is the hip thing in California, environmental elitism surrounds us every day. Or, at least it surrounded me, since I lived with a roommate who was very much like this (see Shades of Green: Vegan Arrogance). Unfortunately, I thought I got rid of the problem long ago when I kicked her out of my apartment. (OK, maybe I didn’t kick her out per se, but I did kindly ask her to reconsider her residential options). Turns out I get to endure hippie banter every night once again, but this time from a customer at my work who never buys anything – she just stands around and talks and talks and talks. “You know, I would totally buy these dried cherries but they, like, have sulfur dioxide in them, so I probably shouldn’t. Did you know that sulfur dioxide is poisonous and that it’s in almost ALL dried fruit? Can I have a bagel? Can you toast it? Is that a microwave? DON’T PUT MY BAGEL IN THERE! I don’t want radiation going through my food! It’s so cold in here! Why is it so cold? What IS that? FREON?” I gave her a look that said something along the lines of, “What the hell is freon and why are you still standing in front of my register?” She then excused my confusion with a wave of her ring-adorned hand, “Oh, it’s okay, you’re just tired.”
I love that. I also love that her hair is very blatantly highlighted, which makes me wonder if there is such a thing as all-natural hair bleach. I realize this column itself is basically a bunch of hippie banter, considering the warnings against carnivorous dog food and criticisms of lazy anti-green lifestyles, but there is a notable difference between this and Freon Woman: I’m not searching to belittle people for not having knowledge that they could care less about. For instance, let’s just say a person is interested in knowing about the green movement, whether to make fun of it or to enhance his or her knowledge about it. This person is flipping through the Daily Titan, or searching the Internet, and comes across a column titled, “Shades of Green.” Lo and behold! This is everything he/she’s been looking for! Now he/she is free to read at his/her leisure. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with being enthusiastic about your recently obtained knowledge of agave nectar or freon or what have you. All I’m saying is, you don’t see a calculus enthusiast going up to every person they meet exclaiming, “Did you know that the quotient of continuous functions is continuous at all points X where the denominator is not ZERO?” And why don’t mathematicians do this? Because they realize that this information is completely useless to me unless I give a damn about math. Which I don’t. Which is why I am writing for the school newspaper. If you want to go around preaching against inescapable chemicals floating through our air or about the mutilation of rain forests and endangered species to unsympathetic bystanders, by all means, go ahead. But you’re only making environmentalism look bad.
Some groups are a direct link to internships and professional development, or serve as study groups for different majors. It's also possible that while a club may have nothing to do with professional ambitions or academic purposes, it may have everything to do with stress relief or learning how to unwind during finals (which, in a way, makes them more important now than any other time during the semester). Clubs may just simply provide friends with an excuse to hang out during school. Apathy in many respects seems to be at an all-time low, and especially for clubs. One of the gaming clubs, for example, is struggling to find a new leader, and only a small fraction of the student body turned out to the e-polls to vote for the Student Government Association elections. It has been this way for a while.
While this is not any new trend (after all, CCSU is a commuter college full of working students), now is the perfect time to make resolutions to start anew and start right for next semester. With just over a week left of school, it is students' responsibility to not only keep clubs alive, but going strong. With the small amount of hours - if that- that clubs ask of their members per week, it's surprising that so many students don't embrace the opportunity to really be a part of something larger than themselves. It is likely that clubs will be shafted throughout the next week – there is relatively little going on at any point over the next seven days – but students should rethink their decision to shift their focus away from student groups.
Alcohol Tolerance: A Double-Edged Sword Maureen Landsverk
The Minnesota Daily | University of Minnesota, St. Paul
(WIRE) - Before Barack Obama began his kick for healthcare reform, the most heated debates on campus were commonly centered on alcohol. Where to get it, what to buy to maximize and quicken intoxication, how to drink it—the list is endless. An argument that often ends unresolved is one that concerns everyone, from the Smirnoff connoisseur to the Heineken guzzler: tolerance. What most of us don’t realize, however, is that the term “tolerance” encompasses a wide variety of meanings, from physical coordination to the chemical aspects of ethanol metabolism. With these different types of tolerance come different rates of progression: you may be able to tie your shoes faster after a few beers, but your friend might be better at solving for the hydrostatic pressure on a submerged object. The variable definition of the word that determines our alcohol intake raises the ageold question: is alcohol tolerance genetically predetermined, or a condition we can control—at least to some extent? The answer, of course, is a combination of both. A greater tolerance to alcohol may serve to allow coherency at higher BAC (blood alcohol content) levels, but it also encourages binge-drinking, which can lead to alcoholism. In a study involving the sons of alcoholic fathers versus those of nonalcoholic fathers, those who had the alcoholism gene exhibited higher levels of tolerance than those who didn’t—a short-term advantage that can eventually lead to increased alcohol consumption in the long-run. Those with the flip-sided curse of predisposed tolerance to alcohol produce a higher volume of alcohol dehydrogenase, an enzyme that breaks down ethanol in the liver, so that alcohol’s effects are processed, accelerated and finished faster. For those of you who aren’t blessed with the gene, don’t worry—you can still develop tolerance, dependence, and possibly even alcoholism before you graduate! These non-genetic tolerances are behaviorally augmented, and are instigated by repetitive alcohol consumption—assumedly not a difficult task for many. Environment-dependent tolerance is prone to develop in social drinkers who tend to frequently consume alcohol in the same
place, or places with similar atmospheres. For instance, your tolerance at a bar you visit regularly will be higher than your tolerance, say, on the tranquil streets of Minneapolis during Spring Jam. “I feel like I’m much more mentally there at the Library bar than wandering the streets,” says Pat Swanson, regular bar customer. “I can function pretty well at my apartment after a dozen beers, but when I head over to the Shout House to drink the same amount I’m usually kicked out within an hour and a half. You can draw your own conclusions.” Excessive quantities of alcohol have been proven to create functional tolerance independent of environmental effects; this refers to hand-eye coordination and dexterity rather than clear mental processes, which are more relatable to individuals’ volume of dehydrogenase. Liver enzyme production is initially genetically predisposed, but can be increased over time with regular alcohol consumption. Learned tolerance, as environmentdependent tolerance is also referred to, can be helpful in familiar environments, though extremely dangerous if the drinker attempts to transfer their developed tolerance to a dissimilar situation; to perform the same task in a different environment. For instance, tolerance developed while driving after minimal alcohol consumption in your neighborhood can disappear completely if you try to navigate a foreign route. A phenomenon most are unfamiliar with is the effect of alcohol content in a drink. Contrary to popular belief, a greater alcohol percentage is actually not equivocal to a drunker state. Drinks that contain 10 to 30 percent alcohol have the highest absorption rate, compared to those above or below the range. Alcoholic drinks over 30 percent content irritate the gastrointestinal tract, stimulating glands that produce substances that slow alcohol absorption, while smaller percentages just don’t register. In other words, your body will begin to process liquor faster and its effects will become apparent—both to you and those around you—at a faster rate with a drink of a more moderate alcohol percentage. It might seem backwards, but drinking a few glasses of White Zinfandel will probably impair that pesky judgment we all try so desperately to cast aside faster than straight shots of tequila or shot-gunning a few beers.
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THE RECORDER Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Senior Art Students Proudly Display their Work at Art Opening Samantha Fournier The Recorder
The work of CCSU’s senior art students surrounded the chatty crowd in the Chen Gallery on Friday at the 2010 Capstone art exhibit. Seniors featured in the exhibit, their families, friends, and other CCSU students came to admire the work of the proud seniors. As the seniors guided their guests from piece to piece, the sounds of folk music filled the room as a guest performer sang and strummed the guitar in front of Matt Graham’s bright, abstract cartoon-like paintings.
Lauren Pelletier’s black quilted piece with thin grey strips hung draped from the wall in the far corner. “[It was] inspired by a piece of paper,” said Pelletier, who frequently works with fabric as a medium. She used the quilting method to manipulate the sheets. “This one right here screws with my head a little bit,” said visitor Matt Backe of Pelletier’s piece hung next to the quilted work. The thin black and white striped fabric pulled taught over a frame was an optical illusion for the eyes. Small areas of the fabric looked pinched together altering the striped pattern. Not all pieces at the show were abstract others, like Sarah Eaton’s rocker-inspired watercolor pictures of artists from her favorite
bands portrayed a clearer vision of reality. “[I’m] happy with the variety and the subject matter,” said Art Department Assistant and CCSU student Lori Camilleri. Pieces at the art show took visitors from Michele Magliaccio’s dark night time waterfront bridge views in the city to Ashley Lodovico’s “Sunny Afternoon” bright colored waterfront watercolor picture depicting clear skies and pale white sand. Works varied in subject matter from Courtney Mangum’s “Still I Rise” series of grid drawn portraits depicting proud successful and prominent figures such as President Obama and Michael Jackson to Tokuki Okamoto’s picture dominated by a muted maroon color
and grey tones, which created a political statement picturing President Obama and George Bush holding bombs while standing over a map of Gaza. Visitors at the 2010 capstone event admired a variety of mixed media works as they walked around the room chatting with CCSU’s proud artists as they prepare to move on to the next phase of their lives. The 2010 Capstone art exhibit will be open for viewing from May seventh through the fourteenth. Gallery hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 1 to 4 p.m., Thursday from 2 to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m.
‘As You Like It’ Production Not Up to Par
Jason Cunningham The Recorder
William Shakespeare's comedy As You Like It has long been disputed as either a brilliant work or as one of mediocrity by critics. Given the dispute over the material, it's presumable that any production of this play would be done with the upmost effort and class. However, this wasn't the case for the CCSU Theatre Department's take on the piece. The performance started slightly late and rather rough. The combination of cheesy music selection and weak performances resulted in some actors struggling not to burst out into laughter. Sloppy entrances and exists didn't help their cause either. Riddled throughout were moments where
voices could either barely be heard or were projected to the height of a shout. It's hard to tell who was less enthusiastic about being in the Black Box Theatre during last Wednesday's performance, the half-sleeping audience members or the under-rehearsed cast members. Many wouldn't expect much from, say, a high school's crappy production of As You Like It, but at the college level you'd at least expect it to keep the attention of those who paid to see it. When someone attends a performance they expect to be entertained. Sitting in a room for two hours when almost nobody in the room looks happy to be there is an arduous task. The situation becomes all the worse when most of the actors themselves lack any
Audience members watch the action at last Wednesday’s performance.
As You Like It played from May 4 through May 8.
ounce of passion for their craft. Almost anyone can memorize lines and spew them out, that takes minimal effort on the part of an actor. The real challenge lies within making a character believable. It
jason cunningham | the recorder
would've been acceptable for most of the cast to overact their parts just to add a spark of life to the dull pain of lifeless scene after lifeless scene. This isn't to say that some actors didn't shine bright above the rest. Talent was certainly displayed in Maloney Hall that night. Those who took their work on this production seriously were far above adequate. Ben McLaughlin's depiction of the court fool Touchstone was intellectual and fun, carrying (literally at one point) other cast members through scenes with a witty delivery and animated strength that was almost unmatched by the rest of the cast. Nearly as good was Kimberley Carvalho, who excelled masterfully as both Duke Frederick and Duke Senior. Not only did she make both roles hers, but she did so in a manner that was memorable, displaying maturity as an artist. One actor in particular stole the show. Though her part was one of the smaller speaking roles, Ashley Carvalho provided a major presence as the shepherdess Phebe, often times looking as if she'd crawl out of her skin while humorously adding life to As You Like It's final stretch. Her face's effortless twitches and contortions added a beam of a light to the barely illuminating energy of the bulk of the cast. Mike DiChello
jason cunningham | the recorder
also did well in his minor role as Charles, adding one of the few fun moments of the performance during a hysterically choreographed wrestling match. Professor Ken Mooney also provided much needed relief with his performance as Jacques. The costumes where fitting, the lighting and set were perfect for the space, creating an enchanting atmosphere as simplistically as possible. The direction by Sheila Siragusa wouldn't have seemed so shabby had she had more to work with. It seems as if several last minute emergency rehearsals may have exceptionally improved the performance. Perhaps past plays put on by the CCSU Theatre Department, such as last Spring's Waiting for Lefty, left higher expectations than reasonable for these young actors. Maybe seriously performing one of Shakespeare's less cherished works was difficult for these students, caring less about their obligations to the play during the rush of a busy semester. As You Like It had its highlights without ever fully redeeming itself, leaving the more talented actors on-stage to lead their seriously inferior counterparts like children.
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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, May 12, 2010 / UPGRADE
Netflix It: Redneck Zombies Michael Walsh
Joshua Boydstron
The Oklahoma Daily | University of Oklahoma
(WIRE) - Ok, so you’ve been downing Red Bulls like a 13-year-old at a sleep over for two weeks straight, the tour of pizza boxes in your living room is really sort of starting to resemble the Sydney Opera House and the last time you slept the Thunder was still in the playoffs (too soon?). It’s finals time, and if you want to make it through with your sanity intact, you are going to need all the help you can get. Survival is difficult enough, but if you are blaring a playlist that predominately consists of Insane Clown Posse and Color Me Badd during your study time, your odds go from slim to none. So here’s a playlist that will keep you chugging well through the night, with the songs matching your mood all the while.
The Recorder
Great B-movies seem harder to come by these days. Zombies, monsters and creeps are overdone with stupidity, special effects falter with the reliance of computergenerated blood and guts and lacking efforts result in mundane attempts at cashing in on popular genres. But flashback to the good old days of the 1980’s and step inside the world of Lloyd Kaufman’s Troma Entertainment to find the bible on the B-movie. Redneck Zombies is simply one of many grade A B-movies deep inside the Troma vault. The brilliance of Redneck Zombies lies inside its overall simplicity. The game is simple: Idiotic and misrepresented army loses barrel of toxic waste in the wooded areas of Maryland and uneducated simpleton rednecks find said barrel and mistake it as booze and a profit. Of course this dangerous combination leads to the deadly tobbacochewing redneck zombies. Directed by Pericles Lewnes (yeah I wonder about that name as well), Redneck Zombies is a total parody of itself in every fashion. It knowing exactly what it is (a cheesy, over-the-top gore machine) and its spirted effort at achieving its mission is what leads to the level of enjoyment it produces. Not for one second does the film try to fool you otherwise. This is as straight-forward as B-movies come. Characters parody those seen in other films (you’ll find loads of Texas Chain Saw Massacre references here) and you’ll have at your hand a few memorable characters, something I always found to be important in the horror and B-movie genre. Certain films that don’t have a character like our Bob here, a pre-vet student who freaks out during the most intense moments of redneck zombie invasion, lose themselves in the recycled nature of their plots and cheesy gore. But the hilarity of a drug-tripping Bob wanting to climb inside of a human body while doing an autopsy on it is unforgettable. The film even goes as far to include a redneck version of the ice cream man. Dressed and veiled like the disfigured “Elephant Man,” Joshua Merrick, he rings his bell, talks in a voice inspired by a voice-
The Soundtrack to Finals Week
Let’s Get Things Started
distortion machine and sells tobacco instead of Popsicles, much to the delight of our young hillbillies. Redneck Zombies’ rather unattractive cast, a rarity in a genre that often prides itself on the exploitation or sexualization of bimbo blondes, gets even uglier when the skin starts to decay, the blood starts to spurt and the gut chewing begin. Lewnes, who went on to work effects for Troma in his later years, loaded on the blood, guts and gore to the maximum degree, leading to some memorable zombie moments. Heads explode, bodies are ripped in half and eyeballs are eaten. Troma’s catalogue might be filled with more well-known franchises (The Toxic Avenger) or films that speak to a generation with meaning (Combat Shock), but Redneck Zombies does everything it can to exemplify the tradition the company has known. You’ll get your silly and poorly delivered dialogue from goofy characters and you’ll get your blood and gets, an all-in-one collection from the heart of Pericles Lewnes.
You are feeling pretty good at this point. You’ve eaten a good meal, deactivated your Facebook account and turned off the “America’s Next Top Model” marathon. The task is daunting: A semester’s worth of reading to be done in three hours, anatomies to memorize and a 10-page research paper to crap out. Is it possible? Maybe, with the proper playlist to get the juices flowing. (I tried to put Death Cab for Cutie and The Shins on here, but the cliché police pistol-whipped me before I could). “Major Label Debut”- Broken Social Scene “Two Weeks”- Grizzly Bear “Wide Eyes”- Local Natives “Each Year”- Ra Ra Riot
nap? Oh wait, your finger is on the last page of “Jane Eyre.” Yeah for progress! But you can’t quite call it a night yet. So ... much ... more ... to ... do. It’s an ugly situation; let’s make it as pretty as possible. “Flume”- Bon Iver “Blue Ridge Mountains”- Fleet Foxes “Untitled”- Interpol “Burial”- Miike Snow
Late Night Delirium Hot damn, probably should have called it quits at Fleet Foxes. You aren’t entirely sure, but it looks like Charles Darwin is doing the electric boogaloo in the corner and Freud keeps giving you distressing winks. You’ve almost made it ... but things are going downhill quick. The only solution: Fight crazy with crazy. “Brother Sport”- Animal Collective “Silver Trembling Hands”- The Flaming Lips “Blinking Pigs”- Little Dragon “Rome”- Yeasayer
Cup of Joe You just jerked up from the couch like Chev Chelios in Crank 2: High Voltage. What time is it? Your government final is in three hours. That’s enough time to memorize 50 court cases right? You grab a liter of Mountain Dew and a handful of Fruit By The Foots, plant yourself in the chair and blast the fastest, loudest, non-anger-inducing music you can find. Let’s go. “Brainstorm”- Arctic Monkeys “Treat Me Like Your Mother”- The Dead Weather “Struck Dumb”- The Futureheads “Brain Burner”- No Age
On Top Of Your Game
The Final Countdown
Holy hell, you just learned more in the last five hours than you did all semester. You deserve a little bit of a treat, so you pull up a little subtle dance music and boogie as you soldier through Bukowski. “Saturday”- Cut Copy “Skeleton Boy”- Friendly Fires “Brian Eno”- MGMT “Deadbeat Summer”- Neon Indian
You’ve got 12 minutes to sprint to your final. You grab two No. 2 pencils, and you are on your way. This might be the sweetest feeling in the world. It’s almost over ... almost. “Helicopter”- Bloc Party “Song 2”- Blur “For Whom The Bell Tolls”- Metallica “Cousins”- Vampire Weekend Victory ... or Despair Well, you win some, you lose some. But no matter what the result, Starship will always have your back. “We Built This City”- Starship
Mid-Evening Lull
Whoa ... where did the past eight hours go and why can’t you remember any of it? Did I just go into a light coma or a really heavy
Local Bands to Compete for Warped Tour Slot Matt Kiernan The Recorder
Local Connecticut bands will be given a chance to perform on the Vans Warped Tour when it passes through in July, with a first round competition this Saturday at the Space. The competition, which is titled the 2010 East Coast Indie Stage Battle of the Bands, is accepting submissions from bands that are looking to perform Warped when it comes to Hartford’s Comcast Theater on July 11. Those who win the competition will be given the opportunity to perform alongside acts such as Andrew W.K., Motion City Soundtrack, Sum 41 and the Dillinger Escape Plan. Warped Tour for the most part features pop punk and alternative rock influenced bands. The tour was established in 1995 and can have shows with over-100-band lineups. This year’s schedule is no exception. The inclusion of more indie bands may be due to the fact that Warped has been adding more of a variety of bands from different genres in recent years. This has included the genres of hip-hop, indie rock and reggae. Bands interested in competing are being asked to e-mail ted@eastcoastindependent. com to enter. Tickets for the competition are going for $12, and the doors open at 4 p.m. The Warped Tour Hartford show tickets are currently on sale for $28 on ticketmaster.com.
Dillinger Escape Plan is one of the groups the winning band will get a chance to play alongside.
Photo Courtesy of Flickr
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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, May 12, 2010 / UPGRADE
REVIEWS Godsmack The Oracle Republic May 4
Kim Scroggins The Recorder
Even though it’s been close to four years since their last album, Godsmack will always be one of those bands that I just keep coming back to. I’m not sure if it’s Sully Erna’s voice or the way that every song smacks you in the face with a sense of defiance; but their fifth full length album The Oracle is worthy of leaving any Godsmack fans satisfied. The album is exactly what one could expect: opening with simple yet smooth guitar riffs, lacking lyrical complexity but still maintains melody in a catchy sort of way, and the two minute long guitar solos in the middle of every single track. But for some reason, it works well for them. It distinguishes their sound from all others. One of the smartest things a heavy rock band like Godsmack can do is open an album with a “tell it how it is” kind of track and end with something instrumental that seems to last forever. The first track “Cryin’ Like a Bitch” was by far the best track off the list to start with; opening with: “Strut on by like the king/Telling everybody they know nothing/ And long what you thought you were/Time aint on your side anymore.” It's surely a single that almost everyone will catch onto. The band breaks out of their shell with the more laid back “Love-Hate-Sex-Pain.” I'm still not quite sure if I like this one, since it’s not the traditional Godsmack sound, but I guess change is good, right? As the closure, they went with the 6:23 long instrumental (smart move) “The Oracle” which ends the album in just the right way. At the end of the day, I am still a fan of the older stuff like “Straight Out of Line” and “Voodoo” but overall, The Oracle was an enjoyable listen that all respectable Godsmack fans should listen to at least once. Whether you like it or not, it'll have you "Cryin' Like a Bitch" until their next release...in however many years that may be.
Toni Braxton Pulse Atlantic May 4
Don Weber The Recorder
Without further adieu, Toni Braxton is back with the recent release of her album Pulse. After a stint at Dancing With The Stars back in 2008, she is taking on the world… or at least resurrecting her career. Pulse is exactly what you would expect
from a Toni Braxton album. It’s her sixth studio album and very true to R&B roots. Most people only think of Braxton’s popstyle hits that raved radios, such as “Un-Break My Heart” or “He Wasn’t Man Enough.” However, Braxton is a soulful singer and songs like Pulse’s “Make My Heart” are prime examples of her vocals. Braxton also utilizes some help from growing artist Trey Songz, cinema-winning Mo’Nique and some others. She does sing well with the collaborations, but is one of those artists who perform best on their own. When she has the opportunity, Braxton belts some notes that show she hasn’t lost her vocal range after the years. The album is all-in-all pretty good. I can’t imagine people buying the entire album, especially since only a few songs will probably get radio play. Pulse is an album that can be played in a relaxing place, an energized club, or by yourself in the car. The album probably won’t return Toni Braxton back to the golden life, but it will get a few looks. If you’re into soul, R&B, or dance music, you should probably check Pulse out. While it’s not going to turn heads, Braxton’s album is better than a lot of others out there. If you only like rock or metal, you probably didn’t read this anyway, but don’t venture into Toni Braxton. She is the type of artist that if you like her, you probably will forever. If you didn’t like her in the ‘90s, don’t expect much change. Her vocals are pretty much the same, maybe a little more mature. The beat on Pulse is pretty good for keeping a low tone.
Broken Social Scene Forgiveness Rock Record Arts & Crafts May 4
Matt Kiernan The Recorder
Almost out of nowhere during the 2000s it seemed that Canada’s Broken Social Scene were kings of the indie rock scene, this being a quietly understood thought among fans of the genre. Releasing a handful of captivating albums throughout the first decade, the band starts the new decade with their most popinfluenced album to date, Forgiveness Rock Record. The secret to Scene’s successfully intriguing albums may lie in the fact that they always put in a lot of time for writing and composition. The five years since their last album, Broken Social Scene, has given the band enough time to focus on their personal lives and other musical endeavors, allowing their main band to develop as well. It wouldn’t be a Scene album had the band not challenged the listener a little bit, and they do this with the first and longest track on the album, “World Sick.” A mathematical rock song that brings the emotions of all the band members together, it makes the seven minutes fly by and makes you not realize the song is as long as it is. “Texico Bitches,” one of the catchiest songs on the album and possibly in the band’s career, has lead singer Kevin Drew’s vocals bring to mind that of Jeff Tweedy from Wilco. The second to last song, “Water in Hell,” shows the band performing a song with a sound reminiscent of indie rock gods Pavement, a sound that’s been rarely heard or perfected since Pavement’s breakup. The song’s filled with wacky lyrics, “woohoos” and odd transitions that are still perfectly molded together. The album ends on a down note, as in sound but not creativity, with “Me and My
Hand.” Drew is able to take violins and his acoustic guitar, with light touches of other instruments, to tear your heart out from listening to lyrics about crushing loneliness. Forgiveness Rock Record is one of the band’s best releases and is sure to open up their audience who found their other records to be too experimental.
Lazer Crystals MCMLXX Thrill Jocket May 4
clear that they’re not trying to make anything new, just giving their own angle on a form of music that’s long been dead until now.
Marco Benevento Between the Needles and the Nightfall
The Royal Potato Family May 4
Michael Walsh The Recorder
Matt Kiernan The Recorder
Electronic band Lazer Crystal takes the eerie sounds of 1980’s movie soundtrack music and is somehow able to reinvigorate it for the year 2010, bordering on the line of well structured post-rock and crunching electronics. Having released a few tunes since 2008, Crystal’s MCMLXXX is the band’s first full-length album, not sounding much like anything on their new indie label Thrill Jockey Records. The album starts with “Lipp Service,” a song that begins with repeated distorted electronic beats and robotically altered vocals before entering into bright echoing synthesizers. “Love Rhombus” brings to mind a combination of many 80’s movie scenes, such as what would be a chase scene in Escape From New York, an unleashing of ghosts in Ghostbusters, and the children voices featured in the Lost Boys. “Bad Indian” pulls the album back into the area of electronic club music, having the song rely heavily on the beat with two ever-present synth riffs. One of the first singles to be released by the band before the album and now being among the MCMLXXX tracks, “Hot Pink BMX” holds a fast tempo drumbeat and lyrics that are not understandable sung low by a android-like voice. Crystal, presumably, looks to the future, at least from what the perspective of people in the 1980s thought the future would be, with the song “2029.” The song starts with entrancing synths that snap into a funky riff and singing, but soon enters into atmospheric electronic sounds halfway to fill out the nineminute track. While being an album probably not fit for most people living in this decade, MCMLXXX is a record that tries and succeeds greatly in providing songs that capture the synthprevalent 1980s sound. The band makes it
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Something special sure is happening with Marco Benevento’s career. Along with Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey’s Brian Haas, Benevento heads the class of pianists the new wave of art/experimental jazz genre has seen over the last 15 or 20 years. Like the seasoned Haas, Benevento commands his instrument with intensity and perfection, blending a touch of simplicity with complex sounds and jamming and improv. On his latest album, Between the Needles and Nightfall, Benevento’s playing has never been better. The exploratory jamming is as colorful as the album cover. A standout track for me was “RISD,” a seven plus minute piece of exceptional sound that barrels through at a fast pace. The track is the benefit of tight drum beats setting a rhythm for Benevento to play brilliant over. In “RISD” and a great deal of other tracks on the album, Benevento’s keys come in at a pleasing high pitch, a sound I now only place with his instrument and play. He’s made this screaming sound his own and no one does it better. But on “Wolf Trap,” things get a bit dark and menacing with Benevento’s low minor key playing overlapping his still present higher sound. The production on the album is great and “Wolf Trap” proves it, overlapping different levels of sound in a way that isn’t too much to handle for one’s ears. The electro-rock and jazz heard on tracks like the joyous and rising anthem “Two of You” and “It Came From You,” as well as half title track “Between the Numbers” is inspiring work. Benevento gets much help on these and all tracks from bassist Reed Mathis (formerly of Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Tea Leaf Green) and drummer Andrew Barr (The Slip). Mathis is a veteran performer and both him and Barr have an unheard of chemistry with Benevento. Full of energy, Between The Needles & Nightfall stands out in the experimental jazz genre in so many ways. Benevento is an authority on the style of sound and play he demands from his instruments and this latest effort is just another stop on the long road of a brilliant career.
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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, May 12, 2010 / UPGRADE
Calendar
The untold story of notorious Nazi filmmaker Viet Harlan, and the family that lives with his legacy.
5.12 - 5.19
5.15 - 5.16 Breath Made Visible @ Real Art Ways Hartford, Conn. $6.25 / 3 p.m. "Whenever Oprah reminds us to live our best lives, a giant picture of Anna Halprin should fill our television screens. Pushing 90 and still pushing boundaries, this avant-garde West Coast choreographer is finally packaged and immortalized in Breath Made Visible, a welldeserved tribute to a woman who can’t stand still." - Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times "Finally...Anna Halprin is honored with a documentary that reflects her wide influence and eternally questing spirit." -Allan Ulrich, San Fancisco Chronicle 5.16 - 5.18 Greenberg @ Cinestudio Hartford, Conn. $7.00 / 7:30 p.m. There may be a shortage of independent filmmakers with original voices, but there’s no doubt Noah Baumbach deserves a place alongside Darren Aronofsky, Alison Maclean and Wes Anderson. Stepping back from “the family: they f*** you up” theme of The Squid
Sister Hazel plays in Fairfield tonight.
MUSIC 5.12 Sister Hazel @ FTC on Stage One Fairfield, Conn. $42 / 7 p.m. 5.12 Sanchez @ Toad's Place New Haven, Conn. $25 / 9:30 p.m. 5.14 Puddle of Mudd @ Webster Theatre Hartford, Conn. $22 / 7 p.m. 5.14 Eight to the Bar w/ Helium Brothers @ Toad's Place New Haven, Conn. $20 / 7:30 p.m. 5.15 Pearl Jam w/ Band of Horses @ XL Center Hartford, Conn. $66 / 7:30 p.m. 5.15 Lemonade w/ Javelin @ The Warehouse Hartford, Conn. $5 / 9 p.m. 5.15 The Machine @ Toad's Place New Haven, Conn. $15 / 9 p.m.
5.16 The Status w/ This Condition @ The Space Hamden, Conn. $10 / 7 p.m.
and the Whale and Margot at the Wedding, Baumbach gives us Ben Stiller as Roger Greenberg, an aging Gen-Xer of the slacker variety, whose hip factor is seriously starting to slip. Dog-sitting for his “has it all” brother in Los Angeles, Greenberg catches the eye of a kind young woman (Greta Gerwig), even though she admits to a girlfriend “You can tell that a lot of normal stuff is really hard for him." “The funniest and saddest Baumbach has made so far, and also the riskiest” – A.O. Scott, New York Times. 5.17 The Small Back Room @ Real Art Ways Hartford, Conn. $8.00 / 1:30 p.m. As the Germans drop explosive booby-traps on 1943 England, the embittered expert who’ll have to disarm them fights a private battle with alcohol.
CCSU 5.16 Laugh with Purpose @ Trinity on Main New Britain, Conn. Noon - 9 p.m. All-day charity improv event with the Upright Citizens Brigade to raise money for Mayor Tim Stewart's homelessness cause.
Review: Iron Man 2
FILM 5.12 - 5.15 The Ghost Writer @ Cinestudio Hartford, Conn. $7.00 / 7:30 p.m. The 79-year-old Roman Polanski’s newest film combines the serpentine plot of Chinatown with the pervasive paranoia of The Tenant. Ewan McGregor, in his best role since Trainspotting, plays a ghost writer who takes the assignment of working on the memoirs of a former British prime minister (more than a little bit inspired by Tony Blair). There’s just one hitch: the last writer on the project mysteriously ended up dead, and exploring the prime minister’s life leads inexorably to danger. Pierce Brosnan, never fully at ease as James Bond, is absolutely amazing as the PM: secretive, charming, and disturbingly amoral. “an unusually astute glimpse of power at its most alluring and corrosive…The Ghost Writer leaves viewers with all the right questions.” Ann Hornday, The Washington Post. 5.14 - 5.19 Harlan: In The Shadow of Jew Süss @ Real Art Ways Hartford, Conn. $6.25 / 7 p.m. Although his focus remains on Veit Harlan, Mr. Moeller directly engages, if again not deeply, questions about German mass guilt and the responsibility of succeeding generations." Manohla Dargis, New York Times
Noah Baumbach’s Greenberg plays at Cinestudio May 16 through May 18.
Photo Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
The sequel to the 2008 hit aims for greatness, but loses sight amid a tangle of subplots. Tony Libera
The Minnesota Daily | University of Minneapolis, St. Paul
(WIRE) - When the first Iron Man opened in 2008, Marvel fans bought their tickets the way Wile E. Coyote buys ACME goods -believing in success despite the crushing weight of repeat failure. The previous eight Marvel pictures were terrible at best, but Iron Man escaped the hall of comic shame thanks to a skillful handling of story mechanics, an economic but still dazzling use of special effects and a doting attention to character. Iron Man 2 grabs at similar straws, and while it skirts the awful realm of, say, “Ghost Rider,” it never quite manages the vitality of its predecessor. Iron Man 2 opens with our hero, billionaire CEO and unmasked robotic superhero Tony Stark, gallivanting through life with his usual joie de vivre. The world’s in on his secret and the government is hounding him for specs, but that doesn’t stop Stark from hosting colossal techno expos, driving racecars and throwing ragers at his swanky bachelor pad. The problem is that his antics are overcompensation for another secret: his body’s giving out, a side effect of the nifty little gizmo wired up to his heart. If that weren’t bad enough, there’s a mean looking Russian dude out to laser-whip his face off. The film’s biggest problem is undoubtedly the amount of subplots trying to commingle, a con attributable to screenwriter Justin Theroux. There’s the Tony-Pepper love story, which seemed to be wrapping up at the end
of the first movie, but continues through the entirety of the second. There are Avengers hints and the related S.H.I.E.L.D. thread. There are some briefly explored daddy issues, a nod at Tony’s alcoholism and a look at the government’s relation with a shady businessman. All these pieces fit to make one detailed puzzle, but they drain time from the major elements, particularly Tony’s selfdestruction. His ups and downs flash by too quickly, his despair and isolation are never fully realized. Despite having plot elements that feel tacked on, Iron Man 2 is still fun to watch, due in large part to the CG action sequences and, even more so, to the stellar cast. To borrow an industry cliché, Robert Downey Jr. was born to play the part of Tony Stark. He’s at once slick and neurotic, he’s sympathetic without being maudlin and he wisecracks with the best of ’em, a necessary skill for any superhero. Mickey Rourke is reservedly cool as the tattooed antagonist Ivan Vanko, while Sam Rockwell plays both sharp and weasly as Stark’s business competitor, Justin Hammer. On the female side, Gwyneth Paltrow charms as Pepper Potts, making us all wonder when her and Tony will get it over with already, and Scarlett Johansson, though a superfluous character, is both a babe and a badass. The starstudded interplay is certainly the highlight of this film. Despite the story’s flaws, Iron Man 2 provides a solid dose of popcorn entertainment. It lacks the subtle craftsmanship and much of the dynamism of the first film, but makes up for it with all-star talent, impressive visuals and some fantastic robot fights.
The Recorder
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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, May 12, 2010 / SPORTS SPORTS BEGINS ON BACK PAGE
Hrezi Leads Central at New England Championships
International Soccer Storms Central Connecticut Christopher Boulay The recorder
CCSUBLUEDEVILS.COM
Freshman Mohamed Hrezi led Central Connecticut State University at the New England Outdoor Track and Field Championships this weekend. He placed third in the 800 meters with a time of 1:52.72. Hrezi’s time was less than a second off of his own school record in the event. CCSU placed 23rd out of 38 teams with 15 total points. The University of Rhode Island won the team championship with 95.33 points, edging out UMass Lowell’s 90 team points. Junior Josue Paul and sophomore Matt Berube recorded sixth place performances
Photo courtesy CCSUBlueDevils.com
for the Blue Devils. Paul was sixth in the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.02 seconds, while Berube jumped 2.0 meters to place sixth in the high jump. Fellow sophomore Nick Trifone placed just behind Berube in the high jump. He took seventh in the event with a mark of 1.95 meters. Junior Harry Lewis was also a top 10 finisher in the 100 meters behind Paul. Lewis took ninth with a time of 11.30 seconds. Sophomore Rashad Williams was the only Blue Devil to finish in the top 10 in two events this weekend. He placed ninth in both the shot put and discus. Williams recorded a distance of 14.43 meters in the former and 43.7 meters in the latter.
Budrick Homers as Softball Drops a Doubleheader to Finish Season
It was recently announced that the New Britain Parks and Recreation Department are hosting a FIFA International Friendly between Northern Ireland and Turkey on May 26 at 1:30 p.m. at Veterans Stadium, Willow Brook Park. This is the first international soccer match that has been in New Britain in a few years, and is surely a great accomplishment for the city of New Britain. Soccer used to be a staple in the Hardware City, as the Connecticut Wolves, a United Soccer League club, played in New Britain from 1993-2002. Though our club team is gone, having a match of this caliber will not only remind Connecticut of the importance of soccer in the area, it also could mean bigger and better things for the future. With the buildup to the World Cup in South Africa in June, the United States is developing into a hotbed for building the game in the final run-up to the tournament. Especially with the United States playing in Rentschler Field on May 25 at 8 p.m. Having two of these matches right in our backyard gives us the opportunity to see a smorgasbord of world class talent in a very short period of time. With soccer support building very quickly in the United States, and in Connecticut specifically; what used to be a rare event, the amount of top-level soccer in the area may become more of the norm. Turkey finished third in UEFA Group 5 qualifying, two points behind Bosnia and
Senior Sean Allaire Named Northeast Conference and National Player of the Week on Monday CCSUBLUEDEVILS.COM
CCSUBLUEDEVILS.COM
Central Connecticut dropped its final two games of the season to the Blackbirds of Long Island University. Long Island improved to 34-16 on the season and 17-3 in the Northeast Conference with the pair of victories and clinched first place for the NEC tournament. Central Connecticut finishes their season with a 19-31 record on the season and a 7-13 record in the NEC. With the 19 victories on the season Central Connecticut has surpassed the 2007 Blue Devils for the most single season victories since joining the Northeast Conference. In game one LIU opened the scoring in the top of the second inning scoring an unearned run on the RBI double by junior Bianca Mejia. CCSU was unable to advance a runner past second base when the Blue Devils threatened in the bottom of the third inning on back to back singles by sophomore Rebecca Mussatti and senior Sara Budrick. it would be the only inning that the Blue Devils would have two base runners. Long Island scored their second run of the game on a solo home run to center field by senior Mariesha Marker. The Blackbird finished game one with two runs on six hits
Photo courtesy CCSUBlueDevils.com
and no errors to defeat Central Connecticut who would finish with no runs on five hits and one error. In game two LIU opened the scoring in the top of the first inning on a RBI single to right field by senior Brynn Lewis to score Marker who started the hitting with a single up the middle for the Blackbirds. LIU continued the hitting in the top of the second inning with a lead off double by junior Amanda MacIntosh followed by a single by freshman Emily Kakuska. Marker then hit a one out three run home run down the right field line to score MacIntosh and Marker and give the Blackbirds the 4-0 lead. Central Connecticut scored the first of its two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning on a one out solo home run to center Field by senior Sarah Budrick to cut into the LIU lead making the game 5-1 at the end of five innings of play. Central Connecticut scored again in the bottom of the seventh inning when Mussatti began the hitting with a two out single to to the shortstop and then advanced to second base on an overthrow. Mussatti would then score on the RBI single up the middle by Budrick to give the Blue Devils two runs on eight hits and one error in the loss to LIU who finished with five runs on 10 hits and one error.
Herzegovina for a playoff place. Spain won the group with 30 points, doubling the point tally by Turkey. They were the 3rd place finishers in the 2002 World Cup. Northern Ireland finished fourth in Group 3, behind Slovakia, Slovenia and Czech Republic. The Northern Irish last qualified for the World Cup in 1986. Though neither team is going to the World Cup in June, they will be bringing players that are quite recognizable in the soccer world. Among the Northern Irish are Maik Taylor, the goalkeeper for Birmingham City; Aaron Hughes, defender from Fulham; George McCartney, defender from Sunderland; David Healy, striker for Ipswich Town and Kyle Lafferty, striker from Glasgow Rangers. For the Turks, they have some recognizable names of their own: Tuncay Sanli, a defender from Stoke City; midfielder Emre Belozoglu and goalkeeper Volkan Demirel, both from Fenerbahce; Halil Altintop from Eintracht Frankfurt; and Nihat Kahveci, from Besiktas. Having these games in two weeks are a perfect way to spend the first week of summer freedom for CCSU students. But if you are a soccer fan, you probably already are going. Even if you are not a big soccer fan, this is a great opportunity for our city, our state and for sport in the area. With two top-level soccer matches within 24 hours of each other in Connecticut, good attendance draws could mean great things for sport in the state for the future. There is nothing like the atmosphere of a live soccer match. It is something that cannot be explained until you have experienced it. Check it out, you will not be disappointed.
Senior Sean Allaire was named the Akadema/Northeast Conference baseball player of the week for the third time this season on Monday. He was also named a Louisville Slugger national player of the week for his performance last week. It is the third time this season that he has been honored, the most of any player in the league. Allaire and the Blue Devils went 4-2 last week and currently sit at 12-12 in NEC action and 23-18 overall. The senior shortstop/catcher accounted for nothing less than an extra-base hit, two runs, and an RBI in each of Central’s six games. On his way to a .517 average over 29 at-bats, Allaire smashed 15 hits, drove in 18 runs, and crossed home plate 15 times. He slugged 1.310 over the six-game sample as 11 of his 15 hits went for extra bases (6 HR, 5 2B). Allaire accounted for five hits and five RBI in two mid-week wins over cross-state
rivals Hartford and Fairfield, but the NEC’s leader in batting average (.448) was nowhere near done. He went 10-for-17 (.588) at the plate with six home runs, 11 runs scored, and 13 RBI during the Blue Devils’ four-game NEC series at Mount St. Mary’s. After belting a double and a homer in Friday’s series-opening setback, he powered CCSU to a doubleheader sweep on Saturday by going 6-for-7 against with five extra-base hits, one walk, and one hit-by-pitch. He homered twice in each of the two seveninning contests and drove in 10 runs on the day. Allaire went deep again in Sunday’s series finale, blasting a two-run, eighth-inning bomb that tied the game at 13-13. On the season Allaire leads the Northeast Conference in batting average (.448), hits (77) and runs batted in (62) and is second in runs scored (51), doubles (20) and triples (5). His slugging percentage of .814 also leads the Blue Devils and the league.
Photo courtesy CCSUBlueDevils.com
THE RECORDER Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Sports 5/12
Mallory Gets a Taste of the NFL Brittany Burke The Recorder
Senior James Mallory, 22, went undrafted as the NFL’s 75th annual draft came to a close on April 24, but the draft wasn’t his only shot at making a pro team’s roster. Mallory was invited to take part in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 2010 all rookie minicamp at One Buccaneer Place the weekend of April 30. Flying down the Thursday prior to the beginning of camp Mallory was one of 49 tryout players fighting for a potential roster spot, and only one of five running backs. In addition to the 49 players on limited time tryout contracts there were nine recently drafted rookies and a handful of free agents and first year players. Amongst the rookies participating in the three day camp were draft picks Gerald McCoy, third overall and Brian Price, who went to the Bucaneers as the 35 overall pick. Mallory was given a small taste of the life of a NFL pro athlete during the duration of the three days. Friday and Saturday practices concluded at 3:50 p.m. while Sunday’s work out lasted from 10:35 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. At the end of the three days five of the 49 tryout players were signed to the Buccaneers, Mallory was not on that list. Instead the Bucaneers signed wide receiver Chris Brooks, guard Lee Grimes, defensive end George Johnson, corner back Darrell Pasco and full back Rendrick Taylor. Mallory, an All-American, senior captain helped lead the CCSU Blue Devils football team to their third NEC championship title in six years, and their first ever outright championship going 9-3. The nine wins matched a CCSU best. “Do I think he’ll wind up at an NFL camp, I do or playing in Canada, I do. It’s just a waiting game, whether in OTAs, off-season work outs
Mallory attended Buccaneers’ rookie minicamp.
and seeing who they’re going to pick up. And as of Friday he had not signed with anybody, but it was a great experience for him,” said football head coach, Jeff McInerney. In his senior season Mallory was named
Photo courtesy CCSUBlueDevils.com
the NEC Offensive Player of the year, rushing for 1,352 yards in 278 attempts with 16 touchdowns (a career best). He ended his career with 3,245 yards, the second highest total in school history in 630
attempts with 34 touchdowns and 206 points, which makes Mallory the second highest scorer in the CCSU record books. The 2009 season proved to be one of Mallory’s best. He was one of 20 finalists for the Walter Payton Award, named AP AllAmerican, AFCA All-American and made the New England Sports Writers All-New England Team. After being redshirted in 2005, Mallory really began to make a name for himself in 2007 as the Blue Devils’ number one returning rusher as a running back. In 2008 he became only the seventh player in the history of CCSU to reach beyond 1,000 yards in a single season, rushing for 1,520 yards, which also made him the second athlete to ever rush for 1,500 yards. With his 15 touchdowns he became the fourteenth person to exceed 100 points in a single season. “I probably made a coaching error in 2006, I played three tailbacks and how I came to James when we evaluated him I looked at yards per carry, and he averaged 5.9 yards per carry. And ‘I said that’s our guy,’ and I picked him and the rest is history,” said Coach Mac of Mallory’s playing time early on in his CCSU career. “That’s exactly what I picked it off. He had like 80 carries in his first two years for 5.9 yards per carry, which is good enough to win a lot of games. And we were looking at a bunch of guys and they were even in practice, and James doesn’t always have the measurables, but there’s something there about James that’s special and he showed that and that’s what we did.” As of Monday there has been no word on Mallory signing with a professional organization, but his options remain open. There is still a possibility for Mallory to sign with a NFL team for the 2010 season as spring training carries on, while he also has some opportunities to begin his career in Canada.
Baseball Homers Four Times But Drops Series Finale on Sunday at Mount St. Mary’s CCSUBLUEDEVILS.COM
The Central Connecticut baseball team scored 13 runs on Sunday, but it wasn’t enough as they dropped a 14-13 extra-inning decision on the road at Mount St. Mary’s on Sunday. With the loss the Blue Devils are now 23-18 overall and 12-12 in Northeast Conference play. Central hit four more home runs in the game, giving them 15 in the four-game series. Junior Pat Epps and senior Anthony Scialdone each homered and drove in four runs. Epps and Scialdone each finished the game with four hits. The Blue Devils and the Mount each rattled off 22 hits in the game, and combined for 27 runs. Senior Sean Allaire continued shine for Central, finishing the game 2-for-5 with three runs scored, two RBI and another home run. Allaire hit six home runs alone last week in six games. Central scored four runs in the fifth inning to take an 8-6 lead. Epps hit his second grand slam in as many days in the inning. He now has 14 home runs on the season, two of the school record of 16. As a team the Blue Devils have hit 56 home runs on the season, 15 more than the previous school record with eight regular season games remaining on the year. The Mount answered by scoring seven
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runs in the sixth inning to take a 13-8 lead. Central climbed back with one in the seventh, two in the eighth and two more in the ninth inning to force extra innings. Allaire hit a two-run home run in the eighth and then Scialdone drove in two in the ninth to send
the game to extra innings. The Mount scored in the 10th to earn the split of the weekend series. Seniors Richie Tri and Kyle Zarotney each had three hits, as did junior Sean Miller-Jones. Miller-Jones scored four times in the game.
Anthony Scialdone homered and drove in four runs on Sunday.
Allaire Named Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week p. 11
The Blue Devils return to action on Friday, hosting Wagner beginning at 3 p.m. Central will play its final eight games of the season, all NEC contests, at home on the new CCSU Baseball Field.
Kenny Barto | the recorder
New Britain Gets International Soccer Match p. 11