The Saint Rose Chronicle January 26, 2011
Volume LXXIX Issue 13
Serving The College of Saint Rose Community in Albany, New York
www.strosechronicle.com
Hudson River Coffee House Opens Its Doors By ONELIA LLANO Friday December 10 marked the grand opening of the Hudson River Café Coffee House at 227 Quail St. with an electronic dubs show to jump start the new venture. The 1,700-square-foot shop is the brainchild of Anton Pasquill, a graduate of the State University at Albany. Pasquill has garnered support from his mother and grandmother to get the shop up and running. The show featured Heady Productions - including Brother Suarez, Just the Sauce, DJ Far East, and Mr. Kissner.
Marlena Diaz Patrons gathered in front of Breugger’s Bagel’s on Madison Avenue. The store has been there since 1989.
Neighborhood Bagels Since 1989 By MARLENA DIAZ The Madison Avenue Bruegger’s has been a part of the Pine Hills community since 1989 and bakes nearly 450 bagels everyday from 5 a.m. till 6 p.m. Each night, left over bagels are placed in the store’s ‘fresh bags’ and are sold the following morning. Bruegger’s Bagels has a simple philosophy posted on its company website – the ‘neighborhood’s bakery.’ The company was founded in 1983 and has more than 295 stores in 26 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. The shop’s front entrance displays a 2009 award for operator of the year by Restaurant News and receives heavy foot traffic from residents, shop owners and people who work and live in the area. The Madison Avenue ba-
gel shop is smaller compared to other nearby stores on North Pearl Street in Albany, Union Avenue in Schenectady and the first Bruegger’s shop that opened in Troy. The smaller size of the Madison Avenue shop adds to the stores cozy neighborhood feel and receives plenty of sunlight from the large glass storefront windows that have become a popular spot to take advantage of the store’s free unlimited Wi-Fi. The bakery helps the surrounding community through sponsorship, donations, fundraising opportunities and store upgrades. The Albany Police Department became the first to be featured in the bagel shops “neighborhood heroes” program. The officers received a free breakfast platter along with a cer-
tificate of thanks for service to the Pine Hills community. The program is an extension of the bagel company’s corporate program to become more involved in its Burlington, Vermont community. The ‘neighborhood heroes’ program is one way the bagel shop gives back to the community, said Sara Wendel, the manager of the Pine Hills Bruegger’s . “With the economy things are difficult, but we do everything we can,” said Wendel Wendel is in the planning stages of a thank you program that will honor a member of the community with free beverages for a month. Plans are also udnerway for the story to sponsor a coloring contest with the Pine Hills ElemenContinued on page A2
“We don’t throw your typical parties, we’re riding the wave of resurgence of electronic music and I will play any space I can find,” said Matthew Davidowicz. Not only is the Café a music venue but it also has a tranquil atmosphere, a full espresso bar, as well as pastries, a full sandwich menu, and free wireless internet. The espresso bar offers lattes, chai lattes and regular coffee. Hudson River Café gets its coffee from Capital City Roasters in the Hudson Valley, and each cup is made with freshly ground coffee beans. Continued on Page A4
Winter Weather Means More Bus Riders By CAROLINE MURRAY Ridership on city buses tends to spike during the winter season because of unfavorable weather conditions. Icy roads and blustery snow storms keep people from driving and the Capital District Transportation Authority marks an uptick in business this time of year. “Riding the bus during the winter is preferred for many of our customers to reduce the stress of driving during inclement weather, so we do see a slight increase in the winter,” said Margo Janack, spokeswoman for the CDTA. People who work or attend school in Albany find the bus services particularly convenient in the winter, but it also serves those who are looking to save a little money or want to avoid using their vehicle year round. Giuseppe Zaccarvo, a Guilderland resident and retiree, said
taking the bus is a smart idea. He only uses it every so often to travel down town, but he finds it efficient and less costly than taking his own car. “I figure it is cheaper and saves me time searching for a parking spot,” said Zaccarvo. “I don’t mind, I like to talk to people.” The ride downtown and back only costs him 75 cents because he is a senior citizen, a deal also available to disabled riders. For other local residents, a single bus ride costs $1.50 and some choose to pay that fee every day. Corey King, a north Pine Hills resident, works at the Crossgates Mall and only uses the bus to get to work. She does not own a car and pays $3 cash each day for a ride there and back. “I like riding the bus, it does help me out,” said King. Although the CDTA is convenient, she did notice a price Continued on Page A3
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The Saint Rose Chronicle
news
January 26, 2011
Playdium Lanes Still Rolling All These Years Later By NICHOLAS ZARRELLI
Nicholas Zarrelli
Playdium Bowling Center, at 363 Ontario St., is the last public bowling alley in the Albany city limits. As a part of the Pine Hills neighborhood, Playdium Bowling Center has held consistent league play, along with its nightly specials and involvement with the area schools to remain open for business. The bowling alley originally opened in 1940. Neil Luther, the current owner and operator of Playdium, purchased the business from its original owners in 1983 and has been running it ever since. Open from noon to midnight through the week and staying open until 1 a.m. on the weekends, Playdium has been able to attract and hold business from area students, as well as local residents. “We get approximately 100 people coming in daily,” said Luther. “It’s a mix of all ages.” Luther said that the Playdium has outlasted three other bowling alleys in the Albany city limits. They were: Schades on Ontario Street, Action Lanes on Benjamin Street, and Albany Bowling Center on Watervliet Ave Extension. The standard prices at Playdium are $3.75 per game, and $2 to rent a pair of bowling shoes. The specials run on Tuesday through
returned,” said Luther. “We check for wear and replace as needed.” Luther also takes care of the paThursday every week, with $2 full time. They run the snack bar, perwork and bookkeeping in the games and $1 for shoe rental. the wet bar, the front desk and office. Along with the everyday bowlThere is also an option for unlim- take care of the cleaning and geners, Playdium is home to approxiited bowling for $6, which lasts eral maintenance work a bowling mately 25 bowling leagues. They until midnight. There are 28 lanes alley requires. This includes oilhave league bowling every night of the week, and Luther allows them to establish their own rules and scoring. These leagues take place just after Labor Day and run until the middle of April. The bowling center is only open three days a week between Memorial Day and Labor Day, on Tuesday from noon to midnight, Wednesday from 5pm until midnight and Saturday from 6 pm to 1 am. During the regular season they are open seven days a week, but the center is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Day, and Easter. Though the Playdium has outLanes at the Pladium on Ontario Street. The alley, which has been lasted the other area bowling alopen since 1940, was purchased by current owner Neil Luther in 1983. leys, they still feel the ramificain the Center, all functioning and ing the lanes, as well as replacing tions of the bad economy. “The equipped with bumpers for the in- equipment when it comes time. recession had quite a bit of impact Mike Lucey has been working on us. We kept the special nights experienced bowlers. Like most bowling alleys, there for approximately 40 years, going to generate more business,” Playdium has a snack bar and and he is the man in charge of said Luther. According to Luther, the closalso a wet bar. Luther said the bar these duties every day until 5 pm. est bowling alley in the area is is not the primary moneymaker, “I take care of the lanes, make nearly five to six miles away. and the bar profit is not excep- sure they’re oiled. I also run the They have outlasted all of the front desk,” said Lucey. Running tional, but stable. other alleys and have done so “We don’t encourage excessive the front desk also involves dealwith the help of advertising in ing with the used rental shoes. drinking,” said Luther. the Metroland weekly alternative “We spray all of the shoes with Playdium Bowling Center emNewspaper, on the Internet and in ploys 15 people, four of which are disinfectant spray when they are
Volume 79 Issue 13 the area schools. Whether the colleges or high schools in the area are holding fundraisers, Playdium makes sure to treat their student population very well. They even offer group rates for the students. The Albany High School men’s and women’s bowling teams hold their home matches at Playdium and have been there since the 1980’s. Nancy Madsen, the women’s coach, noted that the bowling alley holds a very friendly environment with all familiar faces. “It’s locally owned, so they take pride in their establishment,” said Madsen. “They treat us very well.” The women’s and men’s bowling teams hold their season from the middle of November until the beginning of February. Luther said that when a problem occurs with equipment, they contact a bowling alley distributor that specializes in shoes, house balls, and parts for the machines used to oil the lanes. As far as upgrading the equipment, Luther said that it’s an ongoing process. This process seems to work very smoothly, as Playdium Bowling Center plans on remaining the last standing bowling alley in the City of Albany for years to come. Though once for sale, Luther has decided to take the Center off the market. However, Luther said any offers would be entertained at any time.
The Saint Rose Chronicle Staff Managing Editor Teresa Farrell farrellt691@strose.edu Class of 2011
Executive Editor Rich Aviles avilesr028@strose.edu Class of 2011
Assistant Editor Marissa Crary crarym393@strose.edu Class of 2011
Contributing Writers
Arts Editor Ian Benjamin benjamini528@strose.edu Class of 2012
Photo and Layout Editor Ian Benjamin benjamini528@strose.edu Class of 2012
Opinion Editor Leigh Ward wardl717@strose.edu Class of 2013
Advertising Manager Megan Caffrey caffreym374@strose.edu Class of 2011
Sports Editor Scott Lawson lawsons408@strose.edu Class of 2014
Web Editor: Chris Pappis pappisc572@strose.edu
Alison Lester - Sunshine Osella - Rin Wilhelmi - Chris Surprenant - Regina Iannizzotto Enedina Maya - Amy Wheeler - Scott Ramundo - Philip Stasko - Dan Fogarty
Faculty Adviser: Cailin Brown
Official E-mail Address: chronicle@strose.edu Mailing Address: The Saint Rose Chronicle 432 Western Avenue Albany, NY 12203 Meetings are held every Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in the Viewing Room, CCIM 119.
January 26, 2011
Volume 79 Issue 13
news
The Saint Rose Chronicle
CDTA Expecting Spike in Passengers Along with Cold Weather
Breugger’s Continues to Serve Pine Hills Neighborhood
CDTA buses making their stops at the corner of Western Avenue and Partridge Street. and start using it at any time. Students and staff at local colleges can ride the CDTA for free, as long as they present their student identification to the operator. For lifelong Pine Hills resident, Pat Cullen, the CDTA has been a means of transportation since the 90’s. She thinks that it’s easier than owning her own car. “Every time you sit down on the bus you are saving gas money, you can sit down, relax, look out the window and you don’t have to worry about parking either,” said Cullen. Cullen considers herself a “regular rider,” she uses the bus on a daily basis to run errands downtown, go to the Crossgates Mall, Stuyvesant Plaza and to visit her friends in various areas in Albany. “When you get on the bus you are beating the system. When you use your student I.D, you are getting on for free…what more could you ask,” said Cullen. She works as a secretary at Saint Rose’s Career Center. She uses her I.D to ride the bus for free.
According to the CDTA’s Janack, the top four overall routes serviced in Albany are the numbers: 55, 12, 22 and the number 10. The number 55 is the busiest route in the system with 25% of their ridership. The number 10 gets most of its use by University at Albany and Saint Rose students because of its route on Western Avenue. Janack could not confirm the most used routes by the Pine Hills residents. “We have no way of tracking just Pine Hills riders,” said Janack. With the upcoming holiday season, typically CDTA offers additional bus services to accommodate those who are doing some last minute shopping or for employees who want to put in extra hours. On actual holidays, the traffic is a lot less heavy. “The CDTA runs its service according to ridership demand,” Janack said. “Ridership on actual holidays is considerably lighter so the CDTA runs on a Sunday/ holiday schedule with reduced trips.”
tary school. The children’s artwork will be put on display in the bagel shop for parents, children and community residents to view. Wendel said she hopes to sponsor the contest within the next few months. Fundraising opportunities is an area the community bagel shop hopes to expand. Non-profit organizations can host a fundraising event where Bruegger’s will donate 15% from every sale to the non-profit group. Non- profits may also buy $10 Bruegger’s gift cards at a discounted rate and re-sell them at full price. Local business and community support are some of the factors that Wendel said have kept the shop thriving despite a tough economy. “This community, they keep us going. Especially in this community they are very business based, we get lots of foot traffic from people that live in the area and also work here,” Wendel said. Building personal relationships with customers has been a rewarding experience for the 27year old shop manager. “Every
single person in this store knows you,” said Wendel. Tricia McDonnell, a regular customer and retiree has lived in the Pine Hills neighborhood for more than 20 years and frequents the bagel shop three to four times a week. “I enjoy walking and it’s close to home, close to the library and grocery store. I can stop along the way for breakfast, lunch, whatever. “said McDonnell. The shop is also convenient for people constantly on the go. Jim Fox, a mail carrier, often parks his mail truck in front of Bruegger’s because “it’s on my route, good price and it’s a nice neighborhood bagel shop.” Among the most popular items at the shop are bagels that satisfy sweet and salty cravings. Favorites include salt bagels covered with strawberry cream cheese, bagels with honey walnut cream cheese and asiago parmesan “softwiches” that resemble square bagels with strawberry or honey walnut cream cheese. For a limited time the store is also selling a Dulce de Leche cream cheese.
Caroline Murray
Caroline Murray
From page A1
From page A1 increase over the last couple of years. “The price went up, probably about two years ago,” said King. “It used to be a dollar, they just did it one day. They said with the rising prices in transportation and gas the prices will go up and they also said they might be raising it another 50 cents.” Despite the cost, King is loyal to the CDTA and will continue to take the bus as long as it is still running. “The bus will always work for me, it is a lot easier,” said King. There are also bus passes that accommodate those who ride more frequently. The five day swiper pass” is $55 and gives the rider unlimited rides Monday through Friday for the month. A seven day pass is $65 and riders have unlimited access for seven days for the month. The most recent deal offered by the CDTA is its 31 day rolling pass. This pass provides the same deal as the seven day pass, but it allows the customer to purchase
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//Caroline Murray The number 10 CDTA bus headed downtown on Western Avenue.
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New Coffee House To Serve the Pine Hills From Page A1
Onelia Llano
Volume 79 Issue 13
Calendar of Events Wednesday, January 26
4:30 p.m. St. Rose Chronicle Meeting, CCIM 119 5:00 – 5:30 p.m. Mid-Week Catholic Mass, Hubbard Sanctuary 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Relay for Life Kick-Off, Main Lounge 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. Karate Club Meeting, SA Conference Room
Thursday, January 27
Onelia Llano
A cup of coffee runs from $1.75 to $4. In addition, the cafe also serves a full breakfast sandwich menu and a “Hudson Hogie” menu for lunch and dinner. New owner Pasquill has an economics degree and has worked for a number of years at local coffee houses and restaurants including both at the Muddy Cup and Subway. The moment he graduated he wanted to open something unique and exciting. His father suggested he look at spots on Quail Street and from there the Hudson River Café was born. Inside the old Hudson River
January 26, 2011
Telephone Company building is a new interesting design with inviting lounge tables and couches, as well as old school arcade games.
There is plenty of room inside the Hudson River Café for customers to sit and enjoy their beverage.
Hudson River Café is currently working on an “open mic” night schedule and will also host a regular venue – “starving artists Thursdays.” Performers will have an hour or so to play a set of their music in exchange for food and drink, compliments of the café. It is really a local artists’ playground. According to Pasquill, his main goal is to “ramp up” the café as a musical venue. The cafe operator hopes to develop the spot into a showcase for local artists as well. Every Friday of the month Hudson River will feature their work. The Café is big enough for two artists to display work at the same time. “This is what Albany is missing, come visit us,” said Pasquill.
4:30 – 6:30 p.m. Student Association Meeting, Carondolet Symposium 7:00 p.m. Miriam Axel-Lute and Kristen Tomancy: Performance Poetry Hosted by the Women’s Club of Albany (518) 465-3626. Free and Open to the Public. 725 Madison Ave. 7:45 – 9:00 p.m. Identity Weekly Meeting, SA Conference Room 8:30 p.m. Philosophy Club, Main Lounge
Friday, January 28
7:00 p.m. MEISA Show: Between the Arctic, Battle Avenue and Dolfish, Jack’s Place in the CCIM
Saturday, January 29
7:00 p.m. “Voices of the Dream”: A Martin Luther King Jr. Gala. Activities and raffle with a $200 book store cetrtificate as prize. $5 students/$10 non-students. St. Joseph’s Hall Auditorium.
Sunday, January 30 Monday, January 31
6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Yoga for Students, Hubbard Sanctuary 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Bingo, Standish Rooms 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. Tierra Coffee Roasters Open Mic., Tierra Coffee Roasters (formerly The Drama Cup, formerly The Muddy Cup)
Tuesday, February 1
4:30 – 5:30 p.m. Adventure Club Meeting, SA Conference Room 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. Yoga for Students, Hubbard Sanctuary
Wednesday, February 2
Onelia Llano
4:30 p.m. St. Rose Chronicle Meeting, CCIM 119 5:00 – 5:30 p.m. Mid-Week Catholic Mass, Hubbard Sanctuary 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Bruce Roter Opera: “The Classroom”, Picotte Recital Hall in the Massry Center for the Arts 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Raffle Knight, Standish Rooms 7:30 p.m. Open Mic. Night, Jack’s Place in the CCIM 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. Karate Club Meeting, SA Conference Room
The front of the old Hudson River Telephone Company building. The bottom floor was recently converted into a coffee shop, which opened on December 10.
If you have an upcoming event you’d like to see in our weekly Calendar of Events, please e-mail benjamini528@strose. edu or chronicle@strose. edu!
January 26, 2011
Volume 79 Issue 13
news
The Sky is the Limit for Saint Rose Alumni Jeff Beale By ALICIA LEGG KARASKIEWICZ
moved to Boston leaving his teaching career behind him. Responding to an advertisement, Beale applied for a job at Massachusetts Financial Services, a mutual fund company. The job he applied for was a customer service role that entailed being on the telephone eight hours per day solving problems for the stock brokers. Because typically these problems were a result of a company error, the stock brokers were upset and unpleasant as a rule. In the interview, the hiring manager asked him how his education and experience could possibly help him in this role; Beale responded by saying, “Seventh graders are pretty boorish and selfish. If I can deal with them all day I’ll have no problem with the stock brokers.” He was given the job and attributes MFS’s decision to hire was because of that response in the interview. Beale recalls this role as being challenging. He spoke with about 120 angry stock brokers each day. “At the end of the day I was ready
Julie Andrade
The Eaton Vance “History Wall” created by Beale.
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for a drink.” Beale said. Despite this, he grew to love the position and the field of financial investment. For nine years he dedicated himself to learning all of the various aspects of the business and was rewarded by being promoted to a supervisor, then manager and finally an officer before finally moving to Eaton Vance. He has been at Eaton Vance 19 years. Beale credits Saint Rose for providing him with a strong value system that he uses in his current role. “St Jeff Beale on his boat. Rose prepared me for my career even though St. Rose is a successful business person, is and I didn’t know it at the time. active in his community in BosIt is not what you study but what ton and remains true to his pasyou turn out to be based on ex- sion for art,” said Carr. periences. St. Rose taught me to Beale is active in several difbe fair, do my homework, to treat ferent philanthropies. He is the people with respect and to be nice President of First Literacy, an to people. These are the core val- organization that teaches adults ues that Eaton Vance and myself to read. He dedicates time to live by today. Saint Rose teaches the Dana Farber Cancer Institute you more than the subject mat- and oversees the Peabody Essex ter. They are teaching (students) museum; a maritime museum in these values while they are teach- Salem Mass. Beale was also a ing you art, music or writing,” contributor to the Massry Center said Beale. and hosted a fund raiser in 2009 Beale’s favorite professor was to honor Karene Faul. In this Karene Faul. “Karene was tough role, Beale wrote letters solicitbut fair. You didn’t show up late ing contributions for an alumni to her class and you made sure art exposition that is held at Saint you had your assignments done Rose every other year. Beale was or you got it. She was great. She a contributor to the Massry buildmade you learn a lot about how ing. A plaque in that building you are going to organize your shows that he dedicated his conlife,” Beale said. tribution to his deceased parents. Beale still makes time for his Beale was also a trustee on the art. In fact a collage he made College Board from 2004 until hangs on the wall of the office 2007. wall of Karin Carr, the Vice PresDespite a busy lifestyle, Beale ident of Institutional Advance- makes time for leisure activities ment for Saint Rose. Carr has as well. He maintains his permamaintained her friendship with nent home in Salem, MassachuBeale through the years. “I love setts, but has a summer home in Jeff’s story. He is blessed having Maine on a lake where he keeps the ability of being an artist and his boat where he escapes to then still having the ability to run each Friday during the summer the institution of Eaton Vance. I months. applaud him because he maintains a good balance in life. He
Jeff Beale
Only a year ago Forbes Magazine named Saint Rose Graduate Jeffrey P. Beale for his role as the Vice President of Eaton Vance in Massachusetts where his he earned a reported 1.7 million dollars in 2009. As the Vice President he is accountable for all of corporate administration for the firm. He is responsible for all departments that account for the infrastructure of the organization. Of the 850 employees currently working for the company, Beale is responsible for about 250. As a former art major Beale brings his artistic flare to Eaton Vance. Not only is his office filled with his art, but he has also created a “history wall” that tells the story of Eaton Vance. Julie Andrade, Human Resources Manager of Eaton Vance, feels the history wall has an important place in the company. “Jeff created the history wall to educate everyone where Eaton Vance came
from.” Andrade said. According to Andrade, Beale is a pivotal influence on the ethos of Eaton Vance. “We stay here because of the culture. Even though we are in the investment industry which can be cut throat, our culture is very comfortable. Jeff works extremely hard at setting the culture which sets us apart from others in the industry. He is why so many people stay here. He is a great friend and a great leader,” Andrade said. “So many people come in to Eaton Vance and start on the phones just like I did and then move on in the organization. Jeff is a good mentor for anyone who is a good employee and works hard.” Andrade said. Beale’s path that led to his current position was not a traditional one. After earning his art degree at Saint Rose, Beale briefly taught art at The Academy of Holy Names for just over a year. Teaching did not appeal to him because he did not possess the patience for it. In 1981, Beale
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The Saint Rose Chronicle
news
January 26, 2011
January Word Search
Independent Film Director Finds Inspiration and Support for a New Film in the Capital Region Independent film Director Jon Russell Cring is tapping into the Albany area for his next dose of inspiration. This Thursday, January 27 at the Madison Theater in Albany moviegoers can see the premiere of an independent film created right here in the Capital Region. The film, “And See All the People”, is about trying to handle what life throws at you. In the film Pastor Jamison Bellamy, played by Paul Mischeshin, must come to terms with his family, job and life after years of just getting by. “There’s really nothing to do with religion,” said Director Jon Russell Cring. “Bellamy must change and evolve for things to get better,” “It’s a universal message for today, whether its economics or politics―a film can be enlightening and show people another way.” Even though this dramatic film tackles angst, loss, and sexual temptation it is hopeful and a little bit funny. This is Cring’s thirteenth feature film, written by his father Jonathon Richard Cring and produced by James Pentaudi, owner of Albany Talent. “And See All the People” features local and regional actors and was filmed in Albany, Schenectady, and Canajoharie. The director works closely with his wife Tracy Cring, who directed cinematography in the film. They couple trust each other in their individual jobs and responsibilities. “Its lighting and setting up all the shots, trying to make it look as good as possible with a little bit of art about it,” said Mrs. Cring on cinematography. After working in the South, expecially Nashville, Tracy Cring enjoys the great access to actors
here. “It’s fun working with casting and the general attitude of people is genuine.” Since moving to Albany in January of 2010 Cring has created a short film and a television miniseries. The short film “Sandy Creek Lodge” filmed in 6 weeks after Cring placed an ad on Craigslist
“One week in the life of a small Town pastor, a hell of a lot of life between Sundays.” Jon Russell Cring looking for individuals interested in making a movie. This film was featured on PBS. Cring’s television series “Commons,” about college students living together, was filmed in Schenectady, Albany and Manhattan, with the assistance of the Schenectady Film Commission. With the experience of making films in Tennessee, Arizona, California, and Michigan, living near Lark St. and Washington Park, Cring and his wife are starting to believe in “Upstate hospitality” and what this area really has to offer. “We have made more friends here in the last year than 10 years in Tennessee,” said Cring. Cring has become a member of Upstate Independence, a group of independent filmmakers and others in the industry that meet monthly at The Linda Theater, WAMC’s performing arts studio on Central Ave in Albany. For “And See All the People” several members aided in screening, distribution, and getting the word out about the film. “What you need is cooperation, without cooperation everything becomes more expensive.” As a member of Upstate Inde-
By Amy Wheeler
Promotional Poster for “And See All the People” pendence Cring was able to utilize their insurance and gain access to things like new filming locations. “You can make something that has a Hollywood feel to it with Hollywood enthusiasm right here in the Capital Region,” said Cring, “Upstate and Albany is great place to come and make a film, not just Hollywood, Independent filmmakers as well.” “There’s openness here, at Price Chopper people just striking up conversations,” said Cring. blizzard resolutions To Cring premieres are a celexercise skiing ebration. “It’s a great way to meet frost snowman up with the cast, get yourself January drifts known, and get involved with plow Friday Knights some future things going on,” skating icy said Cring, “Someone can be an snowboarding extra in one film, an actor in anNew Year dieting other and a lead in another film.” scarf “As an artist you need people freezing snow day to be open and curious, if you are icicles Super Bowl open and curious anything can Matin Luther King Jr. happen.” Cring has a number of projects Answers to this week’s Word Search can be found on The slated for this year. Chronicle website, http://www.strosechronicle.com Tracey Cring’s ultimate goal is to find a way to disprove the negative beliefs about Independent films, the opinions that the economy hurts it and that it’s impossible to make films. “I want to make a living working on films, not necessarily becoming famous, just do what I love and have enough money to pay my rent.” Tickets for Thursday’s 7pm premiere are available for $5 online at extraordinaryfilmproject. com or at the Madison theater On the set of “And See All The People” shooting a gunfight scene. box office.
Word Bank
Harold Bryant
By MARISSA CRARY
Volume 79 Issue 13
January 26, 2011
Volume 79 Issue 13
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The Twitterverse: Making the World Smaller One Tweet at a Time By LEIGH WARD Being children of the millennial age, we’ve grown up with rapidly evolving technology. No longer is the Speak ‘N Spell teaching kids how to read, but the iPad has some pretty nifty apps that surpass any allure the Speak ‘N Spell may have had. The same can be said for the news and how we get it. As an advocate for social media, I can safely say I could delete my Facebook, nurture my Twitter account, and be completely okay with that. I’ll be honest when I say Twitter is my main way of finding out a lot of things these days. If you follow me, you know that I re-tweet a lot of nonsensical information, but I do follow corporations and personalities that are reputable. The New York
Times, CNN, and even the Times Union all appear on my Twitter feed, and I rely on those constant updates to know what is going on in the world, whether it is on a global or local perspective. I can only speak for myself when I say that I found out about the flooding in Australia through Twitter. It’s not that I don’t want to turn on the television or pick up a newspaper, but news is instantaneous now. My phone lights up a certain color when I get a new tweet, and the information is literally at my finger tips. It’s sort of a double edged sword. On one hand, I’ve heard people dub Twitter “the lazy persons crutch” and on the other, people like me who value the instant gratification of getting all sorts of news at the buzz of my cell phone.
I like to think of Twitter as a newspaper, minus all of the stuff you don’t want to read. A paper costs around 2 dollars these days, but as a college student with a very small budget, buying a newspaper is the least of my concerns right now. I follow who I like, and get what information is vital to my life. It’s like getting certain aspects of the newspaper, without having to pay for what you don’t like to read. Personally, I’m not a big finance girl, and generally skip over that section, as well as anything else that doesn’t grab my attention. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like quite the time and money saver to keep going down the road I’m on. I’ve always been about instant gratification, and Twitter gives that to me. I believe it teaches
The Freshmen Prespective By CHRIS SUPRENANTE Life started fresh once again on January 18. That was something entirely new to me. Ending the fall semester in December was strange, in that I had completed an entire class in half the time it took me in high school. I was done with work on December 17, and I didn’t even have to think about working at all- for an entire month. During that month, everything seemed right with the world again, and I savored every minute of it. Yet, coming back to college wasn’t as strange as I thought it would have been. Life just seemed to go on, just in different, exciting directions. Like I said, finishing the term by mid-December is something wholly new to me. Did I like it? Of course I did. It meant the end of classes I wasn’t a huge fan of,
or it meant that it was time to see what I learned in the classes I did well in. Either way, I definitely liked being done so early. I know that in high school, it always seemed so long until finals, so I was always dreading losing any information I learned over the course of the entire year. However, college condenses all the information into a much shorter time frame, and for me, this was great because I actually retained a whole lot of what I learned. Maybe high school should take a hint? I don’t know. Then there was the generous month-long break we all had. Believe you me, that was by far my favorite thing about college so far. Why you ask? Life for me picked up right where it left off. I guess that’s the great thing about going home. It’s a place where life always goes on, but you’re al-
ways still there, even if not physically. I’ve been told that once you go home for a long break such as this past one, that you’ll want to leave after all the fun and games are over. You’ll probably want to get on with your own, new, independent life. Well, that would float around in the minds of your average college students. I, however, was content with sticking around for as long as I could. All my friends from high school were home, and I was doing something most every night. That was quite the change from my everyday existence here in college. I didn’t mind. Going home for the holidays this year was definitely different for me. I know for a fact that I appreciated the Christmas holiday more than I ever have before. It was a different kind of holiday, in that my appreciation for it came
What happens when Twitter is over capacity? The Fail Whale appears.
those new to Twitter how to decide what is accurate information, depending on who they choose to follow. Don’t get me wrong, I follow some really dumb accounts that provide me with a laugh every now and again, but then again, I get a chance to streamline what I choose to see on my Twitter feed. Whether it is music, art, or even my friends Tweeting about their
Saturday night, it’s what I care about, and it cuts out what isn’t relevant to my interests. The future is bright for Twitter, and for the speed of news delivery as well. I may not be newsworthy, but if you’re looking for some occasional witty banter, follow me!
from being home around friends and family, rather than the gifts and food I appreciated in younger days. If anything, college helps you grow up in that way. For me, I know it wouldn’t have mattered if I hadn’t gotten anything for Christmas. As cheesy as you all may find this, being around friends and family is really the greatest gift anyone could ask for. How could it get any better than laughing until your sides hurt, or eating huge meals, or just watching TV with your family? It doesn’t, at least in this kid’s opinion. Of course, all good things must come to an end. Hard as it was, I packed up all my stuff and moved back to good old Albany, New York, to start new, once again. I found it really funny that the first-day-of-school feeling didn’t really happen on my first day of the second semester. Life just seemed to go on like it had the previous semester, only with new faces sitting to my left and
to my right. That wasn’t a bad thing either. I guess that meant maybe I was adapting? So I hope. Even going back to my dorm at night seemed commonplace. In a way, we college students seem to be living double lives, in that we belong in two places: here and wherever home is. That’s actually pretty comforting to know that wherever you go, life just keeps trudging on. Was this break different for me? Yes, yes it was. I found out that though I may be a homebody, I’m more than capable of getting along away from home. I found that I’m definitely a fan of this half-the-time college learning system, and the fact that college life will carry on normally when I return to campus. As a college student, I feel incredibly lucky that I can keep getting a fresh start with each new semester. Hopefully, all of us will take advantage of it, and use it to propel us to places that are just as good as going home.
C8
The Saint Rose Chronicle
sports
January 26, 2011
Volume 79 Issue 13
Saint Rose Men Welcome Home the Students With a Win
On Wednesday, January 19, the Saint Rose men’s basketball team went head to head against Merrimack at the Nolan Gymnasium. With a record of 12-8 The Knights were―and are still― leading the series. They looked to add to their wins with the match vs. Marrimack, but in order to do such they had to go up against one of the NE-10’s high scorers, Merrimack’s Darin Mency, who averages 22.1 points per game. The game started off slow, taking several minutes for either side to score a basket. At first, both
teams seemed to be having difficulty finding the right scoring tactic. The Warriors stuck first., after which it seemed very even until Rob Gutierrez sparked a run which lead the Golden Knights to a 15 point lead going into half time. And the scoring didn’t stop there. Merrimack had difficulty controlling the ball on the offensive end of the floor with The Warriors recording 22 turnovers, leading to The Knights scoring 28 points. They also had the difficultly on the defensive end, seemingly unable to find a way to stop Saint
The BCS Mess College Football continues to avoid a playoff By THOMAS STAMAS One of the most on-going controversies in the sports world today is the BCS system in college football. This system is seen as flawed by experts and fans alike as a playoff system is the more popular choice by the masses. The past shows that the BCS system continually results in multiple undefeated teams at the end of the season. This leaves everyone wondering who the best team in
the country is. For those unfamiliar with the BCS system, it is a point system based on votes. Teams can climb to the top of the BCS standings through the quality of the opponents that they defeat throughout the regular season and also if they are a member of one of the major BCS conferences. Teams that are in the mid-major conferences are automatically hit with a disadvantage because the difficulty of the opponents faced are considered inferior to those of the BCS conferences. It is becoming increasingly frequent that every year at least one mid-major team will run the table throughout the regular season and finish with an undefeated record. They will then earn an at-large bid into a BCS bowl against a highly favored BCS team. Take for example this past season where the TCU Horned Frogs
The Golden Knights next home game is Wednesday, January 26. Come out and support Saint Rose and be appart of the Golden Wave.
earned a bid to the Rose Bowl by finishing the regular season with an undefeated record and a Mountain West Conference title. Their opponent for the Rose Bowl were the heavily favored Pac-10 Champion Wisconsin Badgers who finished their season with just one loss, but earned an automatic bid to the Rose Bowl by winning the Pac-10 title. The end result of this game was TCU coming out on top in a very close game, thus giving the Horned Frogs an undefeated record to end the year. Here is where the controversy begins. Every college football fan saw, or at least heard of the Auburn Tigers victory over the Oregon Ducks in the BCS National Championship. This win gave the Tigers a National Title and an undefeated record to end the year. But the problem is that Auburn was not the only undefeated team left standing because TCU ran the table and also finished with an undefeated record. Many fans and experts don’t see this as a problem because Auburn is seen as the obviously stronger team when compared
Dominykas “Dom” Milka to TCU. But wasn’t Wisconsin seen as the stronger team when compared to the Horned Frogs as well? TCU seemed to handle the underdog role well and ended up shocking the nation, so who is to say they wouldn’t repeat this feat if they were given a shot to play against the Auburn Tigers with even bigger stakes on the line? This as a result leaves fans and experts calling out for a playoff system as this would give all of the top teams in the nation an equal chance to win a national title at the end of the year. The main argument for a playoff system is that Division II, III, and every other division for college football incorporates a playoff system. So why doesn’t the highest division in college football use a playoff? This would give a fair opportunity to BCS and midmajor teams alike to win a national championship. Also, this would bring even more excitement to the sport. Look at college basketball, every year they host a tournament that includes over 60 teams fighting for an equal goal, a national title. This tournament is consistently
Tom Killips
By SCOTT LAWSON
Rose baskets. Impressively enough, Mency was held to 9 points. The Golden Knights defense should be commended for such a fantastic performance. Sheldon Griffin had a great performance, tying his season high scoring record with 13 points. Rob Gutierrez continues to impress, having put up 21 points this game. Also of note is freshman Dominykas “Dom” Milka who came off the bench to put up 10 points, pulling down four rebounds and had a great hustle play, diving to keep the ball inbounds. The final score came to 79-57, Saint Rose, a 22 pt. difference which tied the Saint Rose record for highest win margin with a match played on January 13, 2007 with an 88-66 win.
Tom Killips
With the entire student body back from break, the Golden Knights prove victorious against the Merrimack Warriors
Sheldon Griffin
full of upsets, buzzer beaters, and last second thrillers. There is always a Cinderella team that makes a run deep into the tournament, thus proving all of the experts wrong. If college football were to include even an 8-team playoff, fans would be given this kind of excitement. Mid-major schools like TCU, Boise State, and Utah (just to name a few) that consistently have astounding seasons would be given the opportunity that they deserve. Over the past seasons, mid-major schools have consistently proven that they have what it takes to contend with the big schools in the post-season, so why not give them that fair chance of a championship? The NCAA is taking away the competitiveness of the sport by continuing to use the BCS because with this flawed excuse of a system, it makes it nearly impossible for a team outside the BCS conferences to have a chance at playing for the national title. When will the NCAA wake up and realize what they are taking away from college football? Only time will tell.