Volume 2 Issue 4 November 2005
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The
Yeti Rant
the yeti was started by a group of students who believe that change is needed in our country. we decided to create this editorial policy to let our readers know the intentions of the yeti. there has been some confusion as to who we are, and what we are about. read on if you care to dig deeper into the monster you have in your hands, the yeti.
the yeti: background, mission, and an editorial policy of sorts
we live in the information age. five seconds on the internet can bring you info on just about everything you can think of. in light of this, the yeti is NOT just another news source. we are not unbiased. if you want “fair and balanced,” we kindly direct you to fox news. the yeti is on a mission. we want to uncover the stories that aren’t being told, the ones that need to be. Bill Maher stated on his show real-time that mass media today takes what is interesting(i.e. rich celebrities) and makes that important. what the true role of good media should be is to take what is important and make that interesting. so this is the spirit in which the yeti functions. we are at times pissed off, sarcastic, humorous… and sometimes we are dead serious. most of us involved have no (or very little) prior experience with journalism, so forgive us in our first few editions as we work through this learning curve. one thing we can ensure you of: we will always strive to present the most accurate facts about the issues we write about (though we might serve it up with a sly remark here and there) and when space permits, we’d like to be able to share ALL sides of a story (because you know, there’s usually more than two sides to every story…) so that’s us. we are the yeti. we hope you are challenged by what you read. we hope you are moved to action when we encourage you to squeeze some time out of your packed schedule to go vote when an important election is coming up. we hope you learn something here that you may never have heard anywhere else. every issue, we will strive to provide as much local/fsu news as possible, such as the past stories on heritage grove, and athletics over academics. one last thing; we encourage you to tell us what you think. we need letters to the editor that tell us what you love and hate. it’s an important way for you to get involved in democracy, so let your voice be heard. there are a lot of great articles in this issue, so read on…
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Staff
Ryan Brody, editor Sarah Stinard-Kiel, editor Nialls Fallon, layout Kelsey Visser Alex Joyce Carlos Perez JP Eason Claudia Navas Parker Dority Cassie Smith Jen Toth EJ Masicampo Chad Gilbert Stephen Tate Brett Ader
Art
Christian Taylor Dan Clifton
Contributors
Ann Dubensky Dana DeGraff James Cheatham Lara Callaway Angela Yang Sarah Wander Sponsor: Deborah Hall Cover Art: Bee Hive Collective
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01 Contents - Yeti Rant 02 The Slant 03 Sex and the Campus Gasp 04 Live 8 Comes to Tally 05 Tuition Hikes and Funding Cuts 06 Ripoff 101: Textbooks 07 School of the Americas (SOA) 08 Killer Coke in Colombia 09 CPE Upcoming Events 10 Coal Miner’s Daughters 11 Wal-Mart: Always Low Standards 12 The Evolution of Creationism 13-14 Reviews: Music, Movies, Chicken 15-16 Poetry and Crossword Puzzle 17 In Defense of Frenchtown & Creating the Enemy
The Slant by Stephen Tate
“WE DON’T DO BODY COUNTS” --General Tommy Franks, US Central Command In any case, for those who do concern themselves with “collateral damage,” conservative estimates put the number of civilians reported killed as a result of the U.S. occupation in Iraq at 26,690 to 30,051 people. The U.S. body count just passed 2,000 dead.
One in four American soldiers suffer from mental problems
According to a large-scale psychological examination funded by the Pentagon, about one forth of American solders returning from Iraq claim to have mental health problems, some even with strong suicidal tendencies (nearly 2,000). Others are kept awake at night plagued by nightmares from the atrocious memories experienced during their participation in the American occupation of Iraq (20,000). Still more fear they are on the verge of losing control to the point of committing unprovoked violence (3,700).
Miers Nomination
George Bush’s nominee for the Supreme Court Justice, his old Texas cohort, Harriet Miers, stepped down after strong opposition from many, including the far-right and conservative pundits. Miers had emerged as a difficult figure for many analysts in recent weeks because she has neither held a position as a judge, nor argued a case before the Supreme Court. Her legal experience comes primarily from a position held at a private Texas law firm where she represented a slew of corporations, including Citibank, Bank of America, Microsoft, and Walt Disney Co. Much like Bush’s other nomination, John Roberts, Miers has done little for the dispossessed in the United States, ignoring any real advocation for the rights of women, minorities, the poor, the disabled or environmental issues.
Plamegate: Cause to celebrate
Vice President Dick Cheney’s top advisor, Lewis “Scooter” Libby, has been indicted for lying to a grand jury about his involvement in the Valerie Plame scandal! What we know is that a CIA agent was ousted publicly, the New York Times was dragged through the mud, and, best of all, the Bush/Cheney/ Rove junta has been damaged, perhaps even severely. When dissidents don’t have to do anything but sit back and look on as power goofily trips over itself, there certainly is cause to celebrate. Three cheers for idiocy!
Bush on Trial
A group called Not in Our Name held the first installment of the International Commission of Inquiry On Crimes Against Humanity Committed by The Bush Administration on Oct 21-22. The titles for the indictments are as follows: Wars of Aggression (subsequently punishable death: historical precedent, the Nuremberg Trials), Torture and Indefinite Detention, Destruction of the Global Environment, and finally Attacks on Global Public Health. The proceedings are said to closely resemble the forum established by Lord Bertrand Russell in 1967 to expose the deplorable war crimes engaged in by the U.S. during its tenure in Vietnam. The Tribunal has been sponsored by public intellectuals and human rights activist/organizations including: the National Lawyers Guild, Naomi Weisstein, Richard Falk, Rabbi Michael Lerner, Gore Vidal, and Howard Zinn among many many others. For further information about the commission check out www.nion.us
Victor’s Justice
The human rights organization “Human Rights Watch” along with U.N. judge Wolfgang Schomburg (who resided over war crime tribunals in Yugoslavia and Rwanda), warn that the American influenced tribunal established to process former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein has some features of “victor’s justice.” Because the United States does not cooperate with the court of international criminal justice at The Hague, “a tribunal supported by the international community would have to be set up, as happened with Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone”, the Judge said. According to Schomburg, an atmosphere of continual ethnic tension and violence like the one that exists currently in Iraq would render a fair and thorough trial impossible. “Under pressure and lacking the necessary distance from the case, even the most benevolent judge would find it hard to reach a fair verdict,” he said.
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SEX CAMPUS AND THE
By Cassie Smith
The Lonely Tango
I don’t masturbate. Saying so, no one ever believes me, they think I’m embarrassed admitting that, like everyone else, I partake in the one woman tango, but no. Not that I haven’t. I have, but on every said occasion I have finished without finishing, if you get me. I’ve had an orgasm before, so I know what I’m working towards, I just never quite get there on my own. You have no idea (or maybe you do) how frustrating it is to try and relieve some sexual tension and come up short. It only makes you that much more frustrated. My friends, who aren‘t at all shy, and I have talked about it, but I’m still left high and dry and I feel like a sexual freak because I don‘t masturbate. I’ve received a lot of suggestions (I even nabbed a packet from a friend about a masturbation workshop she had attended), but lube, bathtubs, showerheads and whatever else works for you don’t help me. Sitting around with one of my girls last month I decided I had had enough and it was time I sought professional help. Off we went to Rick’s Toy Box; we went to the Monroe one because the walk around Wendy’s on Tennessee is too much for even the strongest hearts. After considering my options, I decided on a vibrator. The massive
GASP TRAVEL
Everyone has had some unique moment in their life that literally took their breath away. Share the feeling with us, leave us breathless, make us gasp in the magic, simplicity, or the integrity in that moment of your discovery. Send your fabulous, colorful submissions, (no longer than 150 words) as well as a photo to: gasp_yeti@yahoo.com
Sweet Tooth
wall of vibrators was daunting; there were ones with bumps, ones with veins, ones with attachments and even one that replicated ejaculation with a “make your own cum” formula. I thought of real life penises I’d interacted with and figured it’d be safe to pick a fake penis based off of my favorite real penis. I took, no joke, almost an hour deciding. This was a good chunk of money and the key to my lonely-night happiness. I settled on a waterproof one that seemed the right size, with multiple speeds, and glows hot pink in the dark. I thought it was perfect for me. The cute boy behind the counter asked if I wanted batteries, I said yes. (BTW girls, they were wayyyy over priced, so buy your vibrator and then head over to Walgreen’s and get batteries.) I got home and got straight to business. Over an hour later, I decided I was indeed a sexual retard. I wondered if there was any way to get back some of the money I’d spent on this vibrating piece of junk, but nobody wants a used vibrator. I have not given up my endeavor for solitary sexual pleasure; instead, the failure renewed my struggle with a fresh fervor (dammit vagina, I will make you work for me). I have not yet found my Holy Grail, but believe me I will and when I do you won’t be hearing from me for a while. I sincerely hope none of you out there share my troubles. If you do, I’m sorry and if you don’t, I envy you.
Ciao Bella While exploring Italy with my sister two summers ago, I learned that for American girls, butt grabs are greetings, and kisses are currency. My favorite such lesson happened in Venice. While finishing up a pizza-and canola picnic in a quiet canal corridor, a gondola slid elegantly around the corner in front of us. “Che bella! Please, come for a ride with me!” the charming gondolier chanted from across the water, splashing all inside his boat in his haste to make it to us. I giggled with him for a minute, shyly and dismissively, but he insisted, so I finally asked how much. For rich romantics on a honeymoon, a gondola ride is a touristing must, but for backpacking college students, the novelty is only affordable to watch from shore. He thought. “Per tu, solo un bacio.” (For you, just one kiss.) I thought. “Anche mia sorella?” (My sister, too?) He obliged with a smile and helped us over the railing into the gondola, and proceeded to take us all through the labyrinth of enchanting canals. He took turns between singing for us and telling stories, listening to ours, and catcalling the other gondoliers. When he stopped to let us off, I thanked him and teasingly took to run off, grabbing Shannon with me. He caught me by my wrist and laughed out, “You promised!” Leaning over the rail, we locked lips until his gondola drifted far enough so that he was clinging to the rail at almost a comical angle, and with a final kiss he whispered, “ciao bella” and pushed off. I stood staring for a moment before calling, somewhat theatrically, “I don’t even know your name!”, to which he gave a swanky bow and responded, “Alejandro” before coasting around the corner again. That night, in return for the free ride, my sister bought me the most delicious banana gelato. Free rides, free kisses AND free gelato.
I spent the entirety of last summer in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York working at an overnight camp. The days without work were consumed by swimming, hiking, sleeping, rock climbing, but I still felt the great urge for adventure. On a beautiful, sunny, mild day, I decided to take a walk down a back mountain Rd. to the local post office to buy stamps. The walk was about 2 miles, and upon leaving the post office to return to camp, I decided to hitch hike with an older lady in a shiny SUV. She seemed fairly normal with soft gray hair, angelic features, and a nice smile. As I hopped in and put on my seat belt, she started to tell me a little about herself. She told me how she enjoyed stealing candy from the communal cookie jar in post office because she had once donated a plant to the post office, and felt that her candy theft was well justified. As I was wondering what I had gotten myself into, she opened up her purse to reveal that it was packed full of little candy bars and lolly pops. Trying to hold back the laughter, I agreed with her that candy was nice to have on hand, so she then proceeded to dump the entire contents of her candy-filled purse onto my lap, and asked if I needed more than that. By this time, we were turning into camp, and I told her that she’d given me just plenty. She encouraged me to stop by the post office more often, and that I could take candy in her name any time. With pockets, and a backpack full of candy (which I didn’t eat), I departed the SUV, and decided to never walk Some people think it’s anti-feminist, but I think it was fun. to the post office again. -Sarah Wander 3 -Lara Calloway
Article by KELSEY VISSER
so many displaced people around the world, and the suffering is really unbelievable. It is such a painful process, and it is such a terrible experience, so the few that get out of it, we have to speak up. Not everyone can come to the United States and become a citizen. The role that I have at C.A.R.E is really to provoke a voice in the American people to speak up, because they are free. Americans can go to the polls and vote, and you have the freedom to vote, you have the freedom to object, to dissent, to organize, to mobilize, or to say no or yes. Most of us do not, and that is an incredible wasted opportunity to really use your voice as an American…through these organizations you can help by lending us your voice, and make sure that your members of congress hear.”
Celebrities have stepped up to help raise awareness about global poverty and HIV/AIDS in the recent news. Performances by popular artists have thrust the Live 8 campaign into current headlines, and the ONE Campaign continues to be a growing force. Brad Pitt is in, as well as Bono, Penelope Cruz, P Diddy -- excuse me, Diddy --, Ellen DeGeneres, Susan Sarandon, and many more. They are famous, they are beautiful, but more importantly, they are rich. They are able to contribute to the cause with large monetary donations, but where does the average broke college student fit into the scheme of ending poverty? I interviewed the Advocacy Field Coordinator for C.A.R.E USA, Derreck Kayongo before a local Live 8, C.A.R.E and ONE Campaign benefit show at the Beta Bar. I asked him what a typical college student could do to help, and was surprised by his response. He said that it is not money that these campaigns want from students, but our voices. At first this sounded like a bit of an ambiguous goal, but after hearing his life story, I began to understand. Derreck grew up in Kenya as a refugee after having been forced to flee Uganda, which was under the wrath of a brutal dictatorship. Now, although separated from his family, he is an American citizen. Working with C.A.R.E has allowed him to make a difference not only in his home country Africa, but also around the world. In our discussion, his words carried the weight of experience and passion. He describes what it means to lend our voices to the cause of poverty as such: “Take my experience, which was a terrible experience, being caught in the jaws of conflict, to now, where I am a free man. I have wonderful people around me, and now I can speak up. I would like all Americans to speak up. There are a lot of people that are going through a lot of suffering around the world. There are so many refugees around the world,
C.A.R.E is a sixty-year-old organization, originally founded to provide relief to WWII survivors. Because of its longevity and highly respected nature, new campaigns like ONE try to affiliate themselves with C.A.R.E to establish credibility. The message made to the government by these campaigns and organizations is simple; currently the government supplies only 0.7 percent of our budget to international development aid, and ONE is asking for it to be raised an additional one percent (25 billion). This is an attainable goal that can be achieved through doing exactly what Derreck Kayongo suggests. Using our voices, making a stink, letting the government know that students care about these pressing issues of poverty and HIV/AIDS. Above all things, there should be a demand for that one percent. A one percent that pales in comparison to the 50 percent (416 billion) spent on National Defense, a one percent that is desperately needed all over the world, and a one percent that will provide lasting changes to transform the face of poverty as we know it today.
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“One person, one voice, one vote at a time - to make a better, safer world for all.”- One Campaign
‘Education is a Right, Not a Privilege’ Say FSU Students By ALEX JOYCE Congress is considering a bill that would cut funding for financial aid and allow loan companies to hike up interest rates on student loans. And FSU students are taking it personally. “This is my money they are cutting, and when it comes to my money, I do not play games!” yelled SGA member Joyce Amilcar to the crowd of cheering FSU students. On October 20th, students from a dozen FSU organizations, including student government, joined forces to speak out against HR 609, Congress’s reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. Thousands of students at universities across the country were also holding rallies as part of a national day of action against the proposed funding cuts. The message to Congress was loud and clear: “Stop the Raid on Student Aid!” You might assume that since HR 609 is named “The College Access and Opportunity Act of 2005” it would actually increase access and opportunity for college students. You’d be wrong. HR 609 cuts federal financial aid programs by $12.6 billion over the next 12 years, the largest cut in history.
The Republican leadership in Congress is sacrificing the college education of tens of thousands of poor kids while at the same time passing massive tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations. Note to the religious right: do you think Jesus would do that?
Tuition at FSU, Up 40% Over Last 5 Years
The money it takes to run a university like FSU comes from several sources, including Congress, the State Legislature, and student tuition and fees. As federal and state funding have declined, universities have raised student tuition and fees to make up the difference. During the last five years, enrollment at Florida State has increased by 15% while state funding has only increased 5%. As a result of the shortfall in funding, tuition and fees have been increased 40% (three times the rate of inflation). It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to decode the message from the State Legislature: “Want
“How do you feel about the cuts to financial aid being proposed by Congress?” If Congress passes HR 609, $12.6 billion dollars will be cut from federal financial aid. That is the largest cut in history. We asked students in the union during the “Stop the Raid on Student Aid” rally what they think.
Students attending the rally fear that the American dream of a college education is slipping out of reach. Former SGA President, Louis Dilbert said “I’m here because this issue hits close to home for me. I want my children and my grandchildren to be able to afford a college education.” FSU student, Sarah Roden, was also worried. “I want my little brother to be able to go to college,” she said.
Republicans Slash Spending, Democrats Propose Universal College Education
Republicans control both the federal and state government. And unfortunately for students struggling to pay for college, the Republican vision forAmerica is “survival “... the cuts will result of the fittest” (aka, survival of the wealthiest). The in 81,000 eligable Republican leadership is busy slashing billions of students not recieving dollars from social programs, such as financial aid, aid.” Social Security and environmental protection.
Under the proposed bill, Congress would freeze or cut funding for nearly every federal financial aid program. The biggest cuts are targeted at the Pell Grant Program, which enables over 5 million students to attend college. According to an analysis by the non-partisan Public Interest Research Group, the cuts will result in 81,000 eligible students not receiving aid.
The Yeti Asks
a college education? Better have rich parents or be willing to go $30,000 into debt.”
Even after thousands of homes were destroyed and hundreds of people died in New Orleans when the neglected levee system failed, Congress had the audacity to pass another tax cut for the wealthiest 1% of Americans. That tax cut alone could have paid for half the hurricane damages in New Orleans. The American people are beginning to see through the smoke and mirrors, however. Approval ratings for both President Bush and the Republicans in Congress are at an all time low. The 2006 midterm elections will be a referendum on Republican politics, and it ain’t looking too good for them. Anticipating a backlash against Republican politics at the ballot box, Democrats have come out with a 5 Point Plan for America. The plan’s first point is universal access to a college education. Democrats say that a college education in the 21st Century will be as important as a high school education was in the last century. And just as the American people recognized the need for universal access to high school last century, we have a responsibility to ensure everyone has access to a college education in the 21st Century. • Sources: The Congressional Budget Office, the Florida Board of Governors, the Public Interest Research Group Take Action: Send an e-letter to your Congress person at StudentAidAction.com
Maria Escobar President of COLSA “We all need financial aid. Education is a right for all people.”
Allyson Williams with Lataisha Boneparte FSU Students “I’m going to be greatly affected if financial aid gets cut and if there’s anything I can do, I want to do it.”
Rip-Off 101: How Textbook Companies are Robbing You Blind by Nialls Fallon
For many, entrance into college marks the beginning of financial independence and struggle. Students are thrown into a place they can finally call home; a home in which their parents do not reign supreme, a place with responsibilities and bills, an empty fridge, an old and inefficient water heater, rooms to furnish, and unreliable housemates. In the past year and a half I have had my power turned off twice, my phone service disconnected numerous times, and I was stuck with the bill for repairs made to my air conditioning, water meter, and dryer. I have received four eviction notices for missing the rent and in turn had to pay huge fines. I’ve been cited by the city because my lawn was considered “offensive” due to the overgrowth.... and these are just the costs of living in Tallahassee. On top of all that, there is school.
findings reveal quite a different story than what the publishers would like us to know. The wholesale prices of textbooks has increased 62% since 1994, more than 4 times the inflation rate of finished goods as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index, which has only increased by 14%. Why, you ask? Because publishers are trying to make an extra buck. The average interval between consecutive editions is 3 years, causing a deficiency in used books (since they are continuously becoming obsolete), plus a major increase in the price of the newer edition. Students are then not only left paying the higher price, but are also turned down by the bookstores when they attempt to sell the books back at the end of the semester. Seventy-six percent of the professors surveyed for the PIRG report said new textbook editions are only needed about half the time. The updates are usually minor cosmetic and graphic elements.
I pay for my tuition, lab fees, art supplies and books, and, most recently, printing in the school library. My days are so In addition to useless updates, publishers are now including busy that I don’t have time for a job, and yet I can’t be here digital media with the book in a single bundled package, which, if I don’t have one. In turn, I work the graveyard shift for on average, causes the price to rise by 10%, even though 65% about 30 hours a week in a 24-hour coffee shop, causing me of professors surveyed “never” or “rarely” use the extras. As if to become sleep deprived and unbelievably delirious. Every the publishing companies don’t already step all over students, couple days I crash, unable to wake-up for class, meetings, the study found out that the same exact books cost American work, and my already diminishing social life. I often look students 72% more than those living in the U.K., Africa, and at all these circumstances and try to reorganize and cut out the Middle East! the unnecessary expenses and waste. I ride a bicycle and, occasionally, my scooter around town instead of a car. I What can be done? First off, professors are the keep lights off in the house and who decide which textbooks to use for swipe napkins from restaurants for “Seventy-Six percent of ones their classes and therefore play a big role in my bathroom. Sometimes I notice a all professors surveyed deciding how much money students will have difference, except in one area (and for the PIRG report said to spend. Faculty should be conscientious of the no matter what I do, the cost rises new textbook editions are extra costs in ordering books that are bundled every year): my education. only needed about half the with CD’s (especially if it is not needed for the class) as well as request a list of revisions that time” Out of all my expenses for schooling, have been included in new editions, checking to the most ridiculous and nauseating make sure they are necessary. has been purchasing textbooks. On average, students drop $900 a year on textbooks, paying for extra frills and updates Most importantly though, publishing companies should be that are used more to jack up the price than bring more held accountable for their outright deception and greed. New ideas into the classroom. Why is this? The Public Interest editions should be limited to only being produced when new Research Group (PIRG) tried to answer the question in a information pertinent to the class is discovered, not when report published this past February in which they surveyed publishers feel like making a book more appealing. (see pg 11) textbook prices at 59 universities around the country. Their
Louis Dilbert former-SGA President “I’m here because this issue hits close to home for me. I want my children and my grandchildren to be able to afford a college education.”
Julian Pendas FSU Student “Passing this bill will even more stratify our country economically and socially and make it more difficult for impoverished people to attain higher education.”
Joyce Amilcar SGA (on the mic at rally) “This is our money they are cutting, and when it comes to my money, I do not play games!”
What is the School of the Americas,
and why does it make Martin Sheen so Angry? by Ryan Brody
Established in 1946, the School of the Americas was created for the purpose of providing American military training to Latin American military personnel. Originally located in Panama, it was moved to Fort Benning, Georgia in 1984 as part of the Panama Canal Treaty. Former Panamanian President, Jorge Illueca has stated that the SOA was the “biggest base for destabilization in Latin America.” Since its creation, the SOA has trained 60,000 students, around 1,000 per year in various techniques that are—to say the least—considered suspicious by many. Such techniques include “interrogation tactics”, commando and psychological warfare, counterinsurgency techniques, and sniper training. The SOA has received so much bad press for these brutal practices, a few years ago it changed its name to the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHISC). In 1996, after a large amount of public pressure, the Pentagon released training manuals that were used at the School of the Americas. Their release revealed that students at the SOA were being trained in such subjects as torture, extortion, blackmail, and the targeting of the general civilian population. (The manuals are available for download at http://www.soaw.org/ new/article.php?id=98.) The release of this syllabus of human rights abuses largely confirmed what human rights advocates had been saying for many years; the tax dollars of American citizens were going towards training Latin American soldiers in methods of torture and killing.
unrest. Over 1,500 Guatemalans have been trained at the SOA including; Efraín Ríos Montt, the former dictator and current president of the Guatemalan Congress, and also Fernando Romeo Lucas García – the mastermind of the Paramilitary Civil Defense Controls which committed many of the abuses against Mayan civilians. The Guatemalan Commission for Historical Clarification has estimated that between 1981 and 1983, troops under the control of Montt and Garcia were responsible for the deaths of 132,000 Guatemalan civilians. Several international groups have arisen to fight against the School of the Americas and the injustices committed by many of its graduates. SOA Watch, the largest of the watchdog organizations was formed in 1990, after the killings of 6 Jesuit priests in El Salvador by SOA graduates. The organization SOA Watch and its numerous and diverse allies have been instrumental in the creation of a growing movement calling for the closing of this dangerous institution. High-profile human rights organizations such as Amnesty International have called for greater accountability and for continued monitoring of the school. A recently proposed bill in the House of Representatives (HR 1217 – proposed by Rep. McGovern) seeks to close the SOA and investigate the human rights abuses alleged to have taken place there. The bill currently has 122 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives—this makes it more important than ever that a large public statement is made against the School of the Americas.
One way to take action is to follow the instructions Even worse, there are many documented set out on the SOA Watch Legislative Action page atrocities that have been committed by graduates (http://www.soaw.org/new/article.php?id=96) of the School of the Americas. Gen. Hugo where you can learn how to contact your Banzer, an SOA graduate became the dictator representative in Congress about this issue. of Bolivia from 1971-1978 and was responsible for a consolidation of power that ended in over Another way in which action can be taken is 3,000 political rivals being arrested, along with by participating in the yearly non-violent direct the “disappearances” of over 200 others who action protest in Fort Benning, GA which takes disagreed with his administration. Leopoldo place on Nov. 18-20. Last year, nearly 16,000 Galtieri, an Argentinean dictator was also a Generals Banzer & Pinochet in Warm Embrace people descended upon the gates of the School graduate of the SOA, and has been directly of the Americas in a non-violent protest drawing many well linked to the “disappearances” of between 9,000 and 30,000 known activists as well as several celebrities—including NBC’s “left-wing subversives” during Argentina’s “Dirty War”. In alternate-reality president Martin Sheen. Students from Florida Chile, many of the higher-ranking officials in the murderous State University have taken place in this yearly action and Pinochet regime were former students of the SOA, including organizing is already under-way for this year’s protest. Florida the leaders of the secret police forces. State University’s Center for Participant Education is sending a group of students to attend this yearly demonstration and are In Guatemala, graduates of the School of the Americas have planning on providing free transportation and lodging for FSU been linked to some of the most egregious human rights students. You can contact CPE at 850-644-6577 or by sending abuses that occurred during the nation’s long period of civil 7 an email to: sgacpe@admin.fsu.edu
by Carlos Perez In the global battle for brand recognition, multi-national soda giant Coca-Cola has enjoyed a long-standing position as one of the world’s most pervasive and readily recognizable names on the market. With nearly 400 brands dotting the globe in over 200 countries, it’s difficult to escape the shadow of this seemingly omnipresent U.S. symbol. Less well known, however, is the company’s sordid history of union-busting practices in Columbia. According to the National Food Industry Workers Union (Sinaltrainal), the organizers of Coca-Cola laborers in Columbia, eight trade unionists have been killed since the late 1980’s. For nearly 50 years, Columbia has been embroiled in an internal armed conflict that has produced an atmosphere in which corruption, political assassinations, and kidnappings have become commonplace. In a recent report, produced annually by the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, Columbia was again cited as the most dangerous country for trade unionists. Of the 145 unionists killed worldwide in 2004, Columbia contributed 99 in addition to hundreds of death threats and other forms of human rights violations.
otherwise directed paramilitary security forces that utilized extreme violence and murdered, tortured, unlawfully detained or otherwise silenced trade union leaders.” The crux of the case against Coca-Cola revolves around the assassination of Sinaltrainal union leader and bottling plant employee, Isidro Segundo Gil; according to eyewitness accounts, Gil was shot ten times at a bottling plant in Carepa, Columbia by two paramilitary men, who whizzed by the guardhouse unopposed on motorcycles. Later that day, another union leader was kidnapped from his home and the building that housed their union office, records and all, was burnt to the ground. Allowing union workers a night to breathe, a group of heavily armed paramilitary men returned to the plant the following day, rounded up union employees, and threatened to kill them if they did not quit the union by 4pm. With the death of Isidro Gil fresh in their minds and their office building still smoldering, union members resigned without hesitation. The lawsuit claims that the resignation forms signed by union members were prepared in advance by Coca-Cola’s plant manager, who was known to be friends with the paramilitaries and had earlier “given [them] the order to carry out the task of destroying the union.” On its website, Cokefacts.org (launched in retaliation to Killercoke.org), Coca-Cola claims to have an unsullied 70 year record of devoted service to the people of Columbia. To counter the claims of Killercoke.org, Coke’s webpage provides a list of all the security measures available to their employees: home transportation, house loans, paid leaves, unpaid leaves, transfers, and shift changes. However, in light of the increasing strength of paramilitary forces, these measures seem negligible.
In Columbia’s rickety political climate, right-wing paramilitary groups represent the largest threat to trade unionists. As a result of drug trafficking and other illicit activities, these groups have increasingly consolidated their political and economic power over the years despite demobilization efforts by Columbian president Álvaro Uribe. According to a recent Human Rights Watch report, paramilitaries “have a wellknown and lengthy record of spine-chilling atrocities including massacres, killings, forced disappearances, and kidnappings.” In spite of these widely documented offenses, paramilitary groups continue to operate with impunity, often collaborating with the Columbian army who, via Plan Columbia, has received 80% of the $4 Billion in aid the United States has provided since 2000. In July 2001, United Steelworkers of America and the International Labor Rights Fund filed a lawsuit in Miami, Florida on behalf of Sinaltrainal, asserting that CocaCola and three of their bottling plants “contracted with or
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Although to date, no one has been held accountable for the death of Isidro Gil and other union members at Coca-Cola’s bottling plants, students and activists around the world have taken up the Killercoke banner, putting pressure on the soda giant and calling for corporate accountability. In a recent Democracy Now! interview, Corporate Campaign director Ray Rogers noted that two large universities in Ireland and three universities in the United States have already terminated major contracts with Coca-Cola. In line with groups throughout the country, Florida State University’s Students United for Peace and Justice (SUPJ) has also responded to the call. For a company that “exists to benefit and refresh everyone it touches,” it looks like they have their work cut out for them in Columbia.
CPE was established in 1970 to provide an alternative to the traditional curriculum taught at FSU. Students wanted to explore socially relevant topics and to foster a healthier philosophy of education through classes in which anyone could teach or attend. Since then, CPE has been investigated by the Legislature, suspended by the Board of Regents, and challenged by FSU administration. CPE has managed to hold strong through all of this, and remains today as one of the last free universities in the country.
CPE’s Upcoming Events The Beehive Collective
Mon. and Tue. Nov 14th-15th 7-9PM, Oglesby Union rm 311 E The Center for Participant Education (CPE) is bringing two members of the collective to FSU on Nov 14th and 15th, where you can hear every detail, facet, prevailing theme and social commentary directly from the Bee’s mouth. If you bring a little bit of money you can even take a poster home with you and impress your friends. Questions? Contact Jen at sgacpe@admin.fsu.edu
Iraq War Withdrawal Debate: Norman Solomon vs. Bay Buchanan Tuesday, November 15th, 8pm Bellamy Buidling, rm 180
Norman Solomon is an author, journalist and founder of the Institute for Public Accuracy. His most recent book is “War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death.” Bay Buchanan is a conservative commentator on CNN’s Inside Politics. She is also the sister of Pat Buchanan.
Our World is Not for Sale! A Festival of Global Proportions Thursday, November 17th - 10am-3pm Union Green, FSU
An interactive festival addressing the problem of corporate globalization and the threat it poses to all people across all borders.
School of the Americas (SOA) Protest Saturday, November 20th Fort Benning, Georgia
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Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans have been tortured, raped, assassinated, “disappeared,” and massacred by those trained at the School of Assassins. Every year, thousands of people march in a giant funeral procession outside the gates of the SOA to honor those who have been killed and bring public attention to the “School of the Assassins.” -- Want a seat on the bus? Accomodation? Contact the Center for Participant Education: sgacpe@admin.fsu.edu or 644-6577
When Judy Bonds was growing up in the mountains of West Virginia, the term “environmentalist” hadn’t yet entered our vernacular. Later in life, when she first encountered the term, she was told it was a “dirty word.” Now, a dedicated grandmother who isn’t afraid to get arrested for standing up for her beliefs, she has become the embodiment of a passionate environmentalist.
The women spoke often of the perception that “ig’nant hillbillies” inhabit the South. Perhaps it’s time to change this notion, but participating in backward approaches to energy sources only solidifies our outdated anti-progressive culture. If countries such as Germany are able to obtain OVER 10% of their energy needs from renewable energy like wind and solar power, and the province of Ontario in Canada has banned all energy output from coal plants(beginning in 2010) why is Florida still ignoring the proven harms associated with fossilbased and non-renewable energy sources?
Judy, along with Patty Sebok and Janice Nease, members of the Coal River Mountain Watch, came to Florida in October to present “The Mountain Top Removal Road Show,” a presentation on their first-hand experiences with coal. All three are daughters of coal miners in West Virginia, and they have witnessed how the mining of coal through mountain top removal is destroying their deep-rooted American communities. Their presentation on October 21 at FSU struck a chord with the North Floridians in attendance, as the proposed power plant in Taylor County (southeast of Tallahassee) would most likely be utilizing coal brought in by trains from Appalachia.
While making the leap to a 100% renewable energy source based economy just ain’t gonna happen tomorrow, there are many ways to conserve energy (sometimes the lights at the stadium are left on ALL NIGHT!) that would lessen the supposed need for a coal plant. There are also ways right now that we can better utilize our current energy sources, such as investing in a new turbine at the local natural gas plant. And while the critics of renewable sources are right when they allege that renewable sources will be much more expensive initially(as are ALL technologies when first introduced), over time the investment will reap more and more savings, especially in the long term health costs associated with environmental pollutants.
The FSU Environmental Service Program (ESP) and the Clean Air Coalition organized the presentation because these women have a powerful story to tell, brought to life with heartbreaking before and after photos of the decimated landscapes after being ravaged by coal mining. The women described how the process of mountain top removal (which literally entails the removal of the entire mountain top) is even more environmentally destructive than the deep mining process of their fathers’ generation. The mountain top removal process is favored today in part because (surprise, surprise) of cheaper labor costs, due to the intensified use of machinery.
For more information on the Coal River Mountain Watch, go to: http://webpages.charter.net/crmw/mission.htm. If you didn’t listen to the Yeti in our last issue, and forgot to register to vote in Tallahassee by Oct.19, have no fear! You can still help get out the vote by contacting the Clean Air Coalition at: www.cleanairpac.com. And if you are a locally registered voter, DON’T FORGET TO VOTE! Ballots were scheduled to arrive in your mailbox around the beginning of November, so if you haven’t yet received a ballot, contact the Leon County Supervisor of Elections at: (850) 488-1350.
Judy, Janice and Patty spent several hours with the FSU community, enumerating the seemingly endless ways coal is damaging to humans and the environment, including the abundant respiratory problems in their communities(even among their own family members) along with the major flooding problems that are a direct result of the mountain top destruction.
If you received the city’s expensive glossy propaganda that fully supports the coal plant, go ahead and toss it in the recycling bin. It would be funny if it weren’t so horrifying; the City had the audacity to put pretty pictures on the propaganda, showing trees, landscapes and leaves dripping with clean clear water. Yeah, get real. Even proponents of coal will admit it’s going to affect our natural resources, and trying to associate coal with pristine natural landscapes is just down right lying to the public.
Clean Air Coalition member Ed Deaton helped to debunk some of the myths that have been circulating around the proposed power plant, such as the bogus study that supposedly proves that asthma rates are no higher in Florida counties that house coal-fired power plants than anywhere else in the state. As any discerning FSU student who has taken a basic stats course can tell you, statistics can be manipulated to “prove” the darnedest things. A quick Google search of “coal plants + human health” will point you to a myriad of websites with factual, scientific reports that reveal the true linkages between fossil based energy sources and effects on our bodies.
Get your ballot in by November 17 and you can rest a little easier, knowing you’ve done your part to ensure the residents of Tallahassee won’t be contributing to an absurd, outdated, harmful energy boondoggle!
by Jennifer Toth
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Walmart: Always Low... Standards? By JP EASON
contracts. Wal-Mart moves so much product that they can dictate price and force factory owners to conform or loose their business. This trend has now been adopted by most of corporate America, and former well-paying jobs are now being rapidly outsourced overseas and replaced with jobs like my friend Tony. He’s 26 and gets paid minimum wage restocking shelves in the Wal-Mart off Appalache Parkway. This of course has all been over simplified, WalMart isn’t that bad, and they do have really low prices, right? There is one good thing about a fourth store that must be factored in as well if we are going to be fair. Another 200,000-sq-ft super structure in Tallahassee means that every person in our 150,000 person town will have their own five and a half foot circle under a Wal-Mart ceiling. This of course, is exciting for everyone living in the dorms. No matter what they will always, 24/7, have at least five feet of personal space available to them at their closest Wal-Mart.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has recently sent its Florida Troubleshooter, Eric Brewer, to Tallahassee to speak with local realtors and a development attorney. He hopes to acquire the properties adjacent to the old Sam’s Club on N. Monroe in order to convert it into Tallahassee’s fourth Super Wal-Mart. The site has previously been denied permitting due to its location in the middle of the Lake Jackson watershed (designated a lake protection zone) but with the acquisition of the new property and with the help of Tallahassee County Commissioners, WalMart is now confident that they can meet environmental regulations and properly treat all storm water runoff before it enters the recovering Lake Jackson. Lake Jackson was lost to draught in 1999 but still remains a protected zone due to the areas history of fluctuating water tables and established wildlife habitats.
Week of Higher Expectations
Mon. Movie | Tues. Press conference | Sat. Protest www.walmartstores.com, www.chinadaily.com
Retired Lake Jackson local, Sally McCabe, has decided that she is not going to stand idly by and watch her neighborhood become yet another victim of the world’s largest retailer. She has started a local chapter of Wal-Mart Watch, a national organization dedicated to educating Americans about WalMart’s questionable labor and business practices. In the past few weeks Sally has been running around town trying to gain support for the Nov. 14th-19th national week of action “Week of Higher Expectations” The name stemming from Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton’s mantra, “High expectations are the key to everything,” psst—it’s supposed to be ironic. Tallahassee WalMart Watch is hoping once again to appeal to environmental concerns to stop Wal-Mart’s new proposal, although the impact on the neighborhood would be severe with the increased traffic and the lights on the 24hour a day parking lot. As it turns out, Wal-Mart Watch’s “Week of Higher Expectations” corresponds beautifully with F.S.U.’s own week of action “Our World is Not for Sale.” This week of educational programming on campus is meant to highlight the enormous impact Corporate Globalization has on everyone’s lives. Now you may wonder; how does a new Super Wal-Mart in Tallahassee tie into a week of action focused on the more general topic of corporate globalization? How in the world can these two issues be correlated? Hmm. Wal-Mart is the largest retailer in the world with over 3,000 stores in the United States alone and employs more than 1.6 million people worldwide and not one of these “associates” belongs to a union. Wal-Mart is the nation’s largest importer from China. Last year the inventory of stock produced in China totaled 18billion US Dollars comprising seventy percent of all goods sold. With the conditions in China such that it is illegal for workers to form labor unions and with no standardized minimum wage; laborers are left easily exploited by factory owners who are competing for lucrative Wal-Mart
(Ripoff 101: Continued from page 6) Second, publishers should not charge American students more than students in other countries. Third, for all textbooks that are sold in bundles, publishers should offer the book by itself as well. Publishers should also promote and offer lower prices for online textbooks since it cuts down costs of manufacturing and shipping. There are alternatives to buying new books, however. In addition to the above mentioned changes, students should be allowed access to a much larger selection of used books through programs that allow students to rent a book for the semester for a small fee (some examples include universities in Wisconsin and Illinois). There are also web sites that allow students to sell and buy used books from other students, setting the prices themselves. One such site was set up by the State PIRG’s in reaction to this report. CampusBookSwap.com is a free service that allows students to buy and sell books to other students at the same campus. Although FSU is not a registered university with this site, I have put in a request to have our school added, and will keep readers updated on its status. At the end of this semester, when you are feebly negotiating with the bookstore clerk to give you more for your textbook, realize that it isn’t so much their policies keeping you broke, its the publishing companies that are draining your wallet and putting you further into debt. 11
By SARAH STINARD-KIEL The term “creationism” has been conveniently excluded from the evolution debate in recent years. Maybe it had something to do with the creationists’ claim that the earth is only 7,000 years old, or that we’re all descendents of Adam, Eve and their incestuous children. Today, the Intelligent Design (ID) “Theory” has picked up where creationism left off. It is has led to a modern day Scopes trial in Pennsylvania in which parents of school children are fighting to keep religion out of the classroom. On the surface, ID does seem far more compelling than old time creationism because it doesn’t necessarily deny that evolution ever occurred. At the core of their argument is the contention that life on earth is too complex to have been the cause of undirected natural selection. More specifically, divine intervention guided the process along. However, you’ll never hear the word “divine” when ID “theorists” talk about it. To them ID is a completely objective scientific model. However, most ID proponents come out of the Discovery Institute, which helps fund religious research. In 1999, their “Wedge Strategy” was anonymously leaked on the internet. The document outlines the Discovery Institute’s long term goals, and includes a statement espousing the idea that humans were created in the image of God. Many ID theorists, including a prolific author on ID and Discovery Institute fellow, William A. Dembski, hold degrees not only in science, but in theology as well. The major disagreements in this debate occur when religion trumps science. The court case in Pennsylvania, Kitzmiller v. Dover, is seeking to answer the question of whether ID is objective or based in religious theology. The lawsuit arose when Dover county public schools started putting a disclaimer in biology textbooks. The disclaimer says of the theory of evolution that “Gaps in the Theory exist for which there is no evidence.” Then it goes on to offer ID as an
alternative theory: “Intelligent design is an explanation of the origin of life that differs from Darwin’s view.” It tells students to check out the book Of Pandas and People at the school library for more information on ID. The case is significant because it could determine whether ID can be taught in public school science classes along with the theory of evolution. Most people have never heard of the book Of Pandas and People, the definitive book on ID, let alone used it as a supplement to a biology text. Perhaps it’s not used because it’s just bad science. Dean Falk, professor and chair of Anthropology at FSU, discusses ID in her Introduction to Physical Anthropology class. “Calling Intelligent Design a theory is a misnomer,” says Falk. “In order for something to be a theory it first must be a hypothesis, which involves making observations and testing them. By definition Intelligent Design is not scientific because it is non-falsifiable.” Despite the evangelical fervor of the current administration and other prominent politicians, Falk is not concerned about ID’s becoming permanent part of a science curriculum. “Scientists underestimated early creationists and ignored them rather than entering into a dialogue,” she says. This is why she covers ID in her class, instead of not bringing it up at all. She says it’s important to remain cautiously optimistic. “Science will win out. Truth will win out.”
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Music Reviews By RYAN BRODY
Boards of CanadaThe Campfire Headphase In the first album to be released by the Scottish electronic duo since 2002’s “Geogaddi”, “The Campfire Headphase” in many ways feels like an inversion of their previous album. The harsh and sinister tones of “Geogaddi” have been replaced with a more euphoric sound. This calming of tempo leads some of the album to drag towards the end, an unfortunate change from a band that has been almost universally captivating in previous releases. This is by no means a bad album of electronic music, it just in many ways fails to live up to the lofty expectations set by previous efforts such as their classic 1998 release “Music has a Right to Children”.
Animal Collective- Feels With “Feels”, Animal Collective has released what is their most accessible and straight-forward album to datewhich is to say that the album is only slightly straight-forward and is accessible only in the context of their previous works. So what does it sound like? Psychedelic campfire songs? Primal folk-noise pop? Brian Wilson on (even more) acid? It’s hard to say, exactly, but this is one of the years more original releases. Despite the fact that the music is difficult to categorize properly, the album contains some undeniably catchy songs. Standout tracks include “Grass”; the first single to be released from the album, the understated “Banshee Beat”, and “The Purple Bottle”.
Deerhoof- The Runners Four For a band that has until now had every album centered upon a certain amount of chaos and unpredictability, perhaps the most unpredictable direction for them to take is in the direction of predictability. If that makes sense at all. It almost makes as much sense as the fact that Deerhoof has released an album of 20 songs so straightforward that they would most likely seem terribly out of place on any other Deerhoof release. But that’s okay, since the band manages to infuse the relatively standard song structures with the trademark strangeness and creativity that the band is known for. See Deerhoof at FSU’s Club Downunder on Tuesday, Nov. 17th. 13
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The Concert Spotlight: Nov 2 - GoGoGo Airheart + The Joggers @ Club Downunder
Nov 3 - Slightly Stoopid @ The Beta Bar Nov 4 - V89 Presents: Mosty w/ The Grand
Canyons, The Ums & Dear and Glorious Physician @ The Beta Bar Nov 8 - XBXRX w/ The Difference Engine @ Club Downunder
Nov 9 - Rock Adio Tour starring: CKY w/ Fireball Ministry & The Knives @ The Beta Bar Nov 14 -The Perceptionists ft. Mr. Lif,
Akrobatik, Cool Calm Pete w/ Junk Science, Asamov, Dirty Digits & MC Intellekt @ Club Downunder
Nov 15 - Deerhoof @ Club Downunder Nov 17 - Okkervil River & Man Man @ Club Downunder Nov 18 - Oami CD Release Party w/ The Ums, Soft Targets, & Pocket Novel Mystery @ Club Downunder Nov 28 - MC Chris w/ SNMNMNM & The Ergs @ The Beta Bar Nov 28 - (International) Noise Conspiracy w/
Danko Jones & Nightmare Of You @ The Beta Bar
A History of Violence
Review by KELSEY VISSER When it comes to movie reviews, I am ridiculously faithful to rottentomatoes.com. Or rather I was, because what they put me through last week was simply unforgivable. I followed their advice that The History of Violence was “a powerful film that is not to be missed”. Please please please, by all means, miss it. Between the awkward sex scenes, unconvincing family dialogues and unnecessary neck snapping there is not much substance to cling to. Although, I almost cried when the main characters high school age son blew a mobster’s head off with a shotgun in his father’s defense. Touching. Oh, and if you think you are in for a big twist at the end, don’t get your hopes up. Director David Cronenberg really missed the opportunity to throw the viewer for a loop. By the time I got to this point in the film I would have taken even a half a loop, but no, there was no such excitement. Overall, the movie was a seat shifting flop with little to suffice as a saving grace. Although, if you are a sucker for corny fight scenes, you will be in for a real treat come the final showdown. My roommate Don still thinks the scene where Viggo Mortensen (Tom Stall) cartoonishly snaps two necks while being choked and shot at simultaneously, made it all worthwhile. At least I can say I warned you.
Strangely I found myself walking with a friend last weekend at 1 am down West Pensacola, somewhere between Stadium and Lipona. There was a certain rumbling in my stomach which is commonly associated with hunger. About half way down the hill the shadows parted. I saw a vacant picnic table illuminated by a dangling light attached to an extension cord. Turning around I saw a woman sitting in an open window staring out at me with smoke billowing out around her frame and a rich hickory flavor bombarded my nostrils. The atmosphere reminded me of this haunted carnival I had been to once. If I had not been so hungry I may have been more cautious, but in such a compromised state of mind (because of the hunger) I ran up to the window like I had been waiting all winter for the ice cream truck to come back. I ordered the only thing on the menu, BBQ chicken and slaw. The chef stood near the back in a tank-top and I’m pretty sure he winked at me, although looking back I can’t be sure. Ten minutes later we had our food. The meat was tender, the flavor consuming. It was spicy to an addictive degree. The slaw was subtle but tasty, not too much mayo with fresh cabbage and I think maybe small pieces of pineapple were in it. In short, it was everything a person could ever hope to accidentally stumble upon while aimlessly wandering in the middle of the night with beer munchies. I never did get the name of that place, but sure enough the next morning we drove by and it was still there, closed, hiding behind an oak tree. 14
The Best Blue Eyes
Poetry
I see blue. There are days that you cannot be inside. Of course, since money is the driving force of most humans, or at least the ones with too much of it or too little of it, we have to be inside. The waitress must wait her tables. I must slice meat at Jimmy John’s. Management understands that humans just cannot be inside on certain days, but it understands profit numbers more clearly. The waitress understands that management understands numbers more than human need, but it does not keep her from looking out the window. She sees only one color in the sky. It is a blue so vibrant that the sun is fighting for attention.
Institutionalized-suicide Institutionalized-suicide is all we live by Hopelessly struggling to spark an iota of life from this -mind dulling-sense numbingenquiry into the human capacity to defile every intimate thing it touches We are all working parts of this machine -and that means everything -and that means nothingthere is the point we struggle with mulling it over in our minds chewing it like a cow’s cud-until we get tired of the taste because we don’t want to fathom that there is more to this institutionalize-suicide than our spot in the assembly line day-by-day we supplement our unhappiness with material possessions- shit we could never needbut I can’t fault you because consumerism has been infiltrated intravenously in you-and-me and you-gotta-do whatever you-gotta-do to get by in this institutionalized-suicide this vicious cycle we labor against with heavy breath and sweaty palms day-by-day repetitive-by-repetitive monotony-redundancy no matter how many ways you say it my friend it still means the same meaningless existence in the end. -By Parker Dority
Sometimes I see other colors. It happens when I’m listening to Bob Marley. Beres Hammond sings blue, but Bob sings a sandy tan. According to Crayola, the color is somewhere between “tumbleweed” and “goldenrod.” If you were to compare it to Buju, who is a deep amber, veering towards brown, like coffee grounds that are a little too coarse yet, Bob is much more golden. Sometimes Bob veers towards amber too, but only in certain songs. Amber songs are about pain. I know Beres sings blue; he says “remember the songs, used to make you rock away...used to make you drift away.” The only way to rock and drift is in water. But I always come back to blue. Sometimes, on the days humans must be outside but are trapped by green, you look at a picture. Looking through the window can be too frustrating. The waitress gets jealous of the customer, who did not tip her well, walking outside. The green will just ruin looking out the window. Sometimes a photo is better; you can hold that blue in your hand. I have a picture of St. Croix by my computer, a perfect picture of St. Croix. The water and the sky are competing to be bluer. They both run through a million shades, all perfect. I cannot be jealous of a picture; I know that kind of perfection does not exist. Except for the fact I was there once. Maybe it’s because my eyes are blue. I think blue eyes are boring. Beauty magazines have overused them. Brown eyes are the most interesting; especially the brown eyes that are so dark, you have to be nose to nose in order to see the pupil. Those eyes always sparkle, the light catches them and you wonder just how deep they are. There is so much more you can conceal in the dark. In my picture of St. Croix, there’s a shade of blue that gets that dark, right where the water meets the sky. Crayola refers to it as “Midnight Blue.” Those would be the best blue eyes. -By Ann Dubensky
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Cold Sheets
Acid man, man, you’re too much. He chews on bobby pins, with a paper towel chuckle. Chuck reason to the birds, who needs flight anyway? In a bathroom stall, I sway, surrounded by still blinks. They sing: “Have you seen the acid man?” while they run combs over mossy teeth. I mouth: “Nah” while I choke on the pins, which pinch my hairline closer to my face. Did I ever see the acid man? I tripped in his bed, with my back to his belly, scared of the boy behind the hit. Hell, I was scared of myself. Let’s face it: cold sheets really kill the mood. -By Dana De Greff
Pensacola
Pensacola. A weekend in to woo the lady at my left, the woman to my right trying too hard with the bartender, the other patrons. Desperate, so hungry to connect, she was once lovely. Years hadn’t aged her as what had haunted them. She addressed my beloved. “My guy was never this -- safe.” She ran her hand down my face, then up and around my forehead. “See?” she pushed the sleeve of her sweater over her right forearm and exposed a thick, puckering trench that snaked wrist to bicep in her once-precious skin. “This is what my man does.” She saw in me instant sobriety, an inability to impede a series of visuals – flashes - of what, who had -- to comprehend, in this woman not so much inhabiting her body, as --. “It’s okay, sugar,” she cooed and wrapped that same arm around my waist. “It’s okay.” -By James Cheatham
Stereotypes are silly. It is impossible to sum up a persons entire identity in two or three traits. See how silly stereotypes actually can be in this zany puzzle. Identify the stereotype and then fill in the name of the misrepresented group in the space provided. Once you’ve answered all the clues, rearrange the left over letters to solve the super bonus puzzle. Any “Puzzle Master” who emails the correct answer of the Super Bonus to fsuyeti@hotmail.com will get their name in the December issue.
Stereotyping can be fun!
Across
SUPER BONUS QUESTION: If a tree fell on you in the woods, what would you say to a passing Yeti? Down __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 5. Love the unborn and hate the homosexual 7. save the world with words 13. The life of every salesman 17. Not a lover 18. Hungry people might be told to do this 19. Dangerous driving, bad tipping early birds 20. Girls with eating disorders and weak guys 21. The sound of a snake or speaking lawyer
22. Smelly, pot smoking, tree huggers 23. Nymphomaniac daddy’s girls 24. Black people always “Keep it _______” 25. Weak on defense, whiners, who like to give money away 26. Beer chugging, stone kissing, redheads 27. Country music rednecks, pistol toting diplomats 28. Women are always ______ paid.
1. Money handling Hollywood controllers 2. Practice on your pillow or the back of your hand 3. Fast-food slobs 4. money ___ power 5. Money grubbing war mongers 6. The way a man likes his meal 7. Awkward, sheltered, bad ancing middle America 8. The Man 9. Sufi dancing, yoga, drum circler 10. You probably get called Sarah a lot 11. A traitor, a landlord, a politician 12. A word elitist 13. Stone Temple Pilots 14. Bitter, soulless, Godless 15. Young, powerless, insignificant 16. A reprimand for having fun
In Defense of Frenchtown I decided to start getting my haircuts at this barbershop on Macomb Street. It’s the perfect place: it’s close to home, the atmosphere is very laid back, the haircuts make me look pretty damn good, and the stylists are fun and pleasant to talk to. It’s not a place that many students go to though, despite it’s proximity to FSU. Maybe it has something to do with me being the only non-black person when I go in there. Maybe it’s because the barbershop is in Frenchtown. Frenchtown has a negative stigma attached to it. We associate it with poverty, prostitution, drugs, and crime. The town is predominantly black and what some might call “the ghetto.” It’s generally regarded as a place to stay away from. This is not how I originally got to know it. I moved to Tallahassee two months ago, just in time for the start of my first semester at FSU. Campus was next to downtown, my apartment was farther north, and Frenchtown lay somewhere in between the two. Because of this, I spent a lot of time in Frenchtown. It’s where I filled up on gas, parked my car when I got to school, and got my haircut when I was looking a little shaggy. At first, I had no preconceived notions of what Frenchtown was or that such a place even existed, but I liked going to the area. The houses were charming, the businesses at least appeared locally owned, and the people were friendlier there than anywhere else in Tallahassee. Eventually, though, I started to see how the general population viewed and spoke about the area. The overall message regarding Frenchtown was to stay away at all costs. Really? I’d already been spending all
By E.J.
mpo
Masica
this time there and was actually getting to like the place. I’m not denying that Frenchtown has problems. But it’s good to put your money into the communities that need it the most. In April, the City of Tallahassee opened the Frenchtown Renaissance Center and relocated some offices there. Citizens now go there to take care of various things like utility bills and parking tickets. The idea was to attract people to Frenchtown who normally wouldn’t go there. Perhaps, after conducting their business, people would stick around and visit some of the local Frenchtown stores and restaurants. Of course, it’s difficult to draw people into Frenchtown when there’s such a negative stigma keeping people away from it. This article is one person’s attempt at dispelling some of the biases people may have against this particular section of Tallahassee. Frenchtown was once a very prosperous hub for the black community and the city hopes to revitalize it while maintaining its unique history and character, and avoiding trends toward gentrification. If you want to help this community-in-need then supporting the local businesses there is a start. They’re among the oldest, friendliest businesses in Tallahassee, and giving your patronage to them just might put your money in the hands of some people who actually need it.• See: Article at Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce website: http://www.talchamber.com/action2010/2010_news. php?ID=30
At the time of World War II, American artists portrayed Japanese as sneaky, slanted eyed people, who spoke only in “ching- chong” words or broken English. War posters made them out to be demons corrupting good Americans, effeminate men, or monkeys. Even our beloved Looney Tunes ran offensive cartoons with racist language. This anti- Japanese propaganda carried over to other Asian races living in the U.S. that have similar physical appearances, such as the Filipinos or Chinese, who had been This little but offensive ad gives a current example of how the tradition ostracized since their migration to the U.S. during the Gold Rush. of propaganda, through art and media, is still spoon feeding the public And while attempting to annex the kingdom of Hawaii, Americans racist views shrouded in humor. For centuries artists from different rendered Queen Liliuokalani as an Aunt Jemima looking rag doll. countries have produced artwork, advertisements, ads, or political cartoons, blatantly hinting at the hostility and inferiority of one race Juxtaposing characters with unnatural skin tones and exaggerated physical features by characters with appropriate (light) skin tones while promoting the superiority and virtues of another. and familiar facial traits can translate into us (the humans) verses For example, the British are notorious for showing Africans as primitives them (aliens). Misrepresenting different ethnic backgrounds and or primates, Indians as devils or witch doctors, and the Irish as cavemen. making them the enemy also promotes nationalism and racial The United States too has a wonderful history of degrading people from unity for the “good guys.” Claiming to have the authority to judge races that have genuinely wanted to assimilate into American society. one group as evil is a declaration of self-righteousness. During the Golden Age of Hollywood African Americans were still being depicted as childish slaves in ragged clothing, with big eyes and big It is a serious disappointment that we’re still producing negative white teeth. After giving the public caricatures showing their inferiority, propaganda in this way. International leaders should be condemned how would it look if all of a sudden African Americans were shown in for the atrocities they commit, without degrading cartoons insulting nice clothes living like other Caucasian Americans? What would the people of their race. repercussions be of mirroring the truth to the public? 17 How do we make the bad guys look worse? While thumbing through Campus Talk, I came across something which seemed disturbingly out of place. A full-page ad showed a window for a website where members of the Al- Qaeda could meet other singles. It insinuated that all Iraqi women live in caves or tents. A testimonial from Osama Bin Laden, with a grotesquely enlarged nose and lips, said that he used to perform bestiality, but is now happy to beat women.
We honor and mourn all those who have died in this illegal war. 2,000 of our brothers and sisters. 30,000 Iraqi civilians. May we find our way on the path to peace very soon.