Virginia is among eight states that received failing grades for state government integrity, and its weaknesses leave the commonwealth highly vulnerable to corruption, according to a new report.
Only three states were ranked below Virginia on the “Corruption Risk Report Card” from the State Integrity Investigation, a study conducted over several months by the Center for Public Integrity, Public Radio International and the nonprofit group Global Integrity.
The study looked at 330 indicators in 14 categories. Virginia flunked nine of the categories: public access to information, political financing, executive accountability, legislative accountability, judicial accountability, state budget processes, lobbying disclosure, state pension fund management and ethics enforcement agencies.
Virginia was not alone in its overall underperformance. Not a single state earned an A, and 45 states scored a C or below.
New Jersey, not typically viewed as a bastion of government integrity, ranked first with a B-plus.
Brief by the Richmond Times-Dispatch
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is giving $3.8 million to the Louisa County School Board to pay for school construction and other costs related to damage caused by an earthquake last year.
U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Jim Webb announced the grant on Monday.
FEMA previously awarded $19 million to help rebuild Louisa County High School and $3.2 million to help rebuild Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, which were both damaged severely during the Aug. 23 earthquake.
The earthquake displaced about 2,000 of Louisa's 4,500 students.
Through February, FEMA had provided $13 million in disaster aid to homeowners in the counties of Albemarle, Culpeper, Fluvanna, Goochland, King George, Louisa, Orange, Spotsylvania and the city of Fredericksburg. In January, nearly $7.7 million had been disbursed to Virginia residents.
To date, the U.S. Geological Survey has reported dozens of aftershocks with a magnitude greater than 2.0. The latest aftershock hit Friday in Cumberland County with a magnitude of 2.2. It was about 19 miles northeast of Farmville and 17 miles south of Columbia.
Brief by the Richmond Times-Dispatch
President Barack Obama enjoys a healthy advantage over all Republican presidential candidates in Virginia, a new poll shows, with his eight-point lead over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney the largest to date.
Obama leads Romney 50 percent to 42 percent, according to the Quinnipiac University poll. That’s double the president’s four-point lead last month.
The president holds a slightly larger edge over former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, 49 percent to 40 percent. He leads former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul by double digits.
Adding Gov. Bob McDonnell to the ticket does little to help Romney here. In a hypothetical Obama-Biden/RomneyMcDonnell match-up, Democrats win 50 percent to 43 percent.
Brief by the Richmond Times-Dispatch
A judge has sent a cast member of the “Harry Potter” films to prison for taking part in rioting that flared across England last summer.
Judge Simon Carr sentenced Jamie Waylett, who played Hogwarts bully Vincent Crabbe in six of the films, to two years in jail.
Prosecutors said Waylett was part of a small gang that took part in the riots in north London on Aug. 8.
A jury at London's Wood Green Crown Court found Waylett guilty Tuesday of violent disorder, but acquitted him of another charge of intending to destroy or damage property with a fire bomb he was holding.
The 22-year-old had already admitted handling a bottle of stolen Champagne from a supermarket during the riots. Waylett has a previous conviction for growing marijuana.
Brief by the Associated Press
A strong, long 7.6-magnitude earthquake with an epicenter in Guerrero state today, followed by an aftershock that shook central southernMexico, swayed buildings in Mexico City and sent frightened workers and residents into the streets.
The U.S. Geological Survey set the intensity of the first quake at 7.6 and said the epicenter was 11 miles underground and was felt strongly in Oaxaca.Mexico's National Seismological Survey said the tremblor had an epicenter southwest of Ometepec in Guerrero state.
Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard's Twitter account said the water system and other “strategic services” were not experiencing problems.
But frightened workers and residents poured into the streets of the capital just minutes after noon local time.
President Felipe Calderon said there were no immediate reports of damage through his Twitter account. Telephone service was down in the city and throughout the area where the quake was felt.
The quake was felt in southern Oaxaca state next to the epicenter in Guerrero.
Brief by the Associated Press
Three online dating giants agreed to screen for sex offenders and take other safety steps after a woman was assaulted on a date, the California attorney general's office announced Tuesday.
Match.com, eHarmony and Spark Networks signed a joint statement of business principles intended to provide an example for the industry and help guard against sexual predators, identity theft and financial scams.
“Consumers should be able to use websites without the fear of being scammed or targeted,” Attorney General Kamala D. Harris said in a statement.
Among other things, the companies agreed Monday to check subscribers against national sex registries, supply members with online safety tips and provide a quick way to report abuses. Some of the companies already are using some of those practices.
The dating services also will provide the attorney general's office with reports of suspected criminal activity, she said.
The statement is nonbinding and carries no enforcement penalties, but it does publicly hold dating sites to account for their members' safety, said Lynda Gledhill, a spokeswoman for the attorney general's office.
Brief by the Associated Press
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On the cover: 817 W. Broad St., P.O. Box 842010 Richmond, VA 23284-2010
VCU head coach Shaka Smart will be returning for a fourth season after rejecting an offer from the University of Illinois on Wednesday.
Photo by Chris Conway
Ten people were arrested for DUI at the first VCU Police on-campus checkpoint of the semester.
The checkpoint was held at the 700 block of West Main Street between 10:30 p.m. and 2:45 a.m last Saturday night. It coincided with St. Patrick’s Day and the scheduled NCAA Tournament game for the VCU men’s basketball team.
More than 670 vehicles were stopped, and a total of 42 summonses were written.
“We’re just trying to make sure everyone is compliant when they’re coming through VCU,” said Chris Preuss, interim assistant chief for VCU Police. “And (we’re) always trying to advertise that if
you’re trying to do anything illegal, be it drink and drive or commit larceny, VCU is a bad place to do it.”
Preuss said more DUI arrests were made at this checkpoint than usual because of planned St. Patrick’s Day festivities, like Shamrock the Block in Shockoe Bottom.
It was the fourth checkpoint VCU Police coordinated this school year with the Richmond Police Department, State Police and Alcohol Beverage Control; the previous three were held last fall.
This marks the first on-campus DUI checkpoint since the death of VCU student Carolina Perez in a drunken driving accident.
Varinder “Vick” Chahal, the accused driver of the car that hit the car Perez was riding in, is charged with felony manslaughter, driving under the influ-
ence, and refusal to submit to breath or blood alcohol tests.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday March 22.
The number of checkpoints held each year depends on how much funding the VCU Police receive through a DMV grant program. New funding won’t be awarded until October 2012, Preuss said.
As a condition of receiving a grant, the DMV requires that an announcement is made before a checkpoint occurs. The police do not have to say where the checkpoint will be, but do have to publicize that it will happen, Preuss said.
There is no set date for the next DUI checkpoint on campus, but Preuss said there will be more checkpoints this semester if the department can afford to
host them.
“As long as there’s money, we’re going to use every dime of it that we can to patrol for DUIs and do the checkpoints,” Preuss said.
Some of the grant money is also used to pay patrol officers overtime throughout the year to work between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. to do what Preuss calls saturated patrols during peak hours for DUI arrests.
Saturated patrols were not used on St. Patrick’s Day. No other DUI arrests were made by VCU patrol officers that night.
To date, VCU Police have arrested 90 people for drinking and driving this school year. Five of the arrests at the DUI checkpoint last Saturday were made by the state police. CT
Tempers flared at a panel discussion hosted by VCU Tuesday night concerning religious exemptions in the health plans of certain institutions for providing contraceptives.
These exemptions are a part of a four-part test established by a federal mandate that would require Catholic hospitals, universities and social service agencies to provide free insurance coverage for contraceptives.
In order to be exempt, a group’s primary objective must be the “inculcation of religious values.” It must also hire and serve people who primarily share the same religious tenets. Churches are also exempt.
Hospitals and other groups run by Catholic organizations are not exempt. Many states do require Catholic hospitals and other institutions to provide coverage for contraceptives, but Virginia is not one of those states.
“It is clear from the outset that Jesus and his disciples would not have met this test,” said panelist Jeffrey Caruso,
executive director of the Catholic Conference.
During a Q-and-A session a man from the audience responded to Caruso’s comment by saying that religion has no place in health policy.
“I don’t think Jesus and his disciples are the best group to make that decision since they are all men,” he said.
Delegate Jennifer L. McClellan, D-Richmond and Planned Parenthood lobbyist Karen Rascheke, argued that the Obama administration reached the correct balance between freedom of religion and women’s rights in the exemptions.
Caruso and William Hurd, adjunct professor at the George Mason University law school, made the point that the exemptions impeded freedom of religion and had a narrow definition of what qualified as a religious institution with the right to not cover contraceptives.
Hurd said that the federal government was overstepping its boundaries.
“The government is not making sure that woman have the right to use contraceptives,” he said. “Instead the
interest is providing free contraceptives. ... It may be an important objective, but it is not a compelling enough to justify violating religious liberty.”
Caruso asserted that the mandate encroached on the Catholic exercise of religious freedom. “It is intrusive because it seeks to define what constitutes a religious ministry and who is religious enough. ... It’s coercive; it forces people to act against their faith and the church to act against church teachings,” he said.
He also went on to say that the financial burden of birth control, which he claimed was an average of $9 a month, was not significant.
Many women in the audience began to raise objections and cited much higher figures.
Sarah Ahmed, an international studies and political science major at VCU, said that the birth control she took for medical reasons is a financial burden for her every month.
“I’m in college, so that’s food” she said. “I don’t think faith-based institutions should have a problem with (contraceptive coverage) because they serve people of all faiths."
McClellan said that Catholic institutions were not considering the fact that many women use contraceptives for health reasons in their focus on conception.
“What gets lost in the debate is that birth control pills and sterilization procedures are not only used to prevent pregnancy. They are also used to treat women’s health issues,” she said.
The discussion’s last remarks were made by Diane Hamilton, a selfdescribed Catholic and small business owner. She was unhappy with the mandate’s exemptions because she felt that they would contradict her religious beliefs by not allowing her to deny her employees coverage of contraceptives.
Hamilton said that she would be upfront about an employee’s health benefits package before he or she were hired. She and her husband are also investigating the alternative to not offer insurance at all.
She also asserts that her desire to not cover contraceptives would not impede an employee’s access to them: “There are multiple clinics where there is access; that is not an issue.” CT
VCU student Rachel Heeschen regularly attends Zumba classes at the Cary Street Gym, but arrives 30 minutes prior to the beginning of class.
Heeschen said Zumba is her favorite class to attend, but in the past she has been too late to get a spot in the group exercise class.
Between the MCV Campus Recreation and Aquatic Center and the Cary Street Gym, nearly 17,000 people attended group exercise classes last semester, and more than 8,600 people have gone to group classes since this semester started.
Group exercise classes are one of the top activities for gym goers and, due to their striking popularity, can sometimes be difficult to get into.
Zumba, yoga and spinning classes all regularly have full classes and often turn away students who wish to participate.
Gym goers who wish to be in a class must obtain a wristband ticket at the entry kiosk of the gym in order to reserve a spot in the classes.
For example, there are only 23 bikes available in most spinning classes, so the class must be capped at 23 participants.
Since its opening two years ago, the Cary Street Gym has improved the group exercise class schedule, including doubling the number of classes and instructors.
Due to the high demand of group classes, the gym is currently trying to add even more to the schedule and increase the number of instructors.
The gym tries to keep at least 70 classes on its weekly schedule in order to accommodate students' schedules.
On average, there are 22 group exercise classes offered daily Monday through Friday, which is less than last semester’s average.
Last school year there were more classes and instructors on the schedule, said fitness programs assistant Jacob Kain.
Many instructors have left the gym, either because they have graduated or moved on to other jobs, there are still many spots to fill.
Kain said the problem is having enough instructors and filling the times when the gym knows more people are going to visit.
“(If) we need a time for a certain class then we're going to fill it; we need a common class that people can get used to,” he said. “We love having a lot of patrons come to our classes, but it's about picking the right time for (them).”
Spinning instructor Devin Shunk said he believes that the problem isn't with the scheduling of the group exercise classes, but with the amount of people that can attend them.
“Space matters when you go to school with 32,000 plus other people,” he said. CT
Thursday, March 15
Alcohol violation At the corner of West Broad and North Monroe streets – A male visitor was arrested for possession of an open container of alcohol.
Disorderly conduct At the corner of North Belvidere and West Broad streets – A male visitor was arrested for unlawful entry into the street for solicitation purposes.
Disorderly conduct At the corner of North Belvidere and West Marshall streets – A male visitor was arrested for unlawful entry into the highway.
Disorderly conduct At the corner of North Belvidere and West Broad streets – A male visitor was arrested for unlawful entry into the highway.
Disorderly conduct Hess Gas Station, 535 W. Broad St. – A male visitor was arrested for attempting to elude a police officer.
Friday, March 16
Assault offense At the corner of South Cherry Street and West Cumberland Avenue – A male visitor and female visitor were arrested for simple assault.
Disorderly conduct At the corner of North Belvidere and West Leigh streets – A male visitor was arrested for unlawful entry into the highway.
Trespassing Barnes and Noble, 1111 W. Broad St. – A male visitor was arrested for trespassing.
Weapons violation/disorderly conduct/fraud offense New York Fried Chicken, 501 W. Broad St. – A male visitor was arrested for possession of a concealed weapon, resisting arrest and providing false information to law enforcement.
Saturday, March 17
Alcohol violation 700 block of West Main Street – A female visitor was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and refusal of the breath test.
Disorderly conduct At the corner of West Leigh and North Belvidere Streets- A male visitor was arrested for unlawful entry into the street for solicitation purposes.
Disorderly conduct At the corner of Smith and West Leigh streets – A male visitor was arrested for soliciting from a center median.
Petit larceny School of Engineering, 601 W. Main St. – A male student advised that an unknown person(s) removed an item from a secured location.
Sunday, March 18
Alcohol violation 700 block of West Main Street – A male visitor was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Disorderly conduct/assault offense 7-Eleven, 1003 W. Grace St. – A male visitor was arrested for disorderly conduct and simple assault.
Monday, March 19
Motor vehicle theft (Moped) 901 N. Lombardy St. – A male victim advised that an unknown person stole his moped.
Compiled from VCU Police reports
In this section:
Smart's loyalty shining in college-basketball world • 7 Women's basketball reaches third round of WNIT • 8 Baseball falls to cross-town rival Richmond • 9
Jim Swing Sports Editor
VCU men’s basketball head coach
Shaka Smart took his name off the coaching carousel Wednesday afternoon by announcing he will remain with the Rams.
The announcement put an end to any speculation that he might be the next coach at Illinois after Illini athletic director Mike Thomas reportedly showed interest in the 34-year-old head coach.
Illinois offered Smart as much as over $2 million per season, according to CBSSports.com’s Gary Parrish.
“Coach Smart recognizes – as do the rest of the university community, alumni and fans – that VCU is the place to be right now,” said VCU President Michael Rao in a statement released by the university. “He continues to demonstrate his commitment to VCU and its pursuit of excellence athletically and academically.
“Under his leadership, the success of
the VCU basketball program and our scholar athletes raises the bar for national research universities and intercollegiate athletics.”
After serving assistant coaching gigs at Akron, Clemson and Florida, Smart hopped on board at VCU in 2009 following the departure of Anthony Grant, who left the school to pursue a headcoaching job at Alabama.
One year after leading VCU to its first-ever Final Four run and receiving interest from high-major schools such as N.C. State and Maryland in 2011, Smart decided to stay put once again. Smart led one of the youngest teams in the country to the Rams’ third Colonial Athletic Association championships in five years.
Smart said he is not pursuing any other coaching offers that might come his way.
“I am very grateful for the support and belief in the coaching staff and basketball program that comes from the very top of our university’s leadership – President Rao, athletic director
Norwood Teague and the VCU Board of Visitors – as well as our phenomenal fans,” Smart said. “There are great things to accomplish at VCU and I’m looking forward to building on the successes of our program and university.”
In his first three years at VCU, Smart has led the Rams to 84 wins, the second most of any head coach in his first three years in NCAA history. He boasts a 17-4 record in postseason play.
Smart immediately drew interest from Illinois after the firing of former head coach Bruce Weber back in early
March.
Following VCU’s historical run through the NCAA Tournament a year ago, Smart signed an eight-year contract that pays $1.2 million annually.
The university’s release said Smart has agreed in principle to some changes in his current contract, the details of which are being finalized.
“The agreement reflects Coach Smart’s continued focus on his players, coaches, the men’s basketball program and its contributions to a great university,” Teague said. CT
Coach Smart recognizes – as do the rest of the university community, alumni and fans – that VCU is the place to be right now
”Top left: Shaka Smart consoles Rob Brandenberg after VCU's NCAA Tournament loss to Indiana. Top right: Snart has won 84 games in first three years as head coach of VCU. Bottom right: VCU sold out a school and conference record 18-straight games. Photos by Chris Conway
For the second straight year, Shaka Smart has turned down a multi-million dollar per year offer from a BCS conference school to remain head coach at VCU, proving once again that his current position is much more than just a stepping stone.
to a new eight-year deal valued at $1.2 million in base salary, an almost unheard of amount for a mid-major job, but still less than half of what he could have made elsewhere.
The soon-to-be 35-year-old, who just completed his third season with the program, was offered a contract from the University of Illinois at a value of at least $2.5 million per year in base salary according to USA Today. Just a year ago, he was made a similar offer for the headcoaching vacancy at North Carolina State, but again turned it down to stay with the Rams. In turn, VCU athletic director Norwood Teague signed Smart
By staying with VCU, Smart is offering a refreshing new approach to the way young, ambitious college coaches can advance their careers without turning their backs on the programs they worked so hard to build. In today’s culture of college basketball, talented mid-major coaches like Smart are some of the most sought-after candidates for open positions, and often times they’re quick to leave, whether it’s for the money or out of fear that another opportunity might not come along.
Coaches are not in the wrong for pursuing the best for themselves, but in a profession where your first priority is supposed to be the student-athletes, there is a right and a wrong way to go about things. In Smart’s case, he wouldn’t have been in the wrong for taking the Illinois job, but by staying, he is making a statement that he cares about his players – and winning – more than money.
If he had accepted the job at Illinois, Smart would have been leaving behind his first-ever recruit in Darius Theus and a roster that includes 12 of 13 players returning from this year’s CAA championship team, eight of whom were members of the 2011 Final Four squad. In the past two years alone, Smart and the Rams have six NCAA Tournament victories while the Fighting Illini went 6-12 in Big Ten play this season and failed to make the tournament. Given the success he’s already had at VCU, and the promise that the future holds in Richmond, basketball-wise, it was the obvious choice over inheriting a rebuilding situation at Illinois.
If he had taken Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas’ offer, Smart also would have been a assuming a good deal of personal risk. If he were unable to turn things around quickly for the Illini, he would have been on a much shorter leash for getting fired, as former VCU head coach Jeff Capel saw when he eventually floundered at the University of Oklahoma. Capel is now an assistant at Duke.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect
of Smart’s decision to stay is the level of security he’s displaying in his own abilities, and the perspective he has over the situation. At just a few weeks under the age of 35, his coaching career is likely to span over the next couple of decades, giving him all the time in the world to advance to a more glamorous job. If VCU continues to have success, the offers are only going to get better for him. If the Rams continue to make NCAA Tournament runs, and in all likelihood even if they don’t, “Shaka Watch” could be an annual period at the end of the season for the VCU community, considering his status around the country has made him among the first names to be mentioned on any head-coaching vacancy.
That, however, is not necessarily a bad thing because it’s a reminder of the caliber of coach that he is, and it brings positive national attention to the program. Fans around the country have the opportunity to realize that VCU is a place the nation’s most touted young coach loves and truly wants to be. CT
The VCU women’s basketball team will compete in the third round of the WNIT for the second time in three seasons.
The Rams will visit Toledo Thursday night in the tournament’s “Sweet Sixteen” after knocking off Bowling Green and Saint Joseph’s in the first two rounds.
The team's success is mostly thanks to senior guard Andrea Barbour, who hit back-to-back game-winning buckets in wins over Bowling Green and St. Joseph’s.
Barbour hit a game-winning layup at the buzzer to give VCU a 72-71 win over the Falcons last Thursday in the first round. She followed up Sunday evening by scoring the game's final six points, including a layup with 0.7 seconds remaining in the Rams’ 67-65 overtime win over the Hawks in the second round.
Barbour and senior forward Courtney Hurt have combined for 105 of VCU’s 139 points in the tournament’s first two rounds.
Hurt’s double-double of 30 points and 17 rebounds against Bowling Green made her the school’s all-time leader with 56 double-doubles, passing former star Quanitra Hollingsworth on that list. She scored 49 points and pulled down 36 rebounds over the tournament's first two games.
The winner of VCU and Toledo will face the winner of Temple and Syracuse in the WNIT’s Elite Eight. CT
Women's basketball set to face Toledo in third round of WNITTop left: Junior guard Robyn Hobson averages 3.9 points per game for VCU. Top right: Freshman forward Aprill McRae has been a force in the paint for VCU, averaging five points per game and 4.5 rebounds. Bottom: Sophomore guard Robyn Parks averages 6.7 points per game for the Rams.
The VCU (11-10) baseball team lost 7-1 at the University of Richmond (13-6) on Wednesday afternoon, the Rams’ fourth straight loss since opening the season winning 10 of its first 16 games.
The Spiders broke the game open with a five-run fifth inning, highlighted by a Chris Cowell three-run home run off VCU pitcher Michael Graham, who worked one inning of relief. The Rams used six pitchers in the contest, with none going for more than two innings.
Richmond received an excellent start from Andrew Blum (3-0), who allowed just one run and struck out seven in seven innings of work. He also held the Rams to three hits and walked two, taking an efficient 94 pitches to do so.
VCU is now 2-8 on the road this season but 9-2 at home. The Rams have opened conference play losing four of their first six games and will return home for a three-game weekend set with UNC Wilmington beginning on Friday. CT
In this section:
Third annual Flamenco Festival to be the third of its kind • 12
Album review: The Shins, “Port of Morrow” • 12
There is nothing more frustrating than paying a decent amount of money to see a band play live only so you can listen to the crowd talk over the musician and hecklers crack jokes between songs.
Luckily, there is now a solution to this problem; it’s an event called The Listening Room, held by Jonathan Vassar with the help of a few other passionate local musicians on the third Tuesday of every month at the Firehouse Theatre Project on West Broad Street.
According to Rob Jefferson, a cofounder of the event, the whole concept of The Listening Room is to create a
place that “while performers are performing, there is no talking.”
Many musicians in Richmond, he said end up playing in bars which “aren’t great for singer/songwriters because they don’t get heard.”
Started in collaboration with The Richmond Scene, The Listening Room was created so that musicians that make music not built for a bar could share their music with people. Starting in late 2009, the event has grown from being held in the basement of a church to now being held at the Firehouse Theatre, with a typical crowd of about one hundred people.
Listening Rooms are free to attend, and free baked goods and coffee are provided at every show.
With a wide variety in the audience at The Listening Room, the type of music generally caters to an array of people. Jonathan Vassar, co-founder of The Listening Room, said the series has included “pretty much all types of indie music – we’ve even had jazz installments. Any music where the performers want people to listen to what they’re doing, which is most types of music.”
The Listening Room held this past Tuesday, featured a group singer-songwriter sets with a country influence, including Eric Hunter soloing on acoustic guitar, The Dimmer Twins and James West and The Vendors.
The Dimmer Twins, a country duo, played the acoustic guitar and steel lap guitar. At one point, the lead singer had the audience join in with humming so
his wife at home could hear the song as well.
The Vendors, a full four-part band of roommates, played tragic folk songs while sipping on Pabst Blue Ribbon.
“I like folk music, and they play primarily folk music,” Helen Stoddard, a VCU sophomore photography major, said. “I like local things and local music.
Amin Chaoui, a junior English major, added that the series has helped “build good relationships with people” in the music-making and music-enjoying community. CT
The Listening Room takes place once a month at the Firehouse Theatre. The next event is on April 3 at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.
"...The Listening Room was created so that musicians that make music not built for a bar could share their music with people."Bands performing at The Listening Room played to a completely silent audience so the music could be clearly heard.
The cultural diversity at VCU is apparent no matter where you may be on campus, but this Friday through Sunday, students and Richmonders alike will get to experience a little bit of Spanish culture at the VCU Flamenco Festival III.
Festival co-organizer and VCU Music alumni Leah Kruszewski described flamenco – the Spanish art of cante (singing), baile (dance) and guitar – as “colorful, passionate dancing with intense footwork and a stoic demeanor; passionate, harsh and emotive singing, and fiery and intricate guitar accompaniment.”
Along with Kruszewski, assistant chairperson and coordinator of the guitar program professor John Patykula is responsible for the organization of VCU Flamenco III. The event is going on its third year in Richmond.
“The first two festivals were very popular with the VCU community and the Richmond community,” said Patykula, who is not only a teacher to guitar majors, but is also an internationally known guitarist himself.
VCU Flamenco Festival is a threeday event, with performances by wellknown flamenco guitarists, dancers and singers. Each performance will take place in Vlahcevic Concert Hall in the W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts with the first two events, Flamenco Complete and Flamenco Fiesta,
happening at 7:30 p.m. Sunday’s concert, Flamenco Finale, will remain at the Singleton Center but will instead happen at 4 p.m. and will feature Kruszewski’s band Sueños Gitanos, as well as Flamenco de Sur, another Richmondbased ensemble.
Kruszewski said that the performances on Sunday will combine flamenco ideas and traditions with jazz and Latin influences, which will give audiences “a more modern take” on the influence of other genres on contemporary flamenco music.
The Friday and Saturday evening concerts of the Flamenco Festival will contain all three elements of flamenco and capture the essence of “flamenco puro” (pure, authentic flamenco).
Friday’s event will include a collaborative performance by guitarist Marija Temo and dancer Ulrika Frank which will showcase as classical and contemporary styles in guitar and flamenco dancing. On Saturday, guitarist Miguelito is scheduled to perform. Very popular in the flamenco scene in D.C., Miguelito is coming to perform at the festival again after the crowd-pleasing performance he gave at last year’s festival. Prior to his show, Miguelito will give a free flamenco-guitar master class on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the James W. Black Music Center Recital Hall. CT
For tickets and additional information, email musictix@vcu.edu or call the VCU Department of Music Box at (804) 828-6776.
Sarah Homet Contributing Writer
For fans that fell in love with The Shins long before they serenaded us from Natalie Portman’s headphones in 2004‘s “Garden State,” and for those that are relatively new to their music, the band’s fourth studio album, “Port of Morrow,” has been eagerly anticipated.
In a major shift, lead singer James Mercer is the only original member to return after a five-year hiatus. However, fans expecting the distinct sound that is The Shins, despite time and reconstruction, are not disappointed.
There is something to be said of Mercer proving himself timeless and the strong defining piece of The Shins’ sound.
“Port of Morrow” boasts a more technology-laced pop sound, with simpler, less-introspective lyrics than their former works. The ’60s nostalgia that defines the music meets modern pop in this twist of nostalgic indie pop that opens up to a larger audience.
The new sound seems to unite new and old fans, bringing together the past and the future to where The Shins currently stand – at the “Port of Morrow” At 41, Mercer still looks into different musical horizons to expand. No matter the mixed reactions, this album is quality, and most are glad to welcome the band back to the indie pop scene.
Good music evolves with the times and the artist, though this does not always equate to musical growth in every aspect. This album boasts lyrics that are simplistic and straightforward, delivered in a sharp and clean way.
This heavily produced sound has a collaboration with Greg Kurstin, who has worked with pop artists such as
Ke$ha in an attempt to revitalize the sound. Understandably, this change falls to mixed review. It is up to fans to decide if this revitalization is a change are for the better. The Shins’ distinctive stripped-down sound, introspective and metaphorical lyrics and unique harmonies seem to have disappeared, where biting lyrics were the sharp and clean force that carried the band.
One notable track, “Bait and Switch,” seems to be a good weather anthem that is a great listening companion to the recent March sunshine. With the albums resoundingly hopeful message about the ups and downs of life, “Simple Song” talks of perservering through the pains of past love, but is not as hopeful as “It’s Only Life,” where Mercer urges that, “It doesn’t have to be so dark and lonesome.”
Unfortunately, though the album opens up with some very strong tracks, it seems to lag near the middle with repetitive ballads that leave a lot to be desired, such as “For A Fool,” with such simplistic lyrics that are a far cry from the intricate metaphors that were Mercer’s trademark in previous albums. With a great musician with such a distinct sound, a complete disappointment is simply not possible with Mercer. His risks to produce new distinctive music is to be admired. The album is definitely worth blasting through speakers, for the new, the old and the critical fans alike. With the contrast between every song in the album, rather than indie pop’s trend as of late to tell a story or stick with a concept throughout, something in the shuffle is sure to speak to everyone. Mercer shows no sign of stopping as his life evolves, and his music with it. CT
In this section:
In the future, will your Wi-Fi hotspot be a homeless person?
A presentation at this year’s South by Southwest technology conference stirred controversy when BBH marketing agency unveiled an experimental innovation that used homeless people as wireless Wi-Fi transmitters.
That’s right: In exchange for a charitable donation, a homeless person would provide customers with access to a Wi-Fi hotspot that they’re carrying.
Innovations like this show us how our Internet-addicted society has embarked upon a morally ambiguous and ethically uncharted path. Although the focal question in the matter regards whether it is right or wrong to degrade a human being into such a position, a
closer examination begs us to consider the matter holistically and objectively.
Moral outrage clouds the issue. In a struggling economy that encourages frugality, a person might be more inclined to donate money to a homeless person in return for a service, rather than a warm feeling in their heart. What could it hurt to explore this enterprise, other than one’s pride?
Furthermore, such transactions would spur interactions between the public and the homeless. This allows for an opportunity to build a dialogue, both on a personal and societal level.
The combination of our urban environment and structured routine might have us frequenting particular spots devoid of Internet access. Should a “homeless hotspot” become available there, the continual interaction would steadily correct stereotypes and lead to a more favorable view of the average
homeless person by the public. We should make the best of a bad situation. As degrading as such a service might initially sound, it could very well be life-altering when put into practice. At the least, homeless people are being provided with an opportunity to positively interact with the public, provide a valuable service and utilize the Internet, should they be provided with a device for accessing it.
If nothing else, this marketing experiment reignites an opportunity for us to make a concrete and concerted effort to cut the epidemic of homelessness that pervades our country. The potential backlash from a marketing campaign that would turn homeless people into Internet access portals might be the motivation needed to shift paradigms and get people to really have a heart for the homeless.
The possibility of Wi-Fi-ing the
homeless is both utterly exploitative and utterly transformative. The manner in which it ends up being is entirely dependent upon how we, as a society, respond.
We can collectively accept the concept as a positive opportunity for homeless people to integrate themselves into everyday society, or we can collectively shudder at the notion of degrading human beings to human equivalent of a router.
At the end of the day, my opinion and the vast majority of opinions might matter least. In this ethical venture, the opinions of those that are directly and truly affected will be largely unheard.
How many of us will stop and discuss issues of utilitarianism and personhood with a homeless person? How many of us will actually care enough to be moved to action? CT
“Homeless hotspots” create ambiguity · 14 Is our state government becoming corrupt? · 15
Our state government’s voting record is rather suspect.
A recent study called the State Integrity Investigation found that Virginia’s government is “highly vulnerable to corruption,” based on a failing grade in state government integrity. The Richmond TimesDispatch reported that Virginia failed in nine of the 14 categories, such as public access to information, political financing, lobbying disclosure and ethics enforcement agencies.
This may not come as much as a surprise to those that have been keeping a watch on the actions of the General Assembly over the past few weeks. In particular, a few controversial voting bills have received special attention from national media.
As of last Thursday, a petition with 6,000 signatures to veto the voting bills was delivered to Gov. Bob McDonnell. The voter ID bill states that all voters must have a valid ID when they vote. If they don’t have an ID, they must cast a provisional ballot and provide
identification within six days for their vote to count. Previously voters were allowed to vote without an ID as long as they signed a sworn statement.
The second bill up for debate restricts who can be in the room when provisional ballots are counted, including the media. Under the bill only authorized representatives would be able to observe the count.
Opponents to these bills suggest that they’d only be implemented in order to prevent minorities from voting, which may not sound so outlandish after Virginia’s poor integrity rating. Unfortunately many citizens are reluctant to vote and view it as a hassle. If these bills were signed into law, the numbers at the polls would only decrease.
Why now? Why are things getting switched up after Virginia has had the same policy for the last decade?
The answer to that may be the high stakes presidential election in November, which Republicans couldn’t bear to lose. It’s hard to deny that many minorities vote Democratic, meaning that if the bills were signed, massive numbers of Democratic voters would be
disenfranchised, and Obama and other Democrats would lose countless votes.
Although the bill’s creators may have viewed the six days to provide identification as a grace period, it’s nothing of the sort. If minorities, the poor and the elderly are the most likely to not have ID, is it very likely that they’ll have the transportation or technology to turn in proper identification?
If the true intent of the bill is to prevent voter fraud and have secure elections, the only shady aspect is it’s timing. The presidential election in November may be one of the most crucial to Americans. If the Republicans do truly have good intentions with their proposed bill, it shouldn’t be implemented months before a major election. Instead, a law like this should go into effect well before an election.
The bill’s supporters make it seems as if Virginia has had fraudulent elections constantly for the past decade. But that’s not true and there’s no proof of that.
Let’s keep our politicians honest and make sure they deal with the issues that matter. CT
Opinions expressed are those of individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Commonwealth Times or Virginia Commonwealth University. Unsigned editorials represent the institutional opinion of The CT.
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