Ink Magazine; Vol. 1.1 by VCU Student Media Center

Vol. 1 No. 1

formerly The Vine Magazine

ink COMMENTARY + PEOPLE + ENTERTAINMENT + CAMPUS + FASHION + POLITICS + ADVICE + HUMOR + FOODREVIEW + EVENTS + NEWS + CALENDAR

welcome to

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Erica Jordan

Kimberly Barnes Copy Editor barneskl2@vcu.edu

Greetings! Welcome to the first issue of Ink Magazine. We hope you enjoy reading our publication as much as we enjoyed creating it. This publication was formed out of the ashes of a publication called “Reflections in Ink” as well as the our current magazine “The Vine,” with a little help from some staffers from a shortlived publication known as “Monument Ink.” Our concept is to try to be a magazine accessible to everyone, while still retaining the alternative feel that this publication has had since its inception 35years ago while it still held the “Reflections” name. We hope to draw on our roots and will continuing to celebrate what perhaps is VCU’s most alluring quality: it’s diversity in every aspect. Between preditory middle-aged woman, pointers for aspiring male strippers, tear gassings at the RNC and your run-of-the-mill VCU scandals, we hope to be an exciting and informative read.

Curtis Cobert

Isabel Reyes

Eric Hill

Staff Writer reyesi@vcu.edu

Staff Writer hillet2@vcu.edu

Copy Editor @vcu.edu

Amanda Pittman Staff Writer ilovepoadots@earthlink.net

Danica Priest Staff Writer priestdm@vcu.edu

Misha Adams Staff Writer adamsmm@vcu.edu

Audrey Walls Frances Correa

Leilani Littlefield Whitney Stevens Alexandra Rosero Brittany Williams Dena Spruill

Staff Writer ejothelady@yahoo.com

Staff Writer awalls@vcu.edu

Pippa Curran

Senior Reporter correafm@vcu.edu

Staff Writer curranpe@vcu.edu

Heather Gioia

Hermelinda Cortes

Staff Writer gioiahm@vcu.edu

Staff Writer hermelindacortes@gmail.com

Hailey Stuart Staff Writer stuarthk@vcu.edu

Zack Budryk

Fashion Assistants

Christina Dick

Columnist budrykzp@vcu.edu

Jake Cunningham

Columnist dickcm@vcu.edu

Godsgrace Tetteyfio

Staff Photographer jakemayday@gmail.com

Fashion Editor tetteyﬁoge@vcu.edu

Kathryn Glushefski

Sara D’Eugenio Managing Editor & Art Editor deugeniosm@vcu.edu

Staff Photogapher & Public Relations Director kglushefski@vcu.edu

MATT SCHMIDT

Eric Koucheravy

Rich Griset Executive Editor vcuink@gmail.com

MARY FRANKE

Illustrator koucheravyew@vcu.edu

Illustrator schmidtmf@vcu.edu

Production Manager mffranke@vcu.edu

So put down your homework, make your favorite beverage of choice and curl up with what we hope will be a spunky, colorful, humorous and insightful read. Puppy dogs and ice cream,

Rich Griset

Executive Editor

The revolution will not be televised

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p. 4 – Ask Christina: Watch the train wreck unfold as Christina fields your queries. p. 4 – Welcome to the Frugal Life: How to save a few extra bucks when you’re on a tight budget. p. 5 – 12 Easy Steps to Becoming a Better Male Stripper: Ladies man Roberto Curtis gives us the skinny on shaking it for the females. p. 6 – Bonnaroo & MJ Too: Remember those four drugfueled days you spent in a field in Tennessee? Neither do we. p. 8 – The Zack Budryk Files: Rape/Cannibalism + Mickey Mouse = Box Office Gold! p.10 – Meeks’ Rising Empire: A VCU student launches his own dank clothing line.

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p. 12 – Winter Holidays: From Christmas to Festivus, there’s something here for the rest of us. p. 12 – The Frugal Gift-Giving Guide: Sorry kids, Santa’s going wholesale this year. p. 13 – Election Day Coverage: We let our liberal bias swing as freely as our staff. p. 16 – Volunteering for the Campaign: News ﬂash! VCU students are not as apathetic as we thought! p. 17 – Blowing Smoke: A look at one of the few scandals VCU has become known for. p. 19 – Is It Safe?: The health code violations for VCU-area restaurants. Warning: You may ﬁnd yourself eating at home more often.

p. 24 – In the Cougar’s Clutch: This report on a growing trend may have some VCU males hitting up their local Cougar Den. p. 25 – VCU’s Fifth Heir: The Search for President Trani’s successor. p. 26 – Books for Uganda: Invisible Children’s book drive. p. 27 – The Clash: Our Inker got tear gassed at the RNC to bring us this photo essay. p. 31 – The Making of Frankzig: Richmond’s metal and ﬂamenco guitar god. p. 32 – Inked Artists: Ink’s favorite artists. p. 33 – Screw You: I’m a VCU Student – From RA liquor runs to busted sidewalks, we’ve got you covered.

12/5/08 3:29:03 AM

ASK CHRISTINA Q: I’m really interested in a guy in my statistics class, but he doesn’t even seem to notice me. What should I do to get his attention? C: Does he wear skinny pants? If so, write a vague “Missed Connection” on Craigslist for him. If not, proceed to ask him for his phone number so you can have text with him. Q: I feel like I need a car to get around campus these days, but parking is a bitch. What do you think I should do? C: I usually recruit an innocent looking boy to valet my car to the nearest deck and if he’s lucky I give him my phone number afterwards. If not, I call it in as stolen so the police can bring it to me when I’m ready to leave. Q: I think my boyfriend might be cheating on me, but I’m not sure. How do I ﬁnd out for certain if my man is playin’? Matt Schmidt illustration

C: Your ride-or-die bitches will blow the lid off that sh*t.

Q: I’ve been a bridesmaid in three weddings this year already. Will I ever get engaged? C: Probably not. Which bride made you wear the ugliest dress? Crash that one’s honeymoon, aim for the husband, if he’s not down, pick up a cabana boy at the resort. Q: I want to spruce up my apartment, but I don’t have much money. Any thoughts?

Q: Why is my roommate acting like such a bitch? She acts like she’s all perfect and gives me crap about my laundry on the ﬂoor. What do I do about it?

· Need advice? Submit your questions for Christina at ink.askchristina@gmail.com ·

Tips for living the frugal life FRANCES CORREA Senior Reporter

Daniel Johnson posted his CD collection on Craigslist to get money for a new computer. His roommates save their beer cans to sell back to the recycling plant. Selling belongings for extra cash is common among college students. Although effective, experts suggest other penny-pinching tips for students. The most common tip is to make a budget. While all expenses are increasing, “you can’t really afford to slump on any of them,” said Kelci Lynn, writer for About.com’s Guide to College Life. Use the budget to see how much you can spend and save, and where you can afford to cut back, said Lynn. “Those four-dollar smoothies can really add up,” said Lynn. “Make sure you are living within your means.” When it comes to more expensive items that are needed, Lynn advises that used items are often a cheaper yet suitable solution. As far as books, Lynn refers to the option of borrowing them from the library or renting them from sites

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like www.bookswim.com that apply a Netﬂix-style approach to books. Jeremy Vohwinkle, retirement planning specialist at Diversiﬁed Investment Advisors, warns against frequent shopping “Try not to keep up with the Jones’,” said Vohwinkle. Some students avoid the temptation altogether. “I don’t go to the mall because I don’t want to spend money,” said Emily Mazich, political science major at Virginia Commonwealth University. Lynn offers an option: “If you budget out the money you can spend on yourself, you don’t always have to say no.” The importance of saving is another common concern. Leona Tam, assistant professor of marketing at Old Dominion University, said students should begin saving what they can now. Tam warns that people tend to be “overoptimistic about what will happen in the future.” Vohwinkle and Lynn both said that another thing that can really affect your future is a credit card. Both

agree that they should be avoided. While owning a credit card is good to build credit, ﬁnd one with a low limit and use it only for emergencies, said Vohwinkle. Companies tend to target the presumable ﬁnancially irresponsible student. Vohwinkle also suggested taking advantage of “what your university has to offer.” The events calendar on the VCU website features an array of free activities for students, some including food. Getting involved in clubs and sports around campus will leave less free time up to boredom. With the skyrocketing gas prices, students can save some money by taking

advantage of free transportation. This year, GHTC bus passes are available free to full- time students through the parking and transportation ofﬁce. The underground level of the University Student Commons also offers the ride board that connects student drivers for carpooling to local and long-distance destinations. In the midst of all the pressures and responsibilities of college life, ﬁnancial management can seem intimidating and overwhelming. Students should remember what Lynn said. “You got in because you’re smart, so be smart about your money.”

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isn’t going to get itself coordinated. You need to gyrate and body roll in front of every mirror and on every dance ﬂoor you can. If you’re not impressed with what you’re seeing, odds are your clientele won’t be either.

Burn the love handles – Don’t let the term

Make your mix – Once

Practice – What are friends

12 easy steps to becoming A

fool you. Get on the bike, stairs, treadmill or whatever you do to get that heart-rate up. A little spare tire is not going to help you get tips, no matter how much you look like Fabio from the neck up.

C: Bedazzle EVERYTHING. This might piss off your roommate, so replace her with a cat — it’ll be happy with all the shiny objects.

C: Ask her why she is fat. She is upset that her clothes are not as cute as yours and you should tell her that jealousy is a disease and to get well soon, bitch!

Move – Your money maker

Get ripped – While cardio

alone will make some guys more physically desirable, a lot of women will want some meat on that bone. Hit the gym and build those pectorals, triceps, biceps, traps, lats, abs and of course … the gluteus maximus.

Get groomed

– Some girls like scruff. But your bushy nether region isn’t going to look too sexy pouring out from behind your banana hammock. We’re not instituting a “scorched Earth” policy here but waxing is always a good option. Back, neck and butt hair are beyond frowned upon.

Scope out the scene

– Ladies are out in droves on Friday and Saturday nights. Be where they are. Talk to them. Find out how to make them smile. If you can keep them laughing, you’re ensuring better tips and recommendations. You can’t just give a dozen lap dances for an hour and expect to be able to hide behind your gstring. Editor’s note: Does not apply to lady dancers.

Get down with dance music – Metal,

punk, jazz, classical—they all have their value, but no birthday girl or bachelorette is going to get moist to Mozart. Listen to pop, hip-hop and funk. Listen to your local DJs.

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better male stripper

ROBERTO CURTIS Contributing Writer

So, you’ve been getting trashed and dry humping your best friends at their parties? The pictures are turning out okay and you’re getting more and more requests with each coming weekend? You actually have a few singles in your clothes the next morning and you don’t know how they got there? Follow our quick and easy guide to turn those laughs into passionate gasps and those Georgies into Benjies.

you have an idea of which Prince song should come between Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” and 50 Cent’s “In Da Club,” put them all together as seamlessly as possible. If you’re good with audio software, work your magic. Otherwise, have one of your friends mix the songs for you, eliminating fade-outs and awkward sections. Remember: your act should be as smooth as possible from start to ﬁnish.

for? Your routine may be practical in your head, but logistics can only be worked out in a real life setting. It may not be as easy as you think to whip off your belt and crack it Indiana Jones style.

Get out there

– Look through your phone book and see who hires male, exotic dancers. Go to clubs and see what their routines are like. If there are no male clubs in the area, private parties can be very lucrative. Can you say, “amateur night?”

Assume an identity

– Assume multiple identities! You’re fulﬁlling fantasies and as such, should be prepared to be that bad cop, construction worker, bookworm or just the stud in the slick suit. Pick a name that could instill a little fear but a hot thrill at the same time; Ofﬁcer Trask, Professor Rockwell, or Rico Jalisco.

Be professional

– Look nice, smell nice, be nice and you will get called back. Be prompt. Bring multiple business cards. Don’t do anything you don’t want to do. You’re in charge and you need to remind them of that. Always ask before you do anything full contact besides a lap dance. WATCH YOUR DRINKS. Jell-o shots vary in potency, so be careful. The Full Monty is never necessary but if tips are good and they’re begging for it, give them what they want.

Don’t sleep in the lion’s den – The last thing

you want to do is get wasted after your time is up and end up sleeping with the bachelorette. Waking up to an angry ﬁancé is never a good thing.

12/5/08 3:29:17 AM

CATHERINE LETH

Contributing Writer MANCHESTER, Tenn. – We arrived at Bonnaroo in the late evening, and, after a 15 hour journey, I was exhausted, sweaty and totally ready to spend the next four days of my life roughin it with 80,000 awesome people. After unpacking, taking a few photos, and indulging in some good ol Heineken, I was ready. The ﬁrst bands I saw were Vampire Weekend, Battles and MGMT – and yeah, I danced like an idiot. With the alcohol in my bloodstream, I was invincible to exhaustion and embarrassment and the night carried on. My posse and I wandered around for the rest of the night, returning to camp only when we needed to renew our buzz.

Bonnaroo & MJ too

We explored 400 acres of camping areas, a jungle of yarn (obviously a playground for people on acid), met lots of new people and eventually passed out. I don’t really remember what time it was when we ﬁnally went to sleep, but the sun was already coming up. The music continued to pump from the festival area, and we were only out for about four hours. That was the most sleep I got there. The sun, hippies, loud music and the irresistible charm of a good wake and bake session kept me up for the next three days with only an hour-or-two of sleep in between. Day two’s highlight bands were Tegan and Sara, M.I.A., Willie Nelson and Stephen Marley. Zach Galifanakis, one of my favorite comedians, took the stage over at the comedy tent as well. Waiting for his show to start is one of my favorite memories from Bonnaroo. A few friends and I relaxed in the grass listening to Rilo Kiley perform. We smoked a few joints and just laid there in the sun. It was straight-up magical. It was on this day that I discovered Bonnaroo’s most convenient attraction: a ridiculously large fountain that just spurts water into the air while everyone stands/sits/ dances/makes out underneath. Bonnaroo took place in the threshold of summertime, so having this was exactly what everyone needed. I think I even took a few

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Catherine Leth photos

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gulps at some point when the cottonmouth began to take hold … fucking gross, now that I think about it. I’d have to say the second night was my favorite. DJ Tiesto went on at 1:30 a.m. and a huge rave immediately ensued. I danced barefoot for four hours straight, glowsticks and all. It even started to rain, and no one cared. The jams didn’t stop until the sky was getting light again. Day three was just a blur of the same insanity. I saw Iron and Wine, B.B. King and Jack Johnson, just to name a few. This was also when Kanye West decided to reschedule his show to 2 a.m., and then perform two hours late. People stuck around, but the booing was immense. He put on a great show, but the morning sun began roasting us around 5 a.m. and that put a damper on the overall atmosphere. The next day everyone was wearing handmade “Fuck Kanye” t-shirts. It was pretty hilarious.

Death Cab for Cutie was the last band I saw, and it was the perfect closing. It was cooler on the fourth day, and I just laid in the grass and enjoyed the breeze, listening to Ben Gibbard’s voice. We spent the end of Bonnaroo coming down off of various illegal substances, ﬁnishing off the beer, and checking out all the vendors. It’s safe to say that if you go to Bonnaroo, you’ll come back with at least one awesome smoking device. I’ve never seen so many bowls, bongs and pipes in my entire life. It was awesome. Bonnaroo was awesome. I’d give the experience an A+. When the whole thing was over, no one wanted to go home. People are already counting the days until next June, and the internet world is abuzz with rumors of who will be on the lineup for 2009. And hey – even if it doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, give it a go(oogle), because it’s really amazing.

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zach budryk files

Sometim think I c es I just don’t an lift it .

Are Disney movies rooted in folklore? ZACK BUDRYK + ERIC KOUCHERAVY Columnist + Illustrator

Disney’s animated films seem to be the ideal way to entertain your child when you don’t feel like it. They have simple stories, they’re appropriate for kids, and they move fast. But in accordance with the law of conservation of mass, you can’t make something from nothing, and so a lot of Disney flicks borrowed their plots and titles from folklore and fairy tales. I say ‘borrowed’ because there’s a LOT of stuff in Disney’s source material that wouldn’t wash. More specifically, there’s a lot of stuff of the kind that is usually found in shoeboxes under a serial killer’s bed. With that in mind, I present some classic animated Disney films, and the freakish fat that had to be trimmed.

The Little Mermaid Disney’s take: Little mermaid of the title falls in love with human prince, and, proving littleness doesn’t equal ignorance of the birds and the bees, makes a Faustian bargain with an evil sea-witch for more compatible anatomy in exchange for her voice. Said witch defeats the whole purpose of the deal by showing up and using the voice to seduce the prince. Mermaid gets her voice back and marries the prince, which according to some sources gives the minister a boner. The original: The original was written by Hans Christian Andersen, who fans will know is kind of the Eugene O’Neill of fairy tales in terms of how much Zoloft one requires after reading his stuff. Andersen’s story lines up pretty closely, except in this case the mermaid will die if she doesn’t get the prince to fall in love with her. Since he’s a fairy-tale love interest, the prince stays with her for a while before falling in love with a different woman, who he can sleep AND have meaningless post-coital small talk with. The mermaid is now given the choice of dying and ending up in limbo or murdering the prince. Despite his lack of concern over abandoning the woman who loves him, our heroine decides to spare him, and subsequently dies and ascends to heaven instead. Um, yay? Disney’s whitewashing and unfaithfulness may get grating occasionally, but we must give them credit for concluding that the protagonist getting to go to the afterlife is not a happy enough ending.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame Disney’s take: Quasimodo is a horribly deformed bellringer who is raised in the French cathedral by the evil clergyman who, unbeknownst to him, murdered his biological mother. When Quasimodo deﬁes his surrogate father and leaves the cathedral,

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p ng u good. u h y He’s e prett ther

in amends the curse so that the princess will only sleep until her true love kisses her. Needless to say, all this happens. Yay.

le Mermaid. t it L l a u t c a e h t d I decided to rea he meets Esmerelda, a beautiful gypsy who stands up for him when he’s mobbed by the crowd. With the assistance of her soldier lover and Paris’ gypsy community, Quasimodo discovers his own self-worth and helps save the city from his genocidal maniac/foster father. The original: Victor Hugo’s novel ranks somewhere between “Lolita” and “A Rose for Emily” on the list of literature most ill-suited for Disney adaptations, but Disney still decided to give it a try; the result is probably the darkest animated film Disney has ever done, what with the villain’s big musical number about wanting to rape Esmerelda and all, but the original book still makes it look like, well, a Disney movie. The villain, Frollo, isn’t as completely irredeemable as the movie version; while he’s still the antagonist, in the book he actually adopted Quasimodo, who had been abandoned. A character excised from the film entirely was Frollo’s no-good brother Jehan, probably because drunken libertines aren’t exactly stock Disney characters, and also because Quasimodo crushing his head against the wall of Notre Dame is lovingly described. The most dramatically altered character is probably Captain Phoebus, the dashing soldier who captures Esmerelda’s heart; while he’s a good guy in the film, in the book he rivals Simon Legree in the “fictional characters you’d love to kick in the face” category, seducing Esmerelda with no intent of staying with her. He allows for her to be executed for his attempted murder (actually Frollo’s work, of which Phoebus is well aware), and even acting as the officer presiding over the execution.

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Hercules Disney’s take: The son of Zeus and Hera, Hercules was robbed of his immortality by Hades, the god of death, but Hercules retained his strength. Tasked by Zeus with proving himself a hero to restore his immortality, Hercules is trained by Louie De Palma, and soon falls in love with a beautiful woman who, unbeknownst to him, is a mole for Hades. She comes around in time for Hercules to totally save the universe and stuff. The original: Hercules isn’t the child of Zeus and Hera; he’s the illegitimate child of Zeus and one of his numerous extramarital mortal trysts. This gives Hera a burning hatred of ol’ Herc, leading her to possess him and make him murder his wife and kids in his sleep. In keeping with the ancient Greeks’ immaculate sense of justice, Hercules’ mass-murdering shenanigans earn him community service, in the form of twelve tasks, all of which are intended to kill him — except for that one where he has to get all the ﬁlth out of a king’s stable. After completing these, he is accidentally given a poisoned shirt by his second wife and selfimmolates to escape the pain, at which point he rejoins the gods on Mount Olympus. We apologize if you got distracted counting all the things we mentioned that would never work in a Disney movie.

Sleeping Beauty Disney’s take: At the celebration of a beautiful princess’ birth, an evil fairy who wasn’t invited (mostly because she’s an evil fairy and all) crashes the party and proves why she shouldn’t have been invited. She curses the infant to prick her ﬁnger on a spindle and die in several years. One of the fairies who DIDN’T knock over the velvet rope to get

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The original: The above summary is actually pretty faithful, but in the original Charles Perrault fairy tale it’s only the ﬁrst act. In the second part, the prince and princess marry and have kids, and the princess then meets her new mother-in-law, who her hubby conveniently forgot to mention is a cannibal. Taking a common grandparently idiom a shade too literal, the mother-in-law demands that the cook prepare her grandchildren for her to eat. The cook naturally balks at this plan, and fools Queen Dahmer by giving her roast goat instead, proving that cannibalism makes you both insane AND stupid. Realizing she’s been tricked, but apparently less hungry, she prepares a pit of poisonous snakes to chuck the kids into, but the prince arrives in the nick of time, leading his completely-screwed mother to cast herself into the pit. While this would obviously traumatize every child everywhere, it would be kind of interesting to see how the casting turned out. “You know how quickly the prince found you… all those tedious sticky fumblings in the back seats of carriages... while you could only dream of getting out…”

Aladdin Disney’s take: In a ﬁctional Arab country, Aladdin, a charismatic, impoverished thief, discovers a lamp containing a genie, who helps him win the heart of the local princess and defeat the megalomaniacal prime minister, and simultaneously earning our hatred by opening the door for the Disney DTV sequel market. The original: Set in China, in the original story, as in the movie, Aladdin recovers the lamp at the behest of the villain; however, he also ends up with a magic ring with its own genie, which comes in handy when the baddie reclaims the lamp, leading to the two genies having a massive genie throwdown until… aw, crap. We see no reason at all why this couldn’t have been in the movie, and we’re going to go cry ourselves to sleep that something this awesome wasn’t committed to celluloid.

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Meeks’ RISing empire GODSGRACE TETTEYFIO Fashion Reporter Determined to attain new knowledge, Esmel Meeks, a Virginia Commonwealth University senior, entered college in hopes of following in his father’s footsteps as a currency trader. After watching “The Pursuit of Happyness,” Meeks, 22, learned shortly that becoming a currency trader was not the path he wanted to follow. “It made me realize what I wanted to do to make me happy — not doing something that was going to make me money,” Meeks said. An inspirational trip to California on his 21 birthday convinced Meeks to pursue his 11th grade dream of owning a clothing line. With this new drive he approached a designer and an investor with his idea. Within a year st

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Meeks started a T-shirt line named DANK, an acronym for “determined to attain new knowledge,” which premiered in VCU’s annual fashion show, STRUT. His new business was about more than clothes. As the only black player from his high school football team to attend college, Meeks uses a portion of the proﬁts to help underprivileged children get into college. “Not only was I trying to uplift myself, but I was trying to uplift my community as well,” he said. Selling in Rumors and Urban Exchange, Meeks has raised $378 for a $500 scholarship to be awarded to a First Colonial High School student. He is also planning a book drive with Richmond public schools next semester. “First and foremost, we want everyone

to know that the money is going towards helping out kids,” Meeks said. Meeks quickly learned the hardships of starting your own company, especially at a young age. Looking back on his ﬁrst collection, Meeks has learned from his mistakes and has already made some changes for the future. After realizing that his company wasn’t the only one named DANK he changed the company name to ATE, an acronym for Antique Thread Empire. He also hopes to start a non-proﬁt organization, using the same acronym to stand for Achievements Through Education. Meeks has made the line more exclusive by only using three designs, opposed to the previous 13, for his second collection. He also expanded the collection to include hoodies and a collection for girls. The second collection

is due out in early November. Customers can expect to see inspiration drawn from pop culture, political issues and sports. Although he feels that he is at the perfect place for this time in his life, Meeks eventually wants to open a store in Los Angeles. He also wants to expand the line to carry bags, jeans and dress shirts. Before he opens a store, Meeks wants to launch a Web site, pay off all his loans and give away $2,000 worth of scholarships.

Ben Straight photos

Through his company, Meeks is providing Richmond and the VCU community with new innovative designs and is helping out the underprivelaged kids by providing funds for college and promoting education. “There’s no limit,” Meeks said. “I wanna take it is as far as God wants me to.”

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s y a d i l o H r e t n i W

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DAMS MISHA A

The making of

Frankzig Flamenco guitarist and Richmond metal musician

MARGE WEIMER

Contributing Writer Many students choose to major in music at Virginia Commonwealth University, but not many can do what Frank Rourk does. Rourk, a VCU junior, is a flamenco guitarist whose talent is respected by both peers and instructors alike. “Frank is a fine guitarist, and it is my understanding that he is considered to be at the professional level with his flamenco guitar playing,” John Patykula, head of the guitar program at VCU, stated in an e-mail. “He is an asset to our guitar program in the Department of Music.” Better known to his friends as Frankzig -- a nickname derived from the American heavy metal band, Danzig -- Rourk also plays guitar and performs vocals for a Richmond black metal band called Neckbrace. Alex Tomlin, Neckbrace lead vocalist and fellow VCU music major, said Rourk is capable of translating his flamenco training into playing metal.

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Day s g n e Ki e r h T

kah k u n Ha

Jeanette Biczel photos

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“Unlike a lot of flamenco guitarists I have heard, Frank has a more undeniably epic delivery,” Tomlin said. For more than five years, Rourk has made flamenco guitar his life by studying abroad in Spain as well as performing in Richmond.

tmas s i r h C

Much of what is known about ﬂamenco is a result of oral tradition passed down for generations in Spain. For Rourk, learning the art was no different. “Essentially I was taught to play guitar, but if you dig a little deeper than that, I was taught a sense of traditions,” Rourk said. From 2004 to 2006, Rourk studied the art of ﬂamenco guitar in Seville, Spain at the Cristina Heeren Foundation for the Art of Flamenco, where he earned academic credit toward his VCU studies. “I learned from great guitarists, and what I came to consider good friends like Javier Gomez, Javier Lozano and Raul Cantizano,” Rourk said. After his Seville studies, Rourk took lessons in Madrid from Maestro Ricardo Modrego and Maestro El Viejin.

zaa Kwan

“The winter months I spent in Madrid were driven by my personal interest in understanding the guitar, and I have to admit I never worried about its irrelevance to academics,” Rourk said. Rourk can be found performing solo ﬂamenco at Emilio’s Restaurante Español every Saturday at 7p.m. starting in October. He also is recording a solo ﬂamenco demo E.P.

Catch Neckbrace at Rocks dec. 20 at 5:30 p.m. ink 12•08

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The Frugal GiftGiving Guide DANICA PRIEST Staff Writer

Are you broke? If so, you can still give your friends and family more than a cheesy card and a candy cane. Here are some gift ideas that are practically free and easy to make.

Recipe Book Collect recipes with some kind of theme—like foods the person likes or holiday foods. At allrecipes.com you can type in a list of ingredients you want or don’t want and it will come up with recipes

Photo Collage Get a poster board (or if you are really cheap you can take apart a cardboard box) and glue pictures you have of your gift recipient.

Inside Joke Book Make a book of inside jokes and/or funny quotes from the person.

Mix CD Yes, this is an old one, but to make it unique you can record intros to songs explaining their signiﬁcance.

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Students speak UP Why they supported Obama

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Joshua Maye: “I supported Obama, because Americans need to feel like our country can be great again, and respected around the World.”

After the election

“(Obama’s) grandmother, his mother, the civil rights movement, the women’s suffrage movement, it was all worth it for tonight. Everyone who paved the way for this night, that’s who deserves the credit.” Maye:

Why they supported McCain

Serinda Patrias (Craft and Material Studies): “McCain has done the most bridge across the aisle … He works for the common good of the country … I don’t want to be a socialist country.” Lee Vogler (Mass Communications and Political Science): “I believe John McCain is the most bipartisan candidate … he has a lifetime of experience”

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VCU students took to the streets in the thousands Nov. 4 after CNN projected Sen. Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America.

Students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds came together to celebrate America’s ﬁrst AfricanAmerican president.

The intersection in front of the Brandt, Rhoads and Johnson dorms was overtaken by spontaneous celebration.

“I look at what he can do for me and what’s bigger than me is us,” said Donald Knight, director of political affairs for the student government. “The word us is spelled with a ‘U’ and an ‘S’ and that’s the United States of America.”

The crowd then took over all six-lanes of Broad Street, from in front of the Siegel Center all the way to Old City Hall, where students danced and cheered on the steps. Cars crawled amid the crowd, many of them blasting Young Jeezy’s “My President is Black,” while students and Richmond locals danced atop. Obama supporters carried campaign posters screaming “O-ba-ma” and “U-S-A,” among other phrases.

Supporters expressed overwhelming pride and happiness.

“God Bless America. His grandmother is so proud of him right now,” said student Joshua Maye. “His grandmother, his mother, the civil rights movement, the women’s suffrage movement, it was all worth it for tonight. Everyone who paved the way for this night, that’s who deserves the credit.” V

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Many in the crowd funneled out from the University Commons, after taking part in the election results party. The party had three different areas for students: the Commonwealth Ballroom for Democrats, the Richmond Salons for Republicans and the Commons Underground for independents and members of both parties.

Vogler: “It would be hard for any Republican. If it was any Republican other than John McCain it would have been harder. Hopefully we can put our differences aside.” V

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Executive Editor & Senior Reporter

dorms. He waved an Obama campaign poster as the crowd stood below. Police cars lined the edges of the crowd, simply looking on.

Fireworks were lit in Monroe Park and throughout the downtown area.

Patrias: “I hope (President-elect Barack Obama) actually does listen to us, we need someone that can bring us together … We’re bummed because Virginia didn’t stay red. It was a lot closer than I thought it was going to be.”

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RICH GRISET + FRANCES CORREA

Supporters yelled, danced and cried.



After the election

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Election Day Celebration 

Photos by Sara D’Eugenio, Kathryn Glushevski and Kat Stewart

At 11 p.m. supporters erupted in cheers and cries as Sen. Obama was announced the presumptive winner. Darren Onyx Haynes, a graphic design major, climbed atop the streetlight in front of Rhoads and Brandt

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15 12/5/08 3:31:25 AM

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Richard Crouse McCain CAMPAIGN

Ink: I’m sorry we weren’t able to do this in person, but I really appreciate you taking the time to this anyway. Richard Crouse (RC): Sorry about that, but I’m glad to help out.

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Ink: How are you doing today? Chris Meier (CM): I’m super duper. Ink: Wonderful, so you went canvassing today? Where did you go? CM: Actually, I ended up not going… Ink: Well, when you do go what are people’s typical reactions when you approach them? CM: On the telephone most people are pretty responsive, once in a while you get someone who adamantly supports Obama, but you also get people from the other side who can’t believe you’re calling.

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FOR CROUSE, SEE 19

Obama CAMPAIGN

FOR MEIER, SEE 19

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Ink: How long have you been working for the republicans? RC: Ten years.

Ink: What got you interested in the beginning? RC: I wanted to go to law school, but I got involved in the mess of politics and I was meeting great people, so I stuck it out.

Chris Meier

  Volunteering for the campaign

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In an effort to know more about the people that support the current presidential candidates, I was able to talk to Chris Meier who has been working for the Obama and campaign and Richard Crouse who has been working for the McCain campaign. Both have been involved with their respective parties for years. Here’s what they had to say about their experiences.

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told Richmond.com that the VCU president Eugene Trani, Dr. Tom Huff, VCU vice provost for the life sciences, and Robert Skunda, president of The Biotech Park led the initiative for VCU.

SMOKE, FROM 18

Blowing

Smoke

FRANCES CORREA + RICH GRISET

of pulmonary disease and data on nitrogen and phosphorous runoff from Philip Morris’ Park 500 water treatment plant in Chester, Va.

According to a New York Times article released on May 22, it was unveiled that VCU entered into a highly restrictive research agreement with Philip Morris USA, the nation’s largest tobacco company and a unit of Altria.

According to the agreement, Philip Morris must review and approve all research results prior to publication, for potential patent or other proprietary problems. PM can review information for up to 120 days, with the option to continue for 60 days more. The contract prohibits researchers from publishing and discussing material.

Senior Reporter + Executive Editor

The agreement, signed in 2006, called for VCU to research early warning signs

The Park 500 plant, located in the Bermuda Hundred area of Chesterﬁeld County, was built in 1975 to process leftover pieces of tobacco from PM plants and turn them into sheets of tobacco. According to Philip Morris’ Web site, there was concern in the Bermuda Hundred community about their

drinking water, due to the plant’s nitrogen and phosphorus runoff. “We learned that some had concerns about the potential impact to their groundwater because they use well water and currently do not have access to Chesterfield County’s public water system,” stated the Web site. “To address the questions raised by the neighbors,” the Web site continued, “we have arranged (for Bermuda Hundred) to extend access to Chesterfield County’s water system at PM USA’s expense.” In response to the developing controversy, VCU created a “task force” to explore issues related to corporate-sponsored research. The task force held several meetings that were open to the public. According to a member of the task force, PM is within their rights to hold research information from publication indefinitely. Evidence has come to light in lawsuits and Congressional committees over the years suggesting cigarette companies were excessively secretive in their research, suppressing findings they do not agree with. At least 15 schools of major research universities, including Johns Hopkins University, have refused to accept tobacco money. Others, like the University of Virginia, accept tobacco money funded research with the stipulation that the university maintains complete control over research and have patent and publication rights to the results. VCU’s ties to tobacco research date much further back than the recent controversy. Soon after PM announced they were moving their headquarters to Richmond, they also revealed

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another plan to build a $350 million research facility. By the fall of 2004, the two candidates were Richmond’s Virginia Biotechnology Research Park and the Research Triangle area in North Carolina. The idea of having a major research and development facility in downtown Richmond interested VCU President Eugene Trani and other top VCU administrators. The Biotech Park near VCU was launched in 2004 but was slow in taking off. In fall of 2004, Richmond business leaders launched a secret initiative called “Operation Peat Moss” (the “P” and “M” in “peat moss” standing for Philip Morris”), as reported in the article “In Pursuit of the Golden Leaf” released by Richmond.com. Operation Peat Moss would attempt to convince Phillip Morris to invest in Richmond’s Biotech Park. Sources

At the same time that VCU was working on this, some researchers were confused by the perceived increase in Philip Morris’ presence. “Philip Morris people started showing up in our ofﬁces,” one VCU administrator told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. VCU has received only $286,000 in research grants from PM in the past year. Altria, however, has given a “philanthropic” $87 million to VCU in the last year for “university advancement,” according to the Sept. 3 town hall meeting of the task force. This money has been used to fund projects like the schools of Business, Engineering, Arts, University College and Life Sciences.

CROUSE, FROM 16

MEIER, FROM 17

Ink: Have you always worked here in Richmond? RC: It’s where I started, but I’ve also worked on campaigns in Oklahoma.

Ink: How did you get involved with the campaign? CM: I’ve been volunteering for a few years, and I saw that the ofﬁce was right by campus, so I walked in one day and signed up and started making phone calls.

Ink: What is it exactly that you do, you’re not a volunteer. RC: I do everything. I’ll go canvassing, do administrative work, organize activities, whatever is needed at that time. Ink: How do you feel about McCain? RC: I was originally for Romney, but since McCain was chosen I do believe that he will represent me better than Obama would. Ink: How did you feel about the election prior to the Vice President nominations? RC: On the Republican end, it was pretty slow, people weren’t enthusiastic. I was lucky enough to attend the Republican National Convention, and as soon as Palin was nominated, that energy has stuck. Ink: How do you feel about her? RC: I like her. I think She’s going to do an excellent job. She’s unique, electable, well liked, interesting … Ink: The media has called her a “puppet,” what are your thoughts on that? RC: She is not a puppet. She is an excellent pick. Ink: How does your job help you? RC: It creates tons of opportunities. I get to inﬂuence policy, make a difference; I meet all kinds of people, especially in rural areas. I’ve met most candidates, most members of the House. I get to travel across the state and interact with people in the most rural communities. It’s a great environment. I work with activists. It’s fun, exciting, it’s great for networking and I’ve met some really great people.

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Ink: Were you for Obama in the beginning? CM: I was really undecided in the very beginning, as the ﬁeld was so broad it was hard to just pick one, I did support him over Clinton. Ink: How has volunteering helped you? CM: I’ve met some pretty cool people over the years, and it feels good to know you’re affecting the outcome of something that’s going to directly impact everyone. I guess I really feel a sense of duty when I volunteer, I feel like that gets lost with a lot of people my age. Ink: How well do you think the campaign is doing currently? CM: Well, I feel like it’s very close, and Obama could use all the support he can get. The Convention went really well, his speech was pretty epic, I must say. Ink: How do you think the nomination of Sarah Palin as McCain’s running mate has affected the Obama campaign? CM: I feel like it has been controversial, a lot of people question her experience, and McCain’s motives for making Palin his running mate. Ultimately, it’s helped Obama.

The revolution will not be televised

12/5/08 3:31:59 AM

Health code violations of VCU-area restaurants

Is it safe?

RICH GRISET Executive Editor

In the interest of our readers’ health, we have compiled the health code violations for restaurants surrounding the VCU Monroe Park Campus. All of the information found within this report was culled from the Virginia Department of Health Web site (http://www. vdh.state.va.us). The record of any licensed food establishment can be checked there and the records are freely accessible to the public. The Web site states “any inspection report is a ‘snapshot’ of the day and time of the inspection. On any given day, a restaurant could have fewer or more violations than noted in the report.” To try and give a better overall view of the safety of these establishments, we have compiled all critical violations of the establishments from August 2007 to August 2008.

A critical violation is one where the problems could “directly contribute to food contamination, illness, or environmental degradation. ”While critical violations might sound dangerous, it is rare for a food establishment to not have a few. “In our experience,” states the VDH Web site, ”it is unrealistic to expect that a complex, full-service food operation can routinely avoid any violations.” Also listed in the report is the number of inspections that happened within this time frame. This number depends on “the complexity of the menu, how much food is made from raw products, and how much is made in advance rather than cooked-to-order.”

Non-food Contact Surfaces: Areas that food does not come in direct contact with.

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RESTAURANT

Aladdin Express

Crossroads Coffee+Ice Cream

Special Ratings

801 W. Broad St. 4 3 Hummus and raw steak stored at improper temperatures, uncovered tomato sauce in fridge Temperature!

26 N. Morris St. 6 5 “rodent droppings & excreta . . . on lids of canned food items, (and on) bagged food items,” sliced tomatoes, pasta salad, tuna salad, hummus and coconut milk stored at improper temps. Dirty Equipment! Employee! Tomatoes! Rodent! Temp!

RESTAURANT

Location Critical violations 8/07-8/08 Number of inspections Examples of violations

Special Ratings

Temperature!

1319 W. Main St. 2 3 Soiled pizza preparation table, “outer opening of food establishment is not protected against entry of insects and rodents” Dirty Equipment! Rodent!

RESTAURANT

Bogart’s

Cuppa Tea Company, Ltd.

Location Critical violations 8/07-8/08 Number of inspections Examples of violations Special Ratings

203 N. Lombardy St. 3 4 Raw chicken stored over ready-to-eat soup and chips in fridge Raw!

1 N. Morris St. 0 3 Dirty non-food contact surfaces Wow!

RESTAURANT

China Dragon

Edo’s Squid

Location Critical violations 8/07-8/08 Number of inspections Examples of violations

1110 W. Main St. 0 2 Unlabeled sugar and ﬂour containers, dirty wall

Temperatures: Some food was not stored at cool enough temperatures to avoid spoilage.

Special Ratings

Wow!

411 N. Harrison St. 7 4 Raw duck breast and oysters, and cooked onions and pancetta held at improper temperatures, cooked okra and gazpacho improperly dated, metal fryer basket broken w/fragments Dates! Dirty Equipment! Raw! Temperatures!

Rodent/Insect: This establishment had signs of a rodent or insect problem.

RESTAURANT

Raw: Raw meats stored improperly.

Drinking from Uncovered Containers: Employees may only drink from covered containers to prevent contamination.

Dates! Dirty Equipment!

Crusty’s Pizza

Critical Violations: Deﬁned by the VDH Web site as violations that are more likely “to directly contribute to food contamination, illness, or environmental degradation. Examples of critical violations include poor temperature control of food, improper cooking, cooling, refrigeration or reheating temperatures.”

Improper Dating: Perishable food must be labeled so that it may be discarded when it has spoiled.

Special Ratings

900 W. Franklin St. 9 6 Raw shrimp stored over prepared food, raw chicken kabobs,raw pork, raw lamb shanks and cooked meatballs held at improper temps., expired soup in fridge Dates! Raw! Temperatures!

1845 W. Broad St. 2 2 Turkey stored at improper temperatures, broken door gasket to pizza preparation area

Explanation of Ratings:

Hair restraints: Any hair that could come in contact with food should be covered.

Cous Cous

821 W. Cary St. 9 6 Soiled food contact surfaces, lasagna is improperly dated

Assante’s Pizza

Explanation of Terms:

Improper temperatures: Hazardous food should be held at 41 degrees Fahrenheit or lower to stop harmful bacteria from growing on it.

821 Café

Location Critical violations 8/07-8/08 Number of inspections Examples of violations

It is important to keep in mind that most household kitchens would have a multitude of critical violations, and that just because a violation occurred does not mean that it has not been rectiﬁed.

Kathryn Glushefski photos

Non-critical Violations: Deﬁned by the VDH Web site as “violations not directly related to the cause of food-borne illness, but if uncorrected, could impede the operation of the restaurant.

RESTAURANT

Bug spray/Cleaner/Paint: This establishment had insecticide, cleaning products or spray paint cans adjacent to where food is prepared. Wow!: This establishment has an amazing record. Tomatoes: Not to be confused with the tomato salmonella outbreak earlier this year, these are places where tomatoes were improperly stored. Dates: Some food in the fridge was either expired, or had no date assigned to it. Dirty Equipment: This establishment had soiled or broken food handling equipment and/or dirty food contact surfaces. Employee Behavior/Dress: While the inspector was in the establishment, they witnessed an employee committing a health code violation or the employee was dressed inappropriately to handle food.

The Common Cup

Elephant Thai

Location Critical violations 8/07-8/08 Number of inspections Examples of violations

1211 W. Main St. 2 2 Tuna salad, chopped tomatoes and chicken salad stored at improper temperatures, unlabeled ﬂour bin

Special Ratings

Tomatoes! Temperature!

1100 W. Cary St. 3 2 Employee caught drinking from an uncovered container in the food preparation area, utensil without a handle, improperly dated Peking and Curry sauce Dates! Dirty Equipment! Employee!

RESTAURANT

Common Groundz

Empire

734 W. Broad St. 5 3 Undated turkey, ham, and roast beef in the fridge, chlorine sanitizer not strong enough Dates!

727 W. Broad St. 9 5 Turkey in fridge that expired four days earlier, clogged dish sink making it impossible to sanitize dishes, “White Lightning” cleaner/wax stored directly on top of a sugar dispenser Dates! Dirty Equipment!

Location Critical violations 8/07-8/08 Number of inspections Examples of violations

Special Ratings

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12/5/08 3:32:19 AM

RESTAURANT Location Critical violations 8/07-8/08 Number of inspections Examples of violations

Special Ratings

Ever Green

Ipanema Cafe

612 W. Grace St. 9 5 Possible cross contamination of raw foods and cooked chicken, soiled food handling utensils, soiled food contact surfaces, dirty walls, cleaning solution too strong Dirty Equipment! Raw!

917 W. Grace St. 8 6 Soup stored at improper temperatures, undated food (unspeciﬁed)

Mojo’s

Papa Johns

Special Ratings

733 W. Cary St. 1 4 Dirty foodcontact surfaces Dirty Equipment! Wow!

1200 W. Main St. 8 3 Employee failed to wash hands after picking up a pepperoni off the ﬂoor, employee drinking from an uncovered container in food prep area, chicken strips held at improper temperatures, sanitizing solution not strong enough, metal shavings on blade of can opener Employee! Dirty Equipment! Temperatures!

Mezza

Piccola Italy 1100 W. Main St. 5 4 Feta and mozzarella cheese held at improper temperatures in the front kitchen prep fridge, grime and debris in door track of fridge and inside ice machine Dirty Equipment! Temperature!

RESTAURANT Location Critical violations 8/07-8/08 Number of inspections Examples of violations

Dates! Temperature!

Extreme Pizza

Jamaica House 1215 W. Broad St. 4 6 Dish spray hose in sink basin, missing ﬂoor and ceiling tiles, dirty walls None

RESTAURANT

Special Ratings

941 W. Broad St. 3 3 Dirty food contact surfaces, mislabeled cleaning supplies Dirty!

Jersey Mike’s Subs

Special Ratings

RESTAURANT

Fat Larry’s

1106 W. Main St. 1 3 Cheese cake held at improper temperature Temperatures! Wow!

927 W. Broad St. 5 3 “Numerous dead or trapped ﬂies were found in the control device in rear of facility,” tomatoes at improper temperatures Tomatoes! Temperature! Rodents!

RESTAURANT

Mulligan’s Sports Grille

Ramakin’s

Special Ratings

1201 W. Main St. 3 3 Capacola, salami and raw hamburger patties held at improper temperatures, unlabeled spray bottle Temperature!

RESTAURANT

Five Guys Famous Burgers+Fries

Kuba-Kuba

Special Ratings

1323 W. Main St. 3 5 Raw steaks, raw beef patties, raw shrimp, sliced tomatoes and pork barbeque held at improper temperatures, Cajun Rice & Pork Barbeque in the fridge that expired 3 days earlier Dates! Tomatoes! Raw! Temperatures!

818 W. Broad St. 9 5 Unwrapped food in the freezer, undated ham in the freezer, dirty food contact surfaces Dates! Dirty!

931 W. Broad St. 0 3 Debris on ﬁlter

RESTAURANT

Nara

Roxy Cafe

Special Ratings

1309 W. Main St. 10 5 Moldy mushrooms in the fridge, can of spray paint in food prep area, raw beef stored over an open container of butter, insecticide on ﬂoor of prep area, soiled food slicer, several soiled food containers and pans on shelf Dirty Equipment! Bug spray! Raw!

1104 W. Main St. 5 3 Ham and sliced tomatoes in fridge held at improper temperatures, improperly dated chicken in fridge, dirty ﬂoor and wall of kitchen Dates! Tomatoes! Temperatures!

RESTAURANT

Nile Ethiopian

Sahara 813 W. Grace St. 1 1 Dirty food utensils

Special Ratings

309 N. Laurel St. 7 5 Tuna in fridge that should have been discarded four days earlier, cooked peas, soup, cooked lamb, raw tuna, cooked ribs and dinich wat, raw beef, and raw chicken all stored at improper temperatures, ready to eat lamb, ribs and lentil soup in fridge not dated. Dates! Temperature!

RESTAURANT

Panda Veg

Saigon Restaurant

948 W. Grace St. 4 3 Duck sauce, mock chicken, and noodles stored at improper temperatures, unwrapped lomein in fridge, and food stored on the ﬂoor in the hallway Temperature!

903 W. Grace St. 4 4 Food contact surfaces soiled, improperly dated beef in fridge Dates! Dirty Equipment!

RESTAURANT Location Critical violations 8/07-8/08 Number of inspections Examples of violations

Location Critical violations 8/07-8/08 Number of inspections Examples of violations

Special Ratings

Wow!

1601 Park Avenue 7 5 Raw chicken stored over coleslaw, roasted pork in fridge undated, dirty food contact surfaces Dates! Dirty! Raw!

RESTAURANT

Good Taste

Little Caesars 920 W. Grace St. 5 3 Roast beef, ham, and turkey stored at improper temperatures, dirty food-contact surfaces, glass cleaner stored next to honey

Special Ratings

931-933 W. Grace St. 9 5 Chicken and beef held at improper temperatures, utensil without handle used to dispense food (allowing bare hands to contact food), unwrapped/uncovered food in freezer, walls in kitchen have an accumulation of food debris and grime Temperature!

RESTAURANT

Harrison Street Coffee Shop

Mama’s Kitchen

402 N. Harrison St. 6 6 Soy milk, whole milk, tempeh, falafel and cream cheeses stored at improper temperatures, open drinking containers near food, employees without hair restraints, soiled silverware bin, insecticide stored adjacent to food and oven cleaners and detergents, Quaternary Ammonia applied to food contact surfaces

946 W. Grace St. 5 3 Dirty foodcontact surfaces, undated Kimchi

Dirty Equipment! Employee! Cleaner! Temperature!

Dates! Dirty!

Location Critical violations 8/07-8/08 Number of inspections Examples of violations

Special Ratings

Dirty Equipment! Cleaner! Temperature!

Location Critical violations 8/07-8/08 Number of inspections Examples of violations

Special Ratings

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Wow! Dirty!

23 12/5/08 3:32:59 AM

RESTAURANT Location Critical violations 8/07-8/08 Number of inspections Examples of violations Special Ratings

RESTAURANT Location Critical violations 8/07-8/08 Number of inspections Examples of violations

Special Ratings RESTAURANT Location Critical violations 8/07-8/08 Number of inspections Examples of violations Special Ratings

RESTAURANT Location Critical violations 8/07-8/08 Number of inspections Examples of violations Special Ratings

RESTAURANT Location Critical violations 8/07-8/08 Number of inspections Examples of violations

Special Ratings

RESTAURANT Location Critical violations 8/07-8/08 Number of inspections Examples of violations Special Ratings

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Shafer Court Dining Center - Camille’s Sidewalk Café + VCU Catering

VCU Commons Cafe

810 Cathedral Place 7 3 Improper use of dishwasher (dirty dishes, utensils, and food surfaces), dirty mixer, broken eggs in fridge Dirty!

907 Floyd Ave. 1 3 Chopped tomatoes held at improper temperatures Tomatoes! Temperature! Wow!

Shafer - Market 810

VCU - Bleecker Street Cafe

810 Cathedral Place 6 3 Raw shrimp, raw beef, soups and cooked taco beef stored at improper temperatures, two broken temperature gauges in fridges, dented canned goods, improperly stored knives Temperature!

301 W. Main St. 1 3 Sushi in fridge held at improper temperatures

Starbucks VCU

VCU Bookmark Bistro

810 Cathedral Place 2 3 “Person in charge failed to explain the correct procedures for cleaning and sanitizing utensils” Employee!

1111 W. Broad St. 1 2 A spatula needs to be replaced Dirty Equipment! Wow!

Stuffy’s

Vito’s Pizza

411 N. Harrison St. 3 4 Raw steak stored above cooked sausage patties and tomatoes, sliced tomatoes at improper temperatures Tomatoes! Raw! Temperatures!

904 W. Grace St. 7 5 Peppers, ham, sliced tomatoes and cheese held at improper temperatures, knifes on knife rack and meat slicer were observed soiled Dirty Equipment! Temperature!

A Taste of Far East

Village Cafe

911 ½ W. Grace St. 4 3 Mushrooms, soy, oyster and teriyaki sauce were found uncovered in the food prep unit, raw shrimp and noodles held at improper temps, Quaternary Ammonia stored adjacent to bean sprouts Cleaner! Raw! Temperatures!

1001 W. Grace St. 9 4 Raw steak, raw chicken, raw hamburger patties, pastrami, chopped tomatoes, and falafel patties stored at improper temperatures, potato skins in fridge that should have been discarded 2 days earlier, raw pooled eggs stored over an open container of lettuce in the fridge

Tea Company 902 W. Broad St. 1 3 Unlabeled chemical spray bottle Wow!

In the Cougar’s Clutch PIPPA CURRAN

Temperatures! Wow!

Staff Writer

Without question, women have made leaps and bounds in the past few decades. The realm of female sexuality is no exception. Women have become more independent and sexually liberated. Women have more choices in who they date and how. This has lead to rapidly changing dating trends and a shift in social attitudes. Nowhere else can

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Tropical Smoothie Cafe

Qdoba Mexican Grill

929 W. Broad St. 1 2 Sliced tomatoes held at improper temperatures Tomatoes! Wow!

935 W. Broad St. 3 2 Grilled chicken, black beans and pinto beans held at improper temps Temperatures!

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With the ever popular celebrity May-December relationships, most people have heard the term “Cougar.” Relationships such as Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, who have a 15 year age gap and have been married for 3 years, still cause excitement and water cooler chatter. By current deﬁnition, a Cougar is generally considered to be a wealthy, beautiful, intelligent woman over the age of 40 who is out prowling

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According to the Census Bureau, in 1997 nearly 3 percent of all unmarried couples where the woman was older had an age gap of at least 10 years. That jumped to 9.12 percent in 2003. That’s more than a 300 percent increase in only 6 years. As a result of the

at least 10 years older. With such compelling evidence that this is more than just a passing Hollywood fad, it’s difficult to imagine that all these women are after is a hot boy toy. Tina Tessina, PhD, a psychotherapist in Long Beach, Ca. and author of 13 books on relationships, has stated that these May-December relationships can and do work, often very well. A 10 year age gap is not overly difficult to bridge. Both are from the same generation, albeit opposite ends. It is often easy for these couples to find common ground. While common knowledge tells that an older woman with a younger man simply wouldn’t work out in the long run, the evidence points to a different truth. Women tend to become more adventurous as they get older, and younger men tend to be more open-minded and eager. Younger men are attentive and involved. Older women find this incredibly attractive. Dr. Laura Berman, a sex therapist and one

would be remiss if I didn’t mention the sexual compatibility of an older woman and a younger man. It is true that women begin to peak sexually in their early 30’s. This peak plateaus and coasts for approximately 20 years before beginning to decline. In contrast, a male sexually peaks in his early 20’s. Older women and younger men do ﬁnd themselves intensely sexually compatible, and this element of their relationship can be immensely satisfying. Young men often appreciate the older woman’s experience and knowledge, and the older women love the eagerness and dedication that younger men employ. Age is of little concern, ultimately. The indicators of a healthy relationship are far more important, including common ground, love, and communication. If personalities match, then it’s ridiculous to allow a number to stand in your way of happiness. Married May-December couples report that once they were

Future Cubs of America, should you find yourself longing for the warmth and comfort and mind-blowing sex only a Cougar can provide, hop on the internet and peruse one of the many Web sites devoted to Cougars and their Cubs, including GoCougar.com and UrbanCougar.com.

these progressions be seen more clearly than in the May-December relationships that have become increasingly popular and visible. Yet, despite the elevation in social thought, many stereotypes linger and people are still shocked to see a younger man dating an older woman.

Dates! Raw! Temperature!

for her prey, otherwise referred to as Cubs. Urbancougar.com, a Web site created in 2003 that is devoted to Cougars and their Cubs, deﬁnes a Cougar as “a sophisticated species of female who seeks the pleasure of younger males. She avoids the entanglements of a ‘relationship’ in favor of the freedom of the hunt.” In other words, she is looking for a playmate. There are opposing positions regarding the use of the term Cougar as either positive or negative and many people misuse the term to describe any woman is older than her partner. Despite the lag in social acceptance, the May-December phenomenon has blossomed.

2000 Census, it was discovered that at least 14 percent of all married couples involved a woman who was older than her male partner. In 2003, the AARP conducted a study that found that 34 percent of women aged 40-69 were involved with men at least 10 years their junior. And most recently, Match.com conducted research that found that 30 percent of women were willing to date a man at least 5 years younger than themselves, Between 2002 and 2005, the number of women who were willing to date a man at least 10 years younger rose from 7 percent to 13 percent. It’s interesting to note that for men, 39 percent are willing to date a woman who is at least 5 years their senior and 20 percent are willing to date a woman

of the country’s leading experts on women’s sexual health, stated in an interview for a CBS News Special Report that one of the elements of attraction for an older woman is that being the object of a younger man’s affection makes them feel beautiful and attractive. An older woman loves “being appreciated as a woman for all that you are and all that you’ve learned and all that you’ve become.” Younger men are often attracted to the intelligent, directness, and strength that an older woman possesses. From a pragmatic perspective, women live on average 8 to 10 years longer than men. By coupling with a younger male, they have a greater chance that they will live their lives out together. And, of course, I

wed, the age gap nearly disappeared and was of little consequence. And hey, you can always tout yourself as an uber-chic urbanite should anyone question your love So, Future Cubs of America, should you ﬁnd yourself longing for the warmth and comfort and mind-blowing sex only a Cougar can provide, hop on the internet and peruse one of the many Web sites devoted to Cougars and their Cubs, including GoCougar.com and UrbanCougar.com. Both provide information, tips, and personal ads. UrbanCougar.com also provides an ever growing list of Cougar Dens. Simply ﬁnd your city on the list and you will be taken to a list of bars and clubs that serve as their hunting ground. The revolution will not be televised

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VCU’s fifth heir

Books for Uganda KATHRYN GLUSHEFSKI

Photorapher & Promotions Director As this semester comes to a close, students are anxious to sell that outrageously expensive textbook that some did not even use. The worst part about these books is that by the end of the semester, they are sometimes no longer current editions. Now that $200 book is worth $40 or maybe nothing at all. In the case that your textbook no longer has value, you are given the option of just leaving the book with the vendor. Students don’t know where those books go; maybe they are sold, maybe they are donated. With the help of a nonproﬁt organization named Invisible Children, students can ensure that their books will go to a worthy cause. This past summer, 22-year-old Sarah Knowlton, a graphic design student and President of Invisible Children at VCU, traveled through Africa for two months. Knowlton’s journey brought her to Lacor Secondary — a small school in Gulu, Uganda. “After being there and realizing that they don’t have the basic necessities to have an education, I recognize the excess of educational fundamentals that we do have,” Knowlton said.

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HERMELINDA CORTES Staff Writer

Eugene P. Trani: historian, scholar, developer, VCU president extraordinaire.

1997 to $230 million in 2007. Holding true to their promise, the Board, Trani, and his 19-year tenure have unﬂaggingly built the research enterprise, bringing otherwise unavailable opportunities to VCU students.

Prior to May the mention of Eugene P. Trani’s name largely rang bells of success for VCU students and faculty, and the Richmond elite, but the past six months have morphed those praising undulations into cries of confusion. Confusion, based in rumors of scandals (Philip Morris and ex-Richmond Police Chief Rodney Monroe), that translates into frustrations for those invested both ﬁnancially and altruistically in the selection of VCU’s next president.

But Trani’s tenure has also seen VCU’s student body increase to nearly 32,000 and a 9.4 percent increase in tuition and fees from Fall 2007 to Fall 2008. For the average student that means increased class size, longer lines at the ﬁnancial aid ofﬁce, and hundreds of out-of-pocket dollars spent on the costs of higher education. For faculty and staff it means more strange faces and fewer resources to accommodate the number of students in their classrooms and their dining halls.

The succeeding president will be selected with the assistance of a search committee that will include six Board of Visitor members, the largest group represented in the committee. In 2006 the Board approved the VCU 2020 Vision for Excellence. The vision dedicated to “enhance the student experience and aggressively build the research enterprise.” That research enterprise has grown from $90 million in

With President Trani’s resignation in late June 2009 and the selection of a new president, the 2008-2009 academic school year is the stage for students, faculty, and staff to participate in molding their learning community into the vision they are seeking. For more information about the VCU presidential selection process or to submit a presidential nomination visit www.presidentsearch.vcu.edu.

For the past 23 years a war has raged in Northern Uganda. In 2003, Invisible Children was established to bring Northern Ugandan issues to world-wide attention. This year, Invisible Children began the Schools for Schools program to support education in Northern Uganda. Invisible Children representatives have traveled all over the country, raising money and raising awareness. Through Schools for Schools, Invisible Children at VCU is collecting books for Lacor Secondary School. Caroline Sumner, 20-year-old English student and member of Invisible Children at VCU, hopes to collect 10,000 books. “I really think we can do it, but it will take a lot of work and generosity,” Sumner stated. “If every student donated just one book, we would achieve triple that goal.” So far more than 1,000 books have been collected, and the program ends January 30.

For more information

on Schools for Schools, visit http://s4s.invisiblechildren.com/ or contact Caroline Sumner at caroline@vcuinvisiblechildren.com

Your new alternative for the highest buyback prices. Photos taken by Sarah Knowlton in Gulu, Uganda

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We will be selling books starting with the Wintersession ‘09 and Spring ‘09 semesters. 906 W. Grace St. next door to Vito’s

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ABOVE: Protest actions around the RNC were targeted at preventing buses full of Republican delegates from entering the Excel Center. Ramsey County sheriffs hold back the crowd as they attempt to create a blockade.

THE CLASH

Protesting the Republican National Convention

Photos and reporting by

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RIGHT: One victim of the pepper spraying, a man in a wheelchair is treated by street medics. Minutes later, both the attending medics and their patient would be arrested as police cleared the streets of St. Paul.

RIGHT: Students and youth form a blockade to prevent Republican delegates from Connecticut from entering Excel Center grounds on day one of the RNC.

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ABOVE: Mounted officers form a line between protestors and the arresting officers on the capitol grounds minutes before the start of a student anti-war march to the Excel Center that would result in the final mass arrest of the week.

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ABOVE: As local law enforcement proved unable to stop the protest actions, the Minnesota National Guard were called in to break up the mass of protestors just outside the Crown Plaza Hotel where the Texas delegation were housed for the week.

the clash Protesting the Republican National Convention ABOVE: Minutes after arriving, the National Guard units began pepper spraying and teargassing the crowd.

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LEFT: Ramsey County sheriffs used horses as weapons to break up lines of protesters. In this photo a protestor sits down in an attempt to prevent the horses from moving through the crowd.

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Photos and reporting by

Jake Cunningham LEFT: Members of local law enforcement attempt to hold protestors back while they remove two arrestees snatched off the permitted state capitol grounds on the last day of the RNC, Thursday, Sept. 4.

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INKED ARTISTS

Jessica Henry

Senior in Painting and Printmaking department “My art is inspired by the things going on in my life so it is always changing.”

James Shaeffer Sophmore in Sculpture department

“Mostly I’m inspired by what I was exposed to when I was a kid; growing up in Wyoming and North Dakota and living on and around Indian reservations I was always surrounded by Native American patterns, symbols, cowboy culture and Midwestern wildlife. Whenever I see those things there’s a powerful feeling of nostalgia and comfort I get from them.”

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