Daily Vanguard November 4, 2009

Event of the day

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 • PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY • VOLUME 64, ISSUE 30

Want to see your student fees in action? The ASPSU Student Fee Committee meets today to go over rollovers and next term’s finances.

When: 12:30 p.m.

Where: SMSU, room 258

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INSIDE NEWS Interested in teaching or learning better English?

The Conversation Partner Program can help PAGE 2 Capstone in Cambodia Upcoming Capstone reaches out to the international community PAGE 2

ARTS

You shouldn’t be here Where the Wild Things Are is a commercial travesty PAGE 4

Artful comfort The Bullseye Gallery provides Solace for the masses PAGE 5

OPINION

It’s Clackamas’ bridge too Clackamas should throw down some money for the Sellwood Bridge PAGE 6

Portland experiences vaccine shortage

Multnomah County eagerly awaits shipment of H1N1 vaccine Holly K. Millar Vanguard staff

Production of the H1N1 vaccine is behind schedule, but more doses will be coming in the following weeks, according Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Multnomah County currently has no doses of the vaccine available.

According to Mary Beth Collins, executive director of the Center for Student Health and Counseling, it is unlikely that Portland State will have the H1N1 vaccine available before late November.

No vaccination clinics are scheduled in Multnomah County at this time and, so far, all vaccine doses have been available only to pregnant women and young children.

In Multnomah County, hospitalizations from swine flu have increased from 26 cases between Sept. 1 and Oct. 13, up to 124 cases as of Oct. 30.

“It appears that the majority of people hospitalized are pregnant women and children under five,” Collins said.

This is frightening news for those who missed the earlier clinics and people with underlying health conditions such as asthma, heart disease or a weakened immune system.

“The one year I skipped the flu shot in over 20 years, I ended up in the hospital,” said junior Rebecca Price.

Other students are worried about the impact being sick could have on their academic progress.

“I think that when we look at the potential for a person to lose academic loans because they cannot complete a class due to swine flu, it becomes ridiculous that our campus is not having these clinics,” said

Flu shot clinics: SHAC estimates the earliest the H1N1 vaccine would be available is at the end of the month.

senior David Green. “To have something like the flu potentially impact your ability to complete college is a really scary thought.”

According to the CDC’s 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine supply status Web site, 186,500 doses of the vaccine were shipped to Oregon on Oct. 28. It remains to be seen how many of those doses will be available to high-risk Portland State students.

Vaccine information The Oregon Public Health Flu hotline is 1-800-978-3040

Adam Wickham/Portland State Vanguard

Oregon H1N1 vaccine update questions: Christine Decker Stone: 971-673-1282

Visit www.flu.oregon.gov for more information.

The Rant and Rage Ho ho hold on!

PAGE 6

Marni Cohen/Portland State Vanguard

Wait and worry: Portland State students are worried about the impact of getting sick and missing class—possibly losing financial aid and loans.

Marni Cohen/Portland State Vanguard

Vanguard 2 | News November 4, 2009

Sarah J. Christensen Editor-in-Chief Danielle Kulczyk News Editor Theodora Karatzas Arts & Culture Editor Richard D. Oxley Opinion Editor

NEWS

Interested in teaching or learning better English?

The Conversation Partner Program can help

Robert Britt Sports Editor Shannon Vincent Production Manager

Gogul Krishnan Vanguard staff

Marni Cohen Photo Editor

Through the Conversation Partner Program, volunteers meet each week with an international student to help build confidence in American English and better understand the culture. The program is a part of the Intensive English Language Program at Portland State.

The IELP is one of the oldest university-based English Second Language programs in Oregon, according to the Department of Applied Linguistics’ Web site. Also, during any term, up to 400 students may be enrolled in the Conversation Partner Program.

Zach Chastaine Online Editor Jennifer Wolff Chief Copy Editor Jennifer Wolff Calendar Editor Matthew Kirtley Advertising Manager Judson Randall Adviser Ann Roman Advertising Adviser Illustrator Kira Meyrick

If you would like to volunteer

Marketing Manager Kelsey Chinen Associate News Editor Virginia Vickery Production Assistants Bryan Morgan, Charles Cooper Williams

Writers Kate Alexander, William Blackford, Bianca Blankenship, Klara Calhau-Hawsgardh, Maeve Connor, Meaghan Daniels, Erica DeCouteau, Joel Gaddis, Natasha Grozina, Patrick Guild, Rosemary Hanson, Steve Haske, Ed Johnson, Carrie Johnston, Mark Johnston, Tamara K. Kennedy, Anita Kinney, Gogul Krishnan, J. Logue, James MacKenzie, Holly K. Millar, Sean Rains, Stephanie Fine Sasse, Wendy Shortman, Nilesh Tendolkar, Robin Tinker, Vinh Tran, Virginia Vickery, Allison Whited Photographers Aaron Leopold, Rodrigo Melgarejo, Liana Shewey, Adam Wickham Copy Editors Amy Lee, Robert Seitzinger Advertising Sales Matthew Kirtley, Ana SanRoman, Jae Specht, Wesley Van Der Veen Advertising Designer Shannon Vincent Contact Editor-in-Chief 503-725-5691 editor@dailyvanguard.com Advertising Manager 503-725-5686 ads@dailyvanguard.com The Vanguard is chartered to publish four days a week as an independent student newspaper by the PSU Publications Board. Views and editorial content expressed herein are those of the staff, contributors and readers, and do not necessarily represent those of the PSU student body, faculty, staff or administration. One copy of the Vanguard is provided free of charge to all community members, additional copies or subcription issues may incur a 25 cent charge. The Vanguard is printed on 40 percent post-consumer recycled paper.

Copyright © 2009 Portland State University Vanguard 1825 SW Broadway, Smith Memorial Student Union, Rm. S-26, Portland, Ore., 97201

Aaron Leopold/Portland State Vanguard

Jonathan Cowtrell: Volunteers are linked with ESL students to practice English and learn about cultures.

Volunteers are expected to share knowledge about marriage customs, food, holidays, education, military services, politics, driving procedures, gender roles, crime, cost of living and religious customs in the United States.

Volunteers also ask ESL students to speak about the places they have traveled, sports, music and movies.

“It is a great experience for students if they want to work overseas or have volunteer hours or internship credits to fulfill,” said Kristi

Kang, IELP activities coordinator.

The requirements to volunteer in the Conversation Partner Program are simple. Volunteers have to enjoy meeting new people and they must meet their partners near campus at least four times during the term.

Responsibilities of volunteers also include calling your conversation partner and deciding upon a mutually agreed time and place, motivating them to practice English, discovering how they would like you to help them with English and accurately guiding them.

If you are a student “This program offers a unique opportunity for you to learn about the culture and people of the United States,” Kang said. “This program will link you with a native speaker of English or sometimes to nonnative speakers who speak English well enough to help you practice and adjust to this culture.”

Kang made it clear that conversation partners are not to help the students with their homework unless it is a speaking or listening assignment.

The Conversation Partner Program is offered throughout the year, free of cost.

Interested students and volunteers can pick up an application in East Hall, room 113. For more information, contact the IELP Activities Office by telephone at 503-725-5124 or send an e-mail to ielpactivities@ gmail.com.

Capstone in Upcoming Capstone reaches out to the international community Carrie Johnston Vanguard staff

Next summer, 12 students will travel to Southeast Asia to complete their Senior Capstone requirement.

Christopher Carey, assistant professor, will accompany the students as they observe the Khmer Rouge War Crimes Tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The University Studies Program, which urges local community-based learning, includes the course due to its relevance and involvement in the large and active Portland Cambodian community.

The chosen students will spend five to six days at the tribunals and will have chances to speak with the judges and attorneys involved. Select days will also be spent in Angkor Wat to visit and absorb local culture.

The Capstone students will examine the tribunals through observation and by conducting

Cambodia interviews with judges, lawyers and survivors.

“The course is designed to expose students to international travel, the peace and reconciliation process and how the law operates in the developing world,” Carey said.

Upon returning to Portland State to analyze their research and findings, students will prepare a presentation at a to-be-announced Cambodian community awareness event.

There will be an interview process in late spring of 2010, and students will leave for Cambodia in early summer, allowing students the opportunity to travel as they wish following their studies.

Carey hopes to find students who are flexible, mature and collaborative. Given the ambitious nature of the program, he recommends students possess a strong interest in travel and intercultural communication.

Students will be working with the Royal University of Law and Economics (RULE), a community partner in Cambodia, to help collect data and record their observations. They will also work to understand, analyze and disseminate their findings to both academic and popular print outlets.

Carey is a former deputy district attorney who currently works as a University Studies assistant professor. He served as the executive director of a U.S.-based nonprofit focused on addressing human trafficking, safe migration and genderbased violence through culturally grounded, rights-based solutions.

The California Judicial System identified him as an expert on the topic of human trafficking and intercultural communication, an area where he recently testified as a witness.

The Khmer Rouge War Crimes Tribunal is in response to the

nearly 2 million Cambodians who died while the Khmer Rouge was in power. The deaths and crimes against humanity were due to its inhumane policies, which included forced labor, executions, starvation and torture.

These war crimes were part of the Khmer Rouge’s effort to dismantle their existing society and build a communist nation in the late 1970s.

Three decades later, contemporary Cambodia is still struggling with millions of leftover land mines, dire poverty and an unstable agricultural system.

The trials are an attempt at enforcing accountability for one of the most notorious mass atrocities of the last century.

“We will be looking at how a country heals after a horrible tragedy,” Carey said.

More information about the Capstone class will be available spring term.

The Daily Cut

Vanguard News | 3 November 4, 2009

Your world in brief

News Editor:

Obama coaxes states to change with school dollars WASHINGTON (AP)—Using stimulus dollars as bait, President Barack Obama is coaxing states to rewrite education laws and cut deals with unions as they compete for $5 billion in school reform grants, the most money a president has ever had for overhauling schools. And it may end up going to only a few states.

In Wisconsin, where Obama will visit Wednesday, lawmakers are poised to change a law to boost their state’s chances. Nine other

Merkel calls for strong deal on climate change WASHINGTON (AP)—German Chancellor Angela Merkel marked

the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall by exhorting the world in a speech to Congress on Tuesday to “tear down the walls of today” and reach a deal to combat global warming.

Frequently interrupted by robust applause, Merkel reiterated her country’s commitment to fostering security in Afghanistan and also said that a nuclear bomb in the hands of Iran “is not acceptable.”

In the first address by a German chancellor to Congress since Konrad Adenauer in 1957, Merkel put special emphasis on the need for a global agreement on climate change—one she said she hoped could be forged at an international conference next month in Copenhagen.

“We have no time to lose,” she declared. Merkel said she recognized that no deal could be successful without the support of China and India—but that if a deal were struck, she said she was sure those two fast-growing economies could be persuaded to sign on.

“Today’s generation needs to prove that it is able to meet the challenges of the 21st century, and that, in a sense, we are able to tear down walls of today,” she said.

Merkel cited as clear proof of global warming icebergs that are melting in the Arctic, African people forced to flee their homelands because of drought and the rise in global sea levels.

The chancellor met at the White House with President

vanguardblog-psu.blogspot.com

As of Monday, Nov. 2, 2009, at least 4,357 members of the U.S. military had died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

The figure includes nine military civilians killed in action. At least 3,475 military personnel died as a result of hostile action, according to the military’s numbers.

The AP count is one more than the Defense Department’s tally, last updated Monday at 10 a.m. EDT. The British military has reported 179 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 21; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia and Georgia, three each; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand and Romania, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan and South Korea, one death each.

states have taken similar steps.

And states can’t even apply for the money yet.

“There is an appetite out there for change,” Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in an interview with The Associated Press.

“There’s been really dramatic movement in a number of states,” said Duncan, who will travel to Madison, Wis., with the president. “This was the goal, but we didn’t know if anyone was going to respond.”

Respond they have.

Wisconsin lawmakers planned to vote Thursday to lift a ban on using student test scores to judge teachers. That helps clear the way for an Obama priority, teacher pay tied to student performance.

California lifted a similar ban last month. And before that, charter school restrictions or budget cuts were eased in eight states— Louisiana, Illinois, Tennessee, Delaware, Indiana, Ohio, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Duncan had repeatedly warned that such restrictions would hurt a state’s chances at the money.

The administration can’t really tell states and schools what to do, since education has been largely a state and local responsibility throughout the history of the U.S. —Libby Quaid

visit our new blog at:

Nation: US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,357

Barack Obama before her speech to the joint session of Congress; Obama shares her support for a strong international agreement on global warming, although considerable skepticism lingers in Congress.

—Desmond Butlerd

NIH official vouches for safety of flu vaccine WASHINGTON (AP)—A leading government health figure says tests on millions of people who have received the H1N1 flu vaccine show that it’s safe and effective.

Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health said in a nationally broadcast interview Tuesday that people should not worry about the safety of the vaccine. He pointed to a study of pregnant woman that more than 90 percent of the patients who got the vaccine mounted “a response that you would have predicted.”

Fauci said on CBS’s The Early Show that officials did a clinical trial and found that “a single, standard dose of H1N1 vaccine produces a standard response” in terms of building immunity. He said “there are very strong data to indicate the vaccination will protect you.”

Town makes it illegal to own more than 3 cats DUDLEY, Mass. (AP)—A Massachusetts town has made it illegal to own more than three cats without getting a special license. Voters at a town meeting in Dudley added language to a town bylaw on Monday night that makes it illegal to own more than three cats without a $50 residential kennel license.

The article was in response to a neighborhood feud over the 15 cats owned by Mary Ellen Richards.

The Telegram & Gazette of Worcester reports that one neighbor claimed the cats have ruined his yard.

Richards has put her home up for sale and says she plans to move to a “more cat-friendly community.”

Dudley is about 60 miles southwest of Boston.

White House: No flu vaccine for Gitmo detainees WASHINGTON (AP)—The White House says detainees at Guantanamo Bay are not receiving vaccinations against the swine flu.

Robert Gibbs on Tuesday said concern that terrorism suspects at the U.S. naval base in Cuba were receiving vaccines was misplaced. Gibbs says no vaccines are at the naval base and none are on the way. A spokesman for the U.S. jail facility a day earlier said guards and then inmates were scheduled for inoculations. Critics were fast to object, saying U.S. civilians were waiting for vaccines while suspected terrorists were being given injections.

Army Maj. James Crabtree on Monday had said that doses should start arriving this month and medical personnel requested the doses. He said detainees will be vaccinated “entirely on a voluntary basis.”

Danielle Kulczyk 503-725-5690 news@dailyvanguard.com

T.V. viewership numbers The prime-time viewership numbers have been compiled

by The Nielsen Co. for Oct. 26–Nov. 1. The listings include the week’s ranking, with viewership for the week and season-to-date rankings in parentheses.

An “X’’ in parentheses denotes a one-time-only presentation.

1. (X) World Series Game 4, Fox, 22.76 million viewers.

2. (X) World Series Game 1, Fox, 19.51 million viewers.

3. (X) World Series Game 2, Fox, 18.90 million viewers.

4. (X) World Series PreGame, Game 4, Fox, 17.82 million viewers.

5. (3) Dancing With the Stars, ABC, 17.38 million viewers.

6. (1) NCIS, CBS, 16.70 million viewers.

7. (18) The OT, Fox, 16.61 million viewers.

8. (7) The Mentalist, CBS, 15.53 million viewers.

9. (X) World Series Game 3, Fox, 15.40 million viewers.

10. (8) CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS, 15.24 million viewers.

11. (12) Dancing With the Stars Results, ABC, 15.20 million viewers.

12. (10) Desperate Housewives, ABC, 14.08 million viewers.

13. (4) Grey’s Anatomy, ABC, 13.74 million viewers.

14. (16) 60 Minutes, CBS, 12.94 million viewers.

15. (21) Survivor: Samoa, CBS, 12.19 million viewers.

16. (12) CSI: Miami, CBS, 11.52 million viewers.

17. (12) Two and a Half Men, CBS, 11.41 million viewers.

18. (24) Amazing Race 15, CBS, 11.22 million viewers.

19. (5) NCIS: Los Angeles, CBS, 11.09 million viewers.

20. (16) The Big Bang Theory, CBS, 10.86 million viewers.

—Associated Press

Vanguard 4 | Arts & Culture November 4, 2009

Arts Editor: Theodora Karatzas 503-725-5694 arts@dailyvanguard.com

Humpday: live music to carry through to the weekend Múm, Sin Fang Bous, Hildur Guðnadótir When most people think about Icelandic music, images of Björk and Sigur Rós are generally what come to mind. Another notable act from this cold country is the band Múm. Their music is almost electronic, but has more in the way of vocals and traditional instruments than acts like Four Tet, whose instrumentation is similar. Their vocal harmonies are sweet and mesh well with the strange sounds and music in the background. Hard to classify, but easy on the ears.

Aladdin Theater, 8 p.m., $20, all ages Land of Talk, Eulogies Singer and guitarist Elizabeth Powell from the group Land of Talk wants to rock you. It’s pretty clear when you hear her sing just how much of herself she’s putting into the music. Her delicate voice packs the kind of punch that seems to be lacking from a lot of female-fronted bands these days. The band’s music, in fact, sounds a lot more like it came out of the ’90s—the golden age of the female singersongwriter.

Doug Fir, 9 p.m., $10, 21+ World’s Greatest Ghosts, Wampire, Swim Swam Swum This is an exciting night for World’s Greatest Ghosts as they will be celebrating the release of their new album No Magic. The group has a knack for putting on some seriously rocking shows, with some seriously upbeat music. It’s catchy and infectious, but never annoying. Joined by Wampire and Swim Swam Swum, two other stellar bands, this is one line up that can’t disappoint.

Holocene, 9 p.m., $6, 21+

ARTS & CULTURE You shouldn’t be here Where the Wild Things Are is a commercial travesty Steve Haske Vanguard staff

I hate movie games. You can always count on insatiable, bloodsucking Hollywood greed to produce an awful and exploitative game experience—the kind of slapdash effort only afforded to titles developed in a quarter of the normally two- to three-year cycle most legit games receive.

Everyone knows 99.9 percent of all movie games are shit—that’s why no one pays much attention to them. The game publishers are after one thing: the fat greenbacks of hapless consumers who would otherwise probably never pay any attention to the medium.

Where the Wild Things Are is a particularly special case. Say what you will about the moody feel of Spike Jonze’s bizarre reinterpretation of Maurice Sendak’s story, or the fact that the Wild Things were all kind of assholes, but at least the film maintained a respectable indie sensibility.

The Wild Things game is an abomination. It isn’t just another tired, forgettable movie tie-in. It’s nothing short of the consumerist rape and defilement of a beloved childhood classic that carries a dubious honor of something that

never should’ve been made in the first place.

In fact, shoehorning an already unnecessary idea (commercializing the game) into the body of a crappy action/platformer goes against every ideal in Sendak’s original story—or even, for that matter, Jonze’s film. Max is a child with a wildly active imagination, to the point that he constructs his own world filled with his own creatures to befriend.

Whereas Max’s world is theoretically limited to only the span of his own ideas (this seems less the case in the film), the game is linear, and worse, soulless. No imagination or creativity required: this is just a mindless trip through uninspired levels performing even more uninspired tasks.

You know you’ve got a problem when Max uses his scepter as a melee weapon. Since when did life in the realm of the Wild Things become so violent? And if they’re so goddamn big and scary and powerful, why can’t they just, say, beat the tar out of the enemies that have suddenly appeared on the island?

Oh, but that ain’t the half of it, folks. Though it only takes minutes to realize the inherent fallacy in trying to wedge any Wild Thingsrelatable plot into generally standard game design mechanics, it isn’t long before the Wild Things are being attacked by black goo that’s threatening to overtake the land.

Where the Wild Things Are: An unimaginative try at winning over players.

So in addition to the seen-it-allbefore gameplay and the travesty of the game’s existence itself, there’s a derivative plot that has nothing to do with the book or the movie starring low-grade, gooey rip-offs of ICO’s shadow creatures.

In the game’s minimal defense, the development team programmed the mechanics to be played as effectively as they could, and the visuals are competent. You can order the Wild Things to smash obstacles for you, which is an interesting idea.

They’re still passive-aggressive (with no Freudian interpretation to speak of), but it’s a nice thought.

Still, a good chunk of the development team must’ve lost their souls in the making of this debacle. I’m not sure which saddens me more: thinking about the poor bastards forced to make the game, or the poor kids who will beg their

parents for the game, unknowing.

But perhaps the worst thought of all is that, invariably, there are going to be some children whose parents’ use this as an electronic babysitter instead of actually reading them the storybook and helping to foster the kind of wellspring imagination Sendak imparted in the first place. And that is just beyond disgusting.

Skip this and pick up the damn book instead.

Where the Wild Things Are Warner Bros. Games PS3, Xbox 360 $39.99

Pong and Puccini Tony Tallarico brings symphonic music and video games together Mark Johnston Vanguard staff

When one thinks of video game music, what comes to mind? The bleeps and bloops of Super Mario Bros.? Contra and its amazing 8-bit keyboard lines? Typically, when one thinks of video game compositions, the idea of symphonic music rarely comes up. However, the intricate and elaborate music that has graced such games as Halo, Fable and the Final Fantasy series has captured the hearts and minds of hardcore video game fans for years.

Now, the beautifully crafted and very often overlooked music that has been the soundtrack to alien raids, mystical quests and Martian beatdowns comes to life with Video Games Live—a live, symphonic performance of some of the greatest video game compositions to date. Tommy Tallarico, video game composer and accomplished musician, has been traveling the country since 2005 and capturing the ears of the sophisticated concertgoer, all while drawing in a whole new generation of admirers to the symphony.

When Tallarico decided that video games weren’t being regarded by the general public as a viable and important role in the musical community, he decided it was time to take it to the streets with Video

Games Live. In 2002, he began the process of symphonic composition of the pieces, and then acquiring the licenses—and convincing people that his idea was a beneficial and feasible one. By July of 2005, he was ready for his first performance.

“I was apprehensive about the first performance,” Tallarico said. “It was with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. But when 11,000 people showed up, I knew that this proved a point. People are interested in video game compositions.”

This was further exemplified when letters and e-mails began pouring in with support for his vision.

“The greatest praise came from non-gamers,” Tallarico said.

“Parents that brought their children, grandparents taking grandchildren that had never been to the symphony before. Most of the non-gamers were just expecting bleeps and bloops.

They were very surprised by their experience.”

To accomplish this daunting task, Tallarico must go through a difficult process to acquire and prepare local orchestras with his music.

“A lot of the musical is difficult and challenging. Not only is it beneficial to utilize local symphonies to add great legitimacy to the show, but it is also great for the symphony to help usher in a new generation to appreciate the arts,” Tallarico said. “First, I send sheet music to the symphonies and create MP3 files of all the individual parts and the entire piece. Many symphonic musicians may know what Beethoven sounds

like, but may not know what Sonic the Hedgehog sounds like. Luckily, these musicians read music like we read books, you put it in front of them and they go. The day of the show is the first time everyone’s playing together.”

While this is somewhat of a relief, knowing that his work is in the hands of professionals, it is also a bit unnerving.

“Each time we work with a new symphony, there’s a learning process on both sides because these are classically trained, talented folks whom are now tackling video game music,” Tallarico said. “So when we first get to the auditorium, the musicians are a bit apprehensive but once they play the music you can see their faces light up and they realize that this is strong, emotional music.”

The program itself is two-and-ahalf hours with a brief intermission.

Prior to the performance, there is a small preshow festival with a costume and cosplay contest, game demos and game competitions— including a Guitar Hero competition that takes place before every show.

The winner of the competition gets to come on stage during the show to perform alongside Tallarico, while the symphony accompanies them.

“In the show, music is not the only aspect. We have elaborate visuals, interactive elements with crowd, that help combine the power and emotion of the symphony, the energy of a rock concert and the visuals and technology of video gaming,” he said.

The greatest aspect of Video

Games Live is the coming together of two rarely associated genres: video games and classical music.

“When I was growing up, I grew up in a rock ’n’ roll family, always into rock music,” Tallarico said. “When I was 10, I saw Star Wars for the first time. It was the first time music and a symphony hit me. Hearing John Williams made me want to listen to more classical music. That turned me on to Beethoven and that’s when I said, ‘I want to be a composer.’

Thirty years later I’m where I am and it was started with a love for classical music that was introduced through pop culture. As video game composers, we draw inspiration from classical composers. These are our heroes. The interesting thing is that once the performance happens and the symphony musicians hear a crowded auditorium cheering, that’s when the magic from those folks comes through. They have never had an audience cheering and yelling for classical music. It really is a great experience.”

Video Games Live Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall 1037 SW Broadway Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 8, 3 p.m. $25–$130

Artful comfort comfort Artful The Bullseye Gallery provides Solace for the masses

Bullseye Gallery 300 NW 13th Ave. Artist Reception Wed, Nov. 3, 5:30 p.m.

Runs through Dec. 29 Free

Stay out of the way When sound folk or stagehands are coming through, get out of their way. There is nothing metal about being a dick and holding up the production.

Alcohol is fun in moderation. Getting drunk happens, but no one likes a sloppy jerk.

Vomiting on the girl next to you is also not going to get you laid, wise guy.

Vanguard staff

Solace

Keep it classy: things not to do at a show

Watch your booze intake

Joel Gaddis

Artist Giles Bettison has a way of making glass look as soft as linen. His unique, kiln-formed creations often have a warm and inviting quality to them. All of the adjectives we typically associate with glass—hard, brittle, jagged— seem to melt away when looking at one of Bettison’s pieces. It takes significant skill to turn such a cool, splintery medium into something that looks downright cozy.

It follows, then, that Bettison’s latest exhibition would have a name like Solace. Hosted by the Bullseye Gallery, the show will kick off with an introductory talk by Bettison, in which he’ll discuss his muses and techniques.

One of these techniques, known as the Murrine process, has come to define much of Bettison’s work.

Murrine involves creating designs within an elongated glass rod. After heating and stretching, the rod is cooled and cut into cross sections, revealing the initial pattern or image. The method often results in intriguingly warped layers of glass.

Bettison, who hails from Australia, has become known throughout the world for his distinctive contributions to the medium. He has had highly successful showings in both America and Europe. His work sometimes looks like Paul Klee’s mosaic, geometric paintings rendered in three dimensions.

The two artists certainly share a penchant for lively, organic forms that exude a playful energy.

The Bullseye Gallery provides the perfect setting for Bettison’s craft. The gallery is an extension of the Bullseye Glass Company, a producer of colored glass and advocate of glass art in a variety of fields. Since the early ’70s, the company has provided a mainstay for Portland’s creative community, and even offers classes for beginners in glasswork.

Located in the Pearl District, the Bullseye Gallery has a history of presenting high-caliber work to the public. The gallery works exclusively with artists who specialize in kiln-formed glass. The current exhibition, entitled Expanse, comes from the mind of Jessica Loughlin. Like Bettison, Loughlin is originally from Australia, but their work is tonally distinct. Loughlin’s muted, calming, occasionally somber glass images bring to mind wide-open vistas and barren landscapes.

The contrasts between Bettison’s and Loughlin’s work reveal the wide variety of moods that can be evoked through glasswork.

Vanguard Arts & Culture | 5 November 4, 2009

I came for the band, not you Singing along to music in your car is one thing and even singing in public can be tolerable, but when your voice is rising above the level of the actual band on stage, we have a problem. Who wrote the song? Slayer? Awesome, let’s let them sing it, dude.

Save the shit talk for later

Bullseye Gallery: Hosting the show Solace this month, featuring the work of Giles Bettison and his unique, kiln-formed art (shown below).

Heckling is juvenile and rude. You may not be too into the show, but that is no reason to be crass. Save your trash talk for afterward or at least have the good grace not to yell at the band while they play.

That’s just mean.

Respect the rules OK, it sounds lame, but there is nothing more annoying when you’re working at a show than people bitching about things like age limits and security procedures. It sucks that there aren’t more all-ages shows and getting your bag searched is kind of annoying, but thems the rules and they’re there for good reason. Don’t complain to the venue staff about it—it’s just irritating and there’s nothing they can really do about it.

All photos by Rodrigo Melgarejo/Portland State Vanguard

Vanguard 6 | Opinion November 4, 2009

Opinion Editor: Richard D. Oxley 503-725-5692 opinion@dailyvanguard.com

Sellwood history

OPINION

It’s Clackamas’ bridge too

The Sellwood Bridge has been a longstanding feature of Portland for many years. It provides a much-needed route for commuters over the Willamette River between southwest and southeast Portland. Where did this crossing come from? Here is a little history on our beloved Sellwood Bridge.

The Sellwood Bridge was the first fixedspan bridge across the Willamette. Previous bridges all had movable parts.

Gustav Lindenthal engineered and designed the bridge.

Lindenthal was a famous bridge designer of his day and also designed the Hell Gate and Queensboro Bridge in New York.

The Sellwood Bridge first opened over 80 years ago, in 1925.

It originally cost $541,000 to build the Sellwood Bridge.

Its total length is 1,917 feet, consisting of four main spans to make one continuous fixed road.

It has seen an increase of use each year it has stood. Today it provides a commuting option for up to 30,000 vehicles per day.

Each end of the bridge uses girders from the previous Burnside Bridge, which was replaced around the same time of Sellwood’s construction. Portland always has been big on recycling!

Illustration by Kira Meyrick

Clackamas should throw down some money for the Sellwood Bridge Sean Rains Vanguard staff

A couple of weeks ago, the Multnomah County board approved a $19 vehicle registration fee as part of a plan to pay for the bridge that includes city, state and federal funds, and funds from Clackamas County.

Altogether the plan is perfectly serviceable: The fees are reasonable, the bridge is paid for and the fact that the new bridge will have bike lanes makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Yet there are some very significant problems with the plan that put the burden of paying for the bridge mostly on poor and middle-class drivers.

It has the county whose citizens use the bridge the most making the

— multco.us

Rant Rage The

and

By Dick Richards

Ho ho hold on!

I was walking through a department store last month—let’s call it “Teddies”—contemplating costume ideas for my favorite holiday event of the year. I couldn’t help but notice that a week before Halloween, seasonal items for another coming holiday were already going on sale. One that is not fast approaching.

What the hell?! We hadn’t even gotten dolled up yet for the drunken candy-giving festival and retailers

smallest contribution to its repair.

According to the Portland Tribune article “$19 a year to replace Sellwood Bridge? That’s the plan,” Clackamas County is expected to contribute $22 million to the bridge project—possibly paid for with a $5 per year vehicle registration fee— compared to Multnomah County’s $127 million, and the City of Portland’s $100 million. This is despite the fact that three quarters of the drivers crossing the bridge are going in or out of Clackamas County.

Flat fees—even small ones— are always regressive, because no matter how little money you make, the fee stays the same, making it a more significant burden the poorer you are. A vehicle fee makes sense, because it is those who drive that wear down the bridge, but the fee needs to vary so wealthier people pay a higher fee. The simplest way to do this would be to tie the fee to the blue book value of a vehicle, so someone with a car worth $100,000

is paying more to register it than someone with a car worth $2,000.

The issue is made worse by the out-of-whack contributions of Clackamas and Multnomah counties. Based on census data from 2007, the median income of Clackamas County is around $61,000, while Multnomah County’s median income is just shy of $49,000. And 9.2 percent of Clackamas County residents are below the poverty line compared with 15 percent of Multnomah County residents.

The $19 fee will have a significant impact on the finances of a larger percentage of Multnomah County residents than it would for Clackamas County residents, but Clackamas County is less willing to pony up their share. To put it somewhat more cynically, poor people are paying for a bridge so that rich people can shop and play and go to work downtown while avoiding the bill.

The worst part of this problem

is how unavoidable it is. The Sellwood Bridge repair is long overdue, and the funding structure simply reflects what each party is willing to pay. The City of Portland and Multnomah County both want a safe bridge to avoid a dangerous accident and to encourage more bicycle traffic, and they are willing to put up the money to make that happen. The people of Clackamas County get a lot of use out of the bridge, but they can live without it, and so they are less willing to pay for it.

That is the perverted nature of so much public funding: Instead of those who can afford it paying the most for those things we all use, it becomes a game where everyone tries to contribute as little as they can get away with. And the people who can get away with contributing the least always seem to be those that already have the most.

were already foaming at the mouth for a different holiday—not the next one, but the one after that, two whole months away. They were even dropping prices on Halloween items, trying to rush them out the door and clear shelf space.

Look, Christmas blows. I don’t like it, but I will save my discontent for that yuletide crock for another rant. What the hell is up with stocking shelves with Christmas lights, decorations and gift ideas? We haven’t even begun to think about Thanksgiving. You know, that other gluttonous family holiday that comes an entire month before Christmas.

We are supposed to give thanks for everything we have before we start to think about all the crap we don’t have and want others to get for us.

But no, that’s not good enough for stores these days, and it’s not just my good old neighborhood “Teddies.” National Public Radio released a story on Oct. 11 highlighting the fact that retailers

are getting a bigger jump on the holiday season than usual by getting out the Christmas crap early.

Look, stocking the shelves over two months in advance is not a jump, it’s a huge damn soaring leap with a run up to it!

NPR further reported that since a whole load of us Americans don’t have any jobs or money, stores are getting Christmas greed—er, cheer— out early to try and make up for the pending lack of bucks they’ll make off of us this year. Look, if we won’t have the money later, and we sure as hell don’t have the money now, then it’s time to just give up. Take the loss.

I know, it’s so sad that some CEO of a giant retail chain won’t get to gold plate his toilet seat this year to grace his gold-plated ass. And you better believe there is a CEO somewhere with a gold-plated ass.

Then again, not having money has never stopped us from buying stuff before. Hmm… Some Sears store even made

headlines, as reported in the San Francisco Gate on Monday, Nov. 2, when they moved their “Black Friday” holiday buying event up to be just before or after Halloween, depending on which store you go to.

Some locations on the East Coast had it the day after Halloween, some in San Francisco had it up to a week before. Listen you pathetic, Christmas-craving idiots, the day after Thanksgiving is when we’re supposed to pile over each other, crowding through doors and trampling over other shoppers and breaking their arms, not now! Are we just that sad as a country?

So give it up already. We should be getting down with deep-fried turkeys, gravy and ham—that’s right, plenty of ham too, and I suppose we could throw in a little salad on the side as well. Forget that damn Santa, but don’t forget Thanksgiving!

etc.

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Edited by Will Shortz Across 1 Playbill listing 5 Bygone J.F.K. landers 9 Fit-for-a-king spread 14 Hodgepodge 15 “Weʼre in trouble!”

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27 Grp. that awards merit badges 28 Keenness of mind

32 Problem with an old 45 33 Hindu master 34 More standoffish 35 “Tough!”

38 Completely off drugs 40 Reproduce like salmon 41 Disorderly stack 42 Quantity consumed 44 Took a load off 47 Dukeʼs sports org.

48 Before, to Byron 49 Gladiatorʼs milieu 51 “Tough!”

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60 Botanical balm 61 Womanizerʼs look 62 Dictionary word in bold type 63 Pound cry 64 Citi Field team Down 1 Swindlerʼs work 2 Native Alaskans 3 Sonora snooze 4 Dessert from Linz 5 “You bet!”

6 Former home of the 64-Across 7 Payment at many a New York bridge 8 “Youʼll have to demonstrate” 9 Alternative to heels 10 Pricing word 11 Like many automobile braking systems 12 Terrier type,

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Vanguard Vanguard Etc. || 77 Arts November 2009 Month Day,4,2009

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Chris Cokinos: Vanished Birds and Shooting Stars 6:30 p.m.

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5th Avenue Cinema Free with PSU ID PSU Choirs in Concert 8 p.m.

First Congregational Church 1126 SW Park Ave.

Saturday Film: Gimme Shelter 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

5th Avenue Cinema Free with PSU ID

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ART WEDNESDAY

&

dazed The folly of foley

confused:

Local artists bring life to classic cinema with a new a critical look at our pop life soundtrack and sound effects

Celebrity death culture is bullshit Ed Johnson Vanguard staff

“Celebrities are people too!”

That’s the common refrain I’ve heard over the years about my complete and total disregard for the feelings of people I’ve never met. I don’t argue the point. For my purposes, it doesn’t really matter.

I don’t care when a celebrity dies. Not ever. In fact, I actively try to remain as unsympathetic as possible.

Considering that the Michael Jackson stroke-off This Is It was No. 1 at the box office last weekend, it seems most Americans don’t feel the same way I do.

See, when a celebrity dies or is dying, something weird happens.

Americans become big, slobbering hypocrites. And maybe that isn’t so odd, considering our generally facile lifestyle, but the abrupt switch is jarring. The outpouring of empathy and sadness is nothing more than an illustration of our crippling inability to connect with the people around us. We project in all the wrong ways.

Of all the stories I’ve written in the Vanguard about pop culture, those that received the most attention—or at least feedback— suggest this basic thesis.

When I wrote that I didn’t care that Patrick Swayze had cancer, I was lambasted with over 40 online comments, some of which literally wished for my death. They were mad when I said Swayze’s resurgence in fame this year was mainly based around the fact that he was dying.

But it’s undeniably true.

The amount of sympathy and attention we give celebrities can be proportionally tied to how public their dying or deaths are.

For the record, these are some dead people I don’t care about • Michael Jackson, a psyche broken by fame • Billy Mays, a junk salesman who died of a junk overdose • Farah Fawcett, a ’70s bombshell • Heath Ledger, a great actor with drugs • Et-fucking-cetera.

To be clear: I never wished these people dead, and I’m not happy they’re dead. I just don’t care. Their deaths cannot have an effect on me because I did not know them, not even a little, and to pretend otherwise would be a lie.

When people pretend they are sad after a celebrity dies, or publicly mourn someone they’ve never known in any way but through media reports, what they’re really saying is that they’re sad death exists, and that’s unreasonable.

When you get upset that Michael Jackson is dead, you’re being unreasonable.

What about empathy for the families, you say? Fair enough.

Losing a loved one is hard. But when my grandma died, Janet Jackson shed no tears. And y’know what? I thought nothing less of her for it.

Substituting fake relationships for real ones is no excuse for being delusional.

The next time a celebrity dies and you feel the need to grieve for no good reason, I have a plan. Open up to the obituary section of your local newspaper. Pick a random dead person. Visit their funeral. Grieve.

If you don’t feel ridiculous, you’re not doing it right. Celebrity death culture is bullshit.

Ed Johnson/Portland State Vanguard

Weekend box office: top nine highestgrossing films for the weekend of Oct. 30–Nov. 1 1. This Is It Weekend Gross: $23,234,394

By Ed Johnson

Mark Johnston Vanguard staff

In the spirit of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Cinematic Titanic, the Portland chapter of Filmusik brings an old favorite back from the bowels of public domain to the Hollywood Theatre with Filmusik: Gamera vs. Guiron.

In front of the screen and during the film, a team of voice actors, chamber musicians and foley artists provide a fresh soundscape to add a new dimension to the existing piece.

The result is 82 minutes of wacky new sound effects, crazy voiceovers and well-written recreations of the original soundtrack by some of Portland’s finest musicians and performers.

Filmusik is a nationwide group that traces its roots back to the heyday of silent film, when the musicians were equally as important to the success of the film as the celluloid itself. Half of the musicians employed at the time were utilized by the motion picture industry to provide the score to the pieces either at the various playhouses, or on the film itself once sound recording was introduced.

Filmusik aims to take old films— now safe in the public domain and free of license issues—and retool the soundtrack to modernize it, or just make it better. The Portland chapter has already tackled such obscure classics as Death Rides a Horse, Kansas City Confidential, Missile to the Moon, Plan 9 from Outer Space and The Superman Orchestra, where they showed old Superman serials and performed a new score. With their newest endeavor, they’ve added the Willamette Radio Workshop to expand the live show and include sound effects and voice tracks.

The movie the troop now tackles is Gamera vs. Guiron, a touching tale of love and turtles. When two aliens with Midwestern accents hypnotize and kidnap a pair of prepubescent kids, the only one that can save them from the “space babes” and their knife-headed monster, Guiron, is Gamera, the jet-powered super turtle.

Gamera and Guiron embark on an epic battle to free the children and return them to their home planet.

Leading the Filmusik ensemble is composer and conductor Scott J. Orday. Orday received the 2008 John Kenneth Cole Composition Award, and was the recipient of grants and awards from the American Composer’s Forum, the American Music Center, the Oregon Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, University of Puget Sound and University of Oregon. Assisting in the composition is Portland artist Sugar Short Wave, a multi-instrumentalist who has performed throughout America and Europe. Taking the reins of the vocal and foley matters is the Willamette Radio Workshop, which has tackled War of the Worlds, Murder of Crows, Fall of the City and St. James Infirmary Blues just to name a few.

While talking over cheesy movies isn’t a new feat by any means, Filmusik’s concept of completely removing the original soundtrack and replacing every element down to the sound effects—making the film reminiscent of those from the silent film era—is a fresh retooling

Vanguard Arts & Culture | 8 November 4, 2009

Gross to Date: $34,442,926 Last week’s rank: New Weeks in release: 1 2. Paranormal Activity Weekend Gross: $16,387,327 Gross to Date: $84,627,372 Last week’s rank: 1 Weeks in release: 6 3. Law Abiding Citizen Weekend Gross: $7,403,630 Gross to Date: $51,485,280 Last week’s rank: 4 Weeks in release: 3 4. Couples Retreat Weekend Gross: $6,460,525 Gross to Date: $87,026,280 Last week’s rank: 5 Weeks in release: 4 Filmusik: Taking the old and breathing new, musical life into it.

which brings new life to old films that desperately need it. Rather than lowbrow commenting throughout a film, Filmusik combines elements of silent film and old-time radio productions to give a classical feel to a modern concept.

5. Where the Wild Things Are Weekend Gross: $5,931,417 Gross to Date: $62,650,379 Last week’s rank: 3 Weeks in release: 3 6. Saw VI Weekend Gross: $5,270,794 Gross to Date: $22,534,749 Last week’s rank: 2 Weeks in release: 2 7. Astro Boy Weekend Gross: $3,460,651 Gross to Date: $11,316,418 Last week’s rank: 6 Weeks in release: 2

Filmusik: Gamera vs. Guiron Hollywood Theatre 4122 SE Sandy Blvd.

Nov. 4, 6, 11 and 13, 7 p.m. $10 students, $8 seniors

8. The Stepfather Weekend Gross: $3,207,792 Gross to Date: $24,555,801 Last week’s rank: 8 Weeks in release: 3 9. Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant Weekend Gross: $3,098,185 Gross to Date: $10,809,975 Last week’s rank: 7 Weeks in release: 2 —www.the-movietimes.com