Daily Vanguard March 3, 2010

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 2010 • PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY • VOLUME 64, ISSUE 77

Event of the night Take a break from studying and enjoy a midnight breakfast with food, games and prizes. (see page 4) When: 9 p.m. to midnight Where: SMSU Ballroom

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INSIDE NEWS Watanabe new director for multicultural students New executive director of Diversity and Multicultural Student Services PAGE 2

ARTS

Examining our culture through art Two new art shows that explore common aspects of our cultural landscape PAGE 4 Human instincts in a crisis situation Chitra Divakaruni shares her One Amazing Thing PAGE 4

BREAKING NEWS Ron Lee impeached by Student Senate Corie Charnley Vanguard staff

At last night’s Student Senate meeting, the body voted 13–3 to impeach Student Fee Committee member Ron Lee on seven of eight individual charges.

The charges are as follows: - Lee used his position as an SFC member to threaten a student group for personal reasons - Lee caused lasting damage to a student group due to personal reasons - Lee destroyed confidence in the SFC budget process due to his personal agenda - Lee undermined confidence of his position as an SFC member overall - Lee jeopardized his integrity as an SFC member - Lee acted outside of his position as an SFC member unethically - Lee tainted his character as a member of the SFC through false accusations and ethical misconduct Lee faced impeachment charges after accusing Pre-Law

Society President Ashley McClain of financial mismanagement.

These claims were made after Lee failed to receive $5 owed to him by the society.

The decision was made after testimony was given by McClain, PSU’s Alpha Pi Sigma chapter President Andrew William Bridge and Student Senator P.V. Jantz, who submitted the impeachment request.

Before reaching a verdict, the Student Senate discussed issuing a public censure reprimanding Lee for his actions. However, Bridge argued that McClain could not use the censure as evidence of her innocence if a state’s legal bar investigates the matter. “[When McClain takes the bar exam, she] has to go to 16 states and check if [she has] ever been accused of embezzlement, [or] ever been accused of fraud. She has to check yes,” Bridge said. “She has to have an investigation, and a bar investigation lasts 12 to 24 months. You cannot get a license in 16 states until that investigation is done.”

Lee was not present at the hearing. In addition, no official affidavit was referenced by the Student Senate, though they requested that Lee submit one if he didn’t attend.

Honoring Portland firefighters PSU community helped in the design of memorial Joe Hannan Vanguard staff

In the early morning of June 26, 1911, a fire alarm sounded. An oil pump threw a spark that ignited the Union Oil distributing plant on Southeast Salmon Street and Water Avenue. Engine companies from around the city arrived at the scene where Fire Chief David Campbell would battle his last fire. As the conflagration raged, Campbell rushed into the building to save his crew, but the structure collapsed.

A memorial to Campbell’s service is currently located at the corner of Northwest 18th Avenue and Burnside Street, but a new memorial was recently designed through a competition, organized in part by Portland State’s Department of Architecture, to honor the 36 Portland firefighters who have died in the line of duty since 1881.

Jeff Schnabel, associate professor of architecture, coordinated the competition in partnership with Portland Fire and Rescue and the David Campbell Memorial Association.

FIRE continued on page two

Photo courtesy of Portland Firefighter Memorial

In honor: A rendering of the planned memorial for fallen firefighters.

TriMet’s budget shortfall has services under the axe Into the deep blue sea Endless Oceans: Blue World proves educational games can still be great PAGE 5

OPINION

Constitutionudity Ain’t nothin’ wrong with a little bump ’n’ grind PAGE 6 Freedom of degradation What’s the difference between stripping and prostitution?

PAGE 6

Amy Staples Vanguard staff

TriMet is holding a series of open houses in community centers across the Portland area to get public feedback on proposed service cuts and fare increases.

TriMet is facing a $27 million budget shortfall for the 2011 fiscal year. Federal stimulus funds will cover $7.2 million but TriMet will have to make up the difference.

Nearly $8.7 million worth of transit service will be cut.

Cuts to non-peak-hour services could possibly impact students because they don’t necessarily travel during peak traffic hours.

“Hopefully it will simply be a matter of adjusting your schedule by a few minutes,” said Mary Fetsch, communications director for TriMet. TriMet is expecting payroll receipts to decrease by $15 million and ridership revenue to drop by $8 million, according to a press release from the company.

Fetsch said that the public comment period will be followed by two hearings when TriMet will look at the comments and make any necessary refinements to its plans.

“It will be voted on by the board and the changes will go into effect in September,” Fetsch said.

The three-month-long public comment period will be held through Friday, April 23, during which time people can also

TriMet line reductions

Busted: Some bus routes will be reduced or eliminated due to budget shortages.

comment on the proposed five-cent fare increase.

TriMet has been plagued in recent years by budget shortfalls and had to cut services last year as well as implement salary and hiring freezes, according to a press release. The current economic recession has reduced passenger revenue, and Trimet has lost operating revenue from payroll taxes as well.

“We have to have a balanced budget by state law,” Fetsch said.

Ridership has declined since March 2009, according to TriMet’s

Web site, although ridership saw a slight increase when the MAX Green Line opened last year.

The criteria TriMet looked for when making decisions on line reductions was low ridership, availability of alternative service and available capacity of vehicles.

“Is there enough capacity on the vehicle if we cut trips? Those buses that are consistently full will not be affected,” she said.

Of the fare increase, Fetsch said, “We usually increase fare every year to cover the cost of doing business but the last fare increase was in

Michael Pascual/Portland State Vanguard

September 2008.”

She said with the recession, TriMet has tried to minimize the impact to riders so there was no fare increase in 2009.

For more information on TriMet’s proposals and to comment, go to ww.trimet.org or call 503-962-5806 or TTY 503-238-5811 between 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays. Comments can also be e-mailed to comments@ trimet.org or mailed to TriMet at 4012 SE 17th Ave.

TRIMET continued on page three

Vanguard 2 | News March 3, 2010

Sarah J. Christensen Editor-in-Chief Virginia Vickery News Editor Theodora Karatzas Arts & Culture Editor Richard D. Oxley Opinion Editor Robert Britt Sports Editor Shannon Vincent Production Manager Marni Cohen Photo Editor Zach Chastaine Online Editor Robert Seitzinger Copy Chief Robert Seitzinger Calendar Editor Jae Specht Advertising Manager William Prior Marketing Manager Judson Randall Adviser Ann Roman Advertising Adviser Illustrator Kira Meyrick Associate News Editor Corie Charnley Production Assistants Bryan Morgan, Charles Cooper Williams

NEWS Watanabe new director for multicultural students New executive director of Diversity and Multicultural Student Services Catrice Stanley Vanguard staff

Paulette Watanabe has been working at Portland State since 1987 and recently moved from managing grants and contracts in the Student Affairs Office to the position of executive director of Diversity and Multicultural Student Services.

Watanabe’s position, which she assumed in January, includes leadership over the following programs: Diversity Scholarship Programs and Services, TRIO Student Support Services Program, Native American Student Services, Latino Student Services, Equity Retention Services, the Native American Student and Community Center, Project PLUS, Upward Bound and more, according to a press release.

This move also gives Watanabe control over the Multicultural Center, which was formerly part of the Office of the Dean of Students.

Watanabe holds a master’s in public health, counseling and secondary education.

“Every day in our department something fun and interesting happens. Paulette is an excellent leader and we have an excellent department,” said Renee Kim, coordinator of Counseling Services for the Student Support Services Program.

Watanabe hired Kim in late 2007 when Kim was a graduate assistant in the School of Social Work.

Dan Fortmiller, associate vice provost for Academic and Career Services, has worked at PSU for 24 years and has known Watanabe for more than two decades.

“Paulette is a truly dedicated professional with a passion for helping students achieve their academic dreams. She works tirelessly in support of, and [in] advocacy for, students who may be the first in their families to attend higher education, those for whom attending college may place a financial hardship and for those students who have traditionally been under-represented on college campuses,” Fortmiller said.

Aaron Leopold/Portland State Vanguard

Paulette Watanabe: New director of Diversity and Multicultural Student Services.

“[Watanabe] assuming the leadership of the new Diversity and Multicultural Student Services alignment within Student Affairs is a testament to her commitment to students and the institution.”

Ombudsman Sandy McDermott has known Watanabe for 22 years while working at PSU. “Paulette proactively promotes the spirit of inclusiveness on campus through her efforts in supporting diverse hires,” McDermott said.

“She has made influential contributions to PSU by being responsive to differing needs of individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures.”

Jackie Balzer, vice provost for Student Affairs, said in a press release that “Student Affairs at PSU is an organization committed to diversity and social justice. I am excited to create more focus and visibility for the multicultural student support services within Student Affairs.”

“Paulette is the perfect choice to lead this new alignment,” Balzer said.

With 20 years already spent working side by side at PSU, Fortmiller knows that he and Watanabe and will continue to work together for years to come.

“I look forward to the next 20plus years of working with her and her fabulous staff,” Fortmiller said.

Post-production Assistant Adiana Lazarraga Contributors Stacy Austin, Will Blackford, Bianca Blankenship, Meaghan Daniels, Erica DeCouteau, Sarah Engels, Sarah Esterman, Amy Fylan, Courtney Graham, Natalia Grozina, Patrick Guild, Joe Hannan, Rosemary Hanson, Steve Haske, Nadya Ighani, Carrie Johnston, Sara M. Kemple, Tamara K. Kennedy, Gogul Krishnan, Ebonee Lee, J. Logue, James MacKenzie, Daniel Ostlund, Sharon Rhodes, Tanya Shiffer, Wendy Shortman, Catrice Stanley, Nilesh Tendolkar, Robin Tinker, Vinh Tran, Katherine Vetrano, Allison Whited, Roger Whightman Photographers Aaron Leopold, Michael Pascual, Liana Shewey, Adam Wickham Copy Editors Noah Emmet, Amanda Gordon Advertising Sales Ana SanRoman, Wesley Van Der Veen Advertising Designer Shannon Vincent Distributor Cody Bakken

Find us at www.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 © 2010 Portland State University Vanguard 1825 SW Broadway, Smith Memorial Student Union, Rm. S-26, Portland, Ore., 97201

FIRE |

from page one

Lanterns will represent firefighters who died in the line of duty Initially, 16 adjunct architecture professors were identified as possible participants.

“We went with this group because [PSU] draws many of its adjunct professors from the architecture community, which is a nice cross section of practicing architects in Portland,” Schnabel said.

From the group, seven entered submissions for the competition that were then placed on public display in Shattuck Hall. Four battalions of firefighters viewed the submissions in November 2009 and filled out ballots for their favorites. “[The ballots] had a strong influence on the selection committee,” Schnabel said.

The committee—of which Schnabel was a member—then narrowed the field down to three.

Those designers were asked to revise their design schemes based on reviews by various city agencies and selection committee comments, he said.

Last week, the Firefighter Memorial Committee chose the winning design for the memorial, which was designed by Aaron Whelton of Whelton Architecture.

“The site for the memorial, which is amazing, is on the east bank of the river along the esplanade, adjacent to the Hawthorne Bridge,” Schnabel said.

The memorial will be within sight of where the fire killed Campbell nearly 100 years ago.

Also next to the site is Portland Firestation 21, and its crew will help maintain the memorial.

Another possible aspect of the memorial involves a fireboat,

named after Campbell, which is still used by Portland firefighters.

“It will be taken out of service eventually and may be parked in front of the memorial,” said firefighter Paul Corah, who is involved with the memorial project.

The focal point of the memorial will be 36 illuminated lanterns.

Each 50-foot-tall lantern will represent a fallen firefighter. In the middle of the memorial will be a courtyard that will have a wall containing the names of the firefighters. At the other end of the courtyard will rest a memorial bell to be rung at a ceremony every June to commemorate fallen firefighters, Corah said.

Whelton said that experiencing the memorial from different areas of the city will change the figural reading of the memorial.

The lanterns will dim and brighten on a monthly illumination cycle that will represent the number of “historical line-of-duty deaths,” Whelton said.

“Within the field of the memorial, each individual lantern is clearly identifiable and the space between them is varied to accommodate both individual visitors and larger groups. Seen from greater distances, the lanterns merge into a unified line of light in the sky. This constellation-like pattern will expand the presence of the memorial into a symbol which is visible and recognizable across Portland,” he said.

Aside from Whelton, other contributors to the project include PSU architecture students Doug Sheets, Diane Deitering and Olek Zemplinski.

Whelton said the design establishes two discernable experiential zones: “At the ground level, low horizontal stone benches and walls are rooted into the earth, and in the sky, tall vertical lanterns gently sway overhead.”

A contractor will be chosen later this year to construct the memorial.

Funds for the project will be raised through private donations.

Commissioner Randy Leonard is leading these fundraising efforts.

The goal is to erect the memorial by June 26, 2011, the annual date of the service held in memory of Portland firefighters and the 100-year anniversary of Campbell’s death.

Information can be found about the memorial and how to donate to the project at www. portlandfirefightersmemorial.org.

Liana Shewey/Portland State Vanguard

Jeff Schnabel: Assistant professor of architecture and organizer of design competition.

TRIMET |

Bus lines to be discontinued from page one

TriMet cuts and reductions

Lines to be discontinued due to low ridership and/or have alternate service nearby 27 Market/Main, 65 Marqham Hill/Barbur Blvd., 154 Willamette and 157 Happy Valley Eliminate some or all weekend service due to low ridership 32 Oatfield, 45 Garden Home, 80 Kane/Troutdale Reduce span of service (where there is low ridership)

Michael Pascual/Portland State Vanguard

Weekday schedule reductions Reduce frequency by 2–3 minutes during non-rush hours and 2–10 minutes in the evenings 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 14, 15, 17, 20, 33, 57, 70, 71 Reduce the frequency by 2–10 minutes throughout the day 16, 24, 32, 43, 44, 52, 58, 62, 68, 73, 77 Weekend schedule reductions Reduce frequency by up to 6 minutes 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 14, 15, 20, 33, 54/56, 57, 71, 75 Frequency change from every 30 minutes to every 60 minutes (Sundays only) on 58

Eliminate first or last trip (weekdays and weekends) 8, 9, 24, 28, 32, 45, 48, 51, 55, 70, 73, 85, 87, 88, 155

Weekday schedule reductions Reduce frequency by 2–3 minutes during non-rush hours and 2–10 minutes in the evenings 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 14, 15, 17, 20, 33, 57, 70, 71

Eliminate low-ridership portion of routes 33, 43, 53, 67 Route eliminations for six bus lines

Open House public comment opportunities

Eliminate weekday trips (where capacity available) 1, 51, 85, 92, 94, 99

Beaverton Community Center 12350 SW Fifth St., Suite 100, Beaverton Today, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Rail service reductions

Gresham City Hall, Oregon Trail and Springwater Conference Rooms 1333 NW Eastman Pkwy., Gresham Thursday, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Reduce the frequency by 2–10 minutes throughout the day 16, 24, 32, 43, 44, 52, 58, 62, 68, 73, 77

Reduce frequency of trains to every 45 minutes. Weekday rush-hour-only service to operate 12 round trips per day (between Beaverton and Wilsonville) on WES

Student Publications editorships open for 2010–2011 year The Portland State University Student Publications Board has announced that applications for leadership of the Vanguard, the Graphic Design Center, Pathos Literary Magazine, the Portland Review, the Rearguard, KPSU and The Portland Spectator are open for the 2010–2011 academic year.

The Vanguard editor oversees PSU’s daily newspaper with a staff of nearly 60 persons.

The Rearguard editor produces a monthly publication of an alternative viewpoint.

The Graphic Design Center manager oversees a graphic design business for students and others.

The Portland Spectator editor oversees a monthly magazine of conservative political commentary.

The Pathos Literary Magazine editor manages a thrice-yearly literary magazine that publishes only Portland State University student work.

The KPSU radio station manager runs an AM-band radio station (and short-range FM-band radio station) with diverse content and a staff of about 80.

The Portland Review editor operates a thrice-yearly literary review that publishes fiction and art from submissions originating locally, nationally and internationally.

Application materials may be obtained from Judson Randall, student publications adviser, in Room S-26A in the Smith Memorial Student Union subbasement. Completed applications must be submitted electronically or on paper by noon April 5, 2010, to Randall at randallj@pdx.edu. The Student Publications Board will hire the editors after interviews to be conducted within 10 days.

News Editor: Virginia Vickery 503-725-5690 news@dailyvanguard.com

EcoStreet informational session Today, Portland State will host an informational session regarding sustainability initiatives and the future of the university’s EcoStreet block.

Eliminate more than one trip 48, 70, 73, 155

Reduce frequency by 2 minutes on all midday, evening and weekend trips on MAX

Vanguard News | 3 March 3, 2010

Happy Valley City Hall, Council Chambers 16000 SE Misty Dr., Happy Valley Wednesday, March 10 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Information courtesy of TriMet

The EcoStreet block includes Urban Plaza and Southwest Montgomery Street between Southwest Broadway and Sixth Avenue. Possible projects for this area include storm water management features, a demonstrative garden, student art, community structures, and pedestrian and bike access.

The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the browsing lounge of Smith Memorial Student Union. For more information regarding PSU’s sustainability initiatives and events, visit www.ecowiki. pdx.edu.

—ecowiki.pdx.edu

Theodora Karatzas 503-725-5694 arts@dailyvanguard.com

Midnight breakfast costume ideas In years past, the midnight breakfast near the end of term has featured a chocolate fountain, raffles and even a 1960s costume contest with prizes—because getting gussied up like Janis Joplin or John Lennon for a pack of Scantrons is totally worth it.

For this term, no special themes have been announced, but free grub and an excuse to procrastinate should be all it takes for throngs of Ondine, Broadway and Blumel Hall residents to pack the Smith Memorial Student Union Ballroom tonight at 9 p.m.

Take it upon yourself to make the breakfast exciting and show up looking like the life of the party—you may even get cuts in line.

The Hef If you have a red velvet smoking jacket and a gray wig, you’re set.

Finding a half-dozen blondes to follow you around could be more challenging, but as this is a campus populated by students who rock just their sweats and a hoodie to class, you won’t be out of place in your PJs if you go as a decades-younger Hugh Hefner.

The Superhero Surely, a few of you have a Spiderman, Batman or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle getup hidden in your dorm. What better chance to break it out than when throngs of beer-swilling dope smokers gather for munchies? If they threaten to reveal your identity, you can always escape under the cover of night into the Park Blocks... and if someone calls Campus Public Safety, we’ll have an awesome story to put in the crime blotter.

The Village Drunkard You may not stand out on campus, what with the homeless milling about until they’re asked to leave.

Still, it could be fun to arrive after downing a six-pack—drink five and spill one on yourself for stinky comic effect. Don’t try this if you have a preexisting résumé of troublemaking with the local authorities.

—Robert Seitzinger

Two new art shows that explore common aspects of our cultural landscape

Examining our culture through art

Roger Wightman Vanguard staff

This week, the Art Department will be hosting the opening of two shows that will grace the walls of university exhibits for the next month. Portland State sophomore Chloé Womack will be exhibiting her work for the first time in the MK Gallery and San Francisco artist Lucas Murgida will be showing work in the Autzen Gallery.

Womack’s first show will include a body of work that is both deeply personal and accessible to her audience. A native of Portland, Womack grew up being influenced by all the typical Portland things— food carts, veganism, public transportation, etc. Her show, titled Reflections, will be what Womack calls “a reflection of my experiences over the past 21 years of my life.”

The bigger picture in Womack’s work is to critique and examine the influence that today’s media has on the way we view the world and the culture it has created. She started by asking questions like “do we become mirrors to what we choose to view?” and “how do these images affect our interactions and what we decide is beautiful, youthful, or true?” The quest for understanding led to the creation of Reflections, a fusion of intellectual musings and imitations of refracting light.

To understand the work of Murgida best, you should hear him explain it. Luckily for Portland State students, Murgida will be on hand for the opening of his show on Thursday. His work is less about the product and more about the process. Basically, he finds a job and explores every nook and cranny of the work that is entailed. The ending result being the exposé of what Murgida calls “the imbedded metaphors inherent to the job’s structure.”

One of Murgida’s more interesting jobs was working as a locksmith.

He began a one-man organization called The Locksmithing Institute,

Grip, Grasp, Grope, and Fondle: Opening tomorrow night at Autzen Gallery.

and he would teach free classes on what he saw as the true role of a locksmith—things like how to pick a lock and how to find your keys were among his topics. He also examined the influence of the doorknob on our daily lives, constructing swinging doors with useless knobs on the side that didn’t swing out just to see how people would automatically reach for the knob to open the door.

His physical work is a documentation of this process.

Murgida has taken on the role of a busboy, a cabinetmaker, a locksmith and now a yoga instructor. His experience as a locksmith piqued his interest in how people protect their space, things and also themselves— he took on yoga to explore the latter.

His show Grip, Grasp, Grope, and Fondle is, like all of his work, an attempt to showcase common things and people that are often ignored.

Grip, Grasp, Grope, and Fondle will open this Thursday, with an artist talk and reception beginning at 4 p.m. the same day. Womack’s Reflections will also have an opening reception the same day and time.

All photos by Michael Pascual/Portland State Vanguard

Reflections

Grip, Grasp, Grope, and Fondle

MK Gallery Art Building, room 207 Mon–Fri, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Runs through March 26 Opening reception: Thu, 4 p.m.–6 p.m.

Autzen Gallery Neuberger Hall, room 205 Opens Thu Mon—Fri, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Runs through March 26 Reception and artist talk: Thu, 4 p.m.–7 p.m.

Human instincts in a crisis situation Chitra Divakaruni shares her One Amazing Thing Wendy Shortman Vanguard staff

After volunteering with Hurricane Katrina refugees, and from her own experience facing disaster in Hurricane Rita, Chitra Divakaruni gained a new perspective on the way people react in crisis situations.

“I’ve seen it in a real-life setting and I wanted to [create] characters to express different ways of responding to catastrophe,” Divakaruni said.

Divakaruni became interested in how people react in high-pressure situations, like a natural disaster.

The author has her own ideas on why certain people act one way and other people act another.

“I think it has a lot to do with their vision of the world,” Divakaruni said.

For instance, she explains that people who primarily think from an individualist standpoint feel that

they are the only ones who have to survive. They care less about the people around them and more about themselves. Sometimes they see the people around them as antagonists, Divakaruni said.

Then there are the people that avoid the latter’s individualist way of thinking.

“The people that see themselves as part of a community are more helpful and compassionate, and even sacrifice things to help others,” Divakaruni said. “They realize the survival of the community is important.”

In the beginning of One Amazing Thing, Divakaruni introduces nine drastically different characters that soon find themselves trapped together in an Indian visa office after an earthquake.

The characters are all strangers to one another, besides the coworkers who only know each other on a superficial level.

The author takes us through a heartwarming story as the characters begin to care about each other.

“I thought of people that came from different backgrounds, ages and ethnicity,” Divakaruni said. “I just wanted to give a big cross section of humanity to show how people might respond differently, but we do all share a deep commonality.”

The deep commonality Divakaruni talks about was the inspiration for the title of the book.

The characters decide to share something that changed their lives forever—their one amazing thing.

“All of our lives have been touched by amazing moments that have shaped who we are,” Divakaruni said. “They could be a positive or a negative experience.”

Divakaruni’s one amazing thing occurred when she was on a pilgrimage in the Himalayas in India, when she found herself in a dangerous situation. Separated from the large group she was traveling with, she got stuck in a bad place. A stranger appeared and helped her through a dangerous, rushing river.

When she went to look for him the next day, he was nowhere to be found, and she never saw him again.

n Books

Arts Editor:

ARTS & CULTURE

Photo co urtesy o f Hyperio

Vanguard 4 | Arts & Culture March 3, 2010

“It really had a profound affect on me. I got a real sense that there are mysteries in the universe, and benevolent powers that help us when we’re in trouble,” Divakaruni said.

Reading with Chitra Divakaruni Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd.

Tonight, 7 p.m.

Free

Into the deep blue sea Endless Oceans: Blue World proves educational games can still be great Steve Haske Vanguard staff

As a whole, video games tend to deal with a very narrow array of stories, settings and subject matters.

Good versus evil. Kill or be killed.

Space marines. Zombies. Hack and slash. Blood. Gore. Whatever.

Endless Ocean: Blue World has none of these things.

As a follow-up to the eponymous original title, you’re basically just told to explore the ocean. I’m not talking BioShock style, either.

You’re not armed with a harpoon gun, depth charges or anything of that nature. In their place you have a scuba tank, documentation materials and (hopefully) a desire for exploration.

Discovery is the nature of your mission in Blue World, which allows you to observe and learn about countless numbers of underwater flora and fauna, everything from squid and sea stars to great white sharks and humpback whales.

Clearly, the aim of the game immediately sets it apart as something that not everyone is going to enjoy, but if you’re a fan of marine studies, you’re in for a treat.

Blue World is a lovingly crafted oceanic simulator, the kind of game that aquariums could set up for kids to learn about different species of aquatic life.

The throwback adventure design, based around performing tasks to help sea life or advance the plot, are also reminiscent of the classic point-and-click, edutainment PC games that a lot of gamers (myself included) played the hell out of in their youths, but with the added bonus of better graphics (for the Wii) and some nice RPG elements.

Obviously, first and foremost, you can just swim around underwater, looking at the gorgeously rendered fish (this is one

of the prettiest Wii games to date).

Examining an aquatic creature with your pointer will bring up a brief encyclopedia entry on it, an educational component for which I applaud the developers.

There are hundreds of species to find, but that’s only one of the things you can do. Aside from exploration of the briny deep itself (which nets you cash you can spend on diving equipment upgrades, customizable furnishings for your private island and types of coral for your own personal reef), there are plenty of other things to keep you busy.

You can heal sickly animals, take photographs, feed certain fish, dive or play with your dolphin, “sing” with whales and scavenge the ocean floor for salvage, to name a few. The game also has a plot, which often involves exploring hidden underwater environs, and even some side quests to keep you busy if you’re interested.

There are also moments of danger, when you have to use a special device to help pacify aggressive animals—the game’s one concession to a more mainstream approach, you might say. Even when your life is essentially at stake, it’s the natural malevolence of nature over the encroachment of man that is causing the threat.

But you’re just trying to learn about this world, and learning to coexist with the creatures that inhabit it. Blue World does have some commentary about human abuses to natural ecosystems, but the aim is more for education than politics, and the message never becomes overt or obnoxious.

Ultimately, the game is really just a love letter to anyone who’s ever held any fascination with the ocean. Just to glide through its uncharted water interacting with and cataloging whatever you find is a joy in and of itself, thanks to

the superbly rendered animals and environments.

Swimming around and taking in the sights is still both engaging and relaxing. The soothing soundtrack is sporadically placed between stretches of near silence—aside from the sound of actually being underwater—which adds to the effect. Even the underwater noises and rhythmic inhalation from your oxygen tank are almost hypnotic.

Basically, if you like the ocean, Blue World will probably make you

want to quit your job and become a marine biologist, go traveling or at least retreat to a tiny island in the South Pacific where you can scuba dive to your heart’s content.

It’s the kind of game you can play for hours and hours and rarely become tired of it, because there’s always so much more to do or see.

Considering how many of us have, at one time or another, probably wanted to be a deep-sea explorer, that’s a powerful thing indeed.

Vanguard Arts & Culture | 5 March 3, 2010

Tonight in live music: Shows to take your mind off final exams Saucy Yoda, Elephant and Friends Ash Street Saloon 225 SW Ash St. 9:30 p.m., $5 21+ Cars and Trains, Big Spiders Back Dunes 1909 NE MLK Blvd.

9 p.m., free 21+ On The Stairs, The Goodwill River, Au Contraire Ella St. Social Club 714 SW 20th Pl. 9 p.m., $5 all ages Purple Rhinestone Eagle, Eternal Tapestry, Wilderness Holocene 1001 SE Morrison St. 9 p.m. $5, Free, $2 donations 21+

Endless Ocean: Blue World

Acoustic Alchemy Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave 8 p.m., $25, 21+

Nintendo Out on Nintendo Wii $29.99

No Kind of Rider, True Widow, Kowloon Rotture 315 SE Third Ave. 9 p.m., $5, 21+ Declare War, Skyward Collapse, The Odious, Legion, Edessa, Southgate Satyricon 125 NW Sixth Ave. 6:30 p.m., $1 all ages

Blue World: Giant beasts of destruction that will rule with an iron flipper.

All photos courtesy of Nintendo

Vanguard 6 | Opinion March 3, 2010

Opinion Editor: Richard D. Oxley 503-725-5692

OPINION Should strip clubs be allowed to establish a business anywhere they choose?

opinion@dailyvanguard.com

Portland strip clubs We got a lot of ’em You hear it all the time, but Portland sure does have a lot of sin bins scattered across its streets.

A quick search on various Internet bar guides yielded anywhere from 52 to 59 strip clubs in Portland and its surrounding communities. Now, that is for both male and female establishments. Add in the seven “juice bars” and that number goes even higher.

Juice bars are clubs that allow patrons aged 18 and older to enter, and as such do not serve alcohol. Instead, they generally offer some kind of concessions stand with snacks, much like the sugar shack at summer camp when you were a kid. In fact, that’s the name of one of them, the Sugar Shack, making it just that much more creepier.

Did you know?

Famed rock star Courtney Love once attended Portland State, though her ties to Portland don’t end there. She also made a living briefly by stripping at Mary’s Club. Inside the popular establishment is a framed and signed photo of the celebrity, which references her former dancing days.

According to the club’s Web site, her stage name was Michelle.

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E-mail letters to opinion@ dailyvanguard.com.

39%

50%

4%

7%

No, there should be limits on such businesses

Yes, if the community doesn’t support it, it will fail

Strip clubs are immoral and should not be allowed to exist

Other

Constitutionudity Ain’t nothin’ wrong with a little bump ’n’ grind Will Blackford Vanguard staff

The residents of the Laurelhurst neighborhood recently fought hard to try and keep a strip club out of their backyard. Thankfully, the city did not see fit to legislate based on the moral preferences of the neighborhood association.

The Laurelhurst Neighborhood Association initially opposed the club. Association members appealed to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission to try and block the club’s liquor license in an attempt to keep the club from opening on Northeast Sandy Boulevard. They originally opposed the club on the grounds that it would be a breeding ground for fights and other untoward behavior, due mostly to the reputation of the location’s previous business having similar problems.

This seems to be more of a moral distinction, as the good members of the Laurelhurst neighborhood wanted to keep a club of ill repute out of their area. Many residents argued that the strip club would not be “appropriate” for the area.

The club, however, does not violate any kind of zoning restrictions, as the property falls well within a commercial district and is not near any schools or churches.

Because the Oregon Supreme Court has often ruled that nude dancing and other such behaviors are protected speech, those who oppose strip clubs don’t have much legal precedent to rely on.

A similar situation arose in Tualatin a few years ago. Many opposed a potential strip club there on similar grounds, i.e., that it was not appropriate.

Residents claimed that the club would “affect the community and its families,” according to an article by ABC News. There have been similar claims made in the Laurelhurst case. The argument that a child feasibly walking by a strip club during the day when it’s not even open would somehow be adversely affected is a rather weak one.

It would seem that the “appropriate” place for a strip club to many of the anti-club crowd is simply somewhere else. The “not in my backyard” defense cannot stand up against constitutional rights.

If the Laurelhurst community really wants to keep the strip club out of their neighborhood, they should hit it where it hurts—its wallet. Residents should be using free speech to their own advantage and not just bemoaning the free speech possessed by strip clubs and nude dancers.

Voting with one’s dollars is a great way to keep businesses in or out of one’s community. If the residents of Laurelhurst don’t want a strip club in their neighborhood, they simply need not patronize the establishment. If the neighborhood association really is representative of overall community values, those values will be reflected in the lack of patronage to the club.

They could even go all out and stage legal protests to keep business away from the club. But I imagine that complaining to the OLCC and crying “but what about the children” is a far easier approach.

The plain and simple fact is that strip clubs and pornography vendors have every right to set up shop in a commercial district.

Trying to keep them out on rather weak moral or child protection grounds is simply an attempt to stifle the free speech of others and legislate one’s own personal preferences upon the community as a whole.

If Sandy Boulevard really isn’t the right place for the Mynt Gentlemen’s Club, it will be shown by a lack business, not by the moral compass of the Laurelhurst Neighborhood Association.

stripper

poll

Freedom of degradation What’s the difference between stripping and prostitution?

Natalia Grozina Vanguard staff

Last year, ABC News reported that Portland tops the nation in the number of strip clubs where full nudity, alcohol and video gambling are allowed within a single establishment.

And that number appears to still be growing.

According to KGW, the Mynt Gentleman’s Club in Portland’s Laurelhurst neighborhood was granted a liquor license by a vote of four to one from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, despite arguments from many neighborhood residents who did not find the strip club to be appropriate for their area.

But what is so bad about stripping?

There are people in this world who think that stripping is a personal choice and that women or men who strip should do whatever they feel is right for them. There are also people who think that stripping is not just entertainment but is in fact a form of prostitution.

It may not be sex, but it is payment for stripping. Is that not simple compensation in return for a sexual act?

Something people forget is the sexual aspect of strip clubs. If dancing nude was the true aspect of stripping, then perhaps it could be entertainment, but dancing nude on the stage often includes sex acts that are done to arouse sexual desire in the customer.

Illustration by Kira Meyrick, edited by Marni Cohen and designed by Charles Cooper Williams/Portland State Vanguard

Why do you think striptease workout videos such as Carmen Electra’s Aerobic Striptease or the Exotic Dance Workout DVDs come out so that women can learn the same moves as a stripper but perform them on their partner in the privacy of their own home? The lap and private dances that are taught on the DVDs are the same sexually explicit moves performed naked onstage in front of many people. These dances are meant to make contact between the stripper and the customer, whether it is by having breasts in the face or body of the customer, or something even more sexual.

As many people forget about such sexual aspects of stripping, this also leads to sexual harassment for almost every stripper in one point of their career. According to The Freedom and Justice Center for Prostitution Resources, “strippers are not entitled to file discrimination claims, receive workers’ compensation or unemployment benefits. Club owners are free from tax obligations and tort liability. Owners pay no Social Security taxes, no health insurance and no sick pay. Some club owners require strippers to sign agreements indicating that they are working as independent contractors and many clubs require women to sign a waiver of their right to sue the club for any reason.”

Still not convinced?

A survey conducted by the same organization reported that “customers spit on women, spray beer and flick cigarettes at them. Strippers are pelted with ice, coins, trash, condoms, room keys, pornography and golf balls… customers often attempt and succeed at penetrating strippers vaginally and anally with their fingers, dollar bills and bottles. Customers expose their penises, rub their penises on women and masturbate in front of the women.”

What is even more bizarre is that the Oregon Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that Oregon’s Constitution protects these kinds of live sex acts in strip clubs as “freedom of expression.”

Perhaps it is “freedom of expression,” but no one should forget that stripping is nearly the same as prostitution. Aside from being labeled a whore, stripping is degrading to women and men alike.

What is the difference between buying someone for sex and buying someone to give you sexual arousal?

etc.

ART WEDNESDAY The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 500 Seventh Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Edited by Will Shortz Across 1 Pooh-pooh, with “at” 6 Way up a ski slope 10 School zone warning 14 TV signal component 15 Beatles meter maid 16 Topper for Charles de Gaulle 17 *Antishoplifting force 20 Roll-call call 21 D.C.ʼs Pennsylvania, e.g.

22 Antiseptic element 23 Early James Bond foe 25 With 46-Across, be angry … or what you can do inside the answers to the six starred clues 26 *Marching band percussion

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ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE � A � E A V O N S O U R C R O � A N N O D E S O D A � A � � O T R A V L E � O A W S R E T D � R E � E � R E

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60 Nagging desire 61 In a snit 62 Subject of much Mideast praise 63 Pigskin supports 64 Manly man 65 Missouri Indian Down 1 Window part 2 Just adorable 3 ___-Eaters (shoe inserts) 4 *School evacuation exercises 5 A McCoy, to a Hatfield 6 “Key Largo” Oscar winner Claire ___ 7 Orthodontistʼs concern 8 Wolfed down 9 Most risqué 10 Losing streak 11 Jeans maker ___ Strauss 12 Ready for business 13 Like an oracle 18 Foppish dresser 19 Tip of a wingtip 24 Reunion group: Abbr.

25 Full of oneself 26 Nobel or Celsius 27 Orange feature 28 Popular typeface 29 W.W. II sea menace 30 *Evel and Robbie Knievel, for two

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Vanguard Vanguard Etc. || 77 Arts March 3, 2010 Month Day, 2009

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“Shit Ain’t Right!”

1 p.m.

South Park Blocks Rally hosted by Students for Unity as part of the National Day of Action to Defend Education

Puzzle by C.W. Stewart

31 Taking habitually

45 Said “bosʼn” for “boatswain,” e.g.

46 When repeated, 33 Hippiesʼ crosses gung-ho 48 Engaged in a 38 Hatfield/McCoy 38-Down affair 39 Ran in the wash 49 Big bash 50 Add a kick to 41 Anne Bradstreet, 51 Phil who sang for one “Draft Dodger Rag” 42 Spring bloomers 32 Cut into tiny bits

52 Chileʼs northern neighbor 54 Seat of Allen County, Kan. 55 Hang-up 56 1975 Wimbledon winner 58 Pure baloney 59 “___ Te Ching”

For answers, call 1-900-285-5656, $1.49 a minute; or, with a credit card, 1-800-814-5554.

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Multicultural Center: “Multiracial Identity” 6:30 p.m.

Smith Memorial Student Union, room 228 Free discussion and documentary screening regarding the addition of a multiracial category to the U.S. Census

your ad goes here 503.725.5686

Sexual Assault Education Theater 2 p.m.

SMSU, room 338 Capstone performance regarding consent and alcohol issues in sexual situations

Friday Seminar: “Adapting Our Transportation System to Climate Change” Noon Urban Center Building, room 204 Free Center for Transportation Studies event regarding climate change issues and urban travel

Saturday Studs Terkel’s Working 7:30 p.m.

Artists Repertory Theatre 1515 SW Morrison St. $8 w/ PSU ID PSU Theater Arts adaptation of a play examining the lives of everyday Americans

KenKen® is a registered trademark of Nextoy, LLC. ©2010 KenKen Puzzle LLC. All rights reserved. Dist. by UFS, Inc. www.kenken.com

Sunday

● Each row and each column

must contain the numbers 1 through 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating.

● The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given

operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners.

● Freebies: Fill in single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner.

2-9-10

Wanted Sports Writers

Apply at sports@dailyvanguard.com

Want to work for the Vanguard? Get paid and strengthen your résumé? We are currently looking for:

Sales Rep • Writers Copy Editor for one night a week

Portland International Women’s Day 11 a.m.

SMSU, third floor Free event sponsored

by PSU and Portland State Professional Sound featuring international food, a health fair and art exhibits in celebration of women

To place an event: Contact vgcalendar@ gmail.com or pick up a calendar request form at the Vanguard advertising office, Smith Memorial Student Union, room 115.

ART WEDNESDAY Precious stones and heavy metal

What Portland’s bubble tea scene has to offer us Katherine Vetrano Vanguard staff

Purple Rhinestone Eagle brings the rock tonight at Holocene

Bubble tea started in Taiwan in the 1980s, and a few decades later Portland is full of bubble tea options. Bubble tea is made using a tea base, mixing it with milk or fruit and topped off with tapioca balls (also known as boba) or fruit jelly. Flavors include everything from pineapple to red bean, original to avocado.

Nearly every neighborhood in Portland has its own bubble tea establishment—here are some of your options.

Scott Ostlund Vanguard staff

Townshend’s Alberta Street Teahouse Tea The tea offered here is pretty different from most bubble tea. You can choose one out of four base teas, including rooibos and maté.

Along with your tea flavor, you then get to choose a flavor as well.

Their vanilla maté bubble tea is a great combination of the earthy flavors of yerba maté with just a hint of sweet. You can choose from small or large, which is typically not an option at most bubble tea establishments. Their brewing does take an extremely long time, but the product is definitely worth the wait.

Ambiance Townshend’s takes tea seriously, and their extensive tea menu proves it. The “teatenders” (as their Web site playfully names them) are always extremely helpful and offer a quiet friendliness that matches the peaceful interior of the teahouse.

One nice touch is that when your bubble tea is brought out to you (even if it’s to go), the teatender brings over a container of straws so you can pick which color you’d like.

2223 NE Alberta St. 503-445-6699

Bubble tea crawl Photo courtesy of Su-Lin/Flickr

Chit-Chat Café

Blue Sky Cafe

Tea

Tea

Chit-Chat offers your standard milk tea. It’s smooth and creamy, and it definitely leans more toward the sweet side of the spectrum. Stick with taro or original if sweet isn’t your thing.

Ambiance This local spot can be a nice place to duck into and get out of the rain.

Classical music often plays softly in the background and they have a nice selection of papers to read.

The staff varies from friendly to uninterested depending on the day and time you go, but judging on the amount of regulars, they must be doing something right.

1907 SW Sixth Avenue 503-224-3730

Blue Sky offers diverse variations of consistencies for your tea: snow (with ice cream), smoothie (with milk) and slushy (without milk).

Their taro milk tea has a hint of chocolate flavor, and their fruit smoothie bubble teas taste like real fruit as opposed to chemical sugar.

Ambiance Inside, there is a pool table and several lottery machines. Their staff is neither friendly nor rude— they are just sort of ambivalent. But honestly, the bubble tea is so good the ambiance doesn’t matter in the slightest. Just take your expertly crafted tea and go.

8200 NE Siskiyou St. 503-517-8946

After one look at the trio of Andrea Genevieve, Ashley Spungin and Morgan Ray Denning, you may not know what style of music to expect from a group with such a lively onstage presence. The women of Purple Rhinestone Eagle, which performs tonight at Holocene, have developed a following with their heavy-rock-centered music that doesn’t line up with what many would anticipate from the group.

Black Sabbath, Black Widow and Pentagram are just a few bands that the group draws inspiration from as they create their unexpected sound.

The band played their first show while living in Philadelphia, Pa., in the summer of 2005 and subsequently gained steam upon moving to Portland and immersing themselves in the Pacific Northwest music scene.

“We decided to move out to Portland because we wanted to get a change of scenery,” Genevieve said.

“Bands are very supportive of each other. It’s way more progressive, way more community oriented.”

As the band prepares to record its first full-length album, The Great Return, next month, they also prepare for their first international tour as they head to Europe. Though the music scene will be different, they are traveling with the goal of playing music and making new friends. This may be easier than expected for the band as they have already gained major support from venues in Europe.

“I’ve been closely working with a couple of bookers there,” Genevieve said. “One woman who lives in Berlin…and another woman who lives in the U.K. who is booking that part of our tour…just the amount of support already we are receiving from them is incredible.”

The Great Return will give Purple Rhinestone Eagle a chance to show their consistency through an entire album, as they have only released singles to date. It will focus on being a complete work instead of just a number of independent songs, which the band thinks enhances their musical maturity.

“What we were lacking in previous recordings was just a sense of overall feeling to it,” Genevieve said. “And there’s definitely going to be a flow to the album that we haven’t had present before. Everything is incredibly intentional.”

As each band member has evolved, their writing style has become more group oriented. Each member has contributed to the larger feel of each track as well as the overarching theme of the album.

“It’s definitely been a lot more collaborative than things have been in the past,” Genevieve said. “It’s been the three of us literally sitting in the practice space working on part by part.

We like to make sure everything fits very, very well together.”

Purple Rhinestone Eagle

Michael Pascual/Portland State Vanguard

Chit-Chat Cafe: Your closest option for bubble tea bliss.

Holocene 1001 SE Morrison St. Tonight, 8 p.m. $2 suggested donation 21+

Vanguard Arts & Culture | 8 March 3, 2010

New albums out March 9 Alberta Cross Broken Side of Time [Ark Recordings/ATO] Aloha Home Acres [Polyvinyl] The Besnard Lakes The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night [Jagjaguwar] Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Beat the Devil’s Tattoo [Abstract Dragon/ Vagrant] Broken Bells Broken Bells [Columbia] The Bundles The Bundles [K] Choir of Young Believers Claustrophobia [Ghostly International] Frightened Rabbit The Winter of Mixed Drinks [Fat Cat] Jason Collett Rat a Tat Tat [Arts & Crafts] jj jj no 3 [Sincerely Yours/ Secretly Canadian] Liars Sisterworld [Mute] Miles Kurosky The Desert of Shallow Effects [Majordomo/Shout!

Factory] Morning Benders Big Echo [Rough Trade] Ted Leo and the Pharmacists The Brutalist Bricks [Matador] Titus Andronicus The Monitor [XL] —pitchfork.com