NEWS • 03
groups Library
SPORTS • 13
ENTERTAINMENT • 17
SIGNAL SHEDDING LIGHT ON CAMPUS CRIME
Elijah Sarkesian • Signal
PERSPECTIVES • 23
take GSTV rebuilding televised Georgia State Panthers fall to Spirits come alive at Does the first amendment not Plaza. student media on campus. the Old Dominion Monarchs. Day of the Dead exhibit. protect censorship of speech?
the
Pro-life over
LIVING • 09
VOL. 78 • ISSUE 10 • OCTOBER 26, 2010 REGISTER ONLINE FOR BREAKING NEWS AT
w w w. g s u s i g n a l . c o m
By SHEENA ROETMAN Editor in Chief
So far this semester, three campus alerts have been dispatched via email to the Georgia State community, reporting two armed robberies and one robbery by intimidation. The campus alerts originate from the Crime Prevention Unit of the Georgia State Police Department and are federally mandated by the Clery Act, which is part of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Georgia State’s campus alerts are prepared and disseminated by Sgt. Kristal Perkins of the Crime Prevention Unit. They fall under the “access to timely information” statue, which requires that schools provide “timely warnings” of any “ongoing threat to students and employees” to the campus community. The statute also requires that schools publicly provide a more extensive incident log. A backlog of Georgia State’s campus alerts from January 2007 to the present can be viewed at www.gsu.edu/ police/34216.html. The armed robberies were reported by two separate Georgia State students and occurred within 20 minutes of each other on the evening of Sept. 20, according to a campus alert sent via e-mail at 9:38 a.m. on Sept. 21. Both incidents reported the same suspects: two unknown black males, one described as being 6 foot 2 inches and 300 pounds, wearing dark jeans and a “black polo type shirt” and the second being described as 5 foot 9 inches and 160 pounds and wearing a lime green shirt with “graphics on the front.” The first robbery occurred at 11:05 p.m. at Peachtree Street and Auburn Avenue and the second at 11:25 p.m. at Piedmont Avenue and Auditorium Place. There were no injuries reported in either instance. The most recent incident was described as robbery by intimidation and occurred on Sept. 29 at 1:55 p.m. inside Classroom South. A Georgia State student was approached by two black males, one described as being 5 foot 4 inches and weighting an estimated 120 pounds, wearing a grey shirt, baggy jeans and a blue cap. The other suspect was described as wearing a white T-shirt, jeans and a dark blue cap. According to the campus alert, the student was exiting the bathroom when one of the men grabbed him by the neck and the other threatened to shoot him if he protested. The student reported that he did not see any weapons and that he was not injured. When asked why the armed robbery reports did not include information about what the suspects were armed with, Perkins said that robberies are considered armed if the suspect “has a weapon or leads you to believe that they have a weapon.”
The campus alerts do not include personal information about the alleged victim or about what was taken during robberies because the alerts are meant to function as a community warning, not a police report. Such information is arbitrary to actually making an arrest. What is important to include in campus alerts, according to Perkins, is who, what, where and when. This includes time, location, whether the alleged victim was a Georgia State student, faculty member, or not affiliated with the university and a brief description of what occurred and the suspect’s appearance. Perkins said that campus alerts have helped lead to arrests in the past, but she could not name specific events. The public can also view weekly campus crime reports from the police department at listserv.gsu.edu/cgi-bin/ wa?A0=SAFETY-HEALTH. These reports include information about incidents that, according to the Clery Act, do not require a campus alert. The Clery Act also requires that schools report crimes that fall under seven categories, including criminal homicide, either murder and nonnegligent manslaughter or negligent manslaughter, sex offenses, either forcible sex offenses or non-forcible sex offenses, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson. If any incident involved liquor law violations, drug law violations or illegal weapons possession result in arrest or disciplinary action, those incidents must also be reported to the campus community. The reports are also required to indicate whether or not the incident was a “hate crime.” According to the Clery Act’s website, the act requires schools to provide a statistical report every year by Oct. 1 that includes information on campus crime and specific security statements. The information is required to be immediately available to all current students and employees. Georgia State’s statistical information from 2007 to 2009 is available to the public at www.gsu. edu/police/33444.html. A copy of this information must also be provided to the Department of Education. Schools must also disclose crime statistics, unobstructed public areas immediately adjacent to or running through the campus, and certain noncampus facilities including Greek housing and remote classrooms. When asked what course of action the police department recommends to students and faculty who may find themselves in dangerous situations, Perkins said “Material things are not worth your life. Let them have it. Give it to them. It’s not worth you getting hurt over. Then, as they’re leaving, get as much information as you can.”
CAMPUS EVENTS
STAFF INFORMATION EDITOR IN CHIEF
October 26-November 2, 2010
NEWS EDITOR LIVING EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR PERSPECTIVES EDITOR PRODUCTION EDITOR ASSOCIATE LIVING EDITOR ASSOCIATE ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR ONLINE EDITOR COPY EDITORS ADVERTISING MANAGER CIRCULATION MANAGER OFFICE ASSISTANTS STUDENT MEDIA ADVISOR
Sheena Roetman signaleditor@gmail.com Daniel Beauregard gsunews@gmail.com Noël Hahn signalliving@gmail.com Kirkland Carter signalsports40@gmail.com Jhoni Jackson signalentertainment@gmail.com Syeda Hira Mahmood signalperspectives@gmail.com Elijah Sarkesian signalprod@gmail.com Angel R. White awhite49@student.gsu.edu Savanna Keo skeo1@student.gsu.edu Jeremy Galloway signalwebsite@gmail.com Emma Harger Shelby Lohr Tara Siddiq signalads@langate.gsu.edu Brian Echols signaldistribution@gmail.com Jared Cate Michael Glass Brianna Alvarez Bryce McNeil bmcneil1@gsu.edu
Blog by Knight The Rec Center is hosting a walk through Atlanta’s Oakland Cemetery on Oct. 26.
DATE Tuesday
OCT. 26
EVENT Annual Cemetery Walk
Meet at Student Recreation Center, walk to Oakland Cemetery 5-6:45 p.m.
Lipid Screenings
Student Recreation Center 8-9 a.m.
How to Work a Job Fair or Career Showcase Main Campus - University Center Room: 245 3-4 p.m.
Touch the Earth: Backpacking Clinic
Student Recreation Center, Touch the Earth 6 p.m.
Wednesday Research Wednesday Speaker Series featuring Michael Feuer
OCT. 27
12-1 p.m. Main Campus, College of Education An RSVP is required to attend this event, contact Erin Whitney in the COE’s Educational Research Bureau at (404) 413-8090 or ewhitney@gsu.edu.
NAUI SCUBA Diver Certification Class 5-9:30 p.m. Student Recreation Center
Thursday
OCT. 28
Day in the Rec
11 a.m.-2 p.m. Student Recreation Center
Touch the Earth: Chattahoochee River Trail Evening Walk Trip TBA Chattahoochee River North of Atlanta
GSU Intramurals: Volleyball Referee Training Session 6 p.m. Student Recreation Center, Room 215
Friday
OCT. 29
Experimental Economics Series Presents Peter Wakker 3-4 p.m. Andre Young School of Policy Studies, Room 749 For more information contact Jim Cox, jcox@gsu.edu
Mauricio Kagel: Film Music, Music Performance, Performance Film 7:30 p.m. Main Campus, Florence Kopleff Recital Hall
Saturday
OCT. 30
Touch the Earth: Ocoee Rafting All day Tennessee
Want to see your event in this space? Contact Daniel Beauregard with your event’s name, time, date, location and a brief description of the program. All events listed in the Campus Events calendar must either take place on campus or be produced by a Georgia State-affiliated organization. To request placement of off-campus, Atlanta-based events, contact Jhoni Jackson with your event’s name, time, date, location and a brief description of the event.
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NEWS
News Editor Daniel Beauregard gsunews@gmail.com
w w w . g s u s i g n a l . c o m / n e w s
Georgia State opens up Confucius Institute By DANIEL BEAUREGARD News Editor
A Georgia State student look at poster displaying an aborted fetus held by a protester.
Elijah Sarkesian • Signal
Pro-life groups take to Library Plaza By MISHALL REHMAN Staff Writer For two days, students walking in the Library Plaza were presented with graphic images and information on abortion. Some students merely stared at the pictures on their way to class while others stopped to question the group behind the posters, The Survivors. The Survivors, founded in 1998, is a non-profit Christian organization based in California. They believe that everyone born after Roe v. Wade, decided in 1973, is a survivor of the “Abortion Holocaust.” The group was currently on a nationwide campus life tour to visit high school and college students. Survivors reaches out to this group because they believe they are targeted for abortions the most. The goal of the campus life tours is to educate the community. “Abortion hurts entire families and abortion is injustice. We want to save children,” said Kristina Garza, Campus Outreach Director for the Survivors.
The group originally was scheduled to come to Georgia State for one day, but they decided to come back because they found the campus was more welcoming than some others. “The students have been more open to dialogue and more apathetic than some of the other schools we have been to,” Garza said. She added that the group had been caused physical harm in other protests around the country. “A picture is worth a thousand words. We can’t talk to everyone but those images stay with people,” Garza said about the posters featuring graphic images. The organization was headed to Alabama after their tour in Georgia. This is not the first time Georgia State has been a target of nationwide religious tours. Last year the school witnessed a weeklong protest by a fundamentalist Christian group. In early October, a similar group was on campus for a few days. The group carried large signs, but attracted a smaller group of students this year.
The administration was also more prepared this time and had staff available around the area of the protest. There are also many individual preachers, like Keith Higgins, who regularly come to campus. Higgins, not affiliated with any organization, comes to Georgia State every Wednesday and Friday to preach his message. Higgins regularly preaches in the Georgia State Courtyard because he believes it’s a good spot. “Most colleges are liberal and secular and away from God,” he said. He also said he receives a mix of responses from students when he’s preaching and some of it is positive. Though many students complain to the police and administration, outside organizations and individuals cannot be stopped from protesting at Georgia State since it is a public university. However, the school, especially the police department, takes measures to ensure that protests are safe and no physical harm is caused to any student.
In an effort to promote Chinese business and cultural exchange, Georgia State, in conjunction with the Beijing Language and Culture University, has opened the Confucius Institute. The idea for the institute was first proposed by Baotong Gu, director of the institute, four years ago but the project never really moved forward under the last administration. “But when President Becker came here he asked about the Confucius Institute because he had established one at South Carolina (USC) and our dean immediately remembered that I proposed this idea a few years ago,” Gu said. Georgia State’s Confucius Institute is just one of the hundreds of institute chapters throughout the United States and the world. The institute offers a host of courses including instruction on Chinese business culture, business oriented language instruction and workshops, seminars and exchanges between Chinese and American business groups. The institute will also take over all of the general Chinese language instruction already offered at Georgia State. Many of the courses offered on the Confucius Institute’s website will begin in the spring. “We have a whole bunch of programs planned but I guess we won’t be able to go into full swing until next summer or fall,” Gu said. Throughout the year, the Confucius Institute will also be organizing various events to promote China, including concerts, art exhibits, film festivals and Chinese literature appreciation. The institute will also be in a
Atlanta168 President Becker and Confucius Institute Director Baotong Gu speaking at the offshore dedication ceremony held on Oct. 15.
unique position to facilitate and provide information and consulting services about study abroad opportunities for American students to work with universities in China. Gu said that in the development stages of the program, they talked to members of the Atlanta business community like the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia China Alliance, as well as several big companies. “They actually expressed a desire to see more high level courses and training related to Chinese culture… I think in terms of impact we can’t say for sure what’s going to happen but we’re pretty confident in that positive impact in promoting business exchanges between Georgia businesses and Chinese businesses,” Gu said. An opening ceremony for the Confucius Institute took place on Oct. 15 and featured an offshore dedication ceremony and performances of Chinese and American music by members of the Georgia State School of Music and Chinese musicians. For more information about The Confucius Institute, please visit www.gsu.edu/ci.
Health Policy Center holds symposium By JESSICA MORRIS Staff Writer
Jessica Morris • Signal Health advocates and policy experts gathered at the Sheraton Hotel off Courtland Street to discuss the future of Georgia health care.
Georgia State’s Georgia Health Policy Center held a symposium called “Health Reform: From Insights to Strategies” on Oct. 21 commemorating GHPC’s 15th anniversary. It highlighted research on the potential impact of healthcare reform on 15 Georgia organizations. GHPC is a research center in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. For the project, GHPC spent five months researching and reviewing how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will specifically change the operations of Georgia organizations. The organizations involved in the research included various hospitals,
health departments, the Georgia Nurses Association, Georgia’s Dental Association, the Board of Regents and the Free Clinic Network. Karyn Medyard, Director of GHPC, commented on the importance of understanding health reform. “Our goal today is to get up on the balcony and learn about the whole picture. As we’ve gone through this business about talking with you and talking with others about health reform, we realize that people have personal questions about health reform that they need to answer before they’re ready to move on and think about it,” she said. Hayla Hall, District Four Public Health employee, commented on how the research project helped her organization specifically.
“In the beginning we had very little knowledge of healthcare reform,” Hall said. “We had more questions than answers and we got a very good understanding and great overview of what it is and where we can find more information,” she said. Multiple members of the 15 organizations commented on the extensiveness of the healthcare reform legislation. The legislation is around 1,000 pages long. “There’s so much to the healthcare reform that we got a very good base knowledge,” Hall said. “But I know for a fact that if I were to take the information I have and educate the rest of the staff, I’d have questions I wouldn’t be able to answer.” Norma Jean Morgan, CEO of a Cont. on page 06 Symposium
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NEWS
Georgia State’s Robinson College of Business moves overseas By SUCHI SAJJA Staff Writer Georgia State’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business will expand overseas to Cairo University in Giza, Egypt. Cairo University will open a new international campus within the next three years. Founded in 1908, notable alumni include Yasser Arafat and Saddam Hussein. With more than 100,000 enrolled, Cairo University is the largest school in Egypt. With aid from the United States Agency for International Development and Higher Education for Development programs, the Robinson College of Business has been working with Cairo University since 1996, when they started a joint MBA program. According to The State of Business magazine, this joint program was the first of its kind between an American and Egyptian University. According to the magazine, the joint MBA program offers Egyptian students a different way of learning. In addition to attending classes taught by American professors and learning business from an American standpoint, each student must spend at least one semester studying at the Atlanta campus. Georgia State will have both a nursing and business school at the new facility. Cairo University’s president,
Hossam Kamel, visited Georgia State recently. “Through our relationship with Georgia State University, the way we are teaching is changing to include more team-based learning and problem solving,” he said to GlobalAtlanta. Kamel also stressed the need for a change in the way Egyptian students think and he believes that joining with Georgia State may fix that. “Egyptian students are wonderful single achievers, but they are not trained to become effective members of a team,” he said. “This is one of the main advantages we are getting out of American education. Students are doing assignments as team members.” Georgia State launched the World Affairs Council of Atlanta, a non-profit organization affiliated with the World Affairs Council of America in Washington, D.C. The mission statement on their website said they hope to “provide a forum for dialogue, a source of expertise, and an engine for research on international affairs and global issues that impact the corporate community, governmental and nongovernmental organizations, and the general public.” The Robinson College of Business recently received a $1.5 million Global Business Grant for the start of the Center for International Business Education and Research.
Cairo University A view of Cairo University, the largest school in Egypt, which will open a new international campus within the next three years.
The grant will increase study abroad programs and fund international projects among other purposes. “We have operated in this college for more than a decade with the basic premise and assumption that business
and global business are synonymous,” said the dean of the Robinson College of Business, H. Fenwick Huss. “If we talk about business, it’s global. That’s just the nature of the world.” “The business discipline is
becoming a real global one. It’s becoming one global marketplace,” Kamel said. “Students must be equipped with the same skills, attitudes and knowledge.”
Kenyan ambassador speaks to students on nation’s future By MISHALL REHMAN Staff Writer Elkanah Odembo, Kenyan Ambassador to the U.S., spoke to Georgia State students about the future of his home country on Oct. 21. A small group of undergraduate and graduate students listened to the ambassador discuss the political and economic future of Kenya through a dialogue with Professor Chris Brown of the Political Science Department. The forum was then opened for students and faculty to ask the ambassador questions. Among the students at the event was Model African Union member Erika Fletcher. Fletcher came to the event to hear what Odembo had to say about the domestic issues of Kenya. “It was great and refreshing to put a face to the issues in Kenya and see how it impacts the future of the U.S.,” Fletcher said. The ambassador was invited by the World Affairs Council of Atlanta. Prior to the discussion with students, Odembo attended a luncheon hosted by the Council. At the luncheon, the ambassador discussed the new Kenyan constitution and the economic growth of his country to a wide audience of entrepreneurs,
attorneys and academics from around Atlanta. Odembo stressed the importance of Kenya in Africa and the importance of Africa in the world. The ambassador cited how Africa had been the only continent to steadily grow economically in recent years. He urged the U.S. in general, and the Atlanta community in particular, to invest in Africa and Kenya rather than just focusing on China. “Why is the U.S. preoccupied with China while China is preoccupied with Africa? Does China know something the world doesn’t? Yes,” Odembo said. He also focused on the various economic programs Kenya is enacting, like the Vision 2030 plan that is attempting to make Kenya a middle income country by 2030. He also discussed the need to build up the infrastructure of the country through roads and energy and stressed the importance of reaching out to the youth of Kenya, who make up more than 50 percent of the population. He believed this was best possible through providing the youth with economic opportunities like micro financing. He talked about the new constitution adopted in August of this year. This is partly because of the violence that ensued after the 2007
Mishall Rehman • Signal Elkanah Odembo, Kenyan Ambassador to the United States (left) spoke at a luncheon event hosted by the World Affairs Council of Atlanta.
elections, killing nearly two thousand Kenyans. The new constitution limits the power of the executive branch and provides more rights to its citizens. “Students of law believe our constitution is one of the best,” he said. Among the representatives from Georgia State at the luncheon was Allison Jacobs, the Director of Student Services for the School of Accountancy. Jacobs is one of the faculty advisors for the accounting
Greek association, Beta Alpha Psi, which recently sent $15,000 to Kenya. The money was used to put a Kenyan girl through college. Because of this project Jacobs wanted to attend the luncheon to learn more about Kenya. “I have been to Kenya. And seeing all the problems that the ambassador mentioned it was inspiring to hear that the new constitution has helped to solve the problems,” Jacobs said. Also present was Sen. Johnny Isakson’s chief of
staff, Chris Carr. In a welcoming address to the ambassador, Carr mentioned how Sen. Isakson has special ties to Africa since he is on the Foreign Relations Committee and has also visited Kenya. Odembo served as the Ambassador to France before coming to Washington. He is known for his work in human rights and social justice and is the founding director of a organization that promotes philanthropy, the Ufadhli Trust.
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Atlanta Streets Alive brings out cyclists By IRIS EBEN Staff Writer The Atlanta Bicycling Coalition (ABC) sponsored Atlanta Streets Alive (ASA) for the second time on Oct. 14 as part of an initiative to promote cycling in Atlanta. Rebecca Serna, the Executive Director of ABC and a Georgia State alumna, hosted the event for the first time this past May, in response to a Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) Conference in May. According to CNU’s website, the organization’s goal is “…promoting walkable, mixed-use neighborhood development, sustainable communities and healthier living conditions.” “I wanted to show a positive side of Atlanta for CNU: people getting moving instead of a city of inactive people,” Serna said. The inspiration for Atlanta Streets Alive came from Serna’s year spent in Bogota, Colombia,
where Ciclovia, a biking initiative, is held every year. She hopes ASA will raise awareness about the benefits of cycling and create a bike-friendly culture in Atlanta. A common concern for cyclists and potential bicycle riders is safety. “I think there are more misconceptions about biking being more dangerous than it is,” said Jonathan Murphy, mechanical chair of Starter Bikes. For those hesitant about biking in downtown Atlanta, ABC conducts workshops that teach individuals how to ride through traffic, be visible and predictable and control the lane. “Be aware. Be courteous. Be prepared,” said ABC volunteer Johann Weber. “Use a helmet no matter where you are going.” “Cycling accidents occur three times more on sidewalks that on the streets,” Serna said. Despite cycling on sidewalks being illegal, many cyclists do it out of fear of sharing the roads with motorists.
“We prefer people ride on the street and we have actually yelled at people riding on the sidewalk to get on the street,” Murphy said. Besides ABC, ASA sponsors like biking co-ops Starter, and Sopo, help amateurs and experts improve their riding experience. Volunteers were filling tires and adjusting brakes on Edgewood Avenue. “We have all the tools for fixing bikes. We won’t fix your bike though. We will teach you how to fix your bike because we are about empowerment,” Bobby Brown, a Starter volunteer and bike repairman, said. Cyclists young and old who raced down Edgewood Avenue have varying reasons for biking. Some cyclists bike for exercise, others to be one less gas-guzzler or for faster mobility. For some like Lisa Clark, it’s simple: “I feel like I’m just flying. I feel more energetic during the day. I like not having a car. I get around more quickly.” Elijah Sarkesian • Signal A shot of the MARTA third rail, where over the past several months people have become disoriented and fallen.
Safety is priority at MARTA By JAEMIN HWANG Staff Writer
A bike rack in front of the Student Center made by GSUBikes. Can you tell what it says?
Daniel Beauregard • Signal
Sororities promote homeless awareness By DANIEL BEAUREGARD News Editor This past Friday members from several Georgia State sororities spent a night outside in Unity Plaza to promote homelessness awareness. The event which lasted from 7 p.m.-7 a.m. was put together by members of the Lambda Nu Chapter of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. at Georgia State, in conjunction with Phi Beta Sigma Phi Alpha, Alpha Phi Alpha, Zeta Mu, Delta Phi Lambda, Gamma Sigma Sigma, Theta Nu Xi, the Black Student Alliance and the Office of African American Student Services and Programs. The event coincided with Zeta Phi Beta’s “Zeta Week,” which takes place every fall and is a chance for sorority members to get together, give back to the community and advocate for things they think will benefit the Georgia State campus. Lambda Nu member Ri Elle Grant said in order to get the event approved, Georgia State said that they weren’t allowed to bring any homeless people on campus for
Connect with Image Ministries Homeless people line up to receive a hot meal off of Courtland Street.
security reasons, but they felt that they would still be making an effort to help them in non-direct ways. “I think this will raise awareness and give the students a firsthand experience of what it’s like to sleep outside for a night…So instead of just throwing away food or old clothes
and blankets, they might want to go do some outreach on the streets and actually help people,” Grant said. “I told everyone to bring blankets, pillows, or if you find a cardboard box… just stuff that homeless people would have.”
Since two passengers have fallen onto MARTA’s tracks within a span of four months, the question being asked is if necessary safety precautions are in place to prevent further incidences. On July 12, a visually-impaired woman fell onto the tracks at Medical Center Station. Four months later exactly, on Oct. 12, the same situation occurred at the Five Points Station when a man became disoriented after taking his prescription medication. In both events, the passengers were rescued and suffered only minor injuries. Despite these incidences, they do not occur frequently. “These types of incidences happen from time to time, I don’t think there’s been an uptick in them. It’s just more attention being brought to the incidences that do occur,” said MARTA’s Manager of Systems Safety Programs, Tim White. Currently, MARTA has several engineering features in place that ensure the safety of its passengers. All MARTA stations have a three foot wide granite strip that helps tell passengers to stay off that area. Along with the granite strip is a tactile warning strip that also warns patrons but features a bumpy surface to increase visibility, especially to those who are visually impaired. Safety precautions have also been extended onto MARTA’s rails. The most electrified rail, also known as the third rail, is always placed on the opposite side of the platform. “If you have two platforms on each side of the two rails, then the electrified rails are in the middle. So if someone falls off the platform they are much less likely to come in contact with the third rail because of the distance,” said White.
In addition to the safety features, MARTA has established the “see something, say something” campaign. The campaign’s goal is to have passengers and employees know and understand their transit system through focusing on three aspects: being informed, alert, and prepared. By following these three rules, MARTA patrons are taught to keep an eye on particular behavior, such as those who are suspicious, possibly intoxicated, impaired and potentially putting themselves at risk or those contemplating suicide. “MARTA employees are trained to watch out for those behaviors and take action. If they are not trained, then they notify the rail controller, police officer or station agent who does have that level of training and can interface with the person to see if they need assistance,” White said. Georgia State student Genny Toddy uses MARTA to commute to and from campus four days a week. “I feel pretty safe. I think MARTA is doing everything necessary with the amount of power and knowledge they have,” Toddy said. “The key word is responsibility. We try to do everything that we possibly can to make sure the system is safe as possible for everyone who rides it,” said Lyle V. Harris, MARTA Chief Spokesperson and Media Relations Press Officer. MARTA will continue to promote safety awareness and implement their current safety measures. “The safest system we can have is one that doesn’t run. We have to provide the safest service possible within the constraints of time, budget, and feasibility. We are always looking for ways we can improve engineering controls, employee training, and outreach to the public but there are limitations as to what we can do or prevent,” Harris said.
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NEWS Symposium Cont. from page 03 hospital in Springville, commented as well. “One of the takeaways from this might be for the Health Policy Center to do a train-the-trainer,” she said. “Have 159 of us, one representing every county in the state of Georgia, to be trained to go back and at the detailed level, at the local level, amongst people that you know and love, explain to them what healthcare reform is.” Pat Ketsche, Ph.D., presented an overview of the broader aspects of health reform. Ketsche gave statistics of Georgians with health coverage now versus when the healthcare reform is fully implemented. Medicaid and Peachcare participants are estimated to rise from 12 to 17 percent of Georgians. Georgians purchasing healthcare from employers are estimated to drop from 57 to 54 percent, and the number of uninsured Georgians will drop from 19 to five percent. The estimated five percent will remain uninsured because they would prefer to pay the penalty rather than enroll or they are not citizens. The penalty for not enrolling in any healthcare is around three percent of a person’s income a month after the third year of implementation. Ketsche also gave a brief timeline for the implementation of healthcare reform. The majority of implementations will occur in 2014, when coverage expansion, independent mandates, additional limits, fees and incentives are enacted. “These are big changes, changes to an entire system,” Ketsche said. An estimated trillion dollars will be spent over the next ten years to finance healthcare reform. That money will be generated half from Medicare savings and half from fees, taxes and penalty charges. The money will be spent half on Medicaid and the other half on insurance premium subsidies. Some changes have already been implemented, specifically affecting college students. Insurance regulations enabling parents to add dependents up to the age of 26 to their health insurance plans have been in effect since Sept. 23. This means that if a student is not married or employed somewhere that offers health insurance, parents can claim them as dependents for insurance purposes. After health reform is fully implemented, if a student is not claimed on a parent’s health insurance plan and has not purchased insurance through an employer, they have the option of going through the health insurance exchanges and purchasing their own or applying for Medicaid.
Jessica Morris • Signal
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Robinson College launches World Affairs Council
World Affairs Council of Atlanta Members of the world affair council sit and discuss South Africa during a briefing held in July.
WAC of Atlanta brings together leaders, businesses and NGOs By MISHALL REHMAN Staff Writer The World Affairs Council of Atlanta, affiliated with Georgia State, continues to receive local, national and international attention as it builds a forum in Atlanta for businesses and NGOs to discuss international issues. The World Affairs Council of Atlanta is a non-partisan organization established to provide a forum for global leaders and corporations to discuss and research various global issues. According to Wayne Lord, president of the council and professor at Georgia State, the work of the organization impacts businesses and NGOs as well as the general public. “We want to widen the strategic lens and we call on our constituents to focus on broad issues,” Lord said. The council has already held several programs with international leaders and corporations. In early September, the council hosted the British Ambassador to the United States, Sir Nigel Sheinwald. At the luncheon, nearly 160 people watched as the Ambassador, the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and council chair Dennis Lockhart discussed issues related to the global economic crisis. Another program the Council held was a roundtable discussion on South Africa in late July. Notable speakers included the Vice President of the Coca-Cola Company, Alexander Cummings. On Oct. 18, council members tuned into a nationally webcast China town hall meeting. The meeting was with Jon Huntsman, U.S. ambassador to China. Huntsman discussed several issues, including China and United States relations. Besides Huntsman, the panel featured local experts on China. The meeting was held in Georgia State’s Buckhead center and was open to all. Later
this month, the council will host the Kenyan Ambassador to the U.S. The council is affiliated with Georgia State’s Robinson College of Business. Much of the leadership comes from Georgia State, including President Mark Becker, who is on the Board of Directors. According to Lord, the council is a collaboration of units at Georgia State, like the Institute of International Business. Though the council is affiliated with Georgia State, Lord emphasized that the council closely works with universities across the city. “There is strong support from diverse NGO’s and academic communities in Atlanta. The council represents various constituents,” he said. Membership to the council is open to all individuals and corporations. Students are also encouraged to join and the council even has a young leadership program. It has provided several internship opportunities to students. Currently, the program has several undergraduate and graduate students who are conducting research for the organization. The World Affairs Council of Atlanta is affiliated with the National World Affairs Council of America, based in Washington, D.C. The council has 90 chapters across the nation. Lord said this gives the council in Atlanta substantial connections to government leaders. The council in Atlanta was officially announced in March and board meetings began in July. Since then, the council has held various programs and seminars. Lord believes that the council is important for the city of Atlanta and its people. “The council is a very important gateway for international diplomats and businesses to visit the city and to widen our connections,” he said.
U.S-China trade explored at China Town Hall Meeting By EMILY YANG Staff Writer The World Affairs Council of Atlanta organized the fourth annual China Town Hall Meeting on Oct. 18 at the Georgia State University Buckhead Center to discuss the commercial relationship between the United States and China. Dr. Ira Kasoff, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Asia, and Dr. Fei-Ling Wang, Georgia Tech professor, were panelists for the first hour of the program. In the second hour, United States Ambassador to China, Jon Huntsman Jr., spoke via webcast from China. “China is our third largest export market... and our second largest trading market,” Kasoff said. “In fact [China is] the fastest growing international market for the U.S.” Since 2000, United States exports to China have grown 330 percent and last year our export to China was about $70 billion, according to Kasoff. He further discussed some challenges of doing business with China. China is not part of a World Trade Organization government procurement agreement, so China is able to develop standards to benefit the country, he said. Though China’s economy is growing, it still faces major problems, which Kasoff lists: the country
has over 200,000 demonstrations, unbalanced growth between the rich and the poor, issues with developed and undeveloped areas and demographic imbalance as a result of the one-child policy. Labor issues are also creating a sense of national resentment in China. Because of China’s population, the labor force is large, cheap and easy to manage, Wang said. He also mentioned that the wage of a Chinese labor worker is two to ten percent of what an American makes. “The Chinese political environment for political investment is still pretty much conducive and open, but new developments are creating complex and complicated situations,” he said. The program continued with questions from Dr. Penelope Prime, Director of the China Research Center, who asked both panelists their opinions on topics regarding the China-United States relationship. During the second hour of the program, Huntsman addressed electronically submitted questions. In the opening remarks, he expressed that understanding the United StatesChina relationship is crucial. President Barack Obama explained to Huntsman that “[Our relationship with China] was the most important relationship we had in the world and that we had to get
Emily Yang • Signal Panelists Dr. Wang and Dr. Kasoff with moderator Dr. Prime at the fourth annual China Town Hall Meeting
it right.” In order to get the relationship right, the youth in China will need to have the right perceptions of the United States and the youth in America need more opportunities to study Mandarin, which, according to Huntsman, is a window into foreign culture. We need a generation that understands the relationship between United States and China, a generation that understands the traditions, background, history and cultures of both respective civilizations to get this relationship right, he said, adding there is a growing curiosity to learn more about China. Towards the end of the webcast, Huntsman was asked what he thought about Congressmen expressing their points of view about the United States-China relationship to appeal to voters during the midterm elections. “These issues are going to be brought out during election cycles,” Huntsman said. “People care, people want to talk about these issues. If they weren’t important then they wouldn’t be discussed.” Though the issues are important, informing the public about the United States-China economic relationship is going to be a challenge, especially in a “15 second sound bite on a campaign commercial,” he said. Huntsman said that he hopes that Americans are able to understand the United States-China economic relationship better. Georgia State’s Robinson College of Business is affiliated with the Council, which seeks “to provide a forum of dialogue, a source of expertise, and an engine for research on international affairs and global issues that impact the corporate community, governmental and nongovernmental organizations, and the general public,” according to the Robinson website.
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Tuesday, October 26, 2010
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NEWS
Professor receives grant from USDA By ANQUANNET WRIGHT Staff Writer The U.S. Department of Agriculture has granted funds to Georgia State to look at obesity trends from childhood to adolescence. Rusty Tchernis, an associate professor of economics in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, received a $225,000 appropriation to study the dynamics of childhood obesity with co-investigator Daniel Millimet of Southern Methodist University. According to Tchernis, the research will explore parallels between childhood obesity, behavioral abstracts, food portions and physical activity while also monitoring the future impact on more food, lack of exercise, and if future obesity is impacted as a result. “We would like to know how much of this correlation is causal and identify an age as to when weight gains stick,” Tchernis said. The study will also explore correlations between obesity and food assistance programs’ child recipients. “Overweight children are more likely to become obese adults,” Tchernis said. “The question is, is it caused by something or is it random. We are the first to look at causal effects of prior weight gains on future weight outcomes.” Prior investigation by Tchernis, also under a USDA grant, revealed
that children who eat lunch as part of the National School Lunch Program have an increased likelihood of becoming overweight. About 31 million kids eat lunch at school every day. Overall, kids consume about 30 to 50 percent of their calories in school. Reports from the Institute of Medicine, which advises Congress on health and science, recommend cutting out junk food in schools and making dramatic changes in school meals. The study also disclosed that the School Breakfast Program is a valuable tool in fighting childhood obesity. Those findings were published in the summer edition of the Journal of Human Resources. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides nutrition grants under the Recovery Act: Communities Putting Prevention to Work program. These programs seek to improve access to healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity by creating policies that will promote the health of children and families. “I believe that losing weight is much more difficult than preventing weight gain,” Tchernis said. “Being able to identify as to when to put a policy into place is going to be very important.”
Elijah Sarkesian • Signal
Georgia State University / Southern Methodist University Professor’s Rusty Tchernis (top) and Daniel Millimet (bottom) are investigating trends of obesity from childhood to adolescence.
OPEN FOR BUSINESS: The Waffle House in the Petit Science Center opened this week, bringing in scores of students and faculty members for delicious waffles and hashbrowns.
Looking for an Exciting Study Abroad? Join us in Costa Rica May 16-27, 2011
Learn about:
• The Costa Rican healthcare system • Social justice issues • Medical tourism • Local foods and Latin cooking • The Costa Rican court system • and take Spanish language lessons 3 Credit Hours
Sponsored by the College of Health & Human Sciences & Spanish Immersion Costa Rica
For more info, contact: Mary Ohmer, PhD at mohmer@gsu.edu or Spencer Middleton, MSW at smiddleton@gsu.edu http://chhs.gsu.edu/study-abroad.pdf Apply for scholarships through the Study Abroad Office
Application Deadline: February 1, 2011
LIVING
Living Editor Noël Hahn
signalliving@gmail.com
w w w . g s u s i g n a l . c o m / l i v i n g
Associate Living Editor Angel R. White awhite49@student.gsu.edu
The Rialto brings the world to Georgia State By MISHALL REHMAN Staff Writer
Elijah Sarkesian • Signal University Career Services can help students create a presentable resume.
Career Services offers advice for students By COURTNEY BOYD Staff Writer University Career Services (UCS) is Georgia State’s interactive and comprehensive career center dedicated to helping students maximize their professional development and career potential. UCS works with faculty, academic advisors and other professionals to provide countless opportunities to students. Currently enrolled students and alumni within their first year of graduation can readily take advantage of the many resources. Services are also provided to prospective students with limited, fee-based availability. Its on-campus location at 260 University Center houses four distinguishable programs: the career resource center, the career development team, the employer relations team and the graduate and professional school planning program. The career resource center contains a career library, computer lab with online career tools and support personnel. Students may receive advisement from any of the support persons on staff. The career development team offers career assessments and counseling and coordinates campus workshops. The employer relations team helps students prepare for job and internship searches. The team coordinates career and internship fairs as well as campus employer visits and generates student job and internship opportunities. The graduate and professional school planning program assists students with advanced degree planning and hosts yearly recruiting fairs with over 60 employers. As part of its customer service
focus, Career Services works closely with career professionals across campus to provide majorspecific programs for students in specific fields as well as recent graduates. Partners include the Robinson College of Business Career Management Center, the College of Law Career Services and Georgia State Alumni Career Services. The Robinson Career Management Center supports Robinson College of Business alumni, undergraduates and graduate students. It also offers recruiting opportunities to employers. The College of Law career services presents a wealth of services and resources to students, including individualized career planning and advisement. The alumni association provides an all-inclusive program of career services to assist its members with ongoing career management. To receive services, one must verify their Georgia State alumni status and be granted a unique verification card. University Career Services’ mission is to help individuals identify, prepare for and transition into opportunities that best reflect their passions and skills. Last year, UCS assisted over 17,000 students with its programs and events. This month the center supports a number of students’ interests with its upcoming events. Tuesday, Oct. 19, UCS is sponsoring their annual Graduate and Professional School Fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom. Students can connect with over 80 recruiters to learn about programs in their areas. Attire is business casual and résumés are not required. For more information on this event, please contact Angela Walker by phone at 404-413-1836 or by e-mail
atahwalker@gsu.edu. Wednesday, Oct. 20, Collective Brands, Inc., Business Leadership Program hosts an information session in room 245 University Center from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. All majors are welcome to attend as representatives discuss the management trainee programs for a leadership position with CBI. Representatives from Kraft Foods will host an information session Thursday, Oct. 21, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., in room 245 University Center. Recruiters are interested in those with demonstrated leadership abilities, prior work experience and an interest in sales. A TAG Tent Party for students and alumni of Georgia area colleges and universities will be held Thursday, Oct. 28, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Dahlberg Hall (formerly Alumni Hall). Careers for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math majors will be showcased. Participants are encouraged to bring résumés. UCS is also sponsoring a Career Readiness Boot Camp Oct. 28, from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Discussion topics include résumé writing, interviewing skills and learning to dress professionally. In addition to these programs, Career Services offers RésuMania --face-to-face résumé critiques held Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to and career chat panels, or careerspecific discussion panels. UCS frequently visits classrooms to present interactive career-oriented presentations. Staff members also provide classroom coverage to faculty who are unable to teach during scheduled class times. For details about any of these services, events and programs, or contact information visit www. gsu.edu/career.
The Rialto Center plans to bring the world to the doorstep of Georgia State students in its 2010-2011 season entitled Rialto: Where Atlanta Meets the World. The new season kicks off Oct. 23 at 8 p.m. with Noche Flamenca and Soledad Barrio. Noche Flamenco, formed in 1993, is a Spanish Flamenco touring company and is critically acclaimed for being one of the most authentic. The company is returning to Georgia State after their first performance was cancelled due to the tornado that hit Atlanta in 2008. The company is offering a free flamenco dance master class and a free flamenco guitar master class to the community. Tickets for Noche Flamenco start at $21 and include free parking. Also, this season the Rialto Center will be celebrating the Mexican holiday the Day of the Dead on Oct. 30 with the performance of Lila Downs. Leading up to the celebration the Rialto is offering a series of events. The Rialto, in partnership with the Consulate General of Mexico and the Institute of Mexico, is offering Dia de los Muertos Art Workshops at No Mas Cantina every Saturday in October until the day of the celebration. To close off the celebration, the Rialto Center is hosting a special Day of the Dead celebration on Thursday, Nov. 4. Among some of the other prominent events and artists this
season, the Rialto will be featuring Angelique Kidjo, who recently performed at the World Cup in South Africa, and the nationally known Capitol Steps. The official event during Rialto Week this year will be Bale Foclorico da Bahia from Brazil. Forsyth Street will be closed down for this event, as more than 500 people will dance to the beat of Bahia’s drums on the street. Director Leslie Gordon believes that this season will be a truly global experience for audiences. “The upcoming season features performance after performance that will not only thrill and entertain audiences, but also challenge, uplift, and inspire them. We believe that our 2010-2011 season will truly be the place where audiences can travel without moving—where Atlanta meets the world,” said Gordon. Instead of buying individual tickets for events, students can become subscribers by picking any four shows. Subscriptions start at $79. Subscribers are invited to attend receptions held after events and are sometimes given the opportunities to meet the artists. Tickets for individual events are half price for students the day of shows and 15 percent off in advance. Faculty and staff of Georgia State receive 15 percent off of tickets. To purchase tickets students can visit Rialto Box Office in the lobby of the Rialto, buy them online at www.rialtocenter.org, or call at 404-413-9849. For more information about the classes offered by Noche Flamenco, call 404-413-9820.
Kara Keene Soledad Barrio, pictured above, will be part of the opening of Noche Flamenco on Oct. 23rd.
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Tuesday, October 19, 2010
www.gsusignal.com/living
Georgia State students debate politics before the election
Nicole Schimmel • Signal The political debate became a political panel after the College Republicans pulled out last minute.
By KENDALL HARRIS Staff Writer On Oct. 13, Georgia State University hosted a political debate to promote voter awareness for the Nov. 2 election. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Black Student Alliance (BSA) and Phi Beta Sigma hosted the event. The debate, which was held in the Urban Life building, became more of a political panel after the College Republicans declined to participate. Devin McLaughlin, president of the College Republicans, says that he had concerns about participating in the event because it was hosted by the NAACP which, according to McLaughlin, has political affiliations associated with its name. The members of the panel included Jeremiah Glover, a Georgia State student who volunteered to represent the conservative side, Sean Phillips, the vice president of communication for the Young Democrats, and Joey Hornbuckle and Emmanuel Morrell, Jr., who are also members of the Young Democrats. Alethea Bonello, field organizer for the NAACP, mediated the discussion. The discussion began with the introduction of Alexandra Mackey, the president of the NAACP at Georgia State, Evan M. Eskridge, the vice president of both the Black Student Alliance (BSA) and the NAACP at Georgia State, Maurisia Stansil, president of the BSA at Georgia State and Mark Henderson, who is in charge of voter education and outreach at the Fulton County Department of Registration and Elections. Mauricia Stansil explained that the goal of the event was to increase voter awareness and empower the student body to discuss politics.
Henderson gave statistics about voter apathy in Georgia--the state of Georgia is ranked nearly last in voter participation, and Fulton County ranks third to last within the state. Bonello said that the panel provided students with an “engaging opportunity to talk about the election” and began the debate by asking the panel to discuss the HOPE scholarship. Phillips spoke first, saying that “savings accounts for the HOPE Scholarship are running dry,” and suggesting that only those who would not be able to attend school without the scholarship should be eligible to receive the scholarship money. Glover responded by arguing that students should not be penalized for the income of their parents. He proposed that there should be a residency requirement for the scholarship that would require students who receive HOPE to remain in the state of Georgia after graduation or the scholarship money becomes a loan instead. Both sides of the panel agreed when asked how to best “tackle metro Atlanta’s public transportation issues.” Glover and Hornbuckle both recognized that metro Atlanta contains a high volume of traffic and a high level of job and worker displacement and agree that a one percent budget increase for public transportation is a viable solution that would have economic benefits. Hornbuckle even presented an image of what the transportation lines in metro Atlanta would look like after 20 years if this plan were implemented. The mediator then asked the panel to discuss raised tuition and immigration rights. Glover began the discussion by saying that he approves of the removal of majors that only interest a few students. Phillips talked about the Georgia Students for Public
Higher Education. which promotes quality and accessible education and explores possible solutions for funding concerns in education. Regarding the National Healthcare Reform Bill, Glover asserted that the government should not force citizens to do anything, including acquiring healthcare. Hornbuckle did not challenge Glover’s assertion, but rather pointed out various benefits of the reform bill, such as the fact that those with preexisting conditions may receive healthcare and that the mandate prevents people from waiting until they are sick to get healthcare. He also said that the bill will decrease America’s deficit in the long run. When the floor was opened to audience questions, an audience member sparked a debate about immigration when she asked about the Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act, also known as the DREAM Act. The goal of the DREAM Act is to assist individuals who meet certain requirements with getting into college, the military or just getting on the path to citizenship. The panel quickly entered a debate about immigration. Morrell dismissed the common notions that immigrants are merely a strain to the economy by pointing out that undocumented persons add over $10 billion per year to the American economy. He argued that if these people were granted citizenship, they would help the economy by going to college, opening businesses or joining the military. Morrell said that the government “should not penalize those who want to help our economy.” Glover concluded by saying that undocumented workers “drive down wages” and that America should focus on helping its own citizens first.
LIVING
Housing recognizes National Coming Out Day By NOËL HAHN Living Editor Last week, the Lofts hosted a masquerade to raise awareness of National Coming Out Day to the many residents living on campus. Last month, nine members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning and Intersex (LGBTQQI) community committed suicide, according to Blake Singleton, the residential grad assistant at the Lofts. The Masquerade was held to remember them and educate Lofts residents about the LGBTQQI community. The Masquerade theme was chosen by Lofts Residential Assistants Sabrina Attimy and Sara Howard. “People often, before they come out, are wearing a mask because they do not want people to know who they are. They are afraid to take off the mask,” Howard said. Residents were given the chance to make their own masks. Glitter and feathers littered the floor while residents were working. After mask making, the educational part of the program began. Singleton handed out pieces of paper that residents ripped into 12 pieces. On four of them, they wrote titles that they are proud of being, such as Christian or sister. The next four are people that they could not live without, and the last four were objects that they did not want to live without. By the end of the game, Singleton had collected many of the squares
from the residents, sometimes leaving none. “This is to represent what it is like to come out in public. Some people lose things that they never thought they would. Some lost everything. How do you feel?” Singleton said to the crowd. The squares game seemed to hit home to some of the residents who attended the Masquerade. “I think the squares game brings a lot of things to light that I wouldn’t think about related to coming out,” Lofts RA Amanda Kenney said. “It is especially poignant about the sense of lost that I never acutely thought about towards my own sexuality.” “It was a unique discovery of different people and different lifestyles at the GSU campus,” Georgia State freshman Kasey Rollins said. Food was also provided by Kenney. She made Jell-O in rainbow colors, pigs in a blanket, sandwiches, cupcakes, bagel bites and soda. The program concluded with a screening of the movie Rent. “Rent covers all the bases of what we were trying to talk about at the event,” Howard said. National Coming Out Day is celebrated on Oct. 11 in the United States. It was founded by Robert Eichberg, one of the founders of the Experience workshop, and Jean O’Leary, a national gay rights advocate, in 1988. This day is to raise awareness of the LGBTQQI community and their rights movement.
Safia Ansari The Fast-A-Thon will be held on Tuesday Oct. 26 this year.
Student groups hosting sixth annual Fast-A-Thon By KENDALL HARRIS Staff Writer The sixth annual Fast-A-Thon will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 26 from 6:29 a.m. to 6:56 p.m. The Muslim Students Association (MSA), the Middle-Eastern SocioPolitical Association (MESPA) and the Council of Interfaith Concerns (CIFC) will be hosting the event. Safia Ansari, the president of the MSA at Georgia State University, defines the Fast-A-Thon as “an annual event hosted by the MSA in which we ask everyone on campus to try fasting with the Muslim students for a day.” The event is open to any student at Georgia State. All proceeds and donations will be given to Helping Hand USA in order to help flood victims in
Pakistan. Participants are volunteering to abstain from all food and liquid as well as activities such as drinking, smoking or sexual activity from sun up to sun down on that particular day. The MSA will be hosting a free dinner at 6 p.m. on Oct. 26 to discuss the tradition of fasting, Ramadan, the spirit of giving in Islam and the people of Pakistan who are in need. The buffet dinner will begin right after the fast is broken at 7 p.m. and the participants will get to hear from people of other faiths who tried fasting and their experience. Students must sign up to participate in the fast. Fliers for the event are available in the Prayer Room in University Center 409. The sign-up sheet is located on the MSA website, www.gsumsa.com.
LIVING
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Tuesday, October 19, 2010
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Student DJ brings a new mix to the music scene By ANGEL R. WHITE Associate Living Editor DaVaughn Canterbury may appear to be your average college student, but outside of school-and many times on campus--you often hear students refer to him as DJ Peter Parker. Although he is not accompanied with “spidey senses” or a suit that scales walls, he is equipped with keen hand-eye coordination, quick hands and an eclectic ear for good music as an up-and-coming DJ. Canterbury, a sophomore at Georgia State majoring in history, chose the alias DJ Peter Parker during his freshmen year in 2009. At that time, many of the people who knew him were unaware of his ability to DJ. “[DJ Peter Parker] metaphorically represents the special gift I have that no one would think that I would have,” said Canterbury. “Kind of like no one would think Peter Parker would be Spider-Man.” His passion for the art of mixing music began when he was introduced to turntables by his uncle when he was younger. A passion for entertaining crowds through music begin to show from the moment he DJed his first party to when he was 16 years-old and has held strong up until now. Ryan Kulp, executive director for Spotlight Programs Board, has worked with Canterbury on
numerous events. “What makes [DJ] Peter Parker stand out among the rest is his receptiveness to the crowd,” said Kulp. “Unlike some DJs who get lost in their own agenda and creative rampages, Parker remains in tune to the vibe of the people, the venue and the moment.” Canterbury exemplified his connection with the people through the recent self-release of his first mixtape, Scratchin’ the Surface. The mixtape’s subtitle read, “The New School Movement.” Celebrating the inaugural season of Georgia State football, Canterbury believed students should get excited and involved with the new school morale developing within the university’s community. “With the new football team, I wanted to create a mixtape that incorporated the school spirit and the different ethnicities and cultures through music,” said Canterbury. To prepare for the production of the mixtape, Canterbury conducted various surveys from many of Georgia State students in efforts to produce the most well-rounded collection of music for his audience. “DJ Peter Parker took a big chance with having totally different genres of music on a single mixtape, and it paid of,” said DJ Kno-It-All –another one of Atlanta’s up-andcoming DJs. The mixtape included songs of various genres, skits
including Georgia State students and an introduction that featured testimonies from students about their excitement for the football season. Canterbury describes himself as “a DJ with purpose.” He volunteers
his DJ skills by collaborating with non-profit organizations within the community, such as National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and hopes to one day open up an academy for
aspiring DJs. When asked about what the future holds for DJ Peter Parker, he said, “There are many big things in store–especially in the next six months, so be on the lookout.”
DaVaughn Canterbury DaVaughn Canterbury, known as DJ Peter Parker is a sophomore at Georgia State majoring in history.
10.21.10
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Tuesday, October 19, 2010
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LIVING
Upcoming Latino conference to educate and enrich students’ identities By DANIEL B. RINALDI Staff Writer As covered in The Signal’s previous issue, students rallied on Oct. 7 to protest for immigrant rights, holding the large banner “DREAM Act Now.” The DREAM Act—a proposed legislation to aid undocumented immigrants in their education— among other topics will be discussed at the Latino College Leadership Summit Oct. 22 and 23 at the Holiday Inn Atlanta Capitol Conference Center. Georgia State’s Latino Student Services and Outreach collaborated with the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute to host this conference to enrich Latino students’ identity, promote education and instill leadership qualities, Academic Professional for Latino Student Retention and Recruitment. They are expecting over 250 students. Over 2,000 Latino students enrolled at Georgia State this fall, and it is important for them to know opportunities such as this conference are available, Amy Molina said. Latinos need support to be motivated to graduate and continue their studies and career. The conference’s motto is “from roots to branches: achieving success while acknowledging where you
By ANNABELLA JEAN-LAURENT Staff Writer The Signal recently sat down with students Erin Burt, Solette Harris and Lela Strong to talk about their study abroad excursion to Tanzania, Africa last Maymester. “The Psychology of Skin Bleaching in Tanzania” program explores the ‘East African slave trade and Colonial era, and history and psychology of skin bleaching in Tanzania.’ The 3-credit hour Maymester trip was led by Dr. Kelly Lewis of the Department of Psychology.
Amy Molina The conference is still open for registration for interested students.
come from.” Motivational speakers, workshops, salsa dancing, team building exercises and socials will make up the conference. The three motivational speakers are Jimmy Cabrera, Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch and Marisel HerreraAnderson. The workshop “Service Beyond Self ” will focus on how one can give back to the community even when one is unsure of how. The workshop “Me, Inc” will focus on how to “market oneself as an individual.”
The workshop “Linguistic Genocide” will focus on the cultural and economic impact of being bilingual in the United States and the slow extinction of the Spanish language. The workshop “Preparing and Applying for Graduate School” will focus on what steps and exams to take to go to graduate school. To register or for more information contact Amy Molina at amolina@gsu.edu or 404-4132046.
All potential candidates must attend one mandatory orientation to become a contestant in the 2011 pageant.
Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
October 19 October 20 October 21
12:15 - 1 p.m. 6 - 7 p.m. 12:15 - 1 p.m.
Sessions taking place in Room 404, University Center: Wednesday Thursday Friday
November 10 November 11 November 12
6 - 7 p.m. 12:15 - 1 p.m. 3 - 4 p.m.
Signal: What historical and cultural lessons were taught in the program? Burt: Our lessons were in two halves: colonialism in the East African slave trade and in the second half we focused on beauty and its impact in the African community. Harris: The practice [of skin bleaching] has to do with this idea that lighter skin makes you better and more attractive. I found it interesting, because as a dark-skinned women myself, I only thought these ideas were prevalent here in America. I met one man in the village who called a mixed baby a “favorable product.” Strong: Tanzania has a painful history… these institutions, including slavery and colonization, have left scars on the psyche of the people. Signal: What lesson and memorable experiences did you take with you from Tanzania? Burt: Just the people and culture. I got to learn the language, which is KiSwahili, and used it to barter with the residents. Harris: For me, the experience became personal. I met so many welcoming people. The people didn’t just say, “Oh, we’re talking,” they always said “We’re exchanging ideas.” And these conversations were always so meaningful. We [also] had a close-knit group, and all the people I went on the trip with I’ll remember forever. Strong: The entire trip was pretty memorable, but I truly appreciated moments that I got to spend with the local residents. Mohammed, who was our waiter at our hotel, lived a very modest life, but always had a huge smile and joyful attitude. He taught me a real life lesson about gratitude. Signal: What advice do you have to students thinking about studying abroad? Burt: Do it, do it, do it! Don’t worry about the cost, it will work out. Tanzania helped me transition from the fast-paced and overly materialistic lifestyle to one that is more appreciative of the things and the people I am blessed with. I’ve incorporated pole pole (slowly in Swahili) into my vernacular and think about enjoying life. Harris: In college classes you may remember a few vocabulary words after a lesson is taught, but I can say that I’ll never forget any of the lessons I learned abroad. Strong: I think that it would be in the best interest of everyone to go outside of America and learn how other people live. I didn’t know how I was going to pay for my trip, but I believe that where there’s a will, there’s a way. There will be people to support you and there are grants also.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS Pageant: February 12, 2011
Sessions taking place in Caucus Suite, Student Center:
Signal: Why did you want to study abroad? Burt: I love traveling and had only been out of the country once. I really wanted a cultural experience and had always wanted to go to East Africa and found out about [the program]. A cultural education is so much more rewarding. Strong: My biggest regret from undergrad is not traveling abroad, [but] I was blessed to go on this trip as a graduate student. My experience allowed me to think outside of Western culture and appreciate the struggles and victories of people who live a lifestyle that is different from my own.
To learn more about Study Abroad Programs, please visit Study Abroad Suite 500, 10 Park Place, Suite 500 or call 404-413-2529.
Cierra Gilchrist, Miss GSU 2010 For More Information Contact Tari Wimbley 404/413-1610 or missgsu@gsu.edu Supported by Student Activity Fees
Erin Burt Tanzania, Africa is one of the study abroad programs available for students.
SPORTS
Sports Editor Kirkland Carter
signalsports40@gmail.com
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Men’s soccer ties UNCWilmington, falls to Drexel By WILL HOLLAND Staff Writer
Georgia State Sports Communications Placekicker Iain Vance being carried away after kicking the game-winning field goal.
Football edges Eagles in overtime thriller By SAAKIB ZAFRANI Staff Writer In an ugly game riddled with turnovers and penalties, Georgia State (5-2) edged out a tough opponent in North Carolina Central (2-4) on an Iain Vance field goal that put the Panthers on top 20-17, giving the school its first-ever overtime victory. Georgia State is now 4-1 against FCS opponents and extends their win streak to four. Head coach Bill Curry recognized the team’s miscues, but was content with the win. “Another routine Georgia State win,” Curry said with a grin. “Not only were we inept offensively as a team, we were vacant-eyed. There was something going on that wasn’t as productive as it should have been on our offense today. And yet, we were able to get the job done when it mattered. I’m very proud of our team.” Drew Little threw for 205 yards on 16 of 29 passes, with one touchdown to Danny Williams. Little didn’t light it up like in the previous two games where he threw four touchdowns a piece, but the most important statistic for Little was zero interceptions, a statistic that NCCU did not share. The Panther defense picked off quarterback Keon Williams on backto-back drives to start the game. Redshirt freshman Fred Barnes added a third interception when he picked off Eagles running back Tony McCord in the red zone to stop a drive early in the second quarter. Despite the three interceptions, including one at the NCCU 15-yard
line, Georgia State couldn’t capitalize on the opportunities. The three drives following the interceptions ended in a punt, a missed field goal and a lost fumble. Both teams amassed a total of 17 penalties for 124 yards, with NCCU committing 11 for 78 and Georgia State committing six for 46. Offensive numbers were nearly identical with NCCU posting 329 total yards on 66 plays and Georgia State posting 317 total yards on 64 plays. One key difference, however, set Georgia State’s offense apart. Of the 66 plays run, NCCU only passed on 23, while rushing on 43. Georgia State’s offense had a much more balanced approach, with 35 rushing plays and 29 passing plays. Balance has been the key to the Panther offense’s success thus far in the season. On 406 total plays, the Panthers have rushed on 215 and passed on 191. Consistency has also been the story for receiver Danny Williams, punter Bo Schlechter, kicker Iain Vance and the Panther’s opportunistic defense. Danny Williams posted his second-straight 100-yard receiving game. His 105-yard performance eclipsed his 103-yard mark from the previous week. The Panthers passing touchdown came when Danny Williams stutter-stepped his cornerback and Drew Little found him wide open streaking into the end zone on a 24 yard strike. “The touchdown was one we have been working on all week called ‘Stutter and Go.’ I just stuttered at 10 yards and Coach [John] Bond was saying all week, ‘He’s going to bite.
He’s going to bite on it. Just run it.’ Sure enough he did bite on it and I came wide open to catch the pass,” Williams said. Bo Schlechter, the quarterback turned punter/receiver, had another stellar showing on Saturday with four punts for 204 yards and a long of 59. Schlechter also added a huge 23-yard reception on a key third down to move the chains on a critical fourth-quarter scoring drive. Schlechter has been Mr. Consistency since his collegiate punting career began, averaging 44 yards per punt with a long of 62 with eight receptions for 118 yards. Georgia State couldn’t capitalize on an Iain Vance field goal attempt after an early interception by the Panther defense in the first quarter. “That was all me. I just pulled it left. There is nothing you can do but forget it and go on to the next kick,” Vance said. And that’s exactly what he did as he drilled his second field goal attempt to get the Panthers on the board. Vance, the leading scorer for the Panthers, added to his tally on the final play of the game in overtime. “I’m always looking to redeem myself if I mess up. There is no question in my mind that I wanted to get out there and do that,” Vance said. Vance has now converted 10 of 12 on the season, with two gamewinning field goals to his credit. The Panther defense has caused four turnovers in each of the last three games. This consistency and momentum is crucial as the Panthers hit the road for back-to-back away games. Perseverance was another word Cont. on page 13
Football
In a pivotal match against conference-foe Drexel (7-5-1, 3-3 CAA), the Panthers (5-5-3, 2-4-1) came up just short, losing 2-1 on a Dragon goal scored in the 88th minute on Saturday, Oct. 16 at Vidas Field in Philadelphia, Pa. Coming off a 0-0 doubleovertime draw against UNCWilmington (7-4-1, 3-1-1 CAA), ranked 23rd in the RPI, Georgia State had hoped to mount a charge to climb out of the bottom of the league standings. The Panthers could not capitalize on chances from Gimel Gordon, Eric Lawrence, and Alex Vivanco. Vivanco and Lawrence had solid outings, both with two shots on goal, but the late Drexel goal was a heart-breaker and puts Georgia State in a difficult position for the rest of the season. The Panthers can bring some energy back to Atlanta after a difficult road trip, having held the defending conference champions UNCWilmington at home. As of last week, the Seahawks were ranked no. 27 in the NCAA coaches’ poll. It took a career-best performance from goalkeeper Vincent Foermer to keep the clean sheet. He made 10 saves from shots on goal, and Wilmington finished the game with 19 total to Georgia State’s 10. The Panthers could have easily gone up through a number of chances but the Seahawks goalkeeper was on his game as well, making six saves for the Seahawks. The sophomores made good account of themselves with Yasser Majluf leading the team that day with four shots with two on goal followed by Viktor Nkhoma with two shots and one on goal. Sophomores Peter Vania, Gordon, Lawrence and senior Ayokunle Lumpkin all had chances as well, but they simply could not get past the Dragon’s shot-stopper Brock Duckworth.
The Panthers had hoped to carry some steam into their road trip after a sound 2-0 victory over Bostonopponent Northeastern (4-5-3, 2-13 CAA). Majluf played the hero that day, blasting a shot into the top left corner in the 29th minute on a longrange attempt. Junior Jacob Hamilton sealed the deal with a goal late in the 75th minute off a cross from Gimel Gordon. Head coach Brett Surrency was pleased with his sophomore’s development. “Vincent [Foermer] did well today, but the guy that has been the anchor of our defense this season has been Peter Vania,” he said. “I am so proud of Vania, he has really developed during his sophomore year and has played big time for us.” The Northeastern victory came as a nice rebound shortly after a 3-0 drubbing by conference-leader William & Mary (9-2-1, 4-1-1 CAA). No. 25 Old Dominion (7-3-2, 3-12 CAA) and UNC-Wilmington round out the top three with Old Dominion traveling to Atlanta for a pivotal game for the Panthers. Georgia State sits tied with James Madison, George Mason, and Delaware on 7 points within the conference. VCU (5-2-5, 2-1-3 CAA), Northeastern, and recent defeat Drexel are all within reach – they each have 9 points. Unfortunately for the Panthers every team in the CAA has only played 6 games, except for Georgia State who have played 7. This leaves the Panthers wth little margin for error as an all-important stretch of games approaches against Old Dominion, James Madison and George Mason. All teams sit above Georgia State in the conference table. The top five squads make the conference championship, and if the Panthers are to have any hope of reaching that number five spot, they must take care of business at home this week. Georgia State meets Old Dominion Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Panthersville.
Will Holland • Signal Sophomore Gimel Gordon has struggled to regain his form from 2009, when he led all Panthers in scoring.
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www.gsusignal.com/sports
SPORTS
Women’s basketball features seven additions for 2010-2011 By SAAKIB ZAFRANI Staff Writer Georgia State University’s women’s basketball head coach, Sharon Baldwin-Tener, has signed five new recruits to help fill some of the void left from the departure of seniors Danyiell McKellar, Shay Rawls and Brittany Graham. Baldwin-Tener, well-known for her strong recruiting, was brought in last April after the departure of previous head coach Lea Henry, whose final season concluded with a 15-15 record, including a dismal 6-12 conference mark. “We needed a point guard. We needed some people that could shoot the basketball, I think we signed that with a couple of players. We needed some athletic ability, we also signed that. And then we signed some size. I think we filled a lot of different needs at the end of last season,” BaldwinTener said. Of the five new players signed, two are guards and three are forwards. Lanajia Ernest and Kendra Long are the two guards, a position that coach Baldwin-Tener stressed the need to strengthen in the offseason. Ernest is a transfer from San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, Calif. She brings with her two years of valuable junior college experience and has proved herself as a proficient player on a team that collected more than 50 wins in its past two seasons.
“She’s going to be the one that gets the ball out and goes with it, and she’s also going to be our first line of defense,” Baldwin-Tener said. “She’s capable of driving it all the way to the basket and also shooting the three.” Long originally signed with Georgia Tech last fall, but was released this spring and accepted a scholarship at Georgia State. “She can play either the one or two on offense and has shown good defensive skills as well,” Balwin-Tener told www.georgiastatesports.com. “Her balance of scoring and passing should make her able to contribute soon.” The three forwards that BaldwinTener signed this offseason bring that much needed size and athletic ability to the team. Freshman Jamie Jordan joins the program as a standout at Veritas Christian Academy in North Carolina. “Her size and skills will blend together to enable her to play at the college level,” Baldwin-Tener told www.georgiastatesports.com. Victoria Smith, originally from Gosford, Australia, also joins the Panthers’ ranks this season, hailing from Lake Forest Academy in Chicago. “With her 6-foot-3-inch frame, Victoria adds much-needed size to our post presence,” Baldwin-Tener said. “I really think she has the potential to develop into a strong inside player in this league over the
Georgia State Sports Communications First-year head coach Sharon Balwin-Tener with President Mark Becker and the women’s basketball team.
next couple of years.” Nicole Hargraves, another transfer student, will be eligible to take the court with her teammates 2011-2012. “Nicole’s size and strength, combined with her overall athleticism will provide help in the post,” Baldwin-Tener said. “She will practice and learn our system during her transfer year and then be ready to help us the following season.” In addition to the five signings in spring, two more players signed on with the Panthers this fall.Letecia Davenport brings two years of junior
college experience and has posted multiple 30-point games. Briana Shepherd earned All-State, AllRegion and All-County recognition in her high school career. She was also nominated for the McDonalds All-America team. Both Davenport and Shepherd are competing for playing time this offseason. Baldwin-Tener expects more than just solid play on the court. “I know one thing that we really stress is accountability, the players are accountable for what it is they’re doing on and off the court. It’s very important that we’re good citizens,
that we’re good students and that we’re good teammates,” she said. “That’s been important. We’re going to class, we’re making good grades and we’re doing what’s necessary to be successful even after basketball. On the court, we’re stressing the importance of doing your best every drill and finishing the drill.” Coach Baldwin-Tener is optimistic about the progress the squad has already made what is still to come. “I’m very excited about the future of the program and I think we’ve made great strides already,” she said.
SPORTS
www.gsusignal.com/sports
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Football
Georgia State Sports Communications The 2010 Cross Country teams look ahead to the CAA Championship on Oct. 30.
Cross country looks ahead to CAA Championship By ABBY CARNEY Staff Writer The Georgia State Cross Country travelled to Boone, N.C. and Oglethorpe University this weekend to compete for the last time before the CAA Championship in Wilmington, N.C. on Oct. 30. The men’s team is looking strong and healthy, going into the last few weeks of preparation with no injuries reported. It will be the first conference championship for the entire men’s team with the exception of their captain, junior Chris Harper, who has two CAA meets under his belt. With a whole season of racing behind them, the freshmen are ready to make their CAA debut. “I couldn’t be more proud of the freshmen on this team. The men’s cross country program at GSU has a bright future,” Harper said. Names to look out for are
freshmen Tyler Tomy and Carlos Galindo, as they have had a breakout season peppered with solid performances, often pacing the men’s team. The women’s side, however, will have to compete without the most decorated member of their squad, Caitlin Price. The fifth-year senior and 2008 All-CAA honoree will be missing from competition due to a recent injury, a stress fracture in her femur. Despite this setback, the women’s side still looks strong,led by sophomore Katharine Showalter and freshman Anna Sinclair, with a very solid pack right on their heels. Junior transfer Kacee Houle is determined to make her CAA introduction a good one. “Well, I feel that we’ve been working really hard and have a solid pack in practice,” Houle said. “And even though my legs feel a little heavy,
I’m confident that Coach will have us ready to get it come conference. I’m just excited for it.” First-year head coach Chris England’s Panthers started the season strong, with the men and women sweeping the JSU Struts Invitational and the GSU Invitational. Georgia State is determined to challenge conference greats such as William and Mary, the defending champions of the past seven years on the women’s side. The Tribe holds an advantage with senior Emily Anderson still on the squad, the defending CAA champion from the past two years, but they lost former top runners Meghan Burns and Kayley Byrne to graduation. James Madison and George Mason are also top threats, coming in second and third place at the conference meet in 2009. With a fairly young team, James Madison appears to be on the same level as last year
and George Mason has not graduated any of their top qualifiers either. On the men’s side, William and Mary, George Mason and James Madison also represent the toughest competition, with William and Mary holding the victory spot for the past nine years and James Madison usually following in close pursuit. William and Mary no longer boasts four of their top finishers from last year’s conference meet, so all conference contenders are keeping in mind that it is a new year and nothing is set in stone. Georgia State was runner-up in 2008 and is eager to best their sixth-place finish in 2009. The CAA Conference Championship will take place on Oct. 30 at UNC Wilmington, with the women taking off at 10 a.m. and the men’s race at 11 a.m.
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Cont. from page 11
of the day, as quarterback Kelton Hill, on his first play of the game, fumbled after a 6-yard scamper. On his second play of the game, Hill fumbled again on a 7-yard-run. On the next drive, after Little’s huge completion to Schlechter to keep the drive alive, coach Curry sent Hill back in. Hill was brilliant on three back-to-back plays, rushing for six, 16 and nine yards respectively. Travis Evans would cap off the drive with a 15-yard downhill touchdown run to give the Panthers their first lead of the day. Hill would return in overtime to get the Panthers in position for Iain Vance’s field goal. “I’m very proud, in particular, of Kelton Hill, who had two very unfortunate plays, and then came back to help us in remarkable fashion to win the game, without hanging his head,” Curry said. The Panthers next two games will be on the road at Old Dominion and South Alabama before returning to the Dome for their final home game against Lamar. This tough win against NCCU gives Georgia State the momentum they need to go forward on the road. Curry was pleased with the team’s gutsy performance. “In order to be a decent program, you’ve got to win these games. You’ve got to win the games when you come out and you just don’t have it.”
Tone Lee • Signal Kelton Hill was instrumental in the game-winning drive.
Women’s tennis holding tryouts for new season By LAUREN-ASHLEY MINCEY Staff Writer The Georgia State women’s tennis team is currently holding tryouts for the 2011 season. There are currently four returning players on the team, followed by four more coming next semester. Women’s tennis head coach Miha Lisac has been interviewing and working with students that may hope to play for Georgia State. Lisac, the 2009 Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year and Georgia State alumnus, has taken the program farther in his two-year tenure than any other women’s tennis coach in school history. Once a player on the Georgia State men’s team himself, Lisac led the women to the 2008-2009 CAA Title and a first-ever berth in the NCAA Tournament, along with a No. 47 ranking. Lisac has been instrumental in the development of the team’s No.
1 singles player, junior Diana Nakic. The Slovenian made a statement in 2010 by not only going undefeated on the season, but she managed to never lose a single set. The tennis try-outs began at the beginning of this semester, but there hasn’t been a major turn out. However, Coach Lisac wants to get the word out and extend that opportunity for Georgia State students. If you are interested, stop by the Women’s Tennis office located in the Sports arena for an introductory interview lasting around 2 minutes. If you meet the requirements, you will be given some paperwork to fill out before you are able to try out. Try-outs will continue indefinitely, but anyone interested should contact Lisac as soon as possible. The women’s tennis office is located on the second level of the Sports Arena. The office hours are weekdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call 404413-4072, or e-mail Coach Lisac at athml@langate.gsu.edu.
Georgia State Sports Communications Women’s tennis head coach Miha Lisac was the 2009 CAA Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year.
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Look ahead to the Old Dominion Monarchs By D.J. DUNSON JR. Staff Writer On Oct. 23, in a matchup of future Colonial Athletic Association conference rivals, Georgia State (52) will travel to Norfolk, Va. to play spoiler in Old Dominion’s (3-3) homecoming Game. This will also be a matchup between a pair of upstart programs who have played like established football powerhouses. The Old Dominion Monarchs returned to college football in 2009 with a 9-2 campaign, the best record ever for a first-year program in college football’s modern era, also finishing in the top five of all FCS programs in home attendance. This will be the most hostile environment in which Georgia State has played, facing over 15,000 rabid Old Dominion fans. The Monarchs will be well rested coming off a bye week after falling to Cal Poly in a 50-37 barnburner. Georgia State’s Ian Vance will want to kick the ball away from Old Dominion returner Colby Goodwyn. On Oct. 9, Goodwyn set a new Division I (FCS/FBS) college football record for return yardage with 333 yards on nine returns. Despite a lukewarm offensive output last weekend against NC Central, Georgia State’s offense has been torching opposing defenses and Goodwyn may have plenty of opportunities to make plays on kickoffs after Panther scores. The Monarchs will bring
SPORTS
ATHLETIC EVENTS October 19-26, 2010
DATE Friday
OCT. 22
EVENT Women’s Soccer at Hofstra Hempstead, N.Y. 7 p.m.
Volleyball at VCU Richmond, Va. 7 p.m.
Men’s Tennis at Emory Fall Challenge Atlanta, Ga. All Day Continues through Sunday, Oct. 24
Women’s Tennis at ITA Regionals
hamptonroads.com Old Dominion quarterback Thomas DeMarco carrying a Virginia Military Institute defender.
pressure with senior defensive end Deron Mayo and defensive tackle Ronnie Cameron, who have combined for nine sacks this season. Mayo, the younger brother of New England Patriots linebacker and 2008 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year Jerod Mayo, has recorded 45 tackles and five sacks this season. On the other end of the defensive line is Shantea Green, half-brother to Titans defensive end Jevon Kearse. Mayo and Green’s prime objectives will be to disrupt quarterback Drew Little and contain Wildcat quarterback Kelton Hill. Pedigrees aside, the Georgia State offensive line will face its toughest test yet Saturday in Virginia. Meanwhile, Georgia State’s
front seven will spend the afternoon pursuing the Monarchs’ 5-foot11-inch, dual-threat quarterback Thomas DeMarco. As the Monarchs’ starting quarterback and leading rusher, Demarco is the heart of Old Dominion’s offense. Despite his scrambling abilities, The Palm Desert, Ca. native is averaging 278 yards passing per game, good for eighth in the nation, and is averaging 41 pass attempts per game. He has also rushed for 406 yards and three more scores but has only been sacked six times this season. Georgia State’s secondary will experience a barrage of throws and their coverage will be the difference between victory and defeat.
Athens, Ga. TBA Continues through Monday, Oct. 25
Saturday
OCT. 23
Football at Old Dominion Norfolk, Va. 3:30 p.m.
Volleyball at William and Mary Williamsburg, VA. 7 p.m.
Men’s Soccer at James Madison Harrisonburg, Va. 7 p.m.
Sunday
OCT. 24
Women’s Soccer at Northeastern Boston, Mass. 1 p.m.
Men’s Golf at Georgia Tech US Intercollegiate Atlanta, Ga. All Day Continues through Tuesday, Oct. 26
ENTERTAINMENT www.gsusignal.com/entertainment
Entertainment Editor Jhoni Jackson
signalentertainment@gmail.com Associate Entertainment Editor Savanna Keo skeo1@student.gsu.edu
EXPANDED HALLOWEEN EDITION
Spirits of past souls come alive at annual Day of the Dead exhibit By SAVANNA KEO Associate Entertainment Editor The macabre dances with artistic ingenuity as local artists help ring in el Dia de los Muertos at Young Blood Gallery and Boutique. Skeletons stuffed into coffins bearing emblems of the morbid will line the gallery of Young Blood beginning on Saturday, Oct. 30. The Day of the Dead show, an annual exhibition of uniquely crafted small-scale coffins, will take this year’s event one step further with a huge opening reception to introduce about 100 artist-designed and created coffins celebrating Mexico’s Day of the Dead remembrance festivities that pay homage to the souls of the deceased. “The Day of the Dead theme is a cool alternative to the typical Halloween celebration,” said Aziree Pemberton, the Public Relations Coordinator for Young Blood Gallery and Boutique. During the opening reception, local band Grinder Nova and his Pitstop Mariachi will be supplying the musical sounds, while the Good Food Truck will be selling Mexicaninspired cuisine outside the venue. Before the reception is slated to kick off at 7 p.m., MakeATL will be conducting a sugar skull-making session from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. To enter the exhibition, artists purchase a coffin and are then free to use the nearly 12-inch figure to their own creative whim. In the past, coffins have been painted on, sculpted around and hung in odd
Tweet Designs Anna Balka’s piece was sold to a Day of the Dead fan at the exhibit last year.
positions in the gallery. Anything goes seems to be the motto for this annual art collective. The artists featured in the show are mostly local creatives. They personalize their coffins as a memorial for someone or something. Sanithna Phansavanh, an artist who recently had an exhibition at Young Blood titled “Knock on Wood,” has contributed coffins to all of the Day of the Dead shows. Phansavanh’s first two coffins were detailed after La Calavera Catrina, an image created by Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posadaroughly in a series of pieces satirizing contemporary figures in the early 1900s. Roughly translated into “elegant skull,” La Calavera Catrina has become a fundamental image in Mexican culture, and is commonly found in pieces representing the Day of the Dead. “I was really intrigued by the idea that, no matter how beautiful and privileged you are, we all end up in the same place,” Phansavanh said about the inspiration for his first coffins. In the production of this third casket, Phansavanh took Tweet Designs a break from the Cristina Vidal’s coffin from last year’s event. theme of his first
two coffins and strived for a more personalized tone. Modeling his creation after a portrait of Andre Derain, a peer of his artistic influence Henri Matisse, Phansavanh created a miniature memorial for his late father. “As Día de los Muertos is a celebration of those who are no longer with us, I wanted to use the show as an opportunity to see my Dad once more,” said Phansavanh. “I’m using Matisse’s piece as guide for style and composition, since it set off the entire emotional thought.” Young Blood Gallery and Boutique is the brainchild of two art aficionados, Maggie White and Kelly Teasley. In ‘97, the two grew restless of various art institution’s refusal to show the work of emerging artists so they began holding art shows in their own home. The idea caught on and in ‘99, the duo looked for a more permanent space to hold their art shows. “The whole reason we opened was because there was nothing around for young, emerging artists to be able to show their work. We kind of stuck with that theme the entire time even though we have grown older,” said Teasley, co-owner of the gallery and boutique. “We like fresh, new work and supporting young artists and helping them further their career.” In 2003, Teasley and White opened up the boutique in juxtaposition with the gallery to feature handmade crafts of the modern, indie variety created by artists in the area. Finally in 2008, Youngblood Boutique and Gallery relocated to its current location in the Poncey-Highlands district.
boutique draws in diverse crowd of patrons, ranging from young college students to older parent types. “There are young collectors buying their first piece, and there’s people who have been buying from us for a long time and are now able to afford the more expensive pieces,” said Teasley. “We try to create a range of artwork in each show so there is something for everyone to be able to afford. We make sure that the artist creates print or smaller pieces that are inexpensive so that younger people can buy them as well.” Working in conjunction with Tweet Designs, a graphic design firm in Atlanta, the Day of the Dead show is entering its third year and allows artists to become more involved with Young Blood Gallery and Boutique as well as the local art community. The coffins will be for sale for around $150 to $400. The opening reception promises to be a night of morbid gaiety as the artists of the coffins can be found mingling among the crowd, which is expected to peak into the hundreds during the night. “There’s always amazing work and the show is becoming an annual fixture in Atlanta’s art scene,” said Phansavanh.
“The area is kind of in between— we looked at both the Virginia Highlands areas and Little Five Points—and [the latter] wasn’t quite the fit for us,” said Kelley. “[Here] there’s lots of really cool businesses around us and it’s just great to be around lots of other independent businesses. There’s always people The opening reception for the walking around going to the grocery Day of the Dead show will begin store and stuff like that. It’s nice to be at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 30, part of a community.” at Young Blood Gallery and Young Blood Gallery and Boutique (636 North Highland Boutique prides itself on being an Ave.). affordable avenue to purchase artwork as well as the home to shows of up and coming artists in Atlanta. The shop has garnered acclaim from Creative Loafing, the AtlantaJournal Constitution and Lucky Magazine. Young Blood has received many awards but most recently, Creative Loafing named the venue Best Gallery, Best Place to Buy Indie Crafts and Best Place to Score Affordable Art for the year of 2010. “There aren’t many spaces that offer the gallery and the boutique, you can still come in and if you can’t afford the art, you can still buy a print or a piece of handmade jewelry from the shop that’s inexpensive,” said Tweet Designs Teasley. A coffin from last year’s exhibit, designed by Maggie The gallery and Walker.
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Tuesday, October 26, 2010
www.gsusignal.com/entertainment
ENTERTAINMENT
Take aim at the walking dead at Zombie Apocalypse By JUDY KIM Staff Writer If you’ve seen the apocalyptic horror film 28 Days Later, where a zombie-inducing infection affectionately referred to as the rage spreads rampantly across Britain then you have an idea of what Zombie Apocalypse is like. The attraction—it’s an understatement to just call it a haunted house—drags you into the horror and chaos of a zombieflooded world, where one bite from an infected being creates a domino effect of mayhem and death. Once bitten, you’re fate is nearly settled— you’re bound to be shot down like a rabid dog. The entire area is painted like an army base, renovated from two old motels. You first go through the haunted house, and then in the end, if you want to, you can use a paintball gun to slay live zombies running through a caged area. The house itself is rather interesting, but the ordeal was more exciting and fun than it is scary. Running seems like a good idea when traveling through a long, dark, empty hallway with a series of open doors out of which brain-hungry zombies can abruptly pop out.. But once out of their rooms, a tour guide and army sergeant shoots the zombies down before they can attack. After running through the haunted house, you’re led outside to walk through a ransacked junkyard,
where zombies burst out from the trash cans and behind large truck tires. A car starts up and runs into the wall—the driver makes it out alive, but zombies quickly swarm his fresh body. Then there’s the Deadlight District. You guessed it—it’s full of zombie prostitutes. They’re chained to fences and mock walls from which they attempt to lure you in for business. For some kind of refuge, men with frayed hair and disheveled outfits try to sway the remaining survivors for their clan of bikers, living and breathing the sinful life that, in a world infected with zombies, might be your best hope for survival. On the way to a large garage, a fervent religious extremist threatens you with eternal damnation. As your escape to freedom continues, you run into the lab where the monsters were created, some still suffering the consequences of a blood transfer or an unintended bite. But you find later that the experiments haven’t stopped there: a mad scientist in one of the garages is still creating more freaks and zombies to chase
down fresh blood for the night, creating an army for his psychotic control. “The acting was impressive to me,” freshman Sterling Jones said. “The people who had given into the inevitable were crazy and the soldiers trying to prevent it were determined, and the acting showed it the entire time.” After the 20 to 30-minute walk (and run) for survival, shooting the live zombies with paintball guns seems like a satisfying endeavor. But for $15, you’re given only 20 paintballs, making the shooting session something that can be passed up with little regret. The house costs $20, two dollars less than Netherworld. But if you’re really looking to shoot those monstrous beings, definitely get the combo of both the house and the shooting session for $30 and save $5. Though the acting and outfits were a success, a few over-the-top aspects, like the car running into the wall, seemed unnecessary. Like many haunted houses, with a few adjustments, Zombie Apocalypse could cost a lot less than it does.
SPOOK SCALE
from one (lowest) to five (highest)
Brenda Ubhoff Hillbillies—dead and alive—at last year’s Moonshiner’s Ball.
Top ten local events on Halloween Eve By HALLY JOSEPH Staff Writer Halloween is on a Sunday this year, and many of you must be panicked about where to wear your Snooki costume. Don’t fret! Atlanta will be thriving on Saturday, Oct. 30, and The Signal’s nightlife roundup breaks down the frightening festivities. Whether you’re looking for an upscale evening or a haunted hillbilly hoedown, there’s an event to fit anyone’s Halloween hankerings. 1. Twain’s Second Dang Annual Moonshiner’s Ball Halloween Party 8 p.m. Twain’s Billiards and Tap, 211 E. Trinity Place $5, 21-and-up after 9 p.m.
Fright factor: 3 • Gore rating: 4 Worth your money? No. It’s too expensive, period.
This hillbilly-themed party, now in its second year, asks you to don your fanciest overalls and get rowdy with likeminded folks. Though the Moonshiner’s Ball in downtown Decatur may not be the best venue for your guidette get-up, it will be a fantastic place to win prizes at various games, get your groove on southern style and maybe even win first place in the costume contest. Local countrybluegrass act Uncle Daddy and the Kissin’ Cousins will perform at the event, which is co-hosted by Ink and Dagger Tattoo. www.twains.net 2. Dirt Nap II: Buried in Bass Halloween Party 9 p.m. Graveyard Tavern, 1245 Glenwood Ave SE $5-$10, 21-and-up Walk into the door of this East Atlanta tavern’s party and receive a complimentary shot—what a great way to start the party! The Halloween festivities also includes sets by DJ Megan Foxxx, DJ Hotsauce and Jay Envy. Oh Snap! Kid will be on-hand to snap mock crime scene photography and there will be a costume contest (with prizes, of course). www.graveyardtavern.com 3. Spring 4th’s Asylum: Insane Rave and Haunted House 9 p.m. Spring 4th Center, 728 Spring St. $10, ages 16-20 For those of you bemoaning the 21-and-up barrier at most nightclub doors, you can revel at the Spring 4th Center’s rave-and-haunted house combo event. This alcohol-free event, which at press time had more than 700 potential attendees on its Facebook listing, boasts appearances from Paul Maxwell, Austin Velez and DJ Golden, who’ll play techno and hip-hop for the youthful crowd. Food and booze-less beverages will be available for cheap. Judy Kim • Signal
www.spring4th.com
ENTERTAINMENT
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4. The 99X Brouhaha at the Masquerade 8 p.m. The Masquerade 695 North Ave NE $13.50 in advance, 21-and-up All three levels of the Masquerade will be infiltrated with costumed partiers seeking to win the $1,000 Midnight Madness Costume Party in Heaven, have their fortunes told in Purgatory and dance to the beat of the Undead DJs in Hell. If fellow goblins and ghouls don’t have you terrified already, pounding live music will have the venue floors vibrating and shaking throughout the night. www.masq.com 5. The Atlanta Halloween Ball at the Fox 8 p.m. The Fabulous Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. $135 in advance, 21-and-up Did that description of the Masquerade make you cringe? Are you trapped in the wrong era? The price is high, but so is the class at this lavish masquerade ball. Formal attire along the lines of tuxedos and gowns are required as a live band plays in the Egyptian ballroom at the storied Fox Theatre. Cocktails are unlimited, a benefit from that hefty price tag. The best mask will win a cruise— seriously, a cruise— and proceeds benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. www.atlantahalloweenball.com 6. Uncle Shuck’s Haunted Corn Maze Last tickets at 10 p.m. Uncle Shuck’s Haunted Corn Maze, 4520 HW 53E, Dawsonville, GA 30534 $12, all ages If you’re seeking a Halloween activity that falls in between the sticky floors of a drunken party and wearing crisp white gloves to the Fox, a corn maze at nighttime is a traditional, all-natural alternative. What could be more basic than running around nature, screaming your throat dry because they don’t allow flashlights in this 12-acre field of corn? www.uncleshucks.com 7. 7 Deadly Sins Party Eastside Lounge, 485 Flat Shoals Ave. $5-$10 Be on your worst behavior for this East Atlanta club’s party, which features live music from local drone-metal bands So So Death and Odist, plus sets from jam-enthusiasts like DJ Pattycakes, J Dugan and Aaron Lester. The red walls of the lounge will never feel creepier than at this Halloween bash. www.eastsidelounge.net 8. The W’s Horror Hotel 9 p.m. W Atlanta 188 14th Street NE $20 in advance Book a room at the W Hotel and be mere hallways away from a luxurious bed after hitting up the five different party atmospheres at this extensive Halloween party. Who ever thought Halloween could be so convenient? www.watlantamidtown.com 9. Funk-a-Ween at the Five Spot 10 p.m. The Five Spot, 1123 Euclid Ave $7-$10 Big Daddy’s Soul Sermon and Newberry Jam are bringing the funk to Little Five Points. Original songs and old school funk favorites will kick off the party, which includes a costume contest and dance-off fusion. The winner will receive bar credit, a CD and a goat. The Five Spot’s website confirms the unconventional prize: “That’s right, a billy goat with curvy horns!!” www.fivespot-atl.com 10. Center Stage’s Most Legendary Halloween Party Ever 8 p.m. Center Stage Theater 1374 W Peachtree St NW $20 in advance, $25 at the door, 21-and-up It’s Center Stage’s last year hosting the event, and, as the event’s name boldly states, they want to go out with a massive bang. Live music, several DJs, pizza by the slice and tarot card readings pale in comparison to their promise of photo opportunities with Satan in the lobby. www.centerstage-atlanta.com
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
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Tuesday, October 26, 2010
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ENTERTAINMENT
‘Hereafter’: inspired by death By JUNIA ABAIDOO Staff Writer
Summit Entertainment John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman and Bruce Willis in Red.
Action-comedy combo succeeds with an all-star cast By LAURA APPERSON Staff Writer A blend of both action and comedy, Red tells the story of five retired CIA agents who relive their previous adventures and defeat evil once again. The film mostly caters to an older crowd, sporting a theme that screams, “Just because you’re old doesn’t mean you can’t keep living!” Morgan Freeman’s character, Joe Matheson, is living in a home for the elderly before he joins the adventure. Helen Mirren of The Queen plays a very grandmotherly lady named Victoria, who lives in a nice house and spends her days baking and gardening. Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) receives pension checks and tears them up in order to talk to his crush, played by Mary-Louise Parker, who is responsible for handling issues with government checks. The villain, William Cooper (Karl Urban of The Bourne Supremecy and the last two Lord of the Rings films) even calls Moses “Grandpa” in a fight, right before Moses knocks him across the room with a hard punch. Inspired by a DC Comics graphic novel by Warren Ellis and Cully Hammer, both the comic and
the film are based around Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) fighting and seeking revenge solo, which is unlike the film adaptation: the roles of Mirren, Freeman and John Malkovich (who plays Marvin Boggs) were not included in the comic. It’s no surprise that Willis, commonly known for being in action flicks such as Die Hard and Sin City, landed the role of Moses in Red, which is filled with action-packed fighting scenes and moments of suspense. His character is a retired black-ops officer who is labeled as R.E.D. (Retired, Extremely Dangerous), the title for which the movie is named after. However, it is a surprise that Helen Mirren took a role in this film. Mirren, who won an Oscar for her performance in The Queen, is most famous for expertly playing queens and performing in period pieces such as The Last Station and Elizabeth I. Mirren appears to have taken the part of Victoria in Red to fight against her queen stereotype. The storyline of Red is very basic and the audience can guess the ending in the first five minutes. But this may not be too serious a problem: the cast is incredible, and the film doesn’t fail to entertain.
Clint Eastwood’s latest directorial creation, Hereafter, is a tension-filled drama with a glossy cast that includes Matt Damon and Cécile De France (High Tension). Eastwood is easily as iconic a director as he is an actor, and the movie, which was filmed primarily in the U.K., has garnered a generous buzz. Hereafter is centered around the stories of three individuals who are impacted by death in various ways. Damon stars as George Lonegan, a seemingly average American who works in construction but possesses the supernatural ability to communicate with the dead. De France plays French journalist Marie LeLay, who survives a tsunami and experiences a brief encounter with death before being resuscitated. Frankie and George McLaren play Marcus and Jason, twin brothers who are separated by death. The film follows a parallel format, with the various life events of each of the three pivotal characters happening in accordance with one another. George discovers his talent of speaking to the dead at an early age and struggles with a normal existence. He loses his job as a construction worker and drifts into a depression, believing that his gift will never allow him a social life. Meanwhile, Marie travels to Thailand to cover a story. There she is virtually killed by the vicious 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. She’s quickly revived, and her life changes greatly as a result: she realizes she’s fulfilled by her work and wants to make a more profound impact on the world.
Warner Bros. Pictures George Lonegan (Matt Damon) reflects in Clint Eastwood’s Hereafter.
Over in London, the young but adept Marcus deals with the drug addictions of his mother and the death of his best friend and twin brother, Jason. Despite facing life changes, Marcus begins an unwavering journey to speak to his lost brother one last time. The story climaxes as the lives of George, Marcus and Marie collide. Hereafter is strikingly unique, and in part because of the cast’s superb, highly poignant acting. Audiences will be dazzled by the performances of all the leads. Damon is in his typically spectacular form, and De France’s effortless ability doesn’t disappoint. But neither juggernaut outdoes young Frankie McLaren— he depicts both the maturity and boyishness of Marcus, revealing an emotional complexity that’s sure to inspire audiences. Casting for this movie was done by the Fiona Weir, a
proven talent known for work on the latest three Harry Potter films and Invictus. Eastwood’s directorial brilliance is evident throughout the film. He uses personally created tunes reminiscent of previous directorial works to smooth out scenes. Also, his insightful depiction of death creates the distinctiveness that makes the film great. Though death and despair carry every other scene and lines like, “A life without death is no life at all,” are abundant, Hereafter is actually a very inspiring and uplifting film. Viewers should be warned that the film is not a religious take on life after death, though it is thought provoking and distinctive. Like many of the installments in Eastwood’s career, Hereafter is a must-see and a definite Oscar contender.
Warner Bros. Pictures Heigl (Holly Berenson) and Duhamel (Eric Messer) with Sophie, the baby they’re forced to raise together.
Predictable but entertaining plot in Katherine Heigl’s latest By KEON J. STEELE Staff Writer Life as We Know It is about two oppositely minded people raising an orphaned baby. The romantic comedy genre is increasingly stale, and the plot sounds a bit like a failed TV sitcom. But for viewers who find relief from heavy days with a lighthearted, fluffy story, Life as We Know It is an entertaining cure-all. Katherine Heigl (27 Dresses, Killers, The Ugly Truth) plays Holly Berenson, a rising caterer in search
of the perfect man. Berenson’s last relationship ended suddenly, and she’s set up on a disastrous blind date with Eric Messer. Messer, played by Josh Duhamel (Transformers), is a technical sports director for the Atlanta Hawks and isn’t in the market for long-term love. After the awful excursion, the two vow never to see each other again. But that promise quickly dissolves when their best friends get married and both Berenson and Messer are named as Godparents of the couple’s first child, Sophie. Sophie’s parents
unexpectedly pass away, leaving her an orphan and, unbeknownst to Berenson and Messer, their best friends have appointed them as the next-in-line legal guardians. Balancing their budding careers, lacking knowledge of children and competing social lives becomes the duo’s new and confusing life. With an untimely social worker, nosey and judgmental neighbors and Berenson and Messer’s newfound love for each other (surprise), this romantic comedy provides an amusing and engaging storyline.
Viewers are sure to experience at least a few laughs, even if at the expense of their intellect. Katherine Heigl, best known for her role as Alison Scott in the Knocked Up, delivers another great comedic performance. Since then, Heigl’s subsequent films have been a lot less edgy, and all duds at the box office. Life as We Know It gives Heigl another shot at her apparent favorite genre, the tried-and-true romantic comedy—and she scores. Duhamel, who is best known for working in action films, shows
viewers that he can adapt to other styles of film. The comedic energy between Duhamel and Heigl is nearperfect, and comics Faizon Love and Deray Davis supplement with guest appearances. Even if Atlanta viewers aren’t enthralled by the storyline, at least Greg Berlanti, director of the film, is liberal with familiar shots of the city. The skyline, Philips Arena and the Hawks (in action) are all present.
ENTERTAINMENT
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Tuesday, October 26, 2010
John Lennon
Double Fantasy Stripped Down Capitol Records
ALBUMS IN HEAVY ROTATION
By MICHAEL RABALAIS Staff Writer
01
Halcyon Digest Deerhunter (4AD)
02
Blind Threshold Beats Antique
03
Airtight’s Revenge Bilal (Plug Research)
04
Public Strain Women (Jagjaguwar)
05
Ship of Light Husky Rescue (Catskills)
06
False Priest Of Montreal (Polyvinyl)
07
Pop Negro El Guincho (Young Turks)
08
Album of the Year Black Milk (Fat Beats/Decon)
09
The Caliph’s Tea Party Gonjasufi (Warp)
10
Pesebre Alex Krygier (Crammed Discs)
11
Drawing Down the Moon Azure Ray (Saddle Creek)
12
WIlderness Heart Black Mountain (Jagjauwar)
13
Business Casual Chromeo (Atlantic)
14
Hot Tropics The Growlers (Everloving)
15
Everything in Between No Age (Sub Pop)
16
If I’m Ancient Carnivores (Double Phantom)
17
Pattern & Grid World Flying Lotus (Warp)
18
Everlasting Grandchildren (Green Owl)
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Jojo Burger Tempest Working for a Nuclear Free City (Melodic)
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Wild Go Dark Dark Dark (Supply & Demand)
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The Hundred in the Hands The Hundred in the Hands (Warp)
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King Night Salem (Iamsound)
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Tidelands Moondoggies (Hardly Art)
24
Music for a While Revolver (Astralwerks)
Weapons of Audio
25
Swanlights Antony and the Johnsons (Secretly Canadian)
Self-released
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Ring Glasser (True Panther Sounds)
27
The Burnerz Zumbi & The Are (JahWorks)
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One of Us Pomegranites (Afternoon)
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Opticks Silje Nes (Fatcat)
30
The Age of Adz Sufjan Stevens (Asthmatic Kitty)
Spanish musician Pablo Diaz-Reixa is inspired by contemporaries like Animal Collective and Os Mutantes. Try “Bombay” for an exemplary taste of his rich and tropical offbeat Spanish jams.
This Las Vegas-based rapper has been releasing music since the early ‘90s, but still works as a yoga teacher. There’s nothing meditative about his songs though— they’re trippy, dark and rock-influenced.
Wavering but sharp, the vocals in this pianodriven, female-fronted six-piece band heighten the sonic prettiness to a level reminiscent of Regina Spektor’s early career.
Oct. 9 marked what would have been the 70th birthday of the late rock ‘n’ roll pioneer and pop culture icon, John Lennon. The day was marked by various endeavors to memorialize Lennon—a remastering of his solo discography, the release of the Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy and the premiere of a PBS documentary LENNONYC, which details the singer’s final years in New York City. Lennon’s birthday was dense with tributes, but none are more interesting than the release of Double Fantasy Stripped Down, a new take on Lennon’s final album. Recording engineers have (surprise) stripped out all non-essential production from the album, such as vocal effects and audio texturing, making for a fresher and far more intimate listening experience. Some history on the lead up to Double Fantasy’s release: After the release of his album Mind Games in ‘73, Lennon and Yoko Ono went through an informal separation. Lennon became linked romantically with May Pang, his assistant, and would later refer to his time apart from Yoko as his “Lost Weekend.” Lennon, still bitter from the breakup of the Beatles and negative media attention, took the time to make reconciliations with family and friends, reestablishing a relationship with his son Julian and former Beatle Paul McCartney. When Lennon and Ono were reunited at an Elton John concert in 1975, they settled their differences and Lennon entered one of the
The thick, fuzzy synth and booming beats of this electronic band can be dance-demanding or creepily ambient, and both are enjoyable.
Bipolar
Lovely soothing pop from a female Norwegian with an airy crooning voice.
By MICHAEL MESSING Staff Writer Weapons of Audio is different, to say the least. There has been party rap before. There have even been rap groups that used live bands for both recording and performing. But even still, Weapons of Audio is unique. As soon as you pop in Bipolar and the beginning of “Boogie Shoes” hits your speakers, you know what you’re in for—or at least you think
happiest periods of his life. Lennon and Ono had a son, Sean, in 1975, and Lennon removed himself from the musical world to care for him. But bursting with newfound inspiration, he recorded Double Fantasy with Ono in 1980. The album’s premise is that by sequencing their songs back to back, it would sound like the couple was singing songs to each other. Three weeks after the album’s release, John Lennon was shot just outside of his New York City home by Mark David Chapman, and died early the next morning. Double Fantasy, in its original form, is one of Lennon’s most honest albums, a testament to both his family and reconciliation with a past life. That said, Stripped Down presents an even more human side of Lennon, and is one of the most intimate and personal experiences one can have with an album. Whereas the original Double Fantasy was saturated with dreamy synth and robust orchestral scores, the album’s stripped down version is far drier. Double Fantasy Stripped Down is an album designed around acoustic guitars and little production, and it’s a fantastic effect. Lennon’s voice in particular is exceptional, and when his vocals are introduced to the rest of the album, the effect is second to none. “Woman,” in particular, is a standout track. The song’s opening riffs, once swimming in distortion and additional guitar, are now both bright and melancholy. Lennon’s bare vocals take the song in a completely new direction, one unexplored by the initial version. On this take, his voice is warm and intimate. One can almost dissect every emotion in Lennon’s voice, and as a result, feel personally involved with the song and share his feelings. “Woman” showcases just you do. Yes, this is party rap. But Floyd and Jeremy Daniels, the brothers behind Weapons of Audio, sound like a rawer, more emotional Shwayze, or maybe LMFAO with a band. Whatever it is, it’s irresistibly entertaining. The album consists of mostly party jams that cover the usual topics fresh in most 20-something’s mind: drinking, druggin’ and a whole lot of dancing. Across its 10-track album, Weapons of Audio tries a lot of different things. There is bongo drum work on “Ladies Man,” a lot of electric guitar and even a few technobased tracks. Some of this works, but unfortunately some of it they could have left on the drawing board. “View Me in 3D,” for instance, sounds forced, as if the duo reached too far outside of their comfort zone. It’s not that the song is bad as much as it just doesn’t work and feels like more of a mix tape mash-up than an album cut. Problem areas aside, there is a lot of good on this album. On “Top Down,” Weapons of Audio does a great job of painting a picture, a very enjoyable one at that: “As the pedal
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how dramatic the album’s thematic and musical changes can be, and the results are stunning to say the least. Time with Double Fantasy Stripped Down leaves you with one concern, and, admittedly, it’s one that won’t be important to most listeners. Lennon as a performer was obsessed with discovering and recording with new and unique sounds, a fascination that led to the post-production effects in the original Double Fantasy. It feels strange knowing that this edition isn’t how Lennon would have intended the album. It may be more approachable and personable than its first incarnation, but it doesn’t feel entirely authentic to Lennon’s philosophy. They may be the same songs, but it’s doubtful that Lennon would have agreed to this second presentation. Double Fantasy Stripped Down, more than any of his other albums, showcases John Lennon as a singer and a guitar player. It’s easily one of his most fascinating and personable albums, one that will resonate for even those unfamiliar with Lennon’s work outside the Beatles. Double Fantasy Stripped Down presents Lennon at his happiest, and 30 years after his death, that’s the one I want to remember.
hits the floor, hear them horse roar/ Now I’m cruising down 85, and I’m feelin’ the vibe.” The song reminds the listener of happier times, riding with the windows down in the summer and enjoying life. But what makes Weapons of Audio stand out even more than their eclectic beat choices or their crafty lyrics is how real they sound. It is striking how down-to-earth they seem. Take “Kill My Boss,” for example. Everyone’s had bosses they hated, and the Daniels brothers obviously have, too. But by talking about something so normal, it makes the story of the enjoyable weekend on “Top Down” resonate even more. We’ve all been ready for Friday night, thought how much fun the night of partying would be, especially when juxtaposed to the boredom and stress that many people endure at work. In the face of mundane, mainstream hip-hop, Weapons of Audio manages to stand out. By making an album that zigs when most others zag, Bipolar separates itself from the abundance of radio riff-raff.
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Tuesday, October 26, 2010
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ENTERTAINMENT
ATLANTA EVENTS
p.m. Supporting acts include Class Actress and Living Rooms. The show is 18-and-up.
October 26-November 1, 2010 DATE Tuesday
Small Black New Chain Carpark
By JHONI JACKSON Entertainment Editor Falling into the chillwave category—a genre almost jokingly coined by Carles, the primary voice of Hipster Runoff, a blog that simultaneously pokes fun at and promotes hipster trends—is easy for an electronic-based band to do. Combine a sluggishly danceable tempo, dreamy melodies and subtly unconventional electronic accents, and there you have it: chillwave. Small Black fits that of-themoment mold, with airy, soothing vocals and slow synth beats that intertwine with the otherwise scattered electronic sounds in the background. And by not getting too sticky with the hooks (see Neon Indian) but occasionally throwing in discernable lyrics, the Brooklyn band’s debut LP, New Chain, is a chillwave goldmine. Like its genre counterparts (Washed Out, Toro Y Moi), Small Black began as a bedroom recording project, a near required step for any chillwave act. Predictably, the album offers a sleepy brand of midtempo tunes (“Light Curse,” “Panthers”), plus subtly thumping jams like “Camouflage,” “Crips 100s” and “Hydra.” But despite its genreperpetuating, path-following nature, Small Black’s New Chain is an irresistibly engaging and enjoyable addition to the constantly growing collection of laid-back, electronic indie. Small Black plays the Drunken Unicorn (736 Ponce de Leon Ave.) on Tuesday, Oct. 26, at 9
The Masquerade, 695 North Ave. 8 p.m. $25, all ages The well known hip-hop duo takes the stage at the Masquerade.
Wednesday
Sorry, Darlin and Zoo Atlanta Halloween Bash
OCT. 27
El Bar, 939 Ponce de Leon Ave. 10 p.m. Free, 21 and up If you’re itching to don your Halloween costume before the weekend, this is your chance. Sorry, Darlin, a local culture blog executed with a girly spin, joins with Zoo Atlanta to present an animal-themed costume party and get-down at a hole-in-the-earth nightclub, El Bar. If you’re new to the venue: it’s tucked under El Azteca, a Georgia-based Mexican restaurant. The entrance is in the back, where there’s usually plenty of parking available.
Thursday
AM 1690 Movie Series: Psycho
Come Around Sundown RCA
Two years after the release of its first platinum-selling album, Tennessee-based, family-orientated Kings of Leon has released a fifth LP. Come Around Sundown is a 13-track album that sticks to the traditional notions of southern-influenced rock ‘n’ roll: soft ballads, guitar solos and soulful vocals. On “Back Down South,” a balladstyle track with a country feel, lead singer Anthony Caleb Followill sings about missing the country, and how he’s ready to go back to his roots. He wants a girl to go with him so she can see how he grew up, and sings,“Underneath the stars/Where we parked the cars/Ain’t showing signs of stopping.” “Beach Side” boasts a tropicallaced melody, and Followill sings that though he’d rather forget about the past, a guy he’s in conflict with would rather fight for resolution. It’s not all about fighting, though. “Mi Amigo” is aptly-titled, and Followill recalls a loyal friendship. Come Around Sundown features a combination of ballads, traditional, ripping guitar solos and lyrics that relate specific stories from Followill’s past. To supplement the album, the band has stated that they release a remix album with special appearances from the likes of pop-centric acts like Justin Timberlake, Lykke Li and Pharrell Williams.
Method Man and Redman, Killer and the Savage
OCT. 26
Kings of Leon
By LAUREN-ASHLEY MINCEY Staff Writer
EVENT
OCT. 28
Plaza Theatre, 1049 Ponce de Leon Ave. 7 p.m. $9, all ages Watch the classic horror flick at the storied Poncey-Highlands theater.
DIGATL Circus
Star Bar, 437 Moreland Ave. 9 p.m. Free, 21 and up Local promotion group Fourth Ward Heroes presents a one-day electronic music fest that, in the spirit of Halloween, doubles as a masquerade ball. Performers include The Falcon Lords, Machines Are People Too, Fly Golden Eagle and Cousin Dan, a solo act that whipped the venue’s crowd into a dancing fury at his first show just weeks ago. If Cousin Dan’s performance—he surrounded himself with lasers (many shooting from his gloves) while blasting Auto-Tuned synth jams from a laptop—is any indication of the fervor the rest of the lineup will offer, DIGATL Circus will be significantly more than a passing blip on Atlanta’s overcrowded festival radar.
Friday
8Ball and MJG
OCT. 29
Center Stage 8 p.m. $30 in advance, $35 at the door, all ages Hustling since the ‘90s, this rap duo released two albums this year on T.I.’s Grand Hustle records. The doors open an hour early—the show starts at 9 p.m.
Saturday
Band of Horses, Jenny and Johnny
OCT. 30
The Fox Theatre 8 p.m. $40.70-$48.60, all ages Tickets are pricey, but the lineup of indie giants (an oxymoron, yes, but entirely true) performing in the beautiful Fox Theatre would make a great escape from all the Halloween hullaballoo.
Fresh and Onlys, Royal Baths, Mermaids
529, 529 Flat Shoals Ave. 8 p.m. Free, 21 and up Celebrate the release of Tropsicle, the debut LP from local band the Mermaids, with a night of likeminded garage-pop acts.
Sunday
OCT. 31
Jónsi
The Tabernacle, 152 Luckie St. 8 p.m. $40.50, all ages The lead singer of Sigur Ros stops in Atlanta to promote Go, his sophomore LP released earlier this year. If you can’t make it to the Tabernacle for the show (which includes Mountain Man as the opener), check Jónsi out at Criminal Records (1154 Euclid Ave.) at 5:30 p.m., where he’ll play a free all-ages acoustic set. Fans are encouraged to dress up as their favorite animal, or don a costume that interprets their favorite Jónsi song.
Three 6 Mafia, Project Pat, Lil Wyte, Tom P., Jamie Drastik, DJ Adam Golden
688 Club at the Spring 4th Complex, 728 Spring St. 7 p.m. $25, all ages Don your costume (there’s a contest—three prizes, $666 each) and prepare yourself for a night of dirty southern rap, which includes local Decatur rapper Tom P.
Monday
NOV. 1
Music Monday: Book Club, R. Garcia
Carroll Street Cafe, 208 Carroll St. Free, all ages Did you party hard all weekend? Relax with chill music at the laid-back yet somewhat upscale Cabbagetown cafe, which is one-third of a trio of restaurants that includes Après Diem and Carpe Diem. A collaborative effort between the cafe and Rock Science Records, the Music Monday series kicks off with Book Club and R. Garcia. The former band boasts members from Cassavettes and Oryx and Crake; the latter is a solo electronic act. The cafe will be offering $5 tapas and $2.50 beer specials.
PERSPECTIVES
Perspectives Editor Syeda Hira Mahmood
signalperspectives@gmail.com
www.gsusignal.com/perspectives
The First Amendment protects citizens from censorship of speech—or does it? By MIRANDA SAIN Staff Writer
John Amis • Associated Press Although rapper TI saved a man’s life, he will be in jail for 11 months.
A redemption of the American justice system By CASEY ECHOLS Staff Writer It’s not a double platinum album, but on Oct. 14, rapper T.I. made the best recording he’s ever made when he managed to talk down, via video messaging, a young man threatening to jump off the 22-story Colony Square building. Clifford “T.I.” Harris called in to local radio station V-103 after listening to a live broadcast of the incident and called DJ Ryan Cameron to see if there was anything he could do to help. As the young man teetered over the ledge of the building, T.I. sent a video message through a police negotiator pleading with the man not to jump. In the video, T.I. told the young man that he was there for him and that “life’s not that bad.” After watching the message, the man agreed to come down from the roof and talk to the rapper. Ironically enough, T.I. also faces his own life crisis in the form of an 11-month jail sentence after being charged with violation of probation. He and wife Tameka were pulled over Sept. 1 in Los Angeles and were arrested after officers smelled marijuana in the car. A large amount of ecstasy tablets were found in the car too. As T.I. was hearing the alltoo familiar verdict, he told the judge “I screwed up big time, and I’m sorry. I’m truly and sincerely sorry. I don’t want and I don’t need to use drugs anymore. I want them out of my life.” Now was it really T.I.’s own altruism or just another façade of goodwill that would have hopefully
shortened another of the rapper’s jail sentences? It seems to be that when it comes to drugs, if you have the money and the status, you can weasel your way out of anything. Lindsay Lohan did just that with her track record of cocaine possession charges and meager jail sentences. If you or I were to be pulled over tonight and found in possession of ecstasy, cocaine or any other illicit substance, our punishment would be much harder to get out of than traveling around to schools speaking about the dangers of gangs, guns and drugs, like T.I. did to shorten his last prison sentence for possession of weapons. I do not suspect that T.I. was completely phony in his benevolence for talking a troubled young person out of suicide, but he knew exactly what he was doing when he used his power and influence to help save the distressed man. He happened to hear this tragic occurrence unfolding on the radio and seized the opportunity to repair another criminal charge, which failed in the end. Although T.I. was unsuccessful in reinventing his image as a man who can’t leave the streets behind him, this situation and other celebrity instances show that money and power are what truly control the justice system. Both can get you out of a lot of situations. Thank you, T.I., for saving a disillusioned young man. More importantly, thank you for reminding me that sometimes, those with money and influence still get treated the same as average people.
The Supreme Court rejected a potentially important free speech case that, taken at face value, suggests that the president is above this sacred amendment. In March 2005, two citizens were removed from a public speech given by President Bush because of a bumper sticker on the back of the car they drove to the event. As for the overtly offensive, unforgiving bumper sticker that sparked the controversy, it said “No More Blood for Oil.” Although the two citizens went through security, they were later removed by a Secret Service agent even though the two were not protesting or intended to protest the event. The two citizens later filed suit (Weise v. Casper), charging that their First Amendment right to free speech had been violated because they were denied access to a public event on the basis of their bumper sticker. Blatantly, they were unconstitutionally discriminated against because of their political ideology. Earlier this year, the Tenth Circuit held that the citizens’ First Amendment rights had not been violated and that in any event the Secret Service agent was entitled to “qualified immunity” because the citizens’ rights to free speech were not clearly established. The precedent the Tenth Circuit attempted to apply to Weise was a case, Sistrunk v. City of Strongville, in which the Sixth Circuit upheld the power of the government to exclude a person from a rally being held by
former President Bush Sr. The Tenth Circuit completely misapplied the law in the case of Weise v. Casper. First, the court should have appropriately identified the nature of the event. The event was an official government event for the general public. The president either acts in private or public capacity. If the president is engaging in activities unrelated to his official job, like hosting a birthday party for his mother, he is acting in a private capacity in which he, like any other citizen, can invite or refuse any individual he so wishes. However, in the case of Weise v. Casper, the president is most assuredly acting in the public capacity by engaging in activities related to his official presidential duties. This is why the court’s application of Sistrunk is incorrect. In that case, a private campaign organization was hosting a privately-funded event. It should be acknowledged, however, that the government does have the discretion to control access to the locations of public events. For example, the President can exclude individuals from attending a meeting in his Oval Office with his Cabinet. The nature and purpose of an event matters, then, in determining whether or not the government can control access. In Weise, the government had right to restrict access because the citizens’ sole purpose in attending the event was to provide the president with an audience. The citizens had the right to attend a public, governmentsponsored event. The government should not be allowed to exclude passive audience
members at a public event because of the political ideologies they hold or opposing viewpoints they may express in their private lives. The bumper sticker is pure political speech directed toward criticizing a government policy. Such political speech, as the Supreme Court reminded us in Texas v. Johnson, is “situated at the core of our First Amendment values.” Because the speech is purely political, the strictest scrutiny should be applied. A bumper sticker on a car in a parking lot does not present any kind of substantial justification in the government’s removal of the two citizens at a public event. The government also made the assumption that the two citizens would be disruptive. However, this assumption was completely unfounded. The offensive message was on a bumper sticker stuck to a car, for Pete’s sake! The two citizens were not carrying signs or wearing shirts with the message. The fact that the Supreme Court denied this blatantly incorrect and misapplied ruling is unacceptable. Both Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Sonia Sotomayor were in dissent. As Justice Bader appropriate wrote in her dissent, “I cannot see how reasonable public officials, or any staff or volunteers under their direction, could have viewed the bumper sticker as a permissible reason for depriving Weise and Young of access to the event.” The Supreme Court’s rejection of the Weise v. Casper case suggests that we are not guaranteed free speech.
Eric Wagner The Supreme Court’s rejection of the Weise v. Casper case suggests that we are not guaranteed free speech.
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DKE at Yale has been suspended after their sexist remarks.
Rape jokes still aren’t funny, even at Yale By SYEDA HIRA MAHMOOD Perspectives Editor One of the most highly regarded universities in the world is being sharply criticized for a ridiculous fraternity ritual. Yale University’s Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity chapter marched through a part of campus–primarily where first-year girls live–chanting “No means yes, yes means anal,” “f**king sluts” and other sexist comments. After the fraternity profusely apologized for their behavior, the Yale Women’s Center hosted a forum to discuss the issue. The Yale Women’s Center also said that sexist demonstrations on campus are nothing new and reoccur every few years. What are fraternity rituals made of, anyway? They are generally silly, embarrassing for the pledges and sexist. None of these characteristics should be shocking because they are nothing new. This is the culture of Greek life. I don’t agree with it and do not involve myself in it. However, what is strange to me is how something so horrific is discussed so casually. Rape is a crime that happens to both men and women. Women are the obvious victim and most widely discussed and portrayed in talk shows and films. Men, on the other hand, also suffer from this crime, but it is never discussed in the public sphere. Male rape happens frequently in prisons and people hear of horrific stories in isolated incidents. It’s appalling for both men and women
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who hear of a man being raped. It’s an assault on his manliness and his power being physically taken away from him. The reaction to a woman being raped is much different. Because it is much more frequent, we have become desensitized to the issue. Because the female body does not express the same sense of power and authority as the male body, a woman being raped does not appear to be as traumatic. The physical sexual assault on a man’s physical power is repulsive. The physical sexual assault on a woman’s body is expected. I am not trying to convey that rape committed on a man is more horrific than rape committed on a woman, or that our society should place more awareness on one gender being abused over the other. The point I am trying to make is quite the opposite. Both men and women suffer from rape. Both men and women have a traumatic and dreadful experience. Both men and women should feel uneasy and angry for Yale’s fraternity for taking such a serious crime so humorously. I am not going to provide a list of statistics of rape cases that go unreported, because we are well aware of the issue at large. What makes me so angry is that Yale is held up to the utmost standards of higher education, and their error is well beyond a lapse of judgment. Their behavior encouraged violence against women and misogynist attitudes toward women are still seen positively to reaffirm a man’s masculinity. My understanding of fraternities
is to provide a community of brotherhood, mold well-rounded young men, create a positive image for the university, and to party. According to DKE’s behavior, what makes a man worthy of being in DKE? From their actions, it seems that their standards encourage men to be destructive and boorish. Is it really 2010? What I found particularly upsetting is that the Yale Women’s Center said that these demonstrations are no rarity. While everyone is currently up in arms about this halfbaked fraternity ritual, there is a good chance that this will happen again and again. Duke University was the center of another scandal involving sexual misconduct, and since then Duke has changed their sexual misconduct policy. But what does that guarantee? It’s frustrating to admire a thriving, socially conscious intellectual environment such as Yale, and then to hear of incidents like this. The men in DKE who participated in this ritual are seen as predators. They are dangerous because they marched into a predominantly female part of campus and intimidated the younger female students. I would like to believe that it was not the fraternity’s intention to be seen this way, but I can’t see how anyone would find this ritual funny, or even as a substantial method of measuring one’s “worthiness” of being in DKE. I wonder what the real point of their action was. Did they actually want to intimidate the women on their campus? Or maybe score a date?
“I will vote out of civic duty. I hope there will be great education reform because in an ideal world, we’re all given equal opportunity.” - Chris Patrick Junior, Film
“I feel like I don’t know much about the candidates so I am not voting this election.” - Brent Calder
Junior, Chemistry
“I am not voting this election. I shouldn’t blindly vote for something I don’t want.” - Elizabeth Avent Junior, Sociology
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October surprises: actually, not a surprise at all By EMMA HARGER Copy Editor It’s almost hard to believe the tumultuous 2010 election season is nearly done. It has been a long, hard season for both Georgia and the nation as a whole, featuring hundreds of primaries, thousands of sound bites, a few faux pas and the rise of a nascent political movement characterized by the wearing of Colonial dress and a desire to return the government to how it was just after the Revolutionary War. In Georgia, we whittled two big fields down to just Democrat Roy Barnes and Republican Nathan Deal. After the final contenders were in place, the true campaigning began in earnest, and it has been just as fierce as anyone imagined. Thanks to the landmark—in the worst way—Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court decision handed down earlier this year, corporations can now spend freely, without the need to disclose donors, on any campaign they please. This has created an electoral map suffused with cash pumped through mysterious organizations with names like American Future Fund and Crossroads GPS that have popped up all of a sudden, like a bunch of kudzu, and have the ability to make donations to candidates if they so please. Two guesses which party has benefited most from this new decision. If you guessed Republican, you are correct. According to NBC reporter and author Michael Isikoff, over $250 million is being raised by these kudzu-like groups to
fund political ads in this last push before Nov. 2. Isikoff also said that Republican campaigns have received checks for over $1 million from kudzu-like groups. Yes, one million dollars. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a fiercely conservative pro-business group, has busily donated to campaigns and run commercials, including here in Georgia. The Republican Governors Association has also created a bevy of ads for Deal, including one where they not-sosubtly compare Barnes to President Obama and coined the portmanteau “Roybama” to describe them. If you listen carefully or read the fine print at the end of an ad, you can hear who is responsible for its contents. Listen and wonder if you have ever heard of that group before. Perhaps you have not. In that case, it could be a kudzu group. However, the two candidates’ campaigns and state parties have also been hard at work churning out ads portraying their candidate as the best and the other as the worst in all of human history. In this last two weeks before the election, these ads have ratcheted up the fierceness—and the falsehoods. One of Barnes’ ads depicts Deal, flanked by his entourage, exiting a gubernatorial debate without answering questions being shouted at him by various reporters. However, 11 Alive soon revealed something I had suspected all along: the audio of reporters shouting was added into the video. The actual video is fairly quiet and has just one reporter attempting to ask a very long question before Deal left the property altogether.
Associated Press With Election Day around the corner, attack ads continue to challenge the opponent’s ethical and moral standards.
This is deceptive and someone should have vetoed it before it left postproduction. I feel leaving the original audio in—Deal remaining stone silent and not acknowledging the reporter as she attempted to do her job—would have had a powerful effect as well. It was a mistake and Barnes should acknowledge this. Instead he told reporters he had taken “creative license” and the questions shouted represent questions Deal has not answered at other times during his campaign. However, Deal’s campaign has
produced ads using newspaper article quotes that do not actually exist. In one ad, the quote “Barnes represented the child molester” is apparently attributed to Barnes spokesman Anna Ruth Williams, printed in The Savannah Morning News dated Oct. 16. A simple Google search will show that this quote is fabricated. Another one reads “False, personal attacks,” attributed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution dated Oct. 3. The AJC’s Public Editor, Shawn McIntosh, has already confirmed that that quote does not appear anywhere
in that day’s issue. The “child molester” quote has already appeared in two different ads as of Oct. 21 and, of course, Deal has not apologized for either falsified quote. Since it seems neither candidate will apologize for playing hard and fast with truth in advertising, sadly it seems the best we can do is vote and wait until a winner is announced because that will put an end to the ads—for this election season, anyway.
Graffiti artist Banksy contributes to ‘The Simpsons’ By MICHAEL RABALAIS Staff Writer For the uninitiated, the introduction to The Simpsons’ episode “MoneyBART” must have seemed completely out of place. For those of us who recognized the name Banksy plastered throughout the sequence, it was completely in line with the rest of Banksy’s work. The introduction, which was supposedly inspired by The Simpsons being animated in Seoul, South Korea, depicted the fictional conditions under which the show is created. Millions of children draw cells of the titular Simpson family, sealing them by dipping them, while barehanded, into acid. Kittens are shredded to provide stuffing for Bart Simpson dolls and a malnourished unicorn punches holes through unpackaged DVDs. The final shot showed the outside of the production building, a 20th Century Fox logo surrounded in barbed wire. The following episode made no reference to the introduction. Feedback to the introduction has been wildly diverse, with comments ranging from “How did they let this happen?” to “Who is Banksy?” It
seems like no one really knows what to think about Banksy’s contribution to primetime TV. Personally, I was excited. I’ve been a fan of Banksy ever since seeing Exit Through the Gift Shop, a documentary based on and directed by him. He is a graffiti artist based out of Bristol, England. While his true identity is unknown, he has become renowned for his politically charged street art, often focusing around antiwar and anti-capitalism messages. Banksy has never sold his artwork, turning down million dollar offers for commissioned art, and while art galleries the world over have displayed his work, he has never attended a show for his own art. What I don’t understand is why people feel that Banksy has subverted both The Simpsons and 20th Century Fox. For Banksy’s intro to have been considered, it had to have been seen by Fox censors and marketing. They wouldn’t have let the intro air if they didn’t feel comfortable with it. After all, Fox has been pretty lenient in regards to the subversion of their brand. The Simpsons in particular has been known to criticize and poke fun at their parent company, referring to Fox owner Rupert Murdoch as
20th Century Fox Banksy uses his artwork to provide commentary on the Simpsons being animated in South Korea.
a “billionaire tyrant.” Family Guy has also made jokes at the expense of their parent company, mostly in regards to the past cancellation of the show. For me, it’s crazier that Banksy would cooperate with such a wellknown corporate identity. If there’s anything to be taken out of this so-called controversy, it’s the hope that producers of shows such as The Simpsons will continue to stay socially knowledgeable. Imagine
an entire episode of The Simpsons directed by Banksy, or any other popular artist, political or not. The very idea of well-known artists taking part in television is exciting. It’s infinitely more interesting to watch an episode of The Simpsons scored by Paul McCartney rather than one guest starring him. For The Simpsons especially, which has been poorly received by critics the last few years, new talent would
be completely refreshing. In the same way that The Ed Sullivan Show introduced America to both Elvis and The Beatles, who’s to say that animation or sitcoms couldn’t fill the same role? The Simpsons is one of the world’s most popular brands and it would be fascinating to see that notoriety used in a noncommercial sense.
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Ensuring student civility at Georgia State By BRAXTON K. DAVIS Contributing Writer Georgia State University is a very diverse institution for higher learning. It attracts students from various backgrounds, regions, nationalities and cultures. This continues to be an essential facet of the educational process. Why shouldn’t it? The world is diverse, professions are diverse and life experiences in general are diverse. A school that attracts diversity in efforts to prepare tomorrow’s future leaders has a very good approach. However, along with this melting pot of students and faculty from various backgrounds comes a variety of situations when different cultures clash. Civility is a must in such a diverse atmosphere. While students, faculty and staff do have the right to freedom of speech and expression as guaranteed by the Constitution, we must also learn how to use our freedom of speech and expression to
aid, not detract from, the educational process. To facilitate the educational process and ensure an environment where all can learn from many experiences, Georgia State has implemented various policies against discriminatory harassment. One area of discriminatory harassment contains what are commonly known as “fighting words.” Fighting words are “words which are sufficiently severe, pervasive, or persistent so as to interfere, limit or deny one’s ability to participate in or benefit from an educational program. ‘Fighting words’ may include, but are not limited to, words, pictures or symbols that: a. are directed to an individual or individuals based upon that person’s race, color, sex, religion, creed, age, sexual orientation, gender disability, veteran status or national origin; and b. tend to threaten violence, incite an immediate breach of the peace or provoke a violent response.
Georgia State College of Law Georgia State accommodates students who engage in verbal conflict with one another to reach a resolution.
In the context of discriminatory harassment, “fighting words” are those which are commonly understood to convey direct and visceral hatred or contempt for human beings,” according to the Student Code of Conduct. When determining if fighting
Day in the Rec Student Recreation Center October 28, 2010 - 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 10:45 a.m. 11 a.m. 11:15 a.m. 11:45 a.m. 12:15 p.m. 12:15 p.m. 12:30 p.m. 12:30 p.m. 12:45 p.m. 1 p.m. 1:15 p.m. 2 p.m.
Volleyball Captain’s Meeting Volleyball Tournament begins Cake Walk $5/ticket, 2 chances to win! Cake Walk: $5/ticket, 2 chances to win! Pumpkin Carving Contest judging Cake Walk: $5/ticket, 2 chances to win! Pumpkin Carving winners announced Thriller Choreography - Follow along! Costume Contest Last Cake Walk Thriller Choreography - Join in! Event ends
OTHER ACTIVITIES Psychic Sistah, Wheel of Food Fact or Fiction, GSU Bikes, GSU on the Move, U-Lock/U-Lose, bike adjustments, flu shots ($25), inflatables, and bake sale Great food items will also be available! Purchase Day in the Rec t-shirts the week of October 25th for $7
Visit www.gsu.edu/recreation for updates and details In collaboration with: Counseling and Testing Center Division of Nutrition GSU Bikes GSU Police Intown Bikes Staff Council Student Health Clinic Student Health Promotion
words have been used, it is not necessary to assess if the people addressed by the speech were actually incited to hostile action or violence. Graduating senior Davion Rosser was asked if he believes the Constitution allows absolute freedom of speech. “No, the Constitution doesn’t allow absolute freedom of speech. Especially when you have regulatory agencies such as the FCC which are designated to the regulation of radio and other media communications,” he said. Krystal Allen, also a graduating senior, was asked the same question. “No, because there are always consequences to certain types of speech,” she said. “Verbal threats to persons can warrant consequences, especially high-ranking officials such as the President of the United States.” “I believe that Georgia State has made accommodations for students to voice their concerns. However, students should be constantly reminded that they have somewhere to voice their concerns about ‘fighting words’ because the consequences that may happen behind altercations resulting from fighting words should be what we fear,” said Kenny Golden. Most students’ initial response to what outlets they have available
to them if they have been a victim of “fighting words” was calling the police. How many students will actually feel comfortable calling the police for words, pictures or symbols that only made them “feel” a certain way on the inside? Probably not many--this is why Georgia State provides outlets for students to express their frustration. The policy mandates that students affected by discriminatory harassment incidents with another student must be referred to the Dean of Students Office. However, if there is a faculty or staff member involved, the incident must be referred to the Opportunity Development/Diversity Education Planning Office for investigation and may be reported via an Employee or Student Complaint Questionnaire. A complaint of discrimination or harassment consists of “an allegation (charge of wrong doing) involving discrimination, hostile work environment (discriminative), sexual harassment, or protected activity retaliation that is filed by an employee, student, applicant, vendor, contractor, and/or a group thereof relative to employment or admission involving race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, veteran status or disability.”
Employee or Student Complaint Questionnaires can be completed online at: www.gsu.edu/images/ODDEP/Complaint_Form--Employee_ and_Student_Complaint_Questionnaire.pdf. Bias Incident Report forms must be completed in the following situations: Faculty/staff member involved in a situation regarding a student; situations where the perpetrator(s) is/are unknown, such as the use of graffiti; and situations where the incidents are between faculty and/or staff. Bias Incident Reports can be completed online at: www.gsu.edu/oddep/31596.html Office Contact Information: Dean of Students: 404-413-1515 ODDEP: 404-413-2567 OMBUDS Office: 404-413-2510 Counseling Center (Students and Faculty): 404-413-1640 Faculty & Staff Assistance: 404-413-3345
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A mother’s obsession What’s the Deal with Barnes? with her child’s weight By CHARLES HOGAN Contributing Writer
By ASHLEIGH ATWELL Staff Writer Every day, young girls and women are bombarded with images and ideas of what they should look like. Although the media is a major influence on the self-image of girl and women, it is not solely to blame for the various issues fueled by low selfesteem. One of the biggest influences on a girl’s life and self-esteem is her mother. If a young girl sees her mother standing in front of a mirror pinching her sides and complaining about being fat, she might become self-conscious about her weight and end up standing in front of a mirror complaining about a few extra pounds. If another little girl has a mother who validates herself and her child, the girl probably won’t seek validation from other sources and walk with her head high. Mothers are the first example a little girl sees. For this reason, I was horrified when I logged onto Jezebel and saw this headline: Mom Apparently Unashamed Of Forcing Two-YearOld To Diet. I thought it was a joke. It wasn’t. Evidently, Aly Gilardoni put her daughter on a diet when she was two years old and only allows her now 8-year-old daughter, Corleigh, to eat 700 calories a day because, as she puts it, “I don’t want a fat child. I’m obsessed with how she looks.” According to the American Heart Association, a 1-year-old needs 900 calories a day and the recommended calorie intake for a child Corleigh’s age is 1,200 calories. So, Gilardoni isn’t just ruining her daughter’s body image, she is underfeeding her. Gilardoni said has struggled with her own weight and does not want Corleigh to end up like her. “Being overweight dominates my life. I don’t want Corleigh to be like me.” It seems like, as misguided as Gilardoni is, she might mean well but everything she is doing is detrimental to Corleigh’s well-being. Her mother says she is obsessed with her appearance: “She’s always looking in mirrors. I feel guilty — but it’s how
I want her to be.” If Gilardoni doesn’t do stop what she is doing, her daughter could become another statistic. According to a study by the Dove Real Campaign for Beauty, 92 percent of teen girls would like to change something about the way they look, with body weight ranking the highest. It gets worse. The campaign also found that 75 percent of girls with low self-esteem report engaging in negative activities such as eating disorders, cutting, smoking or drinking when feeling bad about themselves. The same study said that 57 percent of the girls surveyed had mothers that criticized their looks. Sadly, the potential effects, especially eating disorders, don’t seem to faze Gilardoni. “With an eating disorder, you can get through it with therapy. But when you’re fat, you’re fat for life… Corleigh’s not so under¬weight she’s going to die next week.” It’s not that easy. According to the South Carolina Department of Health, approximately 7 million women in this country have an eating disorder. Eating disorders also have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. They can also cause other health problems such as loss of menstrual cycle, liver failure, osteoporosis, heart problems and possibly death. Gilardoni and all mothers should dedicate themselves to ensuring that their girls grow up with a healthy self image. Instead of rationing food and obsessing over looks, Gilardoni should be showing Corleigh that she is beautiful, smart and special. If she is worried about Corleigh’s health, she should encourage her to get into sports or take her to a park so she can run around and play. She can also encourage healthy eating habits. and lead by example, doing things to contribute to her own health. There are so many ways that she could do to ensure that Corleigh is healthy and happy. My hope is that she doesn’t realize the error in her ways as she sits beside her daughter’s hospital bed.
Associated Press Model Eliana Ramos died in 2007 after having a heart attack that resulted from having a poor diet.
This year of our Lord, 2010, has seen its fair share of laughter and tears. In the great state of Georgia, an election for governor is fast approaching, and with the eminence growing every day, the ads are getting more and more gritty and personal. The days of the clean ads, such as “Daisy Girl,” are a thing of the past; today the claws seek flesh and the mud racked is laced with caustic acid. October brings a chill to the air as the leaves fall with the start of autumn. This October saw the Atlanta Braves in the playoffs for the World Series for the first time in what seemed like forever. Hope in the city was not fading into the grey of winter as it had done for all of recent memory. Bobby Cox was taking another shot at a world championship and the whole of Braves country was behind him. All matters not associated with baseball were placed on the backburner of public thought. The start of the series was tough; it had been a while since the Atlanta Braves had been involved in October baseball and the year of the pitcher added another chapter towards its own story. The second game lifted the team back up for the late night cross-country trip. Then, when the next game was held at a more familiar hour of the day, and the process of the playoffs dug in for the stretch, I was able to pay more attention to the commercials in between the fantastic games. I noticed a flood of political ads for the two candidates, Deal and Barnes. One seemed to be a snake that had his rock kicked from above
Curtis Compton • Atlanta Journal-Constitution Bobby Cox running for office may be what Georgia needs.
his lair in the state legislature and the other apt to give it another go at completely polarizing the State of Georgia with his consistent record as a waffle, the quality produced at the Huddle House. The Braves lost the two games at home; at least Bobby got his swan song on the hallowed ground that he managed for so long and so well. The first ads were taking light shots at the character of the opposing candidate, but as the games went on and the election grew ever nearer, the big guns came out firing. Apparently, all Barnes does is apologize for everything and has a turbo man crush on the “O” man, and Deal hates all rape victims. The television told me, so it must be true. What kind of choice is no choice? Atlanta, this City of the New South, has to replace a cultural icon in Bobby Cox--as a note, I think we got a damn good replacement in Freddy Gonzo, but next year will tell more-and we have to elect someone to live
in that nice governor’s house over by Peachtree Battle. In a time where we might actually have a mayor, in Kasim Reed, that gives a crap about the city, we have to choose our top state official from a jerk and a moron. The story of the Braves and Georgia politics has been a love and hate relationship, we love the Braves and hate the traffic around the stadium; we love elections and hate those we elect. The only thing that marred one of the greatest, yearlong retirement parties was that two gasbags got to stand on a soapbox in the eleventh hour and bring a bummer down on the final farewell. I hope, wish and pray that the new governor will be as lame of a duck as ol’ Sonny was since his last re-election and that in four years maybe Mr. Cox will catch the political bug and we can have a little simple, common sense that only a lifelong ball-man can bring to the table. Cox ’14!
Facebook’s privacy issues may not make it lose users By THADDEUS MORGAN Staff Writer One of the world’s premiere online social networks, Facebook, has problems with users’ privacy in regards to sharing information with different advertisers and tracking companies. Facebook has a privacy policy that enables its users to have certain parts of their account available while others remain private, but this new development violates that policy, according to a blog post by Facebook engineer Mike Vernal. User information has been accessible to other companies through different applications, with the top 10 applications, including Farmville, giving user information to third-party sources. We all know that Facebook isn’t meant for users to keep online journals. Most people would advise others, particularly college students, to watch what is put on Facebook and what privacy settings are applied because you never know who’s watching. But making certain information accessible at your discretion and having it sent out against the privacy policy are two completely different things. This isn’t the first time that Facebook has had privacy problems.
Elijah Sarkesian • Signal Social networking sites like Facebook have their fair share of privacy issues.
Last year, many users claimed that their information was too easily accessed by others. Facebook cofounder Mark Zuckerberg responded with an apology and direct changes were made in the privacy settings. Although there doesn’t seem to be any damage so far this time, it still seems to have been taken very seriously by government officials. According to CNet, two members of the House of Representatives have asked Zuckerberg questions like what guidelines does Facebook have in place for third-party applications to protect its users from privacy breaches? The issues surrounding Facebook may or may not be taken seriously, but it’s very unlikely that Facebook will
lose support as a result. Facebook is a place where people indulge in the fact that they can release any information they feel comfortable releasing. The risk of possible exposure just comes with the territory. This doesn’t leave Facebook without blame, but the development isn’t significant enough for users to abandon the famous online social network. Even if the breach in privacy hadn’t happened, we live in a world without privacy in general. Even if someone doesn’t use social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook or stays away from Internet applications requiring basic user information, it’s impossible to not leave a trail online.
What’ s Happening ! s u p m a C on Supported by Student Activity Fees
COURTYARD STAGE SERIES
Student Center, First Floor Tuesday, October 26 Sharaya Mikael, Folk/Indie 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Thursday, November 11 A Sunset Performance Valerie Custer, Acoustic, 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. and Lena Hood, Country, 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. $2 Einstein’s coupons available during Sunset Performance
s ie it iv t c A t n e d u St ON ROUNDTABLE ORGANIZATI ay, November 4 Thursd Noon - 1 p.m. 235 University Center
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Monday, Novemb. er 15 Noon - 1 p.m om Golden Key Board Ro
RIES: LEADERSHIP LUNCH SEde “Small Budgets/Big erI 17 as” Registration is open for the 45th ANNUAL LEADERSHIP CONCLAVE Saturday, October 30, 2010 www2.gsu.edu/leadership
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g Diffe r 27 in d n a t s r e d n U ctobe WednesdaNyo, oOn Center t n e d u t S , e Lucerne Suit t that you n a t r o p im is As a leaedresrt, aitnd and embraces.the und erences in other group diff ill explore social nt e This seshsioipns wand how our involwveemsee membersm contributes to howith the in the ves and interact w oursel world around us.
Wednesday, Novemb Noon - 1 p.m. 465 University Center
es events through R.S.V.P. for Student Activgsitiu.o .com OrgSync at http:// rgsync
SPOTLIGHT BOARD PROGRAMS CarnEVIL Haunted House Thursday, October 28
7 p.m. - 11 p.m. Student Center Ballroom One ringleader, two ways to juggle your fate! Get ready to enjoy our carnival-themed Haunted House! There will be snacks, candy, keepsakes, carnival games, a movie, magician and lots more! This will be an event you will not want to miss!
CINEFEST FILM THEATRE October 25 - October 31: “REC”
Monday - Friday: 11 a.m., 3 p.m., 7 p.m. Saturday - Sunday: 1 p.m., 5 p.m.
October 25 - October 31: “REC 2”
Monday - Friday: 1 p.m., 5 p.m., 9 p.m. Saturday - Sunday: 3 p.m., 7 p.m.
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Gifted Hands by Dr. Benjamin Carson Monday, November 1, 3 p.m. Student Center Ballroom For details, visit www.gsu.edu/studentevents
STUDENT CENTER Miss Georgia State University Orientation Se2ss0io11 ns 404 University Center
Will you be the next to All potential candidates wear the crown? mus mandatory orientation t attend one contestant in the 2011 pa to become a information, call the Spotgeant. For more light Pr Board at 404/413-1610. ograms
Wednesday, November 10 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. Thursday, November 11 12:15 p.m. - 1 p.m. Friday, November 12 3 p.m. - 4 p.m.
s free for All show iversity State Un ests Georgia u with ID. G students . .m p 5 e $3 befor .m er 5 p . and $5 aft rmation, info For more efest. u.edu/cin s .g w w w visit