TNR 1.10.11

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWS ORGANIZATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI | WWW.NEWSRECORD.ORG

THE NEWS RECORD

132 years in print Vol. CXXXI Issue XXIX

MONDAY | JANUARY 10 | 2011

HOT WHEELS

Declawed

Cavalcade of Customs rolled into Cincinnati

Perfect season spoiled at No. 7 Villanova sports | 2

entertainment | 4

Chick-fil-A catches flak for partnership james sprague | NEWS EDITOR Chick-fil-A Inc., the chain of fast-food chicken restaurants — including one the University of Cincinnati’s campus — is receiving backlash from human rights groups for its connections with a reportedly anti-gay organization.

Last week, the restaurant chain was listed as a sponsor for a two-day marriage retreat in February hosted by the Pennsylvania Family Institute (PFI), an organization whose president, Michael Geer, has been vocal in the past regarding

his opposition toward gay marriage.

Once word broke about Chick-filA’s sponsorship of the event, several groups supporting gay rights, including the website change.org, protested the restaurant’s involvement with the PFI. “Over 17,000 people have e-mailed Chick-fil-A demanding that they pull their sponsorship from the event and come clean over whether they support anti-gay organizations like the Pennsylvania Family Institute,” according to the change.org website.

Chick-fil-A released a statement

on its Facebook page regarding the incident, indicating it was an independent restaurant operator — not the chain’s corporate office — that made the decision to provide food for the marriage conference.

“We have determined that one of see Chick-fil-a | 3 sam greene | online editor

UNDER THE GUN Chick-fil-A is receiving heat for its affiliations with a reportedly anti-gay group.

Reynolds to leave Feb. 1

WHEN YA GONNA OPEN? I NEED SOME EGGS.

ariel cheung | managing EDITOR

IGA CLOSES DOORS Clifton grocery store might re-open james sprague | NEWS EDITOR

A

Clifton grocery shut its doors Thursday, leaving the neighborhoods surrounding the University of Cincinnati with one less shopping option.

Keller’s IGA, located at 319 Ludlow Ave. in Clifton, was ordered to shut down Thursday by the Ohio State Department of Taxation due to reportedly owing more than $36,000 in back property taxes to the state.

A notice from the state tax commissioner was posted on the front

door of stating that the store’s license to do business was under suspension.

Keller’s also left a notice.

“As best as we can tell, the earliest that the state will allow us to open is Monday morning, somewhere around 9 a.m.,” the statement read. “We are so sorry that this has happened and that all of our friends and customers have been impacted so badly.”

The statement further explained the grocery’s position regarding its tax predicament. see IGA | 3

EAMON QUEENEY | photo editor

PAY YOUR TAXES Keller’s IGA had its business license suspended for owing more than $36,000 in back property tax.

Exactly one year after filling the newly created executive vice president position at the University of Cincinnati, Fred Reynolds is leaving.

Before coming to UC, Reynolds spent 16 years as a professor at the City College of New York.

Reynolds then followed former CCNY president Greg Williams to UC, where Williams was named the university’s 27th president in September 2009.

Reynolds decided to leave UC Feb. 1 after discovering in late 2010 that he would not be eligible for retiree medical coverage while living in Ohio, he said in an e-mail.

Despite efforts to find alternative solutions, Reynolds will return to his position in the CCNY English department.

“I loved my time in Cincinnati, did good work at the university, made friends I will miss and will trust that all is meant to be,” Reynolds said in the e-mail.

There is no word yet on a replacement for Reynolds, who earned $230,000 per year at UC.

We are so sorry that this has happened and that all of our friends and customers have been impacted so badly.

—statement posted on front door by keller’s

SG approves new campus ID policy Sean peters | chief reporter A new policy might soon give University of Cincinnati Police Division officers more authority on campus.

The protocol would allow UCPD officers to ask anyone on campus deemed suspicious to present proper UC identification. If the suspect is unable to do so, UCPD would be entitled to escort the individual off campus.

Known as “University Rule 40-27-01: Identification Card Policies,” the new bill was passed by the Undergraduate Student Government despite various members’ concern the policy might enable racial profiling.

“Police officers are paid to make

judgment calls,” said SG President Drew Smith. “UCPD is here to provide a safe campus for us. However, this has nothing to do with racial profiling. It has everything to do with campus safety.”

Senators also raised the concern that UC’s transgender students, who might not be comfortable sharing their UCID picture, which may not faithfully represent their gender identity.

The bill, passed with the request that some of the bill’s wording be changed to remove UCPD’s ability to outright remove anyone without a UCID from campus, must still be passed by UC’s Board of Trustees, whose next meeting is in March.

file art | the news record

HITTING THE ROAD Fred Reynolds, UC’s executive vice president, is departing Feb. 1 and returning to his former position at the City College of New York in order to retain retirement benefits.

INSIDE file art | the news record

WHERE’S YOUR ID? A new policy might allow UCPD officers to ask anyone on campus to show their UCID.

Graduation rates slowly increasing graduation rates

key

source: uc office of institutional research statistics (six-year figures include prior graduations)

WITHIN four YEARS WITHIN six YEARS

52.2%

52.3%

19.4% 2000

19.1%

54.4%

19.4%

2001

2002

year of enrolling

55%

20.3% 2003

GIn A. Ando | Editor-In-Chief Despite having gone through what many economists call the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, more students at the University of Cincinnati are going to school and graduating — even if it takes half a decade.

UC’s Office of Institutional Research (OIR), an interuniversity organization that gathers data regarding anything from student satisfaction to professors’ salaries, shows the university’s graduation rate increasing. Currently, it stands at 55 percent.

“It’s not bounding upward,”

said Nicholas Frame, director of research and assessment at OIR. “But we’re going up gradually.”

Following students who enrolled in 2003, the report shows approximately 55 percent graduated within six years, which is the standard period graduation rates are calculated within. While the ratio might seem low at first glance, 2001’s national average of graduating within six years hovered around the 55 percent mark.

Frame acknowledges the “150 percent” time window to complete a baccalaureate degree program to be somewhat

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QUIT YER

WEININ’ sam weinberg

NFL needs league for old timers Professional golf has one. Rec centers and bingo leagues have them. Now the NFL needs one — a senior league.

Like in any profession, when you reach a certain age, you start to become more of a liability than an asset.

Professional football is no different, but unfortunately it seems like more and more players are dragging out their careers to the bitter end.

This unhealthy trend benefits no one. It hurts the players, their team and the fans.

That’s why Roger Goodell and the 32 owners need to come together and throw some money down and create the SFL — the Senior Football League.

At a certain age — maybe around 35 or so — players should be forced to either retire or move on to the Senior League.

That, or “Dancing With the Stars,” which seems to be another recent trend.

With the new collective bargaining agreement being worked out, it’s the perfect time to implement a senior league because everyone would be able to benefit from it.

For the owners, it makes perfect sense economically. Why waste millions of dollars for a washed up gray beard?

Look at Brett Favre. He banked $12 million this past season, and for what? An embarrassing 6-10 record, one of the worst years of his career and some fiasco showing off his photography skills? Not worth it.

Thankfully, following 20 years in the NFL, it finally looks like old man Favre is calling it quits. But unfortunately, it’s coming about five years too late, and there are still plenty of washed up oldies still active in the NFL being a drain on their team.

Look at Donovan McNabb.

The Redskins signed the 34-year-old vet to a five-year, $78-million deal with $40 million guaranteed.

What did he do? Had a horrible year under center and got benched for, of all people, Rex “The Cannon” Grossman.

The list goes on, from Thomas Jones to LaDanian Tomlinson — once great players are living in the shadow of their former glory but still hogging tons of cap space.

If players were forced to move on to the Senior League, NFL teams would have tons more money to use to sign more able-bodied youngsters who actually produce for their team.

There’s also still plenty of undiscovered talent hidden in depth charts and in the free agency pool to compensate for the loss of senior players. See: Foster, Arian and Hillis, Peyton.

The Senior Football League would benefit the players, too.

While the SFL would not pay anything near what the NFL does, players already have millions upon millions. Most players stick around because they’re passionate about their profession and love the game of football.

The SFL would still allow players to compete and beat the crap out of each other while still keeping their prestigious NFL careers unblemished.

It’s sad to see once-great players end their careers with practice-squad status. I remember when the great Jerry Rice was moving from team to team and was barely able to hold a job as a third-string wideout — something Randy Moss is imitating right now.

If there had been the SFL, Rice could have retired a 49er and images of his brittle body wheezing up and down the field in a Raiders jersey wouldn’t haunt my dreams to this day.

Perhaps the people who would benefit the most from the SFL would be the fans.

The SFL would give cities without NFL teams a legitimate venue for professional football.

It could even expand to Canada, Mexico and London — something the NFL has been talking about doing for years.

The Senior Football League could also expand the length of the football season. It could start in February right after the Super Bowl and end with the “Prune Juice and Soft Candy Bowl” in August.

While the quality of play wouldn’t be as good as the NFL, I’m sure it would be a hell of a lot more entertaining than watching guys stand around trying to hit a ball with a little piece of wood all summer.

SPORTS Cats no match for unbeaten WVU Hunter Tickel | Senior reporter The stingiest defense in women’s college basketball limited Cincinnati to a seasonworst 19.7 field goal percentage and No. 6/7 West Virginia beat the Bearcats 72-44 Saturday at the WVU Coliseum.

The Mountaineers (16-0, 3-0 Big East) entered Saturday’s contest No.1 in the nation in scoring defense, limiting opponents to 46.4 points per game.

“They’re physical, they deny you the ball, they switch every screen, they’re athletic and they have some size to them. It was hard for us to get a shot,” said UC head coach Jamelle Elliott. “They took us out of what we were trying to run for the most part. They were quick on both sides of the floor, and today was a good night for them, and I give them all the credit in the world.”

Senior guard Shareese Ulis scored a game-high 16 points, while the rest of the Bearcats combined for 28.

Cincinnati (8-7, 1-2) is in the midst of a shooting drought following its third consecutive contest shooting worse than 32 percent from the floor.

The Big East gauntlet has not been forgiving

for the Bearcats, who have lost by a combined 66 points in their two conference defeats.

After trailing the Mountaineers by 14 at halftime, UC pulled to within 10 points of the lead on a Ulis 3-pointer with 10:29 remaining.

On the heels of Ulis’ shot came a 23-5 WVU streak, triggered by their stymieing defense against Cincinnati’s half-court sets.

“At the end of the day, the stats say it all,” Elliott said. “We were open, but we were not able to make it happen. This is by far the best defensive team that we have faced all year long and even probably the best last season too, except for maybe Connecticut.”

Rebounding was not a factor in this match up as the Bearcats pulled down a 46-42 advantage on the glass, including a 26-14 edge on the offensive boards.

Three Mountaineers totaled double-digit scoring efforts. Forward Madina Ali led the way with a double-double and team-high 15 points.

The Bearcats have dropped seven of their past 10 games after opening the 2010-11 campaign with five-straight victories.

Cincinnati has one week off before returning home to face Rutgers at 2 p.m.

Saturday at Fifth Third Arena.

Lauren Justice | Multimedia Editor

CAN’T BUY BUCKETS Shareese Ulis scored a game-high 16 points Saturday, but the Bearcats shot a season-low 19.7 percent.

Season’s first loss comes at No. 7 Villanova

STREAK SNAPPED Sam Weinberg | Sports EDITOR

Sam Greene | Online editor

A

BISHOP’S STREAK ENDS After making his first 22 free throws this season, Rashad Bishop’s streak of perfection ended Sunday in Philadelphia. The senior led UC with 14 points against Villanova.

fter a 15-0 start, the No. 24/25 Bearcats’ perfect record received its first blemish Sunday against No. 7 Villanova.

After trailing by 21 early in the second half, Cincinnati fought back to be within seven points of the Wildcats but fell short in a 72-61 loss at The Pavilion in Philadelphia.

“We had nine first-half turnovers and, if you look at what happened in the second half, we had four turnovers and scored 38 points,” said UC head coach Mick Cronin.“It was a tale of two halves — we just dug a hole too deep.”

With 45 total fouls including two technicals, both teams gave credit to the Big East’s reputation for rough and physical play.

Villanova (14-1, 3-0 Big East) made the most of its trips to the charity stripe, making 84.8 percent of its free throws for 28 points, while Cincinnati went 15 of 25 from the line.

Cincinnati (15-1, 2-1 Big East) had its worst game from long range this season, connecting see Snapped | 3

Eamon Queeney | Photo Editor

NEAR-RECORD RUN Cincinnati’s 15-0 start to the season was the second best in school history. The 1962-63 Bearcats reached 19-0 before their first loss.

Crosstown Blowout

Gates’ performance overpowers XU jump shots from the elbow and a fade-away jumper along the baseline that put UC ahead 28-20 Yancy Gates grew up a true Cincinnati native, watching his before halftime.

“It’s the 270-pound fade away,” fair share of Crosstown Shootouts Cronin said. “He practices that out featuring some of the series’ best of my vision.” performances and players.

The baseline fade away is a shot Thursday against Xavier, the Gates saves more for joking around junior forward added his name to the list of the Shootout’s stars with a with teammates than trying to win games.

22-point, 14-rebound “In practice, we double-double that play around. I’ll hit sent the Musketeers a shot and I’ll laugh, home from Fifth telling them I’m hot,” Third Arena on Gates said. “But I the losing end of a think that one was 64-44 decision. one of those shots “Definitely one of where I really was the best games since [hot]. I just wasn’t I’ve been in college,” playing around.”

Gates said.

Cincinnati fans After three-straight appreciated Gates’ —mick cronin losses to the Bearcats’ UC HEAD COACH effort, rewarding the cross-town rival, Gates junior with a standing chose a good night ovation as he left to set a rebounding Ed Jucker Court for the final time career high and finish one point shy of Thursday with less than one minute his all-time high.

“It was quite obvious that Yancy to play.

“That’s always a good feeling,” Gates had decided it was time to win Gates said. “You almost get goose the Crosstown Shootout,” said UC head coach Mick Cronin.“We’ve got to bumps when you hear the crowd saying your name because you give him the ball when he decides to know you went out there, did a good try to dominate the paint on offense. I thought the more we got him the ball, job and the crowd was pleased with you. That’s just a real good feeling the more we got separation, made them defend him inside and got more at the end of a game.” points in the paint.”

Sold-out Shootout But it wasn’t just the paint Gates For the first time since Fifth Third dominated. The 6-foot-9 forward made six of his seven field goals in Arena last hosted a Crosstown the first half, including turnaround see CROSSTOWN | 3 Sam Elliott | Sports EDITOR

It was quite obvious that Yancy Gates had decided it was time to win the Crosstown Shootout.

Eamon Queeney | Photo Editor

SHOOTOUT TO REMEMBER Yancy Gates totalled 22 points and a career-high 14 rebounds to help Cincinnati to its first Crosstown Shootout win in four seasons Thursday. “He was definitely the difference on the offensive end,” said UC head coach Mick Cronin.

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From Snapped | 2 just twice from beyond the arc.

“To go two of 20 from the 3-point line and miss 10 free throws as well — we shoot 60 percent, they shoot 84 percent — the fact that we only lose by 11 is a miracle,” Cronin said. “It shows you how hard the kids played and how hard they fought and how hard they scrapped to come back and create some offense off our defense.”

Cincinnati’s defense forced 19 Villanova turnovers that the Bearcats cashed in for 16 points.

“We got some offense off of turnovers,” Cronin said.

“We scored 31 points off of their turnovers and off of our offensive rebounds. Really, half of our points came from scrapping and clawing.”

The Bearcats began the game with a 6-0 lead, but Villanovaquicklyresponded with a 13-3 run to take away Cincinnati’s only advantage of the game.

Following a 21-4 run, the Wildcats entered halftime with a 39-23 lead, making 52.6 percent of their shots from the field while limiting Cincinnati to just six points in the final 10 minutes of the first half.

From rates | 1 awkward as well.

“The system’s not perfect,” he said. “But if we were to measure 10 years, the data would become irrelevant.”

Comparatively, The Ohio State University’s graduation rate topped out at approximately 75 percent in six years for students who enrolled in 2003, according to OSU registrar statistics. Ohio University saw 69 percent of its students enrolling in 2003 graduate within six years, according to OU’s Office of Institutional Research statistics.

Data might also be misinterpreted due to transfers and those who switch to part-time status within the six years it was collected. While the report includes exclusions, which accounts for deaths and military deployments, there are also the transferout statistics to take into consideration.

Within the same pool of UC students, a little less than 20 percent transferred out, according to the OIR’s report.

Ohio University’s report shows a little more

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From CROSSTOWN | 2 Villanova guard Corey Fisher scored 20 of the Wildcats’ first half points.

“They hit some big shots earlier,” Cronin said.

“Fisher hit some big shots that really helped them get it going. But let’s be honest, they paraded their way to the free throw line, and it’s hard to beat a team that’s standing there shooting free throws.”

The Wildcats began the second half with a 7-2 run to give them their biggest lead of the game.

But with all five starters in foul trouble, Villanova was forced to turn to its bench.

Cincinnati took advantage Villanova’s fouling woes and went on a 14-3 run to get back into the game but was unable to come within less than seven.

“We just weren’t in this type of dogfight before,” Cronin said.“By the time we adjusted to the dogfight, we were down. But I couldn’t be more proud of how the guys played.”

The Bearcats return to action at 7 p.m. Wednesday against the University of South Florida at Fifth Third Arena.

Shootout two seasons ago, a sold-out crowd of 13,176 watched a game live from Cincinnati’s home arena.

“I think we need more of that. I think the fans need to come out and support us,” said senior guard Larry Davis.

“It helped me on defense.

When I hear the fans yelling and everything, I get hyper. It makes me not want to let the opponent score.”

Playing in front of a packed house at home was a first for redshirt sophomore Cashmere Wright.

“I loved it. That was one of

the best things since I’ve been here,” Wright said. “It kind of helped us out and gave us extra adrenaline and gave us the extra push.”

With seven home games remaining this season, Cronin hopes the season’s first sellout isn’t its last.

“The truth of it is homecourt advantage does make a difference in college basketball.

It’s a huge advantage,” Cronin said. “It matters in college basketball when you have to play in front of that crowd and you’re the road team.”

From chick-fil-a | 1 our independent restaurant operators in Pennsylvania was asked to provide sandwiches to two Art of Marriage video seminars … At his discretion, the local operator agreed to simply provide a limited amount of food,” the statement read.

The statement further read “Our Chick-fil-A operators and their employees try very hard every day to go the extra mile in serving all of our customers with honor, dignity and respect.”

Geer, the president of PFI, told the website The Christian Post efforts to tie Chick-fil-A

to endorsement of the seminar are misleading and “all, in all it’s a trumped-up story.”

The website for the PFI, however, still lists Chick-fil-A as a sponsor for the seminar.

It isn’t the first time Chick-fil-A has received negative attention regarding endorsements.

The restaurant chain was criticized in 2009 for donating money to the Christian group Focus on the Family, which has endorsed therapy for homosexuals to become heterosexual and supported anti-gay legislation regarding same-sex marriages.

From IGA | 1 than 24 percent of its 2003 cohort transferred out.

OSU’s Right-to-Know report did not include transfer statistics.

According to the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, which collects data regarding higher education for lawmakers, approximately 25 percent of college freshmen drop out of school around the nation — which further deteriorates the graduation rate.

But UC’s reputation might also be a contributing factor to the approximate 20 percent of the 2003 cohort graduating within four years — and not in a bad way.

The College of Engineering and Applied Science and the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, two of UC’s most prestigious and popular colleges, house more five-year programs than four. All but one program in the engineering college require five years of classes to obtain a bachelor’s degree and the majority of programs in DAAP require five years of study.

grocery’s position regarding its tax predicament.

“We were working with the state to resolve the tax arrearage and thought they were satisfied with our payment arrangement,” the statement read. “However, that proved not to be the case and without much warning our vendor license was immediately suspended and the store was shut down.”

The statement further read that measures for Keller’s to pay the back taxes were in place, but that the earliest the tax commission could be contacted would be Monday morning.

“Thanks for your support

and understanding,” the statement concluded.

Another note on the door instructed customers to contact Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory, the Hamilton County commissioners and Hamilton County Auditor Dusty Rhodes about the stores closure.

Keller’s IGA has been a Clifton mainstay since 1939, when founder John O. Keller moved the grocery from Corryville to its current location on Ludlow Avenue. It was one of 13 Cincinnati supermarkets chosen to become an IGA — Independent Grocers Alliance — store in 1957.

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From girl talk | 4 repetition, getting the crowd hyped up for Girl Talk’s long-awaited arrival.

The moment Gills set foot on the stage, the crowd went wild.

With a huge LCD screen erected behind him playing random “trippy” images, it was clear that this show was going to be more than an average run-of-the-mill concert.

As Girl Talk started dropping some tunes, all of the songs sounded very familiar, but it was incredible how well he blended the songs together, igniting an explosive crowd reaction with every new beat.

Rather than focus on himself, the artist directed the attention toward the music he was playing instead, essentially turning the

Madison Theater into one big dance party. With balloons, confetti and beach balls descending upon the crowd, Girl Talk’s appeal was evident.

He doubtlessly knows how to throw down a really great party.

Despite the crowd’s thrill, however, the performance only lasted an hour and 15 minutes.

At $22 a ticket, a longer performance would have been worth the steep price.

The Girl Talk concert was fun, with a strong turnout composed of fun-loving young students. It’s incredible, however, how a man and his laptop can charge fans $22 to listen to him play music for less than 90 minutes.

From CARS | 4 building their 1956 Chevy 210 Custom.

This marked the car’s third time competing in Cavalcade.

“We built every bit of this car from the frame up in our garage down in Cleves,” Cundiff said of the silver and purple ride that won Best in Class at last year’s event.

Perhaps the most unique grouping of rides belonged to the DeLorean Club of Ohio, which had four fully restored DeLoreans and one completely chromed frame and chassis sans body

as its display.

Among the four built cars was a 1982 DeLorean that belonged to famed talk show host Johnny Carson, which he had been driving when he obtained his 1982 DUI arrest in California.

Mike Damico of Florence, Ky., had his 1981 aluminum-clad auto on display with some interesting modifications. Damico mounted a replica “flux capacitor” from the famous“Back to the Future”movies.

He also had the quote, “If you’re gonna build a time machine into a car,

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why not do it with some style?”displayed on the front windshield.

“I normally get some movie references, but mainly just a lot of questions and curiosity about the car,” Damico said.

Damico also said he can’t really go anywhere without garnering some sort of attention, but that it just comes with the territory of owning a DeLorean.

The Cavalcade of Customs once again brought some of the most unique rides ever seen to the tri-state area.

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Monday Jan. 10 | 2011 NEWSRECORD.ORG

ROBERT’S

RANTS

robert kirchgassner

Fiction writers prophesy Science fiction writers have been heavily scrutinized when it comes to predicting drastic changes in our planet’s and society’s future.

Despite the inevitable criticism, however, Discovery’s Science Channel has given the green light to a new series entitled “Prophets of Science Fiction,” which will premiere in the fall.

The eight-episode series will spotlight famous science fiction masters such as Isaac Asimov, Gene Roddenberry and George Lucas.

The show will focus on the directors’ creative minds and how their work has, in some ways, truly foreshadowed what is to come — or even what is already happening in society.

Appropriately, the “Prophets of Science Fiction” is produced by Ridley Scott, who directed the classic science fiction movies “Alien” and “Blade Runner.” Both films have become very influential in the genre.

“Quite simply, Ridley Scott is a titan in the world of science fiction — and the perfect personification of “ ‘Prophets of Science Fiction,’ ” Debbie Myers, executive vice president and general manager of Science Channel told multichannel.com.

“Science Channel is thrilled to go on this journey with Ridley beyond imagination into the world of the unknown. Science is sparked by creativity, and the remarkable individuals we cover in this series actually inspired future generations of scientists.”

“Blade Runner” is a prime example of a science fiction film that has provoked scientific thought.

The film, based on the novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” by Philip K. Dick, celebrated its 25th anniversary four years ago.

To celebrate, Warner Bros. rereleased the film on DVD with a documentary titled “Dangerous Days,” which chronicled the making of the film.

In the latter half of the documentary, commentators remark on how the world we live in now has, over the years, become more like the one seen in the film, which takes place in the year 2019.

For instance, the apparent lack of sunlight and the constant rain seen on Earth in the film would understandably give presentday environmentalists cause for concern. Arguably, the film’s foreboding weather conditions that cause Earth’s inhabitants to relocate to other planets could be interpreted as an exaggeration of the extreme weather conditions we are facing now due to global warming.

Of course, in this day and age, space travel isn’t as advanced as it should be, but I’d like to think that the endearing classic status “Blade Runner” has attained might lead to a world that’s more pleasant eight years from now.

Another Dick novel, “Minority Report,” deals with the prospect of arresting people before they can commit murder, even if the perpetrator-to-be doesn’t have the urge to commit such an act. When Steven Spielberg’s film version of the story was released in 2002, it gained even more relevance with post-9/11 sensibilities.

On a more positive note, the original “Star Trek” series is the first science fiction I saw which truly focused on the use of advanced computers, although the computers seen on that show may not look so advanced now.

Today, computers are more advanced than ever.

My brother-in-law basically does all his net surfing and e-mail checking from his cell phone. Many scientists have credited “Star Trek” with their decisions to pursue careers in computer science.

This is what makes science fiction great. It takes a look at humanity and, in some cases, inspires people to make a difference in the present to avoid the sometimes devastating consequences depicted in fiction form.

ENTERTAINMENT Creative cars crowd Cavalcade JASON HOFFMAN | STAFF REPORTER The Cavalcade of Customs entertained thousands of Cincinnatians who enjoyed viewing works of custom car builders from around the tri-state area this weekend.

Henry Winkler, who might be better known as “The Fonze,” Rosie Red and one of female stars of “iCarly,” Jennette McCurdy all graced the various stages of the Cavalcade, but the spread of customized cars, trucks and motorcycles was clearly the main event.

Muscle cars, imports, rat rods and sports cars from all eras were on display throughout the three floors of the show. Several former University of Cincinnati students even attended the event as well.

Steve Rucker, a former UC business student from Milford, Ohio, is the current assistant service manager at Beechmont Volkswagen.

Rucker showed off his 2001 VW Jetta TDI which won the Outstanding in Class award from the Compact Custom class of the show.

“As a kid, I always came down to this show, and it was always a dream to have a car competing in it,” Rucker said.“I finally got to a point where I could put a car in and here I am.”

Kevin Meyer, a Mercedes mechanic who lives in Independence, Ky., helped Rucker build his air-ride equipped Jetta.

“I just enjoy coming down and seeing all the different rides,” Meyer said of the event. “It was cool to see Steve be able to compete and do well in his class.”

Mike Cundiff, a former UC student from Cleves who majored in engineering, also competed in the show.

Mike and his father, Dave, spent the better part of three years

coulter loeb | Chief photographer

ON YOUR MARKS While the Cavalcade cars were just for show, it’s interesting to imagine how these unique machines would appear on a racetrack.

see CARS | 3

PHOTOs BY EAMON QUEENEY | PHOTO EDITOR

Mashup artist plays to packed house

MIX IT UP Fans partied on the floor and onstage as Girl Talk’s Gregg Michael Gillis hosted a show filled with danceable music to a sold out crowd. The only complaint? It was all over much too soon.

ADAM COBLE | STAFF REPORTER Cincinnatians showed their love for the internationally known musician Girl Talk, who played to a sold-out crowd at Madison Theater in Covington, Ky., Friday. Anticipation of the beloved DJ caused a sell out long before the performance date.

Girl Talk (also known as Gregg Michael Gillis) produces “mashup” style remixes, which involve taking two or more songs, and blending them together to create a song with an entirely new sound.

With this particular style of producing, Girl Talk has put his stamp on the mashup genre, which has propelled him into international success.

Girl Talk chooses songs with strong contrast and throws them into a melting pot, creating something fresh and new for fans.

Before the performance Friday, the

atmosphere was that of pure excitement. As anyone could see from the crowd of University of Cincinnati students, Girl Talk has a dedicated fan base of college-aged listeners.

The show was scheduled to start at 9 p.m. with an opening set from the New York-based band Penguin Prison, but the band did not start playing until approximately 9:30 p.m.

Penguin Prison was a wise opening choice for Girl Talk. Their music was very mellow, but possessed more than enough energy to keep the crowd jamming until it was time for Girl Talk to take the stage.

An additional 30-minute wait allowed for Girl Talk to get his laptop set up and have a select few fans ascend the stage to party during the course of the show. The wait was long but at least somewhat worth it when fans heard the see GIRL TALK | 3

Wolf’s expert rhythm captivates crowd SEAN PETERS | CHIEF REPORTER It was a hot show, despite the onslaught of snow piling outside of Mayday in Northside.

Josiah Wolf, most widely known as the multi-instrumentalist from indie hip-hop group Why?, has been touring in support of his 2010 album “Jet Lag.”Wolf shared the bill with local three-piece Incline District. ­Sound checking is an important time for a band to establish its onstage persona. During Wolf’s sound check with band mate Liz Hodson, the few audience members within earshot

jack macejko | staff photographer

BRING IT IN Despite the small crowd, Josiah Wolf blew fans away with his engaging and diverse musicianship.

quickly perked up, excited to see what the ruckus was all about. Marimba, a gorgeous Rhodes electric piano, electric guitar, bass and looping tracks — both Wolf and Hodson were covering lots of ground, instrumentally speaking.

The key to a good sound check is practicing how you’ll perform. Needless to say, it was disheartening when Incline District’s sound check took longer than usual, due to the drummer’s inability to comfortably hit his drums loud enough to convince Mayday’s sound tech that that’s how he actually plays.

“Put some thigh into it,” said the sound tech as he attempted to cajole the drummer to actually hit his kick drum — and not just tap it like he wants to ask it a question inside the library. Once the barrier has been broken between artist and audience by stepping on stage, it is imperative for the artist to maintain the energy they’ll uphold for the duration of their show.

First impression aside, Incline District played a fantastic set, driven by frontman Joe William Mitchell’s cool-yet-poignant vocals and Stephen-Malkmus-meets-Trey-Anastasio guitar licks. All apologies to Phish haters — that might be a hard capsule to swallow.

As previously stated, attendance was woefully low at Mayday, as Cincinnati was assaulted with a fury of snow flurry. Girl Talk’s performance at the Madison Theater on the

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Once the barrier has been broken between artist and audience by stepping on stage, it is imperative for the artist to maintain the energy they’ll uphold for the duration of their show. other side of the river likely drew droves of hipster concertgoers too.

Wolf allegedly began playing guitar in 2006 and, as guitarist myself, I am pissed. He’s been playing a quarter of the time I have and already can sonically captivate an intimate crowd with some simple strums of his Danelectro. He kept himself busy during his set, stomping on a kick drum, looping marimba and guitar tracks, singing and playing snare and ride cymbal all at the same time. I have a hard time chewing bubble gum while I walk. He’s a true multitasker — and damn good at what he does.

Wolf’s strong suit is definitely rhythm. His drum fills, jazzy yet frantically rock driven, outshine his simple folk-indie guitar parts, though it all adds up to a fantastic experience with Hodson’s expert accompaniment.

Check newsrecord.org for a video of excerpts from Wolf’s performance.