rawr weekly | 1.27.12

rawr “Snow, it’s a dog’s urinal”

Here comes the snow pg 4 For the love of sun pg 6 Virtual invasion pg 10

Janurary 27, 2012 cover art by amrah canul

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your art in rawr illustration photography mixed media paintings sculptures rawr is an alternative weekly publication covering art, culture, campus life and entertainment.

We are accepting art submissions each week for the cover. All forms of art will be accepted.

your writing in rawr short fiction poetry non-fiction we are accepting all forms of creativity for an artists’ corner. Email: arg-arts@uidaho.edu

horoscopes elizabeth rudd | rawr

Capricorn 12/22 – 1/19 Chin up, pal. No really, you need to look up otherwise the pole in front of you is going to get up close and personal with your forehead.

Aquarius 1/20 - 2/18 Struggling with your parents’ texting abilities? Check out ParentsShouldntText.com. You’re not alone at all.

Pisces 2/19 – 3/20 Skateboarding in the snow is a bad idea. Keep it up and you’ll find out how a “credit card” feels. Hint: It’s not as much fun as using one.

Aries 3/21 - 4/19 Dude, seriously, do not let your

mix-tape anthony saia | rawr Busted Knucle Tunes

Wrenching on cars is not for everyone. Working on an automobile takes time, patience and a bit of character, but for those who opt to get grease under their fingernails a soundtrack eases the pain of joining the busted knuckle club.

“Misirlou” Dick Dale & The Del Tones Some may recognize this song from its use in the cult film “Pulp Fiction.” The gear heads of old might also be inspired as they’re under the hood turning wrenches on old muscle cars in California. Dick Dale was a pioneer in instrumental guitar music created in the early ‘60s and this track is

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probably the best example of his skill during the late era of hot rods.

“Up Around The Bend” Creedence Clearwater Revival An ideal track to wrench to — CCR crafted music for the working class. Written and recorded in 1970 by legend John Fogerty, “Up Around The Bend” is a song to crank up and sing along to while putting a vehicle back together after a long day of spark plug changes.

“Friends In Low Places” Garth Brooks For the working class pick-up wrenchers, it’s necessary to have a mainstay of

friends talk you into sticking your tongue to that pole. It’s an amateur move. You’ll never recover from that one.

Taurus 4/20 - 5/20 You know when you say something that is totally hilarious to you, but no one else laughs?

Yeah … just laugh anyway.

Gemini 5/21 - 6/20 Make a mental note of this yes, it is fun to run and slide on the ice down the hill, but make sure the crowds are thinned out. That person you ran into does, in fact, want to keep their front teeth.

Cancer 6/21 - 7/22 Wake up, bud. The back row doesn’t mean you’re invisible.

Your teacher can see you sleeping … and snoring.

working man tunes on hand.

“Friends In Low Places” is typically heard spilling out of a jukebox downtown at the bar, but its use in the garage is unparalleled.

“Fuel” Metallica Although it came out in the “friends don’t let friends get haircuts” era of Metallica, this groovy thrash track is the epitome of wrenching music.

From Metallica’s album ReLoad, “Fuel” has obvious connotations of working on vehicles and might inspire the listener to pick up a couple wrenches and frantically air drum behind the closed doors of a garage.

“Cemetary Gates” Pantera As an oddity on this list, “Cemetery Gates” is a crushing metal track from some Texas boys hell bent on drinking beers, going fast and living a free life. The best part of

Leo 7/23 - 8/22 Still recovering from New Year’s Eve? That’s fine. Your friends are still laughing. You go, Cpt. Underpants.

Virgo 8/23 - 9/22 You should really consider taking AutoCorrect off your phone. You’re confusing your mom.

Libra 9/23-10/22 Beer isn’t actually a substitute for water, but hey, you are way more pleasant that way so drink up.

Scorpio 10/23 - 11/21 The stars have finally aligned for you. OK, no they haven’t. But keep wishing. One of them has got to shoot by someday.

Sagittarius 11/22 – 12/21 That dream of standing in front of a class in your underwear will get you every time. At least you’re not in front of a class today, but you definitely forgot your pants. Little breezy, yeah?

the track though is when the mechanic takes time to pause, crank the stereo and shred air guitar with Dimebag Darrell Abbot like no one is watching.

“Kickstart My Heart” Mötley Crüe This song has personal meaning for bassist Nikki Sixx who literally experienced a “kickstart.” Some would say this track is actually a song to drive fast to, but it belongs on the list as much as any other.

“Black Tongue” Mastodon The newest track on this list, “Black Tongue” has a heavy riff that is air-guitar worthy. A quartet to be reckoned with, Mastodon, has worked its way to the top after hitting the road from Atlanta, more than 10 years ago. This song is the best to crank up when working on an overheated van on the side of the road.

“Last of My Kind” Alice In Chains There is edginess to this song that inspires head-banging, knuckle-breaking good times in the garage. Crank this one to 11 and sing your heart out. Don’t forget to grab something to shred the solo with.

“Battle Axe” Deftones There are other songs by Deftones that might fit better into this list, but the build up and shredding of guitars will cause the listener to nod their head while under the hood.

“Super-Charger Heaven” White Zombie Lyrics about speeding down Route 66, spouting off about fuel injection and nitro burning make this song an ideal end to a garage playlist. Before you hit the road change those stock wheels to aluminum mags, close the hood, gas the throttle and get on down the road.

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GIVING BACK, 3

BOOK BY BOOK

molly spencer rawr First Book is a national and local organization used to contribute books to low income children who don’t necessarily have books in their homes.

Susan Steele has been a member on the local First Book advisory board since 2005. She said their role is to work with students from the University of Idaho in distributing books to low-income children throughout Latah County.

“We work with the English honorary, Sigma Tau Delta.

And what we do is we have fundraising events throughout town and on campus,” Steele said. “We raise money, and then we purchase books and we give those books to lowincome kids in Latah County.”

As the philanthropy chair for Pi Beta Phi, Samantha Fritz communicates between Pi Phi and First Book. She also helps plan fundraisers and distributions of books.

“We raise money and gather books to give to kids that don’t always get books at their homes,” Fritz said. “Usually it is their first book” First Book is Pi Phi’s national correspondent for philanthropy, which motivated Fritz to choose Pi Phi as her sorority. Pi Phi participated in a Speed Read last semester with First Book as well as monthly fundraisers.

Speed Read is a relay in which money is raised per word a child reads.

Jo Bohna said her favorite part about working with First Book is having grandparent time.

She has helped First Book by serving as the transportation with a full tank of gas for

courtesy photo by elinor michel | rawr

University of Idaho sophomore Megan Harper reads to children at the First Book distribution in November 2011 in Plummer, Idaho. distributions and fundraisers.

“When children are young, they still appreciate a grandparent,” Bohna said. “You know, somebody that gives them a book, somebody that has time to read a story with them.”

Bohna said students from the university who haven’t had children yet bring a completely different energy to the distributions.

Fritz said her favorite part

about First Book is actually giving books to kids because she can just see the excitement in their faces.

“At some of them, you actually get to sit down and read with them. I went to one where I was reading to a 2-yearold and she was just so excited to just sit there and read. It was really cute,” Fritz said.

Steele said First Book is a great way to give back to

the community and feels it’s wonderful that people decided there was a need to put books into the hands of low-income children. She said First Book is always welcoming new applicants to distribute books to.

“The most rewarding part is when you’re able to put a brand new book in the hands of kid who doesn’t have books at home and to see the look in their eyes,” Steele said.

First Book hosted its fourth annual spaghetti feed Wednesday.

During the spaghetti feed there was an interactive story time and a free book for every child.

“The idea is that we get the community involved with the university and do fun things,” Steele said. “It’s just a fun, fun time where people from all around the community get together to support this project.”

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1.27.12

Here comes the

SNOW SNOW SNOW

zach edwards | rawr

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photo essay by alex aguirre | rawr

The snow storms of Jan. 18, 19 and 20 appear to have passed through the Moscow area, and while it was a short storm, Mother Nature gave the region a taste of what most winters are like for months. The sudden onset of winter forced students and Moscow residents to be cautious of the streets. Despite the slushy and icy conditions, people still ventured on the streets, walked around town and played on the hills. Around campus, students were found sipping on warm beverages and conversing with friends outside, even as the snow continued to build up.

snow in moscow

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Musicality, syncopation, rhythm, attitude — it’s jazz

rhiannon rinas rawr Jazz dance has been around since the 1920s, where it started deep underground in speakeasies. Since then it has grown into a definitive style of the 21st century.

“The way we speak about jazz dance has changed and morphed and evolved from its roots, but the history of it was more kind of a social atmosphere so they were actually using jazz music to inspire them to move,” Belle Baggs, University of Idaho jazz instructor, said. “That’s one of the really interesting and fun things about jazz is that it’s so connected to this idea of musicality and syncopation and rhythm.”

Baggs said jazz has become a more stylized, practiced dance than when it first surfaced.

“Jazz today … especially when we do it in the studios is taught and rehearsed,” Baggs said. “I think dance in general has this fusion thing happening, so were seeing forms meld and mush together a little bit but we absolutely see jazz happening in things that are contemporary.”

Baggs, who instructs the intermediate and advanced jazz classes, said jazz has been a popular style because it’s entertainment-specific, quirky and stylized, and that some students come into jazz class wanting to become more confident.

She said those who like jazz are attracted to the show business aspect, because they’re not afraid to be loud.

“The people that excel in it really go for it — really go for that kind of show of the form,” Baggs said.

Erika Brown, UI junior who has been dancing since she was 3, said she’s always loved dance and the form has stuck with her.

more information To learn more about Jazz dance check out our video at vimeo.com/uiargonaut “I think one of my favorite parts is being a performer,” Brown said. “You get to be somebody who maybe isn’t who you are. When I go on stage I’m not really me, I’m playing the role that the choreographer wants me to be.”

Brown started with tap and ballet, but the freedom of jazz attracted her.

“I think with jazz, as a younger student, it was more free,” Brown said. “… You have artistic liberty to do whatever you want.”

Dance wasn’t something UI graduate Geoff Keller ever saw himself doing, but 10 years ago after being in a musical theater production, everything changed.

“Dancing was just something to do at that time.

It wasn’t something I saw myself getting involved in and it just really connected with me,” Keller said. “It’s also become — between my jazz and swing and ballroom … an outlet for me.”

Although Keller said swing and west coast styles are his specialties, he found something he loved in jazz.

“What I like about those is the same thing I like about jazz,” Keller said. “I feel jazz, like swing, can incorporate everything. I mean it’s not uncommon to see a jazz number with elements of hip-hip or lyrical or even ballet.”

Keller said he loves that jazz is different from other styles.

“Ballet is a lot more rigid and controlled in what it is, and it seems like jazz is so much more involved and open,” Keller said. “You can take two people who are real-

kyndall elliott | rawr

Pre-vet freshman Mollie Weitz dances in the intermediate jazz class Tuesday morning in the Physical Education Building. ly good jazz dancers and they will look completely different, where if you take two really good ballet dancers, they’re going to look a lot similar.”

Baggs said jazz is most comparable with tap, while it differs most from modern.

“Tap dance kind of has the

similar aspect as far as there’s rhythm, syncopation, musicality,” Baggs said. “It’s also kind of started in the same era where people were interested in the entertainment value of dance.”

Brown said jazz is attractive to audiences because there are a lot of tricks.

“I think people want to see a lot on stage like, ‘I can’t do that. That’s really cool,’” Brown said. “I think that’s what makes jazz really fun too, is learning all those tricks that make it kind of have a wow factor on stage.”

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Putting together the whole story nicole lichtenberg rawr Normally, a theatre’s board of directors exclusively manages administrative aspects of theatre, such as budgeting funds and booking venues. While the board of directors of Moscow Community Theatre fulfills the aforementioned duties, it also does much, much more.

Sally Sprafka, secretary of MCT, spent Saturday refurbishing a woodstove. How exactly does this fit into theatre? The woodstove is the central piece in the set of Moscow Community Theatres’ next production, “Bus Stop” by William Inge.

“Bus Stop,” which is about travelers who become stranded in a blizzard and take refuge in a Kansas diner, is one of the theatre’s more adult plays.

Generally MCT puts on family-friendly performances such as “The Secret Garden,” “The Sound of Music” and “The Velveteen Rabbit.”

President Rami Attebury said she values community involvement in all levels of MCT’s productions.

“Seeing kids get involved in theatre is really fun,” Attebury said “…Making sure my kids have an opportunity to be involved and making sure community theatre is happening in the area is probably my favorite part.”

Putting on a Show Many components go into theatre production. To begin, MCT’s board of directors selects a show.

Membership coordinator Sharon Trautwein said more actresses turn out for auditions than actors, so the board considers the consistent trend in its selection of plays. For example, one year MCT produced “Nunsense,” which required a mostly female cast.

After the play is selected, the board finds a director, cast and crew, Trautwein

said. Then the team gets to work on the many small but vital tasks to be completed.

Crews work on sets to be designed, painted and properly lit. A team searches out venues to be booked and paid for. And stylists hunt down costumes to be borrowed, sewn, altered, and styled, while hair and makeup are planned out. Finally, there are tickets to be advertised and sold, and ushers to be found.

And in the case of “Bus Stop,” wood burning stoves to be refurbished.

Sound like a lot of work? It is, and MCT aims to do this three times a year.

While the amount of work seems insurmountable, the people involved care, Sprafka said.

“The people are very dedicated, and very involved, and they make it happen,” Sprafka said.

Get Involved According to Trautwein, one of MCT’s biggest challenges is increasing the member base. “(It’s) finding a way for everybody to be involved, and not get burnt out, or feel like all their free time is getting used up,” Trautwein said.

This is one of the theatre’s current goals. Fortunately, there are endless ways to get involved with community theatre.

“It’s one of the things I love about theatre — there really is something for everybody. It’s very community oriented.

You have to all work together to bring a show to its final product,” Trautwein said, Community members can volunteer to help with any aspect of theatre production. From costumes and makeup, to sets, lighting and sound. Or from promotional artwork for programs, tickets, posters, and advertisements, to grant writing, fundraising and teaching. Actors and directors are also welcome.

more information Moscow Community Theatre’s next show is “Bus Stop,” which will be presented at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 1011, 17-18 and at 2 p.m., Feb. 12 and 19 at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre.

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1.27.12

The virtual invasion matt maw rawr

Like the aliens in “Space Invaders,” video games have invaded our world. Turn on the TV during primetime, spend a few minutes online or read a magazine, and odds are good you’ll see an advertisement for a new interactive adventure.

People play them on computers, consoles and cell phones.

University of Idaho junior Cody Kinzer said he started playing video games as a child in Genesee, Idaho, with a Super Nintendo Entertainment System. He moved on to other consoles and games from Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft. He said video games are just another part of different lifestyles.

“It’s not just (that) some people like video games and some people don’t,” Kinzer said.

“It’s like movies now. People like this kind of movie, some people like that kind of movie.

It’s evolution.”

Todd Green, owner of Video Game Headquarters in the Palouse Mall, said the video game market is bigger than the movie market because people would rather be in the action than watching it.

He said the older trend of single-player video games has given way to massively multiplayer online games, and these can have vastly larger production budgets than movies do.

One of the latest heavyhitters is Electronic Arts Inc.’s “Star Wars: The Old Republic” (SWTOR), which allows players to become Jedi knights, smugglers, bounty hunters and other characters in a detailed “Star Wars” universe with thousands of players around the world.

Green said “SWTOR” was allotted $300 million to begin development, and earned a Guinness World Record for more than 200,000 lines of dialogue recorded by several hundred professional voice actors.

Green said fantasy fulfillment draws people in.

“It’s an amazing experience,” he said. “You can be a Sith Lord, or you can be Luke (Skywalker),

illustration by erin dawson | rawr

and put yourself in the lore.”

Green said he used to play text-based computer games called “Multi-User Dungeons,” which supplied no visuals and only allowed players to type what they wanted to do together.

“And now, with some of the new computer games, you can run three screens,” he said. “It’s like you’re totally immersed in the battlefield. It’s all-encompassing if you set it up correctly.”

Not every video game involves hundreds of hours of playtime or galactic battlefields.

Many people have cheap or free video game applications on their cell phones like Rovio’s “Angry Birds,” in which they can invest minutes.

Senior Jayred Potter said he’s played video games since he was 4 years old. He said the

rise of computers and portable technology has created a social craving for instant gratification.

We call people, check our email and now kill time whenever we wish, he said. Video game applications are a simple, inexpensive way to do that.

“I kind of want to feel accomplished, or to try to solve a puzzle or want something to do just to take up some time,” Potter said. “Well, it’s right there … I can spend a buck for a whole bunch of absentminded clicking.”

Kinzer said technological advancement in the 1990s opened the door for creative expression and people who weren’t computer enthusiasts.

Before then, he said, systems powered games with dull visuals and limited experiences.

Modern games include impres-

sive graphics and myriad options. He said Victor Interactive Software’s “Harvest Moon” is a good example.

“That’s not even a game about fighting, that’s a game about farming and making relationships,” Kinzer said. “And then you have ‘FarmVille’ on Facebook. Gaming’s just expanded a lot more, and it’s a lot easier for people to get into.”

Potter said methods of storytelling have also changed.

Early stories were basic because developers were experimenting with new techniques in a new medium. They consisted of players stopping antagonists from committing bad acts. Current video games depict deeper character relationships and provide intense player interaction, such as shifting visuals to draw the

player into a character’s descent into madness, he said.

Video games are everywhere, and they aren’t just for children anymore.

Green said his best customers are 20 to 40 years old, and he’s seen people in their ‘60s purchase the latest game of Activision’s “Call of Duty” military franchise. Games and coordinating demographics have changed through the years, and he sees them continuing to shift as technology progresses. Full immersion in virtual reality, he said, is still a long way off.

“Are you going to be able to stand up and walk through a ‘holodeck’ like ‘Star Trek?’”

Green said. “It’s going to happen, it’s just (a matter of) when. I think we’re a few generations away from that.”

Two different types of extreme

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Kyle Mundy attemps a trick at Moscow Skate Park May 4, 2011. Mundy is a co-founder of the skateboarding club at the University of Idaho.

molly spencer rawr To longboarders, the idea of skating on a board means freedom without the competition whereas skating on a skateboard is more about performance.

Catherine Nielsen, a University of Idaho student who’s taking a semester off, said longboarding is more like surfing.

She said the style of longboarding has a more fluid movement whereas skating revolves around tricks such as kickflips and ollies.

“Longboarding is pretty extreme going down steep hills,” Nielsen said.

Local skater and longboarder, Stuart Nix said skateboarding, in a sense, is flashy.

“Like, let me see how many stairs I can jump down or like the biggest gap, or how many times I can spin

around in the air,” Nix said. “What kind of shoes I wear, what kind of hat with branding. Where I ride my skateboard and what parks I frequent.”

In comparison, Nix said longboarding is more about freedom and cruising without the pressure of performing.

Nix said he has seen videos of people doing tricks like 360s on longboards, but he doesn’t feel it could grab enough funding to make it as an X-Games sport.

“In a sense I think competition is healthy, but to a certain extent competition can be unhealthy,” Nix said.

If longboarding became a competitive sport, Nix said it would take away from its purity.

“It ruins the spirit of what longboarding was created for,” Nix said.

Lauren Rubin, UI senior, works at Zumiez in the Palouse Mall selling skateboards and longboards to customers.

She said her customers are always chill. She works with skaters and longboarders with all types of experience — people who are capable of becoming pro and those who are just beginning.

“It’s an adrenaline rush and it’s a great way to meet other longboarders in the community,” Rubin said. “The UI campus has some really awesome hills to bomb so it’s nice that we live in a place that’s not flat.”

Rubin has been longboarding for a year. She tried skateboarding but said she isn’t comfortable with it and that it’s harder than longboarding.

“Skateboards are stiffer and they’re all going to have a kicktail in the back and the wheels are smaller so you can feel every, single bump when you’re riding over something like gravel,” Rubin said.

“Longboards have more flex to them, more give and they have much bigger

file photo by amrah canul | rawr

wheels so when you do go over sidewalks and gravel you have a lot more give to it and you don’t feel it as much.”

Sabastien Kok has been skateboarding for 11 years. He participated in a few competitions when he lived in the Tampa Bay area and said he enjoyed it.

“I actually got to skate with different people that were better than me and that’s the best fun,” Kok said.

Kok said his favorite thing to do is just skate around town because of the great feeling of being on a skateboard. He said there are apparent differences between skateboarding and longboarding.

“Each one has a different feel because skateboarding consists of using the tail, which means you lean back in order to turn the board,” he said. “Longboarding — you use your body and your motion to turn the board. To me that feels uncomfortable.”

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